A LETTER FROM THE COUNCIL IN ENGLAND то SIR WILLIAM BEESTON, IN ANSWER TO HIS NARRATIVE. A FTER our very hearty commendations, her majefty having received an account, from your letters of the 23d of June laft, that the French have appeared before the ifland of Jamaica with a confiderable force in flips and men, and on the feventeenth of the fame month landed a great number of men upon the windermoft part of the ifland, where they were plundering, ravaging, and burning, all before them, and were daily expected to fall upon St. Jago and Port-Royal, where you had got all the force of the island from the out-parts, and had got all things into as good a pofture as you could to defend the place, till fuch time relief of fhips and men might be fent from England, to enable you to encounter the enemy, both by fea and land, and to beat them off from the coafts of Jamaica; and further reprefenting, that, in ten days after the date of your faid letter, you intended to fend another exprefs, with an account of the pofture and proceedings of the enemy; which express is now very foon expected. Her majetty in the mean time, taking nothing more to heart than the relieving and preferving to the crown of England the island of Jamaica, as a place of the greatest importance to the trade and commerce of this kingdom, and protection of their majesties good fubjects in that ifland in their perfons and eftates; we have received her majefty's command to let you know, that her majefty, relying very much upon your vigilance, courage, and prudent conduct, together with the known loyalty and fidelity of their majefties fubjects in Jamaica, for the refifting and withstanding the further attempts of the enemy, and defending and preferving the island from falling into their hands, until fuch time as fuitable relief may be fent to repel them from thence; her majefty has been graciously pleased to give exprefs orders for the preparing, with all the diligence that may be, for the speedy fending to Jamaica fuch ftrength in fhips of war and land forces as may be able not only to free the ifland from the infults of the enemy for the prefent, but to reduce the French in the neighbourhood of Jamaica to fuch a condition as may put them out of capacity for the future to moleft the inhabi tants tants of that ifland, or to disturb the trade or commerce of their majef ties fubjects in thofe parts. Her majefty having alfo referred to our care the fending away the faid fhips and land forces, with fuch expedition as the emergency of the occafion and their majesties purpofe for the protection of their fubjects, and the prefervation of that ifland from falling into the hands of the enemies, you are to affure the inhabitants of Jamaica that we have the fame under confideration, in fuch manner that the faid relief and affiftance may be fent in good time to their fatisfaction, for their protection in their perfons and eftates upon the inland, and that the fame may render them for the future fate and fecure from the infults of their majefties enemies in thofe parts. And fo, not doubting of your utmost care and endeavour in the mean time for the defence of the island, and the protection of their majefties fubjects there, all that in you lies, we bid you very heartily farewell. From the council-chamber, at Whitehall, this 23d of Auguft, 1694, in the fixth year of their majefties reign. AN ADDRESS OF THE ASSEMBLY OF JAMAICA TO SIR To the right honourable William Beefion, knight, their majeflies lieutenantgarnor, and commander-in-chief of this their majejiies ijland of Jama.ca, and the territories thereon depending, &c. H THE HUMBLE ADDRESS OF THE ASSEMBLY. May it pleafe your honour, AVING taken into our ferious confideration, that your honour communicated by the speaker to the house, relating to the better fecuring this ifland, do moft humbly prefume to acquaint your honour, that notwithstanding they have met with fome difappointment in the immediate affiftance expected from the king's fhips, for the fecurity and defence of this ifland, and the diforder and unwillingness of the failors emploved in the floop to continue and proceed in the fervice, arifing from the fo great difproportion in fharing what is taken in the frigates among them, which we fear in fome measure hinder the fuccefs hoped for. Yet, as an inftance of their readinefs to preferve their mafter's honour and the fatety and welfare of this ifland, have unanimously voted a fupply of forty men, for the better enforcing the floop now in the country's fervice. They alfo defire that they may have leave humbly to offer, that, confidering the Spanish trade is of fo great importance, and confiderable advantage to perfons trading that way, it is undoubtedly capable to bear its own charge, without the frigates for fecurity and convoy; and the perfons concerned to raise a fund of money to hire other veffels and men, and their mafter's frigates attend and guaid the coaft of this island, and be employed against the enemy, and maintain their honour and intereft in thefe parts, and alfo, that the floop of war fitted out by the country may be employed for its immediate fervice upon the coast thereof. As to other matters your honour hath been pleased to intimate, of great concern and confequence to the intereft of this ifland, the houfe has refolved, as the circumstances of affairs fhall admit, to take into their immediate confiderat on the expediting thereof; and, as the necefary d. fence of the inland feems at prefent to call for immediate affistance, therefore the houfe thinks it to enter upon nothing until what has relation thereto fhall be difpatched; and hope, for their encouragement, to met with affurance from your honour, that what they have requested in their humble addrefs will be granted RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTIONS OF A COUNCIL OF WAR, AT A COUNCIL OF WAR HOLDEN AT PASSAGE-FORT, ON SATURDAY THE 8TH FEBRUARY, 1695-6. PRESENT, The right honourable WILLIAM BEESTON, knight, his majey's lieutenantgovernor and commander-in-chief, PRESIDENT, COL. JOHN BOURDEN. COL. NICHOLAS LAWES, COL. HENRY LOWE, COL. CHARLES KNIGHTS, LIEUT. COL. RICHARD LLOYD, LIEUT. COL. THOMAS CLARKE, AGREED I. THAT if the enemy endeavour to force the pafs into Liguanea, then, on the firft notice, the troop of horfe and three or four companies of foot be sent from town to affist them; and, for a fign, ORDERED, That colonel Lawes caufe three guns to be diftinctly firel at the breaft-work, and three at Kingston, and that they be anfw.ed by one from Port-Royal fort. AGREED 2. If the enemy pafs Port-Royal on the outfide of the Keys, then the troop of horfe and three or four companies of foot of Liguanea to march immediately, without further order, to st. Jago, and three ce, panies of the foot at Port-Royal to come over by Salt-Ponds, and march to St. Jago with all the expedition that may be. AGREED, That if the enemy attempt Old-Harbour, which will foon be known, if they are feen tailing in there, then the major part of the hofe and foot to march from St. Jago to St. Dorothy's, and the regimen of Clarendon and Vere to do the like, leaving only one company for a gu iḍ at Carlife. ORDERLI, ORDERED, That, upon the approach of any fiiips to Old Harbour, the officers there immediately fend expreffes to Carlile-Bay, and land there; then his majefty's troops and all the forces horte and foot, to draw down about Mr. Iveys, and there ftay till they are reinforced, and not fall on in fmall parties, left they be baffled; and the forces of St. Dorothy to march immediately by, if they fee the thips pafs Portland, and join the Clarendon forces, leaving only about twenty men and a commiffioned officer for a guard to St. Dorothy's, and the forces of St. Jago to folJow as faft as they are able, and join the forces at Vere. ORDERED, That the Clarendon and Vere troops come to town imme diately, leaving only fix troopers to ride the patrole there. It is the unanimous opinion of this board, that the forces from wind、 ward be immediately drawn down to Liguanca, and from all other parts of the ifland, Port-Royal excepted, to St. Jago de la Vega and St. Dorothy's. ORDERED, That colonel Knights take up two fuch fhips or veffels as will be moft convenient to make fire-fhips, and fit them immediately. ORDERED, That all the reformades in this ifland join and exercife in the feveral troops of horfe, in the refpective precincts where they live. Vera Copia. THOMAS NICHOLAS, Sec. QUERIES |