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A Narrative by General Venables of his Expedition to the Island of Jamaica and the Conquest thereof Under the Protectorship of Oliver Cromwell

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Abstract

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Type
The Narrative of General Venables
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1900

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References

page 2 note 1 22 July 1649. See Cary, Memorials of the Civil War, ii. 159.

page 3 note 1 The version of this narrative in the possession of Mr. Lee-Townshend begins with this visit to England.

page 3 note 2 See Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1654, p. 357.

page 5 note 1 This passage is quoted by Long in his History of Jamaica, i. 616.

page 5 note 2 ‘Though it was become so publick as to be the sole jest of common discourse’ is added in the Lee-Townshend MS.

page 6 note 1 Compare Thurloe, iii. 11; and 7th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. p. 571.

page 7 note 1 Compare 7th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. p. 571.

page 7 note 2 In Povey's version this letter is dated Feb. 28.

page 8 note 1 A similar letter to Montagu, but with many verbal variations, is printed in Carte's Original Letters, ii. 46.

page 8 note 2 ‘I do not know that we have raised 3000 and not arms for 1300 of them,’ Carte.

page 8 note 3 ‘Mr. Noel's,’ Carte.

page 8 note 4 ‘With some asses, about 22 or 23 not yet sold,’ Carte.

page 9 note 1 ‘Not be fit to eat of in a year,’ Carte.

page 9 note 2 ‘A Mill and Men,’ Carte.

page 9 note 3 ‘Not above 200 are,’ Carte.

page 9 note 4 ‘The most having unfixt arms,’ Carte.

page 10 note 1 In Carte's version this letter is dated Feb. 28, 1655; Povey's date is Feb. 20.

page 12 note 1 ‘Having our arms in readiness,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 13 note 1 ‘Another grand trouble and discouragement was,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 13 note 2 ‘Fast-Days,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 13 note 3 ‘Seamen and landsmen alike,’ Lee Townshend MS.

page 15 note 1 i.e. Garigliano, A.D. 1503.

page 16 note 1 Dated April 11,1655 in Mr. Lee-Townshend's MS., and also in Povey's version.

page 16 note 2 In this MS. wrongly given ‘Richard.’

page 18 note 1 Should be April 10.

page 20 note 1 Compare the letter of Venables to Montague, May 26, 1655. Carte, Original Letters, ii. 48.

page 21 note 1 ‘Save in one Savania,’ Povey's MS.

page 21 note 2 See Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 81.

page 21 note 3 Ibid. ii. 81, 82.

page 23 note 1 For a defence of Buller's conduct see 7th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. p. 572.

page 25 note 1 Another proclamation signed only by Venables is printed in the Report of the Duke of Portland's MSS. ii. 91. Butler's name is erroneously given as George both in Long's and in Povey's MSS.

page 26 note 1 ‘This ford was at the mouth of the river which is the general rule in the W. Indies, where the Sea Breeze and current usually cast up a Bar of Sand over which the Water is extremely shallow, so that though there is depth of Water on each side the Bar for large vessels, yet upon the Bar itself nothing but a canoe can pass without grounding.’ This note is added in the margin by another hand.

page 27 note 1 See Memorials of Sir William Perm, ii. 85.

page 29 note 1 See Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 89.

page 32 note 1 ‘Candy'd,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 32 note 2 ‘And whilst it was in debate what we should doe, they had none given them, and to that pass they were given that they devoured all the dogs, apes and horses in camp, and some did eat poisonous food, that (as I was informed) in a day forty died with it at once,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 32 note 3 ‘It was moved that the soldiers (whom they commonly called doggs) should be left on shore to the mercy of the enemy, and set sayle for England (which horrid inhumanity my soul detested) and when they came to be shipped the officers would not suffer the regiment of Seamen to be first shipped, lest they should serve them a dogg-trick,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 34 note 1 Jackson was perhaps the Major Jackson of Col. Ashton's regiment mentioned in Capt. Hodgson's account of the battle of Preston (p. 32, ed. Turner). From these references he appears to have been a Lancashire man.

page 35 note 1 May 4.

page 35 note 2 May 10. ‘The fifth day’ correctly says the Lee-Townshend MS.

page 35 note 3 Harleian Miscellany, iii. 520.

page 35 note 4 Compare Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 99, and 7th Rep. Hist. MSS Comm. p. 573.

page 36 note 1 ‘Cassavia,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 36 note 2 The treaty was signed on May 17. See Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 102–4; 7th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. p. 574.

page 36 note 3 ‘Tacle’ according to Povey's MS.

page 37 note 1 See for comments on this clause Barrington's narrative, 7th Rep, Hist. MSS. Comm. p. 574. They were to bs transported by June 16.

page 38 note 1 Rehen = hostage.

page 40 note 1 See Harleian Miscellany, iii. 522.

page 42 note 1 Daniel How was a captain in Colonel Carter's regiment.

page 46 note 1 See Thurloe, iii. 523. The resolutions of the Council of War, held June 7, 1655, bear out this statement.

page 46 note 2 Auditor General of the Army; this letter is printed at length in Thurloe, iii. 504, with slight variations. Povey and Long both date the letter June 13.

page 47 note 1 This letter is also printed in Thurloe's State Papers, iii. 545. The same collection contains an earlier letter from Venables and Butler to the Protector dated June 4 (p. 509).

page 48 note 1 ‘Near 3,000 men sick,’ Venables to Montague, May 20. Carte, ii. 51.

page 48 note 2 ‘Of what was promised and wee beleeved,’ Thurloe, iii. 545.

