James succeeded to the possession of an estate which obliged him to spend most of his time away from the Maroon town; and as a resident who does not reside could be satisfactory neither to his subjects at Trelawney nor his masters at Kingston, he was deprived of his post. He, rather unreasonably, felt himself much aggrieved by the Government in consequence; and the Maroons, who had been annoyed at his former neglect, became positively angry at his involuntary removal. In plain truth, the Maroons through indiscipline had got what is called “above themselves,” and were ripe for any mischief. [Sidenote: 1795.] It was not long before matters came to a crisis. The new resident appointed in place of James, though in character irreproachable, was not a man to dominate the Maroons by personal ascendancy and courage. A trifling dispute sprang up in the middle of July; the Trelawney Maroons drove him from the town, and on the 18th sent a message to the magistrates to say that they desired nothing but battle, and that if the white men would not come to them and make terms, then they would come down to the white men. With that they called in all their people, and sent the women into the bush--nay, report said that they proposed to kill their cattle and also such of their children as were likely to prove an encumbrance to them. Lord Balcarres, when the news reached him, was not a little troubled. At ordinary times it might have been politic to temporise and conciliate, but now that the greater number of the islands were aflame such policy seemed impossible. Here was a race of black men in insurrection, who had successfully resisted the whites two generations before, and now held an independent position in virtue of a solemn treaty. The bare existence of such a community was a standing menace at such a time. There was evidence that French agents were at work in Jamaica; and it was remarkable that just at this time the negroes on nine plantations, where the managers were known to be men of unusual clemency, showed symptoms of unrest and discontent. It is evident from Balcarres’s despatches that he had negro insurrection, so to speak, on the brain, and it is certain that he was ambitious of military glory; but he cannot be blamed at such a time for acting forcibly and swiftly. For a fortnight endeavours were made to smoothe matters over, and with some slight success, for six of the chiefs surrendered. But the main body still held aloof; and Balcarres without further ado proclaimed martial law. He took pains to obtain information as to every path and track that led into the Maroon district, his plan being to seize these and thus blockade the whole of it, though he admits that it would be a difficult manœuvre to do so effectually “on a circle of forty square miles of the most difficult and mountainous country in the universe.” [Sidenote: 1795.] On the 9th August the preparations were complete, and