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The Virginia Gazette Foreign News May 25, 1739
Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
Cautionary note: slavery-era racial language; account of a Jamaican slave rebellion
What is this article about?
Account of a Jamaican expedition against rebellious Negroes at Montego Bay: Col. Guttery's 250-man party burned their town of about 200 houses, and after negotiations a 14-article peace was agreed granting freedom, land, and self-government to the Trelawney Town community.
Quality green show the numbers
Measured from the scan
— how cleanly the OCR engine read the characters
- Mean ink quality
- 99.0% The length-weighted average confidence across the OCR lines — the mean of exactly the per-line scores whose tails the two figures below report. Typical is 99%.
- Illegible ink
- 0.0% Text sitting in OCR-detected lines that scored below 80% confidence — very shaky reads. Weighted by line length, so one long bad line counts for more than a short one.
- Uncertain ink
- 0.0% Text in lines that scored 80–90% — somewhat shaky reads.
- Matches source
- 97.05% How closely the served text matches the raw OCR of the same boxes, letter by letter, after collapsing spacing and case. This measures agreement, not correctness: the OCR is often wrong and the extractor corrects it, so 100% does not mean perfect, and a low figure usually means poor scan text was rewritten rather than that text was lost (length vs source shows loss).
- Length vs source
- 99.44% Below 100% means text was dropped from the OCR; above means text was added to make it read.
Assembled by the extraction model
— whether the stitched-together text holds up; catches layout and segmentation errors, which the scores above cannot see
- Transcription confidence
- 97.0% (typical 96%) How cleanly the extractor could assemble what it was given. Low here with clean ink scores points at layout analysis — the characters were read correctly but grouped or ordered wrongly.
- Comprehension
- 95.0% Whether the piece reads coherently start to finish. Can stay high while transcription confidence drops, when only part of the component is affected.
Clipping
Full Text
Newport, Rhode Island, April 11. By Capt. John Beard, who arrived here from Jamaica, we have the following Account, viz.
The Negroes being very troublesome to the Inhabitants all over the Island, the Governor thought proper to fit out a great Party, of which went a Number of Gentlemen Volunteers, so that they muster'd 250 Shot-men, besides Negroes, and a Company of Soldiers, to a Place called Montego Bay, they being about two Days and a half March from the rebellious Negroes. They set out on Friday Morning the 29th of February, and arrived at the Place on Sunday Morning, and came upon them before they were aware of it; but as soon as their Lookouts discovered them they took to their Ambush, and engaged the Soldiers to go in the Front, who did with so much Resolution that the first Shot they made wounded five and killed one, but the rest which was commanded by Col. Guttery advanced so fast upon 'em that they were forced to quit their Ambush after losing 8 or 9 Negroes, and a Woman and Child they took alive; this being Sunday in the Morning the first Day, and fought all Day. The Negroes got up in their Precipice in the Rocks, and the next Day fired very briskly from off the Rocks. Col. Guttery was commanding his Men to make sure of 3 Shots, when a Shot came and took his Cane out of his Hand; he drew his Sword, and told them it was well done, let them fire at that, for the Negroes was so near as to talk to them. He burnt their Town which consisted of 200 Houses, and the Captain's House was 100 Feet long. The Col. told them, if they'd come to a Peace he would make a Peace with them, but they were afraid they would not be so good as their Word, 'til a Scotch Doctor laid down his Arms and went towards them, then one of their boldest went and changed Hats with him. After that Hostages was changed on both Sides and they came to an Agreement, which could not be finished 'til the Governor and Council met; the Governor came in great Haste, having Horses ready in 3 different Places, and rode it in a Day and a Half, altho' it is reckon'd 120 Miles and bad Roads, so ready the Governor was to do any Thing for the Good of the Country. The Governor has promised the Party Men an Hundred Pistoles out of his own Pocket, and likewise to see they are well rewarded by the Country. There are some small Companies that will not come in, but Capt. Cudgoe who is the greatest Captain, and of the greatest Strength, has promised to bring them or their Heads. There are two Captains more and two Companies which came in with Capt. Cudgoe. Their Town is called by the Name of Trelawney Town, after the Name of the Governor.
Articles of Agreement.
1. No Hostilities.
2. Freedom for ever.
3. Possession of 1500 Acres of Land North-West of the Town, to them and their Heirs.
4. Liberty to plant and raise Stock, and when brought to Market, to apply themselves to a Magistrate for Liberty to sell.
5. Oblig'd to live within their own Boundary, and not to hunt within three Miles of any Settlement; and if Hunters meet, to divide the Game.
6. To suppress all Rebels and obey the Governor in all Commands.
7. To be ready with Assistance upon an Invasion, and always to be obedient to the Commands of the Governor.
8. If any Injury done to the Whites, oblig'd to apply to a Magistrate; if done by the Negroes, Cudgoe to deliver himself or the Offender.
