A significant official memorandum, signed by Bathurst as clerk of the Privy Council, recording King George III's assent to commissioning Murray-Macgregor as Governor of Dominica, to replace the outgoing William Nicolay (1771-1842). Murray-Macgregor, Viscount Goderich, and other members of Prime Minister Earl Grey's reformist cabinet, present at this meeting, were supporters of the growing anti-slavery movement. Only a few months after this commission was signed, on the 25th of December, 1831, a huge uprising of 60,000 slaves in Jamaica, led by local Baptist preacher Samuel Sharpe, became an eleven-day revolt, and the largest rebellion of slaves in the British West Indies. Subsequently known variously as the Baptist War, Sam Sharpe's Rebellion, the Christmas Rebellion, the Christmas Uprising, and the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt of 1831–32, the insurrection was quickly and brutally suppressed by the Jamaican plantocracy. Back home, in Britain, disgust at the punishment metered out by colonial militias in the aftermath of the revolt, led directly to an acceleration in the parliamentary process of emancipating slaves.

Murray-Macgregor arrived in Dominica in July of 1832, and was made Governor of Antigua, Montserrat and Barbuda, St Christopher, Nevis, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands, administering all together as the British Leeward Islands. He assented to Early Grey's Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in most parts of the British Empire over a six-year period, but brought this measures forward, abolishing "apprenticeships" in his jurisdiction as early as 1834, and granting freedom to all former slaves upon the Act becoming law.

Those present at this auspicious meeting are recorded as: The King's most Excellent Majesty; Lord Chancellor, Visc.t Palmerston; Lord President, Visc.t Goderich; Lord Privy Seal, Visc.t Althorp; Duke of Richmond; Lord Auckland; Earl of Carlisle; Lord Holland; Earl Grey; Sir James Graham B.t; Visc.t Melbourne; and Mr. Charles Grant. The document is written and signed by William Lennox Bathurst, 5th Earl Bathurst (1791 – 1878), who, at the time of this memorandum, was Joint Secretary to the Board of Trade (1830 - 1847), and Joint Clerk of the Privy Council (1830 - 1860), after holding the positions of Deputy Teller of the Exchequer (1816 - 1830) and Commissioner for victualling the Royal Navy (1825 - 1829).

The text reads:

"Whereas there was this day read at the Board a Letter from the Right Honorable Viscount Goderich one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State to the Lord President of the Council transmitting the Draughts of a Commission and Instructions for Sir Evan John Murray Macgregor Bart. Governor and Commander in Chief of Dominica – His Majesty having taken the same into Consideration was pleased by and with the advice of His Privy Council to approve thereof and to order as it is hereby ordered that the Right Honorable Visc.t Goderich one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State do cause a Warrant to be prepared for His Majesty's Royal Signature for passing a Commission comfortably to the said Draught (which is hereunto annexed) under the Great Seal of Great Britain and that His Lordship do prepare the said Instructions (which are hereunto annexed) for His Majesty's Royal Signature.

Wm. L. Bathurst"