be more foreign from the ideas of minifters, than carrying on war in fuch a mode. Mr. Yorke, how ever, obferved that the use of bloodhounds, in difcovering the haunts of murderers, &c. was nothing new; and that the Maroons maffacred, without mercy, every enemy that fell in their way. It was therefore very poffible they had been introduced for the purpofe of facilitating the detection of thefe mifcreants, who, from their knowledge of the country, could easily conceal themselves from common purfuit.

On the 21st of March, general M'Leod brought forward a motion on this fubject. He produced an original letter ftating the tranfaction, and obferved that the first queftion that prefented itself upon it was, who were the Maroons? the refult of which was, that they were men, freemen, and the defcendants of freemen. The fecond was, what were thefe blood-hounds? the refult of which would be, that they were dogs which the Spaniards had found of great ufe upon their difcovery of Mexico, for the purpofe of extermination. But could the parliament of Great Britain wink at enormities like thefe? It had

been, the general faid, ufual in Cuba for the Spaniards to feed the dogs with human flesh, to make them unnaturally ferocious. It had been common among them to split a child in two, or cut up an Indian in quarters, to feast their dogs. Would the house of commons fit carelefs, while 50 couple of bloodhounds were imported from Cuba, and 20 chaffeurs, to purfue the fame bloody and inhuman sport? And who were the fportimen? British fabjects, British foldiers, and British officers! There was, at the fame time, no account of our war with the Maroons. We knew not what provocation they had given. But allowing the war was in defence of our rights, yet we had no right to refort to unjustifiable means in its profecution. We had no

right to purfue them with bloodhounds into their inmost recesses; and he had authority to state, that it was not merely in their fallying forth and incurfions we used fuch refiftance. After urging every argument against this infamous practice, drawn both from the laws of war and the principles of morality, he adverted to the dreadful probability of retaliation. It was not, he faid, his intention to move for

any

any cenfure on any commander or officer, but merely for official papers. The general concluded by moving for an address to his majefty, praying that he would give directions for laying before the houfe whatever has been received refpecting the mode of carrying on war against the Maroons.

The motion was oppofed by Mr. Dundas, who ftated that no information had reached minifiers that thefe dogs were used for the purpofe of carrying on the war He had never heard that the Maroon war had originated with us; he had, indeed, heard they were in a ftate of infurrection against the government and people of Jamaica without the fmalleft provocation. In the war, the inhabitants of Jamaica fuffered dreadfully from the Maroons, who, living in almost inacceffible places on the heights, defcended in the dead of night, and after having maffacred whole multitudes, retired where the whole force of the island had been found inadequate to diflodge them. In this fituation the planters were obliged to be continually under arms; and finding many of their troops deftroyed by efforts to fupprefs them, though their numbers did not exceed 400 men, it was natural to adopt fuch practical means as appeared moft likely to crush the infurrection.. The ufe made of thefe bloodhounds in Cuba was, he faid, merely to prevent negroes from running away, or to difcover the way they had taken. The grounds for the motion were, he contended, too imperfect to induce the houfe to acquiefce in the propofition. How far it could refolve on the propriety or impropriety of the meafure which had been reforted to, was another queftion. If the complaint was true, the neceffary meafures would certainly be taken to remove the

evil; and from the mere rumour which had been received, minifters had fent off difpatches expreffing their difapprobation of the mea-fure, if any fuch had occurred.

The character of the governor of Jamaica (lord Balcarras) was vindicated by Mr. Barham, who ftated the Maroon war to have originated from the mild punishment inflicted upon one of these people, for a crime which, in this country, would have been punished with death. Mr. M. Robinfon thought the letter infufficient ground for the motion, had not the defence of Mr. Dundas admitted the fact of bloodhounds being employed in the war. The fmall number of Maroons, he obferved, was an additional reafon against the introduction of a means of war abhorrent to human nature.

Mr. Sheridan expatiated upon the horrors of this addition to the neceffary calamities of war. He profelled himself forry to hear that the Maroon war was a war of extermination; which he understood was the cafe, as it was ftated that Jamaica could not be fafe till the Maroons were deftrayed. Was it not ftrange, that the whole force of the island was inadequate to this end, without the introduction of fuch abominable means? They had been driven to arms by oppreffion, the breach of treaty, and in vindication of their rights. One gentleman (Mr. Barham) had afferted that they were not to be treated as Maroons, but as rebels. Was, then, the refiftance of an independent nation, with whom this country had figned a folemn treaty which it afterwards violated, to be confidered as a state of rebellion? The tendency of fuch meatures was to drive them, by cruelty, to nourith fuch a reflection of their wrongs, as would render H 3

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them in future incapable of preferving amity towards this country. Would it be faid that the Maroons, when in habits of intercourfe with the planters, were either ufelefs or intractable? The flight punishment alluded to, had been that of publicly whipping through the town a poor Maroon, charged with stealing a pig. Such was the pride of this independent people, they preferred death to an ignominious punishment. Nor had we a right to try him, "as, by an exprefs ftipulation in the treaty with this people, they were to be tried by a tribunal of their own." Complaints were made by the Maroon chiefs of this violation: we refufed redrefs; and thus, he said, the war had originated.

