The origin and descent of Captain Henry Morgan--His exploits,
and the most remarkable actions of his life.
Captain Henry Morgan was born in Great Britain, in the principality of
Wales; his father was a rich yeoman, or farmer, of good quality, even
as most who bear that name in Wales are known to be. Morgan, when
young, had no inclination to the calling of his father, and therefore
left his country, and came towards the sea-coasts to seek some other
employment more suitable to his aspiring humour; where he found
several ships at anchor, bound for Barbadoes. With these he resolved
to go in the service of one, who, according to the practice of those
parts, sold him as soon as he came ashore. He served his time at
Barbadoes, and obtaining his liberty, betook himself to Jamaica, there
to seek new fortunes: here he found two vessels of pirates ready to go
to sea; and being destitute of employment, he went with them, with
intent to follow the exercises of that sort of people: he soon learned
their manner of living, so exactly, that having performed three or
four voyages with profit and success, he agreed with some of his
comrades, who had got by the same voyages a little money, to join
stocks, and buy a ship. The vessel being bought, they unanimously
chose him captain and commander.
With this ship he set forth from Jamaica to cruise on the coasts of
Campechy, in which voyage he took several ships, with which he
returned triumphant. Here he found an old pirate, named Mansvelt (whom
we have already mentioned), busied in equipping a considerable fleet,
with design to land on the continent, and pillage whatever he could.
Mansvelt seeing Captain Morgan return with so many prizes, judged him
to be a man of courage, and chose him for his vice-admiral in that
expedition: thus having fitted out fifteen ships, great and small,
they sailed from Jamaica with five hundred men, Walloons and French.
This fleet arrived, not long after, at the isle of St. Catherine, near
the continent of Costa Rica, latitude 12 deg. 30 min. and distant
thirty-five leagues from the river Chagre. Here they made their first
descent, landing most of their men, who soon forced the garrison that
kept the island to surrender all the forts and castles thereof; which
they instantly demolished, except one, wherein they placed a hundred
men of their own party, and all the slaves they had taken from the
Spaniards: with the rest of their men they marched to another small
island, so near St. Catherine’s, that with a bridge they made in a few
days, they passed thither, taking with them all the ordnance they had
taken on the great island. Having ruined with fire and sword both the
islands, leaving necessary orders at the said castle, they put to sea
again, with their Spanish prisoners; yet these they set ashore not
long after, on the firm land, near Puerto Velo: then they cruised on
Costa Rica, till they came to the river Colla, designing to pillage
all the towns in those parts, thence to pass to the village of Nata,
to do the same.
The governor of Panama, on advice of their arrival, and of the
hostilities they committed, thought it his duty to meet them with a
body of men. His coming caused the pirates to retire suddenly, seeing
the whole country was alarmed, and that their designs were known, and
consequently defeated at that time. Hereupon, they returned to St.
Catherine’s, to visit the hundred men they left in garrison there. The
governor of these men was a Frenchman, named Le Sieur Simon, who
behaved himself very well in that charge, while Mansvelt was absent,
having put the great island in a very good posture of defence, and the
little one he had caused to be cultivated with many fertile
plantations, sufficient to revictual the whole fleet, not only for the
present, but also for a new voyage. Mansvelt was very much bent to
keep the two islands in perpetual possession, being very commodiously
situated for the pirates; being so near the Spanish dominions, and
easily defended.
Hereupon, Mansvelt determined to return to Jamaica, to send recruits
to St. Catherine’s, that in case of an invasion the pirates might be
provided for a defence. As soon as he arrived, he propounded his
intentions to the governor there, who rejected his propositions,
fearing to displease his master, the king of England; besides, that
giving him the men he desired, and necessaries, he must of necessity
diminish the forces of that island, whereof he was governor. Hereupon,
Mansvelt, knowing that of himself he could not compass his designs, he
went to Tortuga; but there, before he could put in execution what was
intended, death surprised him, and put a period to his wicked life,
leaving all things in suspense till the occasion I shall hereafter
relate.
