America and West Indies: October 1724, 16-31

Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 34, 1724-1725. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1936.

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'America and West Indies: October 1724, 16-31', in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 34, 1724-1725, ed. Cecil Headlam, Arthur Percival Newton( London, 1936), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/colonial/america-west-indies/vol34/pp235-247 [accessed 3 December 2024].

'America and West Indies: October 1724, 16-31', in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 34, 1724-1725. Edited by Cecil Headlam, Arthur Percival Newton( London, 1936), British History Online, accessed December 3, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/colonial/america-west-indies/vol34/pp235-247.

"America and West Indies: October 1724, 16-31". Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 34, 1724-1725. Ed. Cecil Headlam, Arthur Percival Newton(London, 1936), , British History Online. Web. 3 December 2024. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/colonial/america-west-indies/vol34/pp235-247.

October 1724, 16-31

Oct. 18.
Barbados.
381. Governor Worsley to the Duke of Newcastle. Acknowledges letter of 18th July and thanks "for the great goodness your Grace is pleased to express for me "etc. Encloses, Excize Act, "which I hope is past agreable to H.M. Order in Council." Continues:—In order thereto I sent to H.M. Attorney General a copy of it, with directions to him to see that it was drawn up according to the tenour of it; There is a particular saving clause to H.M. prerogative, and an appeal allowed from the Treasurer to the Governour and Council, and no dutys laid on English liquours, which till now they have always paid here, and, as we are informed, in Jamaica, and leeward Islands, considering how great a branch of the Excize this has been, and the debts of the Publick as well as of the particulars in this Island, it made the Assembly uneasy, and they talked of petitioning H.M. for the 4 ½ p.c, but I promised to pass a bill with the dutys on English liquours, tho' not to be in force till approved and confirmed by H.M., as I am authorized by the Order in Council, I do not hear that they mention any thing further upon this head. The penaltys on running any liquours seem to be too great, but the Attorney General told me, that he understood the meaning of the words in the order that the trade and shipping of Great Britain should not in any ways be affected, must be that no dutys should be laid upon trade and shipping, for if there were no penaltys the bill would be ineffectual, and that we had the experience from the greatness of the penaltys, that the Excize Act brought into the Treasury of last year above as much again as it had the two preceding years, and as this clause was made only in terrorem, and as there is an appeal from the Treasurer to the Governour and Council, and then, of course, to H.M. in Council, the trade and shipping of Great Britain can never suffer. The abuses in this part of the world in running of goods are inexpressible, and they are the most refined smugglers I ever heard of, however they may agree in partys they all agree in this: I have been credibly informed that ships have entered here but twenty pipes of Madeira wine and at the same time have runned four score, and indeed without a severe penalty the Excize Act would produce nothing; no inconveniency has yet been found from the severity of the penalty; however, if, after the method I have taken of consulting H.M. Attorney General, in order to obey H.M. order, I should have mistaken the sence of it, I most humbly ask pardon, and hope it will not be imputed to me as a crime, and begg the honour of H.M. commands upon that head. I have also the honour to enclose to your Grace an Act appointing Agents for this Island in Great Britain, and Minutes of Council, 12th May—Sept. 1st, 1724; of Court of Chancery, 13th May—2nd Sept., and of Assembly, 7th July—7th Aug. The late President Mr. Cox being pressed by his creditors, lately went off nobody knows where, but supposed for Maryland, in a vessell of his own, and carried away several debtors, he nor they not having set up their names in the Secretary's office, nor taken proper tickets to go off as the Law directs. By virtue of an order of Council in relation to Mr. Cox's tryal I have put in his room Col. Terril a Gentleman of known affection to H.M. and his Gouvernment, of great probity and justice, and of a very good and clear estate in this Island as well as in England. Pursuant to the 12th Art. of H.M. Instructions I have removed John Waterman Esq., Chief Judge of Speights Court, for being necessitous, and not paying his debts, tho' especial writs have been issued against him, and I have put in his room George Forster Esqr., a gentleman every way qualifyed. I have likewise removed Robert Vaughan Esqr., Judge of St. Andrew's Court, for curruption in the execution of his office as a Justice of