| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |
The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, ca. 1600-1925
The Calvert papers, Vol INo. 9. GOV. LEONARD CALVERT TO LORD BALTIMORE.
Page 182 { page image }
[Indorsement.]
25 Aprill 1638 My Bro: Leonard to me. from Virginea. the taking of the Ile of Kent Palmers Iland what number of people & earle vpon them. Portobacke. Cedar redd-bird matts & Lyon.
Good Brother:
I haue endeauored this last winter to bring the Inhabitants of the Ile of Kent willingly to submit themselues to your gouernement and to incourage them therevnto I wrote vnto them a letter in Nouember, where amongst other motiues I vsed to perswade them, I promised to free them from all question of any former contempts they had committed against you, so that they would from thence forward desist from the like and submit themselues to the gouernment and to shew them greater fauor I gaue them the choice to name whom they would of the Inhabitants of the Ileand to be theire commaunder; but one Jhon Butler Cleybornes brother in law and one Tho: Smith an agent of Cleybornes vpon Kent was of such power amongst them that they perswaded them still to continue in theire former contumacie vpon notice giuen me hereof, I presently appointed Capt Euelin Commander
Page 183 { page image }
of the Ileand wch formerly I purposely omitted because he was had in a generall dislike amongst them, him they contemned and committed many Insolencies against; wherefore findeing all faire meanes I could vse to be in vaine, and that no way but compulsion was left, I gathered togeather about twenty musketteers out of the Colony of St Maries and appointing the command of them to Capt Cornewallis whom I toocke as my assistant wth me, I sat saile from St Maries towards Kent about the latter end of November, intending to apprehend Smith and Butler if I could, and by the example of theire punishmt to reduce the rest to obedience, but it beeing then farre in the winter, the windes were so cross and the weather so fowle in the bay, that after I had remayned a week vpon the water I was forct to returne back and deferre that expedition vntill some fitter tyme, two months affter in the beginning of ffebruarie I was giuen to vnderstand that the Indians at the head of the bay called the Sasquahannoughs intended in the spring following to make warre vpon vs at St Maries pretending revenge for our assisting of our neighbors Indians against them two yeares before (wch we neuer did though they will needs thinck so) and that they were incouraged much against vs by Thomas Smith who had transplanted himselfe wth other English from the Ile of Kent the last summer to an Ileand at the head of the bay fower miles below the falls called Palmers Ileand and vnderstanding likewise that they had planted and fortified themselues there by directions from Capt Cleybourne wth intent to liue there independent of you (because they supposed it out of the limits of your Prouince) and that the sd Smith and Mr Botler whom I haue formerly mentioned was then preparing to carrie a farther supply from Kent both of men and necessaries to the sd Ileand; I thought it expedient to stop theire proceedings in
Page 184 { page image }
the beginnings, and for that purpose haueing aduised wth the councell about the busines I sat forth from St Maries for the Ile of Kent wth thirtie choice musketteers takeing Capt Cornewalleis and Capt: Euelin in my company to Capt Cornew: I appointed the command of those Soldiers I carried wth me, and afterward arriuing at the sd Ileand I landed wth my company a little before sunne rise, at the southermost end thereof where Capt Cleybornes howse is seated wthin a small ffort of Pallysadoes, but findeing the gate towards the sea at my comeing fast barred in the inside one of my company beeing acquainted wth the place quickly fownd passage in at an other gate and commeing to the gate wch I was at opened vnto me, so that I was arriued and entered the fort wthout notice taken by any of the Ileand wch I did desire, the easilier to apprehend Boteler and Smith the cheife incenduaries of the former seditions and mutinies vpon the Ileand, before they should be able to make head against me, and vnderstanding that Boteler and Smith were not then at the fort but at theire seuerall plantations I sent to all the lodgeings in the fort and caused all the persons that were fownd in them to be brought vnto me thereby to preuent theire giueing vntymely notice vnto Boteler and Smith of my commeing, and takeing them all alongst wth me I marched wth my company from thence wth what speed I could towards Botelers dwelling called the great thicket some fiue miles from the fort and appointed my Pinnass to meet me at an other Place called Craford, and makeing a stand about halle a mile short of the place, I sent my Ensigne one Mr Clerck (that came once wth Mr Copley) from England) wth tenne musketteires to Butler to acquaint him that I was come vpon the Ileand to settle the gouernement thereof and commaund his present repaire vnto me at Craford two miles distant from thence, wch the
Page 185 { page image }
