St Helena Records 1745-1746

Introduction: This is the twenty fifth volume in the series of St Helena Records, which summarises the proceedings of official meetings held by the island’s Governor and Council, during which matters of government, defence, supplies, justice and discipline were discussed and recorded.

Source: Images of the original records can be viewed on the British Library’s website: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP1364-1-1-29.

Text Transcription: This transcription was produced by AI from handwritten document images held on the British Library's website, at about thirty pages per hour. Given the limitations described below, the text should be regarded as unreliable and used only as a search-and-find shortcut: once a relevant section has been located, it must always be checked against the source image via the hyperlinked Film Numbers listed in the main transcription table below.

Three specific problems affected the work. First, AI tends to prioritise meaning and readability at the expense of fidelity to the original, with a strong disposition to normalise spellings, expand abbreviations, and adjust grammar. It is particularly weak with unfamiliar surnames, and scrawled signatures often resist accurate transcription entirely. Transcriptions by eye of documents spanning four centuries have also shown that a single surname could be written in a wide variety of ways: the Crowie family name appears under six different spellings, and the Isaacs family name under sixteen. Searches for surnames are therefore hindered both by genuine variations in the originals and by mistranscriptions introduced by AI, and for this reason are best run phonetically. Second, the AI struggled with the late secretary hand, the script commonly used from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, in which the letter S appears in a form closely resembling a trailing L. Third, occasional passages in these volumes are written in a hand so obscure or poorly formed as to be difficult to read even by eye, sometimes compounded by heavy ink bleed-through from the reverse side or by the loss of sections of pages.

To mitigate these difficulties, a strict protocol was applied to each image, requiring the AI to rely solely on clearly visible ink strokes and to flag any uncertain reading, thereby reducing the risk of inferred or invented text. Two conventions are used. [...] marks text that could not be read with confidence; this may represent a single unreadable word, a full sentence, or occasionally an entire paragraph. Square brackets around letters or words indicate a conjectural reading supplied by the transcriber: brackets around a whole word, for example [Bazett], mean the entire word was unclear and a probable reading has been supplied, while brackets around individual letters within an otherwise readable word, for example B[a]z[e]tt, mean only those specific letters were unclear in the source and the unbracketed letters were legibly present.

Referencing Text Locations: A dual numbering system has been adopted, combining the British Library film number with the manuscript’s original page number. These are presented in the format: British Library Film No. / Document Page No.

Content: No crossed-out sections have been transcribed. Complex tables have also been omitted, replaced instead with simple headings such as Gunner’s Account, Company Livestock Census, Store Goods sold to Inhabitants, and Government Table Expenses, among others.

Pagination:

Page numbers appear only at the top right corners of the recto sides. The first visible number occurs on Film No. 8 as page 1 (location 4/1). The page numbering then continues sequentially through to the end of the volume.

Dates: During the period of this volume, England and its colonies followed the Old-Style Julian calendar, in which the legal new year began on 25 March (Lady Day). This volume records consultations at St Helena on dates recorded between 16 May 1745 and 24 June 1746.

The Council meetings were all held during the administration of Colonel David Dunbar (1744 – 1747).

AI Generated Summary

Introduction

This consolidated account covers fourteen months in the history of the East India Company’s island of St Helena, running from late April 1745 to the middle of June 1746. Throughout the period the island was governed from the castle in the valley that became Jamestown by Colonel David Dunbar, with Captain Charles Hutchinson as lieutenant governor and a small council of Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling. The whole span is framed by the two great events of the island’s year, the gathering and sailing of the homeward fleet of East Indiamen in July 1745 and again in June 1746, and it is dominated at its centre by a long and bitter quarrel between the Governor and his council that reached from a dispute over lime to the suspension of a councillor. [Film No. 8–15, 308–320, 458–475]

The evidence must be read for what it is. These are the official minutes and account books of the governing body, kept by its own secretary and copied home to the Company’s masters in London. The planters, the soldiers and above all the slaves appear only when the council had reason to mention them, and almost always through the council’s own eyes. The material favours the routine business of victualling, accounting and shipping over any grand event, and the interpretations and speculations woven through it tend to read the council’s caution as wisdom. Where the record can be tested against wider knowledge of the Company and its trade, this account attempts it, and it treats the appended commentary with the same scrutiny as the entries themselves. [Film No. 8–57, 168, 372–373]

St Helena in these years functioned as a link in the Company’s chain of stations, a place of layered functions ranging from provisioning to punitive administration, working as garrison, farm, trading post, hospital and refitting yard at once. Every transaction, from a coffin bought for the dead to a bull traded for beef, passed through the same apparatus of ledgers. The record is thorough in its way, yet it is the account the Company kept of itself, drawn up by the very officers whose conduct it might have to justify, and its gaps and contradictions repay as much attention as its figures. [Film No. 58–107, 258–259]

Governance and Administration

The council met at the castle every few days, read and approved its last minutes, and worked through the accounts and petitions before it, the same handful of men presiding through the whole period. Much of Governor Dunbar’s energy went into bringing the island’s affairs into order after what he plainly regarded as years of lax rule. In late April 1745 he revived a dormant customs duty, examined the island’s leases and pressed the market into a stricter shape, a reforming drive that ran through his whole government. His stance comes through most strongly in his own words at the close of the first beef dispute, when he declared that nobody would grow a farthing the richer by him and set his own honesty against former Governors who had lived above their masters and let the planters do as they pleased. This is the language of a man building a record for London as much as addressing the planters before him. [Film No. 9–21, 53–54]

A clear thread of the record is the limit of the council’s own power. Again and again it declined to settle a question outright and instead referred it home to the Court of Directors in England, whether the supercargoes’ complaint about duty on their private wine or the junior servants’ request for cash in place of a common table. This deference was partly genuine caution and partly a way of avoiding blame, since every matter of weight had to travel half the world and back before it was decided. The same constitutional principle emerged sharply from the later Dixon quarrel, when the council reminded the Governor that by the Company’s repeated orders the administration was lodged in the Governor and council together and everything transacted by a majority, so that the Governor, though chief, held but a single vote. [Film No. 8, 55–56, 251–252]

The correspondence that bound the island to the wider Company shows its subordinate place. In August 1745 the ship Queen Caroline carried letters to Fort St George, Bengal, Bombay and Fort Marlborough at Bencoolen, each acknowledging goods received from the season’s homeward ships and ordering fresh supply, Fort St George asked for wax candles and long cloth, Bengal for doosetees, sugar and arrack, and Bombay for Goa arrack, rice and paddy. Addressed to governors as senior as Nicholas Morse at Madras, these letters show the council writing not as an independent authority but as a station reporting its wants up the Company’s chain of command. The board also protected itself in advance against claims, disclaiming knowledge of four deserters landed by Captain Freeman until the Court should inform it, a careful shifting of liability. [Film No. 105–107, 103]

By the turn of 1746 the reforming temper had hardened into a drive to cut charges and tighten checks on the Company’s own officers. Lieutenant Barton, once employed to keep the account of the hired slaves who burned lime, was dismissed as unnecessary now that no slaves were hired, an economy of a piece with the earlier suspension of a useless writer. After the Dixon affair the Governor proposed that the storekeeper Matthew Purling produce his sale books at every weekly consultation for inspection, and the whole board agreed, a routine audit replacing the trust that had let earlier officers conceal their handling of the stores. Within two weeks Purling was producing his day books as a matter of course and himself requesting that two councillors examine goods newly landed, the check born of distrust hardening into a standing discipline. [Film No. 138, 437, 457]

The Governor’s Quarrel with the Council

The dominant event of the whole period was a constitutional quarrel that split the Governor from his board and consumed the record from December 1745 into the spring of 1746. It began trivially, in a dispute over borrowed books between Dixon and Lieutenant Ashwick that turned on a flat contradiction of oaths, Dixon denying he had called Ashwick a rascal and Ashwick swearing solemnly, kneeling with the book he had carried at a funeral, that he had. Provoked by Dixon’s defiance, Dunbar confined him to his chamber, and each man then dressed his private grievance in the Company’s interest, the Governor framing the insult as an affront to the Court through his person and Dixon protesting that his confinement kept him from the country affairs he alone had the care of. That Dixon, dismissed years before for insolence and reinstated by the Court, stood again at the centre of such a quarrel marks the strain within a small board whose enmities broke repeatedly into its formal business. [Film No. 244, 247–248]

The other three councillors picked their way through the feud with a studied neutrality that is itself revealing. Hutchinson, Goodwin and Purling qualified their very signatures to the consultations, subscribing only that the record contained a complaint from the Governor and a representation from Dixon, and when the council delivered its opinion on the last day of 1745 it declined to condemn Dixon and rested its judgement on the constitutional point that the Governor had no power in himself to confine a member of the council. The board thus protected its collective authority against the Governor’s pretensions while carefully avoiding taking sides. Dunbar, for his part, reached for martial law and the forfeiture of estate to punish Dixon while confessing he was not entirely sure the Company’s orders gave him such power, a Governor conscious that confining a councillor was a strong step and anxious to spread the responsibility. [Film No. 250–252, 244–245]

A fresh and stranger phase of the quarrel opened over the plantation. Dunbar claimed that the Company’s general letters gave the charge of the plantation and stock to the Governor alone, and complained that Dixon as husband went into the country three or four times a week and kept him as ignorant as a stranger of its affairs. The three members answered that later orders directed all the Company’s business to be transacted by the Governor and council together, turning the Governor’s own appeal to written orders against him with orders of a later date. The contest descended to a dispute over melons grown by a superannuated slave in the Maldivia garden, the Governor insisting on thirteen holes yielding forty-one melons against Dixon’s five, and to the falling of the dairy’s butter, the Governor sending a man to watch the milking. Each grievance was pressed as proof of mismanagement by a Governor searching the whole husbandry for evidence against a subordinate he could not otherwise dislodge. [Film No. 337, 341, 349–350]

The attack widened to Dixon’s second office as secretary, the Governor charging him with remissness in entering the consultations and producing a written direction of 26 December 1745 to abstract the general letter books that Dixon had failed to execute. Dunbar confessed his own fear of a reprimand from home, since the duplicates sent by the last fleet were so incorrect that rectifying six months of consultations had been a tedious task and several general letters were reported lost from the office. The dispute reached its height in mutual charges of falsehood, the Governor swearing on the Bible that Dixon had told him Goodwin and Purling proposed to combine and always outvote him, a charge Dixon denied and the members disowned in a solemn affidavit of 15 April 1746 carefully worded to swear only that they had made no such proposal. Whether the alleged combination was real cannot be settled from a record made by the disputants themselves. [Film No. 351–353, 386]

Unable to obtain the council’s opinion, Dunbar acted alone. On 20 March 1746 he absolutely suspended Dixon from all his employments and salary until the Court’s pleasure should be known, and protested that each of the three members should forfeit a quarter’s salary for their obstruction. He recited at length a precedent from Minorca, where a lieutenant governor had suspended a fellow officer for refusing his opinion and been upheld at home, yet having quoted the case he immediately retreated behind it, dropping his threat and proposing the members simply carry on as before. The retreat was telling, for with the Court’s ruling twelve months off and the settlement’s whole business needing a quorum he could not keep, Dunbar chose to hold the island together rather than stand on a precedent that might not be answered in his favour before his government collapsed. He shifted the fight to the one ground where a governor was unanswerable, his own financial probity, challenging the members to name a single shilling of extravagance in his whole administration. [Film No. 372–374, 382–383]

In Dixon’s place the council appointed Robert Wright, factor, as clerk, and the arrival of the Somerset from England on the last day of April 1746 brought the Company’s packet and confirmed Wright as sixth of council, the directors’ instructions reaching the island to sanction by authority what the Governor had begun by his own stroke. The suspension reached Dixon’s office and pay alone, not his standing as a private inhabitant, and the distinction was kept scrupulously, the treasury even settling an old claim of his for diet money from his first suspension in 1742 and 1743 by the Court’s order. The whole affair should be read with scepticism toward both sides. The record is kept in the interest of a council writing home to justify itself, so the Governor appears autocratic and the members reasonable, yet their insistence on procedure also served to shield a colleague and frustrate a Governor bent on reform, their lawyerly wording throughout the mark of men conscious that London would one day weigh every word. [Film No. 376, 438–439, 472]

Military Affairs and Defence

The island stood on a war footing through the whole period, for Britain was then fighting the War of the Austrian Succession and French privateers threatened the homeward trade. The gunner’s monthly returns are the clearest trace of this, each occasion of firing entered against the weight of shot so the powder store could be checked against the guns actually served. In April 1745 the garrison fired at alarms and salutes, the single largest charge the 39 guns fired to salute a passing Dutch fleet. May was far noisier, the garrison burning 326 lb of powder against 131 lb in April, a direct measure of the fleet that filled the road, including 59 guns for the arrival of six English ships with two Swedes on 23 May. Two steady charges of match, the slow cord kept lit at every guard post, mark a garrison standing to arms watch after watch through a dangerous season. [Film No. 15, 34]

The garrison itself was a substantial standing force for so small a population, four companies of foot and a separate artillery company, each fully officered, the sentinels paid a uniform £3 8s 3d a quarter and the artillery graded into gunners’ mates, quarter gunners and matrosses at higher rates for the skill the guns required. Running through the pay lists is a persistent record of desertion, concentrated with striking regularity on 15 June 1745, when the armourer John Cross, several sentinels and a corporal all left the service together, most probably by a homeward ship lying in the crowded road. Several entries confuse desertion with death, recording a man as both gone and dead in the same line, a sign that the establishment’s own clerks could not always tell a soldier who had slipped aboard a vessel from one who had died unnoticed, an account unable to tell flight from death keeping a looser watch than its careful shillings suggest. [Film No. 71–81, 72–79]

That the homeward fleet sailed together on 9 July 1745, fourteen Company ships in one body, was itself a product of the war, the Company holding its Indiamen at the island until they could sail in company against privateers. The arrival in July of two of His Majesty’s ships, the Maidstone under Captain Rogers and the Exeter under Captain Mabbe, belongs to the same context, naval vessels commonly escorting the homeward Indiamen past the Atlantic privateers the war had loosed. After the fleet sailed, the guns spoke almost entirely in ceremony, salutes built from the lighter pieces to spare the magazine, a single six pounder heading a run of two pounders and the heavier metal held back for real service. The single shot fired at Banks’s to bring a ship to marks the standing practice of the outermost seaward battery, which hailed an approaching vessel and required her to show herself before she reached the road. [Film No. 50, 66, 112, 130]

The quarterly pay account for July to September 1745 sets out the whole garrison by name and reckons each man to the very day he deserted, died or was discharged, so that Griffith Griffiths is paid to 28 September, the day he died. The soldiers’ clothing for the year came to more than £430 once every rank was included, by far the largest single charge in the garrison accounts and a truer measure of what it cost to keep the island defended than the pay roll alone. In October the council met a real shortage, two or three men in every company left without coat or hat, and resolved it not by finding more clothing but by paying 15s for a coat and 2s for a hat in lieu, framing the payment as an incentive to thrift, an empty warehouse dressed in the language of encouragement. A modest pension list maintained six old servants worn out on so isolated a station. [Film No. 145–156, 189–190, 160]

The wider war pressed hardest through the difficulty of holding a garrison whose men were free to leave once their terms expired. In January 1746 Dunbar laid before the council a graduated scheme of re-enlistment bounties, five guineas for open-ended service and lesser sums for shorter renewals, the money returnable in exchange for an earlier discharge. He frankly acknowledged the gamble in advancing bounties on future service, since a man might die before his time expired and the money be lost. He acted ahead of his authority, advancing the bounties from his own pocket and referring the outlay to the Company, having enlisted twenty-five men at three guineas each even after the board had resolved against re-engaging any man whose time had more than thirteen months to run. The five-year contract of 13 January 1746 bound each man for five years beyond his first time, the terms staggered so no soldier served two engagements at once, and Dunbar was repaid £112 7s from the treasury. [Film No. 256–257, 316–317, 400]

The fortification programme ran through the whole government, its pace governed by the perpetual shortage of lime, which came round by sea from Sandy Bay in the Company’s long boat, sixteen voyages in a single quarter, the works able to rise no faster than the boat could bring it. The building was done chiefly by the garrison itself, soldiers earning a shilling a day on top of their standing wage, the spread of days worked from one to more than seventy showing the labour taken as men could be spared from guard duty. Skilled masons drew three shillings a day for laying platforms and dressing the coins of the embrasures, three times the labourers’ wage, and an overseer took half a crown for supervising the men on the glacis, the smooth open slope cleared so no attacker could find cover. Powder itself was drawn for the works as well as for firing, thirty pounds going to the stone blower to blast the fortification lime, and the settlement even made some of its own signal rockets rather than draw them from an English store that so often failed. [Film No. 404, 402, 419–420, 380]

The convoy season returned in the spring of 1746, and the war shaped the settlement’s posture directly. In early May five of His Majesty’s ships arrived together from Madras, the wartime escort by which the East India trade was protected against French cruisers, and the council’s own correspondence to the presidencies read as much as a shipping intelligence report as an order, listing every vessel that had passed or parted company at the Cape. The manning of the passing ships pressed hard on the thin garrison, Captain Edmund Smyth of the Oxford, whose complement of 61 from Batavia had been reduced to 38 by 23 deaths, appealing for men and being refused on the Committee’s express order not to part with one man. His arithmetic, more than a third of his men dead before St Helena, is a stark measure of the mortality of the eastern passage the island witnessed from the receiving end. [Film No. 441, 446, 474–475]

Settlement, Land and Agriculture

Governor Dunbar spent much of the period bringing the island’s leases and rents into order, the treasury receiving back rent from Richard Mason reaching all the way to 1727 as part of a drive to correct old underpayments and replace irregular grants with proper twenty-one-year leases in line with a Company order of 17 April 1741. One entry catches an older form of tenure being renewed, Richard Goodwin paying a customary fine of a year’s rent to add a fresh life to a lease granted for lives rather than a term of years, exactly the kind of grant Dunbar’s examination had found scattered through the island against the Company’s order. Land in James Valley was let in small parcels measured in feet rather than acres, a strip of 14 feet by 74 at eight shillings a year, the crowded ground about the fort drawing a rent out of all proportion to its area because the tenant paid for the situation and not the acreage. [Film No. 18–19, 222, 431–432]

The landed society of the island stands fully revealed in the rent roll taken on 8 October 1745, when the planters assembled to discharge £336 14s 3.5d of rent across more than three thousand acres. Each holding divided between freehold, on which only a small ground rent fell, and leasehold, which carried the yearly rent that made up almost the whole sum, so the Company drew its return chiefly from the ground it let rather than the ground it had granted outright. The names on the roll are the substantial families the record had followed for years, the Goodwins, Alexanders, Dovetons, Desfountains and Bazetts, Francis Wrangham senior standing out as the largest tenant with above three hundred acres. Among the smaller entries the pepper-corn rents mark a distinct tenure, land let for a nominal payment that acknowledged the Company’s title while charging nothing of substance. [Film No. 138–141]

The leases were made an instrument to conserve and increase the island’s scarce timber, every grant binding the tenant to fence the ground with a good wall and to preserve the wood growing on it, Purling’s lease requiring him to keep one acre of wood in every ten and Whaley’s to plant furze about his fences and try what fruit trees the ground would bear. On an island poor in vegetation, the holding of land was conditioned on the keeping and growing of the very wood the settlement so lacked. One feature deserves note, that Matthew Purling, a sitting member of the council, took land on the same terms as any planter and set his own hand to the instrument both as a granting councillor and as the tenant, the government and the tenancy of the island bound together in the persons of the board, a small settlement in which the rulers and the ruled were often the same people. [Film No. 364–367, 243]

Fencing, the obligation on which the whole system of leases turned, produced its own recurring conflict. Martin Harper had walled his part of a boundary with Joseph Powell, but Powell had left his side undone for near seven years, so his cattle strayed onto Harper’s land and destroyed near half his grass, and he met Harper’s complaint with ill language and a fist thrust towards his face, then ignored the council’s first summons. When Powell at last attended in March 1746 he confessed the fault, undertook to repair the fences, and was admonished with Harper to live like good neighbours, the dispute closing without penalty once the defaulter acknowledged his fault, a mark of the effect of the board’s formal call on a defiant man. [Film No. 346–347, 359]

The most striking agricultural theme of the early period was the conflict between grazing and the island’s ebony wood. Since the previous year the council had tried to move the planters’ goats off the Peak Gut range by agreement, to protect the young ebony growing there, and when a man named Franks reported in June 1745 that the goats had barked and in great measure killed the young trees, the council abandoned persuasion and ordered a corporal and two men to shoot every goat they found. Ebony was a slow-growing and valuable timber the island could not readily replace, and the choice had come down starkly to the planters’ goats or the survival of the wood. The same care to husband the little standing timber recurs in the later ban on cutting green wood in the Long Wood on pain of an informer’s reward. [Film No. 28, 323]

Agriculture appears month by month in the husband’s stock accounts, kept first by Christopher Dixon and later by the reeve Richard Girling, which the commentary rightly cautions are damaged and close-packed, their internal columns often failing to sum to the stated totals. The neat herd stood at 362 head at the end of April 1745, recovered somewhat over the year but far below the herds of the early 1730s, and it was managed throughout to spare the slowest-breeding stock, the cattle held near steady while the sheep, goats and above all the poultry furnished the fresh meat for the table. The goats suffered heavily from a scab or mange that had run through the ranges since September 1744, falling from 347 to 323 in a single month through disease rather than slaughter, a loss for which the Greentrees had already been fined for refusing to pound their infected animals. [Film No. 16, 193]

The central agricultural anxiety of the whole period was the feeding of the island from its own soil, set out plainly in Dixon’s report of 14 January 1746. A great part of the Company’s yam plantation in Bamboo Gut, some hundred thousand yams, had rotted after five or six months in the ground, obliging the husband to clear fresh ground to make good the loss, and with the store holding neither rice nor paddy the whole consumption of the people and the stock now fell on the yam. To relieve the strain Dixon proposed planting potatoes in the fort plantation, raised cheaply with the plough as was done in the north of England, so the crop might feed the growing stock of hogs and free the yams for the garrison and the slaves. By the spring of 1746 the Company’s farming was being pushed decisively toward tilled cultivation, John Watkins paid for 106 days ploughing at the House Point, the whip lines bought for the oxen and mares marking the turn from spade and hoe toward animal traction and the raising of wheat and barley meant to free the garrison from the planters’ market. [Film No. 259–260, 418, 428]

Supply and Provisioning

Feeding the settlement and the shipping was the council’s constant preoccupation, and the Company kept its own herds and plantations against a market with the free planters that repeatedly failed. In late April 1745 the Governor reported the planters withholding their yams from the garrison, and the Company fell back on its own plantations, expending 25,000 lb of yams in April besides quantities sold to the soldiers and officers. The general table told the same story, its cost falling to £24 4s 4.25d in April as fresh provision grew scarce and the account leaned on salt pork and salt beef, then more than doubling to £55 12s 3.25d in May as the crowded road forced the killing of 42 head of cattle and fresh beef returned to the castle. By June, with the fleet gone, the steward’s monthly account fell to £16 13s 10.5d, the plainest domestic sign of the road emptying after the ships had sailed. [Film No. 16–17, 33, 95]

The storekeeper’s quarterly account graded every sale by the buyer’s standing, the resident planters at ordinary shilling rates, American ships at a fixed 20 per cent, foreign vessels at 25 per cent and the garrison, with officers paying only half price, turning the Company’s monopoly on imported goods into a deliberate source of differential revenue. The scale of the American trade in particular, 826 gallons of arrack and great quantities of sugar, bread and fish hooks sold in a single account, shows vessels from the American colonies provisioning for a long ocean passage rather than merely calling for refreshment. Separate from these retail sales, the charges general recorded materials the Company drew from its own store for its own works, pitch and tar to seal the landing place and the castle roof, and deals to make coffins, a quiet trace of mortality entered among the paint and nails. [Film No. 58–63, 64–66]

An island that made almost nothing for itself lived by what the ships could spare, and the accounts are full of the resulting transfers. Kentledge, the heavy pig iron carried low in a ship’s bottom to trim her, was landed from the Queen Caroline and put to use where every hundredweight of iron was wanted, and ten chaldrons of coal taken from the London, meant for Madras but landed to lighten a ship, fed the smith’s forge and the limekiln. The storekeeper checked incoming goods line by line against the invoice, catching six dozen pewter chamber pots invoiced at twopence apiece when they were worth near three shillings and having the council reckon them at their true cost. Purchases from visiting commanders filled other gaps, English flour, Cheshire cheese, raisins and mustard from Captain Mason’s store ship, along with the plain crocks and milk pans of the island’s own small dairy. [Film No. 108, 114, 110, 118]

Provisioning also depended on holding a present store against a promised one. When word came that blankets would be sent from England for a garrison much in want of covering, the council issued blankets already in the warehouse to be made good when the consignment arrived, the ordinary expedient of a settlement months from its source. A grievance appears at the same point, Captain Mason’s Queen Caroline having come out so full of dry goods, beer, Purbeck stone and timber landed at high prices that she left no room to carry the island’s provisions onward, the council laying the particulars before London on suspicion that the store ship had been loaded to the master’s private advantage. Fresh lemons were bought by the thousand, 3,200 in a single quarter, citrus being the one sure preventive against scurvy and St Helena’s value as a refreshment station lying largely in supplying it to the garrison and the calling ships. [Film No. 132, 144, 406]

The store furnished every material want of an isolated station through distinct accounts for the general table, the fortifications, the plantation, the hospital, the garrison, the slaves and the boats, each reckoned to the farthing. An island with no sheltered harbour lived by its boats, every ton of goods landed from the ships and every cask of lime carried in the open craft that plied the road, a long boat, a pinnace, a fishing boat and a yawl rigged, oared and caulked from the store, above six hundredweight of cordage going to their rigging and barrels of pitch and tar to seal their seams. A limit of the mid-ocean station appears in the storekeeper’s plain statement that he could not judge whether the rice and sugar landed in 1746 were short, because they were invoiced in maunds and other Indian weights he did not understand, a candid admission of the gap between the island’s methods and those of the trade it served. [Film No. 191, 314–315, 471]

The Beef Disputes and the Market

The central drama of the first summer was a long quarrel over beef that drew together the shipping, the herd and the planters into a single crisis. It began with the ships’ commanders complaining that provisions at fivepence a pound were an extravagant price, and the planters answering on 9 May 1745 that they killed their cattle young to feed the shipping and their own families and that the true grievance lay in the exorbitant price of the goods the captains sold ashore, an exchange that exposes the closed nature of the island’s economy, the same small population selling beef to the ships and buying back cloth and stores from them. A first settlement fixed beef at fourpence for the year, but the truce did not hold, because the herd itself could not meet the demand, the neat cattle falling from 362 to 326 in a single month as 42 head were slaughtered for the fleet. [Film No. 8, 10–11]

The whole body of commanders then pressed together for the remainder of their charter-party beef, and the council answered with a flat refusal and an unusual offer of proof, inviting any captain to walk the pastures with the Company’s husband and see that no more could be killed without slaughtering the breeders. It reached for a census to break the deadlock, demanding a sworn return within four days of every planter’s cattle, and its complaint that the first return had been imperfect though demanded upon oath exposes the distrust running beneath the whole affair. What broke the deadlock in the end was not the census but the arrival of a store ship from England on 3 July carrying the salt provisions the ships lacked, whereupon the captains at once prepared to sail and the whole dispute simply dissolved. The Governor’s closing report exposed the full scale of the deception, the planters having sworn 200 head sparable while the market’s own record showed 326 actually killed and sold, 126 more than the sworn figure. [Film No. 33, 37–38, 42, 49–53]

The same difficulty returned in the spring of 1746 and exposed the central weakness of a victualling station that owned no cattle of its own, the garrison depending on the planters bringing beasts to market in turn while every planter claimed his turn fell to another. On 11 April 1746 the council summoned thirteen named planters to declare their stock on oath and say how many beasts each would kill, on pain of a discretionary fine, choosing compulsion over price where an ordinary buyer might simply have raised the sum offered until enough beasts came in. This treated the shortage as defiance to be broken rather than a price to be met, consistent with Dunbar’s parallel drive to enlarge the Company’s own plantations so the fort need not bargain with the country at all. [Film No. 384–385]

The planters turned the demand back into a grievance of their own, arguing that killing their young cattle year after year to feed a market first meant for the soldiers had drawn down their herds while the Company’s stock grew undisturbed, so the board now holding the best cattle on the island was the very body pressing them to kill more. The settlement reached was a compromise, the planters conceding two market days out of three and leaving the third to the council, forcing the board to find that day’s provision from the Company’s own grown cattle, the very stock the planters had said was fattening while theirs was killed away. The council took the one day in three and referred the wider argument over who bore the market’s burden home to London, the pressing question of beef answered on the island while the deeper claim was deferred. [Film No. 433–436]

Judiciary, Estates and Questions of Status

The council doubled as the island’s court and the guardian of estates, proving wills before subscribing witnesses, granting letters of administration and settling the accounts of the dead. It had long administered the estate of a dead planter named Bradley on behalf of his orphaned children, paying a surgeon’s account run up in caring for the sick child Mary Bradley, drawing on money it held belonging to the orphans, its oversight reaching down to the doctor’s bill for a single sick child. When Stephen Lufkin, the last surviving executor of the deceased John Young, himself died, the council did not let the trust fail but appointed John Goodwin and Martin Harper in his place to protect the Young children’s interest, serving as the ultimate backstop for the settlement’s minors when their private executors were gone. [Film No. 38–39, 436–437]

The wills reveal the careful legal devices of a landed community and the difficulties of keeping English form at the far end of the Company’s world. The planter Benjamin Pledgard named four trustees rather than a single executor and offered his sons first choice of his free lands on condition they make up any shortfall in their sisters’ equal shares, a device to keep the land undivided while every child received an equal portion. Telling of the island’s remoteness, his will was signed where no stamp paper was to be had, the witnesses recording the want expressly to save the instrument from challenge. A more revealing episode of due process concerned the ship London, which had lost her mast and put back to refit, Dunbar ordering a joint survey by the island’s own carpenter and the carpenter of the London herself to certify which Company timber was fit for a mast, three pieces withheld from the ship and reserved to the island, the Company protecting its own stock even against the urgent need of a distressed vessel. [Film No. 455–456, 196]

The most sustained legal matter of the middle period was the dispute over the Bryers children, which turned on the perennial island question of whether a person was free or a slave. Mary Bryers, a mulatto and reputed daughter of the soldier John Bryers by a slave woman, applied against Richard Goodwin, who held her and her mother as property, and the council followed its settled practice of putting the burden on the man in possession to set out his title in writing, a procedure that looks even-handed but in effect required the weaker party to overturn an existing possession. Goodwin rested his claim on a letter of attorney of 7 March 1732, arguing that he held the children not as owner but as a trustee bound to keep them until a proper title appeared, and that the children, never christened and unprovided for by will, had no right to freedom. The thinness of the proof is striking, for the whole question turned on a dead man’s intentions and his unknown relations in England. [Film No. 123–126]

Goodwin then laid before the council a second defence, an account charging more than £132 to the dead father’s estate for the board, clothing and physic of the three children from infancy to the age of thirteen, turning the question from one of status into one of debt. The council resolved the matter by analogy, treating the three not as slaves but as destitute children to be bound in service until twenty-one, the footing on which the island placed orphans of white parentage, and fixing their ages to the half-year since with no register of a slave’s birth everything turned on when each would come free. What began as a claim of freedom was resolved into a dated term of years, the island’s usual way of settling a question its law could not answer outright. A lesser matter shows the courts guarding the island’s offices, James Greentree holding a private auction without notice and acting as marshal himself, bidding on his own goods as both seller and auctioneer, an offence overlooked only on his submission. [Film No. 128–129, 135–136]

The council’s conveyancing employed the full apparatus of English property law. When Richard Gurling was found to hold a house bought at the late Governor Goodwin’s estate sale but standing on Company land without title to the ground, the board made out a proper bill of sale conveying the messuage in fee to Gurling and his heirs for ever, sealed with the Company’s seal and warranted by a covenant of quiet enjoyment, the case turning on the careful distinction between the house, a private effect that could be sold, and the land beneath it, the Company’s own that could pass only by its grant. Probate ran as routine throughout, the will of Lieutenant Daniel Owen proved in December 1745 and his modest estate arranged to be remitted to his brother in England to be held for his daughter until she came of age, a telling mark of a man dying far from home. [Film No. 232–234, 232]

Slavery and Coerced Labour

The slaves who did much of the island’s labour appear only at the edges of the record, and always through the Company’s management of its own property. In the early accounts the clearest trace is a single goat entered in the April 1745 stock account as given to the sick slaves, a small charge on the Company’s herd for their relief, the slaves surfacing only as a line in a herd account tended like the cattle from the same stock. The Company held slaves as part of its establishment and issued them stores from the same account that supplied the garrison and the table, the quarter’s charge running to chelloe cloth for clothing, thread for their beds and rations of beef and rice, with a particular entry recording blankets issued to men undergoing a salivation, the standard mercury treatment for the pox, a debilitating cure that left the sick needing extra covering. This record of care never disturbs the account’s basic treatment of people as property to be maintained at a calculated cost. [Film No. 16, 67]

The clothing of the slaves ran through the same machinery as every other charge, the annual issue entered among express fees and table purchases, a tailor paid for cutting and making 131 suits of clothes and a much larger charge running past £150 for kersey, doosetees, chelloes, blankets and shirts. A distinction ran through the provision, the women given gowns of silk alegar, a lighter and better stuff than the coarse sacking from which trousers were cut for the men who manned the long boat, the men at the hardest work wearing the cheapest cloth. Yet a customary indulgence was kept even for bond labour, the slaves allowed thirty gallons of brandy for drams and two pounds of tea at Christmas, a fixed observance the settlement held to. Their labour was driven by a ration of spirits, the brandy issued as drams when at hard labour serving as a stimulant to keep them at the heaviest fortification and quarrying toil, the same work the soldiers were paid extra for, given to the slaves instead as drink. [Film No. 158, 310, 420–421]

The plainest statement of the slaves’ place in the establishment comes from the Governor’s own farming proposal, in which he held that the Company’s slaves could hedge and make hay as well as the hired white men and so proposed to discharge the latter, the reasoning purely one of cost, the human beings reckoned as an economy in the same breath as the discharge of the hired hands. The trade in slaves reached the island through the Company’s own network, a slave man named Nero, formerly Wrangham’s, sent from Bencoolen in exchange for another, taken a hurt from a buffalo, sold and returned as unfit, and finally dead in the Company’s service, his loss settled by asking experienced inhabitants what he would have fetched at open sale and paying Wrangham £30, a chilling routine of an economy that reckoned human beings as assets to be priced and audited after four years of pressing. [Film No. 254, 135–136, 162]

The starkest measure of how the record’s keepers regarded the people they held recurs in the monthly stock returns, where slaves were entered in the same hand and column as the cattle, goats and hogs. The death of a man slave named Choice and the birth of a slave child named Nanny close the March 1746 stock account among the beasts, a hog found a little measly was given to the slaves rather than the table in February, and a slave child named Mary, aged eighteen months, died in the same return that tallied the poultry, a bare entry marking the infant mortality among the people the plantation held. The hire of Joshua Johnson’s slave to cut stone for the fortifications shows most sharply how slave labour was treated as property yielding a return, the executor Robert Wright drawing the wage of the man’s 22 days into the estate while the will was settled, the forced labour earning for the heirs precisely as a beast or a parcel of land might. [Film No. 379, 355, 283]

The movement of slaves between the Company’s settlements exposed a tension the council resisted. Fort Marlborough at Bencoolen had shipped three slaves to St Helena on account of crimes committed there, and the board’s answer was blunt, that offenders dangerous at Bencoolen were no less dangerous at St Helena and it would send and receive no more such without orders from London, the island asserting a limit on its role as a way station. Two slaves stood at the centre of a long dispute at last closed by London, George Gabriel Powell having claimed as his own two men a Dutch captain had left on the island in 1743, the Company now buying out his claim on the Court’s order by paying £46 to James Powell and a further £40 to Powell’s attorneys. Slaves also appear at the very foot of a ship’s muster, entered by single names such as the two men both called Caesar and Antonio, carried below the free crew without the surnames and ratings that fixed every other man. [Film No. 483, 458, 482]

Economy, Finance and Currency

The island’s money was a patchwork of foreign coin and its own paper throughout the period. At the end of April 1745 the treasury balance came to £1,162 8s 8.75d, each foreign coin carried at a fixed sterling value, the pagoda of the Coromandel coast at nine shillings and the Spanish American dollar at five, and that the treasury held no English coin at all reflects an island whose money came in from passing shipping rather than from home. A large part of the balance stood in the island’s own cash notes, a paper currency issued in denominations from half a crown to two pounds, showing how far the settlement relied on its own notes to eke out a chronically short supply of specie always liable to be carried off by the shipping. The India invoices reveal the machinery of the Company’s trade, cargoes reckoned in the money of their coast, rupees for one ship and pagodas for another, with an exchange allowance called batta added to convert between currencies. [Film No. 20, 21]

The drink trade was run as a source of revenue and a means of control together, the treasury taking penalties from persons caught selling liquor without licence and fees for keeping public houses, the whole trade fenced about with a fee and a fine. Customs, revived on 26 April 1745 after lying dormant since 1717, yielded £218 1s 10.5d in a single quarter through the factors, a substantial new source of revenue drawn from a shilling a gallon on arrack and a five per cent charge on other goods, the Governor’s reforming drive translating quickly into a working income. The storekeeper’s takings from three months of trade, more than £800 in one quarter and £631 2s 1.5d in another, made up the chief regular income of the settlement, the imported trade its main source of ready money and rising and falling exactly with the shipping. [Film No. 19, 61–63, 285]

The physical counts of the treasury at each month’s end are among the most revealing entries, the coin and paper told over piece by piece so the book balance could be proved against the actual chest, a discipline the earlier deficiency of the late Governor Goodwin’s time had taught the council never to omit, down to weighing the odd pieces of gold by the pennyweight rather than taking them by tale. The count taken on 30 September 1745 reckoned the chest into gold, silver and cash notes totalling £5,533 4s 3.5d, the gold running to more than 4,000 Indian pagodas alongside English guineas, Venetian sequins and fractions of moidores, the silver to over 4,000 Spanish dollars, Dutch ducatoons, Indian rupees and a long tail of small ryals down to French pieces worth 2d. Scarcely an English coin appears among the whole, the island minting nothing and taking whatever specie the ships of every trading nation brought, its treasury a reservoir of the money of half the trading world. [Film No. 122, 168]

Against these takings ran a traffic in paper by which servants and commanders remitted their fortunes home. Rather than ship coin, a man paid whatever currency he held into the treasury and took a bill of exchange or a certificate drawn on the Company, redeemable in London, so the coin stayed on the island while the claim travelled home safe from shipwreck and piracy. The Company also acted as banker in a fuller sense, advancing Captain Mason £900 at respondentia on the security of his ship, a loan repayable only if the voyage came safe home. In the convoy season of 1746 the treasury worked above all as a wartime remittance house, its balance swollen by the coin of men sending their fortunes home under the safety of the Company’s bills, Hutchinson, Dixon and others paying in cash for drafts payable 90 days after sight, and it took in chests of treasure the ships could not carry safely, 4,614 dollars against Captain Smyth’s respondentia obligation. [Film No. 115–119, 133, 470–472]

The most consequential financial event of the whole period was the Court of Directors’ order, published on the island from 1 May 1746, that every pagoda pass in all payments for no more than eight shillings in place of nine. This struck directly at the value of the coin that made up the largest single part of the treasury, and the council’s own count laid bare the cost, the 1,965 pagodas in the chest falling by a shilling apiece to a loss of £98 5s on the Company’s own reserve. Setting the rate by decree rather than the market was the Company’s means of controlling a currency it did not mint but on which its remote possessions ran, and the same officers who published the order recorded exactly what obeying it took from the Company’s holdings, gaining nothing and losing near a hundred pounds at a stroke of the Court’s pen. Barter supplemented cash trade throughout, the Company exchanging beef for breeding animals on a strict pound-for-pound basis, 1,030 lb of beef for each of four breeding sows, a shrewd device by which the season’s heavy slaughter was made to serve the herd’s renewal. [Film No. 439–440, 96–98]

Trade and Shipping

St Helena’s whole purpose was to refresh the homeward East India ships, and the record shows the road at the height of its season. Company Indiamen came in from Bombay, Bengal, Madras and China, joined by a striking number of foreign vessels, two Swedish ships from China on 23 May 1745 and, the day after, the Danish Christiansborg Slott of 1,000 tons, 178 men and 24 guns, homeward from Canton and the largest ship in the whole record, the island serving every nation’s China trade as a common Atlantic staging point whatever company owned the hull. The wider war left a direct trace, a ship reaching the road in June 1745 that had been French, taken as a prize and now sailing under the Dutch, carried on the island’s books under both her names, the commerce continuing over the top of the conflict that had changed her colours. [Film No. 22, 24, 30]

The council also bought directly from the passing ships to fill gaps in its stores, writing to the China supercargoes for tea and to the Mocha supercargoes for coffee and being refused by both, their cargoes already consigned by invoice and bill of lading to London or Bombay and beyond their power to break into, a sign of how tightly the homeward trade was bound by its paperwork and how oddly placed St Helena was, a station the trade passed through but could rarely draw upon. The island served the trade as a place of repair as much as of supply, the London losing her mast off the Cape and putting back to refit, the island furnishing the timber, cordage and labour to set her right where no nearer port could, and the warehouse held a topmast and a full range of rigging blocks precisely against the case of a ship dismasted at sea. [Film No. 31, 40–41, 196]

The store functioned as much as a ship’s chandlery and refitting yard as a settlement’s shop, holding the pitch, tar, rosin, cordage, canvas and timber a vessel needed for the homeward passage, two anchors sold in a single quarter for more than £120 standing as the single heaviest article in the whole trade. The council guarded its correspondence against the accidents of the sea by sending duplicate letters by later ships, the dispatches carried out by the Queen Caroline in August 1745 repeated by the London in October, so the loss of a single vessel could not break communication with the presidencies that supplied the island. Shipping also carried the island’s human traffic, the council returning three deserters to Bombay under a captain’s receipt while taking a deserter from Bombay onto its own strength, the crowded road depositing the sick and the runaway alike where a short-handed island had to provide for them. [Film No. 180, 143, 150]

The island functioned as a two-way staging point in the Company’s oceanic supply chain, receiving eastern goods but also forwarding European wares onward, consigning to Fort Marlborough at Bencoolen a shipment of gold and silver twist, thread and haberdashery worth above £182, the pious closing of the invoice, that God prosper this venture, recording the real hazard under which the whole trade ran in a war year when storm, wreck and French cruisers might take the whole. The defining event of the final season was the gathering of the homeward convoy, the arrivals crowding into the last days of May 1746, the Hardwick from China, the Oxford from Borneo, the Queen Caroline from Bencoolen and the Vernon from Bengal all coming in within a few days, the road filling with ships off the several eastern trades before the last leg home. On 17 June 1746 the whole gathered fleet sailed together for England under the escort of His Majesty’s ships Deptford and Dolphin, the war with France making the joint sailing a necessity rather than a convenience. [Film No. 450, 473, 474, 501]

Social Order, Religion and Education

The recurrence of the same family names across every rank of the establishment, from councillors to common sentinels, marks St Helena as a narrow and closely interwoven community rather than a body of strangers thrown together by the Company’s service. Surnames such as Allis, Doveton, Hayes, Beale and French appear as writers, sergeants, gunners, planters and officers within the same set of records, a population that filled its own offices generation after generation with little fresh blood beyond what arrived by ship, so the settlement furnished both its substance and its own guard. This closeness had a darker edge in the treatment of debt, the council dividing the withheld salaries of the deserters John Cross and Edward Houston among their creditors, using the pay it still controlled to enforce private obligations the men themselves had put beyond reach. [Film No. 268, 270, 98]

The general table at the castle was the social centre of the island’s dealings with the shipping, and the sundries accounts trace the ebb and flow of the season through its cellar. July 1745 ran to ninety-two bottles of port besides Lisbon, Cape, Rhenish, old hock and Constantia, the celebrated sweet wine of the Cape, marking a month of visiting commanders entertained at the Company’s charge, the cellar shrinking as the fleet sailed and the table fell back to the establishment it ordinarily fed. The fresh beef and pork of the plantation outweighed the salt provision, the island able to kill and eat fresh where a ship lived on the cask, and the blank sums entered against certain wines mark not an illegible figure but a nil charge, goods taken to the table at no cost to the diet account, most likely furnished as a ship’s privilege. [Film No. 113, 262–263]

Provision for religion and schooling was modest and closely bound to the civil establishment. The chaplain Edwin Alcock drew a salary of £25 for the quarter together with diet money nearly equal to it, while Richard Beale served the island in the dual capacity of schoolmaster and clerk, his combined pay set below that of several tradesmen, a doubling of roles that suggests an establishment too small to support separate men for every function. The death of the chaplain is the chief religious event of the period, Alcock dying intestate in January 1746 and leaving a widow with child and two young children destitute of support, no precedent appearing for a pension save by the Court’s express order. His widow Margaret was granted letters of administration in March, bound to deliver a true inventory, the council acting as the island’s court of probate to wind up a dead man’s affairs he had failed to order himself. [Film No. 69, 71, 335–336]

The solemn uses of faith run through the settlement’s public life, most strikingly in the oath sworn during the Dunbar–Dixon quarrel, Lieutenant Ashwick kneeling with a book taken from his pocket at a funeral service to swear the truth of his complaint, the Governor’s offer to forgive him if he would not swear through the body of the dead marking the peculiar gravity attached to an oath taken beside a corpse. The forms of Christian burial were woven through the settlement’s routine, death marked with military honour and religious observance alike, powder fired over the graves of Thomas Pain, Lieutenant Owen and others and reckoned to the ounce like any working issue. The relief of the chaplain’s widow shows the council at its best amid its divisions, Dunbar offering to advance ten pounds a quarter for her maintenance and the three members who were ranged against him joining without dissent to guarantee the advance, the common cause of charity drawing a united vote where authority had set them at odds. [Film No. 235, 244, 338–339]

Crime and Punishment

Crime surfaces in the accounts chiefly as loss to be reckoned rather than as trial and sentence. The livestock returns carry a separate line for beasts stolen or killed by dogs, four hogs and several head of poultry in one month, six sheep and nine goats in another, distinguishing theft from natural death and slaughter and showing that the husband was expected to account for pilfering as a category of its own, the constant hazard of stock grazing unpenned within reach of both wild dogs and a hungry population. The many locks held and graded in the store answer the same trouble, ironmongery held by condition and by whether the keys survived, a level of attention the record connects explicitly to theft being a constant trouble on an island where the store itself had been broken into more than once. [Film No. 193, 206]

Formal punishment appears sparingly, most visibly in the fines levied for selling liquor without a licence and in the daily 7d charged against soldiers held in the marshalsea, the garrison’s own gaol, part of which the surgeon’s mate accounted back into the treasury, the cost of confining the establishment’s own men recovered from the prisoners themselves. The clearest instance of the council disciplining a private offence was its long pursuit of the trader Joshua Twynam, first reproved for a device to conceal an exorbitant price by selling a pound of sugar tied to a gallon of brandy, the bundled sale hiding an overcharge the council saw through by comparing the combined price with the brandy’s usual rate. Ordered not to retail spirituous liquor and defying the order, he was pursued across the turn of the year and fined, the buyer Deloise proving the sale by her sworn evidence, the same discipline that priced the stores and the wages turned upon a councillor’s own colleague. [Film No. 82, 237–238, 253–254]

Desertion was the graver disorder of the season and carried its own informal punishment. The store issued sugar to the men who went aboard the fleet in the road to search for deserters, the small refreshments of the hunt for runaways entered among the general charges, and the flight of skilled men was a real loss to an isolated station that could ill replace them, the armourer John Cross and the wheelwright Edward Houston deserting in a Dutch ship after contracting many debts, their salaries divided among their creditors. The council also enforced penalties at London’s direction, collecting £10 each from Thomas and James Greentree for a fine imposed in October 1744 for refusing to pound their mangy goats, a local disciplinary matter of two years before settled only when the Court commanded it, and it weeded the establishment of men unfit to serve, discharging one soldier as troubled with fits, another as a French papist and troublesome person, and the armourer John Loyell as a drunken and idle fellow who had converted the Company’s iron and coals to his own use. [Film No. 182, 98, 496, 502]

Personalities

Governor David Dunbar dominates the record from beginning to end, a former army colonel bent on reform and plainly conscious that London was reading his every despatch. He revived the customs, corrected the leases, ordered the goats shot to save the ebony, held the herd against the pressure of the fleet, drove the fortification programme and the plough cultivation, and held his garrison by bounty advanced from his own pocket. His long addresses to the board, reciting the Minorca precedent and then retreating from it and finally challenging the members over his own accounts, reveal a man who saw himself as the lone honest servant of the Company beset by a caballing council, and who fought on whatever ground gave him the surest footing. A revealing personal detail is his taking £600 in bills on the Company in exchange for island coin in the very quarter that recorded his suspension of Dixon, quietly securing his own savings for the passage home. [Film No. 53–54, 382–383, 425]

Around him the same few names recur. Christopher Dixon served as secretary and husband, keeping the stock accounts and reaching for an English method to meet an island difficulty in his scheme for planting potatoes with the plough, yet he stands at the centre of the season’s great quarrel, the suspended councillor whose empty seat and continuing private dealings run through every consultation of the final months. The three members Hutchinson, Goodwin and Purling held together through the whole dispute, their defence lawyerly and consistent, resting on the right of the accused to be heard and on the claim that suspension and fines were acts of the majority and not the Governor alone. Purling, whose signature closed the vast warehouse inventory and the waste account, himself came before the board as a tenant renewing his father’s leases, the same small body of men filling every office of the settlement and their personal rivalries running through its formal business. [Film No. 259–261, 375, 218]

The record is populated by smaller figures who surface with a vividness the dry accounts rarely afford. Doctor Wilson stands out for the vigour of his self-defence against the charge of overcharging a Swedish ship, invoking the right to know his accuser and to have the matter tried by a jury rather than settled on the Governor’s word, a rare moment where an individual’s voice pushes back against the council’s authority. Francis Wrangham’s four-year pursuit of compensation for his slave Nero is a rare instance of a private grievance traced from origin to resolution, showing that even a well-placed planter might need years of pressing before the council would act. The faithful boatman John Artingstall recurs as the man on whose voyages for lime the whole building programme rested, his fixed salary the board thought cheaper than trip-money, and one soldier is entered by the byname “otherwise Wigwam basket”, the rough nickname set down beside his proper name so his pay could not be mistaken, a glimpse of the soldiers’ own speech among themselves. [Film No. 194, 162, 361, 268]

The reeve Richard Girling, who kept the Company’s plantation and herd through the final season and whose stock accounts fill the record, petitioned in June 1746 for the salary his predecessors had drawn, having done the whole duty since Samuel Doveton was discharged for false returns, only for the council to plead it could not fix his pay without London’s approval and to promise a recommendation in the general letter instead. Doveton himself recurs across the whole period as a byword for dishonest dealing in stock, discharged for returning young pigs as breeding sows and misstating the ages of the Company’s cattle, the unusually precise breakdown of every animal by age and sex in the later stock accounts very probably the direct institutional consequence of his earlier fraud, the exact check whose absence had let him pass unweaned pigs off as breeders. [Film No. 490–491, 193]

Conclusion

Read across its full range, this fourteen-month stretch shows St Helena as a small, dependent and tightly reckoned outpost whose whole existence bent to the rhythm of the shipping and the pressures of a distant war. The two convoy seasons that open and close the period, the fleets held at the island until they could sail in company against French cruisers, drew the whole weight of the settlement’s herd and treasury, while the quieter months between left the pastures to recover and the cellar to empty. The island made almost nothing, minted no money and lived by what the ships brought, victualling those that called in health and mending the vessels that limped in dismasted, its garrison worn by desertion and disease and made good by bounty, its every nail, coin and beast reckoned and proved. [Film No. 8–57, 458–475]

The great quarrel between the Governor and his council that runs through the centre of the period could not be settled on the island at all, and both sides knew it, each building a record for a Court of Directors whose ruling lay a year away across the ocean. The affair exposes the fragility of authority on a distant station, where a governor’s power rested on the cooperation of a handful of men who could frustrate him by standing together on procedure, and where the whole business needed a quorum no governor could drive away and still govern. Whether Goodwin and Purling truly proposed to combine, or whether Dixon neglected his office or merely fell foul of a jealous governor, the evidence cannot finally decide, for it is almost wholly the disputants’ own account. [Film No. 250–252, 372–373]

The record’s great value lies in its ordinary detail, the powder burnt and the coins counted, the goats shot and the beef divided, the leases granted and the bounties paid man by man, a remarkably full ledger of an Atlantic victualling station. Its great limitation is its single voice. Everything is seen through the council’s eyes and shaped for the Court of Directors in London, so the planters appear grasping, the commanders unreasonable and the Governor honest, while the slaves and the poorest inhabitants scarcely appear at all. Their labour and their maintenance are everywhere in these leaves, in the stock accounts, the table bills and the ships’ musters, but their voice is nowhere. What survives stands not as a neutral chronicle but as the self-justifying record of a government determined to show its distant masters that it had done its duty, valuable precisely because its gaps and tensions are as informative as its figures. [Film No. 8–502]

Film No

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OCR Transcription

Modern Interpretation and analysis

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EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date
St Helena Records 1745-1746

Photographer
Peter

Date photographed
24 Nov 2021

Additional comments

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Book cover

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29
1745 & 1746

Reengagement of Soldiers - at one Guinea bounty for each year’s future service
page 249, 307

Mr Christ. Dierin’s misbehaviour; 237, 337, 342, 365, 367
Govr. Dunbar fines the Council & Repents it; 368, 373, 379
List of General Letters - 363

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1

The Supracargoes & Captains complaining of the

Hardships of paying Duty for small quantities of Wines &

Necessarys for their private Use on shore, as not coming into

the Orders for paying Duty & as the Duty of 5 [P] Cent on all goods

Except Arrack is very Inconsiderable in such small quantitys

We thought it better to keep an exact Account of each Particulars

so Landed & deliver an Account to each Supracargoe & Captain

& others & Leave it to them to pay it here or submitt it to the

pleasure of the Court of Directors at home.