the Peace, and for not issuing out his warrant to apprehend one Richard Wooding an Irish Roman Catholick for speaking infamously of H.M. and the Royal Family, upon the evidences of a Purser, and a midshipman of the Hector man of war in whose company the words were spoken. I have also ordered him to be struck out of the Commission of the Peace, and I have put into his room as Chief Judge of St. Andrews John Jeeves, Esqr. a Gentleman every way qualifyed for it. Refers to letter of 3rd March, "since when Capt. Cooper has not been near me" etc. Continues:—Upon his arriving here the first instant from Martinique, where he had laid up his ship for the hurricane months, he sent me a letter by his Lieutenant advising me that he was arrived, and that by a letter he had received from Mr. Burchett the Lords of the Admiralty had not signified anything particular in relation to his conduct here besides recommending in general the good of the service, and refered him to the Instructions already received, and that he should be glad if I would think of some method of consulting and advising with him for the good of the Colony and its trade; I ordered the Secretary to return him for answer, that I had not received any orders from H.M. upon that head, and therefore could not answer his letter but as I supposed he was sent hither to attend on the service of this Island, and as he had represented to me his disposition to do every thing for H.M. service and the good of the Colony and its trade, I would order his letter to be read before me and the Council at their next sitting, when he ought to lay his Instructions before us that we might judge whether we might and how far we could imploy him for the good of both; he replyed that whenever myself and the Council were willing to consult and advise him he should be ready to attend us, and concur in whatever measures should be proposed for H.M. service, but he begged to be excused from laying his Instructions before me and the Council because he had no directions so to do etc. About the latter end of June last Capt. Cooper ordered his third Lieutent. to bring a cable on shoar to be housed in James's Fort, which the Lieutenant did, and meeting the gunner upon the wharf asked for the key of the guard-room to house the cable in, which the Gunner refusing to do without an order from me, they left it in the street where it remained two days, when Capt. Cooper departed for Martinique, I being then informed of the bad condition it was in, ordered it to be washed clean at my own expence and housed in the guard-room of the said Fort, a very improper place for H.M. stores, tho' the only one I have to lodge anything of that nature in, therefore I believe it would be for H.M. service, since there is an Agent Victualler here, that he might be appointed to take care of the naval stores that may be left here for H.M. men of war. I defered giving any account of this till now, hoping that Capt. Cooper, upon his return hither might have recollected himself, in that there are no vouchers for the receipt of the said cable, or any body charged with it, and may almost be considered as a derelict. Refers to enclosures. Signed, Henry Worsley. Endorsed, Rd. 18th Dec. 14 pp. Enclosed,
381. i. Capt. Cooper to Nicholas Hammond. Barbados. 4th Oct., 1724. Reply to No. iii. Described in preceding. Signed, F. Cooper. ¾ p.
381. ii. Same to Governor Worsley. Announcing his return etc. Described in covering letter. Signed, F. Cooper. Copy. 2 pp.
381. iii. Mr. Hammond to Capt. Cooper. Barbados, Oct. 2nd, 1724. Reply to preceding. Described in covering letter. Signed, Nicho. Hammond. Copy. 1 p.
381. iv. Duplicates of Nos. i–iii. 4 pp
381. v. List of fines (£l) of the Grand Sessions, 9th–12th June, 1724. Signed, Cha. Browne, Dep. Cl. Cor. ¾ p. [C.O. 28, 44. Nos. 77–80, 82, 88].
Oct. 18.
Barbadoes.
382. Governor Worsley to the Council of Trade and Plantations. Encloses replies to Queries, "which I have not been able to do sooner, having been very much out of order for these three months past." Continues as preceding covering letter, adding in conclusion;—Pursuant to the 35th Article of H.M. Instructions, I have suspended the payment of Mr. Phillip Kirton and John Goodwyn, their fine for £100 each, upon their petition for time to apply to H.M. for to have it remitted etc. Refers to enclosures. Signed, Henry Worsley. Endorsed, Recd. 23rd Dec. 1724, Read 21st April, 1725. 14 pp. Enclosed,
382. i. (a) Petition of Philip Kirton and John Goodwin to Governor Worsley. Petitioners stood surety in £100 each in 1716 for the appearance of Richard Raycroft of Christ Church parish, then an infant, to give evidence as to the death of Francis Gibson, late Master of the Merchant's Adventure, found dead near the Free School, St. Michaels. Raycroft attended the Grand Sessions in June, 1716, but no proceedings were had, but in 1722 petitioner's bonds were estreated by the said Court, Raycroft not appearing to give in his evidence relating to the supposed murder. Pray for stay of execution whilst they appeal to H.M.
