Star.
London, England, 1825-06-24 00:00:00

was anything in the doctrinfs or proceedings of *he
MOsionariesieeempaithte with the security of property to the West
Isdis Colonies.
Mr. WILMOT-HORTON begged to correct the
Honourable Member. He bad certsinly stated that
'such a feeling prevailed among the Barbadians, but he gave nei
opinion of lds own on the subject.
Mr. BUTTERWORTH observed, that whether soch
a feeling existed there, or elsewhere, it vrasnot only int,
beral in principle, bet its utter want of foundation was
smelted by the bseeitsisiddi were admitted en-lvare resulted-fromi
the eureka et the liffedonastes„ • . , •
Mre'Secretary CANNING Obieiiid, that it
ras *ls:
dent thereie could be no adiantaln proltifOifteilk
debate; he rote for thepuipiSseWitattng *fine=
oared to him ought to be the ethnic iiiiiiii,
existing circtimstancet, the 'Midis 'ilirkild -Oft% 114
begged; however, in the first plate,'tn iditifiocin'ha
pression which he must think, from the *ry itiiiratii
mod of the Honourable Member. was what milk he
called a slip of the tongue. Ari -flenottrable-M-
-had represented his• Han. Friend (Mr. Viiiiisatillifithel
as seeming to have made an intended justification of
the occurrence 'at ' Barbadoes. Nothing *is fdrtbef
from his Hon. Friend's intention. Indeed, in batmen
concerns, there was no more difficult processio deVelop.
ing a transaction, than to endeavour to discriminate the
motives and reasons which led to it, from an intended
justification of the ties:action kick. With respect to
the act itself, there entail be but One opinion upon 0—
daniely, thit 'it was, itidit unjustifiable, wholly lair-
feritible,k violation of law, 'dad a defiance of itothorKy
=(yam. Leah how, frow ea sides).—Thilr he was
prepared to characterise the transaction itself. In "every
expression of abhorrence 'at such a gross Outrage, be
fully concurred With what had fallen from the .ffee.
Mover. Where he differed was in the course which it
was most proper in that House to adopt. In that rouge
it was his cons* ction the House should he directed I'7
practical consideratious. It was expedient 'so to iegu- .
late its interposition, that, while it expressed its inilfg,
nation at the enormous outrage itself, it should have
the effect of preventing hereafter the repetition of
such similar acts. There existed in the present Wee
this difference from the transaction' at. Demerara,
with respect to the late Mr. Smith, but the conduct
of Mr. Shrewsbury was entirely devoid of blame.....
' But it was to be regretted, that the letter which that in.
dividual had felt it his duty to address to his corre-
spondents here, bad been published, and by them -sent
' back to Barbadoes. It was undoubtedly the duty of
Mr. Shrewsbury to make a report to the Missionary
Society here—to him no blame attached; but to seed
that published statement for dissemination, in the cw
lony, went at once to paralyse all the future efforts of
their Missionary. He was deputed to stem the tide of
prejudice—to advance progressively his purposes of
good; and it was, therefore. most to be regretted, that
under such circumstances his letter, the record of his
opinions, was sent out from this country, and thrown
as a firebrand amongst the Barbadians. From that
moment all the prospects of his individual usefulness
amongst that community was at an end. In consider-
ing the course which the House ougtft now to adopt,
it was bound to bear in mind that there were four
parties, whose conduct was before it. There was first,
that class of unknown persons, who had personally
committed the enormous outrage. There was next
the insular Magistracy, who did not seem sensible of
the duties which such an offence demanded at their
hands. There was, thirdly, the Governor of the
Colony ; and, lastly, the Government at home.:-.
As to the conduct of the Governer of the Colcny, there
was no disposition in any quarter to impute blame to
him. Undoubtedly, it was within his power to have
called out the military force under his command; bat
that was an extreme course, which perhaps, from be.
ing a military man, he was loth to take, particularly
when less had been legally advised that such a edtilse
was not within the extent of his authority, When,
however, he was initrtated by his Majesty's Saretitry
of Statefor the Colonies, that his authority as Gover-
nr, had a much wider intent, be proved by ea•ftr.
quent measures that he was determined to prestnti
the "peace and tranquillity-of that Colony. With tegiftd
to the conduct of the Government at borne, there was
'manifested the inost decided reprobation of such peck
eiredings. Title most proMpt measures were taken 'to
instruct the Governor of Barbadoes as to thelitendrins
of his Majesty's Government, and of the necessity of
preventing. by the full emotion of its tutthority, any
repetition Of similar proceedings. N' blame, there-
fore, attached in that quarter for any remises''
ofdoty. It had been asked, however, why •it was
that the local Magistrates trete 4tot displaced?
Were those who put thbt :vsestlon so Welrdelfatulfted
with the state 'of society in Barbadoes as td fay} thdt if
those Magistrates itlit* distnissed, it Would be iftipdhiltle
to supply their plates? He Wits most disinclitiffitb aft.
parage the labours of the Wesleyan Missionaries, bit
with every due sense of their merits, he was not disposed
to confine che education ind moral improVentent of ere
inhabitants of the West Indies to their *itoteVoli 'et-
clusively, or even to the Missionaries cif the Chetah
Establishment. He was a friend to toleration it she
Mist ample extent. A • refetienee bad been 'Meets
*hat had fallen from 'him in discussing 'etttsb iffoTiti.
sitions calculated to promote the ameliorakisiti-of the
condition of the Negroes in the West Indies thsciobisti.
edly he did say,that If Oldie prmecution of thitteitott dm
of contumacy were committed by the West IndikLa.ll4
lators, the Legislature of this country *Would be lifi-paria
to deal with them. TO that 'opinion he still adhered; bet
he &Stied its application to the present case. It was
true the Govesnorof Barbadoes had acted unit* fulis•
advice; Mit he possessed within his own atithteity Ilk
fullest means to put down riot and ,inturrectitin.-;-
The only fault was that there was a sicia-ree of web
authority. That outrage he was disposed hot .M4=
over in silence. It was a case for the ltausirof
moos to express its opinion upon—not in censure ot Ai
Government, but in. aid of its authority, audio ap•
pi oval (dates, measures which it had promptly *doyen
to prevent any future repetition of the slime titlktitiii
fiablie and scandalous character—(Hear, lice, ). ' With
respect to penal- inflictions on large bodies of theta.
htloa
tish community, their occurrence was mein t ' legit.
httive history of this country. Inlet idly there the
case of riot at Edinburgh, which ended in the d Ilf
Captain Porteus; and externally there was the tiostoo
Port Bill—no very auspicious indication of prezipiestas
legislation. Before Governments proceeded to stabil
course, they were bound to look to the effects; for *lifts
once the decision was made and the principle was Aloof
we should, with every nerve, prepare for the monist
consequences. Believing that the mums he was shoot
to recommend was most expedient in the present iotitetftere
he should propose to omit a branch of the Hos. Metre:
bet's Resolution: and by the supply of other words as
well as the omission, render the whole mote perfeaa gait