The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-09-25

TIE H,ssery ef New TER. CITY.

TIE hsstsry sf New Ysrk City.
The second volume Of The Menoria, Hlsto,
AZ the Citv Of Nep York covers the perio
from O 0 to 1883 The plan adopted for III
FIRST volume 10 here also followed. diYerer
spochs and subjects being allotted to writer
especially qualified to treat them By the tren
Of their historical studies TO the applicatio
ofthis method w owe the fslicitous ASST
Of Mr.. John Austin Stevens to the exposition
Of the part taken By Now York in the STAN
act troubles and In the connections imme.
diatsly preceding the Revolution. and also tn
portrayal OF life In New York city at the clos
Of the colonial period. Before reproducing
che outlines OF Mr.. Stevsns's picture. It vii
lie interesting to refer to the hrst two chapters
OF the book. which recount the suppression o
piracy during tho Earl OF Bellomont's Gov
ernorship. aud u description Of New York a.
It was In 1901. For the first OF these two chan
ters We are indebted TO the Rev. Ashbel G
Vermilye. and for the second to Mr.. William
l. Stone.
=.
From a political point OF view Lord Bello.
mont's administration was distinguished by
the return TO power OF tho adherents OF Lieut..
Gov. L.eisler. who had been executed for high
treason In 1881. but whose attainder had since
been reversed by an act OF Parliament. The
primary aim Of the new Governor. however.
was not political. but economical: he was par
t~icularly instructed to all olish the frauds upon
the customs revenue. aud to suppress piracy.
at which New York merchants wore accused
OF conniving in tho sense OF prosecuting a lu-
crative traffic with tho pirates. The coudi-
tions under which this tranlc was carried on
are explained by DR.. Vermilye. who cmbodi-s
in his narrative r correct version Q! the story
OF Capt. Kidd.
II Is first to be noted that in those dnys-the
CLOSE Of the seventeenth century-riracy had
been to a large extont transferred from tho
older centres to the Indian Ocean. A favorite
retreat OF the frsebootcrs was Madagascar.
There they consorted with the daughters OF tho
island. and the descendants OF such unions
were there accidentally encountered many
years ago. From this colcn Of vantagc the sea
rovers sailed forth in search OF plumber.
Several OF the Oriental nations had mer-
chant navies Of their own. and those
were plundered by tho pirates. who
brought back to their island nests Ara
bian gold and East Indian goods large
auantitios Of which. it was observed. found their
way in some surreptitious manner to the city
Of New York. For the pirates 1t was con-
velient to have rum and other necessities
carried for them to Madagascar. in exchange
for which. being sailors and not traders. they
would give free-handed measures Of gold
and goods. For the New York trader. on
the other hand. under tho lax and corrupt sys-
tenn OF supervision which before B~ellomon:s
time had prevailed among the Custom House
officials. a few salnble negroes picked UP In
the course OF n voyage afforded a pretext for
the venture. So it came to pass TINT a ship
loading for Madagascar was Justly regarded
with suspicion. Sometimes. indeed. the pirates
themselves came boldly upon the American
coast. Even Fenn's Quakers tolerated an oc-
c~asioaal visit. because the visitors spent
their money freely. The whole coast from
Rhode Island to the Carolinns was honey
combed with places OF stowace or OF market
for their goods. Sometimes they came to the
city itself. Thus did Capt. Thomas Few. whom
Gov. Fletcher found so companionable that he
took him to drive in his coach and
gave him a book on the vile habit
OF swearing This man was enc of
the worst. most daring. and successful Of the
fresbooters: he made u fortune and retired to
Rhode Island. but again returned to his old
pursuits. and eventually was killed. Ultimate
" other pirates settled down in Rhode Island.
on the south side OF Long Island. and in tho
Carollnas. where they left DESCENDANTS.
Unblushing piracy the New York mer-
chants engaged in the Madagascar trade did
not commit. What thoy did was to send out
vessels under the name and style OF privateers
sanctioned by tho Governor to Madagascar
aud the adjacent seas. Privateerinc against
an enemy's shipping in war time has. OF
course. been practised BY the United States
and other nations. but under the condition OF
proper adjudication Of prizes. But the ships
that went out from New York did not 60 in
search OF an enemy: they were regularly
bound to Madagascar. and n question by which
honest mon wero much perplexed was why
such vessels were not themselves molested in
seas. from which they invariably re-
turned with rich cargoes. The New York mer-
chants. indeed, were highly inccnsed when
who never minced words. bluntly
called their transactions piracy; but the Earl
himself must have thought that one company
Df these very merchants must have had strong
reasons to offer him a large bride to let them
alone. To svsnge themselves upon Bcllomont
they turned upon him once in the Council with
The charge that he had actually SGT Capt.
Kidd afloat. and the charge was we'll founded.
IS Ia clear from the account Of Kidd in
,orporated by DR.. Vsrmilye in his narrative.
Tho first point to which attention is di-
ected Is that when Kidd was captured,
IN the 9th Of July. 1895. he had not al
vays nor for long been n pirate-not. indeed.
Until the Last fatal voyage. which he began in
$685. In 1901 the Assembly had paid him one
hundred and fifty pounds for public services.
M no mao QlStlnSuiSned nlm5elI IN the WoSt
ndies. He had a comfortable home In Liberty
treet. Now York. IN estimable wife. and a
title daughter. He wns q man OF some cul-
ure. and up to the time OF his disgraceful
spse thore had been no manifest reason to
Inspect him. In 1905 ho sailed for London.
he Admiralty were then in urgent need Of a
essel to send against the pirates. whose
epredations were causing them trouble. but
no war with France required every ship in {
no royal navy. Some OF tho froebooters were I
to be from New York. Rhode I
slRnd. and other colonies. and 1t was this that ,
Rused the counsel OF Robert Livingston to be I
lvited. t
Livingston was at the tlme in London on c
usiness OF his own. and when Bellomont c
to him OF the difficulty experienced by t
no Admiralty he suggested a priyateer and s
lid as q suitable man to command 1t. After t
i~scussion by tho King and tho Ministers tho n
was adopted. the King himself II
Herring to he ono OF tho outltters. These t
ere tho circumstance that preceded tho Il
greement OF Bsllomont with Livingston and 7