ABSTRACT
THE lle\V Governor, Sir Lionel Smith, arrived in Carli8lc Bay on the 27th of April 1833; he ,vas saluted by his ~Iajesty's ship ' ..:\rachnc' and the United States schooner' Granlpus,' and on landing ,vas receivcd by a guard of honour from the garrison and a salute frol11 the ordnance. His Excellency was 8\\'01'n in as Governor and Conlnlander-in-chief of Barbados on the 30th of ..l\pril. The publication of a despatch frOln Lord Goderich, the Secretary for the Colonies, to Sir Lionel Smith, dated the 7th of l\larch 1833, infornled the public that the tinle had arrived for enforcing, as far as his l\lajesty's prerogative extended, the conlbillation of the different governments of Barbados, St. "Tincent, Grenada and Tobago in the person of the same officer, and that Sir IJioncl Smith had been selccted. This systenl \vould bc attcnded with a considerable saving to those colonies, \vhich had hitherto maintained four separate governors, and towards \vhose inconlcs the rcspective Houses of Assclnbly had paid a certain portion. Under the new system, Sir Lionel Snlith ,vould be the only person throughout the "'hole range of the \Vind,vard Islands holding the rank of a Governor, and his salary would be defrayed by funds at the disposal of Parliament. In St. Vincent, Grenada and Tobago, officers would be appointed to administer the governments, who \,"ould also be remunerated by parlianlentary grants. Whilst therefore the Assemblies would not be called upon to contribute any salary for the Governor or Lieutenant-Governors, these officers would be precluded by their instructions from accepting any additional emolulllcnt \vhich the Assemblies might perhaps in some cases be disposed spontaneously to offer. The Lieutenant-Governors \vere directed, ,vith a few exceptions, to correspond \\Tith the GovetOnor-in-chief, ,vho was to report to the Secretary for the Colonies. To the Governor-in-chief they would have to apply for instructions on all occasions. The increased authority conferred upon the Governor-in-chief would render it unnecessary to refer to Europe for instructions upon evcry occasion in which the local authorities might be at variance amongst themsclves. Barbados, as the 1110St important of the 'Vindward Islands, ,,,as fixed upon as the ordinary place of the Governor's rpsidence; fronl thence he ,,,as to repair to the other islands within his government at lcast once a )Tcar. During his absence from Barbados, or frolu any of the othcr islands c0111p1'ised in his commission, the government was to be adulinistercu by the officer
specially appointed by his l\Iajesty for that purpose, or, failing any such officer, by the llrcsident of the Council,-the Bishop of the Diocese and the Chicf-J ustice being ho,,'cvcr ahvays excluded fronl that COlllBland. 'fhesc \vcrc the principal changc8 \vhich canle into operation ,,"ith the adlninistration of Sir Lionel SInith,-changcs at that time of the greatest iIllportance, as thcy rendered the Governor entirely independent of the colonies.
