Source 1

Letter from James Leith, Governor of Barbados, to Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and Colonies, 30 April 1816 (CO 28/85)

Transcript

Barbados, 30th April 1816

My Lord,

It is with great regret that I do myself the honour of reporting to your Lordship for the information of the Prince Regent, that I received accounts from Mr. President Spooner sent to me express to Guadeloupe that a serious insurrection of the slaves had taken place on the night of the 14th instant and that martial law had been proclaimed. I immediately embarked and arrived at Barbados on the 24th instant, when I found that the force promptly employed for the re-establishment of public order had at once suppressed the insurgents. I have the honour to transmit the report of Colonel Codd, the commanding officer of the troops to which I beg leave to refer for information as to the nature of the insurrection.

Glossary

Insurrection: attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by force

Insurgents: rebels; people taking part in an uprising

Suppressed: put down, stopped

« Return to Bussa’s rebellion

1. Read Source 1. This is a letter from James Leith, Governor of Barbados, to Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and Colonies, 30 April 1816.

What evidence is there in this source that these events are viewed as serious?