Star.
London, England, 1828-02-11 00:00:00

•
H. words fibs iliun, *tbs.* d rebellions, is • very c••nun:.Ntra
• d in the indictments ; ,andhlso in the Litany of the Cbtirini sv:
•.Ito be delivered bum alletdkAlb, privy conspl iefon•l rebellion.
Alt' ough A is truly ret...reed that the benefit ei.c orgy is notes
r. eisly allowed to •l..ses by the Di-allowed Act, yet Get the.
lace the Ite. kr therinif. time there I. no crime ptud.hatile with
Beth ateolutely order the Act. which would beg .:tiergrahlr tinny
io Englatid, alio tor hseltri4 pittliholliellt which the law Millers, may
be 'emitted by fits arsty's.H. presentative.
. 7ime Hoes, do not drily bat the ...wit-I:nem, provided for offer►,
fog violence to a free person, Is severe; but itch severity Is beers-
gag/ in a columlanitjt where the slaves vastly our-ournher the free.
;Whete slavery. has existed. it has lArii thought advisable to protect
the persons ot free men with the most scrupulous jealousy.
The remarks of Mr. Husklsson on the clause for the punishment
of Dinah ,turshy offs f themselves ru one ignorant of the extent of
,African super ion, and the horrible crinies Degrees will perpetrate.
sometimes to gratity revenge, and often to acquire the influence
that may enable them to levy contributions on the fears of their
More timti fellows. Negroes are seen to pine away to death under
•the pretended soreeries of the Obeahman ; and where he imagina-
tion does not perform the work of death with sufficient celerity, the
more cer.ain aid of poison is called in to hasten the tate of the vie-
tim. Mr. Iluskisom colluders that, under the next clause, many
Innocent, and sonic meritorious acts are exposed to punishment...-.
Pet it is submitted. that the posses.frin of poisonous drug. by no-
groes ca 1111 l A be innocent, unless confided to them by their masters,
:which lac! can r.adily be prov,il. To this clause, however, a more
`precise Ines ll ill g might he given.
In censuring the indemnification of individuals by the public for
slaves, who have suffered death or transportation under sentence of
ttie law, Mr. fluskisson takes a superficial, and not a fair, view of
the Act. If the House had conceived that " the crime of the slave
is th•- direct consequence of the owner's positive misconduct," they
would nut Nave differed in opinion with Mr. Huskisson ; but be-
lieving, as they do, that the owner is in no respect to be blamed for
the crimes of his slave, they have thought it an act of justice to pay
him out of the puttlic purse for that sacrifice of his property, which
is demanded by the law for the public safety. Were the public to
refuse indennittieation to the owners of cantinal slaves, the tempt}.•
'tint to screen them from justice would be so great, that we should
live them and their slaves frequently coothkiing to hid defiance to
the law. Nor is it tube supposed that the owi.er receives by law
the ill v.lue of the slave; and it is beside: the practice of Juries, in
est miring the value of ca 'mina's. to consider their ati.cooduct as a
material reduction of their value, The owner has, thtielore, a
seffico-nt interest left in his slave to induce him to cutitinue his pro-
ction, until all domestic puoishmenss have lost their effect, and
until he hi comet a nuisance to his master and his fellow slaves.—
Were hereto to purchase with tlie money allotted by 1.. w, another
slave, yet he cannot transfer to the new slave the attachments, the
'clothes, the tools, provision grounds, and yell seldom even the
bou.e, of his predecessor.
. _ _

Mr. I luskissim ob,erve4, that " the power of remitting the sett
tenses of slaves condentned to hard labour for lite is to be exercised
only when the slave eValiCeS in every respect a complete reforma-
tion of mariners. I fear that few men undergo such a total change
of character as this under any circumstances, and that a risen% is
among the last places in which it is to be expected.
This provieion was Intended as a mitigation of punishment to
slaves, many of whom are known to have completely reformed in
prison 'file House are nut aware th. 4 the reformation, which
cannot be expected in a prison, would be in the least forwarded by
permitting criminals to go at large. Mr. Hoskisson pr•:ceeds to
say, " independetitly of this consideration, I apprehend that the
Claus. may in ionic degree derogate from the power, which, under
his M jesty's instructions, you possess, of pardoning offenders, or
remitting t heir punishments."
The power or the Governor to pardon reaming exactly where it
did, and it is believed by the House, that, by a common rule of law,
the prerogative of the Crown cannot Le effected except by spe-
cial enactments.

The House, throughout this Report, have considered the
amended Slave Act to be finally disallowed by his Majesty; but
until the arrival of the Order in Council, referred- to in Mr.
nuskis.oit's dispatch, doubts are entertained iu the Court, wh.-
titer their proceedings ire to be governed by the old or the tuw
Act. In consequence of these doubts, the Courts rouse to sake
cognisance of offences which are visited by the severer penalttis
sof the law, nor is this confusion of law the only evil result of
Mr. Huskisson's dispatch. Its effect has been felt in the respite
and possilile escape of a most desperate murderer; and it must be
expected that the tranquiUity of the slave population will be di*.
Imbed by the sudden deprivation of the indulgences and immuni-
ties se lately conceded to them. It is with pain that the House
advert to the small regard that has been sbewn to the convenience

and peace of the island in the divillowance of this ♦ct. The Act
might have been permitted to expire at the date assigned to it in
1830, without conspromising either the Royal dignity, or subverting
'or even interrupting the progress of Christianity. Had this course
been pursued, all the beneficial enactments of the Disallowed Act
would have been retained; and the way left open to introduce fur-
ther amendments from time to Jme as the became necessary.