favor us so much as to convey it safely to his Majesty's hands, the which will ever oblige Your Lordships' most humble and obedient servant, SAMUEL CRANSTON, Governor. Proclamation of the Rhode Island Assembly concerning Piracy. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas his most gracious Majesty, William the Third, over England, Scotland, France and Ireland, &c., King, hath formerly sent unto this his Majesty's government a Proclamation for the seizing of all pirates, and in especial manner Henry Avery, and severall of his company; whereupon this his Majesty's government, aforesaid, did forthwith cause the said Proclamation to be published throughout the Collony, and did take care for the search, and apprehending of them, if any within the said Collony. And now there being information given to the government that severall persons are lately come into said government, which are justly suspected by their great quantities of foreign coin, and East India goods, to be pirates and robbers upon the high seas. We having also received a letter from the Right Honorable the Duke of Shrewsbury, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State, by his Majesty's especial command, bearing date from Whitehall, September the 25th, 1697, and came to our hands this day, being the 6th instant; wherein his Majesty doth signify his express pleasure to the severall Governors of the Collonies and Plantations, that they use their utmost diligence, and strictly enjoin the same to all officers under their command, that due care be taken within the limits of their severall jurisdictions to arrest and seize said persons, and secure, &c. In obedience thereunto, and for the preventing of such evill practices, we his Majesty's Generall Assembly of his Majesty's Collony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, &c., sitting in Newport, this 4th of May, 1698, do in his Majesty's name, order and require all Magistrates and Ministers of Justice in said Collony, both civill and military, to do their utmost endeavor for apprehending such suspected pirates, that they may be brought forth to condign punishment; and also to prohibit all persons within this said Collony from entertaining them the said suspected pirates or their goods; but on the contrary, they are strictly required forthwith, upon discovery of any the said persons or goods, to give notice thereof to some person in authority, and upon neglect thereof, or upon due proof made, that any person or persons as aforesaid, do connive at or entertain any of the said suspected persons, and do not discover the same as aforesaid, they shall be proceeded against as abettors and confederates with them, &c. God save the King. The above written Proclamation, with his Majesty's and your Lordships' letters, relating to piracy, have been published throughout this government by beat of drum, &c. As attests (signed), WESTON CLARKE, Recorder. Mr. Randolph to the Board of Trade, on Rhode Island Affairs. Boston, May the 30th, 1698. May it please your Lordships: I wrote to the Board very largely from New York, to which I humbly refer your Lordships. I left that place the 21st instant, and came to Rhode Island the 24th, following; where Walter Clarke (a Qua. ker) being severall years Governor, quitted the place because he would not take the oath enjoyned him by the Acts of Trade; and Samuel Cranston (Clarke's nephew) is Governor there, to the same end as Mr. Markham is Governor in Pennsylvania, only to take the oaths enjoyned by the Act for preventing frauds. But the management of the government (such as it is), is in the hands of Quakers and Annabaptists. Neither Judges, Jurys nor Witnesses, are under any obligation, so that all things are managed there according to their will and interest. Mr. Brenton delivered the Commission to the severall officers of the Court of Admiralty, to be erected in that Collony, which Mr. Clarke, the late Governor, opposed. Coll. Peleg Sanford, Judge of the said Court, went to Walter Clarke, when he was Governor, to be sworn to the true performance of his office. Clarke took his Commission from him, carried it to the Assembly sitting about that time, and acquainted them that the allowing of a Court of Admiralty to be erected in that Collony would utterly destroy their Charter. By which they were empowered to erect a Court of Admiralty, and appoint the officers thereunto belonging. Some time after, Coll. Sanford demanded his Commission (for Judge) of Walter Clarke, which he then absolutely refused to give him. The present Governor has likewise refused to give the Judge of the Court of Admiralty his oath, telling me, that he has no authority or directions for so doing. Not long before my landing at Rhode Island, eight pirates came from Fisher's Island (belonging to the present Governor of Connecticut Collony), with a great deal of money and East India commodities, which they brought in their brigantine (from Madagascar), now lying at New York. Upon the arrival of the Fown Frigate in Rhode Island harbor, six made their escape from thence to Boston, with a great quantity of East India goods and money. But Robert Munday and George Cutler (two of them) were seized upon, and about 14 or £1500 in silver and gold was taken from them; and (as the Governor tells me) is in his custody. They were put in prison; but about two days after, they were admitted to bail, by the Governor's order (as I am informed), Gresham Clarke, one of the Governor's uncles, being their security; by which means they have opportunity given to make their escapes, leaving their money to be shared by the Governor and his two uncles, who have been very great gainers by the pirates, which have frequented Rhode Island. Three or four vessels have been fitted out from thence to the Red Sea. Walter Clarke, the late Governor, and his brother, now the Recorder of the place, have countenanced pirates and enriched themselves thereby. Their Deputy Governor, John Greene, granted a commission to one of the pirates (who went from thence to the Red Sea), without any security given by the master. The House of Deputies being the law makers, take no oaths nor engagements. They raise money upon such of the inhabitants as are not freenen of their Corporation, which they have no power by their Charter to do. Walter Clarke called the people together to sign the Association. He told them, such of them as were willing, might do it; but because be himself refused to sign it, the people from his example, neglected to do it. There are a great many men of good estates in Rhode Island, groaning under the oppression of this lawless government, who would do his Majesty faithful service, if either put under his Majesty's immediate government, or annexed to the Province of the Massachusetts Bay. They have offered to allow £500 per annum towards the support of a person appointed by his Majesty to be Governor over them. Till that's done, 'tis not possible for the Earl of Bellomont (the Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay) to suppress illegall trade and piracy, which were for merly most notoriously countenanced and supported in this place, and to this day continued in Rhode Island Collony. Now for the better confirmation of what I have herein represented, I humbly move your Lordships to order that an authentick copy be made of all the laws of Rhode Island, now kept in loose papers, and transmitted to your Lordships (after they have been truly examined and compared by Coll. Peleg Sanford, Judge of his Majesty's Court of Admiralty, and Mr. Francis Brinly, men of great estates in that government), by which their ignorance in making, and their arbitrary execution of those laws, will most evidently demonstrate, that they are no way capable to govern the people in that Collony. All which is humbly submitted to your Lordships, by your Honors' most humble servant, E. RANDOLPH, S. G. June the 6th. I am this day informed that the Governor of Rhode Island intends to appoint a Court and proceed to triall of Munday and Cutler, the pirates whose money the Governor has in his hands; and in case nobody appears (to prosecute them for piracy), to acquit them, and deliver them their money, notwithstanding the Earl of Bellomont sent them his Majesty's Circular Letter directed to all Governors in the Plantations to seize and apprehend the ships, goods and effects of all persons suspected for piracy, &c., which as I remember, Cranston, the Governor, acknowledged some that he had received. Walter Clarke, the late Governor of Rhode Island, is highly displeased, that the oaths enjoyned by the act for preventing frauds, is to be taken by the Governor of that Collony; and also because his Majesty has ordered a Court of Admiralty to De erected there. I hear he is appointed their Agent to attend your Lordships, and to represent their grievances, and pray his Majesty's relief therein. They are raising money upon the inhabitants to defray his charges. Governor Easton's Declaration relative to Privateers' Commissions. I, John Easton, Sen'r, who was by the people, elected and chosen to the place of Governor of his Majesty's Collony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in the year 1694, do declare, that whereas, John Greene, living in the town of Warwick, was Deputy Governor for the Collony in said year, did give forth a Commission to John Bankes, a privateer, one who was come into Newport, with one Capt'n Thomas Tew, a privateer, this may certify, that I would not give any Commissions to said Bankes, nor any other, to go out on any such designs they went upon; wherefore, he got a Commission from said Greene, who without my order and privity, did give said Bankes a Commission; though I did use what means I could do, to prevent the same. And furthermore, I never was against giving forth any Commissions to any that might a been for the