Star.
London, England, 1828-02-06 00:00:00

Mae JAMALCaIw?-gtea .`• .
HOUSE OF A15111"ilg ICY, Dec. 14.
The Rouse. as,,pdrtni4 into coes•det ;Mon Mr. Ht. 73.
KIMIRN't Letter, 'girders' •s follows:
*Tilt It be recommended to the House to send the following
Message to his Honour t
illsuteuatet-Go, in answer to his
n oeure, bn, itic.eage ut lst of Novemberor
Ss MitylJA1111,0110,10•14 • • '• -• •••••".^.-- ' •
Wo ors ordered by. the Hoene to wait on your Honour, and to
dm* your ',biome foe the fair and Candid meaner in which you
eve, tool-before the Howe the-Copy of Dispatch from his ,you
Principal Secretary of State for the Colonial Department,
stating in detail the reasons of his Majesty's Government, for 1
disallowing the law, passed last Session, to alter and amend the '
Slave Lew.'
After the mature consideration, which the House bestowed
upon that Law, they Mimi to find that his Majesty has been advised
todisallew the sense; but they have the consolation to think that,
if the Slave Population be deprived of the many valuable improve-
ments contained In that Code, the blame cannot be attributed to
the House.
" In enacting the eigbty-third, eighty-fourth, and eighty-fifth
Clauses, which are particularly objected to, the Howse had before
them the example afforded by Demerara, and they deemed the
restrictions necessary, as well for the peace of the Colony as for the
we loloing of the slaves: That opinion the House still retain, and
consequently are-unable to present to your Honour any modified
law on titis illbjett.
In the Law, passed last Session, the House did incorporate
every real and substantial improvement which they could do with
aafety to the Country and with benefit to the Slave; but they can-
not (for the purpose of gratifying the Parliament and Government
of 4.ireat Britain) agree ,to adopt measures incompatible with the
test intents of the Colonies.
" The Hoisse are aware that your Honour cannot, under the
instructions you have received, sanction any Bill on the subject of
Religion without a suspending Clause : and, as the House will never
make a deliberate surrender of their undoubted and acknowledged
rights, by legislating in the manner prescribed, they will not lay
before your Honour any Bill respecting the Slave Population.
" By the House,
" JOHN 0. YIDAL, Clerk to the Assembly."
A Committee was appointed to draw up an answer to the letter
of the ;light Hon. Gentleman.
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, Data 14.
Mr. fitellet4SOß's Dtarmras—Repoit made from the
Committee appointed to take into consideration the
Letter from Mr. HUIIKISBOI4 to the LunrreGovgamos.,
as follows:
" Mr. Sesames—Your Committee appointed to take into cond.
deratioo the letter from Mr. Huskissoo to the Lieutenant-Governor,
and to repost thereon to the House, have drawn up several
ltesulattions, and have replied to the objections which Mr. Hue-
kisses' states to have occasioned the disallowance of the Slave Act
by his Majesty.
" These Resolutions and the Reply your Committee recommend
tothe consideration•of the House.
" Rootlet-61 1. That the House have learnt with surprise
and disappointment, that the Committee of Piety Council for
Frail* and Foreign Plantations have advised Isis Majesty to diaaflow
the Act passed last Session, entitled • An Act to alter and amend
the Stave Lawei
" S. That his Grace the Duke of Manchester having, in his
epeechat the close of last Session, declared his opinion, • chat the
mildness and moderation which were evinced throughout the law,
and the beneficial alteration produced ha the condition of the slave
in many particulars, would be highly satisfactory to his Majesty's
Government;' the House rather expected to be honoured with the
unreserved commendation of his Majesty, than to have their labours
eminent:led, and' their sacrifices undervalued and rejected.
" 3. That this proceeding on the pan of the King'a Ministers
must shake the confidence of the Island in their aristlom and justice.
us for several years successively plans of ntelioration have been
pressed upon the Hoes, and it bas been earnestly suggested to the
Hasse, that the Imperial Parliament of Great laritain generally and
anxiously desired the amendment of the Slave Law. With all that
respect for the wishes of the King, and of our fellow-subjects,
weeds, as belonging to our comnion empire, we feel bound to ob-
serve, this House maturely weighed the various pretositions made
through the Secretary fur the Colonies, and adopted not only ail the
propositions which seemed to be in the slightest degree beneficial to
the colony; but they even conceded in every poet that was not
positively mischievous, and in some of doubtful,if not of dangerous
tendency. The Heine does not venture to reproach his Majesty's
Government with vacillation and caprice in the change of councils,
which has led to the disallowance of a law once so eagerly coveted;
yet they tied it impossible. in Mr. Huskisson's dispatch to the
lieutenant-Governor, to discover any souud reason fur the course
east had been pursued.
