Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay, if I be not informed in the meantime that those Indians have ceased their hostilities." I am with respect My Lords, Your Lordships most faithful humble servant, New York, 25 May, 1698. BELLOMONT. [N. Y. Col. MSS., Vol. IV., pp. 438-9.] Earl of Bellomont to the Lords of Trade. To the Right Honourable to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations. My Lords. "There goes also another Address (No. 4) from the Council and Assembly of New Hampshire, which will show your Lordships what mischief Colonel Allen is doing in that Province. He is, it seems, turning people out of their properties without processe at law and so distracts the people there, that I fear the provision of Navall Stores for the King will suffer an interruption, which otherwise Mr. Partridge who is now here with me, gives all possible assurance of its succeeding to all our desires, so far as relates to timber of all sorts, masts, pitch and tar. As for hemp he has no hopes of that there; and I formerly wrot my thoughts of hemp and flax as fitter productions for the soil of Ireland and to be manufactured there where labour is cheaper three-fourths than 'tis here, or in New Hampshire. I do not take the account I now write of Colonel Allen upon trust from Mr. Partridge, tho' Partridge have a fair character, for I have the same account from two or three indifferent hands besides." I am with respect, My Lords, Your Lordships most humble and obedient servant New Yorke, December the 14th 1698. BELLOMONT. [N. Y. Col. MSS., Vol. IV., p. 536.] Earl of Bellomont to the Lords of Trade. To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations. My Lords, "I am next Thursday to go to New Hampshire to take that government upon me, where I propose staying about three weeks, and will, if my health will allow it visit the very utmost bounds of the King's territory to the East and joyning upon Accadie, which the French have unfortunately got from the Crown, thanks to good King Charles the 1st. Tis called St. Georges River1 and lyes about 25 leagues eastward of Pescataqua. At my return hither I shall make but a week's stay and shall then go to Rhode Island to execute a commission from his Majesty sent me by Mr. Secretary Vernon to inquire into the severall misdomeanours alledged to have been committed by the government of that Island.” Boston, July 224 1699. [N. Y. Col. MSS., p. 519.] Earl of Bellomont to the Lords of Trade. To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade and PlantationsMy Lords. "Colonel Romar the Engineer was gon to Boston to get a passage from thence to England; but upon your orders I have stopt him, and since I am suddenly to goe thither, I have wrote to him to view the fort on the Island which commands the harbour at Boston, and from thence to goe to Piscataqua in New Hampshire, and thence to Pemaquid and take the plans of all the three forts and make such observations as will be proper, of their situations, importance, and what the charge may be of building good substantiall forts, and this to the end I may be able to informe your Lordships fully of those matters hereafter." New Yorke, May the 15th 1699. [N. Y. Col. MSS., p. 617.] Lieutenant Governor Partridge to the Earl of Bellomont. May it please your Excellency. Portsmouth the 20th Febry 99. There has nothing of late occured worthy Your Excelleys notice till yesterday Capt John Tuttle of Dover with some other the Inhabitants thereof came to me with an information that the Indians late conversant at Cochecha were suddainly withdrawn according to the information here inclosed. These Indians of late have been observed to visit most of the inhabitants that live in Dover and narrowly view their houses, and by their whole carriage given occasion of suspicion that they design mischiefe against us. The Indians that have appeared at Cochecha and not known to the inhabitants there, do generally call themselves Albany Indians, but 'tis believed they are both Albany and Eastern Indians. I thought it my duty to give your Excelley this an account by an express, and pray Your Excelleys direction herein; in the mean time I have ordered watches and wards to be kept in the out towns to prevent a surprise but so that if any Indians still come in they may be treated as before without discovering any thing of our suspicion of them. I give Your Excelley no further trouble at present, but crave leave to subscribe May it please Your Excellency Your most humble and obedient servant WM. PARTRIdge. [N. Y. Col. MSS., pp. 645-6-7.] Earl of Bellomont to the Lords of Trade. To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade & Plantations. My Lords “Mr. Partridge notwithstanding my admonitions to him not to suffer any ship timber to be cut, and carryed from Pescattaway till the Kings pleasure were first knowen in that matter, has not only consented to a ship's loading ship timber and masts in that harbour, but is