alone, as long as she lived; and that upon her death, not only her full liberty, but a spot of ground for her cultivation, besides a neat house built upon it, should be her portion for ever, to dispose of as she pleased." After this she returned my remaining bond of 900 florins, and gave Joanna a purse with gold containing near 20 ducats, besides a couple of pieces of East India chintz, advising me at the same time "to give in a request to the court for little Johnny's immediate manumission; which," she observed, "was a necessary form, whether I should be able to obtain the bail usually required or not; and without which formality, even if I had the bail ready to appear, nothing would be done in the course of business."

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Having both of us thanked this most excellent woman, I went to sup with the governor, where being transported with joy, I gave him my request in full form, which he coolly put in his pocket with one hand, while he gave me a hearty squeeze with the other; and shaking his head told me frankly, he would lay it before the court; but at the same time was perfectly convinced my boy must die a slave, unless I could find the necessary bail, which he was at the same time well persuaded very few people would wish to appear for." Thus, after spending so much time and labour, besides the expence of above 100 guineas already paid, I had still the inexpressible mortification to see this dear little fellow, of whom I was both the father and the master, exposed to perhaps eternal servitude; as for Joanna, she was now perfectly safe, to my heartfelt satisfaction.

"On the 25th, the governor gave a very sumptuous feast to several of his friends, of which I had the honour of being one of the party. Dinner being over, I now departed in his excellency's coach to the water-side, where a tent-barge and eight oars lay in waiting to row me down to the estate Catwyk, in the river Comewina, whither I was invited by Mr. Goetzee, a Dutch naval officer, who was the proprietor of this beautiful country-seat. In this charming situation, no amusements were wanting. There were carriages, saddle-horses, sail-boats, billiard-tables, &c. all ready for immediate use. But what em

bittered the pleasure was, the inhuman disposition of Mr. Goetzee's lady, who flogged her negro slaves for every little trifle. For instance, one of the foot-boys, called Jacky, not having rinsed the glasses according to her mind, she ordered him to be whipped the next morning; but the unhappy youth soon put himself beyond the reach of her resentment; for, having taken farewell of the other negroes on the estate, he went up stairs, laid himself down upon his master's own bed, where, placing the muzzle of a loaded fowling-piece in his mouth, by the help of his toe he drew the trigger, and put an end to his existence. A couple of stout negroes were now sent up to see what was the matter; who, finding the bed all over bespattered with blood and brains, got orders to throw the body out of the window to the dogs, while the master and mistress were so very much alarmed, that they never got the better of it, [these unhappy people were poisoned by their slaves about six years after this happened]; nor would any person consent to lie in the apartment, till I chose it in preference to any other, being assuredly the most pleasant room, and the very best bed, in the house. What added much to the alarm of the family, was the circumstance of a favourite child lying fast asleep in the same apartment where this shocking catastrophe happened.

I had not been fourteen days on this plantation, when a female mulatto slave, called Yettee, for having jocosely said "her mistress had some debt as well as herself," was stripped stark naked, and in a very indecent as well as inhuman manner flogged by two stout negroes before the dwelling-house door (while both her feet were locked to a very heavy iron bolt) until hardly any skin was left on her thighs or sides.--Five days after this I had the good fortune, however, to get her relieved from the iron bolt, which was locked across her shins: but a Mrs. Van Eys, alledging she had affronted her also by her saucy looks, prevailed on Mrs. Goetzee to renew the punishment the same week; when she was actually so eruelly beaten, that I expected she could not have survived it. Disgusted with this barbarity, I left the estate Catwyk, determined never more to return to it: but I still accompany

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ing Mr. Goetzee to visit some of his other plantations from curiosity, in Cottica and Pirica rivers, at one of these, called the Alia, a new-born female infant was presented me by way of compliment, to give it a name, which I called Charlotte. But the next morning, during breakfast, seven negroes were here again tied up and flogged, some with a cow-skin, which very terrible.---Hence I made my retreat to the estate Sgraven-Hague, and there, meeting a mulatto youth in chains, whose name was Douglas, I with horror recollected his unhappy father, who had been obliged to leave him a slave, and was now dead. Heartily tired of my excursion, I was now glad to make haste back to Paramaribo; where, as soon as I arrived, the first news I heard was that colonel Fourgeoud's French valet-de-chambre, poor Monsieur Laurant, had actually been buried before he was quite dead;-and that, for having been found drunk in an ale-house, no less than thirteen of our men had most severely run the gauntlet, and as many been terribly bastinadoed, the greatest number of which no more saw Europe;-also, that a Quaderoon youth, and a Dutch sailor were found murdered on the beach. I was now proceeding to take a walk on the plain or esplanade, but here I was called in by Mr. St-k-r, who conducting me three stories high: "From this window," said he, "a few days since, leaped one of my black boys, to escape a gentle flogging; however, having only fainted in consequence of his fall, we soon brought him to life again by a hearty scouring on the ribs, so he did not escape; after which, for having risked himself, that is to say his master's property, and frightened my wife, she ordered him to be sent to fort Zelandia, where he received the interest, that is a most confounded spanso-bocko.”

