270 



that four of us had minutely examined this 

 frightful cut of the elbow, and that, with all 

 our eight eyes {trained as wide as they could 

 ftare, we had not even been able to difcover 

 the wound ; adding, for his further informa- 

 tion, that the Dutchman had, himfelf, aflured 

 us that it was cut with a large chiflel : but 

 that, in fa£t it had neither been cut with a 

 chiflel, nor with a nail in a ftick, nor cut at 

 all ; being only a flight bruife which had pro- 

 bably happened in the ftruggle, when the 

 Dutchman was pulling about the negro by the 

 hair of his head. We alfo ventured to add 

 that the whole tale of this mighty wound was 

 a fcandalous impofition ; and the punifhment 

 which had been inflicted upon the negro a 

 grofs injuftice. We then appealed to this 

 arbitrary guardian of the laws, very earneftly 

 demanding whether, in juftice to the injured 

 negro, to the public, and to himfelf, who had 

 been thus deceived and impofed upon, he 

 would not feel it incumbent upon him to in- 

 stitute, an inquiry regarding the fadt, and to 

 have the cruel wretch, and his four perjured 

 witneffes, feverely punifhed — but of courfe we 

 made no remark upon his having feen the fad 

 cut in the elbow with his own eyes ! Whe- 



