SLAVES IN THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS.

HL Deb 04 March 1819 vol 39 cc0-855

Lord Holland

rose to call the attention of the House to the measures which had been adopted by the colonial legislatures, in consequence of the address of that House, in June, 1816. Their lordships would recollect, that the address of 1816 arose out of the unfortunate transactions which had occurred in the island of Barbadoes. It was the great object of that address to induce the colonies to adopt measures calculated to prevent their recurrence. The address accordingly expressed a wish that his majesty's government would recommend to the colonial governments the carrying into execution some measures for preventing the illegal importation of slaves, and for the improvement of those already existing in the islands. With regard to the first object of the address, he was happy to learn that measures had been readily adopted by all the islands for its accomplishment. If any delusions and alarms on the subject of the address had existed, they had been dissipated by the temperate and judicious conduct of the legislatures of the different islands. He should therefore say no more on that part of the subject, but with respect to the other objects of the address he thought some observations necessary. The result of the measures adopted for the moral and religious instruction of the negroes did not appear, so far as he was informed, as satisfactory as those which, under the name of register acts, &c. had been carried into effect to prevent the illegal importation of slaves from Africa. He was, however, happy to say, that the colonial legislatures had shown no indifference to this important part of the recommendation. When considerable pecuniary sacrifices were made, in order to attain an object, it was surely to be presumed that those who made them were sincere. Confining himself to the island of Jamaica, he had to state, that an act had been passed there about a year and a half ago, to provide for the appointment of twenty curates to give religious instruction to the negroes, at the rate of 300l. currency each per annum. It had been found, however, that this sum was not sufficient to induce the necessary number of respectable clergymen of the church of England to go from this country and undertake the task. But whatever defect there might be in this measure, he saw no reason to impute it to any unwillingness in the colonial legislatures. It had been found impossible to procure clergymen regularly educated for the church of England, inclined to go to the West Indies at the salary offered, and he knew not what farther measures had been adopted by the house of assembly of Jamaica to obviate that objection; but experience had shown that persons educated in a higher sphere of life were seldom so successful in communicating religious instruction to men in the unfortunate situation of slaves as humbler instruments. In doing full justice to the house of assembly for the motives which had induced the passing of the act for appointing curates, it at the game time ought not to be disguised, that some acts framed in a very different spirit had been passed—he meant those against the influx of missionaries, which placed in the hands of the colonial government a power inconsistent with those principles of religious liberty which, in his opinion, ought always to be held sacred. How-ever, when even in that House, in the legislature of this country, he could find but comparatively few persons disposed to carry their principles so far as he was, he could not think that the conduct of the representatives of the colonists, in passing those laws, could, in fairness, be made a ground for impeaching their sincerity. As experience had proved the advantage of employing persons in a humble situation of life to communicate religious instruction to the negroes, he would recommend the employment of a sect, against whom he thought no objection could be maintained—he meant the Moravian brethren. He wished that the colonial assemblies had given more liberal encouragement to missionaries; but at any rate he hoped they would avail themselves of the assistance of the worthy men of the sect to which he had alluded. According to the plan originally adopted for the propagation of Christianity in North America, an establishment was made, not only for curates, but for schoolmasters. He should think that this plan could be adopted with great advantage in Jamaica and the other islands, and that missionaries from the Moravians, or other sects, might be appointed schoolmasters. In making the recommendation contained in the address, for the general improvement of the negroes, their lordships certainly did not confine their views to mere physical comforts. The supply of negroes from Africa being cut off, the black population of the West India islands were placed in a situation in which they must necessarily make great improvement. The colonists, doubtless, looked forward to this improvement; but at the same time it was natural, in their situation, that they should exercise much caution with respect to the measures they were led to adopt in the different stages of its progress. Conciliation on all these subjects was the duty of the British parliament, the ideas he threw out, therefore, were merely by way of recommendation. Many were of opinion that no further improvement could be made in the condition of the West India slaves, until they had acquired a greater degree of religious instruction; he was therefore induced to propose a plan embracing that object. All colonial proprietors or agents were now compelled by law to register the number and the ages of the negroes on their re- spective estates. He would propose that in this register there should besides be added the number of the negroes who had been baptized, and had arrived at the possession of a competent knowledge of the Christian religion. As there was a deficiency of regular clergymen, this register might be made on the certificates of Moravian brethren. All the negroes thus proved to have attained to a competent religious knowledge, he would admit to give evidence in courts of justice. The right reverend prelate who had shown so laudable an anxiety for the improvement of the negroes, would, he trusted, give his support to a measure of this sort. When that right rev. prelate saw that temporal inducements were requisite to procure clergymen to preach the gospel, he could not think it improper that such inducements should be held out to the negroes to become Christians. Such inducement was the more necessary, when the manner in which the question of conversion to Christianity presented itself to the mind of the slave, when recommended to him by those who had authority over him. It always appeared to him that his master had some selfish view in the recommendation. On the contrary, if he found that a knowledge of Christianity gave him importance among his companions, he would be eager to obtain it; for, notwithstanding the degraded state into which the original sin of the African slave-trade had plunged these unfortunate beings, they still possessed the ambition of distinguishing themselves. The right thus acquired would also be for the advantage of the master; and it was to be presumed, that every person of that class, of a well-constituted mind, would be proud to see the number of negroes, so marked by moral and religious improvement, increase on his estate. Such conduct would cement the union which ought to subsist between the parties. The slave would not consider the distinction he acquired as a conquest from the master, nor would the master be jealous of his enjoyment by the slave. He again wished it to be understood that what he stated was merely in the nature of a recommendation. He had no intention of proposing any motion or resolution. He would not discuss what might be the rights of this country with respect to colonial legislation. He should only say, that nothing but the most dire necessity could excuse any interference of parliament with the § local assemblies. If a measure was good, though only one-fourth of it should be obtained through the medium of the colonial legislatures, that portion was better than the whole obtained in a way in which its execution, if at all possible, would be very imperfect. For these reasons, he had thought it right to trouble their lordships with these observations. There was sometimes a strong inducement thus to travel out of the record, as in that House opportunities offered for expressing opinions which might perhaps have some weight with those who possessed influence and authority elsewhere. He concluded by moving an address, for an account of the measures adopted by the colonial legislatures in consequence of the recommendations contained in the address voted by their lordships in June, 1816.