The punishment called spanso-bocko is extremely severe indeed, and is executed in the following manner :----The prisoner's hands being lashed together, he is laid down on the ground on one side, with his knees thrust between his arms, and these confined by a strong stake, which separates them from his wrists, and is driven perpendicularly into the ground, insomuch that he can no more stir than if he was dead. this locked position, trussed like a fowl, he is beaten on one

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side of his breech by a strong negro, with a handful of knotty tamarind branches, till the very flesh is cut away; he is then turned over on the other side, where the same dreadful flagellation is inflicted, till not a bit of skin is left, and the place of execution is dyed with blood: after which the raw lacerated wound is immediately washed with lemon-juice and gun-powder to prevent mortification, and then he is sent home to recover as well as he can,

'The above cruel and indecent punishment is sometimes repeated at every street in the town of Paramaribo, to men and women indiscriminately, which is a severity absolutely beyond conception; however, it is never thus inflicted without a condemnation from the court. But a single spanso-bocko, without regard to age or sex, as I have just mentioned, may be ordered by any proprietor, either at home, or by sending the victim to the fortress, with a note to the public executioner, to whom some trifle in money is paid as a fee of office.

'I next was addressed by a Monsieur Rochetaux, whose Coromantyn cook, having spoiled his ragout, had just cut his own throat to prevent a whipping; and Mr. Charles Reynsdorp's lately did the same.

"After these facts, can it be a matter of surprize, that the negro slaves rise up in rebellion against masters who treat them with so very much severity?

I have already stated, that I gave in a hopeless request to the governor for my boy's emancipation; and on the 8th of October I saw with equal joy and surprize the following advertisement posted up, "That if any one could give in a lawful objection why John Stedman, a quaderoon infant, the son of captain Stedman, should not be presented with the blessing of freedom, such person or persons to appear before January 1, 1777."--I no sooner read it, than I ran with the good news to my good friend Mr. Palmer, who assured me, "that the above was no more than a form, put in practice on the supposition of my producing the bail required, which undoubtedly they expected, from my having so boldly given in my request to the governor of the colony."----Without being able to utter one syllable in reply, I retired to the company of Joanna,

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who, with a smile, bid me "never to despair, that Johnny certainly one day would be free;" nor did she ever fail in giving me some consolation, however desperate were my expec

tations.'

At this time the troops were new clothed (the first they had since 1772), and then marched again into the upper parts of the Cottica river. Captain Stedman, who now acted as major, also set out on his seventh campaign, in defence of the lawful inhabitants of this colony.

While encamped at the Casseepore creek, a marine, going to bathe in the river, was snapt away by a large alligator, and Stedman nearly lost his life in diving to attempt the recovery of the poor fellow. He was afterwards sent with a party in pursuit of the rebels, and after a distressing march during the dry season, he came to Gado-Saby, the demolished settlement of a party of rebels. "While sitting down,' says he, to rest from our fatigue, a tall old rebel negro appeared suddenly in the very midst of us, with a long white beard, a white cotton sheet tied about his shoulders, and a broken cutlass in his hand. Seeing this venerable apparition, I instantly started up, and forbidding my people to fire at him, I civilly desired him to approach me, pledging myself that no person under my command should dare to hurt him; but that he should have every thing for his relief that I could afford.---He an swered, "No, no, massera!" with the utmost deliberation, and shaking his head in an instant disappeared; while two of my men (contrary to my orders) fired after him, at the distance of perhaps six paces only, yet both missed their object, to my great satisfaction, he being a poor forsaken creature, that had been left behind the rest, gleaning a precarious subsistence from his own deserted fields which we had formerly destroyed. What renders the negroes so difficult to hit with a ball is this, that they never run straight forward, but zig-zag, like the forked lightning in the elements.'

Having ransacked and destroyed the remaining parts of the rebel settlement, Stedman returned to the grand camp, his party being much fatigued and emaciated, and he himself with a swelled face or erysipelas. At this time the long expected