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.