Abolition of Slavery in Barbados: A Pair of Victorian Silver Presentation Wine Coolers, John E. Terry, London, 1842

of large size and substantial weight, the campana-form bodies raised on four dolphin supports, applied on one side with attributes of the island including pineapple, melons, sugarcane, and barrels below engraved presentation inscription, the other side applied with a cluster of native fruits flanked by armorials and crest, all below a dolphin-supported cartouche enclosing a hippocamp-drawn chariot with Neptune garbed as a British monarch, the handles formed as clamshells, the rims decorated with shells, coffee sprigs, and flowers, detachable rims and liners, fully marked, in original iron-bound wood traveling case

In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The inscription reads:
Presented to The Honorable Samuel Hinds, Speaker, by the House of Assembly of Barbados. As a mark of personal esteem for his virtues in private life & a tribute of respect for his conduct as Speak, during a period of difficulty unprecedented in the history of Colonial Legislation, when, by his amiable deportment, conciliatory disposition, and suavity of manners, he so skillfully conducted the arduous duties of his Office, as to gain for the house the respect of The British Government, and for himself, the confidence and approbation of His Country.  August 1839.

The Hon. Samuel Hinds served as Speaker of the House in Barbados between 1836 and 1839.  Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834, requiring £20,000 in compensation for the slave owners.  In Barbados, the four years until 1838 were a difficult time of transition.  Barbados slaves served a four year "apprenticeship", during which they worked 45-hour work weeks in exchange for continued shelter in the slave huts of their former owners.  The scope of this evolution is revealed by the 1834 slave register, which lists 99, 349 slaves and 5,206 slave owners; today, the island still has a populartion of less than 300,000.  By 1838 the process was complete, and 70,000 inhabitants of African descent celebrated in the streets.  It was his delicate handling of this situation - closely monitored by the British government - which earned Samuel Hinds these testimonials.