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Prasin a new African (allotted) woman informed me, that she had never received any wages, which her master did not deny, but stated that she had been supplied with clothing instead.
When I continued my inspection farther on, the wife of the latter man came to me with the woman the second time, stating that her husband had made a mistake in his statement, that the woman was paid regular, and to my surprise the woman made quite a different statement; from which proceeding one would suppose that either the woman had told me a lie the first time, or she being in dread of meeting the displeasure of her mistress afterwards, and I have reason to believe that it is the latter; this was not the only case of a similar nature that has come to my notice; in one case after a boy complained to me, that he had never received any wages, since he being entitled to any, I entered a complaint on his behalf against the employer, and on the day of trial to my surprise he gave quite a different statement from that he had given me on the day of my inspection, in consequence of which the charge of course was dismissed.
15. I do not approve of the system of proprietors of supplying minor Africans with clothing for the whole of their wages after they have attained the age of ten years, but I quite agree that a proprietor should take the interest of the minors in purchasing clothing for them, and it cannot be expected that proprietors should give them the whole of their wages that they may be entitled and to find them in clothing besides, but I would advise this much, that if they do supply them with clothing at all, they should keep an account of the clothing actually supplied, and not, as in some cases where proprictors declared to me that the rumors were supplied with clothing instead of their wages, whereas I found them naked, and that in visiting the huts in which they dwelled, I found not the trace of any clothing at all, and that on inquiring whether they received any wages at all, I was told by the manager that the proprietor on pay day's which takes place every three months, give those boys who have attained the age of 10, 11, and 12 years a shilling each, and six pence to those under that age.
Religious Training.
16. On three estates, with credit to the employers, very little Paganism existed, the whole of the Africans with very few exceptions stated that they were baptised, some Roman Catholics or Protestants, and I believe that they are even urged to attend Divine worship on Sunday; these estates are situated as follow: Stag Island, Muicy at Praslin, and Union at La Digue; amongst the Africans located in these islands in general exists but very little Paganism; at Denis Island, Silhouette, and Fregate, I found the larger portion of them Pagans, and I am of opinion that not much blame can be attached to the proprietors, because these islands are rather far from any place of public worship, and from information received, I don't think that clergymen very often visit these islands, if they visit them at all; there are several estates situated at Mahé, on which none of the new Africans landed since 1871 have as yet been baptised.
This system is a bad one, and I am afraid will always prevail amongst the Africans, whilst inhabitants to whom they are allotted show a bad example.
There is a slight increase in the marriages this year; last year there were 14, and first six months of present year 10, and 4 since the 1st July and another one published.
During my inspections, I endeavoured to impress on the minds of those Africans who I found living in concubinage, that it was bad and not right to live in concubinage, and that they should get married, and many of them had no objection to this, but complained of not being provided with sufficient means, and that they would experience much difficulty in obtaining the necessary permission from their masters, but on questioning Some proprietors on this subject, I am sure that they would be too glad to assist them In their good design, but there are others who would only laugh at them, than to do anything of the kind, and all what they study is to get as much labour out of them as possible, during the five years of their contract of service, and that being aware that they have to pay them higher wages after being free, are too glad to get rid of them, in order to obtain a lot newly arrived at a very cheap rate, and who they are able to knock about, which of course they would not be able to do with those who have been already some years at Seychelles, and civilised.
During my inspection, I found only one school for minor Africans; this was kept by Mr. Calais at Stag Island, the number I found there were eleven, two belonging to himself allotted during last year, and nine belonging to the Protestant Missionary Society; this school has since been changed to Mahé, and the number of children has since been increased by 18, of which a few are born at Seychelles, but of African parents,
1 45 )
some of them, considering the short period since this school was established, commence to advance a little, they are taught to read and write, and trained to domestic labour.
There are also seven girls who were handed over to the Superior of the convent last year; they are taught to read and write, and instructed in husbandry work, some of them are pretty well advanced; there was only one out of the seven that the Superior com- plained against, as being stubborn and disobedient; all the others, who appeared to be of a more timid nature, she spoke well of,
I found four boys allotted to the Roman Catholic Prefect, who are also taught to read and write and trained to domestic service.
During my inspection, I came across from 300 to 400 children born at Seychelles of African parents since the first introduction of the liberated Africans in 1861.
I am certain that there are upwards of double that number, but the inhabitants in fear of these children being taken away from them, do not seem to be very willing to furnish me with information on this score. I also discovered that many occupants of dwelling houses have not informed me rightly as regards to the minor Africans' children allotted to them of late years, I think they are also in dread that they be taken from them, or else they have illegally transferred them to other parties, which has been frequently the case at Seychelles.
I found also new allotted Africans, especially women who had been illegally transferred by proprietors to their relations, and many Africans inspected by me who are supposed to be free had lost their tickets, in consequence of which in many instances, I was not enabled to take their status. I think there should be some kind of regulation to compel Africans to produce their tickets on demand, although they may be free. I think in many cases they are put up by proprietors not to show their tickets, for fear that they are not "en régle," because some inhabitants have been in the habit of not discharging Africans before the stipendiary magistrate on the expiration of their contract of service, and moreover illegally detaining their tickets.
Several proprietors for breach of the above have already been prosecuted during the last few years.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
H. LEIPSIC, Acting Inspector of Africans.
1.-SHOWING the NUMBER of AFRICANS located in the under-mentioned ISLANDS, distinguishing MALES from
FEMALES Above and under the ages of 10 YEARS, as also those under CONTRACT of SERVICH.
Mahé Praslin La Digue Silhouette
Denis
■
M
North Frégate Curleuse Félicité
Sister Marianne Stag
St. Anne
Where located
Males.
Minors under
bla.
New.
10 years
Females.
Malex.
Females.
Males.
8214
Females.
Total.
Under Contract of
Males.
Service.
Females.
Total
258 175
433
465 211 169 199
98
48
1,190
42
26
20
14
1
105
14
11
30
11
13
8
63
15
5
23
13
21
99
46
20
3
14
34
3
14
6
18
6
3
13
1
4
7
3
23
3
12
3
3
Total
615 293
230
264
113
35
| | |
ខ្លួនខ្លះៗ | | | |
55
1,572
351
231 582
F 3
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