Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period: Illustrative Documents
History
Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period: Illustrative Documents
Pirates; Privateering; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Sources
[Footnote 9: The French pass of this ship, the _Cara Merchant_ or
_Quedah Merchant_ (Kedah, in the Malay Peninsula) is in the _Commons
Journal_, XIII. 21, signed by Francois Martin, the founder of
Pondicherry and of the French empire in India. It is dated Jan. 14,
1698, at Hugli (Chandernagore). It names Armenians as commanders and
owner, though the evidence given at Kidd's trials in London (Hargrave,
_State Trials_, V. 287-338) constantly states an Englishman named
Wright to have been commander. It should be remembered, in respect to
these two captures, of vessels ostensibly French, in November, 1697,
and February, 1698, that though the peace of Ryswyk was signed Sept.
20, 1697, the news of its signing did not reach the Indian Ocean till
April, 1698; and by its terms (art. X.) captures made "beyond the
Line" (Equator) within six months from the signing of the treaty were
not illegal.]
[Footnote 10: _I.e._, an hour by the sand-glass.]
[Footnote 11: Wind.]
And that when he arrived in the said Port there was a Pyrate Ship,
called the _Moca_ Frigat,[12] at an Anchor, Robert Culliford Commander
thereof, who with his men left the same at his coming in, and ran into
the Woods, And the Narrator proposed to his Men to take the same,
having sufficient power and authority so to do,[13] but the mutinous
Crew told him, if he offered the same, they would rather fire two Guns
into him than one into the other, and thereupon 97 deserted, and went
into the _Moca_ Frigat, and sent into the Woods for the said Pyrates
and brought the said Culliford and his men on board again; and all the
time she staid in the said Port, which was for the Space of 4 or 5
Dayes, the said Deserters, sometimes in great numbers, came on board
the said Gally and _Adventure Prize_,[14] and carried away great guns,
Powder, Shot, small Armes, Sailes, Anchors, Cables, Chirurgeons Chest,
and what else they pleased, and threatned several times to murder the
Narrator (as he was informed, and advised to take care of himselfe)
which they designed in the Night to effect but was prevented by his
locking himself in his Cabin at night, and securing himselfe with
barrocading the same with bales of Goods, and having about 40 small
Armes, besides Pistols, ready charged, kept them out. Their wickedness
was so great, after they had plundered and ransacked sufficiently,
went four miles off to one Edward Welche's house,[15] where his the
Narrator's Chest was lodged, and broke it open, and took out 10 Ounces
of Gold, forty Pounds of Plate, 370 pieces of Eight, the Narrator's
Journal, and a great many papers that belonged to him and the People
of New-York that fitted them out.
[Footnote 12: See doc. no. 74, note 2.]
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