The horrors of the Negro slavery existing in our West Indian islands: $b irrefragably demonstrated from official documents recently presented to the House of Commons — John Shaqi
The horrors of the Negro slavery existing in our West Indian islands: $b irrefragably demonstrated from official documents recently presented to the House of CommonsAnonymous
History
The horrors of the Negro slavery existing in our West Indian islands: $b irrefragably demonstrated from official documents recently presented to the House of Commons
Anonymous
Enslaved persons -- West Indies -- Social conditions; Slave trade -- West Indies, British; Slavery -- Law and legislation -- Great Britain
only with outraging every feeling of humanity, but with violating
every acknowledged principle of justice.
But the West Indians and their friends will probably have recourse to
another argument. “Granting,” they may say, “in its fullest extent,
the truth of all that you have stated with respect to Barbadoes,
it is yet very unfair to extend the charge of inhumanity, which is
justly brought against that island, to the West Indies in general.
The Legislatures of all the other islands have passed laws which
make the murder of a Slave felony; they have also provided such
salutary regulations ‘for the support,’ and ‘for the encouragement,
protection, and better government of Slaves,’ as serve to place them
in a situation of even enviable security and comfort.”
It will be readily admitted, that the Legislatures of most, if not
all the islands, with the exception of Barbadoes, have passed laws
which make the murder of a Slave a felonious act. It must also be
admitted, that many regulations have been framed and placed on the
insular statute-books, which, if faithfully enforced according
to their _apparent_ intent, could not fail to produce beneficial
results. But have the clauses which contain these regulations been
carried into effect? Are they any thing more than a blind, intended
to conceal from the eyes of the British public the enormity of our
West Indian system? Was it ever even in the contemplation of the
lawgivers themselves that these laws should be executed? The papers
to which so large a reference has already been made happily contain a
distinct answer to these questions: that answer it will now be proper
to state.
On the 4th of October 1804, it appears that Earl Camden addressed
letters to the Governors of the different West Indian islands,
requiring from them information on a variety of points. A copy of
the heads of information transmitted to one of the islands, Dominica,
will furnish the reader with a sufficiently clear idea of the nature
of these requirements. It is as follows:
“An account of all the Negro Slaves imported every year since 1788,
and of the number re-exported in each year.
“The most authentic and particular account which can be obtained, of
the number of Negro Slaves, dividing them into classes of male and
female; children from 1 to 12; youths from 12 to 20, full-grown men
and women from 20 to 60; and the aged; and stating, as accurately as
possible, the number in each class respectively: also,
“An account of the total number of free Negroes and coloured people.
“_N.B._ It is desirable that the manner in which the information is
obtained, and the account made up, should be stated as distinctly as
possible.
“You are also desired to transmit at the same time, in original and
duplicate, the following further information, viz.
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