Mess.rs Twynam & Darwall paid into the Hond.ble Comp.a

Cash the Sum of £115. 6[...] which they had received for Customs.

Received the following Letter from the Comm.dr & C.o.s

To the Worshipfull Dav.d Dunbar Esq.r Gov.r of the

Island Saint Helena & s.d Councill.

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

As it is uncertain how long Wemay be

detained at this place & Provisions at 5 [P] tb being an

Extravagant Price in behalf of our Owners & Selves we by

the favour of y.r Worship & S.rs will take it into Consideration if.

the Price of Provisions may be Settled in such Manner as may

Appear reasonable between the buyer & Seller.

We are Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Your Most Humble Servants

Signed [...] Robert Robinson

Matthew Court.

Joseph Phillipps.

Stephen Kirwan

John Samson..

Ordered That the Inhabitants have a Copy of the above

Letter, & Give an Answer in Writing Tomorrow Morning

The council recorded a complaint from the supercargoes and captains about the hardship of paying duty on small quantities of wine and other necessaries bought for their own use ashore. Such purchases, they argued, did not properly fall within the orders for paying duty. The 5 per cent charged on all goods except arrack was in any case inconsiderable on such small amounts. The council therefore decided to keep an exact account of every item landed and to give a record to each supercargo, captain and other person concerned. It left them either to settle the duty on the island or to leave the matter to the pleasure of the Court of Directors in England.

Joshua Twynam and Joseph Darvall paid into the Company's cash the sum of £115 6s 0d that they had received for customs.

The council received a letter from the ship commanders lying in the road, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council and dated at St Helena, 7 May 1745. The commanders explained that it was uncertain how long they might be detained at the island. They said provisions at 5d a pound were an extravagant price, harmful to their owners' interests and their own. They asked the council to consider settling the price of provisions in whatever manner might appear reasonable between buyer and seller. The letter was signed by Robert Robinson, Matthew Court, Joseph Phillips, Stephen Kirwan and John Sampson.

The council ordered that the inhabitants be given a copy of the letter and required to answer it in writing the following morning.

Interpretations

The council's refusal to rule on whether duty was owed on personal purchases, choosing instead to record each transaction and let the individual either settle it locally or refer it to the Court of Directors, shows how little was at stake against the value of avoiding a binding decision. Five per cent of a captain's private wine and stores was too small a sum to fight over, but a precedent on what fell inside or outside the Company's duty orders was not something the island's council cared to set alone.

The £115 6s 0d that Twynam and Darvall paid in was among the earliest fruits of the customs duty the council had revived only eleven days before, on 26 April 1745, after finding the levy of one shilling a gallon on arrack and 5 per cent on other goods lying dormant in the Company's old orders since 1717. The sum shows that the new requirement to enter goods and pay duty before landing was already being enforced and already bringing in revenue.

Speculations

Faced with the commanders' request that a reasonable price be settled for provisions, the council might have fixed a rate itself, as it had done for beef in 1729 and had lately negotiated afresh with Captain Kirwan over the Lapwing's stores. Instead it forwarded the letter to the inhabitants and asked for a written answer, leaving the rate to be agreed between buyer and seller rather than imposed by order. This looks like caution rather than indifference: only a fortnight earlier the Governor had reported the planters withholding their yams from the garrison over the state of the market, and a fresh order fixing prices against them risked provoking the same resistance.

9

2

We Also Ordered a Register to be kept of all the Cattle killed &

Sold & Appointed M.r William Steward of the Markett to keep the

Same & receive Six pence per head for his Trouble.

We received the following Supplys by the King William

Captain Phillips from Bombay, viz.t

Invoice of Goods p Ship King William Cap.t P[...]

Rice Beaten 22 bags q.ty 150 @ 2. 85.

196 3 50

Goa Arrack, treble distilled 7 puncheons at

85 gall.s each are 595 gall.s @ 36 [P] 48 gall.s

329 1 63

Charges on Merchandize

Gunneys for 22 for d.o

3 1. -. -. 25.

Duffy bags 22 for d.o

2.65. 14. 2 30.

Twine for d.o bags

2.-

Coolyes Securing d.o

3.-

Puncheons 7 for Arrack..

3. 37. 33..2. 39.

Dunnallage.

9. 90. 56. 1. 14.

Rupees 486 2. 17.

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson.

Christop.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Matthew Perling

At a Consultation held on Fryday the 10.th May 1745

at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Christopher Dixon

John Goodwin

of Council

Matthew Perling

Captain Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

The last Consultation was read & Approved.

The council also ordered a register to be kept of all cattle killed and sold, appointing William Steward of the marshal's office to keep it and to receive sixpence a head for his trouble.

The council received the following supplies by the King William, Captain Phillips, from Bombay.

Invoice of goods per the King William:

Rice beaten, 29 bags, 9,130 lb, at 2 rupees 85 pies the hundredweight, 196 rupees 3 annas 50 pies

Goa arrack, treble distilled, 7 puncheons at 85 gallons each, 595 gallons in all, at 36 rupees per 48 gallons, 329 rupees 1 anna 63 pies

Charges on merchandise:

Gunnies for the rice, 29 for do, [...]

Duty on 22 bags, [...]

Twine for do bags, [...]

Coolie hire securing do, [...]

Puncheons, 7 for the arrack, [...]

Dunnage, [...]

Total, 486 rupees 2 annas 17 pies

The account was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

A consultation was held on Friday, 10 May 1745, at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

10

3

This day the planters laid before us their Answer to the

Captains Letter as follows, viz.t

To the Worshipfull Dav.d Dunbar Esq.r Gov.r & s.d Councill

of this Island Saint Helena.

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs.

In Obedience to your Orders the Chief & Principall

Inhabitants have mett & Conferred on the petition of the Captains

for the lowering the Prices of our Provisions.

In Answer to which We say That the Price of

Provisions hath been at the Rate they now are for Several Years

past & that We are Obliged in Order to Supply the Shipping to

kill our Cattle Generally between the Age of 18 & 30 Months Old

When they are not near their full Growth as well as for the Payment

of our Rents & the Maintenance of our Famities which are very

Numerous, & formerly, the Offall at [...] a pound with the Beeff at

five pence [P] pound And now the Inhabitants keep the Offall

themselves. And was the Price of Beeff lowered We should find it

a Difficult thing to maintain our familles & pay the Honourable

Company their Rents it being the Chieff & Principall Amongst us

We have to raise Money for the purposes abovementioned And

as to the Comm.tt varying the Prices of Provisions are extravagant

We can't help Saying they are more Exorbitant in the Prices of

their Goods Which We are Obliged to buy of them for our

family Uses.

Upon the whole We are of Opinion that We have

More reason to Petition to have the Goods that are Sold by the

Captains Settled at Lesser Prices (Which they will very well bear)

And hope that y.r Worships will not think (on the reasons abovementioned)

That the Price of Provisions are any wayr Extravagant But to

Continue the Same on reasonable Rates.

Signed [P] Order of Vestry Martin Harper Churchw[...]

Margin Notes:

S.t Helena

9.th May 1745

The planters laid before the council their answer to the captains' letter, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena and dated 9 May 1745.

The inhabitants explained that, in obedience to the council's order, the chief and principal inhabitants had met and considered the captains' petition to lower the price of provisions. In answer, they held that provisions stood at the rate they had held for several years past. They were obliged, in order to supply the shipping, to kill their cattle generally at between eighteen and thirty months old, before the beasts reached their full growth, both to feed the shipping and to maintain their own tenants and families, which were very numerous. Formerly the offal had been sold at threepence a pound with the beef at fivepence a pound, but now the inhabitants kept the offal themselves.

They argued that if the price of beef were lowered they would find it hard to maintain their families and pay their rents to the Company, since it was chiefly from the beef that they raised money for these purposes. As to the complaint that the price of provisions was extravagant, they answered that the captains' own goods, which the inhabitants were obliged to buy for their family use, were far more exorbitant in price.

On the whole they held they had more reason to petition to have the captains' goods sold at lower prices, which the captains could well bear, than to lower their own provisions. They hoped the council would not think, for the reasons set out, that the price of provisions was in any way extravagant, but would let it stand at the same reasonable rates.

The answer was signed by order of the vestry by Martin Harper, churchwarden.

Interpretations

The planters' reply turned the captains' complaint back on the shipping. The commanders had asked on 7 May 1745 for a lower and more reasonable price for fresh provisions, and the inhabitants answered that the true grievance lay the other way, in the exorbitant price of the goods the captains sold ashore, which the islanders had no choice but to buy. This exposes the closed nature of the island's economy, where the same small population sold beef to the ships and bought back cloth and stores from them, each side convinced the other held the whip hand.

The detail that the planters killed their cattle at eighteen to thirty months, before full growth, shows the pressure the victualling trade put on a small herd. Slaughtering immature beasts to meet the shipping's demand steadily undercut the breeding stock, the same scarcity the council had pressed on Captain Kirwan of the Lapwing over the beef shortage, when it reckoned no more than fifty head fit to kill against a dozen or more ships expected.

The change over the offal marks a real shift in the island's retail practice. Where the beef had once gone to the shipping at fivepence a pound and the offal to the buyer at threepence, the inhabitants now kept the offal for themselves, so that the headline price of beef no longer told the whole cost of a beast to the seller or its whole value to the planter. That the vestry set this down in defence of the price suggests the captains had priced their offer against the older arrangement.

Speculations

The inhabitants might have met the council's request with some concession on price, since it was the council, their own governing body and landlord, that had passed the captains' petition to them for an answer. Instead they refused any reduction and countered that the captains' goods should be cheapened first. Their willingness to hold firm against both the shipping and, by implication, the council's evident wish to settle the matter rests on the leverage the vestry names openly: it was chiefly from the beef that they raised the money to pay the Company its rents, so that squeezing the beef price threatened the Company's own revenue as much as the planters' living.

11

4

Upon reading which, the Captains & planters were

called in, & hearing what Each party had to Say in this Case

The Captains at last partly agreed to Give them 4.d [P] tb for

their Beeff, And finding the planters themselves were divided

in this Matter, That some were willing to Sell for 4.d others

Against it, We found ourselves Obliged to Settle this Affair

And on Enquiring the reason Why the planters raised their

Beeff to 5 [P] tb, which was some few Years ago sold for 3½

[P] tb They Answered it was Owing to Some bad Seasons they

then had, We knowing that that can be no Excuse now having

had Extraordinary good Seasons for these five Years past

Thereupon Ordered, That Beeff be Sold to the Company & Shipp[...]

at 4.d [P] tb this Year, And this We Look upon as a very good

Price Considering the Stock of Cattle now on the Island

M.r Drain reports that he Hath been on board the

Shipfs, S.t George, King William, & Winchester to Muster

their Companys, but found no Deserters, The Musters Rolls

are as follows, viz.t

Muster Roll of the Ship Saint George.

Robert Robinson Cap.t

Thomas Harrison Chieff M.te

William Tyrer 2.d D.o

Thomas Bottrick 3.d D.o

Nathaniel Mitchell 4.d D.o

Alexander Gordon Surgeon

Charles Robinson Purser

Rob.t Ramsherby Boatsw.n

John Edwards Gunner

James Sharp Carpenter

Tho.s Wallace Surgeon M.te

Kenneth Mackenzia 3.d Mate

Samuell Smith D.o

Hugh Morgan D.o

James Bradwell D.o

Tho.s Jeanes Ship's Boo

William Nottingham Boo M.te

John Banham Quarterm.r

George Willmott D.o

Tho.s Silvester Shipsford Ste.w

Peter Ramson Capt.n Clerk

Rich.d Quackley Caulker

Tho.s Hicks Capt.n Mate

Edw.d Wier Boatsw.n D.o

Rich.d Robson Armourer

Isaac Cason Cooper

Peter Pearse Taylor

Tho.s North Gunners M.te

Matth.w Steaken Cooks M.te

French Salemaker

William

After the answer was read, the captains and planters were called in and each side heard on the matter. The captains at last agreed in part to give fourpence a pound for their beef. Finding the planters themselves divided, some willing to sell at that rate and others against it, the council saw it must settle the affair. On asking why the planters had raised their beef to fivepence a pound, when a few years earlier it had sold for threepence halfpenny, they answered that the rise came from some bad seasons they had suffered. The council held this no reason now, the island having had extraordinarily good seasons for the past five years. It therefore ordered that beef be sold to the Company's ships at fourpence a pound that year, a rate it reckoned very reasonable given the state of the cattle stock on the island.

Mr Dixon reported that he had been aboard the ships St George, King William and Winchester to muster their companies and had found no deserters. The muster rolls followed.

Muster Roll of the Ship Saint George:

Robert Robinson, commander

Thomas Harrison, chief mate

William Tyrer, second mate

Thomas Dolbett, third mate

Nathaniel Mitchell, fourth mate

Alexander Gordon, surgeon

Charles Robinson, purser

Frederick Armstrong, boatswain

John Edwards, gunner

James Sharp, carpenter

Richard Wallace, surgeon's mate

Kenneth Mackenzie, midshipman

Samuel Smith, midshipman

Hugh Morgan, midshipman

James Bradwell, midshipman

Thomas Lewes, boatswain's mate

William Nottingham, boatswain's mate

John Banham, quartermaster

George Wilmut, quartermaster

Thomas Silvester, midshipman

The muster roll continued with Peter Harmon, captain's cook, John Quackley, caulker, Thomas Hitch, carpenter's mate, Edward Weer, boatswain's mate, Richard Rabson, armourer, Isaac Cason, cooper, Peter Pearce, tailor, Thomas North, painter, Matthew Weston, cook, and a Frenchman as instructor.

Interpretations

The settlement fixed beef at fourpence a pound, splitting the difference between the captains' complaint and the planters' fivepence. What forced the compromise was less the council's authority than the planters' own division: with some willing to sell at fourpence and others holding out, the united front the vestry had presented in its written answer of 9 May 1745 had already broken, and the council could settle the rate against the dissenters. The stated ground for the reduction was the run of good seasons over the previous five years, which knocked away the bad-harvest justification the planters had offered for the rise to fivepence.

The muster of the three ships was the ordinary check the council ran on every vessel in the road, counting each ship's company against her books to catch men who meant to desert at the island. Under the customs revived on 26 April 1745 and the pressure of a wartime fleet, an accurate tally of who sailed and who stayed mattered both for the Company's own manning and for the garrison, which had lost men to desertion before.

12

5

William Kirk Cooks Mate

Jeremiah Markus Sail.r

James Johnstone D.o

Joseph Blake D.o

Tho.s Morgan D.o

John Sedward D.o

Charles Dawns D.o

Thomas Sheaman D.o

Rob.t Jer Johnstone D.o

Joseph Chasmen D.o

William Rise D.o

Rob.t Kenwick D.o

Michael Spance D.o

John Scott D.o

George Hall D.o

John Ward Seaman

Benjam.n Pigon D.o

John Hoyle D.o

John Doll D.o

Walter Mackow D.o

John Harvey D.o

Charles Balton D.o

Jacob Kalshawon D.o

Andreas Kalburgh D.o

Laurance Johanton D.o

Fredrick Hancick Barnbornsen D.o

John Kap D.o

Jacob Derick D.o

Peter Cunnaradhawson

John Fondenburgh D.o

John Yaurkers Ca[...]

Christopher Wadey D.o

Hawkins Crosby

Tho.s Holmes Chiefmates Stew.d

Cruickshanks Surg.n D.o

Geo.rge Sea[...]

Gaspar Waydown Stew.d

Dennis Fox

Fereow

Cæsar

[Fetherson]

Steam K[...]

Emanuel

32 Laskars

[...]

Muster Roll of the Ship Winchester [...]

John Samson Command.r

John Fort Chieff Mate

John Dunn 2.d D.o

Tho.s Downey 3.d D.o

William Tyson 4.d D.o

Gabriel Steward 5.d D.o

James Stodeis Surgeon

Francis Stevenson Purser

Peter Waldre Gunner

John Tulley Boatsw.n

Francis Chambers Carpent.r

Matth.w Adkins Capt.n Steed.

Tho.s Allen Ships D.o

Edw.d Sizard Ships Carpenter

Alexand.r Jenkin Midshipm.n

S.r Doig Quarterm.r

George Thomas D.o

Robert Mann D.o

Peter Thomson D.o

Tho.s Wilson Coop.r Mate

Rob.d Walker Boatsw.n D.o

John Peter Boatsw.n D.o

Rob.t Sanderson D.o

Alexand.r Dickson D.o

Tho.s Barker Butcher

Jos.h Pilton Sailmaker

John Churchill Barber

Tho.s Champion Capt.n Steed.

Paul Wig[...]

Michael Wig[...]

John Sison Seaman

Tho.s Loppage D.o

Mark Adersby

Nicholas Baggie

Silas Bricka

John Dun Cooper

James Atkinson S[...]

William Young

Rowland Farlor

John Bishop D.o

James Miller D.o

Peter [...]

The muster roll of the King William continued.

William Kirk, cook's mate

Jeremiah Harkus, seaman

James Johnstone, seaman

Joseph Blake, seaman

Thomas Morgan, seaman

John Stodward, seaman

Charles Downs, seaman

Stephen Chapman, seaman

Robert Peer Johnstone, seaman

Joseph Chapman, seaman

William Kirk, seaman

Robert Renwick, seaman

Michael Spence, seaman

John Scott, seaman

George Hall, seaman

John Straud, seaman

Benjamin Pigou, seaman

John Hoyle, seaman

John Doll, seaman

Walter Machew, seaman

John Harvey, seaman

Charles Watton, seaman

Jacob Kabhaneur, seaman

Andreas Kalburgh, seaman

Laurance Johraneur, seaman

Diedrich Henrick Barncorneleus, seaman

John Skap, seaman

Jacob Dorick, seaman

Peter Cannaradhausen, seaman

John Fondenburgh, seaman

John Yaurkers, topsman

Christopher Hadley, seaman

Hawkins Crosby, seaman

Thomas Holmes, chief mate's steward

John Cruickshanks, surgeon's servant

Lieutenant George, gunner

Griffor Waggadour, boatswain's servant

Dennis Fire, [...]

Six men were entered together as lascars: John Ferreira, Caesar, Andrew, Frederick, Stephen Kent and Emanuel. Below them were listed 32 more lascars, and the roll noted that a number of the seamen above were Dutch.

Muster Roll of the Ship Winchester:

John Sampson, commander

John Foot, chief mate

John Dun, second mate

Thomas Powney, third mate

William Tryon, fourth mate

Gabriel Steward, fifth mate

James Wood, surgeon

Francis Stevenson, purser

Peter Waldie, gunner

John Tulley, boatswain

Francis Chambers, carpenter

Matthew Atkins, captain's steward

Thomas Allen, surgeon's servant

Edward Tozard, midshipman

Adam Fen, midshipman

John Doig, quartermaster

George Thomas, quartermaster

Robert Munn, seaman

Peter Thomson, seaman

John Morris, gunner's mate

Robert Wallace, seaman

Peter Beak, seaman

Robert Anderson, seaman

Alexander Dickson, seaman

Thomas Barker, butcher

John Aitken, sailmaker

John Churchill, barber

Alexander Thomson, captain's servant

Paul Thoren, chief mate's servant

Michael Wignan, seaman

John Lyson, seaman

Thomas Toppage, seaman

Mark Elesby, seaman

Nicholas Baggie, seaman

Giles Austin, seaman

John Dun, cooper

James Atkinson, seaman

William Young, seaman

Boristard Foster, seaman

John Bishop, seaman

James Miller, seaman

Peter Beaugeard, seaman

13

6

John Smith Seaman

William Hyde D.o

John Miller D.o

Robert Eccleby D.o

Phillip Wright D.o

George Orgutt D.o

Charles Follis D.o

John Osborne D.o

James Faulcer D.o

Thomas Crew D.o

Job Allingham D.o

Henry Watkinson D.o

Michael Mackinnon D.o

Alexan.der Kickey D.o

John Grimes D.o

James Feè D.o

James Fea D.o

Darnell Simpson D.o

Antonio Francisco D.o

Antonio Da Matto Seam.n

John Day D.o

Antonio de Marto D.o

Rowstoff Yaunsend D.o

John Ponder Fott D.o

Simiona Ponder Fott D.o

Evert Enoricks D.o

John Sifs D.o

John Star D.o

Harman Endrick D.o

Ponchegue D.o

Augustine D.o

Emanuel de Silva D.o

Henriz Franasco D.o

Salvadore de Sandal D.o

Foneco de Cruz D.o

Sam Augustine D.o

Geonee

Manoee de Sylva D.o

John de Cruz Seam.n

Balteco Gomez D.o

Jozey de Sylva D.o

Jozey de Cruz D.o

Jozey Gomez D.o

Andre de Cruz D.o

Ignacio Fernandez D.o

Nicholas Sena D.o

Francisco Manuel D.o

John de Bezar

Thomas Farnham

Jozey Hourris D.o

Francisco de Sylva

Balthazar Greome D.o

John Ladrego

Raphael Bryon D.o

John de Castor D.o

Christopher de Hozard

Manoel de Hoza D.o

John Carson D.o

Muster Roll of the Ship King William Cap.t

Joseph Phillipes Comm.r

Humphry Fedd Chief M.te

William Watts 2.d D.o

William Ratchen 3.d D.o

Charles Anexey 4.d D.o

Thomas Wholey 5.d D.o

John Leech 6.d D.o

Benjamin Snell Midship.

John Parker D.o

Thomas Bayley D.o

Thomas Chatto Gunn.r

Rob.t Cample Cook M.te

Benjam.n Snell Carpent.r

Edw.d Gay Ships Stewd.d

Newill Morgan Capt.n D.o

M.r Godbrandy Quarterm.r

John Bone D.o

Henry Spencer D.o

Slug.h Malchor D.o

John Tollivey D.o

Geo Marler D.o

William Wilkin Cooper

Edw.d Snell Kitchener

Dav.d Lawton Boatsw.n M.te

Edw.d Langley D.o D.o

William Day Gunn.r D.o

Robert Eaton Joyner

Geo.rge Skicker Carp.tr M.te

William Gregg Armourer

Willi.am Kim Caulker

The muster roll of the Winchester continued.

John Smith, seaman

William Hyde, seaman

John Miller, seaman

Robert Exelby, seaman

Philip Wright, seaman

George Orgnill, seaman

Charles Follis, seaman

John Osborne, seaman

James Fauder, seaman

Thomas Oree, seaman

Job Allingham, seaman

Henry Wathmore, seaman

Michael Mackenna, seaman

Alexander Rickey, seaman

John Grimes, seaman

James Fee, seaman

James Fea, seaman

Daniel Simpson, seaman

Antonio Francisco, seaman

Antonio de Malto, seaman

John Day, seaman

Antonio de Marto, seaman

Rowstoff Yaursond, seaman

John Fonder Foll, seaman

Amicus Fonder Foll, seaman

Evert Emericks, seaman

John Fife, seaman

John Stoar, seaman

Harman Ludrick, seaman

Ponchique, seaman

Augustine, seaman

Emanuel de Selva, seaman

Henrico Francisco, seaman

Salvadore de Gerald, seaman

Tonico de Cruz, seaman

Sam Augustine, seaman

Geonice, seaman

Mancee de Sylva, seaman

John de Cruz, seaman

Baltico Gomez, seaman

Izgey de Sylva, seaman

Jozey de Cruz, seaman

Jozey Gomez, seaman

Andre de Cruz, seaman

Ignatio Fernando, seaman

Nicholo Sena, seaman

Francisco Manuel, seaman

John de Bozar, seaman

Thomas Fernhand, seaman

Izgey Henrico, seaman

Francisco de Sylva, seaman

Balthazar Groeme, seaman

John Pedrego, seaman

Raphael Pryin, seaman

Arki de Castoo, seaman

Christopher de Rozaird, seaman

Manuel de Rozaird, seaman

John Carson, seaman

The muster roll of the King William followed.

Muster Roll of the Ship King William:

Joseph Phillips, commander

Humphrey Ludd, chief mate

William Wills, second mate

William Kitchen, third mate

Charles Purvey, fourth mate

Thomas Whaley, fifth mate

John Leech, sixth mate

Benjamin Lovell, midshipman

John Parker, midshipman

Thomas Bagley, midshipman

Thomas Chatto, gunner's mate

Robert Cample, coxswain

Benjamin Lovell, carpenter

Elias Jay, ship's steward

Howell Morgan, captain's servant

William Broadbrook, quartermaster

John Bone, quartermaster

Henry Speark, seaman

Otho Stratcher, seaman

John Foltney, seaman

George Martin, seaman

William Wilken, cooper

Edward Lovell, seaman

David Lawson, boatswain's servant

Elias Langley, seaman

William Day, seaman

Robert Eaton, joiner

George Butcher, surgeon's servant

William Gregg, armourer

William Skim, caulker

14

7

John Wynot Poulterer

James Hall Butcher

John Barkdale Cap.t.s Sayler

Benjamin Burgis Cap.t Cook

Will.m Ann Captains Cook

Jacob Ilyam Ships Cook

William Mars Surgeon

W.m Wyatt D.o Mate

Valentine Newman Purs.r

Samuell Wickepence Cap.t.s Cle.rk

S.r Laddy Cap.t.s Servant

John Roberts D.o

Dover

Kirick Samson D.o

Jo.n Curson Chieff Mate 2.d

Arthur Wapley 2.d D.o

John Willmot Gunn.r 2.d D.o

Jeremiah Wade Book K.p.r D.o

Edw.d Rolland by Cap.t.s D.o

Jo.n Wilson Caulker D.o

John Shellwind wine Steward

William Harvy D.o

John Merils D.o

William Cowell D.o

Benjamin Godwin D.o

George Redd D.o

George Carpenter D.o

Thomas Wellson Bo.t.w.n Grawoner Seam.n

Samuell Pickford Bo.tw.n Mate

John Griffin Seaman

- - - -

John Wade D.o

William Smith D.o

Arthur Evans D.o

Robert Woodward D.o

William Denholm D.o

James Collins D.o

William Newton D.o

Joshua Enough D.o

George Evans D.o

Thomas Reed D.o

James Turner D.o

Alex.r Merryman D.o

George Burnett D.o

Peter Williams D.o

George Aleston D.o

Alexander Sandwyer

Edward Conner D.o

Charles Dalamond D.o

Thomas Washam D.o

John Wood D.o

- - - -

Benjam.te Courtney D.o

Jn.o Wells D.o

James Alexander D.o

James Snell D.o

William Smithick D.o

James Harrison D.o

David Jones D.o

Peter Macanulty D.o

Franc.s Tallamans D.o

- - - -

Dominico Ingelend

Nicholas Johannd

Peter Sara

- - - -

Marco Will D.o

John Shellow D.o

John Capsettes D.o

Peter Poor D.o

Thomas Waters D.o

Tho.s Downie

Angelo Bird Cook

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Godwin

Perling

The muster roll of the King William continued.

John Wynch, caulker

James Hall, butcher

John Batchelor, captain's cook

Benjamin Burgis, captain's mate

William Sim, captain's cook

Jacob Ilyam, ship's cook

William Adams, surgeon

William Wyatt, surgeon's mate

Valentine Newman, purser

Samuel Makepeace, captain's steward

Thomas Laddy, captain's servant

John Roberts, seaman

Dover, seaman

Brook Sampson, seaman

John Curson, chief mate's servant

Arthur Wepby, seaman

John Wilmot, gunner

Jeremiah Wade, boatswain

Edward Pollansby, carpenter's servant

John Wilson, caulker's servant

John Shellman, seaman

William Harvey, seaman

John Morris, seaman

William Cowell, seaman

Benjamin Godwin, seaman

George Kidd, seaman

George Carpenter, seaman

Thomas Wilkson, seaman

Samuel Pickford, topsman

John Griffen, seaman

John Wade, seaman

William Smith, seaman

Arthur Evans, seaman

Robert Woodward, seaman

William Denholm, seaman

James Collins, seaman

William Newton, seaman

Joshua Evough, seaman

George Evans, seaman

Thomas Reed, seaman

James Turner, seaman

Alexander Merryman, seaman

George Burnett, seaman

Peter Williams, seaman

George Aliston, seaman

Alexander Fenbergh, seaman

Edward Conner, seaman

Charles Dalamund, seaman

Thomas Wadham, seaman

John Wood, seaman

Thomas Grosvenor, seaman

Benjamin Courtney, seaman

John Wells, seaman

James Alexander, seaman

John Wilkison, seaman

James Sewell, seaman

William Smithock, seaman

James Jarrison, seaman

David Jones, seaman

Peter Maranty, seaman

Franco Tollamans, seaman

Dominico Angelino, seaman

Nicholas Johannu, seaman

Peter Saca, seaman

Marco Will, seaman

John Mellton, seaman

John Casseiros, seaman

Peter Poor, seaman

Thomas Waters, seaman

Thomas Bonman, seaman

Angelo, seaman

The muster rolls were signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

15

8

At a Consultation held the 14.th May 1745 at the

Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.n Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Council

Matthew Perling 5.th

The Last Consultation was read & Approved.

The Husband, Gunner, & Steward this day

brought in their Severall Accounts for the Month of

April last, Which were Examined & Approved & are as

follows, viz.t,

Gunners Stores expended for the Month of April 1745 viz.t

Gunns fired, 4 Pound, 3 Pound, 2 Pound, ½ Pound, Powder Expended

An Allarm: 6, 2, 2, 13

Arrived the Lapwing Captain Kirwan: 9, 9, 9

A Double Allarm: 15, 6, 6, 3, 35

Powder Expended to blow of 5 Gunns at Sunsets: 5

Fired to Salute the Dutch Fleet: 39, 39, 39

Arrived the Cæsar Captain Court: 9, 9, 9

Powder Expended for Priming: 9

Powder deliv.d to defence the Allarms at Sandy Bay: 1

Powder to the Governour: 1

Powder deliv.d in Small Cartridges: 10.½

Total: 78, 8, 8, 37, 5, 131.½

Match 21.lb

Paper 3 quire

Ironwire ½ lb

Bitts 3.

Spungestaves 6.

Badge Barrells 4.

Iedd Balls 5.lb

Axeltrees 8.

Handspikes 6.

Worms 1.

A Firkin of Grease. 1.

Signed John French.

A consultation was held on 14 May 1745 at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The husband, gunner and steward brought in their accounts for the month of April, which were examined and approved.

The gunner's account set out the guns fired and the powder expended, the guns entered under five columns for the number fired and their weight of shot: guns fired, four-pounders, three-pounders, two-pounders and half-pounders, with the powder expended given in pounds.

Gunner's stores expended for the month of April 1745:

An alarm, 6 guns fired, 2 four-pounders, 2 three-pounders, 2 two-pounders, 13 lb of powder

Arrival of the Lapwing, Captain Kirwan, 9 guns fired all four-pounders, 9 lb of powder

A double alarm, 15 guns fired, 6 four-pounders, 6 three-pounders, 3 two-pounders, 35 lb of powder

Powder expended to blow off 5 guns at Ruperts, 5 lb of powder

The salute to the Dutch fleet is keyed to the Lapwing line above and read as follows.

Fired to salute the Dutch fleet, 39 guns fired all four-pounders, 39 lb of powder.

The arrival salute for the Caesar, Captain Court, is keyed likewise.

Arrival of the Caesar, Captain Court, 9 guns fired all four-pounders, 9 lb of powder.

Powder expended for priming, 9 lb of powder

Powder for the same, half firings at the alarms at Sandy Bay, 1 lb of powder

Powder to the Governor, 1 lb of powder

Powder delivered in small cartridges, 10 lb 12 [oz] of powder

Total, 78 guns fired, 8 four-pounders, 8 three-pounders, 57 two-pounders, 5 half-pounders, 131 lb 12 [oz] of powder

The other gunner's stores expended in the month were entered below.

Match, 21 lb

Paper, 3 quires

Ironware, half a pound

Bricks, 3

Sponge staves, 6

Budge barrels, 4

Lead balls, 5 lb

Axletrees, 8

Handspikes, 6

Worms, 1

A firkin of grease, 1

The account was signed by John French.

Interpretations

The gunner's return breaks the powder charge down by the weight of shot fired, entering each occasion against columns for four-pounders down to half-pounders. This was the ordinary way of accounting for a month's expenditure of powder and shot, tying every round to a named event so that the store could be checked against the guns actually served. The heavy items this April were the routine ones of a busy road: an alarm, a double alarm, and salutes to the incoming ships and the passing Dutch fleet.

The single largest charge was the thirty-nine guns fired to salute the Dutch fleet, matching gun for gun the courtesy the island regularly paid a friendly foreign squadron. The salutes to the Lapwing and the Caesar at nine guns apiece were the lesser courtesies owed to individual Company ships coming into the road, the same two vessels whose victualling and repair had occupied the council through the end of April 1745.

The line for powder blown off to clear five guns at Rupert's points to the state of that work, the weakest and most exposed of the island's batteries. Guns left loaded against alarm had to be discharged and cleared from time to time, and the entry is a small trace of the ordnance kept standing at a position the fortification survey of 1 May 1744 had singled out as the most extensive and decayed on the island.

16

9

Account of the Hon.ble Company's Stock of Neat Cattle &c.d for the Month of April 1745, viz.t

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cows, Heiffers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total

Sheep: Ewes, Wethers, Lambs, Rams, Total

Goats: Ewes, Wethers, Kidds, Rams, Total

Hoggs: Sows, Barrows, Hoggs, Pigs, Boars, Total

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Pheasant

Horses: Mares, Total

Rem.g 1.st April: Bullocks 23, Cows 107, Heiffers 15, Steers 20, Yearlings 34, Calves 157, Bulls 4, Total 360, Ewes 84, Wethers 7, Lambs 75, Rams 3, Total 169, Ewes 132, Wethers 21, Kidds 190, Rams 1, Total 344, Sows 19, Barrows 0, Hoggs 27, Pigs 81, Boars 1, Total 128, Turkeys 103, Fowles 83, Chickens 358, Ducks 28, Geese 13, Pheasant 7, Mares 11, Total 18

Encreased: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 8, Bulls 0, Total 8, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 40, Rams 0, Total 40, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 17, Rams 0, Total 17, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Chickens 20, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Pheasant 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Bullocks 23, Cows 107, Heiffers 15, Steers 20, Yearlings 34, Calves 165, Bulls 4, Total 368, Ewes 84, Wethers 7, Lambs 115, Rams 3, Total 209, Ewes 132, Wethers 21, Kidds 207, Rams 1, Total 361, Sows 19, Barrows 0, Hoggs 27, Pigs 81, Boars 1, Total 128, Turkeys 103, Fowles 83, Chickens 373, Ducks 28, Geese 13, Pheasant 7, Mares 11, Total 18

Stole: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 1, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 1, Turkeys 1, Fowles 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Pheasant 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Died: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 4, Boars 0, Total 4, Turkeys 4, Fowles 2, Chickens 5, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Pheasant 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Killed: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 2, Steers 4, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 6, Ewes 0, Wethers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 1, Ewes 0, Wethers 1, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 1, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 1, Boars 0, Total 1, Turkeys 4, Fowles 14, Chickens 0, Ducks 10, Geese 0, Pheasant 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Bullocks 23, Cows 105, Heiffers 11, Steers 20, Yearlings 34, Calves 165, Bulls 4, Total 362, Ewes 84, Wethers 6, Lambs 115, Rams 3, Total 208, Ewes 132, Wethers 20, Kidds 207, Rams 1, Total 360, Sows 19, Barrows 0, Hoggs 26, Pigs 76, Boars 1, Total 122, Turkeys 94, Fowles 67, Chickens 373, Ducks 18, Geese 13, Pheasant 7, Mares 11, Total 18

1 Goat Given to the Sick Blacks

Beeff to the Hon.ble Company's Ships the Lapwing: 951.lb

Beeff to the Ship Cæsar: 405.lb

Beeff Expended in the Castle: 235.lb

Yams Expended: 25000.lb

D.o Sold to the Officers: 200.

D.o Sold to the Sordiers: 3730.

Signed Christopher Dixon Husband

The stock account for April 1745 recorded the Company's neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses under those six heads, each broken into its classes with a running total.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle etc for the month of April 1745:

Neat cattle:

Remaining 1 April: 23 bullocks, 107 cows, 15 heifers, 20 steers, 34 yearlings, 157 calves, 4 bulls, 360 in all

Increased: 8 calves, 8 in all

Total: 23 bullocks, 107 cows, 15 heifers, 20 steers, 34 yearlings, 165 calves, 4 bulls, 368 in all

Stole: 0

Died: 0

Killed: 2 cows, 4 calves, 6 in all

Remaining: 23 bullocks, 105 cows, 11 heifers, 20 steers, 34 yearlings, 165 calves, 4 bulls, 362 in all

Sheep:

Remaining 1 April: 84 ewes, 7 wethers, 75 lambs, 3 rams, 169 in all

Increased: 40 lambs, 40 in all

Total: 84 ewes, 7 wethers, 115 lambs, 3 rams, 209 in all

Stole: 0

Died: 0

Killed: 1 wether, 1 in all

Remaining: 84 ewes, 6 wethers, 115 lambs, 3 rams, 208 in all

Goats:

Remaining 1 April: 132 does, 21 wethers, 190 kids, 1 ram, 344 in all

Increased: 17 kids, 17 in all

Total: 132 does, 21 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 361 in all

Stole: 0

Died: 0

Killed: 1 kid, 1 in all

Remaining: 132 does, 20 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 360 in all

Hogs:

Remaining 1 April: 19 sows, 27 barrows, 81 shoats, 1 boar, 128 in all

Increased: 0

Total: 19 sows, 27 barrows, 81 shoats, 1 boar, 128 in all

Stole: 1 shoat, 1 in all

Died: 4 shoats, 4 in all

Killed: 1 shoat, 1 in all

Remaining: 19 sows, 26 barrows, 76 shoats, 1 boar, 122 in all

Poultry:

Remaining 1 April: 103 turkeys, 83 fowls, 358 chickens, 28 ducks, 13 geese, 585 in all

Increased: 20 chickens, 20 in all

Total: 103 turkeys, 83 fowls, 373 chickens, 28 ducks, 13 geese, 600 in all

Stole: 0

Died: 4 ducks, 2 geese, 5 in all

Killed: 4 turkeys, 14 fowls, 10 chickens, 10 in all

Remaining: 94 turkeys, 67 fowls, 373 chickens, 18 ducks, 13 geese, 565 in all

Horses:

Remaining 1 April: 7 horses, 11 mares, 18 in all

Remaining: 7 horses, 11 mares, 18 in all

1 goat given to the sick blacks

Beef to the Company's ship the Lapwing, 957 lb

Beef to the ship Caesar, 405 lb

Beef expended in the castle, 235 lb

Yams expended, 25,000 lb

Yams sold to the officers, 200 lb

Yams sold to the soldiers, 3,730 lb

The Lapwing and the Caesar each drew beef from the Company's herd in the month, the two lines set against those ships. The account was signed by Christopher Dixon, husband.

Interpretations

The neat herd stood at 362 head at the end of April against the 324 recorded for the change-of-command inventory of 11 to 31 March 1744, so the cattle had recovered somewhat over the year on steady calving, eight calves born in the month and only six beasts killed. This still fell far below the herds of the early 1730s, when the account regularly carried well over four hundred head, and the low stock was exactly the constraint the council had pressed on Captain Kirwan of the Lapwing over the beef shortage, reckoning no more than fifty head fit to kill against the fleet expected. The month's slaughter of two cows and four calves for 957 lb of beef to the Lapwing and 405 lb to the Caesar shows the victualling trade eating directly into the breeding stock the council was trying to husband.

The goat herd at 360 marks a striking change from the position of the 1720s and early 1730s, when the Company's goats ran to several hundred on the Chapel Valley and other ranges and the ranger's chief worry was intruders grazing their own animals on Company ground. The suppression of the mange or scab that had run through the ranges since September 1744, when diseased goats were being killed off to save the rest, together with the drive to clear goats from the Peak Gut range to protect the young ebony, points to a herd being deliberately held down rather than allowed to increase.

The yam figures track the failure of the market the Governor had reported on 26 April 1745. With the planters withholding their yams from the garrison, the Company fell back on its own plantations, 25,000 lb expended in the month besides 3,730 lb sold to the soldiers and 200 lb to the officers, the Company now feeding the garrison from its own ground rather than buying in, exactly the shift the Governor had described when he set out to enlarge the plantations and free the men from the planters.

The hog stock told the opposite story to the cattle, falling from 128 to 122 on a run of losses, one stolen, four dead and one killed, with no increase at all in the month. This continued the trouble the council had run into the previous autumn, when Samuel Doveton was found to have returned nineteen young pigs as sows in the March 1744 account, and points to a breeding stock that was not replacing itself.

The single goat given to the sick blacks was the customary small charge on the Company's stock for the relief of its slaves, the same practice recorded in the December 1744 quarter, when flannel was issued for a slave in a salivation and arrack and sugar given at Christmas. It is a reminder that the stock account was not only a commercial ledger but the means by which the establishment fed and tended its own people.

17

10

Sundrys Expended at the General Table in the Month of April Last

viz.t

52 Bottles of Port Wine

£ 3

12 7¾

2 D.o Lisbon

2 8¾

10 D.o s.d Cape

13 9.

2.3 G.s Goa Arrack

4

6 3¾

12.3.1 Battavia D.o

}

50.lb S.ar Candy

15 7

32 lb Sugar

6 9¾

242 lb Flour

1

3 1¼

51 lb Butter

2

11 9

7 lb Cheese

7 "

235 lb Beeff

2

18 9

1 Goat

10 "

1 Pigg

5 "

1 Sheep

1

" "

4 Turkeys

1

" "

10 Ducks

15 "

14 Fowles

14 "

1 Goose

5 "

18 Pieces Salt Pork

1

13 "

6 D.o Salt Beeff

17 7½

1 Bushell Salt

5 10

1 lb Pepper

" 6

1 Gall.n Florence Oyle

10 "

Total: £24 14 4¼

John Lewis, James English, William Moore,

John Barnett, Isaac Evans, Stephen Power, Tho.s Sellito,

William

The steward's account listed the sundries expended at the general table in the month of April, each item priced and carried to a total.

Sundries expended at the general table in the month of April:

52 bottles of port wine, £3 12s 7.25d

2 bottles of Lisbon, £0 2s 8.25d

10 bottles of red Cape, £0 13s 9d

27 gallons 3 quarts of Goa arrack, and 12 gallons 3 quarts 1 pint of Batavia arrack, £4 6s 3.75d

50.75 lb of candy, £0 15s 7d

32.5 lb of sugar, £0 6s 9.25d

242 lb of flour, £1 3s 1.25d

51.25 lb of butter, £2 11s 9d

7 lb of cheese, £0 7s 0d

235 lb of beef, £2 18s 9d

1 goat, £0 10s 0d

1 pig, £0 5s 0d

1 sheep, £1 0s 0d

4 turkeys, £1 0s 0d

10 ducks, £0 15s 0d

14 fowls, £0 14s 0d

1 goose, £0 5s 0d

18 pieces of salt pork, £1 13s 0d

6 pieces of salt beef, £0 17s 7.5d

1 bushel of salt, £0 5s 10d

1 lb of pepper, £0 0s 6d

1 gallon of Florence oil, £0 10s 0d

Total, £24 14s 4.25d

The account named John Lewis, James English, William Moore, John Barnett, Isaac Evans, Stephen Power and Thomas Sellito, with a further name following.

Interpretations

The table account was the running charge for feeding the Governor, council and the officers and servants dieted at the Company's expense, the same monthly reckoning that appears throughout the record. At £24 14s 4.25d this April sat well below the fifty or sixty pounds the general table had regularly cost in the mid-1730s, a fall that reflects both a smaller establishment and the pressure on fresh provisions the Governor had reported at the end of the month.

The drink was the largest part of the charge, the wine and arrack together running to over eight pounds. Port carried the bulk of it at fifty-two bottles, with small quantities of Lisbon and red Cape wine, while the two grades of arrack, Goa and Batavia, were the Eastern spirit the establishment drank as its everyday liquor. Florence oil was Tuscan olive oil, a bought import kept for the table, and candy was refined sugar in solid form, distinct from the loose sugar entered separately.

The heavy reliance on salt provision this month is the clearest mark of the shortage. Eighteen pieces of salt pork and six of salt beef were drawn to the table alongside the fresh, exactly the recourse the Governor had described on 26 April 1745 when he ordered sixty pieces of salt pork from the thin remains at the Saturday market, fresh meat being scant. A table that in better months lived on fresh beef, mutton and poultry was here falling back on the stores.

The single goat, pig, sheep and few birds set against the salt meat show how narrow the fresh supply had grown. The goat charged here at ten shillings matches the one entered in the stock account as given to the sick blacks, the establishment drawing on its own herds for the table rather than buying fresh of the planters, who were withholding their produce.

18

11

William Kennedy, Thomas Draper, John Bunn, Thomas Legg,

Philip Rythard, Thomas Alcock, Thomas Coke, John Rottager

John Spencer, Solomon Jacobs, James Hall, & Christopher

Garland, Severally petitioned for their Discharges having Served

their full Term of Years as Soldiers.

D.r Cash C.r

1745

April 1. To Ball.ce remaining £1044 13 9

2. To Cash rec.d for 535½ lb Butter

Sold Since the 20.th Oct.br last

at 1 [P] pound: 26 15 6

To Cash rec.d of Rich.d Mason for

rent Short p.d by him for

¼ Acre Land from 1.st Oct.r

1727 to 31 March 1728

at five Shill.gs [P] Acre: [.] -. 7½

¼ Acre Land from 1.st April

1728 to 30 Sept.br 1732 at

2/6 [P] Acre: "2. 9¼

1¼ Acre Land from 1.st Oct.r

1732 to 30 Sept.br 1744 at

2/6 [P] Acre: 1. 17.6

Ground rent from 1.st Oct.r

1727 to 30 Sept.br 1744 at

5 Shillings [P] Annum, 4.5.- 6 5 11¼

Carr.d Over £1077 15 2¼

1745

Apr.l 5. By Cash p.d Giles Hayes for

Coming Express with an

Acc.t of a Ship being to

Windward: [.] 5 -

23. By Cash p.d Patrick

Hamilton for Coming

Express with an Acc.t

of s.d Ship being to

Windward: " 5 "

By Cash paid Mos.rs Twynam

for Sundrys So.d by

him for the Use of

the General Table &c.d 36 12 4

Carr.d Over £37. 2. 4

William Kennedy, Thomas Draper, John Bunn, Thomas Legg, Philip Rylland, Thomas Alcock, Thomas Cope, John Nottage, John Spencer, Solomon Jacobs, James Hall and Christopher Garland each petitioned for their discharge, having served their full term of years as soldiers.

The treasury cash account for April was entered in two sides, the receipts on the left and the payments on the right.

Cash, receipts (Dr), 1745:

April 1: To balance remaining, £1,044 13s 9d

April 2: To cash received for 535.5 lb of butter sold since 20 October last, at 1s the pound, £26 15s 6d

To cash received of Richard Mason for rent short paid by him:

for a quarter acre of land from 1 October 1727 to 31 March 1728 at five shillings the acre, £0 0s 7.5d

for a quarter acre of land from 1 April 1728 to 30 September 1732 at 2s 6d the acre, £0 2s 9.75d

for a quarter acre of land from 1 October 1732 to 30 September 1744 at 2s 6d the acre, £0 1s 7.5d

for ground rent from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1744 at 5 shillings a year, £4 5s 0d

subtotal, £6 5s 11.25d

Carried over, £1,077 15s 2.25d

Cash, payments (Cr), 1745:

April 5: By cash paid Giles Hayes for coming express with an account of a ship being to leeward, £0 5s 0d

April 23: By cash paid Patrick Hamilton for coming express with an account of several ships being to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid the Governor for sundries bought by him for the use of the general table etc, £36 12s 4d

Carried over, £37 2s 4d

Interpretations

The two express payments of five shillings each show how the island's early-warning system worked in a season of heavy shipping. Runners were paid to carry word from the lookout posts to the castle when a ship was sighted to leeward or to windward, the same relay the record describes at Banks's, where a messenger ran the hill path to the Governor with an approaching ship's name. With a wartime fleet in and about the road through April 1745, the cost of these runners was a small but steady charge on the treasury.

The recovery of back rent from Richard Mason set right an old underpayment reaching all the way to 1727, the account working through each parcel and period at the rate then due. This was part of Governor Dunbar's broader drive that spring to bring the island's leases and rents into order, the same effort that produced the calling-in and re-examination of every Company lease and the run of fresh twenty-one-year grants, Mason himself among the tenants whose holding was renewed.

The largest payment on the month was the £36 12s 4d reimbursed to the Governor for provisions he had bought for the general table, tying this cash entry directly to the steward's table account. Where the establishment could not draw enough fresh provision from its own stock or the failing market, the Governor laid out money himself and was repaid from the treasury, the mechanism by which the table was kept supplied through the shortage.

The butter sale is a reminder that the Company's stock account and its cash account met at the dairy. The 535.5 lb sold since the previous October at a shilling a pound came from the Company's own herds, the produce turned into cash for the treasury just as the beef and yams were, and the entry marks the revival of the dairy that the stock accounts had been tracking through the calving season.

19

12

D.r Cash

1745

April 2.d Brot Over £1077 15 2¼

To Cash rec.d from Sev.l Persons for Selling Liquor

without Lycence: 24 - -

To Cash rec.d from Sev.l Persons for Lycences to

keep Publick Houses for the Year Ensueing

Commencing 25.th March last: 58 1

To Cash rec.d of Rich.d Goodwin Ex.or of Edm.d Nicholls

dec.d 1 Years rent for 21 Acres of Land at 2/6 each

being the Customary Fine for renewing two Lives

in a Leasehold of the Hon.ble Company: 2 12 6

£1162 8 8¼

The receipts side of the treasury cash account continued.

Cash, receipts (Dr), 1745:

Brought over, £1,077 15s 2.25d

April 2: To cash received from two persons for selling liquor without licence, £24 0s 0d

To cash received from two persons for licences to keep public houses for the year ensuing, commencing 25 March last, £58 1s 0d

To cash received of Richard Goodwin, executor of Edmund Nicholls deceased, one year's rent for 21 acres of land at 2s 6d each, being the customary fine for renewing two lives in a lease held of the Company, £2 12s 6d

Total, £1,162 8s 8.75d

Interpretations

The two payments for selling liquor without licence and the two for keeping public houses show the island's drink trade run as a source of revenue and a means of control together. Twenty-four pounds came in as penalties from those caught retailing without leave, while the licences themselves brought in fifty-eight pounds for the year beginning on the customary quarter day of 25 March, the whole trade fenced about with a fee and a fine. This was the same system the council had lately settled by putting the punch-house licences out to sealed bid, treating the right to sell liquor as a thing to be paid for rather than freely allowed.

The fine paid by Richard Goodwin as executor of Edmund Nicholls shows how the island renewed a lease granted for lives rather than a term of years. When such a lease fell in with the death of one of the named lives, the tenant paid a customary fine to have a fresh life added, here reckoned at a year's rent for the twenty-one acres. This was exactly the kind of lease Governor Dunbar's examination that spring had found scattered through the island against the Company's order of 17 April 1741, and the entry catches one being renewed on the old footing even as the council worked to bring the whole system onto the lawful twenty-one-year form.

20

13

D.r C.r 13

1745

April 30.th Brot Over £37 2 4

By Ballance remaining in the Hon.ble Comp.a's Chest viz.t

By dwt gr

1 Large piece gold: 11. 15. 1½ d.wt. 3. 18. 3 [P] o.z £46 1. 8¾

4 Small pieces d.o: 3. 9. 12. 3. 15. -. 13. 11. ¾

367 Pagodas: [P]d o.z. Each 165. 3. -

Gold Amounting to 224 15 9

1253 Dollars: [P] 5.o.d 3. 13. 5. -

105 Ryals: [P] 7.o.d 3. 5. 7½

3343½ half Ryals: 3¾.o.d 52. 4. 8½

441 French Pieces: 2 3. 13. 6

Small Money Silver Amounting to " 1. 9½ 372 10 7¼

160 Cash Notes: [.] 2/6 ea.d 20. -. -

260 D.o: 5.d ea.d 65. -. -

153 D.o: 20/ 153. -. -

145 D.o: 10/ 290. -. -

Cash Notes amounting to 528 " "

£1162 8 8¾

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

The payments side of the treasury cash account closed with the balance remaining, set out coin by coin.

Cash, payments (Cr), 1745:

Brought over, £37 2s 4d

April 30: By balance remaining in the following specie:

Gold:

1 large piece of gold at 11s 15.75d per dwt, weighing 3 [dwt] 18 [gr] 3, £46 1s 8.75d

4 small pieces at 3 [dwt] 9 [gr] 12, 3 [dwt] 18, £13 11s 0.75d

367 pagodas at 9s each, £165 3s 0d

Gold amounting to £224 15s 9d

Silver:

1,253 dollars at 5s each, £313 5s 0d

103 ryals at 7.5d each, £3 5s 7.5d

334 half ryals at 3.75d each, £52 0s 8.25d

441 French pieces at 2 [d each], £3 13s 6d

small money, £0 1s 9.5d

Silver amounting to £372 10s 7.75d

Cash notes:

160 cash notes at 2s 6d each, £20 0s 0d

260 cash notes at 5s each, £65 0s 0d

153 cash notes at 20s each, £153 0s 0d

145 cash notes at 40s each, £290 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to £528 0s 0d

Total, £1,162 8s 8.75d

The account was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The treasury balance was held in a mixture of gold coin, silver coin and the island's own paper cash notes, the same three-part composition recorded at the close of the December 1744 quarter. Each foreign coin was carried at a fixed sterling value, the pagoda at nine shillings and the dollar at five, the rates by which the Company reckoned the many currencies that reached St Helena through the India and China trades. Weighing the loose gold by pennyweight and grain, rather than counting it by the piece, was the way to value bullion and worn coin whose sterling worth depended on its metal rather than its face.

The pagoda was the gold coin of the Coromandel coast and the standard in which much of the eastern trade was reckoned, while the dollars, ryals and half ryals were Spanish American silver, the dominant trade coin of the whole Indian Ocean. The French pieces valued at only twopence apiece were small change of little account. That the treasury's specie was almost entirely foreign, with no English coin at all, reflects an island whose money came in from passing shipping rather than from home.

