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and that roads and communications should not be made without an act of the legislature ;" and adds, "I think you give much more consideration to the present state of the war than either I or the country do. Your request to have nothing left to your discretion is totally incompatible with the very high situation in which you are placed; and the great opinion I have had of the proper exercise of that discretion assuredly will justify the favorable report I have made to his Majesty of your services." His lordship then asks for a return of the arms brought in. The reply is ninety-fiveand the general adds, " I must repeat, that if your lordship had had the different communications and conferences on the spot, that you would then have been more of my opinion."

On February the 2d, Lord Balcarres states to General Walpole, "My object has been to keep myself free and uncommitted; by no means to cramp you in any point that I am not forced to. - I do not know your opinion respecting the treaty, nor do I desire to know it; I have formed my own, and must declare it when I am called upon. You will of course take every means in your power to get in or destroy the rebels who are still out. But what I have

anxiously wished for, namely, the securing the persons of these Maroons, has been executed, and I can now report with correctness and security: while these people remained in the Old Town, I could advance nothing but with incorrectness and insecurity. You may always keep any three Maroon men with you that you fix upon (Montague, James, and old Jarrett excepted), but no terms can be held to the rebels now out." His lordship then states his intention of sending 160 Maroons from Montego Bay to St. Ann's. On February the 12th, the general reports, that Johnson had brought in six Maroons, with a number of women and children—that the remainder, seeing their countrymen sent off to Montego Bay, have construed it into treachery on our part. "I am told," he says, "that some came to surrender, and upon this went back to the woods. Their want of water is, I understand, extreme; they cannot get any but what they draw from the wild pines. I have offered no terms but lives." The general adds, that the want of water prevented his attending the Maroon party with a detachment of troops; but he was satisfied of their fidelity, and recommends seven of them by name. On the 18th, he mentions his intention of cutting a road to Pond River, the place where the Maroons made their last stand, in order to avail himself of the water, in case any expedition should be sent into the woods; he also complains of the commissioners not furnishing provisions. On the 20th Lord Balcarres says, "I am convinced the country will be of opinion, that martial law ought not to be continued. If, however, the banditti of runaway slaves have gone down to Old Womans Savanna, the 14th light dragoons must occupy posts in that neighbourhood; the country

Proceedings against the Maroons, p. 65.

that lies behind it, I believe, never was explored." On the 29th, his lordship complains, "that some Maroons have been permitted to go from Montego Bay to Falmouth unguarded, and orders them all to be strictly guarded." The Maroons residing in Westmorland were ordered to be liberated, as they had no connection with the rebel town. On March the 4th Lord Balcarres says, "The country is extremely alarmed at the circumstance of several of the Maroon prisoners having been seen at St. Ann's, going at large without guards; I beg that no relaxation may take place respecting guarding against all possible escape of any of these Maroons."

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General Walpole, on the 5th, congratulates his lordship upon having again the opportunity of finally and effectually terminating the rebellion." He says, "I shall grant lives only. I have been too scandalously traduced already, to exert my judgment for the public good. Notwithstanding your lordship's ratification of the terms heretofore granted, I shall endeavour to keep the matter afloat till I may be honoured with your lordship's commands, for I cannot but apprehend that they may make some effort to get to windward, desperate as it may appear, should they be dealt with too rigidly in their conceptions. On the 9th Lord Balcarres replies, "In your letter of the 5th instant, you write me that you have been too scandalously traduced already to exert your judgment for the public good, notwithstanding my ratification of the terms heretofore granted. This I do know, that all public men every where will be traduced by restless and violent characters; but my ratifying the treaty which you signed sufficiently marks the support which I gave to that measure, and the respectable council that advised me to ratify it bears you out as well as myself. It stands on the minutes taken at that council, that provided the Maroons performed the first and third articles of the treaty, that the secret articles should be complied with.' Every man, however, will form his own opinion as to those two points; - first, whether or not the treaty is a wise one; secondly, if it has been performed. As to the first and second articles, my mind is made up upon the subject, and my opinion is, that if force had not been sent out against them, in conformity to my orders of the 14th of January, issued in consequence of my receiving your letter of that date, they would not have come in at

I am perfectly aware of the favourable opinion you have of the Smiths and Johnstone, and I shall represent it to the assembly at a proper time. I wish to make a remark upon the first part of your letter of the 5th, which runs in these words, I give you joy of having again the opportunity of finally and effectually terminating the rebellion.' This, I presume, alludes to the circumstance of your wishing to keep the Maroon prisoners at the Maroon town, instead of sending them to the coast; I really cannot state this to have been a difference of opinion between yourself and me, and I am free to

confess, that their remaining in that situation might have been an inducement for those still out to have come in. But I thought it was playing too deep a game, and if the Maroons had given us the slip, I should have had a dreadful reckoning to account to the King, this country, and my own tranquillity of mind."

The general replies, on the 11th, "I send you a private letter: make what use of it you please. The Maroons could make out a stronger case than is imagined. If Palmer and Parkinson should refuse the terms, which I think they will, you never will conquer them; I shall offer the terms, and there leave the matter. I will not, nor shall any thing induce me to avail myself of that reliance which I see they have in me, until I am certain that no deceit is intended; I will not be accessary to so foul a crime. Could not a company of rangers be formed from them, agreeable to the hints which I once laid before you, and the rest dispersed about as free citizens, like the people of colour? One word as to the freedom allowed the Maroons : Montego Bay barrack is not secure; it is best therefore not to seem to mistrust them."

