West Indies.
The Times, 1824-01-02T00:00:00

The Afissrioerzy CTrvn: ifoJanuary, just published, gives the followring prtdculars in relation to the recent trahtsctions and pend- ingjudicial proceedings atDemerarm Hitherto the representations hae bee; nearly zll on one side. DEMIERARA. The Directors lave at length the satisEaction of informing the AIember of the Sodety, that they have received a letter from Mr. Ebior, datedOctobr tY,enclosinga copy of one written to the Trea curer on the 2_th of September, but detained in the colony; besides -eommunications from other persons. The letters of Mr. Elliot assert the innocence of the Missionaties ctf all participation whateverin the crime of the insurrection * and the Directors entertain no apprehension of advancing tbatwhich they rzha1l have to retract, in saying they give full credit to tlhe declara. tion. They Till quote the e6is ini which the assurances are made to themselves, conyincthatthe4nAr1eili6gs of conscious inte. Zrity'rrhich shine through thern, will carry: to the bas 'of every impartial reader a conviction of tht veiacity by *hich they are :djesated.- "'Numerous false reorts have been sent forth. gainst Mlr. Smith. "_C1r. Ewiot might have added, againet himielf also)- ' butsossure yourself nnd all the Directors, -rhat whatever retots 'ou may heat, the only. crime that the missionaries have commttd Is their zel forthaconversionsof the Ncieod& They have neither been so-reak nor so wicked as to excite 'theNegntest0orebellidn.' The missionaries 'rant justice only; they have- no fhvour to ask-; bhey bavenothing to fear. Thenifsionaneshavendt degrmdedtheir holy calling, nor dishonourod the s6city of whith they ure mer. bers, by rowing the seeds of rebelion instead of the word of life. gtnctions given by the missionaries." He adds, " We are noetast dawn; the Lord our God -suppozts us; ana we are perntaded that Ale who protected Daniel in the lon's denj will support and pro. The Directors are persuaAed that tbefriends of the Society will apwrove of their not tnaking larger quotations fcenil these commuoi. casonastaepresent, anna that they wzill neept tbe brief statemDent which they ore about to ?eilr, . in the confi,dene that they tivll 'oe enabled, ere long,, to prCeset tO them a ireismatantiel justifi. cat=^ion of the characterastdconduct oftheir rcad c slumnited ms sionrians. Thestatement,briefasit-is, will be sufficient toshowthefalse. hood of the almost innumerable reports -which habiebeen indus. -trioualy circulatei through the kingdom, and indeed Uirough the s7orld. 'Tb colony of Demerara isdivi0ed into the East3nd West Coe'ts bv the Demerara river, the former, includingoglahaicai, eing o li right bank. MIr. Elliot is stationed on the West, Air. Smith on the Bart Coast, about 20 miles distant from each other. It appears that the insurr._ction was entirely confined to the East C*st, so that no commotion whatever took place on the estates on wbich 11r. ElIO= laboars, and not one of the Negroes under his in- struction was implicated in the rebellion. Mlr. Elliot's being taken into custc-dy was therefore owing only (though he had threatenings given him) to an alleged " disobedience of orders," which he bal not understood to be such, in visiting DIr. broith at tbe,Colony-bouse the day after he was sent thith.er. After a detention of sbout 10 days, daring wvhich his papers were all taken from his heuse, he was allowed to return home, under an injunction not to interfere with the trials, No charge was preferred against him; and thus are the vehement accusations against all the mission. aries of the Society within the colony, dirculated for several vreeks p-st throughout the country, reduced to that only against Mr. Smith. The insurrection, it should teem.