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| Aug. 16. |
1101. Governor Seymour to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. Refers to letter of June 10, which I hope ere this
has had the good fortune to kiss your hands; and having therein
acquainted your Lordships that ye Proprietary Government of
North Carolina had made an Act of Assembly which seem'd
to be of pernicious consequence to this H.M. more usefull Plantation of Maryland, I have since taken care to procure a copy of
it, which I enclose, and cannot doubt but you will be of opinion
the encouragement and protection therein given to the people
of this Province (the generality whereof are much indebted to
ye merchts. in England and others, and can have no such
expectation of protection here) is an extraordinary inducement
to them to desert their Plantations and cropps here, and withdraw themselves where they may live so many years undisturb'd,
which will not a little conduce to the lessening H.M. Revennue
of tobacco's, if not tymely prevented by your Lordships' wisdom,
for I assure your Lordps., many persons from this Province
with their whole familys are of late years removed thither, and
purely on that score. My Lords, at the same tyme when I lay
this, I can but thinke, necessary as well as true Representation
before your honble. Board, I must not omitt doing the Government
of Carolina the justice to informe your Lordps. that upon my
application and sending a sloope in quest of Richard Clarke
and his accomplices, those notorious disturbers of this H.M.
Government here, the Deputy Governor and the whole Country
exprest their utmost resentment against those villains, as well
in words as actions, by endeavouring to take Clarke, and actually
surrendring to the person I sent on this occasion, two of his
associates, Daniel Wells and Charles Harrison, who accompanyed
him thither, and are now both is [in] safe custody in this Province.
Upon Clark's first going to Carolina, he call'd himself by the name
of Robert Garrett, saying he was Sir N. Johnson's nephew, and
pretended to be a Quaker; since which, upon his returne to this
Province, where he now is concealed and harboured by many
of his friends, he has wrote severall letters to me under a Quaker's
stile, sticking them up in the night at Out-houses, and dropping
them in the roads. In some he sues for pardon, offering to
discover the ill practices of many of his confederates, and in
others he threatens to bring 30,000 of the French Indians upon
the Country by land, and to direct the French to bring a Navall
force by water to invade the Province, if he is not pardoned
within some small tyme, which he is pleas'd to affix; yet notwithstanding his most exquisite villany, and the ill principles
of many loose, idle persons among us, besides the generall
calamity of debts and mortgaged estates for much more than
their worth, I doubt not but to preserve what H.M. has been
graciously pleased to comitt to my care and conduct (the peace
and tranquility of this her Province), from any home bred villany
or other forraign attempts, and have put the Country in the best
posture of defence it is at present capable of, having appointed
the Officers of the Militia of the most loyall and ablest of the
inhabitants, and the publique stores of arms and ammunition
being now (God be thanked) pritty well supply'd and fix'd;
but I have some satisfaction to heare H.M. has thought fitt to
send so good an Officer to be my neighbour in Virginia. The
Chiefe of the Quakers here, understanding Clark's practices,
and that he wrote his letters in their stile, presented me the
inclosed Address, to which I could not in justice do less than
make the returne endorsed on the back thereof. I dare not
presume by this uncertaine conveyance to send your Lordships
the Laws and Journalls of Assembly; but will not omitt to
transmitt them by the first man of warr, which this country
has long uneasily expected, etc. Signed, Jo. Seymour. Endorsed,
Recd. 8th, Read 10th Nov., 1707. 2½ pp. Enclosed, |
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1101. i. (a) Humble Address of the Peaceable People called
Quakers given forth at their monthly meeting at West
River ye 11th day of ye fifth month, 1707. Wee utterly
disown the hidden author of the libel referred to in
preceding, and the confederates of Clark etc. Signed,
Richd. Johns, Richd. Harrison, Samuel Chew, Neh.
Birkhead, Saml. Galloway, M. Moore. On back, |
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(b) Minute of Council of Maryland, July 16, 1707.
H.E. received the above Address very kindly, and
declared with the Board that they had observ'd the
society of people called Quakers to be very peaceable
and quiett and well affected to H.M. Government,
especially since H.M. accession to the throne, etc.
Endorsed as preceding. Copy. 1½ pp. |
|
1101. ii. Copy of an Act of Carolina, to encourage the settlement
of the country. Same endorsement. 1¾ pp. [C.O. 5,
716. Nos. 32, 32.i., ii.; and (without enclosures) 5,726.
pp. 489–492.] |
| [Aug. 27.] |
1102. West India Merchants to H.R.H. the Lord High
Admiral. Support Mr. Crabb's Memorial (of Aug. 4), and testify
to the unspeakable damages H.M. Islands and trade have suffered
by the Martineco privateers. The provisions they intercept
enable the French to recruit their men of war in their passage
to New Spayne. The trade in negros from Africa also suffers.
