THE ROYAL ADVENTURERS IN ENGLAND
On account of the collapse of the king's cause at the death of Charles
I, Prince Rupert, with his small fleet of royal vessels, was driven
about from one part of the world to another. In 1562 he sought refuge
in the Gambia River,[1] where he listened to stories told by natives
of rich gold mines in that region. For a number of years the Negroes
had brought gold from the inland of Africa to the Dutch on the Gold
Coast. There seemed every reason to believe that the source of this
gold supply was none other than that described by the natives of the
Gambia River, and that it might be discovered somewhere in that
region. Prince Rupert was so much impressed with the possibility of
finding these mines that his voyage to Guinea was still vivid in his
memory when Charles II assumed the throne in 1660. In the duke of York
and other royal courtiers he found a group of willing listeners who
determined to form a company for the purpose of sending an expedition
to the Gambia to dig for gold. As early as October 3, 1660, the plans
were formulated. Each member was required to invest at least £250 in
the undertaking[2]. On December 18, 1660, the king, who was pleased
with the adventurers for having "undertaken so hopeful an enterprise,"
granted them a charter[3] under the name of "The Company of the Royal
Adventurers into Africa."[4]
By this charter the Royal Adventurers received the land and the
adjacent islands on the west coast of Africa from Cape Blanco to the
Cape of Good Hope, for a period of one thousand years beginning with
"the making of these our Letters Patents if the ... grant (made to
Crispe's company in 1631) be void and determined." If, however, the
former charter was still regarded as in force, the grant to the Royal
Adventurers was to be effective upon the surrender or the expiration
of the former company's privileges.[5] A committee of six men, the
earl of Pembroke, Lord Craven, Sir George Carteret, William Coventry,
Sir Ellis Leighton and Cornelius Vermuyden, was named to have charge
of the company's affairs. No mention was made of the office of
governor or of any court of directors. Apparently it was thought that
the committee of six could direct all of the company's affairs. In
Africa, this committee was empowered to appoint the necessary agents
and officials and to raise and maintain whatever soldiers were
necessary to execute martial law. The company had the right to admit
new members if it desired. The king himself reserved the privilege of
becoming an adventurer at any time and to invest an amount of money
not exceeding one-sixteenth of the company's stock.
Furthermore, it was provided that the king "shall have, take and
receive two third parts of all the gold mines which shall be seized
possesed and wrought in the parts and places aforesaid, we ... paying
and bearing two third parts of all the charges incident to the working
and transporting of the said gold." The company was to have the other
third and bear the remainder of the expense. That this provision was
not a matter of mere form, as in so many of the royal charters, is
evident from the stimulus which had led to the formation of the
company. Indeed in one part of the charter the purpose of the company
is presented as "the setting forward and furthering of the trade
intended (redwood, hides, elephants' teeth) in the parts aforesaid and
the encouragement of the undertakers in discovering the golden mines
and setting of plantations there." The trade in slaves was not
mentioned in the charter.
Even before they had obtained this charter the organizers of the new
company induced the king to lend them five of his Majesty's ships.
These vessels, the "Henrietta," "Sophia," "Amity," "Griffin" and
"Kingsale," were loaded with goods, tools and chemicals necessary for
the working of the projected gold mines. Captain Robert Holmes, who
had been with Prince Rupert in 1652, was given charge of the
expedition; but the goods and necessities were consigned to William
Usticke and two other factors of the company.[6] In December, 1660,
the five vessels set out on their voyage to the Gambia River, where
they arrived in the following March. There Holmes seized the island of
St. André, then occupied by a feeble number of the subjects of the
duke of Courland. Since the latter place was protected by a small fort
the English began preparations to make it the seat of their operations
in that region. Not long after they arrived, however, a fire destroyed
the fortification and a large part of the goods which had been brought
from England. Under these circumstances they chose to abandon that
island, and to settle on two others which were better situated for
defense and trade. These they named Charles Island and James Island in
honor of their royal patrons. The latter was by far the most
advantageously situated, and became the main stronghold of the English
in the northern part of Africa during all the history of the African
companies. Holmes probably remained on the Gambia until about the
first of May when he departed with one or two of the ships for
England. In July as much of a cargo as possible was loaded on the
"Amity" which finally arrived in England, after its crew had been
depleted by disease.[7]
Information regarding the success of the mining project of this
expedition is almost totally lacking, but it seems certain that
nothing was done to discover the hoped-for gold mines. The climate
affected the men so adversely, that it is altogether unlikely that
