The Sun.
London, England, 1826-03-03 00:00:00

deed of the consequences of speaking falsely, but who, as well
as the other witness William, was never sworn. %Valiant was
then, examined against his own father, and his evidence went to
say that his lather advised him to be. cautious of Ids safety, as
the negroes intended to rise ; but lie said that his father was not
present on the night of the meeting, though the boy Ned stated
that he was ; and luxe wits a manifest contradiction in the teste
mony of both, notwithstanding which the unfortunate man was
convicted and hanged. There was also another witness
against the prisoner-.-.his own wife—(ilear, hear, hear!)—
Mary, the slF.ve.of George Merrilies, Esq. a native of St. Do-
man
go. First the son and next the wile of the prisoner were
employed us witnesses against his life. No part of the testimony
adduced made out a case of rebellion, and the whole of it
abounded in contradictions, as to time, circumstance:, and
. several other partieulars. The Honourable Member then
alluded to a letter written by Colonel Cox to Mr. llulloek,nn.
flouncing, to. the information of his Excellency the Governor
of.Jenutica, that the eight conspirators had been executed with
all due form and eolenuty. The letter further mated, that only
one of the wretches hail confessed his crime ; but that none of
.them would betray the accomplices of their guilt. it was also
stated, that they laughed at the atit»onitions of Mr. Cook, the
clergyman, who attended them to execution. Mr. Denman,
after reading the letter, proceeded to say, that Colonel Cox was_
not the man on whose evidence he would condemn men' to exu.
,c4ition. lie wins interested in the conviction of those, on whose
trial he sat as a ,judge, and he was happy at their execution,
rather for the sake of the example which it impressed, than of
the ends of justice which were thereby attained. Ile (Mr.
Denman) would like to see u report front Mr. Cook, the
elergyoutn.—(llear, hear!)--The convictions were tininded on
the evidence of children ; the prisoners were midi:fended by
Counsel ; and within eight days after their alleged offence,
they cearted to exist. Subsequently to that execution something
like a taste for plots seemed to have arisen in Jamaica. How
trivial must have been their circumstances might be judged from
tlto fact that in one case the Duke of Manchester thought it
.right to mitigate the sentence of transportation into three
months imprisonment. The prisoner was a poor lame boy who
was in the habit of talking with his fellows of King Wither-
force, and of the liberty which he hoped that Negroes would
eventually obtain. Such language was surely not seditious,
and it was naturally the sort of conversation in which Negroes
might he supposed to indulge. It should also be remembered,
that the greatest temptations were held but to witnesses, who
were sure of a two.fold reward in money and manumission.
The third case was that of St. George's parish, in which the
chief witness Cortnoran, completely resembled Titus Oates in
character. llis first affidavit, after setting forth all the allega.
tiouii which he had to make, concluded with these words,
" Further the deponent sayealt not." Hut afterwards, when he
discovered the rewards which ho was likely to obtain for his tes.
timony, he hesitated not to swear boldly against the slaves of
Unity Estate. His inconsistencies throughout were of the newt
glaring Character, and on the last trial three witnesses had
proved a variance In his testimony. Yet this man, anti others
who had joined in his guilt, wereonly removed from the island,
and not punished for perjury. In the course of their evidence,
they spoke of Mr. Lesein and endeavoured to implicate him
in some of the seditious Changes, but every case which they
• attempted to establish against hint, he was able to meet with
the most unquestionable proof' of an alibi. On one occasion he
Was out of the island, and on another he was in prison. In
neither case was it possible for him to have committed the acts
laid to his charge. The trial of the slaves of Hanover parish
occurred in July. Here, indeed, it was admitted that there
was something like an insurrection. Ilad it been connected
with the treatment which their t'ellow slaves had before expe-
rienced, it wn* no wonder that they ehould feel indignant at
the acts of the Government. Hut their rising referred merely
to the diminution of their usual holiday enjoyments and re-
creations. There was no fact proved agninst them by a single
free mart ; all the witnesses were slaves, no one of whom was
aware of the nature or an oath, unless the condition of a slave
is not inconsistent with such knowledge. As to the discussion
which was held in Jamaica upon the admissibility of slave
evidence, the question was introduced by Mr. Steward, the
father of the House of Assembly. That Gentleman grounded
his motion upon a detail of facts, and not like Captain
Maxwell upon general principles. One of the cases which he
had submitted to the consideration of the Mese, was thet of
a wretched woman, whose neck was twisted off'; and although
the atrocious deed was committed in the presence of timbers,
yet, as no free pereon happened to Witness it, the murderer
actually 'le:aped punishment. Another fact, related by Mr.
