The West indies in 1837

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ANTIGUA.

vited u s to accompany him to the police office, where he was going to preside as a magistrate. W e staid there several hours. The cases disposed of were nearly as follows : — 1 . A young woman, with an infant in arms, charged with going to town to market on Monday, after having been refused leave. Sentenced to pay one dollar to the estate. A fee of half a dollar is due to the treasury on each complaint ; which is paid by the complainant, w h e r e the charge is not sustained ; O t h e r w i s e by the defendant, in addition to any other fine w h i c h may be imposed. Until very recently the magistrate was entitled to receive a fee of six shillings currency, (two shillings and eight pence) from complainants who did not sustain their charge ; or twelve shillings from defendants on conviction. This gave rise to great abuses and oppressions till the fees were happily abolished by a recent act of the legislature. The defendant in the above instance paid the money in court, and immediately gave her manager thirty days notice to quit.—2. A young man charged with breaking forty-eight canes—fined three dollars to the treasury, and four to the estate. The amount was paid by his mother.—3. A man chai-ged with stealing canes and corn, on an estate difl^erent to the one on which he lived ; the watchman of that estate with connivance ; and a girl with receiving part as a gift. The case against the watchman was dismissed ; the girl admonished and directed to pay the treasury fee ; and the principal oiïender sentenced to pay seven dollars as in the preceding case. There was no one to advance the money for him, and he was therefore sent to hard labor in the House of Correction f o r three months. He burst into tears on hearing the sentence. 4 . An old man charged with stealing yams and cane-trash. He


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