now actually loading a great ship of his own of about 350 ton with principall ship timber for Portugal. The noise too of the profitable voyage he formerly made thither with ship timber, has so encouraged others to do the like, that I am newly informed of one Major Davison who is said to be loading a ship at Newberry in this Province with that sort of timber for Portugal. I believe your Lordships will not approve of this trade for many reasons, but 'tis very unlucky that I am so long without your orders therein. I doubt not to make it appear, that it is to the full as great prejudice to England to imbezle the Timber growing in New Hampshire, as it would be to imbezle that which grows in New Forest in England, which I shall have occasion in my next letter to prove. "Rear Admiral Benbow will give your Lordships an Account (if call'd on) what a vast prejudice the destruction of the woods in New Hampshire does the King and Kingdoms, he saw a quantity of noble timber for ships brought to Pescattaway by Mr. Partridge to be sent to Portugal in his great ship. I am with respect My Lords Your Lordships most humble & obedient sevt BELLOMONT. Boston, the 25th May 1700. [N. Y. Col. MSS., Vol. IV. p. 664.] Earl of Bellomont to the Commissioners of Customs. Gentlemen. Boston 28 May, 1700. "Mr. Eastwick the late Navall Officer of New Hampshire being dead, I have appointed Mr. Robert Armstrong to succeed him, who is well recommended to me from England; the persons bound for him are substantiall merchants of this place, whose bond is 1000£; I herewith send you." I am with much esteem, Gentlemen, Your most humble and faithfull servant BELLOMONT. [N. Y. Col. MSS., Vol. IV., pp. 668–679.] Earl of Bellomont to the Lords of Trade. To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations. "I have further to acquaint you, that I am more confirmed than I was, of the certainty of making Tar to serve the King and all his Dominions; being assured by several hands that 'tis a thing of great yield or produce, where there are a number of hands to assist one another. If Mr. Bridger may be credited, who has made some Tar in New Hampshire, and sent it to England with the other specimens a number of men will with ease make a barrel of Tar a day all the year round for each man's share which is 37 ton and 6 barrels of tar, the yearly produce of each man's labour; at which rate 600 soldiers will make 22650 ton of tar in a year, which is so vast a quantity, that one would think it would more than suffice for all the King's Dominions yearly; yet the making pitch will cause great diminution of the tar. I am told that at present all Naval Stores [P. 670.] which we have from Sweden and Denmark, are paid for with ready mony, carried in specie from England, which some merchants have assured me is above a 100,000£ per annum, whereas I would undertake to pay for all the Naval Stores from New Yorke and New Hampshire with the manufactures of England. I have been very particular in the foregoing account, about making tar, because I would gladly explain every part of it to your Lordships; and I hope what I have now to writ, will satisfie you of its being practicable beyond dispute or contradiction. I will now sum up the advantages which will accrue to England from this performance. 1st. It will take off the charge of the forces, the King would otherwise be obliged to keep in his pay, to defend the Provinces of New York and New Hampshire, against the French and their Indians, which in time of war cannot be less than a 1000 men, to defend them as they ought to be defended: and let it be considered too, that the securing of them, is in a great measure securing all the Plantations on this Continent. 2ly It will save the King and his Dominions near half the mony that's laid out at present for tar, pitch, turpentine and rozen. 3ly If it be true that above a 100,000£ in specie is exported every year out of England, by the Eastland Merchants, that sume of mony which is a very great one, (and is entirely sunk and lost to the Nation by never returning) will not only by this design be kept within the nation for the time to come, but it will also be the undoubted means of a very considerable additional export and consumption of our English manufactures, so that the advantage will be double, by saving so great a sume of mony which was carried out of the Nation before, and by turning that loss into profitt to England, in the increase of the Exports of our Manufactures as I just now said. 5thly But the greatest advantage of all is yet to come, which is, that the King and all his Dominions will be furnish'd with Naval Stores from his own territory, by which means that most important trade, (without which England could not subsist) will no longer be precarious. The advantages that will redound to England by a right use of these Plantations, are infinite and inestimable, not only tar and pitch, turpentine, oyle of turpentine and rozen, will be furnished, |