Governors: Sir Benjamin D'Urban--Sir Patrick Ross--Sir Evan
Murray McGregor--Mr. Light--Sir W. G. MacBean Colebrooke--Major
McPhail--Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy.
After the death of Major General Ramsay in 1819, his gracious
majesty George III. appointed Sir Benjamin D'Urban to the vacant
government, who arrived at Antigua in the following year, 1820.
During the administration of Sir Benjamin D'Urban, the census was
taken, when the population was found to consist of 37,031 souls--
viz., 4066 coloured, 1980 whites, and 30,985 negroes.
A very efficient militia was also raised, consisting of 15
staff-officers, 87 commissioned-officers, and 843
noncommissioned-officers and privates; making in all, 945.
The year 1825 is celebrated for the arrival of the first English
bishop in the West Indies. During the preceding year, George the
Fourth appointed, by letters patent, (bearing date 24th July,
1824,) two bishops for the cure of souls in the British West
Indies; the one to be styled the Bishop of Jamaica, &c., the
other, the Bishop of Barbados and the Leeward Islands, having in
his diocese the islands of Barbados, St. Vincent's, St. Lucia,
Grenada, Dominica, Antigua, Monserrat, Nevis, St. Christopher's,
and the Virgin Isles--Trinidad and Tobago, with their respective
dependances.
Upon the arrival of Bishop Coleridge in the West Indies, he
remained for a short time at Barbados (as head-quarters), and
then proceeded upon a tour to the respective islands which
constituted his see. Prior to the appointment of a bishop in
these colonies, the clergy officiating there were considered
under the superintendence of the bishop of London; and that
prelate, as well as the archbishops of Canterbury and York, could
ordain "any person who should, on examination, be deemed
qualified for the cure of souls, or officiating in any spiritual
capacity in his majesty's colonies, or foreign possessions,
although such persons might not have possessed the title required
by the canons of the church of England, of such as are to be made
ministers.
Alas! how many were ordained, and deemed qualified for the "cure
of souls," in the West Indies, who, by precept and practice, led
their unhappy parishioners further into the power of the _enemy
of souls_! who, whatever they might preach, _lived_ in open
violation of the laws of God and man; and who, after indulging in
the grossest sensuality throughout the six days of the week,
presumed to enter into the pulpit on a Sunday, and, _pro
tempore_, descant most learnedly and profoundly upon the
_beauties of morality_! But enough of such disgracers of the
sacred office--they have passed away to render an account of
their stewardship before a holy and a righteous bar; nor should I
have alluded to them, did I not wish to impress upon the minds of
the Antiguans the blessing they enjoy in possessing a more
enlightened and evangelical race of clergymen.
To return to the bishop: a sum of 4200l. sterling per annum is
placed at his disposal, to be distributed among the several
ministers, catechists, and schoolmasters, as salaries, &c., with
the proviso, that no minister shall receive more than 300l.
sterling per annum, from such fund.
By his patent the bishop ordains, confirms, and performs all
those several functions peculiar to his office, as one of the
successors of the apostles. The bishop is made a body corporate;
has a common seal granted him, and is considered subordinate to
the archbishop of Canterbury. An ecclesiastical jurisdiction over
the clergy is also conferred upon him, and on the commissaries by
him appointed; but such jurisdiction does not interfere with the
provision of any local law which has received the royal
confirmation. "In case of the absence of the bishop and his
commissaries, the governor of Barbados is authorized to appoint
any two clergymen to institute benefices, and to license
curates."
Sir Benj. D'Urban being recalled, Sir Patrick Ross was appointed
governor and commander-in-chief. His excellency arrived at
Antigua in the year 1826, and during his stay there, ingratiated
himself with the _heads of the island_, by his courteous manners,
and his humane desire to spare their feelings upon the
all-engrossing topic of approaching emancipation.
