tranquillity. When the owner, or superintendent finds its necessary to take another driver, he shall himself make the change; and on this occasion, both the discharged driver and his successor shall be presented to the police-master, who shall then strike out the appointment of the former, and insert that of the latter, without the party concerned having occasion to assign any reason for the change made.

In order to secure to the drivers the enhanced respect due to them, they shall have and be equipped with a uniform consisting of a red jacket with a green collar; and in order still more to excite them to zeal and vigilance in the performance of their duties, each plantation shall allow the driver a patacon per month, besides the usual ration.

Punishment by means of the tamarind switch or by rods on the naked person, is hereby from henceforth entirely abolished on all plantations; and the owners, superintendents, or managers, in cases where corporal punishment may be found necessary, may use for that purpose a rope's end, which will be delivered to them from the PoliceOffice for a fitting price. To a man there must not be given more than 12, and to a woman not more than 6 stripes, which are to be given to the first mentioned across the shoulders, and to women, as usual, but over 2 under garments. Punishment is to be inflicted on women as seldom as possible: and in no case is either any man or any woman to be punished on a plantation oftener than twice in one week.

During work in the field, the driver henceforward, instead of a tamarind switch, shall make use of a stick 3 feet long, and 14 inch in circumference, with which on occasions where it may be necessary for the prompt maintenance of order, he may inflict 2 strokes at a time, yet not oftener than twice in one day.

It is also permitted the respective owners, superintendents, or managers, to order a punishment on the plantation of not more than 48 hours' solitary confinement on bread and water, or confinement during their free hours for 8 days; but whenever the nature of the offence requires a severer punishment, the offender must be sent to the Police-Office.

Every punishment must be accurately entered in the "Plantation Journal." No punishment shall be administered on the road or in the field (excepting only such punishment as the driver, in virtue of the proceeding, is authorized to apply during the field work); but it must always be inflicted on the guilty person during the breakfast hour on the plantation at the works, and in the presence of the whole gang; and either the owner, superintendent, or manager, shall be present at it, without their being allowed to devolve this on any overseer, who never must dictate any punishment.

The regulations herein contained shall immediately come into

operation, and for any transgression of them all parties concerned shall be made to answer, agreeably to His Majesty's Rescript of 22nd November 1834, whereby the Governor-General is empowered to impose on the respective owners, attorneys, managers, and overseers, a fine of from 50 to 200 rixdollars D. W. C. or, according to circumstances, to deprive them of the management of the property.

Given under the General Government seal and my signature, General Governmentship of the Danish West India Islands, St. Croix, 7th May, 1838.

P. v. SCHOLTEN.

No. 220.-Sir H. Wynn to the Earl of Aberdeen.-(Rec Nov. 11.) MY LORD, Copenhagen, November 4, 1843.

GENERAL SCHOLTEN, the Governor of the Danish West India Islands, when he was in London last spring, on his way to his post, had the honour of making your Lordship acquainted with the new regulations, and amelioration in the state of the slaves, which he has been empowered by His Majesty to make, the most important of which was the allowance of Saturday as an additional free day. On his arrival, he found so much complaint of bad times, amongst the proprietors and their agents, that, against his own inclination, he delayed publishing His Danish Majesty's orders, till he received further instructions from hence. These, however, were confirmed; and on the King's birthday, in September, he assembled the Negroes in the different parishes, and informed them of the boon which had been granted.

I understand that it was in general received with great indifference: the Negroes have, in fact, been allowed this day by most of the proprietors out of crop time; and they conceive that the right to it is counterbalanced by the prohibition of markets on Sundays, and the obligation to attend church and schools, which prevent them following the different occupations with which this day has hitherto been desecrated. I have, &c.

The Earl of Aberdeen, K.T.

H. W. W. WYNN.

SIR,

HANSE TOWNS.

No. 239.-The Earl of Aberdeen to Colonel Hodges.

Foreign Office, January 10, 1843.

I HAVE received your several despatches, dated the 16th, 23rd,

and 27th December of last year, on the subject of the vessel the Julius and Edward.

I submitted to Her Majesty's Advocate-General the Queries Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 5, contained in your despatch of the 23rd December, upon this subject; and I have referred to the Admiralty for information on your Query No. 2, submitting also the information thus obtained, for the report of Her Majesty's Advocate - General thereupon.

The 1st point upon which it is stated in your letter that Dr. Meier is desirous of being informed is, whether the words "engaged in the Slave Trade, employed in the Slave Trade, or fitted out for the purposes thereof, are to be understood as having reference solely to vessels with slaves on board, and fitted out for such a purpose; or, if they have reference to vessels not intended to carry slaves themselves, but carrying goods on behalf of the Slave Trade?" I am to instruct you that on this point the Queen's Advocate is of opinion that the words cited by Dr. Meier are not to be understood as having reference solely and exclusively to vessels having slaves on board, and fitted out for such purpose, but that they must be construed as having reference likewise to vessels which, although not intended for the actual conveyance of slaves, are carrying goods intended by the owners to be used in the purchase of slaves to be put on board other vessels, or in any other manner to be knowingly and wilfully, on the part of such owners, employed in the illegal traffic in slaves.

