eut. Clench of the Indian Department which boy has been allowed his
provisions drawn at Cataraqui (Kingston) from the time of his first
coming into the Province with other Loyalists from N. York last year."
He asked to have this allowance continued. There was no answer. The
report of settlers near Cataraqui for this year gave 3 "servants" and
near Oswegatchie 11. But the importation of Slaves was not encouraged
indiscriminately.[10]

The accustomed abuses were not wanting. In an action Poiree v. Lagord
in the Court of Common Pleas at Montreal July 1788, it was proved that
Lagord had sold to Poiree in September, 1787, a free Negro for L37.6.
He was ordered to repay the price with interest. Another and more
celebrated case was that of the Negro Nero. In 1780 Haldimand sent a
detachment of troops accompanied by Mohawk Indians to attack Ballstown
and the Saratoga region. They captured a number of Negroes some of
them the slaves of Colonel Gordon of the American service. These were
claimed by the white men and Indians, and as was the custom, they were
brought to Montreal and sold. One Negro called Dublin was known to be
free. He was liberated and enlisted in the army. Lieutenant Patrick
Langan acted as agent for the Indians and sold Nero to John Mittberger
for L60 December 5, 1780. Claiming the Negro as a prisoner of war
General Allan Maclean imprisoned him "in the public Provot." He made
his escape and went to his master Colonel Gordon and Mittleberger sued
Langan in 1788 for the price and for damages. In January 1789 he was
awarded judgment for the L60 and interest.[11] About the same time
Rossiter Hoyle, attorney for the trustees of Mary Jacobs, obtained a
judgment in the Court of Common Pleas at Montreal that Donald Fisher
and Elizabeth his wife should forthwith deliver "two negro women, the
one named Silvia Jane, the other Ruth Jane," which said Negro women,
they had sold to Mary Jacobs by a notarial deed for L50 or pay L50
with costs.[12]

There are also in existence advertisements for the sale of Negroes. In
the _Quebec Gazette_ of March 18, 1784, is the advertisement of the
sale of a female Negro slave, price to be obtained on inquiry of
Madame Perrault. In the issue of March 25, 1785, there is advertised
for sale a Negro of about twenty-five years of age who has had the
smallpox. There appear also a few advertisements for runaway slaves.

There arose also some complaints like the following: In 1784 there was
pres