390 STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



tutions the better. Trial by jury, and an elective constitution 

 of the provincial administrations, are the fundamental blessings, 

 which British conquest every where should aspire to bequeath. 

 There are several minor changes in legislation, which resident 

 lawyers would teach us to obtain at home. Unless the evil of 

 laws is observed by professional men ; the form of remedy can 

 seldom be devised* which will give least trouble, and amalga- 



* By the peace of Amiens it was covenanted that every British subject 

 having concerns in any of the countries ceded to other powers, should have 

 three years allowed to settle them ; after which time, if they remained, they 

 were to be considered as subjects of that power possessing the country. But 

 immediately after the arrival of the Batavian government's forces, the governor 

 issued peremptory proclamations, calling on every inhabitant to take the oath 

 of allegiance to the new government. As the subjects of Great Britain held 

 back, proclamation after proclamation was published, calling on them to take 

 the oath of allegiance, threatening them in case of non compliance, with ba- 

 nishment from the colony. 



Serious consequences certainly appeared about to be the result of this unpre- 

 cedented demand of the governor's, and several petitions were addressed to him 

 from different parts of his government, signed by the first and most respect- 

 able inhabitants, shewing how peculiarly they were situated as British subjects, 



having three years allowed them by the treaty of peace to settle their affairs, 



» 



and praying his proclamations might be withdrawn, and that they might be al- 

 lowed to take advantage of the clause in their favor. These applications were 

 of no avail whatever. Meertens ordered his secretary not to receive any more 

 of the petitions, and gave no other answer to those he had received, than by 

 issuing another mandate to the same effect as the former ones. The conse- 



