In 1649, when the English fleet revolted from the parliament and the service of the Commonwealth, they chose this nobleman, Francis Lord Willoughby, for their commander and admiral; a capacity in which he attended upon his Majesty Charles II., then in Holland. Pointing out to his Majesty the islands in the West Indies which still remained faithful to his cause, and unsubdued, and where had congregated a vast assemblage of gallant royalists— the island of Barbados alone counting several thousands of them— his Majesty proposed to him to give him a commission of governor thereof, provided only he would go out and assume the command in his own person; terms with which Lord F. Willoughby was readily induced to comply—obtaining also a commission from the Earl of Carlisle, to whom those islands had been previously granted. Thus armed at all points, he arrived at the island of Barbados at the beginning of the year 1650. The first act of his lordship’s government, and of the ardent spirits there assembled and associated with him, was, now that Charles I. had perished by the fatal axe, to proclaim Charles II., his son, as his successor;— this was done when, by the laws of the Commonwealth, it was felony and death to acknowledge the Prince of Wales as king of England, or rightful heir of any of the territories thereunto belonging;—and Charles II. was proclaimed accordingly, on 7th May, 1650. But the legislature of Barbados being at this time engaged in some affairs of a very delicate nature, they wished to bring them to a close before any new commander assumed the head of the government; they therefore entreated his lordship to suspend his authority for the space of three months, when, on his return at the end of that period, they promised him all due submission—an arrangement to which Lord Willoughby assenting, he left Barbados, with some of his personal friends, (Major Byam in the number,) and came to Antigua, where they again proclaimed Charles II. as king of England and the territories thereto belonging. This seems to be the first occasion of his visiting the shores of this island; for at the end of the specified term he returned to Barbados, where, at the expiration of little more than another year, a fleet arrived for the reduction of that colony, an account of which will be found in the annals of the Byam family. (Vide page 40, vol. i.)