The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-10 00:00:00

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

[From the. Beirbadocs
BRIDGE-TOWN, SErr. 25.
The House of Assembly met on Tuesday last,
pursuant to adjournment. The first business
which occupied their attention was the appoint.
went of an Agent to represent the Island in
Great Britain. John Pollard Mayers and George
Carrington, Esqrs., were severally proposed for
the situation. The House divided, when a ma-
jority of votes appeared in favour of Mr. Cure
eingten.
An Address passed the House, and was sent np to his Ex.
eelleney in reply to his speech on the opening of the session.
A communication from Earl Bathurst, sent down to the
House by his. Excellency the Governor, on the muhject of ame-
liorating the condition of the slave population of the island.
was read, and a respectful address sent up to his Excellency,
stating that a Bill was introduced and in great progress in the
late Douse, at the time of the prorogation, for the revision and
consolidation of the Slave Code, in which great amelioration
was proposed in the condition of the slaves, and that it would
speedily be brought before the House, when the 'impositions
of his Lordships will be duly considered in their deliberations,
and such measures pursued as local circumstances, the safety
of the inhabitants, the interests of their property, and the
welfare of the slaves themselves, will admit ; and that the
House will be happy, from time to time, to receive from his
Excellency, throujh their Speaker, any further communica-
tions on the subject. After some other business was trans-,
acted, the House, at a quarter-past five o'clock, udjourned to
'Alec day four weeks.
At the General Meeting of persons concerned in the govern-
ment of slaves, which was held at the Central School on the
15th inst., the following Report and Resolutions, prepared by
the Committee of Planters and Clergymen appointed at the
former Meeting, were read :
RE o n T. The Committee appointed to consider of the best
• means of providing religious instruction for the slavopopula-
tien of this island, have applied their minds to the subject with
a sincere desire to consult the interests and feelinga of all parties
and to devise sortie plan practicable in itself, and which muy
effect the object in view, without any material interference with
-the necessary labours of the field. In the course of their in-
quiries they have been led into a wider range of reflection than
they at first calculated on, and have directed their attention to
two leading objects—
let, The leisure time which may be conveniently afforded to
the slaves.
2d, To the heat mode of employing that time for their in-
struction.
The slaves of this island have arrived at such a degree of ci-
vilization, from the increasing efibrts of the planters to amelio•
rate their condition, manifested by an increased allowance of
food, by an encouragement of domestic and industrious habits,
by the frequent grant of the whole or the half of a day in the
week, and by the general substitution of confinement for corpo-
ral punishment, that the Committee look with confidence to
the success of any rational attempt at dispelling their spiritual
darkness.
The objectionable habit of Sunday marketing, and its hosti-
lity to every effort at religious instruction ; the necessity of sub-
stituting some other time for this purpose, and the difficulty of
reconcilingehe just interests of the proprietor with the loss of a
whole day in every week for the purpose of giving the slaves en
,opportunity of bartering their little commodities, and supplying
their occasional wants, are subjects which have unavoidably
food themselves into the consideration of the Committee. The
Committee, however, are by no means prepared to recommend
the substitution of another day in the week for the whole po-
pulation, for the sake either at rest or of cultivating their gar-
denal because the Committee are decidedly of opinion that in no
case is it necessary, and in most instances would be extremely
injurious to the slaves themselves.
It is scarcely necessary for the committee to remark (at any
lereoh) on the abundant time which is already allowed to s!aves
of every description, for the purpose of rest. No slave is taken
to work before the perfect tope:trance of day ; at breekfast-
time, half an hour is alloweA ; and at noon, one hour and a
Ralf at least ; besides which a whelesome meal hi alway pro.
vide(' and ready when the slave conies from the field; so taut,
after partaking of the meal thus prepared, the remainder of the
time (exceeding one hour) is passed in sleep, or in pursuits im-
medietely aWeeting his personal and domestic comfort& It is
undeniable also, that at least one-third of the week is already
devoted to the raising of food for the slave alone; if, then,
another day in each week be taken from the master for the in-
dulgence of the slave, either the interests of the master must
wanly suffer, the slave to be overworked during five days, to
cempeneate for the loss of the sixtb, or less food will be reiied,
and diminished rations he distributed. It is useless to say that
the additienal day will be any compensation to the slave for a
reduction of supply from the toaster; in idleness. or vice three-
teurtlis of the day will be spent ; and religious instruction, the
card el in view, will, be proportionably obstructed. But,
admitting that the day was applied to the cultivation of his
garden, yet the: insufficient quantity of land which can be
spired to each allotment, and the unproductive nature of' the
compared with that of the neighbouring Colonies, wield
renier it impossible •for him to support existence: adtl to all
tine the improvidence of his habits, and any attempt at indue-
ino, him to raise asufficient euantity of food for himself will be
found visionary and destructive,
Although, therefore, any additional time is unnecessary,
either for rest or for the cultivation of fbod, yet sonic time is
indispensable to enable the slaves to carry the produce of their
gardens and their stock to merket. Not to de this, would be
impolitic and unjust; it would be to deprive the slave of all
mesna of exchanging the articles of which he has a superfluity,
f r others necessary to his own comfort, or to the. comfort of his fa-
mily ; it would be to deprive him of all inducements to economy
and industry ; he will be reduced to a state of total dependence
on plantation allowances, and he will immediately retrograde in
his moral anti social condition.
To obviate, therefore, the disgraceful practice of Sunday
marketing, and to enable the slaves to devote that day to refl..
giooeinstruction and to the purposes for which it was originally
designed, the committee suggests, that the adults on each pro.
perry he divided in families into three or four classes, end that
each class be allowed a day in every week to dispose of in a way
mast desirable to themselves. By this plan, the cultivation of
the master's property will not be greatly impeded ; each slave
will have an opportunity, once in three or four weeks (*owe