The 3rd point put by Dr. Meier is, "Whether demijohns are to be considered as casks or vessels for holding water ?" To which the answer is, that demijohns may properly be so considered.

The 4th question of Dr. Meier is, "Whether slave-tins come under the denomination of mess-tubs, or kids, which latter are said to be made of wood, and not of tin." The answer to this is, that if the slave-tins are calculated for the same use as mess-tubs, or kids, there appears no reason why they should not be understood as coming within the meaning of the words mess-tubs, or kids, as used in the Treaty.

The last question asked by Dr. Meier is, "Whether copper boilers mean also small and square copper ones, and whether this Article of the Treaty extends also to large iron boilers ?"

The answer to this is, that all copper boilers, whatever may be their shape or dimensions, if more than requisite for the crew, are to be considered as comprehended in the terms made use of. The Queen's Advocate also thinks that the Treaty comprehends large iron boilers. The size of the boiler, and the use for which it is intended, is, in the spirit and true meaning of the Treaty, more to be considered than the material of which it is composed.

It could never be the meaning of the Contracting Parties that the Treaty should be rendered null and of no effect by the mere substitution of iron for copper boilers.

The 2nd inquiry made by Dr. Meier has reference to the IInd Article in the Convention of 1831, which states that the right of search shall be enforced only by ships whose commanders have the rank of Captain, or at least that of Lieutenant; and the query put upon this point is, whether Mr. Thomas E. Symonds had actually the rank of a Lieutenant at the time of the detention of the Julius and Edward; or if he had immediately acquired the rank of Lieutenant upon the death of his Commanding Officer, subject to confirmation on the part of his Government?

Upon this point I transmit to you a copy of a letter from the Admiralty, which I have to desire you will communicate to Dr. Meier, together with this despatch, for his guidance in conducting the

cause.

Dr. Meier will thus be enabled to satisfy the Court that the cruizer which effected the capture was duly sent forth by Her Majesty's Government, under the command of an officer of competent rank and station; and it was solely in consequence of the death of that officer, which, being the act of God, must, according to an universal maxim of law, be held not to prejudice the interest of any one, that the command of the vessel devolved upon Mr. Symonds.

Dr. Meier will also be able to show that Mr. Symonds, upon the death of his senior officer, assumed all the responsibility which had belonged to that officer, and gave to himself, as it was his duty to do, according to the rules of the British navy, an acting order as "Commander" of the Persian.

Lieutenant Symonds was, therefore, at the time of making the capture, an officer, de facto, of higher rank than Lieutenant; and the commission of Lieutenant was actually conferred upon him by the Admiralty almost immediately after the capture.

I am, &c.

Lieut.-Colonel Hodges.

ABERDEEN.

No. 248.-Colonel Hodges to Mr. Bandinel.

SIR, Hamburgh, February 7, 1843. I HAVE now the honour to transmit 2 duplicates of a power of attorney for Lieutenant Symonds' signature. I am informed by Dr. Meier that such a document is indispensably necessary to enable him to prosecute the appeal in the case of the Bremen barque Julius and Edward; and I have instructed Dr. Meier to apply to the Supreme Court of Bremen for an adjournment of this appeal for at least 6

months, so as to allow time for obtaining Lieutenant Symonds'

signature.

James Bandinel, Esq.

SIR,

I have, &c.

G. LLOYD HODGES.

No. 269.-The Earl of Aberdeen to Colonel Hodges.

Foreign Office, August 11, 1843. WITH reference to your despatch of the 24th January last, stating that it was necessary to obtain from Lieutenant Symonds a power of attorney to enable Dr. Meier to prosecute the appeal in the case of the Bremen barque Julius and Edward, and inclosing a form for that purpose, to be signed by Lieutenant Symonds;

I herewith return to you the document in question duly executed by that officer; and I have to instruct you to lose no time in forwarding the same to Her Majesty's Vice-Consul at Bremen, to be placed at the disposal of Dr. Meier.

Colonel Hodges.

I am, &c.

ABERDEEN.

TEXAS.

No. 435.-Mr. Ashbel Smith to the Earl of Aberdeen.
(Received September 7.)

London, August 1, 1843.

THE Undersigned, Chargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Texas, has the honour to state to his Excellency the Earl of Aberdeen, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that he has been informed that certain persons, British subjects and others, now or recently in London, had been and are endeavouring to procure the abolition of slavery in Texas, and that in pursuance of this purpose they have presented themselves to the Ministers of Her Majesty's Government, in order to obtain, if possible, their co-operation on this subject.

The Undersigned, on behalf of his Government, would state to his Lordship, that the parties alluded to, as having for their object the abolition of slavery in Texas, are in no manner recognized by the Texian Government, and that their proceedings in the matter in question, as well as on all others touching or in any way relating to the institutions of Texas, are wholly unauthorized, disclaimed, and disapproved of by the Government of that country.

In making the present communication, the Undersigned begs to disclaim intimating the opinion that there exists any disposition on