A General History of the Pyrates Part 22

T_HAT the Pet.i.tioners have Leave by this Court of Admiralty, to interchange Indentures with the Captain General of the_ Gold Coast, _for the Royal_ African _Company, for seven Years Servitude, at any of the Royal_ African _Company's Settlements in_ Africa, _in such Manner as he the said Captain General shall think proper._

_On_ Thursday _the_ 26_th Day of_ April, _the Indentures being all drawn out, according to the Grant made to the Pet.i.tioners, by the Court held on_ Friday _the_ 20_th of this Instant; each Prisoner was sent for up, signed, sealed and exchanged them in the Presence of_

_Captain_ Mungo Herdman, _President_, James Phipps, _Esq_; _Mr._ Edward Hyde, _Mr._ Charles Fanshaw, _And Mr._ John Atkins, _Register._

_A Copy of the Indenture._

The Indenture of a Person condemned to serve abroad for Pyracy, which, upon the humble Pet.i.tion of the Pyrates therein mentioned, was most mercifully granted by his Imperial Majesty's Commissioners and Judges appointed to hold a Court of Admiralty, for the Tryal of Pyrates at Cape _Corso-Castle_, in _Africa_, upon Condition of serving seven Years, and other Conditions, are as follows, _viz._

T_HIS Indenture made the twenty sixth Day of_ April, Anno Regni Regis Georgii magnae Britanniae, _&c._ Septimo, Domini, Millessimo, Sepcentessimo viginti duo, _between_ Roger Scot, _late of the City of_ Bristol _Mariner, of the one Part, and the Royal_ African _Company of_ England, _their Captain General and Commander in Chief, for the Time being, on the other Part_, Witnesseth, _that the said_ Roger Scot, _doth hereby covenant, and agree to, and with, the said Royal_ African _Company, their Captain General, and Commander in chief for the Time being, to serve him, or his lawful Successors, in any of the Royal_ African _Company's Settlements on the Coast of_ Africa, _from the Day of the Date of these Presents, to the full Term of seven Years, from hence next ensuing, fully to be compleat and ended; there to serve in such Employment, as the said Captain General, or his Successors shall employ him; according to the Custom of the Country in like Kind._

_In Consideration whereof, the said Captain General, and Commander in chief doth covenant and agree, to, and with, the said_ Roger Scot, _to find and allow him Meat, Drink, Apparel and Lodging, according to the Custom of the Country._

_In witness whereof, the Parties aforesaid, to these Presents, have interchangably put their Hands and Seals, the Day and Year first above written._

_Signed, sealed and delivered, in the Presence of us, at Cape_ Corso-Castle, _in_ Africa, _where no stamp'd Paper was to be had._

Mungo Heardman, _President_, Witness. John Atkins, _Register_, Witness.

In like Manner was drawn out and exchanged the Indentures of

T_Homas How_ of _Barnstable_, in the County of _Devon._

_Samuel Fletcher_ of _East-Smithfield, London._

_John Lane_ of _Lombard-Street, London._

_David Littlejohn_ of _Bristol._

_John King_ of _Shadwell_ Parish, _London._

_Henry Dennis_ of _Bidiford._

_Hugh Harris_ of _Corf-Castle, Devonshire._

_William Taylor_ of _Bristol._

_Thomas Owen_ of _Bristol._

_John Mitchel_ of _Shadwell_ Parish, _London._

_Joshua Lee_ of _Leverpool._

_William Shuren_ of _Wapping_ Parish, _London._

_Robert Hartley_ of _Leverpool._

_John Griffin_ of _Blackwall, Middles.e.x._

_James Cromby_ of _London, Wapping._

_James Greenham_ of _Marshfield, Gloucestershire._

_John Horn_ of St. _James's_ Parish, _London._

_John Jessop_ of _Wisbich, Cambridgshire._

_David Rice_ of _Bristol._

None of which, I hear, are now living, two others, _viz. George Wilson_ and _Thomas Oughterlaney_, were respited from Execution, till his Majesty's Pleasure should be known; the former dy'd abroad, and the latter came Home, and received his Majesty's Pardon; the Account of the whole stands thus,

Acquitted, 74 Executed, 52 Respited, 2 To Servitude, 20 To the Marshalsea, 17 Kill'd in the Ranger, 10 Kill'd in the Fortune, 3 Dy'd in the Pa.s.sage to Cape Corso, 15 Dy'd afterwards in the Castle, 4 Negroes in both Ships, 70 ---------- Total, 276

I am not ignorant how acceptable the Behaviour and dying Words of Malefactors are to the generallity of our Countrymen, and therefore shall deliver what occurr'd, worthy of Notice, in the Behaviour of these Criminals.

