The People, their Wives, and Widows, who thought themselves injured in this Seclusion, petitioned the Lords-Commissioners of the Admiralty, the Secretaries, and other Officers of State, for a Recall of this Grant; sine Auspiciis. The Officers joined also in a Petition for the E—— of B——y’s Interposition, to obtain for them the Division of any Sum they might prove, over and above what was suggested in obtaining the Privy-Seal;—and with the same Success.
To return from this Excursion; the number of our Prisoners gave a great deal of fatigue and uneasiness, during a six Weeks Passage, lest the danger of a Halter should prompt them to some desperate Attempt for their Liberty; but arriving safe at Cape Corso again, they were there brought to their Tryals, hang’d, or acquitted; the Court allowing for the Office of Register,
| l. | s. | d. | |
| 26 Days Attendance, at 30s. per Diem, for which at home ⅓ was deducted | 26 | 00 | 0 |
| The Provost, 7s. 6d. per Diem | 9 | 15 | 0 |
The General of the Coast gave the Table, which made the whole Charge rest upon those two Articles, the cheapest since the Reformation.
St. George de ELMINA.
During our Stay in the Road, an Officer or two of us took an Interval to wait on Mr. Butler, the Director-General for the Dutch at St. George de Elmina, three Leagues to Windward; he received us so much the more kindly, that in eighteen years which he had resided on the Coast, he had seldom been visited by his Countrymen, and of late, not at all, which he imputed to the Misunderstandings that were frequently happening between him and his Neighbour, Mr. Phips, on account of Trade; they could not pay him this Compliment without offending the other. His Table had ten Dishes of Victuals, an extraordinary Shew in a part of such Scarcity, with variety of Beer and Wine, and an attendance of six Negro Servants, each a gold Chain about his Neck, the largeness distinguishing Grandeur, as fine Cloth or Lace does a Livery.
After Dinner, Mr. Butler gave us four gold Rings a-piece, (the Make of the Country) a Trifle, he said, to remember him, and then shewed us their Apartments and Store-houses, large, and well stocked.
The Castle, taken from the Portuguese in 1638, is a Quadrangle, like that of Cape Corso, but has a double Ditch round, cut out of a Rock, which like Basins hold the Rain-water, and give additional Strength; a populous Negro Town at the foot of it, under their Protection.
From hence, we retired for the Afternoon to a Summer-house in his Garden, and in the Evening his Officers attended us to the Boat, where we were still followed with Marks of undeserved Respect, three or four Rooves of Brasil Sugar, (then a Commodity) and at putting off, a Salute of nine Guns. The worst part of our Fare came afterwards, when we could not commend this Hospitality and Generosity of Mr. Butler, without indirect Reflections upon our own Castle.