Cape Good Hope 1652-1702

99 Matthew Lowth

Transcribed from xerographs of his log kept in Loyal Merchant (MR 132). Sailed outwards on August 1, for Bombay etc. His dates are of course all Old Style*.

Satturday 9th [December, dr 19/12] ... At 12 last night & at 4 in the Morning saw the high land of Cape Falso bearing EbSo Dist 13 or 14 Leags off & at 8 the Table Land bore

[p. 466]

NE½Et 7 leags ... I shaped my Course between the Island [Robben Island] & green point which is fowl ... At 2 in the Afternoon I came to Anchor.... You must moar with an Open Harse* for the NNW wind which do much Damage in the Winter & make this Road a very dangerous place I [it] will alwaies be convenient to reef Your Topsailes betimes for the Flaws off with great Violence the Water is very good and handsome convenience for filling it in your boat the Mutton is fatt butt very ill tasted & cost not less then 3 or 4 dollars apeice ... here is very good Turnips & Carrotts & not dearer then 8d ahundred a Smale Cow weighing 800 lb will cost 20 ps 8/8 [pieces of eight] Your treatment is Scurvy & they do not care to see English Ships because their own men often desert when they have Opportunity [see Stowaways*].

Sunday the 10th. The Wind blew so very hard that we could not moar Yesterday but this morning proving Calme I moared with both my Bowers [Anchors*] & an open harse* to the NNW so rested from our Labours to God be the praise for our safe arrivale.

Monday the 11th. This day I sett my Caulkers to work & sent 2 long boats* of Empty Cask* on shoare & filled them & gott fresh Mutton for my men....

[12th, 13th watering]

Thursday 14. This day I made an End of filling my Water & gave the Governour a cold Treat with some Wine for the Civility he had shewn me. He desired my Company on the Morrow in his Garden* to dine with him which I was forced by his great Importunance to accept....

Fryday the 15th. This day I dined with the Governour who had provided avery Spendid Dinner not less then 100 Dishes & was pleased to drink the King of Englands & Duke of Glocesters health with Gunns from the Forte which is not usuall I gott off my Sheep and a few fowles which is all the place will afford....

Satturday the 16th ... I hove up my Anchor & saw him clear & lett him go again much rain.

Sunday the 17th ... I came to saile & stood half way to the Island & found the wind att WNW & W with great swell I tack & came to an Anchor in 7 or 8 faddoms.

Monday the 18th ... about noon came in a small Vessell about 60 Tunns and English Collours the wind permitted him to lay it in which he did & took no manner of notice of me not with standing I had the Kings Jack & pendant flying but ran close under the Dutch fort & Saluted them with 3 Guns which they returned I sent one of my Officers on board in a small Boat who brought the Vessels & Masters name who was Samuell Burgess in the Margarett belonging to New York & came last from St Maries &c on the Island of St Lawrence under Notion of being only loaden with Negroes & Indeed she had 110 in After I sent my Pinnace* & fetcht the Master my People telling me the Vessell was full of White men likwise & all clad with the East India Companies cloth I sent for another Master aboard & a Super cargo After Examination I sent for eight or nine more but they were unwilling to come answering they had no business on board my shipp however they were brought by Force and examined they confessing the whole matter but eight of them escaped on shoar & the Dutch protected them.

[p. 467]

Tuesday the 19th. This day took severall depositions with 3 of my Principall officers for Witness & then put the Master & all of them in Irons being to the Number of 18 This Afternoon I was with the Governour & shewed him what Authority I had from the King & permitted him to take a Copy he seeming disgusted that a Prize of her Value should slip out of his hands. This Eveng the men on board the Bark rose against our folk.

Wednesday the 20. This morning the Governour sent of his Second* [Elsevier] the Fiscall* [Blesius] and two Dutch more with a Protest which in few words I answered In the Evening about 2 houres before Sunsett appeared a nother small Vessell which came in I sent for the Master whose name was Thomas Warren In the Vine pink* come from St Maries &c & has aboard 14 Pyrattes or As he calls them Passengers ... I askt him some Questions about the Pyrates what he knew & likewise his own Circumstances he threw down one of his Majesties Proclamations I told him they were not made for honest men but for Pyrates & if he had any in I would Examine them I showing him my Commission / he said his passengers should not be taken out for it would be a great Loss to him And if I pretended to do so notwithstanding the Kings Commission / he would apply himself for protection to the Dutch upon which Answer I ordered him into Irons which he lay in some time that night I had one Officer & one man to see that no papers should be conveighed away; But in this Intention the Dutch put 100 men in her & threatened to shoot me if I came on board; so I only called to them out of my Boat & told them I did believe the King of England would not have any Commission of his trampled under their foot so departed.

