HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
their valoor. They engaged the 
enemy with so much resolution, that 
the rebeilion was entirely suppressed. 
The French who had revolted were 
punished with great severity, and 
numbers of them expelled the island 
on account of suspicion. The In- 
dians inhabiting St. Vincent had 
also, at the instigation of Viétor 
Hughes, taken up arms against the 
English; but they were not without 
Some pretence: they had been 
wrongfully deprived of some of their 
'Tands, and though years had elapsed 
since that deprivation, they were 
prompted, by that revengeful dispo- 
sition common to the Caribbs, to 
seek for occasions to gratify it. 
_ They encountered the British troops 
“with great courage, and discomfited 
them in some very bloody engage- 
Ments; and theugh they were _fi- 
nally repressed, and confined within 
theirown limits, they still continued 
to maintain their ground there, and 
remained unsubdued, 
But the most melancholy event 
that happened this year, in the Bri- 
tish West Indies, was the fatal dis- 
pute that took place in Jamaica, be- 
tween the colonists and the ancient 
inhabitants of that lofty ridge of 
mountains which intcrseéts the 
island. When it was conquered 
from the Spaniards, in the last cen- 
_ tury, during the government of Oli- 
‘ver Cromwell, these people refused 
to submit to the conquérors; and, 
withdrawing to their mountainous 
» Fecesses, insisted that the lands they 
inhabited should be their own, and 
‘themselves remain free, and retain 
[335. 
dred and forty years ; during which, 
though z!tercations had happened 
between them and the’ colonists, 
they had still-preserved their privi- 
leges. Among these was a remark- 
abiestipulation, by which they were 
not to be punished by the courts of 
judicazure in that island, for any of- 
fence or crime, but were to be de: 
livered up to their dwn people, to 
2 tried, and suffer punishment ac. 
cording to their own laws. “Such, 
it has been represented, was the 
right and claim of the Maroons, the 
appellation by which they were dis. 
Yinguished ftom the other inhabi- 
tants ofthe island. It happened, 
unfortunately, that one of them, be- 
ing deteéted ina theft, instead of 
being put into the hands of his 
countrymen, to receive due chas- 
tisement, was, by the authority of 
a magistrate, sentenced to be whip- 
ped. This being executed upon 
him, he applied to his countrymen 
for their interference, in order to 
procure him redress for a punishment 
which, of all others, was to them 
the most odious and disgraceful, 
and had at the same time been in- 
flicted upon him contrarily to esta- 
blished usages. ‘he Maroons com- 
plained to the government, that 
their privileges had been violated, 
and required satisfaction; but as ~ 
none was obtained, they determined 
to procure it by force, and had re. 
course to arms. Whether it pro. 
ceeded from contempt, or a resolu- 
tion to punish their temerity, no 
endeayours were used to bring 
about any conciliation, and they 
were proceeded against with unre- 
cy ‘their former customs and privileges. 
This being agreed to, and solemnly 
_ fatified, they had lived ever since 
' ependent of the British govern- 
ment in Jamaica. In this situation 
they had now continued one hun. 
lenting severity, ‘They made a des- 
perate defence, but were accused 
of having exercised horrible barba. 
rities upon the prisoners they took, 
They were at length subdued, and 
[K4] almost 
