6 proximation dates this Letter for us. By obscure intimations, allusions to events, and even by recurrence of phrases, the following Letter seems to have the same or a closely subsequent date; but no sense could be made of it till the Address, ' MajorGeneral Fortescue at Jamaica' (which, being nonsense, we have to impute to Birch), was erased,-was altered, by dim lights* and guessings still a little uncertain, as below. LETTER CXLII. To Daniel Serle, Esquire, Governor of Barbadoes.' Whitehall, October, 1855. These are first to let you know that myself and this Government reckon ourselves beholden † to you for the ready expressions of your love in giving assistance to our late Designs. Which indeed, though it hath miscarried in what we hoped for, through the disposing hand of God, for reasons best known to Himself, and as we may justly conceive for our sins,-yet is not this Cause the less His, but will be owned by Him, as I verily believe: and therefore we dare not relinquish it ; but shall, the Lord assisting, prosecute it with what strength we can, hoping for 'a' blessing for His name's sake. You will receive some Instructions,|| with encouragements to remove your people thither. Whereto I refer you: only let me tell you that if you shall think to desire some other things which are not mentioned in those Instructions, 'you may' rest upon my word that we shall be most ready to supply what they may be defective in or you may reasonably demand, when once you are upon the place,-where certainly you may be better able to judge what may tend most to your accommodation than at a distance. Surely the sooner you remove thither,¶ * Thurloe, iv., 633, &c., &c. † 'beholding' in orig.; as the old phrase usually is. ↑ Hispaniola to which Serle, at Barbadoes, had given due furtherance, as the Expedition passed. § No! || Thurloe, iv., 633-7; worth reading, though in great want of editing. ¶ Will mean, if our Addressing of this Letter is correct, that it had at one time been intended and decided to send Serle of Barbadoes, an experienced man, the ablest and principal English Governor in the West Indies, you will have the more time to strengthen yourself, in such place and upon such part as you shall like of. And for your own part, I have named you one of the Commissioners there for managing of the whole affair; whereby you will have your vote and interest in that Govern ment. We hope the least Seven Having said this, I think fit to let you know that we have Twenty men-of-war already there, and are sending Eight more, many whereof have forty guns and upwards, and the rest above thirty.* Plantation is not wanting in anything; having at the thousand fighting men upon the place: and we are providing to supply them constantly with fresh men: and we trust they are furnished with a twelvemonth's victuals;-and I think, if we have it in England, they shall not want. We have also sent to the Colonies of New England like offers with yours,t To remove thither; our resolution being to people and plant that Island. And indeed we have very good reason to expect considerable numbers from thence, forasmuch as the last winter was very de structive, and the summer hath proved so very sickly. I pray God direct you; and rest, Your loving friend, OLIVER P.‡ Undoubtedly to Daniel Serle,' or else to Major-General Sedgwick' the other of the Four new Commissioners, this Letter must have been addressed. With either of which Addresses it remains historically somewhat obscure; but is legible enough for our purposes with it here. The next seems to be of slightly later date. SIR, LETTER CXLIII. To Major-General Fortescue at Jamaica. Whitehall, November, 1655 You will herewith receive Instructions for the better carrying-on of your business; which is not of small account here, though to take charge of Jamaica himself. Which, however, in the quick succession of new lights and occurrences, never came to pass. * Same phrase in the preceding Letter. Encouragements to them, as to 'your' Colony, to emigrate thither. our discouragements have been many; for which we desire to humble ourselves before the Lord, who hath very sorely chastened us. I do commend, in the midst of others' miscarriages, your constancy and faithfulness to your trust in every situation'* where you are, and ' your taking care of a company of poor sheep left by their shepherd ;" and be assured that, as that which you have done hath been good in itself, and becoming an honest man, so it hath a very good savor here with all good Christians and all true Englishmen, and will not be forgotten by me, as opportunity shall serve. 