Ensigne accordingly did and brought Boteler vnto me before I remoued from where he left me, after I had thus possessed myselfe of him I sent my Serieant one Robert Vaugham wth six musketteires to Thomas Smiths who liued at a place called beauer neck right against Boteler on the other side of a Creeck wth like commands as I had formerly giuen for Boteler, and then marching forward wth your Ensigne displayed to Craford by the tyme I was come thither Smith was brought vnto me where haueing both the cheife delinquents against you I first charged them wth theire crimes and afterward committed them Prisoners aboard the Pinnass I came in and appointed a gard ouer them, after I caused a proclamation to be made of a generall pardon to all other the Inhabitants of the Ileand excepting Boteler and Smith for all former contempts against you that should wthin lower and twenty howers after the proclaiming of the same come in and submit themselues to your gouernement wherevpon wthin the time appointed the whole Ileand came in and submitted themselues, haueing receiued theire submission, I exorted them to a faithfull continuance of the same, and encouraged them thereto by assureing them how ready you would be alwayes vpon theire deserts to condescend to any thing for theire goods: Afterward I gaue order for the carrieing of Boteler and Smith to St Maries in the Pinnass I came in, and wth them sent most of the Soldiers as a gard vpon them commaunding them to be deliuered into the custody of the sheriffe at St Maries vntill my returne and my Pinnass to returne to the Ileand to me, where till my Pinnasses returne I held a court and heard and determined diuerse causes between the Inhabitants, at the end of the sd court I assembled all the Inhabitants to make choise of theire delegates to be present for them at a generall assembly then held at St Maries for the makeing of Lawes wch they
24
Page 186 { page image }
accordingly did, and before my departure from them I gaue them to vnderstand that euery man that held or desired to hold any land in the Ileand, it was necessarie they should take pattents of it vnder the seale of the Prouince as holding it of you wch they were all very desireous of, so that some tyme this summer I promised to come to the Ileand and bring Mr Lewger wth me to suruay and lay out theire lands for them and then to pass grants vnto th? of it, reserueing onely such rents and seruices to you as the law of the Prouince should appoint there is vpon the Ileand about one hundred and twentie men able to beare armes as neer as I could gather of the women and children I can make no estimate, in conclusion appointing the command of the Ileand to three of them, vist: to Mr Robert Philpot as commaunder and Willi? Cox and Tho: All? ioynt commissioners wth him I departed for St Maries, where after my arriuall I called a grand inquest vpon Smith who fownd a bill against him for Pyracie, wherevpon he was arraigned before the assembly and by th? condemned to suffer death and forfeit, as by a particular act for that purpose assented vnto by the whole howse and sent vnto you, you will perceiue; I haue omitted as yet to call Mr Boteler to his tryall, because I am in hopes by shewing fauor vnto him to make him a good member, but I haue not as yet released him, though I haue taken him out of the sheriffes custody into my owne howse where I intend to haue him remayne vntill I haue made farther experience of his disposition and if I can win him to a good inclination to your Seruice, I shall thinck him fittest to take the commaund of the Ile of Kent; for those others wch haue now that charge from me are very vnable for it, nor is there better to be fownd vpon the Ileand, but least (Boteler demeaning himselfe otherwise then well) and that I should finde cause to thinck him fitter to be punished then
Page 187 { page image }
pardoned there should want meanes to giue him condigne punishment for all his former offences; I desire you would send ouer an act the next yeare wth your assent thereto, to be proposed to an assembly in Maryland for theire assent censureing Boteler as Smith was for Pyracie wch he committed at the head of the bay neer Palmers Ileand in the yeare 1635 vpon a Pinnasse belonging to St Maries by takeing and a great quantitie of trucking commodities from Jhon Tomkins and serieant Robert Vaughan who had the charge of her and togeather wth the sd Pinnass and goodes carried the sd Tomkins and Vaughan prisoners to Kent. Smith hath solicited you I suppose by his letters for his pardon but I shall desire you that you would leaue it to me to do as I shall finde him to deserue; whereby (if it be possible he should be the better for it) it will take better effect wth him when he shall continue at my mercie vnder whose eye he is: Palmers Ileand beeing already seated and fortifyed and a good stock of cattle to the number of thirteen head put vpon it, I thought not good to supplant but vnderstanding there were fiue men inhabiting it seruants to Capt Cleyborne and formerly vnder the command of Smith I sent serieant Robert Vaugham and two others wth him from St Maries to set downe there and to the sd: Vaugham gaue the commaund of all the rest, and by reason Capt Cleyborne hath been attainted of ffelony in the last assembly at St Maries by particular act and sentenced to forfeit all his estate in the Prouince I gaue Vaugham authoritie to take the seruants and other goodes and chattles belonging to Cleyborne vpon the Ileand, into his charge and to haue them forth commeing when they shall be demaunded of him togeather wth what profitt shall be made by the serieants labors. I am informed that vpon occasion of discourse giuen before Sr Jhon Haruey Mr Kempe and Mr Hawley by
