xviii.
APPENDIX.
SECTION II. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The administration of the laws is o f the same character as in Antigua, and in the same urgent need of reform. The strong hold of abuses in the Local Government, is in those departments, both legislative and executive, w h i c h are filled by the appointment of the Colonial Office. The representative branch is n o t liberal, but in future elections it m a y be expected to b e come so, as the colored class are numerous and influential, and t h e members w h o m they return have been hitherto the consistent supporters of measures of improvement. N o t h i n g can be said in praise of the Legislative Council, w h i c h is nominated by t h e Crown ; and it would be difficult to reprobate too strongly the appointment or retention, in the most responsible offices, of m e n w h o perpetuate the worst Colonial abuses. The present Attorney General is a conspicuous example of the persons, w h o are distin guished by the confidence of the H o m e Government. It will be remembered by some of our readers, that a statement w a s made public in England, in the eariy part of 1 8 3 5 , that two female a p prenticed labourers had been punished by flogging, in the market place of Roseau ; and that a free colored m a n , convicted of an assault, had been worked in the chain gang amongst felons, and left to depend, during a long imprisonment, upon the charity of h i s fellow prisoners for food. This report excited public indigna tion in England, w h i c h caused the H o u s e of Assembly to investi gate the matter in a Committee of the w h o l e H o u s e , in the hope, doubtless, of falsifying or explaining away the statements w h i c h had been made. From their printed report w e extract the following : — " The result of this investigation, in respect to those points to w h i c h the inquiry w a s directed, establishes in the opinion of the Committee, the following facts :—First, {hat two female appren ticed labourers, named DONGOUSE, and MARY CLARKE, were severally indicted, &c.—and were sentenced by the Court, to re ceive, the former, thirty nine, and the latter, thirty stripes in t h e public market place ;—that the punishment w a s inflicted on them, without any improper exposure of their persons, and without a n y further exposure, than w a s necessary to carry the sentences into execution. " The Committee have not thought it incumbent on them to enter into any examination of the legality of the sentences pro nounced ; they have thought it sufficient, that those sentences proceeded from the highest Criminal Court, and were sanctioned by the legal opinion of the first law officer of the Crown, in this Colony." The examination of the witnesses is appended to this report. The following are two of the questions proposed to the Attorney General and his replies.