(b) Governor's order accordingly, 2nd Sept., 1724, after receiving Attorney General's opinion. Signed, Henry Worsley. Endorsed as preceding. Copy. 3 pp.
382. ii–iv. Duplicates of Nos. 381. i–iii.
382. v. Governor Worsley's Replies to Queries from the Board of Trade, (i) No commodities of the growth of this Island are exported except to Great Britain and the Northern Colonies. The vessels belonging to the Island trade to Guinea, Ise-Cape, Surinam, Curaçao and the Leeward Islands. Their names and masters given. Total vessels, 20; tonnage, 616; men, 158. (ii) For the British manufactures consumed, refers to the London Customs. (iii) The Island trades to Ise-Cape and Surinam whither they send Madera wine, and some little triffling goods, with which they buy timber for the mills. They generally clear out to St. Eustace, St. Thomas and Sta. Lucia with flower, beef, pork, biskett and negroes, because from these places they bring back no clearances, and can the more easily cover their true design, which is to trade with the French at Martinico, which they do by the connivance of the Governour there, and in return for the commodities they export from hence, they bring back cocoa nutts, which is openly imported, and clandestinely French brandy, and other French commodities, and money when it is lowered there, but when they raise it again it returns back to Martinico for cocoa nutts, and the manufactures of France, (iv) The methods used to prevent illegal trade are, by putting the Acts of Trade and Navigation in force, and giving all due encouragement to H.M. Officers of the Customs, etc., who take all the care, that so small a number, twelve, can do; and as I found that some French sloops traded upon the coast, and that a great many goods were run in little creeks, in several part(s) of this Island; I appointed last year a sloope, that was seized and condemned to be a guarda costa, to prevent the practices of the French ; and I told the Collector of the Customs, I would contribute a share towards the maintaining of her, till I should hear the Commissrs. of the Customs would be at the charge of keeping her, and desired him to write to them. But as they have been silent, I shall order her to be sold. (v) The natural products are sugar canes, ginger, cotton, aloes: Manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum. Of cotton they make hammocks, a few stocking, and netts for horses, and of their fruits, citron water and sweetmeats, (vi) Mines, none, (vii) By a medium of exports for 3 years ending June 1724, as the Custom House Officers have informed me, the annual produce is 17,000 hds. sugar, 100,000 lb. cotton; 300,000 lb. ginger; 23,000 lb. aloes; 17,500 hhd. rum; 700 hhd. molasses; 150 hhd. lime juice. Besides these, a great quantity of the above commodities is run, wch. would be remedied in a great measure, were there more officers, for want of which these illegal practices can't be prevented. It is impossible to calculate what may be consumed here, (viii) Population, by accounts from churchwardens of every parish; 18,295 Whites; 55,206 Blacks. (ix) Cannot answer whether numbers have increased or decreased. (x) Militia, 4,812. (xi) Refers to account of forts and stores etc. sent 24th Sept., 1723. All the fortifications and stores are in a very ruinous condition, most of the cannon we have are honeycomb'd. I compute there are about 100 wanting. The small arms, swords and bayonetts in the Magazine are gone to decay, (xii) The French at Martinico grow every day more populous. They have as many white inhabitants as we have. When the D. of Montagu attempted the settling of Sta. Lucia, the French sent over from Martinico 1500 men to oppose it. The English themselves have contributed towards the enriching the French settlements, by supplying them from the Northern Collonies, with lumber and horses, for which they carry back their suggar and molasses. They have two sea-port towns, Port Royal and St. Pierre, (described), (xiii) As the French at Martinico become daily more populous, and have so improved in the making of their sugars almost equal in perfection to the best made here, they very much affect the sale of our sugars here, in that there are numbers