fpecting the Negroes in the Weft Indies, I was feriously concerned to find myfelf Dominica. without a fingle document from the Legiflature of Dominica, to fhew its difpofition to adopt any measures for the attainment of the humane and falutary purposes which are the objects of that Refolution. My regard for the Colonial Legislature would make me wish to abstain from cbferving on a conduct fo derogatory from the character of wisdom and liberality by which, I had flattered myfelf, that the proceedings of that body would have been diftinguished on this occafion; but the duty of my ftation will not fuffer me to be filent, and I feel myself obliged to call upon you to reprefent, in the strongest terms, to the refpective branches of the Legislature, the very fingular predicament in which they have placed themselves, and that it behoves them to confider the confequences of their remaining the fingle inftance, among all the British Inlands in the Weft Indies, of a Legislature which has not taken any ftep towards carrying into effect the meafures recommended by the Refolution of the House of Commons, which I was ordered to tranfmit to you for their information. I cannot however but believe, that they will proceed, without further delay, to take into their most serious confideration the means which may be beft adapted for the speedy attainment of the objects contained in the Refolution of the House of Commons of 1797. The Acts which have been paffed by the Leeward Inlands and Grenada, for this purpose, and the provisions made in an Act of the island of Jamaica, for limiting the importation of Negroes into that Ifland to fuch as are of the age of 25 years or under, and for fecuring the advantages of moral and religious inftructions to the Negroes, the measures alfo which have been propofed by the joint Committee of the Council and Houfe of Affembly of Tobago, cannot but be felt by the Legislature of your Inland as a practical proof of the foundness of the advice contained in my Letter of 23d April laft, and as a powerful incentive to their fetting on foot a plan for obtaining and fecuring the advantages which muft inevitably refult from promoting the natural increase of the Negroes, and improving their condition and their morals. YOUR Grace's Letter (N° 15) of the 21st of March laft, to the honourable Governor Cochrane Johnstone, refpecting the Negroes in the Weft Indies (which had been fhewn to me by the Governor fhortly before his departure, with an intimation made by him at the fame time, of his intention to fend it to the Council and Affembly) having been left with other papers by the Governor in my hands, I embraced the earliest opportunity of convening the Legislature, and of fending, at their first meeting on the 11th inftant, a meffage on the fubject of your Grace's letter, accompanied with a copy of it, and of fundry Colonial Acts and documents to which the letter refers. I have now the honour to enclofe, for the information of your Grace, copies of my message, and of the answers of the Council and Affembly thereto; and I confidently truft, that the two branches of the Legiflature will give to the fubject of the Letter that ferious confideration which its importance demands. Dominica. (Copy.) (1.) In Mr. Prefident Matfon's of the 16th June 1799. Mr. Prefident and Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker and It is my Among the Papers delivered to me by his Excellency, on the eve of his departure, is a letter from his Grace the Duke of Portland, dated the 21ft of March 1799, refpecting the Negroes in the Weft Indies. The Governor's fhort continuance here after the arrival of this letter, I conclude, deprived him of an opportunity of confulting you on its contents; but convinced as I am that the letter, and the fubject matter to which it relates, will appear to you to demand immediate and ferious deliberation, I have thought it incumbent on me to fend to your Board and House copies of that letter, with the Colonial Acts and other documents to which the letter refers; and I am fure I need not add a fyllable to prefs on you the importance of the fubject, or to prove how anxious I am to be enabled to convey the refult of your wifdom and confideration on the occafion to his Grace the Duke of Portland, with all convenient difpatch. Government Houfe, 11th June 1799. (Copy.) (2.) In Mr. Prefident Matfon's of the 16th June 1799. J. Matfon. His honour the Prefident and Council to his honour the The Board have to acknowledge the receipt of your Honour's Meffage to the Board and Houfe of this day, acquainting them of the departure of his Excellency the honourable Governor Andrew Cochrane Johnstone for Europe, on the 13th of May laft, whereby the Government of this Colony hath again devolved upon you. On this occafion the Board beg leave to afure your Honour of their most perfect conviction, that you will discharge the duties of the very important truft attached to the high office you now fill with every attention to the general interefts of this Colony, and the honour of His Majefty's Government. The Board alto beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of his Grace the Duke of Portland's Letter of the 21ft of March laft to his Excellency Governor Andrew Cochrane Johnilone, accompanying your meffage of this day, together with the Colonial Acts and documents which that letter refers to, on the fubject of the Negroes in the Weft Indies. The