Next to reducing Martinique the most effectual means to restore
trade will be to suppress their privateers and that the men of
war proposed in Mr. Crabb's Memorial be constant cruisers etc.
27 signatures, including those of the Directors of the Royal African
Company. Endorsed, Recd. Read Aug. 27, 1707. 1 p. [152, 7.
No. 26.] |
| Aug. 27. |
1103. Mr. Attorney General to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. Reply to June 13. I am of opinion that the
recognizances do fully answer the intent of H.M. Order. H.M.
approbation of either of the Acts [of New York referred to, concerning
Bayard and Hutchins] would be sufficient for the purposes therein
contained; But in regard the last was not pursuant to H.M.
Order in Council, no clause of indemnification being contain'd
in that Act, as was directed, I conceive the first of the Acts most
proper to be recommended by your Lopps. for H.M. gracious
approbation. Signed, Sim. Harcourt. Endorsed, Recd. Sept.
12, Read Oct. 31, 1707. 1 p. Enclosed, |
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1103. i.–x. Duplicates of Mr. Popple's letter of June 13, and
papers relating to the annulling of the proceedings
against Col. Bayard and Alderman Hutchins, 1704–1706. 17 pp. [C.O. 5, 1049. Nos. 41, 41.i.–x.; and
(without enclosures) 5, 1121. pp. 104, 105.] |
Aug. 29.
Whitehall. |
1104. W. Popple, jr., to Mr. Hyde. I enclose extract of
Governor Seymour's letter, June 10, 1707, relating to the great
want of cloaths in Maryland, and desire you will communicate
the same to the Gentlemen trading thither, and let me know what
supply of cloaths has been lately sent thither, or is now about
sending. [C.O. 5, 726. p. 467.] |
Aug. 29.
Whitehall. |
1105. Same to Mr. Perry, to same effect. [C.O. 5, 1362.
pp. 259, 260.] |
Aug. 29.
Whitehall. |
1106. Same to Mr. Burchett. Encloses extracts of letters,
from Governor Seymour, June 10, and Col. Jenings, June 26,
relating to two French privateers off the Capes and the want
of guardships etc., to be laid before H.R.H. The Council of
Trade and Plantations desire to be informed of the number and
quality of the ships of war ordered to attend each Plantation
in America, as was done by you Sept. 3, 1702. [C.O. 5, 726.
p. 468.] |
Aug. 29.
Whitehall. |
1107. Same to Wm. Lowndes. Encloses extract of letter
from Governor Seymour, June 10, relating to the salaries of
Mr. Plater and Mr. Muschamp, to be laid before the Lord High
Treasurer. [C.O. 5, 726. p. 469.] |
Aug. 29.
Jamaica. |
1108. Governor Handasyd to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. Acknowledges letters of May 9 and March 11.
As to the present state of the Government of Jamaica. The
number of the Militia is decreased considerably since the last
year with sickness and other accidents, to very near betwixt
five and six hundred men. The number they then consisted
of, I sent to your Board Aprill 1, 1706, to which I must now
refer your Lops., lest, if I should send another, it should fall
into the enemy's hands. H.M. Regiment under my command
is better than 500 strong, but wants 330 odd recruits to compleat
it according to the establishment. The number of the slaves
is supposed to be 50,000. I enclose a list of the Councellors'
names according to seniority, and must recommend to your
Lops., in the room of Coll. Sadler deceased, Mr. William Brodrick,
who has been formerly in the Councill and was Attorney Genll.
here, but going to England the vacancy was supply'd. I likewise prefer to your Lops. Capt. Francis Oldfield in the place
of Coll. Henry Lowe, in case he has not the Queen's leave to
be absent, he having been these three years from the Island.
As to illegall trade, here has been a sloop seized on by Commadore
Kerr, who sent his boat out to seize her, altho the Navall Officer
and myselfe sent round by land to seize her. She has been
condemned in the Admiralty Office according to Law, and the
dividends are made as the Act directs; the value of her and the
small cargoe in her was betwixt 700l. and 800l. Jamaica mony;
this, I hope, will be a caution to others not to do the like, and
all care has been and shall be taken by me to prevent any
such practices. All sloops and other vessells that trade here
are either English bottoms or built in some of H.M. Colonies.