- manifrsted itself firat at AMa. aisca, the district to the eastwad of that In which Mr. Smuith. re. ides Its appearance on Le Ressouvenir estate, where Mlr. Simith resides, was on Mlondaj, the. 1th of August, in coInsequence of an order to take into custody two sl4ves elonging to an adjoiuing plantrition, whom the Negroes of lee tessouvenir, as the prisoners had topas'0overit, rose to rescue. MVIr. Smith was at home. He' ucceasfullv ured his endeavonrs,- on perceiring the tumult, to rescae themanagefrom2 the Negrons,aia coutinued hie exetions to induce them to return to tEeir dutyill he himself was driven of *with vio. lence, and with a weapon held to -hs body from the estate. Air. Smith was t4en into custody. n tile evening of the 21st of ,,igust. and all his aprs seized. Hie is kept a prisoner in the i ny-houz, and has, since the 24th ef August, bad a guard fita.ioned u-er him. rs. Smith. is not detaiued asz-a rnner but does not avail- herself of her liberty, lest, on leaving her husud, oi.,=alglttbe refueed access to bin again. After the 2id of August, riejllliothad nocommunicaDon with him. MlllS&ith- waa on 4txnaiy, the 13th of Qctoberj' brouFht to trial befbre~a Court.mar- stWl. the legality -of whlili proeeding is geaty.dou6tedaiii this cauntr. T'he public papers have stated fourbchaige asforming the indictmentagainst him, but of their accuracy the Directors are *.ot enabled to judge. They trust that, under the direciou of Divine rovi dence, .he has been able to prove himself guiltless of them all. It is not, however, to be concealed, that he vill have had much to contend with from the violence of pabic prgudice in the col6ny, aznd it is to be feared fronm the false assertions of some of the hn- happy Negroes, whom the hope of favour 'towards"tbenselves 'ma have lcd to bring gainst hina " things that he knew not." Indeed. the Directors arc informedi upoa authbrity on which they can rely, that come f-Ar condemned Negro:4, -fPring the hope ol life taken awcay, hadA in the most solemn imaanner delared 'tit tthe, had been induced so to act, and that others, on being questioned wether they hoa not ben indted'to rebellion by, Mr. Smith, had in the strongest terms whbicl their broken language could supply, denied the impu- tation. It is stated by the W'riter of one.l ttter 'that he has often heard charge circulated.against the Misoiaries, as If spoken by the Negroes a' the-time of theifr ex&cutini,,whiph he knew (for he wa a ncarspectaror) that they never ialdittercd 2T:he issue of Mr. SoMFth's Oiel is not yet Itown in England-; but it is stated in the ubel papers, that by a vessel s,'riivcd at ene-of the po t-pcrs, letter lve beog received of tbe dMt of the 27th of Oao.. he .vih.ch mnction that the evidencefor theuroseexitiondosed n the Cth ef October, and that tbo Court woulld unet. on the 1st of No. ycha to proceed on the defece Whlil waiintg 'for tbe decision, the Di~ws are Much grieved' in knXowing thgt the heal:h of Mir. Ilmitlihas iliasose thee-bs in aw dangerous crote, and that hlis phlyjielari bad, 'jbis bze - th~e ibssur. verotbroLkeout, tuadvised-himto take avoyagc- to 3.lau4 the bet smrans of recovery. The Diectors have . to hi,-r- nding his compliance with thb eIvicess soon ais siarea mill lZoi7hlm so to do, whic. h it y be op ketcse ere- The Dircctots have eceivea lettes from -Mir,i;, di the 15th aird l&hOctqber. Hearrive witbbhisfato ia x arao the 1lthi of tht mnoth, through the fitue goodns,s thehd- ccty. Under the s.?;ls which the s oat ~s c.sioiied,-Ihe. had the haeisae.to ilad his own ceogreatron enoiniiig 'tra2Eqesi. tut,audhstiret on.e of:-*eNPegrnctw ' attesed Is inisty to.t any par t in the ""'section. 4 ' ts?ceo the dlnd . metl h.v}isk- til C-overnor recaived him, ti-a tes 'th3.e was aUEIde4t ~peeach oshafore. - . - WZISTIAVDIES.