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bring the slave before them; to have him taken care of in the workhouse, but not worked or confined with slaves under punishment, until judicial investigation can be had. Justices and vestry to be a council of protection to prosecute offender: under penalty of 101. for non-attendance.

N.B. By an Act of the Legislature of Jamaica, passed in the year 1830, the free persons of colour are placed, in all respects, on the same footing, and enjoy all civil rights and privileges, as the white inhabitants.

BARBADOS.

(This Act received the Royal Assent the 18th October, 1827.)

Religious Instruction, and Observance of the Sabbath. Baptism and Marriage.

§ 1-3. Owners and their agents shall instruct their slaves in the Christian religion; and cause all hereafter born to be baptised, as well as all now living who can be made sensible of religions duties. Clergy shall solemnize matrimony between slaves, with the owner's consent; and registers of all baptisms, marriages, and burials of slaves shall be duly kept.—§ 4. No market or shop shall be open, excepting, as in England, for the sale of medicines, or of perishable food, on Sunday, Christmas-day, or Good Friday: under penalty of 51. or forfeiture f goods exposed.-§ 6. No slave shall be set or allowed to labour on Sundays, under penalty of El. to 10l.

Food-Clothing-Lodging: General Treatment.

§ 32. Should it appear that an owner cannot afford necessary food to his slave, the acting protector shall take temporary possession of the slave, and hire him out until the owner's Circumstances are bettered; but if it appear that the owner had the means and withheld the same, the justices shall indict him to the Grand Sessions, and on conviction he is to be punished 1 y fine of 1004, and 6 months' imprisonment. Owners of diseased slaves suffering them to go at large, or infest the highways, &c. shall forfeit 107.-§ 5. Owners of slaves shall, under penalty fil. to 27. 10s., furnish them annually with decent and sufficient clothing, suitable to sex, age, and condition.

Punishment.

§ 46. Slaves shall be whipped with the like instruments, and in like manner, as practised in His Majesty's army and navy, except where a milder instrument may be preferred. Female slaves to be punished in a private and decent manner, and when pregnant, to be punished by confinement only: penalty 107.-§ 44. Any person who wantonly commits cruelty towards a slave, by whipping, bruising, or beating, &c. shall be fined by any two justices not less than 257., and not exceeding 100l.-§ 47. Any person fixing a collar, chains, or irons, on a slave, shall suffer fine and imprisonment, at court's discretion.-§ 14. Males and females in prison, to be confined in separate apartments; and not more than 11 persons in each.-§ 16. Magistrates shall visit slave prisons, and see that they are clean and healthy; and that sufficient food is allowed.

Evidence. Trial, and Defence..

§ 3. Admits the evidence of slaves in actions of trespass, assault, and in cases of misdemeanour, murder, felony, or other offences, except forgery, against any person whatever: requiring only a certificate of baptism and religious instruction, and that such testimony, against free persons, be corroborated by circumstantial evidence, unless when such free person be an accomplice. Owner refusing to produce a slave as witness, to forfeit 107.-§ 33. Slaves charged with capital offences, shall be tried at the Grand Sessions, in like manner as white and free-coloured per

gons.

Right of Property and Right of Action.

§ 7. Secures to slaves the absolute right of personal property, and subjects owners of slaves, or other persons, depriving them of their personal property, to forfeit double the value of such property to the use of said slaves. The acting protector to prosecute offender.

Legal Protection.

§ 2. The governor and four chief officers of government are a council of protection; with power to appoint an acting protector, at 400 per annum. § 45 Any white or free person, maiming or dismembering a slave, shall be imprisoned not less than 6 months, and fined not less than 100.; the interest of which shall be an annuity for the slave for life, and the slave be transferred by the protector to some master of humane repute.-§ 40. The wilful murder of a slave, by any person, shall be punished by death, without benefit of clergy. 9th of April, 1805.20. Coroner to return copies of depositions, &c. on inquests, to the governor within 5 days: penalty 10.-14. If person committed as slave claim to be free, though unable to prove it, provost marshal shall advertise for proof; in default of which, after three months, such person Shall be set at liberty as free.

