to be hung and quartered: his quarters were exposed upon trees, and his head upon a stake in the market-place! Two of his partisans, named Boeuf, were banished, and the rest quietly submitted to the new droits. De Sales recalled several persons whom his predecessor had banished, and reinstated them in their property. Upon the restoration of King Charles the Second, Lord Willoughby, who had several years of his private contract with the Earl of Carlisle unexpired, was re-appointed governor of Barbadoes. When he arrived at that island, the inhabitants saw, with astonishment and regret, that they were still viewed as under the dominion of a patent, which they considered void in law! They therefore implored the royal interference and protection; fully convinced, that without this they could produce no title to their plantations. The King instituted an inquiry into the opposite claims of the contending parties, reserving to himself the right of deciding the cause. 1661. Colonel d'Oyley, who had the chief command in Jamaica, under a commission from the lord protector, was confirmed in that command by a commission from King Charles, dated the 13th of February, 1661: this may be considered as the first establishment of a regular civil government in that island. The instructions consisted of fifteen articles: the third, regulates the manner of electing the council, eleven of which were to be chosen indifferently, by as many of the officers of the army, planters, and inhabitants, as could be conveniently admitted to such election, either at one or more places; which said persons, with the secretary of the island, who was thereby appointed always to be one, were established a council, to advise and assist the governor in the execution of his trust, and five were to be a quorum. The sixth directs the governor to encourage ministers, that Christianity and the Protestant religion, according to the Church of England, might have due reverence and exercise amongst them. The other articles are of minor importance. "In the year 1661, King Charles the Second created on the same day thirteen baronets in Barbadoes, none of them having less than £1000, and some of them £10,000 a-year. At this time their trade actually maintained 400 sail of ships; and it was computed that the running cash of the island might be about Du Tertre, tom. i. p. 584. Coke's West Indies, vol. ii. pp. 99, 100. £200,000, and their annual exportation to Great Britain, in sugar, indigo, ginger, and other commodities, at least £350,000. About this year, a native of Dieppe, commonly called Pierre le Grand, sailed from Tortuga, in a boat with twenty-eight men, upon a piratical cruize: he is said to have been the first that did so from that island, and his success induced others to follow his example. He had been a long time at sea, without meeting with any thing, and was in danger of starving from want of provisions, when a large Spanish ship hove in sight off Cape Tiburon. The whole crew now swore to stand by Pierre le Grand to the last; and he, before they engaged, ordered the surgeon to bore holes in the sides of the boat, that she sinking under them, they might have no hopes of life but in conquering! This was accordingly done; and at dusk in the evening, they ran alongside the Spaniard, and boarded her, each man armed with a sword and: pistol they made immediately for the cabin, where the captain was playing at cards; and securing him, and killing a few that made resistance, they won the prize. Le Grand kept on board as many of the men as sufficed to navigate her, and sent the rest on shore. With these he made the best of his way to France 1662. Charles the Second granted, by letters patent, an exclusive right of trade to Africa, to Queen Catharine; Mary, the Queen Dowager; the Duke of York, and several others, as a company of royal adventurers! They undertook to supply the West India planters with 3000 slaves annually. This company was so reduced by war, misconduct, and interloping traders, that they surrendered their charter in 1672, and in consideration of £34,000, gave up their effects to a new company! Adrian Lampsius, a Flushing merchant, procured letters patent from Louis the Fourteenth, creating him Baron of Tobago, and also a resignation from the Dutch West India Company of their right to the island; and thus becoming proprietor of the island under the crown of France, he sent over M. Hubert de Beveren as governor: under his administration, the colony flourished, and the island was strengthened with new fortifications. M. de Vanderoque, governor of Martinico, died upon that island, the 24th of October. After his death, the inhabitants petitioned the King of France, that the government might be Esquemeling's Hist. Buc. chap. vi. Report of the Trade, 1789. Univ. Hist. vol. xxxvi. p. 281, 282. Committee upon the Slave preserved for M. d'Enambuc du Parquet; and M. de Clermont, as being nearly related to the children, was appointed governor during M. d'Enambuc's minority. Lord Windsor superseded Colonel d'Oyley as governor of Jamaica, and on his arrival published a proclamation of King Charles the Second, dated the 14th of December, 1661, declaring, "that thirty acres of improveable land shall be granted to every person, male or female, being twelve years old or upwards, then residing, or who, within two years next ensuing, should reside upon the island; and that the same should be assigned and set out by the governor and council, within six weeks after it was applied for; but in case they did not go thither within six months, the allotment to be void, and free to be assigned to any other planter. Also, "that all the children of our natural-born subjects of England, to be born in Jamaica, shall, from their respective births, be reputed to be, and shall be, free denizens of England, and shall have the same privileges, to all intents and purposes, as our free-born subjects of England." He brought out a great seal and mace, and Sir Charles Lyttleton accompanied him as chancellor. His Lordship's commission directed, that in case of his death, or leaving the island, the government should devolve upon the council, or any seven of them, and appointed £2000 a-year as their salary. His instructions consisted of twenty-two articles. By the second, he