|
| [? 1705–6.] |
1542. An account of the present state of Barbados. When
Sir B. Granville arrived he found the Island in great confusion
and divided into partys. The majority of the Assembly seeing
the Island in debt and publick creditt low, resolved to bring the
Treasurer and some of his friends to account, who they had
reason to believe had embezelled the publick money, but to
prevent this design, 8 Members of the Assembly, accomptants or
friends of his, agreed to absent themselves from the House, by
which means all publick business was a stand. Sir Bevill laboured
all he could to bring them to a temper etc. Soon after, the
Assembly, in order to have a true state of the debts laid before
them, proceeded to appoint Commissioners to inspect the publick
accompts, and the time drawing near for choosing a Treasurer,
it was apprehended that Mr. Downes would be laid aside, and
thereby all concerned with him brought to accompt, upon which
some of the late absenting Members apply'd to the Governour
for his favour that Mr. Downes might be againe elected, makeing
him great offers to engage him in their interest, and in order to it,
immediately proposed in the House an Addresse to the Queen to
revoake the late Order restraining him from receiving an annual
present, which Address he thought fit to discourage. Afterwards
when a question was put for re-imbursing the Governor the
charges he was att in sending out flags of truce and maintenance
of servants till a house was provided for him, which were charges
always allowed to other Governours, and estimated only at 600l.,
some of those very gentlemen voted he should be allowed 1,500l.,
and others 1,000l., and afterwards they voted unanimously that
his cellar should be supplied with wine as usually for his reception
and the reception of the whole Country, tho' they have since
petitioned the Queen against him for receiving the same. They,
finding he could not be prevailed with by the consideration of
his own interest to oppose the majority of the Assembly in the
election of a Treasurer, began to have recourse to their former
method of absenting themselves etc. The Governor endeavoured
to perswade them to return, and being after informed that they
had spread a report to incense the people, that the reason of
their absenting was to prevent the passing of a Bill in the Assembly,
which under the pretence of raising 150 men to guard the coasts,
was intended for the Governour to gett a considerable sum of
money and to enslave them by governing with a standing army,
he thereupon, by the advice of the Council, prorogues the Assembly,
and at their next meeting acquaints them that he did it that the
Bill might drop, and that there might be no pretence left for
their absenting themselves. During this time a proposal was made
by one of these Gentlemen, who undertooke for the rest that if
Downes might be elected Treasurer, they would return to the
House, otherwise they would continue to break it, and tho' they
complained of this Bill, and have since made it an Article against
the Governour, they themselves brought in a Bill of the same
nature by which he was to receive 1,500l. without account, tho'
by the other he was only to be allowed 200l. for intelligence. The
Governor, after near a year's fruitless endeavours, finding them
to continue obstinate, summons them to attend him in Council
to give their reasons for their absenting themselves, who answered
they would attend when they thought the business of the House
was for the Queen's service or the good of the publick, but when
they thought otherwise they would againe break the House
Upon their withdrawing, the Governour asked the Council whether
the wilful absenting of these Members were not disobeying of
the Queen's writt, and a breach of their trust to the People, to
which the Councill agreed. He then proposed to them whether
these Gentlemen ought not to be removed from their employment
in the Militia and Commissions of the Peace, upon which four
of the Council propos'd that further time might be allow'd them,
and advised the Governour rather to remedy these evills by
disolving the Assembly and calling a new one, than by removing
them out of their employment. The Governour after summoned
the Councill twice to advise with at this nice juncture, but found
these four Councellors began now to putt in practice the method
of the absenting Assemblymen, and by staying at home broke
the Councill, there being not a sufficient number in the Island
to make a Board without two of them at least attended.