page 48 note 3 MS. ‘among.’ Thurloe supplies the right reading.

page 49 note 1 Alderman Martin Noel. See Thurloe, iii. 514.

page 49 note 2 See the letters of Venables to Penn. Report on the Portland MS. ii. 93.

page 50 note 1 Again the signature is erroneously given in Long's MS. as ‘Richard.’

page 50 note 2 Compare the letter of Venables to Penn, May 23, Portland MSS. ii. 92.

page 53 note 1 Penn's commission and instructions to Goodson, dated June 21, are printed in Thurloe's State Papers, iii. 582.

page 53 note 2 ‘Having so much interest,’ Povey.

page 55 note 1 Expectation?

page 56 note 1 See Cromwell's letter to Penn, December 20, 1654, Portland MSS. ii. 89.

page 58 note 1 ‘Inconsiderable,’ Lee-Townshend MS.

page 59 note 1 Compare Portland MSS. ii. 96.

page 59 note 2 Three ships were also despatched to New England for provisions, ib. ii. 94.

page 59 note 3 Memorials of Sir W. Penn, ii. 30.

page 60 note 1 For Butler's own account of his proceedings at St. Christophers, see Thurloe iii. 754. Fortescue terms him ‘the unfittest man for a commissioner I ever knew employed.’ Ib. iii. 650.

page 62 note 1 ‘as a dead letter,’ Povey.

page 62 note 2 Printed in Thurloe's State Papers, iii.

page 63 note 1 Printed in Thurloe's State Papers, iii. 661.

page 63 note 2 ‘Edge tools,’ Thurloe.

page 63 note 3 ‘Physick,’ Thurloe.

page 66 note 1 On the opening of this Commission see Thurloe, iii. 674–5. It was opened by Mr. Long, Secretary to the Commissioners.

page 66 note 2 Le. Butler.

page 66 note 3 Both the commissions to Fortescue and Goodson, dated one June 24, the second June 25, are printed in Thurloe, iii. 581–2.

page 67 note 1 Compare Whistler's Journal, under June 21. The fleet sailed June 25. Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 126.

page 67 note 2 See the two Letters of Venables in Thurloe, iv. 22, 23.

page 70 note 1 But see Cal. S. P. Dom. 1655, p. 365.

page 70 note 2 Thurloe, iv. 21.

page 71 note 1 Thurloe, iv. 22.

page 72 note 1 A postscript is added in the version in Thurloe, iii. 22: ‘If the Lord grant me the mercy to see your face, I shall acquaint you with all the extreme wants and difficultyes I have struggled with, as alsoe such mutinous and discontented spiritts as have acted to the great prejudice of his Highness, and if not redressed will (hazard at least) ruine the whole aime and designe.’

page 73 note 1 A letter to Penn of the same date is printed in Portland MSS. ii. 97.

page 73 note 2 Sept 20, 1655. Cal. S.P. Dom. 1655, p. 343.

page 78 note 1 Samuel Eaton, d. 1665. A life of Eaton is given in the Dictionary of National Biography.

page 82 note 1 But see Clark Papers, iii. 57; Thurloe, iii. 507; Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 90.

page 86 note 1 Cal. S. P. Dom. 1655, p. 402.

page 86 note 2 The Commission is printed in Thurloe's State Papers, iii. 16.

page 87 note 1 Oct. 25. See Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 134, 141, and Cat. S. P. Dom. 1655, p. 396.

page 88 note 1 A brief and perfect Journal of the late Proceedings and Success of the English Army in the West Indies. … Together with some Queries inserted and answered … By I, S. an Eyewitness. Reprinted in the Harleian Miscellany, iii. 510.

page 89 note 1 Harltian Miscellany, v. 511.

page 89 note 2 Ib. iii. 510.

page 90 note 1 ‘In regard those they went out against were idolaters.’

page 90 note 2 ‘Conquest is free to all people.’

page 91 note 1 William Malyn, Cromwell's private secretary.

page 92 note 1 Scriptum Domini Protectoris contra Hispanos, which according to Masson, passed the Protector's Council Oct. 26, 1655. It appears to have been drawn up by Fiennes, and Milton's Latin version was published Nov. 9, 1655. Masson, Life of Milton, iv. 241.

page 92 note 2 Ham's.

page 93 note 1 Sept. 1648. See Hoskins, Charles II. in the Channel Islands, ii. 241.

page 93 note 2 Major General William Daniel, then in Scotland, whose brother, John Daniel, served in the expedition. See Thurloe, iii. 508.

page 93 note 3 ‘Whether those that were of the army were fit instruments to be employed in the exaltation of God's work’ &c.

page 94 note 1 Harleian Miscellany, iii. 515.

page 94 note 2 ‘That were guilty. I was only passive and renounced all interest in it.’ Povey's MS.

page 95 note 1 Harleian Miscellany, iii. 515.

page 95 note 2 Ib. iii. 516.

page 95 note 3 Ib.

page 96 note 1 See Memorials of Sir William Penn, ii. 85.

page 97 note 1 I. S. says the Spaniards retreated only because tired with slaughter, not able to proceed further. Harleian Miscellany, iii. 517.

page 97 note 2 By a General Muster was found, that of 9700 men first landed, there remained then only 8000, the sea regiment included. Harleian Miscellany, iii. 518.

page 98 note 1 consults ?

page 98 note 2 Harleian Miscellany, iii. 520.

page 101 note 1 For these Instructions see p, 111, post, and for the Commission, Thurloe, iii. 16.

page 102 note 1 Besides?

page 104 note 1 Thurloe, iii. 681. See also pp. 674–5, for other letters on this subject.