Antigua and the Antiguans (Vol. 1&2). Mrs. Lanaghan

the catalogue of Parke’s crimes, and in order to prevent any further effusion of blood, her majesty was graciously pleased to send a general pardon to all that were concerned in that transaction.

      But although the queen thought proper to extend her clemency to the Antiguans, she made some alteration in the affairs of the Leeward Island government. General Walter Hamilton was recalled, and General Walter Douglas appointed in his room; and John Yeamans was removed from the situation of lieutenant-governor of Antigua, and that appointment conferred upon Colonel Edward Byam.

      During the period General Douglas administered the government, he received instructions from England to see an act put into execution, which had been passed in the time of Christopher Codrington the younger, respecting the ascertainment of the value of current coin.

      The 24th of June, 1712, Admiral Sir Hovenden Walker again visited Antigua with a fleet of seven ships under his command. Soon after his departure, M. Copard, the French admiral, with a fleet of eight ships and seventeen sloops of war, manned with about 5000 men, made an attack upon the island; but we find, from despatches sent to England by the governor, General Douglas, their attempts at landing were frustrated.

      General Douglas had scarcely been two years governor before complaints against him were also despatched to England, as well as a petition from the inhabitants, praying the queen to recall him, in which petition their late governor-general, Walter Hamilton, joined. General Douglas had made himself so obnoxious, that another rebellion had almost occurred. One of his measures was to retain certain duties, which ought to have been paid into the treasury, (such as duties upon wines and liquors, &c.), for his own particular use. He also persecuted General Hamilton, and suspended him from all offices he held in the island; and upon that gentleman repairing to England to transact some private business, Colonel Douglas endeavoured to seize Dr. Mackinnon and Chief-Justice Watkins for their proceedings in the affair of Colonel Parke, as well as on the plea of another intended rebellion. These gentlemen, however, contrived to escape to England, where, from advices received from Governor Douglas, they were afterwards seized and committed to prison; but, pleading the general pardon which her majesty had issued, they were discharged without trial, although Ensign Smith, one of the asserted culprits, lay in Newgate for some months.

      While these rancorous dissensions were going on between the governor and the inhabitants, orders were received for him to return to England; and, to the joy of the Antiguans, his majesty George I. re-appointed General Walter Hamilton to the government in 1715. The island was now pretty quiet; the French keeping to their own colonies without troubling their neighbours. The Antiguans, however, were still very cautious of them; and the few persons of that nation who, after the termination of the war, came to reside at Antigua, were very coldly received. This year (1715) the court of chancery was amended. Hitherto it was held by one person, which caused delays, besides other inconveniences: so that it was resolved in future it should consist of the governor, and not less than five members of the council.

      Previous to this period, there was also much difficulty in recovering minor debts, owing to the want of good laws, which occasioned so much inconvenience to the merchants of Antigua that they found it necessary this year (1715) to draw up a petition, signed by twenty-six of the most influential members of their body, praying for a better settling of the island courts. In 1711, the attorney-general, Thomas Bretton, Esq., had drawn up an act “for establishing a court of queen’s bench and common pleas, and for the better regulating and settling due methods for the administration of justice,” with which the council and assembly were so well pleased, that they presented him with one hundred and forty pounds currency; but which act was so marred in the passing of it, that they themselves found it necessary to incur further expense by having another drawn up. As, however, this did not appear to have the desired effect, in 1715, (after receiving the petition from the merchants,) further and more effective measures were taken for settling law courts, and limiting a time for issuing executions out of the court of chancery.

      In 1716, fresh regulations were made respecting the importation of white servants. Every owner of slaves, to the number of fifteen, was obliged to find a white man to serve in the militia; and for every twenty slaves, above fifteen, they were obliged to find another white servant. Importers of white Protestant servants could demand of the treasurer of the island eighteen pounds per head if not sold in twenty days, and further obliged the treasurer to receive such servant until sold. The general term of servitude was seven years, at the end of which period their master was to give them fifty shillings, and 400 pounds of sugar or tobacco, with a certificate of their being free. If one of these white servants married a free person without the consent of their master, that free person was to be fined 100l.; and if one servant entertained another for more than twenty-four hours at one time, the person so offending was to be publicly whipped, or serve the injured party three months; or if the entertainer was free, he was to forfeit 20l.

      About this time, Governor Hamilton sent a party of settlers, under command of a Mr. Howell, from Antigua and the different Leeward Islands, to plant a colony upon Crab Island, a small island lying between Santa Cruz and Porto Rico.

      In the year 1699, the Scottish or Darien Company fitted out two large ships with a cargo of articles for traffic, and arms and ammunition, intending to form a settlement in America. While on their passage, they resolved to call in at Crab Island, and leave some of their party there; but upon their arrival, finding a large tent erected on the beach, with Danish colours flying, and not wishing to have any dispute, they left the island to the Danes, and proceeded to the Isthmus of Darien. The Danes having given up the colony, the English thought it a good time to put in a claim, and accordingly, as before remarked, Governor Hamilton sent a party to colonize it.

      Improvements were made about this time in the erection of mills for the purpose of grinding the sugar cane, and also in the art of sugar-boiling, which the Antiguans at that day appear to have been deficient in. Oldmixon, speaking of the sugar made in Antigua, says—​“It is so black and coarse, that no art could fine it; and, as if our sugar bakers in England scorned to put dirt in their coppers, it was generally shipped off to Holland and Hamburg, where it was sold for 16s., when any other brought from 18s. to 19s. per hundred.”

      In 1620, Lord Viscount Lowther was appointed to the government of the Leeward West India Islands, but his appointment was afterwards cancelled; and, in 1721, George I. appointed John Hart, Esq., former governor of Maryland, to be commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands, who arrived at Antigua about the middle of the year. About this time gambling raged to a great extent in Antigua, and it was thought necessary to adopt some measures to suppress it. It was therefore ordained, in 1723, that, if any person won more than seven pounds at one sitting, or within twenty-four hours from the time they first commenced playing, they were to forfeit treble the value, half of which was to be paid into treasury for the purpose of building and repairing forts, &c., and the other half to go to the loser. It is strange that, much about the same time, this vice was very prevalent in England. Indeed, profligacy of all kinds had increased in that kingdom to an alarming extent. This was supposed to have arisen from the infatuation of the South Sea scheme, which, intoxicating the minds of the people with the prospect of imaginary wealth, led them into every excess. If any of the Antiguans had joined in this infatuation, I am unable to say. I was led into the mention of it from the fact of both countries being, at the same period, subject to the same kind of vice.

      For the last few years the inhabitants of Antigua had been very much harassed by a gang of runaway slaves, from various estates, who had taken up their abode in some of the mountains and rocky parts of the island, and who were in the practice of issuing out at night, and committing many and great depredations. The leaders of this gang of vagrants were three men, of the name of Africa, Papa Will, and Sharper; and, to insure their capture, a reward of twenty pounds was offered to any person who should place either of them, dead or alive, in the hands of the provost-marshal. If any one killed a slave who had been absent from their owner three months, while in pursuit of them, he was entitled to the sum of three pounds; and when such slave was taken alive, the reward was doubled, the owner of any slave so killed being paid his or her value from the treasury. If a slave concealed, afforded nourishment to, or comforted a runaway, he was to be publicly whipped on the bare back with any number of stripes the justice of the peace thought proper to order; and if any