460 JAMAICA. 



was confined in irons, in the barrack at Savannah la Mar, to wait his 

 trial. It happened that, on the night after his captivity, a Jew was 

 appointed to liand centry over him : about midnight the rebel, after 

 reconnoitering the perfon of his guard, took the opportunity of tam- 

 pering with him, to favour his efcape. " You Jews, faid he, and our 

 " nation (meaning the Coromantins), ought to confider ourfelves as 

 " one people. You differ from the reft of the Whites, and they hate 

 " you. Surely then it is beft for us to join in onecomnjon intereft, 

 " drive them out of the country, and hold pofleffion of it to ourfelves. 

 *« We will have (continued he) a fair divifion of the eftates, and we 

 " will make fugar and rum, and bring them to market. As for the 

 " failors, yf)U fee they do not oppole us, they care not who is in pol- 

 " feffion of the country, Black or White, it is the fame to them j To 

 " that after we are become mafters of it, you need not fear but they 

 " will come cap in hand to us (as they now do to the Whites) to 

 *« trade with us. They'll bring us things from t'other fide the fea, 

 *' and be glad to take our goods in payment." Finding the Jew's ar- 

 guments, in objeftion to this propofal, not fo difficult to furmount as 

 be had expected, he then finiflied his harangue with an offer, that, 

 " if he would but releafe him from his irons, he would condud: him 

 •' dircftly to a fpot, where he had buried feme hundred ofpifioles, 

 " which he fliould have in reward." The Jew w.is very earneft to 

 know whereabotits this hidden treafure lay, that he might firft fatisfy 

 his own eyes, that what he had been told was true, before he fiiould 

 take any further ftep; but the prifoner flatly refufed to let him into the 

 fecret, unlefs he was firft fet at liberty ; which condition the Ifraelite 

 was either too honeft or too unbelieving to comply with, but the 

 next day reported what had paflTed, to his officers. 



The lieutenant-governor recommended to the houfe, the putting 

 the ifland into a better pofture of defence, and the paffing fuch new 

 reo^ulations for remedying thofe defedls in the laws, which the late 

 calamities had pointed out, as might beft fcem adapted to prevent 

 future attempts of the like nature. 



The affembly immediately addrefled him, to proclaim martial law,, 

 in order to put an end to the rebellion ftill fubfifting in the Leeward 

 part of the ifland. They tranfmitted the thanks of their houfe to 

 admiral Holmes for the affiftance he had given ; who returned a very 



polite 