Sir Bevill, haveing before information that these Councellors
did underhand countenance the absenting Members, which he
was now confirmed in, not only by their breaking the Council
twice, but their adviseing a disolution without removeing them
from their offices, which would give them credit to be elected
againe, found himself under a necessity, with the advice of those
Councellors who attended, to suspend them and call a new
Assembly etc. His action has been attended with all the success
imaginable. For whereas all business had been at a stand for
neare two years, the new Assembly has in a little time stated the
debts of the Island, raised 20,000l. to pay them off, sett out
2 brigantines to clear the coasts from privateers, who before
kept them in a manner besieged, and intercepted their provisions,
hath restored publick creditt to that degree, that tho' before
the public could not borrow 100l., they have more money offered
them now at common interest than they have occasion for. The
Gentlemen who were displaced, finding now they could play
their game no longer at home, resolve to carry on their malice by
sending over petitions to H.M. against the Governour, and to spare
no cost, as some of them have bragg'd, to gett him removed, in
hopes of being able to manage his successor better. The first
petitions were transmitted in the names of 7 members of the late
Assembly and the four Councellours, but finding that by being
petitioners, they unquallified themselves for evidences, two of
the seven Members, who were ordered by the Assembly to be
prosecuted for embeazleing the publick money, made their escape
hither, and presented a new petition against the Governour in
the names of the other five, became themselves the principall
witnesses, and gott two or three more to joyne with them, who
are fled from justice and now under prosecution, one of them
for perjury. Repeat proceedings calendared supra. No date or
signature. 3¾ large pp. [C.O. 28, 38. No. 41.] |
| 1705 ff. |
1543. Acts of Antigua, 1697–1714. [C.O. 8, 3.]; 1668–1706.
[C.O. 8, 1.] |
|
Acts of Barbados, 1643–1762. Printed. [C.O. 30, 1.]; 1698–1714. [C.O. 30, 6]; 1648–1718. Printed. [C.O. 30, 4.] |
|
Acts of Bermuda, 1698–1766. [C.O. 39, 3]; 1704–1714. [C.O.
39, 4]; 1690–1714. Printed. [C.O. 39, 2.] |
|
Acts of Carolina, 1663–1734. Printed. Edited by Nicholas
Trott, LL.D. [C.O. 5, 411.] |
|
Acts of Jamaica, 1681–1737. Printed. [C.O. 139, 8]; and
1695–1707. MS. [C.O. 139, 9.] |
|
Acts of the Leeward Islands. Printed. 1668–1740. [C.O.
176, 1]; and 1668–1730. [C.O. 154, 3.] |
|
Acts of Maryland, 1692–1727. Printed. [C.O. 5, 730]; and
1704–1753. [C.O. 5, 733; and 5, 732; and 5, 729.] |
|
Acts of the Massachusetts Bay, 1692–1761. [C.O. 5, 771–773.] |
|
Acts of Montserrat. Printed. 1668–1740. [C.O. 176, 1.; and
MS. 176, 2; and 176, 3.] |
|
Acts of New Hampshire, 1703–1714. [C.O. 5, 951]: 1696–1740. [C.O. 5, 948]; Printed. 1699–1751. [C.O. 5, 949.] |
|
Acts of New Jersey, 1704–1714. [C.O. 5, 1006.] |
|
Acts of New York. Printed. [C.O. 5, 1143; and 5, 1144.] |
|
Acts of Nevis, 1680–1735. [C.O. 185, 1]; 1664–1739. Printed.
[C.O. 185, 2; and 185, 3.] |
|
Acts of Pennsylvania. Printed. [C.O. 5, 1238; and (MS.)
5, 1237.] |
|
Acts of St. Christophers, 1701–1722. [C.O. 240, 1.] |
|
Acts of Virginia, 1704–5. Printed. [C.O. 5, 1382, 1383,
1384]; 1705–1710. [C.O. 5, 1385]; 1662–1732. Printed.
[C.O. 5, 1381]; 1662–1715. Printed. [C.O. 5, 1380.] |
|
1544. Lists of Acts of New Hampshire and the Massachusetts
Bay, New York and the Proprieties. [C.O. 5, 273–276]; of the
Leeward Islands. [C.O. 154, 6.] |
|
1545. Abstracts of letters from the Governor and the President
of Council of Barbados, [C.O. 28, 36]; from the Governor of
Jamaica, [C.O. 137, 41]; from the Leeward Islands, 1704–1752. [C.O. 152, 36]; from the Massachusetts Bay, 1706–1756.
[C.O. 5, 923]; from New Hampshire, 1705–1755. [C.O. 5, 994];
from New Jersey, 1703–1754. [C.O. 5, 1000]; from New York,
1698–1737. [C.O. 5, 1133]; from the Propriety Governments,
1706–1752. [C.O. 5, 1298]; from Virginia, 1705ff. [C.O.
5, 1370.] |
|
1546. Abstracts of Grants of Land, Carolina, 1706–1768.
[C.O. 5, 319]; New York, 1665–1765. [C.O. 5, 1134]; South
Carolina, 1674–1765. [C.O. 5, 398.] |
|
1547. Naval Office Shipping Returns. Barbados, 1678ff.
[C.O. 33, 13, and 14]; Nevis, 1704–1729. [C.O. 187, 1. No. 1];
Antigua, 1704–1720. Nevis, 1683–1715. St. Kitts, 1684ff.
Montserrat, 1704–1715. [C.O. 157, 1]; St. Kitts, 1704ff. [C.O.
243, 1]; Massachusetts Bay, 1686–1717. [C.O. 5, 848];
Virginia, 1700–1706. [C.O. 5, 1441.] |
|
1548. Plantation Accounts, Fort Kijkoveral, 1702–1705.
44 pp. [C.O. 116, 164. No. 2.] |
