The Migration from Surinam to Jamaica. 171 



King of France. But Atkins was ordered not to make any compact with 

 the Dutch for the surrender of Surinam upon any account whatever. In 

 December Sir William Stapleton wrote from Nevis " I have sent the 

 Deptford, ketch, to Surinam, to transport English subjects, or as many 

 of them as she can carry to Antigua, for they are in danger of being cut 

 off by the Indians as some have been already. I thought this more tending 

 to the King's service than her waiting here." 



Thomas Duncombe wrote to Stapleton on January 23rd, 1680 : " The 

 arrival of the Deptford ketch brought us the good news of your care for 

 us, and for the King's subjects in Surinam. Captain Aire, of the Dept- 

 ford, and myself used all our diligence with the Dutch Governor and 

 Council here to induce him to let the English go on paying their just debts, 

 but they answered that, by a clause in the 5th Article of the last Treaty 

 between the two nations, letters must first be received both from the 

 States and from the King of England. Now that you have begun the 

 good work I hope that you will procure a pass for us from the King. On 

 second thoughts the Dutch Governor has permitted my wife to go with 

 Captain Aire, and also fifty slaves, we being quite ruined in our plantation 

 and destitute of provisions for our slaves." 



On the back of the foregoing is a further letter from Francis 

 Bruninge to Sir William Stapleton saying that he had tried his utmost 

 to leave Surinam in the ketch but could not prevail. 



Governor Sir William Stapleton wrote from Nevis on the 

 7th of February, 1680, to the Lords of Trade and Plantations 

 saying that the Deptford ketch had returned from Surinam with 102 

 persons, blacks and whites, who were now in Antigua. The Dutch 

 Governor would not permit any more to come without orders from the 

 States. He supposed the Dutch Governor's arguments to be a " mere 

 put-off," for he conceived that the instructions of the States mentioned 

 in the 5th Article of the last Treaty were already sent by Mr. Cranfield 

 when he went to Surinam as Commissioner to transport the English to 

 Jamaica. This new Governor might be ignorant of it, or merely con- 

 cealed it as an excuse for detaining the King's subjects. 



The Lords of Trade and Plantations held that special sanction was 

 needed from the States General for their removal, and recommended to 

 the King that it be sought. 



In May, 1680, Stapleton wrote home that the Dutch had no sugar 

 Colony in those parts " since the Indians have confined them to their 

 Surinam fort. 



Written in or before 1739, not so long aft.er the occurrence, the 

 following account given by Leslie in his " New History of Jamaica," is 

 of interest : 



" 'Twas about this critical time, that the Court of England though 

 fit to quit all Pretensions to Surinam, and give it up to the Dutch. 