Thursday the 21. This day I took Thomas Warren Master of the Vine pink out of Irons & Examined him I found ship & Negroes clear I obliging him to lett me see the rest of his paper which he did & the 23rd I cleared him under my hand & so parted good ffreinds I spared him 45 lb of Rice some tarr & what he wanted / Blew a storm of Wind.

Fryday the 22st. This day ahard storme I rode single & my best bower came home* I was forced to let go my sheet Anchor* for the ground here is loose got down yards & topmasts the Wind at WbNo.

Satturday the 23rd.... I sett Mr Warren on board with my boat / prepared to send my slaves out of the Prize but was forced to give the Governour 20 the Second* & Fiscall* 5 apeice for Liberty to sell them to the free men.

Sunday the 24.... I warped* nearer in & new moared soe rested from our Labours.

Monday 25. This day being the Birth of our Saviour we rested from our Labour....

Tuesday 26. This day I filled Water in the Prize went on board & fitted her for the sea the Governour will not allow any vessell but the Company else severall would have bought her.

Wednesday the 27. This day I put all the Negroes ashoar in order to sell them which I did at 30 ps 8/8 25:23:20 which Indeed is but giving away.

Thursday the 28th ... Mr Warren sent to tell me that he would salute me & that to know if I would accept of it which I obliginly answering he gave me 5 gunns & I returned him 5 for thanks....

[p. 468]

Friday 29. This day fair wheather I filled all my Water and Unrigged my Longboat* fitted my Prize & gott in readiness for the first faire wind.

.....

Thursday the 4th January 1699/1700. This day the Dutch Admirall* [?] gott up Yards & Topmast sailes Bent run out her Lower Teere [Tier, row] of Gunns as did another Dutch ship come from St Lawrence [Waalstrom, arrived 4/12] I cannot tell the meaning of itt.

Fryday the 5. This Morning Early I being unmoared & the Wind at So I came to saile & the Margate Prize with me....

With this may be read, for the Dutch point of view, the following extracts from the dr, allowing for the ten-day difference in dates:

28/12. About 11 o'clock in the morning appears ... a small English ship named Margit, Captn Samuel Burges, coming from Madagascar, to which those of the said ship Loyal Marchant rowed with their skiff*, and brought off the Capn Burges to their ship, who was questioned there why he had not saluted them, to which he replied that he had not seen them as a King's ship; and further that the said Captin Burges was held there as a pirate. Their skiff, as seen from land, went several times to and fro, without our being able to understand or grasp what those of the Loijal Marchant were doing in the said little vessel, or what the reason or cause might be why the Captn of this last little vessel did not follow the custom of the English and come ashore [to report name, etc.] In the evening their skiff* escaped to shore with seven persons, all English except one Hamburger ... and two of them as soon as they were ashore took to flight. The said Hamburger informed the Governor that their little ship and their Captain were named as is said above, item that they were come from Madagascar, having bartered 120 slaves there, and were bound with them for the Bermudas. Also their Captain with 13 or 14 men had been taken from their ship against their will by the said Capn Lowth, and brought over to the said ship Loyal Marchant; and further that their little ship Margit was held in custody with her crew. At this His Honour, having heard these five persons, had them brought into the Castle, and caused their 2 companions to be searched for; and also sent three Commissioners ... to learn the reasons for this procedure, who then brought the report, that they had understood from the said Matthew Lowth Capn of the ship Loijal Marchant, that he by virtue of his Commission given him by the King of England had seized this little ship Margit as a pirate and brought the said men with the Capn Samuel Burges on board his ship, requesting that the Governor would not trouble himself with the matter.

