SLAVERY IN BRAZIL

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 6, 1888

SLAVERY IN BRAZIL.

IN the course of a lengthy account by the British consul at Rio de Janeiro, of the great Brazilian province of Minas Geraes, which was lately laid before Parliament, reference is made to slavery in Brazil. The number of registered slaves in the province of Minas in 1873 was 340,444; 107,615 are said to have entered after this date, 105,349 went out of the province, 49,316 died, and 17,119 were manumitted, leaving about 276,000. The greatest portion of these are retained for the working of the various mines and the coffee estates in certain districts. Minas and Rio have for many years past been the principal slave-holding provinces of the empire, and in 1872 contained 712,475 slaves, of whom 611,152 were Brazilians and 95,283 were Africans. In 1885 there were 556,896 in both provinces, of whom 30,000 belonged to the municipality of Rio. This number is said to have diminished considerably during the last twelve months, but Mr. Ricketts thinks the statistics furnished on the subject unreliable; for, although there are many who are free de jure they are not necessarily so de facto. In addition to the 556,896 above mentioned there is a large number of slaves not registered, who are now held as free before the law. There are some 180,000 children of slaves still in the hands of their masters in these two provinces.—London Times.