The Act for the Union shall be proclaimed in good fform according
to your Lops.' command; and H.M. additionall Instructions
shall be minuted in the Councill Books, as soon as I can get the
Councill together, which will be immediatly after the Fleet
sails, and I am informed the Commadore intends to sail to
Blewfields, the Leewardmost part of this Island, to wood and
water in a day or two. I am now to acquaint your Lops. of
the misfortunes that have lately befallen us, which are such
as well to great Britain as this Island, occasioned by the unheard
of methods and unwarrantable proceedings of Mr. William Kerr,
Commadore of H.M. squadron here, both to the Captains and
other Gentlemen under his command, and to the merchants
and trading people of this Island, to whom he has refused granting
convoys for their vessells, tho his ships, since his being in these
parts, have done little else but lain in Harbour, both to the
destruction of his men by sickness, and the ruine of the Spanish
trade, which if he had taken my advice in, and sent two ships
constantly out upon the coast, he would have ruined the trade
of the French, and been a great protection and encouragement
to ours; but on the contrary, being a man that is above all
advice, having an extraordinary opinion of his own merits and
qualifications, he has been the means of our loosing, within this
month, the value of 100,000l. sterling, 40,000 pds. of which was
lost in one sloop in ready mony. Three other sloops of considerable
value were taken by small privateers out of Martineco, and two
more have narrowly escaped them. It never has been my
inclination to make complaints where there has not been abundance
of reason, but what methods have been taken by the merchants
to oblige Mr. Kerr to grant them a convoy, they having offered
him six and eight hundred pds. at a time as a gratuity, which
has been refused because a summ not large enough, will be made
plainly appear, and severall other of his transactions, by
Mr. Thomas Wood, a merchant here, who has been a great sufferer
by him, and is going home to represent matters in their true
colours, on the behalfe of the merchants in generall, as well as
himself. Mr. Wood is a gentleman whose behaviour has been
so handsome, since his coming here, and has used all endeavours
to promote the manufactory of great Britain, obliges me to
recommend him to your Lops. as a person worthy your ffavour
in this matter. Mr. Kerr's threatnings to oblige men to swear
what he pleased, shewing them his main-yard arm, and telling
them what power and authority he had: his turning out his
Captain without triall: his keeping another Captain in confinement
for these three months past on board the Fireship, altho
application has been made to him both by Mr. Wager and myselfe
to bring the gentleman to a triall, and the gentleman himselfe
severall times requesting by letters that he would be pleased
either to clear him or bring him to a triall: his treatment to
his Officers, calling them rogue and villain at every word, being
his constant language to them; all these proceedings are a mighty
discouragement to H.M. subjects, as well as to her service. The
remaining reasons I have to complain of him myselfe, I shall
leave till another opportunity, it being my opinion he ought
rather to be pittyed than envied, since his behaviour has been
so intollerable. I have advice that the galleons will sail from
Carthagene in a month or six weeks, but whither I can't learn
or under what convoy. |
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P.S.—As to the encloseing of letters in your Lops.' packett,
I must confess I took the liberty to enclose those relating to
my own private affairs, but for the future shall let them take
the chance of the publick Bagg. Signed, Tho. Handasyd.
Endorsed, Recd. 25th, Read 27th Oct., 1707. 5 pp. Enclosed, |
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1108. i. List of the present Councill of Jamaica, Aug. 27, 1707.
Peter Beckford, Peter Heywood, Henry Lowe (in
England), Charles Chaplin, Thomas Clarke, Francys
Rose, Richard Thompson, Charles Long (in England),
Edmund Edlyne, John Ascough, John Stewart. Same
endorsement. ¾ p. [C.O. 137, 7. Nos. 60, 60.i.; and
138, 12. pp. 147–154.] |
Aug. 30.
Falkland, St. Johns Harbour. |
1109. Capt. Underdown to the Council of Trade and Plantations. I take this opportunity to acquaint your Lordship that
haveing recd. advise that the enemy had several ships fishing
to the Northward in severall harbours there, and that they might
be easily burnt or taken, upon which advice the commanders
of ships, merchants and inhabitants of St. Johns petitioned
that we would saile in order to attack them, and destroy their
fishery, which they were of opinion would be of great encouragement
to ours, on July 26 I sail'd from St. Johns, with H.M.S. Nonsuch,
with Major Lloyd with 20 of his soldiers on board me, and 20 more
on board the Nonsuch, it being his own desire and request, for
the good of the service and agreed too by a generall opinion.
