114] ANNUAL REGISTER, 181S, 



concluded with saying, that he 

 hoped the House would do him 

 the credit to believe that he would 

 not stand forward to defend any 

 criminal, or to palliate any cruelty. 

 The best means of exposing the 

 one, and of preventing the other, 

 was to lay full information before 

 parliament, to keep a watchful 

 eye on the transactions of our 

 colonies, and to express an utter 

 abhorrence of all cruel and unjust 

 treatment, like that detailed by 

 the hon. and learned gentleman, 

 ifthe accounts ofit were supported 

 on proper evidence. He had no 

 objection to produce the papers 

 moved for, so far as he could ; 

 but he begged the House would 

 excuse the imperfect state in 

 which it might be in his power to 

 grant the requisite information. 



Several gentlemen rose to com- 

 municate their sentiments on 

 this subject, respecting which 

 they differed considerably from 

 each other. Sir S. Romilly con- 

 cluded with a short reply ; and in 

 fine, liis motion was agreed to. 



On Msy 20th Sir S. Romilly 

 rose in the House for the purpose 

 of making a motion for the ap- 

 pointment of a select committee 

 on the papers relative to the 

 treatment of slaves in the island 

 of Nevis. In the observations 

 which he intended to makfe, he 

 should confine himself to what 

 passed in the above island ; and in 

 the circumstances which he should 

 mention, he did not mean to 

 animadvert with severity on the 

 persons he should name. He 

 had before stated several matters 

 which took place in Nevis, and 

 which called for legislative inter- 

 ference ; and amongst others, he 

 had mentioned the conduct of a 



Mr. Huggins, who had been left 

 manager of a Mr. Cottle's estate 

 in that island. The hon. gentle- 

 man then gave a relation of all 

 that had happened concerning 

 the punishment of two young 

 slaves for purchasing stockings 

 suspected of being stolen, and of 

 two women who shed tears at 

 their punishment ; and also of 

 Huggins's acquittal after being 

 tried for the offence. On this 

 subject papers had been trans- 

 mitted to the secretary of state 

 from tlie counsel for the crown on 

 the trial. Other accounts had 

 also been transmitted from the 

 legislative council. In these 

 papers it appeared rather extra- 

 ordinary, that the speech of Mr. 

 Huggins at the legislative assem- 

 bly in his own defence, and also a 

 resolution of the assembly that 

 Huggins's defence should be 

 entered on their journals, were 

 made public. But it will be ne- 

 cessary to inform the House how 

 this assembly was constituted ; or 

 at least who the parties were by 

 whom these accounts had been 

 sent. One of them was the 

 identical Mr. Huggins, who had 

 been tried : another was the 

 brother ; another the son ; and 

 the last the father of this same 

 Mr. Huggins. Another gentle- 

 man who formed one of the legis- 

 lative assembly was the retained 

 counsel of Mr. Huggins. He 

 could not help observing that he 

 never witnessed greater partiality 

 than was shown by this assembly. 

 They were not content with send- 

 ing their own account, but also 

 sent a letter of the governor of 

 the island, who said that he was ' 



ferfectly satisfied with the verdict, 

 t appeared from the whole of the 

 transaction 





