THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 521 



of it at first distrusted the special magistracy. There was for a time a total 

 ignorance at the capital as to the state of things in the Out-islands. Before the 

 return of the special justices from their first circuits, this disaffected faction 

 attempted to take advantage of this ignorance to bring the government into 

 disfavor with the people. For a time none could contradict the charges they 

 made. Such conduct was unfavorable to the progress of the reforms, and of 

 government measures in the Assembly. 4 " Even after the report of favorable 

 conditions came, this faction continued to represent things as unfavorable, in 

 order to place the government in a bad light. 445 The members of this party 

 were jealous of the class just rising from the condition of slaves, in which 

 they had wished to keep them. Lieutenant-Govemor Colebrooke saw among 

 them what he called the spirit of Americanism, a lack of reverence for royalty 

 and of attachment to the mother country, which he attributed to the frequency 

 of communication with the States. 446 



The House of Assembly sitting at this time was that which had been elected 

 in 1834, before the abolition took effect. A considerable portion of the 

 constituency existing in 1835 had had no voice in the election of this body, 

 a fact which caused no little dissatisfaction both on the floor of the House and 

 outside of it. In its membership were four gentlemen of color who had sat 

 through its deliberations without menace to public interests. A few members, 

 chief among whom was Charles Rogers Xesbitt, favored government measures 

 and generally succeeded in carrying them through the House. Speaker 

 Meadows and a number of others were of the opposition, some of them almost 

 violent against the government. Still other seats were occupied, or at least 

 controlled, by the merchants of Bay Street at Nassau. These inclined to the 

 opposition. 447 Besides these there was a violent member sitting for the Turks 

 Islands, who was a disturber and an opponent of the amelioration measures. 448 



444 Cotebrooke to Glenelg, No. 94 (1835), and No. 10 (1836). 



445 Loc. cit., No. 10. 



446 Loc. cit., No. 10. 



447 Colebrooke to Glenelg, No. 10. The elections in some of the Out-islands 

 were nominal. In some of these only a few electors would assemble to vote and 

 the poll was easily controlled. In closer settlements the poor inhabitants were 

 dependent on the merchants for their necessaries and were generally indebted to 

 the latter, who could control their votes. 



449 Colebrooke to Glenelg, No. 10 (1836). This man, Henshall Stubbs by name, 

 was the only considerable employer of labor at the Turks Islands who refused to 

 make voluntary engagements with his apprentices. He was reported to have been 

 constantly in disputes with the magistrates. 