The Governor had thought good, before the Commissioners returned ashore, to send another vessel near to this last-named little ship Margit, it being now dark, to see and perceive how things stood there, which vessel, according to their information, being come close to that little ship, had been shouted to by the English of Loijal Marchant posted aboard her, that they would have no Dutch aboard, clashing together their naked swords. Then finally about 10 o'clock in the evening the said Capn Matthew Lowth came

[p. 469]

ashore with his chief Mate ... to speak with His Honour; and (after some discussion and after the Hon Governor had seriously protested that the rights of the Roads had been violated, and that he should have given His Honour the necessary information before acting in such a strange manner) showed his aforesaid Commission. By examination of this it was seen that very ample powers were given him to take action against pirates of his nationality and their accomplices. He said further that from information received he had learnt that 22 English pirates were in the said little English ship; and that he would tomorrow put into His Honour's hands a copy of this information, agreeing also to come ashore again that next day to speak further of the matter.

29/12 ... Late in the evening comes the said Captain Howth [sic] together with his said Chief Mate and some other of his officers, to speak with His Honour regarding the seizure of the said prize Margit, and the right he pretended to have to her, to this end again exhibiting his royal Commission with the Great Seal of England dependent from it, which at the request of the Hon Governor was copied; and His Honour, having taken note of the contents, made a provisional verbal protest (since the lateness of the hour did not permit a written protest being then made ...), in the most serious manner and most earnestly, against the forcible infraction of the rights of these Roads by thse unheard-of proceedings and without first giving any advice whatever to His Honour....

30/12. The Hon Governor now, to maintain the rights of these Roads, sent the Hon Samuel Elsevier the Secunde* and Joan Blesius the Fiscaal* Independent [and others] to the said Captain Lowth of the Loyal Marchant, with a written protest in the name of our Lords and Masters [text inserted].

To this reply was: ‘Shippe Loijal Marchand att the Cape Good Hope Decembr the 20/30 1699. I doe own that ij have received a protest from the governr of this place in answer to which, ij doe by vertue of my kings commission seize on ye ship Margitt her people and all her lodeing, and likewise wil keep the same in possession and demand eight of her company now on shore. Dated on board his Majests shippe Loyal Marchand the 20/30 December 1699. Matthew Lowth.’

[Report of the Commissioners confirms the above.]

... In the afternoon ... a certain little English ship named the Wyngaardpink arrived in the roads, and about 5 o'clock the Chief Mate of the English ship Loyal Marchant ... came to advise the Hon Governor that the captured pirates in his ship had told his Capn Matthew Lowth, that this arriving ship was a pirate.... Soon after this His Honour received also a sealed letter from the said Captain Lowth relating to the said arriving little pirate-ship; but since the actions of the said Capn Lowth did not well please His Honour, and in order not to be misled by this Englishman, nor that he should act with this present prize as with the first one, he thought it good, in order to conserve the rights of these Roads, to instruct the skipper of the Waalstrom ... and the Chief Mate of the Nieuwland to go at once aboard their ships and man their longboats* and skiffs* with armed men, and lie together near the Waalstrom and keep good watch to see if any skiff or boat from the said ship Loyal Marchant went on board [the small

[p. 470]

newly-arrived ship]; and if such should occur, at once to go themselves thither to warn the said Captain Lowth that this little ship was taken under our protection in the name of the Hon Company ... so that neither the said unknown little ship nor the men and goods in her should be in any way prejudiced ... [reported] that soon after the presumed pirate had anchored, the English skiff had come to her and taken from her back to its ship the Capn named Thomas Warren [the new arrival duly taken under ‘our protection’]....

31/12. In the morning the Hon Governor received a closed letter from the English Captain Matthew Lowth by the hands of his Chief Mate, by whose hands His Honour replied by a sealed letter [texts not inserted]....

The Administrator Samuel Elsevier [and others] by orders of His Honour went aboard the little ship Wyngaardpink, to examine the 14 passengers, who or most of whom had roamed in the Red Sea and elsewhere as pirates, and now relied on the general pardon and amnesty of the King of England....

The affair was of course reported to Holland (letter 24/1/1700): the Lords XVII replied (letter 23/9/01) that ‘you did well to protest: but as they took little notice of that, it would not have displeased us had you repaid them with violence similar to theirs’.