I desire I may have orders what to do with Kidd, and all his and Bradish's Crew; for, as the Law stands in this Country, if a pyrate were Convict, yet he cannot suffer Death: And the Counsell here refused the bill to punish Privateers and Pyrates which your Lordships sent with me from England with a direction to recommend it at New York and here, to be passed into a Law. I shall by next Conveyance acquaint your Lordships what a prejudice I have found in some of the Counsel to the Laws of England this Session, but having writ myself almost dead, I must till another Opportunity forbear to treat of the affairs of this Province; but when I do, I must tell your Lordships beforehand, I will not dissemble with you to favour any man or number of men; I am both above it, and I should thinke I did not do the part of an honest man, if I concealed any thing from you that tends to the prejudice of the Interest of England. You will observe by some of the Informations I now send, That Kidd did not only rob the Two Moors Ships, but also a Portugueze Ship; which he denied absolutely to the Counsel and me. I send your Lordships 24 severall Papers and Evidences relating to Captain Kidd. It is impossible for me to animadvert and make remarks on the several matters contained in the said papers, in the weak Condition I am at present; but must leave that Trouble to Mr. Secretary Popple,[13] whose excellent clear method in business fits him incomparably beyond me for such a Work. [Footnote 13: William Popple the elder, secretary to the Board of Trade from 1696 to 1708.] I will always continue to be, with much Respect, My Lords, Your Lordships most humble and obedient Servant, BELLOMONT. _83. The Danish Governor of St. Thomas to Lord Bellomont. September 1, 1699._[1] [Footnote 1: Public Record Office, C.O. 5:860, no. 73 XIII. Johan Lorentz, acting governor of the Danish island of St. Thomas 1689-1692, governor 1694-1702, was of Flensborg in Sleswick, but his habitual language was Dutch, which indeed was the usual language of St. Thomas at this time. His letter, written in Dutch, was sent to the Board of Trade as an enclosure in a letter from Bellomont dated Oct. 24. Bellomont, as indicated in the latter part of doc. no. 82, sent the _Antonio_, with a trusty skipper, to Antigua, St. Thomas, Curacao, and Jamaica, to recover whatever could be found of Kidd's booty. This is one of the letters it brought back. Lorentz dated by old style.] _Aen Syn Excell. Bellomont_ ST. THOMAS de 1 Septembris anno 1699 _Myn Heer_