JB/010/165/001

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before trial by Jury was introduced, urging
them to adopt some plan of their own accord
for the gradual abolition of Slavery; this
proposition they at that time unanimously
rejected; the right of sitting upon Juries
was granted to the Inhabitants of Ceylon
in 1811, from that period I availed myself
of the opportunities which were afforded
to me when I delivered my Charge at the
commencement of each Session to the Jurymen,
most of whom were considerable proprietors
of Slaves, of informing them of what was
doing in England upon the subject of the
abolition of Slavery, and of pointing out
to them the difficulties which they themselves
must frequently experience, in executing with
impartiality their duties as Jurymen in all
cases in which Slaves were concerned, a
change of opinion upon the subject of
Slavery was gradually perceptible amongst
them, and in the year 1816 the proprietors
of Slaves of all casts and religious
persuasions in Ceylon sent me their
unanimous resolutions to be publicly recorded
in Court, declaring free all children born of
their Slaves after the 12th. August 1816, which in
the course of a very few years must put
an end to the state of slavery, which had
subsisted on Ceylon for more than three
Centuries.

I have the honor to be
Dear Sir
yours very faithfully
Alex. Johnston

Identifier: | JB/010/165/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 10.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	010	Main Headings
Folio number	165	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner	sir alexander johnston	Watermarks	[[watermarks::j whatman [motif] 1825 balston & co]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	3601
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