they even attempted to look for the mines. The small cargo carried
back by the various ships, most of which seems to have been on the
"Amity," probably represents the only tangible results of the
expedition. These goods, consisting of elephants' teeth, wax and hides
sold for £1,567.8s.,[8] whereas the outlay for the expedition was
probably between £4,000 and £4,500.[9]
This sum does not include £2,640.8s.8d. expense which was incurred to
send another of the king's ships, the "Blackamoor," to the Gold Coast,
in June, 1661.[10] The "Blackamoor" was followed in April, 1662, by
the "Swallow" which, together with its cargo, cost the Royal
Adventurers £1,l01.2s.ld.[11] Later in the year the three ships,
"Charles," "James" and "Mary," were sent to the Gold Coast at an
expense of about £5,000.[12] By September, 1662, £17,400 had been
subscribed by various persons to obtain the cargoes for the ships
which had been dispatched to the coast of Guinea. Of this amount £800
had been promised by the king; £3,600 by the duke of York; £400 by the
queen Mother; £400 by the duchess of Orleans; £800 by Prince Rupert;
and £800 by the duke of Buckingham. Of the £17,400 subscribed all but
about £1,000 had been paid by October 20, 1662. From this investment
the company had received no returns except the £1,567.8s. from the
first expedition, while the three last vessels, the "Charles," "James"
and "Mary" had not yet arrived at the Gold Coast on their ill-fated
voyage.[13]
Up to this time there had been no uniformity about the amounts
invested, and no definite times at which the several amounts
subscribed, were due. It was assumed that money would be forthcoming
from the members whenever it was needed to dispatch ships to the
coast. About the middle of September, 1662, it was decided to pursue a
more businesslike policy. A list of subscribers for shares at four
hundred pounds each was opened, and by the 15th of January, 1663, the
amount of this second subscription was £17,000.[14] The stimulus for
obtaining this added subscription was the fact that, at the same time,
the company was agitating for a new charter, which was granted by the
king, January 10, 1663.[15]
Experience had shown that the previous charter was inadequate, not
only respecting the means of raising funds to carry on the company's
business, but also on account of the lack of any other officers to
direct its affairs than the committee of six. By general consent of
the patentees, and those who had later subscribed to the stock, it had
been decided to surrender the charter of 1660 for one conferring more
extensive privileges on the corporation. The charter obtained January
10, 1663, answered these requirements. The name was changed to "The
Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa." The
territory included in the charter reached to the Cape of Good Hope as
in the previous patent, but the northern limit was extended from Cape
Blanco to Cape Sallee on the coast of Morocco.
The new charter contained the same provisions in regard to the
discovery of gold mines as the charter of 1660. By this time, however,
the adventurers had discovered that the Negro trade could be made very
lucrative. In this charter, therefore, they obtained "the whole,
entire and only trade for the buying and selling bartering and
exchanging of for or with any Negroes, slaves, goods, wares and
merchandises whatsoever to be vented or found at or within any of the
Cities" on the west coast of Africa. The charter provided that there
should be no trading on the African coast except by the company in its
corporate capacity, and that any one guilty of transgressing these
rules should be liable to forfeiture of his ship and goods.[16]
The charter also required the shareholders to elect a governor,
subgovernor, deputy governor and a court of assistants; but that the
routine business of the company should be conducted by a smaller
committee corresponding to the committee of six of the previous
company. The duke of York was elected governor, in which capacity he
continued to serve during the company's entire existence. Thirty-six
men were chosen annually to compose the court of assistants. There
was also an executive committee of seven which was responsible to the
court of assistants.[17]
While the company was endeavoring to obtain this new charter an
unsuspected difficulty arose. It will be remembered that in 1631 Sir
Nicholas Crispe and others had received a patent to a portion of the
west coast of Africa for thirty-one years. The first charter of
Charles II to the Royal Adventurers in December, 1660, had been
granted a year and a half previous to the expiration of Crispe's
patent. In recognition of this fact the charter of the Royal
Adventurers provided that if the former patent was not void, the new
charter was not to be effective until its surrender or expiration. At
first Crispe made no complaint about the transgression of his rights,
probably because the first expedition under Captain Holmes had gone to
the Gambia region in which place Crispe had no interests. When it
became apparent that the company intended to carry its activities
further south, however, he appeared before the Privy Council on
November 22, 1661, and asked to have his interest confirmed in the
trade and settlements at Kormentine and in the region of the Sierra
Leone and Sherbro rivers.[18] On December 20, 1661, his case was heard
before the Privy Council, at which time the case was referred to the
Lord High Treasurer.[19] The matter was neglected and finally dropped.
