THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 459 



it up. The Governor made known his attitude against this practice in a 

 proclamation. 127 



A case demanding the Governor's attention soon arose. One of the justices 

 of the General Court, acting as agent for an estate, sent a female slave to the 

 police court at Nassau, where she was ordered to be flogged. The Governor 

 acted quickly when the case came to his attention. The Assistant Justice, who 

 was a member of his Council, was suspended from that position, and the police 

 magistrate, Robert Duncome, was suspended from office, both to await the 

 determination of the home government on the conduct of the Governor. 128 The 

 Executive, confident of the good results that would follow, was dismayed to 

 find out that the conduct of the two prominent persons did not cause an ex- 

 pression of disapproval on the part of the people. It now began to dawn upon 

 him that it was improbable that he could procure the passage of the desired 

 law against flogging women. 129 



When the Assembly met again, in the fall of 1831, Governor Smyth made 

 an appeal to the House to pass a law to do away with the inhuman practice of 

 flogging. He had just restored to their owners a crew of slave mariners whom 

 the revenue officers had attempted to condemn for a violation of the law 

 governing removals." His conduct in this affair had greatly pleased the 

 House, for it had sent an address to him not to allow the slaves to be prose- 

 cuted. The Governor took advantage of the favor gained by his conduct, to 

 press upon the Assembly the question of flogging of females. But he was 

 doomed to disappointment again. The feeling on the question had not im- 

 proved in the least in favor of the view of the Governor. While it was ac- 

 knowledged that whipping was not often necessary, and that it was being 



127 Smyth's Ds., No. 42, and H. V., 1831, p. 95. 



128 Smyth's Ds., No. 42 



m l/oc. cit. The Governor was relieved from embarrassment in his Council by 

 the resignation of Assistant Justice Lees. In this affair and in the difficulty with 

 the slaves of Lord Rolle, Lees was estranged from the Governor, and the latter was 

 thus unfortunately deprived of the services of a man who made himself invaluable 

 to the successors of Sir James Smyth. 



130 H. V., 1831, p. 73. The revenue officers had seized the crew of a sloop on its 

 arrival at Nassau for an alleged violation of the law governing removals, committed 

 at Crooked Island. The Governor, anxious that justice should be done, laid the case 

 before the Crown law officer for his opinion. The Solicitor upheld the seizure, and 

 held that the slaves should be prosecuted to condemnation and forfeiture. The 

 House sent in an address to the Governor, praying that he would not suffer the 

 property of one of the inhabitants to be treated in this way. The Governor over- 

 ruled the opinion of the Solicitor on the merits of the case, and restored the slaves 

 to their owner. 