ENACTED IN THE BRITISH WEST INDIA COLONIES.

Food-Clothing-Lodging: General Treatment.

13

§ 1, 2. Every master of slaves shall, under penalty of 10s. for each slave neglected, supply weekly to every slave on his estate, (except during crop, when it may be diminished one-fifth) 9 pints of corn, or 8 of flour or meal, or 9 of oatmeal, or 7 of rice, or 8 lbs of biscuit, or 20 of potatoes, or 16 of eddoes, or 30 of plantains; and also 1 lbs. of fish or other salted provisions, or 24 lbs. of fresh fish or other fresh provisions, all of good and wholesome quality. The full allowance here specified to be also given to every aged, infirm, or sickly slave, under penalty of 20s. for each onission: as also, by § 27, medical aid, necessary food, &c. under penalty of 5.§ 4. Where it shall be found necessary to give money instead of food, each slave shall receive 4s. weekly, and be allowed two half days each week to resort to market. In both cases, it is referred to the master to apportion such supplies agreeably to sex and age; but he may on no account allot less than the full gross quantity in proportion to the number of his slaves § 5. Where land, proved upon annual oath of manager to be adequately productive, is assigned by master, he may limit the foregoing supplies to one-half; excepting that, of the salt or fresh provisions, he shall still supply the full allowances.- 6. Every owner, possessed of the means, shall further allot to each of his slaves capable of working it, a piece of good land adjoining their respective dwellings, not less than 40 feet square; or in lieu of such land, an annual compensation qual to its value: both under penalty of 51.-§ 7. Every owner shall, twice in each year, supply to each slave a suit of the customary clothing; or one suit a year, and a good hat or cap, and blanket Owner shall annually swear to the due supply both of food and clothing, under penalty of 100l and shall keep a weekly register of the number of slaves, amount of supplies, &c., under penalty of 251.- Every owner shall procure, for every slave requiring it, proper medical assistance, and furnish such wine, food, &c. as such medical assistant shall prescribe, under penalty of 507. and by 27, every estate shall be visited by a regular medical practitioner twice in each week, whether sent for or not and on special summons, he shall attend within eight hours, under penalty of 10. Such summons to describe in writing the patient and his symptoms, that immediate reliet may be sent.—§ 30. There shall also be, on each estate, a commodious hospital, under penalty of 100l. and every owner shall, by himself or white assistant, attend as often as requisite, under penalty of 20s., to see that such medicines and diet as prescribed by medical practitioner, are duly given. A full record of patients and prescriptions to be kept, penalty 40s.; and a supply of medicines, with proper directious, always to be in readiness on each estate: penalty 54.§ 35. A faithful account of all births and deaths, and how sick slaves have been attended, to be an nually rendered on oath; penalty 100l.--§ 36. Medical man also annually to return on oath the number of deaths on each estate under his charge, the cause of death, and the treatment of each patient; penalty 100l.-§ 38. Whenever a negro woman shall become pregnant with her first child, the proprietor shalt have built for her use a roomy and commodious negro house of two

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rooms.

Labour and Holidays.

§ 10. No slave shall be compelled to any kind of field labour before 5 a. m. nor after 7 p. m ; penalty 51.—§ 9 Every such slave shall be allowed half an hour for breakfast, and two hours for dinner; penalty 14 to 5-§ 24. No mother of six living children, the youngest being 7 years old, shall be set to perform other than light work; penalty 201.-§ 37. No pregnant woman shall, when five months gone, be set to any other work than that of taking care of children, or similar light employment: penalty 54.

Punishment.

