Four Old Letters from Demerara. 323 



Rio Demerary, 28 July, 1795. 

 Gardiner Greene, Esq., 

 Boston. 

 Dear Greene, — We are now expe6ling anxiously to 

 hear from you, and may the welcome news soon reach 

 us — my last was on ye 3d Inst., before that I wrote you 

 of ye 18 May and 15 June, since which time it has been 

 very unpleasant here, owing to the bush Negroes, who 

 have been more troublesome and have been join'd by 

 some delinquents from some Estates. Altho' it's very 

 painful intelligence to give you, I think it best, as you 

 will ere the receipt of this perhaps have very unfavourable 

 accounts circulated ; and indeed my feelings before this 

 would not allow me to inform you by a New London 

 vessel, which if this fails meeting it will be sent via 

 Barbados. I think it was on the 4th Inst., about 9 at 

 night — a Post of a few soldiers stationed at St. Felix's 

 in ye canal was attacked, it was supposed by a number 

 of above 100 of ye runaways, they were however obliged 

 to fly w^ ye loss of two or three who were drop'd ; the 

 revolters discharged near 50 Shott it is said. You will 

 say how is it possible for them to have armed themselves, 

 De Mellet bro't some Indians early next morning, and 

 by scouring the Fields and contiguous Bush took up a 

 few. Only a few nights after that poor I. Clarke (of 

 Windsor Forest) next to Mr. Waterton's (La Jalousie) 

 fell a vi6lim, with two or three other whites on the 

 estate, and every Building on the Estate (was) burnt to 

 the Ground. This however has been laid to the Driver 

 of the next Estate, Ruymzigt^ and a House Negroe of 

 Clarke's own, who have been since, with others, exe- 

 cuted. This caused the Post at the Hague to be 



