On the ioth, having 'fperit ihoÉ "of th'e: day- with the
governor, I in. the evening went oh board the toips with
Captain Bolts, to infpedt the preparations for the voyage";
where w© found that the miee and' rats »had ■ made fimch
>avock among ttor provide®/ with which We sdSere* now
very well docked, that I was tinder the* n^efitty o f pro*
curing half;a dozen cats to deftroy them, which ufeful
animals'atoia Surinam neither to p ^ ty /n o r fogoodyf®
in Europe, being dazy; and todojenty bh account o f the
ctëaiate. I obtorytd' they- were a¥o t o i l e r atM rawker,
with remarkably long hMazzles and{harp #afM
The following’ day t- Was foocked and £ufpfifedh&€R
yond the power of- 'expreffidh,; at cleeiggi
de let Marey daughter .to the lately deceafed gentleman
o f that name, a lovely mulatto giriy aged fouitêen,who
had been thriftened in 1775^ and educated as a; yptó g
lady, dragged to eonrt in ehains, with her mother -arid a
few more o f hér relations»the .whole furrounded fey a nai-
litary guaxcL I had almoft attempted a refpue/Iwfeeri,
having enquired the caiife, foe called out to me herfelf,
weeping moft bitterly; and informed_ me, th a t“ llhe was
“ going to be tried by Mr. Schouten^ her motherb mafter,
** for refufing to perform the work o f a common fijive,
“ which toe was utterly unable to perform» and could
« never have expe&ed, from the tooting upon which toe
“ had been educated till that unhappy moment.”
By the laws o f the country» however, toe was not only
obliged to fubmit, but at bis defire was condemned, tor
diibbedieoue, together with her poor mother, and all her
§ 1 relations,
reMi<fcsy who'hâd prèîuraed ^o fôppOft; hérid im to liberty
»to "be privately whipped ; and had it riot been for
the humanity of Mr. WicUers^ whdCwas1 at that time the
fifçal qrvtown Cferk, ytjpd fince was'governor, this infamous
fenteuce would moft. certainly have1 been 'put in exécution.
The tm&rïénâtë-Mf«'Jèttee..de la Mare wàs,-from
this period, nevertheless forced to fobmitto the tyranny
Of - her un manly mafter, while pitied by'all her acquaintance,
and lamented by every ftrangdf that was a' witoeii
to thëtohum |ri|tranfa6lihn. '
Such were the fatal’ confequencesof not having-been
timely emancipated; and f«ch wtere they indeed, that
they made me tremble for my little-feby?* Happily my
une afin efs was not of long duration; for, however impro-
itable arid urfex peeked, T Was füfpfizëcl on the very fame
day with a polite meflage - from the' :gbvbrn1o^M^ d ‘ foe
court, acquainting me that, “ having taken my ‘former
“ fervitës Into confideration, together with toy humanity
** and gallantry, in offering my bon'our as bail tô foe my
« child, before I left him, made a free citizen of the worldj
« they had urianimdrifly'decreed, without farther.ceré-
c mony for expence, to complimentÉ me w ith , a letter,
“ which was at the fame timië 'officially, pféfèiîtèd to toe,
“ containing his emancipation-FROM that day, for
H .EVER AFTER-”
No man could be more fiuddenly tranfported from wot
tp happinefs thap 1 w.a.s at this moment ; while his poor
mother toed tears for )oy and gratitude ; vthe more ib, as
0 $ had loft all hopes, and the favour came perfectly un-
3 B a , expected,