Star.
London, England, 1824-04-26 00:00:00

.

WEST INDIES.

--Nor-
(PROM THE JAMAICA PAPERS.)
'SHE AGENT'S LETTER.

" Kimsrox, FE8.14.
" I had lately an interview with Lord Bathurst, in
the course of which it was my endeavour to impress
upon his Lordship my conviction of the danger and im-
propriety of the continued efforts making all over the
country by the advocates for the emancipation of the
negroes, pressing forward petitions for expediting that
object, and more especially in districts where the ques-
tion cannot be understood. Such proceedings seemed
to me to merit, on the part of his Majesty's Ministers,
something more marked than disregard; and I respect-
fully suggested that they ought to be met in the House
of Commons by a decisive declaration, that if the Bii-
tish public should persist in demands by which the
lawful property of the Colonists must be injured, com-
pensation must in the first instance be not only pledged,
but provided. Such a declaration was indeed become
necessary, since it would not be difficult for me to prove
to his Lordship that cases for compensation, upon the
clearest principles of equity, had already occurred, and
that our properties altogether had become of little or
no avail, whether for purposes of sale or transfer.
" His Lordship said he could not undertake to say
now in what manner these new Petitions might be met
in Parliament, or what might be the language of Mi-
nisters regarding them, but in his own 'opinion they
would not be considered as worthy of much regard.
His Lordship did not seem willing to enter upon the
discussion of a provision fur compensation, nor was this
perhaps the fittest time for my pressing that subject.
" P.S. I last night received a letter from Mr. Hor-
ton, written by direction of Lord Bathurst, a copy of
which, together with a copy of what I have just
written to his Lordship in reply, I now transmit to you ;
and I have not any observation at this moment to make
to you on the subject, excepting such as you will gather
from my letter to his Lordship. You may rest assured
that in the course of any communications with his,
Lordship, the interests of Jamaica shall not suffer by
want of zeal and exertion on my part, be the mode of
that communication what it may."
The consequence of publishing in the Papers of this
Island, the confidential personal communications be:
tween Lord Bathurst and Mr. Hibbert has been, that
his Lordship has declined all personal interviews with
him, as will be seen by the following letters above al-
luded to :

Copy of a Letter from It. Wilmot-Horton, Esq. to George Mb-
bert, Esq. dated Downing-street, January 9, 1824.
" Sia—l ani directed by Lord Bathurst to inform you, that as
the Committee of Correspondence in Jamaica have thought proper
to publish a Report of the communications which took place in the
personal interviews which he had with you, his Lordship desires
that in future his communications with you may be confined to writ-
ten documents, as records of verbal conversations are naturally liable
to incorrectness.

" 1 sin also directed to inform you, that in making this commu-
nication his Lordship does not give any opinion of the accuracy or
inaccuracy of the report of his conversation with you in question,
which in point of fact he has never seen.
" His Lordship regrets that under these circumstances the inter-
course which has hitherto subsisted between his Lordship and your-
self, as Agent for the Island of Jamaica, must cease to he se couu-
stential as the interests of that Island seemed hitherto to require.
" 1 have tha honour to remain your obedient humble servant,
(Signed) " R. WILMOT-HORTON."
Copy of 11r. George Ililibett'a letter, in reply to the Right Hon'
the Earl Bathurst, dated Minter-court, 10th January, 1824.

