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| June—Aug. |
957. Permits for 5 ships to sail without convoy in the West
Indies. [C.O. 5, 210. pp. 37, 39, 54, 55.] |
June 2.
Fulham. |
958. Bishop of London to Wm. Popple. I have carefully
perused the Act [of Virginia, for the suppression of vice, etc.].
I do think it is a very dangerous thing to exempt young people
from 15 to 21 from being liable to any punishment for their
immorality. It will certainly be an inducement to them to
take it for an indulgence to all licentiousness during that time.
That part of the Act likewise, wch. makes the Clergy liable to
the same punishmts. with the Lay-Offenders, is to expose them
to the last degree; especially since they are liable to be corrected
by ecclesiastical censures. Signed, H. London. Endorsed,
Recd. 2nd, Read 5th June. Holograph. Addressed. ½ p.
[C.O. 5, 1315. No. 59; and 5, 1362. p. 232.] |
June 3.
Whitehall. |
959. Mr. Secretary Harley to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. Encloses following for their report with all speed.
Signed, Ro. Harley. Endorsed, Recd. 4th, Read 5th June, 1707.
1 p. Enclosed, |
|
959. i. Proprietors of the Bahamas to the Queen. Pray for
H.M. approbation of R. Holden as Governor of
"Providence and their other Bahama Islands." Signed,
Granville, Craven, Berkeley, Carteret, M. Ashley, J.
Colleton. 1 p. [C.O. 5, 1264. Nos. 3, 4; and 5, 1292.
pp. 2, 3.] |
June 5.
St. James's. |
960. Order of Queen in Council. S. Beresford is appointed
Member of Council of Barbados. Signed, John Povey. Endorsed,
Recd. Read June 17, 1707. 1¼ pp. [C.O. 28, 10. No. 25;
and 29, 11. pp. 63, 64.] |
June 5.
Barbadoes. |
961. Governor Crowe to the Council of Trade and Plantations. Since my last (copy enclosed), I have (with the Engineer,
Col. Lilley) been to view all the forts and fortifications, severall
of which I find very irregular, ill placed, and all wanting of repairs,
indeed the best cannot be term'd anything but a Battery, and
that without either entrenchment, or stockade. When the new
Castle of St. Ann's is finish'd, it will be the only strong place
in ye Island. The trenches are not half finished, nor do I see
any hopes of their being compleated without an allowance out
of the 4½ per cent. The Assembly's Address will let your
Lordships into the many difficultys I have to strugle with to
reforme this (almost lost) Government. I thought it best to
take their informations as well as the (most impartiall) private
ones before I made any alteration in the Councill, in which I
perceive it is H.M. pleasure Mr. John Holder should be a Member,
notwithstanding the complaints that has been made agt. him
as one of the cheif promoters of the paper credit. Commodore
Wager arrived here last Saturday with 9 of H.M. and 24 merchant
ships, he sayles again this day for the Leward Islands. I was
in hopes to have been honour'd with a letter from your Lordships
by that conveyance, having received not so much as a line from
any about the Court since I left it, and it's now above 15 weeks
since the last packet boat came from Plymouth, soe that we fear
some miscarriage to the next in course, which we have been a
month expecting. The private and publick representations
against the late established Cartell is the reason that I have not
ratified it untill I know H.M. pleasure therein. Five days agoe
a Flagg of Truce arrived here in three from Martineco, and brought
18 prisoners, wch. a sloop (almost wholy navigated by negroes)
had taken out of two small vessels comeing from New England.
The Masters of said vessels tell me that the report at Martineco
was that the French squadron that lately left Brest, were arrived
in the Spanish West Indies, and that a French man of war about
three weeks agoe sayled from Martineco for Europe with four
rich ships, whereof one was a Spaniard, soe that they have none
now left there, but daily infest this coast with their sloops and
small privateers. To avoid all disputes and heats, wch. I am
informed might arrise by commissionating a Judge for next
Grand Sessions, I intend to sit myself there to see the Laws duly
executed, and have already distributed such orders as I found
necessary for the peace and safety of the Island, wch. has been
so miserably divided into parties, only to support private men's
interests for obtaining places of profit, without any regard to
the publick. There has been an Act past to relieve the sufferers
by that of the paper credit, but the confusions and animositys
of the Government were such that it is very imperfect, but at
this criticall juncture not to be amended, when soe many ships
lyes ready for their ladeings, wch. cannot be otherways purchased
then on the validity of said Act, but I shall embrace the first
good opportunity to regulate it, conformable to H.M. intentions,
and I hope to the satisfaction of all concerned. Since the proclamation of pasing none but weighty money it has been all
carried from this place to the entire destruction of trade, wch.
