THE FALMOUTH MANTJSORIPT. 209 



— when I took all on shore, sick and well, except the Officers, 

 who desired to stay on board to tend ye business of the ship ; ye 

 most sick I lodged in the stable and barn, upon fresh straw, ye 

 rest under ye hedge in the walk, some under tents of their sails 

 others only upon straw ; when by the blessing of Grod, diligent 

 care, mutton broth, water grewel, and lemons and oranges in 

 their small beer, with a prudent mixture of brandy and the 

 assistance of their own 2 expert surgeons, I had the pleasure to 

 see them all sett upright again, before the ship was ready to go 

 to sea, except 2 who died of their wounds, and one of sickness. 

 I had not been got out of ye country above a month, when I was 

 advised of a Barbarous murder committed by one of the soldiers 

 of ye castle upon ye Body of one of the Dutch seamen then in 

 port, by stabbing behind in the Back dead at his feet, without 

 ever exchanging a word, or so much as seeing his Face till Dead ; 

 which Terrible act I enquired into ye circumstances of it ye best 

 I could, and found as aforesaid, and in as clear a light, that the 

 said Soldier must have been sett on by some uncommon induce- 

 ment to do the deed, but by whom I could never attain ye 

 certainty off, not by Pendor the Mayor I was satisfied, from its 

 being a matter beyond ye management of so poor and timerous 

 a creature ; nor could I charge Mr. Corker or Eichard Cook, Tide 

 Surveyor, or his abandoned creature with it, in proof. But well 

 known it was, and must still be remembered by many living, 

 that tho' the said Cook was excusable from his office, and never 

 to his dying Day before or since was he upon any jury, yet he 

 put himself Foreman upon the Coroner's Jury, to bring this 

 Soldier off for manslaughter, tho' it be well known that ye Special 

 Act against stabbing (such as this case) admits of no man- 

 slaughter, but in direct words declares ye same to be murder ; yet 

 by ways and means by the visible industry of ye said Cook, 

 foreman as aforesaid of the Coroner's Jury, ye fact was brought 

 in manslaughter. And with ye said murder I had word to London 

 from ye said Eead, the Agent of ye said privateers, and others of 

 ye said privateers, being determined to leave the place, as I had 

 but too much reason to conclude they ; would and must have been 

 so in consequence, had not said Read's Agent bestir'd himself as 

 well at Flushing in Holland as at London, to put the matter in 

 its true light, backed by me, who had acquired some esteem 



