THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 481 



having both principals out of the way, the excitement might subside. Parti- 

 sans could thus be reconciled before feeling would rise against the new 

 Executive/"* The whole difficulty was adjusted during the following winter, 

 when the officer appeared to make apologies for writing the letter which had 

 stirred up so much trouble.*" 



Abolition op Slaveky by Parliament. 



The progress of the anti-slavery movement in the mother country was 

 rapid. The pressure of public opinion on the Ministry for the amelioration 

 of the condition of the slaves had kept the question constantly before the 

 public. The colonies resisted throughout, and resented the pressure put on 

 them to enact what they thought no authority had the right to urge. 

 Slowly as the Bahamas yielded to the persistent persuasion of the British 

 Cabinet and granted rights to the slaves, this Colony was among the first of 

 the legislative colonies to take this action.""" That which was most objection- 

 able in the slave system, to the Englishmen in England, namely, the flogging 

 of women, had been abolished in but few of the colonies.'" The unwillingness 

 of the legislature to move, and the consequent delays in the passing of the 

 much desired statutes for amelioration, caused the demands of the English 

 public to rise higher and to become more importunate than they had been. 

 " The growth and power of public opinion in England," said Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor Balfour to the House of Assembly, " and not ministerial voluntary option, 

 imposed the necessity of Parliamentary legislation on this greatest of colonial 



questions Investigations in the Lords and Commons, no less than the 



intolerance towards the sectarian missionaries in Jamaica, hastened matters 



Public feeling rose to an uncontrollable height. The Ministry had 



but one choice, to bring forward the abolition of slavery. The cabinet hesi- 

 tated at the eleventh hour. The House of Commons, in a few days, showed the 

 leader of the Ministry that he must propose emancipation, or not continue to 



'^ Loc. cit. Major Nicolls was not, however, removed. 



'^Loc. dt, No. 88. 



" H. v., 1829, Governor's closing speech to the House. The regulations were 

 imposed on the Crown colonies by Royal Order-in-council. 



^Sess. P., 1831-32, 46, p. 287 (24), enclosure No. 3, in Governor Smyth's Ds. 

 of April 5, 1831. The Governor stated In this letter to a member of the House of 

 Assembly that the abolition of the flogging of women was not a new experiment. 

 He stated that it had been tried in Demarara, Berbice and Trinidad. At least one 

 of these (perhaps all of them) was a Crown colony, where the regulation was 

 imposed by Order-in-council. 

 31 



