180 Timehri. 



their States to confiscate all absent persons estates, which the defection 

 of our people, our weakness, sickness and other necessities, enforced us 

 to condescend unto. You had at this time a very thriving stock of cattle 

 at St. Johns where I placed William Gwilt and a negro woman of yours 

 to look to them, having as you advised me at Barbados sold your 

 small plantation in Para to Captain Whitaker for 4500 lb. sugar. 

 After the taking of the country the Dutch brought your cattle 

 from St. Johns to Parham and the negro woman — who had brought 

 forth a mulatto — where some they killed and disposed of others. 

 They had now at beginning of October [16]67 completed the fort, 

 having had near a hundred and sometimes a hundred and fifty negroes 

 constantly at work, about which time Sir John Harman after the 

 taking of Cheyan arrived with his fleet, and Lieutenant General Henry 

 Willoughby with two regiments. The foot having surrounded the fort, 

 Sir John Harman on the 7th of October came up in the Bonadventure 

 with several frigates attending him, and having his round tops well 

 manned with small shots, dropped anchor near the fort, and immediately 

 beat them ofl their guns. He began about seven in the morning, and 

 about one they put out a flag of truce, upon which the seamen and soldiers 

 ran to the battered walls, and got up and took the Dutch governor as 

 he was drawing articles. The fort being taken it was declared by a council 

 of war of the land officers that whatever was confiscated by the Dutch 

 and whatever was theirs else of right, did now properly belong to them, 

 they having gained it by the sword, without any articles made with the 

 enemy, nor had they any other reward for their service, being not in pay. 

 Upon which they commanded down all negroes that were in the Dutch 

 possession and such as were not paid for to the Dutch amongst the rest, 

 all those at Parham, where the negro woman and mulatto was ; the which 

 the soldiers gave the Lieutenant General for his share, and then carried 

 oti and divided the rest at Barbados. About the 1st of November following 

 the fleet set sail from Surinam, and about the beginning of December 

 after, Lieuoenant General H. Willoughby returned in the Bonadventure 

 seut thither to bring oft' His Majesty's subjects, the colony being to revert 

 to the Dutch, with whom I came oft, with my family, but most of my 

 negroes and goods I put aboard the Willoughby frigate, which Captain 

 Clarke and I hired to sail for Antigua. Some few days after our arrival 

 at Barbados came the Lieutenant General's negroes in another 9hip, 

 which he had freighted for them, and also the negro woman and the 

 mulatto, which Mr. James Walwyn, your attorney hearing of, made 

 application to His Excellency for her, which Mr. Walwyn told me he 

 promised he should have, but whether he afterwards received her, I know 

 not. 



Sir, there is one thing I must acquaint you, that one Sandford, who 

 went oft* for Nevis with the Dutch fleet, one of our colony, and brother to 

 Robert Sandford, being an inveterate and malicious enemy of mine, and 

 not dreaming the colony would ever be reduced to His Majesty's obedi- 

 ence, gave out and averred that I had betrayed the country to the Dutch, 

 and had carried myself with the greatest base treachery and cowardice as 



