THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 441 



British Empire to be free from this registration system. The larger interests 

 of the Empire demanded tliat the rules and regulations for the destruction of 

 the slave-trade should be enforced in all portions of the domain, even at the 

 expense of hardship, suffering and deprivation to a small part of that great 

 Empire, even though the particular evils, against which efforts were directed, 

 did not prevail there. In this view it was altogether desirable to include this 

 Colony. 



Demands of the English Public. 



The demands of the English public did not stop here. This was really 

 only the beginning of the great program that lay before their government. 

 They regarded themselves as responsible for the condition of the slaves with 

 which their ancestors had supplied the colonists. The British nation was 

 responsible for the presence of slaves within British territory, and they 

 should now assume the responsibility for the amelioration of the condition of 

 those same slaves. But the object was not to ameliorate the condition of the 

 slaves, and still leave them slaves. It was intended that by progressive meas- 

 ures they should be raised in the moral and social scale, and that they should 

 be educated, as far as that could be done, until they were fitted for full enjoy- 

 ment of the rights of British citizenship. The matter had been before Parlia- 

 ment for a number of years ; it had been investigated by committees of Parlia- 

 ment ; it had been discussed inside and outside of that body, and the conviction 

 of the necessity of taking action grew firmer as time went on. The experience 

 of the first years, in which attempts were made to legislate for this purpose, 

 had convinced the authorities at home that the best way to accomplish the 

 desired end was to secure voluntary action from the colonial legislatures in the 

 enactment of the program of amelioration. As colonial authorities had to be 

 employed in the enforcement of the regulations of the slave system, it would 

 be best to have those laws imposed by colonial agencies. 



The general outlines of what it was proposed to accomplish w«re set forth 

 in a set of resolutions passed by the House of Commons. It regarded the fol- 

 lowing as the principal points in which the greatest improvements could be 

 made: (1) The prevention of the flogging of female slaves; (2) effective and 

 decisive measures to be taken for the amelioration of the condition of slaves; 

 (3) by judicious and temperate perseverance in the enforcement of these meas- 

 ures, the House of Commons hoped to secure a progressive improvement in the 

 slaves, such as would fit them for participation in the rights and privileges of 

 British citizenship; (4) the accomplishment of this purpose at the earliest 



