An Act to amend and explain an Act, intituled ‘An Act to amend an Act intituled an Act to consolidate all the Laws now in force relating to the Slave Population, for making more effectual provision for their main­tenance and protection, and for the admissibility of their testimony in certain cases, in so far as relates to the admission of the evidence of slaves for and against slaves'

WHEREAS by an Act, intituled “An Act to amend an Act intituled an Act to consolidate all the laws now in force relating to the Slave Population, for making more effectual provision for their maintenance and protection, and for the admissi­bility of their testimony in certain cases, in so far as relates to the admission of the evidence of slaves for and against slaves,” it is enacted, “that when any slave or slaves shall be charged or accused of the crime of murder, felony, misdemeanor, or other offence whatsoever, any slave or slaves shall be a competent witness or witnesses, to give evidence in any such case before any justice or justices of the peace, or before any court or other tribunal having cognizance of such crime of murder, felony, misdemeanor, or other offence as aforesaid, notwithstanding such slave or slaves shall not produce before any such justice or justices of the peace, or before such court or other tribunal as aforesaid, any of the certificates or extracts, or other documents required by the therein in part recited Act to be produced in other cases.” And whereas by recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Judica­ture, it hath been found that the provisions of the said Act are insufficient to meet the object of the legislature in passing the same, it being intended that the evidence of slaves for and against slaves should be admitted without any restriction: in order, therefore, to remove all doubts, and to remedy the insufficiency of the said recited Act, [Clause 1.] Be it enacted, by His Excellency the Governor, the Council and Assembly of the island of Grenada and its dependencies, and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same, that in all cases of trial or examination of slaves for any crime or offence whatsoever, before any court, judge, justice of the peace, or other tribunal or authority whatsoever, every slave shall be deemed a competent witness, and be admitted as such for and against any other slave, without being possessed of or ever having obtained or registered any of the certificates, extracts or documents required in and by the Act intituled “An Act to consolidate all the Laws now in force relating to the Slave Population, for making more effectual provision for their maintenance and protection, and for the admissibility of their testimony in certain cases;” and the production and registration of such certificates, extracts or documents as are required to be produced and registered in and by the said last hereinbefore recited Act, shall, in all cases of the trial or examination of slaves, be deemed and are hereby declared unnecessary.

Passed the Council, this 18th day of March in the year of our Lord 1828.

(signed) W. A. Horne, Acting Clerk of Council.

Passed the Assembly, this 16th day of May in the year of our Lord 1828.

(signed) John Ch. Ker, Clerk of Assembly.

Dated at the town of Saint George in the said Island of Grenada, this 19th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1828, and of His Majesty’s reign the ninth.

(signed) John Hoyes, Speaker.

Assented to by his Excellency the Governor, and Commander-in-Chief, this 19th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1828, and in the ninth year of His Majesty’s reign.

(signed) W. A. Horne, Acting Clerk of the Council.

Duly published in the town of Saint George, in the said island of Grenada, this 20th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1828, and in the ninth year of His Majesty’s reign.

(signed) John Douglas, Acting P. M. G.

(signed) JAMES (L.M.S.) CAMPBELL.