Colonial Emigration Nineteenth, Twentieth Centuries : Annual Reports from the Port of Calcutta to the British and Foreign Colonies, Vol. IV
"The reports in this volume pertain to a very important period in the History of India. The 1850s saw the end of governance by the East India Company and the emergence of the British Crown as the sole ruler of the sub-continent. The Sepoy Mutiny took place in 1857 and before restoration of authority in 1858, improvements were constantly being made in the matter of emigration, which came under the control of the British Crown, from 1858.
A treaty was signed between the French and British in 1860 allowing emigration of Indian Natives from the British controlled territories to the French Colonies of Martinique, Cayenne, Reunion and Guadeloupe. It may be noted here that Indian emigrants from the French controlled territories of Pondicherry, Karikal, Mahe and Chandernagore were already being dispatched from these places; the terms of employment are not known but one can conclude that the conditions were not rosy at all. After signing a Treaty with the British, even the French were also required to repatriate the Indian Labourers, free of cost, after a contract of five years; they calculated 365 days x 5 years = 1825 days; they deducted 52 Sundays and Gazetted holidays and decided to make the Indian Labour work on alternate days, thus stretching their contracts for Ten years! Whoever managed to return to India from the French Colonies returned as Paupers, France abolished slavery in their colonies in 1848, hence no records of any Indian native is available in India or in their colonies. As per records of the Proceedings, the Parliament in England was not interested in promoting Emigration from India but was compelled to take decisions as almost all their colonies around the World kept on requesting for Indian Labourers.
Whatever decision was taken in England, was always for the welfare of the Emigrants. The Colonies adopted Ordinances after Ordinances and the fates of the emigrants did not improve till the 20 century, by which time, their children and grand-children had a base and were bent to improve their lot. Today, Indians around the world have become full-fledged citizens of their inherited countries and contribute to the development and economy of their respective countries without cutting off their umbilical cords to their motherland." (jacket)