66 I hope you have long before this time received that good supply which went from hence in July last, whereby you will perceive that you have not been forgotten here. I hope also the ships sent for New England are, before this time, with you ;—and let me tell you, as an encouragement to you and those with you to improve the utmost diligence, and to excite your courage in this business, though not to occasion any negligence in prosecuting that affair, nor to give occasion to slacken any improvement of what the place may afford, That you will be followed with what necessary supplies as well for comfortable subsistence as for your security against the Spaniard, this place may afford, or you want. And therefore study first your security by fortifying: and although you have not monies for the present, to do it in such quantities as were to be wished; yet, your case being as that of a marching army, wherein every soldier, out of principles of nature, and according to the practice of all discipline, ought to be at pains to secure the common quarter,—we hope no man amongst you will be so wanting to himself, considering food is provided for you, as not to be willing to help to the uttermost therein. And therefore I require you and all with you, for the safety of the whole, that this be made your most principal intention. The doing of this will require that you be very careful not to scatter, till you have begun a security in some one place.-Next I desire you that you would consider how to form such a body of good Horse as may, if the Spaniard should attempt upon you at his next coming into the Indies with his Galeons, be in a readiness to march to hinder his landing; who will hardly land upon a body of horse; and if he shall land, 'you will' be in a posture to keep the provisions of the country Word torn. † Fortescue's own expression: in a Letter of 21 July, 1655 (Thurloe, iii., 675). Vaughan, i., 303; Thurloe, iv., 4. § Thurloe, iv., 157; one, the first of them, did arrive, Nov. 1st: sent from Jamaica to New England for provisions.' from him, or him from the provisions, if he shall endeavor to march towards you. We have sent Commissioners and Instructions into New England, to try what people may be drawn thence.* We have done the like to the Windward English Islands; and both in England and Scotland and Ireland, you will have what men and women we can well transport We think, and it is much designed amongst us, to strive with the Spaniard for the mastery of all those seas; and therefore we could heartily wish that the Island of Providence were in our hands again: believing that it lies so advantageously in reference to the Main, and especially for the hindrance of the Peru trade and Carthagena, that you would not only have great advantage thereby of intelligence and surprisal, but might' even block up Carthagena.† It is discoursed here that, if the Spaniard do attempt upon you, it is most likely it will be upon the East end of the Island, towards Cuba; as also 'that' Cuba, in its chief Town, is a place‡ easily attempted, and hath in it a very rich copper-mine. It would be good, for the first, as you have opportunity, to inform yourself: and if there be need, to make a good work upon the East end of your Island, to prevent them. And for the other, and all things of that kind, we must leave them to your judgment upon the pace, to do therein as you shall see cause. 6 To conclude: As we have cause to be humbled for the reproof God gave us at St. Domingo, upon the account of our own sins as well as others,' so, truly upon the reports brought hither to us of the extreme avarice, pride and confidence, disorders and debauchedness, profaneness and wickedness, commonly practised amongst the Army, we can not only bewail the same, but desire that all with you may do so; and that a very special regard may be had so to govern, for time to come, as that all manner of vice may be thoroughly discountenanced, and severely punished and that such a frame of government may be exercised that virtue and godliness may receive due encouragement. * 'I rest, 'Your loving friend, 'OLIVER P.") The brave Fortescue never received this Letter: he already Long Correspondences about it, and details, from assiduous Mr. Gookin, chief of those Commissioners, in Thurloe, iv. the same' in orig. 'Cuba upon Cuba is a place,' as the original has it. The first Cuba' here must, of course, mean Cuba Town, now Havanna. § Thurloe, iv., 634 lay in his grave when it was written; had died in October last,* a speedy victim of the bad climate and desperate situation. Brave Sedgwick, his Partner and Successor, soon died also :† a very brave, zealous and pious man, whose Letters in Thurloe are of all others the best worth reading on this subject. Other brave men followed, and soon died; spending heroically their remnant of life-fire there,—as heroes do, making paths through the impassable.' But we must leave the heroisms of Oliver Protector and his Puritans, in this Jamaica Business, to the reader's fancy henceforth, till perhaps some Jamaica Poet rise to resuscitate and extricate them. Reinforcement went on the back of reinforcement, during this Protector's lifetime: a Thousand Irish Girls' went ; not to speak of the rogue-and-vagabond species from Scotland, we can help you' at any time to two or three hundred of these.'§ And so at length a West-India Interest did take root; and bears spices and poisons, and other produce, to this day. * Thurloe, iv., 153. + 24 June, 1656 (Long's History of Jamaica, i., 257). Long, i., 244. § Thurloe, iv., 692, 5. |