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Mr. ELLETSON'S SPEECH IN THE ASSEMBLY.

MR. SPEAKER,

HE ftate and health of Jamaica, till within this fmall time, hath

vigorous and flourishing condition, its wholefome laws duly executed, and a current trade well fettled, encouraged, and maintained; it hath fince that fallen into a languishing condition, and is now near expiring.

Our most gracious fovereign, in his princely care of, and kindness to, his fubjects, as the beft of kings and fkilfulleft of physicians, hath at this time, without any regard to himself, but folely to regain our former ftate of health and confirm it to us, called this general confultation.

Every member, therefore, of this infirm body ought faithfully to complain of its indifpofition, that the malady, though compounded of ever fo many ills, may by him be thoroughly understood, and then experience teaches the application will be proper and the cure easy.

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That we have a complex of difeafes is moft certain; our faces are bloated, our ftomachs are vicious and full of bilious humours, our hearts are as hollow as deceit itself.

The only care of late hath been for the prefervation of head and heart, and a total neglect and flight of legs and arms; but the little finger muft either receive its due nourishments, or the body becomes decrepid and infirm. Jamaica, till of late, hath not been known to want any thing, but now, with a great deal of forrow may it be thought of, and truly faid, to want all things, negroes, trade, and money; on thefe three hang all the good and ill of this ifland. By me kings reign and princes decree judgment.

As I came not here to act any thing maliciously, or in prejudice of any man, fo neither was I fent here to advance my particular eftate or pur chafe to myself honour, by conniving at or confenting to any thing which in my confcience I judge not the true public interest of Jamaica.

My motion therefore, Mr. Speaker, fhall be, that this house would truly and impartially confider Jamaica's prefent affliction, and in a proper method its true remedy and redrefs. And let all the people fay amen.

SOUTH

SOUTH SEA ACCOUNT, BY ARNOLD.

JAMAICA, f.

RICHARD ARNOLD'S DEPOSITION.

The examination of Richard Arnold, aged twenty-fix years or thereabouts.

TH HIS examinant faith, that on or about the fixteenth day of June, anno domini 1684, he went off this island on a voyage to the South Seas, under the command of one captain Peter Harris, being invited to that undertaking by one John Matthews, an acquaintance of the faid examinant, being the only man of all the company that went over with the faid examinant, who had been there before; and that the faid Arnold went off in a floop, whereof one Daniel Smith was mafter, from Point Negril to Grand Caymanas, and from thence to the Mufquito's in another floop, where he was taken by the faid Harris on board his barque, and from thence tranfported to the Main near the Golden Ifland, where they landed and were mustered under the faid Harris, to the number of ninety-fix white men and three Indians, and there funk their veffels; and that, on their arrival there, they were told by the Indians, that king Golden-Cap was dead, which troubled them for fome time, but were foon revived by the good news that one Jofepho, a great man amongst them, whofpoke Spanish, and who had fome confiderable command and intereft amongst the Indians, was willing to be their guide through the country towards the Stockadoes, whither they were defigned, being about thirty leagues diftant from their landing place: whereupon they fet forward under Jofepho's conduct, having with him about twenty Indians, and fent others before them to prepare canoes for them, about twelve leagues above the faid Stockadoes, and performed their march in four days; and there embarked into the canoes provided as aforefaid, and fo came down that river, and landed within half a mile of the Stockadoes, having by the way, by the help of the said Jofepho, got together about three hundred Indians; and early in the morning tell on the faid place and took it, where they shared about a hundred fhares, at twenty-four ounces of gold duit each fhare, leaving the other grofs plunder to the Indians: that at this place they took a barque belonging

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to his most Catholic majefty of four pederaroes, and thirty men, well armed with small arms, with about a thousand pounds it rling in duft gold, the rest of her cargo being liquors and lumber here alfo the faid examinant faith, they took eight large canoes, on which they all embarked again, leaving the Indians at the Stockadoes; alfo with their barques and canoes went down the river Andriel to the mouth of it, where they took another veffel laden with provifions and fome wine, with which they proceeded on their voyage for the Cays to the fouthward of Panama, about two leagues thence called the King's Cays, where they took about ten fail of pearl barques, having nothing on board them but plantains, &c. and with two of the beft of the faid barques, and the and other barque of four pederaroes, being well fitted out of the other eight with all manner of neceflary rigging, they proceeded to Cape Clare to the fouthward of Panama, to cruize for a fhip, leaving the other eight barques on the fhore on the Cays; from whence, having fpent fome time to no purpose, they fteered away again to the wettward near the place where they fitted, where they were attacked with five barques fitted out from Panama to take them, the admiral of which they laid on board, and fought board and board for an hour, but could not lath him faft, by reafon they fo well defended themselves with pikes, and the night coming on, whilst the rest of his fleet lay to windward and faw fair play. In this en-' gagement they loft three men outright, and two more wounded, who died foon after; the Spanish admiral above forty men. they stood away further to the weftward for the river called Niciao, in From thence hopes of getting a bigger veffel, being a place where the Spaniards built their fhips; in fight of which place they fpied a fhip at an anchor, to which they made, and fent their canoes on board to know who and what fhe was, which proved to be captain Swan in a fhip about a hundred and forty tons, fixteen guns, and twenty men, with whom they entered into an agreement for his fhip at ten fhares himself, his men two, and his boy half a fhare; the bufinefs of the faid Swan before that time, as this examinant believes, being only for trade. manned the faid fhip and turned the leffer barques adrift, retaining only On which agreement, they that first taken, and fo ftood away to the fouthward, to join themselves with one captain John Cooke, who the faid Swan told them was come about in a Dutch fhip of thirty-fix guns, which he took with a small veffel of three guns on the coaft of Gumica; and at the Ifle of Plate found the faid fhip commanded by one captain Davis, and manned with feventy-five men, the faid Cooke being dead; on board of which ship the faid Davis had a

