The West Indies in 1837
Being the Journal of a Visit to Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Jamaica

A detailed description of the lives and social conditions of former slaves in the West Indies, first published in 1838.

Joseph Sturge (Author), Thomas Harvey (Author)

9781108024310, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 16 December 2010

512 pages, 2 maps
21.6 x 14 x 2.8 cm, 0.64 kg

Joseph Sturge (1793–1859) and his co-author, Thomas Harvey (1812–1884), were Quaker philanthropists concerned with the treatment of former slaves. Both men had reservations about the 'apprenticeship' system introduced by the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act, and between 1836 and 1837 they visited the West Indies to assess the usefulness of the system in action. Their book was first published in 1838, and a second, revised edition (reissued here) came out in the same year. It contains Sturge and Harvey's observations on the failures of apprenticeship. Organised by island and presented in the form of a diary, this detailed account of the lives and living conditions of former slaves illustrates the inherent flaws in the apprenticeship system. This volume proved very influential in the campaign to abolish the system, and provides valuable first-hand information on the contemporary social conditions in the West Indies, and attitudes to former slaves.

Preface
Preface to Second Edition
Voyage from Falmouth to Barbadoes
1. Barbadoes
2. Voyage to Antigua
3. Antigua
4. Results of emancipation in Antigua
5. Montserrat
6. Dominica
7. Martinique
8. St. Lucia
9. Barbadoes
10. Barbadoes - general remarks
11. Jamaica - Kingston, St. Andrew's, and St. Catherine's
12. Jamaica - St. Thomas' in the Vale, St. Ann's, Trelawney, and St. James's
13. Jamaica - Hanover, Westminster, and St. Elizabeth
14. Jamaica - Manchester, Clarendon, Spanish Town, and Kingston
15. St. David's, and St. Thomas' in the East - Journal of William Lloyd and Thomas Harvey
16. Jamaica - Kingston, Port Royal, and St. Thomas' in the Vale
17. Results of the apprenticeship in Jamaica
18. Conclusion
Appendix
Antigua
Dominica
Martinique
Barbadoes
Jamaica
Postscript.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH]