160 Timehri. 



In one of Sir Joseph Williamson's note- books, now in the Record 



Office in London, occurs the following entry : — " 1674. Surinam. The 



Dutch agreement of making sugar ; they offer 2001. per annum to our 

 English workmen which we have for 101. 15s.; sugar-makers, &c. The 

 French begin to learn that art. The English have 1,200 negroes on 

 Surinam, and may be themselves about 300. Spoke with Sir Nath. Brent 

 lately come from thence, 1674-75. Ever)' head of cattle there worth 201. 

 300 English, 1,100 or 1,200 Negroes. Have 20 Sugar works; out of 

 dei>t, generally because they have had no supplies of shoes, &c, many tons 

 of sugar, &c. 201. per ton to the Dutch, whereas in Barbados we have 

 it for il. 108. They might buy off 10,000 wt. for an overseer, whereas 

 we have them for 10 m. (sic). All the artificers are English, carpenters, 

 omiths, &c. The Dutch have not the skill of making sugar, but hire the 

 very raggedest English, &c. Sugar works in Surinam : 17 on the river 

 Surinam, 3 on Cainaweena River. 30 per cwt. by the Dutch which will 

 make it difficult to the English. The Dutch ordered to free the English, 

 in debt to them for blacks, &c, and to that end some ships are now beintr 

 sent to Jam(aica). Proposed to have two large flyboats, one less vessel, 

 one man-of-war. The English have good number of cattle, which the 

 Dutch will endeavour to under-rate and forbid to buy and hinder the 

 English from carrying off." 



Captain John Thorne, Andrew Knight, Elias Elly, Hierome Westhorpe 

 were the principal planters of Surinam. The captain of the Advice boat 

 was to repair to them for assistance. 



Mark Brent was appointed commissioner in place of Ferdinando 

 Gorges. The three commissioners being Edward Cranfield, Edward 

 Dickenson, and Mark Brent (or Brandt). 



Rowland Simson, who was left behind when Banister's lot left, 

 managed to get away in 1675, loading a ship with his all — £3,500 worth 

 of sugar, which ship was unfortunately taken by the French. 



Private instructions were issued to the commissioners to try to 

 persuade the planters to migrate to some other plantation rather than 

 return home. Cranfield's instructions required him, after he had des- 

 patched the business at Surinam, to embark for such other plantations as 

 he judged convenient and to make full reports on the conditions of life 

 there ; and he was especially to visit St. Kitts and report on the true 

 state of the differences between the French and English. 



Barbados was excepted, " all the land there being in property 

 already," from the other plantations in the Caribbees, and Virginia, which 

 were instructed to give double quantities of land. It was desired that all, 

 if possible, should settle in Jamaica. 



The Commission to Cranfield, Dickenson and Brent is dated March 

 28th, 1675. 



