I hope to give your Lordships a good Account of by next Conveyance. If I could have but a good able Judge and Attorney General at York, a Man of war there and another here, and the Companies recruited and well paid, I will rout Pirates and Piracy entirely out of all this north part of America, but as I have but too often told your Lordships, it is impossible for me to do all this alone in my single person. [Footnote 8: Capt. John Nanfan; see doc. no. 73, note 2.] [Footnote 9: Doc. no. 79.] I wrot your Lordships word in my last letter of the 8 Instant That Bradish the Pyrate and one of his Crew were escaped out of the goal of this Town. We have since found that the Goaler was Bradish's kinsman, and the Goaler confessed they went out at the prison door, and that he found it wide open; we had all the reason in the world to believe the Goaler was consenting to the escape: by much ado I could get the Counsel to resent the Goaler's behaviour, but by meer Importunity I had the fellow before us; we examined him, and, by his own Story and accounts given us of his suffering other prisoners formerly to escape, I prevailed to have him turned out and a prosecution ordered against him to the Attorney Generall. I have also, with some difficulty, this late Session of Assembly here, got a bill to pass, That the Goal be committed to the Care of the High Sheriffe of the County, as in England, with a Salary of 30 L. _per Annum_, to the said Sheriffe: I would have had it 50 L. _per Annum_, for the Sheriff's Incouragement to be honest and carefull, but I could not prevail. I am forced to allow the Sheriff 40 s. per Week for keeping Kidd safe; otherwise I should be in some doubt about him. He has without doubt a great deal of gold, which is apt to tempt men that have not principles of honour; I have therefore, to try the power of dull Iron against gold, put him into Irons that Weigh 16 Pound. I thought it moderate enough, for I remember poor Doctor Oates[10] had a 100 weight of Iron on him when he was a prisoner in the late Raign. There never was a greater Lyar or Thief in the World than this Kidd; notwithstanding he assured the Councel and me every time we examined him That the great Ship and her Cargo waited his return to bring her hither, and now your Lordships will see by Two severall Informations of Masters of Ships from Curacao, that the Cargo has been sold there, and in one of them it is said they have burnt that noble Ship, and without doubt, it was by Kidd's order, that the Ship might not be an evidence against him, for he would not own to us her Name was the _Quidah-Marchand_, though his men did. Andries Henlyne, and Two more, brought the first news to York of the sale of that Cargo at Curacao; and never such pennyworths heard of for Cheapness; Captain Evertz is he who has brought the news of the Ship's being burnt. She was of about 500 Ton, and Kidd told us at the Councel, there never was a stronger or stancher Ship seen. His Lying