HISTORICAL SKETCH. 453 



was Lieutenant-Governor. When he left, in 1828, on sick 

 leave, Major Capadose was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor, 

 but acted only for a very short time, and was superseded by 

 Sir Charles Smith, who, in turn, was supplanted by Colonel 

 Farquharson. 



The successor of Sir Ralph Woodford, Major-General Sir 

 Lewis Grant, was a man of little energy, and never cared much 

 for the colony. There is nothing interesting to record during his 

 government. The constitution of the council was modified in 

 1831, and it was made to consist of six official and six unofficial 

 members, all nominees of the Crown. 



In 1832 several laws were enacted regulating the treatment 

 of the slaves; organic changes were also introduced in the 

 organisation of our courts of law, the Honorable George Scotland 

 being then Chief-Justice. Governor Grant left the island in 

 April, 1833 ; he had been twice in England on leave, and was 

 replaced a& interim by Colonel Doherty and by Sir Charles 

 Smith, who had been appointed, acting after the death of Sir 

 Ralph Woodford. 



Governor Grant was succeeded, in 1833, by Sir George Fitz- 

 gerald Hill, Baronet, colonel of the Londonderry Regiment of 

 Militia. Like his predecessor, Sir George Hill governed peace- 

 ably, and never paid much attention to the exigencies of govern- 

 ment ; he evidently had a preference for the laissez alter system. 



Two remarkable events, however, marked the period of his 

 administration. On the 1st of August, 1834, the abolition of 

 slavery and its transformation into apprenticeship were pro- 

 claimed. The ignorant negroes could not understand the subtle 

 distinction between apprenticeship and slavery, nor the motives for 

 establishing prsedial and non-praedial apprenticeship ; they could 

 not understand why domestics, who worked under cover, and 

 whose occupations were more comfortable, were apprenticed for 

 only four years, whilst they, who worked outside, exposed to the 

 inclemencies of the seasons, were condemned to two years more 

 of apprenticeship. They, of course, manifested their discontent 

 by refusing to work ; a certain number repaired to the capital to 

 ask for redress, and there behaved riotously. A few leaders were 

 arrested, and punished by flogging. This act of severity had its 

 salutary effect, and order was soon restored. The resistance of 

 the apprentices was, as a rule, rather passive than otherwise. 



