88z 
An hiflorical Account of the Intercourje 
Book I. 
Torture* The fame Morning William Webber was called 
again into the Fifcal’s Room, and there prefled to produce 
the Letter which he had before confefled to have received 
from John. Clark , in the Poftfcript whereof fome great 
Bufinefs was intimated : They promifed him his Life, if he 
would deliver, or produce to them that Letter, which, tho* 
he did not, nor indeed could, yet at laft they pardoned 
him, and fent him to the reft that were faved, and Shar - 
rock with him. That Morning Emanuel Thomfon under- 
Handing that John Beamont was pardoned, made Means to 
have him come and fpeak with him, which with much ado 
he obtained. Beamont found him fitting in a Chamber all 
alone, in a moft miferable Fafhion, the Wounds of his 
Torture bound up, but the Matter and gore Blood iffuing 
fultation of the other Japonefe to this Purpofe j but neither 
of them was executed, or fo much as condemned ; the 
Reafon whereof was not known to the Englijh that were 
faved They had prepared a Cloth of black Velvet for 
Captain Towerfon 9 s Body to fall upon, which being ftained 
and defaced with his Blood, they afterwards put to Account 
of the Englijh Company. At the Inftance of the Execu- 
tion there arofe a great Darknefs, with a hidden and violent 
Guft of Wind and Tempeft, whereby two of the Butch 
Ships riding in the Harbour, were driven from their An- 
chors, and with great Labour and Difficulty faved from 
the Rocks. Within a few Days after one William Bunckin , 
who had told the Governor, that Robert Brown the Englijh 
Taylor, had a few Months before told him, he hoped that 
through the Rollers ; he took M. Beamont by the Hand, within fix Months the Englijh- fhould have as much to do 
and prayed him, when he came into England , to do his 
Duty to the honourable Company his Matters, to M. Ro~ 
binfon , and to his Brother Billingjley , and to certify them 
of his Innocence, which, faid he, you yourfelf know well 
enough. 
All things being prepared for the Execution, the con- 
demned were brought forth of the Hall along by the Cham- 
ber, where the quit and pardoned were, who flood in the 
Door to give' and take the Farewel of their Countrymen 
now going to Execution ; flaying a little for this Purpofe, 
they prayed, and charged thofe that were faved, to bear 
witnefs to their Friends in England of their Innocence, and 
that they died not Traitors, but fo many Innocents merely 
murdered by the Butch , whom they prayed God to forgive 
their Blood-thirftinefs, and to have Mercy upon their own 
Souls. Being brought into the Yard, their Sentence was 
read unto them from a Gallery, and then they were thence 
carried unto the Place of Execution, together with nine 
japonefe and a Portugueze , not the ordinary and fhort 
Way, but round about, in a long Proceffion through the 
Town, the Way guarded by five Companies of Soldiers, 
Butch and Amboynefe , and thronged with the Natives of 
the Ifland ; that upon the Summons given the Day before 
by the Sound of the Drum, flocked together to behold this 
Triumph of the Butch over the Englijh. Samuel Colfon 
had conceived a Prayer in Writing, in the End whereof he 
protefted his Innocence, which Prayer he read to his Fel- 
lows the Night before ; and now alfo at the Place of Exe- 
cution, devoutly pronounced the fame •, then threw away 
the Paper, which the Governor caufed to be brought to 
him, and kept it. Emanuel Thomfon told the reft, he did 
not doubt but God would ftlew a Sign of their Innocence ; 
in the Caftle of Amboyna as the Butch. This Fellow- 
coming upon an Evening to the Grave, where the Englijh 
were buried, being all, except Captain T owerfon , in one Pit, 
fell down upon the Grave, and having Iain there awhile, 
rofe up again ftark mad, and fo continued two or three 
Days together, and then died. Forthwith alfo fell a new 
Sicknefs at Amboyna , which fwept away above one thoufand 
People, Butch and Amboynefe , in the Space wherein there 
ufually died not thirty at other Seafons. Thefe Signs were, 
by the fiirviving Englijh , referred to the confident Predic- 
tion of Emanuel Thomfon above-named, and were by the 
Amboynefe interpreted as a Token of the Wrath of God for 
this barbarous Tyranny of the Butch. 
The next Day after the Execution, being the 28th of 
February , O. S. was fpent in Triumph for the new Ge- 
neral of the Butch then proclaimed, and in publick Re- 
joicing for the Deliverance from this pretended Treafon. 