§ 15. If any person shall cruelly whip, maltreat, beat, or imprison, or confine without sufficient support, any slave under his care, he shall suffer fine and imprisonment at discretion of the court: and such slave may be transferred to another master.- 17. Justices of peace, on information, to remove slave from his owner's possession, and support him pending enquiry.-§ 18. Persons affixing any iron collar or chain, whether round the leg, or other part of the body, of any slave, unless in the case of runaways, to forfeit 100-§ 37. No pregnant woman shall be punished otherwise than by confinement: penalty 5.-The carrying of the whip as an emblem of authority or instrument of coercion, has for some time been abolished on every well regulated estate; and when corporal punishment is absolutely necessary, the cat applied over the shoulders has been substituted for the cart whip formerly used.-By § 1, No. 636, no slave on any plantation, or in the common jail, shall at any time receive more than 6 lashes at one time and for one offence, unless the owner or manager, or the keeper of such common jail, or a commissioner of the streets, or the superintendent of slaves sentenced to hard labour, shall be actually present; and no such owner or manager, jail-keeper, commissioner, or superintendent, or any other person whatever, shall on any account punish a slave with more than 39 lashes at one time and for one offence, nor any other number of lashes on the same day, nor within 14 days at least thereafter, nor until recovery from any former punishment, under the penalty of 10cl. for every offence.

Separation of Families; and Sale of Slaves detached from Estates. Manumission.

By 120, Act No. 475, it is expressly declared, that when any slaves are exposed to public sal in this island," when there is a child or children under 12 years of age, they shall be set up wit the mother, if there be a mother to be sold."-It would not appear that there has ever existe in Antigua the slightest restraint on fair and bona fide manumission of slaves, nor has any dur or tax ever been laid on such manumissions. To prevent, however, persons from improperi setting at large diseased or infirm negroes, § 12, has been enacted for their protection.

Evidence. Trial, and Defence.

The evidence of slaves would appear from the early enactments always to have been received i Antigua for and against each other.-Slaves, when witnesses, have always been examined without oath, which course of proceeding is expressly recognised by the Act of the 15th March, 1821, establishing a Court of King's Bench, and Grand Sessions for the trial of criminal slaves, who, with this single exception, are, in all cases of trial for capital offences, in every other respect placed on precisely the same footing as the white and free inhabitants of the colony.-In all trials of slaves, for capital offences, the prosecution shall be conducted on the part of the crown by the Attorney and Solicitor General; and counsel shall be assigned by the Court to defend the slave so charged.

Right of Property and Right of Action.

Slaves have, by immemorial usage, been permitted in Antigua to hold and absolutely enjoy in their own right, property of a certain description. The usage alluded to is expressly recognised in the following enactment:-§ 14. Any white or free coloured person taking away from a slave any stock, vegetables, provisions, or any article or thing which such slave shall be authorised, by any present or future existing laws, usages, or customs of the island to sell or possess, shall suffer the penalty stated in § 14.

Legal Protection.

§ 11. Makes the public liable for the support of any slave becoming incapable, from age, sick ness, or infirmity, to subsist himself; provided his owner cannot be found.-§ 12. No pers shall set free any slave disabled from procuring his own maintenance, unless he deposit, in th hands of the island treasurer, three hundred pounds as a provision for such slave's inaintenanc 14. Persons, not owners, beating or ill-treating any slave, to suffer fine of 107., by distres levied on their goods, and, in default of goods, one month imprisonment; beside which, owne may bring his action against offender.- 20. Whenever any slave, not under 6 years of age, not! froin natural decay, shall die suddenly without having been visited at least 48 hours before de-. cease, by some medical practitioner duly qualified, an inquest shall be had upon the body, under penalty of 100l.-§ 21. Murder of a slave, death-precisely as in case of free person.

MONTSERRAT, THE VIRGIN ISLANDS,

as also NEVIS and ST. CHRISTOPHER'S,
Are under the operation of the same Law as this of ANTIGUA.

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DEMERARA.

(Enacted by Order in Council, 2nd February, 1830; excepting such Clauses as are marked Supplementary, which were added by the Lieutenant-Governor and the Local Legislature of the Colony.)

