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<DATE>2014-11-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<VID>208697</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<P>THE DISLOYAL ACTINGS OF THE BERMUDA COMPANY IN LONDON, By their keeping back a PETITION Pre&s;ented (from the General ASSEMBLY in the &s;aid I&s;lands, convented together there, according to the Laws of the &s;aid COMPANY) to the Kings Mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>With &s;everal Grievances, Petitions, and Papers, as will more at large appear in the following Narrative, &s;hewing the great oppre&s;&s;ions the poor Inhabitants in the &s;aid I&s;lands do groan under, by the ARBITRARY <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">OVERNMENT of the <HI>SOMER-ISLANDS</HI> COMPANY:</P>
<P>In all humility pre&s;ented to the Honourable, the Knights, Citizens, and Burge&s;&s;es ASSEMBLED in PARLIAMENT, craving from them to be relieved from the afore&s;aid and following OPPRESSIONS.</P>
<P>By <HI>WILLIAM RIGHTON.</HI></P>
<P>Printed in the Year, MDCLXXVII.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>THE CONTENTS.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>A Petition pre&s;ented from the A&s;&s;embly, to the Kings mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty.</HI> Page 1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>A Petition pre&s;ented from the A&s;&s;embly to the Company.</HI> p. 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Several Grievances from the A&s;&s;embly to the Company.</HI> p. 5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. <HI>A Petition of Six Inhabitants to Sir.</HI> John Heydon <HI>Go|vernour.</HI> p. 13.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. <HI>A Petition of</HI> 23 <HI>of the A&s;&s;embly, pre&s;ented to the Com|pany.</HI> p. 14.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. <HI>A Petition pre&s;ented to the King in Council, by four Peti|tioners,</HI> &amp;c. p. 15.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. <HI>AN An&s;wer made by the Company to that Petition pre|&s;ented to the King.</HI> p. 18.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. <HI>An An&s;wer, by Reply, to the &s;aid Companies Petition to the King.</HI> p. 19.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. <HI>A Paper Printed by the &s;aid Company, to mi&s;inform the world.</HI> p. 22.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10. <HI>An An&s;wer to the &s;aid Paper, to undeceive the world.</HI> p. 23.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11. <HI>All pre&s;ented to the Parliament, craving from them re|lief.</HI> p. 26.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="4">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>To the Kings Mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty: The Humble Petition of the General A&s;&s;embly, the repre&s;entative body of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>WHereas your Royal Maje&s;ties Predece&s;&s;or, King <HI>James</HI> of Ble&s;&s;ed memory, did by His Gracious Letters Pa|tents on the 29th day of <HI>June,</HI> in the Thirteenth year of His Reign of <HI>England, &amp;c.</HI> give and grant unto the fir&s;t Proprietors of the&s;e I&s;lands, by the name of the Trea&s;urer and Company of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands,</HI> many Pri|viledges, Liberties and Immunities, with &s;everal bounds and limitations, for the making and alterations of Laws ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary for the being and well-being of the&s;e I&s;lands, and the Inhabitants thereof; which Proprietors con&s;i&s;ting of the Nobility and Gentry of the Realm of <HI>England,</HI> did in the 18th year of His &s;aid Maje&s;ties Reign, make and ordain &s;everal good and whol&s;om Laws according to the &s;aid Letters Patents, which were to be kept by them and their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors inviola|ble; Printed, <HI>Anno. Dom.</HI> 1622: to the which, reference being had, may more plainly appear; whereby they were obliged to maintain and defray the publick charges of the&s;e I&s;lands, out of the Publick Lands which his &s;aid Maje&s;ty had granted to them, their Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors. Since which time, part of the intere&s;t of the&s;e I&s;lands, being alienated among&s;t &s;ome few Traders and Mechanicks, with whom &s;elf-intere&s;t being more prevalent than publick good, they have infringed your Maje|&s;ties Laws, and broken the &s;aid Letters Patents, de&s;pi&s;ed the &s;aid good and whol&s;om Book of Laws, the Acts of their Progenitors, impo&s;ing on us your Maje&s;ties free-born and mo&s;t Loyal Subjects, their Arbitrary Commands and Injunctions, depo&s;ing us of our Birthrights and Privi|ledges, forbidding to Trade for any Commodities that they &s;end not in their Ship, which is but once in a year; inhancing their goods to &s;uch exce&s;&s;ive rates, that they have our Commodities for almo&s;t no|thing, endeavouring to bring us into greater bondage; unju&s;tly taxing our Tobacco to the one third part of its value, and &s;ometimes more; for which they were to &s;upply us with Ammunition for defence, and Mini&s;ters for our in&s;truction; yet have but one Mini&s;ter in the whole
<PB N="2" REF="5">I&s;land, where there ought to be five: And the Ammunition and Pro|vi&s;ion for defence, was much after the &s;ame proportion, although the Impo&s;ition they have laid upon one of our Commodities amounteth to near four times the value of the Publick Charges, until your Royal Maje&s;ty was graciou&s;ly plea&s;ed, for the &s;afety and &s;ecurity of the&s;e I&s;lands, bountifully to &s;upply us; which with all humble and &s;ubmi&s;|&s;ive boldne&s;s, on the bended knees of our Loyal hearts, we mo&s;t gracefully acknowledg; re&s;olving in the Power of God, whil&s;t we have Limbs or Life, again&s;t all your Maje&s;ties Enemies, to defend and keep this poor, yet not incon&s;iderable I&s;land: our bounden duty to your &s;acred Maje&s;ty, the honour of our Nation, and the re&s;pect to our &s;elves and Families, obligeth us thereunto; although we have other|wi&s;e &s;mall encouragement, labouring under &s;uch in&s;upportable burthens and grievances, which we have from time to time laid upon us by tho&s;e who in duty were obliged to have relieved us, and from whom can have no remedy:</P>
<P>Wherefore mo&s;t dear and dread Soveraign, we your Maje&s;ties poor Pe|titioners, knowing your Royal Maje&s;ties Heart, and the Acts of your Maje&s;ties Royal Favour and Grace, is like Fire and Air, common to all your Maje&s;ties Loyal Subjects, have taken this boldne&s;s; our great nece&s;&s;ities compelling us to &s;eek redre&s;s from your gracious Maje&s;ties hand, who are the true pattern of vertue and goodne&s;s to all your Maje&s;ties Subjects. The Right Honourable <HI>Anthony</HI> Earl of <HI>Shaftsbury,</HI> &amp;c. our Honourable Governour, is able more par|ticularly to inform your Maje&s;ty of our deplorable condition; humbly, and earne&s;tly deploring your mo&s;t &s;acred Maje&s;ties gracious a&s;&s;i&s;tance, to &s;uccour us in our extremity, and to pardon our rude Lines, as coming from poor di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Planters, who are confident of nothing more, than that we are, and de&s;ire always to be</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ties mo&s;t humble, mo&s;t obedient, and mo&s;t faithful Subjects.</SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P><HI>The which &s;aid Petition was &s;igned by the whole A&s;&s;embly; but the &s;aid Company &s;tifted it, and never delivered it to the Kings Most Excellent Maje&s;ty.</HI></P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="3" REF="5">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable, and Honourable, The Company of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands.</HI> The Humble Petition of the General A&s;&s;embly, Convened in the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands, Augu&s;t</HI> the <HI>11th, 1673.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>WHereas there have been &s;everal General A&s;&s;emblies, who from time to time have pre&s;ented the Grievances of the&s;e I&s;lands to your Honours, but could never find redre&s;s of tho&s;e burthens, taxes, and impo&s;itions, which have been laid upon us His Maje&s;ties free|born Subjects; but &s;till in&s;tead of relief (through the crafty de&s;igns, and &s;ini&s;ter practices of &s;ome &s;elf-intere&s;ted per&s;ons, as we conceive) have received a greater addition of mi&s;ery, to the almo&s;t ruine of us the Inhabitants of the&s;e I&s;lands, contrary to the Kings Letters Patents, and the good and whol&s;om Book of Laws, Printed <HI>Anno.</HI> 1622, whereby the Company is obliged, and provi&s;ion made to defray the publick charges of the&s;e I&s;lands, and to provide for us both Ammuni|tion, Mini&s;ters, and Collony-Servants, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> which continually of late have been wanting; for until His Maje&s;ty of his free grace and good will, was graciou&s;ly plea&s;ed to &s;upply us; upon &s;trict &s;earch, by per|&s;ons thereunto appointed, before the arrival of this Magazeen Ship, there was not two rounds of Powder in the whole Country; and not one third part of &s;mall Arms for the Inhabitants, although there hath been extorted from us near four times the value of our Publick Char|ges; of which, although we are part of the Succe&s;&s;ors and A&s;&s;igns of the fir&s;t Proprietors, yet have no account, nor of the di&s;po&s;al of our own Moneys: whereby His Maje&s;ties I&s;land was laid open to the violence of a foreign Enemy, to the endangering of the lo&s;s of the&s;e I&s;lands, and of the Lives and Liberties of us His Maje&s;ties mo&s;t faithful and obedient Subjects. And whereas there ought to be five Mini&s;ters maintained in this I&s;land, we enjoy but one; and the&s;e publick Lands which were appointed for the defraying of Publick Charges, are di&s;po&s;ed-of con|trary to the Kings Maje&s;ties intention, in His gracious Letters Patents, and Orders in the good and whol&s;om Printed Book of Laws: and by the la&s;t Letters from the Company, we are commanded at our own charges to build a Fort, notwith&s;tanding by unju&s;t Taxes, Impo&s;itions,
<PB N="4" REF="6">and Injuries, we are &s;o impoveri&s;hed we cannot; and for &s;uch works there is other provi&s;ion made, by His Maje&s;ty and the Honourable Company; and therefore from &s;uch illegal and rigorous dealing, we cannot conclude otherwi&s;e, than that &s;ome intere&s;&s;ed particular per&s;ons of the Honourable Company, for their own private gain, value not the ruine of the whole I&s;land.</P>
<P>Wherefore upon mature deliberation, and &s;erious con&s;ideration, we do humbly pre&s;ent our Grievances, with our &s;everal Acts, for your approbation and con&s;ent, which we judge the only way, through Gods ble&s;&s;ing, to &s;ecure the honour and intere&s;t of our dread Soveraign, and e&s;tabli&s;h the welfare of the&s;e I&s;lands; and we al&s;o de&s;ire to acknowledg the never-to-be-forgotten obligation from us, to the Right Honourable part of the Company, we mean the Nobility and Gentry, and al&s;o &s;ome worthy Per&s;ons of the Honourable Company, in their tender Re&s;pects towards our liberties, priviledges, and welfare; who al&s;o have been abu&s;ed by tho&s;e, who in honour and duty were obliged to act at another rate; we mean &s;ome particular per&s;ons of the trading-party, who&s;e names at pre&s;ent we &s;hall keep in &s;ilence, hoping their amend|ment; to whom we particularly reque&s;t, if they have any re&s;pect to the Glory and Ju&s;tice of God, who beholds the oppre&s;&s;ors and the oppre&s;&s;ed, and heareth the cry of the poor and needy, and in his due time will deliver them: if the Intere&s;t and Honour of His mo&s;t gracious Maje&s;ty our dread Soveraign may oblige you; if you have any bowels of love to your Brethren, your fellow Subjects, and to the welfare of the&s;e I&s;lands; we upon our bended knees, for Gods &s;ake, His Maje&s;ties &s;ake, the I&s;lands, your own and our &s;elves &s;akes, humbly and earne&s;tly be&s;eech you, That you will take what we have propo&s;ed, the fruit of this Se&s;&s;ion, into your &s;eri|ous con&s;ideration; and laying a&s;ide all by-re&s;pects and &s;elf-intere&s;t, confirm our Acts, and relieve our grievances, that Almighty God may be glorified, His Royal Maje&s;ties Honour and Intere&s;t main|tained and pre&s;erved, and the&s;e I&s;lands advantaged, and not in|thralled to any particular per&s;ons will and intere&s;t; and that you would comply with the truly honourable part of the Company, of the te&s;timony of who&s;e love and good will, we are often made &s;en&s;ible.</P>
<P><HI>And therefore Right Honourable, and Honourable, our humble reque&s;t is, that you will &s;peedily &s;uccour us with &s;uch holy, able, peaceable and painful labourers in the word of truth, that may
<PB N="5" REF="6">break the Bread of life unto us, that we may not have our &s;ouls ruined, although our bodies and e&s;tates have been en&s;laved: And al&s;o do humbly reque&s;t that the Trea&s;ury and Husbandry of the Company, may not be in the hands of the trading-party; for &s;o long, we &s;uppo&s;e, there can be little redre&s;s. Thus imploring your Honours in&s;pection and redre&s;s, in matters of &s;o great weight and importance, which may conduce by your Honours a&s;|&s;i&s;tance, to the Glory of God, our Soveraigns intere&s;t, your own eternal Honour, and the welfare of the&s;e I&s;lands:</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P><HI>The which Petition was &s;ent from the whole A&s;&s;embly in the I&s;lands, but no relief given by the &s;aid Company to the Inha|bitants.</HI></P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<P>WE the General A&s;&s;embly of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands,</HI> Convened at St. <HI>Georges,</HI> the 11th of <HI>Augu&s;t, Anno Dom.</HI> 1673; and in the Twenty fifth year of the Reign of our Soveraign Lord King <HI>Charles</HI> the Second, Defender of the Faith, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to con&s;ider &s;uch things as may tend to the well-being of the &s;aid I&s;lands, and al&s;o to prevent, and if by any means po&s;&s;ible, to remedy &s;uch grievances as do re|quire &s;peedy redre&s;s, having our eyes and hearts to the Glory of God, honour and intere&s;t of his Mo&s;t Gracious Maje&s;ty, and re&s;pect to the Honourable Company, and welfare of the Plantation,</P>
<P>&V;pon the debating the &s;everal Grievances propo&s;ed by the Inhabitants:</P>
<P>We al&s;o earne&s;tly &s;pread before you (the Honourable Company) the gievous Bondage and Thraldom of us mo&s;t true, and faithful, and free-born Subjects of his Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>That all and every of us, lye culpable in our per&s;ons and e&s;tates, upon the humour and plea&s;ure of every Informer, by Letters or other|wi&s;e, that can obtain an Order from the Company, or a Court, from any &s;even of the A&s;&s;i&s;tants: And as we are informed, they not being &s;worn according to the purport of the Kings Maje&s;ties Letters Patents,
<PB N="6" REF="7">and Order in the Printed Book of Laws, where it's appointed that a formal Oath &s;hall be advi&s;ed and admini&s;tred to all Officers of the &s;aid Company, for the true and faithful execution and performance of their &s;everal &s;ervices, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And therefore we humbly pray, that all per&s;ons concerned in Judgement of our per&s;ons and e&s;tates, or &s;uch like affairs, may, with the re&s;t of the Officers, take the Oath ordered.</P>
<P>And whereas many of us, the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the&s;e I&s;lands, have been formerly very grievou&s;ly vexed and endamaged in our per&s;ons and E&s;tates, by Illegal Orders from the Court at home, to the ruine of &s;ome, and great impoveri&s;hment of others, no redre&s;s for the &s;ame being provided:</P>
<P>Be it Enacted, that no Order that is, or &s;hall be &s;ent to the&s;e I&s;lands, may compel or inforce us in our bodies or e&s;tates to &s;uffer any pain, penalty, damage, or forfeiture, without a legal tryal in the&s;e I&s;lands, according to his Maje&s;ties Laws, by Twelve of our Peers or Vicinity.</P>
<P>And &s;eeing it hath plea&s;ed his Maje&s;ty King <HI>James</HI> of ble&s;&s;ed memo|ry, by his Letters Patents, to make us a free people; and it hath &s;eemed al&s;o good to our now dread Soveraign &s;o to account us, ha|ving &s;uffered many injuries, wrongs, and detriments, both in our Per|&s;ons and E&s;tates by former deputed Governors, and &s;ubordinate Offi|cers in the&s;e I&s;lands, and not having power to redre&s;s our &s;elves, and to prevent abu&s;es for the future:</P>
<P>Be it Enacted, That all Officers what&s;oever re&s;ident in the&s;e I&s;lands, that have been, are, or hereafter &s;hall be, of what degree &s;oever, may, and &s;hall be liable to any Action or Actions, that may, or ought to be commenced again&s;t them; and to make &s;atisfaction to the parties &s;u|&s;taining wrongs and damages by them, according to the verdict of Twelve men: any former Cu&s;tom or U&s;age to the contrary in any wi&s;e notwith&s;tanding. Provided always, that the Governour here for the time being, &s;hall not have any Pre&s;entment, Action, or Suit, commen|ced again&s;t him during the time of his Government.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>Put to the Vote, and pa&s;t.</HI>
<SIGNED><HI>Hammond John&s;on</HI> Clerk to the A&s;&s;embly.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="7" REF="7">
<P>WHereas it hath &s;eemed good to his Gracious Maje&s;ty King <HI>James</HI> of Ble&s;&s;ed memory, to &s;ignifie his e&s;pecial care, and Royal will and plea&s;ure, that the People and Inhabitants of this I&s;land (the Royal Subjects of him and his Succe&s;&s;ors) &s;hould inviolably en|joy tho&s;e liberties and priviledges, by his Maje&s;ty granted in his gra|cious Letters Patents, which are the Forts and Bull-works to repell the Inva&s;ion of all unju&s;t Impo&s;itions and Oppre&s;&s;ions, as in his &s;aid Letters Patents, reference thereunto being had, may more evidently appear; That one part of this Land, not exceeding the fourth part, &s;hall be al|lotted, and re&s;erved to the Company in common, for the maintenance and defraying of the Publick Charges of the&s;e I&s;lands; and the re|mainder of the Profits, after the &s;aid Publick Charges are defrayed, to be divided among&s;t the &s;everal Members of the &s;aid Company, accord|ing to the proportion of each mans &s;everal &s;hares and parts, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> which with our humble and thankful acknowledgment of his Maje&s;ties Grace we duly re&s;pect; although &s;ome not weighing their duty and obedience to his Maje&s;ties Royal will and plea&s;ure, have illegally exacted one penny <HI>per l.</HI> upon all the Tobacco of the growth of the&s;e I&s;lands, com|ing to his Maje&s;ties Realm and Dominions (which is to be feared, hath been a great means to hinder his Maje&s;ties Cu&s;toms) contrary to his Maje&s;ties gracious Laws and Intentions; and al&s;o di&s;po&s;ing of the a|fore&s;aid Lands and Hereditaments, by his Maje&s;ty appropriated to Pub|lick u&s;es, according to their own wills and intere&s;t; which &s;aid penny <HI>per l.</HI> hath amounted to near four times the value of the Publick Charges of this I&s;land, the I&s;land yielding &s;ome years 300000 <HI>l.</HI> of Tobacco and upwards; which &s;aid Impo&s;ition, being the third part of our Commodity, &s;ometimes more, even when it hath not yielded our Charges, we have been forced to pay the &s;aid exaction to our woful damage.</P>
<P>And it being an unju&s;t Impo&s;ition upon our E&s;tates, directly contra|ry to the Kings Letters Patents, the Honourable Companies Printed Book of Laws, and directly again&s;t, and repugnant to the Grand Char|ter of <HI>England;</HI> which provideth that no man &s;hall be amerced in his E&s;tate, without his con&s;ent by due cour&s;e of Law.</P>
<P>And although we the Inhabitants of this I&s;land, are Members of the &s;aid Company, yet never have received any account, according to his Maje&s;ties gracious intent and order in the Printed Book of Laws; it being a very great oppre&s;&s;ion, e&s;pecially to the poor Planters, who have it taken out of their own hard Labour: And further, notwith|&s;tanding
<PB N="8" REF="8">this grievous impo&s;ition, we receive not the &s;upply of Arms, Ammunitions, Mini&s;ters, Servants for Governours, and Sheriffs, Secre|taries, Captains, and all other Officers, according to the Honourable Companies own Book of Laws. Therefore to prevent the Judgments of God, and the ruine of the&s;e I&s;lands, and for the forementioned and di|vers other weighty rea&s;ons and con&s;iderations, we do Enact; and there|fore</P>
<P>Be it Enacted by this pre&s;ent General A&s;&s;embly, That whereas there hath been an unju&s;t Impo&s;ition and Exaction by &s;ome Members of the Company, of one penny <HI>per</HI> pound, of all Tobaccoes coming from this I&s;land, of the growth of this I&s;land, that no per&s;on or per&s;ons what&s;o|ever &s;hall pre&s;ume to ask, demand, or receive any Impo&s;ition of any per&s;on what&s;oever, by vertue of any former Cu&s;tom, Colour, Or|der or pretence what&s;oever, for Tobacco of the growth of this I&s;land, coming to the Realm of <HI>England,</HI> contrary to His Maje&s;ties Letters Pa|tents, the Honourable Companies Book of Laws, upon the penalty His Gracious Maje&s;tie hath provided in &s;uch like Ca&s;es.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>Put to the Vote, and pa&s;t.</HI>
<SIGNED><HI>Hammond John&s;on</HI> Clerk to the A&s;&s;embly.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<P>WHereas many of His Maje&s;ties Subjects, and our loving Friends, &s;ailing to and fro near the&s;e I&s;lands, would with their Ships put in here to the relief of their wants, the intere&s;t and advantage of the Inhabitants, to take refre&s;hments; but whereas the Port-charges are &s;o great and unrea&s;onable upon all Ships putting in here, though but for Water or Provi&s;ions, that they are many times willing to run the adventure of the lo&s;s of their Ships, and great mi&s;ery of them&s;elves: For the which rea&s;ons, and divers other good con&s;iderations, we do Enact, and by the power and authority of this pre&s;ent A&s;&s;embly,</P>
<P>Be it Enacted, That any Ship or Ships coming into the&s;e I&s;lands for refre&s;hment, &s;hall pay no Port-charges &s;ave Pilotage, and the Tolage for Water and Wharfage, unle&s;s the &s;aid Ship Trades for any thing &s;ave for
<PB N="9" REF="8">relief and refre&s;hments; any Act, Order, or Cu&s;tom to the contrary in any wi&s;e notwith&s;tanding.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>Put to the Vote and pa&s;t.</HI>
<SIGNED><HI>Hamond John&s;on</HI> Clerk to the A&s;&s;embly.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<P>WE the Committee of Enquiry, being Members of this pre&s;ent A&s;|&s;embly, being cho&s;en to take a view of the defects and wants of the Kings Ca&s;tle and Forts, do give our report as followeth.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="defects">
