the bahama islands 457 



Operation of the Eegistration System. 



During the years that the House of Assembly was resisting the efforts of 

 the home government to secure a definition of the legal status of the slaves, 

 the registration system was not lost sight of. It had been put into operation 

 and several enumerations had been made.^^' The colonists never gave up the 

 hope that the King and the Ministry would see the utter uselessness of the regis- 

 tration system for this Colony, and would allow it to be repealed. It was doubt- 

 less to this end that a report was made by a House committee on an inquiry 

 into its workings in 1827.'"^ This report was doubtless colored to make it appear 

 that there was no need of the system, as it was made by those who would have 

 liked to have found in it such objectionable features as would demand its 

 repeal. It was a vexation to the people of this Colony where the constituent 

 islands were so widely scattered. It entailed an expense that made it more 

 vexatious, since it was, from the point of view of inhabitants of the Bahamas, 

 an unnecessary system. The slave mariners, who were peculiarly useful owing 

 to the physical condition of the Colony, could not be employed regularly, nor 

 to the advantage of their owners. The employment of them outside of 

 the Colony was forbidden, and use within the Colony was subjected to such 

 restrictions as almost to deprive the owners of the value of their skill. Diffi- 

 culties arose in registering the slaves of the ignorant Out-island people. But 

 for the consideration shown them by the Registrar of slaves, in spite of the 

 inaccuracies of their returns, the operations of the law would have been attended 

 with much greater difficulties."* 



THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. 



Thus far there had been no serious difficulty in the enforcement of the new 

 slave code. The greater part of the time had been taken up with the enactment 

 of slave laws in such form as would be acceptable to the home government. 

 Governor Grant had had some difficulty with the House of Assembly, but had 

 left the Colony with amicable relations still existing between himself and the 

 people. In 1829 Sir James Smyth was sent out as Governor. 



^^ Sess. P., 1831, 19, p. 171. The total slave population of the Bahamas in 1831 

 was 9268. There were 2991 free blacks, and 4240 white. See also loc cit., 1833, 

 26, 473, extracts from several censuses. In 1822 there were 10,808 slaves, in 1825 

 9284, and in 1828 9268. 



^=^H. v., 1827, pp. 24-26. 



^^ Loc. cit. 



