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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 385, 14 June 1866, Page 1

insltleeciion ge eiie negroes in Jamaica in i?qo. “ A Loyal Gueessia Man ” has forwarded t lie following account cl u negro rising iu Jamaica one hundred and five years ago to "he ‘ United -Service Gazelle/ which will ba read with interest at the present juncture, it is extracted from Smollett's history;— <e \v‘idle Iho Biiiish commanders exerted themselves by sea ami land with the most laudable spirit of vigil,nice and courage against tae f aviga adversaries of Cmir country, the Cidmnws of Jamaica ran the most imminent hazird of being extirpated by a domestic enemy. The slaves of that island, grown insolent in the contemplation ui their own f.■niiidable numbers, or by observing iho supine indolence of their masters, or stimulated by that appetite for liberty so natural to the mind of man, began, iu the course of lue year, to entertain thoughts of shaking eli the yoke, by means of a general insurrection. Assemblies were held and plans revolved, for this purpose. At length they Conceited a scheme for rising iu arms all at once in difikrent juris of ilia island, in mam- to massacre all the white men, and iiiEi- possession of the Government They agreed taut this design-...should be put into execution unme-auttely after tbs departure of ti*e rleet ihr Europe, but their plan was de« E.-atc-a by timir ignorance ami impatience. Those of t. e conspirators that belonged to Captain i vrest’s estate, being impelled by tiie failles of intoxication, leii suddenly upon the uvu’seer, while ho sat at supper with same irieiuls, and butchered the vviiolc company. M ring immediately joined by some of lueir confederates, they attacked the neighboring plantations, where i b«y repeated the same bui bantics, and seizing all the arms and ammunition taut fell in i neir way, began to grow formidable to the ccdony. The Governor no sooner received ituiiaaiieu of the distui bance, than he, by proclamation, subjected the colonists to martial law. All other business was interrupted, and every man took to fils arms. The regular troops, joined by the troop of Miliiia, ana a considerable number of volunteers, marched from Spanish Town to Sr.. Mary’s, where the insurrection began, and skirmished with tho insurgeants, but us they declined standing any regular engagement, and trusted chiefly to bush fighting, the Governor employed against them ti.c free blacks, commonly known by the name of the wild negroes, now peaceably settled under the protection of the Government. These auxiliaries in consideration of a price set upon the heads of the rebels, attacked them m their own way, slew them by surprise until their strength was broken, and cumbers made away with themselves iu despair, so that the insurrection was supposed to he quelled about the beginning of May, bat ia June it broke out again with re.bmbied fury, and the rebels were reinforced to a very considerable number. The regular troops and the iviilitia formed a camp miner the command of Colonel Spragge, who sent out detachments against tim negroes, a

great number of whom were killed, a»,d some lake;;, but the ixst instead of submitting, took shelter in the woods and mountains. The prisoners beiag tried aiul found guilty of rebellion, were put to death by a variety of tortures. Some were hange-t, some be* Leaded, some burned, and some fixed alive upon gibbets. U:ie of these last lived eight days and eighteen hours, suspended under a vertical sun without being refreshed by one drop of waiter or receiving any manner of sustenance. la order t > prevent such in* surrections for the future, the justices assembled at the sessions of the peace established regulations importing that no negro slave should he allowed to quit his plantation, without a white conductor or a ticket of leave ; that any negro playing at any sort of game should be scourged through the public streets; that every publican suffering such gaming in Lis house should forfeit 40s; that every proprietor suffering his negroes to beat a drum, blow a horu, or make any other noise on his plantation, should be fined

£lO ; and every overseer allowing these irregularities should pay half that sum, to he demanded or distrained for by any civil or military officer. That every free negro or mulatto should wear a blue cross on his right shoulder, on pain of imprisonment. That no mulatto, Indian, or negro should hawk or sell anything, except fresh fish or milx, on pain of being scourged. That rum and punch houses should be shut up daring diviue service on Sundays, under penalty of 20s; and that those who had petti-licenses should shut up their houses on other nights at 9 o’clock.”