<HEAD>The defects of the Kings Ca&s;tle.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1&s;t. We find the Court of Guard and Pali&s;adoes altogether out of repair.</P>
<P N="2">2dly. We find the Platforms at the South-we&s;t-point, (which we look upon to be of great u&s;e) are at pre&s;ent altogether un&s;erviceable.</P>
<P N="3">3dly. We find the Roof of the Ca&s;tle to be altogether un&s;erviceable, it being &s;o leaky, that there is no &s;ecuring of their &s;mall Arms from damage.</P>
<P N="4">4thly. We find the Powder-Room much defective.</P>
<P N="5">5thly. We find there is wanting upon the lower Platform, Wheels and Carrages for one of the great Guns.</P>
<P>We the afore&s;aid Committe of Enquiry do humbly de&s;ire a &s;peedy repair of the defects, and &s;upply of the wants, both of the Kings Ca&s;tle and Forts; and do humbly pre&s;ent our judgments, for the manner of the repairing of the Court of Guard, Pali&s;adoes, Platforms, and Roof of the Ca&s;tle.</P>
<P N="1">1. We humbly think, that if the Wall of the Court of Guard be made up wholly of Stone, and &s;o the Roof laid upon it, it may be ve|ry durable; it being &s;o near to the Sea, that the Timber is &s;ubject to damage.</P>
<P N="2">2. We humbly judge, that there &s;hould be a Stone-wall made up again&s;t the Pali&s;adoes, bre&s;t-high, for &s;ecurity of tho&s;e that &s;erve with our &s;mall Arms, as likewi&s;e to make a Port for the playing a Great Gun to clear the Shore.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="10" REF="9"> 3. We humbly think fit, that the Platform at the South-we&s;t|point, &s;hould be taken up, and the Rubbi&s;h taken away, and the Platform laid upon the Rock, and that there be a Brea&s;t-work made there.</P>
<P N="4">4. We humbly think fit, that the Roof of the Ca&s;tle be new Coated with Tarris, Brick, or Lime.</P>
<P>Whereas His Sacred Maje&s;ty our dread Soveraign, is engaged in a bloody War again&s;t the States of the United Provinces, we His Maje|&s;ties mo&s;t loyal and obedient Subjects, having due re&s;pect to His Maje|&s;ty, and the welfare of the&s;e I&s;lands under the protection of the Al|mighty, de&s;ire to u&s;e and improve all lawful ways and means po&s;&s;ible for the defence and &s;ecurity of the&s;e Islands. Upon an e&s;pecial view, finding the Ca&s;tle and Forts of the&s;e Islands are much decayed and out of repair, which earne&s;tly calls for, and requires &s;peedy redre&s;s; and &s;eeing the means and nece&s;&s;aries for the effecting thereof, mu&s;t be pur|cha&s;ed; and well knowing, that by His Maje&s;ties gracious Letters Pa|tents, and the Honourable Companies Printed Book of Laws, the Proprietors, their A&s;&s;igns and Succe&s;&s;ors, are ingaged to defray the publick charges of the&s;e Islands; and under&s;tanding there are in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Sheriff of the&s;e Islands, &s;ome of the Companies Goods (&s;o called): we the Freeholders, Inhabitants of the&s;e Islands, being Members of the Company, and their A&s;&s;igns and Succe&s;&s;ors, having a real intere&s;t in them; do think it meet to Enact, and therefore by this pre&s;ent General A&s;&s;embly, and by the Power and Authority thereof,</P>
<P>Be it Enacted for the pre&s;ent and &s;peedy reparations of the Ca&s;tle and Forts of the&s;e Islands, and other e&s;pecial and publick &s;ervices and u&s;es; That what&s;oever Goods, Rents, Moneys, Royalties and Commodities, belong to the Publick, NOW in the hands of Mr. <HI>Anthony Joyner</HI> Sheriff of the&s;e Islands, &s;hall remain in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the &s;aid Sheriff for the pre&s;ent; and to be forthwith laid out for the &s;aid needful repa|rations of the Ca&s;tle and Forts, and defraying other Publick Charges.</P>
<P>Whereas the Ships and Ve&s;&s;els belonging to the&s;e Islands, have an unrea&s;onable Impo&s;ition, to their great damage, laid upon them, of Pilotage, for the bringing in, and carrying out of the &s;aid Ships or Ve&s;&s;els, although the Ma&s;ter or Owner thereof have &s;ufficient abilities in them&s;elves to perform the &s;ame; and it is ordered in the Printed Book of Laws, that Officers Fees for their &s;ervice &s;hall be &s;uch, and no other, as &s;hall be Rated and &s;et down by the General A&s;&s;embly from time to time: Therefore we have thought it meet to Enact, and by the Power and Authority of this pre&s;ent General A&s;&s;embly,</P>
<P>Now Be it Enacted, That any Ship or Ve&s;&s;el belonging to the Inha|bitants of the&s;e Islands, failing out of any of the Ports and Harbours
<PB N="11" REF="9">thereof, &s;hall not have any Pilot impo&s;ed upon them, or pay any Pi|lotage for the &s;aid Ship or Ve&s;&s;el, unle&s;s it be the de&s;ire of the Ma&s;ter or Owner thereof to have a Pilot to carry out the &s;aid Ship or Ve&s;&s;el; but if that Pilot doth come out to Sea without the Bar, to meet any of the &s;aid Ships or Ve&s;&s;els coming to the&s;e Islands, he &s;hall have 20 <HI>s.</HI> for Pi|lotage, whether or no the &s;aid Ship do accept or refu&s;e it.</P>
<P>And further, Be it Enacted by the Authority afore&s;aid, for divers good and weighty con&s;iderations, That no other Port-Charges &s;hall be paid by the Ships or Ve&s;&s;els belonging to the&s;e Islands, &s;ave Tolage and Wharfage; and the &s;aid Pilotage in manner and form afore&s;aid: any Law, Cu&s;tom, or Order to the contrary in any wi&s;e notwith&s;tanding.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE><HI>August the</HI> 23d. 1673.</DATE></DATELINE> <HI>The Names of the Governour, and Council, and of the A&s;&s;embly.</HI>
<SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>Sr <HI>John Heydon</HI> Governor.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Tucker</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Moore.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Woolrich.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Hubbert.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Wainright,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Wood.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jonathan Turner,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Leacroft.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cornelius White,</HI> Secretary.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Charles Whitnall,</HI> Speaker.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Bri&s;tow,</HI> Junior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Samuel Brangman.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Boaz Sharp.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>James Farmer.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Welch.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Stowe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Sherlock,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Dickin&s;on.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>George Tucker.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Ker&s;ey.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Chaplin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Ba&s;comb.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Ba&s;don,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Lea.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Rawlings,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Nicholas Thorton.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Arthur.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Stowe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John E&s;quire.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Huchins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Hanger.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Hubbard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Milborne.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lawrence Dill.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Cox.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Somerall,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Jennings</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Peni&s;ton.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Severand Vickers.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Righton.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Hall.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Ball.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Morris,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Burch.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Fo&s;ter.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Matthewlin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Nathaniel Butterfield.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hammond John&s;on,</HI> Clerk of the A&s;&s;embly.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED>
