At Whitsonday was held the fourth generall Assise at Saint Georges, where were tryed twenty severall causes; foure or five were whipped or burnt in the hand, for breaking of houses: also an order was made, that the party cast in the triall of any cause, should pay to every of the Jurours foure pence: moreover, that not past ten leaves at the most should grow upon a plant of Tobacco, and that also in the making it up, a distinction should diligently be observed of two kinds, a better and a worse: then they built a strong stone house for the Captaine of the Kings Castle and corps du guard; and repaired what defects they could finde in the platformes and carriages.
Captaine Powell so oft mentioned, having beene in the West-Indies for the States of Holland, came to an anchor within shot of their Ordnance, desiring admittance for wood and water, of which hee had great need, but the Governor would not permit him, so he weighed and [V.196.] departed, whereat the company were so madded, it was not possible to constraine them to cease their exclaimations against the Companies inhibition, till they were weary with exclaming: But still for their better defence, not thinking themselves sufficiently secure, having finished two new plat-formes more, arrived the Magazin ship, but her Master was dead, and many of the Passengers, the rest for most part very sicke; and withall, a strange and wonderfull report of much complaint made against the Governor to the Company in England, by some of them returned in the last yeeres shipping: but it was eight daies before she could get in by reason of ill weather, being forced againe to Sea; so that time, they kept every night continually great fires, she might see the Ile as well by night as day; but at last she arrived, and he plainly understood, he had more cause a great deale to looke for misconstruction of all his service then an acknowledgment, much lesse a recompence any better then his predecessors; but it is no new thing to requite the best desert with the most vildest of ingratitude.
A strange deliverence of a Spanish wracke.
The very next daies night after the arrivall of the Magazins ship, newes was brought the Governor by a dismaied Messenger from Sands his Tribe, that one hundred Spaniards were landed in that part, and divers ships discovered at Sea, whereupon he presently manned the Forts, and instantly made thitherward in person with twentie men, determining as he found cause to draw together more strength by the way. Being got thither by the breake of the next day, in stead of an enemy which he expected, he met onely with a company of poore distressed Portugals and Spaniards, who in their passage from Carthagena in the West-Indies, in consort with the Spanish fleet of Plait; by the same storme that had indangered the Magazin ship, lost theirs upon those terrible Rocks, being to the number of seventy persons, were strangely preserved; and the manner was thus.
About Sunne-set their ship beating amongst the Rocks, some twenty of the Sailers got into the Boat with what treasure they could, leaving the Captaine, the Master, and all the rest to the mercy of the Sea. But a Boy not past foureteene yeares of age that leaped after to have got into the Boat, missing that hope, it pleased God he got upon a Chest a drift by him, whereon they report he continued two daies, and was driven neere to the cleane contrary part of the Ile, where he was taken up neere dead, yet well recovered. All this night the ship sticking fast, the poore distressed in her the next day spying land, made a raft, and were those gave the alarum first a shore about three of the clocke in the afternoone. The morning after, about seven of the clocke came in the Boat to a place called Mangrove Bay; and the same day their Carpenter was driven a shore upon a Planke neere Hog-Bay. There was a Gentlewoman that had stood wet up to the middle upon the raft from the ship to the shore, being big with childe; and although this was upon the thirteenth of September, she tooke no hurt, and was safely delivered of a Boy within three daies after. The best comfort could be given them in those extremities they had, although some of the baser sort had beene rifling some of them before the Governors arrivall; Also the Spanish Captaine and the chiefe with him, much complained of the treachery of his men to leave him in that manner, yet had conveyed with them the most of the money they could come by, which he easily missed; whereupon hee suddenly caused all them he accused, to be searched, and recovered to the value of one hundred and fortie pounds starling, which he delivered into the Captaines hands, to be imploied in a generall purse towards their generall charge: during their stay in the Iles, some of the better sort, nine or ten weeks dieted at his owne table, the rest were billited amongst the Inhabitants at foure shillings the weeke, till they found shipping for their passage, for which they paied no more then the English paied themselves; and for the passage of divers of them, the Governor was glad to stand bound to the Master; some others that were not able to procure such friendship, were so constrained to stay in the Iles, till by their labours they [V.197.] had got so much as would transport them; and thus they were preserved, releeved, and delivered.
How they solemnized the powder treason,
and the arrival of two ships.
In the moneth insuing arrived the second ship, and she also had lost her Master, and divers of her Passengers; in her came two Virginian Women to be married to some would have them, that after they were converted and had children, they might be sent to their Countrey and kindred to civilize them. Towards the end of this moneth came in the third ship with a small Magazin, having sold what she could, caried the rest to Virginia, and never did any of those Passengers complaine either of their good diet, or too good usage at sea; but the cleane contrary still occasioned many of those extremities. The fift of November the damnable plot of the powder treason was solemnized, with Praiers, Sermons, and a great Feast, whereto the Governor invited the chiefe of the Spaniards, where drinking the Kings health, it was honored with a quicke volly of small shot, which was answered from the Forts with the great Ordnance, and then againe concluded with a second volley of small shot; neither was the afternoone without musicke and dancing, and at night many huge bone-fires of sweet wood.
A.D. 1621.
The Spaniards returne, and in danger againe.
The English Murderers found in the Spanish wracke. {MN}
The Spaniards to expresse their thankfulnesse at their departure, made a deed of gift to the Governor of whatsoever he could recover of the wracked ship; but the ships as they went out came so dangerously upon a Rock, that the poore Spaniards were so dismaied, swearing this place was ominous unto them, especially the women, that desired rather to goe a shore and die howsoever, than adventure any further in such a labyrinth of dangers, but at last she got cleere without danger, and well to England; the other went to Virginia, wherein the Governor sent two great Chests filled with all such kinds and sorts of Fruits and Plants as their Ilands had; as Figs, Pomgranats, Oranges, Lemons, Sugar-canes, Plantanes, Potatoes, Papawes, Cassado roots, red Pepper, the Prickell Peare, and the like. The ships thus dispatched, hee goeth into the maine, and so out to sea to the Spanish wracke. He had beene there before presently after her ruine, for never had ship a more sudden death, being now split in peeces all under water. He found small hope to recover any thing, save a Cable and an Anchor, and two good Sacars; {MN} but the wind was so high hee was forced to returne, being ten miles from the shore, onely with three Murderers, which were knowne to be the same Captaine Kendall had sold to Captaine Kerby, whose ship was taken by two men of warre of Carthagena, the most of his men slaine or hanged, and he being wounded, died in the woods. Now their Pilot being at this service, got thus those three Murderers to their ship, and their ship thus to the Bermudas, as the Spaniards remaining related to the Governor and others.