ENCLOSURE REFERRED TO.

I. ST. VINCENT.

No. 1. ABSTRACT of Slave Law in force previously to 1823

P. 5

No. 2.-Provisions enacted in conformity with the Recommendations sent out by the Secretary of State

No. 3.-Provisions enacted previously or in addition to these Recommendations, and in force

p. 6

No. 4.-Observations

p. 8

No. 7.-Ditto - ditto

No. 6.-Ditto ditto 23 June 1828, (St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Christopher and Nevis)

No. 5.-Copy of a Petition to Parliament, praying for Inquiry, dated 9 May 1826, (St. Vincent and Dominica)

P. 9

P. 12

p. 15

- ditto 23 November 1830, (West India Planters, &c.)

P. 16

Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4.-Leeward Island Consolidated Act, passed in 1798, is the Slave Law in force in the Virgin Islands. It is also in force in St. Christopher, Nevis, Antigua and Montserrat

p. 33

P. 37

SLAVE LAWS, WEST INDIES.

No. 1.-COPIES of the CORRESPONDENCE between the Secretary of State and the Agent for the Colonies of St. Christopher and Dominica, respecting the ABSTRACTS of SLAVE LAWS referred to in the Resolution of this House, dated on the 24th instant.

I

LETTER from James Colquhoun, Esq. to Viscount Goderich,
&c. &c. &c.

MY LORD,

St. James's Place, 7 March 1831.

HAVE the honor to enclose, for the purpose of being laid before Parliament, in conformity with the permission given by your Lordship at an interview granted to the Agents for the West India Legislative Colonies on the 1st instant, Copies of the Documents referred to in the Enclosure (see opposite page) herewith

I AM directed by Lord Goderich to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter dated the 7th instant, inclosing various Documents " for the purpose of being laid before Parliament." His Lordship understands you to mean that some Member of Parliament will move in his place an Address to His Majesty for the production of the Documents in question; and I am to acquaint you that the Members of His Majesty's Government do not propose to offer any objection to any motion of that nature. Lord Goderich, indeed, is not aware that he could with propriety decline to receive this or any other communication which the Colonial Agents may think proper to address to him; and having received it, his Lordship has no motive for wishing to prevent its obtaining further publicity through any channel which the Authors of the Paper may think desirable.

It

It is necessary, however, for the prevention of any possible misconception, that I should distinctly apprize you, that Lord Goderich declines to express any opinion respecting the accuracy of the various Abstracts which you have thus transmitted. How far they faithfully represent the real effect of the Laws to which they refer, is a question upon which others must be left to form their own judgment, uninfluenced by any supposed authority of the Secretary of State.

Various observations are subjoined to the Abstracts in question, which partake very little of the character of those Documents, which it has been usual for the Executive Government to lay before the Two Houses of Parliament. In receiving them for that avowed purpose, Lord Goderich cannot too distinctly explain that they are invested with no official authority, but must be regarded only as expressing the opinions of the very respectable individuals from whom they proceed.

P. S. Since I received the directions of Lord Goderich to make the preceding communications to you, a copy has been received at this Department of a Resolution of The House of Commons, that an Address be presented to His Majesty for the production of the Papers in question. Lord Goderich was not previously aware that any Address of that nature had been moved.

!

I. ST. VINCENT.

No. 1.-SLAVE MELIORATION LAW in force previously to the Resolutions of
The House of Commons in June 1823.

s. 6. Slaves to be instructed in Religion. s. 9. Half an hour allowed for Breakfast,

ST. VINCENT, 15 Dec. 1825.

I. ST. VINCENT-continued.

No. 2.-PROVISIONS, under Six different Heads, proposed in Lord Bathurst's

ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS contained in Eight Bills sent out to o

8.7. No shop or store shalls.1. Slave evidence admitbe opened on Sunday, under penalty of £.10, except as in England, for perishable articles of food, out of church

hours. M

s. 8. provides for the religious instruction and baptism of Slaves, and registry of baptisms; penalty £. 10.

s. 9. Sunday markets shall cease at 10 A. M., under forfeiture of goods, &c.

s. 11. prohibits labour on Sundays, even during crop time, requiring that no sugar be boiled after 10 P. M. on

Saturday, nor the mill put about, or any other kind of field or plantation work performed, between 7 P. M. on Saturday, and 4 A. M. Monday. Penalty £. 50.

on

- 8.1. Slave evidence admit--- s. 10. Parish clergymen
ted, except against owners. shall solemnize matrimony,
(Act passed 9 Sept. 1830.) without fee or reward, be-
s. 2. No Slave shall be pre-tween such Slaves as, apply
vented by his owner from giving with their owner, or
ing evidence when required, manager's consent, appear
under penalty of £. 50. to be sensible of the obliga-
tion of the marriage vow.
bas tqaod of some
do uniteid, ves of boonto

- s. 18. Facilitates manumissions, and punishes the unlawfully detaining free persons as Slaves, by penalty of thrice the value of such person's services. Any owner or manager manumitting an aged or infirm Slave, to avoid maintaining him, shall forfeit £.200, from which £.20 shall be annually Ypaid to the person manumitted for life. Manumission fee, £.4.

Upon which Bill the Secretary of State for the Colonies made the following observations, in a letter to the Governor of St. Vincent, dated 3d April 1847. ( Vide Parliamentary Pap.) "His Majesty has observed, with satisfaction, the progress made by these enactments "in the measures to be taken for the improvement in the state of the Slave population. "Upon a review of the whole of this law, I am commanded by His Majesty to express his "satisfaction with the general disposition of the Council and Assembly to adopt the re"commendations addressed to them on this important subject."