-tender them fucb dutiful fubjects that he might put his majeñy's traît into their hands, and therefore defired we would give fome further manifestation of our obedience, and applied himfelf to me; and, fir, I begin with you firft: will you obey the king and his governor to the new form of government which has been now fent over? To which I replied, my lord this is a thing to new and fo fudden to me, that I defire fome time to confider of it before I give my anfwer. But lis excellency faid Umult do it prefently, and fo muft we all. Then I faid, my lord, I have ever been and will ever continue a faithful fubject and fervant to his majetty, I have taken the oaths of allegiance and fupremacy often times, and 【 know no other way that the law appoints his majelly's fubjects to make a farther manifeftation of their duty and obedience to their king, but by this; if there be any law requires more I will obey it, and in the mean time will do my utmoft to obferve my duty according to thofe others; more, my lord, I cannot fay. On this his excellency replied upon me, then you will not obey the king? Yes, my lord, faid I, as long as I live. But, faid his lordship, you will not obey him according to his new model. I anfwered, my lord, I do not know what it is, but, as far as I know it, I do not like it; therefore cannot voluntarily (fince his majesty bás not pofitively commanded it) give my confent to it. His lordship replied, [ did know it; for I had feen his commiffion. Yes I had, but I had not feen his inftructions, which were appendixes to nis majefty's commiffion, and therefore I did not know it, and could give no other anfwer; fo I was ordered to be put down on the left hand of the paper, as one not fit to be trusted to ferve his majefty. Then his lordship proceeded to ask the rest, fome this question, and others only, will you obey the king? according as he was pleafed to favour fome more than others. In this affembly and the other that followed, his lord/hip was pleafed very often, on feveral occafions, to call them fools, affes, beggars, cowards, and many other appellations; which management they took fo ill from a wife lord, confidering the capacity they were then in, doing their king and country service, that it fet their hearts much against him, and did no good to the public

affairs.

In the government of fir Thomas Lynch, the parish of Port-Royal obtained from him, towards the detraying the great charge that parish is at, a patent in the name of churchwardens to the ufe of the parifh for the clerk of the market-place, which is worth about fifty pounds per annum, and a growing profit. This his excellency took away by his own will from

the

the parish, though the patent was recorded, and gave the place, as was faid, to the countefs; though in that I cannot be pofitive; but, whofoever had it, it was taken from the parith; by which they not only loft fo much per annum, but it gives fo great occafion for people to fufpect that, if a governor can take away by his own will one patent, if he please may take away another, and therefore no man's freehold in the whole island is fafe.

That in July or Auguft, 1679, one Jacobs, a Dutchman, brought into fome part of this ifland, where he privately lay, a parcel of cocoa and fome other things, taken as they were faid from the Spaniards; which were brought into the harbour of Port-Royal in the ifland-boats, entered in the custom-houfe, and were publicly landed and ftored by the privateers. Thefe goods at their importation were feized on by captain Wilfon the naval officer, but were foon difcharged, and he in a fhort time turned out of his place.

That, in the month of October, 1679, one Cooke, having with his company near the island of Cuba feized a Spanish barque, in which attempt fome of the Spaniards, as was credibly reported, were killed; which barque and goods he brought to a place called Yallah's, of Jamaica, and thence came in old cloaths himfelf to the governor, with whom having poken, the faid Cooke and his men carried the faid barque into Old-Harbour; from whence the goods, which were cocoa, fkins, &c. were brought in the island-boats to Port-Royal, and landed and ftored in the day-time, as this informer knows; and the faid barque, as was credibly reported. burnt by advice in Old-Harbour, when the goods were taken out.

That, in November, 1679, Coxon, Sharpe, Seedall, and other of the privateers, brought four or five hundred chefts of indigo, which they robbed from the Spaniards out of a store-house in the gulph of Amatique, as was often told by themfelves, many or moft of these were brought by the island-boats into Port-Royal, there paid cuftom, and were freely enjoyed by the privateers.

That, in February or March afterwards, the privateers being many of them in Port-Royal and st. Jago, though their thips were in other places, yet it was publicly faid, that they were going to Porto-Bello, which accordingly they did, without any notice taken of them or hindrance used.

That

That, fince, they have, by the help of the Indians, gotten into the fouth feas; where, by report, they have killed many Spaniards and go..en much wealth.

That it was commonly faid by the privateers in Jamaica, that privateering was now much better and cheaper than when they had commiffons; for now it was only to land their goods and pay the custom, and the reft was free, whereas before there were charges for commillion, tenths, and fifteenths, and the condemnation in the admiralty.