Crispe found it impossible to prevent the ships of the Royal Company
from transgressing the regions mentioned in his charter. About the
time at which his charter expired (June 25, 1662), he agreed to
transfer all his interests in the fortifications at Kormentine and
elsewhere to the Royal Adventurers. Although this agreement has not
been found, there was apparently nothing in it which bound the company
to remunerate Crispe and his associates, because later, August, 1662,
he petitioned the king for compensation for the forts and lodges which
had been transferred to the Royal Adventurers. At first the king was
favorable to Crispe's request in view of the service which he had
rendered in building up the Guinea trade.[20] Later, neither the king
nor the Royal Adventurers seem to have paid any attention to Crispe's
plea for compensation.[21]
In later years the report was persistently spread that at the time
when the agreement was made with Crispe the Privy Council had ordered
the Royal Adventurers to pay him £20,000 in lieu of all his interests
on the coast, and that the company had "seemed to acquiesce" in the
order.[22] It does not seem possible that this assertion can be true
in view of the foregoing facts, and of the absolute lack of mention of
any such thing in the books of the company. Over a year later, August
15, 1664, Crispe presented a paper of an unknown character to which
the court of assistants refused to give any notice.[23] It seems
likely that this paper had nothing to do with the African forts, but
that it was submitted in connection with a controversy over some
African goods, which were said to belong to the members of Crispe's
company[24]. The entire lack of any other evidence of trouble between
Crispe and the company leads one to think that no contract for such
compensation was ever made[25]. Moreover, that he was not averse to
the success of the Royal Adventurers is shown by the fact that he
himself subscribed £2,000 in 1663 to the stock of the company[26].
It is unnecessary to follow in detail the number of ships which were
fitted out for the company's trade after it received its second
charter in January, 1663. Suffice it to say that very active measures
were undertaken, especially by the duke of York, who faithfully
attended the weekly meetings of the court of assistants which were
held in his apartments at Whitehall. The earl of Clarendon voiced the
sentiments of these enthusiastic courtier-merchants when he said that,
providing all went well, the Company of Royal Adventurers would "be
found a Model equally to advance the Trade of England with that of any
other company, even that of the East-Indies[27]."
If this prediction was to be realized it was necessary to have a
greater stock than the first and second subscriptions had provided.
Therefore a public declaration was issued inviting any of the king's
subjects in England to subscribe for shares of not less than four
hundred pounds each, one-half of each share to be paid by December 1,
1663, and the other one-half by March 1, following. The conditions of
subscription provided that seven years after the first date, a
committee from the adventurers should be chosen to make a fair
valuation of the stock of the company. Each shareholder was then to be
allowed to receive the value of his stock in money if he so desired.
Thereafter this action was to be repeated every three years with the
same privileges of withdrawal from the company.[28] Later, as a means
of inducing those with smaller means to subscribe for stock, the
company permitted subscriptions as small as fifty pounds, providing
they were paid within eight days. Whenever any person subscribed more
than four hundred pounds, he was allowed to pay the excess in eight
quarterly payments beginning with the 24th of June, 1663.[29] By
offering these inducements the third subscription amounted to £34,000
divided among about forty-five shareholders.[30]
On the 25th of August of the same year, however, it was necessary to
seek for a fourth subscription which amounted to £29,000,[31] payment
of which could be made in eight quarterly sums if desired. For all
those who would pay the third and fourth subscriptions promptly, a
discount of ten per cent, was offered. By these four subscriptions the
stock of the company appeared on September 4, 1663, to be
£102,000.[32] Of this amount it is probable that about £57,425 had
been paid, which left unpaid subscriptions amounting to £44,775.[33]
In addition to the money obtained by the sale of shares the company
had borrowed about £21,000. With the money obtained from these two
sources approximately twenty-five ships were sent to the coast of
Africa from December, 1662, to September, 1663.[34] From these voyages
there were very unsatisfactory returns, and the company again found
itself in a critical financial condition.
