"Town of St George Grenada

Sir
At Your Excellency's request, I enclose the essential particulars of the case of Pierre, condemned, for the practice of Obeah, to suffer the punishment of transportation; which will be, in effect, for life; since twice fourteen years is a period longer than his natural life will in all probability continue. The extreme penalty of the law is death. His punishment, however, is in reality nothing, as this is not his native Country, being by birth an African, and not having any family connections here. He is a free man, but extremely indigent; being considerably adroned in years, and having sore feet, his fate, in this Island, would inevitably have been encreasing misery until death: therefore whilst the judgment of the Court has removed him from the Scene of his abominable practices, it has rendered them no longer necessary for his subsistence; since as a transported convict he will be supplied with necessaries during his existence: and it is certain, that he does not lose any comforts, because he did not enjoy any; being entirely dependent on the precarious earnings of his nefarious arts. His poverty has no doubt driven him to his bad practices; but those arts, amongst a credulous and extremely superstitious people – his fellow negroes – are very destructive of peace, and eventually of life; the direful effects of such practices being the continual dread of irresistible supernatural power, often producing despair, insuperable melancholy, and pining to death. In the neighbouring colonies the most dreadful punishments have been inflicted to deter negroes from the commission of such offences, and to encourage the miserable victims to [22] disbelieve such supernatural powers:- even burning alive has been the punishment inflicted in the French islands, and in Trinidad; in which last Island I have seen such a mode of execution in the streets of the principal town.
I have directed the Secretary of the Supreme Court and Clerk of the arraigns to said copies of the two indictments to Your Excellency.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your Excellencys
faithful and humble Servant
John Sanderson"