Religious Instruction, and Observance of the Sabbath. Baptism and Marriage.

§ 17-20. Prohibit the working or employing any slave otherwise than upon domestic or indispensable business, on Sunday: penalty 17. to 37. each offence. The indispensable business, to be defined by the governor by proclamation; and in every case, notice of such employment of slaves to be given to the protector.-§ 12-15. Sunday markets and the public sale of goods, excepting medicines and perishable food, absolutely prohibited: penalty 5 to 20 shillings each offence. 37. Declares that no slave is incapable in law of contracting marriage; and that in case of owner's refusal, and subsequent failure to prove to protector that such proposed marriage

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clergyman or teacher, to solemnize such marriage; of which a register is to be kept.

Food-Clothing-Lodging: General Treatment.

15

would be injurious to the slaves themselves, protector may issue his authority to any licensed qualified medical practitioner employed to attend the sick; medicine, proper food, and all neces Supp. 5. Requires, that on every estate there shall be a commodious hospital, and a legally

Owner shall

saries to be provided; and a register of all cases kept: penalty 401.-Supp. 3. Every have provision grounds on the estate, properly planted, i acre for 5 negroes; allowing"

moreover

a reasonable weekly allowance according to the custom of the colony: and also provide then

with proper clothing, according to the schedule annexed: penalty 51. for every acre 10l. for every slave not properly supplied. The scale of allowance to be as below.*

Labour and Holidays.

deficient, and

from her owner 12 guilders; and 15 for every succeeding child: penalty 201. for each refusal. Supp. 2. Every married female shall, when her first child attains the age of 6 weeks, receive And every mother of 6 living children born in marriage or reputed marriage, shall, when the youngest shall be 7 years old, be exempt from any field labour, or other than light work: penalty

out of

employed

201.-Supp. 4. Limits the hours of field labour from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening, which every slave shall have two hours for meals and rest: penalty 20. And slaves

in the manufacture of sugar, shall have at least eight hours of rest without interruption, six of

them between sun-set and sun-rise: penalty 201

Punishment.

$21. The carrying a whip, or any other instrument of punishment, in the field or elsewhere, either as a badge of authority, or as a stimulus to labour; or the use of it, unless for a fault previously committed, declared a misdemeanour.- 22-35. Prohibit the whipping or beating any female slave above ten years of age. The governor of Demerara has prescribed as substitutes: solitary confinement, in any place approved by a medical practitioner, and not exceeding three days; stocks; hand-cuffs; distinguishing marks or dresses. But no such punishment shall be inflicted on a Sunday and in all cases of confinement exceeding 13 hours' duration, sufficient food and good water shall be supplied to delinquent: penalty for any one violation 20l. to 50l. Restrict corporal punishment of male slaves to 25 lashes, either for any one offence, or within any one day: no such punishment to be inflicted until after sun-rise of the next day; nor any, so long as unhealed scars remain on the body: nor unless one free person, or six slaves, be present: offender declared guilty of a misdemeanour. A punishment record book to be kept of all punishments of female slaves, and of all corporal punishments of male slaves exceeding 3 stripes; stating nature, tine, and place of the offence; the punishment; by whom inflicted, and authorised, and the witnesses present: penalty 21. to 201.; false statement a misdemeanour. Manager to report every 6 months, on oath penalty 10l. to 50%.

Separation of Families; and Sale of Slaves detached from Estates. Manumission.

§ 46-51. Prohibit the separation by sale, under any legal process, intestacy of owner, conveyance, contract, or will, of father, mother, and child or children, under 16 years of age, unless with their own and protector's consent. § 52-55. Repeal and prohibit all tax upon manumission, excepting that bond shall be given for slave's maintenance if less than 6 or more than 50 years old, or in a state of disease.—§ 56-69. Enact compulsory manumission.

Schedule of Weekly Allowance of Food and of Clothing, to be given to Slaves in the United Colony of Demerary and Essequebo.

