Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

By other letters sent unto you, I have given my reasons for sus
pending Capⁿ Short, late comand^r of their Ma^ties ship Nonsuch and an accot of
his conduct since he came into this Province, which I humbly informe
you of, as the very truth & that it is but a small part of what I might say,
if I were [acted] by as much mallice against him, as he, & his advisers have
expressed against mee; I did put him on board the Ship Waller & Thomas,
Jeremiah Foy [illegible] bound for London, & expected hee would before this, have
been near the English Shoar, but Mr Foy hath lingered so long upon this
Coast, with designe to take in some men that have deserted the Nonsuch,
& hath used such Endeavors to gett them on board, & hath put me to soe
much trouble in preventing him, that I had resolved to send Capⁿ Short in
some other ship. But that I may fully informe you, how I am disapointed
in this matter, I will give you the following account. There are severall
men that have been persuaded to desert the Nonsuch, & to go for England in
Mr Foy's ship, and that they might be secured, Mr John Usher Lieut Gov^r of New
Hampshire , hath protected them in that Gov^mt after I had by severall letters
demanded them. I also sent Mr Cary purser of the Nonsuch to seise them,
but they were refused out of his hands by Mr Usher with threats of impris
oning him & the men that were with him, although he was upon their
Ma^ties Service, & that they might bee the better secured, hee put the Councill
upon making an order for their being protected, upon pretence of a discharge
given them, from Capⁿ Short, although he knew Capⁿ Short did noe such
thing till after his confinement when he had no Power so to doe, & that
discharge was without the knowledge of the Purser, or any officer of the ship,
& was not signed by any of them & not withstanding the men had mustered
on board the Nonsuch, after his confinement. Mr [Nathaniell], by field a merch^t
in Boston , & owner of the ship Waller & Thomas, was privy to the mens deserting
the Nonsuch, & furnished them with mony, & horses to go toe Piscatagna where they were
to be protected, & sent their cloathes on board by water in [a dry Casque],
& gave order to Mr Foy, the master of his ship, to put into Piscatagna & to make
a [waffe] for a signe to the shoar, from whence the men, were to be sent on
board, by Mr Usher, in goeing to Piscatagna, the Ship putt into Cape Ann
& the master sent a messenger to Piscatagna, for the men to be sent by land,
but Mr Usher desired, the ship might come thither, & take them in, be
cause if they came again into this Gov^mt they might be taken up, by the
hue & cry that I had caused to be made after them; This I know to be truth, by
letters sent by Mr Usher to the ships att Cape Ann, that were found with the
messenger att his returne, for the person I had sent, brought him a priso
ner to Boston, before hee could reach the ship, I also caused the master of the
ship to be brought to Boston a prisoner for his contriving so to disable
their Ma^ties ship, notwithstanding his & his owners promises to mee before
that he would take none of the men, that did belong ^on to it; The owners of
the ship, notwithstanding persisted in their designe & sent another master
unto the ship, who by virtue of their order carryed her into Piscatagna to
take in the deserters. as soon as I understood this, I sent Mr Matthew Carey
the Purser of the Nonsuch to demand them againe, & to stop the ship, but
as soon as hee went on Shoar, hee was Seised by a warrant from Mr Hinks,
the president, (Mr Usher being then come to Boston), & was in custody of
the Sherife several dayes as a Prisoner, until the ship sett saile, with the
men. Mr Carey sent an order to the master of his sloop to saile out of the
harbour, on ye back of an Island (for they would not suffer her to pass ye
Fort) & to stop the ship, which he accordingly did, & brought her in againe.
The Purser gave me an accot of this by a letter, which hee sent by land; I then
saw a necessity of going myselfe to Piscatagna to release the Purser out of prison
& to demand reasons from the president, & Councill for these their irregular
proceedings, when I came into the River, upon notice of my coming, Mr
Foy, Capn Short, & the deserters imediately went on Shoar & before I could
come up with them, whereupon I went on shoar I desired to speak with
the president, but hee refused, notwithstanding two messengers were
sent unto him; I alsoe required Mr Foy to produce Capⁿ Short, their
Maj^ties prisoner, in his custody, but hee would not, being incouraged by
the Governm^r & Mr [Besfeild], who was upon this occasion att that time
att Piscatagna, upon which I took from the said Mr Foy the warrant
that I gave him, for carrying Capⁿ Short, for England, unto the Right Hon^ble
the Lord of the Admiralty, & in regard Captⁿ Short was absconded, I sent
twice to the president for a warrant to seise him, as their Maj^tys
prisoner fled from Justice, but hee refused to deliver him or to grant a
warrant for his being seised, by [this meanes] I was forced to returne to
Boston & leave both Short & the deserters in their hands who are now pro
tected by that Governm^t ; But before I went I caused my commission to
mee granted by their Maj^ties to be read, that they might yeild obedience to
their Maj^ties comands concerning the militia, but when it was publiquely
read, the president refused to hear it & afterwards when I went to the Fort to
view it, I sent unto him to acquaint him that I desired to view the Fort, but
hee refused to send me an answer & sent an oder to the Capn thereof to refuse
me entrance, which he accordingly did by Shutting the gate against mee
& sending out his Corporall with a file of musquetteers, who told mee
that by virtue of an order from the President hee would not admit mee
to come in. Four gent^mn of Councill, that were there with mee, do know
that every particular here mentioned is truth. I thought it my duty to acquaint
you with every particular of this matter, & waite until their Maj^ties pleas
ure be signified & declared, concerning it, which shall be exactly performed by

Boston in New Engld
the 6th day of April 1693

Boston 6 Apr: 1693
From W^m Phips abt
Cap^t Short

To the Honble William
Blathwayte Esqr att
Whitehall

An accot of Suspending Cap
Short from ye Comand of ye Nonsuch
[Complt] of Mr Usher for [prtecting]
the men them deserted of Nonsuch

[Enter] N Engld B vol. 3 Feb. 436