THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 431 



other, which in the Bahamas continued for nearly fifteen years. At first the 

 principal emphasis was laid on the need of registration, and within a few 

 years a satisfactory registration system was secured in this Colony. The 

 greater controversy, however, was over the remainder of the program of amel- 

 ioration, a matter of much greater importance to the Bahamas, and it was 

 not finally settled until the abolition of slavery by the imperial Parliament 

 in the year 1833." 



Now that the duty of laying the question of a reformation of the colonial 

 institution of slavery before the colonial legislatures devolved upon the Cab- 

 inet it was taken up at once, and recommendations were pressed upon the 

 attention of these bodies. In the Bahamas the Colonial Department found an 

 instrument to do its bidding in the Governor, Charles Cameron. Drawing 

 from the instructions sent to him, he urged upon the legislature, with skil- 

 fully presented arguments, the consideration of, and action upon, measures 

 for the exclusion of the commerce in slaves, and for general amelioration. 13 In 

 the first place it was necessary to clear away the unfounded misapprehensions 

 of the colonists as to the intentions of the leaders in the movement in the 

 mother country, and especially as to the African Institution, in which the 

 colonists could see every form of evil intention towards the colonies. The 

 welcome intelligence that the manumission of the slaves was not intended by 

 the authorities, was distinctly set before the legislature. 14 It was admitted 

 that the character of the West Indian slaveholders and planters had been 

 grossly misrepresented, but it was urged that the colonies now had a most favor- 

 able opportunity to redeem their bad reputation; that the intention of tho 

 King and the Ministry was to enforce the acts and treaties for abolishing the 

 slave-trade, and that a refusal on their part would only serve to confirm the 

 suspicions of their bad character." It was also represented that the deter- 

 mination of the home government to permit local legislation in each colony 

 for itself was a great concession and the legislatures ought to act the more 

 cheerfully, since the legislation was to be by voluntary action of the colonies. 18 

 But the strongest reason for pressing these measures on this particular Colony 



14 In general the references on this last point are the despatches of the Gov- 

 ernors and the Secretaries of State, the House Votes, Council Votes, and the local 

 newspapers for the period 1815-1833. 



15 H. V., 1816, pp. 27, 28. 

 1(1 H. V., 1816, pp. 12-16. 

 17 Loc. cit., pp. 12-16. 

 "Loc. cit., pp. 12-16. 



