117 



years ago, and since my arrival, I happened to 

 hear, that during his management a remarkably 

 fine young penn-keeper, named Richard (the 

 brother of my intelligent carpenter, John Fuller), 

 had run away several times to the mountains. I 

 had taken occasion to let the brothers know, be- 

 tween jest and earnest, that I was aware of Richard's 

 misconduct ; and at length, one morning, John, 

 while he blamed his brother's running away, let 

 fall, that he had some excuse in the extreme ill- 

 usage which he had received from one of the book- 

 keepers, who " had had a spite against him." The 

 hint alarmed me ; I followed it, and nothing could 

 equal my anger and surprise at learning the whole 

 truth. 



It seems, that while I fancied my attorney to 

 be resident on Cornwall, he was, in fact, gene- 

 rally attending to a property of his own, or looking 

 after estates of which also he had the management 

 in distant parts of the island. During his absence, 

 an overseer of his own appointing, without my 

 knowledge, was left in absolute possession of his 

 power, which he abused to such a degree, that 

 almost every slave of respectability on the estate 

 was compelled to become a runaway. The pro- 

 perty was nearly ruined, and absolutely in a state 

 of rebellion; and at length he committed an act of 

 such severity, that the negroes, one and all, fled to 

 Savannah la Mar, and threw themselves upon the 

 protection of the magistrates, who immediately 



i 3 



