Star.
London, England, 1824-03-18 00:00:00


RePo'l of the Incorporated Society. for the Conversion and
Religions instrudion and Education of the Negro
•Vave.B in the British West India Islands, from July to
bec.1423.

'rtie fiends of humanity cannot but rejoice at every
effort employed for ameliorating the miserable condi-
tion of the slaves in our Colonies. This Report presents
an honest statement of the Society's proceedings for
the last six months, drawn up to shew the prOmise, rather
than the-pioduce of its labours:" for in fact it has not
yet had time, since its incorporation, nor funds, to en-
able it to do more than it has done. That much is
wanted is not.disguised in these pages. Indeed it must
be so where men can be found so inimical to the instruc-
tion of the negros as to burn Meeting-houses, and re-
ceive negro evidence (rejected in all other cases) against
individuals engaged in their instruction, ott, we care
not what pretext. Such conduct they will hardly pre-
fume to exhibit against the labours of this Society, and
therefore we may anticipate much good from them. We
cannot quit this Report without a quotation from, a
letter of the Rev. 11Ir. Curtis of Antigua, who says:
It may also be worthy of notice, that of the num-
ber of slaves which I had baptized in the town of St.
John's, during the first ten or twelve years of my mi-
nistry, more than One-fourth' or perhaps a third part,
are-now free people; some off the Island, some sea-
faring people at sea.
" From all this I infer, that slavery would gradually
die away by a-steady uniform perseverance in the per-
formance of all the sacred duties of Christianity, which,
by its own action, would imperceptibly produce more'
certain and lasting effects than all the speculative
theories which can be devised for emancipation. A ve--
nerable Bishop of the English Church, with a conscien-
tious and an efficient Clergy, and a few pious Cate-
chists, would do more towards the genertl improve-
meta of the religious and moral state of otn.
than all the laws that could be enacted for the purpose.'
if -Letter addressed to the Liverpool Society jbt the Aboli;.
tivae.sla.ery. By a Mendler ofthat Society. fivo pp.l6.

Mr. Sandars, the author of this Letter, is the avowed
enemy of anything like hasty ago ition; but what wise
111311 would wish to precipitate the measure? It is not
true as regards the West Indies (he admits it is every
where else) that free is cheaper than slave labour, be-1
there, there is no superior and intelligent class of
labourers—the labourers are all slaves." May not the'
abolitionist say that this is a mere truism—a mere beg-1
Bing of the question, which is, Whether the slaves
thould not receive such education and instruction as
may fit them for a higher condition? Ile alludes to the
well-known case if Mr. Steel, of Barbadoes,tWho raised
his slaves to the condition of free labourers, and found
Ids profits increased thereby ; but Mr. Sandars will have
it that Mr. Steel's increated profits, arose from an ad-
vance in the price of sugar ! That is, Mr. Steel knew
,not what he was saying!—as if that Gentleman can be
supposed not to have compared his own circumstances
with those of his neighbours, when he Kaye his evidence,
!it favour of emancipation!! On the whole, it s+ih be
safer," in the opinion of the author, " to leave the gra-
'
dual accomplishment of this Teat object to posterity."
Negro oiancipation : a Dialogue between Ebenezer
Eastlove and Gges Ilonrespan. Bvo. pp. 28.
The author is, an anti-abcditionis-ti and, Of course, to
Mr. HoMespun (who repteseass him) is Oren the best of
the argument. . .
•
, .
An Atleigpt to prove tuky liirctspcnt of Seamen should,
and how it could. be Abolished. B Lieutenant It.
Standish Halt!, lE.N. Bvo. pp. 48.
This " humble effort to erect the best pillar of our
national strength and glory, TIIE N+vy, upon the im-
perishable and constitutional basis of voluntary ser-
vice," is meritorious ; and coming from a practical man
is deserving of the greater consiieration. The Author's
general ptoposition is.undeniablen " Make it the 4ailot's
iisterest to serve his Kidg And country by, a due and
reasonable regard to his prospective advantages, upon
a scale polio:6°llrd to length of service and advante-
/tient be regardful of his widow and children—secure:
his old agefrom beggary or the workhouse; and his
voluntary service will follow, as certain as human na-
ture is always tyre to herself—and identified with her
own interests." For the patticulars of the plan we must
refer our Ileac.).:rs to the pamphlet; Some of the sug-
gestions are very happy—all of them deserving of con-
sideration.

ThelForks9f Henri/ Mackenzie, Esq. With a Criticai
Dissertation on the Talei of the Author. _By John-
Lsq. 21mo. pp. 872.
General as has been the praise bestowed on Mr.
Mackenzies rations productions it may truly be said, ,
that they have never been duly estimated, or their pe-
culiar merits discussed, till Mr. Galt supplied what was
wanting, in a very valuable dissertation prefixed to the
present remarkably cheap and. elegant edition of this
favourite author's works ; which contains not only The
Man of Feeling, The Man of the World, and Julia de
Ronbigne, but the interesting tales of La Roche, Nancy
Collins, Louisa Venoni, Albert Bane, Sophia M. and
Father Nicholas, comprising the entire works of a
writer, of whom we 'cannot but agree with Mr. Galt in
admiring " the elegance of his genius, and the beau-
tiful putity of his ideas, combined with the attractions
of a style at once simple and refined."
The following esti act is from Mr. Galt's well-written
iriticine on 14:. Mackenzie's works : - •
his characters are, it is true, drawn front the uni.
versa! .features of mankind, and his incidents arc all
within the circumscribed probabilities of ordinary life;
but the manners and circumstances of the last age are
s intimately interwoven with the details, that thehisto-
vical merit of his delineations is perhaps even greater
than their philosophical truth. Indeed, as historical
sketches, his tvoi ks posAss a very high and rare value.
ar'e, without question, 'the finest of their kind in
the English school of sentimental writing; and those
very peculiarities of fashion to which we have alluded
must enhance their interest with the critics of posterity.
31ackenale is, in fact, the Sir Joshua Reynolds of
his walk in literature. Whatever was graceful, or fair,
or elegant in his subject, has been delineated with sin-
gular felicity, and the costume of -the time preserved
with a degree of fidelity approaching almost to 'eve-
genie ma for itiTaults. But perhaps the strong linea-
ments 41 individual portraiture have been sometimes
lost in the attainment of ideal beauty, and the energy
of action crintealed in a drapery of generalities. Still
the whole effect is delightful, and this fault, if fault it

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