1791-Nov.: A young brown man who was learning the carpenter trade in Kingston was spotted attempting to flee Jamaica aboard a naval vessel.

1791-Nov.: A young brown man who was learning the carpenter trade in Kingston was spotted attempting to flee Jamaica aboard a naval vessel. He was seen trying to secure passage on His Majesty’s Ship the Diana at Port Royal to escape his status as property. This attempt coincided with the early months of the revolution in Saint-Domingue, a period when seaborne activity was under intense scrutiny. Officials increasingly worried about the connection between such mobile fugitives and the transmission of subversive political currents. The case highlights how urban skilled slaves utilized busy port hubs to seek a masterless existence.