The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-06-24 00:00:00

doubted that the general sense of the proprietary of that island was
in favour of the diffusion of religious instruction through the %Vest
Indian colonies, if it were only to be effected through the agency
of clergymen of the Established Church. The indisposition WU
not against religion generally, but against the particular tenets of
the missionaries. The facilities which attended the labours of the
members of the Establis'-ed Church were great, and not less was
the success which attended them. As many 1118000 slaves received
instruction from ministers of that class; and he would, therefore,
boldly repeat, that the general feeling throughout Barbadoes was
decidedly favourable to religious instruction, if conveyed, as he
had already said, through tire instrumentality of the Church of
England. fie could not suppose bet that it was the general wish
that feelings of hostility should be as much as possible done away
with, and assuredly that was not to be effected by severity of in.
vective in that Hosea. The acts to which the debate had reference
were committed in a state little short of moral dementation, and
should be treated accordingly. He trusted that the time was not
far distant when all that occurred would exist, but merely as
matter of recollection, when it would pass away, and its ill effects
be no more felt.
Mr. W. SMITH (Norwich) argued that the passage which had
been so much relied on did not at all justify the references drawn
from it. lin read and commented on the passage, showing that it
did not contain a word against the white population of the colonies.
He then adverted to two pamphlets (one of which was published in
the present year and which, though written by West Indio pro-
prietors, contained more virulent invectives against the whites than
had ever appeared in any part of the obnoxious letter of Alr.
Shrewsbury. Ile had no doubt that several of the West India pro-
prietors in London felt as strongly indignant as he or any Hon.
Member could feel, at the atrocities committed in the colonies.
He quoted the pamphlets above-mentioned for the purpose of
showing, that others had used as strong and violent Invectives. He
next none'! the pamphlet of an Hon. Bart., a mess Jtr of that House
(Sir G. Rose) is support of his statement, and as evidence of the good
character anti conduct of the Wesleyan missionaries. The charges
broughtlby certain inhabitants of Barbadoes against Mr.:Shrewsbury
they did not themselves believe, nor were those charges brought for.
ward in any other than a spirit of revenge. They charged him with
dangerous tenets as a pretext, for wreaking their own vengeance.
In Jamaica, when an aftenipt was made to put down a Methodist
Chapel there, he was requested to apply to his Majesty's Govern.
ment, and lie did so, from attachment to the cause of religious
liberty. Orders were in consequence sent out, and from that time
to the present period no interruption had been experienced. The
'conduct of the Colonial Legislatures in refusing to enact that the
killing of a slave was murder, left no doubt as to the temper by
which they were actuated. In conclusion, he pressed upon the at-
tention of the House the necessity of adopting some strong roes-
' sure for preventing a continuance of the system which prevailed.
No matter whether Bishop or Missionary addressed the people, if he
were but suspected of saying any thing unpleasant to the feelings
wrcertain proprietors there, he would instantly be denounced.
There had Jittery* been amongst the inhabitants of that island,
a most inordinate idea of their own importance ; but for his part he
had not the slightest doubt that if Barbadoes went elsewhere, the
mother-country would experience very little loss.
Mr. ACTT ER W(SWI'II bore testimony in favour of' the cha.
raster and conduct of Mr. Shrewsbury. The letter he had written
was in self-dcfence. He referred to several letters from different
persons in authority and of various ranks, in favour of theWesleyao
Missionaries, a class of Missionaries whom lie thought approxi-
mated in doctrines the most nearly to the Church of England.
Nothing, In his opinion, could be more moderate or measured than
the language of the letter.
Mr. Secretory CANNING—As it appeared that there could be
no advantage in prolonging the debate, at a time when much less
difference of opinion really existed in the House than was supposed
to prevail, hedeemed ft unnecessary to offerany apology forjust then
addressing the House, to state the view which he took of the sub.'
ject under their consideration. There were no two things more
difficult to avoid confounding than the statements which were ren-
dered necessary to the excel-potion of an accused party. and the
motives and considerations which actuated his conduct. In speak-
ing of the act detailed on the papers then lying on the table of
that Hone, he could use no other language than that of unqua.
lified censure. There could be but one opinion on such an outrage.
It was unjustifiable—it was criminal-it was an open violation of
the law—at was audaciously flying in the face of Parliament. If lie
differed from the Hon. Gentleman as to the particular mode of
proce:ding in that case, lie trusted that that lion. Gentleman
would see that his so differing from hint arose from the view which
he took of the practical considerations that the question involved,
rather than from any disposition to dissent from his opinions as to
the character and operation of the tic*, which he condemned as
cordially as any ore could. In assigning to that act its true chg.
rarer, there should be taken into account the moving causes by
which it was roduced ' • and such precautions should not be orris
; looked as would be likely to prevent a recurrence of similar
crimes. Ile would not follow the Ihriourable Gentleman
(Mr. leowell Buxton) through the several parts of the pa-
rallel which he drew between the cases of Mr. Smith and
that of Mr. Shrewsbury. lie considered those cases perfectly
dissimilar, and presenting a strong contrast, especially In the air-
' eumstatice that no blame whatever could be attached to Mr.
