DALLAS’S HisTORY OF THE MAROOKS. 
Tn the first place, self-preservation is 
not a justifiable ultimate end; and life 
itself is occasionally to be sacrificed, 
when its preservation would involve a 
breach of general laws, which it is im- 
portant.to avoid the precedent of violat- 
ing. In the next place, all preservation 
is to be accomplished by the mildest 
adequate means; and the philanthropist 
may justly blame not only the harshest, 
but the gentlest inflictions, which are 
not essential to the end proposed. The 
only ground for employing these dogs 
to track the Maroons to their hiding- 
places, a practice formerly common on 
the borders of Scotland, is, that no 
speedier and milder method could be 
devised of apprehending individuals, 
whom it was become necessary to trans- 
plant, after they had been wickedly or 
ignorantly irritated and terrified into a 
state of ferocious insurrection, which 
rendered them formidable to the lives 
of all the contiguous proprietors. It 
may however be suspected that these 
dogs were not intended merely to track 
the Maroons, for the importation of 
them excited an extraordinary degree of 
terror. 
*©On the 16th of March four Maroons 
dispatched by Johnson arrived at Old Ma- 
roon-Town, and informed general Walpole 
that he was on his way with the whole 
remaining body of the Maroons. Some of 
them being hog-hunting, they could not be 
all collected at once ; but on the 2ist, Pat- 
kinson, with thirty-six of his party, surren- 
‘dered, bringing with them forty-four stands 
of arms. The whole number now remain- 
ing in the woods was thirteen, and these, 
with the rest of the runaways, surrendered 
nextday. Thus concluded hostilities, with- 
out recourse Leing once had to the assist- 
ance of the chasseurs, beyond the operation 
- of the terror they inspired, but which it 
was very evident had been the means of 
producing the treaty, and of accelerating the 
surrender of the several bodies whose dis- 
trust kept them back so long after it was 
made; and who, as they gradually came in, 
always required that the Spaniards and dogs 
should be removed, and separated from then 
by a line of the troops. One knows not 
which to admire most, the activity and ad- 
291 
dress with which they were rocured, or 
the humanity that in spite of three months 
rovocation prevented their being employcd 
in action*®. othe skill, temper, and beac 
volence of general Walpole are the colonists, 
whom he had a little before saved froin 
humiliation, indebted for this bloodless 
triumph; and to William Dawes Quarrel 
are they indebted for suggesting, and procur- 
ing the means by which the island was saved 
from destruction. ‘ Wecannot but take this 
opportunity,” say the assembly, in request- 
ing the lieutenant-governor to give orders for 
the dismission of the chasseurs, ‘ of express- 
ing our acknowledgments of the eminent 
advantages derived {rom the importation of 
the chasseurs and dogs, in compiiance with 
the general wishes of the island. Nothing 
can be clearer. than that if they had been 
off the island, the rebels could not have been 
induced to surrender, from their aimost in- 
accessible fastnesses. We are happy to have 
it in our power to say, that terror excited by 
the appearance of the dogs, has been suili- 
cient to produce so fortunate an event; and 
we cannot but highly approve that attention 
to humanity so strongly proved by their be- 
ing ordered in the rear of the army.” 
The determination to transplant some 
of these unfortunate people into Canada, 
a climate so ill adapted for their con- 
stitutions, was surely unnatural. The 
partial transfer of them to Sierra Leone 
was more praiseworthy: yet we should 
have preferred the continent of South 
America, where there are other Ma- 
roons.. Just observations are made by 
Mr. Dallas on the state of the interior 
and mountainous districts of Jamaica. 
He thinks them adapted by climate for 
white settlers, and has no doubt that if 
emigration was directed thither, it would 
speedily find the means of profitable 
subsistence. Is not the preliminary step 
to the colonization of the Jamaican 
highlands this?—that the richer planters, 
domesticated in the lowlands, should 
make it a matter of luxury to build 
villas in the more picturesque mountain- 
districts, and to inhabit them during 
the feverish and sultry season. Planta- 
tions of mahogany and other precious 
woods would result; then sawing-mills, 
roads, dairy-farms, vine-yards, and all 
the arts of cultivation. 
«© *Tt is hardly worth while to mention an accident by which an old woman lost her 
life, but it has been suggested that the omission of it may receive an unfavourable construc- 
tion. 
One of the dogs that had been unmuzzled to drink when there was not the least ap- 
rehension of any mischief, went up to the woman, who was sitting attending to a pot in 
> S Ing 
which she was preparing a mess. 
he dog smelled at it, and was troublesome ;_ this pro- 
voked her, she took up a stick and began to beat him, on which he seized on her throat, 
which he would not let go till bis head was severed from his body by his master, The 
wind-pipe of the woman being much torn, she conld not be saved. 
VU 2 