"MY DEAR LORD,

(Private.)

March 11, 1796.

"I must trouble your lordship with a few words in privacy and confidence. For some days past I have been in a state of considerable uneasiness at a report which seems to gain ground, that the legislature mean to infringe the capitulation accepted by me and ratified by your lordship. My lord, to be plain with you, it was through my means alone that the Maroons were induced to surrender, from a reliance which they had in my word, and from a conviction impressed upon them by me, that the white people would never break their faith. All these things strongly call upon me, as the instrumental agent in this business, to see a due observance of the terms, or in case of violation to resign my command; and if that should not be accepted, to declare the facts to the world, and to leave them to judge how far I ought or ought not to be implicated in the guilt and infamy of such a proceeding. So much the more strong is this call upon me, as there was no occasion to ratify the terms; for your lordship will recollect that I told you at Castle Wemyss, that the time appointed by me for fulfilling them was expired, and the terms therefore null and void; but your lordship then thought that there was so much of advantage to the country in those terms, that it would be best not to give them As the great object of the war is now declared to be accomplished, I shall shortly solicit your lordship for permission to return to England, with an intention to retire from the service. "I am your lordship's most faithful and obedient, "S. WALPOLE."

up.

"Earl Balcarres.

On the 13th of March, the general writes again, "Your lordship has, I well know, been of opinion, that the force sent out on the 14th induced the Maroons to come in. I think not; and my opinion is grounded on this fact, that I met the Maroons about half a mile from the advanced post, coming in with loads on their backs of clothes and children. They must therefore have moved more than half way the day before, and certainly no one knew of my motions here. The wisdom of the treaty cannot be much doubted, as treble the number of troops would not have brought in so many Maroons in twelve months more. The opinions of the field officers on the spot have never differed. I am anxious to keep my faith with the Maroons now surrendered. Sure I am, that Jamaica has been saved by the terms of surrender, and that the not adhering to them may be productive one day or other of the loss of the colony."

On the 16th of March, Lord Balcarres replies, "the country has a right to every advantage which the treaty affords it. I shall leave it to the legislature to decide whether the treaty has been observed or not. Those strong sentiments which you have expressed relative to the Maroons shall be fairly canvassed. If there is any thing upon earth in which a legislature has a right to exercise its judgment, it is internal rebellion. I regret your determination of quitting the service."

James Galloway, Esquire, was appointed sole commissioner for embarking all the Maroons.

March 21st. The general reports the coming in of the remainder of the Maroons by " Parkinson's party, thirty-six bearing arms, and requests permission for Charles Samuels, a Maroon, to remain with him." On the next day he writes, "My wish to retire was in a great degree connected with a presage which I had of future circumstances with regard to the Maroons; perhaps these may now be altered. I was fearful lest it should seem that I had drawn the Maroons into a treaty which I knew was hereafter to be broken; my resignation was meant to declare my entire ignorance of such an intention.”

The joint committees of the legislature met on the 20th of April, and came to the following resolutions:

"1. That it is the opinion of the joint committee, that all runaway slaves, who joined the Trelawney Maroons in rebellion, ought to be dealt with according to law.

"2. That all persons of free condition who joined the rebels ought to be dealt with according to law.

3. That the thirty-one Maroons who surrendered at Vaughansfield, under the proclamation of the 8th of August, together with the six deputies taken up at Saint Ann's, having come in before any

actual hostilities commenced, should be sent off the island, and some settlement provided for them in another country.

4. That Smith, Dunbar, and Williams, with their wives and children, and the two boys who came in on the 1st of January, are entitled to the benefit of the treaty.

5. That all the Maroons who are confined in Kingston, Falmouth, and elsewhere, that have petitioned the honourable house of assembly to take the benefit of an act passed in the year 1791, not having been at any time in rebellion, be allowed to do so, acccording to the prayer of their petition.

6. That the Maroons who petitioned the lieutenant-governor on the 3d of November, the thirty-one who surrendered at Vaughansfield excepted, being also guiltless of any act of rebellion, be likewise admitted to take the benefit of the said act.

"7th. That all the Maroons who surrendered after the 1st of January, and until the 10th of March last, (within which period Johnstone and his party came in,) not having complied with the terms of the treaty, are not entitled to the benefit thereof, and ought to be shipped off the island; but the joint committee are of opinion that they ought to be sent to a country in which they will be free, and such as may be best calculated by situation to secure the island against the danger of their return: that they ought to be provided with suitable clothing and necessaries for the voyage, and maintained at the public expence of this island for a reasonable time after their arrival at the place of their destination.

"8th. That Parkinson and Palmer, and all the Maroons who came in with them, are entitled to their lives only, but ought to be sent off the island; and as their conduct was marked with aggravated guilt, they ought, in the manner of their being sent off the island, to be dealt with more rigorously than those in the class mentioned in the preceding resolution.

9th. That as there may be among the rebels a few, who by their repentance, services, and good behaviour, since their surrender, may have merited protection and favour, that it be recommended to his honour the lieutenant governor to permit such to remain in the island, together with their wives and children, and to distinguish them by any other marks of favour, as his honour in his discretion may think proper.

10th. That the lieutenant-governor, in complying with the matters mentioned and recommended in the preceding resolutions, shall be fully indemnified at the public expence."

April the 22d, the house of assembly ordered 700 guineas to be remitted to London, to purchase a sword for the Earl of Balcarres, and 500 guineas for the purchase of one for the Honourable Major-General Walpole; and requested their thanks to be given to the regulars and militia.

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