Capt. Tho. Dover,
Mr. Robert Frye,
Mr. W. Stratton,Gorgona, 9 July, 1709.

Gentlemen,

At Gorgona.

WE having agreed with you in a Committee, That you take a Bark under your Care, and transport our Prisoners to the Main, and having order’d about 45 Men under your Command to proceed with you, and attempt the Plundering where you judge convenient: We only recommend the utmost Dispatch, and that you keep in mind, we hope to be ready in 8 Days, and shall earnestly expect you as much as possible within that Time. Other things relating to this you’ll know better how to act than we can here direct.

Should a powerful Enemy attempt us in your Absence, we’ll be certain to leave a Glass Bottle buried at the Root of the Tree whence the Fore-mast was cut, to acquaint you, then Quibo is the Place we will wait for you at, if we are well, and you must leave a Glass Bottle at this Place in case we return hither again: But this we don’t expect, if once chas’d away.

Woodes Rogers,Tho. Glendall,
Stephen Courtney, John Connely,
William Dampier,Geo. Milbourne,
Edward Cooke,John Bridge,
William Bath,John Ballett,
Cha. Pope,

July 10. Early this Morning we put our 72 Prisoners aboard the Bark. We had several times discours’d our Prisoners, the two Morells, and Don Antonio about ransoming the Goods, and were in hopes of selling them to advantage, but deferr’d coming to Particulars, till now that we plainly saw, unless they could have the Cargoes under a quarter Value, they would not deal with us. I propos’d going to Panama, and to lie 6 Days as near it as they pleas’d, till they brought the Money we should agree for at a moderate Rate; provided they left a Hostage aboard us, whom on failure we would carry to England. To this they would have agreed, provided we would take 60000 Pieces of Eight for all the Prize Goods. Then I propos’d their ransoming the Galleon, and putting good part of the Goods aboard her, provided one of them three and another they could procure would be Hostages for the Sum. They answer’d, That neither of them would go Hostage to England for the World. Then I propos’d delivering the Galleon and Cargo to them here, provided 2 of them would be Ransomers to pay us the Money at any other Place but Panama or Lima, in Six Days, if they would give us 120000 Pieces of Eight, being the lowest Price we could take for all the Prizes and Goods, Negroes, &c. They told us that Trade with Strangers, especially the English and Dutch, was so strictly prohibited in those Seas, that they must give more than the prime Cost of the Goods in Bribes, to get a License to deal with us: So that they could not assure us of Payment, unless we sold the Goods very cheap; therefore not finding it worth our Time, and knowing the Danger we must run in treating with them, we desisted, and order’d them all ashore, still hoping that this would necessitate the Morells and Navarre to get Money for us, and prevent our burning the Ships, and what we can’t carry away. Every one now wish’d we had kept some others of the topping Prisoners, to have try’d whether they had a better Foundation and Method to trade; the Goods being of little value to us here, and we must fill our Ships so full, that we fear ’twill spoil our sailing.

July 11. Yesterday our Bark and 2 Pinnaces sail’d with our chief Prisoners. Don Antonio, the Fleming, Sen. Navarre, and the Morells, who did not expect to part with us so suddenly, but by continuing with us, and knowing we could not carry away all the Prizes and Goods, they hop’d we should of course have freely given them what we could not keep. We apprehended that was the principal Reason of their not closing with our Terms, which were advantageous to them. Besides, should we have been attack’d, they believ’d we must then put them in possession of their Ships, which were of no use for fighting. But to obviate all their Hopes of benefiting themselves at this easy Rate, without our participating of their Money, the Magnet that drew us hither, I made them sensible at parting, that as we had treated them courteously like generous Enemies, we would sell them good Bargains for whatever Money they could bring us in 10 Days time, but that we would burn what we did not so dispose of or carry away. They beg’d we would delay burning the Ships, and promis’d to raise what Money they could, and return within the time to satisfy us.

One of the chief Prisoners we now parted with was Don Juan Cardoso, design’d Governor of Baldivia, a brisk Man of about 35 Years of Age; he had serv’d as a Collonel in Spain, had the Misfortune to be taken in the North Seas by an English Privateer near Portobello, and carried to Jamaica, from whence he was sent back to Portobello: He complain’d heavily of the Usage he met with from the Jamaica Privateer; but we parted very good Friends, and he returned us his hearty Thanks, and a Stone Ring for a Present to one of the Dutchess’s Lieutenants that had lent him his Cabbin while he was sick on board.

In Gorgona Road.