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Nov. 16.
Whitehall. |
938. William Popple to William Dockwra. I send you here inclosed, by order of the Lords Commissioners of the Council of Trade the copy of a remonstrance that has been presented to His Majesty in the name of the inhabitants of the Province of East New Jersey, which His Majesty having referred unto their consideration, their Lordships desire you to communicate the same to the Proprietors for their answer in writing without delay. [Board of Trade. Proprieties, 26. pp. 348, 349.] |
Nov. 18.
Whitehall. |
939. Mr. Secretary Vernon to the Council of Trade and Plantations. I have laid before the King your letter of Oct. 31 concerning Nicholas Gellebrand and His Majesty thinks it reasonable that he be discharged, in case your Lordships have no objections. I desire you will let me know whether you have any reason why he should not be set at liberty. Signed, Ja. Vernon. Endorsed, Recd. Read Nov. 19, 1700. 1 p. [Board of Trade. Maryland, 4. No. 19 ; and 9. p. 562.] |
| Nov. 18. |
940. Minutes of Council of the Massachusetts Bay. Committee appointed to consider methods for reviving Trade, and to enable the inhabitants of this Province to pay public taxes by endeavouring to find out some suitable medium to supply the scarcity of money. |
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Committee appointed to prepare a draught of the methods of proceedings in the several Courts within this Province. |
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200l. paid to Thomas Brattle to be laid out upon the fortifying of Castle Island. |
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Wages due to Major James Converse, the soldiers under his command, and the workmen employed for erecting a Trading House and Fort at Cascobay, audited and paid. |
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6l. paid to Michael Perry and Benjamin Eliot, Booksellers, for printing the Acts of the Assembly, March 1699, and binding a book. |
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19l. 6s. paid to Bartholomew Green, Printer, for printing Proclamations, Acts, etc. [Board of Trade. Massachusetts Bay, 2. pp. 20–22.] |
Nov. 19.
Office of
Ordnance. |
941. Board of Ordnance to the Council of Trade and Plantations. In answer to your letter of 15th present, we send by the bearer Mr. Edwards, the journals and draughts you request, and desire you will please to let us have as soon as you can conveniently the said draughts again, to remain in this office for His Majesty's service. Signed, C. Musgrave, Ja. Lowther, Wm. Boulter, Jon. Charltone. Inscribed, Feb. 3, the draughts were delivered back to Mr. Edwards. Endorsed, Recd. Read Nov. 26, 1700. 1 p. Enclosed, |
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941. i. Copy of Journal of Talbot Edwards, Engineer, relating to fortifications of Barbados. Sept. 28, 1697, I landed in Barbados, and having delivered my letters to the Council, and learned from Mr. Lands that he had not long since surveyed the Island, because the Council would give nobody to assist him, I moved the Council, Oct. 5, 1697, who thereupon gave and promised assistance (See Cal. A. & W.I. 1697, No. 1376), and I gave him instructions for his survey. In the course of his work Mr. Lands was taken very ill, but I got a surveyor to give me Needham's Point to be doing with, for which I designed a new Fort, informing the Council that since Carlisle Bay is the chiefest place for shipping and trade it ought to be first secured, and Needham's Point was the best situation to command the ships that come into the Bay. The present Fort is too small and not tenable. With one man of war and a bomb vessel it might be easily taken in a few hours. (Dec. 13, 1697.) With my letter and design the Council were so well pleased that, rather than not have it built, they said they would contribute very largely to it out of their own pockets, and so sent them to the Assembly. But owing to feuds and animosities between the two Houses, the Assembly did not meet, except to adjourn, till April 12, 1698. Since they could not see their way to raising the money for the fort, I advised the fortifying of the town, as the next thing necessary to be done, as well to check the insults of the negroes as to be the grand place of retreat. I was then summoned
before the Council, May 10, 1698, when I found that some of them did not approve of my design, for they pretended it would be a needless charge, since the town might nevertheless be bombarded from the sea, and they were therefore of opinion it would be better to fortify some high place in the country. They desired me to give my reasons for fortifying the town and to see the places they thought advantageous. I sent them my reasons accordingly, May 17, 1698, quoted. No answer being given to my letter, and finding that their continual quarrels knock all manner of public affairs on the head, I addrest myself to the Assembly, May 17, 1698, who replied (as Cal. A. and W. I. 1699, No. 954, iii.). Now though I had your Lordships' orders to return home, yet in respect to the Council's commands and the Assembly's request I went a second time with the Commissioners on that parching shoar, and, May 24, 1698, proposed that their own surveyors should provide me with drafts of the coast to carry home with me, and then I could send over my designs and what is necessary to be done. This much pleased them. They gave me 50l. for my voyage and 100l. for a present, which was looked upon by my friends as very mean. However I thanked them, and glad I was of my going from that unhealthful part of the world, where, besides many inconveniencys, the dearness of living made me out of pocket, which to repair, I laid out the country's gift in sugars, etc., for England, and that being sunk with my cloaths, etc., makes me looser by above 400l. Endorsed as preceding. 11½ pp. [Board of Trade. Barbados, 8. Nos. 60A, 60A. i.; and 45. pp. 140–171.] |
Nov. 9.
(should be
19). |
942. Memorandum of letter from the Board of Ordnance to the Council of Trade and Plantations. Endorsed, Recd. Read Nov. 26, 1700. ¼ p. Enclosed, |
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942. i. Abstract of the proceedings of Hugh Sims, engineer, in Antego and other Leeward Islands. 1691–1698. Same endorsement. 7 pp. [Board of Trade. Leeward Islands, 7. Nos. 8, 8. i.; and 46. pp. 117–124.] |
| Nov. 19. |
943. Journal of Council of Trade and Plantations. Acts of Maryland complained of by Lord Baltimore laid before the Board. Secretary ordered to acquaint his Lordship, when he calls, that in pursuance of the representation of this Board, Nov. 29, 1699, the Act ascertaining the laws of that Province having been repealed, one of the Acts complained of, for Ascertaining the Bounds of Lands, is thereby repealed also; and the other Act, for limiting the time for payment of obligations in that Province, in consequence of the said representation and repeal remains only in force as it was past there in May, 1695, but not as revised and confirmed
in 1699; so that if his Lordship thereupon have anything to offer in pursuance of his late petition to His Majesty he may please to do it in writing. |
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Letter from Mr. Secretary Vernon, Nov. 18, concerning Nicholas Gellybrand, read. |
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Letter from Sir Henry Ashurst, Nov. 1st, together with the draught of a charter desired by the Government of the Massachusets Bay for Harward (sic) College in New England, enclosed in that letter, were read. |
| Nov. 20. |
Mr. Crown presented to the Board his title to Penobscot, which was read, and whereas it is therein said that Sir Thomas Temple was committed to the Tower for having exceeded his commission in the delivery of that country to the French, Mr. Crown was directed to lay before the Board a copy of that Committment in order to the proof of that matter of fact. And further mention being therein made of several patents and other deeds relating to the title to that country, he was directed to bring an extract of ye Boundaries exprest in each of those several meetings, in order to the better clearing of all doubts thereupon. [Board of Trade. Journal, 13. pp. 248–250; and 97. Nos. 204, 205.] |
| Nov. 20. |
944. Memorial of Mr. Crown's title to Penobscot and other lands adjacent. Endorsed, Recd. Read Nov. 20, 1700. 9¼ pp. [Board of Trade. New England, 11. No. 26; and 38. pp. 314–328.] |