Page 188 { page image }
Mr Boteler whether Palmers Ile were wthin the Prouince of Maryland or no Mr Hawley did so weackly defend your title to it that Boteler grew more confident of proceeding in planting it for his Brother Cleyborne and I haue some reason to thinck that Mr Hawley did willingly let your title fall for some designe sake of his owne vpon trade wth the Sasquahannoughs wch he might conceiue better hopes to advance by its depenice on Virginia then on Maryland. for when I sat in counsell at St Maries about the expedition I made to Kent to stop the proceedings of that designe of Boteler and Smiths planting it, he earnestly diswaded it by suggesting all the reasons he could to make your title doubtfull to it the Ileand and then how vnlawfull an act it would be to hinder theire planting it, and though it was made appeare that theire seating there was most dangerous to the Colony at St Maries by reason that they had incouraged the Indians to set vpon vs and might hereafter furnish them wth gunns to our further harme if we should suffer them to proceed, whereas otherwise Boteler and Smith beeing remoued we might hope to make a peace wth those Indians yet it seemed some designe he had upon theire setting downe there was so deare vnto him that he preferred it before the safetie of all vs and his owne family beeing included in the daunger, and would needs haue perswaded it to be in Virginia though the express words of your pattent limits the Prouince to the northward where New England ends but it is apparent that the Iland is wthin your Prouince for the line of fortie by Smiths map by wch the Lords Refferies lade out the bonds lyeth right ouer the first falls and this Ileand is fowre miles to the sowtherd below those falls as I can witnes for I was there the last summer and obserued it. I beleeue the faire promises wch he made you in England wh? you procured the prefermt he hath in Virginia
Page 189 { page image }
how vsefull he would proue to your Colony by it, will neuer be performed by him for nothing moueth him but his owne ends and those he intendeth wholly to remoue from Maryland and place th? in Virginia, and intendeth shortly to remoue his wife and family thither, I am sorry it was your ill fortune to be a meanes of so much good to him who is to ingratefull for it, for he disclaimes that he euer sought your help or had any from you towards his prefermt for he thincketh you did not so much as know he pretended to the place he hath nor that you knew he had it vntill a long tyme after it was passed vnto him thus Capt Cornewallis telleth me hath heard him say, and he is of such greeuance vnto the Gouernor and Secretarie of Virginia that they promise to themselues nothing but ruine by his draweing all the perquisites of theire two places from them, and do therefore wonder that you would be the meanes of procureing such a place for him, they do both intend by theire letters to solicite your help for the remoueing him and it were well for both Colonies that he were, for he can not haue less power, then too much in that Colony wch (by impouerishing Sr Jhon Haruey and draweing from him and the secretarie the execution of all the cheife seruices wch the Kings proffitts and the peoples estates hath dependencie on he will bring vnto himselfe; so that Maryland wherein it shall haue occasion to vse Virginia is like shortly to seeck for it onely to him where there is nothing to be hoped for but what is vnseruiceable to his owne ends and nothing scapeth his designmt though it be neuer so much beyond his reach to compass.
The body of lawes you sent ouer by Mr Lewger I endeauored to haue had passed by the assembly at Maryland but could not effect it, there was so many things vnsuteable to the peoples good and no way conduceing to your proffitt
Page 190 { page image }
that being they could not be exempted from others wch they willingly would haue passed they were desireous to suspend them all, the particular exceptions wch were made against them Mr Lewger hath giuen you an account of in his dispatches to you: others haue been passed in the same assembly and now sent vnto you wch I am perswaded will appear vnto you to prouide both for your honor and proffitt as much as those you sent vs did. the trade wth the Indians they wholly exempted themselves from and leaft it to you, onely Capt Cornewallis I haue promised should not want the most I could say vnto you to procure leaue for him that he might rent three twenty pownds shares in it yearely so long as he is a member of your Colony, wch I did as well to decline his hindrance of passing the whole to you, as also to giue him incouragement for the many seruices, he hath done you in the Colony, for though it hath been his fortune and myne to haue had some differences formerly yet in many things I haue had his faithfull assistance for your seruice and in nothing more then in the expedi??n to Kent this last winter.
