If I had not already endeavoured to do justice to the universal hospitality which prevails in these colonies, I might enumerate, in proof of it, the many instances of friendly attention which I have experienced during the convalescence from my late attack of fever. Every table was at my command, every house my home, and every planter my friend. If it were not an injustice to particularize, I might mention to you the signal obligations I owe to Captain Mac-Rae, one of the gentlemen of the colony, now holding a company in the corps of South American rangers, and to his brother, from whose house I have now the pleasure to address you. The captain made me daily visits, and watched me with all the care of fraternal solicitude, during my sickness; and as soon as he saw me able to be moved, he not only proposed that I should make his brother’s house my convalescent abode, but, without any trouble or concern on my own part, provided me the means of conveyance, and himself accompanied me hither; where I have been received with the most cordial welcome, entertained with unaffected urbanity, and, I may say, nursed with sincere and affectionate attention by his brother; for not only have all the accommodations of the house been mine, but the friendship of this generous man has led him to procure also the best restoratives of the neighbourhood for the re-establishment of my health, and the recovery of my lost strength.

Since my arrival here, I have felt very strong symptoms of relapse, but, by the powerful aid of bark and Madeira wine, the threatened return of fever has been successfully resisted. I had been strongly cautioned, by the gentlemen of the colony, to “beware of the springs,”—implying that the disease would be likely to renew its attack at the full of the moon: I was prepared, therefore, to meet the first uneasy sensations with the appropriate remedies. On the 14th instant my head was in pain, my limbs ached, and I had general feelings of languor and restlessness; when, recollecting the remark so often made to me, and which had been in some measure confirmed by my own observations in the hospitals, I turned to the almanack, and found that the moon was to be at the full on the sixteenth: without delay, therefore, I had recourse to the bark, and drank a twofold portion of wine, but the symptoms continued to menace me with a renewal of fever until the eighteenth, after which they subsided, precisely as I had been assured would happen, with the decline of the spring-tides.

I am extremely sorry to inform you that, since my last letter giving you an account of my own illness, Mr. Blackader, to whose unwearied attentions I was so essentially indebted during my confinement, has received a rude visit from our common enemy: at the same time it gives me sincere pleasure to add that he is recovered, and that the disease has been slighter, and his sufferings less severe, than in my own case; which I think we are justified in attributing to the attack being less insidious, and his having been twice blooded within the first twelve hours of the disease. We were both of opinion that if I had used venæsection earlier I should have suffered less, and it is probable that if I had not been blooded at all, I should not have held the pen to you now: accordingly we employed our means with more boldness and promptitude, when Mr. Blackader was seized, and thereby prevented the consuming action of the fever from producing the still more destructive symptoms of exhaustion. Others, I am aware, might tell you that the extreme languor and prostration of strength, which sunk me so near to the grave, were induced by the bleeding; although I feel but little doubt that they proceeded from the neglect of it, and were the effect of the exhausting symptoms which prevailed at the commencement of the disease; but which might have been moderated by an earlier loss of blood, and prevented from throwing the system into a state of debility, which rendered my situation nearly as hopeless as it was alarming. After all, I lament that this is only matter of opinion, however much experience may have confirmed it, in my mind, as an established fact.

It is now said to be the short dry season; but within the few last days we have had many heavy showers of rain, and more wet has fallen than is common in this month. Still the weather, and our muddy roads are greatly improved, and what is more important, we have far less of sickness. On my removal, from La Bourgade to Mr. Mac-Rae’s, I resumed my attendance at the Mahaica hospital, and I have great satisfaction in being able to remark that the number of patients is not one-sixth so great, nor their diseases by any means so malignant, as when I was here before.

Since my arrival at my friendly convalescent quarters, at the Hope, two circumstances have offered to my notice, which afford very striking examples of the character of slaves, and which you would not excuse me if I were to omit noting. A French privateer, which, for some time past, had been lurking about the leeward coast of these colonies, had captured a considerable number of small vessels, and, in particular, several which the planters had been in the habit of sending down to Essequibo to fetch plantains, as provisions for the slaves. Among these, two boats lately fell into their hands, belonging to Mr. Kendall and Mr. Green, the latter of whom resides not far distant from the Hope; but on account of the privateer not having hands enough, on board, to man all her prizes, the negroes of Mr. Kendall’s boat were put on board that belonging to Mr. Green, and three or four sailors sent from the privateer to carry them into Trinidad. On the passage the Frenchmen talked much to the negroes about liberty, equality, and the rights of man, in all the common jargon of the revolution; holding out to them the high enjoyment of gaining their freedom; and assuring them that they would be carried from Trinidad to Guadaloupe, where they would be released from their slavery, become fellow-citizens, and remain in future their own masters. But these poor blacks, having been treated with great kindness and humanity by their owners, and not having been bred in the modern Gallic school, could not be made to comprehend the fascinating doctrine of equality. They rejected therefore the proffered French liberty; and instead of rejoicing, as it was supposed they would, to accept their freedom from the hands of these revolutionists, they concerted a plan to rescue the boat, and take it back to their masters; in which attempt they met with complete success; but unhappily it was attended with that savage inhumanity which characterizes the Africans. A little before they came within sight of Trinidad they seized an opportunity of rising upon the Frenchmen, and, not satisfied with subduing them, they murdered every one of them, and threw their mangled bodies into the sea: then, like faithful slaves, put the boat about, and made the best of their way up the coast, returning, much pleased, to their owners, and to their task of slavery. The party consisted of five negroes belonging to Mr. Kendall, and three (two men and a boy) belonging to Mr. Green. On my asking them why they did not bring the Frenchmen on shore as prisoners, instead of killing them, their reply spake one of the unhappy truths of slavery, and proved that the lives of these unfortunate Frenchmen were sacrificed to an unjust law always operating against the negroes. “Ah Massa,” said they, “we ’fraid ’em tell lies upon us, and him people always believe backra man sooner as negro ... so we tink it best for kill ’em all.” These poor slaves were aware that against the evidence of a white man, whether it were true or false, they could not be heard; therefore, to prevent the possibility of any incorrect reports of their prisoners operating to their prejudice, they deemed it wise to secure themselves the privilege of giving their testimony in the cause of truth, by destroying those whose voices might have prevented it.

The other circumstance was likewise one in which the blacks were equally true to each other, and equally acted in concert; but it was in a widely different case. Two negroes who had stolen a trunk from their master, containing clothes, a brace of pistols, and a pocket-book, with notes and bills to the amount of 2000l. submitted repeatedly to severe punishment, and would probably have suffered death, rather than have broken the faith which they had pledged to one another: but a wily old slave, by means of a well-devised stratagem, obtained a confession of the theft from each of them, separately; and prevented the necessity of extorting it, by a further infliction of the chastisement.