Earl of Bellomont letter to the Lords of Trade and Plantations, 1699 July 8

8 pages

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I haue the misfortune to be ill of the Gout at
a time when I haue a great deal of business to
exercise both my head and my hand.

It will not be unwelcome news to your Lordships
to tell you that I secur'd Captain Kid last thursday
in the Goal of this Town with five or six of his
Men, he had been hovering on the Coast towards
New Yorke for more than a fortnight and sent
to one Mr. Emot to come from New Yorke to him,
at a place called Oyster Bay in Nassan Island
not farr from New Yorke. He brought
Emot from thence to Rhode Island and there
Landed him, sending him hither to me with
an offer of his coming into this Port provided
I would pardon him. I was a little pusled
how to manage a Treaty of that kind with
Emot a Cunning Jacobite, a fast friend of
Plekkers and my avowed Enemy. When
he proposed my pardoning Kid, I told him
twas true the King had allowed me a power
to pardon pyrates, but that I was so tender of
using it (because I would bring no stain on my
Reputation) that I had sett my selfe a Rule

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never to pardon Pyracy without the Kings
express leaue and Command. Emot told me
that Kid had let the great Moorish Ship he
took in India (which Ship I haue since found
went by the name of the Quidah Marchant)
in a Creek on the Coast of Hispaniola with
goods to the value of thirty thousand pounds;
that he had bought a Sloop in which he was
come before to make his termes, that he had
brought in the Sloop with him severall Bayles
of East Indias Goods, three score pound weight
of gold ^ ⁱⁿ Dust and in Ingots about a Hundred
weight of Silver and severall other things
which he beleiued would sell for about
ten thousand pounds. Emot also told me
that Kid was very Innocent and would make
it appear that his men forced him locking him
up in the Cabin o fthe Adventure Gally while
they Robbed two or three ships, and that he
could proue this by many Witnesses. I
Answered Emot that if Kid could make that
appear, he might safely come into this port
and I would undertake to get him the Kings pardon
I writ a Letter to Captain Kid inviteing him
to

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to come in and that I would procure a Pardon
for him provided he were as Innocent as Mr.
Emot said he was and I sent my Letter to him
by one Mr. Campbell of this Town a Scotch Man
as well as Kidd and his acquaintance; within
three or four days Cambell returned to me with
a Letter from Kid full of protestations of his
Innocence and informing me of his Design of
coming with his Sloop into this Port. I must not
forget to tell your Lordships that Campbell brought
three or four small Jewells to my wife which I
was to know nothing of; but she came quickly
and discovered them to me, and asked me whither
She should keep them, which I advised her to do
for the present, for I reflected that my shewing an
over nicety might do hurt before I had made a
full discovery what Goods and Treasure were in
the sloop. All this whole matter, even to my
writing my Letter to Kidd was Transacted with
the Privity and Advice of the Councill. Kid
Landed here this day sennight and I would not
so much as Speak with him but before Witnesses,
I thought he lookt very Guilty, and to make
me beleiue so he and his friend Levingston
(who Posted hither from Albany upon News
of Captain Kidds designe of coming hither) and

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and Campbell aforesaid began to Juggle togeather
and Imbezle some of the Cargo besides Kid did
Strangely trifle with me and the Councill
three or four times that we had him under
Examination. Mr. Levingston also came
to me in a peremtory manner and Demanded
up his Bond and the Articles which he sealed
to me upon Kids expedition, and told me that
Kid swore all the Oaths in the world, that unless
I did Immediately Indemnify Mr. Levingston
by giving up his Securities, he would never bring
in that great ship and Cargo; but that he
would take care to satisfy Mr. Levingston him
selfe out of that Cargo. I thought that this was
such an Impertinence in both Kid & Levingston
that it was time for me to look about me and to
secure Kid. I had notice that he designed my
Wife a thousand pounds in Gold Dust and in Ingots
last Thursday; but I spoyled his Complement
by ordering him to be Arrested and Committed
that day, shewing the Councill my Orders from
Court for that purpose. Two Gentlemen
of the Councill, two Marchants and the Collector
haue the Charge of all the Cargo and they are
preparing Inventories of every thing, which

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which shall be sent to Your Lordships by the next
Ship. I delivered up to those five persons the
Jewells that I haue formerly told you Kid sent
by Campbell to my Wife, and that at the
Councill board.

If I had not kept Mr Secretary Vernons Orders
for seizing and securing Kid and his Associatates
with all their Effects, with the less secrecy I had
never got him to come in, for his Country men
Mr. Graham and Livingston would haue been
sure to Caution him to shift for himselfe, and
would haue been well paid for their pains.
I received the Lords Justices orders about Kidd and
likewise Mr. Secretary Vernons about three months
before my leaving New York, but I never discover'd
them to any body and when I heard people say
that the Neighbouring Governors had Orders from Court
to seize him I laught as If I belieued no such
thing. I wish they may not let him escape here
as they haue Bradish a notorious Pyrate. About
a fortnight ago Bradish and another Pyrate
got out of the Goal of this Towne and Escaped
with the Consent of the Goaler as there is great
reason to belieue. As the Law stands in this
Country a Pyrate cannot be punished with Death

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therefore I desire to receiue Orders what to do with
Bradishs Crew and also with Kid and those
Men of his I haue taken.

Since my leaving New Yorke one of the four
Ships has come in that went from thence to
Madagascar last Summer, and of which I
informed Your Lordships and has brought sixty
Pyrates and a vast deal of Treasure. I hear that
every one of the Pyrates paid a 150li for his
Passage and the Owners I am told haue Cleared
thirty thousand pounds by this Voyage. Tis
observable that Mr. Hackshaw one of the Merchants
that petitioned against me to your Lordships and
Stephen Delancy a Hot headed sawcy French
man and Mr. Hackshaws Correspondent
are the Cheif owners of this ship. I hear
there are 200 Pyrates at Madagascar when
this ship came away who Intended to take
their passage in [illegible] Phillips Ship and
the other two belonging to New Yorke.

A great ship has been seen off this Coast
any time this week; tis supposed to be one Maise
a Pyrate who has brought a vast deal of
Wealth from the Red Seas. There is a sloop
also at Rhod Island which is said to be a

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a Pyrate, I hear the Men go ashore there in
the day time and return to the Sloop at night
and spend their Gold very liberally. We
can do nothing towards the taking those ships
for want of a man of Warr. I am manning
out a Ship to to in Quest of the Quidah Merchant
left by Kid on the Coast of Hispaniola: by some
Papers which We seized with Kidd and by
his own Confession We haue found out were
the ship lyes; and according to his account of the
Cargo We compute her to be worth Seventy
thousand pounds. The ship that carrys
this is just upon sailing and will not be
persuaded to stay anyn longer; so that I cannot
send your Lordships the Inventories of the Goods
brought in by Kid, nor the Informations We
haue taken about him from his owne Men
till next oppertunity. I am

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[illegible]
Lords from [illegible]
Earle of Bellomont by
Lords of the Councill of Trade
about Captain Kid 8 July 1699.
L.D.

Ink on paper