Shrewsbury. The letter which he wr,te, considered by itself, was
perfectly free from objection of any nature; but if the letter so
, viewed were to be considered blameless, in wnat terms should he
speak of the gross and flagrant imprudence of making public the
contents of that letter in the island of Barbadoes ? Was there any-
' thing, he would ask, more calculated to cast impediments in his
course, or paralyse Die exertions in promoting the cause to which
he devoted himself, than in so making known the letter? In what
situation did that place him ? H ad it not the. effect of exciting
against him the strongest prejudices ? Ile arrived in the
and before he had time to cnnquer the objections which prevailed
against him, that firebrand was thrown in, exciting still stronger
hostility. He had been sent out, and he was bound to give a sin.
cere report to those by whom he was sent. It was confidential, and
he ( Mr. Canning) inclined to think that it was not written with a
view to call forth those feelings which unhappily had been excited,
as the publication of it did not appear to have been contemplated
by the writer. It was necessary to discriminate between the
several parties whose conduct the motion then before the House
brought into view. First, there were the unknown persons by
whom the criminal act was perpetrated ; secondly, there were the
persons whose duty called upon them to prevent its commission ;
thirdly, there was the Governor of the Colony ; and fourthly, there
was the Government at home. As to the Governor of the Colony,
be would observe, that he thought the House ought to look favour.
ably on his conduct, seeing that he acted under such legal advice
as at the time be could obtain; and thought a military man, wil-
lingly acluiesced in the counsel he received not to aid the civil
power by a military force. However, his subsequent conduct fully
showed that he was not influenced by any other feeling than lau-
dable scruples respecting too ready a use of military power; fur
when he received from home better advice, be showed no backward-
ness to act upon its suggestions to the utmost, preventing the re-
newel of scenes which no one deplored more than he did. As to
the Government at home, it was not to be doubted that they had
done all that, undcr the circumstances, they could. They spared no
effort to prevent a recurrence of such outaages: and on an impartial
view, he confidently anticipated that the House and the country
could agree in thinking that no blame whatever on the occasion
could attach to the Noble Lord at the head of the Colonial'Depart-
men:. The Honourable Gentleman had mantained that the Ma-
gistrates had been guilty of acts which called for punishment and
for removal from office. It did not appear, however, upon the face
of the papers, or from any information before the House, that the
state of society in Barbadoes would have admitted of supplying the
places of the 11lacistrates with others at all qualified to discharge
the functions of the lilagistrach The Honourable Gentleman had
called upon them to make that change in the Magistracy at a
sure of the proceedings when they were without information on
which they could with safety have ventured to act ; and lie would
add. that there was nothing on the face of the papers to show, that
if it were p visible for his Alajesty's Government to have been in
possession of the requisite information, they would have shrunk
from a decisive performance of their duty. It was, he thought,
the height of injustice to affix blame to the whale Colony because
they were unable to discover the really culpable individual. The
Ilanourable Gentleman suspected, that in zeal for the Established
Church there had not been a sufficient regard fir the principles of
public liberty; but he was afraid, if motives were sifted so cap.
noddy, there would be as little that was creditable found on one
side as on the other. They were engaged in an enterprise against
the local prejudices of the West Indies, and they must take their
account in experiencing continued difficulty and opposition.—
On the whole, it would be better to attempt keeping the Colonies
in good temper, which would afford the best security for carrying
into effect the resolutions they might see fit to adopt. It was not a
matter of course, necessarily resulting from their zeal for the wel-
fare of the, Church of England, that they should feel disposed to
despise or undervalue the effects of the missionary labours of other
denominations, which he was ready to admit had been, nut only
spiritually useful, but conducive to the secular interets, the good
Ppeace, welfare, and advantage of the West Indies. But while
ie did not feel disposed to confine the instruction of the '.Vest
Indies to the labours of the Church of England alone, he felt it
would be conceding too much to allow the Church to be proscribed
for the sake of sects, and he believed that was the feeling of our
Colonists in that quarter of the world. It would be utterly unfair
that toleration should be refused and suspended as it regarded the
mother establishment, in reference to which it was that the word
toleration existed. If the Barbadians did not act with a sincere
disposition to obey the direction, of Parliament, which he was not
altogether prepared to admit, they, at least, would manifest that
outward deference which, in the present case, was perhaps as
much as could be reasonably expected. lie farther thought
they had no right whatsoever to attribute the perpetration of this
outrage to the Inhabitants of Barbadoes in general, or to suppose
they were universally implicated in a transaction so scandalous in
its nature, and every way discreditable to Its authors. And it was
partly under the influence of this conviction of the injustice of
treating the whole Society as connected and implicated in this pro.
deeding, that he was dinaatlCl to recommend another proposition
different froin that of the Honourable Mover of the raw.
lotion, and in that way draw the distinction between what
he felt convinced the House ought to do, and what the
Honourable Gentleman proposed it should do. It could,
by no means be denied that cases might arise in the pur-
suit of' the amelioration of the condition of the slave population,
where it might become necessary for Government to come before
Parliament, and consult as to the means to be employed in the
iiitinoadthasouptepparricutialoerrmbice
hbec; biadt,:thimitoehee
treatment of those cases ; but it was to be doubted whether the
hga,octnuiffintocuieaunbtcoteddnerlyide:eraocal:sfesselepohdwe;o:
present was one of those casts. rot and insurrection had certainly
oceuricnces had taken place, not because there did not exist any or
Governor had been injudiciously advised not to exercise the power
tiltanbunte: