The Buccaneers in the West Indies in the XVII CenturyHaring, Clarence Henry
History
The Buccaneers in the West Indies in the XVII Century
Haring, Clarence Henry
Buccaneers; West Indies -- History
to apply themselves to planting instead.[370]
The reprisals of the Spaniards on the score of logwood-cutting were not
the only difficulties with which Lord Vaughan as governor had to
contend. From the day of his landing in Jamaica he seems to have
conceived a violent dislike of his lieutenant, Sir Henry Morgan, and
this antagonism was embittered by Morgan's open or secret sympathy with
the privateers, a race with whom Vaughan had nothing in common. The ship
on which Morgan had sailed from England, and which was cast away upon
the Isle la Vache, had contained the military stores for Jamaica, most
of which were lost in the wreck. Morgan, contrary to Lord Vaughan's
positive and written orders, had sailed before him, and assumed the
authority in Jamaica a week before the arrival of the governor at Port
Royal. This the governor seems to have been unable to forgive. He openly
blamed Morgan for the wreck and the loss of the stores; and only two
months after his coming to Jamaica, in May 1675, he wrote to England
that for the good of His Majesty's service he thought Morgan ought to be
removed, and the charge of so useless an officer saved.[371] In
September he wrote that he was "every day more convinced of (Morgan's)
imprudence and unfitness to have anything to do in the Civil Government,
and of what hazards the island may run by so dangerous a succession."
Sir Henry, he continued, had made himself and his authority so cheap at
the Port, drinking and gaming in the taverns, that the governor intended
to remove thither speedily himself for the reputation of the island and
the security of the place.[372] He recommended that his predecessor, Sir
Thomas Lynch, whom he praises for "his prudent government and conduct of
affairs," be appointed his deputy instead of Morgan in the event of the
governor's death or absence.[373] Lord Vaughan's chief grievance,
however, was the lieutenant-governor's secret encouragement of the
buccaneers. "What I most resent," he writes again, "is ... that I find
Sir Henry, contrary to his duty and trust, endeavours to set up
privateering, and has obstructed all my designs and purposes for the
reducing of those that do use this course of life."[374] When he had
issued proclamations, the governor continued, declaring as pirates all
the buccaneers who refused to submit, Sir Henry had encouraged the
English freebooters to take French commissions, had himself fitted them
out for sea, and had received authority from the French Governor of
Tortuga to collect the tenths on prize goods brought into Jamaica under
cover of these commissions. The quarrel came to a head over the arrest
and trial of a buccaneer named John Deane, commander of the ship "St.
David." Deane was accused of having stopped a ship called the "John
Adventure," taken out several pipes of wine and a cable worth L100, and
forcibly carried the vessel to Jamaica. He was also reported to be
wearing Dutch, French and Spanish colours without commission.[375] When
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