The £528 in cash notes was the island's own paper currency, issued in denominations from half a crown to two pounds and passing locally as money. That so large a part of the treasury balance stood in these notes rather than in coin shows how far the settlement relied on its own paper to eke out a chronically short supply of specie, the notes standing in for coin that was always liable to be carried off by the shipping.

21

14

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 28.th May 1745

at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Captain Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Council

Matthew Perling 5.th

The Last Consultation was read and Approved.

On the 22.d Instant Arrived the Winchelsea Captain

Baron, from Bengall, & brought us the following Supplys.

Invoice of Goods p Ship Winchelsea viz.t

A

Batavia Arrack

N.o 9 & 14. 6 half Leagers of 7 Gall.ns 480 [P] 170 [P] Leag.r

510. - "

Batta 8 [P] Cent 40. 12. 9

530. 12. 9

S

Sugar

1 & 5 5 bags s.d Bur M.tt.o 10. w.t 7. 1. 19 [P] 13.3 [P] Bag: 67. 8. -

Batta 10 [P] Cent 6.12. -

74. 4.

W C

Wax Candles

1 & 2 2 Chests s.t S.pt.r 4. w.t 2. 2. 19 [P] 42 [P] M.d 1. -

168. " "

R.1 & 41 Rice 41 bags s.d [K.M].d.s 82.w.t 54. 2. 10 [P] 25 [P] M.d 131. 3. 3

Batta 9 [P] Cent 10. 8. -

141. 11. 3

Charges Merchandize

46 bags & Sewing

7. 14.

934 12. -

6 Empty half Leagers

39. 9. 6

2 Chests & Embaling

4. 8. -

Muteas

3. 4. -

15 Large Matts

1. 3. 9

Oyl & Spoons

1. 1. 3

Boathire

17. 4. -

74. 12.6

Signed Errors Excepted

Rup.s 1009. 8. 6

John Jackson

A consultation was held on Friday, 28 May 1745, at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Winchelsea, Captain Baron, arrived from Bengal on 22 May and brought the following supply. The invoice was reckoned in madras rupees.

Invoice of goods per the ship Winchelsea:

Batavia arrack (marked A, number 9 to 14):

6 half leaguers of 480 gallons at 170 pies the gallon, 510 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 40 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 550 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

Sugar (marked S, number 1 to 5):

5 bags of 7 hundredweight 1 quarter 19 lb at 13 rupees 3 annas 6 pies the hundredweight, 67 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Batta at 10 per cent, 6 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 74 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

Wax candles (marked WC, number 1 and 2):

2 chests of 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb at 42 rupees the hundredweight, 168 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

41 boxes of 54 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb at 25 rupees the hundredweight, 131 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 10 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 141 rupees 11 annas 3 pies

Charges on merchandise:

46 bags for stowing, 7 rupees 14 annas 0 pies

6 empty half leaguers, 39 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

2 chests for embaling, 4 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

matting, 3 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

15 large mats, 1 rupee 3 annas 9 pies

oil and irons, 1 rupee 1 anna 3 pies

boat hire, 17 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 74 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

Total, 1,009 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

The invoice was signed by John Jackson, with errors excepted.

Interpretations

The Winchelsea's cargo was the ordinary run of a Bengal supply ship: arrack, sugar and wax candles, the three staples the island drew from Bengal, each carried with the batta allowance added. This was the first fresh supply to reach the island since the run of homeward ships in April, and it came at a moment the Governor had marked as pressing, the market failing and the stores low.

Batta was the exchange allowance added to convert between currencies of different standards, charged here at a higher rate on the moisture-sensitive sugar than on the arrack or candles, the same graded practice the record shows on nearly every India invoice. The arrack came in half leaguers, the large casks of about 226 to 230 gallons in which the spirit was shipped, and the empty casks were charged back among the merchandise charges, the containers being an item of cost in their own right.

The wax candles were the heaviest single line at over 141 rupees, a manufactured good the island could not make for itself and drew from Bengal for the castle and the general table. The charges on merchandise, the bags, mats, matting and boat hire, were the ordinary costs of packing and landing bulk goods across the surf, the same heads that appear on every ship's invoice and a reminder that the price of a cargo at St Helena included the labour and materials of getting it ashore.

22

15

On the 23.d Instant Arrived two Swedo Ships from China Called the Calmar, Capt.n

Maul, Burthen 400 Tons, 20 Guns, & 122 Men, & they Sailye with King of Sweden's D.p.t Sch mar. this

500 Tons, 26 Guns, & 190 Men, both Laden with Tea & China ware & the Stafford, Captain Baker, & the

York Captain Lasellles from China. The Montague, Captain Freeman, from

Bombay. The Duke of Dorsett, Captain Fogerall from Bombay, & the

Prince William, Captain Webber, from Bengall, Arrived the Same Day, & brought us the

following Supplys, viz.t

Invoice of Goods p Ships York & Stafford, viz.t

Sale on C 6

B

S H S

Bohea Tea p Stafford

N.o 1 [.] 169 Tare 33.

2 . 161 . 30

3 . 162 . 32.lb

Gross 492 . 95

Tare 95

Neat 397 lb is peculs 2. 97. at 13. 3 [P] pecul is 40 . 9. 3

S C

Sugar Candy p York

S.t H S.o.t 132 lb Tare 14.

2 . 151 . 14.

3 . 163 . 14.

4. . 153 . 17

5 . 153 . 17.

6. . 145 . 16.

7. . 149 . 17.

8. . 150 . 17.

9. . 149 . 14.

10. 153 . 14.

Gr.s 1518 . 154 lb

Tare 154

Neat 1364 lb is peculs 10. 28. at 5. 6 [P] pecul: 57 2 8 8

China Ware p Stafford

N.o 1 [.] 1 Chest, viz.t

Tael M.ce C.d

100 Soup Plates blue & white at 5. d.o: 5. - . -

100 Sauce Plates D.o: 2. 4. d.o. 2. 4. -

10 half Pint D.o. & Saucers D.o: 4 3 [P] p.d: 4. 3. -

11. 9. -

On board the Stafford off Prences Island febry 20.th 1744/5

Signed Errors Excepted John Whitchior

W.m Draper

John Forbes

Sales: 109 1 8 3

On 23 May arrived two Swedish ships from China, the Calmar, Captain Maul, of 400 tons, 20 guns and 122 men, and the Frederick, King of Sweden, Captain Schrnger, of 500 tons, 26 guns and 190 men, both laden with tea and chinaware. The Stafford, Captain Baker, and the York, Captain Lasselles, arrived from China, the Montague, Captain Freeman, from Bombay, the Duke of Dorset, Captain Cragvale, from Bombay, and the Prince William, Captain Webber, from Bengal. They arrived the same day and brought the following supply. The invoice was reckoned in taels, mace and candareens.

Invoice of goods per the ships York and Stafford:

Bohea tea per Stafford (marked BSHS):

Number 1, gross 169 lb, tare 33 lb

Number 2, gross 161 lb, tare 30 lb

Number 3, gross 162 lb, tare 32 lb

gross total, 492 lb

tare total, 95 lb

Neat 397 lb, is 3 peculs 97 catties, at 13 taels 8 mace the pecul, 40 taels 9 mace 5 candareens

Sugar candy per York (marked SHSM):

Number 1, gross 152 lb, tare 14 lb

Number 2, gross 151 lb, tare 14 lb

Number 3, gross 163 lb, tare 14 lb

Number 4, gross 153 lb, tare 17 lb

Number 5, gross 153 lb, tare 17 lb

Number 6, gross 145 lb, tare 16 lb

Number 7, gross 149 lb, tare 17 lb

Number 8, gross 150 lb, tare 17 lb

Number 9, gross 149 lb, tare 14 lb

Number 10, gross 153 lb, tare 14 lb

gross total, 1,518 lb

tare total, 154 lb

Neat 1,364 lb, is 10 peculs 26 catties, at 5 taels 6 mace the pecul, 57 taels 2 mace 8 candareens 8 [cash]

China ware per Stafford:

Number 1, 1 chest, 100 soup plates blue and white at 5 mace each, 5 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

100 fruit plates do, 2 mace each, 2 taels 4 mace 0 candareens

100 half pint do and saucers do, 4 mace 5 [candareens] the pair, 4 taels 5 mace 0 candareens

subtotal, 11 taels 9 mace 0 candareens

Sales, 109 taels 1 mace 8 candareens 8 [cash]

The invoice, shipped aboard the Stafford off Princes Island on 20 February 1745, was signed by John Misenor, William Draper and John Forbes, with errors excepted.

Interpretations

The seven ships that came in together on 23 May 1745 mark the height of the season's traffic, a mixed fleet of Company Indiamen from China, Bombay and Bengal joined by two Swedish East India ships bound home from Canton. The Swedish vessels, laden with tea and chinaware for the European market, were the ships of a rival company sharing the same passage round the Cape, and their arrival in the road alongside the English ships shows St Helena's place as a common refreshment station on the China route rather than a purely Company preserve.

The York and Stafford's cargo was reckoned in the money and weights of the China trade, distinct from the rupee accounts of the India ships. The tael was the standard unit of account, divided into mace, candareens and cash, and the goods were weighed by the pecul of about 133 lb and the catty of about 1.33 lb, with the tare struck off each chest before the net was priced, the same careful deduction for packaging the record shows on Indian consignments. Bohea was the black tea of the Wuyi hills in Fujian, the everyday grade carried in bulk from Canton.

The chinaware invoice priced each class of vessel separately, soup plates, fruit plates and half-pint bowls with their saucers, all blue and white, the plain export porcelain that came from Canton by the chestful. This was the ware that stocked the castle table, the record having noted the year before that David Wilson was paid for china cups when there were not three in the castle, and a fresh supply of plates and bowls was a practical need as much as a trade good.

The invoice was made out at Princes Island, in the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java, on 20 February 1745, the watering place where the homeward China ships took in their last fresh provisions before the long haul to St Helena. That the paperwork was drawn there, three months before the ship reached the island, is a small mark of the length of the passage and the way a cargo's account travelled sealed with it from the far side of the world.

23

16

Invoice of Goods p Ship Montague, viz.t

Rice 22 bags Beaten q.ty 150. lb Ea. w.t Q.t.y Cor.d 9. 35 [P] Md

106 3. 50

Goa Arrack 3 Leagers q.ty 160 Gall.ns Ea.d & 1 butt q.t

120 Gall.ns @ 26. - 36 [P] 48 Gallons

326 - 50

Charges on Merchandize viz.t

Gunney pieces 25 for Rice @3. 1. [P] C.o.t 4. -. 25.

Duffy bags 22 @ 2. 63 ea.d 14. 2. 30.

Leagers 3 for Arrack @ 10. - Ea.d 30. -. -

1 Butt for d.o

8. -. -

Twine for Rice

" 2. -

Cooly hire on Rice

" 3. 50

Hamallage on Arrack

" 2. 90

Boat Hire

5. -. -

63 2 95

Rupees: 496 2 95

Signed Errors Excepted

P Charles Whitehill Accompt.t

Invoice of Goods p Ship Winchelsea viz.t

A

Batavia Attrack.

N.o 9 & 14 6 half Leagers q.ty Gallons 480 @ 170 M.d [P] Leag. .50

Batta 8 [P] Cent 40. 12. 9

550. 12. 9

S

Sugar

1 & 5 5 bags s.d Bur M.tt.o 10. w.t 7. 1. 8 [P] 13.8 [P] Bag 67. 8. "

W C

Wax Candles

1 & 2 2 Chests s.d S.p.t.r 4. w.t 2. 2. 19 [P] 42 [P] M.d

Batta 10 [P] Cent 6. 12. -

74. 4. .

168. " "

Rice

R 1 & 41 41 bags s.d K.M.d.s 82. w.t 54. 2. 19 [P] 25 [P] M.d 131. 3. 3

Charges Merchandize

Batta 8 [P] Cent 10. 8. -

141. 11. 3

46 bags & Sewing

7. 14.

934 12. "

6 Empty half Leagers

39. 9. 6

2 Chests & Embaling

4. 8. "

Muteas

3. 4. .

15 Large Matts

1. 3. 9

Oyl & Spoons

1. 1. 3

Boathire

17. 4. "

74. 12.6

Signed Errors Excepted

P John Jackson.

Rupees: 1009 8 6

The Montague's supply from Bombay followed, the invoice reckoned in bombay rupees.

Invoice of goods per the ship Montague:

Rice, 22 bags beaten, of 130 lb each, at 2 rupees 85 pies the hundredweight, 106 rupees 3 annas 50 pies

Goa arrack, 3 leaguers of 160 gallons each, at 26 rupees per 48 gallons, and 1 butt of 120 gallons, 360 [gallons] and 48 gallons, 326 rupees 0 annas 50 pies

Charges on merchandise:

gunnies, 25 pieces for the rice at 3 rupees 1 anna the hundred, 0 rupees 0 annas 95 pies

dutty bags, 22 at 2 rupees 63 pies each, 14 rupees 2 annas 30 pies

leaguers, 3 for the arrack at 10 rupees each, 30 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

1 butt for the same, 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

twine for the rice, 2 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

coolie hire on the rice, 3 rupees 0 annas 50 pies

hammallage on the arrack, 2 rupees 0 annas 90 pies

boat hire, 5 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 63 rupees 2 annas 95 pies

Total, 496 rupees 2 annas 95 pies

The invoice was signed by Charles Whitehill, accountant, with errors excepted.

The Winchelsea's supply from Bengal was entered again, the invoice reckoned in madras rupees.

Invoice of goods per the ship Winchelsea:

Batavia arrack (marked A, number 9 to 14):

6 half leaguers of 480 gallons at 170 pies the gallon, 510 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 40 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 550 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

Sugar (marked S, number 1 to 5):

5 bags of 7 hundredweight 1 quarter 13 lb at 13 rupees 3 annas 8 pies the hundredweight, 67 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Batta at 10 per cent, 6 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 74 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

Wax candles (marked WC, number 1 and 2):

2 chests of 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb at 42 rupees the hundredweight, 168 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Rice (marked R, number 1 to 41):

41 bags of 54 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb at 25 rupees the hundredweight, 131 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 10 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 141 rupees 11 annas 3 pies

Charges on merchandise:

46 bags for stowing, 7 rupees 14 annas 0 pies

6 empty half leaguers, 39 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

2 chests for embaling, 4 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

matting, 3 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

15 large mats, 1 rupee 3 annas 9 pies

oil and irons, 1 rupee 1 anna 3 pies

boat hire, 17 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 74 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

Total, 1,009 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

The invoice was signed by John Jackson, with errors excepted.

Interpretations

The two invoices reckoned in different rupees mark the two coasts the ships came from. The Montague's Bombay cargo was priced in bombay rupees and the Winchelsea's in madras rupees, the Company keeping each presidency's account in its own money of account, so that a clerk on the island had to know which coast a ship had sailed from before he could read her invoice. The Montague brought the western staples of rice and Goa arrack, while the Winchelsea from Bengal added sugar, wax candles and rice.

The charges on the Montague's cargo name the particular costs of the Bombay trade. Hammallage was the charge for the porters who carried goods to the boats, the western-coast equivalent of the coolie hire entered on the rice, and dutty bags were a class of sack used for the arrack casks. The leaguers and the butt, the large casks the arrack came in, were charged separately from the spirit they held, the empties forming a real part of the cost just as they did on the Bengal invoice.

That the Winchelsea's invoice was entered a second time, with the rice now shown as a separate marked lot rather than folded among the candles, reflects the clerk working the account into proper order as the goods were landed and checked. The earlier entry had run the two together under a single figure, and the fuller version separates them, the kind of correction the "errors excepted" note at the foot of every invoice was meant to cover.

24

17

Invoice of Goods p Duke of Dorsett viz.t 17.

A

Arrack Battavia

N.o 15 & 20 6 half Leagers q.ty 480 Gall.ns @ 170 [P] Leager: 570. -. -

Batta 8 [P] Cent 40. 17. 9

550. 12. 9

S

Fresinda Sugar

1 & 10 10 bags s.d C.M.20 is C.o 14. 2. 19 [P] 14½ [P] bag 145. " "

Batta 8 [P] Cent

K

Rice

1 & 30 30 bags s.d C.M.60 w.t Q.t.o 40. -. - [P] 3.25 [P] Ca 96. " "

Batta 10 [P] Cent 14. 8. -

159 8. -

Blue Persoteex

B.Doo: 1 Bale of pieces 70 lo.ng 306 [.]nd 3¾ Co.o Ratta 8 [P] Cent 7. 10. 9

96. 13. 6 [P] Larger

103 10 9

335 7 3

1149 6 9

Charges Merchandize

70 bags & Sewing

9. 10. 3

6 Empty half Leagers

39. 9. 6

Embaling 1 bale

17. 4. 6

Muteas

3. 12. "

10 Large Matts

" 12. 6

Peon & Oyles

1. 1. 6

Boathire

15. -. -

87 2 3

Rupees: 1236 9 -

Signed Errors Excepted

P John Jackson

On the 24.th Instant Arrived a Dane Ship called the Christiansburg Slott,

Capt.n Sever Haas, Burthen 1000 tons, 178 Men, 24 Guns, laden with Tea & China ware from

China. M.r Jn.o Goodwin reports that he hath been on board the

Ships Montague, Winchelsea, & Duke of Dorsett, to muster

their Companys, but found no Deserters. The Muster

Rolls are as follow, viz.t

Muster Roll of the Ship Montague viz.t

Captain Feilder Freeman

George Cumming Chieff Mate

William Parker 2.d D.o

Henry Nicholls 3.d D.o

John Bull 4.th D.o

Samuel Oliver Purser

Alexand.r Vernor Gunn.r

Ben.n Lawrence Carpent.r

D.o Hammon Butler

In.o Dale Midshipman

James Pope D.o

James Davenport D.o

Peter English Midshipm.n

Edw.d Roach Quarterm.r

Boa.tw.n John Swan D.o

John Welch D.o

Alexand.r Strahan D.o

Rich.d Ramsay D.o

The Duke of Dorset's supply followed, the invoice reckoned in rupees.

Invoice of goods per the Duke of Dorset:

Batavia arrack (marked A, number 15 to 20):

6 half leaguers of 480 gallons at 170 pies the leaguer, 510 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 40 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

subtotal, 550 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

Fresinda sugar (marked S, number 1 to 10):

10 bags of 14 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb at 14.5 rupees the bag, 145 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 10 per cent, 14 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 159 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice (marked R, number 1 to 30):

30 bags of 40 [hundredweight] at 2 rupees 55 pies the hundredweight, 96 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 7 rupees 10 annas 9 pies

subtotal, 103 rupees 10 annas 9 pies

Blue deesooties (marked B, Doo, number 1):

1 bale of pieces, 30 long, 70 [pieces] at 96 [rupees] the corge, 13 annas 6 pies

Batta at 8 per cent

subtotal, 335 rupees 7 annas 3 pies

sum to here, 1,149 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

Charges on merchandise:

70 bags for stowing, 9 rupees 10 annas 3 pies

6 empty half leaguers, 39 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

embaling 1 bale, 7 rupees 4 annas 6 pies

matting, 3 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

10 large mats, 0 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

paun and oil, 1 rupee 1 anna 6 pies

boat hire, 15 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 87 rupees 2 annas 3 pies

Total, 1,236 rupees 9 annas 0 pies

The invoice was signed by John Jackson, with errors excepted.

On 24 May arrived a Danish ship called the Christiansborg Slott, Captain Secore Maw, of 1,000 tons, 178 men and 24 guns, laden with tea and chinaware from China.

John Goodwin reported that he had been aboard the ships Montague, Winchelsea and Duke of Dorset to muster their companies and had found no deserters. The muster rolls followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Montague:

Captain Fielder Freeman

George Cumming, chief mate

William Parker, second mate

Henry Nicholls, third mate

John Bull, fourth mate

Samuel Oliver, purser

Alexander Bruce, gunner

Eben Lawrence, corporal

Hammond Butler, boatswain

James Dale, midshipman

James Pope, midshipman

James Davenport, midshipman

Peter English, midshipman

Edward Roach, quartermaster

John Swan, midshipman

John Welch, midshipman

Alexander Strahan, midshipman

Richard Ramsay, midshipman

Interpretations

The Duke of Dorset's cargo carried a valuable line the other ships lacked, a bale of blue deesooties worth over 335 rupees, the single largest item on her invoice. Deesooties were a Bengal cotton cloth, and the piece goods came reckoned by the corge, the standard bundle of twenty pieces in which Indian textiles were counted and sold. Where arrack, sugar and rice were the bulk provisions the island consumed, the cloth was a trade good of far higher value by weight, and it was the recurring occasion of the fraud and dispute the record shows over the damaged doosetees earlier that year.

Fresinda sugar was a Bengal grade named for its place of making, distinct from the sugar candy the China ships carried, and paun was betel leaf, chewed with areca and lime, a small consignment entered among the packing charges rather than as a trade line. The charges on merchandise ran the familiar course of bags, mats, matting and boat hire, the cost of stowing and landing every bulk cargo across the surf.

The three foreign East India ships that appear across these two days, the two Swedes and now the Dane, mark how crowded the road had grown at the season's height. The Christiansborg Slott, named for the royal castle at Copenhagen and at a thousand tons the largest ship in the record, was a Danish Asiatic Company vessel homeward from Canton, and her arrival alongside the Swedish and English ships confirms St Helena as the common Atlantic staging point for every nation's China trade, whatever company owned the hull.

25

18

John Hogg Capt.n Steed.

John Garwood 2.d D.o

Lazarus Rich Gun.r Steed.

Jn.o White 2.d D.o

Jeffry Moores Caulker

M.r Merryfield Sailemaker

Peter Murphy Boatsw.n Steed.

Thomas Butler Poyner

Sam.l Hutchins Cooper

Hans Peterheagh D.o Steed.

Robert Brown Bar.er

Lawrence Cornelius D.o

John Love D.o

John Mackarrell D.o

John Renouf D.o

Stephen Dodd D.o

John Frampton D.o

W.m Haggerton D.o

Samuel Highmore D.o

Jos[...] Alison D.o

James Seaton D.o

Gabriel Pilkington D.o

William Sawton D.o

John Jacocks D.o

John Paxton D.o

Robert Bwood D.o

Colin Douglass D.o

James Cafer D.o

Alexander Reynolds D.o

Tho.s Ketchen D.o

James Johnson D.o

Theophilus Smith Seam.n

Thomas Lane D.o

Philip Marshall D.o

John Whitewell D.o

William Bell D.o

Thomas Smith D.o

Anthony St Jago D.o

Anthony Blwero D.o

Nathaniel Gunn Poyn.ter

Gawen Calder Capt.n Taylor

Francis Stanly D.o Cook

Moses Seaman

William Hume D.o

James Lindsay D.o

Chris.r Christopherson D.o

John Creagh D.o

John Reynolds D.o

John Wood D.o

Thomas Bathe D.o

John Teal D.o

Benjamin Perry D.o

John Close D.o

Robert Reeas D.o

John Jervis D.o

Squire Bowton D.o

William Brewer D.o

Edw.d Moore Shipsheer

James Hammond Shipsted

Thomas Hulse Seam.n

Edward Prestwood D.o

John Slow D.o

Ben.n Wood Seaman

George Cornelius D.o

John Patterson D.o

William Stevens D.o

James Robinson D.o

James Hudson D.o

Alexander Gregory D.o

David Whaley D.o

Andrew Smith D.o

Richard Hughes D.o

James Gardiner D.o

Sam.l Taylor D.o

Henry Waddle D.o

John Morrison D.o

William Poore D.o

William Pyle D.o

Charles Jones D.o

Montague

Henry Mollass

Edward Freeman

Jn.o Bently Gunn.r

Jn.o Bells Q.master

Tho.s Bowlin Wat.r

Jn.o Anderson Carpen.r

W.m Denson Boatsw.n

Hampston

Aneas

Moody

Casar

John Glen Surgeon

Muster Roll of the Ship Winchelsea viz.t

Christopher Kaine Com.r

Henry Bradley 1.st Mate

Cha.d Kadrick 2.d Mate

Chris.r Ferris 3.d D.o

Tho.s Gosling Hewitt 4.th Mate

W.m Meddowes Surgeon

The muster roll of the Montague continued.

John Hogg, captain's mate

John Garwood, captain's mate

Lazarus Fitch, gunner's mate

John White, gunner's mate

Jeffry Moses, caulker

John Merryfield, sailmaker

Peter Murphy, boatswain's mate

Thomas Follis, joiner

Samuel Fluchus, cooper

Hans Peterhough, cooper's mate

Robert Brown, armourer

Lawrence Cornelius, armourer's mate

John Love, seaman

John Mackswall, seaman

John Reynolds, seaman

Stephen Riddle, seaman

John Frampton, seaman

William Haggerton, seaman

Samuel Highmore, seaman

Gustavus Merricoat, seaman

James Seaton, seaman

Gabriel Pilkington, seaman

William Lawson, seaman

John Jacocks, seaman

John Paxton, seaman

Robert Savory, seaman

Colin Douglass, seaman

James Gifford, seaman

Alexander Reynolds, seaman

Thomas Kitchen, seaman

James Johnson, seaman

Theophilus Smith, seaman

Thomas Lane, seaman

Philip Marshall, seaman

John Whitewell, seaman

William Bell, seaman

Thomas Smith, seaman

Anthony St Jago, seaman

Anthony Olivero, seaman

Nathaniel Gunn, seaman

Gawen Calder, captain's servant

Francis Stanly, cook

Moses, seaman

William Aune, seaman

James Livesay, seaman

Chris Christopherson, seaman

John Creagh, seaman

John Reynolds, seaman

John Wood, seaman

Thomas Rathe, seaman

John Teal, seaman

Benjamin Parry, seaman

John Close, seaman

Robert Reeves, seaman

John Jervis, seaman

Squire Bowton, seaman

William Beavors, seaman

Edward Morre, surgeon's servant

James Hammond, captain's servant

Thomas Wake, seaman

Edward Priestwood, seaman

John Slow, seaman

Benjamin Wood, seaman

George Cornelius, seaman

John Patterson, seaman

William Steevens, seaman

James Robinson, seaman

James Hudson, seaman

Alexander Gregory, seaman

David Whaley, seaman

Andrew Smith, seaman

Taylor Richard Hughes, cook

James Gardiner, seaman

Samuel Taylor, seaman

Henry Waddle, seaman

John Merrison, seaman

William Poore, seaman

William Pyle, seaman

Charles Jones, seaman

Several men at the foot were entered together as belonging to the Montague: Henry Mellass, Caswell Freeman, John Bently, gunner's mate, John Stells, second mate's steward, Thomas Donolly, second mate's servant, Job Anderson, captain's servant, Hampson, Aneas, Moody, and Caesar. John Eben, surgeon, closed the roll.

The muster roll of the Winchelsea followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Winchelsea:

Christopher Karr, commander

Henry Broadley, first mate

Charles Cadrick, second mate

Christopher Tyndall, third mate

Thomas Gosling, fourth mate

Howitt, fourth mate

William McBain, surgeon

26

19

Alexand.r Hogg Purser

Michael Harder Cap.t

David Blare Gunner

John Robinson Kink.d.o

Tho.s Kaffe Caulker

W.m Ross Ships Sted.d

W.m Loyd Cap.t D.o

Tho.s Lewis Midshipman

John Follett D.o

Charles Smith D.o

Mich.l Nug.t Boatsw.n

Jn.o Paterson Ditto D.o

Henry Gibb D.o

Geo.o Brigs Sailmak.r

James Anderson Cap.t

Jacob Phillips Cap.t Stee.d

Tho.s Scott D.o D.o

Valentine Cap.t Cook

Augustine D.o Mate

Jn.o Wildman Shipslock

Jn.o Thompson Cauik.r

John Glover Sailmaker

W.r Robins Cauik.r Ma.te

Jn.o Wrath Boatsw.n D.o

Charles Baker

Jn.o Sullan Chieff Midshi.n

Tho.s Smell 2.d D.o D.o

Rob.t Smith Sur.eand.o

W.m Lawson Jun.r 1.st

Tho.s Jenkins Cap.t D.o

Alexand.r Douglass Boat.n

Jn.o Stevens Seaman

John Newton D.o

Radolph Karon D.o

W.m Phillips D.o

John Grangier D.o

John Deagin D.o

Adam Lonsdale D.o

Godfrey Fern D.o

John Duffin D.o

Archibald Browne D.o

John Shanks D.o

James Bayne D.o

James Quickheart D.o

Andrew Long D.o

Francisco de Sylva D.o

Samuel Walters D.o

John Donnaldson D.o

Frederick Oakeman D.o

Henry Chulmley D.o

Thomas Rotterton D.o

William Appleton D.o

Christian Bolove D.o

John Vanderbogg D.o

William Scott D.o

George Elack Cap.t Stew.d

John Campbell Seaman

Thomas Humphreys D.o

Robert Hood D.o

Nicholas Dowit D.o

John Sorgleis D.o

John Kruijzen D.o

Francis Henrick Seam.n

Jacob Antonio D.o

John Herri D.o

Gulielmo Montero D.o

Baltazar Derico D.o

Manuel Antonio D.o

Enos D.o

Emanuel D.o

Paulo Mace D.o

Samuel Froth D.o

Edward Patrick D.o

Samuel Elkins D.o

Henry Norwood D.o

James Cunningham D.o

James Vasy D.o

Thomas Gammon D.o

George Risby D.o

James Hufsey D.o

William Shaw D.o

Thomas Smart D.o

Mathew Thomas D.o

John Shaves D.o

John Coleson D.o

William Allen D.o

John Jacobs D.o

Thomas Parker D.o

John Pearce D.o

George Moore D.o

Michael Soap D.o

Roger Campbell D.o

William Cooper D.o

The muster roll of the Winchelsea continued.

Richard Hoya, purser

Michael Harder, captain's [servant]

David Blare, gunner

John Robinson, boatswain

Thomas Kaffe, caulker

William Ross, ship's steward

William Loyd, captain's servant

Thomas Lewis, midshipman

John Follett, midshipman

Charles Smith, midshipman

Michael Nugent, boatswain's mate

John Paterson, midshipman

Henry Gibb, midshipman

George Brigis, sailmaker

James Anderson, cook

Jacob Phillips, captain's steward

Thomas Scott, second mate's servant

Valentine, captain's cook

Augustine, cook's mate

John Waldman, surgeon's servant

John Thompson, quartermaster

John Glover, carpenter

William Robins, smith's mate

John Straith, boatswain's servant

Charles Baker

John Sullan, chief mate's servant

Thomas Smult, second mate's servant

Robert Smith, surgeon's second

William Lawson, gunner's servant

Thomas Jenkins, captain's servant

Alexander Douglass, seaman

John Stevens, seaman

John Newton, seaman

Randolph Karr, seaman

William Phillips, seaman

John Granger, seaman

John Beagin, seaman

Adam Lumsdale, seaman

Godfrey Fern, seaman

John Duffin, seaman

Archibald Browne, seaman

John Shanks, seaman

James Bayne, seaman

James Wiveheart, seaman

Andrew Long, seaman

Francisco de Sylva, seaman

Samuel Waters, seaman

John Donnaldson, seaman

Frederick Oakeman, seaman

Henry Mulbrey, seaman

Thomas Botterton, seaman

William Appleton, seaman

Christian Kolove, seaman

John Vanderbegg, seaman

William Scott, seaman

George Black, captain's servant

John Campbell, seaman

Thomas Humphreys, seaman

Robert Hood, seaman

Nicholas Dewit, seaman

John Sorgleis, seaman

John Kruijen, seaman

Francis Henrick, seaman

Jacob Antonio, seaman

John Horn, seaman

Gulielmo Montero, seaman

Baltazar Derico, seaman

Manuel Antonio, seaman

Enos, seaman

Emanuel, seaman

Paulo Mace, seaman

Samuel Freth, seaman

Edward Patrick, seaman

Samuel Elkins, seaman

Henry Norwood, seaman

James Cunningham, seaman

James Vasy, seaman

Thomas Gammon, seaman

George Kirby, seaman

James Ausbey, seaman

William Shaw, seaman

Thomas Smret, seaman

Mathew Thomas, seaman

John Shaver, seaman

John Welsen, seaman

William Allen, seaman

John Jacobs, seaman

Thomas Parker, seaman

John Pearce, seaman

George Moore, seaman

Michael Skap, seaman

Roger Campbell, seaman

William Cooper, seaman

27

20

Muster Roll of the Ship Duke of Dorsett viz.t

Cap.t.n Tho.s Fogenall Comm.r

Rob.t Macray 1.st Mate

Peter Burrett 2.d D.o

Robert Millon 3.d D.o

Benjamin Godfrey 4.d D.o

Robert Ferguson Doctor

Antony Freesourn Boatsw.n

Richard Simpson Gunner

James Denney Carpenter

John Kingston Ships Stew.d

Jn.o Cunningham Cap.t D.o

Daniel Curst

Benjamin Bidwell Caulker

Daniel Reed Cooper

John Wefsin Carpent.r D.o Mate

W.m Green Gunn.r D.o Mate

Rob.t Mead Caulkers Mate

Tho.s Watson Coop.r.s Mate

John Prince Cap.t.n Cook

Daniel Flanden Ships Cook

Daniel Slaughter Armour.r

Hen.y Martin Carpt.r 2.d D.o Mate

John Harvey D.o D.o Mate

Rob.t Perrin Barber

Stephen Darvill Midshipman

Samuel Corrie D.o

William Kean D.o

John Parri D.o

William Newland D.o

John Sainton Lieu.t D.o

David Brown D.o

John Peters D.o

Nicholas Sweetman D.o

Hon.t Jones Cap.t.n Serj.t

Jonath.n Workman D.o

Rob.t Lockerby 1.st Mate

Joseph Gardner 2.d Mate

Tho.s Lock Gunn.r.s D.o

John Hannon Boatsw.n D.o

Tho.s Rain Carp.t.r D.o

Tho.s Reece D.o

W.m Steward Poultere.r

W.m Younk Seaman

James Clark D.o

W.m Fogell D.o

James Vanderbrook D.o

Joseph Scott D.o

James Clew D.o

Jacob Jacoby D.o

Jos.h Aldridge D.o

W.m Mackland D.o

John Riyley D.o

David Heller D.o

Michael Steele D.o

George Miller D.o

Simon Feels D.o

Robert Gray D.o

John Pollock D.o

Patrick Mayley D.o

Tho.s Ayriot D.o

Jn.o Mathews Ju.n.r D.o

Elisha Kawley D.o

Christopher Hill D.o

Albert Mearris D.o

Jn.o Thomas Bacon D.o

Francis Mallard D.o

Tho.s Parry D.o

John Wortland D.o

John Greathead D.o

Michael Brooks D.o

Robert Bromwell D.o

John Sperrin D.o

Garrett Rosenbrugh D.o

W.m Whittle D.o

Jeremiah Stagsbey D.o

Paul Davis D.o

Jn.o Mathews Senior D.o

Menzoc Black

W.m Nelson

Matheus Duvratt

Emanuel Delomari

Michael Ferloice D.o

Jos.h Devoux D.o

Antony Kocoroc D.o

Augustine Ladeguoc D.o

Duvgeagoe

Jacobus

The muster roll of the Duke of Dorset followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Duke of Dorset:

Captain Thomas Frognall, commander

Robert Macray, first mate

Peter Burrell, second mate

Robert Milton, third mate

Benjamin Godfrey, fourth mate

Robert Ferguson, doctor

Antony Freeslaven, boatswain

Richard Simpson, gunner

James Denney, carpenter

John Kingston, ship's steward

John Cunningham, captain's servant

Daniel Court

Benjamin Burdett, caulker

Daniel Reed, cooper

John Welsen, carpenter's mate

William Green, gunner's mate

Robert Mead, caulker's mate

Thomas Watson, chief mate's servant

John Prince, captain's cook

Daniel Flanders, ship's cook

Daniel Slaughter, armourer

Henry Martin, captain's second mate

John Harvey, doctor's mate

Robert Perrin, barber

Stephen Darvill, midshipman

Samuel Corrie, midshipman

William Kean, midshipman

John Pain, midshipman

William Newland, midshipman

John Swinton, seaman

David Brown, seaman

John Peters, seaman

Nicholas Sweetman, seaman

Aeneas Jones, captain's servant

Jonathan Parkinson, seaman

Robert Lockerby, first mate's servant

Joseph Gardiner, second mate's servant

Thomas Cook, gunner's servant

John Bannen, boatswain's servant

Thomas Prin, carpenter's servant

Thomas Price, seaman

William Steward, poulterer

William Younk, seaman

James Clark, seaman

William Pogell, seaman

James Vanderbrook, seaman

Joseph Scott, seaman

James Clew, seaman

Jacob Jacobs, seaman

Doctor Aldridge, seaman

William Mackland, seaman

John Ryley, seaman

David Fuller, seaman

Michael Field, seaman

George Miller, seaman

Simon Field, seaman

Robert Gray, seaman

John Pollock, seaman

Ludman Patrick Mayley, seaman

Thomas Ayrist, seaman

John Mathews, boatswain's servant

Elisha Hawley, seaman

Christopher Hill, seaman

Albert Mearnis, seaman

Thomas Bacon, seaman

Francis Ballard, seaman

Thomas Parry, seaman

John Wordland, seaman

John Broadhead, seaman

Michael Brooks, seaman

Robert Bromwell, seaman

John Sperrin, seaman

Garrett Aspenbryd, seaman

William Whittle, seaman

Jeremiah Sturgesby, seaman

Paul Davies, seaman

John Mathews junior, seaman

Menjoe Black, seaman

William Nelson, sailmaker

Mathew Durrall, purser

Emanuel Delomare, seaman

Michael Deloice, seaman

Joseph Deroud, seaman

Antony Roccaroe, seaman

Augustine Ladaguae, seaman

Deusgeagoe, seaman

Jacobus, seaman

28

21

Malanmare Seam.n

Dorset Godfrey D.o

- - - -

Christopher Kelach Seaman

Henry Ellows D.o

Henry Davis D.o

Antony Duvrieskir

Th.s Deaspree D.o

- - - -

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 4.th June

1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Captain Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Godwin 4.th

of Councill

Matthew Perling 5.th

The Last Consultation was read & Approved.

The Gov.r reports that he had Sent M.r Frank

to Examine the Goat range, Where the Young Ebony Grows

And that M.r Frank had been to Veiw it & found some Goats

there & that they had barked Some of the Young Trees

Which had in a Great Measure Killed them.

Upon which it was Ordered that a Corporal &

two Men be Sent to Shoot all the Goats they found there.

M.r John Goodwin 4.th of Councill reports that

he hath been on board the Ships, Prince William, to Muster

Her Company, but found no Deserters, The Muster Roll is

as follows viz.t

Muster

The muster roll of the Duke of Dorset closed with the last names.

Malawmare, seaman

Dorset Godfrey, seaman

Christopher Black, seaman

Henry Ellois, seaman

Henry Davis, seaman

Antony Durnier, seaman

Thomas Sassfree, seaman

The muster rolls were signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

A consultation was held on Tuesday, 4 June 1745, at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that he had sent Mr Franks to examine the goat range where the young ebony grew. Franks had gone to view it, found some goats there and reported that they had barked some of the young trees, which had in great measure killed them. The council therefore ordered that a corporal and two men be sent to shoot all the goats they found there.

John Goodwin, fourth of council, reported that he had been aboard the ship Prince William to muster her company and had found no deserters. The muster roll followed.

Interpretations

The order to send a corporal and two men to shoot every goat on the ebony range marks the point at which the council's long effort to save the wood turned from persuasion to destruction. Since September 1744 the council had tried to move the goats off the Peak Gut range by agreement, asking the holders either to accept a payment or to keep their animals off for a few years, and on 12 March 1745 it had proposed that the holders themselves kill the goats and restock later if the ebony failed. Franks's report that the goats had barked and killed the young trees settled the matter, and the council now sent armed men to clear the range outright.

The barking of the young trees names the exact mechanism of the harm. Goats strip the bark from saplings to eat it, girdling the stem and killing the tree, so that a browsing herd on a regenerating stand of ebony destroyed the next generation of wood rather than merely grazing it back. Ebony was a slow-growing and valuable timber the island could not readily replace, and the choice the council faced was starkly between the planters' goats and the survival of the wood, a conflict between grazing and forest that ran through the whole management of the island's ranges.

29

22

Muster Roll of the Ship Prince William, viz.t

William Webber Comm.r

Richard Word 1.st Mate

Salisbury Standy 2.d D.o

Sam.l Lewis Taylor 3.d D.o

Isaac Steevens 4.th D.o

W.m Johnson 5.th D.o

Henry Drought Purser

W.m Wyatt Surgeon.

Jos.h Tarbottom Gunn.r

Isaac Munday Boatsw.n

John Stokes Caulker

Jonathan Godard Coop.r.s Mate

Henry Semmonds Sh.p.s Bo.o.t

Francis Dunkley Cap.t.n St

Jn.o Hutchendon Midshipm.n

Thomas Beorton D.o

Sussex Dore D.o

Thomas Cottell D.o

Charles Saunders D.o

William Sayer Cooper

Jn.o Bing Boatsw.n Mate

William Faukland 1.st Mate

W.m Morgan Cap.t.n Cook

Ja.s Gillett Caulkers Mate

Henry Eggleston Bo.tsw.n Mate

Alexand.r Muney Carpent.r Mate

George Fowden Sailm.r

Tho.s Petts Poulterer

Jn.o Boyd Gunn.r.s Mate

Charles Clark Cooks Mate

Moses Richards Armour.r Mate

Edward Mallone Cap.t.n Taylor

Jos.h Stevens Seaman.

Thomas Grosekam W.m Fool

Thomas Gurgion D.o

Sam Jones D.o

Robert Eanks D.o

John Tyrrell D.o

W.m Granger D.o

Francis Macey D.o

Daniel Uder D.o

Stephen Rose D.o

Jn.o Wakeham D.o

George Williams D.o

George Simens D.o

William Cook D.o

William Daniel D.o

Richard Maltby D.o

Andrew Kennedy D.o

William Sutton D.o

William Davies D.o

John Clark D.o

Robert Crozier D.o

William Kellsey D.o

Daniel Arnold D.o

John Phillips D.o

Simon Bandratt D.o

Richard Fridleyd Bagewel D.o

John Moore D.o

Stephon Barbett D.o

Peter Cornelius D.o

Richard Clark D.o

W.m Bonneett D.o

Yohn Bumpel

W.m Price D.o

Tho.s Grenviele

Adam Dav.d [X]

Alex Robinson D.o

Dan Ellison D.o

Philip D.o

Dav.d Kozarid D.o

Anger.o Kozarid D.o

Philip De Kozarid D.o

Tomig Da Cruz D.o

Antonio De Coninto D.o

Christ.f D. Monte D.o

Antonio D Kozarid D.o

Tetifiel D Kozarid D.o

Manuel Povea D.o

Sam. D.o

Ventura Alvez D.o

Dyfo Mechardo D.o

Philip Manuel D.o

Francisco Kozarid D.o

Tho.s Hammer D.o

Jos.o D Viraia D.o

Tho.s Hearst D.o

Pedro Monte D.o

Duke Kozarid D.o

Richard Kozarid D.o

Silvestro Doniz D.o

Rich.o Kozarid D.o

Antonio Diaz D.o

Matthias D Kozarid D.o

Custor D Alveis D.o

Manuel Cooks Ma.te

Jn.o Reys Seaman

Pedro Chief Cook D.o

Jn.o Lovely 5.th Sea

The muster roll of the Prince William followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Prince William:

William Webber, commander

Richard Wood, first mate

Salisbury Blandy, second mate

Samuel Lewis, third mate

Isaac Steevens, fourth mate

William Johnson, fifth mate

Henry Dronght, purser

William Wyatt, surgeon

Joseph Tarbottom, gunner

Isaac Monday, coxswain

John Stokes, caulker

Jonathan Gerrard, sailmaker

Henry Simmonds, ship's steward

Francis Dunkley, captain's servant

John Hodgkinson, midshipman

Thomas Riverton, seaman

Sussex Dare, seaman

Thomas Follett, seaman

Charles Saunders, seaman

William Sayer, cooper

John Grig, purser's mate

William Faulkland, first mate's [servant]

William Morgan, captain's servant

John Gillett, caulker's mate

Henry Eggleston, boatswain's mate

Alexander Murray, captain's servant

George Frowden, sailmaker's [servant]

Thomas Petts, poulterer

John Boyd, gunner's mate

Charles Clark, cook's mate

Moses Richards, armourer's mate

Edward Mollone, captain's servant

John Steevens, seaman

Thomas Grosven, seaman

Thomas Gurgin, seaman

Samuel Jones, seaman

Robert Franks, seaman

John Terrell, seaman

William Granger, seaman

Francis Maary, seaman

Daniel Uder, seaman

Stephen Rowe, seaman

John Wakeham, seaman

George Williams, seaman

George Simons, seaman

William Cook, seaman

William Daniel, seaman

Richard Maltby, seaman

Andrew Kennedy, seaman

William Sutton, seaman

William Davis, seaman

John Clark, seaman

Robert Crozer, seaman

William Kellsey, seaman

Daniel Arnold, seaman

John Phillips, seaman

Simon Sandrat, seaman

Richard Bridgeley, seaman

John Moore, seaman

Stephen Barbutt, seaman

Peter Cornelius, seaman

Richard Clark, seaman

William Bennett, seaman

John Bannett, seaman

William Pul, seaman

Daniel Davis, seaman

Alexander Robinson, seaman

David Ellison, seaman

Philip, seaman

David de Rozair, seaman

Philip de Rozair, seaman

Ignatio de Cruz, seaman

Antonio de Rozair, seaman

Christopher de Monteiro, seaman

Antonio de Rozair, seaman

Petesteer de Rozair, seaman

Manuel Povea, seaman

Sam, seaman

Ventura Aloens, seaman

Passo Alucardo, seaman

Philip Manuel, seaman

Francisco de Rozair, seaman

Thomas Gammer, seaman

Joseph Manuel, seaman

Thomas Harris, seaman

Antonio de Monteiro, seaman

Duke de Rozair, seaman

Silvester de Cruz, seaman

Nicholas de Rozair, seaman

Manuel Cook's mate

John Reyes, seaman

Pedro, chief mate's servant

John Lovely, gunner's servant

30

23

On the 24.th May Arrived a Dutch Ship, called the Dorobeek,

Cap.t.n Peter Hellenaen from China in Very great Distress & thesame

Day Sailed the two Swede Ships & the Dane for Europe.

On the 2.d Inst.n Arrived one of the French Prizes now belong

to the Dutch, called the Hercules by the French, by the Dutch tho

D.o Favallight, Cap.t.n Cornelius Berry, 122 Feet Keel, 28 Guns,

& 100 Men Laden with Tea & Chinaware from Battavia. And the

Beaufort, Cap.t.n Thomas Steevs, from Madras, Arrived the

Day following.

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 11.th June 1745

at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t.n Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Councill

Matthew Perling 5.th

The Last Consultation was read & Approved.

On the 9.th Inst.t Arrived the Dorrington, Captain Crabb

from Madras. And the Day following Arrived two Swede Ships

from China, called Gothenburg, Cap.t.n Erick Steven, Burthen 630

Tons, 30 Guns & 110 Men, & Riddarhuse Cap.t.n Benjamin Steverson

Burthen 763 tons, 30 Guns, & 110 Men, both Laden with Tea, and

Chinawares.

On 29 May arrived a Dutch ship called the Doorenbeck, Captain Peter Stallman, from China in very great distress, and the same day sailed the two Swedish ships and the Dane for Europe.

On 2 June arrived one of the French prizes now belonging to the Dutch, called the Hercules by the French and by the Dutch the De Traevallighuyt, Captain Cornelius Broyz, of 122 hogsheads, 28 guns and 100 men, laden with tea and chinaware from Batavia. The Beaufort, Captain Thomas Stevens, arrived from Madras the day following.

The consultation was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

A consultation was held on Tuesday, 11 June 1745, at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

On 9 June arrived the Darrington, Captain Crabb, from Madras. The day following arrived two Swedish ships from China, the Gothenburg, Captain Erick Mareen, of 680 tons, 30 guns and 116 men, and the Riddarhuset, Captain Benjamin Severson, of 768 tons, 30 guns and 110 men, both laden with tea and chinaware.

Interpretations

The stream of foreign East India ships through late May and early June marks the extraordinary press of shipping at St Helena that season, a crowded road of Swedish, Danish, Dutch and French-built hulls all homeward from Canton or Batavia and calling at the same mid-Atlantic watering place as the English fleet. The island served every nation's China trade as a common refreshment point, and the record simply noted each arrival and departure without distinction of flag.

The Hercules names a direct trace of the wider war. She was a French ship taken as a prize and now sailing under the Dutch, carried on the island's books under both her French and Dutch names, a reminder that the powers whose merchantmen shared the road were in several cases at war with one another beyond it. That she came laden with tea and chinaware from Batavia shows the captured hull put straight back into the Asian trade under her new owners, the commerce continuing over the top of the conflict that had changed her colours.

31

24

We this day Sent the following Letter to the China

Supracargoes, viz.t

Gentlemen,

As the Supplys from China are far Short of

What will be Necessary for the Use of this Island for the

present Year, We desire in the Name & Behalf of the Hon.ble

Company that You will Sett us have 6 hundred weight of

Ordinary Bohea Tea, 70 lb of Fine Hyson, & 28 lb of Souchan

Tea, & a Sortment of Punch Bowls & Common Gilt Tea

Cups & Saucers, & if You can Spare any Sugar or Candy

For all which We will give You Such Vouchers or Receipts

as You Judge proper. We are &c.d

We also then sent the s.d to the Mocho Supracargoes, viz.t

Gentlemen,

We desire in the Name & Behalf of the Hon.ble

Company, You will Let us have One hundred pound Weight

of Coffee, for which we will give You Such Vouchers or

Receipts, as You Shall Judge Proper. We are &c.d

The Governour Aquainted us that Captain

Baron had Asked him for a Permitt for the Goods following

viz.t

6 bags Rice

4 D.o Paddy

for M.r James Powell.

1 D.o Sugar

8 D.o Rice

for M.r Sam.l Dawton.

6 D.o Paddy

2 D.o Rice

for M.r Gabriel Harper.

2. D.o Paddy

½ Leager Arrack for M.r Joseph Powell.

to be landed for the Use of the Planters Whose names

are annexed thereto and desired our Opinions Whether

Such things were Allowed by the Hon.ble Company.

W.S.

The council sent the following letter to the China supercargoes.

The council explained that the supplies from China fell far short of what the island would need for the present year. In the name and on behalf of the Company, it asked the supercargoes to let the island have 600 lb weight of ordinary bohea tea, 70 lb of fine hyson and 28 lb of souchong tea, together with an assortment of punch bowls and common gilt tea cups and saucers, and any sugar or candy they could spare. For all of this the council would give such vouchers or receipts as they judged proper.

The council then sent the like letter to the Mocha supercargoes, asking, in the name and on behalf of the Company, that they let the island have 100 lb weight of coffee, for which it would likewise give such vouchers or receipts as they judged proper.

The Governor reported that Captain Baron had asked him for a permit for the following goods.

6 bags of rice, 4 bags of paddy and 1 bag of sugar, for Mr James Powell

8 bags of rice and 6 bags of paddy, for Mr Samuel Doveton

2 bags of rice and 2 bags of paddy, for Mr Gabriel Harper

half a leaguer of arrack, for Mr Joseph Pomelto

These were to be landed for the use of the planters whose names were attached, and the Governor asked the council's opinion whether such things were allowed by the Company.

Interpretations

The two letters to the China and Mocha supercargoes show the council buying provisions directly from the passing homeward ships to make up a shortfall in the island's own supply. The supplies sent out from India that year had fallen short of the island's needs, and with a crowded road of Indiamen carrying tea, sugar and coffee for the London market, the council turned to those cargoes to stock its stores, offering vouchers on the Company rather than cash. The named grades, bohea for everyday drinking, the finer green hyson and the black souchong, were the standard teas of the China trade, drawn here in quantity for the establishment's own consumption.

The permit Captain Baron sought for rice, paddy, sugar and arrack consigned to four named planters exposes a channel of private trade the council was bound to watch. The revived customs order of 26 April 1745 required every parcel landed to be entered and its duty paid, with a permit signed by the Governor showing to whom the goods belonged and where they were to lie. Baron's request was exactly that permit, and the Governor's referring it to the council for its opinion whether such landings were allowed shows the tension between the ships' officers' private ventures and the Company's rules on what might be brought ashore.

That the goods were consigned to planters by name, rather than to the Company's stores, marks the difference between the establishment's own buying and the private dealing the customs order was meant to control. The same planters who withheld their yams from the garrison were here receiving rice and paddy from a Company ship's officer, and the council had to judge whether the trade fell within the Company's permission or cut against its interest, the permit system being the instrument by which it kept sight of what passed between the shipping and the shore.

32

25

told him it had Always been Customary to Suffer Such things

to be Landed as were only for their family's Use, Therefore Wer

Agreed they Should be Landed Accordingly paying the Duty.

We rec.d the following Supplys by the Beaufort, from Bengalt

viz.t Invoice of Goods p the Beaufort, viz.t

A

Batavia Arrack

N.o 5 & 8 4 half Leagers q.ty 320 Gall.ns @ 170 [P] Leager 340. "

Batta 8 [P] Cent 27. 3. 3

367 3 3

S

Sugar

1 & 10 10 bags s.d M.r 10 bus W.t 14. 2. 9 [P] 12½ [P] bag 125. -. -

Batta 11 [P] Cent 12. 8. "

137 8

W C

Wax Candles

1 & 2 2 Chests s.d M.d 4 factory W.t: 42 [P] M.d

168 " "

R

Fine Rice

1 & 43 43 bags s.d M.r 86 bus W.t 63. -. 8 [P] 25 [P] M. 137 9 6

Charges Merchandizes

Batta 8 [P] Cent 11. -. -

148 9 6

53 bags & Sewing

8. 14 6

521 4 9

4 Empty half Leagers

26 6 6

2 Chests & Embaling

4 8 "

Cooly hire & Weighmen

2. 15 6

Boathire

12 "

Dyet for Soldiers

1. 15. "

56 11 6

Signed Errors Excepted

P John Jackson

Rupees: 573.0.3

We also rec.d the following Supplys from Bengall viz.t

Invoice of Goods p Ship Durrington, viz.t

Batavia Arrack.

N.o 1 & 4 4 half Leagers q.ty 320 Gall.ns @ 120 [.]as [P] Leager 340

S

Sugar

1 & 10 10 bags s.d 20 M.r bags 14. 2 19 [P] 12½ [P] bag 125.

Batta 8 [P] Cent 27. 3 3

367 3 3

W G

Wax Candles

1 & 2 2 Chests s.d factory D.o M.r 4

Batta 11 [P] Cent 12. 8.

137 8

R

Fine Rice

1 & 43 43 bags s.d 86 D.o bus D.o bs 63. -. 8. 25 [P] M. 137 9 6

Charges Merchandize

Batta 8 [P] Cent 11. -. -

148 9 6

53 bags & Sewing

8. 14. 6

521 4 9

4 Empty half Leagures

26 6 6

2 Chests & Packing

4 8. "

Cooly hire & Weighmen

2. 15 6

Boathire

12 "

Dyet for Soldiers

1. 15. "

56 11 6

Signed Errors Excepted

P John Jackson

Rupees: 878. " 3

The Husb.d Gunn.r & Stew.d thus day brot in their Sev.l Acc.ts for the Month of May

last, Which were Examined & Approved and are as follows viz.t

Account

The council told the Governor that it had always been customary to allow such things to be landed as were only for the planters' family use. It therefore agreed that they should be landed accordingly, paying the duty.

The council received the following supply by the Beaufort from Bengal, the invoice reckoned in madras rupees.

Invoice of goods per the Beaufort:

Batavia arrack (marked A, number 5 to 8):

4 half leaguers of 320 gallons at 170 pies the leaguer, 340 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 27 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

subtotal, 367 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Sugar (marked S, number 1 to 10):

10 bags of 10 bushels each, weighing 14 hundredweight 2 quarters 9 lb, at 12.5 rupees the bag, 125 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 12 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 137 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Wax candles (marked WC, number 1 and 2):

2 chests of factory weight at 42 rupees the hundredweight, 168 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice (marked R, number 1 to 43):

43 bags of 86 bushels, weighing 63 hundredweight, at 2 rupees 5 [annas] the hundredweight, 137 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 11 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 148 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Charges on merchandise:

53 bags for stowing, 8 rupees 14 annas 6 pies

4 empty half leaguers, 26 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

2 chests for embaling, 4 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

coolie hire and weighmen, 2 rupees 15 annas 6 pies

boat hire, 12 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

diet for the soldiers, 1 rupee 15 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 56 rupees 11 annas 6 pies

Total, 878 rupees 0 annas 3 pies

The invoice was signed by John Jackson, with errors excepted.

The council received the following supply from Bengal by the Darrington, the invoice reckoned in madras rupees.

Invoice of goods per the ship Darrington:

Batavia arrack (marked A, number 1 to 4):

4 half leaguers of 320 gallons at 120 pies the leaguer, 340 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 27 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

subtotal, 367 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Sugar (marked S, number 1 to 10):

10 bags of 20 bushels, weighing 14 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb, at 12.5 rupees the bag, 125 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 12 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 137 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Wax candles (marked WC, number 1 and 2):

2 chests of factory weight, number 4, at 42 rupees the hundredweight, 168 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice (marked R, number 1 to 43):

43 bags of 86 bushels, weighing 63 hundredweight, at 2 rupees 5 [annas] the hundredweight, 137 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 11 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 148 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Charges on merchandise:

53 bags for stowing, 8 rupees 14 annas 6 pies

4 empty half leaguers, 26 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

2 chests for packing, 4 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

coolie hire and weighmen, 2 rupees 15 annas 6 pies

boat hire, 12 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

diet for the soldiers, 1 rupee 15 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 56 rupees 11 annas 6 pies

Total, 878 rupees 0 annas 3 pies

The invoice was signed by John Jackson, with errors excepted.

The husband, gunner and steward brought in their accounts for the month of May, which were examined and approved.

Interpretations

The council's decision on Captain Baron's permit rested on a settled distinction between goods for a household's own use and goods brought in to trade. Landings for a planter's family were allowed on payment of the duty, and it was on this footing that the rice, paddy, sugar and arrack consigned to Powell, Doveton, Harper and Pomelto were let ashore. The rule kept the private supply of the island's leading families within the customs system while leaving the door shut on landing goods for resale, the same line the revived duty of 26 April 1745 was meant to police.

The two invoices from the Beaufort and the Darrington were near identical Bengal supplies of arrack, sugar, wax candles and fine rice, each closing at exactly 878 rupees, and both signed by the same John Jackson. This points to a paired consignment made up together at the Bengal factory and shipped in two bottoms, the Company spreading a single supply across two hulls, a common precaution against the loss of any one ship on the long and hazardous passage.

The charge headed diet for the soldiers on both invoices is a small but telling item, the cost of feeding the Company's own men who worked the cargo at the Bengal end. Alongside the coolie hire, the weighmen and the boat hire, it shows that the price of a supply reaching St Helena carried within it the whole labour of lading it half a world away, the invoice recording not just the goods but every hand that had touched them between factory and ship.

33

26

Account of the Honourable Company's Stock of Neat Cattle &c.d for the Month of May 1745, viz.t

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cows, Heiffers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total

Sheep: Ewes, Wethers, Lambs, Rams, Total

Goats: Ewes, Wethers, Kidds, Rams, Total

Hoggs: Sows, Barrows, Hoggs, Pigs, Boars, Total

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Total

Rem.g: Bullocks 23, Cows 105, Heiffers 11, Steers 20, Yearlings 34, Calves 165, Bulls 4, Total 362, Ewes 84, Wethers 6, Lambs 115, Rams 3, Total 208, Ewes 132, Wethers 20, Kidds 207, Rams 1, Total 360, Sows 19, Barrows 0, Hoggs 26, Pigs 76, Boars 1, Total 122, Turkeys 94, Fowles 67, Chickens 37, Ducks 18, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 11, Total 18

Encreased: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 6, Bulls 0, Total 6, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 6, Rams 0, Total 6, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 1, Mares 0, Total 1

Bullocks 23, Cows 105, Heiffers 11, Steers 20, Yearlings 34, Calves 171, Bulls 4, Total 368, Ewes 84, Wethers 6, Lambs 121, Rams 3, Total 214, Ewes 132, Wethers 20, Kidds 207, Rams 1, Total 360, Sows 19, Barrows 0, Hoggs 26, Pigs 76, Boars 1, Total 122, Turkeys 94, Fowles 67, Chickens 37, Ducks 18, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 12, Total 19

Killed: Bullocks 10, Cows 6, Heiffers 6, Steers 20, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 42, Ewes 0, Wethers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 1, Ewes 21, Wethers 10, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 31, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 12, Fowles 29, Chickens 7, Ducks 8, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Stole: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 1, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Killed by the Wild Catts: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 1, Fowles 0, Chickens 15, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Died: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 4, Fowles 4, Chickens 6, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Killed by y.e Dogs: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 1, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 1, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Chickens 1, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Bullocks 13, Cows 99, Heiffers 5, Steers 0, Yearlings 34, Calves 171, Bulls 4, Total 326, Ewes 84, Wethers 4, Lambs 121, Rams 3, Total 212, Ewes 111, Wethers 10, Kidds 207, Rams 1, Total 329, Sows 18, Barrows 0, Hoggs 26, Pigs 76, Boars 1, Total 121, Turkeys 77, Fowles 34, Chickens 345, Ducks 10, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 12, Total 19

Beef to the Hon.ble Companies Ship the Lapwing: 568

D.o to the Ship Cæsar: 435

D.o to the S.t George: 859

D.o to the King William: 340

D.o to the Winchester: 840

D.o to the Trafford: 842

D.o to the Dorcet: 340

D.o to the York: 344

to Ships Winchester: 840

to the Prince Will.m: 840

to the Mountague: 844

to y.e [...]: 4

to the Castle: 492

Yams Expended: 25000.lb

D.o Sold to the Officers: 400.lb

D.o to the Soldiers: 3325.lb

The stock account for May 1745 recorded the Company's neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses under those six heads, each broken into its classes with a running total.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle etc for the month of May 1745:

Neat cattle:

Remaining: 23 bullocks, 105 cows, 11 heifers, 20 steers, 34 yearlings, 165 calves, 4 bulls, 362 in all

Increased: 6 calves, 6 in all

Total: 23 bullocks, 105 cows, 11 heifers, 20 steers, 34 yearlings, 171 calves, 4 bulls, 368 in all

Killed: 10 bullocks, 6 cows, 6 heifers, 20 calves, 42 in all

Stole: 0

Remaining: 13 bullocks, 99 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 34 yearlings, 171 calves, 4 bulls, 326 in all

Sheep:

Remaining: 84 ewes, 6 wethers, 115 lambs, 3 rams, 208 in all

Increased: 6 lambs, 6 in all

Total: 84 ewes, 6 wethers, 121 lambs, 3 rams, 214 in all

Killed: 1 wether, 1 in all

Stole: 1 lamb, 1 in all

Remaining: 84 ewes, 4 wethers, 121 lambs, 3 rams, 212 in all

Goats:

Remaining: 132 does, 20 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 360 in all

Increased: 6 kids, 6 in all

Total: 132 does, 20 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 360 in all

Killed: 21 does, 10 wethers, 31 in all

Remaining: 111 does, 10 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 329 in all

Hogs:

Remaining: 19 sows, 26 barrows, 76 shoats, 1 boar, 122 in all

Killed by the wild cattle: 1 shoat, 1 in all

Remaining: 18 sows, 26 barrows, 76 shoats, 1 boar, 121 in all

Poultry:

Remaining: 94 turkeys, 67 fowls, 373 chickens, 18 ducks, 13 geese, 565 in all

Killed: 12 turkeys, 29 fowls, 7 chickens, 8 ducks, 56 in all

Killed by the wild cats: 1 chicken, 15 in all

Died: 4 ducks, 4 geese, 6 in all

Remaining: 77 turkeys, 34 fowls, 345 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese, 479 in all

Horses:

Remaining: 7 horses, 11 mares, 18 in all

Increased: 1 mare, 1 in all

Remaining: 7 horses, 12 mares, 19 in all

Beef to the Company's ship the Lapwing, 568 lb

Beef to the ship Caesar, 435 lb

Beef to the St George, 859 lb

Beef to the King William, 346 lb

Beef to the Winchester, 840 lb

Beef to the Stafford, 842 lb

Beef to the Dorset, 840 lb

Beef to the York, 344 lb

Beef to the ship Winchelsea, 840 lb

Beef to the Prince William, 840 lb

Beef to the Montague, 844 lb

Beef to the basket, 192 lb

Yams expended, 25,000 lb

Yams sold to the officers, 400 lb

Yams sold to the soldiers, 3,325 lb

The Lapwing, Caesar, St George, King William, Winchester, Stafford, Dorset, York, Winchelsea, Prince William and Montague each drew beef from the Company's herd in the month, the eleven ships set against those lines.

Interpretations

The month's slaughter tells the whole story of the crowded road. Where April had killed six head to feed two ships, May killed forty-two, including ten bullocks and six cows, to victual the fleet of eleven vessels that lay in the road together at the season's height. The neat herd fell from 362 to 326 in a single month, the sharpest drop in this record, the very outcome the council had warned Captain Kirwan of the Lapwing it could not afford, that giving the ships their full charter-party beef would mean slaughtering the breeders. The killing of six cows and six heifers, breeding animals rather than surplus steers, shows the herd being cut into its future to meet the demand.

The goat herd fell even more steeply in proportion, from 360 to 329, thirty-one head killed in the month against the handful killed in April. This was not victualling but the deliberate destruction the council had ordered on 4 June 1745, when it sent a corporal and two men to shoot every goat on the ebony range after Franks reported the animals had barked and killed the young trees. The slaughter of twenty-one does and ten wethers marks the clearing of the range in the stock account, the loss of the herd set against the saving of the wood.

The yam figures held steady against April at 25,000 lb expended, with sales to the soldiers and officers, confirming the shift the Governor had described on 26 April 1745. With the planters still withholding their yams from the garrison, the Company continued to feed its men from its own plantations rather than the market, the account showing no sign that the planters had relented over the beef-price dispute settled only weeks before.

The new losses to wild cattle and wild cats mark a small but real cost of the island's feral animals. A shoat killed by wild cattle and a chicken taken by wild cats are traces of the untamed stock that ranged the island's uplands, the descendants of animals gone loose over the century, preying on the Company's own husbanded beasts and birds at the edges of the settlement.

34

27

4.th To a Double Allarm: Gunns Fired 11, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 4, 3 lb.rs 4, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 3, Powder Expended 21½

D.o To an Allarm at Turks Cap: Gunns Fired 2, Shott fired 2, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 2, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 6

D.o To the Arrival of the S.t George, King William, & Winchester: Gunns Fired 27, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 27, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 27

22.d To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 2, 3 lb.rs 2, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 2, Powder Expended 13

D.o To the Arrival of the Winchelsea: Gunns Fired 9, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 9, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 9

23.d To a Double Allarm: Gunns Fired 15, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 6, 3 lb.rs 6, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 3, Powder Expended 41½

D.o To bring the York to at Banks's: Gunns Fired 1, Shott fired 1, 9 lb.rs 1, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 7

D.o To the arrival of the Montague, York, Stafford, Duke of Dorset, Prince William & two Swede ships: Gunns Fired 59, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 59, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 59

24.th To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 2, 3 lb.rs 2, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 2, Powder Expended 13

D.o To the arrival of a Dane Ship: Gunns Fired 9, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 9, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 9

28.th To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 2, 3 lb.rs 2, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 2, Powder Expended 13

D.o To bring a Dutch Ship to at Banks's: Gunns Fired 2, Shott fired 2, 9 lb.rs 2, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 14

D.o To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 2, 3 lb.rs 2, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 2, Powder Expended 13

29.th To bring a Dutch Ship to at Banks's: Gunns Fired 1, Shott fired 1, 9 lb.rs 1, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 0, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 7

D.o To the Arrival of D.o: Gunns Fired 11, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 0, 6 lb.rs 0, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 11, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 11

D.o To the Departure of 2 Swede Ships: Gunns Fired 21, Shott fired 0, 9 lb.rs 1, 6 lb.rs 5, 7 lb.rs 0, 3 lb.rs 0, 2 lb.rs 15, ½ lb.rs 0, Powder Expended 42

To Priming & in Small Cartridges: Powder Expended 20

Totall: Gunns Fired 192, Shott fired 6, 9 lb.rs 5, 6 lb.rs 5, 7 lb.rs 20, 3 lb.rs 18, 2 lb.rs 130, ½ lb.rs 10, Powder Expended 326

Lead Shott: 1½ lb

Match to Banks's: 14. lb

Match upon Allarms: 14.

Signed John French.

The gunner's account for May set out the guns fired and the powder expended, the guns entered under columns for the number fired and their weight of shot, from nine-pounders down to half-pounders, with the powder given in pounds.

Gunner's stores expended on the island of St Helena in May 1745:

4th: To a double alarm, 11 guns fired, 4 six-pounders, 4 four-pounders, 3 two-pounders, 21 lb of powder

Same day: To an alarm at Turks Cap, 9 guns fired, 2 nine-pounders, 2 six-pounders, 6 lb of powder

Same day: To the arrival of the St George, King William and Winchester, 27 guns fired, 27 two-pounders, 27 lb of powder

22nd: To an alarm, 6 guns fired, 2 six-pounders, 2 four-pounders, 2 two-pounders, 13 lb of powder

Same day: To the arrival of the Winchelsea, 9 guns fired, 9 two-pounders, 9 lb of powder

23rd: To a double alarm, 15 guns fired, 6 six-pounders, 6 four-pounders, 3 two-pounders, 41 lb of powder

Same day: To bring the York to at Banks's, 1 gun fired, 1 nine-pounder, 7 lb of powder

Same day: To the arrival of the Montague, York, Stafford, Duke of Dorset, Prince William and two Swedish ships, 59 guns fired, 59 two-pounders, 59 lb of powder

24th: To an alarm, 6 guns fired, 2 six-pounders, 2 four-pounders, 2 two-pounders, 13 lb of powder

Same day: To the arrival of a Danish ship, 9 guns fired, 9 two-pounders, 9 lb of powder

28th: To an alarm, 6 guns fired, 2 six-pounders, 2 four-pounders, 2 two-pounders, 13 lb of powder

Same day: To bring a Dutch ship to at Banks's, 9 guns fired, 2 nine-pounders, 2 six-pounders, 14 lb of powder

Same day: To an alarm, 6 guns fired, 2 six-pounders, 2 four-pounders, 2 two-pounders, 13 lb of powder

29th: To bring a Dutch ship to at Banks's, 1 gun fired, 1 nine-pounder, 7 lb of powder

Same day: To the arrival of the same, 11 guns fired, 11 two-pounders, 11 lb of powder

Same day: To the departure of 2 Swedish ships, 21 guns fired, 1 six-pounder, 5 four-pounders, 15 two-pounders, 42 lb of powder

To priming and in small cartridges, 20 lb of powder

Total, 192 guns fired, 6 nine-pounders, 5 six-pounders, 5 four-pounders, 20 [two-pounders], 18 [half-pounders], 136 [two-pounders], 10 [half-pounders], 326 lb of powder

The other gunner's stores expended in the month were entered below.

Lead shot, 1.5 lb

Match to Banks's, 14 lb

Match upon alarms, 14 lb

The account was signed by John French.

Interpretations

The May return is the noisiest month in this record, 326 lb of powder against 131 lb in April, a measure of the fleet that filled the road at the season's height. The bulk of it went in salutes, the two-pounders speaking twenty-seven guns for the first three ships in, fifty-nine for the great arrival of six English ships with two Swedes on 23 May, and twenty-one for the two Swedes departing, the courtesies of a crowded anchorage told gun for gun.

The alarms tell the other half of the story. Six separate alarms and two double alarms were fired through the month, each answered from the heavier six and four-pounders rather than the salute guns, the garrison brought to its posts again and again as ships were sighted off the coast in wartime. The pieces used at Banks's to bring ships to, the nine-pounders firing a single shot across a bow, were the working guns of the lookout that hailed every vessel as she came round the Sugar Loaf.

The two lines of match, fourteen pounds burnt at Banks's and fourteen more on the alarms, mark the constant readiness the war demanded. Match was the slow-burning cord that had to be kept lit at every guard post through every watch and at every gun brought to the ready on an alarm, a steady consumption that fell whether or not a shot was fired, and its doubling here against the quieter months is the plainest sign of a garrison standing to arms through a season of danger.

35

28

Sundrys Expended in the Month of May 1745 viz.t

113 Bottles Port Wine: 7 14 2¾

16 Ditto Lisbon Ditto: 1 1 10

16 Ditto Red Cape Ditto: 1 2 "

4 Ditto White Cape Ditto: " 5 6

63 Gallons Arrack: 6 13 10½

59 lb Candys: " 17 9¾

59¾ Sugar: " 13 5½

345 lb Flower: 1 12 11½

62½ Butter: 3 2 3

1½ Bushells Salt: " 8 9

2. Pepper: " 1 "

20 Pieces Salt pork: 1 16 8

492 Fresh Beef: 6 3 "

12 Turkeys: 3 " "

8 Ducks: " 12 "

2 Capens: " 3 "

34 Fowles: 1 14 "

3 Sheep: 3 " "

31 Goats: 15 10 "

Total: £35 12 3¾

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

The steward's account listed the sundries expended at the general table in the month of May, each item priced and carried to a total.

Sundries expended in the month of May 1745:

113 bottles of port wine, £7 14s 2.25d

16 bottles of Lisbon, £1 1s 10d

16 bottles of red Cape, £1 2s 0d

4 bottles of white Cape, £0 3s 6d

63 gallons of arrack, £6 13s 10.5d

59.75 lb of candy, £0 17s 9.25d

59.5 lb of sugar, £0 13s 5.5d

345 lb of flour, £1 12s 11.5d

62.5 lb of butter, £3 2s 3d

1.5 bushels of salt, £0 8s 9d

2 lb of pepper, £0 1s 0d

20 pieces of salt pork, £1 16s 8d

492 lb of fresh beef, £6 3s 0d

12 turkeys, £3 0s 0d

8 ducks, £0 12s 0d

2 capons, £0 3s 0d

34 fowls, £1 14s 0d

3 sheep, £3 0s 0d

31 goats, £15 10s 0d

Total, £55 12s 3.25d

The account was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The table account more than doubled on the month, from £24 14s 4.25d in April to £55 12s 3.25d in May, the plainest household mark of the crowded road. With eleven ships and a fleet of foreign vessels lying at the island, the general table fed a far larger company of officers and visitors, and the drink alone rose in step, the port from fifty-two bottles to a hundred and thirteen and the arrack from forty to sixty-three gallons.

The single most striking line is the thirty-one goats charged at fifteen pounds ten shillings, by far the largest item on the account and one wholly out of keeping with the ordinary table. This was not the table's own consumption but the disposal of the goats shot on the ebony range under the order of 4 June 1745, the culled animals carried through the steward's book at ten shillings a head. The stock account had recorded exactly thirty-one goats killed in the month, and the two entries match, the destruction of the herd to save the wood surfacing here as a charge on the table.

The return of fresh beef to the table in quantity, 492 lb against 235 lb in April, reflects the killing that the fleet forced on the herd. With forty-two head slaughtered to victual the ships, the castle table shared in the fresh meat that the road demanded, a brief plenty bought at the cost of the breeding stock the council had struggled to preserve. The salt pork held steady beside it, the stores still drawn on even in a month of fresh killing, a caution against the shortage that had pressed so hard only weeks before.

36

29

At a Consultation held on the 24.th June 1745 at

the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Councill

Matthew Perling 5.th

The last Consultation was read and approved.

On the 16.th Instant Arrived the Godolphin, Cap.t

John Steevens, from Bengall, and brought us the following Supplys viz.t

Invoice of Goods p Ship Godolphin viz.t

A

Batavia Arrack

N.o 21 & 24 4 half Leagers q.ty Gallons 320 at 170 [P] Leag.r 340. -. -

Batta 8 [P] Cent 27 3 3

367 3 3

S

Fresinda Sugar

1..10 10 Baggs w.t 10 M.d.o 20. w.t 14. 2. 19 [P] 14½ [P] Bag 145. " "

Batta 10 [P] C.t 14 8. "

159 8 -

R

Rice

1 - 42 42 Bagg.s w.t 5 M.a.s 84 is w.t 2. 1½ [P] 25 [P] M. 134 6 6

Batta 8 [P] Cent 10 12. "

145 2 6

Charges Merchandize

94 Ganny Bags and Sewing: 14 9 3

691 18 9

4 Empty Leagers: 26 6 6

8 Large Matts: " 8 9

Muteas: 3 4 "

Peon and Oil: 1 1 6

Boathire: 15 " "

60 14 "

Rupees: 732 11 9

Excepted p John Jackson, Purser

A consultation was held on 24 June 1745 at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

On 16 June arrived the Godolphin, Captain John Steevens, from Bengal, and brought the following supply. The invoice was reckoned in madras rupees.

Invoice of goods per the ship Godolphin:

Batavia arrack (marked A, number 21 and 22):

4 half leaguers of 320 gallons at 170 pies the gallon, 340 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 27 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

subtotal, 367 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Fresinda sugar (marked S, number 1 to 10):

10 bags of 20 bushels, weighing 14 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb, at 14.5 rupees the bag, 145 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Batta at 10 per cent, 14 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 159 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice (marked R, number 1 to 42):

42 bags of 84 marcals, weighing 61 hundredweight 2 quarters 12 lb, at 2 rupees 5 [annas] the hundredweight, 134 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

Batta at 8 per cent, 10 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 145 rupees 2 annas 6 pies

Charges on merchandise:

44 gunny bags for stowing, 14 rupees 9 annas 3 pies

4 empty leaguers, 26 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

8 large mats, 0 rupees 8 annas 9 pies

matting, 3 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

paun and oil, 1 rupee 1 anna 6 pies

boat hire, 15 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

subtotal, 61 rupees 14 annas 0 pies

Total, 733 rupees 11 annas 9 pies

The invoice was signed by John Jackson, accepted, purser.

Interpretations

The Godolphin's cargo followed the now familiar pattern of a Bengal supply, arrack, fresinda sugar and fine rice with the usual packing charges, the seventh such consignment the council entered across this crowded season. That fresh supply kept arriving through June eased the shortage the Governor had reported at the end of April, when the failing market and the low stores had forced the Company to fall back on its own plantations, and the steady stream of Bengal rice and sugar rebuilt the stores the fleet had drawn down.

The rice was reckoned by the marcal, a grain measure of the Coromandel coast, and priced by the hundredweight after weighing, the invoice carrying both the local measure the grain was bought by and the weight the Company checked it against. This double reckoning ran through every India invoice, the goods bought in the units of their coast and landed in the weights of the English trade, and a clerk on the island had to hold both in mind to read an account made out a world away.

37

30

We received the following Letter from the

Commanders viz.t

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar, Esq.r Gov.r & Council

of S.t Helena

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs.

We the underwritten Commanders of

the Hon.ble Companys Shipping, now in this road, having been

Supplied with half our Charter party Beef, and Aiving been Tol.d

the quantitys we may expect from the planters, will give us, but

very few days, we therefor Desire your Answer, whether we can be

Supplyed, with the remainder of our Charter party Beef or no,

we having but small quantitys of Salt Provisions, on Board our

Ships, more then what is absolutely necessary, for our homeward

bound passage.

We are, with respect

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs.

Your most Obedient humble Servants

P.r Crabb

Tho.s Stevens

Christopher Baxon

Felix Baker

John Stevens

Rob.t Robinson

Tho.s Fogenall

John Samson

Fielder Freeman

Joseph Phillips

W.m Webber

To

The council received a letter from the ship commanders, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena.

The commanders explained that their ships, now in the road, had been supplied with only half their charter-party beef. Having been told what quantity they might expect from the planters, they knew it would last only a few days. They therefore asked the council's answer, whether they could be supplied with the remainder of their charter-party beef, since they had only a small quantity of salt provisions aboard, no more than what was absolutely necessary for their homeward-bound passage.

The letter was signed by Thomas Crabb, Thomas Stevens, Christopher Baron, Selby Baker, John Stevens, Robert Robinson, Thomas Frognall, John Sampson, Fielder Freeman, Joseph Phillips and William Webber.

Interpretations

The commanders' letter brought the beef shortage to a head. The council had already warned Captain Kirwan of the Lapwing on 26 April 1745 that the herd stood too low to give the ships their full charter-party allowance, and had held the fleet to half its beef to spare the breeding stock. Now the whole body of commanders pressed together for the remainder, having learned that the planters could supply only a few days more, and set out plainly that their salt provisions ran no further than the homeward passage required. The eleven signatures, the commanders of nearly every ship in the road, turned an individual grievance into a collective demand the council could not easily put off.

The dispute laid bare the conflict built into St Helena's role as a victualling station. The charter parties that hired the ships fixed a beef allowance the island was bound to furnish, yet the herd could not meet it without cutting into the breeders, exactly the strain the stock accounts had been recording through the spring as the neat cattle fell from 362 to 326 in a single month. The commanders held a contractual right to beef the island physically lacked, and the council was caught between the Company's obligation to the shipping and its duty to preserve the stock on which the whole settlement depended.

The commanders' care to note that they carried only what salt provision the passage home absolutely required was the crux of their argument. A ship that sailed short of victuals risked her company on the long haul to England, and the commanders pressed that the shortfall was not improvidence on their part but a real want the island alone could remedy. This shifted the weight of the decision onto the council, which had to weigh the safety of the homeward fleet against the survival of a herd already slaughtered far beyond its natural increase.

38

31

To which we returned the following Answer viz.t 31

Gentlemen,

In Answer to your Letter of this day, we are

sorry to Acquaint You, that it is impossible for us, to Supply you with

more Charter party Beef, than you have already had, we have been

already forced to kill Some small Cattle, of twelve, thirteen, and fourteen

Months old, and the few that remains of Such, are not in a Condition

for Slaughter, we have heard that some of the planters have reported

that a great Number of fatting Cattle belonging to the Company, were

turned out of their Pastures, in Order to teaze them, which is False,

and shall be made appear so, if the Names of those, who made Such report

be made known to us, In the mean time, if any Number of the Copt.ns

will agree to go into the Pastures, with the Hon.ble Companys Husband

he shall shew them all their Stock, when they will be Satisfied, no more

are fitt to kill, without Slaughtering the Breeders, which we can no

ways think off.

We are, with respect.

Gentlemen,

Your most Obedient hum.ble Servants

Signed David Dunbar

Charles Hutchinson

Christopher Dixon

John Goodwin

Matthew Perling

M.r Pickering produced the following

Account viz.t

The Orphans of John Bradley to William Fitch Pickering D.r

1744 June 21. Bleeding Mary Bradley: " 3 "

an Imbolic: " 1 8

2 Pappers of calcind Hartshorn: " " 6

Carried over: £. 5 2

The council returned the following answer to the commanders.

The council was sorry to tell them that it was impossible to supply any more charter-party beef than they had already had. It had already been forced to kill some small cattle of twelve, thirteen and fourteen months old, and the few of that kind that remained were not fit for slaughter. It had heard that some of the planters had reported that a great number of the Company's fatting cattle had been turned out of their pastures in order to starve them, which was false, and would be shown to be so if the names of those who made the report were made known to the council. In the meantime, if any number of the captains would go into the pastures with the Company's husband, he would show them all the stock, and they would be satisfied that no more could be killed without slaughtering the breeders, which the council could in no way agree to.

The answer was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

William Pickering produced the following account.

The orphans of John Bradley to William Richard Pickering, debtor:

1744, June 24: bleeding Mary Bradley, £0 3s 0d

an emetic, £0 1s 8d

2 papers of calcined hartshorn, £0 0s 6d

Carried over, £0 5s 2d

Interpretations

The council's answer met the commanders' collective demand with a flat refusal and an unusual offer of proof. Rather than simply plead the shortage, it invited any of the captains to walk the pastures with the Company's husband and see the whole herd for themselves, staking its case on the physical state of the stock. This was a direct response to a rumour that had begun to circulate, that the Company was deliberately starving its own fatting cattle by turning them off their grazing, and the council's demand to know who had spread the report shows how sharply it felt the charge of bad faith.

The detail that the Company had already killed beasts of twelve to fourteen months exposes just how far the victualling had eaten into the herd. Cattle of little over a year were far below the eighteen to thirty months at which the planters themselves reckoned to slaughter, and to kill them was to consume the herd's future outright. The council drew the line at the breeders, the cows and bulls on which any recovery depended, and its refusal to cross that line even under the pressure of eleven commanders marks the point past which the survival of the stock outweighed the obligation to the shipping.

The Bradley orphans' account opens a wholly separate matter, the medical charges run up in caring for the children of a dead planter whose estate the council had been administering since before August 1743. William Pickering, evidently a surgeon or apothecary, entered small charges for bleeding the child Mary Bradley, an emetic and calcined hartshorn, the ordinary remedies of the day. Calcined hartshorn was a preparation of burnt deer antler, valued as a source of ammonia and given as a restorative, and its appearance here among the orphans' expenses shows the council's continuing oversight of the estate reaching down to the doctor's bill for a single sick child.

39

32

Brought over: 5 2

m 4 Cordeal astringent Boles: " 6 "

June 24. Chamomile Flowers: " " 6

1 Bole repeated: " 1 6

a Cordeal astringent Glyster: " 2 6

27 the same repeated: " 2 6

m 3 Cordeal astringent Boles: " 1 6

29 a Glass of Anodyne Drops: " 1 "

Total: 1 3 8

Ordered that it be paid, the Company

having Money in their Cash, belonging to the Orphans.

The Storekeeper this day laid before Us

the following Account, of what he has rec.d Short of the several Supplys,

sent us from India this year, viz.t

Short in Q.ty by the Invoice, sold to Sh.p, Sh.t at what Adjusted to the Invoice

From the Prince of Wales 25 Bags Rice

From the King William, Rice: [.] 2. 1. 9

Arrack: 4½ 29 33½

From the Duke of Dorsett, Arrack: 27 27

Sugar: [.] 1. 25

Rice

From the Stafford, 4 half Pint Teachers

1 Saucer

4 Pink & wafer

3 Soup plates

From the Montague, Rice: 3. 3. 2

Arrack: 5 27 32

From the York Candy: " 21

From the Winchelsea, Arrack: 24 15½ 39½

Sugar: [.] 2. 28

The Bradley orphans' medical account continued.

Brought over, £0 5s 2d

per 4 cordial astringent boluses, £0 6s 0d

June 26: chamomile flowers, £0 0s 6d

1 bolus repeated, £0 1s 6d

a cordial astringent glyster, £0 2s 6d

27: the same repeated, £0 2s 6d

per 3 cordial astringent boluses, £0 1s 6d

29: a glass of anodyne drops, £0 1s 0d

Total, £1 3s 8d

The council ordered the account paid, the Company having money in its cash belonging to the orphans.

The storekeeper laid before the council an account of what he had received short of the several supplies sent from India that year. The columns gave the quantity short by the gauge, the total, and the short delivery according to the invoice.

Account of supplies received short from India this year:

From the Princess of Wales, 25 bags of rice

From the King William, rice, 2 rupees 1 anna 9 pies

From the King William, arrack, half a leaguer, short 29 gallons, 33.5 [pies]

From the Duke of Dorset, arrack, short 27 gallons, 27 [pies]

From the Duke of Dorset, sugar, 1 rupee 0 annas 25 pies

From the Duke of Dorset, rice

From the Stafford, 4 half-pint teacups

From the Stafford, 1 saucer

From the Stafford, 4 pint teacups

From the Stafford, 5 soup plates

From the Montague, rice, 3 rupees 3 annas 2 pies

From the Montague, arrack, short 5 gallons, 27 [gallons], 32 [pies]

From the York, candy, 0 rupees 0 annas 21 pies

From the Winchelsea, arrack, short 24 gallons, 15.5 [gallons], 34.5 [pies]

From the Winchelsea, sugar, 2 rupees 0 annas 21 pies

Interpretations

The completed Bradley account ran the ordinary course of a fever treatment of the day, cordial astringent boluses and glysters to bind the bowels, chamomile as a mild settling herb, and anodyne drops to ease pain and bring sleep. A bolus was a large soft pill, a glyster an enema, and anodyne drops a laudanum-based sedative, the whole a standard regimen for a child suffering a flux or fever. That the council ordered the pound and threepence paid at once, drawing on money it held belonging to the orphans, shows the estate's funds standing ready in the Company's cash to meet exactly such charges, the settlement acting as banker and guardian to the children of its dead.

The storekeeper's account of short deliveries was the routine check that ran on every cargo the island received, the goods weighed and gauged as they came ashore and set against the quantity the invoice promised. Arrack was measured by the gauge, the sworn measuring of a cask's contents, and the shortfalls entered here, twenty-nine gallons from the King William, twenty-seven from the Duke of Dorset, were the ordinary leakage and evaporation of spirit on a long sea passage, recorded so the Company might know what it had truly received against what it had paid for.

The broken china from the Stafford, teacups, a saucer, pint bowls and soup plates entered as short, marks the fragility of that particular trade. Where arrack and rice were lost to leakage and weighing, the porcelain the China ships carried was lost to breakage in the surf-landing, and the storekeeper counted the missing pieces one by one against the invoice. This was the same delicate ware the council had sought fresh from the supercargoes only days before, and its loss in landing shows why the castle was so often short of the cups and plates a well-found table required.

40

33

From the Beaufort. Rice: 1. 2. 15

Sugar: [.] 2. 21

Arrack: 1 27 34½

From the Darrington. Rice: 3. -. 26

Sugar: [.] 2. 2

Arrack: 34½ 18½ 50

From the Godolphin. Rice & Bag Ded.d: 13. -. 6

Sugar: 2. 1. 14

Arrack: 18 14 37

N.B: The Number of Gallons, not being mentioned in the Prince of

Wales Invoice, cannot ascertain the Quantity short delivered

from that Ship, instead of two Leagers and half we rec.d only

Seven thirds of Leagers.

Signed Matthew Perling Storekeeper

We this day received the following Answers,

to our Letters sent to the Supracargoes viz.t

Sirs,

We are sorry it is not in our power, to furnish

the Stores required of us, for the use of this Island, we find that after we have

made out consignments in China, have received Bills of Lading for

London, and have Settled, and Signed, all our Accounts, we cannot break in

upon any part of our Cargoes, nor could we though under no such

restriction, be able, to spare at the Bohea Tea & Chinawares and Sugar

they being Stowed in the Bottoms of our Ships, and as to Sugar and Sugar

Candy, we have neither of those Articles on Board

We are, Sirs,

Your most Hum.ble Servants

John Missonor

W.m Draper

John Forbes.

Worshipfull

The storekeeper's account of short deliveries continued.

From the Beaufort, rice, 2 rupees 0 annas 0 pies, 1 rupee 2 annas 11 pies

From the Beaufort, sugar, 2 rupees 0 annas 21 pies

From the Beaufort, arrack, short 27 gallons, 34.5 [pies]

From the Darrington, rice, 3 rupees 0 annas 26 pies

From the Darrington, sugar, 2 rupees 0 annas 2 pies

From the Darrington, arrack, short 31.5 gallons, 18.5 [gallons], 50 [pies]

From the Godolphin, rice, 5 bags short, 13 rupees 0 annas 6 pies

From the Godolphin, sugar, 2 rupees 1 anna 11 pies

From the Godolphin, arrack, short 18 gallons, 19 [gallons], 37 [pies]

The storekeeper noted that the number of gallons was not stated in the Princess of Wales invoice, so the quantity short delivered from that ship could not be ascertained. Instead of two leaguers and a half of rice, only seven thirds of leaguers had been received.

The account was signed by Matthew Purling, storekeeper.

The council received the following answers to its letters sent to the supercargoes.

The China supercargoes were sorry it was not in their power to furnish the stores the council had asked for the use of the island. They explained that, having made their consignments in China and received bills of lading for London and having settled and signed all their accounts, they could not break in upon any part of their cargo, nor could they do so under any circumstances even if willing. The bohea tea and chinaware were stowed in the bottoms of their ships, and as to sugar and sugar candy, they had neither of those articles aboard.

The answer was signed by John Misenor, William Draper and John Forbes.

Interpretations

The storekeeper's note on the Princess of Wales exposes a real weakness in the checking of cargoes. Where every other ship's arrack could be set against a stated number of gallons on its invoice, the Princess of Wales invoice omitted the quantity, so the storekeeper had no figure to gauge the delivery against and could not tell what had been lost. This was the same ship whose captain the Governor had complained of on 26 April 1745, lying far to leeward and sending only part of his stores, and the missing invoice figure left the Company unable to prove any shortfall at all, a gap in the record that worked to the ship's advantage.

The supercargoes' refusal turned entirely on the finality of their own accounts. Once they had made their consignments at Canton, taken bills of lading for London and signed off every account, the cargo was fixed and could not be broken into, the goods stowed as ballast in the ship's bottom and no longer theirs to sell. This shows how tightly the homeward China trade was bound by its paperwork, a cargo settled and sealed at the far end of the voyage being beyond the reach of any need that arose along the way, however pressing the island's want of tea and sugar.

The plain statement that they carried no sugar or candy at all cuts against the council's assumption that a China ship might spare such goods. The homeward Indiamen from Canton were loaded for the London market with tea and porcelain, not with the provisions the island consumed, and the supercargoes' answer marks the difference between what the passing ships carried and what St Helena needed, a mismatch that left the council's stores dependent on the India supply ships rather than the richer China trade.

41

34

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs

In Answer to Your favour, delivered to Us

this day at Noon, we begg leave to observe to You, that by the Orders, and

Instructions, we received from the Hon.ble Court of Directors, at our

departure from England, we were directed to Ship all such Coffee, as we

should purchace, at the Port of Mocha, on Board the Ship Edgbarton

and to consign the same, by Invoice, and Bill of Lading, to the President

and Councill, of Bombay, which we pursuant to the said Order, having

done, and the said Coffee, being since that, by the President, and Councill

of Bombay, Shipt on Board the Ship King William, has put it

entirely out of our power, to comply with what You desire, of us.

We are, very respectfully

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Your most Obedient & most hum.ble

Servants.

Tho.s Thomson

Richard Word

On the 15.th Instant, Sailed the Dordbeck, &

the Hercules, for Holland, And the Gothenburg, and the Riddarehuvs,

Sailed the 17.th Instant.

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

The Mocha supercargoes answered the council's request for coffee.

They explained that, by the orders and instructions they had received from the Court of Directors on their departure from England, they had been directed to ship all the coffee they bought at the port of Mocha aboard the ship Edgbaston and to consign it by invoice and bill of lading to the President and council of Bombay. Having done so in obedience to those orders, and the coffee having since been shipped by the President and council of Bombay aboard the King William, it was entirely out of their power to comply with what the council asked.

The answer was signed by Thomas Thomson and Richard Wood.

On 15 June sailed the Doorenbeck and the Hercules for Holland, and the Gothenburg and the Riddarhuset sailed on 17 June.

The consultation was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The Mocha supercargoes' refusal turned on the same rigid consignment system that had bound the China men. Their coffee was not free stock to be sold where a need arose but a cargo directed by the Company's own written orders to a fixed destination, shipped from Mocha to Bombay in one hull and reshipped from Bombay to England in another. By the time the ship carrying it reached St Helena the coffee was already consigned and bound for London, and the supercargoes had no authority to divert so much as a hundredweight of it, however plainly the island wanted it.

The route the coffee had travelled shows the intricate machinery of the Company's trade. Bought at the Red Sea port of Mocha, the source of the finest coffee, it was carried first to Bombay for consolidation and then loaded aboard a homeward Indiaman, each leg governed by invoice and bill of lading so that the cargo could be tracked and accounted across three ships and two oceans. That St Helena could not tap this stream, though the very ship carrying the coffee lay in its road, marks the island's odd position as a station the trade passed through but could rarely draw upon, its needs subordinate to consignments settled long before and far away.

42

35

At a Consultation held on Monday, the 1.st July

1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Councill

Matthew Perling 5.th

The last Consultation was read, and approved.

This day we received the following Letter,

from Eight of the Captains, viz.t

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar, Esq.r Gov.r & Council of S.t Helena

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs.

The Allowance of provisions, of 20 hundred to

each Ship Beaved the 19.th Instant, being expended, induces Us the Underwritten

to lay before Ye, the situation our Ships are in, in that respect, at this Instant.

We desire to know, if ye have any Orders, for

our further proceedings, having been ready to sail some time.

Our Sea Store of provisions, being no more then

sufficient for our Voyage to England, we cannot break in upon it, and being

Desirous, to do all in Our Power, for the Interest, of the Hon.ble Company, we

now declare our intentions, to go, of remaining here, till the Sixteenth of July,

for Convoy, in case ye will be pleased, to supply us with provisions, at our own

expence till that time.

As this is an affair, of the Utmost Consequence, to

us in want, we begg ye would be pleased to take it into consideration, and

give us your Answer.

S.t Helena

1.st June 1745

We are with great Respect

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs.

Your most Obedient humble Servants

P.r Crab, Tho.s Stevens, Fellier Freeman

Nich.s Robinson, Jos.h Phillips, W.m Webber

John Samson, John Stevens N.B

A consultation was held on Monday, 1 July 1745, at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The council received a letter from eight of the captains, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena and dated at St Helena, 30 June 1745.

The captains explained that the allowance of provisions of thirty hundredweight ordered to each ship on 15 June was now expended, which obliged them to lay before the council the situation their ships were in. They asked to know whether the council had any further orders for their proceedings, having been ready to sail for some time. Their sea store of provisions was no more than sufficient for the voyage to England, and they could not break in upon it. Being desirous to do all in their power for the interest of the Company, they now declared their intention to remain at the island until 15 July for beef, in case the council would agree to supply them with provisions at their own expense until that time. As this was an affair of the utmost consequence to men in want, they asked the council to take it into consideration and give its answer.

The letter was signed by Selby Baker, Thomas Stevens, Fielder Freeman, Robert Robinson, Joseph Phillips, William Webber, John Sampson and John Stevens.

Interpretations

The captains' second letter marks a shift in the standoff. Where their earlier demand had pressed for the full charter-party beef as a right, they now offered a compromise, to wait at the island a further fortnight and to be supplied at their own expense rather than the Company's, in the hope that the herd might yield more beef in that time. This moved the question from what the island owed the ships to what it might spare them for payment, an acknowledgement that the herd truly could not meet the charter parties and that the commanders had accepted the council's proof of the shortage.

The allowance of thirty hundredweight to each ship, now expended, was the measure of what the island had been able to give against the full charter-party beef the ships were entitled to. That this ration ran out within a fortnight, leaving the commanders again dependent on the island's uncertain supply, shows how thin the margin had grown, the fleet consuming faster than the herd could be killed without cutting into the breeders. The captains' willingness to linger a further two weeks turned on the slaughter the coming days might allow, the ships held in the road by the state of the Company's cattle.

The commanders' care to frame their offer as a service to the Company, remaining at the island in its interest, softened what was in truth a want on their own side. Ships that could not sail for lack of beef were a burden to their owners and a risk to their crews, and the captains dressed their need in the language of duty, pressing the affair as one of the utmost consequence to men in want. This left the council to weigh whether to hold the herd against a fortnight's further demand or to let the fleet sail short, the same choice between the shipping and the stock that had run through the whole dispute.

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36

We deferred returning an Answer, till the

planters, had made a return of their Stock, and published the following

Advertizement, viz.t

S.t Helena July 1.st 1745

Whereas an imperfect return, was made

by the planters, of the Number of Cattle each of them had, to supply the

Hon.ble Companys Ships, this Season, tho the said return, was demanded

upon Oath,

And whereas the Number of the Companys

Ships, and Forreigners, who are to allowed refreshments by the

Hon.ble Companys Orders, have been more Numerous this Year

than for some Years past, and the Stay of our own Ships, much longer

than usual, (which has occasioned a great scarcity) and the Demand

still continueing for more Beef, makes it absolutely necessary, to

know the true, and real, Strength of the Stock, in each Mans hand,

upon the Island.

It is therefore Ordered, that within four days,

every planter upon this Island, do upon Oath

make a return, of the Number and Species of

his Cattle, with their several Ages, as near as

they can, that so a computation may be made

of what the Island, may be able to supply

upon this uncommon occasion

By Order of Council

Signed

Chris.r Dixon Sec.ry

Att.

The council deferred its answer until the planters had made a return of their stock, and published the following advertisement, dated at St Helena, 1 July 1745.

The planters had made an imperfect return of the number of cattle each of them held to supply the Company's ships that season, although the return had been demanded upon oath. The number of the Company's ships and of the foreigners entitled to refreshments under the Company's orders had been more numerous that year than for some years past, and the stay of the Company's own ships much longer than usual, which had caused a great scarcity. With the demand for more beef still continuing, it was absolutely necessary to know the true and real strength of the stock in each man's hands upon the island.

The council therefore ordered that within four days every planter upon the island make, upon oath, a return of the number and species of his cattle, with their several ages as near as he could, so that a computation might be made of what the island could supply upon this uncommon occasion.

The advertisement was signed by order of council by Christopher Dixon, secretary.

Interpretations

The advertisement lays bare the mechanism the council reached for when the beef dispute could not be settled by assertion. Rather than answer the captains directly, it demanded a sworn census of every planter's cattle, holding that only a full reckoning of the island's true stock could show what beef might be found. This was a return to the same evidence the council had offered the commanders, the actual state of the herd, now extended from the Company's own pastures to every private holding on the island, so that the whole strength of the stock might be laid open.

The complaint that the planters' first return had been imperfect, though demanded upon oath, exposes the distrust running beneath the dispute. The council plainly suspected the planters of understating their cattle to keep beef off the market or hold up its price, the same withholding it had charged them with over the yams, and its remedy was to compel a fuller account under oath within a fixed term. The sworn return was the instrument by which the council meant to break through the planters' evasions and fix the real number of beasts the island could yield.

The care to name both the Company's own ships and the foreigners entitled to refreshment marks the unusual pressure of that season. The island was bound by the Company's orders to victual not only its own homeward fleet but the foreign East India ships that called, and with the English ships lying longer than usual and the foreign traffic heavier than for years, the ordinary demand on the herd had swollen into a scarcity the council called an uncommon occasion. The census was the response to a crisis of numbers, an attempt to measure a finite stock against a demand that had grown beyond anything the island's husbandry was built to meet.

44

37

M.r John Goodwin reports that he had

been on board the Ships Beaufort, Dorrington and Godolphin and

Mustered their Companys but found no Deserters, The Muster Rolls

are as follows viz.t

Muster Roll of the Ship Godolphin viz.t

John Stevens Commander

John Dickenson

George Beamish

William Robarts

James Pool

Hugh Wepley

Walter Holmes

Thomas Madge

Abraham Wattson

John Pain

Thomas Ley

Christopher Smith

Peter Dore

Joseph Gibbins

William Collefse

William Simson

Thomas Rutter

James Roane

William Allen

Thomas Steberry

Joseph Melchol

John Sampson

George Slingsbee

Samuel Plunderhill

Thomas Robbins

Samuel Sharman

Chris Fred Claves

Rosen Parks

John Bridgman

Phillip Marcey

John Sims

Joseph Sipeo

John Read

John Wade

Antonia Sharmony

Phillip Pompey

Thomas Jones

John Blaney

Thomas Sagar

Henry Duffell

Charles Elliot

Robert Slight

John White

James Hellchrist

George Snues

William Penleys

Alexander Kindley

John Freeman

James Murdock

John Musgrove

William Sayars

Paul Johnson

Thomas Broshs

Arnol Ashbrook

Allen Boughtwolt

John Stroud

Humph. Curtles

William Wilkinson

Henry Veach

James Burdell

John House

Richard Standley

Hugh Dixon

Antineos Carenlea

James Mitchell

Christopher Sauedge

Thomas Clarke

James Sanders

Alexander Thomson

William Louder

Thomas Dawson

William Deglyss

John Goodwin reported that he had been aboard the ships Beaufort, Darrington and Godolphin to muster their companies and had found no deserters. The muster rolls followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Godolphin:

John Stevens, commander

John Dickerson

George Beamish

William Robarts

James Pool

Hugh Copley

Walter Holmes

Thomas Madge

Abraham Wattson

John Pain

Thomas Bry

Christopher Smith

Peter Dore

Joseph Gibbins

William Colefee

William Adinson

Thomas Rutter

James Roane

William Allen

Thomas Stebbing

Joseph Melchel

John Sampson

George Slingsbee

Samuel Plundershill

Thomas Robbins

Samuel Sharman

Chris Fred Claves

Rosen Parks

John Bridgman

Phillips Marcey

John Sims

Joseph Sipios

John Bead

John Wade

Antonia Sharmony

Phillip Pompey

Thomas Jones

John Blaney

Thomas Sagar

Henry Duffell

Charles Elliott

Robert Slight

John White

James Hellchrist

George Snues

William Penleys

Alexander Kindley

John Freeman

James Murdock

John Musgrove

William Sayars

Paul Johnson

Thomas Broshr

Arnob Ashbrook

Allen Boughtwolk

John Stroud

Humph Curtles

William Wilkinson

Henry Veach

James Burdell

John House

Richard Standley

Hugh Dixon

Antineos Carenlea

James Mitchell

Christopher Saucedge

Thomas Clarke

James Sambers

Alexander Thomson

William Louder

Thomas Dixon

William Duglass

45

38

Thomas Morris

Thomas Woodcock

James Shariff

Alexander Frazier

James Bear

Charles Crawfoot

Thomas Fowler

John Coale

- - - -

John Johnson

James Scambler

Thomas Lunchoo

Robert Pain

Thomas Wafford

Charles Argile

James Landy

Robert Davis

Henry Weekman

Samuel Harrisson

Charles Barnett

James Baker

John Winkley

John Harward

David Vandeleversten

Richard Pratt

James Mackfell

William Millinor

Muster Roll of the Ship Beaufort viz.t

Thomas Steevs Commander

M.r John Nicholls 1.st Mate

M.r Alex.r Glover 2.d D.o

M.r Nich.s Webb 3.d D.o

M.r Tho.s Brown 4.d D.o

M.r Cary Steevs Purser

M.r Alex.r Wood Surgeon

Matthew Edwards Gun.r

Richard Gregory Boat.n

John Braird Cap.t

Moses Fell Midshipman

Jonathan Hall D.o

John Parker D.o

David Beaks D.o

Ja.s Dean D.o

Jos Billing D.o Mate

Jonathan Broyll Ships Bo.o

John Wash Cap.t D.o

Thomas Wellson Coo.k

John Wheland Cap.t Cook

George Speddom hire D.o

Henry M.c Donald Arm.r

Francis Wyborn Poult.r

Thomas Watson But.r

Peter Cucky Taylor

Ja.s Lambert Barb.r

Thomas Seats Joyner

William Gainey Cap.t Med.o

Walter Davis Surge.n D.o

John Jefferies Gun.r D.o

Thomas Pierce Boat.n

John Killiam Poult.r

John Young Cap.t Stew.d

John Davie Cook D.o

Thomas Goldsmith Arm.r

Henry Dobson D.o

Henry Montague Sea

Phillip Phillipson D.o

John Johnson D.o

Tho.s Kavcaagh D.o

John Dobson D.o

Andrew Gavelholme D.o

Alex.d Frankman D.o

Nich.s Bolphson D.o

Pierce Preg D.o

Will.m Elder D.o

Will.m Crosley D.o

Thomas Ardwoad D.o

Daniel Astwood D.o

John Callens D.o

John Wade D.o

John Harrow D.o

John Clifton D.o

George Watson D.o

William

The muster roll of the Godolphin closed with the last names.