The first six that were called to Execution, were _Magnes, Moody, Sympson, Sutton, Ashplant_, and _Hardy_; all of them old Standers and notorious Offenders: When they were brought out of the Hold, on the Parade, in order to break off their Fetters, and fit the Halters; none of them, it was observed, appeared the least dejected, unless _Sutton_, who spoke faint, but it was rather imputed to a Flux that had seiz'd him two or three Days before, than Fear. A Gentleman, who was Surgeon of the Ship, was so charitable at this Time, to offer himself in the room of an Ordinary, and represented to them, as well as he was able, the Heinousness of their Sin, and Necessity which lay on them of Repentance; one particular Part of which ought to be, acknowledging the Justice they had met with. They seem'd heedless for the present, some calling for Water to drink, and others applying to the Soldiers for Caps, but when this Gentleman press'd them for an Answer, they all exclaim'd against the Severity of the Court, and were so harden'd, as to curse, and wish the same Justice might overtake all the Members of it, as had been dealt to them. _They were poor Rogues_, they said, _and so hang'd, while others, no less guilty in another Way, escaped._

When he endeavoured to compose their Minds, exhorting them to dye in Charity with all the World, and would have diverted them from such vain Discourse, by asking them their Country, Age, and the like; some of them answered, `What was that to him, they suffered the Law, and should give no Account but to G.o.d;' walking to the Gallows without a Tear, in Token of Sorrow for their past Offences, or shewing as much Concern as a Man would express at travelling a bad Road; nay, _Sympson_, at seeing a Woman that he knew, said, `he had lain with that B--h three times, and now she was come to see him hang'd.' And _Hardy_, when his Hands were ty'd behind him, (which happened from their not being acquainted with the Way of bringing Malefactors to Execution,) observed, `that he had seen many a Man hang'd, but this Way of the Hands being ty'd behind them, he was a Stranger to, and never saw before in his Life.' I mention these two little Instances, to shew how stupid and thoughtless they were of their End, and that the same abandoned and reprobate Temper that had carried them thro' their Rogueries, abided with them to the last.

_Samuel Fletcher_, another of the Pyrates ordered for Execution, but reprieved, seem'd to have a quicker Sense of his Condition; for when he saw those he was allotted with gone to Execution, he sent a Message by the Provost-Marshal to the Court, to be `inform'd of the Meaning of it, and humbly desir'd to know whether they design'd him Mercy, or not? If they did, he stood infinitely oblig'd to them, and thought the whole Service of his Life an incompetent Return for so great a Favour; but that if he was to suffer, the sooner the better, _he said_, that he might be out of his Pain.'

There were others of these Pyrates the reverse of this, and tho' dest.i.tute of Ministers, or fit Persons to represent their Sins, and a.s.sist them with spiritual Advice, were yet always imploying their Time to good Purposes, and behaved with a great deal of seeming Devotion and Penitence; among these may be reckon'd _Scudamore, Williams, Philips, Stephenson, Jefferys, Lesly, Harper, Armstrong, Bunce_, and others.

_Scudamore_ too lately discerned the Folly and Wickedness of the Enterprize, that had chiefly brought him under Sentence of Death, from which, seeing there was no Hopes of escaping, he pet.i.tioned for two or three Days Reprieve, which was granted; and for that Time apply'd himself incessantly to Prayer, and reading the Scriptures, seem'd to have a deep Sense of his Sins, of this in particular, and desired, at the Gallows, they would have Patience with him, to sing the first Part of the thirty first Psalm; which he did by himself throughout.

_Armstrong_, having been a Deserter from his Majesty's Service, was executed on Board the _Weymouth_, (and the only one that was;) there was no Body to press him to an Acknowledgement of the Crime he died for, nor of sorrowing in particular for it, which would have been exemplary, and made suitable Impressions on Seamen; so that his last Hour was spent in lamenting and bewailing his Sins in general, exhorting the Spectators to an honest and good Life, in which alone they could find Satisfaction. In the End, he desir'd they would join with him in singing two or three latter Verses of the 140th Psalm; and that being concluded, he was, at the firing of a Gun, tric'd up at the Fore-Yard-Arm.

_Bunce_ was a young Man, not above 26 Years old, but made the most pathetical Speech of any at the Gallows. He first declaim'd against the guilded Bates of Power, Liberty, and Wealth, that had ensnar'd him among the Pyrates, his unexperienc'd Years not being able to withstand the Temptation; but that the Briskness he had shewn, which so fatally had procured him Favour amongst them, was not so much a Fault in Principle, as the Liveliness and Vivacity of his Nature. He was now extreamly afflicted for the Injuries he had done to all Men, and begg'd their's and G.o.d's Forgiveness, very earnestly exhorting the Spectators to remember their Creator in their Youth, and guard betimes, that their Minds took not a wrong Bya.s.s, concluding with this apt Similitude, _That he stood there as a Beacon upon a Rock_, (the Gallows standing on one) _to warn erring Marriners of Danger._

CHAP. X. OF Captain _ANSTIS_, And his CREW.