9. To be oblig'd to deliver to the first Magistrate Negroes running away for the future.
10. To return all Negroes since the Treaty, if any come.
11. Their Captain to agree before the Governor once a Year.
12. They have Liberty to punish their Men excepting with Death; and upon Delivery to be try'd as free Negroes.
13. Obliged to make Roads from their Town to Westmoorland, St. James's, and St. Elizabeth.
14. Their Successors, (Cudgoe, Accompong, Johnny, Cufte, and Quaco, after whose Death) the Governor to name them for ever.
The Negroes being very troublesome to the Inhabitants all over the Island, the Governor thought proper to fit out a great Party, of which went a Number of Gentlemen Volunteers, so that they muster'd 250 Shot-men, besides Negroes, and a Company of Soldiers, to a Place called Montego Bay, they being about two Days and a half March from the rebellious Negroes. They set out on Friday Morning the 29th of February, and arrived at the Place on Sunday Morning, and came upon them before they were aware of it; but as soon as their Lookouts discovered them they took to their Ambush, and engaged the Soldiers to go in the Front, who did with so much Resolution that the first Shot they made wounded five and killed one, but the rest which was commanded by Col. Guttery advanced so fast upon 'em that they were forced to quit their Ambush after losing 8 or 9 Negroes, and a Woman and Child they took alive; this being Sunday in the Morning the first Day, and fought all Day. The Negroes got up in their Precipice in the Rocks, and the next Day fired very briskly from off the Rocks. Col. Guttery was commanding his Men to make sure of 3 Shots, when a Shot came and took his Cane out of his Hand; he drew his Sword, and told them it was well done, let them fire at that, for the Negroes was so near as to talk to them. He burnt their Town which consisted of 200 Houses, and the Captain's House was 100 Feet long. The Col. told them, if they'd come to a Peace he would make a Peace with them, but they were afraid they would not be so good as their Word, 'til a Scotch Doctor laid down his Arms and went towards them, then one of their boldest went and changed Hats with him. After that Hostages was changed on both Sides and they came to an Agreement, which could not be finished 'til the Governor and Council met; the Governor came in great Haste, having Horses ready in 3 different Places, and rode it in a Day and a Half, altho' it is reckon'd 120 Miles and bad Roads, so ready the Governor was to do any Thing for the Good of the Country. The Governor has promised the Party Men an Hundred Pistoles out of his own Pocket, and likewise to see they are well rewarded by the Country. There are some small Companies that will not come in, but Capt. Cudgoe who is the greatest Captain, and of the greatest Strength, has promised to bring them or their Heads. There are two Captains more and two Companies which came in with Capt. Cudgoe. Their Town is called by the Name of Trelawney Town, after the Name of the Governor.
Articles of Agreement.
1. No Hostilities.
2. Freedom for ever.
3. Possession of 1500 Acres of Land North-West of the Town, to them and their Heirs.
4. Liberty to plant and raise Stock, and when brought to Market, to apply themselves to a Magistrate for Liberty to sell.
5. Oblig'd to live within their own Boundary, and not to hunt within three Miles of any Settlement; and if Hunters meet, to divide the Game.
6. To suppress all Rebels and obey the Governor in all Commands.
7. To be ready with Assistance upon an Invasion, and always to be obedient to the Commands of the Governor.
8. If any Injury done to the Whites, oblig'd to apply to a Magistrate; if done by the Negroes, Cudgoe to deliver himself or the Offender.
9. To be oblig'd to deliver to the first Magistrate Negroes running away for the future.
10. To return all Negroes since the Treaty, if any come.
11. Their Captain to agree before the Governor once a Year.
12. They have Liberty to punish their Men excepting with Death; and upon Delivery to be try'd as free Negroes.
13. Obliged to make Roads from their Town to Westmoorland, St. James's, and St. Elizabeth.
14. Their Successors, (Cudgoe, Accompong, Johnny, Cufte, and Quaco, after whose Death) the Governor to name them for ever.
What sub-type of article is it?
Rebellion Or Revolt
Military Campaign
Colonial Affairs
What keywords are associated?
Jamaica Slave Rebellion
Montego Bay Expedition
Trelawney Town Treaty
Maroons
What entities or persons were involved?
Col. Guttery
Capt. Cudgoe
The Governor
Where did it happen?
Jamaica (Montego Bay, Trelawney Town)
Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Jamaica (Montego Bay, Trelawney Town)
Event Date
February 29 – March 2 (Year Not Given; Reported April 11)
Key Persons
Col. Guttery
Capt. Cudgoe
The Governor
Outcome
rebels lost 8 or 9 killed and a woman and child captured; the rebels' town of 200 houses was burned; a 14-article treaty granted freedom, 1,500 acres, and self-government to the trelawney town community.