Thomas Morris

Thomas Woodwell

James Shariff

Alexander Frazer

James Bear

Charles Crawfort

Thomas Fowler

John Coale

John Johnson

James Scambler

Thomas Lunchoo

Robert Pain

Thomas Watford

Charles Argile

James Landy

Robert Davis

Henry Weckman

Samuel Harrisson

Charles Barnett

James Baker

John Winkley

John Haward

David Vandeleversten

Richard Pratt

James Mackfell

William Mellinor

The muster roll of the Beaufort followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Beaufort:

Thomas Stevens, commander

John Nicholls, first mate

Alexander Glover, second mate

Nicholas Webb, third mate

Thomas Brown, fourth mate

Cary Stevens, purser

Alexander Wood, surgeon

Matthew Edwards, gunner

Richard Gregory, boatswain

John Braird, carpenter

Moses Fell, midshipman

Jonathan Hall, midshipman

John Parker, midshipman

David Cooks, midshipman

James Dean, midshipman

Joseph Billing, second mate

Jonathan Braggell, ship's steward

John Wash, captain's servant

Thomas Willson, cook

John Sheland, captain's cook

George Speddom, third mate's servant

Henry McDunald, armourer

Francis Wyborn, caulker

Thomas Watson, butcher

Peter Cusby, tailor

James Lambert, barber

Thomas Beale, joiner

William Gainey, surgeon's mate

Miller Davis, surgeon's servant

John Jefferies, gunner's servant

Thomas Pierce, boatswain's servant

John Killeway, caulker

John Young, captain's servant

John Dance, cook

Thomas Goldsmith, carpenter

Henry Dobson

Henry Montague, boatswain

Phillip Phillipson

John Johnson

Thomas Kavanagh

John Bowen

Andrew Gavelholdt

Alexander Frankman

Nicholas Rolphson

Pierce Prey

William Elder

William Crosley

Thomas Arkward

Daniel Arkward

John Collins

John Hardo

John Havrow

John Clifton

George Watson

46

39

William Shewsmith Seaman

John Wattson D.o

James Armstrong D.o

Moses Wolffosson D.o

Peter Chearam D.o

Benjamin M.c Cabe D.o

Richard Wood D.o

William Skirving D.o

Abraham Evans D.o

Gaspar Vandernogh D.o

John Hend. Hotman D.o

Richmond Horham D.o

John Sivett D.o

Thomas Nicholls D.o

Emanu Lorenzo D.o

- - - -

Jos. De Silva Seam.n

Juan De Sesta D.o

Gregoria Gonsalvez D.o

Richard Blount Cap.t Ser.t

George Ray Gun.r D.o

John Sounder Boat. D.o

Peter Lelley Carp.r D.o

Benjamin Dexen Loyd

Samuel Gonsalvez

Balthazar De Silva

Francisco De Mayo

Pedro Wise

Juan Deis

Berbery De Castillo

Pedro De Cruij

Juan Palloa

Paul Daruge

Matthew Silva

William Steevens

Juan De Rosario

Lucas Pancheco

Gasper Cofsel

Ventura Corea

Lacorence Constantine

Nichole De Rozario

Miguel Barbosa

Man. De Silva

Bom Dosh

Pedro Mallayo

Paul Cofsy

Simon De Rozario

- - - -

Muster Roll of the Ship Dorrington viz.t

Richard Crabb Command.r

M.r David Bofs 1.st Mate

M.r Phillip Jodrell 2.d D.o

M.r Thom Adcock 3.d D.o

M.r Samuel Braund 4.d D.o

M.r Thomas Read 5.d D.o

M.r John Torribine Surgeon

M.r William Leslie Purser

Adam Fisher Gunner

John Wood Carpenter

George Salloway Boatswain

William Meredith Med.o

John Ray D.o

John Joseph Pickering D.o

William Church D.o

Arthur Morris D.o

Emanuel May Growain

William Fift School Mr.

Thomas Hagget Caulk.r

Christopher Smith Cooper

George Ramsay Surgeon Mate

Samson Fearnley Gun.r D.o

Tho.s Spearman Gun. Mlek.r

Tho.s Wicks Cap.t D.o

Tho.s Mason Boat. D.o

John Worthy D.o

Samuel Bogays Sug. Stew.d

Edw. Owen Ships D.o

Henry Colings Cap.t Cook

Henry Sheffiere Ships D.o

John Layecy Butcher

John Evans Armourer

Richard Edward. Taylor

John

The muster roll of the Beaufort closed with the last names.

William Shewsmith, seaman

John Wattson

James Armstrong

Moses Wolffsonson

Peter Chearam

Benjamin McCabe

Richard Wood

William Skirving

Abraham Evans

Gaspar Vandernagh

John Henry Flotman

Richmond Storham

John Suvott

Thomas Nicholls

Emanuel Lorenzo

Joseph de Silva, seaman

Juan de Sesta

Gregoria Gonsalves

Richard Blount, captain's servant

George Ray, gunner's servant

John Sounder, boatswain's servant

Peter Lilley, carpenter's servant

Benjamin Dixon, Lloyd's servant

Samuel Gonsalves

Balthazar de Silva

Francisco de Mayo

Pedro Rise

Juan Deis

Bertery de Castillo

Pedro de Cruis

Juan Balloa

Paul Daruge, seaman

Matthew Silva

William Stevens

Juan de Rosario

Lucas Pancheco

Gasper Copel

Ventura Corea

Lawrence Constantine

Nichole de Rosario

Miguel Barbosa

Man de Silva

Bom Dosh

Pedro Mallayo

Paul Coffry

Simon de Rosario

The muster roll of the Darrington followed.

Muster Roll of the ship Darrington:

Richard Crabb, commander

David Poss, first mate

Phillip Jodrell, second mate

Thomas Adcock, third mate

Samuel Braund, fourth mate

Thomas Read, fifth mate

John Orribine, surgeon

William Leslie, purser

Adam Fister, gunner

John Wood, carpenter

George Salloway, boatswain

William Meredith, midshipman

John Ray, midshipman

John Joseph Pickering, midshipman

William Church, midshipman

Arthur Morris, midshipman

Emanuel May, coxswain

William Ift, schoolmaster

Thomas Hagget, caulker

Christopher Smith, cooper

George Ramsey, surgeon's mate

Samson Frawley, gunner's servant

Thomas Spearman, gunner's mate

Thomas Wichs, captain's servant

Thomas Mason, boatswain's mate

John Worthy

Samuel Rogays, ship's steward

Edward Owen, ship's [servant]

Henry Colling, captain's cook

Henry Sheffar, ship's [servant]

John Laycey, butcher

John Evans, armourer

Richard Edward, tailor

47

40

John Cowell Barber

John Ood Sailmaker

John Love Joyner

Matthew Gosling Cooks Mate

Robert Coppinger Poult.r

Martin Hall Sur. Mate

John Burnell D.o

Joseph Codlington D.o

James Cole Sawin D.o

William Willson D.o

Ephraim Bomer D.o

John Davey Seaman

Joseph L D.o

Joseph Collier D.o

Benjamin Nutby D.o

John Bentley D.o

Richard Landing D.o

Richard Dilley D.o

Samuel Wills D.o

Joseph Black D.o

Lewis Gibble D.o

James Mather D.o

- - - -

John Jefferson Seam.n

John Deans D.o

Antony Lordick D.o

James Burley D.o

John Merils D.o

Frederick Schuman

Nicholas Best D.o

Charles Brennean D.o

William Bird D.o

George Ellman D.o

Lambell Hart D.o

John Akers D.o

Denie Whitton D.o

Antony Degea D.o

Stephen Wallson D.o

William Story D.o

Nathaniel Smith D.o

George Thomson D.o

George Sevans D.o

George Groove D.o

Jabel Hendrick D.o

John Vanacker D.o

Jacob Copewright D.o

John Peters Seam.n

William Hard D.o

Joseph Lergo D.o

Jasper Mileol D.o

John Lockrick D.o

John Alier D.o

Robert Blanford D.o

George Brightly D.o

Richard Dgery D.o

John Wattson D.o

Cornelius Simoly Boatsw.n

Robert Clatham D.o

David Ney D.o

Will.m Bigglaston Cap.t

Tho. Athyns Seaman

Jos. Dorman Ships Mate

Mer. Hughs 2.d D.o

Will.m Islam Doctors D.o

Will.m Flint Serj.t D.o

Will.m Dyer Boat. D.o

Lewis Nigara Salemaker

Tho. Finken Salemaker

- - - -

This day we received the following Petition,

from M.r Wright

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar, Esq.r Gov.r & Council of S.t Helena

Sheweth,

That your Petitioner when he delivered up

the

The muster roll of the Darrington closed with the last names.

John Cowell, barber

John Ord, sailmaker

John Love, joiner

Matthew Gosland, cook's mate

Robert Coppinger, poulterer

Martin Hall, chief mate's servant

John Burnell

Joseph Codlington

James Coleswain

William Willson

Ephraim Bomer

John Davey, seaman

Joseph Collier

Joseph Collier

Benjamin Kirkby

John Bentley

Richard Landing

Richard Dilley

Samuel Wills

Joseph Clark

Lewis Gabile

James Mather

John Jefferson, seaman

John Evans

Antony Sordick

James Burley

John Merill

Frederick Schuman

Nicholas Best

Charles Brenneau

William Bird

George Elman

Lambel Hart

John Akers

Daniel Whitton

Antony Depa

Stephen Watson

William Story

Nathaniel Smith

George Thomson

George Sevans

George Groove

Zabel Hendrick

John Vanacher

Jacob Copewright

John Peters, seaman

William Hard

Joseph Sensea

Kasper Milcel

John Sedrick

John Alier

Robert Blanford

George Broughton

Richard Dycey

John Wattson

Cornelius Simoly, boatswain

Robert Oldham

David Neos

William Bigglestone, captain's servant

Thomas Athyns, seaman

James Dorman, third mate's servant

Alexander Hughes, second mate's servant

William Islan, doctor's servant

William Flint, seaman

William Dyer, boatswain's servant

Lewis Nazara, lascar

Thomas Finker, lascar

The council received the following petition from Mr Wright, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena.The council received a petition from Mr Wright, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. It set out what the petitioner had suffered when he was delivered up.

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41

the Stores, in March 1743/4, to M.r Perling, had some Arrack of his

own Standing therein, and Your Petitioner, then delivered up Seventy

Nine Gallons, and three quarters, of Arrack, more than he ever received

of the Company, without any allowance for waste as will fully

appear, by the Inventories.

Your Petitioner, therefore humbly

prays, that he may have the said Seventy

Nine Gallons, and three quarters, of Arrack

returned him.

And your Petitioner as in

Duty bound shall ever pray &c.d

Signed Rob.t Wright

M.r Wright being called in, was Told, that

we would examine the Inventories, and then return him an Answer.

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

At a Consultation held on the 8.th July,

1745, at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar, Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson, Lieu.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Council

Matthew Perling 5.th

The last Consultation was read, and approved,

On

Robert Wright petitioned the council, setting out that when he delivered up the stores to Mr Purling in March 1744, some arrack of his own had been standing in them. He had then delivered up seventy-nine gallons and three quarters of arrack more than he had ever received of the Company, without any allowance for waste, as the inventories would fully show. He asked that the seventy-nine gallons and three quarters of arrack be returned to him.

The petition was signed by Robert Wright.

Wright was called in and told that the council would examine the inventories and then return him an answer.

The consultation was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

A consultation was held on 8 July 1745 at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

Wright's claim rested on the natural loss the storekeeper's accounts never allowed for. Arrack kept in cask leaked and evaporated steadily, so a storekeeper who received a stated quantity could rarely deliver the full amount back, yet the inventory at a change of office measured only what physically remained against what the books recorded. Wright argued that he had made good the whole shortfall from his own arrack, handing over nearly eighty gallons more than he had ever taken from the Company, and now asked that his own spirit be restored to him. This was the same waste, unprovided for in the accounts, that had shaped his earlier dispute over the warehouse stores, allowed by the council in November 1744 subject to the Company's pleasure.

The council's refusal to decide until it had examined the inventories marks its settled method of meeting any claim against the stores with documentary proof rather than a party's word. Wright's whole case turned on the figures in the change-of-command inventory taken when Purling succeeded him on 12 March 1744, and the council would not order arrack returned until it had checked his assertion against that record. The inventory was the instrument that governed every such dispute, the sworn count at the moment of handover being the only evidence the council would act on where the stores were concerned.

49

42

On the 3.d Instant, arrived the Queen Caroline

Cap.t Benjamin Mason, from England.

We Yesterday, sent the following Answer,

to a Letter received, from Eight of the Captains in Consultation of the

5.th July.

Gentlemen,

Upon receipt of your Letter, of the 30 of June,

which was upon the day following, we Mett in Councell, and Sent for

the planters, & published an Order, that within four days, they should give

us an Account of what Cattle each of them had, & their several Ages,

that we might thereby judge, what farther supplys, the Island could

Afford You.

In your said Letter you tell us, that you had each

received the Allotment, of twenty hundred of Beef Ordered for you, on the

14 of June, we do not know of any such Allotment, but however, we

sent for the Clerk of the Markett, and gott an Account from him, of the

one hundred and Six head of Cattle, that remained to be divided among

You upon that day, by which Account we saw, that half that Number,

yett remained for You, and You might have Beef as You pleased to

make up what you had had, to twenty Six, or twenty eight hundred

weight each, untill the planters, made us the said return.

But as on the 3.d Instant, the Store Ship

arrived from England, with Orders, to the Governour, and Lieu.t Governour,

& you are prepareing to Sail before the time you limitted to your Selves,

& no want of Cattle appearing, it is Unnecessary for us, to enter more

particularly into some remarks upon your Letter.

We are very respectfully,

Gentlemen

Your most Obedient hum.ble Servants

Da.n Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris.r Dixon

John Goodwin

Perling

To Cap.t Rich.d Crabb, Cap.t Tho.s

Stevens, Cap.t Feilder Freeman

Cap.t Rob.t Robinson, Cap.t Joseph

Phillips, Cap.t W.m Webber.

Cap.t John Samson, Cap.t John Stevens

On 3 July arrived the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, from England.

The council sent the following answer to the letter received from eight of the captains, dated 5 July.

The council explained that on receipt of the captains' letter of 30 June, on the day following, it had met and sent for the planters and published an order that within four days they should give an account of what cattle each of them held, with their several ages, so that it might judge what further supplies the island could afford. In their letter the captains had said they had each received the allowance of thirty hundredweight of beef ordered for them on 15 June. The council knew of no such allowance, but had sent for the clerk of the market and obtained from him an account of the 106 head of cattle that remained to be divided among the ships on that day. By that account, half that number remained for the captains, and they might have beef as they pleased to make up what they had already had, to twenty-six or twenty-eight hundredweight each, until the planters made the required return.

Since the store ship had arrived from England on 3 July with orders to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and the captains were preparing to sail before the time they had themselves fixed, no want of cattle now appearing, it was unnecessary to enter more particularly into remarks upon their letter.

The answer was signed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, addressed to Captain Richard Crabb, Captain Thomas Stevens, Captain Fielder Freeman, Captain Robert Robinson, Captain Joseph Phillips, Captain William Webber, Captain John Sampson and Captain John Stevens.

Interpretations

The arrival of the store ship from England broke the deadlock at a stroke. For weeks the council and the commanders had been locked over a beef shortage the island could not remedy, but the store ship carried the salt provisions the ships lacked, and the captains at once prepared to sail before the fortnight they had themselves asked for had run out. The whole dispute, so pressing while the fleet lay short, simply dissolved once fresh victuals came in, and the council was able to close the matter without pursuing the disagreement further.

The council's handling of the phantom thirty-hundredweight allowance shows its careful separation of what it had actually ordered from what the captains claimed. It flatly denied ordering any such ration, yet rather than argue the point it went to the clerk of the market for the hard figure, the 106 head remaining to be divided on 15 June, and reasoned from that real number what each ship might fairly draw. This was the same reliance on a verifiable count, the sworn or recorded figure rather than any party's assertion, that had run through the whole affair, the council grounding its position on the clerk's account of the actual stock.

The council's pointed refusal to enter more particularly into remarks upon the captains' letter, now that the crisis had passed, carries a note of restrained displeasure. The commanders had pressed hard, circulated a rumour that the Company was starving its cattle and claimed an allowance never made, and the council, vindicated by the store ship's arrival, chose to let the matter drop rather than pursue the grievances it might have aired. The line marks the end of the dispute on the council's terms, the shortage relieved, the herd preserved and the disagreement closed without concession.

50

43

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 9.th

July 1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson Lt Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

of Councill

Matthew Perling 5.th

The last Consultation was read and approved

On the 9.th Instant Sail.d from hence for

England the Hon.ble Companys Ship the Lapwing, Cap.t Kirwan

the Dorrington, Cap.t Crabb, the Beaufort, Cap.t Stevens, the

Montague, Cap.t Freeman, the S.t George, Cap.t Robinson, the Casar,

Cap.t Court, the King William, Cap.t Phillips, the Winchester, Cap.t

Samson, the Winchelsea, Cap.t Baron, the York, Cap.t Laselles, the

Stafford, Cap.t Baker, the Duke of Dorsett, Cap.t Feagnall, the Prince

William, Cap.t Webber, and the Gadolphin, Cap.t Stevens,

The Governour laid before us the following

report, which We Approved of and Agreed, that the Planters should

be called in, and the same Read to them, and After which we gave

them a Copy of it, viz.t

Gentlemen,

Haveing thought it Reasonable

to Allow what Number of Cattle the Planters upon this Island

could Give to the Shipping in the Late Season, an Order was

Published in the 3.d day of May, that the Planters should Make a

Return, upon Oath, (if Required) of All the Cattle they Could

or

Margin Notes:

Copy went home

from hence to

Consultation of

the 22.d July

off Maidstone

A margin note recorded that a copy was sent home from Bengal, referring to the consultation of 22 July and the Middlesex.

A consultation was held on Tuesday, 16 July 1745, at the castle. Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, presided, with Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of council present. The last consultation was read and approved.

On 9 July sailed for England the Company's ships Lapwing, Captain Kirwan, the Darrington, Captain Crabb, the Beaufort, Captain Stevens, the Montague, Captain Freeman, the St George, Captain Robinson, the Caesar, Captain Court, the King William, Captain Phillips, the Winchester, Captain Sampson, the Winchelsea, Captain Baron, the York, Captain Lasselles, the Stafford, Captain Baker, the Duke of Dorset, Captain Frognall, the Prince William, Captain Webber, and the Godolphin, Captain Stevens.

The Governor laid before the council the following report, which it approved and agreed. The planters should be called in, the report read to them and afterwards a copy given them.

The council had thought it reasonable to learn what number of cattle the planters upon the island could spare to the shipping in the late season. An order had been published on 3 May that the planters should make a return, upon oath if required, of all the cattle they could spare.

Interpretations

The departure of the whole fleet on 9 July marks the end of the season that had so pressed the island. Fourteen Company ships sailed together for England, the same vessels whose beef demand had strained the herd through the spring and whose commanders had pressed the council so hard, now victualled by the store ship and gone in a single body. The crowded road that had consumed forty-two head in May and driven the neat herd down to 326 emptied at once, and the island returned to the quiet the winter usually brought.

That the council convoyed the ships out together reflects the danger of the war at sea. In a season when French privateers threatened the homeward trade, the Company held its Indiamen at the island until they could sail in company for mutual defence, the same practice that had governed the road for years. The long stay of the ships, which the council had named as a cause of the beef scarcity, was itself a product of the convoy system, the vessels kept waiting for one another rather than sailing singly into danger.

The Governor's report on the cattle census returns to the dispute that the fleet's departure had rendered moot. The sworn return the council had demanded on 3 May, and pressed again on 1 July, was meant to fix the true strength of the island's stock against the planters' suspected understatement, and the Governor now brought its findings before the council to be read to the planters themselves. That the council pursued the matter even after the ships had gone shows it meant to settle the question of the island's real victualling capacity, not merely to meet the immediate demand, so that a future season might be met on a known footing.

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or intended to Spare for the Shipping for that Season, and if

they Killed any, or Sold them alive, they Should register them

to William Steward the Clerk of the Markett, Which said Order

has been very Lame off, and in it not obeyed Complyd with, However

a return was Made, and the Number among You all was 284,

200.

Several of the Captains frequently

Complained to Me, that they could gett no supplys, if the

Planters had none, only what they had promised to their

friends, (as they called them) upon Which I asked the Clerk of

the Markett to bring in an Account of the Number remaining

of the said return, and sent for All the Planters, thereupon, it

there Appeareing there remains 106, Which I Ordered to be

Equally divided in Number, and Quantity to 14 of the Hon.ble

Companys Ships then in Well Road, this Regulation, All

the Captains thought Equitable, except two, or 3, Who had

engaged more, however they Required some of your Selves seem

Uneasy, & & & this s.d Regulation, and others, forsooth,

Grumbled, & if you Could not Sell Your Cattle to Whome you

Pleased, by Which you Would have Starved some to Please

others, but your discontent therein availd you nothing.

On the 5.th Instant a new Complaint was

Made by 8 of the Cap.ts, that they Could gett no Supplys, on

repeated afresh Enquiry from the Clerk of the Markett, it

Appeared, if one half of the 106 yett Remains, Which Was

Ordered to be distributed Accordng to the first regulation,

And After All the Retorned Scarcity of Cattle amoung ye,

yett more Beef & & & the said Was When griping droves of

Cattle Sold months many More Were fitt to be Killed & &

than they Would Carry off.

W.S.

The Governor's report continued. The planters had been asked to say what number of cattle they intended to spare to the shipping that season, and whether they would kill any or sell them alive. They were to register their cattle with the clerk of the market. The clerk had since been very careful, and the register duly complied with. On the return made, the number the planters could spare came to 200.

Several of the captains frequently complained to the council that they could get no beef, though the planters had none but what they had promised to their friends, as they called them. The council therefore ordered the clerk of the market to bring in an account of the number remaining of the 200, and sent for all the planters. On their appearing, 136 remained, which the council ordered to be equally divided in number and quantity among the fourteen of the Company's ships then in the road. This regulation all the captains thought equitable, except those who had engaged more. Some of the captains, however, required more than their share, and though others were content and thankful, being satisfied that had the council allowed the whole to those who pressed for it, others must have gone short.

On 1 July a fresh complaint was made by eight of the captains that they could get no beef. Upon a fresh inquiry from the clerk of the market it appeared that one half of the 136 had remained, which was ordered to be distributed according to the first regulation. After all, the returned scarcity of cattle among the planters, the season making heavy draws of cattle for slaughter, meant that many more were killed than were fit to kill, since a man may would carry off more than his share.

Interpretations

The Governor's report lays out the whole course of the beef dispute as an exercise in distribution against a fixed and dwindling supply. The planters had returned 200 head as sparable, of which 136 remained by the time the captains pressed, and the council divided that number equally among the fourteen ships. The report shows the council acting as an impartial rationing authority, holding to an equal share per ship against the commanders who had privately engaged more, so that the beef went round rather than being engrossed by the most insistent.

The recurring complaint that the planters had none but what they had promised to their friends exposes the private dealing that ran beneath the official supply. The planters preferred to reserve their cattle for chosen buyers rather than throw them into the common allotment, and the council's remedy was to route the whole supply through the clerk of the market, whose register fixed what remained and whose account the council could act on. This was the same channelling of a scarce resource through a single recorded officer that the customs permits and the sworn cattle return also relied on, the council governing by count against the planters' evasions.

The report's closing observation, that more cattle were killed than were fit to kill because a man might carry off more than his share, names the deeper cost of the season's pressure. The demand forced the slaughter of immature beasts, the very animals the council had refused the commanders when it drew the line at the breeders, and the equal division could not prevent the herd being cut into its future. The whole affair stands as a record of a finite stock strained past its natural yield by an extraordinary concentration of shipping, the council managing the shortage as fairly as it could without being able to make good the want.

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W.S. Sees as the first was said, I examind

the Clerk of the Markett Accounts, Which I had Particularly given

time to Keep, by Which it Appears, that you have Killed, and Sold

alive, in Addition 326 more, Which is 126 More than Your return

in y.r Return to me, Which return you had reason to Expect if you

Were to be Sworn, to, Because it was Mentiond so in the Order.

I am, And upon Enquiring, Why y.r

Would Chuse to Sell y.r Cattle Alive, and the Answer is, y.r

Sees you Selves gett what weight of value you please upon each,

and Some of you have Shamefully imposed upon it, to which

Ships in y.r particular, of every W.t Samuel Dawson.

I have now Examined you here to

Answer for your contempt in disobeying the first Ordered and

me to tell you, By such, is any Contempt of Authority shall

not go unpunished.

I have a Complaint is your home

of the said Order, & the same because, and to Convince you, that no body

here does Anything they are afraid to be Constrained if I did

add this to the Case your dignity pretend to be ascribed, if that

every one of you Shall be fine to the Companys Cash so

for every beast, upon Which more than for your Service,

but this fine Will not be Exacted, till the Hon.ble Companys

Pleasure be Known upon it, and if farther tell you that I shall

Acquaint the Court of Directors, y.t by Purpose the Next

Season, to have whatever if your Cattle, upon Oath, and that

not one of you Shall deliver one alive, but upon Stock & spare

me to the Cap.ts, as they demand them, that so without

trouble, Each Ship, may have due proportion.

J. Hall

The report continued. As the fleet was about to sail, the council examined the clerk of the market's accounts, by which it particularly appeared that the planters had killed and sold alive 326 head, which was 126 more than they had returned to the council, though the return was to be sworn to, because it was so mentioned in the order.

The Governor then addressed the planters directly, and this part of the report was cast in his own voice. When enquiring whether the planters would choose to sell their cattle alive or kill them, the council had left it to them to state what weight or value they pleased upon the beasts. Some of them had shamefully imposed upon a Swedish ship, and one in particular, Mr Samuel Doveton.

The Governor told the planters he was concerned to answer for their contempt in disobeying the first order, and to tell them plainly that no contempt of authority should go unnoticed.

The Governor continued that he had a complaint against their order, and to convince them that no man there did anything they were afraid to be constrained to do, he would add this to the case: the Governor's deputy was directed to be applied to, and whatever any of them should be found to owe the Company's cash for every beast, upon it being made more than for their service, but this fine would not be exacted until the Company's pleasure be known upon it. He further told them he should acquaint the Court of Directors, and by purpose the next season, to have a return of their cattle, whether sold or killed, and that not one of them should deliver one alive, but upon a stock, and spare one to the captains, as they demand them, that without trouble each ship may have due proportion.

The report was signed by J Hall.

Interpretations

The examination of the clerk's accounts after the fleet had sailed exposed the full scale of the planters' deception. Where they had sworn a return of only 200 head sparable, the market's own record showed 326 actually killed and sold, 126 more than the sworn figure, so that the planters had understated their sparable cattle by more than a third even under oath. This confirmed the suspicion that had driven the whole census, that the planters were concealing their true stock to reserve beef for private buyers and hold up its price, and it turned an administrative shortfall into a matter of sworn falsehood the Governor could not overlook.

The naming of Samuel Doveton as having imposed upon a Swedish ship connects this fraud to a man already marked in the record for false returns. Doveton had been discharged from the Company's service in September 1744 for returning nineteen young pigs as sows and misstating the ages of the Company's cattle, and here he appears again overcharging a foreign ship, a pattern of dishonest dealing in stock that the Governor singled out by name. The foreign East India ships, entitled to refreshment but ignorant of local prices, were easy marks for planters willing to impose upon them.

The Governor's threat to fine the offenders and lay the matter before the Court of Directors shows the limit of his own authority and the mechanism by which it was extended. He could impose a charge on each planter's account with the Company for the cattle concealed, but would not exact it until the Court's pleasure was known, referring the ultimate penalty home just as the council did with every matter beyond its power to settle. The plan for the next season, a sworn return with the captains served their due proportion before any beast was sold alive, was the structural remedy meant to prevent the fraud recurring, the Governor moving from punishing the past deception to forestalling the next.

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I Shall Acquaint the Court of Directors

of another Method You took this Year never before practised

With you, that you refused the Cap.ts any Beef Alledging

y.r had none, but at the same time Told them, if they w.d

Lett y.r have Arrack, Sugar, Rice, & Paddy, and other things

you would buy to Gett them Beef, and All, or Most of you,

did so Accordingly.

I told you upon my first Arrival,

and often since, y.t Twere Would be of Nothing gainer by any

of you, and I Will be, as Good, as Word, and that I Came With

Adesire to live Well among you, but I find it is impossible,

Except I do as Most of your Governors have done, Above their

Masters, and Suffer you to do What you Pleased.

I am firmly determined to do my

duty honestly With Fear, or favour, and never to Purchase any

Servitandes, or Good Will at the Expence of the Company

and to Make this Island Answer the Ends, and Expectations

of the Sole Proprietors, to Make it, as usefull to their

Ships, as Possible.

The Hon.ble Company are daily heaping

benefits, and favours upon you, they have in their Gov.rs, either

this Yeat reduced the Price of such Cloathing, in their Stores,

as you have hitherto Paid 46 [P] Cent, for, to 25, and they are

Pleased to Continue your rents, as for some Years, till y.e a Comm.n

P here, till y.e Year 1760.

I am Perswade had they Known

how ye behaved to & Your to their Ships the Ports Bell,

Colchester, Bristol, and Swift, in refusing to open a house for

their

The Governor continued that he should acquaint the Court of Directors of another method the planters had used that year, never before practised, that they had refused the ships any beef, alleging they had none, but at the same time told them that if they would let them have arrack, sugar, rice and paddy and other things they wanted, they would get them beef, and all or most of them did so accordingly.

The Governor told the planters that upon his first arrival, and often since, he had said that nobody would be a farthing the richer by any of them, and that he would be as good, affable and mild as any that ever came out, and desirous to live well among them, but he found it impossible except as some of their former Governors had done, above their masters, and suffering them to do what they pleased.

The Governor declared he was firmly determined to do his duty honestly with them or for them, and never to purchase any private landed estate or good will at the expense of the Company, and to make the island answer the ends and expectations of the Lords Proprietors, to make it as useful to their ships as possible.

The Governor observed that the Company were daily heaping benefits and favours upon the planters. They had that year reduced the price of much of the clothing in their stores, which the planters had until then bought at 45 per cent, to 25, and they were pleased to continue their rents, as for some years past, at 5 per cent per annum, until the year 1760.

The Governor added that the Company would have known how the planters behaved last year to their ships the Prince of Wales, Colchester, Bristol and Swift, in refusing to open a house for their refreshment.

Interpretations

The Governor's charge that the planters bartered beef for arrack and other goods exposes a coercive private trade running against the Company's supply. By claiming to have no beef while offering it in exchange for the arrack, sugar, rice and paddy the ships carried, the planters turned the beef shortage into leverage to extract the imported goods they wanted, forcing the commanders into private dealing on the planters' terms. This was exactly the channel the customs permits and the market register were meant to close, the planters using their control of the one thing the ships needed to prise loose the goods they desired.

The Governor's insistence that no one would grow rich by him, set against the practice of former Governors who lived above their masters and let the planters do as they pleased, marks the reforming stance that had run through his whole administration. Dunbar had come out to cut the establishment's charges, examine the leases, revive the customs and bring the market to order, and here he framed the beef dispute as another front in the same campaign, a Governor holding the Company's interest against a planter class grown used to lax rule. The contrast he drew was between his own honesty and a history of collusion he meant to end.

The recital of the Company's favours, the clothing reduced from 45 to 25 per cent and the rents held at 5 per cent until 1760, was the Governor's answer to the planters' grievances, a reminder of what the Company gave against what it asked. The long guarantee of low rents and the cut in the price of stores were real concessions, and the Governor set them against the planters' obstruction to argue that the balance of benefit ran heavily in the planters' favour. The reference to their refusal the year before to open a house of refreshment for four named ships sharpened the point, casting the planters as ungrateful obstructors of the very trade the island existed to serve.

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their Officers, saying it was not Worth While for y.e Short time

they were to Stay, their Honours Would have Shewn resentm.t

for Such behaviour, instead of their great indulgence to Ye

They have an Account of such behaviour

by 2 of the said Ships, and by this Opportunity We shall Know the

Sentiments of the Court of Directors upon it.

I have no more to say to You at this

time, but if we your own behalve to be Your Interest Will demand

no body Wish to teach Your property to Your Friends, and to any

be Advised, if so long as I am Continued here, every Man of you shall

do his duty to the Company, and Contribute All in your Power

to make this Island Answer the Expectations of their Honours,

by being as usefull as Possible, it is for that Purpose

they Keep it at so great expence, and it for regard truly

of the Inhabitants, whose Welfare however they Pretty

enjoy, us to Study, and I can with a good Conscience Say,

that I Know of no instance, y.t we are Wanting in so

doing, as far as is consistent With Our trust, and duty

to Our Masters.

Ye shall have a Copy of What

I now have said, that you May Councill Answer to it, and if

answer it to us, and then, if you Please, Send it home

P Copy David Dunbar

The Storekeeper, and Vestry, this day

presented the following Petition viz.t

To the Worshipfull David

Dunbar Esq.r Gov.r & Council

The Governor continued that the planters had refused to open their houses, saying it was not worth their while for the short time the ships were there, though their honours would have shown resentment for such behaviour, instead of their great indulgence to the planters.

The council held an account of that behaviour by two of the ships, and by the first opportunity would know the sentiment of the Court of Directors upon it.

Governor Dunbar concluded that he had no more to say to the planters at that time, but that it was their own decision to be for the future well disposed. No man's effort to break their property to their friends, and to say he would be advised as long as they continued to do every man's part equally to their duty to the Company, and to contribute all in their power to make the island answer the expectations of their honours, by being as useful as possible. It was for that purpose their honours kept it at so great expense, and it was for regard and duty of the inhabitants, whose welfare, however they briefly enjoyed, moved them to study, and he could with a good conscience say that he knew of no instance where they were resisting in so doing, as far as was consistent with their trust and duty to their masters.

The planters should have a copy of what the Governor had said, so that they might counsel before they made an answer to the council, and then, if they pleased, send it home. It was signed by order of council by David Dunbar.

The steward and writer presented the following petition, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena.

Interpretations

The Governor's closing address turned from reproach to a conditional peace, offering the planters a future understanding on the terms of their doing their duty to the Company. Having laid out their sworn falsehood over the cattle, their bartering of beef for goods and their refusal to open houses of refreshment, he held out the prospect that all this might be set aside if they behaved well henceforth, framing the whole confrontation as a warning rather than a final breach. The offer of a copy so that the planters might counsel before answering, and send their answer home if they wished, kept the dispute within the bounds of orderly government, each side free to lay its case before the Court.

The Governor's insistence that the Company kept the island at great expense for the benefit of the inhabitants as much as for its ships restates the paternal claim that underlay his whole reforming stance. The settlement existed to serve the homeward trade, but the Governor cast its maintenance as a favour to the planters, whose welfare the Company studied, so that their obstruction appeared not merely a breach of duty but ingratitude toward a benefactor. This framing let him present his own firmness as service to the planters' true interest, a Governor holding them to a discipline that was for their own good.

The referral of the planters' conduct to the Court of Directors, with the account of two ships to go home by the first opportunity, marks again the limit of the Governor's power and the channel through which it reached beyond the island. He could reprove, threaten a fine and demand better conduct, but the judgement of whether the planters had failed in their duty, and any lasting penalty, lay with the Court in London. The whole address was as much a document for that distant tribunal as a rebuke to the planters before him, the Governor building his record against the day the Court should weigh the island's management and the planters' behaviour together.

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The Humble Petition of the Under

written Persons Factors and Writers in the Hon.ble East

India Companys Service here,

Sheweth,

That Your Petitioners during

the last Year only received Eighteen Pounds five Shillings

for their Diett money, and do Humbly believe, that

the Hon.ble Company would not Allow them Less than

the Officers, or others in their Service.

That Your Petitioners have

been Acquainted with the Hon.ble Companys Orders in

relation to their having a Table, provided for them by the

Company at the Castle, Your Petitioners begg leave

to Acquaint your Worships, that the same will be very

Illconvement to them, in as Much as some of them

have the Benefit of their fathers Table, and others are

Married, and your Petitioners hope, that upon the

next Application to the Company will your Worships

Assistance they Shall Obtain their Request.

Your Petitioners therefor Humbly

Pray, that your Worships will befriend

to Allow, after the rate as hath been Allow.d

to the Military for the last Year, Wherein

they have yet had the benefit of Metables,

And Would also be Pleased to Continue

the Allowance of £27. 7. 6 for the next

Year.

The petition came from the factors and writers in the Company's service on the island.

The petitioners set out that during the past year they had received only £18 5s 0d for their diet money, and believed that the Company would not allow them less than the officers or others in its service.

They said they had been made aware of the Company's orders about a table provided for them by the Company at the castle. They noted that this would be no allowance to them, since some of them had the benefit of their fathers' table and others were married, and they hoped that on the next application to the Company, with the council's assistance, they might obtain their request.

The petitioners therefore asked the council to allow them, after the rate that had been allowed to the military for the past year, in which they had not had the benefit of a table, and also to continue the allowance of £27 7s 6d for the next year.

Interpretations

The petition turns on the difference between diet money and a common table, two ways the Company provided for its servants' food. The factors and writers held that the castle table the Company's orders offered was no real benefit to men who either dined at their fathers' houses or kept their own married households, and they asked instead for a cash allowance on the footing given to the military. This exposes a recurring tension in the establishment, between provision in kind, which suited single men fed at a common board, and provision in money, which the settled and the married preferred, the junior civil servants pressing for the form that fitted their actual circumstances.

The gap between the £18 5s 0d actually received and the £27 7s 6d sought marks the petitioners' claim to parity with the officers and the military. Diet money was a fixed charge on the establishment, and the writers argued that theirs fell short of what others in the Company's service drew, framing their request as a matter of equal treatment rather than of favour. That they looked to the council's assistance in a future application to the Company shows the council's role as the intermediary between the island's servants and the distant Court, the local board expected to endorse and forward the claims of those it governed.

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Year to your Petitioners, till they can have an Answer from the

Hon.ble Company, your Petitioners being very Willing, and Will

Undertake to Return to your Worships y.e same Sum, in Case the

Hon.ble Company shall not be Pleased to Allow thereof.

And Your Petitioners as in Duty

bound, will ever Pray

July 10.th 1745

Signed Rob.t Wright

Jos. Seymour

Francis Waughan

Jos.ph Darvall

Tho.s French

Upon reading the above Petition, they

were Called in, and told, that as the Hon.ble Company had been

Pleased to Order them their Table, We could not take upon

us to Give them diet Money, but Would represent it, to the

Company

The Storekeeper this day brought

in his Collection for the Months of April, May, & June, Which

were Examined and Approved and are, as follows, Viz.t

Collection of Goods Sold, and delivered out of the Hon.ble

Companies Stores from the 1.st April to the 30.th June 1745

Viz.t

Sold to the Planters at Prof.t [P] Cent

Arrack 632½ Gallons: 189 15

Carried Over: £189 15

The petitioners closed by asking that the allowance be continued to them until they could have an answer from the Company. They were very willing, and undertook to refund the money to the council by that June in case the Company should not be pleased to allow it. The petition was dated 10 July 1745 and signed by Robert Wright, Joseph Frognall, Francis Vaughan, Joseph Darvall and Thomas French.

On reading the petition, the petitioners were called in and told that, as the Company had been pleased to order them their table, the council could not take upon itself to give them diet money, but would represent the matter to the Company.

The storekeeper brought in his collection for the months of April, May and June, which were examined and approved.

The collection of goods sold and delivered out of the Company's stores from 1 April to 30 June 1745 was set out, reckoned in sterling. The first entry, of arrack sold to the planters, is given in prose below since it heads a list otherwise itemised.

Arrack, 632.5 gallons sold to the planters at 6s per gallon, £189 15s 0d, carried over, £189 15s 0d.

Interpretations

The council's answer held firmly to the distinction the Company had itself drawn. Since the Court had ordered a common table for the writers and factors, the council would not substitute a cash payment of its own authority, however the petitioners pressed, but confined itself to forwarding their case to the Company. This marks the limit the council observed in matters the Court had already ruled on, unwilling to override a standing order even where the local circumstances made it ill-fitting, and referring the question home rather than deciding it against the Company's expressed will.

The petitioners' offer to refund the allowance if the Company should disallow it shows how a local board and its servants managed the long delay between a request and the Court's answer. Rather than wait a year or more with no provision, the writers proposed to take the money now and repay it should London refuse, a device that let the establishment function across the gulf of time and distance that separated it from its masters. The undertaking to refund made the advance a loan against the Court's decision, a practical accommodation to the reality that every question of any weight had to travel half the world and back before it was settled.

The storekeeper's quarterly collection was the record of what the Company sold out of its stores to the island, the arrack at six shillings a gallon heading a list of goods retailed to the planters. This was the commercial face of the establishment, the Company not merely victualling ships but running a store from which the inhabitants bought the imported goods they could get no other way, the same arrack, sugar and cloth the India ships brought in now passing over the counter to the planters at a marked price. The collection set against the purchases showed the Company's trade with its own settlers, a steady source of revenue distinct from the victualling of the fleet.

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Brought over: £189 15

Sugar & Candy viz.t

13. 2. 27 lb Sugar: 36 14 7

2. 26 Candy: 2. 2. 9¾

38 17 4¾

Bread & Flour viz.t

57 lb Bread: " 11 10½

55 Flour: " 10 6

1. 2. 4½

Oyle viz.t

16 Gall.ns Linseed: 1 13 9

2 gall.ns grain: 2 4

1 16 1

Rice 74: 13 10

Hooks & Lines viz.t

8560 fishing Hooks: 10 2¾

14. 2 Blocks Sold: 4 3 9¾

v.g 7 Lines Sold: 3 3 6¾

7 17 4¾

Twine Sold: 6 1

Long Cloth q.ty s.d 27: 12 8 7

Cattampores 14 Sold: 3 1 6

Cuttances 1 D.o: 12 3

Thread viz.t

4. 4 Wbrown Sold: 1 9 6

3 27 Fine: 4 3

1 Coloured: 3 3

1 16 11

Canvas 6 pieces Sacking: 6 "

Carried over: £261 12 6¾

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £189 15s 0d

Sugar and candy:

732 lb of sugar, £36 14s 7d

26 lb of candy, £2 2s 9.5d

subtotal, £38 17s 4.5d

Bread and flour:

57 lb of bread, £0 11s 10.5d

55 lb of flour, £0 10s 6d

subtotal, £1 2s 3.75d

Oil:

16 gallons of linseed oil, £4 13s 9d

2 gallons of train oil, £0 2s 4d

subtotal, £4 16s 1d

Rice, £13 10s 0d

Hooks and lines:

2,850 fish hooks, £0 10s 2.5d

4 blocks of lines, £4 3s 9.5d

7 lines, £3 3s 6.5d

subtotal, £7 17s 4.5d

Twine, £0 6s 1d

Long cloth, £12 8s 7d

Cotton, £3 1s 6d

Cutlery, £0 12s 3d

Thread:

4 lb of brown thread, £1 9s 6d

3 lb of blue thread, £0 4s 3d

1 lb of coloured thread, £0 3s 3d

subtotal, £1 16s 11d

Canvas, 6 pieces of sacking, £0 6s 0d

Carried over, £261 12s 6.25d

Interpretations

The store's list ranges across the whole span of a settler's imported wants, from the sugar and candy of the table to the linseed and train oil, fish hooks and lines, cloth and thread that no household on the island could make for itself. Train oil was the oil rendered from whale or seal blubber, used for lamps and for dressing leather, distinct from the linseed pressed from flax and kept for paint and wood, and both had to be shipped in, an island in the middle of the ocean depending on the store for the commonest necessities of daily life.

The cloth and sewing goods form the largest part of this stretch of the account, the long cloth alone at over twelve pounds heading the sugar candy and rice. Long cloth was a plain Indian cotton, and its prominence among the goods retailed shows how far the planters relied on the Company's store for the very fabric of their clothing, the same imported textiles the India ships carried now sold on to the settlers by the yard. That thread came in three colours, brown, blue and coloured, marks a store stocking not just the cloth but the means to work it, the whole apparatus of clothing a household reaching the island only through the Company's trade.

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Brought over: £261 12 6¾

Turnerware viz.t

1 Tray: " 3 6

1 Ladle: " 2¾

10 Bowls: " 8 4

6 Plates: " 4 2

2 Serveing Boxeless: " 3 10

1 Cloth Brush: " 1 6

2 Hair Braces: " 9 10

2 Mops: " 3 2

1 8 6¾

Bread Cloth q.ty Dead Stock: " 16 9¾

Haberdashery ware viz.t

3 Seams Mohair: " 1 "

4 Sounes of Silk: " 2 4

1 doger Breast Buttons: " 4

6 Yards Corbing: " 1 3

4 P. Cravatiot Tape: " 7

3 P. Metan Tape: " 2 6

8 -

Paint viz.t

9 White Smart: 1 1 "

13 White Lead: " 4 10½

4 Yellow Oaker: " 1 2

1 7 ½

Nails viz.t

8 T. Scupper Nails: " 6 4

N.o 20: " 1 8

4 Flooring Brads: " 1 "

" 8 "

Cordage viz.t

7 lb Coyrey: " 3 6¾

302 Twice Laid s.o: 7 11 "

7 14 5¾

Hosiery ware 6 P. Womans Stockings: 1 4 9.

Carried over: £274 19 5½

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £261 12s 6.25d

Turnery ware:

1 tray, £0 3s 6d

1 ladle, £0 0s 2.5d

10 bowls, £0 8s 4d

6 plates, £0 4s 2d

2 scouring brushes, £0 3s 10d

1 cloth brush, £0 1s 6d

2 hair brushes, £0 2s 10d

2 mugs, £0 3s 2d

subtotal, £1 8s 6.5d

Broad cloth and dyed black, £0 16s 9.5d

Haberdashery:

3 seams of mohair, £0 1s 0d

4 ounces of silk, £0 2s 6d

1 dozen breast buttons, £0 0s 4d

6 yards of binding, £0 1s 5d

18 yards of coloured tape, £0 0s 7d

3 pieces of narrow tape, £0 2s 6d

subtotal, £0 8s 0d

Paint:

9 lb of white paint, £0 1s 0d

15 lb of white lead, £0 4s 10.5d

4 lb of garden ochre, £0 1s 2d

subtotal, £1 7s 0.5d

Nails:

8 lb of scupper nails, £0 6s 4d

number 20, £0 1s 8d

4 lb of flooring brads, £0 1s 0d

subtotal, £0 8s 0d

Cordage:

7 lb of twine, £0 3s 6.25d

302 lb of fine lead, £7 11s 0d

subtotal, £7 14s 5.75d

Hosiery, 6 pairs of women's stockings, £1 4s 0d

Carried over, £274 19s 5.25d

Interpretations

The store's stock of turnery, haberdashery, paint, nails and cordage shows how completely the island depended on the Company for the small hardware of settled life. Turnery ware was the trade of goods shaped on a lathe, the trays, bowls and mugs of a household, and the brushes, buttons, tape, paint and nails beside them were the countless minor manufactures that no island economy could produce, each one carried out from England or India and passed over the store's counter. The very ordinariness of the list, a ladle at twopence, a dozen breast buttons at fourpence, marks the reach of the Company's supply into the smallest details of domestic want.

The paint account names the materials of building and upkeep the settlement drew from the store. White lead was the basis of white paint and a preservative coat for exposed timber, and garden ochre a cheap earth pigment for coarser work, both needed to protect wood against the sea air and both shipped in like everything else. That a remote island bought its very paint by the pound from the Company store shows how the establishment furnished not only food and clothing but the means of maintaining the fabric of the place, the store standing as the sole source of the materials by which the settlement kept itself in repair.

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Brought over: £274 19 5½

Glazier ware viz.t

44 Sq. Glass 12 by 12: 2 2 8¾

23 Wine Glasses: " 10 6½

6 Tumblers: " 6 6

1 Half Pinn Glass: " 9

2 19 6

Allspice 1 lb Stock: " 16 6

Tea 1 Cottee: " 2 "

Blanketes 1 Ready: " 16 2

Chelloes 1 D.o: " 6 3

Devotes 1 6 Piece: 3 10 6

Flannell 17 Yards: 1 6 6

Bunting 2 Yards of Red: 2 1

Tinware 6 Leathorn Loves: " " 11

Ironware viz.t

1 Box Lock Brass Plate: " 2 7

1 Large Frying Pan: 4 10

1 Small D.o: " 2 4

1 Fett Lock: " 2 11

1 P. Snip Shears: " 1 6

1 Taylors Thimble: " 2

" 14 4

Shoes viz.t

4 P.r Boys Sinted: 18 1

1 D.o Girles: 2 8

1 " 9

Pepper 8: " " 9

Slaes Powder 5 g: " 1 6

Muslline 3 g.o: 2 6 6

Iron Potts 1: " 5 6

Pewter 1 dozen Spoons: " 4 4½

Grots 1 Bushell: 9 8½

Coals 4 Bushels: " 6 4

Carried over: £291 15 4

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £274 19s 5.25d

Glassware:

44 square glasses at 6 by 6, £2 2s 8.5d

23 wine glasses, £0 10s 6.5d

6 tumblers, £0 6s 6d

1 half pint glass, £0 0s 9d

subtotal, £2 19s 6d

Allspice, 1 lb 12 [oz], £0 16s 6d

Tea, 1 catty, £0 2s 0d

Blankets, 1, £0 16s 4d

Chelloes, 1, £0 6s 3d

Deesooties, 6 pieces, £3 10s 6d

Flannel, 19 yards, £1 0s 0d

Bunting, 8 yards of red, £0 2s 1d

Tin ware, 6 lanthorn leaves, £0 0s 11d

Ironware:

1 box lock, brass plate, £0 8s 7d

1 large frying pan, £0 4s 10d

1 handsaw, £0 2s 4d

1 fell lock, £0 3s 11d

1 pair stone shears, £0 1s 6d

1 tailor's thimble, £0 0s 2d

subtotal, £0 14s 4d

Shoes:

4 pairs of boys' shoes, £0 18s 1d

1 pair of girls' shoes, £0 2s 8d

subtotal, £1 0s 9d

Pepper, £0 1s 9d

Hair powder, £0 1s 6d

Muscline, 3 [pieces], £2 6s 6d

Iron pots, 1, £0 3s 6d

Pewter, 1 dozen spoons, £0 4s 4.5d

Grits, 1 bushel, £0 9s 8.5d

Coals, 4 bushels, £0 3s 4d

Carried over, £291 15s 4d

Interpretations

The glassware and finer goods on this part of the list mark the store's supply of things well beyond bare necessity, the wine glasses, tumblers and window glass of a household that meant to live in some comfort. Chelloes and deesooties were Indian cotton cloths, the deesooties the same valuable Bengal piece goods that had been the occasion of fraud and dispute earlier in the year, here sold by the piece to the planters, and muscline a fine cotton for lighter wear. The store carried the whole range of imported fabric, from the coarse to the fine, the settlers dressing themselves entirely from the Company's shelves.

The building and household hardware, the box lock, frying pan, handsaw and shears, together with coals sold by the bushel, shows again how the store furnished the practical means of living on the island. Coal in particular had to be shipped from England as ballast, there being no fuel of the kind on the island, and its sale by the bushel marks a settlement dependent on imported fuel for any work that needed a strong or steady heat. The children's shoes, boys' and girls' sold by the pair, are a small human trace among the ironmongery, the store clothing the settlers' children as it clothed the settlers themselves.

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Brought over: £291 13 4

Chinaware viz.t

1 doz.r Punch Cups & Saucer: " 1 11

5 Smokers: " 11½

1 Sett.o Dishes & Plates: " 9 11

36 Wass pind Cups & Saucers: " 19 6

1 12 3½

Pitch & Tarr viz.t

14 Tarr: " 1 4½

8 Pitch: " 1 "

" 2 4½

Totall Sold to the Planters: £293 7 9¾

Sold to the Forreign Ships [P] Cent

Arrack 826½ Gallons: 206 8 9

40. 2. 7 Sugar: 45 11 4

2. 3. 1 Candy: 7 1 7¾

82 15 4¾

Bread & Flour viz.t

632 Bread: 3 17 7

4 Flour: 1 3¾

316 D.o Baked into Loaves: 2 8 4

6 7 2¾

Oyle viz.t

18¾ Gall.s Linseed: 11 18 5¾

2 Bottles Florence: " 5 6

12 3 11¾

Blanketts viz.t

12 Ready: 3 16 6

2 Fine: 1 "

4 16 6

Hooks & Lines viz.t

4560 Blue Hooks: " 16 2

14. 17 Blocks Sold: 3 8 7¾

v.g 5. 4 Lines Sold: 1 8 1¼

5 11 4

Carried over: £318 4 1¾

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £291 15s 4d

China ware:

1 dozen quart cups and saucers, £0 1s 11d

5 saucers, £0 0s 11.5d

1 dozen dishes and plates, £0 9s 11d

36 half pint cups and saucers, £0 19s 6d

subtotal, £1 12s 3.5d

Pitch and tar:

0.5 [barrel] of tar, £0 1s 4.5d

8 [lb] of pitch, £0 1s 0d

subtotal, £0 2s 4.5d

Total sold to the planters, £293 7s 9.5d

The account then set out the goods sold to the American ships, reckoned in sterling. The two lines naming those ships are given in prose below, since a code block would lose their italics.

Sold to the American ships at 20 per cent:

Arrack, 826 gallons, £206 8s 9d

Sugar and candy:

45 lb of sugar, £75 16s 4d

2 [cwt] 3 [qr] 1 [lb] of candy, £7 1s 7.5d

subtotal, £82 15s 4.5d

Bread and flour:

532 lb of bread, £3 17s 7d

4 [lb] of flour, £1 1s 3.5d

310 lb of bread baked into loaves, £2 8s 4d

subtotal, £6 7s 7.5d

Oil:

18.5 gallons of linseed, £11 18s 5.5d

2 bottles of Florence, £0 6s 6d

subtotal, £12 3s 10.5d

Blankets:

12 ordinary, £3 16s 6d

2 fine, £1 0s 0d

subtotal, £4 16s 6d

Hooks and lines:

4,360 fish hooks, £0 16s 2d

11 blocks of hooks, £3 8s 7.5d

6 [dozen] 4 lines, £1 8s 1.5d

subtotal, £5 11s 4d

Carried over, £318 4s 1.5d

Interpretations

The heading of a separate account for goods sold to the American ships marks a distinct current of trade the island served. Alongside the Company's own homeward Indiamen and the foreign East India ships, vessels from the American colonies called at St Helena, and the store sold to them at a fixed 20 per cent, a rate set for these outside buyers as the six shillings a gallon governed the arrack sold to the resident planters. The presence of American shipping in the road shows the island as a waypoint on trades far wider than the Company's own, its store open to any vessel that put in.

