DALLAS’S HISTORY OF THE MAROONS. 
danger of suffering the departure of the troops 
ready to sail for St. Domingo, and the ne- 
acessity of justifying Lord Balcarres in detain- 
ing them, concurred in opinion that it was 
requisite to establish martial law; which 
was accordingly proclaimed. 
«© That the detention of the troops was a 
wise measure, is not to be contravened; but 
it cannot be denied that the south side of the 
island was alarmed by reports from the north 
side, of which the north side knew nothing; 
and the north side by reports from the south 
side, of which the south side knew no- 
thing; and, whatever might have been the 
intentions of the revolutionary French, and 
no one will doubt that they would have 
revolutionized Jamaica had they been able, 
it does not appear that any conduct of the 
Maroons, subsequent to their raepeaes sub- 
mission, justified a suspicion of their insin- 
cerity. Indeed, all the evidence obtained 
respecting their offences, not only related to 
ast matter, or to matter subsequent to 
Postilities, but was not deposed till some 
weeks after the declaration of martial law ; 
and the'like may be observed of all the evi- 
dence relative to the designs of the French. 
They were depositions taken subsequently of 
conversations and vague notions at different 
_times prior to the departure of the six cap- 
tains from Trelawney Town, or of expres- 
sions used, and acts committed, after their 
being thrown into irons—The Maroons 
never thought about the forces on the island, 
knew nothing of the intended embarkation 
for St. Domingo, had not been tampered 
with by the French, nor had they theniselves, 
_ at this time, tampered with the slaves. A 
neglected, half wild body of people; they 
~ Were ready to be tumultuous or submissive 
according to the ascendency of their passions. 
/ When cool, they would grow enraged at the 
_ ‘sight of Craskell; and in the excess of rage 
and tumult, bands of them would become 
coo! at the blows of James.. These were 
Hot people to be plotting deep conspiracies. 
They had ignorantly braved the government, 
d it was necessary to make them feel their 
iendence: they had felt it, and it became 
pals to make them easy and happy in that 
ependence. The Oiet snatices by which 
he council of war were influenced, must 
undoubtedly have arisen from the apprehen- 
sion of a general insurrection among the 
slayes on revolutionary principles; an appre- 
hension which the very nature of the French 
evolution, more than_ the suspicious de- 
position of a Hrench prisoner, justified their 
fertaining. On these grounds they armed 
e lieutenant-governor with the powers of 
rtial law; and on the 4th of August his 
onour left Spanish Town in order to take 
the command of the troops in person, ina 
"Phe cous 
or. 
2 > 
9 
Aww. Rev. Vor, II. 
289 
quarter where the revolt was expected to 
break out.” 
To what dire resources the alarmists 
at length had to recur, is thus related 
by this unconcealing writer: 
** Colonel Quarrell*, who had been upon 
service with the troops in the mountains, was 
compelled by the state of his health to leave 
the head-quarters, and to go down to the 
sea-shore. ,There he met with an intelligent 
Spaniard, ,who, talking with him on the 
state of the island, related an event, to which 
colonel Quarrell paid the utmost attention, 
as he thought the ideas it suggested might 
prove of importance to the country. It 
seems that some years before, when the 
British abandoned the Musquito-shore to 
the Spaniards, the latter were opposed by the 
native Indians, who had always shown the 
most determined enmity tothem. They at- 
tempted in vain to take possession of the 
country by means of amilitary force: in the 
course of a very few months they lost, from 
surprises and ambushes, nearly three regi- 
ments. Compelled to abandon the place, or 
fail upon some plan of counteracting the 
Indian warfare, they imported from Cuba 
36 dogs and 12 chasseurs, who were sent by 
the alcalde provincialet, at the desire of Don 
Jaan Despolito, the governor of the Hayanna. 
These auxiliaries were more formidable than. 
the finest regiment of the most warlike nation 
could have been; and from the time of their 
eing employed, neither surprize nor ambush 
annoyed the troops, the Spaniards soon suc- 
ceeded in expelling the Musquito Indians 
from the territory on the coast, and quietly 
oceupied Black River, Blue-fields, and Cape 
Gracios a Deos. In whatever light the 
philanthropist may view means of the gen- 
tlest kind when used to drive men from theiz 
native lands, he, cannot justly blame. the 
harshest adopted at home, when self-preser- 
vation is.the end proposed. Had the case 
been reversed, had the Indians employed 
dogs in driving away the Spaniards and keep- 
ing them from their country, satisfaction, 
and net horror, would have been the emotion 
excited. It occurred to colonel Quarrel, 
that the assistance of a certain number of 
the Cuba chasseurs would be attended with 
happy effects: he foresaw that the very terror 
they would spread would induce. the Mae - 
roons to submit on proper terms; and he | 
argued, that even if the commander in chief 
were compelled to bring them into actua 
service, it would be better, and more for the 
interest of humanity, that some of the rebels 
should be thus destroyed, than that the most 
barbarous massacres should be committed 
on the inhabitants, and the colony ruined. 
Swayed by these motives, le suggested the 
 * Colonel Quarrel wished me not to entitle him acéording to his military rank, which 
ered ws temporary ; but the time of which I treat fully justifies my giving him the 
title of the rank he then held, and still holds, if he were called into service. 
«© + The high-constable of the province whence the dogs and chasseurs came. 
