A. D. 1685. 625 



' t\mc to time, who may raife and mufter fcamen and foldiers onboard 



* their fliips, as fliall be direded by the company, or by their captain- 

 ' general in India, who may feize on and compell all Englifh interlopers 

 ' to fubmit, and may take their fliips and goods ; alfo to make war on 

 ' fuch Indian princes as may hurt the company. And in time of open 

 ' hoftility with any Indian nation, &c. they may, on the otlicr fide the 

 ' Cape of Good Hope, ufe the martial law onboard their fliips, as well 



* as on land ; referring, however, liberty to the king, at plealure, to 

 ' revoke this grant of martial law in their fliips. The company may 

 ' alfo coin in their forts any fpecies of money ufually coined by the 

 ' princes of thole countries only, lb as it be agreeable to the fl:andards 

 ' of thofe princes in weight and finenefs ; and that they do not coin 



* any European money ; and that all fuch money fo to be coined by 

 ' them, and not otherwife, fliall be current in any city, town, port, or 

 ' place, within the company's limits.' 



1686 In confequence of the great power given to the companybythis 



charter, they proceeded rigoroufly againfl: the interlopers, who, on the 

 other hand, by their abettors and agents, did not fail to raife a great 

 clamour againfl: the company, who, however, continued in the exercife 

 of thofe powers till after the accefllon of King William to the throne. 



As Jamaica was hitherto principally inhabited by the military men 

 and their offspring, who had polfeifed it ever fince it was taken in the 

 year 1656, thofe people, as generally difliking agriculture, betook them- 

 felves to cruifiiig againfl the Spaniards on the American feas, even after 

 peace had been concluded between England and Spain, in America ; 

 and, allured by the wealth acquired thereby, they continued that illegal 

 pradice throughout all the reign of King Charles II, and to this time, 

 and got the appellation of the buccaneers of Jamaica, fome of whofe 

 bold exploits againfl the Spanifli towns, and ports in Mexico, &c. would 

 pafs for mere romances, had they not been too well known by both na- 

 tions *. 



In this year the French, though at peace with England, in Europe, 

 marched from Canada over land, and furprifed four of the Hudfon's-bay 

 company's forts, fo that there only remained to us the fort at Port-Nel- 

 fon. 



In November, this fame year, the kings of England and France con- 

 cluded a treaty of peace and neutrality for America, whereby. 



Articles I, II) It is agreed, that there fliall be between them a firm 



* Tlie ferocious and dcfpcvate valour, and the their colonies. Such were the wonderful, import- 

 aftonifhing fuccelTes, of the buccaneers, fbuck the ant, and permament, effedls produced by a hand- 

 Spaniards with fuch a terror, tliat they abandoned ful of dcfperadoes. [See Raynal, Hijl. philof. et 

 all thoughts of navigation; aud, rcg;.rdlefs of what polit. V. v, p. 180.] If the indudry and vigour 

 they owtd to their fame, their intcreft, and their of the Spaniards were equal to the local advant- 

 policy, they gave themfclves up to a habitual in- ages they poflefs in Europe, America, and Afia, 

 dolence, which has ever fince been the bane of all they alone would drive thii trade of the world. M- 



Vol. II. 4 K 



