had sought to fix upon missionaries the charge of instigating the Negro insurrection of 1831-2 occasioned in truth by the seditious folly and violence of the planters themselves, and destined in the wise and good providence of God to give the death-blow to human slavery in the British empire. He was always the weak, willing tool of oppression and intolerance; a man whose public life was truckling and time-serving from the beginning to the end.

He had one son possessing a claim to legitimacy, and of the orthodox European complexion, whom his father destined for the church, with a view to his being ultimately installed in one of the snug rectories of the island, and possibly in a well-endowed archdeaconry to which, backed by his father's influence as a member of the colonial legislature, he might not unreasonably aspire. While the son was absent from home receiving his education, his mother died. During her life-time the husband and father had, outwardly at least, paid some regard to the decencies and proprieties of wedded life; but when the grave closed over her remains, all restraint was cast off, and Mr. B. gave himself up again, as he had done before, to the vicious and demoralizing practices which always accompany slavery. When the son arrived at his old home in holy orders, it was to find a state of things prevailing under his father's roof that gave a rude and painful shock to the more refined and honourable sentiments awakened within him during his educational course, amid the elevating and hallowing influences of a Christian land.

He shut his eyes, as far as possible, to the faults of his sire, and interfered only with gentle remonstrances when rude and noisy revels, and the excesses of a brutal intemperance, rendered it impossible to look on in unbroken silence. These were listened to at first without resentment; but, on repetition, were spurned as an impertinent interference with matters that did not concern him, and gradually led to angry altercation. Frequently he had to withdraw from his father's table to avoid being associated there with one, the presence of whom he could not but regard as an insult to the memory of a

mother whose virtues and tender love were his most cherished recollections. He hoped that his silent withdrawal from such a presence would be a sufficient protest against the outrage to propriety it involved, and that it would avail to correct the evil, little apprehensive of the fatal consequences to which it was destined to lead.

On one of these occasions, when he rose to leave the untasted morning meal, his father interposed, and commanded him to resume his seat. He begged to be excused, and, with all respect to his father, stated as his reason for wishing to withdraw that it would both compromise his self-respect as a minister of Christ, and dishonour the memory of his virtuous mother, to eat at his father's table with such a companion as he had thought fit to introduce there. Exasperated beyond all self-control by this plain dealing on the part of his son, Mr. B. struck a violent blow at the mouth from whence the reproving words had issued, causing a copious flow of blood; and followed the young man with bitter curses and reviling, as he retired, without a word of reply, to his own room. It was a fatal blow; not to him who received, but to him who gave it. The father found, after his son left the room, that in his blind fury he had injured his own hand against the teeth of the young man, and that blood was flowing from the wound. As it was merely a scratch, he thought nothing of it. But after a few hours the slight wound began to exhibit an angry appearance, and the inflammation increased and spread up the arm. Medical treatment was resorted to but it failed to check the progress of the evil. Vicious excesses had corrupted his blood, and all the appliances of science were baffled. Gangrene, mortification, death, came on in rapid succession, and in about three days after the fatal altercation, the immortal spirit passed to its unseen and unchanging destiny: and another was added to the long catalogue of those remarkable casualties through which so many of the wrong-doers of those days were swept, in the midst of life and strength, to an early grave by a violent death, giving fearful significance to the impressive record of Holy Writ, "He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors."

For all this faithful and valuable service what did the young African noble receive in the way of remuneration? Just what was given to those who had no ability for any thing but to wield the hoe,—a poor comfortless shelter in the Negro quarters, a suit or two of coarse garments in the year, and a bare supply of the commonest kind of food: in fact, the wages of a horse, just what was absolutely necessary to sustain life and keep him up to the duty that his master's interests required at his hands. True, Mr. Anderson did not superadd to all this, as many slave-owners did, the frequent application of the scourge and the gyves, and the interposition of his authority to keep his slave from obtaining religious instruction, and hinder his praying and breathing his sorrows to the throne of God. Nor did he do this with any of his slaves. Therefore Mr. Anderson enjoyed the reputation of being a kind and indulgent slave-master. If ever it was true in all the world, it is true of even the best of slaveholders, "The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

