On the next day the Assembly was prorogued
by after a morose message from ye Govr between whom
& the 2 houses there had been a warm contest on
other subjects. The Negroes had deputed a
Committee to solicit the Govr's consent; but
he
told ym that his Instructions forbad it, &
Genl Gage
gave ym ye same answer when they waited on him.
The blacks however had better success in
the judicial Courts. A pamphlet written in
Engld
containg the Case of a Negro who had
accompanied
his Master from the
W Indies to
Engld & had there sued
for & obtained his freedom, was reprinted here
& this encouraged sevl Negroes to sue their
Mas-
ters for their freedom & for recompence for services
after they had attained the age of 21.
The first tryal of this kind was in 1770 the
Negroes collected money among themselves to carry on these suits, &
& several
others were instituted between that & the beging of
the Revolution & the Juries always invariably gave
their verdict
in favour of the Negroes their Liberty.
The Pleas on ye part of the Masters were -- that
the Negroes were purchased in open Market &
bills of Sale were produced in evidence -- That
the Laws of the Province recognised Slavery as
existing in it, by declaring that no Person should
manumit his slave without bonds for his mainten-
ance; &c
[Written in left margin: Judge Lowell.]
On ye part of the negroes it was pleaded that
the Charter expressly declared all persons born or,