The Sun.
London, England, 1818-05-04 00:00:00

LI TER A ItY R I Ell'.

ItIORE THOUGHTS STILL on the STATE of the WEST
INDIA COLONIES,-and the Proceedings of the African
Institution with Observations on the Speech of ..Lkinti
Sri:int EN, E. at the Annual Meeting of that Society, he!d
the 26th of Match', 1817, By JoST.PII MARRvAT, Esq.
M. I'., Agent for Grenada.—Decipinm• specie recth limt•
M. RICHARDSON, Cornhill; and Rtnn-cv.vrs,

The respectable character of this author, and
his peculiar knowledge and experience in the sub-
ject ufhts work, must necessarily excite!be attention
of all who are interested in the prosperity of our
Cdo:ial Dependencies. The Patrons and Support•
ers oh the AFEICAN INSTITUTION are men who MC:111
well, but who seem to suffer the laudable invilse
of humanity to overpower all the suggestions of
political discretion. From a desire of extinguish-
ing %lavery all over the world'? but particularly
from a ze:il to effect the abolition- of. the SLAVE

TRADE, they are 103 apt to precipitate measures,
and, by indulging an enthusiastic zeal, run the
Lazard of delaying the accomplishment of their
favourite purpose. Slavery is doubtless a serious
evil, and a disgrace to mankind, hut great caution
guild be used in the attempt to annihilate it, leit
a trec,dom too suddenly Obtained should produce
licentiousness, disorder, and a dreadful wanton-
ness of power, totally repugnant to the necessary
regulations of society. Hence the pursuits of in-
dustry_ may be checked, labour despised, and
riotous excesses end in the most fatal events. The

present work, as its title page imports, is chiefly
intended as an - answer to the statements, and a
refutation of the arguments, urged by Mr. ST E
.TIiZN in the speech alluded to, and in pamphlets
seritten by that Gentleman. Mr. MARRY AT exa-
„mines the proceedings. of those who support the
Bill for the Registration of Slaves, animadverts
on its nature, and points out the consequences.--;
He gives a correct account of the late insurrection
at l3arbadoes, and states its cause, lie reasons
..epou the probable effects of a sudden emancipa-
. floe, and illustrates his arguments by examples.
--He proceeds to animadvert on the case Of Mr.
HaTcnaen, who had been induced to publish the
tenth Report of the African Institution, and was
i-ecOmmended by the Directors to advise with
Counsel on the subject, as they refused-to give op
the author. Mr. hiARRYaT forcibly depicts the
aggravated horrors of the Slave Trade, and the
enormous expenses brought upon this country, as
be conceives, by the inexperience or mistaken
humanity of the African Institution. He next
enquires into the effects of the Government esta-
blished in the newly British Colonies, pertictr-
laxly Trinidad, points out the mischiefs. which
' have arisen from the plans of the African Instite-
_tisane and finally describes the present state of.l
the slates in the West Indian Colonies, suggest-
ina the means of amelioration.. As this author
taleeS a comprehensive view of the subject, and
connects hie arguments in consecutive order,
we must refer our readers to the work itselt,
• which is written with more temper than is gene-
rally found in works of a controversial nature,
• particularly where the disputant conceives himself
to have been assailed by unjost reflections and
unfounded aspersions.- Io the course of the work
the author touches upon the state of St. Domingo
and Sierra Leone, on ohich lie affords much jute_
restitig informatioue His account of Govei nor
ELLIOT'S conduct respectiog St. Chaistophet's is
very curious. But the fact respecting the House
of Assembly of the Bahamas, and the conduct Of
the ChieleJestice in discharging Mr. WILLY, the
Attorney General, after lie had heen arrested on a
warrant from that House, is still more extratodi-
nary. There is one passage which we shall ex-
tract, in order to amuse our readers, as it affords
a specimen of unaffected humour. Referriog to
the returns made to the of,the Registrar at
Trinidad, Mr. MARIIYAT says,
" Armed with these authorities, he (Mr.
Stepheti) charges Mr. iTharyat, among other
speculators, with having. stocked his estate
there (Trioidad) with slaves from other islands ;
and gives a eery pathetic detail of the mise-
ries which these innocent men and women
have suffered, by being thus transported. On
readirig this publication, Mr. Marryat was much
surprized to find himself master of an estate in
Trioidad ; being unconscious that he.waa now, or
ever had been, possessed of any such property.;
And of course equally so that he had stocked it
by that creel Litid of removal; by which Mr. Ste-
phen asserts it to have been partly settled. The
fact; however, being stated by such high autho-
rity, and with so much confidence, and being one
respecting which no mistake, unless wilful, can
possibly exist, he cannot but distrust the accu-
racy of his 'own recollection : and therefore calls
upon Mr. Stephen to state in what quarter of the
island this newly-discovered. estate lies, and. to
(toni,b him with proper titles, that be -.May take
possession of his property. If he does this, he
will at once substantiate the truth of his assertion
If lie does not, he cannot expect the public with
pay munch credit to what he writes about peopling
and onoeupling estates : for the mail who, (to
use a phrase of his own), not being io search of
truth but of detraction,' can hazard an absolute
fiction for the purpose of calumniating another,
maaafairly be presumed capable of hazarding more
fictions, in order to justify himself or his cot-

leagues."
Upon-:the wh ale, this pamphlet deserves the
attention of all the , real friends of humanity, as
well as of the Merchant and the Statesman ; it
forcibly inculcates. the propriety of duly weighing
the probable consequences of measures before they
are carried into execution, and the danger of re-
tardin.g one object, in the highest degree desir-
able, b too rapid attempts for its advancement.
The stile is clear, unaffected, and impressive,