Mr. Courtenay obferved that this meafure appeared to have been defended, though indirectly. One gentlemen had hoped no improper ufe would be made of the bloodhounds. What proper ufe could they be of against men? Would they be inftructed not to hurt the men when they caught them? Fox-hounds, when fet on, would tear a man to pieces. As a poor woman, with her child in her arms, had food upon the beach in Jamaica, fome of the blood-hounds had faftened upon her, and could not be taken away till they were pierced with a bayonet. Such were the animals of which it was hoped no improper ufe would be made! In confideration of the affurance given by Mr. Dundas, ge-neral M Leod, after afferting that he would never abandon this fubject till he was fatisfied that government had really difpatched orders for terminating a practice fo injurious to the British name, confented to withdraw his motion. In the courfe of debate, the character of the

governor of Jamaica received from all parties great encomiums.

On the 13th of April, Mr. Sheridan moved for feveral papers relative to the Weft India expedition, the production of which was ob jected to by the chancellor of the exchequer. The debate was refumed April 21ft, when Mr. Sheridan obferved, that no reafon had been offered for their non-production. This, he contended, was part of the plan of minifters; it was calculated to conceal their blunders, and to hide their incapacity, and was a practice unknown to former parliaments-a practice which must effectually preclude any inquiry into the conduct of administration. The minifter had, he observed, laft year regretted the latenefs of the feafon, which prevented him from entering into the merits of the war in the Weft Indies; and had declared his conviction, that it would redound to the credit of ministers. How was it then, that the motion was now opposed? No man in that houfe, Mr. Sheridan faid, would, he was certain, affert that no blame was imputable to thofe who had the conduct of the war, or of the Weft India expedition. After the conquefts of fir C. Grey, what had been the treatment he received? From the hour of his departure to his return, not one detachment, he believed not a single man, had been fent him. If, by this neglect, we had loft the greatest part of our conquefts; if, by the delay of equip. ments in 1794, men had been kept in floating peft-houfes till they perifhed with difeafe, was it, or was it not, a ground for inquiry? But how was this to be obtained with. out documents? He would, he said, undertake to prove that much blame was imputable to minifters in the expedition under admiral Christian,

and,

and, if the house would go into the inquiry, that all our failures and difgraces were attributable to the fame caufe. After fir John Jervis left the Weft Indies, he had intelligence that feveral of the officers had behaved in fuch a way as demanded an inquiry into their conduct. None had, however, been inftitut ed; for minifters feared recrimination. In the cafe of admiral Cornwallis, they had not, however, been fo tender; by the curious fentence of the court by which he was tried, he was right and wrong; blame was imputable to him, but no cenfure merited. After inftancing feveral proofs of mifconduct, Mr. Sheridan moved for a return of the men loft by fatigue and disease in the West India expedition. This, he faid, would convince the houfe how much the drain from the three kingdoms must injure population, and weaken the country. The troops fent out were fo dreadfully neglected, as to be deftitute even of fhoes and ftockings; and in this fituation, with bleeding feet, had to encounter the burning fands. He next moved for an account of the number of men withdrawn from the Weft India expedition, for that of Quiberon.-Another for the correfpondence of the Weft India expedition with minifters relative to neceffary reinforcements.An account of the reinforcements which had arrived in the Weft Indies of the number Lent to St. Domingo, and what for-and of the number of men and staff officers employed under the earl of Moira in 1794 and 1795. The object of this was, he faid, to inquire why this armament was not fent to the relief of the islands. Why was fuch an armament kept idle and un. employed, the ridicule and con, tempt of the country? To its leader no blame could attach. He,

Mr. Sheridan faid, was, he underftood, ready to prove at the bar of the house that the difgrace of the expedition was alone attributable to the imbecility of minifters. His next motion would, he faid, be for an account of the number of men. and officers loft fince the return of fir C. Grey, specifying the lofs of each regiment, and an account of all the ftores and the number of fhips employed. While gaudy, expenfive, and inactive camps were difplayed at home, the troops in the Weft Indies had been cruelly neglected, and had been faved only by the difeafes amongst the troops of the enemy. Of our troops, the 29th regiment had, he faid, loft 400 and in June, the hospitals of Martinique were crouded by British officers and foldiers, who were in want not only of medicine, but even of bandages for their wounds. It was, he faid, a wellknown fact, that 90 or 100 men, who had been put into a transport to be brought home, had, upon fome difpute about freighting, been relanded upon the beach, covered with wounds, and many without limbs, where they were left for a night to the mercy of the elements; and only feven or eight furvived. When fuch grounds for inquiry exifted, how could it be refused by the houfe? His next motion fhould, he faid, be for accounts of the number who had died in the ports of Plymouth, Southampton, and Portfmouth; and for copies of letters from the mayor of Portsmouth, colonel Lennox, and other officers. This would inform the house, that troops in thofe places had daily expired through fatigue. When, on a former night, he had urged the fhocking neglect of leaving troops ftowed in flips for feven months, a prey to difeafe and death, many dead bodies thrown overboard, and H 4

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