

HISTORICAL SKETCH. 447 



time the royal sanction. Judge Smith was obliged to admit the 

 validity of the argument, and Lebis was discharged. Of course 

 laws had been framed : they actually existed ; but having never 

 been confirmed, they could not be enforced. The very appoint- 

 ment of Judge Smith was discussed, and the legality of his 

 commission called into question. Beset with difficulties, he was 

 almost constantly at war, now with the Governor, now with the 

 Council or Cabildo. He left Trinidad worried, and was replaced 

 by Judge Bigge. The colonists on that occasion became con- 

 vinced that new legislation was required, and decided on 

 petitioning Government for English laws. Subscription lists 

 were circulated, and a committee appointed, consisting of the 

 most respectable white inhabitants of the island. It was agreed 

 to send to England Mr. G. Knox, barrister, as a delegate, to 

 plead the cause of the colonists. But as it appears the coloured 

 class was virtually excluded from participation in the advantages 

 of the measure, they therefore met and prepared a counter 

 petition, not because they wished to retain the Spanish laws, 

 but because they were averse to special legislation. The minis- 

 ters, who wished to keep Trinidad as an experimental colony, 

 took advantage of this circumstance to refuse the prayer, under 

 the plea that it was not the wish of the majority to have 

 English laws. 



The West India body in London was averse to granting 

 English laws and a British constitution to Trinidad. They 

 looked with some jealousy at the newly-conquered colony, with 

 its foreign elements. 



Mr. Marryat, however, presented in Parliament two motions, 

 one for extending to the island English legislation, and one for 

 granting a constitution. They were both lost on a division. 



On the 24th of March, 1808, Port-of-Spain was almost com- 

 pletely destroyed by an accidental conflagration, as it appears. 

 The buildings were of wood, and three-fourths of the town were 

 burnt down ; thousands were ruined, and hundreds turned to 

 beggary. It must be acknowledged that faint efforts were made 

 to arrest the conflagration, probably from the conviction that 

 without water all efforts were unavailable. The loss was about 

 £500,000. Assistance came from many quarters : Parliament 

 voted £50,000 ; Governor Hislop gave £1,000 ; Picton gener- 

 ously contributed £4,000— a sum which the colonists had given 



