ficient witnefs; and my lord protector as much derided by them, for employing fuch a man as he was in fo honourable employment. Pray, fir if there fhall be any blemishes caft upon me or the army, move the council that they will not credit any rumours, but leave their own thoughts free till they have heard all parties, and judge upon clear proofs and grounds of reafon. That the old adage, viz. audi alterem partem may be my fhare is all I wifh. I have enclofed fent I have enclofed fent you a copy of a part of a letter to Mr. Secretary Thurloe. Befides my weakness, and the scattering of the regiments into feveral plantations of the country, and the departure of the commiffioners and fleet which fhould transport from place to place, and want of provifions, renders me incapable of doing more fervice to my friends.

June 14.

Sir, I am your very humble fervant,

RICHARD VENABLES.

THESE things dispatched, general Penn prepared to return, and notwithstanding all entreaties, and his own promise to stay with us till a new fleet came, which was urged, would not be diverted; but before he took leave he fent to me, in June 1655, to fign a poft commiffion, dated December the 8th, 1654, for Mr. Poole his nephew, to take charge of the prizes, and at the fame time a warrant for his discharge from that place, which contained an acquittance alfo; both which I refufed to fign, and

by letter gave him my reafons, defiring that there might be an auditor

fettled for that and all other accounts that did concern the state, but was refused; but my figning the warrant and acquittance earnestly preffed, which I as conftantly denied. The difcharge was not inferted, but the fum of his pay left to me to infert.

BY THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED FOR ORDERING AND MANAGING THE AFFAIRS IN AMERICA.

Jamaica, fl

WHEREAS, we lately iffued out a warrant to Mr. William Poole, prize officer, equiring of him to deliver unto Mr. Samuel Crave, fuc

ceeding

eeeding him in the faid employment, a perfect account of all fuch prizes and prize goods as he the taid William Poole hath been hitherto intrusted withal; and that we find, by the receipt of the faid Samuel Crave, that he bath fully and intirely performed what was required of him by the faid order, we do therefore hereby declare, that we fully and completely dif charge him the faid William Poole of the faid employment of prize officer, and in confideration of his pains taken therein, and faithful account,

THERE were alfo letters writ by fome of general Penn's officers to fome of my friends, to entreat them to perfuade me to fign the warrant at leaít, but all prevailed not with me; therefore I writ him the following letter:

Your's found me in a moft weak condition, my flux as violent as ever; no reft the last night nor this day, which makes me make ufe of another's pen. Concerning the auditor, it is the place not the perfon I defire to fettle, and without which the state will be a great lofer; and yourself gave directions here to draw an order for the fame, though fince Mr. Cary has affured me you denied to fign the order. But as to Mr. Poole, truly I do owe the gentleman all juft refpect, and fhall pay it, but cannot in this particular; and therefore muft remind you of former paffages at Barbadoes. We intended to fettle a prize office, and, upon your mentioning Mr. Poole, his honefty, and ability, we offered to commiflion him; you answered you had done that already. We answered, without our hands he was not our officer, and we muft join others with him. The commiffion was preffed by us to be accepted; invoices, bills of lading, &c. called for; none could be got; till at last a copy of fome examinations, and a copy of invoices brought in, which was delivered by Mr. Cary, and immediately by Mr. Poole borrowed back, and could never be got again, though often demanded; and yourself anfwered you faw it delivered in when it was not to be found) which we acknowledged, but wondered, until Mr. Cary told the reafon before mentioned. Our warrants to him to deliver any thing we declined, and yourfelf did anfwer you would order him to ifue forth what we detired. We never had a check upon him, never faw the original invoices or his accounts, which caufed Mr. Winflow and myfelf to refolve to meddle no more in it, only to receive what was tendered to carry on the expedition; fo that how I can vary from that refolution I fee not, being as ignorant of what he has done as the meancit officer that ferves under me; and though I do not intend

G 2

tend hereby to blemish the gentleman's integrity, I defire not to be fo understood, but profefs I cannot fee how I can juftify myself fhould I discharge him (as the paper tendered me doth) from all things; and yet know nothing nor fee any charge against him, fave what himself (a thing unufual) bringeth in.

The letter to his highnefs I have altered, to fatisfy captain Butler; left out the beginning, and made the latter part what was firit agreed upon; for as it now is altered it fpeaks a plain advice from me for your return, which you know I never declined to give. Concerning the ordering the fleet that ftays, I have reafon to be preffing, being fo much interested with the whole army in it, and having a vote in all things that tend to advantage the prefent defign, yet like to know nothing till you are gonc what our condition will be, and if my expectations be against what you order, it is not poffible to rectify the fame. I defire it again, that fo we may fee if any thing be amended in it. Sir, your civilities more and more engage, and my power to acknowledge (I dare not fay requite) leffens. I pray disfurnith not yourself for him whofe weaknefs docs not a little ftagger the hopes of a fpeedy voyage, though I know God can raise from the duft. Your trouble and want of Mr. Lawes I am fenfible of, being myfelf under (I am certain) as great difficulties. My fervice to the vice-admiral and rear-admiral, with the reft of your officers, and captain Poole. I befcech you, fir, think not prejudicially of me, that I cannot comply with your defires. I fhall in any thing in my power manifeft myself

June 18, 1655.