Adult Working Male or Female, to have of salt fish, herrings, shads, mackerel, or other salt provisions, 2 lbs. ; if fresh, double the quantity, with half a pint of salt: one and a half bunch of plantains, weighing not less than 45 lbs., or of other farinaceous food; 9 pints corn or beans, 8 pints pease, or wheat or rye flour, or Indian corn meal, or 9 pints oat meal, or 7 pints rice, or & pints Cassava flour, or 8 lbs. biscuit, or 20 lbs. yams or potatoes, or 16 lbs, eddoes or tanios, and not less.

Invalids, and Boys and Girls from 10 to 15 years of age, to have two-thirds, and Boys and Girls from 5 to 10 years of age, to have one-half of the above quantities of salt provisions, and of plantains, or other farinaceous food.

Children from 1 to 5 years of age, to have one-third of the above quantity of salt provisions, and onethird of the quantity of plantains, or other farinaceous food.

Of Yearly Allowance of Clothing :-Working Males: 1 hat, 1 cloth jacket, 1 check shirt, 1 pair Osnaburg trowsers, 2 Salempores caps, 1 razor or knife, 1 blanket every 2 years. Working Females: 1 hat, 1 gown or wrapper, 1 check shift, 1 Osnaburg petticoat, 1 pair of scissors, 1 blanket every 2 years. To Invalids and Children, in proportion.

Evidence. Trial, and Defence.

$70. Admits the evidence of slaves, in all cases, civil or criminal.-Supp. 1. That in any er minal prosecution against a slave, one or more advocates (according to the nature of the charge shall be retained on his behalf at the public expense.

Right of Property, and Right of Action.

§ 42. Slaves may acquire property to any amouut, and bring and defend actions for itSupp. 8. Establishes savings-banks, wherein slavesmay deposit money at legal interest.

Legal Protection.

1. Any person guilty of cruelty to a slave, shall, in addition to the lawful punishment c such offence, be liable to forfeit the slave so treated.-§ 72. No slave shall be punished for pre ferring and failing to establish any complaint, unless it shall be proved to originate in a culpable motive.-80. Requires protector, twice in each year, to make a full return to the Governor, of all matters and proceedings in which he has been engaged in that capacity, as the condition of receiving his salary.-Supp. 6. Requires that no slave who has died suddenly, or shortly after punishment, or under suspicious circumstances, or who has committed suicide, shall be buried without an inquest, of which a report is to be sent to protector: penalty 301.-Supp. 9. Require clergymen and licensed preachers and teachers, of every denomination, to transmit to protecte the names, &c. of every slave whom they shall deem conscious of the obligation of an oath§ 2-11. Appoint an official protector of slaves, requiring that he be constantly resident, a that he shall himself have no manner of property or interest in slaves. Assistant protecton appointed for each district. Protector to have notice of all prosecutions against slaves, or d suits affecting their freedom and property, and to attend on their behalf; as also to receive notice of any injury done to their persons, on receiving which he is to inquire into the case, and su or prosecute the wrong doer.-Supp. 7. Provides that persons employing the slaves of other without their owner's consent, shall suffer a fine of 401.

BERBICE.

TRINIDAD.

ST. LUCIE.

The various enactments the same as those of the Order in Council for Demerara, which see:

excepting such clauses as are there marked Supplementury. For these Colonies similar supple mentary regulations are left to be enacted by their respective Local Autho ities.

Extract from the Speech of Mr. CANNING, in the House of Commons, 16th March, 1824. "If the condition of the Slave is to be improved, that improvement must be introduced through the medium of his Master. The Masters are instruments through whom, and by whom, you must act upon the Slave Population; and if by any proceedings of ours we shall unhappily place between the Slave and his Master a barrier of insurmountable hostility, we shall at once put an end to the best chance of emancipation, or even of amendment. Instead of diffusing gradually over those dark regions a pure and salutary light, we may at once kindle a flame on'y to be quenched in blood."

Printed by Maurice and Co., Fenchurch Street.

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