Mrs. Lanaghan - Antigua and the Antiguans (Vol. 1&2)

After the decease of Lord Lavington, William Woodley, Esq., again resumed the reins of government; but he did not repair to Antigua, being in a delicate state of health. Sir Alexander Cochrane, with a squadron under his command, visited the island during this year on his return from taking the Danish West India colonies of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.

In the month of March, 1809, Wm. Woodley, Esq., the then acting commander-in-chief, departed this life; and James Tyson, Esq., represented himself as the first counsellor, and accordingly took upon himself the administration of the government, without repairing first to Antigua, as he ought to have done.

In 1809, it was found necessary to award certain punishments to dealers in witchcraft. Obeah, 55as it was termed, raged to a great extent among the negro population in these islands, and led many of them into the deepest crimes. To strike a blow at this infatuation, it was ordained, that if any negro pretended they had communication with any evil spirit by whose aid they could cause death, &c., such slave upon conviction was to suffer capital punishment; and if any slave prepared a mixture which was intended to cause death, although the poison did not take effect, such slave and their accessories were also liable to the same punishment.

In the latter part of 1809, John Julius, Esq., another resident of St. Kitts, elected himself to the office of commander-in-chief, but neither did he repair to Antigua to take upon him the administration.

About this period, the Antiguans, out of respect to their late respected governor Lord Lavington, agreed to allow his widow, Lady Frances Lavington, an annuity of 300 l. sterling during her life, which was to be paid out of the treasury.

The following year, 1810, Hugh Elliot, Esq., was appointed to the government of Antigua and the rest of the Leeward Islands. During his administration, it was again ordained, that no medical man should practice in this island without a licence; and no licence should be granted unless such persons as applied produced a certificate from the Surgeons’ Hall, or from one of the universities in Great Britain, shewing his admittance in them. One reason for this regulation was, on account of the numerous cases of poisoning among the negroes; and it was conjectured that they procured deleterious drugs from some of the low venders of medicines, who, like Shakspeare’s half-starved apothecary—

“If a man did need a poison

———would sell it him.” 56

This wise regulation appears to have emanated from the governor, who saw the absurdity, if not guilt , of allowing the public to place their lives in the hands of the low “self-educated physicians,” of whom, in those days, the medical body was pretty generally composed.

Nor was this the only salutary step proposed by his excellency during his administration. Although, as before mentioned, the general assembly of the Leeward Islands had, during a meeting at St. Kitts, in 1798, passed the “Melioration Act,” with the hopes of restricting the owners of slaves from excessive cruelty in their dealings with their negroes. No limits had been put to the number of lashes to be given at one time , and for one offence , and accordingly some maliciously disposed persons had evaded the law, and treated their slaves in a most barbarous manner. The governor had full proof of this soon after his arrival, in the case of a member of the council, at Nevis, who, setting aside the laws of humanity, had caused “300 lashes of cart-whip, or nearly that number, to be inflicted in the public market-place (without the sentence of a magistrate) upon a considerable proportion of a gang of thirty-two negroes, who were all, more or less, severely punished, without having been convicted of any act, which, by the most forced construction, could be deemed mutinous, or dangerous to the community at large.”

In the governor’s communications with the Earl of Liverpool, in 1810, upon this subject, he alludes to the “Melioration Act,” and deplores that the punishment of whipping was not restricted to 39 lashes, as in the 14th clause of the “Consolidated Act,” passed in Jamaica, in 1792; and further proposes, that the clause in question should be immediately annexed to the “Leeward Island Melioration Act.”

That such was not done upon the passing of the act, cannot be laid to the charge of the representatives of Antigua, who fully coincided with Mr. Burke, the attorney-general of the Leeward Islands, in his proposal that such measure should be adopted, but which proposition was not carried into effect by the general council and assembly.

In 1812, this suggestion of his excellency’s, limiting the number of lashes to be given in the chastisement of a slave, was fully carried into effect. The Antiguans had had another example brought before them, where a Tortolian slave-master had murdered several of his negroes, in a most shocking manner, and cruelly ill-treated others; and the Antiguans appear to have been wishful of exterminating that plague-spot cruelty from their little island! For this reason, they forbad owners, jailors, or any other person who had the superintendence of such inflictions, to give their slaves more than 39 lashes at one time, and for one offence; nor were they to repeat the punishment within 14 days, under a penalty of 100 l. No slave was to receive more than six lashes at one time, for one offence, unless the owner’s attorney, manager, or overseer, should be present It is strange, very strange, that so many dreadful deeds should have been practised in Antigua, and still so many laws been framed for the protection of the slaves, even long before the period I am now writing about. What answer are we to give to this enigma? Alas! alas! in many instances, we must again exclaim with Captain Southey, “ The exceptions neutralize the prohibitions .”

In 1813, his excellency Hugh Elliot left the government, and John Julius again entered upon the administration, but he did not reside at or visit Antigua. This was the first year a police force was established; it consisted of five reputable white men, who had been recommended to the commander-in-chief, (or in his absence, the president of the island,) assisted by about as many discreet black or coloured persons. One of these white men was to be called “Clerk of the Police,” and it was his duty to attend the sittings of magistrates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and summon accused parties and witnesses. These police-officers had several duties to perform​—​such as taking up slaves who were found selling any article in the streets, on the working days, unless they could produce a pass from their owners; to forbid them selling fresh butter or milk, unless in possession of like certificate; and to turn out of the town, upon the ringing of the church bell at half-past nine at night, all country negroes, and oblige such as resided in the capital to retire to their houses.

In the middle of June, 1814, Sir James Leith arrived in Antigua, to fulfil the office of captain-general and governor-in-chief over the Leeward Caribbee Islands, but he did not remain here much longer than a year, for, having suffered from indisposition, he obtained leave of absence, and embarked for England, where he shortly afterwards died. Nothing of much importance occurred during the period Sir James resided in the government. Admiral Cochrane was still stationed in these seas, and kept so strict a watch upon the enemy, that they were unable to distress this or the other islands.

After the departure of Sir James Leith, another resident of St. Kitts, Henry Rawlins, Esq., acted as commander-in-chief. During his administration, an act was passed, founded upon that celebrated one of Lord Ellenborough’s against cutting and maiming, punishing with death those who discharged fire-arms with intent to injure any one, setting fire to cane pieces or buildings, or perpetrating any other malicious deed.