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their turne well enough to make a noyse & if possible to abuse his Majesty, they have now sent itt home in great tryumph to Mr Penn, who knows how to make use of itt to serve his ends; the generallity of the people here that are not of the Government exclaimed agt them, to see them pass an Act but 3 weekes agoe & now that there is soe good an occasion offered to putt itt in execution that they will take noe notice of itt, but act quite contrary to itt. I am confident yo' Ld'pps will never find them act here in anything relating to the Kings interest but after this false deceit. full rate I am sure it will be impossible for them to impose on yo' Ld'pps wisdom, whatever they may fancy, and wee are not out of hopes, since that the wisedom of the Parliament hath not thought fitt to qualifye or permitt Quakers to give Evidence in any criminall cause, or come on any jurys, or beare any office or place of profitt in y° Government they will in their due time extend their Charity & consider the Unhappy circumstances of this place, & make the like provisions for Us Especially if recomended to them by yo' Lordships

I am Yo! Lordships

Most Obedient and most humble

Serv

ROBT QUARY

Since my writting this Capt" Kidd is come into this Bay hee hath beene here aboute ten dayes hee sends his boats ashore to the Hore Kills in this Governm where he is supplyed with what hee wants & the People frequently goe on board him hee is in a Sloope with about 40 men with a vast treasure I hope the express wch I sent to his Exclly Governo' Nicholson will be time enough to send aboute the man of Warr to come up with Kidd, the messenger I sent to the Govern of Maryland came very seasonable, hee hath secured some

of the Pyrats and is in search of the rest. Cap Shelley that brought all these Pyrats from Madegascar after hee had Landed and Secured all the Goods & mon'y, run the Shipe ashore neere New Yorke and then the merchants conserned went to the Governor and Informed against theire Shipe. the Pyrats that I brought to this Governm have the Liberty to confine themselves to a taverne wch is what I expected, the six other Pyrats that are in the Governm of West Jersey are at Liberty, for the Quakers there will not suffer the Governo! to send them to Goale. Thus his Maj may expect to be obeyed in all Places where the Govern' is in Quakers hands I hope yo' Lordship will send some Speedy orders in this & other consernes wch I have at Large represented to yo' Lordship.

Abstract of ye Pennsylvania Act against Pirates &c. All Piracies &c. committed upon ye Sea within ye. Adm''s Jurisdiction, shall be tryed in y Province as if they had been committed on Land.

Three Com's shall be authorized by ye Gov' & Council to Assist ye Judge of ye Adm' appointed in Engla for whose absence y Gov' & Council shall appoint one from time to time. which shall have ye same power as is allowed to any in Engl" by ye 28th of H. ye 8.

The Offenders shall be liable to such process &c. as if they were proceeded agst in Engl

All who shall abet & correspond &c with such as shall be judged Pirates within ye Construction of this Act & not readily endeavour to apprehend them &c. shall be esteemed Accessories &c. and suffer as in such case is provided.

All Justices, Sherrifs &c upon notice of any pirates being within their Precincts, shall take such a number of men as they think needfull for ye seizing & committing them.

Who ever refuses Assistance shall forfeit 5 Every officer neglecting his duty shall forfeit 20 for every offence.

From Governor Basse to Secretary Popple, about Pirates and Illegal Traders.

[From P. R. O. B. T., Proprieties. C 29, Vol. 3.]

L're from Mr Basse Govt of ye Jerseys abt Pirates and Illegal Traders.

Sr

Burlington Ye 9th June 1699 I Rece'd yours dated some time in August last but not beinge with my papers Remember not the perticular date. I am sorry I have received no directions from your honorable board about the two pirates by me secured in East Jersie, but afterwards bayled by his Excellencie the Earl of Bellomont whose confessions with the inventory of their estates were boath transmitted you by severall Conveyances many months since they boath belonged to Auery & one of them I find to be principaly concerned in some of the horidest vilanies that those pirates ware Guilty of.

I am now to acquaint you that on the 29th of May last Capt Shelly in a Ship called the Nassau that aboutt some months since went out from New Yorke for the Island of St Laurance arived at Cape May in this Government & that eveninge put on board of one Gravenrate [?] a Sloope belongeinge to New Yorke eight pirates that haveinge committed severall hostilitys in the Indias and made their Voyage returned in him. he also lande [landed?] at Cape May fourteene Men passengers from the aforesaide Island eight of Which with their effects escaped away before I obtained any notis of their arivall which was not until the 1st Instant & then haveinge an acc. of their endeavors to escape by a Letter from Col Quary Judge of the Admiralty I Immediately manned out a Sloope & in person went

downe to Cape May tooke four of the persons suspected of pyracie who confest that have been on the Coast of India & have taken severall prises theare two more of them ware taken with their efects on the River and are now committed to the Jaile of Burlington in their Chestes are about seaven thousaud eight hundred Rix dollars & Venetians. about thirty pound of melted Silver a parcell of Arabian & Christian Gold, some necklases of Amber & Corrall sundry peaces of India silkes which are all secured untill some course be taken with the prisoners. What the other four may be possessed of I cannot yet informe you they not beinge arived at Burlington but shall transmit boath their examinations & inventorys to You p! the first opertunity I find by them that theare are some hundreads of men On the Island of St Laurance that haveinge by Robery gained considerable sums are now desireous of Returninge to spend their ill gotten goods. Since the Arival of Shelly I am credibly informed Capt Kid in a large sloope with about sixty hands hath been seene & spoake with betwixt the two Capes of Delaware I had a sight of the sloope when I was downe but found he sayled to swift for me to speake with otherwise should have ventured to have Reduced him to submision but indeed I cannot but complaine that I am too much discoraged & Chequed in my zeale for the Common good & his Majestys servis in that I have nothinge beyond a Proprietory Commission to support me & even them persons semeinge to desert me for no other reason alledged that ear I could yet hear of then those that are but of so many instances of my faithfulness to the interest of the crowne Vizt My discountenanceinge the Scoch & pirates in their illegall trades.

On our Assembly in East Jersie we passed the act Called the Jamaica Act against Privaters & Pyrates the pest & bane of trade against whom no lawes can be to severe Which I shall also take care shall be dili

gently put into execution. It met with no meane oposition from the Scotch Gentlemen who amongst us are growne to a very great hight from the prospect of a Gentleman of their own Nations filleinge the seat of Government in these provinces by his Majestyes aprobation & and the succes that their Countrymen meet withall in their settlement of the Island Gorda or Golden Island called by them by the name of Caledonia I cannot see but that the English interest & trade must of nessecity fall if some spedy course be not taken for their spopeinge [?] of their Groath the principall traders in East West Jersie & Pensilvania are Scotch who some of them have publiquely asserted that his Majesty dare not interrupt them in their settlement of Golden Island least It should make a breach betwixt the two nations publiquely (contrary to a Proclamation set out by express order from his Majesty holdeinge correspondence with them incorageinge the Inhabitants of these Colonies to goe thither boath to trade & settle on the proposals made them by the Councill of those now resideinge in Calidonia I cannot but beg of you to give your selfe the liberty of thinkeinge whaether these things give not some grounds to fear that in time the evill may be so universall to be esily remedied the trade of England to these Colonies Wholy discouraged & that of the Scoch nation advanced. If the sweates of profit be once tasted by our Inhabitants by giveinge the least encoragement to this trade it will Not be suppressed without extraordinary expense & diligence And I cannot but offer itt as my humble opinion that no way will prove more effectuall then a totall exclusion of them from any share in the government of these plantations I cannot but begg your pardon for my teadousness & Remaine

S:

Your most faithfull serv

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J. BASSE

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