Star.
London, England, 1824-06-02 00:00:00

U

smut mention • while those who told more credible
was against Mr. Smith, were saved and brought for-
ward. They did not dare to bring forward Paris and
gaily, because the prisoner would then have shewn
digit falsehood; but the effect of their statements re-
osioe,l—(lear. hear). It was brought before the Judges
in the shape of insinuation, and imputation, and hearsay
five times renroved—(Ciseers). In very shame, they
werecornpelled to hide these witnesses beneath the earth
*a covered them, but yet they resorted to the most
*lent and flagrant injustice to render their evidence
available for their abominable purposes. But to shew
that not a shadow of crime could be charged against
this poor Missionary, he would read a letter which
was written by a Gentleman whom lie should not
Dame, but the letter mentioned a name to whom ap-
peal could be made, and whose respectablit would
seificiently authenticate the contents. They Gentle-
*an so named was Mr. Austin, who was no Medico-
'dist, no sectary, but a member of the Church, as by
law established. The letter stated that the negroes
who accused Mr. Smith in their confessions, when
throwing themselves upon the mercy of the Court, de-
tied those confusions just before they were launched
into eternity. Tneir last statements were then taken
down, read to them, and signed upon their oaths.
fdris, in particular, made this disavowal, and prayed
Gun to forgive him the lies he had told against Mr.
Smith, and said he did it at the instigation of a person
whose name he should not mention. Sandy made a
similar recantation ; and others declared that they knew
nothing but what they had heard agaiast Mr. Smith.
The confession of Jack was a most curious document,
and deserved the attention of the House. The fii st
cf it was taken down by his Counsel, and put into his
own language. It stated that he was guilty, and that
be was satisfied with his trial. Flom that point the con-
fession was written by a Gentleman whose activity he
thought did him very little ciedit. The language of
this petit of the confession was very florid, and stated
that the prisoner had received every kindness since his
imprisonment, and that he believed if there had been
res Methodists in the colony there would have been no
revolt. These Gentlemen seemed to have discovered
the infallible means of taming the savage soul, and
ei.iighteaing the untutored mind of an African slave.
--They clapped him into a Demerara prison, and
Irought him to trial before a Court-martial, and it was
perfectly astonishing to see how quickly he adopted
te highest moral and philosophical views, speaking of
u:e degrees of knowledge calculated to benefit the hu-
man mind, and discovering that half instruction was a
very dangerous thing, and nevet should be permitted—
alleers and Laughter). He wondered that this slave
Lad not found a poet to illustrate Isis newly-adopted
principles. He now came to the pat t of the proceedings
where hearsay evidence was stopped by the Court; for
al‘ght did at last break in upon them, and they dis-
Lovued the illegality of taking such evidence. In the
r:mlitiati.sn of his third or fourth witness, the Court
ss:.pped Mr. Smith, and told him lie must not ask ques-
tH, as to what the witnesses had heard, as such evi-
t;:rce would not be received in future. Bet it had been
ad,r;t:ed in the past—and by these Judges themselves
courtcJ, received with open arms—they having ex-
ceeded, if possible, the violence with which the prose-
cutor had gone beyond his duty for the purpose of
heating down this unfortunate man. They refused to
hear plotter legal evidence, upon a point going to the
very marrow of the case—namely, that of communi-
cating to the overseer of the estate what he knew of the
revolt. lie was prevented from putting those questions,
and they were suppressed in the minutes of the pro-
ceedings. Directly after this, however, the Court itself
was found asking a witness in cross-examination," Were
you not told that plenty of people would be at the cha-
pel?" &c. Then they examined as to the private con-
versations with Mrs. Smith in her husband's absence,
not one question of which was justifiable by legal prac-
tice. Other parts of Mr. Smith's defence were garbled by
the suppression of what was supposed to reflect on the
Court, the Judge-Advocate, or the Government. Many
of the charge's were, that he had read improper parts of
the Bible to the slaves, and that he had protested against
what the law of Goo and the law of the land equally
forbade; namely, the violation of the Sabbath. When de-
tendin.; himself upon these points, the prisoner quoted
passages from Scripture in vindication of his acts as a M
i-
sister, the Court interfered and told him he must not do
so, because the Gentlemen of th Coda were supposed to
be acquainted with all the contents of the Bible;---(A
laugh). The Ilon. and Learned Gentleman next addressed
himself to the crime of which it was the intention of the
prosecutor to convict the prisoner, and to the evidence
upon which it was supported. The only authority which
they had to try him upon the charges preferred was the
existence of martial law. Supposing that state to
make every man a sbldier, he could only be considered
a soldier from the date of the Proclamation. Accord-
ing to this, he was enlisted on the 19th ; but the evidence
referred to his conduct on the 18th and 17th, and even
to a distance of six years previous to the transactions out
of which the trial arose. Oilier charges were, that he
lu and concealed the existence of the conspiracy and
revolt, and that on the 20th be was with Quamina,
corresponding and abetting the revolt. Ile did see
tittamina, and every tittle of the evidence proved that
he met him for the purpose of dissuading him Dorn the
acts in which he was engaged. Upon this point the
Judge-Advocate stated that there was no evidence asto
what passed at these meetings, and that it was not ma-
terial that there should be. Now he would contend that
it was necessary to shew, clearer than the sun at mid-
day, that these meetings related to the revolt, and to a
criminal participation in it by the prisoner. But this
was loudly contradicted by evidence, which sheaved
that he used every means in his power to induce the
slaves to abandon their design. Upon this the Judge
Advocate remarked, that Mr. Smith remained half an
Lour with Quamina, and then let him depart without
let or molestation. To this he would repeat the words
,if the poor Missionary, when upon his trial he desired
Ins Judges to look at Isis emaciated form, and say whe-
ther he was able to seize upon a youthful strong negro
thgaged in 'desperate designs? All he kitew of the in-
tentions of the tiegioes he communicated to Mr. Stewart,
the overseer of the Success estate. There was no other
anthority to whom he could then communicate this.—'
Next came the count wishing to found upon the conviee
tion and destruction of Mr. Smith a system by whiclC
to crush all missions and to put down all Missionaries;'
to prove to the colleagues, the fellow-labourers of Mr.
Smith, that it was at the hazard of their lives they
'hould open the Scriptures in the Colonies; they, there-
fore, convicted the poor man, and sentenced him to be
hanged by the neck until be `Arnold be dead, and for
offences not proved-(Chetra). At the utmost, it was
mot until six o'clock on the Monday evening that any
thing was done or said by the slaves that can bear the