In 1800 he was appointed Governor of Barbadoes,
an office which he retained for six years, after which he held high
office in Demerara and Berbice. While Governor of Barbadoes he was
for a time extremely popular, and was distinguished for his firmness
and even-handed justice. He succeeded in putting an end to slavery,
and to the practice of slave-killing in the island, which at that time
was of very common occurrence, and deemed by the planters a venal
offence punishable only by a small fine of ?15. In consequence
of his humane proceedings in this matter he became obnoxious to
many of the colonists, and, in 1806, he finally left the island. In
1808 he was made a Lieutenant-General.
These were singular incidents in the life of a man who may be
said to have been deaf and dumb from his youth but who, in spite
of these physical defects - sufficient to crush any ordinary man -
had been able, by the force of his natural abilities and the favour
of fortune, to overcome them sufficiently to raise himself to such
a high and important position in the world. He took a lively
interest in all questions of art and science, especially in natural
history, and displayed at once his liberality and his love of
art by his munificence to Sir Thomas Lawrence, in the youth and
struggles of that great artist and famous painter, and by his
patronage of others.
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