[Footnote 10: Titus Oates, the scurrilous and perjured informer, wonderfully successful with his "Popish Plot" in 1679 and 1680, thrown into prison, under heavy irons, in 1684. He was still living in 1699. His doctoral degree ("D.D. of Salamanca") was spurious.]
[Footnote 11: The reply of the governor of St. Thomas is doc. no. 83.]
Since my Committment of Kidd, I hear That upon his approach to this port, his heart misgave him, and he proposed to his Men the putting to Sea again and going to Caledonia,[12] the new Scotch Settlement near Darien, but they refused.
[Footnote 12: Caledonia was the settlement on the isthmus of Panama to which the Darien Company, amid so much enthusiasm on the part of the Scottish nation (see Macaulay's twenty-fourth chapter), had sent out its colony in 1698. The settlement had proved a disastrous failure and had been abandoned, and the ships bringing away the wretched survivors were already approaching New York, but neither Kidd nor Bellomont yet knew this.]
I desire I may have orders what to do with Kidd, and all his and Bradish's Crew; for, as the Law stands in this Country, if a pyrate were Convict, yet he cannot suffer Death: And the Counsell here refused the bill to punish Privateers and Pyrates which your Lordships sent with me from England with a direction to recommend it at New York and here, to be passed into a Law. I shall by next Conveyance acquaint your Lordships what a prejudice I have found in some of the Counsel to the Laws of England this Session, but having writ myself almost dead, I must till another Opportunity forbear to treat of the affairs of this Province; but when I do, I must tell your Lordships beforehand, I will not dissemble with you to favour any man or number of men; I am both above it, and I should thinke I did not do the part of an honest man, if I concealed any thing from you that tends to the prejudice of the Interest of England.
You will observe by some of the Informations I now send, That Kidd did not only rob the Two Moors Ships, but also a Portugueze Ship; which he denied absolutely to the Counsel and me.
I send your Lordships 24 severall Papers and Evidences relating to Captain Kidd. It is impossible for me to animadvert and make remarks on the several matters contained in the said papers, in the weak Condition I am at present; but must leave that Trouble to Mr. Secretary Popple,[13] whose excellent clear method in business fits him incomparably beyond me for such a Work.