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This work is a biographical study of Sir John Gorrie, a Scottish lawyer born in 1797, who served as a judge and as chief justice in several multi-racial British colonies (Mauritius, Fiji, the Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago) in the second half of the nineteenth century. Holding radical political and social views, especially a conviction that persons of all ethnic and class backgrounds should enjoy equal justice under the British Crown, he was a controversial jurist who inspired both bitter opposition from colonial elites and intense admiration from the 'subject races' in each place where he served. A maverick official of the British Crown, Gorrie tried to use his judicial office to secure justice and protection for ex-slaves, indentured labourers, indigenous peoples and other nonwhite groups in the empire. Moreover, Gorrie's beliefs led him to intervene in political issues and debates in a way which was unusual for a colonial judge and which ensured that he would often be the focus of public comment and criticism. Brereton assesses the impact of Gorrie's interventions on the colonies where he served and examines how the Colonial Office in London dealt with the persistent agitation against his actions organized by the colonial elites which felt threatened by them. "Law, Justice and Empire" is an original contribution to the comparative history of the nineteenth century British empire, as well as to the history of the Caribbean, Mauritius and Fiji in that period. It extends our understanding of the empire and how it was administered.
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THE PRESS UWI BIOGRAPHY SERIES Douglas Hall, Editor The Press University of the West Indies invites the submission of work to be considered for publication in this biography series. We recognize the need to record the lives and achievements of people of the Caribbean, but we would not exclude biographical account of expatriates who have lived and worked long and hard with us to our mutual advantage. The series will not be limited to accounts of those who, by whatever means, have achieved wide acclaim or notoriety. Far more numerous than the famous are the many individuals who by stern and skillful performance in the fields, the workshops, the market-places, and in the service of their compatriots have contributed much but remain unrecognized. This series is also for accounts of them, and is dedicated to the solid contributions of the unsung. 1 A Man Divided: Michael Garfield Smith Jamaican Poet and Anthropologist 1921-1993 DOUGLAS HALL 2 Law, Justice and Empire The Colonial Career of John Gorrie 1829—1892 BRIDGET M. BRERETON Forthcoming 3 White Rebel The Story ofT.T. Lewis through the Eyes of Contemporaries GARY LEWIS 4 Demerara Doctor Confessions and Reminiscences of a Self-taught Physician GEORGE GIGLIOLI Sir John Gorrie, c.l 889 (Family photograph) LAW JUSTICE AND EMPIRE The Colonial Career of John Gorrie 1829-1892 Bridget Brereton THE PRESS UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES • Barbados • Jamaica • Trinidad and Tobago The Press University of the West Indies 1A Aqueduct Flats Mona Kingston 7 Jamaica W I © 1997 by Bridget Mary Brereton All rights reserved. Published 1997 Printed in Canada ISBN 976-640-035-0 ISSN 0799-057X 01 00 99 98 97 5 4 3 2 1 CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA Brereton, Bridget M. Law, justice and empire : the colonial career of John Gorrie, 1829-1892 / Bridget M. Brereton. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 976-640-035-0 ISSN 0799-057X 1. Gorrie, John, 1829-1892. 2. Colonial administrators - Biography. I. Title. DA565.G6B73 1997 325.309 Set in ll/15pt Adobe Garamond x 27 picas Book and cover design by Prodesign Ltd., Red Gal Ring, Kingston Cover illustration: Rex Dixon, "Lesson", March-June 1993 Acrylic, enamel and chalk on canvas - 65" x