Captaine David Kirke sworne and examined before the right
worshipfull Sr. Henry Martin Knight, Judge of his Majesties
high Court of the Admiralty uppon certaine Interrogatoryes
answereth thereto as followeth.
To the first Interrogatory hee sayeth That true it is, That he
was Imployed cheife Comander in two voyages into Canida, in the
yeares 1628. and 1629. and the first of those voyages he was
sett forth and ymployed at the Chardges of his late father
Gervase Kirke and others merchantes of London, and the last of
those voyages at the chardges of Sr. William Alexander the
yonger, the sayde Gervase Kirke and others theire partners. And
this hee affirmeth uppon his oath to be true.
To the second he sayeth That in the first of the said voyages,
he tooke from the French all the Country of Canida that they
had in possession, except the fort of Cabecke.
To the third he sayeth That in the last voyage when he tooke
the sayd fort of Cabecke he had not any notice or knowledge of
the late peace concluded betweene England and France.
To the fowerth he sayeth That in the sayde last voyage wherein
he tooke the sayde fort of Cabecke, he had a Comission under
the broade seale of England, authorizinge him to transplant the
French at Canida, and utterly to expell them from that country.
To the fift he sayeth That in the sayd last voyage in the river
of Canida he mett whit a French pinnace whereof Emery de Cane
was Comander, and that pinnace assalted this examinates
shallops and shott at them before this examinate began fight
with her. And that pinnace did kill two of this examinates
company and hurt and maymed twelve or sixteene others of them.
To the sixt he sayeth That the beaver and ottar skynnes now in
sequestration under the lockes of the Admiraltye are the same
that this examinate had by trade with the natives of Canida,
and by composition from the French for victualls given them
accordinge to that composition.
To the seaventh he sayeth that the French at the tyme of the
17/1429 renderinge of the forte of Cabecke did bringe out of the same
which they sould and disposed to theire owne use betwixt seaven
and eight hundred beaver skinns, of which the greatest part
they sould to the English here in England.
To the 8th he sayeth that when this examinates men returned
from the takinge of the sayde forte, this examinate would have
taken some beaver skynnes from them which they desired him not
to doe, because (as they did constantly affirme to him) they
had bought part of them of the French in exchange of apparrell,
and the rest they founde in ditches and in the wood where the
french had hid them.
To the nynth and tenth he sayeth That there was not in the
sayde forte at the tyme of the rendition of the same to this
examinates knowledge any victualls, save only one tubb of
bitter rootes, and he sayeth uppon his oath, That for the
victualls which he gave the French to releive them in Canida
and homewards accordinge to Composition, he might have hade in
trucke with the natives of that country more beavers by a
thousand then he had out of the sayde fort of Cabecke. And this
he affirmeth uppon his oath to be true, Further addinge that
with his owne victualls he fedd of the French by the space of
three or fower monthes at the least one hundred persons, and
payde for theire victualls in England and freighted and
victualled them a shipp and therein sent them from England to
France according to the sayde composition.
(_State Paper Office, Colonial Papers_, vol. VI, art, 15.)