“It might be known to their lordships that in one most important colony the experiment of instant and entire emancipation had been tried.  Infinitely to the honor of the island of Antigua was it, that it did not wait for the period fixed by the Legislature, but had at once converted the state of slavery into one of perfect liberty.  On the 1st of August, 1834, the day fixed by act of Parliament for the commencement of a ten years’ apprenticeship, the Legislature of that colony, to the immortal honor of their wisdom, their justice, and their humanity, had abolished the system of apprenticeship, and had absolutely and entirely struck the fetters off from 30,000 slaves.  Their lordships would naturally ask whether the experiment had succeeded; and whether this sudden emancipation had been wisely and politically done.  He should move for some returns which he would venture to say would prove that the experiment had entirely succeeded.  He would give their lordships some proofs:  First, property in that island had risen in value; secondly, with a very few exceptions, and those of not greater importance than occurred in England during harvest, there was no deficiency in the number of laborers to be obtained when laborers were wanted; thirdly, offences of all sorts, from capital offences downwards, had decreased; and this appeared from returns sent by the inspector of slaves to the governor of that colony, and by him transmitted to the proper authority here; and, fourthly, the exports of sugar had increased:  during the three years ending 1834, the average yearly export was 165,000 cwts., and for the three subsequent years this average had increased to 189,000 cwts., being an increase of 21,000 cwts, or one clear seventh, produced by free labor.  Nor were the last three years productive seasons; for in 1835 there was a very severe and destructive hurricane, and in the year 1836 there was such a drought that water was obliged to be imported from Barbados.”

Of such sort, with regard to both the colonies that adopted the principle of immediate emancipation, have been the facts—­and all the facts—­up to the latest intelligence.

The rest of the colonies adopted the plan proposed by the British government, which contrary to the wishes of the great body of British abolitionists, made the slaves but partially free under the name of apprentices.  In this mongrel condition they were to remain, the house servants four, and the field laborers six years.  This apprenticeship was the darling child of that expediency, which, holding the transaction from wrong to right to be dangerous and difficult, illustrates its wisdom by lingering on the dividing line.  Therefore any mischance that might have occurred in any part of this tardy process would have been justly attributable to gradualism and not to immediatism.  The force of this remark will be better seen by referring to the nature and working of the apprenticeship as described in the book of Messrs. Thome and Kimball.