Feb. 26.
Portsmouth. |
681. General Nicholson to [? Lord Dartmouth.] I hope yt.
God Almighty will prosper ye Expedicon which her most sacred
Majesty with so very great equity and wisdom determined to be
undertaken, ye success of which will be for God's glory, and
extirpation of ye Roman Catholick Religion, the encrease of ye
Church of England, the good and wellfare of H.M. loyall and
dutifull subjects in North America; and others who have ye
honour and happiness of being H.M. leige people will reap ye
benefitt thereby. The royall commands which H.M. hath been
pleased to honour me with shall (by the Divine assistance) what
in me lyes, be performed etc. I hope in God that Mr. Moor and
I have fully settled all things relating to ye Expedicon, he took
a great deal of pains in informing me, etc. Your Lordp. was
pleased to tell me, that you would speake to Mr. Chanceler of ye
Exchequer about what your Lordship writ to him by H.M.
command, concerning me. I then told your Lordp. what had
been done; that which I am most concerned for is yt. ye Bills of
Exchange wch. I drew upon ye late Lord Treasurer, ye present
Lords of the Treasury, and Mr. Howe (a particular list of which
is left with Mr. Howe, with vouchers etc.) be paid, for if not I fear
none in that country will advance money upon the like occasions,
which may be of very ill consequence to ye intended Expedicon.
I do assure your Lordp. that all care possible was taken both by
ye Councill of Warr and myselfe not to put H.M. to more charge
then was of absolute necessity for ye good of ye service, altho'
there may not be all ye particular papers concerning the said
accotts., being impossible to be got all together before I left ye
country, the Councill of Warr appointed Mr. John Borland,
Merchant in Boston, H.M. Agent for the Expedicon, and he paid
the money. As for what particularly concerns myselfe, I don't
in the least desire yt. ye money may be payd but when H.M. shall
think proper, and then that it may be to my correspondt. Mr.
Micajah Perry, by whose accots. wth. me it doth appear, that ye
two Expedicons in wch. I was concerned have cost me nigh
£1500; but if it had or shall cost me more, I shall be very well
sattisfyed if I can do H.M. any service, for I shall freely (God
willing) venture my life and what little fortune I have in H.M.
service, etc. Signed, Fr. Nicholson. P.S. Recommends that
Mr. John Harrison appointed by the Council of War Chaplain to
the garrison at Annapolis Royall, be put upon the establishment
and paid 10s. per day, "for their Doctor of ye body hath so much
and therefore I hope may deserve ye like" etc. F.N. 2½ pp.
[C.O. 5, 9. No. 88.] |
Feb. 27.
Antigua. |
683. Thomas Morris to the Council of Trade and Plantations.
As I have the honour of being one of H.M. Councill of this Island,
and have been so for some time, in which post I ever discharged
the duty of a most faithfull subject, a true lover of my Country,
and the incomparable Constitution of an English Government,
so I most humbly beg leave to lay before your Lordships the
tragical death of Col. Parke, wch. I take to be a very essential
part of my duty to H.M.; for I cannot take so bold an action as
this is to be any otherwise meant than to herself; since the begining
and continuance of his unhappy difference has been occasioned
by H.E's. stedfast maintaining H.M. prerogative in all its branches, for which he was barbarously murthered, dying a true son
of the Protestant Church as by law established. On Dec. 5
last the Assembly sending in a message relating to the choice of
a Clerk, which message not being agreeable to the Generall's
formerly to them (wherein he gave the Assembly to understand,
that the choice of a Clerk was a branch of the Queen's Prerogative,
which he would not part with) the General toare in a very great
rage; at which the whole Assembly came to the Councill Chamber
with a great number of others, who joyn'd them; the Generall
seeing them order'd the Martial to forbid their coming in, which
he did; But the Speaker at the head of them forc'd their
enterance, aleaging they had business of great moment to communicate to the General and Councill, the Speaker then presented
the Generall with a paper, which he called an Address, but
the Generall refused to take it, commanding them to withdraw,
and repeated the same often, telling them they came in a
ryotous manner, their mallice was so great, that they were deaf
to all commands, telling him (one and all) he was no longer
Generall, and that they would no longer obey him as such. In
this storme, some of the Queen's troops to the number of seven
or eight, came to one of the doors of the Councill Chamber, by
whose order I cannot tell; but do beleive the Generall had notice
the day before of the intention of the Assembly, which was to take
him and send him off; and to prevent them, those soldiers might
be order'd there, or they had certainly compleated their designes;
But at the coming of the soldiers, the Assembly thought fit to withdraw, many of them swearing they would take him and send him
home in irons, and one M. Drolenvaux being joyned them in the
Councill Chamber offer'd the Assembly to goe and take him. After
this the Generall adjourned the Assembly to the 7th of the same
month, in which time the Assembly raised all the country they
could, to the number of 300 men or more; whom they drew up
in field called Otto's pasture joyning to the town, and in order
march'd into towne, and formed themselves into a body in ye
market place before ye Council Chamber, the 7th being the fatal
day, the Lt. Governor and more of the Councill that had then
met (I was not then come to town) used all the meanes they
could to appease the rage of that disorder'd multitude, by sending
to the Genl. who was at his dwelling-house, to desire he would
pass the dispute of Clerk over, rather than put it to the fatal
issue; but the Assembly not onely stood on that, but demanded
he would dismiss all the troops and quit the Island, aleaging
they would not goe on business for fear of being insulted by the
troops. I am told the General did so far condescend as to dismiss
all the troops, but a small guard and serjeant, provided they would
dismiss their numbers and give him hostage for his further safety,
and that the Assembly should meet at Parham (a town distant 7
miles) and should make what Acts they pleased, then sending
them to him for sanction; but all this availed nothing; they
march'd in two bodys, the one commanded by Capt. Pigott, and
the other by Capt. Paynter, both of ye Assembly, Capt. Pigott
took a hill which commands the Generall's, called Church-hill;
Capt. Painter came up to the North-west of the house, and both
parties attack'd him in his house and yard, where the General
had drawn in 4 field peices, having notice of their barbarous
design a day or two before; at the approach and attack of Pigott's
party, the Generall order'd a field-peice planted yt. way to be
fired, which did no damage; Capt. Pigott then, I am told, ran
down with some of his men and enter'd the Generall's house,
where the General and he exchanged a pistoll or two, by one of
wch. Pigott was kill'd. Capt. Paynter coming up rushed in at
the other door, and firing very sharply, the Genneral retired to
his chamber receiving a shott in his left thigh and fell therewith;
The barbarous multitude, (for so I must call them) killing and
wounding all they met giving little or no quarter to those in the
house, and killed many of H.M. troops on their knees begging
for quarter, and others who endeavoured to escape from their
wroth. 'Tis said that the aforesaid Drolenvaux killed 3 soldiers
in cold bloud, as also one Andrew Murray killed many of them
very deliberately, they were not satisfyed with wounding and
pillaging the Generall, but I am assured some of them drag'd him
by his members, and the aforesaid Murray broake his back with
the but end of his gun, which the Cherurgions say was the only
occasion of his death; for that he would have survived his wound.