This unfortunate situation was largely the result of opposition, which
its ships and factors had encountered from the Dutch West India
Company on the coast of Guinea. For a long time this opposition bade
fair to prevent the company from obtaining a share in the African
trade. In view of this situation the king dispatched Sir Robert Holmes
upon a second expedition to Africa in 1663 with orders to protect the
company's rights. As a further means of encouragement Charles II
ordered all gold imported from Africa by the Royal Company to be
coined with an elephant on one side, as a mark of distinction from the
coins then prevalent in England.[35] These coins were called
"Guineas"; they served to increase the reputation and prestige of the
company. Moreover, the king with many of his courtiers made important
additions to their stock in the third and fourth subscriptions.[36]
From September 4, 1663, to the following March there are no records
of the company, but a petition of the adventurers to the king in
March, 1664,[37] shows that notwithstanding its financial difficulties
the company had during the previous year sent to Africa forty ships
and goods to the value of £160,000.[38] To follow the company's
financial history from this time on is a difficult task in view of
inadequate sources. In the balance sheet of September 4, 1663, the
company's stock was entered as £102,000 and its debts as about
£21,000. When the news of Holmes' great success on the Gold Coast
began to arrive in England, the company increased its preparations to
open an extensive African trade. Therefore on May 10, 1664, an attempt
was made to collect the unpaid stock subscriptions, and an invitation
was extended to all members to lend one hundred pounds to the company
for each share of four hundred pounds which they held. Notwithstanding
the bright prospects which the company had at this time, its strenuous
attempt to raise the loan produced only £15,650.[39]
In September, 1664, an attempt was made to increase the stock of the
company by £30,000. Although the duke of York and many others added to
their shares on this occasion,[40] only £18,200 was subscribed.[41] By
this addition the stock of the Royal Adventurers amounted to £120,200
at about which sum it remained during the remainder of the company's
history.[42]
Although the company had not obtained as much money as had been hoped
for in the last subscription, it anticipated great success in its
trade, until vague rumors began to circulate that Admiral DeRuyter had
been sent to Africa to undo the conquest made by Captain Holmes. In
the last part of December, 1664, these rumors were confirmed. In a
petition to the king of January 2, 1665[43], the company declared that
its trade had already increased to such an extent that over one
hundred ships were employed, and that a yearly return of from two to
three hundred thousand pounds might reasonably be expected[44].
On account of the injuries inflicted by DeRuyter on the African coast
much of the anticipated loss of goods and vessels was realized. In
all, the company lost the cargoes of eight ships; of the forts only
Cape Corse remained. Under these ruinous circumstances it was not
thought advisable to dispatch at once the goods which had been
accumulated at Portsmouth[45]. Accordingly the company's vessels were
unloaded and several of them were taken into the King's service.[46]
The duke of York used what little money was on hand to apply on the
company's debt in order that the company's expenses from interest
might be reduced.[47] Because of the Anglo-Dutch war and the fact that
the company had no money, it could do nothing but send an occasional
ship to Africa loaded with some of the goods left at Portsmouth. From
this time on the company's trading activity was confined to such
scattered voyages.[48]
On January 11, 1666,[49] the court of assistants discussed the
proposition of granting trading licenses to private individuals. While
no action seems to have been taken at that time, it ultimately became
the practise of the company to grant such a freedom of trade. On April
9, 1667, a resolution was adopted empowering the committee of seven to
issue trading licenses in return for a payment of three pounds per
ton.[50] These licenses were obtained by those who desired to carry on
trade in their own ships, and also by officers of the company's ships
who wished to engage in private adventures. During the course of the
war one hears of many such grants to various individuals, among whom
was Prince Rupert.[51]
The practise of issuing licenses was interrupted for a short time at
the conclusion of the Anglo-Dutch war by a feeble attempt to revive
the company's activities. An effort was made to collect arrears on the
subscriptions,[52] and on August 21, 1667, the general court ordered
that an additional subscription should be opened, and that no more
trading licenses should be granted.[53] The only result of this effort
was that the duke of York and several others accepted stock of the
company in lieu of the bonds which they held.[54] In view of this fact
it was decided, January 20, 1668, to resume the policy of granting
licenses.[55]
In comparison with the trade conducted by the private adventurers that
of the company became quite insignificant. Since the company had much
difficulty in supporting its agents on the African coast it ordered,
August 28, 1668, that in the future those who received licenses should
agree to carry one-tenth of their cargo for the company's account.[56]
It was difficult for the company to raise the small sum of money
necessary to buy this quota of goods. No one was willing to invest
money in the stock of a bankrupt company, and certainly few were
desirous of making loans to it when there seemed practically no chance
of repayment. In the latter part of 1668 and in the year 1669, several
attempts were made to collect the early subscriptions which remained
unpaid.[57] This effort was attended with very little success, because
the company had ceased to be of importance.[58]
One of the reasons why the company's business was practically
neglected during these last years was because many of its members
began to trade to Africa as private individuals. A number of men even
went so far as to project an organization entirely separate from the
company. Finally, in 1667, several members offered to raise a stock of
£15,000 to carry on trade to the region of the Gambia River.[59] This
proposal was debated by the general court and finally referred to a
committee with the stipulation that if adopted the company should be
concerned in the stock of the new organization to the extent of
£3,000.[60] This arrangement could not be consummated in 1667,[61] but
on November 27, 1668, a similar proposition was adopted.[62]
An organization to be known as the Gambia Adventurers was to have the
sole trade to northern Africa for a period of seven years, beginning
with January 1, 1669. For this privilege they were to pay the Company
of Royal Adventurers £1,000 annually, and to be responsible for the
expense of the forts and settlements in that region. These places were
to be kept in good repair by the Gambia Adventurers, who were to
receive compensation from the Royal Company for any settlements.[63] A
suggestion for carrying on the trade to the Gold Coast in a similar
way received no attention from the general court. The Gambia
Adventurers occupied the same house in London with the company, and
there seems little doubt but that its members consisted largely of
those stockholders of the Royal Adventurers who belonged primarily to
the merchant class.[64] It is extremely difficult to estimate the
success of the Gambia Adventurers, since their records, if any were
kept, have not been preserved. In all probability their trade was
largely confined to the important products of the Gambia region,
namely elephants' teeth, hides and wax, although several of their
ships are known to have gone to the West Indies with slaves.