was directed to appoint a council, according to his commission and the instructions. But no directions whatever were given, either in the commission which refers to the instructions, or in the instructions themselves, as to the mode in which the council should be appointed. But it appears that the governor named them himself. The 9th article directs 100,000 acres of land to be set apart, in each of the four quarters of the island, as a royal demesne. The 20th empowers the governor, with the advice of the council, to call assemblies to make laws, and upon imminent necessity to levy money: such laws to be in force two years and no longer, unless approved of by the crown. By Lord Windsor's proclamation, the setting out the 400,000 acres as a royal demesne was suspended. Soon after Lord Windsor assumed the government of Jamaica, he ordered one thousand picked men from the army to be embarked in twelve vessels belonging to the island, and to sail directly for Cuba. They made that island the 1st of October; but the land-breeze preventing their entering the harbour of Edwards, vol. i. p. 215.-iii pp. 290, 291. Long's Jamaica, vol. i. pp. 194. 217. 283. St. Jago, the plan of attack was changed, and the army landed two miles to leeward: they marched immediately in the night, their guides carrying torches, and at day-light were six miles from the landing-place, and three from the town. Upon their approach, Don Pedro Moralin, and the late governor of Jamaica, at the head of 800 Spaniards, had barricaded all the avenues, and brought down their artillery. The English received one discharge, then rushed forward, drove all before them, gained the town and six vessels which were at anchor before it. They then attacked the castle and block-houses; and the fleet having entered the harbour, and brought their guns to bear, the Spaniards retreated, first from the ramparts, and then from the inner works. The conquerors immediately demolished the fortifications and the town, which consisted of 2000 houses, and laid waste the country for some miles round. They took 1000 barrels of powder and thirty-four pieces of cannon, some of which were sent to London. The fort had been reputed impregnable: the wall, on the land side, was sixty feet high, and thick in proportion, and had cost £100,000 sterling building. The loss of the Spaniards was estimated at one million sterling. Richard Povey, Esq. secretary of Jamaica, in his letter, dated the 27th October, 1662, speaking of Lord Windsor, says, "He most nobly withstood any possession of a disease, until he had fairly dismissed the old governor (Colonel d'Oyley), satisfied the late army with his Majesty's royal gift (a donation in money to the four regiments), chose a new militia, found employ for our fleet abroad, and had well settled the present government of this his Majesty's island." Lord Windsor remained but a few months in Jamaica, and left the island in November. Sir Charles Lyttleton, chancellor of the island, succeeded to the government, and called the first assembly, which consisted of thirty persons: they enacted a body of laws, with an act for raising money for the public use, wherein the collection, disposal, and accounting were appointed by the assembly.' Sir C. Lyttleton issued a proclamation, offering twenty acres of land per head, and their freedom, to all the Vermaholis Negroes who would come in. The English first began to cut down log-wood trees on the coast of Yucatan," and made a settlement at Campeache, which at first was near Cape Catoche, but afterwards removed to the Laguna de Terminos." Upon the 14th of September, 1662, a treaty of peace, between Charles the Second, King of England, and the States-General Long's Jamaica, vol. i. pp. 216. 13. of the United Provinces, was signed at Whitehall. There is not any thing in this treaty relating to the West Indies. The Dutch attacked the island of Margarita, burnt the town, and destroyed the fort built for its defence. 1663. The inhabitants of Barbadoes had sent Mr. Kendall as their delegate to King Charles, to plead against the claims of Lord Carlisle and Lord Willoughby. Mr. Kendall, in his zeal to get rid of the obnoxious patent, offered, in the name of the inhabitants, "That if his Majesty would be graciously pleased to take the island immediately into his hands, extending towards it his royal protection and care, the produce of all the estates should from henceforth be subject to an impost, to be levied on its real value, at a certain percentage, which, after supporting a governor, whom his Majesty should nominate and establish, should be at his Majesty's disposal." This offer was accepted, as an outline of the settlement. The inhabitants of Barbadoes refused to ratify what their delegate had proposed, and contended that he had gone beyond the boundaries of his delegated authority. The government was inexorable, and refused to relinquish the proposition, and finally prevailed upon the negociating planters to use their influence with their constituents to settle upon the crown such an impost as the condition of the island would allow, subject to the determination of the colonial assembly. The friends, creditors, and inheritors of the Carlisle interest in the island did all they could to prevent the closing of a negociation which would ruin their hopes for ever. The English government fixed that the impost should be four and a half per centum, to be paid in specie, on all such commodities as the island should hereafter produce, to be estimated prior to their being shipped. As a compensation to the inhabitants, they were given to understand that they were now fully placed under the royal protection; that they were from henceforward freed from all individual claims, through any former patent; and that they were to be fully confirmed in the possession of their respective estates, without having their titles called in question. To carry these plans into execution, Lord Willoughby repaired to Barbadoes. He was received with evident marks of dislike: the inhabitants were clamorous against the proposed arrangement. The assembly was called upon to pass the act to levy four and Long's Jamaica, vol. i. p. 340. Du Mont, tom. vi. partie ii. p. 422. Depon's South Coke's West Indies, vol. ii. pp. 100, 101, 103, 104. |