Sir Thomas Lynch to William Blathwayt [extrait]

Jamaica, February 22, 1683 [4 mars 1683].

(...) We have lost divers vessels on the coast of Cuba and in the South Cays, some in the Bay of Honduras, others on the coast of the Main, and by La Trompeuse off Hispaniola about sixteen or eighteen ships, so that at a moderate reckoning our losses, the Royal Company's, and the English merchants, come to forty or fifty thousand pounds. This falls heavily, as you may believe, on a young colony with a young trade, and the misfortune is aggravated by the great numbers of people maintained by trade in this Island. We are fed by provisions from New England, New York, and Ireland, and have fishermen at the South Cays; all these routes were interrupted and dangerous. The people would have been in an ill ferment if I had not done all that I could, and the frigate had not so seasonbly made her appearance. (...)

On the 21st December Captain Johnson, whom I had sent out with two hundred men after the pirate La Trompeuse, returned after two months' absence. He had been as high as Porto Rico, but failing to search Hispaniola on his way down, he missed her. At St. Domingo he saw Vanhorn, but the President would not suffer him to speak to him.

As he came in, the Guernsey returned from from St. Jago de Cuba and brought Captain Prenar. I at once despatched her to the coast of St. Domingo, understanding that the pirate haunted the French settlement at the Isle des Vaches, and was careening by Spencer at Jaqueene near to it. Before the frigate got up the pirate was gone. He had sent away Spencer after taking all he had, eight to ten thousand pounds value, as he says. Part of his goods were sent to Petit Guavos, and the greatest part given to the commandant and the people at the Isle des Vaches, from which the pirate draws the recruits of victuals and men which have enabled him to subsist so long; though, indeed, it is rather an ill-fortune and Johnson's misconduct that have saved him, for Johnson missed him only by failing to examine the ports. Captain Tennant came into Jaqueene on the morning of 15th January and found him at anchor, but, it being calm, could not get near him for want of oars. The gale rising, the pirate sailed three feet to his one.

About the 24th January the frigate came and reported this. A small French barque owned by an honest man, Mons. Petit, also came in from Gaudeloupe bound for Petit Guavos. By him I sent a frank account to Governor Poncay of the mischief we suffered from the French both ashore and at sea.

Being displeased at the frigate's leaving coast, I ordered the captain to sail thither again nex day, but he pretended that she was foul. I sent about twenty carpenters on board him and plenty of seamen, and so got her careened in twenty days, which was more than ever done before in this harbour. I gave him more men and month's provision, hired a satee to wait on him, and on the 15th instant, he sailed with my positive orders not to stir from the coast till the pirate was gone or destroyed.

We have great hopes, for the pirate is a weak and unsheathed ship, and is growing foul. Her best seamen are leaving her, yet the last vessel that she took reports one hundred and fifty men on board. Since the frigate left the coast several have come down who have been robbed by the pirate. One, Captain North's, a ship of twenty or thirty guns, was so strong that the pirates themselves said they durst not have boarded her if captain and men had not most villainously surrendered. From her they took sixty-five pounds of gold, which gave them eight or ten ounces apiece. This is their only profit, and has made one Moone, the master, leave them. I have taken the description of this Moone and of thirteen or fourteen more English rogues, and shall send it to Bristol (whence he comes) and to all the colonies in America. These losses from windward, though great and frequent, are not so much felt, nor raise so much clamour, as those to leeward, for the former concern merchants only, but the latter the whole town. Many here live only by their sloops, which go turtling, trading, and fishing, and, if these be taken, the poor cannot eat nor others subsist. Five or six of them have been taken, and several men have been killed or left on desolate cays, where they perich most miserably.

This exasperates the people more than anything else, so much so that I was constrained to hire a new sloop, put ten men on her, and send her away on the 16th January. She returned about the 12 instant with all the men, and the captain says that he engaged three small vessels that escaped with oars, that the sloop captured by some French from Griffin is gone to Laurens in the Bay of Honduras, and that the English have, he hears, stolen nothing. He has brought up two or three pirates, who have been condemned. One will be executed tomorrow. To put a stop to all this mischief and save our sloops, without which we cannot live, I have resolved to do what nobody ever thought coulb be done, viz., build a galley to row with fifty oars, and carry fifty or sisty men. The merchants are pleased with it, and believe that we shall no longer be infested with little rogues in small craft. Two days hence there will be one hundred men employed in getting the timber out of the mountains, and I am not without hope to get her afloat in twenty days. I shall have as many carpenters as can work on her, if I can only find means to pay them.