<PB N="12" REF="10">
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding the afore&s;aid A&s;&s;emblies Grievances and Petitions did come to the hands of the &s;aid Company, (by this remarkable token, That the Deputy of the &s;aid Company, <HI>William Webb</HI> E&s;q by name, &s;aid in open Court, That the drawers thereof de&s;erved to be hanged: and the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Webb</HI> did further &s;ay, That the <HI>Bermudians</HI> had no more to do with <HI>Magna-Charta,</HI> than the Inhabitants of <HI>Brazeel</HI> had; for the King had left the Government wholly to the hands of the Com|pany): yet the &s;aid Company did &s;tifle the &s;aid Grievances and Peti|tions afore&s;aid, and did deny by their Councel, before the King and Parliament, that there came any &s;uch Papers to their hands: and in|&s;tead of &s;hewing the &s;aid Papers, as was de&s;ired by tho&s;e men that knew they received them; the &s;aid Company produced before the King and Parliament &s;omething that was drawn up by private per&s;ons in the Islands, and &s;igned by tho&s;e of the A&s;&s;embly; the which Paper com|ing to hand, with the A&s;&s;emblies Grievances, made the Right Ho|nourable, the Earl of <HI>Shaftsbury</HI> (then the pre&s;ent Governour) in open Court, to &s;ay, He admired that there &s;hould be &s;ent &s;uch a Paper in that &s;trange manner, in tho&s;e words afore&s;aid, &s;igned by PART OF THE ASSEMBLY.</P>
<P>And let all the unbia&s;&s;ed per&s;ons in the World judge, if the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands</HI> Company, (that have acted as they have done in the afore&s;aid, and following Narrative, as by the Grievances made out, by a Petition lately pre&s;ented to the Parliament by &s;everal Members of the &s;aid Com|pany will mo&s;t plainly appear) be fitting to Govern any longer the &s;aid <HI>Somer-I&s;lands;</HI> nay, rather it is to be de&s;ired, that His Maje&s;ty would be plea&s;ed to &s;end a Governour thither, as he doth to <HI>Barbados, Vir|ginia,</HI> and all his other Plantations, that all the poor Inhabitants may be redeemed from that <HI>Egyptian</HI> bondage they all now groan under, by the Government of the &s;aid Company.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="13" REF="10">
<HEAD>A Petition pre&s;ented to Sir <HI>John Heydon</HI> Governour, by &s;ix <HI>Bermudians, 1677.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">To the Honourable Sir <HI>John Heydon</HI> Knight and Governour, with his worthy Council. <HI>Somer-I&s;lands,</HI> April <HI>20. 1677.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The humble Petition of Captain <HI>John Dorrel,</HI> Senior, Capt. <HI>John Hubbard,</HI> Capt. <HI>George Hubbard,</HI> Lieutenant <HI>Wil|liam Peni&s;ton,</HI> Mr. <HI>William Righton</HI> Senior, and Mr. <HI>William Keele,</HI> in behalf of the re&s;t of the Inhabitants.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Mo&s;t Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THAT your Petitioners under&s;tanding that &s;everal new Laws are come to your Honours hands, from the Honourable Company, to be put in execution; and knowing by experience that the executi|on thereof will prove not only prejudicial, but the ruin of the well|being of the Inhabitants of the&s;e Islands; our &s;elves, with &s;everal o|thers, have by the reque&s;t of the Inhabitants, pre&s;ented to your Ho|nour and Council, our humble Addre&s;&s;es to the Honourable Company; therein &s;hewing the mi&s;ery we lived under &s;everal years ago, and mu&s;t unavoidably live under again, if their new Laws be put in execution; WE in the behalf of the Inhabitants of the whole Islands, humbly beg|ging your Honour, and Council, to &s;top the pre&s;ent execution of tho&s;e new Laws, until the Honourable Companies plea&s;ure is further known in An&s;wer to our Grievances.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>And your Honours Petitioners &s;hall ever pray.</HI>
<SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>John Dorrell,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Hubbard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Hubbard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Peni&s;tone.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Righton,</HI> Sen.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Keele.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="14" REF="11">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable the Governour and Company of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands</HI> Plantation, the Humble Petition of the Inha|bitants of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands,</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Mo&s;t Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THAT whereas your Honours have been plea&s;ed of late, to make &s;everal Laws for the Government and well-being of us the Inha|bitants in this Island, as you do relate; BUT your Honours living &s;o far di&s;tant from us, knowing not &s;o well our condition, as we our &s;elves do; That if tho&s;e Laws you have lately made, be put in execution, private men may be gainers thereby; BUT the generality of all the Inhabitants &s;hall be brought to the &s;ame condition as it was Thirty and odd years ago, Three Men to one Shirt: Therefore we mo&s;t hum|bly pray you to con&s;ider our Petition, as at large is there &s;et forth, WE flying to your Honours for relief, as Children to their Parents; begging from your Honours, That the Rod may not lye &s;o heavy upon our backs, nor the yoak on our necks, but that we may be relieved from tho&s;e oppre&s;&s;ing By-Laws you have made:</P>
<CLOSER><HI>And we &s;hall ever pray.</HI>
<SIGNED>Signed by
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>John Dorrell,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Stowe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Moore.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Tho. Richards,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Hubbard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Peni&s;tone.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Righton,</HI> Sen.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Chaplin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Bau&s;comb.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Anthony Peni&s;tone.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Nicholas Thorne.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jonathan Turner.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Hubbard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Hutchings.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Keele.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Samuel Evans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Squire.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Burch.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas For&s;ter.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Paul Trimingham.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Sherlock.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Anthony White.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED>
