Hender Molesworth letter to William Blathwayt, 1687 April 17 and 21

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I am now to acknowledge the receipt of your
wellcome lines of the 3rd ffebruary, giueing me
ffresh assurances of his Majesties & the ministers approbacion of my
Services, tho' I perceiue there haue been many Contrivances against me

Captain Talbot's Seizure of the unfree Ship, neuer came into question
here, further then to giue the Concern'd a pretence for Mercy, as not being
Willfull Offenders of the law, but wholly misguided by former practice,
which noe body was soe Stupid to thinke would justify them against the
Seizure, had he proceeded as he ought to haue done, but whither it was,
that he Scorn'd to bring himselfe under the Circumstance of an informer,
or that he was Coveteous of a greater Share then belong'd unto him, I cannot
tell, but Certaine it is, that tho' the Seizure was made in Harbour, yet he
libel'd for her, as if She had been taken at Sea, thereby pretending unto
halfe for himselfe, and the other halfe for the King, To this the defendants
demurre, when after Issue joyned, and arguments heard on both sides,
the judge Admirall gaue Sentence against the Seizure, Whereas had the
action been brought at Common law with a tanquam for the King & Gouernment
as well as for himselfe, he would haue mett with noe dispute in the matter,
or had he Appeald after Sentence, (as he might have done,) I should
haue found someway or other to haue redrest him   It was not any
matter of ffreedome granted by me, that the owners had to depend upon,
What I had giuen them was only a Certificate of her haueing been formerly
condemn'd

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Condemn'd for being unfree, and haueing paid the King's parte of the
condemnacion, (without Saying anything more in it,) which Certificate, (accord
ing to former practise all ouer these Indyes) hath been accompted as a
Tantomont to letters of ffreedom upon this Nacion, That the first Condemn
aciion by which the King comes to be intitled unto her, makes her free for euer
after   Noe sooner was judgement giuen for the defendants but they got all
the Strength they could for the quick unloading of her, which they Compleated in
one night, soe that altho there should be another tryall ordered for it, Yet
where to find either Ship or goods, noe man here can tell,   Captain Talbot's
disappointment in this Affaire, haueing proceeded only from his positive
adhereing to his Owne methods

I haue giuen the Receiuer Generall orders to get ready his accounts to the 25th
March which he promised to doe with all Expedicion, & now tells me, that they are
almost done, & fit to give the auditor, but cannot be Examined & pass the
Councell, soe as to goe by these Ship's, which you will not faile of p<emer the next

The Duke of Albemarles meanly begging my halfe Sallary, & Violent
Soliciting for ½ perquisites also, would make some men thinke, he comes here
to get mony, tho' it be strongly affirm'd, it is only to Serve the King, & spend
his owne Estate, in this delicious Country, Where God defend him from being
influenc'd by Lyers & fflatterers, as he appeares to haue been there   I hope
upon his Graces Arrivall here to haue his Majesties leaue for my Comeing for England
foreseeinge, that I can neuer be easy with him, Since it is Certaine that those
who haue put him upon begging my Sallary & perquisites, & haue also
fill'd his head with other mighty expectaciions, will take all due care to keep us
from a true Understanding of One Another, glorying in nothing more, then
to haue Created me soe powerfull an Enemy

I haue Received the Black Box with the Seuerall Book's of the Maritine ^American Treaty
of

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Of Neutrality with ffrance, with theire Lordhipps Orders of the Comittee for
Publicacion thereof, which, that it may be the more notorious, I haue ordered
to be done the 23th Aprill at Port Royall when that Regiment is to meet

Inclosed you haue Copy of Captain Spragg's Instruction's, of whose voyage
to leeward I haue already advised you,   By him I sent an Answer to
the auto Sent here from Vera Crux, by Order of the late Vice Roy of Mexico,
and haue also writ to the present Vice Roy, & three other Governors, about the
releaseing of what English Prisoners are in those parts, who, for number
are uery Considerable   Since whose depature some of the prisoner's
at Vera Crux made theire Escape, by getting aboard a Dutch Ship of the
Assiento when she was under Saile, who brought them to Curasoa, from
whence they came here about a weeke Since