prifoner

prifoner who undertook to carry them to a rich town called Guyaquil, on which voyage they proceeded, and went up the river in their canoes, and landed about a hundred and thirty about two leagues fhort of the faid town; where, being landed and ready to march, on seeing many lights in the town, a difpute arofe between Swan and Davis, who then commanded the whole party. Swan fuppofing the fame to be lighted matches would not adventure to march farther, concluding they were defcried; whereupon they returned on board again, much difatisfied with Swan's conduct, being well affured by their prifoner they might have made five hundred pounds fterling a man in gold. From this place they proceeded to another place called Payla,where they alfo landed about ninety men, and took, plundered, and burnt, it; where they were entertained with about a hundred and fixty men from Pura, a place they defigned to take by furprize; fo, finding themselves defcried, and that city in arms for their coming, they returned on fhip-board again. On this bad fuccefs, it was generally concluded among them to ftand away to the westward again for the Cays, and to lay there for the Spanish fleet then expected from Callas, the Barkadera of Lima, where they continued about five months; during which time feveral parties came over land, as this examinant and his companions had done before them, and got to the faid Cays in canoes, viz. one captain Francis with about four hundred French, captain Lequi with about fifty, both which came together over land from Golden Ifland, as aforefaid; and, to welcome the faid Francis, this examinant faith, they gave him a fhip of four hundred tons, which they had taken whilft at the Cays, laden with flour, where alfo they took about twelve barques with provifions, fowls, and other fuch like neceffaries, bound for Panama, all which barques they turned adrift, having taken their neceffaries. After the arrival of the two first parties, and disposal of the faid great fhip, there came three other parties over land by way of Golden Ifland, viz. captain Francis fownly, captain Leigh, and captain Brandy, with about three hundred and fixty men amongst them, moft Englith, who in this voyage with their canoes took two fhips with provifions; where: it was further agreed to carry on the defign against the Spanish fleet, and: that Davis fhould be admiral, having an antiquated French commiffion, and carry the flag at the main-top-maft-head, and that Swan fhould be vice-admiral, who utterly refused to wear French colours or fight under. any other colours than the king of England's, for that he had loft two men in fair trade with the Spaniards, and fo wore the union flag at foretop-maft-head, king's jack, &c. And that captain Francis thould fecond

Davis

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Davis, who was to lay the admiral on board, captain Townly to fecond captain Swan, who was to board the vice-admiral, and that captain Leonard in a fire-barque should also attend on Davis, if need were, to burn the Spanish admiral, and in that manner to engage the Spanish fleet. In the interim of which, the Spanish fleet ftanding far off in the offing, paffes unfeen, and lands their money at Leveia, about ten leagues to westward of Panama, and there takes in confiderable reinforcement of men, &c. and comes to fea, confifting of about eleven fail and two fire-fhips; the admiral having fifty-four guns, vice-admiral forty-fix, and rear-admiral thirty-fix, and from thence to twenty-fix and fixteen guns, coming unexpected to the privateers about the Cays from the weftward, stood right in upon them, which caufed them to weigh and ftand off, to clear and get the wind of them if poffible; upon which the Frenchman, who should have feconded Davis, veers away, and never offers to tack or come to their affiftance, whereby that day was quite fpent without any action. The next day, they being to leeward of the Spanish fleet, the admiral and his fleet bore down on Davis, who bore away to speak to Swan and Townly, to confult them what was best to be done; who, finding the French had left them with their fire-fhips, made a running fight of it, having turned fome of their canoes adrift, and loft other fome by the Spaniards fhot: went further to the westward, to a place called Quibo, to build new canoes, where, in three weeks, they built ten new ones; where it was concluded to go for Rio Leo and the city of Leon, which they took, plundered, and burnt, having missed of the wealth, having been defcried ere they entered the town, fo fhared no confiderable matter; after which they resumed their former refolutions for Rio Leo, which they took likewife, plundered, and burnt; the laft place affording nothing valuable to them, more than pitch and tar, being the product of thofe places, and that place famous for building great fhips; there alfo the Spaniards fet fire to two confiderable fhips on the stocks, one ready to launch, to pres vent them falling into enemies hands. At this place the fleet divided, being in or about the month of June, anno domini 1685, Swan and Townly directing their courfe farther to weftward for Aqua Pulco and Callifornia, to try their fortunes there, and from thence round the Phillipine Ifles to the Eaft-Indies, and so home, as they faid; captain Davis and his fire-fhips defigning back again to the fouthward for Truxillo, a place far to windward; after which this examinant never faw or heard of Swan and Townly. In their defigned voyage for Truxillo, being in fome want of provifions, Davis, with whom the examinant failed, touched at certain

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