ANONYME EXPOSE général des résultats du patronage des esclaves dans les colonies françaises. Imprimé par ordre du ministre… de la marine et des colonies.

Sabin, 14712.

On 5 January 1840, Louis-Philippe signed an ordinance (reproduced here at the head of the presentation), known as the “patronage of slaves” ordinance, which was intended to ease their condition: religious instruction was to be provided, as well as primary education: “slaves of both sexes, from the age of four, will be admitted to all free schools…”.

In addition, public prosecutors and their deputies were responsible for regularly checking the slaves’ living conditions: food, maintenance, discipline, working hours and rest periods, etc., with offending masters liable to a fine. Two summary reports of the results had been published in 1840 and 1842, “distributed to a small number of people”.

It was therefore decided to repeat the results of the first two reports in this new 1844 Exposé, in order to assess “exactly the conduct of the owners and the condition of the slaves” and to highlight the “imperfections and gaps” in the legislation.

This report gives many details on the condition, food, clothing, hospitals, housing, religious instruction and marriages of slaves in the French colonies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and the island of Bourbon).

A good copy.