On the 1 ft of March , John Beamont , George S barrack, Ed- 
ward Collins, and William Webber , were brought to the 
Governor, who told Beamont and Sharrach , that they were 
pardoned in Honour of the new General, and Collins , 
that he was to go to Jaccatra , there to ftand to the Fa- 
vour of the Governor ; fo the Governor made them drink 
Wine with him, and courteoufly difmiffed them, willing 
them to go and confult with the reft that were faved, who 
were fit to be placed in the feveral Fadlories ; which done, 
and their Opinions reported to the Governor, he accord- 
ingly commanded each to his Place, adding, that he would 
thenceforth take upon him the Patronage and Government 
of the Englijh Company’s Bufinefs, to which Purpofe he 
had within a few Days paft opened a Letter that came 
from the Englijh Prefident at Jaccatra , directed to Cap- 
and every one of the reft took it feverely upon their Death, tain Towerfon , being the firft Englijh Letter he ever inter- 
that they were utterly guiltlefs ; and fo one by one, with 
great Chearfulnefs, fuffered the fatal Stroke. The Portu- 
.gueze prayed over his Beads very devoutly, and often kitted 
the Crofs, fwearing thereupon, that he was utterly innocent 
of this Treafon, yet confeffed, that God had juftly brought 
this Punilhment upon him •, for that having a Wife in his 
own Country, he had, by the Perfuafion of the Butch Go- 
vernor, taken another in that Country, his firft being yet 
living. 
The Japonefe , likewife, according to their Religion, 
ttiut up their laft A£t with the like Profefiion of their In- 
nocence ; fo there flittered ten Englijhmen , viz. Captain 
Gabriel Towerfon , the Agent for the Englijh at Amboyna ; 
Samuel Colfon , Factor at Hit to ; Emanuel Thomfon , Afiift- 
ant at Amboyna ; Timothy Johnfon , Afliftant there alfo ; 
John P/ether el, Afliftant at Cambello ; John Clark , Affift- 
ant, at Hitto ; William Griggs , Factor at Baric a John 
Fardo , Steward of the Houfe ; Abel Price , Chirurgeon, 
and Robert Brown, Taylor, The Portugueze alfo fuffered 
with them, his Name was Augujtin Perez , he was born at 
Bengal . . The Names of the Japonefe that flittered were as 
followeth : Hititfo , Tfiofa , Sinfa, all born at Firando-, 
Sidney Migial , Pedro Congie , Thomas Corea , born at Na- 
ganfaque ; jjuiandayo , Native of Coraets ; Tfabinda , of 
Tfoncketgo ; Zanchoe , of Fifien. Befides thefe there were 
two other Japonefe ■, the one named Soyjimo , born at Fi- 
rando , and the other Sacoubo , of the fame Place ; the for- 
mer of which being tortured, confeffed both to have been 
privy to this private Treafon, and to have offered his Ser- 
vice to th$ Englijh to aid them in taking of the Caftle l , 
and the latter confeffed to have had Knowledge of the Con- 
cepted ; further faying, that he was glad that he found by 
the Letter that the Enghfh at Jaccatra were innocent touch- 
ing this Bufinefs. The Governor and Fifcal having juft 
made an End at Amboyna , difpatched themfelves for Ban- 
da , where they made very diligent Enquiry againfl Cad- 
tain Weldon , the Englijh Agent there, yet found no Co- 
lour or Shadow of Guilt to lay hold on, but at laft enter- 
tained him with courteous Speeches, profeffing to be very 
glad that they found him as well as the Englifn at jacca- 
tra to be without Sufpicion of this Treafon. 
Captain Weldon perceiving the Diforder and Confufion 
of the Englijh Company’s Affairs at Amboyna , by Means of 
this Dealing of the Butch, forthwith hired a Butch Pinnace 
at Banda , and patted to Amboyna , where inflantly upon 
his Arrival, he recalled the Company’s Servants, which 
were fent by the Butch Governor to the upper Faftories. 
Having inquired of them, and the reft that were left at 
Amboyna , of the whole Proceedings lately patted, he found 
by the conftant and agreeing Relation of them all, that 
there was no fuch Treafon of the Englifo as was pretend- 
ed, as alfo underftanding what ftridl Command the Go- 
vernor had given to the furviving Englijh not Once to talk, 
or confer with the Country People concerning this bloody 
Bufinefs, although the faid Country People every Day 
reproached them with Treafon, and a bloody Intention 
to have maffacred the Natives, and to have ripped up the 
Bellies of Women with Child, and fuch like fluff, where- 
with the Butch have poffetted the poor Vulgar, to make 
the Englijh odious unto them. The faid M. Welden there- 
fore finding it to fuit neither with the Llonour nor Profit 
of the Englijh Company his Mailers, to hold any longer 
Refidence 