The year 1828 will be remembered by many Antiguans, as that in
which the "Dandy Fever" prevailed. This most distressing and
painful illness took its name from the strange gestures into
which its excruciating agonies threw the unfortunate sufferers,
and who, in their awkward attempts at walking, were likened by
some facetious spirit to that nondescript race of men--the
dandies!
The year 1831 was the scene of an insurrection among the negroes.
The cause of this disaffection among the black population was,
the suppression of the Sunday markets, and the omission, on the
part of the authorities of the island, to provide a day instead
of the Sabbath, in which the negroes might bring the produce of
their gardens and poultry yards into the capital to sell.
The Sunday markets were indeed a nuisance most properly got rid
of, for they engendered all kinds of dissipation among the lower
classes on the Lord's day; yet is it to be wondered at that the
negroes felt aggrieved in having the only day they could call
their own taken from them, as it were, and no other portion of
the week allotted to them?
From muttered threats, and sullen looks of discontent, the
negroes proceeded to acts of open violence. Incendiarism raged to
a great extent; no sooner was one fire extinguished, than another
was discovered in an opposite quarter. Martial law was in force;
and the officers of the militia had then ample opportunities of
shewing forth their valour, and winning laurels in the field of
Mars.
Great were the marchings and counter-marchings upon this
occasion; mysterious the signs and counter-signs! Then there was
such buckling on of spurs, and bracing on of swords--such
displays of epaulets and aiguillettes, as would have surprised
any one not accustomed to West Indian militia "turn outs."
Generals galloped here, and colonels there; at one moment a party
of gallant dragoons, armed to the teeth, and mounted--some on
gaunt steeds of sixteen hands high, and others on diminutive
ponies, dashed along the streets; at another, the governor and
his brilliant staff might be seen hurrying forward as fresh
intelligence arrived of other fires breaking out.
At length something like order was restored. Many of the negroes
were apprehended; and the supposed ringleader, after being
brought to trial, was condemned and executed. He met his fate
with resignation, but protested to the very last that he died
innocent of the offence (arson) imputed to him; the other
culprits were punished by public floggings and imprisonments.
Thus was the insurrection of 1831 quelled, and peace once more
established. Saturday was appointed for the principal market day;
and the planters agreed to allow their people to visit the
capital every, or every other week, to vend their little wares.
In 1832, Sir Evan Murray McGregor was appointed to the government
of the Leeward Islands, including Dominica. Sir Evan was a member
of the McGregor family, so celebrated in Scottish history, and of
which the redoubted Rob Roy was a chieftain. His excellency was a
man of the strictest political principles, and of a most
enlightened mind. He saw and felt the degradations laid upon the
coloured people; and as far as lay in his power he mitigated
their sufferings. It was not until his administration that
coloured persons served as jurors.
His kind feelings towards this portion of his majesty's subjects
were not altogether agreeable to many of the self-constituted
"exclusives;" and various were the schemes and projects to turn
him from his purpose of rewarding the merits of the coloured
class. But Sir Evan possessed an inflexible spirit, and neither
frowns nor caresses could prevent him from dispensing justice to
all, be their colour what it might.
Acting upon these principles, his excellency, in 1834, appointed
Mr. Loving, a gentleman of colour, chief of police, with a salary
of 600l. per annum. This dreadful innovation of the governor's
met with the strongest resistance from those persons who were led
to look upon a man's merit as inseparably connected with his
white descent; and no efforts were spared upon their part to
endeavour to persuade Sir Evan to rescind the appointment. This,
however, was not to be effected, and many a breast burned with
secret indignation against the man who had dared to throw down
the partition wall between the _immaculate_ whites, and a
descendant of Afric's despised children!
But it was not colour alone that formed the grand objection to
this gentleman's appointment. Mr. Loving had been for some time
the editor of a paper, and in such capacity had raised his voice
against the system of slavery, and advocated in a firm, but mild
spirit, the cause of emancipation, in a country where nearly all
its principal inhabitants were slave-holders. Upon the strength
of the old adage, "What can't be _cured_ must be _endured_," Mr.
