not this man happy? He is always smiling; he is fully satisfied with himself; he never sends a wish beyond his prison walls;-is he not happy?' Mr. Borthwick would still be silent. Then I might show him a beautiful female singing love ditties all day long,--an eternal smile playing on her countenance; and I might say, 'Look upon this being, and say, is she not happy? Are not all these happy? And then Mr. Borthwick, with a sigh, would answer, 'No, they are not happy; see what a wreck of mind; see reason dethroned; see all the bright faculties of the soul gone astray! Oh! save them from this place,

'Where laughter is not mirth, nor thought the mind,

Nor words a language,-nor e'en men mankind!'

Let us strive to bring them back to society and to rational being; let them, if it must be, taste its sorrows and its bitterness; but let them know what are its joys, its hopes, its anticipations; let them live to mingle with mankind, and fit themselves for immortality.' And I reply, 'Yes, let us try to save them; let all human means be used to save them from this place; and when you have dropped the tear of sympathy over degraded reason here, go to the West Indies, preach that doctrine to the slaves, and see whether in their present prostration there is any reason why they should not have awakened in their minds a love of liberty, if it be not already there,--why they should not be released from that hateful system by which they are now enthralled, and brought to the enjoyment of perfect freedom.' (Cheers.)

But I am prepared to show that the slaves do value freedom and long to possess it, notwithstanding Mr. Borthwick's declaration to the contrary. I hold in my hand two documents, the first is a proclamation from Governor Ross, published in the Antigua Register of March 29, 1831:

'ANTIGUA.

By his Excellency Sir Patrick Ross, Knight, Commander of the most distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Major-General in the Army, Governor, and Com

mander-in-Chief in and over his Majesty's Island of Antigua, Montserrat, and Barbuda, Chancellor, Vice-Admiral, and Ordinary of the same, &c. &c. &c.

¿ Patrick (L. S.) Ross.

'WHEREAS by my proclamation bearing date the twenty-first day of this present month, I did, by and with the advice of His Majesty's Privy Council, offer a Reward of One Hundred Pounds to the Person or Persons (except the actual offender) who should give such information as would lead to the conviction of the offender or offenders who set fire to several cane pieces in this Island, and also a free pardon to an accomplice or accomplices on conviction by their means of the actual perpetrator of such diabolical acts. Now, therefore, I do further, in compliance with the joint Address of both Houses of the Legislature, offer FREEDOM TO ANY SLAVE

who by his or her exertions and evidence may bring to justice any of the incendiaries who have been destroying the canes in various parts of the Island.

'Given under my hand and seal at Governmenthouse, this Twenty-second day of March, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-one, and in the First Year of His Majesty's Reign.

"God save the King.

'By His Excellency's command,

CHARLES TAYLOR, Private Secretary. 'Duly published this Twenty-third day of March, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-one.

MARTIN NANTON, Deputy Provost Marshal.' -Weekly Register, Antigua, Tuesday, March 29,

1831.

Now, Mr. Borthwick, when Governor Ross means to offer the highest reward which it is in his power to confer,-what is it that he does offer? A few more yams, a little more rum, or a little more clothing? No; but he offers the slave the highest boon which the island can grant,--he offers him freedom. (Loud cheers.) Another proclamation to the same effect was issued in Jamaica during the late insurrection.

Freedom, Mr. Borthwick, is the highest boon that governors and generals can bestow; and to-day I have been informed, by a gentleman now on this platform, that whilst he was on the island of Nevis, a few years back, the inhabitants were alarmed by a tremendous storm, and found that a vessel had been wrecked, the crew of which were in danger of perishing. The plan