of ships from the Northern Colonies, which go directly to Martinico, where they import horses and lumber, and export the commodities of that country, particularly sugar and molasses, the latter of which being of no use to the French, whilst they can have brandy from their own country, will never distill rum, and therefore can afford it very cheap, and from hence in the Northern Colonies, they have been encouraged to build numbers of distilling houses, which affects so much the rum of this Plantation, that it is not now sold for above half what it was formerly. As the French have chiefly cattle mills for grinding of their canes, were they not supplyed with lumber and horses from the North, they would not be able to carry on the sugar manufactures and if we did not supply them with provisions from hence, they would oftentimes be drove to the greatest streights. (xiv) Revenue. Receipts:—By Excize duty for year ending 8th Aug., 1724, £7947 15s. 4 ¼d. By the ½ crown levy for year ending Sept. 30th, 1724, £11,103 17s. 10d. Total, £19,051 13s. 2 ¼d. Payments:—To the Governor, £7,800; To the sinking of old debts, £9,000; To part of the annual growing charge, £2251 13s. 2¼d. Signed, George Plaxton, Trear. (xv) All the land in this Island is granted from the Crown, except the land known by the name of the Ten thousand acres, the merchants land, granted by the E. of Carlisle to particular associates etc. (v. Act of 1663). There is no quitt-rent reserved, they hold here by common or free soccage. All the land is taken up and cultivated. (xvi) An account of salaries etc. of garrison (£2,665), Agents (£768) and other officers etc. Total, £6539 6s. 8d. (xvii, xviii) Lists of Members of Council and Assembly. (xviii, xix) Lists of Masters in Chancery, Judges and Judges Assistants in Courts of Common Pleas. (xx) Patent Officers:—Francis Whitworth, Secretary and Clerk of the Council, Richard Carter, Attorney General, Horatio Walpole, Auditor General, William Dalrymple, Receiver General of H.M. Casual Revenue, Anthony Cracherode, Clerk of the Crown and Register in Chancery, Charles Huggins, Remembrancer of the Court of Exchequer, Thomas and Francis Reynolds, Provost Marshal General, Francis Reynolds, Marshall of the Vice Admiralty Court, John Cornelius, Naval Officer, Alexander Burnett, Clerk of the Market. (xxi) List of Colonels, Rectors, Agents, Collectors and other officers. (xxii) Other Islands under this Government, unsettled, are, Tobago, Sta. Lucia, Dominico and St. Vincents. Their soil and natural produce are the same with Barbados. If improved, they are capable of producing sugar, rum, mollasses, cotton, ginger, aloes, indigo, cocoa, annatto, piemento. Endorsed as covering letter. 17 pp.
382. vi. Papers relating to the petition, No. 1 supra, 1716–1722. Same endorsement. Copies. 6 pp. [C.O. 28, 18. ff. 162–168v., 169v.–172v., 173v., 174, 175v., 176, 177v., 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195v., 197–199v., 200v.]
Oct. 19.
Whitehall.
383. Lord Townshend to the Council of Trade and Plantations Encloses following. Concludes: It is H.M. pleasure, that you should consider how the law stands at present, and report your opinion what is proper to be done for the encouragement of so usefull and necessary a trade here. Signed, Townshend. Endorsed. Recd. 12th, Read 13th Nov., 1724. 1 p. Enclosed,
383. i. Petition of the Master Shipwrights of the River Thames to the King. By the great number of ships and other vessells lately built, now building and still likely to increase to be built, in New England and other parts of America, the trade of Petitioners is very much decayed, by reason of which great numbers of those able shipwrights brought up and employed by Petitioners, for want of work to maintain their families, have been necessitated to withdraw themselves from their native country into America and other forreign parts and services, to the great prejudice of Petitioners and of Trade and Navigation in generall, but most especially to the great danger and damage that may attend the service of your Majesty in fitting out your Royal Navy on any extraordinary emergency. 16 Signatures. 1 large p. [C.O. 5, 869. ff 67, 68, 69v.; and 5, 915. pp. 426–429.]
