tola, Esq. did feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, beat, wound, and evil treat the following negro slaves, late the property of him, the said Arthur Hodge, to wit. Tom Boiler, Prosper, Cuffy, Margaret and Else, in so violent, shocking and cruel manner, that each, and every of them, the said negro slaves did die, in consequence of such beating, wounding, and evil treating by them severally received from the said Arthur Hodge.

These are therefore in His Majesty's name, to charge, command, and require you, any, or either of you, forthwith to apprehend the said Arthur Hodge, and him to bring before us, or any, or either of us, His Majesty's Justices of the Peace, aforesaid, in order that he the said Arthur Hodge may be dealt with according to law.

Given under our several and respective hands and

seals, at Tortola, aforesaid, this 5th day of March,

in the fifty-first year of his Majesty's reign.

TORTOLA, 88. STEPHEN M-KEOUGH's Deposition, Before the Hon. George Richardson Porter,

Esq. the Hon. Abraham Chalwill Hill, Esq. the Hon, George Martin, Esq. Daniel Ross, Esq. Francis Harrigan Stout, Esq. William Gumbs Chalwill, Esq. Henry Maurice Lisle, Esq. and William Rogers Isaacs, Esq. each and every of them His Majesty's Justices of the Peace, within and for the Virgin-Islands, aforesaid.

Personally appeared, Stephen M Keough, formerly of the Island of Tortola, late of the Island of St. Croix, and at present resident in the Island of Tortola, aforesaid, planter; who being sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, deposeth, and saith, That in the month of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five, he resided at Paraquets Bay, in the East-End division of the said Island of Tortola, bordering upon the estate of the Hon. Arthur Hodge, of the aforesaid Island of Tortola, Esq. and though not in his immediate

employ, was engaged by him to inspect his estate; that the crop in that year, about the first of January following having begun,

Welcome, a slave about twenty-five years of age, being a hunter, belonging to said Hodge, was sent by him, in search of some run-away negroes, and exhibited his pass for such service to this deponent; that after said slave, Welcome, had hunted four or five days, he returned home unsuccessful in his pursuit, and in consequence thereof was laid down by said Hodge's order, and had a severe cart-whipping inflicted upon him; that the said slave, Welcome, was then immediately sent out hunting a second time, and in a few days, again returned home as formerly unsuccessful, when, with his old wounds from the before mentioned cart-whipping, uncured, he was a second time by order of said Hodge, laid down and severely cart-whipped upon the former wounds. That said Welcome was then immediately by said Hodge sent out hunting a third time, in the state he then, of course was, and again as formerly returned unsuccessful in a few days, and was then again cart-whipped severely by order of said Hodge, and put in very heavy irons, with a pudding on each leg, and a crook round his neck, and some nights was by deponent seen in this condition, put for the night in the bilboes, or stocks; that he was allow ed little or no diet, and consequently became so weak, that he could scarcely walk. That about this time

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said Hodge asked him, this deponent, to buy said slave Welcome, and offered to sell him for five joes, (that is forty dollars,) that previous to said cruelty, inflicted on said slave, Welcome, this deponent believes he was worth more than forty joes, but at the time said Hodge offered to sell him to deponent, he, this deponent, would not have given him two joes for him, as he was certain said slave could not live, in consequence of said ill treatment. That this deponent therefore refused to buy said slave, Welcome, but told said Hodge, he had no objection to taking him to ParThat he, aquets Bay, and keep him for a day or two. this deponent left said Hodge's house, and told said slave, Welcome, to come on; that said slave, Welcome, proceeded as well as he could in the state he was in, and reached about half way down the hill, when he declared himself unable to proceed any further; that in consequence of his wounds from said cartwhippings, being unable to sit down, he laid down in the road on his belly; that this deponent had seen the flesh from said wounds, sticking to the seat of his, the said slave's breeches, from the sores formed on his posteriors, in consequence of said cart-whippings, repeatedly inflicted as aforesaid. That deponent proceeded home, and left said slave unable to proceed, and in the condition aforesaid. That he was informed that said Hodge, learning that said slave, Welcome, did not proceed with the deponent to Para

quets Bay, had him that night brought home, and in the state he was then in, cart-whipped him immediately.

That he, this deponent went the next morning to said Hodge, who said he knew nothing of said slave, and had not seen him; that he this deponent when he last saw said slave, Welcome, was convinced he could not live, that he never after saw the said Welcome, and is sure he died in consequence of the cruelties. aforesaid.

That at different periods of time, he, this deponent has lived as a manager in the employ of said Hodge, on his estate in said Island of Tortola, called Belle Vue; that during his residence on said estate, the said Hodge was in the practice of committing dreadful and excessive acts of cruelty towards his slaves; that in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seven, after the twenty-seventh day of March, in that year, that being the day on which said deponent went to reside on said estate, two negro slaves, Margaret and Else, were sent by said Hodge, to this deponent, naked as they were born, very severely cut by the cartwhip, and chained together, with orders to put them into the field. That he this deponent had previously heard the said Hodge say that said Margaret and Else should not live long, but that he would put an end to them, for striving to take the lives of his innocent babes. That when said slaves, last named, were so sent to this deponent, he understood that said Hodge