For the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies; for promoting the Industry of the manumitted Slaves; and for compensating the Persons hitherto entitled to the Services of such Slaves. [28th August 1833.] WHEREAS divers Persons are holden in Slavery within divers of His Majesty's Colonies, and it is just and expedient that all such persons should be manumitted and set free, and that a reasonable Compensation should be made to the persons hitherto entitled to the services of such Slaves for the loss which they will incur by being deprived of their right to such services: And whereas it is also expedient that provision should be made for promoting the Industry and securing the good Conduct of the persons so to be manumitted, for a limited period after such their Manumission: And whereas it is necessary that the Laws now in force in the said several Colonies should forthwith be adapted to the new state and relations of society therein which will follow upon such general Manumission as aforesaid of the said Slaves; and that, in order to afford the necessary time for such adaptation of the said Laws, a short interval should elapse before such Manumission should take effect: Be it therefore enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority All Persons who on the 1st August 1834 shall have been registered as Slaves, and shall appear on the regis try to be Six Years old or upwards, shall from that day become apprenticed Labourers. Who entitled the Slave as an apprenticed Labourer. of the same, That from and after the First day of August One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four all persons who in conformity with the Laws now in force in the said Colonies respectively shall on or before the First day of August One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four have been duly registered as Slaves in any such Colony, and who on the said First day of August One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four shall be actually within any such Colony, and who shall by such registries appear to be on the said First day of August One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four of the full age of Six Years or upwards, shall by force and virtue of this Act, and without the previous execution of any Indenture of Apprenticeship, or other deed or instrument for that purpose, become and be apprenticed Labourers; provided that, for the purposes aforesaid, every Slave engaged in his ordinary occupation on the seas shall be deemed and taken to be within the Colony to which such Slave shall belong. II. And be it further enacted, That during the conto services of tinuance of the Apprenticeship of any such apprenticed Labourer such person or persons shall be entitled to the services of such apprenticed Labourer as would for the time being have been entitled to his or her services as a Slave if this Act had not been made. All Slaves the United Kingdom III. Provided also, and be it further enacted, That brought into all Slaves who may at any time previous to the passing of this Act have been brought with the consent of with consent their possessors, and all apprenticed Labourers who of possessors may hereafter with the like consent be brought, into any part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, shall from and after the passing of this Act be absolutely and entirely free to all intents and purposes whatsoever. free. Apprenticed IV. And whereas it is expedient that all such Labourers to apprenticed Labourers should, for the purposes hereinbe divided into after mentioned, be divided into three distinct classes, three classes, viz. prædial the first of such classes consisting of prædial apprenattached, ticed Labourers attached to the soil, and comprising prædial un- all persons who in their state of Slavery were usually attached, and non-prædial. employed in agriculture, or in the manufacture of colonial produce or otherwise, upon lands belonging to their owners; the second of such classes consisting of prædial apprenticed Labourers not attached to the soil, and comprising all persons who in their state of Slavery were usually employed in agriculture, or in the bourers not V. And be it further enacted, That no person who Apprenticeby virtue of this Act, or of any such Act of Assembly, ship of the Ordinance, or Order in Council as aforesaid, shall be- prædial Lacome a prædial apprenticed Labourer, whether at- to continue tached or not attached to the soil, shall continue in beyond 1st such Apprenticeship beyond the First day of August August 1840; One thousand eight hundred and forty; and that during such his or her Apprenticeship no such prædial apprenticed Labourer, whether attached or not attached to the soil, shall be bound or liable, by virtue of such Apprenticeship, to perform any labour in the service of his or her employer or employers for more than Fortyfive hours in the whole in any one week. VI. And be it further enacted, That no person who of the nonby virtue of this Act or of any such Act of Assembly, prædial LaOrdinance, or Order in Council as aforesaid, shall bourers not beyond 1st become a non-prædial apprenticed Labourer, shall August 1838. continue in such Apprenticeship beyond the First day of August One thousand eight hundred and thirtyeight. VII. And be it further enacted, That if before any Before the such Apprenticeship shall have expired the person or Apprenticepersons entitled for and during the remainder of any ship is expired, the such term to the services of such apprenticed Labourer Labourer may shall be desirous