Star.
London, England, 1824-04-16 00:00:00

MR. SMITH'S JOURNAL.

In the Srn it of yesterday we noticed the Journal of
Mr. Smith the Missionary, and quoted some passages
orn it ; we now give a copy of such exti acts as were
read or. Ole Court for the prosecution. They a: e curious,
as throwing sonicligLt uu the state of the slave popu-
lation in Demerara.

" Sunday, DI itch 30th.-I'reached at seven in the
morniete, from the 92d Palm, first and second verses.
Mr. Wray pie-ached at eleven, from John, v. 39 after
which we cened those who had been formerly members
together : this wits consideied the most pi °per time for
settling all old quarrel,. Several husbands and wives
had separated, some were jealous, sonic complained of
being abused. for reproving aiisol Jelly brethren ; Jingo,
in particular, had a sad tele to tell ; he had taken a
wife on another estate, and the manager had forbidden
his going to see her. The tale was too long, therefore
it was put off. In the evening, Betty, Jingo's wife,
came to our house and hrought her husband with her.
The examination took place before myself, Mrs. S. and
Mr. W'ray. Jingo's wife alleged that her husband
wanted another wife. Jingo said he found his wife with
another man. She said, Jingo went with another wo-
man. It appeared they were both in fault, and after an
hour's talking they were remarried by Mr. Wray ; they
promised to live together again; I hope they may.
Betty can go to Jingo, though he cannot go to her. A
Mission:lly must in many instances act the part of a
Civil Magistrate."
Sunday, 6th July, 1817.—" While at dinner, at half-
past three o'clock, Lucinda came with a very sorrowful
countenance ;" and after having related the mischief
done by a rat to her Bible, the Journal proceeds in the
following manner:" Lucinda is a member of the
church, and much affected with the Gospel ; she is an
old woman, and though her manager tells her not to
come to church, she tells him she will come, even if he
,cuts her throat for it."
" Friday, August Sth, 1817.—A great number of
people at chapel. From Genesis, rv. 1. Having passed
over the latter part of chapter 13, as containing a pro-
mise efdeliveranceliom Ethese two words partly erased,
but perfectly legiblel the land of Canaan, I was appre-
hensive the negroes might put such a construction upon
it as I would not wi,l) ; for I tell them that some of the
promises, &c. which are ma !e to Abraham and others,
will apply to the Christian state. It is easier to make
a wrong impression on their minds than a right one."
" August the 30th, 1817, page 16.—The negroes of
Success have complained to me lately of excessive la-
bour and very severe treatment. I told an overseer that
I thought they would work their people to death."
" September 13th, 1817, page 17.—This evening a
negro belonging to came to me, saying the
Manager was so cruel to him that he could not bear it.
According to the man's account, some time back (two
or three years), he with a few others made complaints
Of the same thing to the Fiscal, on which account the
manager has taken a great dislike to him, and scarcely
ever meets him without cursing him as he passes by :
the punishment which he inflicts upon him is dreadfully
severe; for every litee thing he flogs him. I believe
Ned to be a quiet harmless man ; I thidk he does his
work very well. A manager told me himself that he
had punished many negroes merely to spite Mr.Wray.
I believe the laws of justice, which relate to the negroes,
ate only known by name here ; for while I am writing
this, the driver is flogging the people, and neither ma-
nager nor overseer near."
" Monday morning, June 30th, 1818.—Having gone
through a regular course of preaching upon the Epistle
to the Ephesians, the Ist Epistle of 'Peter occurred to
my mind as being, very suitable in their present circum-
stances. The Apostle seems to have written for the
comfort of Christians, who were scattered and perse-
cuted, which is the case with our people. After seek-
ing divine direction in this matter, I felt a determina-
tion to pursue my plan ; I ciierefoie preached from
Peter Ist, chapter 1. ver. 1. 1 suppose we had about
130 hearers. After service I had sonic conversation with
some of our people (iron the subject of di:course."
" Friday, 10th July, 1818.—leis evening Eneinuel
and Bristol, from Chateau Margo, came to make a
complaint against Coffy, of Success; they stated that
he had used some very abusive language to Emanuel.
I declined healing the tale out until 1 can see Coffy."
"Sunday, 19th July, 1818.—Many flying showers
this morning; rain fell pretty heavy. I felt my spirit
move within me at the prayer meeting, by hearing one
of the negroes pray most affectionately that GOD would
overrule the opposition which the planters make to re-
ligion, for his own glory ; in such an unaffected strain
he breathed out his pious complaint, and descended
to so many particulars relative to the various arts
which are employed to keep them from the house of
GOD, and to punish them for their firmness in religion,
that I could not help thinking that the time was not far
distant when the LORD will make it manifest by some
signal judgment that he Vail heard the cry of the op-
pressed. Exodus, iii. 7 and 8."
it March 22, 1819.—While writing this, my very
heart flutters at hearing the almost incessant cracking
of the whip. Having just finished reading Mr. Walker's
,Letters on the West Indies, I have thoeght much of the
'treatment of the negroes, and likewise ti:e state of their
*minds. It appears to me very probable that ere long
then will resent the injut ies done to them. 1 should
think it my duty to state my opinion respecting this to
son.c of the rulers of the colony ; but am fearful, from
the conduct of the 'Fiscal in this late affair, of the ne-
groes being worked on Sunday, that- they would be
mote solicitous to silence me, by !repining me to cri•
mirrate some individual, than to redress the wrongs done
to the slaves, by diligently watching the conduct of the
planters themselves, and hi login them to justice (with-
'out the intervention of ?slissionarite) when they detect
such abuses of the law as so frequently take place."
" November 17, 1321 —Yesterday evening we had
not more than fifty at the chapel; iodeed, I caenot ex-
pect many more till the coffee and cotton a,e gathe:ed
in. The people have scarcely any time to cat their
food ; they have none to cook it—eating f(A• the iLuA.
'part taw yellow plantains: this would be Isearale!e for a
time, but to work at that rate, and to be perpetually
fl,gged, astonishes me that they submit to it."
" October 21, 1822.—Just returned from another
freitle s journey ; have been for the answer to my peti-
tion; but was again told by the Governor's Secrete! y
sthet .his Excellency had not given any order upon
;.litaiethrt 1 might expect it to-morrow. I imagine the
Governor know; not how to tame, with any colour of
season, but is deo,' mined eti give me as much trouble
as possible, in the 110Ifr that I shall weary of applying,
,and so let it drop ; but his puny opposition shall not
succeed in that way, nor in any other ultimately, if I
can help it. Oh that this colony should be governed
•