Since many of the company's stockholders were interested in the Gambia
venture the company's business on the Gold Coast was greatly
neglected. During the year 1669 the company's trade became so
insignificant that, at the suggestion of the king, Secretary Arlington
asked the company if it intended to continue the African trade.[65] In
answer the company recounted the losses incurred in the Anglo-Dutch
war which, it declared, had made it necessary to grant licenses to
private traders in order to maintain the forts and factories in
Africa. It asked the king to assist the company by paying his
subscription, by helping to recover its debts in Barbados, and by
granting royal vessels for the protection of the African coast. With
such encouragement the company declared that it would endeavor to
raise a new stock to carry on the African trade.[66] Receiving no
answer to their appeal the members of the company considered various
expedients, one of which was to lease the right of trade on the Gold
Coast;[67] another was to endeavor to obtain new subscriptions to the
company's stock, which seemed impossible because of the fear that the
money would be used toward paying the company's debts, and not for the
purpose of trade.[68] In fact, it had been only too evident for
several years that no additions could be made to the present worthless
stock of the company. If the company desired to continue its
activities, it would be necessary to have an entirely new stock
unencumbered with the claims of old creditors. The main problem
confronting the company therefor e was to make an agreement with its
clamorous creditors.
On May 18, 1671, a general court of the adventurers approved of a
proposition to form a new joint stock under the old charter.[69] The
stock of the shareholders, which at this time amounted to £120,200,
was to be valued at ten per cent and so reduced to £12,020; this was
to form the first item in the new stock. In regard to the company's
debts, which amounted to about £57,000, rather severe measures were
attempted. Two-thirds of the debts, or £38,000, was, as in the case of
the stock, reduced to one-tenth, or £3,800, which was to form the
second item in the new stock. The other one-third of the debts, or
£19,000, was to be paid to the creditors in full out of the money
subscribed by the new shareholders.[70] Adding the cash payment of
£19,000 and estimating at par the £3,800 which they were to have in
the new stock, the creditors were to receive a little less than
thirty-five per cent, of their debts. If they did not accept this
arrangement it was proposed to turn over the company's effects to
them, and to secure an entirely new charter from the king. As
anticipated the plan was unsatisfactory to many of the creditors,
because the company proposed to pay the £19,000 in six monthly
installments after the subscription for the new joint stock was
begun.[71] On October 28, 1671, the preamble and articles under which
the new subscription was to be made were approved by the general
court, and notice was given to the refractory creditors that they must
accept the arrangement within ten days or the king would revoke the
company's patent.[72] Although the trouble with the creditors had not
been adjusted, subscriptions on the new stock began November 10, 1671.
A few weeks later there was held a general court of the new
subscribers, at which Sir Richard Ford, one of the most important
members of the company and also of the new subscribers, declared that
"they should not differ for small matters."[73] Thereupon it was
resolved to grant the creditors forty per cent on their debts and the
shareholders, as in the previous plan, ten per cent, on their
stock.[74] This made a total payment of £34,000 divided as follows:
£22,800, forty per cent of the company's debts, which amounted to
£57,000; and £11,200, ten per cent of the paid subscriptions, which
amounted to about £112,000.[75] In lieu of this payment the
stockholders were to cede to the new subscribers the forts and other
property in Africa and all the payments due from the Gambia
Adventurers during the four remaining years of their contract.
As has been said the articles of subscription were adopted October 28,
1671. They provided for a stock of £100,000 under the old charter,
which should be paid to the treasurer of the company in ten monthly
payments ending September 25, 1672. As a matter of fact the
subscription reached the sum of £110,100. It was also provided that
every new subscriber should have one vote in the general court for
each one hundred pound share, but that no one should be an officer of
the company, unless he had subscribed for four hundred pounds in
shares. The subgovernor and the deputy governor were to be aided by a
court of assistants, reduced to twenty-four in number, and by a select
committee of five instead of the committee of seven as formerly. On
January 10, 1672, there was held a general court of the new
subscribers, at which the duke of York was elected governor; Lord
Ashley, subgovernor; and John Buckworth, deputy governor.[76] The duke
of York and Lord Ashley were well known for their interest in colonial
affairs. According to the terms of the subscription the deputy
governor was to be a merchant and a member of the committee of five,
which provision indicated plainly that the company expected Buckworth
to manage its business affairs.
