Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-12-19

contains a paragraph reading The British 20 !
l,nists in the West Indies have, as our readers
know. been for several years kept in STATE OF
excitement by the interference 0t the religious
class in the mother country and OF missionaries
m the Islands, with the condition and dn'nestic
treatment of the slaves Of the planters &c
You will oblise enc OF your subscribers an"
large and respectable denomination OF Chris',ans
by publishing the inclosed article from the Ma
tional Intell sencer OF the 5,h inst, signed
JUSTICE
ALEXANDRIA, Eth Dec. 1882.
In the InteIligencer Of the Sd instant. under
the title Of " Excitement: IN the West Indies"
mention is made of interference Il the miss"na-
rirs in the Islands with the condition ard domes-
tic treatment of The slaves Of the plantations. as
one If the causes of the unhappy disturbances
which have taken place there during the past year
But believing that opnnn 10 De incorrect, or at
least that something he said on the other side, and
feeling confident that YOU would be unwilling 10
do njusuce to any individual ur body ol men, IN
any quarter nf the world, take the liberty ot
communicating to YOU ie" facts IN favG OF the
Bap,is, Missionaries. My auihori'yis paper
emitted Facts and Documents connected WIN
the late lnsutrecton ~ jamaica. aud the viola
Ia,inns Of civil and religious liberty arising out
ot .tr published 10 the Monthly Repository. an
Enniish religious periodical of the highest res
Dectabiiity, and no, in the interest ut the demo
m,na,isn to which the Mi.sionarle, belnnged
The in,nrrrCtion which took place III Deem
her last appears 10 have been excited by the rig
orous measures pursued in England Tor the ab'''
ltion of slavery in the BRUSH West Indies
Those measures were the universal topic "f cum
yersation in Jamaica. 1t Vas Impossible mat
the negroes should not gam some knowledge OF
them Public meetings were held in WHICH lh.y
sed' ana from those meetings no Pains "e'e
e ssa T e ssAH4dss sYfh nsG spaprrs the
expressions IN their favor Of those who had inter-
| sted themselves in their cause; and sue, IN.
trlsence may be supposed to have been quickly
circulated among them. Indeed we NAV ca her
from the following statement, that the slaves are
better acquainted with what is passing IN the pa
rent country han might be imagined: Is Such is
the earnest desire OF the negroes TO know what
is going on IN England. that 1t is common prac.
tlce tor the pedars who go about FROM one estate
TO another with ulnhets &c. for sale, to take
newspapers With them; by reading which they
soon collect number of customers around
them" 1t was generally known, therefore,
among the slave population, that an interest was
exeried IN their favor, and great exertons ma
king far their emancipation. They believed the
King and his Ministers to be their friends. I'm.
der these circumstances, it was easy tor one of
their number, who was artful and influential, to
persuade them that an order for their cmancipa-
ZION al Christmas had already arrived but was
suppressed by the whites. Their belief in such
tale was the cause OF the rebellion
The total absence OF all proof that the Mis- /
Summarizes were guilty OF givtns countrnance or |
encouragement To this movement seems sufficient |
OF itself to establish their inuocrpc tn. act |
with which the' we're charged was On offence
against the law Of the laud There was no me- |
ceSSi'y that the popu ace should take the execu |
ton of vengeance in their own hands II thew !
we're guilty, punishment might have been ubarn
ed oy decree OF the judicial tribunals Alum
danee OF evidence might have been easily procur-
Ell Tor their conviction, and certainly there was
no want ct hearty good will to collect it. But
what was the faets Two of the Missionaries,
Burchell and Gardner, were presented to the
Urand jury. and the indictments against them
were ignored. Another. Knlbb was tried. and HIM
orabiy acquitted, The detected ner,oes were
"roughtup"n ov every species of terror and per
suasion, tn induce them to crininate their mas.
tors. 1t would have been surprising. if nothinc
mad been extorted by such methods from persons
10 moral. and intellectually weak But the fear
OF punishment and the hope OF pardon were alike
uhavaiiins. Even such leading questions as.
- what was the oath Mr.. kntb gave the neo
pier" When was it that Mr. Knbb told them
I" burn their masters propertys" tai ell OF pro.
duclng the desired answers One witness testi
mes that he heard the following dialogue at the
execution OF ebert Hall. negro: IS. Heard
MT russell ask him what parson old him he wa,
going to De Tree! Heard Robert Hall say he ne
yer heard parson say SO. Heard Mr.. Russell
sav-what' no Parson? Answered, no. Heard
NJ Russell say-say Parsop Knibb. you sir
neard prisoner say-Master, | cannot 90 tell
lie: never hear it,"
One witness who was produced as evidence
Tor the crown at Mr.. knibb's trial. afterwards :
declared upon oath. 9 thst he was nstigated to ,
10 so by Messrs. George Dslisser, George Mac ;
Farqul'ar Lawson. Jun. Joseph Bowen, and w h
;. NORRIS The former of whom assured HIM l
hat he would be we'll looked upon bv the gen {,
lemen Of this place, that the country would d