T_HOMAS Anstis_ ship'd himself at _Providence_ in the Year 1718, aboard the _Buck_ Sloop, and was one of six that conspired together to go off a pyrating with the Vessel; the rest were, _Howel Davis, Roberts_'s Predecessor, killed at the Island of _Princes; Dennis Topping_, killed at the taking of the rich _Portuguese_ Ship on the Coast of _Brasil; Walter Kennedy_, hanged at _Execution-Dock_, and two others, which I forbear to name, because, I understand they are at this Day employ'd in an honest Vocation in the City.

What followed concerning _Anstis_'s Pyracies, has been included in the two preceeding Chapters; I shall only observe that the Combination of these six Men abovementioned, was the Beginning of that Company, that afterwards proved so formidable under Captain _Roberts_, from whom _Anstis_ separated the 18th of _April_ 1721, in the _Good Fortune_ Brigantine, leaving his Commadore to pursue his Adventures upon the Coast of _Guiney_, whilst he returned to the _West-Indies_, upon the like Design.

About the Middle of _June_, these Pyrates met with one Captain _Marston_, between _Hispaniola_ and _Jamaica_, bound on a Voyage to _New-York_; from whom they took all the wearing Apparel they could find, as also his Liquors and Provision, and five of his Men, but did not touch his Cargo; two or three other Vessels were also plundered by them, in this Cruise, out of whom they stocked themselves with Provision and Men; among the rest, I think, was the _Irwin_, Captain _Ross_, from _Cork_ in _Ireland_; but this I won't be positive of, because they denied it themselves. This Ship had 600 Barrels of Beef aboard, besides other Provisions, and was taken off _Martinico_, wherein Colonel _Doyly_ of _Montserrat_, and his Family were Pa.s.sengers. The Colonel was very much abused and wounded, for endeavouring to save a poor Woman, that was also a Pa.s.senger, from the Insults of that brutish Crew; and the Pyrates prevailing, twenty one of them forced the poor Creature successively, afterwards broke her Back and flung her into the Sea. I say, I will not be positive it was _Anstis_'s Crew that acted this unheard of Violence and Cruelty, tho' the Circ.u.mstances of the Place, the Time, the Force of the Vessel, and the Number of Men, do all concur, and I can place the Villany no where else; but that such a Fact was done, there is too much Evidence for it to be doubted of.

When they thought fit to put an End to this Cruize, they went into one of the Islands to clean, which they effected without any Disturbance, and came out again, and stretching away towards _Burmudas_, met with a stout Ship, called the _Morning Star_, bound from _Guiney_ to _Carolina_; they made Prize of her, and kept her for their own Use. In a Day or two, a Ship from _Barbadoes_ bound to _New-York_, fell into their Hands, and taking out her Guns and Tackle, mounted the _Morning Star_ with 32 Pieces of Cannon, mann'd her with a 100 Men, and appointed one _John Fenn_ Captain; for the Brigantine being of far less Force, the _Morning Star_ would have fallen to _Anstis_, as elder Officer, yet he was so in Love with his own Vessel, (she being an excellent Sailor,) that he made it his Choice to stay in her, and let _Fenn_, who was, before, his Gunner, Command the great Ship.

Now, that they had two good Ships well mann'd, it may be supposed they were in a Condition to undertake something bold: But their Government was disturbed by Malecontents, and a Kingdom divided within it self cannot stand; they had such a Number of new Men amongst them, that seem'd not so violently enclined for the Game; that whatever the Captain proposed, it was certainly carried against him, so that they came to no fix'd Resolution for the undertaking any Enterprize; therefore there was nothing to be done, but to break up the Company, which seemed to be the Inclination of the Majority, but the Manner of doing so, concerned their common Safety; to which Purpose various Means were proposed, at length it was concluded to send home a Pet.i.tion to his Majesty (there being then no Act of Indemnity in Force) for a Pardon, and wait the Issue; at the same Time one _Jones_, Boatswain of the _Good Fortune_, proposed a Place of safe Retreat, it being an uninhabited Island near _Cuba_, which he had been used to in the late War, when he went a privateering against the _Spaniards._

This being approved of, it was unanimously resolved on, and the underwritten Pet.i.tion drawn up and signed by the whole Company in the Manner of what they call a _Round Robin_, that is, the Names were writ in a Circle, to avoid all Appearance of Pre-eminence, and least any Person should be mark'd out by the Government, as a princ.i.p.al Rogue among them.

_To his most sacred Majesty_ George, _by the Grace of G.o.d, of_ Great-Britain, France _and_ Ireland, _King, Defender of the Faith_, &c.

The humble PEt.i.tION of the Company, now belonging to the Ship _Morning Star_, and Brigantine _Good Fortune_, lying under the ignominious Name and Denomination of PYRATES.