88
MONTSERRAT.
their own hands this important subject. The appren tices have no voice to plead their own wrongs, and -we fear the Stipendiary will fail them, when they most need his protection, as he is in some degree under plan ter influence, in consequence of his holding the appoint ment conferred by the President, of Serjeant of Police, at a salary of one hundred and ten pounds currency, (forty-eight sterling,)per annum, from the Island Trea sury. By this reconciliation of obviously incompatible functions in his own person, he receives, as Serjeant, orders from himself as Magistrate ; and is responsible also to himself as Magistrate, for his good behaviour as Sei-jeant. Again, as Serjeant of Police, he appre hends an offending apprentice ; as Magistrate decides the case ; and as Serjeant executes his own sentence. The President administering the Government of Montserrat is himself a planter and apprentice-holder. The Constitution of the Assembly is more liberal than in Antigua, as the elective franchise is a forty-shilling freehold. The Courts of Law, howevei-, are of the same character as in that island, but still more objec tionable on account of the smallness of the community. We were fortunate during our brief stay in having the opportunity of attending a sitting of the legisla ture, and also in meeting nearly every person in the colony, official or otherwise, who could afford us infor mation. Many of the persons we conversed with, freely expressed to us their opinion, that the Appren ticeship was the only bar to a revival of the prosperity of the island. The ministers of religion are looking forward to 1840 for a great extension of their useful ness. We fear there is little hope of the measure of complete abolition before referred to, being re-intro duced, in consequence of the money value of the ap- ,