ters stood on the beach, beholding the desolation on the waters, but they could not induce any person to launch a boat and go to the assistance of the persons in the wreck. At last the planters offered freedom to any slaves who would put off to the assistance of the shipwrecked mariners, and immediately these men, who are said to care nothing for liberty, rushed into the boat, and risked their own existence to save those who were in danger of perishing. (Cheers.) In the year 1794 there was what was termed the Maroon war in Jamaica and who were the Maroons? Runaway negroes! And where had they run from? From the 'four parlors and a saloon.' What did they run from? From the light work, the beautiful clothing, and abundance of food; from the kind care and culture of the planters. And where did they run to from all this comfort and happiness? To the bleak and desolate mountains, to the fastnesses of Jamaica. Ay, to the desolate mountain, from the four parlors and a saloon. And what did they do there? Why, whilst the negro of Jamaica was enjoying his four parlors and a saloon, drinking his wine, and revelling in all the luxuries of slavery, like another Sardanapalus, the negroes in the mountains were getting strong, increasing and multiplying, and at last down they came upon the whites, and threatened to exterminate them. The whites met together, to consider how they might best resist the aggressions of the Maroons: the standing troops were called out, and found to be insufficient, and with the militia added to them they were still thought insufficient, and the arming of the negroes was talked of: but somebody said, 'How do you know, when you have armed the negroes, that they will fight for you? How do you know that they will not make common cause with the Maroons? You must find some motive sufficiently strong to induce them to fight.' And what was that motive? Was it food, house, a provision ground— No; they promised the slaves liberty! (Loud cheers.) And with liberty in their hearts, liberty their watchword, and liberty their expected reward, they went to

the battle plain, they fought and bled, and even many of them died, whilst the living returned victorious, not to pull down chapels, not to injure innocent men, but to clasp to their bosoms their wives and their children, to stretch out their free hands to Heaven and say, 'Now, indeed, we are men and brethren.' (Hear that, Mr. Borthwick.) I beg my friends will not make any remarks; let them leave that to me, for I am exceedingly jealous of my privileges. (Much laughter.)

And now Mr. Borthwick comes to Hayti; he thinks he has a fine specimen of the dangers of emancipation at Hayti; and he measures the happiness of the inhabitants of that island by the amount of their exports. But this is false philosophy, Mr. Borthwick. Suppose the people of Ireland were to ship less of their produce, less corn, fewer cattle, and fewer potatoes to foreign countries than they now do, and eat it all themselves, would any person assign this as a reason why they should be worse off than they were when they did export a larger quantity. (Cheers.) Mr. Borthwick ought not to measure the comfort and happiness of a people by the amount of their exports. Would he argue because the stage-proprietor did not carry so many passengers, and therefore did not run his horses so frequently, that the horses were worse off than they were before? (Loud cheers.) Would he argue that the ox was in a worse condition because he trod out less corn than he did before? How does it happen that the Haytians have not cultivated so much sugar as they did formerly? Why did they cultivate so much formerly? Because of the whip, to please their masters, not to please themselves. (Loud cheers.) What is the fact now? A gentleman who is now here is willing to come forward, to state it firmly, fearlessly and openly. (Cheers.) After a twelve years' residence in Hayti, where he kept a regular account of exports and imports, and investigated the manners, motives and desires of the inhabitants, he is ready to testify that the commerce of Hayti is prosperous, and that the peasants of Hayti are as happy and comfortable as any BB 2

portion of the human family. (Loud cries of 'Name, name.') Mr, Shiel. (Loud and reiterated cheering.)

Mr. SHIEL then stood upon the table, and saidLadies and Gentlemen, called upon as I have been by the gentleman who has already addressed you for upwards of three hours, I do not come forward to make any long oration, I merely come forward to say that the facts stated by that gentleman, with regard to Hayti, are perfectly correct, and that I have witnessed them. I know that the people of Hayti are free, independent, comfortable, and happy. (Cheers.) There is also another point which I wish to notice, a point which has never yet been laid before the British public ;--I allude to the revolution which occurred in Hayti in 1822, when the Spanish part of the colony threw off the yoke of slavery. That revolution was effected by the people, without a single act of violence even of the most trifling character. (Cheers.) The masters, it is to be observed, were Spaniards-a people who never maltreated their slaves. (Hear, hear.) The slaves declared themselves free, shook off the Spanish yoke, and joined the republican part of Hayti, without a single act of violence or the slightest destruction of property. (Loud cheers,)-Thompson's Lec, pp. 49, 50, 51, 52.

(0.)

'The argument of temperance from the beginning has been on moral grounds. Allusion has been made to the apostle of temperance. Sir, I knew the apostle of temperance from my boyhood. And I know the difficulties he had to contend with.' ****And yet this herald of reform did not shrink from denouncing the traffic as a moral evil. If he had trimmed to the popular breeze, this convention would never have met. But he went forward in the face of opposition. His first sermon hurled him from his pulpit." ["This is a mistake. Mr. Hewit's first sermon produced a considerable excitement, but was very far from unsettling