Montague James

In 1792, Montague James petitioned the House of Assembly of Jamaica to complain that the Maroons of Trelawny Town needed more land to support their growing population.

However, when it became obvious that war was inevitable, the governor ordered the release of Montague James, and asked him to convince his Maroon warriors to lay down their arms.

Instead, Montague James told his warriors how badly he had been treated, and the Jamaican Maroons burnt their towns, and retreated into the Cockpit Country to carry out a campaign of guerrilla warfare.

The governor of Jamaica, Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres, ratified the treaty, but gave the Maroons only three days to present themselves to beg forgiveness on 1 January 1796.

Suspicious of British intentions, most of the Maroons did not surrender until mid-March, by which time the conflict had proved to be very costly to the island, and resulted in the ruin of many plantations and estates.

In 1797, Montague James petitioned Walpole, now an MP in the House of Commons, complaining about their miserable conditions, and he sent Charles Samuels to England to describe their circumstances.

However, Secretary of War Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville supported the decision by the government of the Colony of Jamaica to deport the Trelawny Maroons.