the bahama islands 539 



Ecclesiastical Afeairs. 



There was an established church in the Bahamas. This chnrch was an 

 adaptation of the Anglican Church to the Colony, Init with a very poor equip- 

 ment for serving the religious needs of the people. The Colony of tlie 

 Bahamas was in the bishopric of Jamaica.^"' The remoteness of the bishop, 

 from this part of his see, almost cut off the Colony from the advantage that 

 might have resulted to the local church from his ministrations. If he had 

 resided in London the church would have derived as much benefit from his 

 direction. The Colony was meagerly supplied with clergymen and churches. 

 Of thirteen parishes only two had clergymen in 1835 when the parish of St. 

 Thomas at Turks Islands was granted a minister."'''' The population of the 

 Bahamas approximated •25,000 and was much scattered. There were 

 a few thickly settled communities. Harbor Island, one of the most 

 important of these, had only a Wesleyan chapel. The Assembly voted in 

 1835 to supply this place with a church and clergyman.^'' At New Provi- 

 dence in the parishes of Christ Church and St. Matthews were two poorly 

 paid clergymen whose duties inside and outside of their parishes bore heavily 

 on them.""' In addition to their parochial duties they were the com- 

 missaries of the bishop, in the Bahamas.'^* Some other chapels depended on 

 the incumbents of these two places. The rector of Christ Church was also 



he has held. In my opinion in talents and in all other respects he is qualified to 

 conduct the duties of any appointment to which you may be pleased to nominate 

 him." (Cockburn to Stanley, No. 7 (1843) ). Nesbitt remained in the Bahamas 

 until his death in 1867. He administered the government several times. Seniority 

 in the Executive Council and the succession to the temporary administration were 

 determined in a peculiar way after this time. Lord Stanley of the Colonial Depart- 

 ment ruled that the acting public secretary should become (ex-officio) senior mem- 

 ber of the Executive Council and entitled thereby to administer the government on 

 the death or absence of the governor, or of the temporary administrator (Ds., S. St.. 

 No. 38, also Nesbitt to Stanley, No. 6). The temporary public secretary, according 

 to the ruling of Lord Russell in the previous year, was to be appointed by the admin- 

 istrator of the government for the time being, who in this case was the public 

 secretary. Before the public secretary vacated his office to assume the government, 

 his own office would not be vacant, therefore the governor could not appoint a 

 successor to him. (Ds., S. St., 1841, No. 110.) 



During the summer of 1903, on the absence of the Governor, the public secre- 

 tary acted as administrator of the government. 



"^Ds., S. S., 1824, circ. of Dec. 8. 



'^^^ Colebrooke to Aberdeen, No. 54. 



^='H. v., 1834-5. p. 106 and 118. 



^^'' Loc. cit. 



'^^'^ Cockburn to Stanley, No. 22 (1842). 



