CHRONICLE. 
JANUARY. 
FRICAN SuprrstiTt1on.— 
. A Special Slave Court was 
held at the Alley, in Vere, on the 
6th of December, for the trial of 
the following slaves, viz—Aber- 
deen, Adam, and Preston, belong- 
ing to Salt Savannah Estate, 
charged with the murder of 
another slave, named Thomas, 
the property of John Holmes, esq. 
by burying him alive. It appeared 
from the evidence, that the parties 
were all Congees, and had made a 
play according to the custom of 
their country, when Thomas dug 
a grave in which he laid himself 
down, desiring his companions to 
cover him up for the space of one 
hour; but that if he did not rise 
again in another place, in that 
time, they were to open the grave. 
Aberdeen and Preston were ap- 
pointed to close up thejgrave, and 
Adam to play on the gombah 
(African music), all of which was 
punctually performed. Some 
other negroes belonging to the 
estate appeared, however, before 
the ceremony was completel 
finished, and had sense rae | 
to open the grave; but it was too 
late, the unfortunate victim of his 
own eredulity being dead. His 
Honour the Custos charged the 
Jury on thé crime, when they 
Vor. LVII. 
found them guilty of Manslaugh- 
ter; and the following sentence 
was passed, viz.—each to receive 
30 lashes on the spot where the 
catastrophe took place, in the 
presence of all the estate’s ne- 
groes, then to be severally burnt in 
the hand,and to sufferone month’s 
solitary confinement in the county 
gaol.—(Jamaica Paper.) 
A Mr. Daniel Zimmerman, a 
merchant of Koenigsberg, who 
died lately in his 73rd year, seems 
to have rivalled, in charitable do- 
nations, many of those characters 
for which England is so famous. 
He was a native of Dantzic, and 
was the sole maker of his own 
fortune. During the course of 
his life, among other acts of libe- 
rality, he had given 12,000 florins 
to the Church School of the Old 
Town of Koenigsberg; 12,000 
florins to the Reformed Church 
School, and another sum of 12,000 
florins for the erection of a school 
on the Haberberg. He also gave 
4,500 florins to the community 
of the Old Town church, for 
the purchase of a burial-ground. 
By his last will, he increased the 
capital of a hospital for widows, 
established by his wife, with a 
sum of 15,000 florins: he left also 
to the poor of the Mennonite com~- 
munity, of which he was a mem- 
ber, 15,000 florins; and to the 
B 
