The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-06-04 00:00:00

TREATMENT OF SLAVES IN THE ISLAND OF
NEVIS.

Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY rose to make his promised
:notion for a copy of depositions taken before the
Coroner in the Island of Nevis, who sate on the
body of a negro named Congo Jack. In briugiag
forward this stbject, he felt it necessary to state
that lie did not call the attention of the House to it
alone on the extraordinary barbarity which the par-
ticular case developed, for that, glaring as it was,
appeared much less important than the light it
threw ou the mode of admi n e tering criminal justice
iu the West India Islands, where the protection Or
slaves was at stake. It was, therefore, to the gross
adtuiuistration of justice in these Colonies
that he meant particularly to call the atten-
tion of the House—and for this purpose it he.
cause necessary for him to call fur further in-
formation from the Colonial authorities. The facts
of the particular case which had occurred were
simply these :—A Rev. Mr. Rawlins had the ma-
nagement of an estate belonging to a Mr. Hutchin-
son ; a slave had ran away from it on the Tuesday,
was taken and brought back on the IVeduesday,
flogged in the severest manner on Thursday. and
chained with another slave who had committed some
offence, and dragged to work with the rest of the
men on Friday morning; lie was still chained
to the other slave, and when brought to his
work he was incapable of doing any thing, and
complained of severe pain. hunger, and sick-
ness—he tried to lie down in this state, but was
severely flogged by the sticks of one or two drivers.
The consequence of this brutal treatment was. that
the wretched bring died in the course of Friday
actually chained to his fellow slave!! He was buried
privately on the same day, and no Coroner's in-
quest was at the moment called. though his body
was covered with marks of violence. Some inti-
mation of this cruelty had been given to the Magis-
trates, and a Coroner was then ordered to ail on
the body, which was dug up for examination. The
present object of his motion was, for the depositions
of the Coroner. which, strange to say, had not
been transmitted to this country. But it appeared
from the evidence given on the subsequent trial,
that, at the Coroner's inquest, Dr. Thos. O'Mealey
deposed, that he attended at Hutchinson's estate on
the 9th September, between twelve and one o'clock,
accompanied by two other doctors; that he had
examined the deceased, who was then taken oat of
his grave, and found several marks on the body ;
one on his right eye, one on his right jaw, one on
the right arm, one on the right breast, one on the
right side of the belly, soil sonic on his thighs;
there might have been others, but those described
were the most remarkable. Two of his teeth were
recently broken. lie did not dissect the body to
examine the stomach ; the contusi mast have
been
tion, and lie could riot ascertain the precise cause
of the deceased's death. %Veil' all this evidence of
violence upon the hotly, the House would be
shocked and astonished' to hear that the verdict
of the Coroner's Jury was—di Died by the vi-
sitation (1 God !"—(Hear, hear, hear./—One
Pf the drii era had been afterwards tried for the
murder, and several slaves were examined on the
trial, among the rest the man to whom the de-
ce Aped had been chained, and he on that occasion
swore that Mr. Rawlins, the manager, was trot pie-
sent when the last severe punishment hail been in-
flicted. In this case, if such were the fact, the
inaliager was exonerated ; but if done in his pre.
sever, as afterwards appeared, he alone was respond,
sable, mild the driver, of course, free, at acting
under the orders of his master. On the sub,
Sequent trial of the Reverend Mr. Rawliiir,
it was nut wily proved that he was preseut,