THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 541 



in the Colony. 54 * The visits of the bishop were so infrequent that attempts 

 were made to secure an administrative officer of the church to reside in the 

 Bahamas. This part of the work fell on already overworked clergy- 

 men. 844 The application resulted in the raising of the Bahamas to the rank 

 of an archdeaconate. An incumbent of the place was seated in 1843. 



THE DISSENTERS. 



The dissenters were more active than the established church in meeting 

 the religious needs of the people. They had long been working in the Colony, 

 but their influence among the lower classes was regarded as a dangerous 

 leaven, and restrictions were placed upon them to check their progress. Some 

 of these restrictions were removed during the agitation over the slavery ques- 

 tion, but some of them remained until long after that time. Dissenting min- 

 isters were not allowed to perform funeral ceremonies in certain of the 

 public bury ing-grounds. Even more harrowing restrictions as to marriages 

 were retained until 1836. 548 By these regulations a dissenting minister could 

 not legally perform a marriage ceremony in a community where there was an 

 Anglican clergyman. In 1836 a number of marriages that had been cele- 

 brated by dissenters at the Turks Islands were legalized by a special act of 

 the legislature. 548 



The Scotch Church was recognized by the government and was aided by 

 the public funds, but it made no attempts to carry on extensive work among the 

 negroes. The Wesleyans and Baptists were most active. These two bodies 

 sent capable leaders to the Bahamas. The Wesleyans seemed to pursue the 

 policy of locating where the established church was already planted. 547 The 

 Baptists struck out into new fields in addition to those which others had occu- 

 pied. These sectarians were evangelists, not catechists. The old restrictions 

 on the preaching of ignorant persons had been removed, and negroes now 

 entered the lists of ministers. 548 Francis Cockburn, himself a churchman 

 almost to the point of bigotry, saw in this the most dire consequences threat- 

 ening the Colony. He desired the strict licensing of all preachers and teach- 

 ers of religion, and inquired of Lord Glenelg as to the expediency of thus 



848 Cockburn to Russell, *No. 44. 



544 Cockburn to Stanley, No. 22. 



545 See account of difficulty in regard to this in H. V., 1835-6, pp. 43-45 and 64. 

 548 H. V.. 1835-36, p. 64. 



541 Cockburn to Russell, No. 44. 

 848 Cockburn to Glenelg, No. 105. 