Loving was allowed to remain quietly in his situation, until time
brought about mighty changes, and made the Antiguan
slave-holders, like himself, friends to freedom.
The following year, 1833, was noted for the severe shocks of
earthquake felt at Antigua, as well as at most of the other
islands throughout the chain. These earthquakes were followed by
a season of dry weather, which crushed the hopes of the planters,
and rendered in great measure the fertile little island a barren
waste.
1834 is celebrated throughout the British West Indies as the year
of the abolition of slavery, and more particularly by the
Antiguans, who, laying aside all claims to apprenticeship, gave
their negroes _immediate freedom_. For this consummation had many
worthy men toiled and sighed--for this had Sharpe, Clayton,
Wilberforce, Buxton, Lushington, and many others, written and
spoken, until wearied nature had often sunk, almost exhausted--
and now the bright day of liberty had arrived, and the great and
glorious triumph, which for so many years had been as a beacon
before the minds of philanthropic men, had been achieved; but
alas! of those who would have sung jubilee on the fulfilment of
their wishes, many had yielded up their noble spirits, and passed
to the silent tomb.
The year following emancipation (1835) was the scene of a violent
hurricane, which raging with extreme fury throughout the greater
part of the night, caused great loss to many of the inhabitants.
Soon after the hurricane, the yellow fever broke out with great
malignancy, and hurried many a young and gifted one from the
family circle.
During the period Sir Evan McGregor administered the government,
he endeavoured to restore the custom of holding a general council
and assembly, to convene at certain times, at one of the several
islands within his jurisdiction; and also to make the island of
Dominica head-quarters. His excellency's view and wishes upon
this subject were, however, overruled by the home government;
although it was permitted him to make Dominica his place of
residence should such be his desire. Soon after his removal to
the latter colony, he received the higher appointment of Governor
of Barbados, to which seat of government he repaired, leaving
Antigua to a kind of interregnum, which was filled up by the
president of the island.
During his excellency's administration, he also recommended the
legislature to enact a law to govern elections--a deficiency in
the laws of Antigua complained of by a large portion of the
inhabitants; the qualifications of voters being entirely governed
by resolutions of the house, as best suited the purposes of its
members. In contested elections, freeholders, it is said, were
frequently left to unconstitutional resolutions of the assembly,
who, paying no attention to former precedents, adopted such
measures as would best secure the interests of their own
party.[57] There are, however, laws for the protective privileges
of freeholders for other distinctive purposes, such as exemptions
from arrest, &c.
In 1836, Henry Light, Esq., arrived at Antigua to play his part
upon the stage of colonial life as lieutenant-governor. His lofty
pretensions to liberal principles, and his condescending
greatness to the _mixed blood_ in admitting a few members of that
class to "his table," evinces much insincerity, for in his
private despatches to Lord Glenelg, he reprobates, with but one
or two exceptions, that body of persons, in terms as ill-founded
as they are illiberal. Nothing of importance occurred during Mr.
Light's sojourn at Antigua; he has subsequently been appointed to
the government of British Guiana, where he has had an opportunity
of shewing forth his philanthropy, as well as of acquiring fame.
The year 1837 marked the appointment of Sir William MacBean
George Colebrooke to the office of governor-in-chief of the
Leeward Islands. Of the same liberal principles as Sir Evan
McGregor--firm, dignified, and polished--of courteous demeanour
and pleasing address, Sir William was formed to command respect,
and conciliate the affections of all classes. In his official
proceedings, he was ever actuated by prudence; and with the
welfare of the colonies, over which he presided, at heart, he
pursued his way in that open, straightforward manner, which, to
an honourable mind, is of such inestimable value.
In the first year of Sir William Colebrooke's administration, a
bank was established in Antigua by royal charter; thus rendering
obsolete an act which had been passed in the early part of the
reign of George III., for preventing the circulation of paper
bills of credit in the colonies. Prior to this period, no
governor could assent to such circulation, under forfeiture of
1000l., the being dismissed his government, and declared
incapable of holding any other public office or place of trust.