I haue lately Receiued letters from the new Government at Providence, who desired
to be annexed unto this, & accordingly to be Comunicate ^comissioned from hence,
They begin to see theire Error, and sue for Protection, which many protest
acion's, Against receiueing or encouraging of Pryvateers, & it is reported,
that they were Considering how to Banish Pattison, who was Chosen one
of theire Councell, and was first or Cheife promoter of the designe

From Bermudos I heare that many ffamilys were preparing to
remoue thither, and from hence, I doubt not, but diuerse of the looser sorte,
would ffollow, if any incouragement were giuen to it,   Should that be
made a new Settlement it may in many Respect's, be uery injurious unto
this, but would be least soe, if under the Jurisdiction of this Government

I am told there are about 300 people disperst among those Seuerall
Islands, who would all unite at Providence, if the Government were there settl'd,
for which, I tell theire Sollicitors they are to Apply themselues to his Majestie
whose Resolucion they are to awayte therein, and in the interim may defend
themselues

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themselues as well as they can, Against the Comon Enemy, they haue
ing written me of a large Stoccado fforte, they had almost finished, which
would Containe more then all the Inhabitants they had there with them

From Carolina we heare, that the Arrivall of Colonel James Colyton there,
had put an End to the designe they were goeing upon, against St. Augustine

Courtney who had formerly been Acquitted upon tryall for Serueing
under forraigne Comissions, was the 14th Current Condemd, by the Civill
law, for assisting, Cherrishing, & Concealing of Pyrates, he being the person
that brought in the Six Southseamen fformerly giuen accompt of for
whose Pardon I haue been Strongly Solicited, as haueing already made
Sufficient Presidents of that kind for the discouragment of Pryvateering,
which neuer Receiued such Check's, as I haue giuen it within these few month's,
nor were we euer free from Such Vermine in these parts, as we lately
haue been, & now may easily be kept soe, if due care be taken for the pro
secuteing of them and theire Abettors,

Amongst the Minutes of the last Councell, (which I omitted to take notice
of,) You will find the Copy of a Peticion from Dr. Santiago de Castillo, about
a Lycence for the Expoting some of the production's of our Island, upon
paying here the full Duty of theire importacion into England which being
directly against an Act of Parliament for as we could not answer his
desire, The Councell desired i would recomend the Same to his Majestie
for his Speciall orders therein & that such a Concession, would be much for
the advantage of this Island, as well as for the increase of his Majesties Customes,
which will not much interfere with the Act of Navegacion, Since, It is to be
Carryed in our owne Bottom's, The Commodity they aime at in perticuler,
tho' not Exprest, is Suger, which they can haue from hence much better, & Cheaper
then from Cuba & This Peticioner, pretending to haue a Lycence for the
importing of a Certaine quantity in diuerse Ports per annum
(5) I remember

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(5.) I Remember nothing further, wherewith to trouble you at present but to
giue you repeated assurances, of my being with much Esteem & Respect
Yours &ca

P.S. the 21st. Aprill

Near two month's since here Arrived from Tobago in distress,
the Duke of Courlands that happnd to fall in with the Northside, from
whence the Captain came ouer unto me, who haueing Shown me his papers, that
justifyed him ^ ^to be what he pretended, which was, of his being imployed by the Duke
of Courland for resettleing of Tobago, & building up the Castle there, where he
was to remaine till the arrivall of another Governor that was suddenly to
follow, with 5 Ship's more, but comeing to want Provision, his people mutined,
& forced him to Carry them where they might be Supply'd with what might serue
them till the arrivall of the Said Governor,   They designed for Curasoa, but
comeing to Some Accidents fell to leeward, haueing not two dayes provision
aboard   I gaue him leaue to furnish himselfe with necessary's for his mony,
but it Seem's, haueing none of that & wanting Credit, he could buy noe
more then what some Powder Steel, & Armes he had would come unto, for
his voyage to New England, where he hoped to find greater Credit, & or I haue
been lately told he hath been necessitated to part with some of his men, &
is not yet gone off the Coast, for want of Provision's for that it may be
doubted what Course he intend's to take next, Idem Hender Molesworth.

Copy,

Mr. Blathwayte

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Jamacia
17 April 1687
From Collonel Hender Molesworth
Received 5 August: 687

The Logwood ship acquitted
Providence desired to be
annexed

Ink on paper