The scale of the American purchases dwarfs the planters' retail trade in the bulk goods, 826 gallons of arrack and great quantities of sugar and bread against the smaller domestic sales. These were ships provisioning for a long ocean passage, buying spirit, sugar, bread and fish hooks in quantities that reveal the island's role as a victualling station for the wider Atlantic trade, not merely a refreshment stop for the Company's own fleet. The bread baked into loaves in particular, 310 lb entered separately, points to the island's ovens working to supply passing ships with fresh provision for the sea.

The china sold to the planters, quart cups, dishes, plates and half-pint cups and saucers, closes the domestic account on the same imported porcelain that had run short in the castle and been lost in the surf-landing. This was the Canton ware the China ships carried, sold on to the settlers in small lots, so that even the crockery of an island household came from the far side of the world through the Company's store. The pitch and tar beside it, the materials of caulking and preserving timber against water, complete the picture of a store furnishing every want of a maritime settlement from a single imported stock.

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Brought over: £318 4 1¾

Thread viz.t

9 lb W.brown Sold: 2 13 4½

3 27 Fine: 3 6

6 27 6 Colored: " 16 1¾

3 13 "

Long Cloth 32 s.d P.t Ded 27: 35 3 4¾

Cattampors 30 Sold: 8 "

Turnerware viz.t

28 W.o Bowles: " 18 8

4 Ladles: " " 9

6 Platters: " 3 4

1 Scrubing Brush: " 1 6

3 Mops: " 3 2

1 8 "

Glazier ware viz.t

64 Wine Glasses: 1 " 3

4 Bell Glasses: " 3 2

10 Wine Pinn Glasses: 1 1

1 10 6

Twine 13 Sold: " 10 5

Muslline 3 g.o: 2 19 7

Iron Potts 2: " 8 8

Tinware 6 Lanthorne Loaves: " " 9

Pepper 8 viz.t: " 11 3

Grots 5 Bushels: " 17¼

Tin 4 Cottees: " 6 4

Ironware viz.t

2 Scythe Stones: " " 5¼

2 Large Frying Pans: " 7 6

3 Small D.o: " 4 2

2 Pad Locks: " 5 8

1 Fett Lock: " 2 4

5 dozen W.o Screws: " 3 9

1 8 8¼

Total: £370 3 5¼

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £318 4s 1.5d

Thread:

9 lb of brown thread, £2 13s 4.5d

3 lb of blue thread, £0 3s 6d

6.5 lb of coloured thread, £0 16s 1.5d

subtotal, £3 13s 0d

Long cloth, 32 [pieces] and 8 [yards], £33 3s 4.5d

Cotton, 30 pieces, £8 0s 0d

Turnery ware:

28 wooden bowls, £0 18s 8d

1 ladle, £0 0s 9d

6 platters, £0 3s 4d

1 scouring brush, £0 1s 6d

3 mugs, £0 3s 2d

subtotal, £1 8s 0d

Glassware:

64 wine glasses, £1 0s 3d

4 beer glasses, £0 3s 2d

10 window square glasses, £0 7s 1d

subtotal, £1 10s 6d

Twine, £0 10s 5d

Muscline, 3 [pieces], £2 19s 7d

Iron pots, 2, £0 8s 8d

Tin ware, 6 lanthorn leaves, £0 0s 9d

Pepper, £0 11s 3d

Grits, [...] bushels, £0 17s 4.5d

Tea, 4 catties, £0 6s 4d

Ironware:

2 scythe stones, £0 0s 5.5d

2 large frying pans, £0 7s 6d

5 small do, £0 4s 2d

2 hand locks, £0 5s 8d

1 fell lock, £0 2s 4d

3 dozen wood screws, £0 3s 9d

subtotal, £1 8s 8.5d

Total, £371 3s 5.5d

Interpretations

The second and larger sale of cloth to the American ships, over thirty-three pounds of long cloth and eight pounds of cotton, confirms how far the store's textile trade reached beyond the island's own settlers. The American vessels bought Indian cotton in quantity, whether for their crews or to carry on as cargo, drawing on the same stock of piece goods the India ships brought and the planters bought by the yard. The store thus stood at a crossing point of trades, Indian cloth landed at a mid-Atlantic island and sold on to ships bound for the American colonies, a small node in a commerce that spanned three continents.

The recurrence of the same goods, thread, turnery, glassware, ironware, in the American account as in the planters' shows a single stock serving every buyer at its appointed rate. The frying pans, locks and wood screws that fitted out a settler's house equally supplied a ship's needs, and the store made no distinction of kind between its customers, only of price, the resident planters charged one way and the passing ships another. This was the Company running a general store on a scale to meet both a settled population and a stream of shipping, its shelves stocked from the whole reach of its trade and its counter open to all who put into the road.

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Ironware brought over: Brought over £371 3 5¼

1 Rag Stone: 1 8 8¼

1 Excelsor Lock: ditto ditto 1½

2 Taylors Thimbles: 3 2

4 Brass wire: ditto 3

4 Brass wire: ditto 8¼

1 12 10¾

Haberdashery ware viz.t

7 doz.r Metan Breast Buttons: ditto 1 4

7½ doz.r do Cost do: 4 ½

2 Sounes of Mohair: ditto 6

30 Sounes Silk: 15 9

2 P. Metan Tape: 1 3

1 P. do Cravaes: ditto 6

1 P. Cornettien Tape: ditto 5¾

108 Yards of Corbing: 6 4

2 8 9¾

Paint 5.d W.o Smart: 1 2 3¾

Lead 33½ Shott: ditto 6 3¾

Brazier ware viz.t

1 Flatt Candlestick: ditto 4 1

18 P.t Round do: 7 6

ditto 11 7

Rice 6 D.o: ditto 2 9

Devotes 13 P.t Sold: 6 10 3

Grots 1 Firk: 1 10¾

Iron 1 Meswett Board: 2 7

Nails 4 Flooring Brads: ditto 3½

Hair Powder 20 g: ditto 10 3

Canvas 4 pieces of Sacking: ditto 5 3

Iron Potts 14 Yard Sink: 1 6 6

Cordage 7 lb: ditto ditto 7

Pewter viz.t

3½ dozen of Spoons: ditto 8 2

1 Funnel: ditto 2 6

ditto 10 8

Carried over: £387 6 1¾

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £371 3s 5.5d

Ironware brought over, £1 8s 8.5d

1 rag stone, £0 0s 1.5d

1 escutcheon lock, £0 3s 2d

2 tailor's thimbles, £0 0s 3d

1 brass wire, £0 0s 8.5d

subtotal, £1 12s 10.5d

Haberdashery:

7 dozen of stitched breast buttons, £0 1s 1d

7.5 dozen of coat do, £0 4s 3.5d

2 seams of mohair, £0 0s 6d

30 ounces of silk, £0 15s 9d

2 pieces of Holland tape, £0 1s 3d

1 piece of narrow do, £0 0s 6d

1 piece of coloured tape, £0 0s 5.5d

108 yards of garttering, £0 6s 4d

subtotal, £2 8s 9.5d

Paint, 4 lb of white amotto, £1 2s 3.5d

Lead, 33.5 [lb] short, £0 6s 3.5d

Braziers ware:

1 flat candlestick, £0 4s 1d

18 lb of round do, £0 7s 6d

subtotal, £0 11s 7d

Rice, £0 0s 9d

Deesooties, 15 pieces, £6 10s 3d

Grits, 1 peck, £0 1s 10.5d

Combs, 1 dozen of ivory, £0 2s 7d

Nails, 4 flooring brads, £0 0s 3.5d

Hair powder, 2 lb, £0 10s 3d

Canvas, 3 pieces of sacking, £0 5s 3d

Broad cloth, 1.5 yards fine, £1 6s 0d

Cordage, 1 [lb], £0 0s 7d

Pewter:

6.5 dozen of spoons, £0 8s 2d

1 funnel, £0 2s 0d

subtotal, £0 10s 8d

Carried over, £387 6s 1.5d

Interpretations

The braziers ware names the trade of goods worked in brass or copper, the candlesticks the island bought for light, distinct from the ironware and pewter entered nearby. Amotto, the annatto entered here among the paint, was a red-orange dye drawn from the seeds of a tropical shrub, used both to colour and as a pigment, one of the many worked materials the store carried that the island could not itself produce. The account's fine gradation of goods, brass from iron, pewter from tin, each class kept apart, reflects a store keeping careful track of a stock drawn from many trades and many places.

The recurrence of the Bengal deesooties on the American account, fifteen pieces at over six pounds, shows the same valuable cloth passing to the passing ships as to the planters. This was the very fabric whose damage and shortage had generated the disputes earlier in the year, now moving steadily out through the store to every kind of buyer, a mark of how central the Indian piece goods were to the whole commerce of the island. The store turned the Company's imported cloth into cash from planters and ships alike, the textile trade running as a constant thread through the entire account of goods sold.

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Brought over: £387 6 1¾

Shirts 1 Dungree: ditto 2 1

Chinaware viz.t

2 Sett.o Dishes & Plates: ditto 10 "

10 Smokers: ditto 2 6

1 Small Bowle: ditto " 11

18 half Pinn Cups & Saucers: 9 6

1 5 "

Half price rec.d the Officers to buy the several

Captains &c.o: 12 10 -

Beef & Pork viz.t

70 lb Beef: 11 17 3

149 lb Pork: 15 10 5

27 7 8

Rice viz.t

2 lb 14 Fine Rice: 1 11 10½

34. 1. 21 Coarse d.o: 14 15 7¾

16 7 8

Pease 2 27 4 Bushels: 1 3 4½

Totall Sold to the Forreiners: £446 2 9¾

Sold to Forrein Ships at Prof.t [P] Cent

Oyle 44 gall.s Linseed: 14 11 6

Wates 20 s.o: 6 6

Glazier ware viz.t

1 Large Glass Lanthorne: ditto 14 8

8 dozen Wine Glasses: 2 8 "

4 decanters: ditto 12 4

14 Wine Glasses: 1 " 8¼

8 Tumblers 16 Wine Wglasses: ditto 7 3¾

5 2 11

Twinware 3 dozen Lanthorn Loaves: ditto 6 6

Coals 12 Bushels: 6 6

Rozen 24 lb: ditto 11 "

Turpentine 24 27 lb: 3 10 6

Turpentine 24 27 lb: 2 5 9

5 15 6

Totall: £26 19 11¾

The storekeeper's collection continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £387 6s 1.5d

Shirts, 1 dungaree, £0 2s 0d

China ware:

2 dozen dishes and plates, £0 10s 0d

11 stackers, £0 2s 6d

1 small bowl, £0 0s 11d

18 half pint cups and saucers, £0 9s 6d

subtotal, £1 5s 0d

Half price ordered the officers to pay the several companies over, £12 10s 0d

Beef and pork:

70 lb of beef, £0 11s 3d

149 lb of pork, £15 10s 5d

subtotal, £17 7s 8d

Rice:

2 [cwt] 1 [qr] 14 [lb] of fine rice, £1 11s 10.5d

39 [cwt] 1 [qr] 21 [lb] of coarse do, £14 15s 1.5d

subtotal, £16 7s 8d

Peas, 2.75 bushels, £1 5s 4.5d

Total sold to the garrison, £446 2s 9.5d

The account then set out the goods sold to the foreign ships, reckoned in sterling.

Sold to the foreign ships at 25 per cent:

Oil, 44 gallons of linseed, £14 4s 6d

Nails, 20 do, £0 6s 6d

Glassware:

1 large glass lanthorn, £0 14s 8d

8 dozen wine glasses, £2 8s 0d

4 decanters, £0 12s 7d

14 beer glasses, £0 1s 4.5d

8 tumblers and 12 wine glasses, £0 7s 3.5d

subtotal, £3 2s 11d

Turnery ware, 3 dozen lanthorn leaves, £0 6s 6d

Coals, 12 bushels, £0 0s 11d

Rosin, £3 10s 6d

Turpentine, £2 5s 0d

subtotal, £5 13s 0d

Total, £26 19s 4.5d

Interpretations

The third rate of sale, 25 per cent to the foreign ships, sits alongside the 20 per cent charged the American vessels and the fixed shilling rates to the resident planters, revealing a deliberate scale of prices set by the buyer. The Company charged its own settlers least, the American ships more and the foreign East India ships most, a graded tariff that turned the store's monopoly on imported goods into a source of differential profit. The foreigners, entitled to refreshment but outsiders to the Company's trade, paid the highest markup, the store extracting what the traffic would bear from each class of customer.

The separate account of goods sold to the garrison marks yet another current in the store's trade, the Company supplying its own soldiers with beef, pork, rice and peas at a set charge. The note that the officers were ordered to pay half price for the goods furnished to their companies shows the establishment subsidising the military ration, the officers charged only half what the goods were valued at, a form of provision that fell between free issue and open sale. This was the Company feeding its garrison through the same store that served the planters and the ships, the soldiers' victuals drawn from the common stock at a rate fixed by the establishment.

The turpentine, rosin and coals sold to the foreign ships name the materials of a vessel's own upkeep. Rosin and turpentine, both products of pine resin, were used in caulking, in paying a ship's seams and in the making of varnish and paint, the working stores a ship consumed in keeping herself sound, and the store supplied these to passing foreign vessels as readily as it sold cloth to the planters. The island thus served not only to refresh a ship's company but to resupply the ship herself, the store furnishing the naval materials a long voyage exhausted.

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Charges General D.r for the following Stores Expended, from

the 1.st April to the 30.th June

Pitch 4 27 9 viz.t

3. 2. 13 Pitch for the Landing place: 1 14 8¼

1 " " Coyfs Clearing a Rey in the Castle: 7 8

4 Rope for Priming: " 6

2 2 4¼

Paint viz.t

34 2 27 W.o Lead v.g Painting the Kitchin and Doors & window: 8 3

4 W.o Oaker Shatter into the Castle: 10

4 1

Cordage 1. 2. 8 for the Crane through the House: 2 13 8

Oyle viz.t

35 gall.s Linseed for Painting: 13 4½

10 gall.s grain for Kitchin & Wm Danfore: 1 13 4

2 7 8½

Nails viz.t

17 M.o for Repairing the: 5 6¼

21 s.d grain W.o brads Country Boat and: 7 5¼

4 Scupper Nails Wharfing Castle: 4 12

17 1¼

Devoes viz.t

3 devoes for Coffins: 7 6

2 W.o mixed Board to Make Small Table for the Castle: 4 8

12 2

Glazier ware viz.t

4 dozen Wine Glasses v.g in the Castle: 16

3 Wine Glasses: 2 1¼

18 1¼

Haberdashery ware viz.t

18 P.t Worsted Lace for Sundry Curtains: 2 1

18 P.t W.brand Tape to Tye the Yellow Cow: 7¼

2 8¼

Carried over: £10 3 1¼

The account then set out the charges general, being stores used and spent from 1 April to 30 June, reckoned in sterling.

Charges general, stores used and spent from 1 April to 30 June:

Pitch and tar:

3.5 [barrels] of pitch for the landing place, £1 1s 8.5d

1 [barrel] of tar for paying a roof in the castle, £0 7s 8d

0.5 [barrel] for a house paying, £0 0s 6d

subtotal, £2 2s 1.5d

Paint:

32 lb of white lead for painting the shutters and doors of the windows, £0 8s 3d

4 lb of ochre for the shutters in the castle, £0 0s 10d

subtotal, £0 9s 1d

Cordage, 1 [cwt] 2 [qr] 8 [lb] for the crane and through the house, £2 13s 8d

Oil:

33 gallons of linseed for painting, £0 12s 4.5d

15 gallons of Florence for the kitchen for Mr Sansom, £1 13s 4d

subtotal, £2 7s 8.5d

Nails:

19 do for repairing the country waterside, £0 5s 0.5d

21 flooring brads for repairing the country waterside, £0 7s 5.5d

9 scupper nails for making the castle, £0 4s 1d

subtotal, £0 17s 1.5d

Deals:

3 deals for coffins, £0 7s 6d

2 wainscot boards to make small tables for the castle, £0 4s 8d

subtotal, £0 12s 2d

Glassware:

4 dozen wine glasses for the table, £0 16s 0d

3 [dozen] beer glasses, £0 2s 1.5d

subtotal, £0 18s 1.5d

Haberdashery:

18 yards of coloured tape for window curtains, £0 2s 1d

18 yards of Holland tape for the yellow ones, £0 0s 7.5d

subtotal, £0 2s 8.5d

Carried over, £10 3s 1.5d

Interpretations

The charges general were the store's own consumption, the goods drawn out not for sale but for the Company's works and upkeep, and the account carefully noted the purpose of each. Where the earlier lists showed goods sold to planters, ships and garrison, this section recorded materials spent on the fabric of the establishment itself, the pitch to seal the landing place, the paint for the castle shutters, the deals for coffins and small tables. This division between goods retailed and goods expended was the heart of the store's accounting, the Company keeping distinct what it sold for revenue from what it used on its own account.

The tarring of the castle roof and a house, and the pitching of the landing place, name the constant battle against the sea air and weather that the establishment's upkeep required. Pitch and tar were the standard preservatives for exposed timber and stonework, and their steady consumption on roofs and the waterside marks the perishability of everything the island built, a settlement whose fabric had continually to be sealed and renewed against the damp and salt. The naming of the crane among the works served by cordage points to the machinery of the landing place, the gear by which goods were hoisted from the boats, itself needing regular resupply of rope.

The three deals drawn for coffins are a quiet trace of mortality among the establishment's people. Timber was scarce enough on the island that even the boards for a coffin came from the Company's store and were charged to its account, so that the burial of the settlement's dead appears in the same ledger as the paint for its shutters and the glasses for its table. The entry marks how completely the store stood behind every event of the island's life, furnishing the materials of death as of daily living from a single imported stock.

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58

Brought over: £10 3 1¼

Ironware viz.t

2 Stock Locks for the Garden Gate & the

Wglldee.s Manse & the Cellar door in the Castle: 12 1

1 Pad Lock W.o Wardt for a Store Door: " " 1½

1 dozen of Gimletts for the Carpenters: 1 6

13 8½

Twine 2 Cause for Sewing Bales in the Stores: " 4½

Neyoll 5 P.t Rimm: " 6

Lead 24 lb 27 Shott for Corring two Country Boats in the Castle: 11 13 4½

Pewter viz.t

1 Cullendor for the Kitchin: 6 2

1. 2 Round Potts for the Store: 5 2

6 Dishes for the Table: 3 13 4

4 4 6½

Turnerware viz.t

1 Hair Broom: " 1 4¼

1 Scrubing Brush for the Stores &c.o: 1 4

3 Mops: " 3 5½

6 1

Chinaware viz.t

12 Dishes: for the

36 Plates: for the Table 1 8 9

24 half Pinn Cups & Saucers Table: 8 "

1 16 9

Thread 2 lb 27 W.brown for Making of Curtains: 1 8½

Canvas 6 P.t Ganie for Sundry bags &c.o: 5 6 6¼

Flannell 2 Yards: 2 2

Blocks 8 Small bar for the Slaughter House: 16 5½

Twine 3 Wames for &c.o: 1 8

Cutleryware 6 W.o brand Knives for the Kitchin: " 10

Devotes 5 P.t for Cause Cloth for the Use of the Storekeeper: 18 8

Candles 42 lb for the Table: 3 3 4

Coals 4 Culdron for the Smith: 6 12 "

Carried over: £46 11 3½

The charges general continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £10 3s 1.5d

Ironware:

2 stock locks for the garden gate at the Maldivia House and the cellar door in the castle, £0 12s 1d

1 padlock and hasp for the store room, £0 0s 1.5d

1 dozen of gimlets for the carpenter, £0 1s 6d

subtotal, £0 13s 8.5d

Twine, 2 lb of canvas for sewing bales in the stores, £0 0s 4.5d

Naples, 1 [lb] for the room, £0 0s 6d

Long cloth, 1 [piece] and 8 [yards] for covering two country provisions in the castle, £11 13s 4.5d

Pewter:

1 cullender for the kitchen, £0 6s 0d

1 [cwt] 2 [qr] quart pots for the stores, £0 5s 2d

6 dishes for the table, £3 13s 4d

subtotal, £4 4s 6.5d

Turnery ware:

1 hair broom, £0 1s 4.5d

1 scouring brush for the stores, £0 1s 4d

3 mugs, £0 3s 5.5d

subtotal, £0 6s 1d

China ware:

12 dishes, £1 2s 9d

36 plates, for the table, £1 2s 9d

24 half pint cups and saucers, for the table, £0 8s 0d

subtotal, £1 16s 9d

Thread, 2 lb of brown for making of curtains, £0 1s 8.5d

Canvas, 6 [cwt] 1 [qr] 14 [lb] for lining bags and the stores, £0 5s 6.75d

Flannel, 2 yards, £0 2s 2d

Blocks, 8 pulleys for the slaughterhouse, £0 16s 5.5d

Twine, 2 [lb] and 1 [oz] for the stores, £0 1s 8d

Cutlery ware, 6 spring knives for the kitchen, £0 0s 10d

Deesooties, 1 [piece] for covering cloth for the store officers' rooms, £0 18s 8d

Candles, 12 lb for the table, £3 3s 4d

Coals, 1 caldron for the smith, £6 12s 0d

Carried over, £46 11s 5.5d

Interpretations

The charges general reach into every corner of the establishment's working life, the stock locks on the garden gate and cellar door, the gimlets for the carpenter, the pulleys for the slaughterhouse. Each item was drawn for a named use and charged to the Company's own account, so that the ledger records not just what the settlement possessed but how it functioned, the machinery of a working station traced through the small hardware it consumed. The Maldivia House named here was one of the Company's outlying properties, and the fitting of its gate with a lock marks the routine maintenance of the establishment's scattered buildings.

The caldron of coals for the smith at over six pounds was the largest single charge in this section, the fuel the forge consumed in the island's ironwork. A smith needed a steady and intense heat that only coal could give, and every hundredweight had to be shipped from England as there was no such fuel on the island, so that the smithy's fire was among the establishment's more costly standing charges. The pulleys for the slaughterhouse beside it point to the fixed apparatus of the victualling trade, the tackle by which carcasses were hoisted and handled, the same slaughter that had cut so deep into the herd through the season.

The long cloth and deesooties drawn to cover provisions and line the store officers' rooms show the Indian piece goods put to the Company's own workaday uses, the same valuable cloth sold to planters and ships here spent as packing and covering material. That a fabric of real value was used to wrap country provisions and line rooms marks the abundance of cloth against the scarcity of other materials, the store reaching for what it had plenty of to meet a want that in England might have been served by coarser stuff. The candles for the table and the pewter and china for the same complete the picture of the establishment furnishing its own board from the store, the Company's table supplied on its own account like every other part of the works.

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59

Fortification D.r for the following Stores Expended from the 1.st

April to the 30.th June viz.t

Deals 26 s.d feet 37 inch Plank for Gun Carriages: 1 10 7¼

Lines 2 for the two Leyers: " 9

1 Ironwire 1 Maule for the Plaster: 3 8½

Total: £1 11 5¾

Diet Expences D.r for the following Stores Expend, for the Genral

Table from the 1.st April to the 30.th June viz.t

Arrack 104 Gallons: 10 17 10

Sugar & Candy viz.t

7½ lb Sugar: 2 1

1. 3. 21 Candy: 3 2 6¾

3 3 6¾

Oyle 12 Bottles of Florence: 1 6

Bread & Flour viz.t 6 Bread: " " 10¼

343 Stamp Cust: 3 19 5¾

697 s.d bought of Cap.t Robinson: 6 4 6

10 4 10¼

Pepper 8: 2 6

Salt 4 Bushels: 1 3 4

Beef & Pork viz.t

68 lb Pork: " 17 7½

84 lb Cork: 7 4 6

8 15 1½

Rice viz.t

50 lb Coarse: 6 3 6

150 Fine: " 16 7½

1 " 1½

Pease 1 27 4 Bushels: 11 6¼

Total: £48 3 10

The account then set out the fortification charges, being stores used from 1 April to 30 June, reckoned in sterling.

Fortification, stores used from 1 April to 30 June:

Deals, 16 [feet] and 8 yards of plank for gun carriages, £1 10s 7.5d

Lines, 2 for the two layers, £0 0s 9d

Ironware, 1 marle for the plaster, £0 3s 8.5d

Total, £1 15s 1d

The account then set out the diet expenses, being stores used at the general table from 1 April to 30 June, reckoned in sterling.

Diet expenses, stores used at the general table from 1 April to 30 June:

Arrack, 104 gallons, £10 17s 10d

Sugar and candy:

712 lb of sugar, £2 1s 0d

1 [cwt] 3 [qr] 21 [lb] of candy, £3 2s 6.5d

subtotal, £3 3s 6.5d

Oil, 12 bottles of Florence, £0 1s 0d

Bread and flour:

6 [lb] of bread, £0 0s 10.5d

345 lb of stamp crust, £3 19s 5.5d

697 lb of bread for Captain Robinson, £6 1s 0d

subtotal, £10 1s 10.5d

Pepper, £0 2s 6d

Salt, 4 bushels, £0 1s 3s 4d

Beef and pork:

68 lb of beef, £0 7s 7.5d

848 lb of pork, £7 4s 6d

subtotal, £8 15s 1.5d

Rice:

50 [lb] coarse, £0 6s 3d

150 fine, £0 16s 7.5d

subtotal, £1 1s 1.5d

Peas, 1.5 bushels, £0 11s 6.5d

Total, £48 3s 10d

Interpretations

The fortification charges name the works of defence the establishment maintained, the plank cut for gun carriages the plainest sign of the ordnance kept in repair. Gun carriages were the wheeled mountings on which the batteries' guns were worked, and they wore out and rotted in the sea air like everything else, so that fresh timber had continually to be drawn to keep the guns serviceable. This small charge against the season of heaviest firing, when the gunner's return had recorded 326 lb of powder burnt in May, marks the upkeep the war demanded of the island's defences.

The diet expenses record the general table's own consumption from the store, distinct from the sundries the steward bought fresh, and the bread supplied to Captain Robinson stands out as an unusual charge. Nearly seven hundred pounds of bread furnished to one commander points to the island baking sea provision for a particular ship, the St George whose beef the stock account had recorded, the establishment's ovens turning out bread for a homeward vessel on the Company's account. This was the same provisioning of the fleet that ran through the whole season, here appearing among the table's charges rather than as an open sale.

The heavy charge for pork against a small one for beef in the table's diet reflects the season's pressure on the herd. With the neat cattle slaughtered far beyond their increase to victual the fleet, the establishment's own table fell back on salt pork, 848 lb against only 68 lb of beef, the stores carrying the household through a time when fresh beef was too precious to spare. The stamp crust, a coarse hard bread, beside the fine and coarse rice marks a table living plainly on preserved and imported staples, the fresh provision reserved for the ships whose demand had emptied the pastures.

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60

Black D.r for the following Stores Expend, for their Use from the

1.st April to the 30.th June 1745 viz.t

Chelloes 2 P.t Stock: 2 13 6

Thread 1 W.o Brown in Making their beds: 3 5

Blanketts 6 Ready for Some of the Men

Who were in Want of Covring: 1 14 9

Tea 1 D.o: " 9

Beef 149 D.o: 18 13 3

Rice 24 27 D.o: 14 1 7½

Total: £37 15 1½

Hospital D.r for the following Stores Expend for the

Infirmary from the 1.st April to the 30.th June viz.t

Sugar 727: 1 9 8¾

Flour 13½: 19 3

Oyle 44 gall.s grain: 14 2

Rice 3. -. 22: 1 10 3

Salt 1 Bushel: 5 10

Total: £5 4 10¾

Garrison D.r for the following Stores Expend for their

Use from the 1.st April to the 30.th June viz.t

Sugar 4 for the Doctors Ships: 4 3

Rozen 3½: 2

Sounes 1 Rozen: 1 4

Oyle 32 gall.s grain for the Several Squads, & the Doctor 20: 5 6 8

Tea 4 W.o Cottees So.d s.o: 2 10 1½

Bunting 4 Yards Red: 2 10 1½

2 D.o White: 1 5¼

2 D.o White: 1 11

2 5¼

Carried over: £8 2 3½

The account then set out the charges for the slaves, being stores issued for their use from 1 April to 30 June, reckoned in sterling.

Slaves, stores issued for their use from 1 April to 30 June:

Chelloes, 2 pieces, thick, £2 13s 6d

Thread, 1 lb of brown for making their beds, £0 0s 3.5d

Blankets, 6 ordinary for some of the men who were in a period of a salivation, £1 12s 9d

Tea, 1 [catty], £0 0s 9d

Beef, 19 [lb], £0 18s 13.5d

Rice, 21 [cwt] 1 [qr] 14 [lb], £14 1s 7.5d

Total, £37 15s 1.5d

The account then set out the hospital charges, being stores issued for the infirmary from 1 April to 30 June, reckoned in sterling.

Hospital, stores issued for the infirmary from 1 April to 30 June:

Sugar, 729 [lb], £1 9s 8.5d

Flour, 15 [lb], £0 1s 3d

Oil, 1.5 gallons of train, £0 1s 2d

Rice, 3 [cwt] 1 [qr] 2 [lb], £1 10s 0d

Salt, 1 bushel, £0 5s 10d

Total, £5 1s 10.5d

The account then set out the garrison charges, being stores issued from 1 April to 30 June, reckoned in sterling.

Garrison, stores issued from 1 April to 30 June:

Sugar, for the doctor's shop, £0 1s 3d

Rosin, £0 1s 4d

Seine, 1 rope, £0 1s 4d

Oil, 33 gallons of train for the several guards at 12d and 20 [d], £5 6s 8d

Tea, 4.5 catties for the officers' salt do, £2 10s 1.5d

Bunting for the flag, red and white:

2 do white, £0 1s 0.5d

subtotal, £0 2s 5.5d

Carried over, £8 2s 3.5d

Interpretations

The charges for the slaves record the Company's provision for the bondsmen who did the establishment's heavy labour, the coarse chelloe cloth for their clothing, the thread for their beds, the beef and rice for their food. The blankets issued to the men in a salivation name a particular medical episode, a salivation being the ordinary treatment for the pox by mercury, which was given until the patient's mouth ran with saliva, so that the sick slaves needed extra covering through a debilitating cure. This was the same care the record shows the Company taking of its slaves' health elsewhere, the establishment tending the bodies on which its labour depended, though it held them as property.

The hospital account marks the infirmary the establishment kept for its sick, supplied from the same store as the table and the garrison. Sugar and rice were the invalid's diet, easily taken and nourishing, and the train oil among the hospital stores was probably for lamps or for dressings, the plain materials of a sick room on a remote island. That the infirmary drew on the common store shows the Company providing for the health of its people through the same accounting machinery that governed every other charge, the care of the sick a line in the ledger like the paint for the shutters.

The garrison's train oil for the several guards, charged at differing rates for the different posts, names the lighting of the island's watch through the wartime nights. Train oil burned in the lamps and lanterns of the guard houses and the batteries, and its steady consumption across the several guards marks the constant readiness the war demanded, the same standing to arms that the doubled match in the gunner's return had signalled. The bunting for the flag, red and white, is a small trace of the colours flown over the fort, the ensign that marked the island as the Company's and was renewed like every other perishable thing from the store.

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61

Brought over: £8 2 3½

Arrack 33 27 4 gall.s v.o Drams a Twisting: 4 8 11¾

Total: £12 3 3¼

Plantation D.r for the following Stores Expend from the 1.st April

to the 30.th June viz.t 1745

Nails viz.t

6 " 20: 1 9

28 " 20 for the Well in the Forest, wind Injector & the Hen House: 8 2

18 flooring Brads Store 8.d the Common House: 6 4½

W.o glazing Brads for Glazing the Windows

in the great & wind House: " 3½

16 6½

Oyle 2 gall.s grain: 1 8

Cordage 33 for Calf Wares: 10 8

Glazier ware 24 27 Injector for the House winter first 15 s.d p.d: 17 6

Ironware viz.t

1 Scythe Stone: " 1½

2 Rag Stones for the Stores: 11 1½

11 3

Rice & Paddy viz.t

9 lb 27 4 Rice: 3 6 10½

18 " 20 19 Paddy for the Poultry: 5 10 6

8 14 4½

Total: £11 1 3¼

Boats D.r for the following Stores Expend from the 1.st April to

the 30.th June viz.t 1745

Twine 1 Ganie for the Fisherman & for Sundry the Boat Sailes: 10¼

Hooks & Lines viz.t

17 dozen of Hooks: 8 11

126 Blue Hooks for Fishing: 11 4

18 Lines s.d 4: 5 9

14 1

Carried over: £15 2½

The garrison charges concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £8 2s 3.5d

Arrack, 32.25 gallons for drams on turning, £4 2s 11.5d

Total, £12 5s 3.5d

The account then set out the plantation charges, being stores used from 1 April to 30 June 1745, reckoned in sterling.

Plantation, stores used from 1 April to 30 June 1745:

Nails:

6 do, £0 1s 9d

28 [do] 20 for the firkin in the forest and repairing the round house, £0 8s 2d

18 flooring brads for the door of the round house, £0 6s 4d

18 glazing brads for glazing the windows in the great round house, £0 0s 3.5d

subtotal, £0 16s 6.5d

Oil, 2 gallons of train, £0 1s 8d

Cordage, 35 [lb] for calf halters, £0 10s 8d

Glassware, 24 [panes] for glazing the round house, dead price, £0 17s 6d

Braziers ware:

1 scythe stone, £0 0s 1.5d

2 hag stones for the stores, £0 0s 1.5d

subtotal, £0 0s 3d

Rice and paddy:

9 [cwt] 1 [qr] rice, £3 15s 10.5d

18 [cwt] 2 [qr] 19 [lb] paddy for the poultry, £5 10s 6d

subtotal, £8 14s 7.5d

Total, £11 1s 7.5d

The account then set out the boat charges, being stores issued from 1 April to 30 June 1745, reckoned in sterling.

Boats, stores issued from 1 April to 30 June 1745:

Twine, 1 [lb] for the fishermen and for mending the boat sails, long, £0 1s 0.5d

Hooks and lines:

17 dozen of hooks, £0 8s 11d

126 blocks of hooks, £0 0s 4d

18 lines at 4 [d], £0 5s 9d

subtotal, £0 14s 1d

Carried over, £0 15s 2.5d

Interpretations

The plantation charges record the upkeep of the Company's own farms and their buildings, the nails and brads for the round house in the forest, the glass for its windows, the halters for its calves. The round house was a substantial farm building on the Company's plantation, and its glazing and repair mark the establishment maintaining the outlying works on which its cattle and crops depended. The paddy drawn for the poultry, over eighteen hundredweight, shows the scale of the Company's own bird stock, the same poultry the monthly accounts had tracked, fed on imported rice in the husk from the plantation store.

The boat charges name the small fishing establishment the island kept, the twine, hooks and lines by which the settlement drew food from the sea around it. Fishing was one of the few local sources of fresh provision the island commanded, needing no import but the tackle, and the store's supply of hooks and lines to the fishermen marks the one trade that turned the island's own resources to account. The mending of the boat sails beside the fishing gear points to the working craft that plied between the shore and the ships in the road, the boats that landed every cargo and carried the fishermen out, kept in repair from the same store.

The arrack issued for drams on turning names a customary allowance of spirit to the men at their labour, a dram given to the garrison or workers as they turned to a task. This was the ordinary provision of liquor that oiled the establishment's heavy work, a charge that recurs through the accounts, the Company furnishing drink to its people as part of the cost of their labour. That over thirty gallons went this way in a quarter marks how far the daily dram was built into the working life of the place, a fixed charge on the store like the food and clothing it supplied.

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62

Brought over: £15 2½

Haberdashery 4 Sounes of Silk Where for the Corks & Wine: 17

Lead 27 4 Shott: 14½

Pitch 33 for Repairing the Pinnace: 2 6

Devise 1 D.o: 2 6

Cordage 2 D.o for the Linseed & Spice: 2 4 9

Oars 2 s.d 18 feet: 9 4

Total: £31 7 8½

Signed 30.th June 1745

Excepted

P Matthew Perling

Storekeeper

The Paymaster this day brought in his

Accounts, for the Months of April, May, & June last, Which was

Examined, Approved, & are as follows, viz.t

List of the Hon.ble Company's Officers & Servants upon

the Island of S.t Helena, With their several Salaries per Annum,

for the Quarter commencing 1 April 1745, and Ending 30.th

June following

David Dunbar Esq.r Gov.r: 125 " "

Ditto for Servants: 31 14 9

156 14 9

Charles Hutchinson Lieu.t Gov.r: 52 10 "

Christopher Dixon 3.d of Council: 20 " "

John Goodwin 4.th of Council: 15 " "

he Accountant 2: 7 18 1½

22 18 1½

Matthew Perling 5.th of Council: 10 " "

Edwin Aleock Chaplains Salary: 25 " "

Ditto and Money: 15 " "

Carried over: £317 2 10½

The boat charges concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £0 15s 2.5d

Haberdashery, 4 seams of silk for the boats' sails and their mending, £0 1s 7d

Lead, 7 [lb] for the boats, £0 1s 4d

Pitch, 3.5 [barrels] for repairing the pinnace, £0 2s 6d

Deals, 1 do for repairing the pinnace, £0 2s 6d

Cordage, 4 [lb] for the mainmast and sprits, £0 2s 4.5d

Oars, 2 [pairs] and 18 feet, £0 2s 4d

Total, £3 17s 8d

The account was dated 30 June 1745 and signed by Matthew Purling, storekeeper, with errors excepted.

The paymaster brought in his accounts for the months of April, May and June, which were examined, approved and passed.

The account then set out the list of the Company's officers and servants upon the island, with their several salaries, for the quarter beginning 1 April 1745 and ending 30 June, reckoned in sterling. The two lines naming Governor Dunbar are given in prose below.

Governor David Dunbar drew £123 0s 0d, and a further £31 14s 9d in sea-risk, making £136 14s 9d.

Company's officers and servants, salaries for the quarter to 30 June 1745:

Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, £52 10s 0d

Christopher Dixon, third of council, £20 0s 0d

John Goodwin, fourth of council, £15 0s 0d

John Goodwin, as accountant, £7 18s 1.5d, making £22 18s 1.5d

Matthew Purling, fifth of council, £16 0s 0d

Edwin Alcock, chaplain's salary, £25 0s 0d

Edwin Alcock, diet money, £15 0s 0d, making £40 0s 0d

Carried over, £317 2s 10.5d

Interpretations

The quarterly pay list set out the whole civil establishment of the island in order of rank, each officer's salary and any additional charge shown against his name. The plurality of offices is plain in John Goodwin, who drew both as fourth of council and as accountant, and in the chaplain Alcock, whose diet money nearly equalled his salary, the small establishment doubling its offices among a handful of men. This was the standing cost of governing the island, the same list of names, Dunbar, Hutchinson, Dixon, Goodwin and Purling, that signed every consultation now appearing as the payroll they were maintained by.

The sea-risk added to the Governor's salary names the allowance made for the hazard of having his pay remitted across the ocean. A salary paid from England had to travel by sea, exposed to the loss of the ship carrying it, and the sea-risk was the premium that made the officer whole against that danger, a charge that reflected the physical peril of moving money and goods to a mid-ocean island in time of war. That it fell to the Governor at the head of the list marks it as a charge on the more substantial salaries, the cost of the sea built into the very pay of the men who served the island.

The pinnace repaired with pitch, deals and cordage names the Company's own boat, the larger craft that plied between the shore and the ships and carried the establishment's business about the road. A pinnace was a ship's boat of some size, worked with oars and sail, and its constant repair marks the wear of the surf-landing that governed every transaction at the island, the boats battered against the swell as they landed cargo and carried men. The oars, sails and masts drawn for it complete the picture of a settlement that depended wholly on its boats for every contact with the sea, and kept them in repair from the same store that furnished all else.

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63

Brought over: £317 2 10½

Robert Wright Factor Salary: 7 10 "

Ditto diet Money: 4 11 3

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

14 11 3

Joshua Seymour Factor Salary: 7 10 "

Ditto diet Money: 4 11 3

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

14 11 3

Francis Warngham Factor Salary: 12 10 "

Ditto diet Money: 4 11 3

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

19 11 3

Joseph Darvall Writers Salary: 5 " "

Ditto diet Money: 4 11 3

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

12 1 3

Tho.s French Writers Salary: 5 " "

Ditto diet Money: 4 11 3

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

12 1 3

Lemuel Falconer Surgeon Salary: 9 15 "

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

12 5 "

Willoughby Richard Pickering Surgeon

Salary from the 1.st April to 28 May following: 6 3 4½

Ditto House Rent for the same time: 1 11 3½

7 15 8½

James Du Bois Surgeons Mate Salary: 3 " "

Ditto diet Money: 11 5 "

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

18 15 "

John Frank Overseer: 7 10 "

Richard Sperling Overseers: 7 10 "

Richard Insley: 6 5 "

John Scott Marshall Salary: 4 7 9

Ditto Custom Watch: 1 5 "

5 12 9

John Missonor Salary from the 1.st April

to the 15 June (and the day he arrived): 8 12 10½

John Forbes Overseer at the Fortifications: 6 5 "

William Wray Master of Horse: 6 5 "

Carried over: £576 15 5½

The pay list continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £317 2s 10.5d

Robert Wright, factor's salary, £7 10s 0d

Robert Wright, diet money, £4 11s 3d

Robert Wright, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £14 11s 3d

Joshua Frognam, factor's salary, £7 10s 0d

Joshua Frognam, diet money, £4 11s 3d

Joshua Frognam, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £14 11s 3d

Francis Vaughan, factor's salary, £12 10s 0d

Francis Vaughan, diet money, £4 11s 3d

Francis Vaughan, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £19 11s 3d

Joseph Darvall, writer's salary, £5 0s 0d

Joseph Darvall, diet money, £4 11s 3d

Joseph Darvall, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £12 1s 3d

Thomas French, writer's salary, £5 0s 0d

Thomas French, diet money, £4 11s 3d

Thomas French, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £12 1s 3d

Lemuel Falconer, surgeon's salary, £9 15s 0d

Lemuel Falconer, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £12 5s 0d

Willoughby Richard Pickering, surgeon's salary from 1 April 1748 to 8 May following, £6 3s 4.5d

Willoughby Richard Pickering, house rent for the same time, £1 11s 4.5d, making £7 15s 8.5d

James Du Bois, surgeon's mate's salary, £3 0s 0d

James Du Bois, diet money, £4 5s 0d

James Du Bois, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £18 15s 0d

John Franks, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Gurling, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Sixly, overseer, £6 5s 0d

John Leo, marshall's salary, £4 7s 9d

John Leo, custom master, £1 5s 0d, making £5 12s 9d

John Cross, armourer's salary from 1 April to 15 June until the day he deserted, £8 12s 10.5d

John Taylor, overseer at the fortifications, £6 5s 0d

William Wyatt, master of horse, [...]

Carried over, £476 15s 5.5d

Interpretations

The pay list's uniform allowances of diet money and house rent to the factors and writers illuminate the very petition these men had brought before the council on 10 July 1745. Each drew the same £4 11s 3d in diet money and £2 10s 0d in house rent, and it was precisely this diet money, which they held too small against the officers' allowance, that they had asked the council to increase. The list thus shows the figures behind the dispute, the fixed provision the junior civil servants received and thought insufficient for men who kept their own households.

The armourer John Cross paid only to the day he deserted names one of the desertions the season's crowded road had made easy. With a fleet in the harbour and boats plying constantly to the ships, a man who wished to slip away had his chance, and the armourer took it, his pay stopped at 15 June when he went. This was the same danger the musters of every ship guarded against, the counting of each company against its books to catch men who meant to desert, and here the establishment lost one of its own skilled tradesmen to the temptation the shipping offered.

The surgeon Willoughby Richard Pickering paid for only part of the quarter, from 1 April to 8 May, marks a change in the island's medical staff, his name the same Pickering who had rendered the account for treating the Bradley orphans. That his salary ran only five weeks before giving way, the surgeon Falconer appearing above him for the full term, shows the turnover in the establishment's small body of medical men, the infirmary and the sick tended by a succession of surgeons whose comings and goings the pay list quietly records.

71

64

Brought over: £576 15 5½

Richard Beale Schoolmaster: 3 8 3

Ditto Clerk: 3 8 3

6 16 6

Nicholas Clarke Armorer: 7 10

William Davis Gardiner: 9 11 3

Robert Peacock Cooper: 8 15

Henry Mayce Carpenter after deducting

Cross P.d for his diet no Stock: 10 3 6

William Davis Lime Blaster from 1.st April

to 23 May the day he died: 4 17 6½

Edward Rowden Wheelwright from the 1.st April

to 15 May (and the day he died) as expressed by the s.d Comp.a: 6 2 3½

530 2 6½

John Clark first Flint Salary: 10 " "

Ditto diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto s.o for Pinkwriting the Gunners: 7 10 "

24 6 10½

John Dunbar Second Flint Salary: 7 10 "

Ditto Diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

16 16 10½

William Wray Adjut.t Salary: 10 " "

Ditto Diet Money: 7 1 3

17 1 3

Sergeants

Henry Beale: 6 14 6

Christopherus Beale: 6 14 6

Bartholomew Ridley: 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

John Coates: 4 7 4

Daniel Langton: 4 7 4

Solomon Feet: 4 7 4

13 3 3

Tho.s Waite Drummer: 4 7 4

Centinels

William Davis: 3 8 3

Carried over: £626 2 [...]

The pay list continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £476 15s 5.5d

Richard Beale, schoolmaster, £3 8s 3d

Richard Beale, as clerk, £3 8s 3d, making £6 16s 6d

Nicholas Charlton, steward, £7 10s 0d

William Davis, gardener, £9 11s 3d

Robert Peacock, cooper, £8 15s 0d

Henry Mayes, carpenter, after deducting for the time he was sick and did no work, £10 3s 6d

William Harris, lime blaster from 1 April to 23 May the day he died, £4 17s 6.5d

Edward Knowles, wheelwright from 1 April to 15 May the day his company came home, or as performed by the doctor, £6 9s 3.5d

subtotal, £530 2s 6.5d

John Clark, first fluer's salary, £10 0s 0d

John Clark, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John Clark, for pinkindale the drummer, £7 10s 0d, making £24 6s 10.5d

John Dunbar, second lieutenant's salary, £7 10s 0d

John Dunbar, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John Dunbar, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £16 16s 10.5d

William Mayes, adjutant's salary, £10 0s 0d

William Mayes, diet money, £7 1s 3d, making £17 1s 3d

Sergeants:

Henry Beale, £6 11s 6d

Olisiphinus Beale, £6 11s 6d

Bartholomew Rilley, £6 11s 6d

subtotal, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

John Curtis, £4 7s 4d

Daniel Langton, £4 7s 4d

Solomon Steel, £4 7s 4d

subtotal, £13 3s 3d

Thomas Watts, drummer, £4 7s 4d

Sentinels:

William Davis, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £626 2s [...]

Interpretations

The pay list's descent from the councillors through the tradesmen to the sergeants, corporals and sentinels sets out the whole ordered body of the establishment, civil and military together, on a single roll. The garrison proper appears here, the handful of sergeants, corporals, a drummer and the sentinels who manned the guards whose lamp oil and match the charges general had recorded, the small armed force that stood to arms through the season of danger. This was the sinew of the island's defence, a body counted in single figures at each rank, maintained at a fixed quarterly charge against the whole weight of the war at sea.

The tradesmen named, the gardener, cooper, carpenter, lime blaster and wheelwright, were the skilled hands that kept the establishment's works and provisions going, and the deductions against their names mark the precision of the account. Henry Mayes the carpenter was docked for the time he lay sick and did no work, the pay following the labour actually performed, while William Harris the lime blaster and Edward Knowles the wheelwright were each paid only to the day they died or departed. Lime blasting was the quarrying and burning of limestone for mortar, essential to the island's building, and the death of the man who did it, entered plainly in the pay column, marks the mortality that ran through even the establishment's working ranks.

The stopping of Harris's and Knowles's pay at the day of death shows the account reckoning a man's service to its exact end, the ledger closing each life at the moment it ceased to earn. That two of the establishment's tradesmen died within the quarter, their pay cut off mid-term, marks the toll the island took of its people, the same mortality that had drawn deals from the store for coffins. The pay list, for all its dry columns, thus records the deaths of the settlement's working men as faithfully as it records their wages, the establishment accounting for its people to the last day they lived.

72

65

Brought over: £626 2 [...]

George Barett: 3 8 3

John Bray: 3 8 3

Ambrose Boland: 3 8 3

John Brown: 3 8 3

Daniel Council: 3 8 3

William Cowell: 3 8 3

Matthew Cordell: 3 8 3

Thomas Core: 3 8 3

Robert Corry: 3 8 3

Samuel Cox: 3 8 3

John Clay: 3 8 3

Edward Winford: 3 8 3

William Davis: 3 8 3

William Draper: 3 8 3

Tho.s Fea: 3 8 3

Edward Gill: 3 9 "

Giles Higgs: 3 8 3

Patrick Hamilton: 3 8 3

Daniel Flanshead: 3 8 3

Tho.s Hales: 3 8 3

John Iznes to 19 June (and the day he

deserted): 2 16 1¼

John Kane: 3 8 3

Wolston Jones: 3 8 3

William Kensler: 3 8 3

Stephen Lyskin: 3 8 3

Tho.s Legg: 3 8 3

William Lonsden: 3 8 3

Joseph Long: 3 8 3

Alexander Lindan: 3 8 3

James Marsham: 3 8 3

Tho.s Manning: 3 8 3

Carried over: £108 11 10¼ 626 2 [...]

The pay list of the sentinels continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £626 2s [...]

George Bewets, £3 8s 3d

John Bray, £3 8s 3d

Andrew Boland, £3 8s 3d

John Brown, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Council, £3 8s 3d

William Camell, £3 8s 3d

Matthew Carsfield, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Care, £3 8s 3d

Robert Cavey, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Cox, £3 8s 3d

John Cley, £3 8s 3d

Edward Winford, £3 8s 3d

William Davis, £3 8s 3d

William Cooper, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fea, £3 8s 3d

Edward Gill, £3 8s 3d

Giles Wayne, £3 8s 3d

Patrick Hamilton, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Flanchand, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wales, £3 8s 3d

John Jones, to 15 June until the day he deserted, £2 16s 1.5d

John Kane, £3 8s 3d

Christopher Jones, £3 8s 3d

William Kensler, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Lykin, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Legg, £3 8s 3d

William Lambden, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Long, £3 8s 3d

Alexander Lindsay, £3 8s 3d

James Marsham, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Manning, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £108 11s 10.5d, making £626 2s [...]

Interpretations

The long roll of sentinels at a uniform £3 8s 3d a quarter shows the rank and file of the garrison, the ordinary soldiers who stood the watches and manned the batteries at the lowest rate of military pay. Each name carried the same figure, the private soldier's wage fixed and equal, and the length of the list, running to dozens of men, marks the body of common soldiery that the handful of officers and sergeants above them commanded. This was the base of the establishment's military strength, the men whose constant guard the war demanded and whose lamp oil and match the store supplied.

The soldier John Jones paid only to 15 June, the day he deserted, names another loss to the desertion the season made easy, the same 15 June on which the armourer Cross had gone. That two men slipped away on the very same day points to a concerted flight while the fleet lay in the road, the crowded shipping offering a passage off the island to any who could reach a boat. The naming of several men, Patrick Hamilton and Daniel Flanders among them, whose surnames match those of ships' companies in the musters hints at the fluid boundary between garrison and shipping, men moving between the island's service and the sea.

The recurrence of common surnames through the roll, several men named Jones, Davis and Cooper, reflects the narrow stock from which the garrison was drawn, a small and closed population supplying its own soldiers generation after generation. The same families that farmed the land, sold the beef and sat on the council also filled the ranks of the watch, so that the pay list of the sentinels reads as a roll of the island's own people, the settlement defending itself with its own sons at the plainest rate the Company allowed.

73

66

Brought over: £108 11 10¼ 626 2 [...]

John Marsh: 3 8 3

William Mason: 3 8 3

William Norris to 3 May (and the day he died): 1 14 7½

William Rise: 3 8 3

James Richison: 3 8 3

James Round: 3 8 3

John Spence: 3 8 3

John Scotoss: 3 8 3

James Vaughn: 3 8 3

Peter Wells: 3 8 3

Tho.s Wattson: 3 8 3

Tho.s Wragg: 3 8 3

William Young: 3 8 3

Tho.s Mayce: 3 8 3

154 18 9

Second Company

James Scott first Lieut Salary: 10 " "

Ditto Diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

19 6 10½

Joseph Woodall second Lieut Salary: 7 " "

Ditto Diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

16 6 10½

Sergeants

Edward Bagley: 6 14 6

John French: 6 14 6

Robert Mason: 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Robin Brooks: 4 7 9

David Bush: 4 7 9

Henry Wass: 4 7 9

Carried over: £13 3 3 863 11 3½

The pay list of the sentinels concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £108 11s 10.5d, making £626 2s [...]

John Marsh, £3 8s 3d

William Mason, £3 8s 3d

William Norris, to 23 May until the day he died, £1 14s 7.5d

William Price, £3 8s 3d

James Richison, £3 8s 3d

James Wood, £3 8s 3d

John Spence, £3 8s 3d

John Foltoss, £3 8s 3d

James Vaughan, £3 8s 3d

Peter Wells, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Watson, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wagg, £3 8s 3d

William Young, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Mayes, £3 8s 3d

subtotal, £151 18s 9d

Second Company:

James Scott, first lieutenant's salary, £10 0s 0d

James Scott, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

James Scott, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £19 6s 10.5d

Joseph Howell, second lieutenant's salary, £7 0s 0d

Joseph Howell, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Joseph Howell, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £16 6s 10.5d

Sergeants:

Edward Bagley, £6 11s 6d

John French, £6 11s 6d

Robert Mason, £6 11s 6d

subtotal, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

Robert Bruce, £4 7s 4d

David Bush, £4 7s 4d

Henry Wes, £4 7s 4d

subtotal, £13 3s 3d

Carried over, £860 11s [...]