On the 27th we came before Bonavist, where I gave Capt. Hughs
orders to saile in company with me, there being no appearance
of an enemy there. On Aug. 2 in the eavening we stood into
the Bay of Blanch till came off Flowr de Leus [=Fleur de Lys]
Harbour, I sent in my pinnace with Major Loyd and my Lieut.
with the Nonsuch pinnace to look into the harbour, and see if
there were any of the enemy fishing there, which they did, but
found none, onely some old stages and other necessarys relateing
to the fisherry, they having been us'd to ffish there. About
4 the next morning we stood away for Grand Cannerie, about 6
we came about the Cape, where saw a ship which after fireing
some few shott at her, which were return'd, she struck, we sent
our boats on board and found her to be of St. Mallo, about
360 tuns, 30 guns and 110 men, cal'd the Duke D'Orleans, and
in another arm of the Bay cal'd Eguliett was another ship, but the
place being rocky and shoal water, myselfe nor Nonsuch could
not come nere her, whereupon ordered the Midway's prize to
goe as close in as she could with safety, which she did within
halfe gun shott, and at the same time, Capt. Carlton, Major
Loyd, with my Lieut. with our boats well man'd and arm'd,
to land upon an Island which she lay under, which being done
after haveing fired severall broad sides and not being able longer
to keep the deck for our men from the shore, struck; she was
a ship of about 20 guns and 80 men, belong'd to St. Mallo, but
being inform'd by the enemy, that about 3 leagues to the Northward in Lacouch, there were two ships, one of 32 guns and the
other of 26, both of St. Mallo, I gave Capt. Hughs directions
to set her on fire, and afterwards to joyn me at Lacouch, myselfe
and the Nonsuch makeing the best of our way their, the 5th in
the afternoon we came into Lacouch where found the two ships
in a readiness for sailing; they fired some broad sides at us, but
as soon as we began to return it, they sett their ships on fire and
left them, going over to the next Harbour cal'd Carrouse, which
by land was not above halfe a mile, in which we recd. intelligence
there was 4 ships. We immediatly weigh'd and stood for the
Harbour, and about 8 o'c. at night was joyned by the Midway's
prize, but proving very little wind at South by West, and difficult
getting out, it was about 8 the next morning before we gott of
the Harbour's mouth; I sent in my boat, but found they had
all got out to sea, haveing by the advantage of little wind and
the great number of men and boats, cutt and tow'd out. We
stood to the Northward, saw severall ships, and gave chase to
them, but proving light winds, could not come up with them;
about 5 in the afternoone came off the Harbour of St. Julians,
where saw a ship, and having lost sight of the other ships, stood
in for that Harbour, and came to an anchor in 26 fathom water;
the place where the ship was haul'd in, being very narrow and
shoal, I ordered the Midway's prize to go as nere in as possible
she could, she fired two guns, but it was our opinion not to
attacque her till morning, being Aug. 6th, at 4 a clock Capt.
Carlton, Major Loyd and Lieut. Eagle went in with all our boats
well man'd and arm'd, and landed, and soon drove the enemy
from their post, who were likewise landed. We took their boats
and went on board the ship, where found they had laid severall
trains of powder to burn or below her up, which we timely
discover'd, and by noon tow'd her out to sea, but finding our
pilots not acquainted nor careing to go further to the Norward,
it was our opinion to sail back to Carrouse, and there remain
till the Duke D'Orleans prize at Grand Cannerie joyn'd us, who
we left there with a Lieut. and 60 men to gett her ready for the
sea; but in our way to Corrouse to look into Pette Matre, a
harbour where the French generally make up their Fleet, which
we did, destroying their boats, fish-stages etc., about 7 at night
we came to an anchor in Carrouse Harbour and moor'd; the
12th and 13th it blew a hard gaile at South West, haveing destroy'd
their fishery there, the Duke D'Orleans prize being come to
Lacouch on the 14th, by 4 in the morning weigh'd and stood
out to sea, take[ing] her with us, and arrived Aug. 17 at St. Johns
haveing before given the Midway's prize orders to make the best
of her way to Trinity, etc. Refers to enclosures. Signed, Jon.
Underdown. Endorsed, Recd. 25th, Read 31st Oct., 1707. 2¾ pp
Enclosed, |
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1109. i. Account of the damage done to the French Fishery
by the expedition referred to in preceding. 7 ships
taken, 3 ships burnt, and 470 spare boats destroyed
Details. Signed, Jon. Underdown, Tho. Lloyd, Jno
Carleton. Same endorsement. 1 p. |
|
1109. ii. Survey of provisions in the Fort at St. Johns, June 28
1707. Signed, James Grigg, Jno. White, Geo. Bishopp
Same endorsement. 1½ pp. [C.O. 194, 4. Nos. 29
29.i., ii.; and (without enclosures) 195, 4. pp. 384–388. |