-Steward, was, that a white man, named Lee, had confined en
unfortunate woman in an interior apartment of his house, anti
employed a hot ,iron to bland her all over. It so happened
the free titan of colour witnessed this scene of barbarity through
a crevice, and to that accident alone it was owing that the mis-
creant was convicted. Air. Maize, the Cuetoe of St. Andrew's,
stated, a female, whose dug had provoked a fellow with a gun,
on remonstreting with hint, in order to prevent his shooting
-the criminal, was allot by the ruffian, merely for so Much
interference. Many witneestd the murder, but they were
only slaves, and their evidence was unavailable.—(Hear,
hear, hear!)--Mr. Hector Mitchel, who was well known to
inanyeillembers of the Hou 4, in Stating certain »axlificatione
which might, be tuivat itageouly introduced for the ameliorn.
r ( the cnodition of the Slave, had made smite statement
'n.tUR 11 )344' 44,094,11grg',!4fig thWing lira
titottiktitlowiky.oticitattASWbttittlit 4,4
the nmetegeorent eleettee in this carrots ne „ tat mere
was something in the texture of tiloyer`o skin which,
ate workings of his undiecoverable. 111 r. IlisloP scented
to let tmt the secret of ;Injection to slave evidence, when he said
that it was inconsistent to melee the testimony of one, who
atter giving his evidence might be taken to the woikhouse and
flogged. This plainly shelved. the necessity of removing the
cart-whip.. Even those who were of opinion that the slaves ought
`never to be entancinated, must admit that it is art unfair con.
etitution of a court ofjustice weedier slaves to be hanged upon
the evidenee of their fellow slimes; if the cart-whip bad a more
powerftii influence in directing their testimony than a respect
fur any moral ebligation.. For his part he conceived that there
watt but one, eiMple remedy for the evil, anti that remedy was
emapyipasiqn. (hear )--A s matters now stood the slave came
lecture a Jury of his Maetere ;.he was governed bye law enacted
by his Masters : anti he was executed by the order or his Alas.
ters. N ;When he appealed it was to the Inferior Members of
Govaitment, and his conviction rested upon bad evidence. His
last resource lay in religion, and here lie must either reject the
whole fabric of Christianity on eccount of the source from which
he derived it, or he must abhor those whose practice so much
tlishonoureti the tenets which they, professed. God, forbid that
he (Air. Dentmin) should 'advocate, rash and Inconsiderate
haste in the Emancipetiort which lie Proposed. lie wished it
to be gradual anti he would therefere conclude by moving—
" thr4 theifouso having taken, into their consideration the ae.
counts laid before tiwnm, of the proceedings of Courts of Justice
in Jamaiett, in the yt.iats 18.211 and 1821, have to express their
.sorrow and indignation at the acts which have been detailed,
and lament the preeipitate manney in which sentence of death
was pronoutwed without sufficient proof. They therefore deem
it necessary that an immediate reform should he made in those
• Courts."
Tiftbqueation having been put from the Chair
Mr, W. HOUTON rose. He wins no less anxioult, he said,
than the -Hon. Gentleman who Inal just sat down for such a
reform, in the eondition of the slaves mis was practicable. No
doubt .evils were ineepitrable Not ra state of slavery, and how.
ever mucleto be deplored those erne might be, it was still his
duty to guard the House against some of the doctrines of
the Hon, anti Learned Gentlemen, which, however true in the
abstract, were yet inepplicable to the reel state of the OEM. A.s
to the nherge of' a violet:en of law in the instances adduced, it
could be fitly and satienectorily answered. The Duke of Man•
chester and time Governorent- of Jamaica had information from
smarty sources on which reliance might be placed, that an incur.
rection of the slaves was designed. 'file situation of the Duke
was one of extreme peril, wallow a sufficient number of troops
'among an immense popitlation of blacks, who conceived that the
benevolent leteetione of individuale in their favour were thwart-
ed by the intuferenee of the Duke. A conspiracy certainly
existed in St, I t.»•ge"s anti St. May's parieltee. Pis wits I
established beyol,d all doubt by the confession of the negro
Jack at the boor of his execution, and when he could have,
no hope, nor any interest, whateVer in speaking falsely. At a
later period a rebellion took place among Malcolm's negroes.
11l wnurikl ask, war. the Honourable Gentleman aware of the
mate of the law in .14maiea, when he ohj.:eted to the pro.
ecedings of the Courts Oleic.. Could they Censure the Courts
for actolg epee tee lew of 11.117, however severe that law might
be. it was rse. sev,re t,.) visit reprobation abstractedly,
open a Cenri 'pursuing the line merited out' by the
thought the prH Inh of the law itself might be such us re.
quired alteratioo. honourable Gentleman then re.
cited fWV4I4I Cl tire Statute by which the punish.
went of &Ai ,to e to the several crimes committed
fay the eteeees,' I • etre submitted to the considera.
iym of the lfo • 'l' H .of 1:117 watt an amendment on
that of le mid in !: eion of Stepinli, the Son of
the Master in Chancery, ~',Orn the Honourable Gentleman
spoke in terms of the highest eulogy, the latter Act contained
many clauses beneficial to the negro popolation. Col. Cox, wino
Was the eueject of ee much censure, was the one who brought in
a 'clans::: to prevent. tine delitit of hlaves in certain cases and to
au tmt it.ttte g, ipitigatcti puoiehment... He regretted that his letter
come, ..1 lite wretches," but great ail •
uwances were
for the feennge of a men who -had just escaped
. against hint-self and his family by tho
se
w`it of bIO4OE,NY Ile knew no one of is
Trains ..
braelaue s !!unto
~` tulle',t s lAity of evidetule WuaittCnt64llow 14-ki
which. could not taitrated here.
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