Trinidad.
The Times, 1824-11-18T00:00:00

(From the Reoyael Ga;ctt) The annexed is a copy of a circular letter that has becr issued from the Government House, on the subject of the late order in Council:- " Sl:,-Ezaving submitted to tee consideration of His Ifajesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, those parts-of the order in Cour.- cli of the 10th of Mlarch last that appeared either ambiguous in their constraction, or that had become the subject of representation, I have now the honour to acquaint yon, that I have received Earl Bathurst's authority to instruct you as follows:_ " The seventh clause of the order, in giving new powers to the Commandants, has not, cither directly or byimplication, taken away the powers witdl which they were previoutJy invested. " As regards the 10th clause, it iz to be understtoto, that slavess are tobe allowed to work upon thcir owoa provision-grounds upon that day, but that they are not to bire themselves out to labour on Sun. daby, either to their niaster or to any one else although for their own benefit. It is apprehended, that to, permit it would occasions endless evasion; the object of Government beinE to secareSunday as a day of ret, and of religious inprovernent. " [is Majest9's Government are, howrier, aware of the neces. sity that may exist, on some estates, for providing, dutring certairk perlods of the year, due care for the preservation of tilat portion of the crop that may be In process of cture on Sundaye, and until directions be given upon this stibject, you will permit a rcasftbl,, number of slaves to attend this service. " IR liL-e manner, it wag not within the,intent of the order that proprietors shotuld be punished for requiriRg the attendance of their servants after sunset on Saturday cvening and I rm therefore to instruct you not to proceed against any proprietor for emiploying slaves in domestic occupation at any period of the week: this is equally to apply to any labour undertaken for the maintenance of the public peace, or for the security or preservation of any public or pli. vate property. * The prohibition contained in the l1tli clause is intended to pre- vent the use of the whip as the Immediate impulse to labour, and as such, it 5s to be srictly construed; but it is not to be inferred tbere. from tbat slaves refusing to wvork are thereby ,cr~ened from punish. ment. " It having been objected to the 13tb clause, that femnale slavee4 being thereby no longer exposed to punishment by the whip, are! placed in a better situation than thCe female free inhtiubnts, I ant to acquaint you, that [His Majesty's GoverDnment do not see therein ground for wlihdrawing the protection gratted to the slaves, &rt ra- ther for extending the like security to the sex in general, b3me further order of His IaJesty to such purpose. " His Alajesty's Government do not anticipate any of those evils which the 12th clause is represented as likely to create; and that, as the slave is to be duly examined by the Court, and to make a parti- cular, consistent, and probable statement of all circumstances at- tendant upon the panishment, before even the presumption of guilt will arise. the danger that has been anticipated from this clausedoes not appear toHlis Majesty's Government to rest on sufricient founda. thon. It also appears that this principle waa established in the island of Dominica by the 14th clause of the slave act, dated the 22d of April, 1818. " In the next clause, namely, the 22d, the power of election given to the slave is to be considered as providing for cases of sick. ness or absence on the part of the Commandant or Assistant Pro- teetor, or where the Commandant might be the master; and not as giving or implying a power to quit the estate against the master'e consent. This application on the part of the slave nay also be made eithei by a message, or by obtaining a letter to be written, at the duties of the plantation or othercircunstances may render most con- venient. " The power conferred by the 24th clause, by which slaves are permitled to acquire lands, is not to be held as exempting them from the existing restrictions as to the mode in which lands may be culti_ vated by persons of their class and condition. They ate therefore not authorized, by the mere acquirement and tenureof lantd, to eul- tivate, for their own profit, the staple corriniodIties of the isL4nd. The obligation required by the 34th clause in the cases of vo. tunsary manumissions,to give security to theCrown for midntenance of the slave, does not apply to testamen tary ananuyitssions; and, sa other cases, it is not considered probable that the party disposed to confer the benefit of freedom would withhold the boon merely be- cauYe he will have to enter into a legal obligation to carry his own purpases into effect. " As respects the 42d clause, and the penalties atvendant upon it, I have the satisfaction to acquaint you, that, for the p-rpose of al- laying any apprehensiess that have been entertained of this enact- ment, it has been directed, that the penally on the second conviction shall never be enforced until the whole case has been referred home for the consideration of His Mlajcsty; anti you will observe, that in this special instance, the forfeiture is to the benefit of the Crown, and therefore would not be enforced snless the offence were of a grave and serious character. " Having also submitted theinconvenience that somn of the Corn- mautants mnight suffer by being required to come to Port Spain every quarter, for the purposc of swearing to their returns, f am further to acquaint you, that the returns of punishments by Commandants upon their own estates will be required only every six months from those ofi;cer, (Signed) "RALPR WOODFORD." TRINIDAD.