Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-04-11
From Macaulay's History of England-new volume
CAPTAIN KIDD THE PIRATE.

In 1895 Richard Coote Earl of Bellamont,
an Irish peer who sat in the English house of
commons, was appointed governor of New
York and Massachusetts,. He was man of
eminently fair character, upright, courageous
and independent Though decided whig he
had distinguished himself by bringing before
the parliament at Westminster some tyrannical
acts done by wings at Dublin, and particularly
thaexecution, if it is not rather to be called the
murder of Gafney. fore Bellamont sailed
for America, William spoke strongly to him
about the freebooting which was the disgrace to
the colonies. II send you, my lord, to New
York." he said, "because an honest and intrepid
man is wanted to pat these abuses down, and
because | believe you to be such man." Bel
lamont exerted himself to Justify the opinion
which the king had formed of him. 1t was
soon known at New York that the governor
who had just arrived from England was bent on
the suppression of piracy, and some colonists
in whom he placed great confidence suggested
to him what they may perhaps have thought the
best mode of attaining that object. There was
then in the settlement a veteran mariner named
William Kidd. He had passed most of his life
on the waves, had distinguished himself by his
seamanship, had had opportunities of showing
his vaor in action with the French, and had
retired on competence. No man knew the
Eastern seas better. He was perfectly acquain-
ted with all haunts Of the pirates who prowed
between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits
of Malacca and he would undertake, if he
were intrusted with a single ship of thirty or
forty guns, to clear the Indian Ocean of the
whole race. The brgantines of the ravers were
numerous, no doubt, but none of them were
large; one man-of-war, which in the royal navy
would hardly rank as a fourth rate, would easily
deal with them all in succession, and the lawful
spois of the enemies of mankind would much
more than defray the charges of the expedition.
b ellamont was charmed with this plan, and
recommended it to the king. The king re-
ferred it to the admiralty. The admi atty rails
ed difficulties, such as are perpetually raised by
public boards when any deviation, whether for
the better or for the worse, from the established
course of proceeding is proposed. 1t then oc-
Cured to Bellamont that his favorite scheme
might be carried into eifect'without any cost to
the state. A few public spirited men might easily
| fit out privatecr which would make the Ara
| bian Gulf and the Bay of Bengal secure high
ways for trade. He wrote to his friends in
/ England, imploring, demonstrating, complain
ing of their lamentable want of public spirit
Six thousand pounds would be enough. That
sum would be repaid and repaid with large in
terest, from the sale OF prizes, and an nestima'
BILE benefit would be conferred on the kingdom
and on the world. His urgency succeeded.
Shrewsbury and Romney contributed. Oxford
though, as first lord of the admiralty, he had
been unwilling to send Kidd to the Indiar
Ocean with kings ship, consented to sub
scribe thousand pounds. Somers subscribed
another thousand. A ship called the Adven
turer Galley was equipped in the port of Lon
don, and Kidd took the command. He carried
with him, besides the or mary letters of marque
a commission under the Great Seal empowering
him to seize pirates, and 10 take them to SOM
place where they might be dealt with according
to law. Whatever right the king might hav
to the goods found in the possession of thes,
maleractors, he granted, by letters patent, t
the persons who had been at the expense O
fitting out the expedition, reserying to himsel
only one-tenth part Of the gains Of the adven
ture, which was to be paid into the treasury
With the claim of the merchants to have bacl
the property of which they had been robbed
his majesty, of course, did not interfere. II
granted away, and could grant away, no right
but his own.
, The press for sailors to man the royal nav
was at that time so hot that Kidd could nc
, obtain his full complement of hands in th
Thames. He crossed the Atlantic visited New
, York, and there found volunteers in abundano,
T At length, in February, 1897, he sailed iron
the Hudson with a crew of more than hun
dred and fifty men, and in July reached tn
coast of Madagascar.
1t is possible that Kidd may at first hay
meant to act in accordance with his instructions
But on the subject of piracy he held the notion
which were then common in the North Ameri
can colonies, and most of his crew were of tn
same mind. lie found himself in a sea whic
was constantly traversed by rich and defenceles
, merchant ships, and he had to determine whetf
! er he would plunder those ships or protect then
{ The gain which might be made by plunderin
3 them was immense, and might be snatche
+ without the dangers of battle or the delays {
. trial. The rewards of protecting the lawfl
trade were likely to be- comparatively small
S Such as they were, they would be got only
G first fighting with desperate ruffans who woul