Dr Rita Pemberton
The first decade after Emancipation was a decisive period in the history of Tobago, when it was clear the free African workers were not willing to tolerate terms and conditions reminiscent of the period of enslavement.
The planting community, which had shown itself unwilling to adjust its modus operandi, sought to employ a number of mechanisms, including immigrant labour schemes, to force workers to accept their terms.
These processes were rudely interrupted by a disaster which hit the island, to which the response of the authorities is instructive.
On the night of October 11, 1847, a hurricane - which according to officials is more properly described as a tornado - swept across Tobago, from one end to the other, with increasing force, after 8pm until daybreak.
Throughout the extended battering, the hurricane left a trail of destruction. Vessels were tossed seawards and then lashed back to the shore as wrecked monuments to the force of its visitation. The community was taken by surprise, because the island was considered to be out of the range of hurricanes, having not experienced one since 1790. Disaster complacency was reflected in construction practices: buildings on the island were not strengthened to resist hurricane force winds.
The Lieutenant Governor and his officials sent detailed reports to the imperial authorities on the state of affairs and the actions taken to mitigate the impact of the disaster.
This body of correspondence reflected two trends. Firstly, it provided minutiae on the buildings that were destroyed, particularly sugar works, estate buildings and the homes of plantation owners and managers, and indicated the nature of the support they required from the imperial government.
Of the island's 70 operating estates, 26 factories and 30 large dwelling houses were completely destroyed, and 33 works and 31 houses damaged.
This left only ten estates with a capacity to continue to manufacture sugar. This was to underscore the extent of the need for financial support to put the island's sugar industry back on its feet, which theme dominated the contents of letters to the imperial government about the hurricane.
Fortunately, there were only 17 casualties, which included four children of planters.
The second trend was reflected in the communication about the free African population. While it was reported that this class also suffered severe losses - 465 houses were destroyed and 180 lost their roofs or were otherwise severely damaged - the Lieutenant Governor commended the behaviour of the population, which, he said, posed no threat to the island's security. The members of this group showed no signs of despondency and were energetically engaged in repairing and rebuilding.
With their self-help process under way, it can be deduced that, unlike the planting community, the freed Africans did not need imperial assistance, which was, of course, not provided. Governor Graeme planned a day of thanksgiving and humiliation to give support to the positivi
