The National Register.
London, England, 1819-01-25 00:00:00

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No. 572.—V0L. XII.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

IHE TREATMENT OF SLAVES IN DOMINICA.

SOME painful documents have been communicated
from Dominica, relative to the treetinent of the un-
fertenete slaves. The facts which we have inserted,
aed to ehieb we refer Our readers, appear to have been
printed by order of the House of (emmons. on the
authority of the Governer of Dominica ; end the
rublication of them force: the subject of " ninth sur-
prise" on the part of the Colonial Honse or Assembly,
as also of a ei rig, though rather a cool, correspondence
between the Speater of that Rudy and Governor
Maxwell. When we read of a lgty of 15 year,: of age,
being tortured by a chain of iron round ttc neut.,
*stencil hr a padieel„ and weighiee ; of het;
infaut giiis, only t weirs: ycar: obi, much la:tr!:cd by the
met whip, &stetted together with iron ("reins round
the neck; of en old man, GO roar:; of ale severely
beaten and pieced in the steaks under s heavy chain ;
fivally, of a male child about 12 years old, loaded with
on iron collar, chains, and a log of weed, weighing
1.:611". !—when we read of such abominations as these,
practised by men who call themselves Christians,
we must wish that either the accounts may be grossly
txaggerated, or that the inflictors of such cruelties
might, for a little tine, be fuered to change conditioas
with their slase,, if it were only to-Quid) tin the use
of power, Ly mating them feel its abuses. We en-
tertain no visionary faecies about withdrawing the
fs!ci;,tra population of die West India Islands fre:a Oust
wholesome Meestire of au; heti y and discipline, ever he
which. :while involuntary eervitude exists at all, must
the moat effective instraraeut bs which the sMve is im-
pelled to wert, and threegli whiLit he is restrained
from mischief; but the app:ication of tonere to female
infancy is not a wholesome o:* diiigenee: nor a
fitting punishment, nor a tis..:o! Wo see
that the Assembly of D•noinice It %el et tempted to re-
but tie aceueetioia thrown !tut against tome of the
mainline implicated i t .hischatw !or tyninnired treat-
malt te.the slaves, ity brin;iter te the bar the person
complained of, and one of the Negroes who had suf-
fered. This gentleman doos not deny that he had
chained the slave ; but he siys that the chain weighed
leer than 41b.; and the poor 'Astro (who still remained
uudeulds mintemeot) is represented as admitting th it
a chain, produced by Mr. Cues, resembled that with
which he spas loadixl. From this one trial the Aasein-
lily infer, that fib the ensue specified, the Gtoersor hail
teat home errtmeotts infitrmation to the King's Mi-
nis em They seem desirous to hare it understwel that
slaves in %Minim arc es comfit's* sitcated as those
in the ether Wails. We. im the other hand, are
rant to '•clit.vo,t at in the majority of the ether
West India islands, neither chains, nor such dungeons
Sits those of Dominica, have betel resorted to fur many
years.

Lord C.1,01,..re.tg1i experience) on Welnesanny a se-
vere relapse of the tvi dt con8ile:1 his LOT:lshii
to his room. !, is vitc.l hetwoon thirty
anti forty noblcmc!, a.. 13 to (line wtOi
and not hk.ing abi, to meet them, t.oril Stewart did the
henours of the table in his Lordsiiip's absence.
Cuuirr Ow IMVuI oc:,:tirreu,c took
plate on ThurclAy twituing in Gray's Inn Hall. When
the Lord Chief ILP:11 ordered tho next cause to he
',allot on, the 11.-giter.ir i4tErserei that there MO no
celer For this elle public are ina btcd to the
Lora Chief who, Riiice he has pre-,ided in that
o,ort. hjs illit1;1-1 hioor...if with so toadi
th-a ace has ever' ~.41.04e that stool it) the. I.:tpur

r,r 'tog, t i ..v!itelt, f,r many year' vast, thcrs:

lielPtl I...;reiat ttu H:r,Ae.
Nit. 11.1 e •P)11 or' the ex-Chainnlin of the Iln:tri of
rtintonts, it is said, o:le of thp new tAialis.
prithig iltparttp:::at.