Introduction
Au début de juillet 1684, le capitaine Bréha, commandant la Diligente de 14 canons et de 100 hommes, appareilla du Petit-Goâve en compagnie des capitaines Granmont et Tocard sous commission de nouveau gouverneur de Saint-Domingue, le sieur de Cussy, pour tenter de réunir ensemble tous les flibustiers de la colonie, comme le rapporte ce dernier dans son mémoire du 24 août suivant. Leur croisière se révèle fort peu profitable. Bréha se retrouve ainsi, quelques mois plus tard, en novembre, parmi les cayes au sud de Cuba. Pressés par le manque de vivres, ses hommes et lui contraignent alors les équipages des sloops jamaïquains The Seaflower et The Greyhound de pêcher pour eux des tortues de mer. Quelques uns des hommes de Bréha s'embarquant alors sur ces deux petits bâtiments de pêche en arraisonnent deux autres - le Prosperous et l'Elizabeth - quelques jours plus tard. Ils dépouillent ensuite, de sa cargaison de tortues, un cinquième sloop (The True Love) mais un sixième (The Speedwell) parvient à prendre la fuite. Se présentent alors aux cayes sept bateaux de pêche escortés par le H.M.S. Bonito, petit bâtiment de guerre assurant alors la fonction de garde-côte à la Jamaïque. Edward Stanley, commandant du Bonito, demande des explications au flibustier. Mais un vent fort à propos se lève et Bréha reprend la mer sans rendre plus de compte au capitaine de la Royal Navy. C'est ce que rapporte les documents reproduits sur cette page: le récit de Stanley sur cet incident et les dépositions des maîtres de sloops anglais attaqués par Bréha. Informé de cette affaire, le gouverneur de la Jamaïque, le colonel Molesworth, n'entend pas en rester là: il en informe ses supérieurs à Londres et il envoyera demander réparation à son homologue français de Saint-Domingue pour cet acte de piraterie. Quant à Bréha, avant de rentrer à Saint-Domingue, il capturera au large de Cuba un vaisseau espagnol (voir au sujet de cette prise la lettre du gouverneur Molesworth, et celle conjointe des gouverneur et intendant des Isles d'Amérique, toutes deux de janvier 1685).
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Captain Stanley, R.N., to Lieutenant-Governor Hender Molesworth On the 12th October [22 octobre 1684] I sailed for Trinidad in Cuba, pursuant to your orders. Meeting with contrary winds I was forced to put in to Port Maria on the coast of Cuba to water. I arrived there on the 5th November, and on the 6th sent my boat ashore with water casks, with the pilot and seven men all unarmed, but flying the King's jack to protect her. The pilot said that he would return in two hours, but as he did not appear I mistrusted that he was seized and made every preparation for defending my ship. On the 7th at 6 A.M. I saw a galley rowing close under the shore and put into a creek about two miles to eastward of me. I at once got up sail, but I had no sooner done so than I saw the galley and a periago comunig under sail and oars, the galley flying the Spanish flag with a red ensign and the periago the King's jack, which he had taken in my boat. I fired at the galley when she came within range, and she at me, and we were engaged from nine to eleven, when they got into the creek where there was not water for me to follow them. I then sailed to the Isle of Match to acquaint the turtling sloops, and anchored there, and next morning I took three of them under my convoy and sailed for Boage Pavillione. At two o'clock seeing smoke on an island I anchored under it and obtained advice of a French privateer of sixteen guns and 180 men, commanded by one Captain Braugham which lay at Boage Pavillione with four English sloops. Having seven sloops under my convoy I sailed for that place, and at nine next morning anchored by Braugham and sent on board him to ask why the four sloops with him did not hoist their English colours. He then came on board me and said that he had been forced to do what he had done for want of provisions. I then demanded of him two turtling nets which he had taken from William Merriman and Theophilus Smith, but these were proved to have been made by and bought from Spaniards. He promised to end all differences next morning, but the wind blowing fresh in the night he hove up anchor and went to sea. Edw. Stanley. Sworn to before John Webbe, November 14, 1684 [24 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1938 ii. deposition of Anthony Griffin, master of the sloop Prosperous At the beginning of this month I was leaving the South Cays with turtle when two sloops, which I had thought to be English, ordered me to anchor, and some Frenchmen came on board and took me prisoner. Anthony Hawkes of the sloop Elizabeth was also taken a few hours later, and we were all carried to Boga Pavillione, six leagues off which Captain Breha was lying with his ship. He took all our turtle and detained us for three days, when H.M.S. Bonito rescued us. Sworn before John Webbe, November 14, 1684 [24 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1938 v. deposition of Peter Clayton, master of the sloop Eagle [extrait] On the 6th instant [16 novembre 1684] I was in company with two sloops more, with H.M.S. Bonito, Captain Stanley, at the mouth of Porta Maria harbour, Cuba, when Captain Stanley sent his boat ashore for water. (...) I am part owner of the two boats that were fishing at the South Cays of Cuba at that time, which were captured by the French privateer under Captain Braugham, and recaptured a few days later by the Bonito. But the privateer had damaged the craft, etc., to the value of 160£. Sworn before John Webbe, November 18, 1684 [28 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1949 i. deposition of Francis Powell, master of the sloop Speedwell I was fishing at the South Cays on the 6th instant [16 novembre 1684], when I was pursued by a sloop with some of Captain Breha's Frenchmen, and compelled to return, to the loss of my voyage. Sworn before John Webbe, November 18, 1684 [28 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1949 ii. deposition of Daniel Pindar, master of the sloop Greyhound While at the South Cays at the beginning of this mouth I was boarded by a periago with several men, commanded by Captain Breha, who cut our cable and compelled us to catch turtle for them for several days till rescued by H.M.S. Bonito. Sworn before John Webbe, November 18, 1684 [28 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1949 iii. deposition of Anthony Hawkes, master of the sloop Elizabeth At the beginning of this month I was fishing in the South Cays, and taken fifty turtle in the sloop and in the craule, when we found two sloops of Captain Breha's alongside the craule, who took all the turtle, and kept us prisoners for three days, till rescued by H.M.S. Bonito. Sworn before John Webbe, November 18, 1684 [28 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1949 v. deposition of John Griffin, master of the sloop True Love On my way back from turtling at the South Cays I was met by a ship under Captain Breha who took thirty turtle from me by force. Sworn before John Webbe, November 18, 1684 [28 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1949 vi. deposition of Henry Smith, master of the sloop Seaflower While fishing in the South Cays at the beginning of this month I was boarded by Captain Breha and his men, who compelled me to fish for them, and detained us a week until we were rescued by H.M.S. Bonito. Sworn before John Webbe, November 18, 1684 [28 novembre 1684]. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1681-1685: no. 1949 vii. |
| LES ARCHIVES DE LA FLIBUSTE |
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| Le Diable Volant |