No colony legalized slavery in 1861. In fact, by that time, slavery had already been abolished or was in the process of being abolished in several countries. For example, in the United States, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, declaring the freedom of slaves in Confederate territory. Slavery was officially abolished in the United States with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. It's important to note that the timeline and specifics of slavery abolition varied among different countries and regions.