BARBADOS.
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of holding any property or filling any other office within his jurisdiction, would be a powerful engine of reformation in a West Indian colony. The Crown appoints to these places at present, and therefore no objection could be raised upon the score of unjust interference. Indeed the wise and benevolent among the colonists themselves would soon perceive and appreciate the benefits of the change. In Barbados the qualification of an elector and a representative are the same, namely, the nominal possession of ten acres of land, whether worth ten pounds or ten pence. The Assemblies are chosen annually, and consist of two deputies from every parish. The Council is appointed by the Crown, and the members usually hold their seats for life. With such a qualification as I have mentioned before, it is obvious that the Assembly will not necessarily represent, or be guided by, the property and knowledge of the community; and hence it has occasionally happened that this body, in order to add a cubit to its natural stature and gather a few annual roses of distinction and popularity, has commenced squabbles and perpetrated flatteries too diminutive for the ambition of a Cornish borough. The fault indeed is in the constitution rather than in the men. Barbados and most of the other West Indian colonies appear externally to be governed on the model of England, but in reality they participate in a small degree in the genuine spirit of the mother-country. They