V 



110 STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



time she was frequently boarded by men of war's boats, the 

 first of which, after overhauling the crew, as they term it, and 

 finding them all foreigners with proper protections, being 

 rather chagrined at their disappointment, and not liking to 

 retiu'n empty handed as they came, right or wrong, deter- 

 mined upon seizing poor blacky. Notwithstanding the assevera- 

 tions of the master and crew, that he was a servant belonging 

 to one of the passengers who had landed at Portsmouth, this 

 poor African, who had been on board a ship thirteen weeks 

 from Demerary, and was counting on the pleasures which he 

 had been taught by the crew to expect in England, was in- 

 humanely dragged away, taken on board one of his majesty's 

 ships, and carried a winter's cruize to the north seas, desti- 

 tute of any cloathing at all suitable to the climate he was 

 compelled to visit. By an application to the Admiralty, aided 

 with considerable interest, a discharge was obtained for him 

 on the vessel's return, when Quamin had again the plea- 

 sure of rejoining his master. I saw him a few weeks after, in 

 London. He asked me when I was going to Demerary again, 

 and begged me to request his master would let hirh go with 

 me, as he did not like England. Notwithstanding here he 

 had a horse to ride, and in Demerary, if his master was going 

 a journey of a hundred miles, Quamin would have to follow 

 him on foot with the portmanteau on his head, he preferred 

 Demerary. The horse and fine living had no charms for him; 

 yonder he was protected — yonder he was free. 