Board are highly impreffed with the very great importance of the matters contained in that letter, and, in addition to a very falutary exifting law, paffed in this land in the year 1788, " for the encourage"ment, protection, and better government of Slaves," will take the fubject matter of his Grace's Letter into their moft ferious confideration, and use their best endeavours to attain as far as poffible the ends defired. With this view, a Committee of the Board hath immediately been appointed, to confider the means which may be beft adapted for the speedy attainment of the objects contained in the Refolution of the House of Commons of 1797. On this occafion the Board cannot help obferving, that the letter alluded to by his Grace, under date the 23d of April 1798, was never communicated to the Board. Council Chamber, 11th June 1799. George Metcalfe, Dominica. (Copy.) (3.) In Mr. Prefident Matfon's of the 16th June 1799. The Speaker and Houfe of Affembly to his Honour the The Houfe have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Honour's Meffage of this day's date, and beg leave to exprefs their fulleft confidence of your faithful difcharge of the very important truft which has devolved on you, and your unremitting attention to the general interefts of the Colony, The House muft obferve on the fubject of the letter of his Grace the Duke of Portland, on the 21st March laft, a copy of which is enclofed in your above meffage, that the letter of the Duke's of the 23d of April 1798, referred to in the above letter, was never communicated to this Houfe, and they are now for the first time made acquainted with its contents by finding a copy of it in the printed correfpondence which alfo accompanied your meffage. This circumftance will explain the neceffity the Houfe is under of taking fome fhort time to give to the fubject of the above letters the confideration which its importance demands. House of Assembly, 11th June 1799. (Copy) N° 7. My Lord, Chas Winfton, Speaker. No. 7.-Copy of a Letter from Mr. Prefident Matfon to his (Three Enclosures.) IN my Letter (N° 3) of the 16th inftant to your Grace, I had the honour to inclofe copies of my meffage to the Council and Affembly, dated the 11th inftant, relative to the Negroes in the Weft Indies, and their feveral anfwers thereto. It now becomes my duty to forward to your Grace the Copy of fome further Obfervations made by the Houfe of Affembly on the fame fubject, prefented to me yefterday. The Act which passed in this Island in the year 1788, for the encouragement, protection, and better Government of Slaves, with an Act, paffed in 1793, to revive and make the former perpetual, I have the honour to inclose. I have the honour to be, &c. His Grace the Duke of Portland, &c. &c. &c. (Copy) (1.) In Mr. Prefident Matfon's of the 22d June 1799. J. Matfon. The Speaker and Houfe of Affembly to his Ionour It is with the deepest concern the Houfe (by the communication contained in your Honour's Meffage of the eleventh inflant) find themfelves fo unmeritedly ftigmatized by the charge of ftanding in the predicament of being "the fingle inftance, among all the Briti lands in the West Indies, which has not taken any flep "towards carrying into effect the measures recommended by the House of Commons," tranfmitted by his Grace the Duke of Portland, for their information. " The Houfe will ever be ready refpectfully to receive, and to take into confideration any measure fubmitted to them by His Majefty's Minifters or the British Parliament; and would doubtless, with alacrity, have turned their attention to the important object tranfmitted by his Grace, through the channel of the Governor, had it been laid before them; but as it never was, they hold themselves wholly exculpated from the charge of having acted in any manner derogatory to that spirit of liberality which will, they truft, ever manifest itself in all their deliberations. We beg leave to remind your Honour, that fo long ago as the 19th day of July 1797, the House of Affembly then existing received from you (then prefiding in the Government of this Ifland) a Meffage, containing a Refolution of the Houfe of Commons, concerning "the adoption of measures beft calculated to obviate the 119. "caufes Dominica. "caufes which have hitherto impeded the natural increafe of the Negroes already "in the Inlands, gradually to diminish the neceffity of the Slave Trade, and ulti mately to lead to its complete termination; and particularly, with a view to the "fame effect, to employ fuch means as may conduce to the moral and religious "improvement of the Negroes, and to fecure to them, throughout the whole West "India Islands, the certain, immediate, and active protection of the Law, &c." To which, by their reply, they engaged to take fuch Refolution" into their "ferious confideration; and in the mean time, to endeavour to get every neceffary "information refpecting the important matters recommended to their deliberations But your Honour muft well remember the state of alarm into which the Colony was about that time plunged, by the difcovery of a dangerous confpiracy, which gave birth to the neceffity of putting the Inland under martial law, and thereby causing a total suspension of all Legislative business from the 3d day of June to the 19th day of July. The hurricane feafon then intervening prevented the Members, whofe places of refidence were at a distance from