Oct. 19. 384. Mr. West to the Council of Trade and Plantations. Has no objection to Act of Mountserrat granting £500 annually to Governor Hart etc. Signed, Richd. West. Endorsed, Recd 18th Oct., Read 24th Nov., 1724. ½p. [C.O. 152, 14. ff. 408, 409v.]
Oct. 21.
Whitehall.
385. Mr. Popple to Mr. West. Encloses, for his opinion in point of law, Act of New York, 1723, to enable Thomas Dungan and Walter Dungan, two surviving kinsmen of Thomas late Earl of Limerick, to sell some part of their estate for payment of their debts, and discharging some incumbrances wherewith the same is now charged. [C.O. 5, 1124. pp. 355, 356.]
Oct. 24. 386. Anonymous account of proceedings taken to obtain a warrant to commit Capt. Elston, sent from Barbados (v. 31st July), to the Marshalsea etc. 2 pp. [C.O. 28, 44. No. 89.]
Oct. 24.
Charles
Town in
South
Carolina.
387. Joseph Barry to [? the Duke of Newcastle]. Son of a Minister who lost his all under King James, petitioner has been 25 years in Carolina and met with little encouragement from the discontented inhabitants. Prays for a benefice etc. Signed, Joseph Barry. Endorsed, Rd. Jan. 18, 1724/5. 2 pp. Enclosed,
387. i. Certificate of appointment of Bartholomew Wormell, (father in law of Joseph Barry), as Chaplain extraordinary to K. Charles II etc. Signed, Manchester. Copy. ½ p.
387. ii. Archbishop of Canterbury to Joseph Barry. Lambeth House, Oct. 4, 1724. Offers his good wishes but regrets that "it is out of my proper business to meddle in such matters" etc. Refers him to the Secretary of State for those parts etc. Signed, W. Cant. Copy. 1 p. [C.O. 5, 387. Nos, 48, 48 i, ii.]
Oct. 30.
So.
Carolina.
388. Governor Nicholson to the Council of Trade and Plantations. I hope in God your Lordships have recd, my letters, the last being of the 5th of Sept. etc. Refers to enclosures concerning paper bills. Continues: In No. (A) is the copy of a Minute of Council for a special Council on 9th Nov., at which time I design that the £10,300 remaining of the old bills be burnt and I shall take care that the remainder of the £48,000 bank money be burnt when they are paid in which I hope will be all done by the later end of Feb. next and by the Treasurer's account your Lordships may please to see that £7,280 are to be sunk the next month and I shall take care that they be then burnt. I was very much surprised to find that some merchts. (as they call themselv's) had petitioned to his most sacred Majesty against me. I shall not now trouble your Lordships with any particular defence of myself because I hope (God willing) personally to do it, but I should fail in my duty to his most sacred Majesty if I did not inform your Lordps. that its my humble opinion that if all the bills should be destroyed at once it would put the country into the utmost confusion and that likewise the trade of this his Majesties Province cannot be carryed on without some paper credit but whether the sum will be 40, 50, or £60,000 is most humbly submitted to your Lordps. great wisdome. When the Council meets I shall lay this affair before them as likewise the copy of the merchts. petition with the Grand Jurors Address to his most sacred Majesty etc. and then I suppose H.M. Honble. Council will humbly represent that affair etc. Refers to enclosures. Continues: We have lately had a very uncommon accidt., concerning the murder of one Capt. Simmons (v. end. v.); H.M. Attorney General will as soon as possible draw up a state of the tryal and then it shall be transmitted to your Lordsps. I thank God we have now and for two months past had extraordinary fine weather which hath and will I hope enable the Planters to gett in all their crops. Refers to enclosures etc. P.S.