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1702
July 23. |
1452. Address of the President, Council and Assembly of
St. Christophers to Governor Codrington. Next to the especiall
Providence of Almighty God, we humbly begg leave to present
our most hearty and unfeigned thanks to your Excellency by
whose prudent conduct and early zeal the French King's parte
of this Island is happily reduced under H.M. obedience, and our
estates, wives and children preserved unto us. Wee haveing a
just sense of your Excellency's indefatigable care in this service,
whereby H.M. enemies were so surprized as to be extreamly glad
to embrace the first offer of a capitulation, and by a surrender
give that glory and honour to your Excellency's prudence which
they were sensible your courage would have reduced them to,
Request your Excellency would do us the Honour to accept a
peice of Plate of 50l. with a proper Inscription thereon, and 50
negroes according to the Act past unanimously by us to that
purpose as a Demonstration of our sincere gratitude. Signed,
Mich. Lambert, President, James Ward, Speaker. Endorsed,
Recd. from Mr. Cary. Recd. Read March 10, 1702/3. 1 p.
[C.O. 152, 5. No. 5.A.] |
1703.
March 30.
Boston. |
1453. Jahleel Brenton to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. March 30, 1703. Your Lordships having been
pleased formerly to honour me with your commands to lay before
your Lordships an account of sundry affairs relating to these
Plantations, I humbly offer an account of the circumstances of
this country relating to wool and the wool Acts etc. The greatest
part of the sheep in New England have been raised upon the
Islands, viz. the Islands of Nantucket, Martin's Vineyard, and
severall small Islands in this Bay; Rhode Island, Block Island,
Quononicot Island, and severall small islands in the Narraganset
Bay, and the reason is because the wolves are very numerous on
the Main, tho' some sheep are raised allso on tracts of land
bordering upon the sea, and near Boston, but the inland townes
can raise very few sheep without the charge of sheapherds, and
by reason that the hire of servants and labourers is very dear
in this country, till now it has not been thought it would quit
the charge of keeping sheapherds for raising any number of sheep
in those townes, the aforesaid Islands, for the greatest part, having
formerly supplyed them wth. wool, but since the wool Act has
been in force, we have used our endeavour to prevent the carrying
wool from these Islands to the Main, but I do think it impossible
wholly to prevent it, for some of these Islands ly very near the
Main, in some places half a mile, and in some but a quarter of a
mile distant from it, and the country so large, and the officers so
few, that it may be carryed by small boats and canoos in the
night from one place to another notwithstanding all that the
officers can do, but the Inhabitants cry aloud, that this Act
does not intend to hinder the carrying wool by water from one
place to another place in the same Colony, of which opinion
allso are most of the lawyers here. But tho' it's impossible for
the Officers of the Customes here wholy to prevent the carrying
wool from the Islands to the Main, yet it has had this effect,
those inland Townes before mentioned not being able to supply
themselves with wool from the Islands, but by stealth, nor without
a great deal of trouble, charge and hazard, are now endeavouring
to raise sheep and keep them by sheapherds. Upon a jorney
which I lately took in the country, I made it my business to be
informed herein, and I find that in some inland townes, where
formerly there were not 100 sheep kept, there will be in as short
a time as possible 1,000, and those Islands which formerly used
to supply these inland townes with wool, do now work up their
owne wool for their owne wearing apparell in much greater
quantities then formerly they used to do, for they used to sell
most of their wool for money, and therewith purchase a finer
sort of the woollen manufacture of England then they can make
of this country wool, it being a very course wool. According to
my promise, Feb. 28. 1699, I have paid Capt. Ichabod Plaisted
his salary to 25th of this month, tho' I have not received any
salary at the Navy since Midsummer 1701. By the next opertunity
I hope to send your Lordships sufficient proof that there has not
been any such waste and spoil of timber etc. as Mr. Wallis and
others have represented, and Mr. Wallis has here said he designed
to get the place of Surveyor of the Woods for himself, and with
all humble submition to your Lordships, I conceive that the
hopes of that were the chief motives that induced him to make
those complaints, and that if he could obtain that office, he should
be enabled to oblige those who should get masts for him to do it
on cheaper terms. About July 1st last Mr. Wallis sent me from
Piscataqua an order from the Lords of the Privy Council, April 12,
1702, whereby I was directed to set out to him such masts and
timber trees belonging to H.M. as should be requisite in order
to be transported etc. according to his contract, a copy whereof
I should therewith receive. But there was no copy of a contract
therewith, and when I asked Mr. Wallis about it, he gave me
such an answer as makes me believe he took out the copy of the
Contract. |
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In 1699 I presented to your Lordships an account of gold and
silver belonging to Robert Munday, a Privateer, which was seized
by the Governmt. of Rhode Island in 1698. This acct. was
signed by Nathaniel Coddington and Robert Carr. I lately made
enquiry at Newport how that money was disposed of, and finde it
was put into the hands of Saml. Cranstone, Governor of that
Colony, who by the account that he now gives of it, makes it
much less then I think it was, and there being no attested coppy
of the acct. to be found in Newport, I humbly pray your Lordships
would grant me that accot. which I delivered your Lordships,
Signed, Jahleel Brenton. Endorsed, Recd. Nov. 22, 1703. Read
March 28, 1704. 2 pp. Annexed, |
|
1453. i. Abstract of preceding. 1¼ pp. [C.O. 5, 863. Nos.
14.A., 14. A.i; and (without abstract) 5, 911. pp. 227–231.] |
| Aug. 1. |
1454. Attorney General to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. I have considered the Acts of Barbados, May-Nov.,
1701, which I conceive are agreable to law and justice, and doe
not contain anything prejudiciall to H.M. royall prerogative.
The last Act, for giving 2,000l. to the Lord Grey, being only
conditionall, if H.M. shall permitt the same to be paid by her
Royall warrant. Signed, Edwd. Northey. Subscribed, This
report having been promised to be called for by Mr. Bridges
hath layn for him ever since ye date of it. Endorsed, Recd.
Nov. 4, 1703, Read July 21, 1704. 1⅓ pp. [C.O. 28, 7. No.
10; and 29, 8. pp. 447–449.] |