<PB N="15" REF="11">
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>BUT notwith&s;tanding the above&s;aid Petition was received by the &s;aid Company, and the former Petitions, and the A&s;&s;emblies Grievan|ces, Printed as afore&s;aid; all of them craving from the &s;aid Compa|ny, to be relieved from the oppre&s;&s;ing Laws and Orders made by them; YET in&s;tead of giving relief, they have a late ordered their Governor and Council in the I&s;lands, to put all their Laws in execution forth|with without di&s;pute; I <HI>William Righton</HI> one of the Petitioners, being at their Courts in <HI>London,</HI> an eye and ear Witne&s;s to the &s;ame.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>To the Kings Mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty, <HI>1676.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD>The Humble Petition of <HI>Perient Trott,</HI> and &s;everal other Merchants and Members of the <HI>Bermuda</HI> Company,</HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THAT at the Creation of the &s;aid Company, about the year 1614, they Traded on a joynt Stock, which was for divers years managed accordingly.</P>
<P>THAT the &s;aid Stock hath been di&s;&s;olved near Fifty years &s;ince; and your Petitioners have many years been Traders to the &s;aid I&s;lands with their own private Stocks, &s;ince the di&s;&s;olution or di&s;continuance of the &s;aid Companies Stock.</P>
<P>THAT &s;ome of the &s;aid Company, on purpo&s;e to de&s;troy the Trade to tho&s;e parts, have made a Law that no Ship &s;hould be employ|ed to tho&s;e I&s;lands wherein any Member of the &s;aid Company hath any intere&s;t; and have lately &s;ent out a Ship bound to the &s;aid I&s;lands, which was &s;o qualified, refu&s;ing to &s;uffer your Petitioners (who are Members of the &s;aid Company) to &s;end for their own Commodities of the growth of the &s;aid I&s;lands, with their own Ship provided for that purpo&s;e, to their great damage and ruine of their Trade.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="12">
<P> THAT the &s;aid Company on their publick account &s;ends but one Ship a year, and that not &s;ufficient to bring away the Crop of To|bacco in the &s;aid I&s;lands; and &s;ometimes they &s;end but one Ship in Two years, to the great lo&s;s of the Planters and Merchants, in peri&s;h|ing of their Commodities, and the lo&s;s of their Markets, al&s;o to the great damage of your Maje&s;ty in the lo&s;s of your Cu&s;toms, the Plant|ers and others being nece&s;&s;itated by &s;uch u&s;age, to Ship their Tobacco and Goods on any &s;trange Ve&s;&s;els which happen to touch there, which carry the &s;ame to foreign Markets, which otherwi&s;e they would not do.</P>
<P>THAT the Governor of the &s;aid I&s;lands hath Licen&s;ed &s;trangers Ships to Trade there, which have carried away great quantities of Tobacco to foreign parts, contrary to &s;everal Acts of Parliament, and of which information and complaint was made here in <HI>London</HI> to the &s;aid Company, by one of your Petitioners, but they would take no notice of the &s;ame.</P>
<P>THAT &s;ome of your Petitioners have a Ship ready to &s;et &s;ail for the &s;aid I&s;lands, as well for the &s;upplying the wants of the Inhabitants, with Commodities from hence, as to re-lade and bring their own Goods, which by the &s;aid Company will not be permitted to lode back, contrary to all Law and Rea&s;on, and the great hindrance of Na|vigation, as at large appeareth, by the Affidavit annexed.</P>
<P>The premi&s;es con&s;idered, <HI>May it plea&s;e your Sacred Maje&s;ty, in your great wi&s;dom and wonted goodne&s;s, for incouragement of Navigation and your Petitioners in their Trade, to direct, That free-Trade may be allowed to the &s;aid I&s;lands, for your Maje&s;ties Subjects that are Members of the &s;aid Company, and that &s;uch By-Laws and Orders that are made by the &s;aid Company contrary to Law, may be made void: And that in the mean time the Ship</HI> Charles <HI>of</HI> London, <HI>belonging to &s;ome of your Peti|tioners now Laden, and ready to &s;et &s;ail to the &s;aid I&s;lands, may by your Maje&s;ty be inabled to Land their Goods in the
<PB N="17" REF="12">&s;aid I&s;lands; and bring from thence into</HI> England <HI>the Com|modities of the &s;aid I&s;lands:</HI></P>
<CLOSER>And your Petitioners as in Duty bound, &s;hall ever Pray, <HI>&amp;c.</HI>
<SIGNED>Signed by
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>John Wy&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Day.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Perient Trott.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Steevens.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="answer">
<PB N="18" REF="13">
<HEAD>To the Kings Mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The An&s;wer of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands</HI> Company to the Petition of <HI>Perient Trott</HI> and others,</HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P N="1">1. THAT it is true, At the fir&s;t Creation of the Company, and that for &s;everal years after, they Traded in a joynt Stock: That for the conveniency of the Members of the &s;aid Company, the Company gave them leave to Trade with their own private Stocks; but &s;till they always managed that Trade, in the Companies general or Magazeen Ships.</P>
<P N="2">2. THAT the Company have indeed made a By-Law, That no Ship &s;hould be employed as their Magazeen Ship, wherin any Member of the Company hath any &s;hare or intere&s;t as an owner of it.</P>
<P N="3">3. AND they have al&s;o made another By-Law, That no Member of the Company &s;hall Trade thither with any private Ships, for Tobac|co, and freight them there, before the Magazeen Ships are fully freighted.</P>
<P N="4">4. AND the Company do conceive that their By-Laws are accord|ing to Law, and beneficial to Trade, and your Maje&s;ties Cu&s;toms; and nece&s;&s;ary, not only to the well-being, but to the very being of the Company: And this they do not doubt, but to make out.</P>
<P N="5">5. THAT the Magazeen Ship is very &s;ufficient to bring home the Crop of Tobacco in the &s;aid I&s;lands, it being &s;eldom, if EVER, fully freighted; and that Mr. <HI>Trott</HI> have the &s;ame liberty with all the re&s;t of
<PB N="20" REF="14">the Members, of loading his Tobacco on Board the &s;aid Ship, as he had al&s;o of &s;ending out his goods in the &s;aid Ship, &s;he not being a quarter full laden.</P>
<P N="6">6. AND for any abu&s;es of the Governour, in the &s;aid I&s;land, the Company knoweth nothing of it; but would be very glad to make the di&s;covery, &s;ince in their proportions they are the greate&s;t &s;ufferers thereby, in being defrauded of their Duties; whereby they maintain the whole great charge of the I&s;lands and Government.</P>
<P><HI>THE &s;aid Company therefore mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty, that in regard the &s;aid By-Laws are &s;o nece&s;&s;ary for the Company, and not at all prejudicial, but on the contrary, advantageous to Trade and your Maje&s;ties Cu&s;toms, and the good of the Planters in the &s;aid I&s;land; That the &s;aid Petition be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the &s;aid Company, as in duty bound, &s;hall ever pray.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="reply">
<PB N="19" REF="13">
