XVIII.
27 May (6 June) 1631.
Captaine David Kirke sworne and examined before the right worshipfull Sr. Henry Martin Knight, Judge of his Majesties high Court of the Admiralty uppon certaine Interrogatoryes answereth thereto as followeth.
To the first Interrogatory hee sayeth That true it is, That he was Imployed cheife Comander in two voyages into Canida, in the yeares 1628. and 1629. and the first of those voyages he was sett forth and ymployed at the Chardges of his late father Gervase Kirke and others merchantes of London, and the last of those voyages at the chardges of Sr. William Alexander the yonger, the sayde Gervase Kirke and others theire partners. And this hee affirmeth uppon his oath to be true.
To the second he sayeth That in the first of the said voyages, he tooke from the French all the Country of Canida that they had in possession, except the fort of Cabecke.
To the third he sayeth That in the last voyage when he tooke the sayd fort of Cabecke he had not any notice or knowledge of the late peace concluded betweene England and France.
To the fowerth he sayeth That in the sayde last voyage wherein he tooke the sayde fort of Cabecke, he had a Comission under the broade seale of England, authorizinge him to transplant the French at Canida, and utterly to expell them from that country.
To the fift he sayeth That in the sayd last voyage in the river of Canida he mett whit a French pinnace whereof Emery de Cane was Comander, and that pinnace assalted this examinates shallops and shott at them before this examinate began fight with her. And that pinnace did kill two of this examinates company and hurt and maymed twelve or sixteene others of them.
To the sixt he sayeth That the beaver and ottar skynnes now in sequestration under the lockes of the Admiraltye are the same that this examinate had by trade with the natives of Canida, and by composition from the French for victualls given them accordinge to that composition.
To the seaventh he sayeth that the French at the tyme of the renderinge of the forte 17/1429of Cabecke did bringe out of the same which they sould and disposed to theire owne use betwixt seaven and eight hundred beaver skinns, of which the greatest part they sould to the English here in England.
To the 8th he sayeth that when this examinates men retoured from the takinge of the sayde forte, this examinate would have taken some beaver skynnes from them which they desired him not to doe, because (as they did constantly affirme to him) they had bought part of them of the French in exchange of apparrell, and the rest they founde in ditches and in the wood where the french had hid them.
To the nynth and tenth he sayeth That there was not in the sayde forte at the tyme of the rendition of the same to this examinates knowledge any victualls, save only one tubb of bitter rootes, and he sayeth uppon his oath, That for the victualls which he gave the French to releive them in Canida and homewards accordinge to Composition, he might have hade in trucke with the natives of that country more beavers by a thousand then he had out of the sayde fort of Cabecke. And this he affirmeth uppon his oath to be true, Further addinge that with his owne victualls he fedd of the French by the space of three or fower monthes at the least one hundred persons, and payde for theire victualls in England and freighted and victualled them a shipp and therein sent them from England to France according to the sayde composition.
(State Paper Office, Colonial Papers, vol. VI, art, 15.)