Le Sieur Simon, governor of St. Catherine’s, receiving no news from
Mansvelt, his admiral, was impatiently desirous to know the cause
thereof: meanwhile, Don John Perez de Guzman, being newly come to the
government of Costa Rica, thought it not convenient for the interest
of Spain for that island to be in the hands of the pirates: hereupon,
he equipped a considerable fleet, which he sent to retake it; but
before he used violence, he writ a letter to Le Sieur Simon, telling
him, that if he would surrender the island to his Catholic Majesty, he
should be very well rewarded; but, in case of refusal, severely
punished, when he had forced him to do it. Le Sieur Simon, seeing no
probability of being able to defend it alone, nor any emolument that
by so doing could accrue either to him, or his people, after some
small resistance delivered it up to its true lord and master, under
the same articles they had obtained it from the Spaniards; a few days
after which surrender, there arrived from Jamaica an English ship,
which the governor there had sent underhand, with a good supply of
people, both men and women: the Spaniards from the castle having
espied the ship, put forth English colours, and persuaded Le Sieur
Simon to go aboard, and conduct the ship into a port they assigned
him. This he performed and they were all made prisoners. A certain
Spanish engineer has published in print an exact relation of the
retaking of this isle by the Spaniards, which I have thought fit to
insert here:--
_A true relation, and particular account of the victory
obtained by the arms of his Catholic Majesty against the
English pirates, by the direction and valour of Don John
Perez de Guzman, knight of the order of St. James, governor
and captain-general of Terra Firma, and the Province of
Veraguas._
The kingdom of Terra Firma, which of itself is sufficiently strong to
repel and destroy great fleets, especially the pirates of Jamaica, had
several ways notice imparted to the governor thereof, that fourteen
English vessels cruised on the coasts belonging to his Catholic
Majesty. July 14, 1665, news came to Panama, that they were arrived at
Puerto de Naos, and had forced the Spanish garrison of the isle of St.
Catherine, whose governor was Don Estevan del Campo, and possessed
themselves of the said island, taking prisoners the inhabitants, and
destroying all that they met. About the same time, Don John Perez de
Guzman received particular information of these robberies from some
Spaniards who escaped out of the island (and whom he ordered to be
conveyed to Puerto Velo), that the said pirates came into the island
May 2, by night, without being perceived; and that the next day, after
some skirmishes, they took the fortresses, and made prisoners all the
inhabitants and soldiers that could not escape. Upon this, Don John
called a council of war, wherein he declared the great progress the
said pirates had made in the dominions of his Catholic Majesty; and
propounded “that it was absolutely necessary to send some forces to
the isle of St. Catherine, sufficient to retake it from the pirates,
the honour and interest of his Majesty of Spain being very narrowly
concerned herein; otherwise the pirates by such conquests might
easily, in course of time, possess themselves of all the countries
thereabouts.” To this some made answer, “that the pirates, not being
able to subsist in the said island, would of necessity consume and
waste themselves, and be forced to quit it, without any necessity of
retaking it: that consequently it was not worth the while to engage in
so many expenses and troubles as this would cost.” Notwithstanding
which, Don John being an expert and valiant soldier, ordered that
provisions should be conveyed to Puerto Velo for the use of the
militia, and transported himself thither, with no small danger of his
life. Here he arrived July 2, with most things necessary to the
expedition in hand, where he found in the port a good ship, and well
mounted, called the _St. Vincent_, that belonged to the company of the
negroes, which he manned and victualled very well, and sent to the
isle of St. Catherine, constituting Captain Joseph Sanchez Ximenez,
major of Puerto Velo, commander thereof. He carried with him two
hundred and seventy soldiers, and thirty-seven prisoners of the same
island, besides thirty-four Spaniards of the garrison of Puerto Velo,
twenty-nine mulattoes of Panama, twelve Indians, very dextrous at
shooting with bows and arrows, seven expert and able gunners, two
lieutenants, two pilots, one surgeon, and one religious, of the order
of St. Francis, for their chaplain.
Don John soon after gave orders to all the officers how to behave
themselves, telling them that the governor of Carthagena would supply
them with more men, boats, and all things else, necessary for that
enterprise; to which effect he had already written to the said
governor. July 24, Don John setting sail with a fair wind, he called
before him all his people, and made them a speech, encouraging them to
fight against the enemies of their country and religion, and
especially against those inhuman pirates, who had committed so many
horrid cruelties upon the subjects of his Catholic Majesty; withal,
promising every one most liberal rewards, especially to such as should
behave themselves well in the service of their king and country. Thus
Don John bid them farewell, and the ship set sail under a favourable
gale. The 22nd they arrived at Carthagena, and presented a letter to
the governor thereof, from the noble and valiant Don John, who
received it with testimonies of great affection to the person of Don
John, and his Majesty’s service: and seeing their resolution to be
conformable to his desires, he promised them his assistance, with one
frigate, one galleon, one boat, and one hundred and twenty-six men;
one half out of his own garrison, and the other half mulattoes. Thus
being well provided with necessaries, they left the port of
Carthagena, August 2, and the 10th they arrived in sight of St.