That this informer was prefent in the earl of Carlide's houfe, when there came before him three men to complain that their captain, Bartholomew Sharpe, one of the privateer's captains, denied them their shares of the indigo. The captain replied they left the thip and their thres near la maica, fearing they thould be apprehended for pirates; but, finding 1.0 fuch thing, they came to claim again what he thought they ought not to do, having relinquished it already. This difference my lor heard, and endeavoured to compofe betwixt them, but whether he did it fully or not I cannot fay.

t

That, at two feveral times, difcourfing with his excellency about the privateers what an injury and difreputation it was to the county, and that it would have been more for his majesty's fervice and his lord hip's own profit, if he had fcized all the privateers goods; by which he cod have anfwered it to his majetty, and made fome reparation to the owners, if ever they came to claim it, and have kept the left to nimi: his lordship answered, in fome anger, that he never propofed any good to the country but we were againft it, and that these privateers goods thould be fent to England, and the value returned in goods for the ufe of the uland, &c.

WILLIAM BEESTON.

Sworn to the truth of the contents hereof, before me, the 7th January, 1680.

A PATENT FROM KING CHARLES THE II.

FOR THE

OFFICE OF SURVEYOR AND AUDITOR GENERAL

OF THE

REVENUES IN JAMAICA.

Charles the Second, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, king, defender of the faith, &c. To all to whom theje prefents fhall come greeting:

K

NOW ye, that we, out of our royal care of the good government and direction of our affairs in the remoter parts of the world, and particularly taking into our princely confideration how neceffary it is for us to fettle our revenues arifing within and from our feveral foreign demimons, lands, colonies, and plantations, in America; and how much it would tend to the advantage of our fervice, and benefit of our fubjects," to make fome better provifion for the due payment to us, our heirs and fucceflors, of our faid revenues; and for the due and orderly taking, examining, and ftating, the accounts of all and every the collectors, receives, auditors, treasurers, fub-collectors, and other inferior officers, minifters, and perfons, to whom it shall or may appertain or belong, to act or intermeddle in or with the collecting, levying, or receiving, of any of the fums of money growing. or arifing, and due and payable, unto us, in and trom any of our foreign dominions in America, which be beft effected and brought to pafs by erecting an office for the infpection, examination, and audit, of all and fingular accounts of all monies arifing and growing due and payable unto us, and accruing within our faid dominions and colonies.; have, for the caufes and reafons aforefaid, as alf for divers other great and weighty caufes and confiderations us hereunto efpecially moving, created, ereted, and established, and by thefe prefents, for us our heirs and fucceffors, do create, erect, and establish, an office of general infpection, examination, and audit, of all and fingular accounts, of all and every fum and fums of money arifing and growing due and payable to us, and accruing, or

which

which fhall arife, grow, and become due, and payable, to us, and accrue inor from any of our foreign dominions, colonies, and plantations, in America; and the chief officer thereof thall be stiled and called the furveyor auditor-general of all our revenues arifing in America: And know ye farther that we, repofing efpecial truft and confidence in the faithfulness, abili ties, and circumfpection, of our trufty and well beloved fubject William Blathwaite, efq. and for divers other good caufes and confiderations us thereunto efpecially moving, of our efpecial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have given and granted, and by thefe prefents do give and grant, unto him the faid William Blathwaite, the faid office of furveyor and auditor-general of all our revenues arifing in America; and we do alfo give to him, the faid William Blathwaite, full power and authority to infpect, examine, ftate, and audit, and with the allowance, authority, and confent, of the lord high treasurer, commiffioners of our treafury, and chancellor of the exchequer for the time being, to determine all and fingular accounts of all fuch rents, revenues, prizes, fines, efcheats, forfeitures, duties, and profits, whatfoever, as are by reafon or caufe of any matter or thing happened or fallen fince the beginning of the firft war that was between us and the ftates-general of the united Netherlands, fince our reftoration, and not before; and which fhall at any time hereafter happen, fall, become, or be due, payable, or accruing, unto us, our heirs and fucceffors, during the continuance of this grant, in or from all or any of our faid foreign dominions, iflands, colonies, and plantations, in America; as alfo by all lawful ways and means to cause to be recovered and paid to the proper officers, to our use, all fuch rents, revenues, fines, efcheats, forfeitures, duties, and profits, as are now and thall be hereafter due or owing to us, our heirs and fucceffors, within or from our faid foreign dominions in America; and to do and perform all and every fuch other matter, cause, or thing, in relation to the faid accounts and revenues, which to the office or place of our furveyor-general, or any our auditors of our exchequer in England, doth, or may belong or appertain, as to our accounts and revenues in England; and him the faid William Blathwaite, furveyor and auditor-general of all the rents, duties, revenues, prizes, fines, forfeitures, efcheats, and profits, aforefaid, we do, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, make, ordain, and conftitute, to have, hold, enjoy, and exercise, the faid office of furveyor and auditor-general unto him the faid William Blathwaite, by himself or his fufficient deputy or deputies, for and during the time, and fo long as he fhall well behave himfelf in the Y faid