to discharge him or her from such be discharged by the volun- Apprenticeship, it shall be lawful for such person or tary act of his persons so to do by any deed or instrument to be by employer. him, her, or them for that purpose made and executed; which deed or instrument shall be in such form, and shall be executed and recorded in such manner and with such solemnities, as shall for that purpose be prescribed under such authority, and in and by such Acts of Assembly, Ordinances, or Orders in Council, as In case of the nerein-after mentioned: Provided nevertheless, that if voluntary dis- any person so discharged from charge of aged any such Apprenticeship by any such voluntary act as aforesaid shall at that or infirm apprenticed time be of the age of Fifty Years or upwards, or shall Labourers, the be then labouring under any such disease or mental or employer to bodily infirmity as may render him or her incapable of continue liable earning his or her subsistence, then and in every for their Support. purchase his such case the person or persons so discharging any such apprenticed Labourer as aforesaid shall continue and be liable to provide for the support and maintenance of such apprenticed Labourer during the remaining term of such original Apprenticeship, as fully as if such apprenticed Labourer had not been discharged therefrom. Apprenticed VIII. And be it further enacted, That it shall be Labourer may lawful for any such apprenticed Labourer to purchase discharge his or her discharge from such Apprenticeship, even against the without the consent, or in opposition, if necessary, to will of his em- the will of the person or persons entitled to his or her ployer, on an services upon payment to such person or persons of the appraisement. appraised value of such services; which appraisement How appraise- shall be effected, and which purchase money shall be voluntary dis- paid and applied, and which discharge shall be given charge to be and executed, in such manner and form, and upon, under, and subject to such conditions, as shall be prescribed under such authority, and by such Acts of Assembly, Ordinances, or Orders in Council, as are herein-after mentioned. ment and in effected. Apprenticed removable IX. And be it further enacted, That no apprenticed Labourers not Labourer shall be subject or liable to be removed from the Colony to which he or she may belong; and that no prædial apprenticed Labourer who may in manner aforesaid become attached to the soil shall be subject or liable to perform any labour in the service of his or her employer or employers except upon or in or about the works and business of the plantations or estates to from the Colony. Prædial apprenticed Labourers not removable any which such prædial apprenticed Labourer shall have from the planbeen attached or on which he or she shall have been tation except by consent of usually employed on or previously to the said First day two Special of August One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four: Justices. Provided nevertheless, that, with the consent in writing of any two or more Justices of the Peace holding such Special Commission as herein-after mentioned, it shall be lawful for the person or persons entitled to the services of any such attached prædial apprenticed Labourer or Labourers to transfer his or their services to any other estate or plantation within the same Colony to such person or persons belonging; which Consent not written consent shall in no case be given, or be of to be given validity, unless any such Justices of the Peace shall till the Justifirst have ascertained that such transfer would not have tained that the the effect of separating any such attached prædial ap- removal will prenticed Labourer from his or her wife or husband, not separate parent or child, or from any person or persons reputed to bear any such relation to him or her, and that such transfer would not probably be injurious to the health or welfare of such attached prædial apprenticed Labourer; and such written consent to any such removal How consent shall be expressed in such terms, and shall be in each to be given case given, attested, and recorded in such manner, as shall for that purpose be prescribed under such authority, and by such Acts of Assembly, Ordinances, and Orders in Council, as herein-after mentioned. ces have ascer the members of families. and recorded. X. And be it further enacted and declared, That the Right to the right or interest of any employer or employers to and services of apin the services of any such apprenticed Labourers as bourers to be prenticed Laaforesaid shall pass and be transferable by bargain and transferable sale, contract, deed, conveyance, will, or descent, accor- property. ding to such rules and in such manner as shall for that purpose be provided by any such Acts of Assembly, Ordinances, or Orders in Council as herein-after mentioned; provided that no such apprenticed Labourer Labourer not shall, by virtue of any such bargain and sale, contract, ted from wife, deed, conveyance, will, or descent, be subject or liable &c. to be separated from his or her wife or husband, parent or child, or from any person or persons reputed to bear any such relation to him or her. to be separa XI. And be it further enacted, That during the con- Employer to tinuance of any such Apprenticeship as aforesaid the supply the Laperson or persons for the time being entitled to the bourer with such Food, services of every such apprenticed Labourer shall be and is and are hereby required to supply him or her &c. as the |