" blv Lono—l received last night the letter of Mr. Horton,
dated the 9th instant, written by directions from your Lordship,
which informs toe, ' that as the Committee of Correspondence in
Jamaica have thought proper to publish a report of the communica-
tions which took place in the personal interviews which your Lord-
ship had with we, it is your Lordship's desire that, in future, such
communications may be confined to written documents,' for reasons
which your Lordship goes on to state.
" I shall, by the mail of this day, transmit a copy of Mr. Horton's
letter to the Committee of Correspondence, and your Lordship will,
I trust, receive through me such explanations as they may offer
on the subject.
" Meantime I venture to assure your Lordship that the publica-
tion of any part of the letters of their Agent, which relate to per-
sonal conferences with your Lordship, or any of his Majesty's Mi-
nisters, has in no instance been authorised, much less directed by
the Committee of Correspondence, although it has recently once or
twice happened by means of the access which each individual of
the Committee must have to the letters of the agent, whether the
Assembly he or be not sitting.
" Your Lordship's commands, that in future your communica-
tions with me may be confined to written documents only. I re-
ceive with regret, not only from the loss I must thereby suffer of the
facilities %Lich your Lordship has often so kindly afforded me for
the discharge of my important duties, but from the additional
• wobble which, I foresee, I must be compelled to give your Lordship,
In the course of performing those indispensable duties in future.
"'These considerations, however, are merely personal, and, as
to what regard:: the interest of Jamaica, a Colony in all respects so
instrumental to the welfare of Great Britain, I do not indulge an
apprehension that they will be permitted to suffer through the want
of any necessary or useful means of communication between his
Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonial Department and the
Agent for that Island.
" I have the honour to be, very respectfully, my Lord, your
Lordship's obliged and faithful servant,
(Signed) " GHORGE IIIBBERT."
LETTER FROM SIR. lIUSKISSON TO MR. GLADSTONE.
(Copy) Eastham, Nov. 2, 82.1.
" Mr DEAR now return you the letters front your prin-
cipal Attorney at Denterat a, which you have been so kind as to send
for my perusal and information. I ant very sorry that the forebodings
of those who deprecated in vain the agitation of the Slave question
by the House of Commons have been FO soon realised; and that this
alarming insurrection in Demerara, and not any of the improvements
Which were anticipated by the promoters of that discussion, is the
practical issue of it. lam sure I need net tell you (though I be-
lieve we have not the credit of it with many of the West Indians)
that the Government did everything in its power to prevent Bux-
ton's motion altogether, and that Mr. Canring in particular exerted
all his personal influence with Mr. Wilbet force and others for that
purpose. I perfectly agree with you, that in a matter of this por-
tentous difficulty, it is only by gradual amelioration—by moral and
religious improvement, by humanity and kindness, by impercepti-
bly creating better dont.tstic habits and feelings among the slaves,
by counter.ancing and encouraging all that cats have that tendency
in the conduct of the owners and white people, by repressing with
the strong arm of the law, and stigmatising with the moral power
of opprobrium and disgrace whatever leads to an opposite result—
that we have a chance of ultimately (and even then remotely) pro-
viJing for the termination of so great an evil, moral and political,
as the existence of a large population, in a state of chattel possession
and pet sonal slavery.
" In principle, this is t he end which every good man ought to wish
for, perhaps to look to, but it is an end, which so far front publish.
ing or proclainiing at the outset, he ought almost to conceal even
front himself. It is the fault, and a heavy one it is, of Wilberforce
and his associates, that by agitating the question, and proclaiming
their object, they have rendered the application of the means both
hazardous and more difficult, instead of feeling that every step to.
wards their own ultimate object was in itself so much of real and
substantial improvement, that it ought to have beets enough to have
satisfied their feelings for the present, whilst it would leave them this
assurance for the future, that, in doing an immediate good, they had
made a safe stepin advance towards the attainment of theirfinalwishes.
hope, rather than expect, that what has happened at Demerara may
teach this party more discretion, and that we shall not witness a repo.
tition of those Inconsiderate petitions and provocations to debate the
question of emancipation, which formed a part of their tactics in the
last Session. On the other band, I trust that whilst the Government
provides adequate means of increasing the internal security of the Co.they will not, from temper, or a mistaken confidence that the
danger is at an end,lose sight of those measures of improvement which
are Within their poorer. Among those measures must be a greater,
aasesrapinent and provision for Ministers of the Establilestil