180 Colonial Question. QAuGUST, 



the colonists, instead of receiving that sympathy and support to which, 

 in common with every other class of his Majesty's subjects, they are en- 

 titled, are, in effect, told, as in a late debate, that they had not attended 

 to the admonitions given to them ; that they must, therefore, now be 

 " harassed by fiscal restrictions and regulations," — and, ultimately, (if 

 they persist in defending the remainder of their diminished property) 

 " crushed by open force !"* 



Is it wonderful, therefore, that, seeing how ineffectual are the efforts 

 of their friends in this country to defend them, the colonists shoukl now 

 colleciivelij begin to consider what is to be done to protect themselves 

 against injustice, and to avert the total ruin with which they are threat- 

 ened ? The various colonies of Barbados, Antigua, Demarara, Esse- 

 quibo, Dominica, Grenada, Nevis, St. Christopher's, St. Vincent, and the 

 Virgin Islands, have accordingly sent deputies — appointed at public 

 meetings held in these places respectively — to Barbados, Avhere they 

 regularly assembled ; and their first proceeding was to pass a series of 

 resolutions declaratoiy of the grievances under which they labour ; they 

 have entered their solemn protest, '' against any further spoHation of, or 

 interference with, their property, which they hold by a right as sacred 

 as the public creditor holds his claim on the national funds — the highest 

 or lowest subject in the united kingdom his lands, his mansion, or his 

 cottage — or any corporate body their chartered rights ;" — they affirm, in 

 regard to the slave trade, that their principal share in the transaction has 

 been that of civilizing, and bringing to order and comparative comfort 

 persons brought into the colonies in a state of barbarism ; and after as- 

 serting their importance to the mother country, in a commercial point of 

 view, they affirm that any attempt to injure or destroy their property is 

 a gross violation of every principle of law and justice, unless full and 

 complete compensation for all losses which may arise, and all injuries 

 which may be sustained by any changes in such property, shall have 

 been pt-eviouslij provided at the expense of the nation in general ; and 

 upon these resolutions they formed petitions to his IMajesty, and both 

 Houses of Parliament, embracing the general objects of their meeting ; — 

 together with memorials to the Lords of the Treasury, and the Board of 

 Trade, explaining, no doubt, the difficulties of their situation, the neces- 

 sity for relief, and the consequences of further attempts to legislate 

 for them without a full and complete inquiry and investigation into 

 the state of society in the sugar colonies. — One of the deputies as- 

 serts that, " let government send whoever they will as a commission 

 of inquiry, the planter may safely leave the slaves themselves to ex- 

 plain their own situation, which in ninety-nine cases in every hundred 

 will be found one of ( omparative luxury, and nineteen out of twenty 

 that every facility is given to teachers of the gospel of every deno- 

 mination;'' and after hinting at the false statements which the mis- 

 sionaries are alleged to be in the habit of sending home, it is said that 

 the proceedings of the sectaries should be one of the subjects of the 

 assembly's deliberation, and he recommends to the missionaries to take to 

 task "their cruel, hard-hearted masters, and open the eyes of the good of 

 their own persuasions, by assuring them an idea is entertained of driving 

 them forth, if such impudent, angry, and hasty measures are persisted in 

 at home ! !" What the good ladies ofClapham will say to this ; or, what 



* Vide, the Attorney General's speech on Mr. Buxton's motion, 15th April last. 



