EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 



The cheerlefs captive, to flow death confign'd, 

 " Weigh' d down with chains^ in prifon glooms confin'd i 

 " Of hope bereft, who^ by thy minions curs'd, 

 " With hunger famifh'd, and confum'd with thlrft, 

 " Without one friend, when Death's laft horror ftung, 

 " Roll'd the wild eye, and gnaw'd the anguilh'd tongue." 



I have already ftated that on the 24th of Auguft I gave 

 in a hopelefs requeft to the Governor for my boy's eman- 

 cipation ; and on the 8th of 0<5lober I faw with equal 

 joy and furprize the following advertifement polled up, 



That if any one could give in a lawful obje6lion why 

 " Jobn StedmaH', a Quaderoon infant, the fon of Captain 



Stedman, fhould not be prefented with the blelling of 

 <*'freedom, fuch perfon or perfons to appear before Ja- 



nuary ift, lyyy.'—I no fooner read it, than I ran with 

 the good news to my good friend, Mr. Palmer, who af- 

 fured me, " that the above was no more than a form, put 

 " in pradlice on the fuppofition of my producing the bail 

 ** required, which rmdoubtedly they expected, from my 



having fo boldly given in my requeft to the Governor of 

 " the colony." — Without being able to utter one fy liable 

 in reply, I retired to the company of Joanna, who, with a 

 fmile, bid me " never to defpair, that Johnny certainly one 



day would be free;" nor did flie ever fail in giving 

 me fome confolation, whatever defperate were my expec- 

 tations. 



About this time we were informed, that in the Utrecht 

 paper an impertinent libel had appeared againft the good 



Four- 



CHAP. 

 XXVII. 

 y r- ' 



