to be a very troublesome and refractory gang, worse than any other in the island.

"That Mr. John Henry Clarke, the last liver upon the property, could not bring them into any proper state of subjection.

"Witness conceived it highly necessary to bring them into a regular system of obedience, and conceived that moderate measures steadily pursued were most likely to conduce to that end. Witness says, it soon appeared the negroes were determined to try their new master, as they called it; they early commenced a system of opposition; from opposition they proceeded to actual disobedience; from disobedience they proceeded to riot, and from riot to rebellion.

"Being interrogated as to what acts of riot and rebellion. they were guilty of? says, that frequently six or eight would run away together, and the hunters sent after them seldom or ever brought them back; witness knows the hunters had frequent interviews with the runaways; witness has only threatened to punish the hunters for this misconduct, which generally caused them to run away also. Says, that from twenty to thirty have come at once into the sick-house, without the doctor being able to discover any indisposition in any of them; the doctor told one of them he was not sick, who answered he knew that, but they were doing so to try their master. Witness says, that being at first without any overseer, he was obliged to attend to every thing himself; says, he ordered them to throw grass into the pens at night, a regular practice upon his father's other properties, and usual with all other estates: this these negroes had not been accustomed to, and they were much displeased at witness for ordering it.

"Witness says, that one night, in the second week after the negroes had thrown their grass, not one of them quitted the yard; he was willing to suppose they might be tired, and he took no notice to them of this unusual conduct.

"Witness called a boatman, and gave him his directions for next morning, which orders he was also to make known

to his brother. Witness then mounted his horse, and the boatman called for his brother, upon which the whole gang surrounded him, and tumultuously demanded what witness had been saying; the boatman answered, nothing about you-I want to speak to my brother;' that all the negroes then fell upon the boatman with their sticks; and witness thinks might have killed him, if he had not been timely rescued out of their hands.

Says, that the boatman was rescued from the negroes by John Smith, witness's brother's groom, who brought the boatman to witness, and informed witness the negroes were all in the lower yard armed with sticks; witness immediately rode to the lower yard, but only found six or seven men there; two of whom witness secured, the rest of the six or seven ran away.

"In the night a heavy rain fell, and witness, early next morning, sent to the drivers to have the pens cleared out, but not one of the gang made their appearance for two or three hours: when they appeared and were collected, witness punished the ringleaders of the disturbance the preceding evening, and also the drivers for having suffered it. Witness apprehends the negroes must have meditated something serious the preceding night, having found out the next day that they had employed the watchman on the bay to cut sticks for them.

66 Witness says, they remained after this for some time tolerably quiet, though frequently disobeying witness's orders, and neglecting to do what they were told.

"Witness says, that having no white person on the estate who could stake the land properly, and to his satisfaction, he undertook it himself, for the instruction of the driver; witness staked one side of a piece, and took pains to shew the driver how he did it, that he might be able to stake the other side, who assured witness he could do it very well; but to prevent the possibility of his going wrong, witness also staked the first row of this side of the piece himself, and directed the driver to follow it. Witness then went to

town, and on his return to the field found the stakes he had placed taken up and altered, and that the driver was staking the land his own way. Witness then demanded of the driver, if this side was staked like the other; he answered, it was done right: witness again demanded, if the driver had followed witness's stakes, and if it was staked as witness had lain it out; he again answered, and persisted that it was done right, with great impertinence in his manner.

"Witness alighted from his horse to convince him the more easily of his error; the driver thereupon attempted to run away, but witness caught him, and struck him with his horsewhip; immediately the whole gang threw down their hoes and advanced towards witness, who, not knowing their intention, declared to them, that the first that got over the wall he would put to death; this threat appeared to alarm and stop them for a moment.

"Witness then ordered an old driver, named Wiltshire, to call out four of the men, which he did three times distinctly by name, but all in vain; they also refused to come out upon being called by witness; witness then knocked one of the men down, and seized another, when they approached towards the driver who had been staking the land, but they would not touch him for a considerable time, till witness threatened them with punishment. Witness then caused the driver to be whipped, and also the four men for their disobedience. Witness says, that after this he could get nothing done when he was out of the field. Says, that to punish the negroes for not working in the day in his absence, he ordered them to carry dung out of the pens for an hour every night; he directed them to begin Saturday the 13th January, being moonlight; but they refused, and all of them went to their houses.

"Witness then directed the driver Wiltshire to go to every negro-house, and acquaint them they should be exchanged for defendant's Gingerland negroes if they did not come to their work on Monday morning. Says, they came to work on Monday, and he then informed them that he

would forgive their disobedience in not carrying out the dung on Saturday, observing, that perhaps they had erred through bad advice; witness, however, gave them to understand his orders on that subject must be obeyed that night; but at night they all ran away, except a few old families.

Says, none of the negroes came to their work on Tuesday morning. Witness went over to his father, the defendant, to ask his advice; soon after his return saw Mr. Tobin (the attorney of the former owner), bringing home about sixty of the negroes; witness desired them to go into the field to their work; some of the women did so immediately, some not until the day was far advanced, and several not until the following morning; only one man came into the field till Saturday following, when about three more made their appearance.

"On Saturday night and Sunday, being the 20th and 21st of January, most of the men came home, some of their own accord, and some brought in by hunters.

"Witness says, that on Thursday the 18th January he repeated his order to carry dung, but the negroes seemed determined still to resist witness's orders; and all of them went away a third time. An old watchman met a party, who told him they were going away again; who advised them, as witness had not punished them for going away before, to return and do their work quietly; but they told him to hold his tongue, and that he was crazy.

"On Friday witness gave out that he would send for his father's (defendant's) hunters, and borrow others from his friends; and that when the runaways should be caught, they should be publicly punished and exchanged for the Gingerland négroes. They, however, came in this day.

"On the 21st, witness again directed dung to be carried out; some still disobeyed. Witness stopped a party who were going to their houses, and made them carry it for

some time.

"On the following Monday, witness observed the same disorderly disposition amongst the negroes, who, not having been punished for their last week's misconduct, made witness con

sider it had now become absolutely necessary to have them publicly chastised, not only as due to their particular and continued misconduct, but as an example to deter other slaves from similar misconduct; as witness says, some of the slaves of the neighbouring estates had shewn a disposition to revolt.

"Witness admits the defendant caused the negroes, mentioned in the indictment, to be punished in the public marketplace in Charlestown. Denies that they were punished inhumanly. Considers their punishment to have been mild, compared with the offences they had been guilty of.

"Witness says, he has seen negroes, from twenty-five lashes, with fever; and from thirty-nine lashesi he has seen negroes affected as severely as those who were more punished.

Says, that no man in the island feeds or clothes his slaves better than defendant, and many not near so well. Says, that the negroes, during their misconduct, wantonly killed two mules belonging to the estate; and one man threatened to put another man to death with a bayonet.

Says, that the slave Aberdeen was punished on being detected cutting the canes on which he was placed as a watchman, and carrying them to Webb's negro-houses to feed pigs with,

"John Dasent Smith, sworn; deposes, That he lives near Pinney's estate; has known the gang of negroes belonging to that estate a long time; always knew them to be a most unruly set; has been frequently obliged to send up at night to desire them to desist from drumming, quarrelling, fighting, and rioting.

"Witness says, that Frank Fisher, one of the turbulent negroes of the estate, once asked witness what he was to do, if he was always working for his master.

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Says, that defendant is well known for feeding and clothing his slaves abundantly. Says that Mr. Clarke, the former liver upon the estate, has been obliged to punish Frank Fisher for insolence.

"Says, that Mr. Clarke frequently complained they stole