Four pound weight of the gold brought from Gardiner's Island which I formerly acquainted your Lordships of, and all the Jewels, belonged to Gillam, as Mr. Gardiner's Letter to Mr. Dummer,[15] a Marchand in t[he] town and one of the Committee appointed by me and the Council to receive all the treasure and goods which [were] brought in Kidd's sloop, will prove; and there is some proof of it in Captain Coddington's b[efore men]tioned narrative, and in Captain Knot's deposition of the 14th Instant. I am told that as Vice A[dmiral] of these provinces I am entitled to 1/3 part of Gillam's said gold and Jewels; I know not whe[ther I] am or no, but if it be my right I hope your Lordships will please to represent to the King the ext[reme] pains and vigilance I have used in taking these severall Pyrates, and that I may have my [por]tion of the said gold and Jewels, if there be any due to me. It is a great prejudice to the King's s[ervice] that here is no Revenue or other fund to answer any occasion or service of Majestys. I have [been] forced to disburse the 200 pieces of 8/8 for the taking of Gillam out of my own little stock and also to [de]fray my journey and other expences in going to Rhode-Island to execute the King's Commission [and] Instructions. Both accounts I now send, and beg your Lordships favour in promoting and Countenancing the payment of that mony to Sir John Stanley for my use. Captain Gullock[16] tells [me] that 15 or 16 of the ship's Company that would not be concerned with Gillam and his accomplices in murdering Captain Edgecomb, and afterwards turning Pyrates, went home to England in [the] Ship America belonging to the East India Company, Captain Laycock Commander. I should thi[nk an] advertisement in the Gazette requiring some of those men to appear before one of the Sec[retaries] of State to give their evidence of what they know of that matter, would be proper.
[Your] Lordships will meet with a passe among the other papers, number 5, to Sion Arnold, one of the [pirat]es brought from Madagascar by Shelley of New York, the said passe signed by Mr. Basse,[17] [Go]vernor of East and West Jerzies, which is a bold step in Basse after such positive orders as he received from [Govern]or[18] Vernon, but I perceive plainly the meaning of it, he took severall Pirats at Burlington [in West] Jerzey, and a good store of mony with them as it is said, and I daresay he would be glad they [should] escape, for when they are gone, who can witnesse what money he seized with them? I know [the] man so well, that I verily believe that is his plot. John Carr mentioned in some of the [papers to (?)] be in Rhode Island, No. 6, was one of Hore's Crew. There are abundance of other Pyrats in that [Is]land at this time, but they are out of my power. Mr. Brinley,[19] Colonel Sanford, and Captain Coddington are honest men, and of the best estates in the Island, and because they are heartily [wea]ry of the male administrations of that Government, and because too I commissioned them (by [virt]ue of the authority and power given me by his Majesty's Commission and Instructions so to do) to [make] Inquiry into the Irregularities of those people, they are become strangely odious to them and [are o]ften affronted by them, neither will they make them Justices of the peace; so that when they [w]ould commit Pyrates to Goal, they are forced to go to the Governor for his Warrant, and very ... ly the Pyrates get notice, and avoid the Warrant for that time. You may please to o[bser]ve too that Gardiner the Deputy Collector[20] is accused to have been once a Pyrat, in one of the [paper]s. I doubt he will forswear himselfe rather than part with Gillam's gold which is in his hands. [It is] impossible for me to transmit to the Lords of the Treasury these proofs against Gardiner. [I am] so jaded with writing, that I cannot write to them by this Conveyance, but I could wish [your Lordships might be (?)] made acquainted with Gardiner's Character, and that they would send over honest In——t men to be Collectors of Rhode Island, Conecticut, and New Hampshire; and that they [would h]asten Mr. Brenton[21] hither to his post, or send some other Collector in his room. I could [wish] that Mr. Weaver were ordered to hasten to New York. Your Lordships may please to observe that [Knott] in one of his depositions accuses Gillam to have pyrated four years together in the [Sou]th sea against the Spaniards.
We have advice that Burk an Irishman and Pyrat that committed severall robberies on th[e] [coast] of Newfoundland, is drowned with all his ship's Company, except 7 or 8 persons somewh[ere to the] southward. It is said he perished in the hurrican that was in those Seas about the end of [July and] beginning of August last. It is good news, he was very strong if we may believe report, [and is s]aid to have had a good ship with a 140 men, and 24 guns.
[Bra]dish and Wetherley have a slight extraordinary in attempting to escape, they [made] two attempts since they were last committed, once they broke the floor of the prison and thought to escape that way, but that failing them, within a night or two they filed off their fetters, upon which I ordered them to be manicled, and chained to one another. I believe this new Goaler I have got is honest, otherwise I should be very uneasy for fear these Pyrats should escape....[22]
I conclude with all respect
My Lords
Your Lordships most humble and obedient Servant
Bellomont.
[1] Public Record Office, C.O. 5:861, no. 4. Endorsed as received Jan. 19, 1700, and read at the Board Feb. 9.
[2] The letter in which [no. 83] was enclosed; its substance is given in Cal. St. P. Col., 1699, pp. 486-490.
[3] See [doc. no. 77], [note 8].