PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
C.O.
Reference :-
882
3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
( 52 )
|* NJPWING, the NI MBER of AFRICANS who are suppled with CLOTHING in heu of Waves, and those whe Artim 1' PERS and Læpius belonging to Rɛijurous SOCIETIES, &e
1-1-
Mat
Prusion
La Digue
Silhouette-
Det
North
Frégate
Curieuse
Féleté
Sister Marane
Stag
Se Anne
Total
Malic
..f
..
Religous NocVITIES.
Impers l'auper-
Not employed
tuberben VPRIS
Over ten smar
per te year Over ten years
Mic
Maes
SALEJA
»l[1]\
41
37
13
Females
Mais
Fen.ales
9
Women
22 3
345
177
33
16-Showing the Ni MRER of AFRICANS Mandiri, lying on thvet Botage, Baptised, nad Pagans.
l'aguns.
Raprod
For ag
Marr. 1
concubinag”.
I'mer ten years Over ten yeAER
Inder ten years
Layer beto years
INTE
Prasiti
La Digur
Silhouette
DOTES
North
Fregate
Curieuse
Féliente
Sisters
Marianne
St Anne
Total
Seychelles,
SIB,
Males
Females
ཟླ་
Malca
Femalee
Males
Females
Males
Females
3M
169 165 38
177
3M 279
: 189
3
3
28
32
46
3x
22
22
40
21
32
32
19
9
9
I
1
3
3
23rd December 1875
Males
Fema vs.
J
Males,
Females
355
9
5-
39
འ ོ།སྐྱབས༤
17
1
5
5
4
2
3
2
2
5
43
275
275
41
39
413
283
29
13
431 | 244
(Signed)
H. LEIPSIC,
Acting Inspector of Africans.
Chief Civil Commissioner's Office,
Seychelles, September 30th, 1875.
I HAVE the honour to forward to your Excellency the Report for 1874 of the Acting Inspector of Africans.
I have to propose certain modifications of the laws and regulations in practice with respect to liberated Africans, which I believe will be of advantage to these people, more Satisfactory to the parties held responsible for their treatment, and advance the ultimate interests of the Settlement.
The Inspector of Africans should have the power to inspect and report on Africans allotted to domestic service. The Mauritian laws in force here do not provide for this sufficently, for the probable reason that they were mostly chacted to meet the require-
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મ
ments of adult male tield labour. Nearly all the women and children landed at Seychell from Her Majesty's cruisers (and they numbered more than the adult males) were allotted for domestic service, and I feel certain a rather strict supervision is required for their interests. In fact, on the whole, the average treatment of minor Africans I consider in a moral view, in regard to the future man and woman, and the advantage of the Settle- ment, unsatisfactory.
From the ages of 7 to 10 years I consider the allotter should keep an account of the clothes given to the children; I would not demand any money wages during this period, but a guarantee that the children are clothed. I quite adinit the value of the opinions from a sanitary view that have been expressed to ine by certain allotters, that children when young prefer not to be clothed, and that they are better in health without clothes, but in order to encourage proper habits, a light, clean clothing is undoubtedly required, especially for girls. From the ages of 10 to 15 years a portion of the wages allotted by law should be given in money, and not all in clothes; perhaps also it would be au advantage for this money to be placed to the credit of the individual African in a public bank, to be drawn, if he desires it, when he arrived at a specified age. When a minor African arrives at the age of 15 years he should be taken before the magistrate, and regularly engaged, under a penalty to the master, for neglect of doing so.
Some of the Provisions of Ordinance 31, of 1867, have been extended to Seychelles. but that provision requiring the production of tickets when requested by the authorities has not been made law here. The consequences are, some Africans have no tickets and others are kept by their masters beyond the legal time of allotment, and others have been illegally transferred, and the supervision of the Inspector is hindered, and the yearly returns become difficult to make out.
The wages of male Africans, from 15 to 21 years of age, are insufficient, and require augmentation. An African lad who is allotted at 10 years of age should be worth more than 138. a month up to 20 years of age, and lesser pay than the market price for able- bodied labour, and what should be skilled labour after such long service, must create dissatisfaction. I also consider an able-bodied African, allotted at 21
years of for
age. five years' service is, or should be, worth over 14s. a month and rations, according to market price of free labour. House accommodation is not worth counting, the average dwellings are of no appreciable value, and cultivators prefer free labourers being located on the land without charging for the same. A woman receives 1s. a month less wages under the same circumstances, The disproportion against the able-bodied man is obvious. I enclose a list showing the wages received by allotted Africans males and females, per month, on the graduated scale, computed by age and length of service.
Allotted African women in childbirth should be attended by some competent person. Many children die of tetanus soon after birth. A separate building, to be approved of by the Inspector of Africans, should be constructed on estates where women are engaged. for the reception of such cases.
14
1
The women should be rationed only while so laid up. The double cut should be abolished, there being no medical man to certify that absences are not due to sickness. No rations should be cut for any absence, unless when the allotted African is in th custody of the police or in jail.
Marriage, without fees, to be permitted to adult allotted Africane, Ail allotted women (adult) to be married civilly, for which purpose, your Excellency's valuable suggestion of a dower would be an inducement. The dower to be in apparel and household utensils, perhaps, in lieu of money.
To avoid disproportionate distribution of the sexes as much as possible, no allotted liberated African should be removed, residentially, from any island to another without the authority in writing of the Inspector of Africans, countersigned by the Chief Civil Commissioner.
At present, there is nothing to guarantee against separation of husband and wife, and children and parents. At Denis Island there are 14 adult allotted women and only one allotted man. It is true, there are here three free female labourers and nine free male labourers, but this point is beside the question.
No liberated African, allotted or otherwise, should leave the Seychelles without notifying the Inspector of Africans or the nearest police station of such intended removal. This is to obviate the difficulty of discovering the whereabouts of liberated Africans, and for returns, &c.
All allotted liberated Africans who have been transferred to the Admirantes Islands and to the Islands of Providence and San Juan da Nova from Seychelles, without the authority of the Chief Civil Commissioner to be returned to Mahé for re-allotment, so as to be under the supervision of the Inspector of Africans.
G 3