Earl Bathurst

applauded the moderation and judgment with which the noble lord had brought forward his motion, and was convinced that the important object he had in view, would best be obtained by giving time to the colonial legislatures to mature the measures they were disposed to adopt. With respect to the registering of slaves, the colonies had passed acts. These acts differed from each other, and that very difference was a proof of a sincere disposition to attain the object which had been recommended to them, and also that, when they did not accomplish all that had been recommended, the deviation proceeded from no concerted design. In this last respect they all differed in one point, from the recommendation to enact that slaves not found in the register should be immediately declared free. No clause to that effect was to be found in any of the acts: but it was provided that, after being detained one year, if not claimed, they should then be free. A clause in the different acts, that a copy of every register should be sent to this country, was a most desirable object. Since these registration acts had been passed by the colonial assemblies, it was in the contemplation of his majesty's government to recommend other measures to be adopted here. They would propose the passing an act making all sales of estates contracted for in this country void and illegal, unless a description of the slaves on the estate accompanied the sale. If there appeared to be any staves on the estate which were not included in the colonial register, such slaves should be held not to be made over to the purchaser. As the value of estates depended chiefly on the slaves, this would be a most important check; for if correct registers were not kept in the colonies, it would be impossible to obtain money nor estates sold here. The proposing of this measure had been delayed until the colonial assemblies had passed their register acts, because it was wished not to do any thing which might at such a time appear to interfere with the free exercise of the authority of these assemblies; but now he had no hesitation in stating, that a bill for this object would very soon be introduced into the other House of Parliament. In what the noble lord had said respecting the appointment of curates, he had done justice to the intentions of the legislature of Jamaica. The salary of 300l., currency which amounted to little more than 150l. had been found insufficient; and besides, the duties which the curates had to perform were not described. The objection as to salary had, however, been removed, and he hoped that proper appointments would speedily take place. The noble lord thought that there was a difficulty in procuring a proper supply of clergymen of the established church, and certainly considerable difficulty had been experienced in that respect, though the right rev. prelate who had been applied to had made every effort to overcome it. Great difficulty arose from this circumstance, that no person can be ordained by a bishop, except for some specific preferment or duty within the diocese of that prelate. The bishop of London usually made the appointments, but, in fact he had no legal authority over the West India islands. In the beginning of the last century, it had occurred to bishop Sherlock, that there was something irregular in the exercise of that authority; and upon investigation, that was found to be the case. Still, however, it had been found necessary to continue the practice of ordination for the colonies; but in doing so, the bishop of London overstepped, in some measure, the bounds of his authority. There was, of course, no little difficulty in the bishop taking all the responsibility on himself. When a person was ordained for general colonial service, it was well known that the examination was not of precisely the same nature as that which would take place were he to exercise his clerical duties within the diocese. It would, therefore, be advisable to obtain some security, that persons ordained for the colonies did actually go to them, and when there, did not immediately return to act as clergymen in this country. The noble lord had adverted to means of enabling a certain portion of the black population to give evidence in courts of justice; and it appeared to him that for that purpose it was necessary for the negroes to possess a competent knowledge of the Christian religion. He agreed with the noble lord in this view of the subject; for the mere certificate of baptism would not be a proof of improvement in religious knowledge. If the negroes could obtain it without due preparation, they would willingly be baptized three or four times over, as they believed it to be a charm against enchantment. He readily acceded to the motion of the noble lord.

