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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
SEPTEMBER, 1926
Lord Bellamont's offer and asked for a ship of 30 guns and 150 men (Person of Quality), and an agreement was formally drawn up between, on the one side Colonel Levingston and Kidd, (subscribing £1,000 between them) and on the other Lords Bellamont, Somers, Shrews. bury, Romney and Orford, each subscribing £1,000. Of the booty taken from the pirates, such part as fell to the Crown or the Admiralty (House of Commons Journal, XIII, 11), was to be divided into 160 shares, of which 40 were to go to Levingston and Kidd, the remainder to the noble Lords concerned (State Trials, XIV. 162.; Cal. S. P., Col. 1700, No. 354. xvii). Slight modifications, of no great importance, were made later on. A ship, the Adventure Galley (280 tons, 32 guns and 150 men) was chosen. The officers and most of the crew were men with families settled in England. Kidd was given Letters of Marque against the French, dated 11th December 1695 and a Commission, dated 25th January 1695-6, to take pirates, especially Thomas Tew, John Ireland (See para 486 below), Thomas Wake and William May or Maoe, whereever he might find them. The Syndicate, however, quite forgot to secure him from the Press Gang, and when he arrived at the Nore all but 70 of his crew. were impressed (House of Commons Journal, XIII. 33), thus nullifying the one precaution, i.e., a trustworthy crew, which would have made Kidd's task a possible one. He sailed on the 23rd April for New England. On his way he took a small French vessel, which he carried to New York 4th July 1696, where it was formally condemned.
447. At New York he made good the deficiencies in his crew and left for the Cape on the 6th or 7th September (Ind. Off, 0. C. 6446). The character of his new crew may be judged from the following description by Governor Fletcher (Letter to Council of Trade and Plantations, New York, 22nd June 1697, Cal. S. P., Col.) :“One Captain Kidd lately arrived and produced a commission under the Great Seal of England for the suppression of piracy. When he was here many flocked to him from all parts, men of desperate fortunes and necessities in expectation of getting great treasure. He sailed from hence with 15091 men, as I am informed, great part of them from this Province. It is generally believed here that they will get money per fas et nefas. and that if he misses the design named in his commission, he will not be able to govern such a herd of men under no pay." The last three words of this extract refer to Article 8 of Kidd's agreement with his crew, which laid down the principle of "no purchase [i.e., booty. See para. 543 below] no pay.'92 If any one on earth was qualified to prophesy regarding the behaviour of a New England crew, it was Governor Fletcher of New York.
448. On his way to the Cape, on the 12th December, Kidd fell in with a squadron under the command of Sir Thomas Warren (H. M. S. Windsor). His behaviour to the Commodore was very truculent and when the latter refused to supply him with a new foresail, he said he would get one from the first ship which he met. The exhibition of his Commissions only partly satisfied the Commodore of his honesty and, probably for this reason as much as for real want of the men, Warren demanded 30 of Kidd's crew, to which he readily agreed, but, a calm falling, got out his sweeps and rowed off in the night. Instead of calling at the Cape as he had informed Warren was his intention, he made direct for Madagascar. Warren accordingly warned the ships at the Cape, viz. the Sidney (Captain Giffard), the Madras Merchant (Captain Prickman), the East India Merchant (Captain John Clerke) and the Scarborough Interloper (Captain Browne) to be on their guard against him. These ships accordingly left Cape Town in company, but having separated in a storm, the Sidney and Scarborough arrived first at Johanna. Kidd was already there and insolently ordered Captain Giffard to lower his broad
06 It was a general rule amongst pirates not to fore married men to join them.
91 Captain John Clerke in an account dated 6th June, 1697 (Ind. Off., 0. C. 6409) describes the Adventure Galley, which he met at Johanna, as of 250 tons, 30 guns, 200 stout men and 26 to 30 oars.
3 Esquemelin (Buccaneers of America, p. 42 ) says that the Buccaneers had the same law as other pirates, viz. "No prey, no pay.'