•• 4. That the House conceive this important mot to have been
committed by his Majesty's Government—instead of comparing the
new Act with the institutions of Jamaica, the advisers of the Crown
hive kept in sight the laws and customs of the Mother Country,
and have peened sentence on a law designed for the regulation of
slaves, as it it were an act to fetter the minds end resources of a free
people. Moreover, his Majesty's advisers bare altogether 'selected
the obvious propriety of contrasting the new with the old law..-.
Ilad they deigned to open the law of 1516 a they would have found
that k wanted many of those humane provisions which the
un-
thawed CiViii•SiOO of the doves embed the House to iuuodeee
ipto the lew vi, 1826. If it be admitted chat the new law falls be-
low the reesouable hopes of the King's Ministers, yak far exceeds
the old law in restraints upon the abuse of the blaster's authority,
abd in civil rights conceded to the slams. And bad the two Acts
been judged by their respective merits, and in• the sense spirit of
tenderness to the slaves which the King's Government has pru(eued ,
fee so many years, it is cuosidered by the House that the Act of
11116 would nut have been revived.
* 5. That the disallowed Slave Act, in the admission of slaves
to give evidence in criminal cases, went beyond the elfin:aged re-
commoidation of she King's Government; for Us the second pro-
MUSWOO of the Colonial Minister sent down to the House by the
Duke of Manchester at the commencement of else last Session, and
declared by his Grace to have' received the unqualified approbation
of both Hawses of Parliament; it is observed,' that the adnessien
of the evidence of slaves is nut to emend to cases where a white
soma or oi tree condition, shah be charged with any capital crime.
liffereve.r, not only are slaves, by the disallowed Act, permitted to
iimeesidetsce in cases where white and free persons are prosecuted
for capital crimes; buteheir evidence has actually been admitted,
its two such cases, during the short operations of the Act. In one,
the offesdet,a white nsuu, was convicted, partly qu slave evidence,
eflisurdee; and its the other, a man of colour was couvicted of
manslaughter, solely uts such evidence.
" 6. That the House hear with pain, that akhdogh this and
other valuable improve:twins are fully estimated byasis Majesty's
Privy Councits yet it was iusposaibk to overcome the objections to
which other enactments of this law are open.'
•• 1. That for the information of his Majesty's Government, and
the iustikcation et the I hesseto his alajesty, the House will pro.
mod to elansine the objectioel which have prevented the coahr.
Waist ef the Ace"
~lit Boort then curers at great length into the merits and de-
merits of tlse case. Ind coaseludes with the following—
•• Tith [louse have now 'calmly reviewed the reasons which are
given for disellowine the Sieve Act ref last Session. They cannot
pass a new Rile containing the amendments suggested in Mr.
ennacisso's dispatch, without eacrtficing their independence, and
endangering the edge of the island; and, as the Lieisteeatit Gover-
nor is forbidden to-Genetic/6 such a bill as the Pouts cm conseneto
pas, the slave pupation nrud again, be' govessed by the Aet of
eine_ When at shell please his elakesey Its withdraw the instruc-
tion to the Gueremis/ which limits the legislative power of the
Asseaddy,abe *use/will sae snore elk.* tte Steve Cody isle their
sinus consider%
HO OF ASSRIIBLY, Doe. •
Resolved-e- 1. Simi she powers and authorities of the 0011;
011iSiODetS of ACCSi xis are fully and explicitly de fused by the'
for the appohning cPatsia Commissiosers to inspect the Books of
the Recelesr,Deveral, and to settle and adjust the Pittslic Accounts,
and for she pexpoors; and that they havens other power dm*
that delegated totheth hpelest And--Agreed to suss. con.
" 4—Tlittt the resentiseitmersed Accounts, in having made an
Order on the Std day of February last (or the Receiver-General to'
purchase from Mr. 13eatinsout 1:000 copies of the second edition of
the Consolideted Nave Law, le andel/ens mot eiceetling 5004 to
be forwarded to the Agent, solidi idlegship,am/eseeeded any powers
and authorities vested in thins." The Heise divided—
Ayes, 22; Nose 16— 31ajos My, 6.
" t That this House, laving entered into a resolution en 56th
of November, leetl, declaring that after the expiration of six
rnemhs from that day, they waged disowns.* the meal supplies
fist the maintenatice of his Majesty's. fumes stationed is. tine
island, unless in the mean jtime. their grievances should be fully
redressed by the embank/ of the British Gout nment ,• the
'House feel themselves called upon to times their decided die
approbation at the Omogoalosess of Public Auer batting la
direct opposition to seek resalioiess, end the &event laws passed on
.the subject, destiveabstel de osiolowe the subsistence of Isis Majesty's
troops from that goolododebionll his Majesty's Government had
not fully redressed die pievaske complained of, and this too, not-
withstandirg a very large Board of rho Coostoissineen having, en
she 18th of May last,decided MK to hum fei e on the subject."
The House divided,--
Ayes, ha; • Noes, le—Majority. 10.
* 4. That this House wilt COJSCUt to the payment of the sums or