I would not wish you (now it is in your hands to dispose of) to intrest too many sharers in it for that hath been hitherto the distruction both of the trade and the traders, for they neuer agreeing to trade ioyntly did by theire severall trade preuent on an others marcket and by ouer bidding the prise for beauer dayly spoyled the trade whereas if it had been in one hand, or in so many as would have ioyned, it might haue made some profit to the aduenturers but in the way it hath been hitherto they that haue vsed it hath reaped nothing but losse, wherefore if you shall thinck good to let me haue any share in it I desire you would not interest any other besides Capt Cornewalleis, for there is none else in Maryland that knoweth what belongeth to the trade
Page 191 { page image }
and therefore are not like to ioyne in the waves wch are most expedient for the good of it. if you would let it out to vs two for two or three yeares, rent free, I am perswaded it would be brought to such a state by the way we should bring it in that it would be farre more profittable and certaine then euer it was for hereafter or if you thinck good to vse it all yourselfe and send ouer truck for it I shalbe ready to do you the best seruice I can but you must cause boates and hands to be procured of your owne here and not put yourselfe to hyer them for that will eat you out of all your profitt if not your principall and you must designe to place ffactories as soone as you can on shore in some conuenient places whereto the trade may be drawne for the way of boating it though the boates be a mans owne is very chargeable and vncertaine. I haue deliuered some Tobaccoes to Mr Lewger but whether it be sufficient or too much to ballance the accounts I am to passe I can not yet tell for I haue not had tyme since his commeing to make them vp it is not for any profitt to myselfe that I haue purposely delayed it, (as I hope you will do me so much right as to beleeue) but for want of Leisure from the publike seruices of the Colony and the necessarie loockeing after some meanes of my owne subsistance wch is so difficult to compass here as it requireth much tyme and labor. I meane this summer to pass all manner of accounts that are between you and me vnto Mr Lewger, for I haue disposed of all my other businesses so, as I may haue sufficient leisure to do it in. Mr Lewger is a very seruiceable and diligent man in his secretaries place in Maryland, and a very faithfull and able assistant to me the cedar you writt for by him I could not procure to send this yeare by reason there is very few to be fownd that are vsefull tymber trees two I heard of farre vp in Patuxent riuer, and two others vpon popelyes
Page 192 { page image }
Iland in the bay nere to Kent, and the fraight and other charges for the shipping them will be so deer that I made a question whether you would thinck fitt to vndergo it, it will stand in eight or tenne pownds a tunne fraight for England besides other charges of transporting it to shipping from where it is felled neither is there meanes in Maryland to transport it vnless it might be split into clapboard, and whether it will not be made vnseruiceable to yu by vseing it so, I can not tell because I do not know the vse you designe it for, by your next letters I pray informe me what you will haue done in it. the matts wch you wrot for amounts to such a charge to be bought from the Indians that I had not sufficient meanes to purchase it, it is not lesse then fortie pownds worth of truck out of England will buy 350 yards of matt besides the charge of seecking them in twentie seuerall indian towns, for vnless they be bespocken there is very few to be had but such as are not worth buyeing to giue a freind, and besides for the vse you intend them it is necessarie they should be all of one make otherwise they cannot flower a roome; and before I shall procure so many yards I must send all the Prouince ouer but if you desire to haue them and will prouide truck to buy them vpon farther notice from you I will be speack them, to haue them all in as few places as I can to auoid charge: I am sure my Brother Porttobacco now Emperor of Paskattaway, will assist me in it as much as he can for he is much your freind and seruant and hath expressed himselfe to me to be so and giueth yu many thancks after his Indian fashion for your guilt sent him by Mr Lewger he hath wthin this two yeares stept into the Empire of the Indians by killing his eldest brother, the old Emperor, and enioyeth [it] yet wth peace through the good correspondencie he keepeth wth me wch aweth his Indians from offereing any harme vnto
Page 193 { page image }
him. I had procured a red bird and kept it a good while to haste sent it to you but I had the ill fortune to loose it by the negligence of my seruant who carelesly let it out of the cage; The beauer wch I sent to you the last yeares belongeth vnto the account of the stock Capt Humber brought ouer.
The Lyon I had for you is dead, if I can get an other I will and send it you. I haue had no leisure all this last winter to Virginia to procure an ace to be made by the generall assembly then held there for the secureing of your right in the trade wthin your precincts, and thought it to no purpose to recommend it to Mr Hawleys care after I had vnderstood so much of him concerning Palmers Ileand against there next assembly wch will be at the returne of shipping next yeare I will prouide a bill drawne as effectuall for that purpose as I can and endeauor what I may to get it passed.
I haue sent you herewth a letter from Mr Robert Philpot of Kent who hath at this present the commaund of the Ileand) to his ffather the keeper of hygh parcke, I pray cause it to be deliuered vnto him and finde some occasion to commend his sonne vnto him for his faire carriage here, as he doth deserue for he came in at the first claime I made of the Ileanders submission to your Pattent, and incourage his ffather I pray what you can to supply him this yeare, for that I vnderstand is the intent of his letter to him; I haue writ vnto you concerneing the deer you sent for in an other letter by it selfe sent herewth as you appointed me. Thus wth best loue and seruice to my sister Baltimore and my other two sisters and my Brother Peasely I rest
Your most affectionate
loueing Brother
Leonard Caluert
ffrom Virginia
this 25th of Aprill
1638.
25
Page 194 { page image }
Capt Wintor remembreth his
seruice to you, I left him well
in Maryland.
Information about SGML version of this document.
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |