DURING the yearlong celebrations of the 400th Anniversary of Bermuda, many residents will seek out special memorabilia and historical keepsakes. Now, here's your chance to obtain a little piece of Bermuda's history.

Three editions of The Royal Gazette from tumultuous times in the early 1830s are on sale via Live Auctioneers, an online auction site for collectibles, antiques, jewelry and art.

What makes these particular editions special is their content, which offers a glimpse into some of Bermuda's and the Caribbean's dark moments in history. Detailing incidences of runaway slaves, accounts of violent uprisings and death sentences of pirates, the three papers dated December 7, 1830 and January 18 and March 29, 1831 are available for purchase to the highest bidder.

On page one of the December 7 issue, there is a call for "An Act for the Complete Registration of Slaves" and page two includes a notice that Benjamin Franklin's essay "A Native" (sic) will not be included in the issue because, according to the paper, "although we admire Franklin as a philosopher, a patriot, a statesman and a moralist, yet we cannot subscribe to his ideas...."

Even though the paper was published 50 years after Franklin's death, it was well known that he, unlike most of his contemporaries, was sympathetic to Native American Indians and even included many of their notions of personal liberties and independence from authority into America's Declaration of Independence.

Also included in the December edition are notices inquiring about runaway slaves, including one that stated "that well-known Coloured Girl Louisa".

Within the pages of the January 18 edition, news of a captured Spanish slave ship was published stating that the vessel had 555 slaves on board. The March 29 issue includes news of an insurrection in Martinique during which 11 plantations were burned, hundreds of people killed and 300 prisoners taken.

To register and bid on the three papers,please visit www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6135979.