560 Charles II, Naval Expeditions, &c. of the Engliih, Book In-

1655 . Barbadoes, the thirtieth (some say theeight and twentieth) of January (e)i 655.(/’) Soon after, General Venables wroteto the Protector, the Lord President ofthe Council, Lazvrence, the Lord Lam-'c’onditfonof ^ ert> an ^ several others, to let themthe Army. know in what a miserable Condition theArmy, was, and how destitute theywere, not only of Provisions, but ofArms, and other Necessaries, proper forcarrying on the intended Design; Inso-much that they were constrained to makethe hardest Shifts to supply themselveswith the small Quantities, either of one

or the other, that could be had in those 1655*Parts.

The first Thing that was done after SoJne p u td>the Fleet’s Arrival at Barbadoes, was Vessels set*'the seizing such Dutch Ships and Vef- ed at ® ar 3fels as were found there, being eighteen does 'in Number, which, in Defiance of thelate Act of Navigation, had presumedto trade in those Parts; And GeneralPerns appointed a Nephew of his totake an Account of their Cargoes, andall Things belonging to them, withoutadmitting any Check on him, as Gene-neral Venables desired and insisted on,

that

" which you find in any of their Harbours, and“ also upon all such Goods as you shall find upon“ the Land.

IV. “ Such Resolutions as shall be taken by" you, and the other Commissioners, concerning“ the Way and Manner of making your first At-" tempt, and what you do design thereupon, you" shall certify unto us by Express, and as many" other Ways as you can, to the End we may" know whither to send unto you upon all Occa-" sions which may fall out.

V. “ In Gale it shall please Gol> to give you" Success, such Places as you shall take, and shall" judge fit to keep, you shall keep for the Use" of us, and this Commonwealth And shall al-“ so cause such Goods and Prizes as may be ta-" ken, to be delivered into the Hands of the said" Commissioners, that so they may be brought to" a just and true Account, for the publick Ad-" vantage.

VI. " You have hereby Power, with the Ad-“ vice of the said Commissioners, or any two of“ them, to place Garrisons in any such Places as“ shall be taken in, and to appoint fit Governours“ thereof, and to give them Commissions under" your Hand and Seal, accordingly, and to slight" the said Garrisons, and remove the said Gover-“ nours, as you, by Advice aforesaid, shall think" necessary, and for our Service.

VII. “ You have hereby Power and Autho-t£ rity, by the Advice aforesaid, to give reasona-<c {-,j e Conditions to such Persons as will submit to“ our Government, and willingly come under ourtc Obedience, and also to treat and conclude, for“ the Surrendering any Fort, Castle, or Place in-£ ‘ to our Hands, having, in all your Transactions,“ Care of preserving the Interest of this Com-et monwealth. And you are to use your best En-" deavours, as far as it is practicable, that no dan-

gerous Persons be suffered to abide long in any" Place possessed by you, unless they be in Cu-“ stody ; And such as shall be taken as Prisoners," you shall use your best Endeavours, either by<c sending them into Europe, or otherwise, as you-c shall find most expedient, that they may not be

again serviceable to the Enemy in those Parts.

VIII. " You shall have Power, by the Ad-cc vice aforesaid, to raise such Forces as shall be“ judged necessary, in any of the Parts which“ you shall gain the Possession of, as aforesaid,« and to appoint Officers and Commanders over" them, and to arm, lead, conduct, and dispose" of them for the Purposes aforesaid.

IX. “ You shall give unto us as frequent Ac-" counts as may be of all your Proceedings, that" so you may receive our farther Directions“ thereupon, as shall be necessary.

X. W hereas all Particulars cannot be fore-" seen, nor positive Instructions for such Emer-" gencies so, beforehand, given, but most Things“ must be left to your prudent and discreet Ma-" nagement, as Occurrences may arise upon the“ Place, or, from Time to Time, fall out ;" You are therefore, upon all such Accidents,“ relating to your Charge, to use your best Cir-“ cumspection, and by Advice, either by the said“ Commissioners, or your Council of War, as" occasion may be, to order and dispose of the“ Forces, under your Command, as may be most" advantageous for the Publick, and for obtaining" the Ends for which these Forces were raised;“ making it your especial Care, in Discharge of“ that great Trust committed to you, that the“ Commonwealth may receive no Detriment.

By the Circumstances of these Instructions, itis manifest they were drawn up by Persons whohad a perfect Knowledge of the Country. Burnetfays: “ It was reported, that ‘Thomas Gage , who“ had been a Priest, and was come from the“ TVest-Indies , engaged Oliver in this Design, by" giving him an Account of the Weakness, as" well as Riches, of the Spaniards in those Parts.This Intimation the Bishop had probably fromWhitlock , who says the same Thing : But theBishop adds: ce By this, he reckoned, he would" be supplied with such a Treasure, that his Go-" vernment would be established before he should" need to have any Recourse to a Parliament for“ Mony. Spain would never admit of a Peace" with England between the Tropicks: So he“ was in a State of War with them, as to those" Parts, even before he declared War in Europe." He therefore, equipped this Fleet, which, he" thought, was of Force sufficient, to have seiz-" ed Hifpaniola and Cuba-, And Gage had assured" him, that Success in that Expedition would" make all the Rest fall into his Hands.

00 Whitlocic s a y S) the Fleet arrived at Bar-badoes, ip the Month of March , and failed fromthence, the thirtieth of that Month for Hifpa-niola.

(f) Not to break off the Thread of my Dis-course above, I shall just mention here, at theConclusion of the Year 1654. some few Actionswhich happened during this Time, nearer Home;Tho , as the Peace was concluded with the Dutch ,and ratified about the JVliddle of April , they werenot many, nor of any great Importance.

In the Months of January , Vebruary aiAMarch,several Prizes were brought into different Ports.

In

Whitish

Bp. B»r”

own J- lv

■fphitlod 1