In the following year, his excellency deemed it proper to abolish
the militia; a measure which saved the treasury of the island a
considerable sum annually; and accordingly, on the 1st of July,
1838, that body ceased to exist, and an end was put to all
martial glory and deeds of arms among the store-keeper captains
and planter colonels of Antigua. It was not until some time after
the revocation of the militia, that the legislature remembered to
call in the arms from the privates; and accordingly, when such
orders were issued, great defalcation was discovered; the few,
however, collected, were consigned to a far different purpose
from what they were originally intended--being formed into a
fence before the arsenal, where they remain, with their bayonets
pointing to the skies, as mementos of the warlike acts of the
island.
Sir William Colebrooke entertained similar opinions as Sir Evan
McGregor, upon the expediency of there being one general council
and assembly among the islands under his jurisdiction; and
consequently, strenuous exertions were made by him, to carry his
plans into effect. The acquiescence of the home government to
this measure was so relied upon by his excellency, that before
accounts could be received from England, despatches were
forwarded to the other Leeward Islands, calling upon the members
of their respective legislatures to visit Antigua, in order to
hold the first general council and assembly. The legislators of
St. Christopher's were the first to obey the summons, and some of
that body were actually in the boat about to convey them on board
the vessel in which they had taken passage for Antigua, when the
packet with the European mails was observed in the offing.
Anxious to receive their letters before their departure for
another colony, they determined to wait until the post-master
distributed them--a resolution which saved them a fruitless
voyage; for, from despatches from Sir William Colebrooke, they
learned that the English parliament had refused to acknowledge
any general assembly.
In 1840, Sir W. Colebrooke returned to England; and Major
McPhail, the lieutenant-governor of Dominica, was called to
administer the government for the time being. His excellency was
also a man of liberal principles--one who was inflexible in
performing his official duties without partiality, and earnestly
desirous of promoting the public good, and effecting a kind
feeling among all classes. As a private character, his courteous
and pleasing demeanour endeared him to all who held communion
with him; and when he quitted the government, he carried with him
the best regards and earnest wishes of every member of the
Antiguan community. Nothing of particular moment occurred during
his administration, with the exception of the dreadful fire in
1841, (further noticed in these pages,) and the strictness with
which the police laws (respecting the capture of animals found
strolling in the public streets) has been carried into force.
Great has been "the hue and cry" among the swinish multitude; and
day after day has the intelligence arrived that another
unfortunate pig has been imprisoned within the walls of the
pound, without any regard to the feelings of the said quadruped,
or its family. Even Sunday--that day of rest--was no rest to
them, or the parties whose duty it was to capture them; and so
far was the disturbance carried, which such exploits caused, that
some good people took the trouble to write and disseminate
papers, calling upon policemen, magistrates, &c., to observe to
keep holy the Sabbath, and not allow pigs to be hunted before the
very doors of the churches and chapels, even when service was
being performed.
Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy, who has succeeded as
governor-general of the Leeward Islands, is a branch of a high
and noble English family. The accounts which have preceded him of
his many virtues, bids fair for Antigua enjoying, in the person
of her majesty's representative, a good and liberal governor--one
who will dispense justice without regard to caste or complexional
prejudice--rewarding merit wherever it may be found--measures
which, it is said, have been overlooked by many of his
predecessors until within these last few years.
Sir C. A. Fitzroy is lineally descended, in the female line, from
Brigadier-General Crosby, (who had been appointed to the command
of the Leeward Island government, in 1730,) as will be seen on a
reference to his genealogy, in the Appendix.
------
[57] It must be remarked, that the house passed these resolutions
after a member had been duly returned upon former precedents, so
that if the returned member was obnoxious from his liberal
principles, fresh regulations were determined upon in order to
dispossess him of his seat. These are the evils incident upon
having no laws to govern elections.