Introduction
Depuis les années 1670, quelques vaisseaux de la Royal Navy avaient comme station navale le Port Royal de la Jamaïque. Leur mission consistait, entre autres, à transporter le courier officiel entre le gouverneur de la Jamaïque et ses homologues des colonies espagnoles et à donner la chasse aux pirates. Si la première de ces tâches était relativement aisée, la seconde comme on peut le constater dans le document ci-dessous ne l'était pas. Le dessein des flibustiers auquel le gouverneur de la Jamaïque fait référence se révélera être une descente sur Campêche en juillet suivant. J'ai fait précéder la lettre de Molesworth de l'ordre de mission du capitaine du Ruby puis suivre, d'une seconde lettre qui revient sur les activités des flibustiers mentionnées dans la première.
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Lieutenant-Governor Molesworth's instructions to Captain David Mitchell, H.M.S. Ruby Jamaica, April 6, 1685 [16 avril 1685]. To convoy to Spanish ships to Porto Bello, and thence to proceed to the Bay of Darien, visit Golden Island and the Isle of Pines, and destroy piratical craft if possible. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1685-1688: no 116. Lieutenant-Governor Molesworth to William Blathwayt [extrait] Jamaica, May 15, 1685 [25 mai 1685]. (...) Captain Mitchell, of the Ruby, writes that on 19th April [29 avril] he came up with Grammont, Laurens, Yankey, Banister, and Jacobs, all great ships. He sent aboard Grammont to know why an English ship was sailing under French coulours, and demanded the arrest of Banister for serving under a foreign commission, but they all said that he had not entered the King of France's service, so captain Mitchell thought best not insist further. I could give Mitchell no particular instructions as to Banister. He was acquitted for piracy here, and his stealing out of port was no more than a debtor running away from his creditor, so that I could not see how to justify an order bring him in by force. His ship having been sold to the French, and I do know how to get her out of their hands. Mitchell advises me that the French are making up a fleet of twenty-two sail at the Isle of Pines for some design which is kept very secret. He supposes to be against the galleons which were to sail this month from Carthagena for Porto Bello, but I rather suspect it may be against Carthagena itself as soon as the galleons are gone, the place being weakened by detachments from Lima and Panama. Michel, the privateer, is gone to the South Cays of Cuba to take three Dutch ships that are trading there. It will be an advantage to our traders to have them discouraged. Hder. Molesworth. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1685-1688: no 193. Lieutenant-Governor Molesworth to William Blathwayt [extrait] Jamaica, July 6, 1685 [16 juillet 1685]. We have no certain news of affairs in the South Seas, but we conclude they go ill for the Spaniard. Four sloops sent by the factors for advice as to the Assiento have not returned, being probably detained lest they should bring news of the success of the privateers. Certainly there are so many reports of that success that all people of uncertain fortunes are strangely tempted to join them. Luckily we re-took and brought back two boats that ran away from Port Royal, but others have got clear away from other ports. The Spaniards have treated our fishermen in the South Cays very ill, taking sloops and maltreating the people. They took one sloop, designing, under English colours, to surprise the negroes and person of Captain Davis, on the north side of the Island, but being met by the canoes of the French privateer Michel, they sailed into a creek till the coast was clear and then left for Cuba. Our people who were acting under compulsion as pilots, by preconcerted signal ran the sloop ashore, and all leaped overboard at the same time. They are since returned, and report that the Spaniards threaten to make a second attempt One or two men, who missed the signal to leap overboard, they believe to have been killed by the Spaniards. (...) The French fleet is supposed to have designs on Vera Cruz. The trade of Europe will suffer, if the pirates in the South Seas be not speedily suppressed. Hender Molesworth. source: P.R.O. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, 1685-1688: no 269. |
| LES ARCHIVES DE LA FLIBUSTE |
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| Le Diable Volant |