The Legislative Assembly of Jamaica was prorogued on the 18th
of December, to tho 7th instant ; having in the course of their ten weeks' sitting adopted, with some alterations, the bill for Negro emancipation. Lord MULGRAVE'S prorogation-speech proves that the proceedings had been satisfactory. It would ap- pear from the following passage, that the Jamaica slaveowners, following the example of the Antigua planters, have some idea of petitioning the British Legislature for leave to dispense with the apprenticeship part of the scheme, and to emancipate their slaves without delay. " It has been thought by the British Government, that the dangers of this critical operation might be lessened by an intermediate state of probation; and in conformity with their suggestion, you have adopted that plan. But this is a part of the subject which will of course be open to your subsequent revision. The extt eine duration of this period is already fixed • but should you hereafter, in the exercise of your discretion, founded on your observation of the disposition and conduct of the Negroes, think that the term of apprenticeship could be either safely diminished or shortly abrogated, there is no determination which would be hailed with greater satisfaction by the British Government and people, and no one would more rejoice than myself at the last traces being utterly ef- faced of that state of things of which I have personally witnessed the insepa- rable evils."
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