Demerara.
The Times, 1824-04-15T00:00:00

The proceedings of the Courttmartial at Demerara, on the trial of Mr. Smith, the missionary, have been printed by oider of the House of Commons. and were distributed yesterday morning with their other papers. The proceedings occuIpy 92 closely:printed folio pages. Mr. Smith, it appears, hbd resided between six and seven yeaT in the colony, and there was found in his possession a written book, entitled, "A Journal containing various occutrrences at lie Resouvenir, Demerary, commenced in March5 1817, by John Smitb, missionary" The journal appears to have been continued down to August, 1823. From this long jourmal of six years and a half, the Judge.advocate produced on the trial aboutl7 entries, making about two pages, to prove that the Missionary interfered in such a wav with the Negroes as to produce (liscontent on theit parts against their masters and the Government. The mere fact of the smaline,s of the number of passages, selected in a journal of such a length of busy life, is a strong presumption in favour of Mr. Smith; and, in reali- ty, the passages which ate produced prove nothing against hiisn, un- lses it be a crime to be tealous and humane, and to feel some degree of horror at the oppression of one's fellow-beings. But these passa. ge, though they prove nothing against Mfs Stnith, are valuable as trwing light on the slave-system of the colonies. We quote, as an instance, the followinr passage November 17, 182I.-Yesterday evening we had not more h at the chapel; indeed, I cannot expect many more till the coffee and cotton are gathered in. The people have scarcel^. any time to eat their food; they have none to cook it-eating, for the most patt, raw yellow plantains. This would be bearable for a time, but to work at that r,te and to be perptayfogd so nishes me that they submit to be " rpetualyflogged, asto Again_" September 13, 1817, pagc 17. This eTening a negro, belonging to -,came to me, saying the manager was so cruel to bim that he could not bear it. According to the man's account, some time back (two or three years). he, vith a few others, made complaints of the same thing to the Fiscal, on which account the manager has taken a great dislike to him, and scarcely ever meets him without cursing him as he passes by: the punishment which he inflicts on him is dreadfullv severe; for every little thing he flogs him I believe Ned to be a quiet harmless man: I think he dues his work very well. A manager told me himself lie had pu. nished sAna negroes merely to spite Mlr. WVray. Ibelievo the laws JUstatice wlich telate to tho negroes are knownonly by name here; for s.hite f am w riting thi5,the driver i loggi beopl, ad nei te allaeeinn. nv agtej_pe ade. This i-a the statage o?f _the sla`v_e's r, who are ih so much better a condi. tion, as the savage lCobbett tells ais, than the tnglish Peasantry !_ 1toe give aniotherpassage, which is very curious, though it is difflcult to know why the Judge-Advocate produced it:-~ "-Friday, August 8, 1817.-A great number of people at chapel -From Genesis ey. 1. hlaving passed over the latter part of chap- ter Xiii., as containuig a promise of dieieranoc front (these two words partlv erased, hut PerfectlY legible) the land of anaan,, I wvas. apprel&ensive the negres might putt suchl a construction upon it as r could nut wish ; for I teU then, some of the Dplomises, &c. which are nmade to Abraham and others, will apply to a Christian state. It is easier to maake a wrong imipression upon. their mninds than a right one." This only shows the desire which Mlr. Smith felt to avoid inl1am, ing the minds of the negroe-,by w~ha?Bradnth lbe DEMERARA.