<HEAD><HI>And a Reply made to the &s;aid</HI> Somer-I&s;lands <HI>Companies An|&s;wer. To the King.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1">1. TO the fir&s;t Head An&s;wered, That &s;everal years after the Com|pany came into a joynt Stock, one Mr. <HI>Delbridg</HI> a Member of the &s;aid Company, did &s;everal years &s;end Shipping there on his own ac|count particularly, as appeareth by the Companies own Records; and &s;o he continued Trading, until Tobacco fell from Half a Crown <HI>per l.</HI> to one Peny <HI>per l.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. To the &s;econd Head, The Company hath made a confe&s;&s;ion (there needs no other proof) That they have made &s;uch a Law, that no Ship &s;hall be &s;ent to the I&s;land, that any Member is owner of any part of her; which, as learned Council affirm, is contrary to <HI>Magna-Charta.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. To the third Head, The &s;aid Company have made a confe&s;&s;ion, that they have made &s;uch a Law, That no Ship &s;hall be &s;ent to the I&s;lands to freight her, before their Magazeen Ship is freighted; BUT the &s;aid Company hath ordered the Governour in the <HI>Burmudoes</HI> to un|load a Members Ship there, though &s;he was loaded there by the Com|panies own order, and leave obtained from the Government in the &s;aid I&s;lands to load her; and they cau&s;ed all the &s;aid goods they had taken out of her, to be put aboard their Magazeen Ship, that did not arrive there until the next year after the time &s;he &s;hould have been there, and forced the &s;aid Members Ship to return for <HI>England</HI> empty; and the &s;aid Company hath &s;ent no Ship thither in above Two years time, and yet forbad a Members Ship to be Loaded there with Tobacco, of the growth of the I&s;land, 1673. &s;he did arrive in the I&s;land, in the time of the late <HI>Dutch</HI> War, 1674; Witne&s;s, <HI>Cornelius White</HI> Secretary.</P>
<P N="4">4. To the Fourth Head, The A&s;&s;emblies grievances doth &s;ufficiently di&s;prove their a&s;&s;ertion.&mdash;And &s;urely Common Rea&s;on tells the World, That it is not therefore that their Laws mu&s;t be good, becau&s;e they af|firm them &s;o to be; and nece&s;&s;ary, not only to the well-being, but to the very being of the Company: Behold their confidence!</P>
<P N="5">5. To the Fifth Head, That oftentimes it is &s;o, that their Magazeen Ship is not big enough to bring away the Tobacco, as by &s;everal Wit|ne&s;&s;es can be proved; BUT were &s;he never &s;o big, Why &s;hould
<PB N="21" REF="14" MS="y">Strangers Ships be &s;ent to the I&s;land, and of the Members-&s;hips, to bring away the Members own goods; and for &s;trangers to eat the Bread out of the Members mouths, that own the goods? For if any profit be, Why Strangers Ships &s;hould be entertained, and the Members Ships for|bid? for no man &s;ends Ships thither, nor el&s;ewhere, but for an advantage.</P>
<P N="6">6. To the Sixth Head, The &s;aid Company did know the abu&s;es done by their Governor Sir <HI>John Heydon,</HI> by Letters, and by Articles exhi|bited again&s;t him (and pre&s;ented, both to the principal A&s;&s;i&s;tants, and to the &s;aid Company in Writing; and the di&s;covery was made to the &s;aid Company, without their de&s;iring of it) and offered to be made out by &s;everal Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>THE ANSWER to the Companies Prayer.</HEAD>
<P>The &s;aid Company do de&s;ire the afore&s;aid Petition might be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed: it is verily believed they did, and do; BUT is it therefore to be di&s;|mi&s;&s;ed, becau&s;e the Company pretendedly affirm their Laws are &s;o nece&s;&s;ary and advantageous? BUT for the confuting of their affertion, which is groundle&s;s, it is de&s;ired they will turn to the A&s;&s;emblies Grie|vances and Petitions that they received, and al&s;o &s;tifled. AND fur|ther, pray con&s;ider if it be not prejudicial to His Maje&s;ty in his Cu|&s;toms, and al&s;o to the Merchants, to have all the years Crop of Tobac|co imbarqued in one Ship, and &s;o all to be lo&s;t (as &s;everal times it hath been the ca&s;e of the Companies Magazeen Ships) or to have the Crop of Tobacco Shipped in &s;everal Ships, that if one Ship mi&s;carry, another may come &s;afe; well weigh what is related afore&s;aid, and then if the Company alter not their mind, it is hoped the unbia&s;&s;ed Reader will &s;ee the unrea&s;onablene&s;s of their a&s;&s;ertion; and further, &s;ee the fallacious An&s;wer the &s;aid Company hath given to the afore&s;aid Peti|tion, pre&s;ented by Mr. <HI>John Wy&s;e, George Day, Perient Trott,</HI> and <HI>Ro|bert Steevens,</HI> in the behalf of them&s;elves and others,</P>
<CLOSER>To the King's Mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty.</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="answer">
<PB N="22" REF="15">
<HEAD>1. <HI>The An&s;wer of the Bermuda Company to the Matters com|plained of in the Petition of Mr.</HI> Perient Trott, <HI>humbly of|fered to the Con&s;ideration of the Honourable the Knights, Citizens, and Burge&s;&s;es A&s;&s;embled in PARLIAMENT.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="2">2. THE <HI>BERM&V;DA</HI> COMPANY having purcha&s;ed the &s;oyl of the I&s;land, were incorporated in 1614, by the name of the Governour and Company of the City of <HI>London,</HI> for the Plantation of the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands,</HI> and thereby had the &s;ole Government committed to them with Power to make Laws, as near as might be to the Laws of <HI>ENGLAND,</HI> being the &s;ame power granted to all His Maje&s;ties Foreign Plantations, and the Company are &s;till the Proprie|tors of the &s;aid I&s;lands; and if any By-Laws were made contrary to their power, or prejudicial to the I&s;lands (as is untruly &s;ugge&s;ted) the Company here mu&s;t be the great lo&s;ers.</P>
<P N="3">3. THAT no Lands have been taken away from any per&s;on with|out due proceedings, and examination had according to the Laws and Con&s;titutions of the I&s;lands; neither have any Records or due Entries, manife&s;ting any mans Title to the &s;ame, been razed or altered; nor hath any per&s;on been admitted to any &s;hares in the &s;aid I&s;lands, but upon evidence of their right and title to the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="4">4. THAT the penny in the pound upon Tobacco is a Tax nece&s;&s;a|ry to &s;upport the Charges of the Government, over and above the pub|lick &s;hares &s;et a&s;ide, and now employed for that purpo&s;e, and is duly impo&s;ed; and for recovery thereof, Actions at Law are brought again&s;t the Petitioner Mr. <HI>Trott,</HI> whereby the validity of the &s;aid Tax will be tryed.</P>
<P N="5">5. AND if the Governour and Council there do impo&s;e any A&s;|&s;e&s;ments upon the Planters without the con&s;ent of the A&s;&s;embly, it is without the knowledg of the Company, and contrary to the known
<PB N="24" REF="16">Laws of the place, and would be redre&s;&s;ed upon complaint made to the Company here.</P>
<P N="6">6. THAT the managing of the Trade of Tobacco in the Compa|nies Magazeen Ship, is nece&s;&s;ary for the Proprietors, &s;ufficient for the growth and utmo&s;t improvements of the I&s;lands, &s;atisfactory to the Planters, always u&s;ed &s;ince the fir&s;t purcha&s;e of the Lands, and the only way to prevent fraud and oppre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P N="7">7. AS to the Whale-fi&s;hing, the Company have made a Lea&s;e for Ninety nine years to &s;everal undertakers, who expended near 4000 <HI>l.</HI> in Boats, Tackle, and other Charges, for carrying on the Trade, and have intru&s;ted &s;ome per&s;ons under them to manage the &s;ame for Five years, and the &s;aid Tru&s;tees having &s;ome ways intru&s;ted Mr. <HI>Trott</HI> there|in, and the Five years being expired, the &s;aid Boats and Tackle was &s;eized at the reque&s;t, and for the &s;aid undertakers, who are the Pro|prietors and owners of the &s;ame, and are under the value of 100 <HI>l.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. AS to the building of Ships, if the &s;ame were not re&s;trained, there would not be Timber left, &s;ufficient for the nece&s;&s;ary &s;upply of the I&s;lands.</P>