member in each family once in every week), of bartering his
commodities, or pursuing any other object of business or of plea-
sure. But the abolition of the Sunday market, with all the re-
gulations necessarily attached to such a measure, must be left
~.
to the wisdom of the Legislature. .
, ,
Resolutions.—l. That an Association be formed for the put..
pose of affording Religious Instruction to the SlaveTopula-

Lion.
2. '."hat regulations for carrying this object into effect be
drawn up, and signed by each member of the association, as a
pledge of his observing the same, and causing them to be ob-
served by all under his influence and authority..
3. That the ordinary routine of instruction oy catechists, or
subordinate instructors, be on Sunday.
4. That all the younger population be compelled to attend
religious instruction on Sunday ; and that all instruction be
strictly oral—to commence with prayers and a lecture ; to
which may be added any other mode of religious instruction
that the Clergy may recommend ; and that the adult popula-
tion be invited and encouraged to attend.
5. That it be strongly recommended to the proprietors of
estates, or their representatives, to provide such instructors or
catechists as shall be approved of by the Rector (or the officiat-
ing, Minister) of the parish, for their moral character, and who
shall be well qualified to instruct, the slaves in their religious
duties. -
We have also been favoured with the following Address,
delivered by Mr. Barrow, and with the reply of Mr. Ilamden :
" Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—Previous to the dissolution
of this meeting I must solicit your attention for a moment. The
difficulty which always presents itself to me' in addressing an
audience, anti the few words that are requisite on this occasion
to explain my wishes, preclude either the desire or necessity of
trespassing long on your patience. After the discussion which
has ,just taken place, and which has for its object the eternal
welfare of our slaves, I think we may be permitted to turn our
thoughts for an instant to our temporal concerns. There is not
a person who hears me, 1 venture to say, who does not look
with a fearful eye at the cloud which has been long suspended
over our ill-fated colony. The Calumnies which are daily and
hourly circulated in the mother country to our prejudice, and
which have had so powerful an eKct (it would appear) as to
call forth those ill-advised instructions to our Legislature from
the Right Hon. Secretary for the Colonies conspire to render
our situation one of apprehension and dismay. But, Mr.
Chairman, I am one of (perhaps) a few, who can never consider
our cause as hopeless, as long as we have men amongst us,
who have not only the courage, but the ability, to step forward,
and manfully assert our rights and privileges. Most of you,
gentlemen, no doubt, have perused the speech which has
been so eloquently delivered before the Legislative Council.
Will it not flash conviction to every unprejudiced mind ?
may be sanguine, Mr. Chairman, but a gleam of hope breaks
in upon me ; and I think I see, in this argumentative and
phylosophical address, the fostering hand that may shelter
us from the pitiless storm. Mr. Chairman, I feel an honest
pride in calling. that man my countryman, whose talents have
been so conspicuously exercised in our behalf ; and whose
character, for honour and integrity, cannot be surpassed.—
These last qualifications, gentlemen, will, I trust, give due
weight to his arguments. Any attempt to eulogize my Hon.
Friend, Mr. Hamden, would be presumptuous, even if I had
the ability (which I have not) to do justice to him. His enco-
miums will be found in the hearts of all present : to these I
shall refer you, gentlemen; and therefore, Mr. Chairman, I
shall conclude with moving, ' the thanks of this Meeting
be presented to Mr. Hamden, for the spirited, judicious, and
honourable stand he has made in defence of our liberties, our
lives, and our properties.'"
Mr. F. Clarke begged to have the honour of seconding Mr.
Barrow's vote of thanks, as he considered it to be only a just
tribute to the merits of Mr. Hamden, whose zealous exertions
to promote the interests of the community had been cowl-
moue upon all occasions, and demanded a public acknow-
ledgment.
Mr. Hamden then said—" Gentlemen—l am so much over.
powered by the kindness of my friend (Mr. Barrow), and by
the flattering concurrence in his sentiments which has been ma-
nifested by this respectable Meeting, that I must myself quite
unequal to the task of giving an adequate expression to the
feelings which at this moment occupy my mind. I am not
conscious of deserving this distinction ; but I will not be so
uncandid as not to confess that it is very gratifying to me to
find that my humble exertions in the service of the country
are so highly appreciated by gentlemen so well qualified to
estimate them."