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PRACTICAL VIEW

OF THE

PRESENT STATE OF SLAVERY

IN

THE WEST INDIES;

OR,

AN EXAMINATION OF MR. STEPHEN'S

"SLAVERY OF THE BRITISH WEST INDIA COLONIES."

CONTAINING MORE PARTICULARLY

AN ACCOUNT OF THE ACTUAL CONDITION OF

The Negroes in Jamaica:

WITH OBSERVATIONS

ON THE DECREASE OF THE SLAVES SINCE THE ABOLITION
OF THE SLAVE TRADE, AND ON THE PROBABLE EFFECTS
OF LEGISLATIVE EMANCIPATION:

ALSO,

STRICTURES ON THE EDINBURGH REVIEW, AND ON THE
PAMPHLETS OF MR. COOPER AND MR. BICKELL.

BY ALEXANDER BARCLAY,

LATELY AND FOR TWENTY-ONE YEARS RESIDENT IN JAMAICA.

"When we have to reason with a practical purpose, concerning existing es-
tablishments, the most particular and experimental view of them will ever
lead to the soundest and most satisfactory conclusions."

SECOND EDITION.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY SMITH, ELDER & Co. 65,

MR. STEPHEN.

CORNHILL.

HT1091 033

1827

The Legislature of Jamaica having, in December last, passed a Consolidated Slave Law, which provides in some important instances, in favour of the Slave Population of that Island, measures of protection and of extended rights; and, in other instances, gives the requisite sanction of Law to what was before established merely by general practice, we have the authority of Mr. Barclay for annexing to his book that law, as it has been, in Jamaica, printed, with references to repealed enactments. We also add an extract from the Code Rural of Haiti containing those clauses, which may be usefully compared with the Jamaica Law. The fidelity of the translation of these extracts may be ascertained by comparing them with the original Code, recently published by Ridgway, from a copy received, under unquestionable authority, from Paris, and which will be found exactly to coincide with that which will soon be printed under authority of Parliament.

The Code Rural was passed by the Legislature of Haiti in May last, and the members of the Chamber of Commons, announcing it to the citizens in their

66

although just, yet severe," and from their address it appears that they judged it necessary for the purpose of regenerating agricultural labour among the FREE Negroes which constitute the mass of the population of that once flourishing Colony.

APRIL, 1827.

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