The Bishop of London

said, that the noble lord who had in so able a manner brought forward this question, had done him nothing but justice in attributing to him a sincere wish for the religious and moral improvement of the negroes. He could not, however, agree with the noble lord in the manner in which he had proposed to communicate that religious instruction. The noble lord had been too ready in concluding that recourse ought to be had to sectaries, and that temporal rewards were necessary to induce clergymen of the church of England to perform their duty. The church of England had as yet had very little opportunity of making efforts in the colonies. The clergymen appointed for Jamaica had, in some publications, been blamed for not doing more than they had yet accomplished; but what was expected of them was really beyond their physical powers. There were in Jamaica 19 parishes of great extent, each of these parishes was from 30 to 40 miles long, and about 20 or 30 broad. It was not possible, therefore, for any man to maintain that sort of communication with the population of such parishes as might subsist between a clergyman and the population of a parish in England. When he was informed of the act granting 300l. currency as salary for curates, he made inquiry among merchants acquainted with Jamaica, as to the propriety of that sum, and they assured him, that it was not sufficient to maintain any person in the character of a gentleman. In consequence of his representations on the subject, the salary had been increased to 500l. currency, which he understood amounted to something be- tween 250l. and 260l. sterling. This it was expected would be found sufficient, and thus one great difficulty as to the appointments was removed. He did not yet, however, know what conditions would be proposed along with the salary. What the noble secretary of state had said on the subject of the appointments was correct. It had been found, after an inquiry made by the law-officers of the crown, that the bishop of London had no jurisdiction over the colonies. They had, however, from the necessity of the case, continued to act, and had corresponded on the subject of appointments with the governors of the West India islands. The reverend prelate proceeded to detail at length the measures which had been adopted for the religious instruction of the negroes, and observed, that that instruction was best confided in the hands of the clergy of the established church.

Lord Holland

explained, that in using the words "temporal inducements," he meant what was admitted, that the salary was thought insufficient for persons educated for the church of England. He had, therefore, recommended the Moravian brethren as a means of removing that difficulty. The noble secretary of state was not correct in saying that he thought a competent knowledge in the Christian religion necessary to the admission of negroes to give evidence in courts of justice. He had given no opinion on that question. He had merely said, that many persons were of opinion, that a considerable degree of religious instruction must precede any improvement in the condition of the slaves, and it was with the view of conciliating that opinion that he had suggested the plan which he had briefly described.

The question was then carried nem. dis.