Arthur Child, an "English barrister" who, of
course, had possessed the requisite qualification of being hopelessly
briefless. For the ideal justice which Mr. Froude would have Britons
believe is meted out to the weaker classes by their fellow-
countrymen [102] in the West Indies, we may refer the reader to the
conduct of the above-named functionary on the memorable occasion of
the slaughter of the coolies under Governor Freeling, in October,
1884. Mr. Child, as Stipendiary justice, had the duty of reading the
Riot Act to the immigrants, who were marching in procession to the
town of San Fernando, contrary, indeed, to the Government
proclamation which had forbidden it; and he it was who gave the order
to "fire," which resulted fatally to many of the unfortunate devotees
of Hosein. This mandate and its lethal consequences anticipated by
some minutes the similar but far more death-dealing action of the
Chief of Police, who was stationed at another post in the vicinity of
San Fernando. The day after the shooting down of a total of more
than one hundred immigrants, the protecting action of this magistrate
towards the weaker folk under his jurisdiction had a striking
exemplification, to which Mr.
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