The bearer hereof, Mr. Michael Ayon is a Gentleman who was
then in the house with H.E., being then Provost Marshal, and
was barbarously wounded after the surrender of his armes; for
whose more particular account I referr your Lordships, for that
I did not reach the town till the heat of action was over etc., but
the insults of the Assembly on the 5th day I saw, and heard the
firing on that fatal 7th day, being then on ye road to town, where
I no sooner came but met the Lt. Governor and Councill, the
Lt. Governor commanding us to attend him, in order to settle
matters as well as possible, and as we were going to the Councill
Chamber crossing the market-place (where the Barbarians were
met) we were grosely abused by most of them, more particularly
by Drolenvaux, Murray, one Jacob Morgan and Henry Smith,
the latter crying Kill them all, the Lt. Governor and Councill
desiring the Gentlemen of the Assembly to disperse ye crowde,
which by their meanes had gott together, least they should doe
more mischief, which with much difficulty they did, and with as
much difficulty we got leave to bury H.E. in the Church, for at
that juncture the Assembly was the Head of Government, none
of the Council daring to say a word, and indeed we are but little
better still, many of us being daily threaten'd, so that if it should
be known I had given [your] Lordships this account, I should not
survive it a day, and therefore humbly beg you speedy protection.
The Lt. Governor and Councill being obliged to doe something in
this matter, have address'd H.M., giving her a brief account of
H.E.'s death, but have not said anything of the particulars I
here send. To that Address I have put my hand but more for
my safety than anything else, tho' we have left everything to the
proof of the Assembly, taking all things as they say or informe
us, for had we dar'd we would have given H.M. a particular
account of all that pass'd, but not being at our liberty, thought
fit to leave that to a General Councill and Assembly of the Islands,
who are now sitting, and wish they may trace the whole matter
so as to make an impartial return of the same to H.M., who I
doubt not will make a just resentment, and send some speedy
protection to those of her Councill, who are daily threaten'd to
share the same fate with H.E., for being just and faithfull to the
trust reposed in them. Many of them do not scruple to say they
have began, and if H.M. hurts the hair of any of their heads,
they will make an end, intimating the Councill and those of the
General's friends that are left shall share his fate. I am informed
by one Mr. Mathew Bermingham, merchant of this Island, and
of unspotted reputation, that he heard some of that party say,
if H.M. injured any of them, they wou'd put the sword into other
hands, which I doubt not your Lordships will lay before H.M.,
it being my humble opinion it cannot be taken otherwise, than
their resolution to surrender this Island up to the French, which
I hope H.M. timely care may prevent. The morning they began
this tragedy, whilst they were in the market-place, I am inform'd
the Assembly put forth a Proclamation declaring all those who
did not joyn them were rebells to their country, and should be
banish'd with their familys, and all they had should be confiscated.
This I have endeavour'd to get, and am assured 'twill be laid
before H.M. (which God grant it may) and sure I am H.M. will
make as just a resentment as so base a crime deserves, or ther
will be an end of all Government in these parts, and no man that
can get bread any other way will venture his life here as Generall,
and let whoever come here in that post, unless he brings a good
force with him, must truckle to all the demands of an unreasonable Assembly, for they have got all the commanding officers of
this Regiment to joyn them, which I hope H.M. will take notice
of, and make the worthy Col. Jones know his duty better, as also
some officers who disobeyed the Generall's commands that fatal
day and left their post. No doubt but the Generall will endeavour
to aleviate their base actions, by loading the Generall's memory
with all the black crimes that is possible, but the onely thing
they can charge him with, to give them any colour for what they
have done, is his debauching many of their wives and daughters
(which was indeed very dishonouable) but that can be no pretence when rightly considered, for it was not known till after his
death, unless one or two, but in rifling his papers some of them
met with what I presume gave them more disturbance in their
private familyes, than they had before in their pretended zeal
for the publick. Signed, Thomas Morris. [C. O. 153, 11. pp.
312–320.] |
