530 HISTORY 



The act granting the salary list was to expire at the beginning of the following 

 year, the regulation of the relations of masters and servants required a new 

 adjustment, and, most important of all, the Colony was face to face with the 

 duty of educating the ignorant among its population. Another attempt at 

 legislation must be made for the sake of these and other interests. Writs for 

 a new election were issued without delay. It seemed likely that a majority 

 favorable to the government would be returned. It was certain, however, that 

 the opposition would make an attempt to seat as many members as possible. 

 There had been a difficulty in former elections that men of respecta- 

 bility, who were favorable to the government, refused to offer themselves for 

 seats in the House. This was not true at this election, 489 but there was a 

 regrettable lack of zeal for candidates whom the Lieutenant-Governor desired 

 to see elected. 490 Much influence was exerted in this election by the control of 

 the salary list. The issue of the contest was not certain. Public officers draw- 

 ing salaries from the local government were deterred from taking active part 

 in behalf of government candidates by the fact that the Assembly had power 

 to diminish their incomes. In the previous year the House had reduced the 

 salary of the Provost Marshal 100 without previous warning, and, had the 

 Council or the Lieutenant-Governor interfered, the whole appropriation for the 

 year would have been rejected. The Surveyor-General had not received a 

 salary for several years. 491 Other officials were extremely reluctant to give sup- 

 port to persons known to be in favor of government measures. Violent but 

 groundless accusations were made against the representative of the Crown. 

 It was alleged that the sacred ordinances of religion had been prostituted to 

 subserve the political interests of the government. Objection was raised to the 

 voting of Africans whose indentures had been lately cancelled. It was ques- 

 tioned whether they should be placed on an equal footing with the discharged 

 apprentices. 4 " 2 Attempts were made to turn the liberated Africans against the 

 government, and to induce them not to support candidates who would be likely 

 to vote for government measures in the coming sessions of the legislature. -A 

 hard contest was fought at Xassau. One, John Pinder, who had advocated the 

 claims of the Africans for naturalization, was strongly opposed by this party. 

 Pinder was held up as an enemy of the negroes. The latter, however, voted 



489 Cockburn to Glenelg, No. 9 (1839). 

 4<M Loc. cit., No. 20. 



491 Cockburn to Glenelg, No. 20. 



492 Loc. cit. This despatch intimates that they had been allowed to vote. 