—I humbly begg your Lordps. will be pleased to be referred to the Acts of Assembly to their Addresses to his most sacred Majesty and my letters to yr. Lordps. concerning the printed bills etc. I have been informed that some of those who signed the petition against the bills etc. have little or no legal trade to this Province. I have been likewise told that Mr. Samuel Wragg mercht. in London is more concerned in trade to this H.M. Province than all the petitioners and that his brother here with Messrs. Gibbon and Allen are by farr the greatest traders here. I am sorry for my old friend and acquaintance Mr. John Lloyd would be so bubled (to give it no worse an epithet) by his factors here wch. I hope (God willing) to make appear. I am likewise sorry that my old acquaintance Mr. John Hyde who I think I remember master of a small pink (when I was Govr. of Virginia and Maryland) belonging to his master the late Saml. Groom, and I think I may venture to say that I was assisting to his interest in both those places and I beleive those two Gent. are not much younger than myself and if I am grown old I thank God it hath been in serving my Prince and Country ever since the year 1677/8 but whither those two Gent. or any of the Petitrs. have so done I much question but rather think that it hath been (especially by some of them) in heaping up riches and (it may be) they dont know who shall gether them, etc. Signed, Fr. Nicholson. Endorsed, Recd. 23rd Dec., 1724, Read 18th Nov., 1725. 3 pp. Enclosed,
388. i. Petition of the Grand Jury for S. Carolina to the King. In reply to petition of merchants complaining of the issue of bills of credit, represent that their issue was in no wise the occasion of the rise of the produce of the Province, but that when they were issued from time to time the Province were under an invincible necessity to pay forces suddenly raised on very emergent occasions and that when the greater part of them were issued, it was on account of the fatall Indian wars when there was no sufficient quantity of gold and silver, and there could be noe publick loanes, because the entire destruction of the country was at that time feared by everyone. As an example of what we have set forth, when a very large summe was sunck in 1718 rice advanced to the price of £4 pr. cwt. and pitch to the same price pr. barrell, and in 1719 and 1720 when £34,000 in bills were printed rice fell to 40s. per hundred and pitch to 40s. pr. barrell. The merchants can receive no damage by the paper money, for they have advanced on their sterling invoices from £700 to £1200 pr. cent. for these nine years past. But if your Majestye should be pleased to order that Proclamation money should be the only currency in this Province, they will gaine £200, or £300 pr. cent. sterling on their prime cost. Wee humbly conceive that the Lords Justices' orders have been duly complyed with as near as necessity of this Province would permit. Pray H.M. to suspend consideration of the petition, till the Province can send proper vouchers to support their case. Signed, Daniel Huger, Foreman; Elisha Prioleau, Sam. Eveleigh, Wm. Wallace, Richd. Smith, Arthur Hall, John Croft, Peter Cattell, Antho. Bonneau, John Cawood, Thos. Elliott, Hen.Toomer, Jno, Raven, William Belinger, Francis Ladson, Peter Villepontoux, Will. Smith, Samuel West, Noah Serre. Endorsed as preceding. 1 large p.
388. ii. Report of the Commissioners for reprinting the bills of credit, £55,138 15s. 10½d., burnt; £10,300 exchanged and ready for burning. 28th Oct., 1724. Signed, T. Hepworth. Same endorsement.
388. iii. (a) Address of the Petit Jury of the Supreme Court to Governor Nicholson. 26th Oct., 1724. Join with the Grand Jurors in preceding Petition (No. i). Signed, Thomas Satur, Foreman; Joseph Brumson, Thos. Baker, Nathan White, Abrahm. Bunley, Gedion Fauchereau, John White, Thos. Ashby, Saml. Wigfall, Jos. Bryan, Jno. Hamelton. Copy. 1 p.
iii. (b) Address of the Chief Justice and Assistant Judges of the Supreme Court to Governor Nicholson. Join in above Petition. Signed, T. Hepworth, Alexr. Parris, Geo. Smith, John Barksdale. Copy. 1 p.
iii. (c) Address of the Grand Jury to Governor Nicholson. Pray H. E. to forward above petition etc. Signed as No. i. Copy. 1 p. The whole endorsed as covering letter.
