St. Ann's, April 25th 1816
Sir –
I have the honour to report to your Excellency that about two o’Clock in the morning of the 15th instant, I received an official notification of an insurrection of the Negroes in the interior of the island on the preceding evening and I was required by the President to co-operate with the militia.
About 10 o’Clock, having waited in vain for authentic information of the strength and position of the insurgents, I deemed it necessary to march off in that quarter of the country, when the alarm had first spread, with a force consisting of three field pieces under the command of Brevil Major Brough,
Authentic: not false, genuine
Insurgents: rebels; people taking part in an uprising
Field pieces: cannons