Catherine’s towards the western point thereof; and though the wind was
contrary, yet they reached the port, and anchored within it, having
lost one of their boats by foul weather, at the rock called Quita
Signos.
The pirates, seeing our ships come to an anchor, gave them presently
three guns with bullets, which were soon answered in the same coin.
Hereupon, Major Joseph Sanchez Ximenez sent ashore to the pirates one
of his officers to require them, in the name of the Catholic King his
master, to surrender the island, seeing they had taken it in the midst
of peace between the two crowns of Spain and England; and that if they
would be obstinate, he would certainly put them all to the sword. The
pirates made answer, that the island had once before belonged unto the
government and dominions of the king of England, and that instead of
surrendering it, they preferred to lose their lives.
On Friday the 13th, three negroes, from the enemy, came swimming
aboard our admiral; these brought intelligence, that all the pirates
upon the island were only seventy-two in number, and that they were
under a great consternation, seeing such considerable forces come
against them. With this intelligence, the Spaniards resolved to land,
and advance towards the fortresses, which ceased not to fire as many
great guns against them as they possibly could; which were answered in
the same manner on our side, till dark night. On Sunday, the 15th, the
day of the Assumption of our Lady, the weather being very calm and
clear, the Spaniards began to advance thus: The ship _St. Vincent_,
riding admiral, discharged two whole broadsides on the battery called
the Conception; the ship _St. Peter_, that was vice-admiral,
discharged likewise her guns against the other battery named St.
James: meanwhile, our people landed in small boats, directing their
course towards the point of the battery last mentioned, and thence
they marched towards the gate called Cortadura. Lieutenant Francis de
Cazeres, being desirous to view the strength of the enemy, with only
fifteen men, was compelled to retreat in haste, by reason of the great
guns, which played so furiously on the place where he stood; they
shooting, not only pieces of iron, and small bullets, but also the
organs of the church, discharging in every shot threescore pipes at a
time.
Notwithstanding this heat of the enemy, Captain Don Joseph Ramirez de
Leyva, with sixty men, made a strong attack, wherein they fought on
both sides very desperately, till at last he overcame, and forced the
pirates to surrender the fort.
On the other side, Captain John Galeno, with ninety men, passed over
the hills, to advance that way towards the castle of St. Teresa.
Meanwhile Major Don Joseph Sanchez Ximenez, as commander-in-chief,
with the rest of his men, set forth from the battery of St. James,
passing the port with four boats, and landing, in despite of the
enemy. About this same time, Captain John Galeno began to advance with
the men he led to the fore-mentioned fortress; so that our men made
three attacks on three several sides, at one and the same time, with
great courage; till the pirates seeing many of their men already
killed, and that they could in no manner subsist any longer, retreated
towards Cortadura, where they surrendered, themselves and the whole
island, into our hands. Our people possessed themselves of all, and
set up the Spanish colours, as soon as they had rendered thanks to God
Almighty for the victory obtained on such a signalized day. The number
of dead were six men of the enemies, with many wounded, and seventy
prisoners: on our side was only one man killed, and four wounded.
There were found on the island eight hundred pounds of powder, two
hundred and fifty pounds of small bullets, with many other military
provisions. Among the prisoners were taken also, two Spaniards, who
had bore arms under the English against his Catholic Majesty: these
were shot to death the next day, by order of the major. The 10th day
of September arrived at the isle an English vessel, which being seen
at a great distance by the major, he ordered Le Sieur Simon, who was a
Frenchman, to go and visit the said ship, and tell them that were on
board, that the island belonged still to the English. He performed the
command, and found in the said ship only fourteen men, one woman and
her daughter, who were all instantly made prisoners.
The English pirates were all transported to Puerto Velo, excepting
three, who by order of the governor were carried to Panama, there to
work in the castle of St. Jerom. This fortification is an excellent
piece of workmanship, and very strong, being raised in the middle of
the port of a quadrangular form, and of very hard stone: its height is
eighty-eight geometrical feet, the wall being fourteen, and the
curtains seventy-five feet diameter. It was built at the expense of
several private persons, the governor of the city furnishing the
greatest part of the money; so that it cost his Majesty nothing.