Letter of William Hamilton to M. de la Verenne Concerning Pirates

Antoine d'Arcy, Lord of La Varenne, born around 1656 and died in Toulon on March 27, 1732, was a French naval officer and colonial administrator of the 17th and 18th centuries. A former naval captain, he served briefly as Governor of Martinique (January 7–May 23, 1717).

William Hamilton, governor of the Leeward Islands, 1715-1721

Likely concerns Samuel Bellamy... 

Mr. de la Varenne

at Martinique, March 15, 1717

Excerpt from the intelligence I received concerning the pirates destroyed by Mr. Hume, Commander of *His Majesty's Ship Scarborough*.

On January 6th (Old Style), the said Captain Hume set sail from Antigua in pursuit of the pirates. We received word that, while in a harbor on the island of St. Croix, he had encountered a vessel carrying ninety men. This vessel—which had been sailing upwind from St. Thomas—had previously encountered a slaver ship, captured it, and brought it back to a harbor at St. Thomas. There, they encountered a small boat commanded by a Mr. Middleton—a resident of St. Kitts or one of the other small islands—whom they detained. They compelled the master of the said boat to pilot them into a harbor at St. Croix, intending to refit the vessel for their own use; furthermore, they forced Mr. Middleton to serve them—as he was both a carpenter and a pilot—promising him ten enslaved people as a reward if he exerted every possible effort. However, no sooner had the said boat been repaired and careened than Mr. Hume fortunately arrived in the harbor. Realizing they could not save their ship and boats, the pirates scuttled their vessels in the waters between our ship and theirs; they then retreated to their own ship—taking aboard as many men as they could—while the remainder boarded the boat belonging to Mr. Middleton. Under cover of darkness, and drawing very little water, this boat successfully slipped out of the harbor. As for those who had boarded their own ship, they set it ablaze and blew it up; from this, we surmise that almost all of them perished in the blast, though we cannot be certain of the exact number. You may rest assured, Sir, that this news is true, as several persons have confirmed to me—including Mr. Middleton, with whom I spoke following this engagement, and who made his escape aboard our vessel before the pirate ship blew up. We have no information regarding the number of Negroes they had aboard their vessel, nor whence it came, whither it was bound, or to which nation it belonged.

Signed, [William] Hamilton.

Letter from Robert Lowther to M. de la Varenne at Martinique Concerning Pirates

Antoine d'Arcy, Lord of La Varenne, born around 1656 and died in Toulon on March 27, 1732, was a French naval officer and colonial administrator of the 17th and 18th centuries.

A former naval captain, he served briefly as Governor of Martinique (January 7–May 23, 1717).

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Colonies M. de la Varenne

At Fort Royal, Martinique, March 15, 1717

I have the honor to inform the Council that Mr. Lowther, Governor of Barbados—who writes to me from time to time—inquires in his latest letter whether the King's frigates I was expecting from France have arrived, so that we may jointly take measures to destroy the pirates who are ravaging the entire coastlines of the islands belonging to both Crowns, by dispatching our vessels simultaneously to various locations. He further advises me that, during the final days of February, a 36-gun frigate belonging to the King of England arrived in Barbados from London, accompanied by a newly constructed 18-gun brigantine and a large 8-gun sloop. He states that these vessels are to be deployed in such a manner that they hope to capture some of the pirates and strike terror into the others. He adds that he is expecting, any day now, the frigate *Scarborough*—a 40-gun vessel that has long served as a guard ship for the English islands—and that he will dispatch her again as soon as she has taken on provisions. Reports reach us from all quarters that the pirates are committing boundless depredations, having captured several English and French ships, as well as other vessels of various nations. As I see no sign of the ship from La Rochelle—which was supposed to follow us closely to deliver flour and bales of clothing for our soldiers—I greatly fear that it may have been captured by them; consequently, our soldiers are bound to suffer considerably. Nothing is more imperative than to dispatch, without delay, the frigate and the longboat I have requested, ensuring they are well-armed, for the pirates possess large crews and are a courageous lot.

Mr. Hamilton has also recently written to me from Antigua in much the same vein as Mr. Lowther; attached hereto is an excerpt of the intelligence he sent me, translated from English into French.

La Varenne

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