CHAP, expelled, and while near forty beautiful rboys. and girls
X X IX ^ J “ ^ ^ — were left to perpetual flavery.by their parents .of my acquaintance,
and many o f them without being; fo much
as once enquired, after at all.
. What is moft extraordinary indeed is, that while the
well-thinking few highly applauded my fenfibility, many
not only blamed, but publicly derided me for my paternal
affecftion, which was called a weaknefs, a whim^ So extravagant
was my joy on this day, however, at having adted
the reverfe part of Inkle to Tarico, that I.became like
one frantic, with pleafure., I not ojify?Jmade my, will'in his
favour (though, God. knows^I had little.to difpofe of) but
I appointed my, friends Mr. Robert Gordon and Mr. James
Gourlay to be^ my executors and his guardians during
my abfence, in whofe hands I left all my^papers fealed,
till I fhould demand them again, or. they fhould be 'informed
o f pry death: I then ordered all myfheep, poultry,
& c. which.had prodigioufly .encreafedj to be tranf-
ported, and put under their.care; and making a new fuit
o f cloaths for the occafion, which coft me twenty guineas,
I waited on, a Mr. Snyderbans^ one o f the clergymen at
Paramaribo^ to appoint a.cjay when my boy, mjjobnny
Steelman^ fhould he made a Chriftian
On
* I fhou}d not here omit to mention
that in the colony of Surinam ail emancipated
Haves are under the following
Veftrictions, v iz .
They are (if males) bound to help in
defending the fettlement againfl: all home
and-foreign enemies.
No emancipated. flave, male or female,
can ever go to law at all againft their
former mailer or miftrefs.
And
On the 18th; Colonel. Fourgeoud’s remaining troops c h a p .
at, laft. came down from the encampments at Cafleepore XXIX-
Cijeek,;and every preparation was made for our departure.
At ,the, (faine time, the extacy of the few furyiving marines
at tla^eir quitting,this country was fo great, having
now alfp received part o f their clearance, that fuch intemperance,
riot, , and .disorder enfued as produced the moft
fojynicjable quarrels between them and the troops o f the
S>£<ÿjpty, till, fome being wounded and fome being flogged,
.peace vyafSjfinally, though with difficulty, re-eftablifhed.
j This fame day a poor failoy, while I was'on board, was
drowned in ply prefence, who fell'from the gunwale into
tjjelylver, . with .the fhçet .anchor, which had been neglected
to be lafhed tç the-ringbolts. I inftantly leaped into
a bpat to try to fave him, but could only get his hat ; the
man went to;the bottom, and 'ndver more was feep. -
The day o f our departure now approached .fall, and I
gave up my houfe | when, at MrsI Godefroy’s prefling invitation,
I fpent the few remaining moments in that
which fhe had prepared for the reception of Joanna and
her boy, ip , her beautiful garden, charmingly fituated
under the fhade of tamarind and orange trees ; which
houfe fhe alfo had neatly furnifhed with every accommodation
that, could be deftred, befides allowing Joanna a
negro wpman and a girl to attend on her for life. Thns
fituated, how bleft fhould I have been in this fpot to
end my days !-~But fate ordained it otherwife.
, And finally, i f any emancipated flave, m ■ in that cafe one quarter of the property
male or. female, dies in the colony, and alfo goes to his former owners, either
leaves behind any pofleffions whatever, male or female.
On