Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period / Illustrative Documents

PRIVATEERS AT MARTINIQUE.

103. Letter to Boston News Letter. May 8, 1704.[1]

New-York, May 8. On the 3d Arrived here a Sloop from St. Thomas, in whom Mr. John Vryling, who Sail'd the 23d Decemb. last from Boston, in the Ship St. Jacob and Philip, of whom was Owner and Merchant, Charles Farnam Master, bound for Barbadoes, and on the Sabbath following, lost her Mane and Misin Mast in a Storm, taken in sight of Barbadoes, and carried into Martinico, and says that 7 Weeks ago was a Prisoner at Martinico, that the Governour permitted him to go in a French Sloop bound for St. Thomas, That the French have taken 130 odd Vessels this War into Martinico, and when he left it there was 17 Privateers out.[2] The Ships lately taken and carried thither are, the Venetian Merchant, Captains, Alexander, the Ship Virgin, John Sherwood, Brintania William Bartrum, Darvar of Bidiford, Richard Barton of Liverpool, Henry Punsunby of Dublin, John Reading of Barbadoes, belonging to Boston, Twisden a Brigantine, Chadwel another, Farnam a Ship, Andrews, Porter a Sloop. Nicholas Bradock, and Crute of Philadelphia, Peylton of Bermuda, Johnson of Maryland, a Sloop, Penley Master, Stephens a Ship of Boston taken into Guardiloop. after Mr. Vryling had been 14 days at St. Thomas, had advice from Martinico, 5 Brigantines carried in thither, on Board of one of which was Major Wheeler of Barbadoes[3] and several other Passengers, but what Ports bound to, or to whom the Brigantines belong'd, heard not. The Ship Princess Anne, bound from Barbadoes to London, being Leaky put into St. Thomas, there condemn'd as insufficient to go to Sea. Yesterday from Albany by information from our Indians acquainted, that the French of Canada are sending out 300 men to attack some parts of N. England. We have very rainy, dirty, and cold Weather for the Season, and so continues. We hear the Virginia Fleet Sails the last of this Month. Captain Davison hopes to Sail this Month.[4] The Wind and Weather hinders our Pensilvania Post coming in.

[1] A specimen of news of privateering in Queen Anne's War from one of the earliest issues of our first established newspaper; from the Boston News-Letter of May 15, 1704. That newspaper was founded by John Campbell, postmaster of Boston, son of Kidd's friend Duncan Campbell (see doc. no. 75). The first issue was for the week from Monday, April 17, to April 24, 1704. The text is taken from the file of the News-Letter possessed by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

[2] A letter written from Martinique a little later (June 27) by a captive colonel from St. Christopher's says, "We have had 163 vessels brought in here since the warr, ... there is about 30 privateers now belonging here, so that it's almost impossible for a vessel to pass to or from the Islands without a good convoy, and then they take some from them". He encloses a petition from some 300 British prisoners, "some whereof have been here 16 months in close prison". Cal. St. P. Col., 1704-1705, p. 184.

[3] Lately a member of the council of that island.

[4] Capt. John Davison, in the Eagle galley, had arrived at New York on Mar. 13, but had been long detained by disputes between the governor, Lord Cornbury, and the collector of the port over questions concerning the legal status of its cargo. N.Y. Col. Docs., IV. 1105-1110, 1121.

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