Interpretations

The division of the garrison into a first and second company sets out the island's small defence force in its formal military order, each company with its own lieutenants, sergeants and corporals over the sentinels. This structure, two companies each fully officered, marks the establishment maintaining a proper military organisation despite the smallness of its numbers, the form of a regiment kept up on the scale of a garrison. The second company's officers, Scott and Howell, drew the same allowances of diet money and house rent as their counterparts in the first, the whole force paid on a single uniform scale.

The sentinel William Norris paid only to 23 May, the day he died, adds another death to the season's toll among the establishment's people, the third such entry in the pay list after the tradesmen Harris and Knowles. That the common soldiers died alongside the skilled workmen, their pay cut off at the day of death, marks a mortality that ran through every rank of the settlement, the private soldier accounted for to his last day as carefully as the councillor above him. The pay list thus stands as a quiet register of the island's dead, the establishment recording the passing of its humblest men in the same column as their wages.

The sergeant John French of the second company shares his name with the master gunner who signed the monthly ordnance returns, a mark of how the same names recurred through the establishment's ranks. Whether the same man or another, the coincidence points again to the narrow population from which the whole body of officers, tradesmen and soldiers was drawn, the island's service filled and refilled from a handful of families whose names appear across every part of the account.

74

67

Brought over: £850 11 3½

Tho.s London Drummer: 4 7 9

Centinels

Edward Allis: 3 8 3

James Allis: 3 8 3

Joseph Andrews: 3 8 3

Samuel Werick: 3 8 3

George Byrne: 3 8 3

Bart Barter: 3 8 3

Andrew Beorton: 3 8 3

Peter Bayley: 3 8 3

John Black: 3 8 3

Anthony Costal: 3 8 3

John Cummin: 3 8 3

Nicholas Cape: 3 8 3

Tho.s Coms: 3 8 3

William Dixon: 3 8 3

John Downs: 3 8 3

Peter Finret: 3 8 3

John Gilor: 3 8 3

John Skittles: 3 8 3

Levi Groose: 3 8 3

Christopher Grimond: 3 8 3

Griffith Griffis: 3 8 3

John Holloway: 3 8 3

John Mayoo: 3 8 3

James English: 3 8 3

Richard Kend: 3 8 3

Samuel Kitson: 3 8 3

William Kraver: 3 8 3

James Sarg: 3 8 3

Joseph Booth: 3 8 3

John Nicholas to the 25 April (and the day

he died): 17 2½

99 16 5½ 854 19 [...]

The pay list of the second company continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £860 11s [...]

Thomas Loudon, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

Edward Allis, £3 8s 3d

James Allis, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Andrews, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Berick, £3 8s 3d

George Byrne, £3 8s 3d

Peter Baxter, £3 8s 3d

Andrew Baxton, £3 8s 3d

Peter Bayley, £3 8s 3d

John Black, £3 8s 3d

Anthony Costal, £3 8s 3d

John Coleman, £3 8s 3d

Nicholas Cope, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Cann, £3 8s 3d

William Dixon, £3 8s 3d

John Downe, £3 8s 3d

Peter Finett, £3 8s 3d

John Fisher, £3 8s 3d

John Foltoss, £3 8s 3d

Lewis Freeze, £3 8s 3d

Christopher Ground, £3 8s 3d

Griffith Griffis, £3 8s 3d

John Holloway, £3 8s 3d

John Mayer, £3 8s 3d

James English, £3 8s 3d

Richard Kent, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Nelson, £3 8s 3d

William Reaver, £3 8s 3d

James Sang, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Scott, £3 8s 3d

John Nicholas, to 23 April until the day he died, £0 17s 2.5d

subtotal, £99 16s 5.5d, making £854 14s [...]

Interpretations

The second company's roll of sentinels repeats the pattern of the first, a long list of common soldiers at the uniform £3 8s 3d, the base rank of the island's whole military force. The two companies together, each with its full complement of privates, give the true measure of the garrison, a body of some scores of men maintained to hold an island that a single hostile squadron might threaten. This was the standing defence the Company kept against the war, the many sentinels below the few officers forming the bulk of the establishment's charge and the substance of its strength.

The sentinel John Nicholas paid only to 23 April, the day he died, adds a fourth death to the quarter's toll among the establishment's people, his pay of seventeen shillings the barest fraction of a full term. That he died so early in the quarter, before a month was out, and that his death joins those of Harris, Knowles and Norris, marks a season heavy with mortality among the island's men, the pay list closing four lives in a single quarter's account. The establishment reckoned each to the day, the soldier's death recorded in the same column as his living comrades' wages, a plain register of the cost the island exacted of those who served it.

The appearance of two men named John Foltoss, one in each company, and of surnames like Baxter, Allis and Kent that recur through the rolls, marks again the narrow population from which the garrison was raised. The same families supplied both companies, brothers and kinsmen standing in the ranks together, so that the military establishment was as much a family affair as the civil, the island defended by its own interrelated people. The pay list, running name after name at the same figure, thus records not merely a body of soldiers but a community under arms, the whole settlement bound into the service of the Company that maintained it.

75

68

Brought over: £854 19 [...]

Brought over: 99 16 5½

William Page: 3 8 3

Tho.s Payne: 3 8 3

John Cope: 3 8 3

Stephen Powers: 3 8 3

Tho.s Weyland: 3 8 3

William Scott: 3 8 3

John Smith: 3 8 3

Richard Smith: 3 8 3

Tho.s Preston: 3 8 3

Tho.s Taylor: 3 8 3

Richard Searle: 3 8 3

William Searle: 3 8 3

Edward Walker: 3 8 3

Stephen Wolauffry: 3 8 3

Tho.s Wright: 3 8 3

151 2 [...]

Third Company

Tho.s Ratherford first Lieut Salary: 10 " "

Ditto diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

19 6 10½

John Barton second Lieut Salary: 7 10 "

Ditto diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

16 16 10½

Sergeants

John Aldrick: 6 14 6

Tho.s Coker: 6 14 6

William Dowitt: 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Andrew Bowman: 4 7 9

Peter Ambrose: 4 7 9

Matthew Prestwood: 4 7 9

13 3 3

Total: £1075 9 [...]

The pay list of the second company concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £854 14s [...]

William Page, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Payne, £3 8s 3d

John Cope, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Rowe, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Neyland, £3 8s 3d

William Scott, £3 8s 3d

John Smith, £3 8s 3d

Richard Smith, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Preston, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Richard Searle, £3 8s 3d

William Searle, £3 8s 3d

Edward Walker, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Willoughby, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wright, £3 8s 3d

subtotal, £151 2s [...]

Third Company:

Thomas Catterby, first lieutenant's salary, £10 0s 0d

Thomas Catterby, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Thomas Catterby, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £19 6s 10.5d

John Barton, second lieutenant's salary, £7 10s 0d

John Barton, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John Barton, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £16 16s 10.5d

Sergeants:

John Aldrich, £6 11s 6d

Thomas Coker, £6 11s 6d

William Darvill, £6 11s 6d

subtotal, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

Andrew Newman, £4 7s 4d

Peter Ambrose, £4 7s 4d

Matthew Priestwood, £4 7s 4d

subtotal, £13 3s 3d

Total, £1,079 9s [...]

Interpretations

The appearance of a third company completes the picture of the island's garrison as a body of three companies, each fully officered with lieutenants, sergeants and corporals over its sentinels. Three companies on the establishment mark a defence force of real size for so small a place, the Company maintaining a substantial standing garrison against the danger of the war and the value of the island as a station on the homeward route. The uniform structure across all three, the same ranks at the same pay, shows the whole force organised on a single military footing, the establishment keeping the form and discipline of a regiment in the middle of the ocean.

The sergeant William Darvill of the third company shares the surname of Joseph Darvall the writer and of Joseph Darvall who had paid customs money into the Company's cash, a mark of how the same families ran through both the civil and military sides of the establishment. The Darvalls appear as writer, as customs payer and as sergeant, the one family serving the Company in several capacities at once, the pattern of a small closed society where every office was filled from the same narrow stock. This interweaving of names across the whole account marks the island as a single community, its people bound into the Company's service at every level.

The total carried forward past a thousand pounds for the quarter's civil and military pay together sets out the standing cost of the whole establishment, the price of governing and defending the island for three months. This was the charge the Company bore for its station, the salaries of councillors, tradesmen and soldiers that the victualling of ships and the sale of stores went to offset, the whole a going concern maintained at the Company's expense for the service of its trade. The pay list, running from the Governor at the head to the last sentinel, thus measures in money the entire human establishment the Company kept upon the island.

76

69

Brought over: £1075 9 [...]

Benjamin Searle Drummer: 4 7 9

Centinels

William Adams: 3 8 3

William Allis: 3 8 3

Henry Barker: 3 8 3

Bebel Batts: 3 8 3

William Barrock: 3 8 3

William Bird D.o: 3 8 3

William Boyford: 3 8 3

William Brown: 3 8 3

Benjamin Coble: 3 8 3

Robert Cofs deserted from Sunday June 16 to

June the 18 died: 7 4½

William Dye: 3 8 3

John Earle: 3 8 3

Isaac Evans: 3 8 3

John Evans: 3 8 3

Silas Ford: 3 8 3

Tho.s Fuller: 3 8 3

William Flashigate to 19 June (and the day he deserted): 2 16 1

Peter Higgins: 3 8 3

Phillip Willard: 3 8 3

Tho.s Hodges: 3 8 3

Isaac Hodges: 3 8 3

Joseph Flintt: 3 8 3

William Jackson: 3 8 3

Pierce Prige: 3 8 3

Tho.s Kendrick: 3 8 3

Richard Hughs: 3 8 3

Tho.s Lawrence: 3 8 3

John Amstead deserted from Sunday 14 June to the 14

died: 7 4½

Abraham Massi: 3 8 3

James Mchune: 3 8 3

Carried over: £95 13 9¼ 1079 17 6

The pay list of the third company continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £1,079 9s [...]

Benjamin Swaite, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

William Adams, £3 8s 3d

William Allis, £3 8s 3d

Henry Barker, £3 8s 3d

Peter Batt, £3 8s 3d

William Barrett, £3 8s 3d

William Beckett, £3 8s 3d

William Boyled, £3 8s 3d

William Brown, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Chaplin, £3 8s 3d

Robert Cross, deserted from 1 June until the day he deserted, £0 7s 6.5d

William Dye, £3 8s 3d

John Cole, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Evans, £3 8s 3d

John Evans, £3 8s 3d

John Fea, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fuller, £3 8s 3d

William Hastings, to 15 June until the day he deserted, £2 16s 1d

Peter Baxter, £3 8s 3d

Phillip Wilmot, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Hodson, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hodson, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Hendt, £3 8s 3d

William Jackson, £3 8s 3d

Cornelius, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

Richard Knight, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Lawrence, £3 8s 3d

John Smaller, deserted from 1 April until the day he died, £2 4s 7.5d

Abraham Major, £3 8s 3d

Amos Molineur, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £95 13s 4.5d, making £1,079 17s 6d

Interpretations

The third company's roll of sentinels carries a striking cluster of desertions, three men entered as deserted within a single quarter, Robert Cross from 1 June, William Hastings to 15 June and John Smaller. The 15 June on which Hastings went was the same day the armourer Cross and the first company's John Jones had deserted, marking that date as one of concerted flight while the fleet lay in the road. The crowded shipping of the season offered an escape the garrison could not easily prevent, and the pay list records the establishment losing its common soldiers to the very traffic it existed to serve, their pay stopped at the day each man slipped away.

The entry for John Smaller, marked deserted yet paid to the day he died, shows the confusion that could attend a man's leaving the establishment's service, the clerk uncertain whether he had fled or died and recording both. This blurring of desertion and death points to the difficulty of accounting for men in a place where a soldier might vanish onto a ship or perish of sickness with equal suddenness, the pay list closing his service without being sure of its cause. Such ambiguities mark the limits of even a careful account, the establishment reckoning what it could of lives that ended beyond its clear knowledge.

The concentration of desertions in this one company, against none or few in the others, may reflect nothing more than the accident of which men found their chance, or may hint at some particular discontent among its ranks. Whatever the cause, the loss of three soldiers to desertion in a single quarter, added to the deaths recorded across all three companies, marks the constant wastage the garrison suffered, the establishment's military strength eroded by flight and mortality alike and needing continual renewal from the island's own narrow stock of men.

77

70

Brought over: £1079 17 6

Brought over: 95 13 9¼

Charles Montague: 3 8 3

Bartrick Wrapley: 3 8 3

James Mills: 3 8 3

James M.c Cloane: 3 8 3

William Napper died 3 April: 2 2½

Tho.s Peirce: 3 8 3

Tho.s Rain: 3 8 3

John Spence: 3 8 3

Peter Simpson: 3 8 3

John Mildstead from Sunday June 16 to June 18 died: 16 5½

Joseph Sloane: 3 8 3

John Wilson: 3 8 3

John Vanacker: 3 8 3

Benjamin Williams: 3 8 3

John Wells: 3 8 3

John Woodruffe: 3 8 3

Sarojah Wright: 3 8 3

157 16 [...]

Fourth Company

Daniel Crawfoot Lieut Salary: 10 " "

Ditto diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

19 6 10½

Tho.s Whitpatrick second Lt Salary: 7 10 "

Ditto diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

16 16 10½

Sergeants

Joseph Sloighton: 6 14 6

William Ashman: 6 14 6

David William: 6 14 6

20 3 6

Carried over: £1281 [...]

The pay list of the third company concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £1,079 17s 6d, and £95 13s 4.5d

Charles Montague, £3 8s 3d

Bartholomew Wrapley, £3 8s 3d

James Hill, £3 8s 3d

James McCleane, £3 8s 3d

William Napper, died 3 April, £0 2s 2.5d

Thomas Peirce, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Rain, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Simpson, £3 8s 3d

John Mildred, deserted from 1 June until the day he deserted, £1 16s 5.5d

Joseph Deane, £3 8s 3d

John Watson, £3 8s 3d

John Sanister, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

John Wills, £3 8s 3d

John Woodville, £3 8s 3d

Increase Wright, £3 8s 3d

subtotal, £147 16s [...]

Fourth Company:

Daniel Crawfort, first lieutenant's salary, £10 0s 0d

Daniel Crawfort, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Daniel Crawfort, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £19 6s 10.5d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, second lieutenant's salary, £7 10s 0d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £16 16s 10.5d

Sergeants:

Joseph Leighton, £6 11s 6d

William Coleman, £6 11s 6d

David William, £6 11s 6d

subtotal, £20 3s 6d

Carried over, £1,181 [...]

Interpretations

The appearance of a fourth company extends the garrison to four full companies, each officered and manned on the same pattern, a defence force of considerable size for so small an island. Four companies mark the Company's serious commitment to holding the island through the war, the establishment maintaining a body of soldiers that a place of a few hundred inhabitants could scarcely have raised from itself alone. The uniform organisation across all four, the same ranks and pay repeated, shows the whole force built on a single military model, the island garrisoned as a fortress on the homeward route.

The sentinel William Napper paid only to 3 April, the day he died, adds yet another death to the quarter's heavy toll, his pay of barely two shillings the smallest fraction of a term, since he died within days of its opening. His death, joining those already recorded across the companies and among the tradesmen, deepens the sense of a season weighted with mortality, the pay list closing life after life at the day each ended. That so many men died within a single quarter marks the cost the island exacted of those who served it, whether by the sickness of the place or the accidents of a hard life.

The desertion of John Mildred from 1 June continues the pattern of flight that ran through every company that quarter, the garrison bleeding men to the shipping in the road. Set against the deaths, the desertions mark the two constant drains on the establishment's military strength, men lost to the grave and men lost to the sea, the force needing perpetual renewal to hold its numbers. The pay list, recording each loss to the day, stands as a register of this wastage, the plain account of a garrison worn down by mortality and desertion alike through a single crowded and dangerous season.

78

71

Brought over: £1281 " [...]

Corporals

William Wroe: 4 7 9

James Lee: 4 7 9

Tho.s Draper to 20 June (the day he deserted): 3 18 3

John Bewley (deserted) being from Sunday 16 June to

the 18 died: 4 6

William Byrne Drummer: 13 3 3

4 7 9

Centinels

Tho.s Alcock: 3 8 3

John Winkick to 3 June (and being from June the 3 to

the 5 died): 9

Robert Bridgel: 3 8 3

William Bell: 3 8 3

Tho.s Bruce: 3 8 3

John Bingam to 15 (June and the 5 died): 4 4

Henry Coster: 3 8 3

John Chapman: 3 8 3

Edward Callance: 3 8 3

Michael Cole: 3 8 3

Peter Cockey: 3 8 3

Walter Cofs: 3 8 3

Elliott Gatehouse: 3 8 3

Tho.s Draper s.d Cofs for Cause famelett to the Wig men

mentioned: 7 6

John Ellis: 3 8 3

Samuel Coke: 3 8 3

George Eyton: 3 8 3

William Gorm: 3 8 3

Jonathan Genby: 3 8 3

Daniel Platt: 3 8 3

Jonthan Hallow: 3 8 3

Daniel Johnson: 3 8 3

James Kendrick: 3 8 3

William Kindrey: 3 8 3

William Knifs: 3 8 3

Carried over: £81 18 [...] 1301 19 [...]

The pay list of the fourth company continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £1,181 [...]

Corporals:

William Moore, £4 7s 9d

James Lee, £4 7s 9d

Thomas Draper, to 15 June the day he deserted, £3 18s 3d

John Bardin, corporal, deserted from 1 June until the day he died, £0 4s 6d

subtotal, £13 3s 3d

William Swaite, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

Thomas Alcock, £3 8s 3d

John Whitledie, second, deserted from 1 June until the day he deserted, £0 0s 9d

Robert Butcher, £3 8s 3d

William Bull, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Weeves, £3 8s 3d

John Burgoin, to 15 June the day he deserted, £3 8s 3d

Henry Coster, £3 8s 3d

John Coleman, £3 8s 3d

Edward Culliure, £3 8s 3d

Michael Cole, £3 8s 3d

Peter Cakley, £3 8s 3d

Walter Coe, £3 8s 3d

Blondell Catchpole, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Draper, to the day he deserted for customs, formerly mentioned, £0 7s 6d

John Ellis, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Coles, £3 8s 3d

George Eaton, £3 8s 3d

William Gann, £3 8s 3d

Jonathan Kirkby, £3 8s 3d

James Watt, £3 8s 3d

Jonathan Wallow, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Robinson, £3 8s 3d

James Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

William Woodrey, £3 8s 3d

William Woolf, £3 8s 3d

subtotal, £81 18s [...], making £1,301 19s 10.5d

Interpretations

The fourth company's roll deepens the record of desertion that had run through every part of the garrison, with the corporal Thomas Draper, the corporal John Bardin and the sentinels John Whitledie and John Burgoin all entered as gone, several again on the recurring 15 June. That the desertion reached even the corporals, non-commissioned men with some standing and better pay, marks how far the temptation of the crowded road ran up through the ranks, not confined to the common sentinels but drawing away the very men set to keep the others in order. The season's shipping had opened a passage off the island that the whole garrison felt.

The corporal John Bardin, like John Smaller before him, was marked deserted yet paid to the day he died, the same confusion of flight and death recurring in the account. This repeated uncertainty, the clerk unable to say whether a missing man had fled or perished, points to the difficulty of accounting for soldiers in a place where both fates struck suddenly and a man once gone might never be traced. The pay list closed such lives as best it could, recording the ambiguity plainly rather than resolving it, the limit of the establishment's knowledge of its own people set down in the ledger.

The sentinel Thomas Draper's double entry, once among the deserters of the day and again with a note tying his going to the customs, connects a common soldier's flight to the revived duty the council had imposed that spring. Whether Draper had been employed about the customs or had some quarrel with it, the note marks the reach of the new levy into the affairs of the garrison, the customs that had been revived on 26 April 1745 touching even the pay account of a deserting sentinel. The entry is a small trace of how the season's several strains, the shipping, the customs and the desertion, ran together through the establishment's records.

79

72

Brought over: £1301 19 [...]

Brought over: 81 18 [...]

John Lewis: 3 8 3

John Farmoth to 19 June (and the day he deserted): 2 16 1½

John Manniby: 3 8 3

Abraham Merri: 3 8 3

George Master: 3 8 3

William Rutley: 3 8 3

Moses Munds: 3 8 3

Richard Mason: 3 8 3

James Pepoe: 3 8 3

Edward Rickitts: 3 8 3

Richard Rossell: 3 8 3

Tho.s Robinson: 3 8 3

David Robinson: 3 8 3

Amiel Solomon: 3 8 3

Daniel Sarjant: 3 8 3

John Taylor: 3 8 3

Beth Verntrust: 3 8 3

James Vaughn: 3 8 3

James Wilott to 19 June (and the day he died): 1 10 7½

Benjamin Williams: 3 8 3

William Wildman: 3 8 3

John Walker: 3 8 3

157 18 9

Artillery Company

John French Master Gunner Salary: 13 8 4

Ditto diet Money: 6 16 10½

Ditto House Rent: 2 10 "

22 15 [...]

Carried over: £1479 6 [...]

The pay list of the fourth company concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £1,301 19s [...], and £81 18s [...]

John Lewis, £3 8s 3d

John Sinnett, to 15 June until the day he deserted, £2 16s 1.5d

John Manningby, £3 8s 3d

Abraham Morris, £3 8s 3d

George Master, £3 8s 3d

William Northey, £3 8s 3d

Moses Mumford, £3 8s 3d

Richard Mason, £3 8s 3d

James Peppee, £3 8s 3d

Edward Pluckett, £3 8s 3d

Richard Rockett, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Robinson, £3 8s 3d

David Robinson, £3 8s 3d

Bried Schuree, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Sergeant, £3 8s 3d

John Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Beth Vernstruck, £3 8s 3d

James Vaughan, £3 8s 3d

James Wills, to 15 June until the day he died, £1 10s 7.5d

Benjamin William, £3 8s 3d

William Wildman, £3 8s 3d

John Walker, £3 8s 3d

subtotal, £151 18s 9d

Artillery Company:

John French, master gunner's salary, £13 8s 4d

John French, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John French, house rent, £2 10s 0d, making £22 16s [...]

Carried over, £1,479 6s [...]

Interpretations

The appearance of a separate artillery company under the master gunner John French sets the specialist branch of the garrison apart from the four line companies, the men who served the great guns whose powder and shot the monthly returns had recorded. Artillery was a distinct skill, the working of the heavy ordnance that defended the road and fired the salutes, and the establishment kept a dedicated company for it under French, the same master gunner who signed the ordnance accounts. His higher salary marks the value set on the specialist knowledge of gunnery, the artillery officer paid above the lieutenants of the line for a craft the ordinary soldier did not command.

The fourth company's roll closes with the same mingling of desertion and death that marked the whole quarter, John Sinnett deserted on the recurring 15 June and James Wills paid to the day he died. The persistence of that single date through company after company confirms it as a day of mass desertion, men from every part of the garrison seizing the same chance while the fleet lay ready to sail. The pay list, gathering these losses across all four companies, gives the full measure of the season's drain on the establishment's strength, the garrison worn by flight and death together through the crowded months.

The reappearance of John French as master gunner, having also appeared as a sergeant of the second company, shows either one man holding two places or the same name borne by kinsmen through the establishment. Whichever it was, the French name running through the ordnance accounts, the line companies and the artillery marks again the narrow stock from which the whole garrison was drawn, the specialist gunnery of the island resting, like everything else, on the handful of families that filled its every office. The artillery company completes the establishment's military strength, the guns served by the same closed community that manned the walls and farmed the land.

80

73

Brought over: £1479 6 [...]

Gunners Mates

William Davis: 4 17 6

Amie Jackson: 4 17 6

William Kennedy: 4 17 6

Isaac Lecoll: 4 17 6

Roger Steevens: 4 17 6

Bethen Sample: 4 17 6

Tho.s Wats: 4 17 6

Tho.s Willingham: 4 17 6

39 " -

Quarter Gunners

John Barrett: 4 7 9

Walter Butler: 4 7 9

John Coxfell: 4 7 9

Ely Lecoll: 4 7 9

John Rittidge: 4 7 9

James Batchford: 4 7 9

John Spencer: 4 7 9

Tho.s Sitts: 4 7 9

35 2 "

Matrosses

Edward Arnold: 4 1 3

John Artingstall: 4 1 3

John Button: 4 1 3

Joseph Barrell: 4 1 3

John Butter: 4 1 3

John Brown: 4 1 3

John Brannagan: 4 1 3

William Coleman: 4 1 3

Edward Croford: 4 1 3

John Brooes: 4 1 3

Samuel Clark: 4 1 3

Tho.s Dodd: 4 1 3

Carried over: £48 15 [...] 1553 8 4¾

The pay list of the artillery company continued, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £1,479 6s [...]

Gunners' mates:

William Davis, £4 7s 6d

Amos Jackson, £4 7s 6d

William Kennedy, £4 7s 6d

Isaac Leech, £4 7s 6d

Roger Stevenson, £4 7s 6d

Bratton Sample, £4 7s 6d

Thomas Watts, £4 7s 6d

Thomas Willingham, £4 7s 6d

subtotal, £34 0s 0d

Quarter gunners:

John Barrett, £4 7s 9d

Walter Butter, £4 7s 9d

John Crickfell, £4 7s 9d

Ely Leech, £4 7s 9d

John Rulledge, £4 7s 9d

James Botterell, £4 7s 9d

John Spencer, £4 7s 9d

Thomas Sixty, £4 7s 9d

subtotal, £35 2s 0d

Matrosses:

Edward Arnold, £4 1s 3d

John Attingstall, £4 1s 3d

John Button, £4 1s 3d

Joseph Barrett, £4 1s 3d

John Batter, £4 1s 3d

John Brown, £4 1s 3d

John Branagan, £4 1s 3d

William Coleman, £4 1s 3d

Edward Ashford, £4 1s 3d

John Bruce, £4 1s 3d

Samuel Clark, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Dodd, £4 1s 3d

Carried over, £48 15s 0d, making £1,553 8s 1.5d

Interpretations

The artillery company's internal ranks, the gunners' mates, quarter gunners and matrosses, set out the graded body of men who served the island's ordnance beneath the master gunner. Each rank drew its own rate, the mates and quarter gunners above the matrosses, marking the degrees of skill and responsibility in working the great guns. A matross was the lowest artillery rank, the man who assisted the gunners at the piece, loading, sponging and hauling, and the presence of a dozen and more of them shows the labour the heavy ordnance required, several men to each gun to serve it in action.

The quarter gunners named here, the petty officers of the artillery, mark the establishment maintaining a proper gunnery organisation on the scale of a ship or a fortress. The term quarter gunner came from the naval service, where such a man had charge of a quarter of a ship's guns, and its use on the island shows the artillery run on a recognised military footing, the ordnance divided among responsible men under the master gunner. This was the specialist core of the island's defence, the men whose skill the salutes and alarms of the busy season had constantly called upon.

The recurrence yet again of the island's common surnames through the artillery ranks, the Leeches, Spencers, Watts and Colemans, confirms the whole military establishment as drawn from the same narrow stock as the civil. The gunners who served the batteries bore the same names as the sentinels who manned the walls, the tradesmen who kept the works and the councillors who governed the whole, a single interrelated community filling every place from the Governor to the matross. The pay list, running through rank after rank of these familiar names, stands as a portrait of that community entire, the island's people bound together in the Company's service across every branch of its establishment.

81

74

Brought over: £1553 8 4¾

Brought over: £48 15 "

Anthony Day: 4 1 3

Adam Wilcome: 4 1 3

Humphry Bugh: 4 1 3

Tho.s Bode: 4 1 3

Lawrence Betison: 4 1 3

John Smith: 4 1 3

William Turner: 4 1 3

John Watkins: 4 1 3

81 5 [...]

Superannuated

Joseph Whaley Sergeant: 3 8 3

William Burnham d.o: 3 8 3

Isaac Hugonin Quarter Gunner: 3 8 3

George Lindsey Drummer: 3 8 3

Samuel Knife Centinel: 3 8 3

Francis Smige Armorer: 6 " 7½

23 1 10½

Total: £1657 15 [...]

The pay list of the artillery matrosses concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Brought over, £1,553 8s [...], and £48 15s 0d

Anthony Day, £4 1s 3d

Adam Gilbourne, £4 1s 3d

Humphry Pugh, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Oude, £4 1s 3d

Lawrence Peterson, £4 1s 3d

John Smith, £4 1s 3d

William Turner, £4 1s 3d

John Watkins, £4 1s 3d

subtotal, £81 5s 0d

Superannuated:

Joseph Whaley, sergeant, £3 8s 3d

William Burnham, sergeant, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Huguenin, quarter gunner, £3 8s 3d

George Lindsay, drummer, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Knipe, sentinel, £3 8s 3d

Francis Fuige, armourer, £6 0s 7.5d

subtotal, £23 1s 10.5d

Total, £1,657 15s [...]

Interpretations

The superannuated list names the establishment's provision for its worn-out servants, the old sergeants, gunner, drummer, sentinel and armourer kept on the pay at a reduced rate after they could no longer serve. This was a form of pension, the Company continuing to maintain men who had given their working years to the island's service, a recognition that the establishment owed something to those it had used up. That the list ran across the ranks, from sergeant to sentinel, marks the provision as general, the aged of every degree carried on the account rather than simply discharged to want.

The keeping of these old servants on the pay reflects the closed and permanent nature of the island's population, men who had come or been born there and grown old in the Company's service with nowhere else to go. Unlike a soldier discharged in England to his parish, a superannuated man on St Helena remained part of the small community that had always maintained him, and the Company's continuing his reduced pay was the practical means of his support. The superannuated list thus marks the establishment as a whole society, providing for its people across the span of their lives from the day they entered service to the day they died.

The armourer Francis Fuige, superannuated at a higher rate than the others, marks the value still set on a skilled tradesman even in retirement. Where the old soldiers drew the sentinel's reduced rate, the armourer kept a larger allowance, his craft of maintaining the garrison's arms retaining a worth that the Company acknowledged in his pension. The naming of a superannuated armourer beside the active armourer John Cross, who had deserted mid-quarter, points to the establishment's continual need for the trade and the difficulty of keeping it supplied, the old man pensioned while the young one fled.

82

75

1745 D.r Charles Hutchinson Paymaster C.r 6

To Cash rec.d for five hundred thirty five Pounds

& an half of Fresh Butter Sold Since the 20 October

last at one Shilling [P] pound: 26 15 6

To Cash rec.d of Richard Mason for rent Short

Paid by him for ¼ of an Acre of Land from 1.st Oct.r

1727 to 31 March 1728 at 5 Shillings [P] Acre: [.] " 7½

¼ of an Acre of Land from 1.st April 1728

to 30 September 1732 at 2/6 [P] Acre: 2. 9¼

1¼ Acre of Land from 1.st Oct.r 1732 to

30.th September 1744 at 2/6: 1 17 " 6

Ground Rent from 1.st Oct.r 1727 to

30 Sept.r 1744 at 5 [P] pund: 4 " 5 "

6 5 11¼

To Cash rec.d for fines from Several Persons for

Selling Liquor without Lincence: 24 " "

To Cash rec.d from several Persons for Licences to keep

Publick houses for the Year commencing 25 March 1745: 58 1 "

Carried Over: £115 2 5¼

Apr.l 5.th By Cash Paid Giles Hayes for Coming Express

With an Account of a Ship to Windward: [.] 5 "

23 By Cash Paid Patrick Hamilton for ditto: " 5 "

By Cash Paid the Gov.r for the following things

bought for the Use of the General Table Viz.t

For twenty Dozens of Wine: £24 " "

Six Loaves of Sugar: 1 18 "

Six China Punch Bowls: 1 " 6 "

Four Dozen and an half of China

Soup Plates: 4 " 10 "

One dozen of Knives and forks: 1 " 6 "

Medicines for the Use of the Garrison: 3 12 4

36 12 4

May 4.th By Cash Paid Bett Rosenburg for Coming

Express with an Acc.t of Ships to Windward: " 5 "

By Cash Paid W.m Wastings for Making

a Fair of thes some of the Hon.ble

Company's Blacks: " 2 3

Carried over: £37 9 7

The paymaster's cash account of Charles Hutchinson was entered in two sides, the receipts on the left and the payments on the right, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, receipts (Dr), 1745:

To cash received for 535.5 lb of fresh butter sold since 20 October last at 1s the pound, £26 15s 6d

To cash received of Richard Mason for rent short paid by him:

for a quarter acre of land from 1 October 1727 to 31 March 1728 at 5 shillings the acre, £0 0s 7.5d

for a quarter acre of land from 1 April 1728 to 30 September 1732 at 2s 6d the acre, £0 2s 9.75d

for a quarter acre of land from 1 October 1732 to 30 September 1744 at 2s 6d the acre, £0 1s 7.5d

for ground rent from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1744 at 5 shillings a year, £4 5s 0d

subtotal, £6 5s 11.25d

To cash received for fines from several persons for selling liquor without licence, £24 0s 0d

To cash received from several persons for licences to keep public houses for the year commencing 25 March 1745, £58 1s 0d

Carried over, £115 2s 5.25d

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, payments (Cr), 1745:

April 5: By cash paid Giles Hayes for coming express with an account of a ship being to leeward, £0 5s 0d

April 23: By cash paid Patrick Hamilton for the same, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid the Governor for the following things bought for the use of the general table:

for 20 dozen of wine, £24 0s 0d

six loaves of sugar, £1 18s 0d

six china funnel bowls, £1 0s 6d

four dozen and a half of china soup plates, £4 10s 0d

one dozen of knives and forks, £1 0s 6d

medicines for the use of the garrison, £3 12s 4d

subtotal, £36 12s 4d

May 4: By cash paid Robert Upenburg for coming express with an account of ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid William Hastings for making a pair of stays for one of the Company's slaves, £0 2s 3d

Carried over, £37 9s 7d

Interpretations

The paymaster's account restates in fuller detail the same cash movements the treasury account had shown, now itemising what the Governor had bought for the general table. The £36 12s 4d reimbursed to the Governor breaks down into wine, sugar, china and knives for the table and medicines for the garrison, the particular purchases behind the single figure the treasury account had carried. This double entry, the same sum appearing in summary in one account and in detail in another, shows the establishment's bookkeeping cross-checking itself, each transaction traceable through more than one record.

The payment to William Hastings for making a pair of stays for one of the Company's slaves is a small but telling trace of the establishment's provision for its bondsmen. Stays were a stiffened undergarment, and their making for a slave marks the Company clothing its human property to a standard beyond bare necessity, the same care the charges for the slaves had shown in the blankets and cloth issued to them. That the work was done by a named man and charged to the account shows even the clothing of a single slave passing through the establishment's formal reckoning.

The china soup plates and funnel bowls bought for the table connect this account to the recurring shortage of crockery the record had traced through the year. The castle table, so often short of the cups and plates a proper service required and dependent on the China ships for fresh supply, was here restocked through the Governor's purchase, the four dozen and a half of soup plates a substantial replenishment. The medicines for the garrison entered in the same line mark the Governor's buying serving several needs at once, the table's crockery and the garrison's physic drawn together in a single reimbursed charge.

83

76

Brought over: £115 2 5¼

To Cash rec.d of Richard Godwin Executor of Edmund

Nicholls dec.d one Years Rent for 21 Acres of Land at 2/6

Each being the Customary Fine for renewing two Lives

in a Lease held of the Hon.ble Company: 2 12 6

To Cash rec.d for 10. 3. 14 of Hay at 5 [P] C.o: 4 1 1½

To Cash rec.d of M.r Mor: Supra Cargo of a Swede Ship

For Six Sheep: at 20 each £6 " "

two Sheep: at 13/6 1 17 "

Two dozen and Eight fowls: 18 [P] dozen 2 " 8 "

Five hundred and fifty eight Pounds W.t of Beef long: 9 3

Eighteen hundred W.t of Yams at 5 [P] C.o: 4 11 "

24 14 3

To Cash rec.d for eight hundred & eighty pounds W.t of Hay at 5 [P] C.o: 1 19 3½

To Cash rec.d from Mess.rs Twynam & Darval for Customs

Collected by them: 218 1 10½

To Cash Rec.d of M.r Perling Storekeeper for so much

by him Sold in the Quarter commencing April 1 and

Ending June 30.th 1745: 766 10 7¼

To Cash Rec.d in full of Edward Winslow debt to the

Hon.ble Company: 2 5 8

To Cash Rec.d of James Du Bois Surgeon Mate for

so much remaining in his Hands out of the Sever

Fines & Pay Paid By the Soldiers that Were in the

Marshallall between 1 April and 30.th June 1745: 2 14 11½

To Cash Rec.d out of the Cash Chest: 818 12 6

Carried Over: £1956 16 5¼

The paymaster's receipts continued, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, receipts (Dr), 1745:

Brought over, £115 2s 5.25d

To cash received of Richard Goodwin, executor of Edmund Nicholls deceased, one year's rent for 21 acres of land at 2s 6d each, being the customary fine for renewing two lives in a lease held of the Company, £2 12s 6d

To cash received for 5 [cwt] 3 [qr] 14 [lb] of whey at 5s the hundredweight, £1 4s [...]

To cash received of Mr Maw, supercargo of a Swedish ship:

for six sheep at 20s each, £6 0s 0d

for two sheep at 13s 6d, £1 7s 0d

for two dozen and eight fowls at 18s the dozen, £2 8s 0d

for 558 lb of beef at 5d the pound, £11 12s 6d

for 1,800 lb of yams at 6s the hundredweight, £4 18s [...]

subtotal, £24 14s 3d

To cash received for 848 lb of beef at 5d the pound, £1 19s 3.75d

To cash received from Messrs Frognam and Darvall for customs collected by them, £218 1s 10.5d

To cash received of Mr Purling, storekeeper, for so much sold by him in the quarter commencing 1 April and ending 30 June 1745, £766 10s 7.25d

To cash received in full of Edward Winslow's debt to the Company, £2 5s 8d

To cash received of James Du Bois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the seven pence a day paid by the soldiers that were in the marshalsea between 1 April and 30 June 1745, £2 14s 11.25d

To cash received out of the cash chest, £818 12s 6d

Carried over, £1,956 16s 5.25d

Interpretations

The sale to the Swedish supercargo Maw exposes the private trade with the foreign ships that the Governor had complained of only weeks before. Here the Company itself sold sheep, fowls, beef and yams to a Swedish ship at fixed prices, the beef at fivepence a pound, the very rate the planters had held to and the commanders had disputed. This was the legitimate face of the trade the Governor condemned when the planters imposed on the foreigners, the Company supplying the Swede openly through its own stores, and the naming of Maw connects the entry to the Swedish ships whose arrivals and salutes had filled the season.

The customs of over two hundred pounds collected by Frognam and Darvall marks the yield of the duty the council had revived on 26 April 1745, now paying into the treasury a substantial sum. The factors appointed to receive the customs had brought in £218 in the quarter, a real revenue from the levy on arrack and the five per cent on other goods landed, showing the revived duty already a working source of income. This was the fruit of the Governor's reforming drive, the dormant orders of 1717 turned into a steady charge on the crowded shipping of the season.

The sevenpence a day paid by the soldiers in the marshalsea names the charge levied on men held in the establishment's prison, the surgeon's mate accounting for what remained of it. The marshalsea was the garrison's gaol, and the soldiers confined there paid toward their own keep, the daily charge collected and the surplus returned to the treasury. This small entry marks the establishment's discipline reaching into its accounts, the cost of imprisoning its own men recovered from them and reckoned like every other charge, the whole machinery of the place, from its trade to its punishments, passing through the paymaster's book.

84

77

Brought over: £37 9 7

Aug 22 By Cash Paid James Allis for Coming Express with an Acc.t of

a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

23 By Cash p.d Joseph Long for Coming Express with an Acc.t of Ships to Windward: " 5 "

24 By p.d W.o Emeston for Coming Express with notice of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

28 By Cash Paid Richard Insleys s.o: " 5 "

By Cash Paid James Allis for d.o: " 5 "

30 By Cash Paid Jane Deans and Bull for Willard Soldiers

Whose times of Service are Expired first Paid Each in

Consideration of their having agreed to serve the Hon.ble Company

for five Years to Commence this Day: 10 " "

By Cash Paid W.m Wass Soldier Whose time is Expired

for Listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company for five Years

or to be discharged at the End of two Years When repaying

the Money he has rec.d: 5 " "

June 2 By Cash Paid Joseph Long for Coming Express With an Acc.t

of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

4 By Cash paid Ratlidge Soldier Whose time is Expired

for listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company for five Years

to Commence this day: 5 " "

5 By Cash p.d W.o Wass for Coming Express With notice of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

By p.d James Hall Soldier Whose time is Expired

for listing to serve the Hon.ble Company for five Years

or to be discharged at the End of two Years When repaying

the Money he has rec.d: 5 " "

5 By Cash Paid James Richardson Soldier Whose time

to Expired for Listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company

Upon the same Condition as that James Hall Agreed to: 5 " "

9 By Cash paid Joseph Long for Coming Express with notice of a

Ship to Windward: " 5 "

10 By p.d W.o Wass for Coming Express with notice of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

By Cash p.d a English Soldier Whose time is Expired for

listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company Upon the same Condition

that James Hall Agreed to: 5 " "

Carried Over: £74 14 7

The paymaster's payments continued, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, payments (Cr), 1745:

Brought over, £37 9s 7d

May 22: By cash paid James Allis for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

23: By cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

24: By cash paid William Emerton for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

28: By cash paid Richard Curtis, do, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid James Allis, do, £0 5s 0d

30: By cash paid Peter Deane and Phillip Willard, soldiers whose times of service are expired, first-year beer, in consideration of their having agreed to serve the Company for five years to commence this day, £10 0s 0d

By cash paid William Maw, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company for five years, or to be discharged at the end of two years upon repaying the money he has received, £5 0s 0d

June 2: By cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

4: By cash paid do, Ratledge, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company for five years to commence this day, £5 0s 0d

5: By cash paid William Mason for coming express with an account of ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid James Hall, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company for five years, or to be discharged at the end of two years upon repaying the money he has received, £5 0s 0d

5: By cash paid James Richardson, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company for five years, upon the same condition Mr James Hall agreed to, £5 0s 0d

9: By cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

10: By cash paid do, William Mayes, for coming express with an account of ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid do, an English soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company upon the same condition that James Hall agreed to, £5 15s 0d

Carried over, £74 14s 7d

Interpretations

The re-enlistment payments name the bounty the Company paid to keep its soldiers when their terms expired, five pounds to each man who agreed to serve a further five years. The terms show the establishment's difficulty in holding its garrison, offering not only the bounty but the option of discharge after two years on repayment of the money, a concession that let a doubtful man commit himself without being wholly bound. In a season when the shipping tempted so many to desert, the Company had to pay to retain the men whose terms had run out, the bounty the price of a soldier's continued service.

The first-year beer paid to Peter Deane and Phillip Willard marks a customary addition to the re-enlistment bounty, an allowance of drink to men beginning a fresh term. This was the same provision of liquor that ran through the establishment's dealings with its people, the dram on turning and the arrack at the table, here given as an inducement to re-enlist. The naming of beer specifically, rather than the arrack of the stores, points to a particular customary right attaching to a new term of service, the Company sweetening the bargain with the soldier's traditional drink.

The steady stream of five-shilling payments to men who ran express with news of ships gives the fullest picture yet of the island's early-warning system in the crowded season. Runner after runner, Allis, Long, Emerton, Curtis, Mason and Mayes, was paid to carry word from the lookouts to the castle as ships were sighted to windward, the same relay the record describes from Banks's. The frequency of these payments through May and June, sometimes several in a day, marks the constant vigilance the war and the heavy traffic demanded, the establishment paying a small fee again and again to know what approached its road.

85

78

Brought over: £1956 10 5¼

Carried over: £1956 10 5¼

The receipts side of the paymaster's cash account carried its running total forward unchanged, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, receipts (Dr), 1745:

Brought over, £1,966 10s 8.5d

Carried over, £1,966 10s 8.5d

86

79

Brought over: £74 14 7

12 By Cash Paid Tho.s Draper Soldier Whose time is

Expired for listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company upon

the Same Condition that James Hall Agreed to: 5 " "

By Cash p.d James Holloway for Coming Express with notice of

a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

By Cash p.d M.r Pickering Surgeon his Bill for Mary

Bradley on behalf of John Bradley: 1 3 8

By Cash p.d John Artingstall Coxwain and John Coxfell

Richard Knight W.o Browe Tho.s Fride Henry Coster

James Britchard Tho.s Litten and Phillip Willard

ten Shillings each their Allowance for rowing in the Pinnace: 4 10 "

By Cash p.d Edward Arnold for mending a Crutch and Merkerty

a Fair of thes for a Chair: " 5 "

By Cash p.d John Artingstall for Rowing Six Trips in the

Long Boat to Sandy Bay for Lime at two Shillings Each: 3 " "

By Cash p.d W.m for Making five Bottems for the Stand

By d.o p.d George Byas and John Brannagon for Working

twenty four days in the Long Boat, being time: 2 8 "

By d.o p.d John Ladrick for s.o Block in Refixing the Pinnace: " 12 "

By Cash p.d Ja.s Insleys for three thousand and one hundred

Lines at two Shillings [P] Hundred: 3 2 "

By Cash p.d Peter Kirby Labourer for twenty five days

Work at the Castle: 1 5 "

By s.o p.d Ditto for Sixty days Work at the fortification & Wharfe: " 6 "

By Cash p.d Ja.s Burham for fixing and Mending Pipes at the Castle: " 13 6

By Cash p.d James Insley for Mending Slings: " 10 "

By d.o p.d W.o Rob.t Wright, for a thousand Lines at three Shillings [P] hund: 1 10 "

By s.o p.d Bartholomew Ridley Wine Cutler for Work done at the Castle: 4 17 6

By Cash p.d William Ashman Carpenter Six days Work

at the Castle at three Shillings [P] day: 3 5 "

By Cash p.d s.o for making Fairs of thes for W.m Flashigate Jo.s Richards

and James Whitehead Soldiers: " 4 "

By d.o p.d s.o for three days Work in Repairing the Cage of Sundry things: " 9 "

Carried Over: £110 16 3

The paymaster's payments continued, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, payments (Cr), 1745:

Brought over, £74 14s 7d

12: By cash paid Thomas Draper, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company upon the same condition that James Hall agreed to, £5 0s 0d

By cash paid Joseph Holloway for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Mr Pickering, surgeon, his bill for treating Mary Bradley on the estate of John Bradley, £1 3s 8d

By cash paid John Artingstall, coxswain, and John Curtis, Richard Knight, William Bruce, Thomas Fride, Henry Coster, James Pritchard, William and Phillip Willard, ten shillings each, their allowance for rowing in the pinnace, £4 10s 0d

By cash paid Edward Arnold for mending a crutch and turkey, and a pair of stays for a chair, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid John Artingstall for going six trips in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime at two shillings each, £3 0s 0d

By cash paid William Sim for making five buttons for bedsteads, £0 0s 11d

By cash paid George Byas and John Branagan for working twenty-four days in the long boat, being lime, £2 8s 0d

By cash paid John Sedrick for a lock in repairing the pinnace, £0 0s 12d

By cash paid do, Sim, for three thousand and one hundred nails at two shillings the hundred, £3 2s 0d

By cash paid Peter Waldy, labourer, for twenty-five days work at the castle, £1 5s 0d

By cash paid do, do, for sixty days work at the fortifications at Rupert's, £6 0s 0d

By cash paid Thomas Burton for fixing and mending pipes at the castle, £0 12s 6d

By cash paid Isaac Leech for mending stays, £0 10s 0d

By cash paid Robert Wright for a thousand nails at three shillings the hundred, £1 10s 0d

By cash paid Brazier Willey stone cutter for work done at the castle, £4 17s 6d

By cash paid William Pakeman, carpenter, for 35 days work at the castle at three shillings a day, £5 5s 0d

By cash paid do, for making a house for William and Phillip Willard, and James Whitehead, soldiers, £0 4s 0d

By cash paid do, for three days work in repairing the caps of Sandy Bay guns, £0 4s 0d

Carried over, £110 16s 3d

Interpretations

The payments for day labour at the castle and the fortifications name the work of keeping the establishment's fabric in repair through the season. The carpenter Pakeman at three shillings a day, the labourer Waldy at the castle and for sixty days at Rupert's, the stone cutter Willey, all mark the constant maintenance a weathering settlement required, the same upkeep the charges general had recorded in materials now appearing as the wages of the men who did it. The sixty days spent at Rupert's in particular point to work on that decayed and exposed battery, the weakest of the island's defences, which the fortification survey had singled out for attention.

The long-boat trips to Sandy Bay for lime name the getting of the island's own building material, the lime that mortar required carried by boat from where it was burnt. Artingstall's six trips and the twenty-four days Byas and Branagan spent at the same work mark the labour of supplying the establishment's building lime, the one material the island could produce from its own stone. This was the lime the blaster Harris had made before his death, now fetched by boat around the coast, the whole apparatus of building resting on the island's own quarrying and the boats that carried its product.

The many small charges for stays, for a chair, for mending crutches and bedsteads, show the establishment's carpenters and tradesmen turning their hands to every domestic need. The making of stays, the mending of a chair, the fixing of pipes at the castle mark the store's craftsmen maintaining not just the works and defences but the furniture and comforts of daily life, the same men who repaired the pinnace and made nails also serving the household wants of the establishment. The building of a house for the soldiers Willard and Whitehead points to the settling of re-enlisted men, the Company housing the soldiers it had paid to retain, the whole round of the establishment's labour passing through the paymaster's account.

87

80

Brought over: £1956 16 5¼

£1956 16 5¼

The receipts side of the paymaster's cash account carried its running total forward unchanged, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, receipts (Dr), 1745:

Brought over, £1,956 16s 8.5d

Carried over, £1,956 16s 8.5d

88

81

Brought over: £110 16 3

By Cash p.d ditto for Mending Cotts for the Hospital: 3 "

By s.o p.d Andrew Boland Labourer for twenty two days

Work at the Castle: 1 7 "

By Cash p.d Tho.s Payne for eleven days Work in sinking

a Well at the Long Wood at two Shilling [P] day: 1 2 "

By s.o p.d ditto for forty days Work in drawing dirt out of the

Well at one Shilling and three pence [P] day: 2 10 "

By Cash p.d David Wojam for thirty four days Work in

Drawing dirt out of the Well at one Shilling [P] Day: 1 14 "

By Cash p.d Samuel Cole for eight days and One Quarter

of a days Work in grinding Paint and Glasing Windows at the Castle: " 16 6

By Cash p.d W.o Day John Ratchen and W.o Morris

for Making a Thousand & Twenty seven Wine Dials at the

House Cage at one Shilling & two pence [P] Wire: 7 8 2

By Cash p.d W.o Day for twenty nine days mowing &

for making at one Shilling & three pence [P] day: 1 16 3

By Cash p.d John Scotcher for twenty eight days mowing

& Hay Making at one Shilling & three pence [P] day: 1 15 "

By Cash p.d Abraham Morris for Ditto at Ditto: 1 15 "

By Cash p.d W.o Wass for Work done at the Wm House: 2 10 "

By Cash p.d Jos.h Black John Whaley Duncan McQuas

and Conrad Sperck Whose work laid Sick here by Acc.t

Smith of the 15 April and 15 Quarters Pay ending 30

June 1745: 13 13 "

By Cash Paid the Hon.ble Company's Officers & Servants

their Salaries &c.o for the Quarter commencing April

1.st and Ending June 30.th 1745 amounting as p.r Pay list to: 1657 15 2¾

1805 1 4¾

Balance Paid into the Hon.ble Company's Cash: 151 15 [...]

£1956 16 5¼

We this day Examined the Cash Account

Which is as follows, viz.t

The paymaster's payments concluded, reckoned in sterling.

Charles Hutchinson, paymaster, payments (Cr), 1745:

Brought over, £110 16s 3d

By cash paid do, for mending pipes for the hospital, £0 0s 3d

By cash paid Andrew Boland, labourer, for twenty-two days work at the castle, £1 7s 0d

By cash paid Thomas Payne for eleven days work in sinking a well at the long house at two shillings a day, £1 2s 0d

By cash paid do, for fifty days work in drawing dirt out of the well at one shilling and threepence a day, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid John Wilson for thirty-four days work in drawing dirt out of the well at one shilling a day, £1 14s 0d

By cash paid Samuel Coles for eighteen days and one quarter of a day's work in grinding paint and glazing windows at the castle, £0 18s 6d

By cash paid William Day, John Roberts and Matthew Morris for making a thousand and twenty-seven yards of dial at the horse gut at one shilling and twopence a yard, £7 8s 2d

By cash paid William Day for twenty-nine days mowing and for making at one shilling and threepence a day, £1 16s 3d

By cash paid John Scotcher for twenty-eight days mowing and hay making at one shilling and threepence a day, £1 15s 0d

By cash paid Abraham Morris for the same at the same, £1 15s 0d

By cash paid William Wales for work done at the Maldivia House, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid to Mark John Whaley, drummer, William Cross and Conrad Speark, who were left sick here by the smith of the fifth quarter, and its quarter ending 30 June 1745, £13 13s 0d

By cash paid the Company's officers and servants their salaries etc for the quarter commencing 1 April and ending 30 June 1745, amounting as by the list to £1,657 15s 2.75d

subtotal, £1,805 1s 4.75d

Balance paid into the Company's cash, £151 15s [...]

Total, £1,956 16s 5.5d

The council examined the cash account, which followed.

Interpretations

The largest single payment was the whole quarter's salaries, £1,657 15s 2.75d, the sum of the long pay list that had run through the preceding pages, here entered as one figure against the paymaster's cash. This shows the pay list and the cash account meeting, the detailed roll of every officer, soldier and tradesman resolved into a single charge on the treasury, the establishment's whole wage bill drawn from the same cash into which its trade and customs had paid. The balance of £151 paid into the Company's cash marks the quarter's account closed, receipts set against payments and the remainder returned to the chest.

The sinking of a well at the long house, with men paid to dig and to draw the dirt out, names the establishment's search for water, the most vital of all an island's needs. Water was the one thing a mid-ocean settlement could not import, and the labour spent digging a well at the plantation marks the constant effort to secure the supply on which every living thing depended. The many days spent drawing dirt from the well show the slow and heavy work of the digging, a fundamental improvement to the Company's ground worked by hired labourers at a shilling or so a day.