I hope your Lordships will be pleased to consider, especially
seeing (as I am informed) none of the other neighbouring Islands
do observe it. It would be an advantage to our trade and H.M.
friggots that attend the Northern Colonys (who loose most of
their men by laying up in winter there) to convoy the trade
from thence here, and soe returne againe in the season. Signed,
M. Crowe. Endorsed, Recd. 28th, Read July 29th, 1707. 3 pp.
Enclosed, |
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961. i. Address of the Assembly of Barbados to Governor
Crowe. They look to H.E.'s approved character both for
peace, war and commerce to redeem them from miseries
equalling Egyptian Slavery. "Then wee shall not be
pressed to submitt to standing armies or martiall Law to
governe us; then the publick money will not be applyed
to pay great annual stipends not warranted by law;
our forts will not then require such vast expence and
time to amend them, when ye enemy is at our door, and
publick mony, which before was appropriated to that use
by a Law, diverted to another channel; then justice
will neither be bought or sold, or orders on ye Treasury
forwarded or postponed to oblige friends or gaine money;
then no exorbitant Fees will unreasonably be extorted
by ye Pattent Officers contrary to Law; then no
pernicious Act of Creditt, out of self interest, though
to ye ruin of our traid etc., will be fore'd upon us; then
no person will dare to project a scheme of Government
as can subsist only by tricks and arts to satisfie avarice
and ambition, or endeavour to putt the same in execution; then ye Representative body of ye people will
be maintain'd in their just rights and libertys etc.;
then there will be subornation of evidence; then writts
of ne exeat insulam and sequestrations will not be granted
against persons of reputation and unincumbred estates,
so that some have suffered in their interests and others
in their lives, etc.; then ye frequent binding persons
to ye Grand Sessions, where no crime appears sufficient
to ground an indictment etc. will be out of use; then
persons in durance on sham plotts will not be threatned
with the loss of their lives, if they submitted not to
ye payment of great summes of money; then no person
of a ffreehold that's considerable will be expos'd to
undergoe corporall punishment when able and willing
to fine 1,000l. sterl. to ye Queen rather than to suffer
the scandall and severe execution of being whipped
through ye Towne, and all this for no other reason
than passionate expressions against ye person that
struck him in breach of ye peace; then an order of the
Judges will not be thought sufficient to deny the right
of an established law to ye subjects, thereby greatly
to profitt a few, though ruine to others of ye like profession,
and oppressive to ye inhabitants in generall; then
there will be no dispensing with laws to bring unqualified
persons into places of ye greatest trust, from whence
others of considerable estates and known abilitys were
thrust out without reason: then there will be no occation
to deny or delay the Representatives to examine into
evill actions, or to take a review of ye publick accounts,
which are kept from them to prevent bringing to light
how ye mony raised from ye people had been misapply'd,
etc.; then there will be no occation for countenancing
elections of Representatives or ye Members of H.M.
Councill to goe from door to doore to solicite votes
to introduce a favourite into ye Assembly, we fear for
evill ends; then Sherriffs will not dare browbeat the
Freeholders for not voteing according to their inclinations, and others abruptly to close ye polle contrary
to law, with designe to make a false returne; then ye
Provost-Marshall and Constables under pretence of
warrants will not be admitted to terrifie the poor freeholders from their votes in such manner that many
were necessitated to take sanctuary in ye churches
all night to preserve their liberty of giveing their voice
for a Representative ye succeeding day; then it will
not be thought reasonable for persons to exercise the
trust of Judges in ye Courts of Common Please, and
at ye same time to be Members of Councill; then there
will be no stopp to Fleets of merchants ships under
saile, thereby exposeing them and the trade of this
Island to eminent danger of ye Enemy, and for no other
reason than private advantage; then persons for their
pleasure will not be admitted to waste the publick stock
of powder in ye severall forts under their command;
then it will be reasonable to enquire whether ye late
Cartell with French at Martinique is for ye advantage
of particular persons, etc. If your Excellency will
indulge us the liberty of laying a Bill before you to
impower an unprejudic'd Committee to examine on
oath the truth of all these matters, wee may have great
hopes of a good effect, etc. Signed, Wm. Wheeler,
Speaker, Ricd. Downes, Tho. Maycock, Edmd. Sutton,
Tho. Neales, Nathl. Webb, Wm. Carter, Wm. Lesle,
Wm. Trans, Jno. Gibbs, Samll. Adams, Jams. Vaughan,
Robt. Yeamans, Wm. Cole, Jno. Maycock, Thos.
Maxwell, Saml. Maynard, Jno. Frere, Jno. Hallett.
Endorsed as preceding. 1 large closely written p. |
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961. ii. Governor Crowe's Reply to preceding. Returns thanks.
You may be assured Justice shall be equally distributed
and my best endeavours spent in redressing those
grievances you have heretofore laboured under and
now complaine of. To that end I shall esteem your
advice and assistance, particularly for discovering
the promoters and advisers of that pernitious late law
called the Paper Act, the passing whereof has been
distructive to ye creditt and traid of this Island. I shall
represent those persons to H.M. favour, who I find
have justly merritted the esteem of their Country,
and at all times readily concurr with you in proper
measures for restoreing the tranquility thereof, and
to that great end I heartily recommend to you peace
and union etc. Same endorsement. ¾ p. [C.O. 28, 10.
Nos. 28, 28.i., ii.; and (without enclosures) 29, 11.
pp. 85–89.] |
June 5.
Barbados. |
962. Governor Crowe to the Earl of Sunderland. Duplicate
of preceding letter. Signed, M. Crowe. Endorsed, July 28.
3 pp. Enclosed, |
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962. i., ii. Duplicates of No. ii. above. |
|
962. iii. Duplicate of No. i. above. [C.O. 28, 43. Nos. 21,
22, 29, 30.] |
