Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-04-12
w. I'd. WALLACH.
CAPTAIN KIDD, THE PIRATE.

raging, there had been loud complaints in the
city that even privateers of st. Malo's and
Dunkirk caused less molestation to trade than
another class Of marauders. The English
navy was fully employed in the Channel, in
the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean. The
Indian Ocean meanwhile swarme ed with pirates
of whose rapacity and cruelty frightful stories
were told. Many Of these men, it was said,
came from our North American colonies, and
carried back 10 those colonies the spoils gained
by crime. Adventures who burst not show
themselves in the Thames, found a ready mar
ket for their ill-gotten spices and stuffs at New
York. Even the Puritsns Of New England,
who in saDctimonious austerity surpassed even
their brethren of Scotland, were accused of
cOnniying at the wickedness which enabled
them TO enjoy abundantly and choaply the pro-
duce of Indian looms and Chinese tea planta-
tiOns.
In 1925 Richard Coote Earl Of BelIamont
IN Irish peer who sat in the English House of
Commons, was appointed Governor of New
York and Massachusetts. He was q man of
eminently fair character, upright, courageous
and independent. Though decided whiy he
had distinguished himself by bringing before
the Parliament at Westminster some tyran-
Iical acts done by wings at Dublin, and par
ticularly the execution, if it is not rather to
be called the murder, of Gafney. Before Bel
lamont sailed for America, William spoke
strongly to him about the freebooting which
my lord, to New York" he said, "because an
honest and intrepid man is wanted to pvt these
abuses down, and because l believe YOU to be
such man" Bellamont exerted himself to
Justify the high opinion which the king had
formed Of him. 1t was soon known at New
York that tho 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 veteran
mariner named William Kidd. He had passed
most of his life on the waves, had distin-
guished himself by his seamanship, had had
opportunities OF showing his valor in action
with the French, and had retired on q compe-
tence. No man knew the Eastern Seas better
He was perfectly acquainted with all the
haunts OF the pirates who prowled between
the Cape of Good Hspe and the Straits of Ma
laoca; and he would undertake, if he were en-
trusted with single ship of thirty or forty
guns, to clear the Indian Ocean Of the whole
race. The brigantines of the rovers were pu-
merous, no doubt, but none of them were large
ono man Of-war which in the royal navy would
hardly rank as a fourth rate would easiIy deal
with them all in succession, and the lawful
spoi.s OF the enemies Of mankind would much
more than defray the charges of the expedi-
tion. Bellamont was charmed with this plan,
and recommended it to the king. The king
referred 1t to the Admiralty. The Admiralty
raised difficulties such as are pernetuaIIv
raised by public boards when any deviation,
whether for the better or for the worse, from
the established course Of proceeding is pro-
posed. IL then occurred to Bellamont that his
favOrite scheme might be carried into effect
without any cost to the State. A few public
spirited men might easily fit out privateer
which would soon make the Arabian Gulf and
the Bay Of Bengal secure highways for trade
lie wrote to his friends in England implo-
ring, demonstrating, complaining of their Ia
lnentaols want of public spirit Six thousand
pounds would be enough. That sum would be
repaid, and repaid with large interest, from
the sale OF prizes, and an inestimable benefit
would be conferred on the kingdom and on
the world. His urgency succeeded. Shrews-
bury and RomDey contributed. Oxford though
as first Lord Of the Admiralty he had Been
unwilling to send Kidd to the Indian Ocean
with kings ship, consented to subscribe a
thousand pounds. SOmers subscribed another
thousand A ship called the Adventure Gal
ley was equipped in the port of London, and
hIdd took the command. He carried with
him, besides the ordinary letters of maruue, a
commission under the Great Seal empowering
hlm to seize pirates, and to take them to some
place where they might be dealt with accord
ing to law. Whatever right the king might
have to the goods found in the possession Of
these malefactOrs, he granted, by letters pat
ent, to the persons who had been at the ex-
pense Of fitting out the expedition, reserving
TO himself only one-tenth part of the gains Of
the adventure, which was to be paid into the
treasury. With the claim of merchants to
have back the property Of which they had
been robbed, bis Majesty of course, did not
interfere. he granted away, and could grant
away, no rights but hiSpwn
The press Tor sailOIs TO man the royal navy
was ct that time 50 hot that Kidd could not
obtain his full complement Of hands in the
Thames he crossed the Atlantic, visited New
York and there found volunteers in abundance
Atlsngth, IN February, 1897, he sailed from the
Hudson with q crew Of more than a hundred
and hf'y men, and in July reached the coast of
Madagascar.
Itis possible that Kidd may at first have
meant 70 act in accordance with his instruc-
tions- But on the subject Of piracy he held
the notions which were then common in the
North American colonies, and most Of his
crew were Of the same mind. lie found him
self IN sen which was constantly trayersed by
rich and deieneeless merchant ships, and he
had to determine whether he would plunder
these ships or protect them. The gain which
might be made by plundering them was i'm
mense, and might be snatched without the
dangers OF battle or the delays of a trial
The rewards Of protecting the lawful trade
were likely to be comparatively small. Such
as they were, they would be got only by frst
fighting with the desperate rufians who would
rather be killed than taken, and by then in
stltutins proceeding and obtaining q judg-
mentin the Court Of Admiralty. The risk of
oelng called to a severe reckoning might not
unnaturally seem small to one who had seen
many old buccaneers living in credit and COM
fort at New York and Boston
Kidd soon threw of the character of a
PriVateer and became a pirate. He estab-
hsned friendly communications and exchanged
arms and ammunition with the most notorious
OF those rovers, whom his commission author
ss3Ied him to destroy, and made war on those
peaceful traders whom be was sent to defend
He began by robbing Mussulmsns, and speed
lily proceeded from Mussulmans to Armenians,
and from Armenians to Portuguese. The Ad-
venture Galley took suoh quantities of cotton
and silk, sugar and coffee, cinnamon and pep
per, that the very foremast men received from
hundred TO two hundred pounds each, and
that the captains share of the spoil would
have enabled him to live at home as an opu-
lent gentleman. With the rapacity, Kidd had
the cruelty Of his odious calling He burned
houses, he massacred peasantry. His prison
ers were tied up and beaten with naked cut
lasses IN order to extort information about
their concealed boards Ona of his orav