Star.
London, England, 1824-04-09 00:00:00

PLAISANCE.

Court Sworn.—Ordinary Charge.—Plea, Not Guilty,
. .

Thomas Blake examined by the JUDGE ADVOCATE.
-1 am manager of plantation Better Hope, and reside
there. On Monday night, the 18th inst. about nine
o'clock, a gang of men came up to the door of my
dwelling-house; they wanted to enter the house. The
Better Hope negtoes kept them from entering for some
time; they went away a little bit, blew a shell, and called
in another gang of negroes,who overpowered the negroes
belonging to our estate. They then began to break ail the
windows. As soon as I found that, I went up stairs into
the,chamber, and lucked the door. I remained there
about a quarter of an hour before the gang came up
stairs. They endeavoured to forte open the door, but
could not; they broke through the partition to-make a
wider entrance. They instantly rushed in, and dragged
me down stairs ; there were so many, that I could not
' exactly discover who they were; they dragged me across
the yard, till they got me to the stocks. This than Louis
was very active, and assisted in putting me in the stocks.
I told him to be careful in what he was doing; he said
he must do it, or we would do worse with them ; I do
not recollect if he was armed. There were about forty
or fifty persons ; some of them had cutlasses. I knew
the prisoner before; I am sure he was one who assisted
to put me in the stocks. The head driver of Plaisance
was there ; I could not say if he was a leader ; his
name is Tina,. or Silla.
Cress-examined by the prisoner.—When the negroes
brought you into the sick-house, with cutlasses in their
hands, did I not try to prevent their doing you any in-

jury ?—No.
When you were brought into the sick•house, did you
not a)k me if the negroes were going to kill you, and did
I not answer—No, they will only put you in the stocks ?
—ldo not recollect.

When you were in the stocks, did you not ask me for
some water to drink, and did I not bring a basin of water
to you ?—Yes, you did.
When they were marching you to the stocio, did you
not observe me behind you, preventing their cutting you
with cutlasses ?—I cannot say you did.
Did you louk behind you at the time ?—No, I don't
know that 1 did. _ _

When I went afterwards into the sick-house to see
my wife, who was sick there, did you not say, Louis,
will you do me the favour to release me from the stocks,
and did I nat say, I have not got the key ?—You did.
William Mercer examined by the Junto.: A ovo-
CATC—OiI the evening of Mond ty the 1St!), I was on
the plantation Better Hope, with the manager, Thomas
Blake. It was intimated to us, that the negroes were
rising on the adjoining estates, and we immediately
put ou:•selves in the way of defence. The negroes of
plantation Better Hope were assembled before the
tnanavi, ei's door; they were repeatedly told by the ma-
nager and myself not to behave improperly, or to
join the others who were approaching ; to the best of
my knowledge, it was between nine and ten o'clock.—
An armed body of negroes came into the yard, and
im-
mediately challenged one of our negroes, named Quam-
. me, calling him to come and join them, which he
-
• tused to do as well as the rest of the -Better Hope ne-
grois ; they instantly made an attack upon our negroes,
who drove the first party from the front of the house.
O.ie of the negroes had a shell, which he blew, and ral-
lied the men again ; a strofigee reinforcement came from
another building; they were then attacked, and, in con-
overLpowered
itnit:oe
tr nhe egroes
house,of
sequence of their numbers,
Better Hope; they immediately
and the prisoner Louis caught me by the threw, and
dragged me out of the house; I was then surrounded
by numbers with cutlasses; they began to chop at me,
and chopped my hat in thrce different places • and
knocked it off E the hat was here produced, with three
deep cuts right through].—l then received three
wounds on my head, on my way to the sick-home;
they wanted to kill me at once on 'my way there, but
the man Louis and others prevented their so doing ; he
WAS one of the ringleaite,s, and teserved me to shoot me
himself; when in the sto‘isio 7 asked -hint to give me a