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feveral goods and commodities, I do hereby acknowledge to have received the fhare, proportion, and dividend, for the officers and foldiers in the late regiment, under the charge and command of colonel Francis Barrington, deceased, amounting in money to the fum of two thoufand eight hundred forty-five pounds, twelve fhillings, and fix-pence, fterling; and, in purfuance of his majefty's inftructions, I do promife, according to the late mufter taken, and the perfons now living, to diftribute the fame.Witnefs my hand, this 17th of October, 1662.

CORNELIUS BURROUGHS.

WHEREAS his moft excellent majefty hath been graciously pleafed to fend unto the late foldiers of this ifland his royal gift, converted into feveral goods and commodities, I do hereby acknowledge to have received the fhare, proportion, and dividend, for the officers and foldiers in the late regiment, under the charge and command of colonel Philip Ward, deceased, amounting in money to the fum of two thoufand fix hundred feventy-one pounds, three fhillings, fterling; and, in pursuance of his majefty's inftructions, I do promife, according to the late mufter taken, and the perfons now living, to diftribute the fame. Witness my hand, this 17th of October, 1662,

THOMAS BARRY,

WHEREAS his moft excellent majesty hath been graciously pleased to fend unto the late foldiers of this island his royal gift, converted into several goods and commodities, I do hereby acknowledge to have received the fhare, proportion, and dividend, for the officers and foldiers in the late troop of horse, under my charge and command, amounting in money to the fum of one thoufand five hundred twenty-feven pounds, fifteen fhillings, fterling; and, in pursuance of his imajefty's inftructions, I do promife, according to the late mufter taken, and the perfons now living, to diftribute the fame. Witness my hand this 17th of October

1662.

R. NELSON.

A JOURNAL

▲ JOURNAL KEPT BY COL. WILLIAM BEESTON,

FROM HIS FIRST COMING TO JAMAICA.

WHA

HAT was truly acted from the taking of the island, to the 27th of April, 1660, (which was the day I arrived there,) I am not ecrtain; but, as I gathered from thofe who were there before me, this following is the fhort account which, though perhaps not certainly perfect, yet may put your excellency in mind of fome things that may be neceffary, and which you yourself can better methodize.

Soon after the defeat of the army at Hifpaniola, this ifland was on the tenth of May, 1655, taken from the Spaniards by the army commanded by general Venables, and the fleet then commanded by general Penn. Some few months atter the island was taken, great part of the fleet went for England, and, after the two generals left the ifland, the government fell alternately to the chief officers, who foon, fearing fupplies, fhut up the ftores of provifions, which, with the havock that had been made of the cattle, brought great want on the foldiers; and that and living upon fruits only, or fuch other hard fare as they could get, brought a great mortality. The Spaniards and Spanish negroes alfo lay lurking about the woods, and deftroyed many as they rambled for food to fuftain their hungry appetites: Thus they continued till the death of major-general Fortefcue, Mr.Aylesbury, &c. Then arrived major-general Sedgwick with recruits, who, feeing the foldiers' wants, opened the old ftores; but in a few months he died. Then came the command into the hand of colonel Doyley, as prefident. Not long after which, arrived general Brayne, a man, who, had he lived, might have been very advantageous to the intereft of the country, for he animated them to planting, hunting, and to make benefit of the island; but, in three or four months, he died alfo, and then the command again returned to colonel Doyley; after which the place began to mend, provifions to be more plenty, the people to be more induftrious, and merchants' fhips began to frequent the place; but the fcattered Spaniards began to gather together at Ochorios, where they built a pallifado fort, but were hardly fettled before they were defeated,

and

and their fort razed by the English; yet, not long after, forces were fent from New Spain, Cuba, &c. to reduce the ifland, and landed at Rio-Nova, where they built a good fort, with chapel, and houfes: But thither general Doyley went by fea in perfon, and with the men he carried with him bravely fought the Spaniards, took their fort, and killed and took moft of them; after which the Spaniards headed no more, but lay fculking in the woods, and, with the affiftance of their negroes, killed many Englifh as they travelled the roads; but at length a party of the negroes came in to the English, and foon atter a detached party of the English were fent out, who totally took and routed the Spaniards in the woods, and a few got off to Cuba; and the English remained indifferently quiet. During thofe times, captain Muins, in the Marfton Moor, with fome other fhips in his company, took many prizes, pillaged and burnt many towns on the Main, and returned victorious, but was emulated for his fuccefs, and not long after was fent by colonel Doyley for England.

What follows is after my arrival, and from my own knowledge; in which I have only as a journal continued along the heads of things as they have happened in time, knowing your excellency is more able to enlarge of the particulars.

