The Substance of a Speech Delivered by Joseph Marryat, Esq. in the House of Commons, Upon Mr. Hume's Motion for Appointing a Commission of Enquiry on the State of The Island of Trinidad bound with 'The Crisis Of Spain' London: Printed by W. Hughes, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden (1823) xii + 115 pp + [ii] + 81 + [i] pp Original half red morocco over marbled boards, gilt. Some wear to extremities and spine faded; otherwise a very good copyThe Crisis of Spain was published anonymously, but is attributed to Sir Douglas Howard, 3rd baronet (1776-1861), a soldier and colonial administrator. Sir Joseph Marryat (1757-1824) was a West India merchant who served as agent for Trinidad, c.1807- 15. Marryat provides a critique of British colonial policy as applied to Trinidad, which had been captured from Spain in 1797. Spanish laws still applied on the island and this was a grievance which had caused the inhabitants to petition the Commons. Particularly at issue were Spanish commercial and land law and the use of torture against the free, as opposed to slave, inhabitants. Marryat refers briefly to the notorious torture case against Governor Picton, supporting him on the grounds that Picton was merely using an old British cavalry punishment rather than Spanish torture.