<P N="9">9. AS to Appeals, any per&s;on aggrieved may bring the &s;ame, un|le&s;s where the Cau&s;e of Action is under the value of Five pounds.</P>
<P N="10">10. AND ever &s;ince the granting of the &s;aid <HI>Charter,</HI> the Company have indeavoured to advance the common and publick intere&s;t of the I&s;lands, and the Rights of the Proprietors there; and the I&s;lands are now in a more flouri&s;hing condition than ever they weer &s;ince they were fir&s;t planted.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="answer">
<PB N="23" REF="15">
<P N="1">1. ANSWER to their fir&s;t Head, as to the Preamble of the &s;aid Companies an&s;wer; They deal mo&s;t di&s;ingenuou&s;ly, in that they mi&s;lead the Reader, by Printing <HI>Perient Trott</HI> the &s;ole Petitioner, when as the Petition was in the Names of Mr. <HI>John Wy&s;e, William White, Robert Steevens,</HI> and <HI>Perient Trott,</HI> in the behalf of them&s;elves, and divers others of the &s;aid Company, and many of the Planters in the &s;aid <HI>I&s;lands,</HI> of which I, <HI>William Righton,</HI> am one.</P>
<P N="2">2. To their &s;econd Head, They al&s;o mi&s;lead the Reader, in that they quote that part of the Charter that relates to make Laws, <HI>as near as might be,</HI> to the Laws of <HI>ENGLAND,</HI> which Clau&s;e is in re|lation to Criminal Ca&s;es, (as to Mariners and others) but they leave out that part of the Charter, where the King &s;aith po&s;itively; <HI>All the Laws they make, must be &s;o ALWAYS, as the &s;ame be not contrary to the Laws and Statutes of this our Realm of England:</HI> And further, where|as they &s;ay, The Company are &s;till the proprietors of the &s;aid Lands, it is not true; Without they mean the <HI>major</HI> part of them that are owners of near &frac34; of the &s;aid Lands, that now are livers in the I&s;land, who are become the Heirs and lawful Succe&s;&s;ors to the fir&s;t Purcha&s;ers, as having bought them out; and if &s;o, then they mu&s;t be the greate&s;t lo&s;ers, and not the Company in <HI>England,</HI> that hath few &s;hares of Land to lo&s;e in the &s;aid <HI>Bermuda.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. To their third Head, That mens Lands have been given away from the lawful owners thereof, without due proce&s;s of Law; and contrary to the Laws and orders of the &s;aid Company: and men are put into the &s;aid Lands, and the &s;aid men have &s;ate and voted in their Courts; and the Records have been razed out, both in <HI>England</HI> and in the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands:</HI></P>
<P>Witne&s;s to the &s;ame <HI>Richard Banner</HI> their Secretary, and &s;everal others.</P>
<P N="4">4. To the fourth Head, That the Tax of 1 <HI>d per s.</HI> on Tobacco is unnece&s;&s;ary, as by the A&s;&s;emblies Addre&s;s to the Company, more at large appeareth; for the King in the Charter, hath &s;et out one 4th part of the &s;aid I&s;lands to defray the publick Charges for EVER. And that Actions were entred again&s;t Mr. <HI>Trott,</HI> is as true, as they were ne|ver pro&s;ecuted to this day; but entred only, and &s;o Printed, to mi&s;|lead the Reader, and to make a noi&s;e in Coffee-hou&s;es.</P>
<P N="5">5. To the fifth Head, I, <HI>William Righton</HI> by name, have, time after time, made complaint to the Company, that the Governour and Coun|cil in the &s;aid I&s;land, did impo&s;e A&s;&s;e&s;ments on the Inhabitants, and
<PB N="25" REF="16">they did by force and violence gather the &s;ame, without the con&s;ent of the A&s;&s;embly, but never could obtain any relief from the Company here.</P>
<P N="6">6. To the &s;ixth Head, PRAY turn to the A&s;&s;emblies Petition and Addre&s;s to the Company, and there you may &s;ee, how many untruths the Company doth Print in that Head; and &s;urely mens E&s;tates in Two Ships, is &s;afer than in one; and in three, &s;afer than in two; and they &s;end but one Ship a year, though their own Laws bind them to &s;end two at the lea&s;t yearly: And they put no difference between the Infan|cy of the Plantation, when there was not in the I&s;land 700 people, and all Tenants; and now there is as many Thou&s;ands, and mo&s;t Free|holders.</P>
<P N="7">7. To the &s;eventh Head, That the <HI>major</HI> part of the Whale-fi&s;hers, did let a Lea&s;e of the &s;ame for Seven years, that might have Lea&s;ed it out for the Ninety-nine years; and that all the Materials were &s;eized on, and the Company forbid the Whale-fi&s;hing, who had not, nor hath now any Intere&s;t at all in the Whale-fi&s;hing, (they having Leas'd it out for Ninety nine years): And this the Company did (again&s;t the mind of the <HI>major</HI> part of the undertakers) as will be made out before a Judge and Jury; and the value of the Materials are above 300 <HI>l. Sterling.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. To the eighth Head, No u&s;e &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, as to build Ships, with the Timber of the growth of the I&s;lands, both as to the Act of Navi|gation, and the Inhabitants intere&s;t al&s;o.</P>
<P N="9">9. To the ninth Head, The Company have ordered the Governour in the I&s;land to deny the due Proce&s;s of Law, or he doth it on his own head to gratifie them, as appeareth by Appeals lain before the &s;aid Company in <HI>London,</HI> and in the I&s;lands, &s;ome Twelve years, and &s;ome of later date, and no relief can be obtained from the &s;aid Company; Wit|ne&s;s <HI>Richard Banner</HI> Secretary.</P>
<P N="10">10. To their tenth Head, To confute that, pray turn to what the A&s;&s;embly &s;aith, and hath Enacted, and in their Petition pre&s;ented to the Company, but they concealed it; and turn to the Laws they late|ly made, all which is Printed and pre&s;ented to the Parliament, and they will &s;ufficiently make out the truth of this An&s;wer: That if the I&s;land|ers flouri&s;hed formerly, it was by not putting the Laws in execution; and they are never like to flouri&s;h afterwards, if tho&s;e Laws be ever executed.</P>
<P>Let every unbia&s;&s;ed Reader give their Judgments in what the Com|pany hath Printed, but have proved nothing; and well weigh the An|&s;wers thereunto made, all which is ready to be proved by &s;everal Wit|ne&s;&s;es: That done, Then what a fallacious, groundle&s;s, and pretended
<PB N="26" REF="17">An&s;wer hath the <HI>Bermuda Company</HI> made in Print to the afore&s;aid Peti|tion pre&s;ented by Mr. <HI>John Wy&s;e, (Viz.)</HI> to the Honourable Hou&s;e of Commons A&s;&s;embled in Parliament.</P>
<P>AND now &s;eeing no relief can be obtained from the &s;aid Com|pany, as it appeareth by the afore&s;aid Narrative, and that the poor di|&s;tre&s;&s;ed Inhabitants have no remedy left them, but by taking the hum|ble boldne&s;s to fly once more unto the high and honourable Hou&s;e of Commons A&s;&s;embled in Parliament, be&s;eeching them to con&s;ider the mi&s;erable and deplorable condition that the poor di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Inhabitants in the <HI>Somer-I&s;lands</HI> do groan under by the oppre&s;&s;ions of the &s;aid Company related as afore&s;aid, and to give &s;uch relief, as the Honoura|ble Hou&s;e of Commons in their great wi&s;doms &s;hall think fit.</P>
<P><HI>And all the Inhabitants, both Men, Women and Children, &s;hall ever be bound to pray.</HI></P>
<PB REF="17">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