Sir, your very real fervant,

RICHARD VENABLES.

HERE followeth a certificate of Mr. Henry Cary, fecretary to his highneffes commiffioners; who, being prefent at all debates, knew all tranfactions, and was more concerned than ordinary about this bufinefs of prize goods. He fell fick in Jamaica, and in the prefence of feveral drew the following relation, and, had not weaknefs prevented, had enlarged it to all other occurrences, according to a letter he had writ to the right honourable the lady R- —— viscountess Ranelagh; who finding the letter did much clear my innocence, thewed the fame to Mr. Secretary Thurloe,

who

who defired it from her honour to fhew it to his highnefs, but would never return it back again; by which means I am deprived of a moft fingular evidence as to my vindication, though that honourable lady is ready to testify what I affert. But neceffity hath confined me to what followeth:

Mr. Henry Cary, fecretary to the commiffioners, is ready to depofe apon oath, being the expreffions of a dying man, that having been an eye-witnefs to all the proceedings of the right honourable general Richard Venables, through the whole courfe of this American expedition, he judges in his confcience, and in the prefence of God, that the faid right honourable general Richard Venables is not in the leaft liable to thofe malicious cenforious reports, which his enemies labour to afperfe him withal; which, that it may more fully appear, he thinks good to collect briefly every one of them as they came to his knowledge:

FIRST. For what may be objected at Barbadoes, that he neglected the prize goods, for that the ftate might judge itself highly cheated. He teftifies that he was often prefent when both the faid general Richard Venables and Mr. Edward Winflow did earnestly prefs the right honourable general William Penn to return them in an exact account of all the prize goods and prize fhips that were at any time feized on, but he for a long time refufed to comply with their requefts, but at length prefented them with a copy, keeping the original to himfelf; which very copy was defired of me by the fecretary Mr. William Poole, conftituted commiffioner of the prize office by general Penn alone, without the confent of the other commiffioners, and without a check to controul his proceedings, in cafe there fhould be any mifcarriages, under pretence of copying out the faid papers, promifing faithfully to return them again immediately; but, notwithstanding, he retained them fo long that they were fain to be left with the commiffioners of the prize office erected at Barbadoes; there being no time left for the copying them out, we being upon the point of depar ture. That he may make an end of all that relates to the fame bufinefs at once, he is ready further to depofe, that the right honourable general Penn, intending to depart for England, fent a commiffion to be figned by the right honourable general Venables, impowering the faid William Poole to act as commiffioner to the prize office, bearing date from the time general Penn had employed him in the faid trutt, which was refufed by general Venables for three reafons:-Firft, That he had no check all along whilt he ditcharged the fame:-Secondly, Because

there

there was contained in the fame a total and entire discharge, both of the employment of the faid William Poole, as alfo of his accounts; which having not been examined by any auditor was thought very unreafonable: ·- Thirdly, By reafon general Venables and commiffioner Winflow, having heretofore offered to general Penn to fign a commiffion to the faid William Poole, he flighted this proffer, notwithstanding the retufal of general Venables to fign the faid commiffion, for the reafons aforefaid, general Penn gets commiffioner Butler to join with himself in figning it; And this is the whole truth and nothing but the truth as I hope to tee the face of God.

The next objection of mifcarriage in general Venables is ufually the landing at Hifpaniola, fo far off from St. Domingo; in anfwer to which the fame deponent, with the fame ferioufnefs and proteftations as in the former depofition, teftifies, that the landing fo far off was extremely con trary to the intention and refolution of the faid general Venables.

General Penn during these transactions writ to me the following letter, but though money was prefled for, yet no auditor would be cftablished that Mr. Poole's and others accounts might be viewed, wherefore I refufed; but commiffioner Butler, as I was informed, figned all without Icruple.

I have hitherto delayed a narrative of fome engagements betwixt ge neral Penn and myself, which was thus:

At firft, when I came abroad, I began to confider that, without mutual agreement betwixt us, all would be deftroyed; and thereupon told him, it this defign did mifcarry, none would bear the blame but he and myfelf, and therefore added that, fecing our own reputations, the honour of our nation, and (which is more than all other confiderations) the glory of God, whofe gofpel we went to propagate, did lie at ftake, I detired that there might be that joint affectionate affiftance of each to other in all things as might enable ourselves to difcharge our truft, and difcourage any that might endeavour to fow divifion betwixt us, which would ruin us. He accepted the motion, and engaged folemnly to aid cach other; but he performed not, as he promifed, in giving my men no vic-. tuals, or fo fhort in proportion, alfo in denying to lend me arms for those that wanted, having pare aims aboard, and no ule for them; in fending

away