Although the new subscription had been made to replace the stock of
the old adventurers, there is little evidence that it was regarded as
necessary to obtain a new charter. Since the creditors still refused
to be satisfied with the concession of forty per cent on their debts,
however, the new subscribers hesitated to pay their money which might
be used to pay off the old debts.[77] It therefore became necessary to
carry out the previous threat against the creditors to induce the king
to grant a new charter to the present subscribers, which was done
September 27, 1672.[78] This action finally convinced the creditors
that they could obtain no better terms than had been offered, and
therefore they agreed to accept them and also to surrender all their
rights to the patentees of the new charter which was being issued.
That the attitude of the creditors was not the only moving force
toward a new charter is probable, because the old charter was not
adequate to meet the needs of the Royal African Company which was to
follow.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] At one time Prince Rupert had been governor of the African company
founded in 1631. Jenkinson, Hilary, "The Records of the English
African Companies." _Transactions of the Royal Historical Society_,
Third Series, VI, 195.
[2] Pepys, Diary (_The Diary of Samuel Pepys_, edited by Henry B.
Wheatley), I, 253.
[3] That some expense attached to the procuring of such charters
appears from an item of £133.10s.3d. which the company incurred for
this charter. A. C. R., 1221, April 12, 1661. Wherever possible the
volume and page of the company's books will be given, but since they
have not all been paged the only other method of reference is by
dates.
[4] Carr, Cecil T., "Select Charters of Trading Companies, 1530-1707,"
_Publications of the Selden Society_, XXVIII, 172-177.
[5] According to the charter of 1660 the former patent had been
granted June 25, 1631. It would therefore expire June 25, 1662, if it
was not surrendered before that time.
[6] A. C. R., 309, 1221. The records of the first few ventures are to
be found in these two volumes of the company's books. Number 309 is
the original book, the other being practically a copy of it. In some
cases, however, the latter is more complete. These two books have been
practically overlooked in the cataloging of the company's records, one
of them being labelled, "Ship's Journal." They contain the only
information we have of the financial condition of the first company as
kept by Thomas Holder, treasurer of the company. The greater part of
the two books is taken up with lists and costs of various goods which
were sent to Africa.
[7] Admiralty Papers, Navy Board, In-Letters, 6, loose leaf order of
the factors of the Royal Adventurers on the Gambia River, July 19,
1661. With this order there is a certificate dated January 3, 1661/2,
to the effect that thirty-eight of the crew of the "Amity" had died on
the way to Guinea and during the time they were on the Gambia River.
[8] A. C. R., 1221, October 20, 1662.
[9] It is impossible to determine the exact amount which was invested
in goods, etc.
[10] A. C. R., 1221, June 20, 1661.
[11] _Ibid._, April 30, 1662.
[12] _Ibid._, 309, September 26, 1662
[13] A. C. R., 309, September 26, October 20, 1662. Only £560 of the
king's subscription of £800 was paid, according to the list found
under the first of the above dates. This may be a slight error, as
warrants were issued for the payment of £580 at various times in 1661
and 1662. C.S.P., Treas. Bks. (Calendar of State Papers, Treasury
Books), 1660-1667, pp. 312, 314, 383. This does not include a warrant
for £300, which was probably used in the first expedition under
Captain Holmes, but which for some reason is omitted in the company's
books. C. S. P., Treas. Bks., 1660-1667, p. 107.
[14] A. C. R., 309, October 20, 1662, January 15, 1663. Afterward
£3,200 was added to this, making £20,800 in all in the second
subscription. A. C. R., 309, August 25, 1663.
[15] Carr, _Select Charters of Trading Companies_, pp. 178-181.
[16] There were also provisions similar to those contained in the
first charter for the government of the company's "plantations"
(factories) in Africa. The clause allowing the king to subscribe
one-sixteenth of the stock was omitted, but he could become a
shareholder at any time.
[17] The charter had provided that the executive committee should be
composed of seven men if twenty-four assistants were elected and
thirteen if thirty-six were chosen. A.C.R., 75: 29, 31, 41, 44, 49,
51, 68, 72, 93.
[18] P.C.R. (Register of the Privy Council), _Charles II_, 2: 451.
[19] _Ibid._, 2: 502.
[20] Egerton MSS., 2538, f. 109, C. C. to Secretary Nicholas, August
11, 1662. Folio 110 contains a note without date or signature saying
that the matter was referred to the Lord High Treasurer and others.