For thirty long years, poor kidnapped Abou Beer Sadiki cherished fond remembrances of the sunny home from which he had been stolen, and nursed his sorrow in secret. Few can understand how dense was the darkness resting upon that wounded spirit through all this protracted period,-darkness somewhat lessened by the blessed hopes inspired by the Gospel that he heard at the Methodist chapel, where it was his chief delight to attend. At length the time came when a new and cheering light began to fall across the path that lay before him. The Christian philanthropy of Britain had risen, in its irresistible might, to assail the stronghold of the oppressors, and the cruel system that plundered and wasted nearly a million of human beings, under the sanction of British law, was tottering to its fall. Under the powerful impulse of public opinion, King, Lords, and Commons had agreed to sweep away for ever the curse that constituted England's greatest sin and shame. Whispers about freedom, the utterance of which had hitherto been regarded and dealt with as a capital crime, began to circulate freely; and soon there was rejoicing

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through all the land, when it could no longer be concealed. that the day of redemption was drawing nigh, and that the time had been fixed by the government at home, when liberty should be proclaimed throughout the land, and slavery, after a few years of probationary servitude, should be finally done away.

To Abou Beer, these glad tidings of great joy to multitudes appeared to bring but a small degree of gladness; for hope had almost died within him. His spirit, bruised and crushed beneath the weight of woe that had been pressing upon it for thirty years, seemed to have lost every thing like elasticity, and to be incapable of rising from its prostration. He remained quiet, passive, and gloomy, as he had been before, amid the preparations fof the creat event of emancipation which gladdened so many hearts around him. But the Lord, in His gracious Providence, was raising up for him an active and powerful friend.

Amongst other arrangements considered needful for the proper carrying out of the important act for the abolition of colonial slavery, was the appointment of stipendiary magistrates, to be sent out from England, by whom the new law should be chiefly administered. A considerable number of gentlemen were selected for this purpose, whose position in life, character, and education, marked them out as suitable for the important trust that was to be confided to them. It would оссиру too much space, and scarcely be in accordance with the design of this paper, to tell how many of these excellent and noble-minded men were worried out of life, or compelled to quit their office in disgust, by the vile conspiracies of the slaveholding faction. Facilities for annoying and worrying the stipendiary magistrates were designedly afforded to evil-minded men, by the pro-slavery colonial legislature, in framing and passing the local abolition act. They were compelled to pass the law to abolish slavery, or forfeit all claim to a share of the compensation money. But in doing it, they studied to render the position of the new magistrates as difficult and disagreeable as possible, and interposed as many obstacles as they could to impede the new

magistrates in the performance of their duty. Some of these men who gave noble promise of usefulness speedily sank into the grave, worn out by perplexity, disappointment, and trouble; leaving families to mourn their loss. Others, unable to endure the unceasing worry and opposition, and the vulgar insolence to which they were exposed, soon relinquished their appointments, and returned home in chagrin and disgust. Amongst the latter was Dr. Madden, the accomplished author of a book of "Travels in the East," who had accepted the appointment in the hope of being useful to a suffering class of his fellow-men. Dr. Madden was a gentleman and a scholar, a man of talent and research, who had travelled extensively both in Europe and in the East. As the most important of all these magisterial appointments in Jamaica, Dr. Madden had been selected by the governor, because of his distinguished abilities and acquirements, to be the stipendiary magistrate at Kingston, the commercial capital of the colony. But he found the position one of great difficulty, and was exposed to so much insult and opposition, which the law gave him no power to hold in check, that, after filling the office one year, he resigned it, and returned to England, to the regret of all who were concerned in seeing justice done to the long oppressed race. After his return from Jamaica Dr. Madden published a series of letters, written during his residence there, in two volumes, entitled, "Twelve Months' Residence in the West Indies." The letters are written in a lively, and attractive style, and give varied information concerning the West Indies; particularly of Jamaica and his connexion with that island. The publication, now out of prent, possesses value, an showing the pondition of things and the state of public feeling in Jamaica, when the memorable Emancipation Act began to take effect.*

It was during Dr. Madden's administration in Kingston, that Mr. Anderson presented himself at the orrors of the special pagistrage, accompanied by Edward Donlan, for the

*See Note at the end of this paper.