Jamaica.
The Times, 1824-01-17T00:00:00

(}'roM the RoyaZl Gale of the 15th Novt] OA Thursday Milr. Hamilton Brown, in offering the bill to repeal the ltegistry Act, considered it a duty he owed to every individual in the island; for, even when it paissed in-1816 the whtei island, with one voice, exclaimed against it.' It was a most expensive, obnoxious, and oppressive measure, without being of the slightest utility. The hon. member, who at the time opposed it, prophesied what would be the result, and which *vas now come to pass. The house had been sedticed into the measure by the hypocritical pro. mises fromh home, that no further interference was contemplated by Governmenit in our local condition; and he would show that Go- vernment did give such a pledge, by stating that a registration, not emancipation, of slaves vwas their only object, and the island there- fore passed the bill as apeace-offering; butthatpledgehad not been kept, and thereforetbe Assembly would be fully justified in repeal- ing this bill. Thc hon. member then read frQnm the message of his Grace the Governor to -the house in 1816, the following passage:- "His Grace has been further instructed to declare, it is not the emanlcipation, but simply the registration of the slaves, which is now suggested; and to disclaim any intention on the part of his Alajes- ty's Governmsent thereby to propose their emancipation. This ex. planation has become the more necessary, as great industry ba0seeri exerted.and which could only have proceeded from ignor&e or mis. chievous misrepresentations, to blend these objects together, and it is fit that the pleasure of the Prince Regent, acting in the name and on the behalf of his Mlajesty, should not be misunderstood on so es- sential a point." Now, AIX. Speaker, that was the soletan pledge that was given, that no other measures regarding our slave population sbould be agitated in the Imperial Parliament. By the discussions which have rcenay taken place iii Parliament, they have forfeited that pledge; and we are absolved fromanylonger continuing this obnox- ious and useless bill. The hon. cinmber thern adverted to the hypocritical mneans re- sorted to by Mr. Wilberforce to get the measures cartied in the co- lonies, by making the slave trade the cloak to cover his real in- tendons, but he had now shown his cloven foot; and it therefore be- hoved the house to defeat, if possible, his iniquitous designs. And the first step should be to getrid of this troablesome bill, which cost the country 10,0001. every thitrd year, and was utterly useless, for there never had been a single Negro imported iato the island since the abolition. He hoped the house would remoisttae- against the proceedings at home with spirit and firmnness. He hoped, indeed, that though the island was a small body, it would show, on this oc- casion, that it possessed a great soul. (Cries of " Hear him, hear him.") Mlr. Blyth made some comments on the biU which was sent from England; and said that the Registry Bil was the most obnoxious act that ever had passed that house, and he hoped it would be repealed. Mlr. Whitfield hoped the proposed bill would pass the house una- niinously.They had had now 6 years' experience of it, and had found it a most oppressive act. It would never have been carried in that house, but for the pledge given by his Mlajesty's Mlinisters, that they would not in future interfere in our internal concerns. That pledge they had broken, and the house was no longer bound to continue the Registry Bil. The honourable member said, it would be unne- cessary for him to take up the time of the house on a measure, the policy of which was so very obvious. It could no longer be ques- tioned, from the conduct pursued by the fanatical party at home, that they meditated the destruction of these islands: shall we then assist in such destruction by adopting measures attempted to be forced upon us through their instrumentality? HIe hoped not, and should Yote for the bilL Mr. Hyslop followedon the same side, and observed, that the Registry Bill was forced on the island, under the idea that the slave trade was stiU carried on. After urging other topics in sup- port of the bill, he concluded by giving it his cordial support. The bill was then presented, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow. The following remarks on this subject are extracted from the Jamaica Journal of the 15th of November:- We heartly congratulate the country on the change in our pro. spects, in respect not only to this offensive law, but to the general system of our politics. The repeal of the Registry Act, or, which amuntas to the same thing, the refusal of the house to pay its at- tendant expenses, wiU convince MUinisters, if they are to be con- vinced by human agency, that although we may bend a little, yet there is a spirst, a heart, in Jamaica, that not only dares to stop, whenits enemy foolishly imagines that he has vanquished resistance; but that can also rally, and become the assailant, and will back the ground it had lost. The Registry Act was a concession to the British Parliament, granted upon certain conditions. Those con- ditions have been violated, and Parhiament wil now be tanght, that good faith must be kept with us, as well as with other contracting parties; and that we are not quite silly enough to be their dupes, although we may not be strong enough to resist their bayonets. Ve wiUlay before our readers in a few words the circumstances under which the Registry Act was passed. The abolition of the slave trade, after a long struggle, was made the law of the empire. The Colonial Legislatures consented to pass acts inflicting the penal- ties of fdlony on traders in slares. But the abolitionists had been too long accustomed to a single topic to change it readily for another; and, indeed, they liad a natural afiection for that line of action and thoughlt which had gained their celebrity, and away from which they were extremely ignorant and totaly insignificant. iNo wonder that they continue to harp on the same string, and that their fertilefancies-fertile only in poisonous weeds-saw a slave ship in every vessel that sailed the ocean, and a receptale for slaves in every creek and inlet in the West Indies. " Our labours," said they, " is incouiplete,while there remains the mnstremote possibility of the planters hiding among their old gangs new importations of slaves. Once put on shore, there are no means of detecting the crime, or of bringing to punishment these men-stealers. Negroes are, or may be, landed 'in a corner, hurried up the country, divided amongst the estates, and thus the slave trade be kept alive in spite of the prohibition of Parliament." It was in vain that the colonial laws in aid of the abolition law were referred to; they were denied to be efficient, and their framers were insulted by the insolent denial of the integrity in which they had framedI them. In reply to the fears cxpressed by the WVest Indisns that emancipation was tde ultimate object of the friends of Africa, it was repeatedly and confidently asserted that complete abolition was their sole end and aim; that they conceived all the evils in the islands to be caused and perpetuated byperiodical importations of Negroes; and that should such fresh importations be effectually stopped, all the restumight safely be left to the colonial authorities, and to the slow but sure march of civilization. The British Parliament had passed the abolition law almost unanimously; the excitement was still alive, and it was to be feared that the Parliament, in the fervour of their philanthropy, would not refuse to overstep the con- stitutional boundariesof their power,if urged by our enemies to such ameasure,asbeing absolutelynecessary to complete and perfect their work. The dread itselfof the interference of the British Par. Iiament gave that interference full effect. Our assembly preferred to yield to Alr. Stephen's reasons for a registry of slaves, rather than to the authority of the Imperial Government. OurAssembly found less degradation in submitting to the dictation of a igaersblspam. phleteer, tlran in wa-iEingthe interposition of Parliament, which per. haps never would have been attempted. That Mr. Wilberforce, and MIr. Macaulay, and Mr. Buxton, and M%1r. Stephen, and the noble Earl Bathurst, will rage and storm when they hear of our legisla- tive proceedings, that they will call us all the bad names the Abo. lition Lexicon can supply tbenm with, we think we have good reasons for expecting. But that they will enlist the Commons and the Lords of Great Britain in their preposterous quarrel,we have no fear; and, even if they do, our rights are so fenced round by immemorial custom and positive law,and above all by the plainest policy, that not a breach nor an unguarded posture lddl be found whereby to intro. dluec their eursed elensents of confusion, so long as the House of As. sesably are faithful to their trust. JAAICA.