by a man who sets his face against titeirroral and reli
gious improvement of the negro slaves ! but he himself
is a party concerned, and no doubt'solicitout to perpe-
tuate the present cruel system, and to that end probably
adopts the common, though not false notion, that the
slaves must be kept in brutal ignorance. Were the slave,
generally enlightened, they would be better treated."
"Nov. 10, 1822.—Jacky of Dochfour, and Peter of the
Hope, came into the house evidently much depressed in
mind, to relate what they conceived an antzamplei case
of persecution : it was, in brief, that their respective ma-
nagers, under a shew of friendly familiarity, accosted the
Christian negroes with taunting jokes on the subject of re-
ligion, in presence of the heathen negroes, representing
that their profession was only hypocrisy, and that a
trifling consideration would prevail with them to aban-
don it, for which reason they ought to be treated with
scorn and contempt. These diabolisms some of the re-
ligious negroes hai been provoked to retort upon their
tempters,,in a-manner said to be disrespectful ; and for
this insolcace they have been repeatedly flogged and
confined in the stocks!! The complainants wanted to
know what they were to do in such a case. I advised
them accordingly."

"Monday, 25th November, 1822.—Having been once
more, the eighth time, for the answer to my petition in
vain, I think I may fairly conclude the Governor does
not intend to give an answer; it would perhaps be best to
wait a few weeks, and should no answer then be given,
(and the Secretary's assistant promised to let me know
in case any order were made upon it,) to write him on
the subject. Here, as in many other cases, I feel the
want of a Christian friend and counsellor. We have
Missionaries from the same Society, but fortunately for
the colony, though unfortunately for the cau,e of reli-
gion and just rights, the Governor and the Court have
bought them, the one for 100 joes, the other for 1,200'
guilders per annum "
" May 23d, 1823.—Finding it necessary for my
health to take more exercise than I have been accus-
tomed to do, I have not had time to continue my
Journal as I could have ssished ; besides, the uncom-
fortable state of my health has disinclined me for
writing; but as it appears to me that serious evils are
likely to result from the measures which the Governor!
is adopting respecting the slaves attendiag chapel, I
think it will not be amiss to note down such circum-
stances as may come to my knowledge. While at
breakfast this morning, I received a communication
from the Burgher Captain, inclosing a printed circular
from the Governor, containing on one side an extract
from a letter of Lord Liverpool, as Secretary of State
for the Colonies, to Governor Bentinck, dated 15th of
• October, 1811 ; and on the other side, a comment
written by the Colonial Secretary, in the name of Go-
vernor Murray, explaining it to their own tate. The
substance of this comment is, to persuade the planters
' not to allow the slaves to attend the chapel on Sundays
without a pass, and in an indirect manner not to allow
them to come at all in the evening, and even on a Sun-
day to send an overseer with the slaves, yrs judges of
the doctrine we preach. The circular appears to me
designed to throw an impediment in the way of the
slaves receiving instruction, under colour of a desire to
meet the wishes, or rather, complying with the com-
mands of his Majesty's Government."
" June 9, IS23.—Several whites were present, pro-
fessedly as spies."