388. iv. (a) Petition of Merchants and Traders to S. Carolina to the King. Refer to issues of paper money and Order in Council etc., 14th Aug., 1723 (v. C.S.P. and A.P.C. III. No. 48), contrary to which the Governor past an Act for sinking the bills by a duty only upon imported goods by wch. a burthen is laid upon the British manufacturer and is so uncertain in its nature that it will be many years before such debts posibly be satisfyed and the bills continuing current fall lower in value etc. In further contempt to said Order, £8000 of the old paper credit called Bank notes which by former Acts were to have been sunk in two years are now issued out againe promiscuously with the other bills to be paid off by the said duty etc. These proceedings tend to the ruin of petitioners and the destruction of the trade of the Province, which will be intirely lost if not speedily prevented by your Majesty's great wisdome and goodness, the Governour having in further discouragemt. of that trade detained ships in their passage to other parts and opened and searched in a vexatious manner every parcell of their goods notwithstanding they had permitts from the proper officers of your Majesty's Customs in that part from whence they came and destroyed those permitts in lieu of which he gave permitts of his own by which their ships and cargoes were liable to be forfeited. And also frequently broke open the letters of the inhabitants of that Colony by which trade is very much obstructed etc., the masters of ships having in an unwarrantable manner been confined by his order and had illegal oaths imposed upon them, etc. Pray for the recall of Governor Nicholson, who by reason of his advanced age is rendered incapable of discharging his trust, etc. Signed, Stephen Godin, Jacob Satur, Saml. Buck, John Payne, Thos. Lane, John Yaldwin, John Hyde, David Godin, James Maintree, F. Morgan, John Lloyd, Isaac Prion.
iv. (b) Quotations from the Whitehall Evening Post, Aug. 13 and 15, relating to General Nicholson's return. Same endorsement. Copy.pp.
388. v. (a) Report of the Chief Justice and Assistant Judge to Governor Nicholson. Michael Boineau, Peter, Daniel and John Dutartre, and Peter Rembert have been condemned to be hanged for the murder of Capt. Peter Simmons. Signed, T. Hepworth, Alexander Parris, John Barksdale.
v. (b) Warrant for execution of above. 7th Oct.,1724. Signed, Fra. Nicholson.
v. (c) Order reprieving John and Daniel Dutartre, upon their petition and the recommendation of the Chief Justice and Assistant Judges. 12th Oct., 1724. Signed, Fr. Nicholson. Same endorsement. Copy. 2 pp.
388. vi. Report by the Commissioners for cancelling paper bills, Oct. 27, 1724. Bills for £5707 7s. 2d. burnt etc. Signed, Char. Hart, Andrew Allen. Same endorsement. 1 p.
388. vii. Treasurer's account of £7380 paper bills to be burnt on 10th Nov. etc. Signed, A. Parris. Same endorsement. 1 p.
388. viii. Account of 734 negroes imported from Africa to S. Carolina, 1724. Signed and endorsed as preceding, l p.
388. ix. H. M. Customs' account, Charlestown, 1724. Receipts, £14 2s. 3d. Expenditure, £4. Signed, Thos. Gadsden, Collector. Same endorsement. 2 pp.
388. x. List of above enclosures. Signed, Fr. Nicholson. Same endorsement. ¾ p. [C.O. 5, 359. ff. 233–238v., 240–241v., 242v.–243v., 244v.–247v., 248v.–250v.; and (abstract of covering letter) 5, 406. pp. 20, 21].
Oct. 31. 389. Governor Nicholson to Mr. Popple. I lately reced. yor. letter of 24th of Aprill with the Memorial to Mr. Chammorel. What was done in that matter was done in the Assembly etc. Refers to Journal. Continues:—I have summoned H.M. Honble. Council to meet on 9th Nov., and then yor. letter and that affair shall be layd before them in order to send a more particular answer etc. Signed, Fr. Nicholson. Endorsed, Recd. 27th Jan., Read 18th Nov., 1725. Addressed. ½ p. [C.O. 5, 359. ff. 251, 252v.]
Oct. 31.
South Carolina.
390. Same to Mr. Delafaye. Refers to letter of 8th Oct. to Messrs. Yonge and Eyres, and to Mr. Richd. Splatt, a merchant of this place, by whom this is sent, etc. Concludes: When please God I arrive in London I shall beg the favour of you to introduce me to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle etc. Signed, Fr. Nicholson. Endorsed, R. 27th July. Addressed. Sealed. ¾ p. [C.O. 5, 387. No. 49].