Hamilton’s account of the east inuies. 343.

I will now return back to the year 1686, when Sir John Weyburn was fent fromEngland, with a commiffion of judge admiral from the King; and he had likewifeanother commiffion from the governor of the Company (which they made him believewas alfo from the King) to condemn and hang 13 of the inhabitants of St, Helena,where, in a tumult caufed by the oppreffions of the governor of that ifland, oneJohnfon the fecond was killed. Sir John Weyburn took his paffage to India on boardthe ffiip London, and, in his way, called at St. Helena , and hanged up the 13 pro-fcribed perfons, without form of procefs, for which the Company paid dear after-wards, and fo had Sir John, had he lived ; but he finding the illegal proceedings ofMr. Child to be infupportable, and meeting with many affronts (from that man with-out manners) died at Bombay about two months before the Sedee came on it. Hewas much lamented by all honeft men that knew him. He was captain of the HappyReturn who accompanied the Glocefter when ffie was bringing the Duke of York toScotland , and loft by the way. It was Captain Weyburn that fent his barge to waiton the Duke, and brought him fafe on board of the Happy Return, who carried himforward to Scotland , for which good fervice he was knighted. He was ever after agreat favourite of King James , who feeing he could not be brought into his meafures,put that employ on him, to difmifs him with honour.

And now the Sedee being mafter of the whole ifland, except the caftle and abouthalf a mile to the fouthward of the caftle, he raffed batteries on Dungeree Hill, which:overlooked the fo'rt wall, and difturbed the garrifon very much; then he put four greatguns in the cuftom-houfe, commonly called the India -houfe, and railed a battery atthe Moody’s houfe, within 200 paces of the fort, and another in the lady’s houfe thathe had been fo unkind to, fo that it was dangerous to go out or in at the caftle gate,till we got up an half moon before it. All men were then preft into the Company’sfervice, and I amongft the reft. We paffed the months from April to- September veryill, for provifions grew fcarce by the addition of 3000 Sevajees that were employed asauxiliaries in the military fervice of the Company. When the winter months wereover, at September we went to fea with our final! ffiips, to cruize on the Mogul’sfubjects, and had pretty good fuccefs. I was employed in that fervice, and had thecommand of a finall privateer of feven or eight tuns, with twenty fighting men, andfixteen rowers. In three or four months I brought nine prizes into Bombay, ladenmoft with provifions and clothes for the enemy’s army, which was now increafed to40,000 : but we were not allowed any plunder, but were rather plundered ourfelves,for when we brought our prizes in, our chefts were feverely fearched, and if we hadfaved any of our pay, it was feized for the Company’s ufe, as money we had found inthe prizes, which made us carelefs in purfuing the enemy at fea. Except whenhunger pinched we never looked out for prizes, by which indifference of ours manyof the enemy efcaped that we could have taken.

The ill fuccefs we had affiore with the enemy made our General fick, and, in De-cember, he difpatched two factors to the Mogul’s court, with a Surat merchant, calledMeer Mezamie. He was our friend, and had fome intereft at court. They went un-der the name of the Engliffi ambaffadors. Mr. George Weldon was firff in com-tuiffion, and Abraham Navaar, a Jew , was fecond. In fifteen days they arrived atc °urt, being then at Jehanabant. They were received but coldly 5 but, about themiddle of April, by the fpecial affiftance of prefents to the officers at court, they were^dmitted to audience, but were brought to Aurengzeb’s prefence after a new mode* or ambalffadors, their hands being tied by a faffi before them, and were obliged toproftrate. The King gave them a fevere reprimand, and then aiked their demands.