" c22d June, 1823.—Isaac, of Triumph, came in to
ask whether the Governor's new law, as he called it,
forbad the slaves meeting together on the estate to which
they belong, of an evening, for the purpose of learning
the catechism. Their manager, he said, had threatened
to punish them if they held any meeting. I informed
him, that the law gave the manager no such power,
and that it had nothing to do with that subject ; still I
advised them to give it up, rather than give offence,
and be punished, and to take care to ask for their passes
early on Sunday mornings, and come to the chapel to
be catechised."

" July 7th, 1823.—Mr. Elliott has just left our house;
he came up merely to see us, which 1 regard as a kind-
ness.
I was glad to hear that he has at length com-
menced evening preaching once a week on the coast, on
a Thursday evening ; it appears the same impediments
are thrown in the way of instructing the negroes on
the west coast as on the east ; and it a ill be so as long
as the present system prevails, or rather exists."
" July 15th, 1823.—Mrs. de Florimont and her two
daughters called to take leave of us ; they are going to
Holland. Mrs. de F. says, she is uncertain as to her re-
turn to the colony. Hamilton, the manager, came in
with them. His conversation immediately turned upon
the new regulations which are expected to be in force;
he declared, that if he was prevented flogging the
women, he would keep them in solitary confinement
without food, if they were not punctual with their
work ; he, however, comforted himself in the belief,
that the project of Mr. Canning will never be cart ied
into effect; and in this I certainly agree with him. The
rigours of negro slavery, I believe, can never be miti-
gated ; the system must be abolished."
"August 18th, 1823.—Early this morning I went to
town, to consult Dr. Robson on the state of my health."
" 1819, October, Saturday 30th.— While Mrs. S. and
Mr. and Mrs. M. were catechising, Quamina, Seaton,
and York, three of the best and most sensible negroes
belonging to Success, came to tell me that. their mana-
ger, Mr. Stewart, had given strict orders that not one
of the slaves belonging to that plantation should come
to the chapel, for he had heard that the small-pox was
at Le Resouvenir. Quamina said, he replied that most
of the people had had the small-pox, and all the others
had had the cow-pox, therefore, if the small-pox was at
Le Resouvenir, there could be no danger of the people
catching it. The manager replied, he did not care for
that ; none of them should come to the chapel."
" Sunday, October 31 st._To-day we had the smallest
congregation that I have seen at our chapel, on a fine
unday, since I have been here, the reason of which is,
that nicht of the managers prevented the slaves coming,
under the plausible excuse that the small-pox is on the
plantation ; the fact is this, there are three persons who I
have the small-pox, and those three are removed to a
house more than three miles to leeward of the chapel,
quite at the back of the plantation, a solitary place where
no one would go if they could, so that diet e is no more
danger of the negtoes catching the small-pox by coming
to chapel, than there would be in going to Tunbridge
chapel, if three people had the small-pox in a solitary
house on Hampstead hill; the fact is, the planters are
glad to lay hold of anything to prevent the slaves at-
tending to religion. I suppose there is not one in a
hundred in the colony, but has either had the small-pox
or the cow pox."
" December, Friday 24.—1 and Mrs. S. went to town
to see Mi. Mercer ; when we returned in the evening,
we found several negroes waiting to sec me; they told
me their managers had givin them orders not to come!

to the chapel any more, and that this order hai been
given to all the negroes in the neighbourhood ; they
said the order 'was from the Fiscal, and-itiascarrieil
from one plantation to another by a man in a ied jacket;
they. were in a;good deal of trouble; I told them to !)e
easy ; that I did not believe the order was from the Fs-
cal, and that I would try to find ism what it was, and
to get'it altered. I went over to Mr. H. v, lin told me
that it was nothing but a request from 111‘Turk, that
the managers would keep their negroes horn the cha-
pel. The reason which M'Turk assigned to me this
evening for his conduct is, that he don't know but the
small-pox may be latent in the estite."