APRIL 27, 1660.-At my arrival the people were ftill as an army, but without pay, commanded by general Doyley, under whom, as chief minifters, were major Fairfax and captain Burroughs; the government was only by a court-martial, held once a month at St. Jago, and what difputes general Doyley felf, who lived very near and private, did not by any means love planting, but hindered those that were willing to plant, by telling them they would be all called off. The people were now healthful, and provifions began to be plenty, and trade to increafe; the privateering was carried on, and good prizes often brought in by them; this fummer a party of Spanish negroes, commanded by Juan de Bola, came in and furrendered themfelves, who were all made free, and captain Juan de Bola had commiffion given him to command them; yet there was another party of negroes till abroad, called the Vermahollis negroes, after whom captain Ballard was fent with a party, who took molt of them, fo that now there were not above thirty out negroes left in the country, who by degrees were all picked up, and the island left quiet to the English.

About

About this time, the rump parliament being again up in England, no recruits came for the army, and they had no pay, which made the foldiers deem themselves neglected, and a general expectation there was that all would be called off, and the ifland deferted, there being no news of his majesty's happy restoration; this gave occafion to one of the regiments at Guanaboe, and formerly commanded by colonel Barrington, but now by lieutenant-colonel Tyfon, who being fet on by a difcontented reformed officer, called lieutenant-colonel Raymond, who lived near him, began to mutiny and fet up for themselves, faying, they would live no more as an army. And, accordingly, August 2d, they declared they would have the island fettled in colonics, and make conftables and civil officers. Thefe general Doyley not being able to appeafe with words, drew fome forces to St. Jago to appease them, but was cautious, not being certain but that those he brought, if it came to the puth, would fail him, and be of the mind of the others; and, therefore, he ordered a ship of Southampton, called the Mary, captain Richard Tylar commander, to lay ready without the fort, that, if he faw things grow defperate, he might embark and leave them; but, by fending feveral meilengers to them, and at length major Richard Hope of the Liguanea regiment, he fo prevailed with them, telling them the danger if they perfifted, and, on the contrary, that if they delivered up the two lieutenant-colonels they thould all be pardoned, that they promised the next morning to deliver up their officers. Accordingly, in the morning, the foldiers brought. down the two lieutenant-colonels, and delivered them up; on whom there presently fat a court-martial, who adjudged them worthy of death; and accordingly, in a very fhort time, in fight of both parties, they were fhot to death. Then the foldiers were all ordered to their feveral quarters, but were grown fo infolent, that the general was forced to give them leave to plunder the houses of Tyfon and Raymond in St. Jago, which flushed them to plunder more, even any that they could pretend had any correfpondence with thofe men; and yet, after all this, and all the fair words that were given them, it was as much as the general and their officers could do to keep them from mutinying, and to get them to return to their precincts.

captain

AUGUST 15.-His Majefty's fhip the commander, arrived from England, with the union jack flying, which gave all people great hopes his majefty was reftored to his throne, and was Confirmed when the fhip came into the harbour: which news was received

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with great joy and acclamations, and the feventeenth was appointed for the folemn proclamation of the king, and then done with all the expreffions of joy that the place could afford; to help which, at the fame time, the Bear, another of his majesty's fhips, which came out with the

was coming into the harbour, who, feeing the acclamations on the fhore, fired all her guns as the came along; thefe fhips came away without orders their errand, for they could only fay his majefty was joyfully received by his people, but no particulars.There being no directions by these fhips, the people began to fignify and report, that they fhould all be called off, and the island delivered up to the Spaniards; which fufpicion made them very idle, and not at all induftrious to fettle or plant the country; and under these apprehenfions they continued without any certainty, till, on the 29th day of May, 1661, the happy day of his majesty's birth and restoration, the Diamond frigate, captain Whiteing commander, arrived, and with her came out the Rosebush, captain Brown commander, who arrived not till June the 2d; thefe fhips brought a commiffion from his majesty to general Doyley, to be governor of the ifland, orders to difband the army and encourage them to fettling the country, to erect courts of judicature, alfo patents. for the provoft-marfhal, fecretary, and furveyor general's places.

JUNE 5. The governor caufed his commiffion to be publifhed, then proceeded to call a council, fettle the courts, caufe the oath of allegiance to be taken. The council, with the governor, made laws for the prefent government of the ifland, and to lay a tax on all liquors imported; fetled eight hundred pounds per annum on the governor, and a hundred pounds per annum on the chief judge, who was firft colonel Ward, and after his death colonel Barry. This pleafed the trading people, but not the fol diers, who could not forbear talking even to mutiny, for that the first quarter feffions, which was July the fecond, one of them was hanged, to let them fee the law could do as much as a court-martial. Yet, notwithstanding all this, general Doyley gave but little encouragement to the planting or trading part, (but the privateering went on, and many confiderable prizes were brought in), nor to the patentees, whom he discou raged as much as he could, without abfolutely denying them the benefit. of them, either because they were not officers of his own making, or fuch as he had refpect for, or because he thought his government to be but short lived, and that in it he could have no benefit but by the privateers, over whom he had an abfolute power, and would let none buy of

them

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