[21] The earl of Clarendon declares in his History of Charles II that,
upon the return of the ships from the first expedition, the company
"compounded" with Sir Nicholas Crispe for his "propriety" in the fort
at Kormentine. This is untrue, since it has just been shown that it
was not until the middle of 1662 that he agreed to transfer his
property to the Royal Adventurers and that it was afterward that
Crispe endeavored to get the king's approval to grant him
compensation. Clarendon may have remembered that the king was
favorable to the proposition and therefore assumed that such a
contract had been made. Hyde, Edward, First Earl of Clarendon. _The
History of the Reign of King Charles the Second, from the Restoration
to the end of the year 1667_ (edited by J. Shebbeare), p. 197.
[22] This charge was put forward in a pamphlet, probably published in
1709, called _Sir John Crispe's Case in Relation to the Forts in
Africa_. In this pamphlet the assertion is made that the Privy Council
had a full hearing of the matter on July 29, 1662, and ordered the
Royal Adventurers to pay Crispe £20,000 by an export duty of 2-1/2 per
cent on goods sent to Africa. An examination of the Privy Council
Register shows no order of that kind on that date or at any subsequent
time.
[23] A.C.R., 75, August, 15, 1664.
[24] In January, 1663, the Royal Adventurers made an agreement with
several members of Crispe's company providing for the transfer to
England of their merchandise and personal effects which were still on
the coast of Africa. Whether this second contract contained anything
about compensation for the forts it is impossible to say, since this
agreement also has not been preserved. Admiralty High Court,
Examinations 134. Answers of Edward M. Mitchell and Ellis Leighton,
May 10, 20, 1664.
[25] That Sir Nicholas Crispe felt the losses he had incurred in
Guinea appears from his will of 1666, in which he directed the
following inscription to be erected to his memory: "first discovered
and settled the Trade of Gold in Africa and built there the Castle of
Cormentine," and thus "lost out of purse" more than £100,000. Crisp,
Frederick A., _Family of Crispe_, I, 32.
[26] A. C. R., 309, June 25, September 4, 1663. Upon the latter date
it appears that only £1300 of his subscription was paid.
[27] Clarendon, _History of the Reign of Charles II_, p. 198.
[28] _The Several Declarations of the Company of Royal Adventurers of
England trading into Africa_, January 12, 1662 (O. S.).
[29] _Ibid._
[30] A. C. R., 309, June 25, August 25, 1663.
[31] _Ibid._, 309, August 25, 1663.
[32] _Ibid._, 309, the balance of the company's books on September 4,
1663.
[33] These figures are arrived at by a careful examination of the
various sums paid to Thomas Holder, the treasurer. As it is not always
possible to be sure that the payments were made for stock, too much
dependence cannot be put in the figures, especially when the sum
arrived at by adding the items which appear to be owing the company
for stock in the balance of September 4, 1663, amount to £52,000. This
is of course several thousand pounds more than the sum arrived at by
the former computation, but here again it is not possible to estimate
exactly the money owing the company for stock and for other things.
[34] This number is arrived at by a careful perusal of the first book
kept by the company, number 309. Sometime in 1664 the company
submitted a petition to the king in which it speaks of having sent
over forty ships to the coast during the previous year and of
supplying them with cargoes amounting to more than £160,000. C.O.
(Colonial Office) 1: 17, f. 255, petition of the Royal Adventurers to
(the king, 1664).
[35] C. S. P., Col. (Calendar of State Papers, Colonial, America and
West Indies), 1661-1668, p. 175, warrant to officers of the king's
mint, December 24, 1663. Another evidence of special favor was a grant
made by the king in 1664 giving the Royal Company the sole privilege
of holding lotteries in the king's dominions for three years. The
company does not seem to have used it. C. S. P., Dom. (Calendar of
State Papers, Domestic), 1666-1667, pp. 531, 532, Blanquefort and
Hamilton to the king, February 25, 1667.
[36] In the third subscription the king's share was £5,200; in the
fourth, £2,000. A. C. R., 309, June 25, August 25, 1663. The king's
subscription with that of the queen for £400 seem never to have been
paid, although a warrant was issued to the Lord High Treasurer, June
27, 1663, to pay the amount from the customs receipts.
[37] Upon this date, book number 309 was balanced and the items
carried to another volume, which has been lost. In March, 1664, the
resolutions of the general court and the court of assistants begin in
number 75 of the company's books. While it is fortunate that these
resolutions for the remaining history of this company have been
preserved, they do not furnish adequate information regarding the
company's financial condition at various times.
[38] C. O. 1: 17, f. 255, petition of the Royal Adventurers to (the
king, March, 1664).