security of the King's interest in this Collony. And that there may not things be other ways resented against us than they were, I have and do declare, as abovesaid, Newport, June the 4th, 1698. June the 4th, 1698. As witness my hand, JOHN EASTON. The abovesaid John Easton, did declare the abovesaid declaration to be true, and writ his name thereto before me. NATHANIEL CODDINGTON, Assistant. Also the abovesaid John Easton, did declare to me the day abovesaid, that in the abovesaid year 1894, Capt'n Thomas Tew, came to him, and proffered him five hundred pounds if he would give him a Commission; to which he answered, he knew not his design; and the said Tew replied, he should go where perhaps the Commission might never be seen or heard of. The which he wholly refused to give. And further saith not. Taken before me. NATHANIEL CODDINGTON, Assistant. The Board of Trade to the Governor and Company of Rhode Island. To the Honorable the Governor and Company of his Majesty's Collony of Rhode Island, in America. Gentlemen: We lately received a letter from you, dated the 8th of May last, in answer to what we writ you the 9th of February, 1696–7, upon which we cannot but observe the long interval between the date of our said letter and your answer; especially knowing certainly by the receipt of one of your officers, that our said letter did lay some months unanswered in your hands. The subject of your letter is principally in vindication of your conduct in relation to piracies and pirates; for which end you send us copies of an Act and Proclamation made by that government about those matters. And further seem to say that the Collony of Rhode Island was never concerned in countenancing any such persons or things. And upon the naming of William Mays as a person said to have been guilty of piracy, you answer, that he had his clearings from your Custom House, to go on a trading voyage to Madagascar with a lawfull commission to fight against the French, his Majesty's enemies. All this is very well, and therefore in order to your more full and perfect vindication from the aspersions that have been, and are still cast upon that Collony and government, our commission obliging us to inquire into the true circumstances of those matters throughout all his Majesty's Plantations, and you offering the instance of William Mays's commission as a proof of the legality of your proceedings, we are very desirous to see the copies of all such like private commissions which have been granted at any time during the late war, by the Governor or Deputy Governor of that Collony, to any person whatsoever; as also copies of the bonds given by all such privateers upon their receiving their respective commissions. And we accordingly require you forthwith, upon the receipt hereof, to send us true and authentick copies of all the said commissions and bonds. You write also in your foresaid letter, that you had seized two persons and their money (by name Robert Munday and George Cutler), who denyed upon examination, that they had been any further than Madagascar; and that you intended to bring them to a trial, and would then give us an account. We wish you had seized also the other six of their comrades, who were under the same suspicion; and the East India goods and the money that they had with them. But however, since these two in custody, and promise to give us a particular account, we desire and require you to do it accordingly. That is to say that you send us without delay, authentic copies of all proceedings relating unto them, from first to last, viz.: their examinations, imprisonment without bail or mainprize, according to the tenor of your forementioned act; or if they were admitted to bail, copies of the evidences upon which that was allowed; and of the security given for their appearance, together with a full account of their trial and sentence, and of the circumstances and persons and things that relate to this matter. Your full and explicit answer to these things, will tend much to your justification, and we therefore expect you will despatch it with all possible dilligence. We expect also your answer to our letter of the 23d of February last, whereby we required you to transmit unto us authentick copies of all the acts or laws of that Collony; and in the mean time bid you heartily farewell.* Whitehall, October the 25th, 1698. J. BRIDGEWATER, PH. MEADOWS, JNO. POLLEXFEN, ABR. HILL. P. S. The letter which you sent us, directed to his Majesty, we sent to one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State. Proceedings of the Generall Assembly held for the Collony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, at Kingstown, by adjourn ment, the 2d day of August, 1698. Major Samuel Cranston, Governor. It hath been presented to this Assembly, the necessity of making a rate in this Collony for the defraying and paying the * J. Carter Brown's Manuscripts, Nos. 29, 31, 32, 31, 35, Vol. III. |