(...) About five days since a great ship, under French colours, brought me letters from Mons. Poncay and Mons. Grammont, lieutenant of the ship St. Nicolas. The letters assured me of their intention to keep peace, and reported that Mons. Poncay had sent this ship after La Trompeuse and other pirates, that Vanhorn, the captain, had no other commission but to take pirates, nor other design here but to deliver his letters. They desired also to buy medicines and stores. I sent Mr. Charles Barré on board, and from him and former information I found out that the ship is an English ship called Mary and Martha, that she saileed from London for Cadiz and Africa, that she did some mischief to the Spaniards at Cadiz, has robbed the Dutch, taken negroes by force from the coast, helped one king to make war on another, and so got hold of four or five hundred negroes with which she came to Cayenne. There she left half of them and brought the rest to St. Domingo. She was there made to pay for injuries done against the Spaniards and the Dutch, but was protected against us and let go with a very few men; for the English some had deserted, and others, under pretence of mutiny, had been barbarously left on desolate islands and cays. In this condition she reached Petit Guavos with fifty or sixty negroes, Governor Poncay then put Mons. Grammont on board with nearly three hundred menm, and gave him a commission, grounded on my complaint of French pirates and planters at the Isle des Vaches. Fear the French King makes Mons. Poncay in good earnest. He hanged one or two ment that I described to him, and sent to Isle des Vaches to seixe the commandant. Still he does no justice about restoring goods received by hinmself as well as by the commandant and others. In the future, I hope we shall be better neighbours.

Our frigate, I doubt not, will make an end of La Trompeuse, if she has not alreadu done it, for six or seven vessels which have come in during the last three days from the coast report that they saw nothing of the pirate. The vessels we have sent out, and the fame of our galley, awe all the rest of the rogues, and the more because they were fitted out by this Island alone. The pirates, therefore, are all joining Laurens in the Bay of Honduras, where he is said to have two great ships, a barque, and a sloop or ours and five hundred men. Three days ago I gave the master a letter to Laurens rquesting him to punish the pirates and deliver the sloop, which I believe he will do. For I hope to bring them to that pass that they will be content if we dot not punish them for robbing the Spaniards, and that without another frigate from the King or further charge to his revenue in England.

Everyone here concludes that Vanhorn is also gone to Laurens (the man whom, as I wrote, took 122,000 pieces of eight off Porto Rico), and lies by to intercept a ship of forty-four guns and four hundred men, with another of just half her strenght, that are loading goods and money at Guatemala. Vanhorn has provisions for six months. Nobody thinks he would carry this to capture pirates, nor that he would come to leeward after them when he knows they are to windward. Besides, directly he was out of sight of Jamaica on his departure he bore up. Barré says that the French abhor him for his insolence and passion, and that they will desert him at first land or make Grammont captain, who is an honest old privateer. Vanhorn, besides, is so vain that he showed him a number of bags which he judged to hold six or eight thounsad pieces of eight. We gave him charge of letters. You may hear more of him from Colonels Bawden and Stroude if this be not enough about the rascal. You cannot blame me for being historian of those rogues for this year, for I have business with few else. To ensure the destruction of La Trompeuse, and sow dissension among the pirate, I have sent Coxon to offer to one one Yankey (who commands an admirable sailer) men, victuals, pardon, naturalisation, and two hundred pounds in money to him and Coxon if he will go after La Trompeuse.

By letters from New Providence, I understand that Lilborn acts as old Governor Clarke did, but with less appearance of justice, for he does and permits as much without commissions as the other did with them, as you may see by enclosed quaker's letter. I have sent him with an address to you that you may know particulars if you please, and what illuminations hee has to make us Landgraves and Mamamouchts. (...)

[postcriptum de la main de sir Thomas Lynch:] 4th March 1682-1683 [14 mars 1683]. This is a copy of one that I sent by a Bristol man. I send also affidavits about Vanhorn's bussiness.

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source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 963.