[39] A. C. R., 75: 7, 8, orders of the general court, May 10, 20,
1664.
[40] C. S. P., Dom., 1664-1665, p. 7, Robert Lye to Williamson,
September 13, 1664.
[41] A. C. R., 75: 21, 22.
[42] The total of the stock is shown by adding the five subscriptions:
October, 1660, to September, 1662, first subscription £17,400
October, 1662, to January, 1663, second subscription 20,800
June, 1663, to August, 1663, third subscription 34,600
August, 1663, fourth subscription 29,200
September, 1664, fifth subscription 18,200
Total £120,200
[43] S. P., Dom. (State Papers, Domestic), Charles II, 110, f. 18; C.
O. 1: 19, ff. 7, 8.
[44] The financial status of the company at this time was as follows:
Assets:
£ s d
Ships and factories in Africa 125,962.6.2
Debts owing to the company in the colonies 49,895.0.0
Goods, ammunition, etc., at Portsmouth 48,000.0.0
Total 223,857.6.2
Stock of the company:
Amount subscribed 120,200.0.0
Amount paid (about) 103,000.0.0
Amount unpaid (about) 17,200.0.0
Debts, owing on bonds, etc. (about) 100,000.0.0
Losses:
From DeRuyter at Cape Verde 50,000.0.0
Anticipated from DeRuyter at other places 125,912.6.2
Total 175,912.6.2
[45] A. C. R., 75: 37, John Berkley and others to ----, November 4,
1665.
[46] S. P., Dom., _Charles II_, 186: 1.
[47] A. C. R., 75: 37, Berkley and others to ----, November 4, 1665.
[48] On April 6, 1666, the king, in response to a petition from the
Royal Adventurers, granted to the company a ship called the "Golden
Lyon" which had been captured from the Dutch by Sir Robert Holmes in
1664. C. S. P., Col., 1661-1668, p. 370, the king to duke of York,
March 28, 1666.
[49] A. C. R., 75: 40.
[50] _Ibid._, 75: 52.
[51] _Ibid._, 75: 57. A part of the debts had been incurred on the
common seal of the company and part on the personal security of the
committee of seven.
[52] A. C. R., 75: 56, 58. An attempt was made to induce the king to
pay his subscription. On the other hand, the company owed the king a
considerable sum for the ships which it had used from time to time. S.
P., Dom., _Charles II_, 199: 14.
[53] A. C. R., 75: 58.
[54] _Ibid._, 75: 59.
[55] _Ibid._, 75: 70.
[56] _Ibid._, 75: 77.
[57] _Ibid._, 75: 85, 88.
[58] The duke of Buckingham, however, paid his arrears, which led the
duke of York to remark, "I will give the Devil his due, as they say
the Duke of Buckingham hath paid in his money to the Company." Pepys,
_Diary_, VIII, 142.
[59] A. C. R., 75: 61.
[60] _Ibid._, 75: 62, 63.
[61] It seems certain, however, that these men who were interested in
the Gambia trade made some other arrangements at that time by means of
which a certain amount of goods was sent to that place. A. C. R., 75:
82, 83.
[62] A. C. R., 75: 83.
[63] _Ibid._, 75: 82.
[64] As opposed to those who were from the king's court.
[65] A. C. R., 75:90, 91.
[66] O. S. P., Dom., 1668-1669, p. 459, August 25, 1669.
[67] A. C. R., 75: 94.
[68] C. O. 268: I, charter of the Royal African Company, September 27,
1672.
[69] In the previous April a bill had been introduced into the House
of Lords to incorporate the company by act of Parliament. On account
of the various plans under consideration there was no procedure with
the bill. L. J. (Journal of the House of Lords), XII: 480; H. M. C.
(Historical Manuscripts Commission), report 9, pt. 2, p. 9b; H. L.
MSS. (House of Lords, Manuscripts), draft act to incorporate the
Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa, April 6,
1671.
[70] A. C. R., 75: 101, 102. See also the proposals for a resettlement
of the company's affairs in S.P., Dom., _Charles II_, 67, ff. 341,
342.
[71] A. C. R., 75: 106, 107.
[72] _Ibid._, 75: 108.
[73] _British Husbandry and Trade_, II, 14.
[74] A. C. R., 76: 52, the preamble under which the subscriptions were
made as amended December 19, 1671, article 4; _ibid._, 75: 111.
[75] _Ibid._, 76, October 22, 1674. A report of a committee says that
there was about £22,000 of the old subscriptions which had not been
paid.
[76] _Ibid._, 100: 50.
[77] C. O. 268: 1, charter of the Royal African Company, September 27,
1672.
[78] _Ibid._