town, from giving their attendance, and thereby the Houfe from refuming its Legiflative functions. Governor Johnstone arrived in the September following, and it is worthy of remark, that neither in his firft fpeech to the Board and Houfe, or in any of his fubfequent Meffages, were contained any communication whatever on that fubject. The Houfe was diffolved on the 26th day of May 1798, and it was not until the 13th of June that the writs were iffued, nor until the 17th July that the new elected Members were convened for tranfacting Legislative bufinefs; when it must be in the recollection of your Honour, that the Refolution of the Houfe of Commons formed no part among the matters which his Excellency Governor Johnftone recommended to their confideration, in his fpeech addreffed to them on the occafion. The first communication to the House on the fubject was by your Honour's Meffage of the 11th inftant, in which you ftate the Letter which had been received by Governor Johnstone from his Grace the Duke of Portland on that fubject. The Act of this Inland published the 23d December 1788, and fince made perpetual, intituled, "An Act for the encouragement, protection, and better govern"ment of Slaves," contains fuch provifions for the amelioration of the ftate of the Slaves, which we truft will convince His Majefty's Ministers, that the Legislature of this Inland has long fince entered into the benevolent views fhewn by the British Houfe of Commons, as far as their humanity and wifdom could dictate; and the Inland has experienced the falutary effects of that Law, by the happy and contented ftate of the Slaves. The Houle, however, in order to evince their readiness and defire to add to the comfort and protection of that defcription of persons, have, in confequence of your communication to them, named a Committee to take that law into their confideration, and to report the refult thereof to the House. The Houfe feel themfelves fenfibly hurt on finding that the indelicate fuppreffion of the Duke of Portland's Letter by his Excellency Governor Johnftone, has led his Grace (in their opinion rather precipitately) to attribute to the House the want of wisdom and liberality; nor are they acquainted at the prefent moment with the existence of any "jarring interefts," or that any fuch "jarring interests" ever exifted, as could have induced them to treat otherwife than with attention and relpect, the reprefentations of His Majefty's Miniilers. Houfe of Affembly, 21st June 1799. (Copy.) Charles Winfton, Speaker. (2.) In Mr. Prefident Matfon's of the 22d June 1799. DOMINICA.. An Act to revive and make perpetual an Act of this Island, intituled " An Act for the encouragement, pro"tection, and better government of Slaves." Whereas an Act of the Legislature of this land, intituled, "An A&t for the en"couragement, protection, and better government of Slaves," is expired, and having been found highly beneficial to the colony, it is neceffary and expedient to revive and to make perpetual the fame. We, your Majefty's dutiful, loyal, and obe dient dient fubjects, the Governor, Council, and Affembly of this your Majefty's Ifland of Dominica. Dominica, humbly pray your Moft Excellent Majefty, that it may be enacted and ordained: And be it and it is hereby enacted and ordained by the authority aforefaid, That the faid Act, intituled, " An Act for the encouragement, protection, and better go"vernment of Slaves," be and the fame is hereby revived, and made perpetual. Paffed the House of Affembly this fifteenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three. Simon Frafer, Speaker. F. Collins, Clerk of the Affembly. Paffed the Council, in the Council Chamber, this fifteenth day of March one thousand feven hundred and ninety-three. Griffin Curtis, Clerk of the Council. Affented to this fifteenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and ninetythree, and in the thirty-third year of His Majefty's reign. Great James Bruce. Dominica.-Duly published in the town of Roseau, this fifteenth day of March, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three. James Laing, An Act for the Encouragement, Protection, and better Whereas the different Acts of this Inland, for the government and protection Preamble. Clause 1. Renters, Ma- fhall wholefomely feed, fufficiently And be it and it is hereby enacted and ordained by the authority of the fame, That every Owner, Renter, Manager, or Overfeer of any Slave or Slaves, fhall feed or cause to be fed all fuch Slave or Slaves as fhall be under his, her, or their care, with a fufficient quantity of good and wholesome food, and fhall give them good and fufficient cloathing, and fhall provide dry and comfortable lodging for them; and in cafe of the fickness of any of the faid Slave or Slaves, the faid Owner, Renter, Manager, or Overfeer, fhall provide for the faid Slave or Slaves proper medical affiftance and clothe, comadvice; and the faid Owner, Renter, Manager, or Overfeer, fhall provide within the fortably boundary of his, her, or their plantation or lot of land, comfortable lodging, whole- lodge, and fome food, and medical affiftance for all and every old, infirm, and diftempered per medical Slave or Slaves; and if any Owner, Renter, Manager, or Overfeer of any Slave or affiftance in, Slaves, shall neglect to feed and clothe his, her, or their Slave or Slaves; or fhall cafe of fick. neglect, 119. 5 C provide pro nefs, within |