February t, 1888J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
realized for tho teas ho had made. Ho pausod 
ere he replied, thon beginning with dust lie quoted 
Rl^f) as his figure 1 He was engaged at once 
as a very likely man, and out of mercy for his 
immortal soul. Think of tho sublimity of lying 
he would have attained to had ho boon encouraged 
to quote for every grade ! PErrEiiaoiiN. 
[This is bettor than tho Dimbula man who gave 
" 81 " as his average (as a batsman), on which 
an Ambagamuwa visitor supposing tho only talk of 
planters was tea, remarked " and a very good 
average I call it I" — Ed.] 
COFFEE AND SLAVERY IN BRAZIL :— No. II. 
SLAVE MANUMISSION LiWS AMD THEIR \V0HUINU — 
PLANTERS VOLUNTARILY ARRANGING TO FREE SLAVES 
AFTER 1890 — THE " I>0OR WHITES," " THE FREE 
NATIVES," AND IMMIGRANT COLONISTS IN BRAZIL. 
In my last 1 mentioned that there was little likeli- 
hood that the production of coffee would be lessened 
by the want of laud to fall back upon, or through the 
old districts being worn out from exhaustion, or from 
attacks of disease, either at the leaves or roots of the 
coffee trees. 
What may in timo affect it is the labour market. 
We have all of us for years expected that the collapse 
of this was to bo the great calamity from which all 
agrioulturo in this country was to suffer. The vitality 
of the institution of slavery has been strong beyond 
the expectation of the slave-holders themselves, but it 
cannot now survive for long. I fear it will go before 
they have had time to think of how tho forced labour 
is to be substituted. 
In 1871 a law was passed, by which the children of 
slave mothers were to be free if born after the date 
of that law, 28th September 1871. This is called the 
" Rio Branco " law after tho minister who carried it 
through tho Houses of Parliament. Horn free was 
understood to mean that they were to bo slaves 
to the master of the mothers until they wero 21 years. 
The mother could be freed by buying her own free- 
dom, but tho children could not without paying the 
master for tho estimated value of their services up to 
the ago of twenty-one years. An Emancipation Fund 
was to bo started which was to be supplied with funds 
from the proceeds of taxes relating to the holding 
and transferring of slave property. It was thought that 
through the action of those two fundamental condi- 
tions of this llio Branco law slavery would 
rapidy decrease. Somehow or other, little difference 
was observed, the Emancipation Fund did not do a 
great deal owing to the high price fixed for 
those who were chosen to be freed and to the 
small amount av.-ulablo to effect tho pur"hases. 
After this had worked for some years, it w.is scon 
that unless a law were passed fixiug tho time when 
there would bo no more slaves, tho old system was 
to continue a blot on tho national escutcheon for a 
longer time than was consistent with an advanced 
civilization. 
In 1835 a new law was paBBed, tho fundamental 
principles of which are that slaves wero nil to be 
rogisterod. their age stated counting at tho date of the 
passing of tho law, 28th Sept. 1>8.">, and a lixod value 
ut ou each according to ago. Tho values aro £100 
or under Q0 years, f'JO for under 10, and ISO under 
50; those above 00 woro declared freo on condition 
they work for three years lor their master ; those 
above (15 wero declared freo unconditionally, but 
the District Judge was to decide if these were able 
to work for tin ir living. If they were uot their 
master was bound to koop them, allowing them only 
euch .vork as they woro ublo to perforin. 
An end was to be put to slavery altogether by 
deducting, "0 muob from the registered value each 
year, until in thirteen years fioiu 2*th .Sept I—, 
tbo slave would havo no value whatever. Tho law, 
however, does not say that there shull be no more 
slaves in Brazd after that date, mid although the 
Uovuruwoul woro prosjed to put iu a elaujc to this 
effect, the question was shirked by stating that 
tho Emperor could issue a decree declaring all free 
at that date. No doubt this will bo the case. 
I may stato that for females 25 per cent of the 
abovo value is deducted. It was also stipulated by 
this new law that the Emancipation Fund was to be 
assisted by an extra 5 per cent on all taxes at 
present collocted. Ono-third of the produce of this 
tax, however, was to go towards introducing Europoau 
immigrants. 
The valuations of thoso freed by the Emancipation 
Fund woro to bo taken from the regtstored table of value 
according to age. Slaves who had not been registered 
before the 31st March 1887 are declared free. The action 
of this latter clause shows that there must have been 
a great many not registered, for, although tho returns 
are not received from all the districts of this widely- 
spread Empire, those which havo been sent in show 
that there arc some 40 per cent fewer slaves than 
the former registrations under the Rio Branco law 
warrant, that is to say, instoad of 1,000,000 slaves in 
Brazil there are about 600,000. The reasons for this 
difference some account to deaths not having all been 
registered, to voluntary emancipations not having been 
notified to the authorities, and to some masters hav- 
ing intentionally left slaves out of tho now register 
to let them have the benefit of tho omission for 
freedom's sake. 
The question, however, is not to be left here. Tho 
enlightened planters of the Province of Sao Paulo 
are taking the lead, and are voluntarily freeing their 
slaves on the condition of working until the 31st 
December 1890, associations are being formed amongst 
the planters having this for their object. These bene- 
volent ideas are spreading into other Provinces, so 
that supposiug there may be no alteration in the law 
these voluntary efforts will have such an effect on 
public opinion that tho cseravocral will be by 1891 
a non-existent individual. This long digression on the 
subject of slavery was necessary before I could enter 
into the labour question or tho future supply of 
labour. 
The transformation from slave to free labour is 
undoubtedly a most important subject for Brazil. 
It seems to bo admitted that the freed slave will not 
work much for his former master. One however would 
expect that those slaves who are now being freed volun- 
tarily by their masters on condition of three years' work 
will not be so ready to leave the old estate as those 
who will ultimately bo freed by force of law. 
I find that those masters who aro exercising their 
benevolence in this way are also doing their best to 
prepare the slave for freedom by giving him a piece 
of land to cultivate, and seeing that he does cultivate 
it. Perhaps tho slave works five days a week for his 
master, tho sixth day bo works for himself, tho pro- 
duce goes towards buying clothes or any extra ex- 
peuso beyond food, which his master supplies him 
with nnd they aro encouraged to save the rest. Some 
go so far as to allow them to marry and settlo down 
in a small houso which thoy hnild thomselves. If 
all owners of slaves woro to do tho same as these, 
many of fho slaves would settle down on tho old 
plantation. 
It is not expected that tho " poor white, " as one 
may call tho prosent freo labourer, will do more to 
assist tho largo farinor than he docs now, which is 
practically next to nothing. 
Tbo freo nativo of the country will only work as 
much as keeps him from starving ; if he do consent 
to work for a farinor, ho will submit to no rules as 
to the regular carrying on of the work, and he will 
work only the days or parts of days which may suit 
his fancy. If told even quietly of a fault, ho will 
loavo regardless of being paid for the time ho has 
worked. Tho law will protect him iu demanding his 
wages, supposing ho leave in the manner 1 describe. 
Tho wages of thoso men, if for a few days, is Is tnl 
to 2s per day and their food. There are exceptions 
amongst these who work by the month. BOCU are 
engagod by tbo running month — r C0>7ttfe-HI0 much 
per month to work every day except Sundays nnd 
saints' days, others per counted month— >«« ia>W<Wo 
—this is really btrvico by tho day, so much for mrj 
V 
