Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period. Various

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СКАЧАТЬ Counsell thought it there duty to enquire into the matter, yet having now examined the s'd Captaine and Considerd the Certificate afores'd together with a charter partie found in the s'd ship, Wee doe declare that wee have nothing wherewith to charge the sd Capt. or the company but have discharged the said Captaine and the rest of the company heere, together with their clothes, And therfore doe signify unto them that they have free liberty to enter our harbours where they shall have protection from all injuries and liberties of free trade with any of our inhabitants as any other ships whatsoever have had amongst us.

20 July 1653. was signed by Jno. Endecot, Gov. Ric. Bellingham, Dept. Gov. Increase Nowell. Symon Bradstreet. Samuell Symonds. Robt. Bridges. Jno. Glover. Daniell Gookin. Daniel Denison, Maj'r Gen'll.

A True Coppie of the paper written to the Capt. and Company of the dutch prise—20th of the 5th mo. 1653.[3] Edward Rawson, Secret'y.

[1] Massachusetts Archives, vol. 60, p. 175. The document is a declaration of the Court of Assistants acting in its executive capacity, as a council.

[2] Capt. Robert Harding, now of Ratcliff, London, was well known in Boston, being, apparently, the same who came out with Winthrop, went to Rhode Island, was an assistant there, and then returned to England.

[3] The fifth month, in the reckoning usual among the English at this time, was July, March being the first. The civil year began on March 25.

8. Declaration of Governor Endicott. August (?), 1653. [1]

      To all whom these presents may concerne, greeting etc.

Know yee that the ship called the holy gost of Amsterdam of the burthen about 160 tune beeing taken as a prize and carried away out of the Roade of the Iland of Barbados by some seamen and some planters and Inhabitants of the said Iland, the said Ship and company in their sayling Faling upon the coasts of new England were mett with at sea about 50 leagues from our harbor of Boston in great extremity, wanting provision, by a ship bound from London to our Ports whoe supplied them for there present need and pilatted them into one of our harbors called Natasket[2] where there is not a fort to bring a ship under Command. the Councell hearing of such a ship lying there sent to the Capt. and company of the said ship and invited them to come into our harbor at Boston, they being afrade so to doe by reason (as the Councell was enformed) they were told that if they came into the harbor the Capt. and Company should bee imprisoned and the ship seased. afterwards the Capt. coming a shore, as alsoe some of the company, the Capt. was arrested and some of the company were imprisoned, who were examined apt [apart] what ship it was they had taken and whence shee was, whither of Holland or of Spayne,[3] or wheather they had used any cruelty to any of the Company they tooke, either by wounding, killing or setting any of them ashore upon any Iland or other place to the endangering of there lives. they all agreed in one relation that no such thing was done by them or any man hurt, And there beeing not any person heere to enforme against the[m] and they making it appeare by a dutch certificate under the seale of Amsterdam and by other dutch writings w'ch are extant with us found in the seisd ship, that shee was a dutch ship of Amsterdam sett out by diverse Marchants of that citty, the councell released the said Capt. and the rest w'ch had beene inprisoned, And sent to the rest of the ships company that they might freely come into our harbor, where they should have trafficke and protection from all Injuries and liberty of trade with any of our inhabitants as any other ships whatsoever, the ship afterwards came into Salem harbor,[4] And the Governor gave order to have the whole Cargo of goods to be brought ashore, that theire might bee a true Invoyce taken thereof, that the state of England[5] might have the tenth. And the rather because it was reported to be a vessell of great treasury And the account thereof might be expected from the goverment, being brought in to this Jurisdiction, And to the end there might be the better satisfaction given to such as might inquier after it. In Wittnesse of the premisses I have hereunto sett my hand and caused the seale of the Colony to be afixed.

      This is A true Coppie Compared with the originall

      per Edward Rawson, Secret'y.

      [The words "Jno. Endecott Gov'n'r and the seale of the Colony" appear in the margin.]

[1] Mass. Archives, vol. 60, p. 174.

[2] Nantasket.

[3] England and the Dutch were now at war (1653–1654), and the ship if Dutch might be good prize, but there was no war with Spain.

[4] There are several entries regarding it in the Records of the Essex Quarterly Courts, I., but under the name of the Happy Entrance.

[5] The Commonwealth government.

9. Deposition of Matthew Hill. October (?), 1653. [1]

      Mathew Hill aged 30 yeares and upwards deposeth and sayth

That upon the seaventh day of May 1653 last past aboute two of the clock in the afternoone of the same day The Prize-men and company that take the Spanish Ship out of Carlile Roade in Barbados,[2] there being at that tyme when shee was taken eight men of the shipps owne company on board when they tooke her (as the Gunner thereof informed this depon't) and that two of them leaped over board, w'ch were taken up by other shipps, and that they tooke thother six men with them, and were expected to have beene sent on shore back againe, but they cume not nor were ever heard of (by any meanes that this depon't could understand of) in foure months tyme whilst this depon't resided in Barbados after the ship was so taken, nor is yet that this depn't heares of. And this depon't further sayth That the Spanyord reported that there was a chest of gold dust six foote long and another chest of Jewells and Pearles, but named not how bigg it was, and seaven hogsheads of peeces of eight,[3] besides all other traffick that was in the said Shipp, And sayth that the Pylate of the said shipp affirmed that if there were Thirty men of them their share would come to one thousand pounds a peece, And also sayth That the Gunner of the said Ship being an Englishman (and this depn'ts country man) informed this depon't That his owne share in the said Shipp was worth eight hundred pounds sterl.

      Mathew Hill.

[1] Mass. Archives, vol. 60, p. 172a.

[2] Carlisle Road or Bay is the roadstead of Bridgetown, Barbados.

[3] Spanish dollars, pieces of eight reals.

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