520 HISTORY 



Eelatioxs of the Branches of the Government. 



The transition from slavery to apprenticeship in the Bahamas was ac- 

 complished without any considerable disturbance. In some places the negroes 

 had refused to work until the coming of the magistrates, when the new rela- 

 tions were explained to them. The coming of these officers proved a cure for 

 all ills of this kind. Quiet was restored. It was now known that slave pro- 

 perty was annulled, that compensation would be received for it, and that any 

 efforts this little Colony could make could not alter in the least the working 

 out and attainment of the object at which the home government was aiming. 

 Four years were left to the people in which to employ their laborers without 

 other remuneration to the latter than that of subsistence. It was to the 

 advantage of those who had owned slaves to make the most out of the services 

 of apprentices, while the opportunity lasted. 



The spirit of the slave owners was conquered. They had resisted, standing 

 on their inviolable "constitutional rights" of Englishmen, until Parliament 

 gave the death-blow to their " right " to hold slaves in British territory. Xow 

 that continued attempts to resist could effect no longer a postponement of the 

 evil day, they determined to comply with the wishes of the home government 

 in the regulation of the apprenticeship system. Their most liberal concession 

 was that by which they provided that the King might disallow any part of their 

 statute regulating apprentices, without impairing the other parts of the same 

 act.'" The objectionable parts could thus be annulled without destroying the 

 act itself. The Assembly also complied with the recommendations of the 

 Secretary of State for amending the auxiliary act, and passed other laws such 

 that early in the summer of 1835, the Secretary of State was able to admit that 

 " satisfactory provision had been made by the Bahama government for carry- 

 ing out the intentions of His Majesty's government " in the abolition."' 



Although this compliant spirit prevailed for a time, there were still 

 smoulderings of resentful opposition to the progress of the measures of the 

 government. ' These feelings were shared by the members of the opposition 

 party in the House of Assembly and were supported by a faction at Xassau, 

 A newspaper published by a young American furnished an outlet for the 

 expression of the views of this faction. This party seemed to be unwilling to 

 believe that any measures of the home government, for the improvement of 

 social conditions in this Colony, could operate successfully. The mcml^ers 



"' 4 William IV, 21. last section. 

 "'Ds., S. St., 1835, No. 26. 



