JEIIEMIE, SIR JOHN, was born in Guernsey, August 19th 1795, and was the eldest son of John Jeremie, a distinguished advocate of the Royal Court of that island. At an early age he was sent to the Blundell grammar school, Tiverton, but his studies were soon inter rupted by the premature death of his father. Upon his return to Guernsey he devoted himself to the study of the law, which he com pleted during a residence at Dijon in France. As early as 1815, at the commencement of his public life, ho distinguished himself before the royal commissioners, sent over to Guernsey to correct certaiu abuses in the laws and administration of justice in that island. He was afterwards retained in many difficult cases, both civil and criminal, and soon acquired a high character for independence and energetic zeal in the discharge of his professional duties. On more than one occasion he was chosen to plead cases of appeal before the Privy Council, where his talents and eloquence found a larger sphere for their action, and brought him before the notice of government.
In October 1824 ho was appointed to the office of chief justice of St. Lucia in the West Indies. "At the time the tender of an appoint ment was made to him," he observes, in Essays on Colonial Slavery,' " ho was unacquainted with a single individual in the service of the colonial department, and his political opinions were rather opposed to the then existing government. On the question of slavery he was thoroughly indifferent ; indeed, it was so remote from his usual pursuits, that he may fairly say he had never given it a thought. In the interval between the first proposal and his accepting office his professional avocations brought him to England, and on this occasion, probably owing to this proposal, his curiosity prompted him to atteud an anti-slavery meeting. The impression made upon his mind was rather unfavourable than otherwise to the abolitionists. He heard much declamation, much angry and eloquent declamation; but accus tomed from early life to sift evidence, it struck him that there was a deficiency of facts and of evidence ou which to found that declamation." It was under this impression that he went to the colonies, and the candid expression of his feeliugs on the subject of slavery, which we have quoted, must acquit him of any bias in favour of its abolition; and proves that his subsequent devotedness-to the great cause of emancipation was the entire result of a conviction pressed upon him by an actual knowledge of the evils of the system. No sooner indeed
was the slave-law of 1825 promulgated, and the slave enjoyed the liberty of freely communicating with his protectors, than numerous examples of revolting cruelty, brought before him in his official capacity, produced a rapid but lasting change in his opinions. In proportion to the extent of his inquiries was the depth of his conviction that the only remedy to the evil of slavery was the gradual emanci pation of the slave. His views on this important subject are fully put forth in 'Four Essays on Colonial Slavery, which he published on his return to Europe in 1831 : in them he describes the general features of the slave communities, and the beneficial effect of the ameliorations already adopted, and he proceeds to show what he considers to be the further measures required for the entire annihilation of the system. In 1832 he was appointed to the office of procureur- and advocate general of the Mauritius. He had there to contend not only against objections of a personal nature, arising from his known opinions on the slave question, but against national and deep-rooted antipathies of a population almost entirely of French origin, and strongly attached to French institutions. The office moreover which he held presented peculiar difficulties to ',one who was determined conscientiously to perform the duties it imposed. The procureur-general, among the French, is an executive magistrate, and has to enforce the decrees of the courts, and he has under his control the police force of the country. When the disaffected party at the Mauritius beard of Mr. Jeremie's appointment to an office which we believe had hitherto been held by members of their own community, they broke out into au almost open rebellion. On his arrival before Port Louis, so great was the fear entertained for his personal safety by the British authorities, that all access to the shore was for a time forbidden him. The colonial assembly had petitioned the governor altogether to prevent his landing; their request being refused, after a detention of two days he went on shore, under the protection of the whole naval and military force in the island, and on the same day was sworn into office, at a meeting of the legislative council.