CHAPTER XIII — COMMERCE AND CURRENCY
85. Official Protection of Pirates (1698)
BY GOVERNOR THE EARL OF BELLOMONT
Bellomont was governor of New York and Massachusetts, and set himself to root out the profession of piracy. — Bibliography: Palfrey, New England, IV, 167-195; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 105.
I HAVE wrote largely of the General State of this Governt in letters of this date, this is particularly to informe your Lordps in relation to Pirates and the proceeding of the late Govr Fletcher to encourage and protect them, which I have [been] industrious to discover in obedience to repeated orders and instructns which I have received from His Majty , most strict in the matter, and I find that those Pyrates that have given the greatest disturbance in the East Indies and Red Sea, have been either fitted from New-York or Rhode Island, and mann'd from New-York. The ships commanded by Mason, Tew, Glover and Hore, had their commissions from the Govr of New York. The three last from Fletcher, and although these Commissions (which are on record here) appear to be given only against the Kings enemies ; yet it was known to all the inhabitants of this City that they were bound to the Indies and the Red sea, it being openly declared by the said Commanders, whereby they raised men and were quickly able to proceed, and so notoriously publick that it was generally believed that they had assurance from Coll : Fletcher, that they may returne with the spoyle to New York and be protected, as it will now plainly appear, by the protections he did give to them, at their return, and the rewards they gave him for them. It is likewise evident that Tew, Glover and Hore, had commissions granted them by Coll : Fletcher when none of them had any ship or vessell in Colonel Fletcher's Governt , yet they had Commissions and were permitted to raise men in New-Yorke, and the design publique of their being bound to the red sea, And Captn Tew
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