468 HISTORY 



Governor Smyth and the Slaveholders. 



This was the end of the struggle between Governor Smyth and the House 

 of Assembly. With the consent of the Secretary of State, the Governor deter- 

 mined to undertake the government of the Colony for a term without the 

 assistance of the legislative body, hoping thus to introduce a better state of feel- 

 ing among the people. Before the time when the next House was called Sir 

 James Smyth had been removed from the Bahamas. 



The excitement which had prevailed among the inhabitants of the Colony 

 had only been increased by this second dissolution of the Assembly.'" The per- 

 sistence of the House in its opposition to the wishes of the home government, 

 and its heedlessness to the warnings of the latter, had, in the view of the 

 Governor, caused it a considerable loss of prestige. On the other hand, the 

 consistent attitude of the Executive towards the question of race distinctions, 

 and his maintenance of the rights of the prerogative, had very materially in- 

 creased his personal influence in the Colony and had won back to the Crown 

 representative the exercise of important executive functions."^ The control of 

 the markets and the public buildings had now come into the hands of the 

 Executive, and he had gained a temporary control of the civil list."° As a result 

 of the contest the Colony was left without the regular annual provision for the 

 revenues. But the Governor was not thus entirely deprived of the means of 

 supplying the needs of the public service. There were still some funds at his 

 disposal.''^ While these would not supply all the demands on the public purse, 

 they did relieve the Governor of the fear of not being able to carry on the 

 government. Public and private interests would have to suiler great incon- 

 venience in this state of things,"' unless succor came to some of them from the 



^"Smyth's Ds., No. 143. 



^''*Loc. cit, Nos. 143 and 163. 



^'^Loc. cit, No. 143. 



''"H. v., 1832, 214. The funds that would be forthcoming, in the absence of 

 the annual revenue act, were salt and tonnage duties, and duties imposed by acts of 

 Parliament and collected by the King's revenue officers at the ports of the Colony. 

 An old act of the Assembly of the 8th of Geo. II, came into operation in such 

 default of revenue as this. It provided for revenues of which the Crown could 

 dictate the disposal. It had been forgotten in the years 1793-4, when the Earl of 

 Dunmore had difficulties with the House; the Receiver-General had unearthed this 

 statute and duties were collected under its authority. It had never been repealed, 

 perhaps owing to the negligence of the House in not removing this possibility of 

 obtaining revenue from the Governor. Ds., S. St., 1832, No. 65. In addition to this 

 there were the funds arising from the quit rents which came to the Crown. 



"'Smyth's Ds., No. 143. 