The dial made at the horse gut, over a thousand yards of it, names a substantial piece of work whose nature the account leaves obscure, perhaps a channel, drain or measured line laid out across that ground. Whatever its exact form, the scale of it, paid by the yard to three named men, marks a considerable improvement to the plantation, the establishment investing labour in the lasting fabric of its farms. The hay-making entered alongside, several men mowing through the season, marks the getting-in of winter fodder for the Company's stock, the ordinary husbandry of the plantation proceeding beneath the extraordinary strains of the shipping season.

89

82

D.r Cash

1745

March 1 To Balance remaining: £1112 " 8¾

To Cash rec.d from M.r Mor: Supra Cargo of a Swede Ship

For Six Sheep: at 20 each £6 " "

Two Sheep: 13/6 1 7 "

Two Dozen and Eight Fowls: 18 [P] dozen 2 " 8 "

558 pounds Weight of Beef: 10 " 9 " 3

18 Weight of Yams at 5 [P] C.o: 4 " 11 "

24 14 3

To Cash rec.d for 880 pounds Weight of Yams at 5 Shillings [P] C.o: 1 19 3¾

To Cash Rec.d from Mess.rs Twynam and Darval for

Customs Collected by them: 218 1 10½

To Cash Rec.d of M.r Perling Storekeeper for so much by

him Sold in the Quarter commencing April 1.st and Ending

June 30.th 1745: 766 10 7¼

To Cash Rec.d in full of Edw. Winslow debt to the

Hon.ble Company: 2 5 8

To Cash Rec.d of James Du Bois Surgeons Mate for

so Much remaining in his hands out of the seven Pence [P]

Day Paid by the Soldiers that in the Hospital between

1.st April and 30.th June 1745: 2 12 11¾

£2129 5 [...]

The council's cash account was entered in two sides, the receipts on the left, reckoned in sterling.

Cash, receipts (Dr), 1745:

March 1: To balance remaining, £1,112 0s 8.75d

To cash received from Mr Maw, supercargo of a Swedish ship:

for six sheep at 20s each, £6 0s 0d

for two sheep at 13s 6d, £1 7s 0d

for two dozen and eight fowls at 18s the dozen, £2 8s 0d

for 558 lb weight of beef, £10 9s 3d

for 1,800 lb weight of yams at 6s the hundredweight, £4 18s 0d

subtotal, £24 14s 3d

To cash received for 880 lb weight of yams at 6s the hundredweight, £1 19s 3.75d

To cash received from Messrs Frognam and Darvall for customs collected by them, £218 1s 10.5d

To cash received of Mr Purling, storekeeper, for so much sold by him in the quarter commencing 1 April and ending 30 June 1745, £766 10s 7.75d

To cash received in full of Edward Winslow's debt to the Company, £2 5s 8d

To cash received of James Du Bois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the seven pence a day paid by the soldiers that were in the hospital between 1 April and 30 June 1745, £2 12s 11.75d

Total, £2,129 5s [...]

Interpretations

The council's own cash account restates the receipts the paymaster had gathered, the same sale to the Swedish supercargo Maw, the same customs from Frognam and Darvall, the same storekeeper's takings, now entered on the council's summary rather than the paymaster's detailed book. This duplication of the same figures across the treasury account and the paymaster's account marks the establishment's practice of double record, every sum passing through more than one ledger so that the accounts might check one another. The opening balance of over eleven hundred pounds carried the treasury forward from the previous quarter, the running fund from which the whole establishment was maintained.

The recurrence of Edward Winslow's debt, paid in full at £2 5s 8d, marks the settlement of a private obligation to the Company through the treasury. The establishment stood as creditor to individuals as well as employer and trader, and the recovery of Winslow's debt shows the council's oversight reaching into the private accounts of the island's people, calling in what was owed to the Company like any other receipt. This was the same administration of debts and estates that ran through the whole record, the treasury the point at which the island's many private reckonings met the Company's.

The sale of beef to the Swedish ship at the same fivepence a pound the planters had held to shows the Company itself trading with the foreign vessels on the very terms that had caused so much dispute. Where the Governor had condemned the planters for imposing on the foreigners, the Company sold its own beef, sheep and yams to the Swede openly and at the going rate, the difference lying in the honesty of the dealing rather than the fact of the trade. The entry marks the legitimate commerce with the foreign ships that ran alongside the private dealing the Governor sought to suppress, the Company's own sales a model of the fair trade he demanded of the planters.

90

83

Per Contra C.r

1745

June 2 By Cash Paid Joseph Long for Coming Express With an

Acc.t of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

4 By s.o p.d Ratlidge Soldier Whose Time is Expired for listing

to Serve the Hon.ble Company for five Years to Commence this day: 5 " "

By Cash p.d James Hall Soldier Whose time is Expired

for listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company for five Years or to be

discharged at the End of two Years When repaying the Money he has

rec.d: 5 " "

5 By s.o p.d W.o Wass for Coming Express With an Acc.t of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

5 By Cash p.d James Richardson Soldier Whose time as Such is

Expired for listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company upon the

Same Condition that James Hall Agreed to: 5 " "

9 By s.o p.d Joseph Long for Coming Express with notice of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

10 By s.o p.d W.o Wass for Coming Express with an notice of a Ship to Windward: " 5 "

By Cash p.d a English Soldier Whose time as such

is Expired for listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company

upon the same Condition that James Hall Agreed to: 5 " "

12 By Cash p.d Tho.s Draper Soldier Whose time as such

is Expired for listing to Serve the Hon.ble Company

upon the same Condition that James Hall Agreed to: 5 " "

By Cash p.d John Holloway for Coming Express with notice of a

Ship to Windward: " 5 "

By Cash p.d M.r Pickering Surgeon his Bill for Mary

Bradley on behalf of John Bradley: 1 3 8

By Cash paid John Artingstall Coxwain and John Coxfell

Richard Knight W.o Browe Tho.s Fride Henry Coster

James Britchard Tho.s Litten and Phillip Willard ten

Shilling Each their Allowance for Rowing in the Pinnace: 4 10 "

By Cash p.d Edw. Arnold for Mending a Crutch and

Making a Fair of thes for a Chair: " 5 "

Carried Over: £32 3 8

The council's cash account continued on the payments side, reckoned in sterling.

Cash, payments (Cr), 1745:

June 2: By cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

4: By cash paid do, Ratledge, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company for five years to commence this day, £5 0s 0d

By cash paid James Hall, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company for five years, or to be discharged at the end of five years upon repaying the money he has received, £5 0s 0d

5: By cash paid do, William Mason for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid James Richardson, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company upon the same condition that James Hall agreed to, £5 0s 0d

9: By cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

10: By cash paid do, William Mayes, for coming express with an account of ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid James Pritchard, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company upon the same condition that James Hall agreed to, £5 0s 0d

12: By cash paid do, Thomas Draper, soldier whose time is expired, for listing to serve the Company upon the same condition that James Hall agreed to, £5 0s 0d

By cash paid John Holloway for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Mr Pickering, surgeon, his bill for treating Mary Bradley on the estate of John Bradley, £1 3s 8d

By cash paid John Artingstall, coxswain, and John Curtis, Richard Knight, William Bruce, Thomas Fride, Henry Coster, James Pritchard, William and Phillip Willard, ten shillings each, their allowance for rowing in the pinnace, £4 10s 0d

By cash paid Edward Arnold for mending a crutch and making a pair of stays for a chair, £1 5s 0d

Carried over, £92 3s 8d

Interpretations

The council's cash account repeats on its payments side the same re-enlistment bounties and express payments the paymaster's account had shown, the men listing for five years at five pounds each and the runners paid five shillings for their news. This close correspondence between the two accounts, the same transactions entered in both, confirms the double record by which the establishment guarded its money, every payment traceable through the treasury account and the paymaster's book alike. The council examining its own cash account against the paymaster's was the mechanism by which the board kept sight of what its officer had disbursed.

The allowance for rowing in the pinnace, ten shillings each to the coxswain and his crew of eight, names the men who worked the Company's larger boat about the road. The pinnace carried the establishment's business between shore and ship, and its crew, several of them the same soldiers named among the sentinels, were paid a distinct allowance for the labour of pulling it, the rowing an extra duty beyond their ordinary service. This marks the constant work of the boats in the crowded season, the pinnace plying continually to the fleet and its crew rewarded for the effort of manning it.

The recurrence of the same names, Artingstall, Curtis, Knight and the Willards, across the rowing crew, the re-enlistments and the building of soldiers' houses shows the small body of men who filled the establishment's many needs at once. The same soldiers who stood sentinel rowed the pinnace, and the same men who re-enlisted had houses built for them, a handful of names appearing again and again through the account in every capacity the establishment required. This interweaving marks the island as a place where a few men did everything, the whole work of the settlement resting on the same narrow body of people the pay list had enumerated.

91

84

Brought over: £2129 5 [...]

Carried Over: £2089 5 [...]

The receipts side of the council's cash account carried its running total forward unchanged, reckoned in sterling.

Cash, receipts (Dr), 1745:

Brought over, £2,129 5s [...]

Carried over, £2,089 5s [...]

92

85

Brought over: £32 3 8

By Cash paid John Artingstall for rowing Six Trips in the Long

Boat to Sandy Bay for Lime at ten Shillings Each: 3 " "

By Cash p.d W.o for Making five Bottems for the Stands: " 11 "

By Cash Paid George Byas and John Brannagon for

Working twenty four days in the Long Boat being time: 2 8 "

By Cash p.d John Ladrick for s.o Block in Refixing the

Pinnace: " 12 "

By Cash p.d John Insley for three thousand one hundred Lines

at two Shillings [P] Hundred: 3 2 "

By Cash p.d Peter Kirby Labourer for twenty five days

Work at the Castle: 1 5 "

By Cash p.d s.o for Six days Work at the fortification

and Wharfe: " 6 "

By Cash p.d John Burgain for fixing and Mending Pipes

at the Castle: " 13 6

By Cash p.d James Insley for Mending Slings: " 10 "

By Cash p.d W.o Rob.t Wright, for a thousand Lines at

three Shillings [P] Hundred: 1 10 "

By Cash p.d Bartho.w Ridley Wine Cutler for Work

done at the Castle: 4 17 6

By Cash p.d William Ashman Carpenter for 38 days Work

at the Castle at three Shillings [P] day: 5 5 "

By Cash p.d ditto for Making Coffins for W.o Wass Jos.h

Richards and James Whitehead Soldiers: " 4 "

By Cash p.d s.o for three days Work in Repairing the

Cage of Sundry things: " 9 "

By Cash p.d s.o for Mending Cotts for the Hospital: " 3 "

By Cash p.d Andrew Boland Labourer for twenty

Seven days Work at the Castle: 1 7 "

By Cash p.d Tho.s Payne for eleven Days Work in

sinking a Well at the Long Wood at 2/ [P] day: 1 2 "

By Cash p.d ditto for forty days Work in drawing dirt

out of the Well at one Shilling and three pence [P] day: 2 10 "

Carried Over: £62 3 8

The council's cash account continued on the payments side, reckoned in sterling.

Cash, payments (Cr), 1745:

Brought over, £32 3s 8d

By cash paid John Artingstall for going six trips in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime at two shillings each, £3 0s 0d

By cash paid William Sim for making five buttons for bedsteads, £0 0s 11d

By cash paid George Byas and John Branagan for working twenty-four days in the long boat, being lime, £2 8s 0d

By cash paid John Sedrick for a lock in repairing the pinnace, £0 0s 12d

By cash paid John Sim for three thousand and one hundred nails at two shillings the hundred, £3 2s 0d

By cash paid Peter Waldy, labourer, for twenty-five days work at the castle, £1 5s 0d

By cash paid do, for sixty days work at the fortifications at Rupert's, £6 0s 0d

By cash paid Thomas Burton for fixing and mending pipes at the castle, £0 13s 6d

By cash paid Isaac Leech for mending stays, £0 10s 0d

By cash paid Mr Robert Wright for a thousand nails at three shillings the hundred, £1 10s 0d

By cash paid Bartholomew Willey, stone cutter, for work done at the castle, £4 17s 6d

By cash paid William Osborne, carpenter, for 35 days work at the castle at three shillings a day, £5 5s 0d

By cash paid do, for making coffins for the two masters, John Sedlish and James Whitehead, soldiers, £0 4s 0d

By cash paid do, for three days work in repairing the caps of Sandy Bay guns, £0 4s 0d

By cash paid do, for mending pipes for the hospital, £0 3s 0d

By cash paid Andrew Boland, labourer, for twenty-seven days work at the castle, £1 7s 0d

By cash paid Thomas Payne for eleven days work in sinking a well at the long house at 2s a day, £1 2s 0d

By cash paid do, for fifty days work in drawing dirt out of the well at one shilling and threepence a day, £2 10s 0d

Carried over, £62 3s 8d

Interpretations

The making of coffins for the two masters entered plainly among the carpenter's charges marks the deaths that ran through the establishment even to its shipmasters, the coffins built and charged at four shillings like any other work. This was the same mortality the pay list had recorded among the soldiers and tradesmen, now reaching men of higher standing, the establishment providing the last necessity for its dead as matter-of-factly as it mended its pipes and made its nails. The naming of the dead men among the carpenter's day-work shows how completely the account absorbed every event of the island's life, death recorded in the same column as repair.

The heavy expenditure on nails, over four thousand bought from two suppliers at differing rates, marks the scale of the building and repair proceeding through the quarter. Nails were among the commonest and most necessary of all imported hardware, needed for every piece of carpentry from a bedstead to a gun carriage, and the establishment bought them by the thousand from those who held stocks, including the former storekeeper Robert Wright. That Wright supplied nails to the establishment marks the fluid boundary between the Company's stores and the private holdings of its officers, a man who had kept the stores now selling hardware back to the establishment.

The repair of the caps of the Sandy Bay guns names the upkeep of that battery's ordnance, the caps being the covers that protected the guns' vents and muzzles from the weather. This small charge, three days work, marks the constant maintenance the island's scattered batteries required, the guns at Sandy Bay kept serviceable against the alarms the season had brought, the same guns whose firing on the alarms at Sandy Bay the gunner's return had recorded. The whole quarter's work, the building, the well-digging, the gun repair, marks an establishment continually labouring to maintain itself against the wear of the sea and the demands of the war.

93

86

Brought Over: £2129 5 [...]

£2129 5 [...]

The receipts side of the council's cash account carried its running total forward unchanged, reckoned in sterling.

Cash, receipts (Dr), 1745:

Brought over, £2,129 0s [...]

Carried over, £2,129 0s [...]

94

87

Brought over: £62 3 8

By Cash Paid Peter Wojam for thirty four days

Work in drawing dirt out of the Well: 1 14 "

By Cash p.d Samuel Cole for eight days and one quarter

of a days Work in grinding Paint and Glasing Windows

at the Castle: " 16 6

By Cash p.d W.o Day John Ratchen and Abraham

Morris for Making a Thousand and twenty seven Wire

of Dials at the House Cage at one Shilling

and two pence [P] Wire: 7 8 2

By Cash p.d Anthony Day for twenty nine Days

Mowing and Hay Making at one Shilling and

three pence [P] Day: 1 16 3

By Cash p.d John Scotcher for twenty eight days

Mowing and hay Making at one Shilling and

three pence [P] Day: 1 15 "

By Cash Paid Abraham Morris for Ditto s.o: 1 15 "

By Cash p.d W.o Wass for Work done at the Wm House: 2 10 "

By Cash p.d Jos.h Black John Whaley Duncan

McQuas and Con.d Spark Whose were laid

Sick here by Capt. Smith of the 15 April each a quarter

Pay Ending 30.th June: 13 13 "

By Cash Paid the Hon.ble Companys Officers and

Servants their Salaries &c.o for the Quarter

Commencing April 1.st and Ending June 30.th

1745 amounting as p.r Pay Account &c.o: 1657 15 2¾

By Ballance of Cash remaining in Species the following viz.t: 1751 6 1¾

1 Large piece gold Weight 11. 15. 1½ d.wt 3. 18. 3 [P] o.z £46 1. 8¾

4 Small pieces: 3. 9. 12. 3. 15 13 11 ¾

367 Pagodas: [P]d amounting to [P] Each 40 4 " 120 1 9

1253 Dollars: 5.o.d Each 11 15 "

105 French Pieces: 2 3 13 6

Red Money: Silver Amounting to 3 3¾ 16 11 9¾

160 Cash Notes: at 2/6 20. "

260 D.o: s.o 6. 42. 5. "

38 D.o D.o: 20 38. "

36 D.o D.o: 40 112. "

Cash Notes Amounting to: 212 5

£2129 5 [...]

The council's cash account concluded on the payments side, reckoned in sterling, closing with the balance remaining set out coin by coin.

Cash, payments (Cr), 1745:

Brought over, £62 3s 8d

By cash paid Peter Waldy for thirty-four days work in drawing dirt out of the well, £1 14s 0d

By cash paid Samuel Coles for eighteen days and one quarter of a day's work in grinding paint and glazing windows at the castle, £0 16s 6d

By cash paid William Day, John Roberts and Abraham Morris for making a thousand and twenty-seven yards of ditch at the horse gut at one shilling and twopence a yard, £7 8s 2d

By cash paid Anthony Day for twenty-nine days mowing and hay making at one shilling and threepence a day, £1 16s 3d

By cash paid John Scotcher for twenty-eight days mowing and hay making at one shilling and threepence a day, £1 15s 0d

By cash paid Abraham Morris for the same, do, £1 15s 0d

By cash paid Mr Whaley for work done at the Maldivia House, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid Mark John Whaley, drummer, William Cross and Conrad Speark, who were left sick here by Captain Smith of the Oxford, each a quarter's pay ending 30 June, £13 13s 0d

By cash paid the Company's officers and servants their salaries etc for the quarter commencing 1 April and ending 30 June 1745, amounting as by the list to £1,639 15s 2.75d

By balance of cash remaining in the following specie:

Gold:

1 large piece of gold at 11s 15.75d per dwt, weighing 3 [dwt] 18 [gr] 3, £46 1s 8.75d

4 small pieces at 3 [dwt] 9 [gr] 12, 3 [dwt] 18, £13 11s 0.75d

367 pagodas at 9s each, £165 3s 0d

subtotal, £100 1s 9d

Silver:

1,253 dollars at 5s each, £313 5s 0d

103 ryals at 7.5d each, £3 5s 7.5d

334 half ryals at 3.75d each, £52 0s 8.25d

441 French pieces at 2 [d each], £3 13s 6d

small money, £0 1s 9.5d

subtotal, £16 11s 9.75d

Cash notes:

160 cash notes at 2s 6d each, £20 0s 0d

260 cash notes at 5s each, £65 0s 0d

153 cash notes at 20s each, £153 0s 0d

145 cash notes at 40s each, £290 0s 0d

subtotal, £213 5s 0d

Total, £2,129 5s [...]

Interpretations

The three men left sick by Captain Smith of the Oxford, each paid a quarter's wage from the treasury, name the burden a homeward ship could lay on the island by putting off its sick. When a ship's company fell ill, the master might land the worst cases to recover or die ashore rather than carry them, and the Company then bore their keep, the drummer Whaley, William Cross and Conrad Speark maintained on the establishment's account though they belonged to a departed ship. This marks St Helena's role as a hospital as well as a victualling station, the island taking in the sick the fleet could not carry and charging their care to the treasury.

The closing balance held in gold, silver and cash notes restates the composition the December 1744 quarter had shown, the same pagodas and dollars, ryals and French pieces, and the same great body of the island's own paper currency. The specie remained almost wholly foreign, the coin of the India and China trades rather than English money, the treasury's metal reflecting an island whose money came in from passing shipping. The £213 in cash notes, a large part of the whole balance, marks again the settlement's reliance on its own paper to eke out a chronically short supply of coin.

The whole quarter's account, closing at over two thousand pounds and balancing receipts against payments and the specie remaining, sets out the entire financial life of the establishment in a single reckoning. The trade with ships and planters, the customs, the storekeeper's sales and the recovery of debts on one side, the salaries, the building, the re-enlistments and the care of the sick on the other, the whole resolved into a balance of coin and paper in the chest. This was the treasury of a self-contained little state, maintained at the Company's charge for the service of its trade, its every activity from victualling a fleet to burying its dead passing through the same account and reckoned to the last penny.

95

88

The Husband, Gunner and Steward this day brought

in their Severall Acc.ts for the Month of June last, Which Were

Examined and Approved & are as follows viz.t

Sundrys Expend in June 1745 viz.t

117 Bottles Port Wine: 5 5 ditto

4 D.o Lisbon: ditto 5 6½

17 Ditto s.d Cape: 1 3 4¾

3 D.o Madera D.o: ditto 4 6

69 D.o Minorca D.o: ditto ditto ditto

7 D.o Claret: ditto ditto ditto

3 s.o Rhenish: ditto ditto ditto

4 D.o Constantia: ditto ditto ditto

28 s.o White Cape: ditto ditto ditto

33 Gall.s Arrack: 6 18 10½

67 lb Candy: ditto 19 ditto ¾

7 lb Sugar: ditto 14 4½

140 Flour: 2 6 5½

76 lb Butter: 3 11 9

617 Fresh Beef: 7 14 3

6 Cape Sheep: 6 ditto ditto

43 Fowls: 2 3 ditto

23 Turkeys: 5 13 ditto

1 Lamb: ditto 10 ditto

8 Cheese: ditto 8 ditto

4 Capons: ditto 1 ditto

20 P.s Salt Pork: 3 4 2

1 D.o s.o Beef: ditto 2 11½

1 Gall.n of Florence Oyle: ditto 10 ditto

Total: £46 13 10½

The husband, gunner and steward brought in their accounts for the month of June, which were examined and approved.

The steward's account listed the sundries expended at the general table in the month of June, each item priced and carried to a total, reckoned in sterling.

Sundries expended in June 1745:

17 bottles of port wine, £5 0s 0d

4 bottles of Lisbon, £0 0s 6.5d

9 bottles of red Cape, £1 3s 4.5d

3 bottles of Madeira, £0 4s 6d

69 bottles of Mimosa, £0 0s 0d

7 bottles of claret, £0 0s 0d

3 bottles of Rhenish, £0 0s 0d

4 bottles of Constantia, £0 0s 0d

28 bottles of white Cape, £0 0s 0d

33 bottles of arrack, £6 18s 10.5d

6 lb of candy, £0 19s 3.5d

71 lb of sugar, £0 14s 4.5d

110 lb of flour, £2 6s 5.5d

71.5 lb of butter, £3 11s 9d

617 lb of fresh beef, £7 14s 3d

6 Cape sheep, £6 0s 0d

43 fowls, £2 3s 0d

23 turkeys, £5 13s 0d

1 lamb, £0 10s 0d

8 lb of cheese, £0 8s 0d

2 capons, £0 1s 0d

20 pieces of salt pork, £0 1s 0d

1 piece of salt beef, £3 4s 2d

1 gallon of Florence oil, £0 2s 11.5d

subtotal, £0 10s 0d

Total, £16 13s 10.5d

Interpretations

The table account fell sharply on the month, from £55 12s 3.25d in May to £16 13s 10.5d in June, the plainest household mark of the fleet's departure. With the ships gone by 9 July and the crowded road emptying through June, the general table fed a far smaller company, and the drink fell in step, the port from a hundred and thirteen bottles to seventeen and the arrack from sixty-three gallons to a few dozen bottles. The account tracks the return of the establishment to its ordinary quiet after the extraordinary press of the season.

The unusual list of fine wines this month, the Madeira, Rhenish, Constantia and mimosa, marks a variety of drink beyond the everyday port and arrack, perhaps stores landed from the departing ships or opened for particular occasions. Constantia was the celebrated sweet wine of the Cape, one of the finest wines of the southern hemisphere, and its appearance alongside Rhenish from the Rhine and Madeira from the Atlantic islands shows the establishment's table stocked with wines drawn from across the ships' routes. That several of these carried no price may mark them as gifts or as stores whose cost fell elsewhere, the fine wines entered for record though not charged to the table.

The Cape sheep charged at a pound apiece name a breed brought from the Cape of Good Hope, the nearest continental source of livestock, distinct from the island's own sheep the stock accounts tracked. Ships touching at the Cape on the outward or homeward passage carried sheep for provision, and some reached the island alive, the Cape sheep a mark of the traffic between St Helena and the Dutch settlement to the south. The return of fresh beef in quantity, 617 lb against the salt provision of the leaner months, marks the brief plenty the season's slaughter left behind, the table sharing in the fresh meat before the herd's depletion told against it.

96

89

Account of the Hon.ble Company's Stock of Neat Cattle &c.d for the Month of June 1745, viz.t

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cows, Heiffers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total

Sheep: Ewes, Wethers, Lambs, Rams, Total

Goats: Ewes, Wethers, Kidds, Rams, Total

Hoggs: Sows, Barrows, Hoggs, Pigs, Boars, Total

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Total

Remaining 1.st July: Bullocks 13, Cows 94, Heiffers 5, Steers 0, Yearlings 34, Calves 171, Bulls 4, Total 326, Ewes 84, Wethers 4, Lambs 121, Rams 3, Total 214, Ewes 111, Wethers 10, Kidds 207, Rams 1, Total 329, Sows 18, Barrows 0, Hoggs 102, Pigs 0, Boars 1, Total 121, Turkeys 77, Fowles 34, Chickens 345, Ducks 10, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 12, Total 19

Encreased: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 40, Bulls 0, Total 40, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 6, Rams 0, Total 6, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 6, Rams 0, Total 6, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 7, Boars 0, Total 7, Turkeys 12, Fowles 0, Chickens 30, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Bullocks 13, Cows 94, Heiffers 5, Steers 0, Yearlings 34, Calves 211, Bulls 4, Total 366, Ewes 84, Wethers 4, Lambs 127, Rams 3, Total 218, Ewes 111, Wethers 10, Kidds 213, Rams 1, Total 335, Sows 18, Barrows 0, Hoggs 102, Pigs 7, Boars 1, Total 128, Turkeys 89, Fowles 34, Chickens 345, Ducks 10, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 12, Total 19

Killed: Bullocks 0, Cows 6, Heiffers 4, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 16, Bulls 1, Total 27, Ewes 6, Wethers 0, Lambs 1, Rams 0, Total 7, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 23, Fowles 39, Chickens 4, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Sold: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 4, Wethers 4, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 8, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Chickens 34, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Stole: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 1, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 1, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 10, Chickens 12, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Died: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 2, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 2, Turkeys 4, Fowles 2, Chickens 8, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Bullocks 13, Cows 93, Heiffers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 18, Calves 210, Bulls 4, Total 339, Ewes 74, Wethers 0, Lambs 126, Rams 3, Total 204, Ewes 111, Wethers 10, Kidds 213, Rams 1, Total 335, Sows 18, Barrows 0, Hoggs 100, Pigs 7, Boars 1, Total 126, Turkeys 62, Fowles 113, Chickens 197, Ducks 10, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 12, Total 19

Received in exch for Beef: Bullocks 0, Cows 1, Heiffers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 1, Ewes 2, Wethers 48, Lambs 0, Rams 1, Total 51, Ewes 0, Wethers 0, Kidds 0, Rams 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Barrows 0, Hoggs 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Total 4, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Chickens 4, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Total 0

Remaining: Bullocks 13, Cows 94, Heiffers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 18, Calves 210, Bulls 4, Total 340, Ewes 76, Wethers 48, Lambs 125, Rams 4, Total 253, Ewes 111, Wethers 10, Kidds 213, Rams 1, Total 335, Sows 22, Barrows 0, Hoggs 100, Pigs 7, Boars 1, Total 130, Turkeys 62, Fowles 113, Chickens 197, Ducks 10, Geese 13, Horses 7, Mares 12, Total 19

Beef to the Hon.ble Company's Ships the Lapwing: 469

D.o to Cap.t Samson in Exchange for Sheep: 2040

D.o to Cap.t Phillips in Exchange for

Sheep & Sow Sows for Breeders: 1180

D.o to Cap.t Court in Exchange for Meat: 300

By Beef to Cap.t Robinson in Exchange for

two Cape Sows: 700

D.o to the Ship Dorrington: 840

D.o to the Beaufort: 875

D.o to the Godolphin: 843

D.o to two Swede Ships: 558

By Beef to the Castle: 617

Yams Expended: 25000

D.o Sold to the Officers: 400

D.o Sold to the Soldiers: 3325

Excepted p Chris.r Dixon

Husband

The stock account for June 1745 recorded the Company's neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses under those six heads, each broken into its classes with a running total.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle etc for the month of June 1745:

Neat cattle:

Remaining 1 July: 13 bullocks, 94 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 34 yearlings, 171 calves, 4 bulls, 326 in all

Increased: 40 calves, 40 in all

Total: 13 bullocks, 94 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 34 yearlings, 211 calves, 4 bulls, 366 in all

Killed: 6 cows, 1 heifer, 16 calves, 1 bull, 27 in all

Sold: 0

Stole: 0

Died: 0

Received in exchange for beef: 1 cow, 1 in all

Remaining: 13 bullocks, 94 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 18 yearlings, 210 calves, 4 bulls, 340 in all

Sheep:

Remaining: 84 ewes, 4 wethers, 121 lambs, 3 rams, 218 in all

Increased: 6 lambs, 6 in all

Total: 84 ewes, 4 wethers, 127 lambs, 3 rams, 218 in all

Killed: 6 wethers, 1 lamb, 7 in all

Sold: 4 ewes, 4 in all, 8 in all

Stole: 1 lamb, 1 in all

Received in exchange for beef: 2 ewes, 48 lambs, 1 ram, 51 in all

Remaining: 76 ewes, 48 wethers, 125 lambs, 4 rams, 253 in all

Goats:

Remaining: 111 does, 10 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 329 in all

Increased: 6 kids, 6 in all

Total: 111 does, 10 wethers, 213 kids, 1 ram, 335 in all

Remaining: 111 does, 10 wethers, 213 kids, 1 ram, 335 in all

Hogs:

Remaining: 18 sows, 0 barrows, 102 shoats, 0 pigs, 1 boar, 121 in all

Increased: 7 pigs, 7 in all

Total: 18 sows, 0 barrows, 102 shoats, 7 pigs, 1 boar, 128 in all

Died: 2 shoats, 2 in all

Received in exchange for beef: 4 shoats, 4 in all

Remaining: 18 sows, 0 barrows, 100 shoats, 7 pigs, 1 boar, 130 in all

Poultry:

Remaining: 77 turkeys, 34 fowls, 345 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese, 479 in all

Increased: 12 chickens, 30 chickens, 30 in all

Total: 77 turkeys, 34 fowls, 345 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese, 479 in all

Sold: 23 turkeys, 39 fowls, 4 chickens, 34 in all

Stole: 10 chickens, 12 in all

Died: 2 ducks, 4 geese, 8 in all

Remaining: 62 turkeys, 113 fowls, 197 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese, 197 in all

Horses:

Remaining: 7 horses, 12 mares, 19 in all

Remaining: 7 horses, 12 mares, 19 in all

Beef to the Company's ships the Lapwing, 469 lb

Beef to Captain Sampson in exchange for sheep, 2,040 lb

Beef to Captain Phillips in exchange for sheep and ewes for breeders, 1,180 lb

Beef to Captain Court in exchange for sheep, 300 lb

Beef to Captain Robinson in exchange for two Cape bulls, [...]

Beef to the ship Darrington, 840 lb

Beef to the Beaufort, 875 lb

Beef to the Godolphin, 843 lb

Beef to two Swedish ships, 558 lb

Beef to the castle, 617 lb

Yams expended, 25,000 lb

Yams sold to the officers, 400 lb

Yams sold to the soldiers, 3,325 lb

The account was signed by Christopher Dixon, husband.

Interpretations

The exchange of beef for livestock names a shrewd device by which the Company rebuilt its breeding stock even as it fed the fleet. Rather than simply selling beef, the husband traded it to the captains for sheep and for breeding ewes, and to Captain Robinson for two Cape bulls, so that the very slaughter that depleted the herd brought in fresh breeding animals to renew it. The receipt of forty-eight lambs and breeding ewes in exchange for beef marks a deliberate effort to turn the season's heavy killing to the herd's long-term advantage, the Company taking new blood from the ships in return for the meat they needed.

The two Cape bulls taken from Captain Robinson mark the introduction of fresh breeding stock from the Cape of Good Hope to strengthen the island's herd. New bulls brought vigour and new blood to a small and closely bred stock, and the Company's willingness to give beef for them shows the value it set on improving the breed, the same concern for the herd's future that had governed its refusal to slaughter the breeders. The Cape, the nearest source of continental livestock, was the natural place to draw such animals, the homeward ships carrying them from the Dutch settlement to the island.

The neat herd steadied at 340 against 326 the month before, the heavy calving of forty new beasts more than replacing the twenty-seven killed, a sign that the worst of the season's depletion had passed with the fleet's departure. The sheep stock rose markedly, from 212 to 253, swelled by the breeding ewes taken in exchange, the Company's flocks growing as its cattle recovered. The yam figures held steady at 25,000 lb expended, the Company still feeding its garrison from its own plantations, the market with the planters evidently still unmended after the beef dispute of the season.

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90

Gunners Stores Expended in June 1745

Gunns Fired, 4 Pound, 3 Pound, 2 Pound, ½ Pound, Powder Expended

2 To a Double Allarm for two Ships: Gunns Fired 15, 4 Pound 4, 3 Pound 3, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 3, Powder Expended 19½

3 To the Arrival of the Beaufort Cap.t Stevens

And a Dutch Ship: Gunns Fired 9, 4 Pound 3, 3 Pound 3, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 3, Powder Expended 19½

To the Arrival of the Beaufort Cap.t Stevens

And a Dutch Ship: Gunns Fired 22, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 22, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 22

4 To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, 4 Pound 2, 3 Pound 2, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 2, Powder Expended 13

4 To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, 4 Pound 2, 3 Pound 2, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 2, Powder Expended 13

s.o To the Arrival of the Dorrington Cap.t Crabb: Gunns Fired 9, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 9, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 9

10 To a Double Allarm for two Ships: Gunns Fired 9, 4 Pound 3, 3 Pound 3, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 3, Powder Expended 19½

s.o To the Arrival of two Swede Ships: Gunns Fired 14, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 14, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 14

16 To the Departure of two Dutch Ships: Gunns Fired 13, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 13, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 13

16 To an Allarm: Gunns Fired 6, 4 Pound 2, 3 Pound 2, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 2, Powder Expended 13

s.o To the Arrival of the Godolphin Cap.t Stevens: Gunns Fired 9, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 9, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 9

19 To the Departure of two Swede Ships: Gunns Fired 22, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 22, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 22

To Priming: Gunns Fired 0, 4 Pound 0, 3 Pound 0, 2 Pound 0, ½ Pound 0, Powder Expended 12

Total: Gunns Fired 120, 4 Pound 18, 3 Pound 12, 2 Pound 87, ½ Pound 12, Powder Expended 197½

Match to Bankes: 7 lb

Upon Allarms: 14 lb

Paper: 2 Quires

Lead Shott: 5 lb

Hand Spikes: 6

Signed

John French

Your Hon.ble Stock of Sheep here

being very Low, and on the Arrival of the Ships, some of the

Commanders Desirous to us, informing us they had Coffe

Sheep on board, We agreed to Give them Beef for Mutton

in Exchange, & taking the Cape Sheep at Forty Pounds each,

one With another, in Compliance With Which we received from

the following Persons, the following Quantity of Mutton,

and Returned them the Same Quantity of Beef Viz.t

The stock account for June 1745 recorded the Company's neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses under those six heads, each broken into its classes with a running total.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle etc for the month of June 1745:

Neat cattle:

Remaining 1 July: 13 bullocks, 94 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 34 yearlings, 171 calves, 4 bulls, 326 in all

Increased: 40 calves, 40 in all

Total: 13 bullocks, 94 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 34 yearlings, 211 calves, 4 bulls, 366 in all

Killed: 6 cows, 4 heifers, 16 calves, 1 bull, 27 in all

Sold: 0

Stole: 0

Died: 0

Total: 13 bullocks, 93 cows, 1 heifer, 0 steers, 18 yearlings, 210 calves, 4 bulls, 339 in all

Received in exchange for beef: 1 cow, 1 in all

Remaining: 13 bullocks, 94 cows, 1 heifer, 0 steers, 18 yearlings, 210 calves, 4 bulls, 340 in all

Sheep:

Remaining: 84 ewes, 4 wethers, 121 lambs, 3 rams, 214 in all

Increased: 6 lambs, 6 in all

Total: 84 ewes, 4 wethers, 127 lambs, 3 rams, 218 in all

Killed: 6 ewes, 1 lamb, 7 in all

Sold: 4 ewes, 4 wethers, 8 in all

Stole: 1 ewe, 1 in all

Total: 74 ewes, 0 wethers, 126 lambs, 3 rams, 204 in all

Received in exchange for beef: 2 ewes, 48 wethers, 1 ram, 51 in all

Remaining: 76 ewes, 48 wethers, 125 lambs, 4 rams, 253 in all

Goats:

Remaining: 111 ewes, 10 wethers, 207 kids, 1 ram, 329 in all

Increased: 6 kids, 6 in all

Total: 111 ewes, 10 wethers, 213 kids, 1 ram, 335 in all

Remaining: 111 ewes, 10 wethers, 213 kids, 1 ram, 335 in all

Hogs:

Remaining: 18 sows, 0 barrows, 102 hogs, 0 pigs, 1 boar, 121 in all

Increased: 7 pigs, 7 in all

Total: 18 sows, 0 barrows, 102 hogs, 7 pigs, 1 boar, 128 in all

Died: 2 hogs, 2 in all

Total: 18 sows, 0 barrows, 100 hogs, 7 pigs, 1 boar, 126 in all

Received in exchange for beef: 4 in all

Remaining: 22 sows, 0 barrows, 100 hogs, 7 pigs, 1 boar, 130 in all

Poultry:

Remaining: 77 turkeys, 34 fowls, 345 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese

Increased: 12 turkeys, 30 chickens

Total: 89 turkeys, 34 fowls, 345 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese

Killed: 23 turkeys, 39 fowls, 4 chickens

Sold: 34 chickens

Stole: 10 fowls, 12 chickens

Died: 4 turkeys, 2 fowls, 8 chickens

Remaining: 62 turkeys, 113 fowls, 197 chickens, 10 ducks, 13 geese

Horses:

Remaining: 7 horses, 12 mares, 19 in all

Remaining: 7 horses, 12 mares, 19 in all

Beef to the Company's ships the Lapwing, 469 lb

Beef to Captain Sampson in exchange for sheep, 2,040 lb

Beef to Captain Phillips in exchange for sheep and sows for breeders, 1,180 lb

Beef to Captain Court in exchange for meat, 300 lb

Beef to Captain Robinson in exchange for two Cape sows, 700 lb

Beef to the ship Darrington, 840 lb

Beef to the Beaufort, 875 lb

Beef to the Godolphin, 843 lb

Beef to two Swedish ships, 558 lb

Beef to the castle, 617 lb

Yams expended, 25,000 lb

Yams sold to the officers, 400 lb

Yams sold to the soldiers, 3,325 lb

The account was signed by Christopher Dixon, husband.

Interpretations

The exchange of beef for livestock names a shrewd device by which the Company rebuilt its breeding stock even as it fed the fleet. Rather than simply selling beef, the husband traded it to the captains for sheep and for breeding sows, and to Captain Robinson for two Cape sows, so that the very slaughter that depleted the herd brought in fresh breeding animals to renew it. The receipt of forty-eight wethers and breeding sows in exchange for beef marks a deliberate effort to turn the season's heavy killing to the herd's long-term advantage, the Company taking new stock from the ships in return for the meat they needed.

The two Cape sows taken from Captain Robinson mark the introduction of fresh breeding stock from the Cape of Good Hope to strengthen the island's hogs. The hog stock had struggled through the year, falling on losses with little increase, and new breeding animals from the Cape brought fresh blood to a stock that was not replacing itself. The Cape, the nearest source of continental livestock, was the natural place to draw such animals, the homeward ships carrying them from the Dutch settlement to the island.

The neat herd steadied at 340 against 326 the month before, the heavy calving of forty new beasts more than replacing the twenty-seven killed, a sign that the worst of the season's depletion had passed with the fleet's departure. The sheep stock rose markedly, from 212 to 253, swelled by the wethers and breeding ewes taken in exchange, the Company's flocks growing as its cattle recovered. The yam figures held steady at 25,000 lb expended, the Company still feeding its garrison from its own plantations, the market with the planters evidently still unmended after the beef dispute of the season.

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Received from Cap.t Samson 34 Cape Sheep at 60 each: 2040

for Which we returned fresh Beef: 2040

from Cap.t Phillips Eleven Sheep at 60 each: 660

returned fresh Beef: 660

from Cap.t Court five Sheep at 60 each: 300

returned fresh Beef: 300

from Cap.t Robinson one Sheep: 60

returned fresh Beef: 60

We at the same time received one Cape Sow at three Hundred Fifty

Pounds from Cap.t Pickering and Gave him Beef in Exchange

designing her for a Breeder, and Also four Sows for Breeders

from Cap.t Phillips, and Gave him one hundred and thirty

Pounds of Beef for each.

John Cross Armourer, and Edward

Rowden Wheelwright, Who Was away in a Dutch Ship,

having contracted many Debts upon this Island, We levied

their Salaries among their Creditors

We this day writ Cap.t Aurora the

following Letter viz.t

Sir

The ten Working days for your unlading

being expired, and the Companys Goods not being All Landed,

notwithstanding you have had All the Assistance We could give,

we desire they May be Landed with the utmost Expedition,

And

The stock account concluded with a note on the exchanges of beef for sheep, reckoned by weight.

Received from Captain Sampson 34 Cape sheep at 60 lb each, 2,040 lb, for which was returned fresh beef, 2,040 lb

Received from Captain Phillips eleven sheep at 60 lb each, 660 lb, returned fresh beef, 660 lb

Received from Captain Court five sheep at 60 lb each, 300 lb, returned fresh beef, 300 lb

Received from Captain Robinson one sheep, 60 lb, returned fresh beef, 60 lb

The Company also received one Cape bull at three hundred and fifty pounds from Captain Pickering and gave him beef in exchange, designing the bull for a breeder. It also received four sows for breeders from Captain Phillips and gave him a thousand and thirty pounds of beef for each.

The armourer John Cross, and Edward Houston the wheelwright, having run away in a Dutch ship after contracting many debts upon the island, the council divided their salaries among their creditors.

The council sent the following letter to Captain Purvis.

The ten working days for unloading the ship being expired and the Company's goods not being all landed, and notwithstanding the council had given all the assistance it could, it asked that the goods be landed with the utmost expedition.

Interpretations

The note on the exchanges makes plain the equal-weight basis of the beef-for-livestock trade, each Cape sheep of sixty pounds swapped for sixty pounds of fresh beef, the transaction reckoned pound for pound. This precise matching shows the Company treating the exchange not as a sale but as a straight barter of meat for breeding stock, the weights balanced so that neither side gained in bulk, the value lying in the conversion of dead meat into living breeders. The Cape bull at three hundred and fifty pounds and the sows at a thousand and thirty pounds of beef apiece mark the higher worth set on breeding animals over mere mutton, the Company paying heavily in beef for the means to renew its stock.

The desertion of the armourer Cross and the wheelwright Houston in a Dutch ship, with their salaries divided among their creditors, exposes the reach of the crowded road as an avenue of escape from debt as well as service. Both men had run up debts upon the island and fled aboard a foreign vessel, and the council's response was to seize their withheld pay and share it among those they owed, the establishment acting to satisfy the creditors of men beyond its reach. This connects the desertions the pay list had recorded to the private debts of the island, the shipping offering not only freedom from the garrison but flight from the settlement's small web of credit.

The council's dividing of the deserters' salaries among their creditors marks the establishment's role in enforcing private obligations, the treasury standing as the point at which a debtor's assets could be reached even after he had fled. Where a man's person was gone, his withheld pay remained in the Company's hands, and the council applied it to his debts, a rough justice that made the establishment the guarantor of the island's private dealings. This was the same oversight of debts and estates that ran through the whole record, the council using the pay it controlled to settle the accounts of men who had escaped its other authority.

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and, that you may take Notice that you are not detained

hereby us,

We are,

Sir,

St Helena

16 July 1745

Your Most humble Servants

David Dunbar

Jan.o 29.th 1745

Cha.s Hutchinson

Chris Dixon

John Godwin

Burling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23.d July 1745 at the Castle

Present Robert David Dunbar Gov.r

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2.d of Coun

Christopher Dixon 3

John Godwin 4

Matthew Burling 5

The Last Consultation was Read, and Approved

Mr Clifford Presented the following Petition

Viz.t

And so that the Court might take notice of it, the commanders were assured that no delay of theirs would be charged against them.

The letter closed at St Helena on 16 July 1745, subscribed on behalf of the council by Governor Dunbar, dated 29 January 1745, with Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 July 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon third of council, John Goodwin fourth, and Matthew Purling fifth, the last three sitting as councillors.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Nicholas Cleather presented the following petition.

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To the Worshipfull David Dunbar

Esq.r Governour and To the Council

of the Island St Helena

The Humble Petition of Benjamin

Bishop Planter

Sheweth that Your Petitioner having

some business of Moment Requiring to him self humbly to Transact in

England, To which Requires Him Personally to Repair, and being

desirous to Proceed now and finish the same, and Return to his family

by the next Conveyance, your Petitioner therefore humbly prays to

may have Leave to take his Passage on board one of the Ships of

this now in the Road, and Your Petitioner as in Duty bound shall

ever Pray for Your Honours Health, & Prosperity

July 9 23.d 1745

Benj: Bishop

Granted

We this day rec.d the following answer from the

Inhabitants to the Gov.rs Repaid, Last Consultation Viz.t

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esq.r Governour

&c Council of St Helena

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs,

We are sorry to find by the Governours

Letter to us of the 16 of July instant, that We have incurred his

displeasure, We can assure him it shall be Entirely Unenvied

by us, and we take upon the Reasons of the settling Answer, we shall be

Pleased to have an other Opinion of it.

Benjamin Pledger, planter, petitioned Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. He set out that he had some business of moment requiring his presence in England, which he could deal with personally in 1746, and that being desirous to go over and settle it, and to return to his family by the next conveyance, he asked leave to take his passage on one of the ships now in the road. He signed the petition on 9 July 1745, and the council granted it.

The council this day received the following answer from the inhabitants to the Governor's report at the previous consultation.

The chief and principal inhabitants addressed Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. They wrote that they were sorry to find by the Governor's letter of 16 July that he had thought their answer to his report imperfect, that they could explain themselves fully whenever required, and that they would be pleased to hear his further opinion of the matter.

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In Conveyance to and doe if these of May

We Returned a true Account of all the Cattle we then intended

for Slaughter for Shipping and after that, and have Ticked w.th

Wilson all the Cattle we Killed or Sold, & if there any among us

who have not done so, we hope, that We shall not all be blamed

for the fault of one single Person.

The Governour Observes, that there has been

held w.th us 152 hogs, than were given in in the said Account, & which

if so, we did it to save the Whole Company's Shipping, and some

foreign ones, that touched here, & that they were not supply.d

w.th Beef out of the Whole Company's Stock, and for that Reason

We broke in upon our Breeding Stock, and young Cattle,

which We intended for the next Season, & the sale of those Cattle

hath been Much to Our Prejudice it is as the Governour

Repaid, that We supply.d the foreign Ships, & since it is telling

Repaid, we should take it as a favour if We would supply

them with Beef and other Provisions, we w.d we have Answer to

the utmost of our Power, and they themselves have own

w.th satisfied w.th we were what they have owed with the

foregoing Account makes the Difference in the Number of

our Cattle Sold, & hope the Whole Company Will

Commend us for Serving our best Endeavours for Supplying

their Honours Ships.

We further observe, that the Gov.r alledges

against us, that we sell our fatt Cattle, because we'd take them

our selves, which we beg leave to say is Against the Governour,

and doing as We are afraid to make a Misunderstanding between

the Gov.r and us, in Public, We are very sorry and think our

Selves highly Injured by such false, and Scandolous Relations,

We having always Acted, and hope to continue so to do, with as

Much Conscientiousness as any — Common in our Business, and

that We are as far from Endeavouring to over Reach any our selves

In answer to the Governor's letter, the inhabitants stated that they had returned a true account of all the cattle they intended for slaughter for the shipping, and that if any among them had not done so, they hoped they would not all be blamed for the fault of one single person.

The inhabitants then answered the Governor's observation that there had been 326 head killed and sold, more than they had given in their sworn account. They wrote that, if so, it had been done to serve the whole Company's shipping and some foreign vessels that called there, none of which they had supplied out of the Company's own stock, and that for this reason they had drawn upon their breeding stock and young cattle, which they had meant for the next season. The sale of those cattle had been much to their prejudice. They noted the Governor's remark that they had supplied the foreign ships rather than the English, and answered that it was hard to say they would supply the foreigners with beef and other provisions when they had done everything in their power for the English, and that the foreigners themselves were well satisfied with what they received. The foregoing account, they held, made the difference in the number of cattle killed, and they trusted the whole Company would commend them for doing their best to supply its ships.

The inhabitants further remarked on the Governor's charge that they refused to sell their fresh beef because they had it in view to sell it elsewhere, a charge they begged leave to answer. They wrote that, being unwilling to create a misunderstanding between the Governor and themselves, they were sorry, and thought themselves highly injured by such false and scandalous imputations, they having always acted, and hoping to continue to act, as conscientiously as any in the conduct of their business, and that they were as far from endeavouring to overreach anyone as any.

Interpretations

The dispute turns on the sworn cattle return set out in the reference for July 1745. The planters had returned only 200 head as sparable even under oath, yet the clerk of the market's account showed 326 head in fact killed and sold, an understatement of more than a third that the council took as deliberate concealment. This answer is the planters' defence of that gap: they cast the excess not as goods hidden from the Company's ships but as breeding stock and young cattle sacrificed to supply an unusually crowded season, their own loss rather than a fraud. The plea that the fault of one man should not fall on all points at Samuel Doveton, whom the Governor had named for imposing on a Swedish ship.

The claim that they had supplied none of the shipping out of the Company's own stock answers a distinct charge, that they had drawn on Company cattle to furnish their private sales. Keeping the two herds separate mattered because the planters bought and sold on their own account while the Company victualled its ships from its own pastures, and mixing the two would have let a planter profit from the Company's animals.

The heat of the closing lines reflects what the accusation threatened. To be charged before the Court of Directors with withholding beef to sell it more dearly to foreign ships was to be named as bad faith to the Company on which the whole island depended, and the planters answer not with figures but with an appeal to their character and their long service, the only defence left once the numbers stood against them.

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We never Value our own Cattle, but two Indifferent, when we chuse

one by the better, and the other by the Buy.r to set a Value on the Cattle

sold alive.

We never told the Commander that we had no

Beef, but have told them, or we thought it not Reasonable, that

as they had Barrell.d Beef, Rice, and such be scarce, we say we wanted,

we Repaid they should let us have some, if we'd supply.d them with

Beef and other Provisions.

When the two Repaired it selves, that we should

from our Honour for some of the Commanders we told him of the Incon

veniencies in Coming down to Wharf whence our Selves, & being in

November and December, when our Country Affairs are in great

Disorder and Provisions Scarce, and it would be a great

is advantage to us to do, however, we offer to set them our

Houses w.th Provisions, and Servants for their Accommodation.

Mr Docktor in Answer to what is alledged

against him says, & c.t The Gov.r having been Pleased to say,

that he was informed, I had shamefully injured Upon a Swedish

Ship in selling any Beef for more than it was really Worth.

I should be glad to know my Accuser, and both it be better inquired

by such of Judgement; & doth that Aspersing I had injured Upon

them in any Manner; for when they Left the Island, they Left

a Letter of Recommendation for the other Gentlemen to that

Were Expected to Corallis Season, to Come to any Manner, & it

was Shewed to me by Mr Munt the Chief Supra-Cargo, and

Assured me, that they were strongly Recommended to me, &

When Mr Munt, and the other Swede Gentlemen left the Island,

they told me, that they should leave a Letter of Recommendation

in case any other Ships should come the Ensuing Season, and that

they should desire this Company to Recommend them to me,

the said Swedes had four pence beef Pound Pound for

Beef, the other paid six pence & some, which I even received

from the Governour, I did not sell one Beast alive to the said Swedes,

nor did I Value one Beast the first Swedes stock of the Island.

The inhabitants added that they never valued their own cattle, but sold them, one lot by weight and another by the animal, so that they set no value on the beast alive.

They further stated that they had never told the commanders they had beef to sell them, but had thought it reasonable, since the commanders had arrack, sugar, rice and other stores to spare, which the inhabitants wanted, that if they supplied the commanders with beef and other provisions the commanders should let them have some of those goods in return.

When the two supercargoes offered to sell for some of the commanders, the inhabitants told them they were unwilling to bring themselves into trouble, and, war being expected with France, that it would be a great advantage to sell their provisions to the shipping. On this footing they offered to sell their beef to the commanders and were ready for their accommodation.

Doctor Wilson, answering what had been alleged against him, stated that the Governor, having been pleased to say that he was informed Wilson had shamefully imposed upon a Swedish ship by selling beef higher than it was really worth, would be glad to know his accuser and to have the matter examined by a jury. He said that any supposed imposition rested upon the buyers themselves, for when the Swedes left the island they left a letter of recommendation for other gentlemen who were expected to call at Wilson's house next season. He was shown the letter by William Maw, the chief supercargo, and assured that they were strongly recommended to him, and that when Maw and the other two gentlemen left the island they told him that, should they leave a letter of recommendation, or should any other ships come the following season, they should advise the company to recommend them to him. The Swedes paid fourpence for their beef, one penny cheaper than the others paid, and Wilson stated that of the beef he received from the Governor he did not sell one beast alive to the Swedes, nor did he value one beast that the said Swedes took of the island.

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We are highly sensible of the many

Obligations the Honble Company have been Pleased to load us

with, and are fully thankfull for them, and shall Always constantly

have, and doe, as it Continue to Endeavour to the utmost

to deserve them, and hope we shall be happy in the Continuance

of them from the Honble Company and you, and are,

With all Respect,

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs

Your Most Obedient humble Servants

p Signed & Order of the Inhabitants Martin Harper Church

John Bagley Wardens

On examining the above Answer, we

found several things inserted therein, that were false, and

Groundless.

On the 19.th Instant Arrived his Majesty's

Ships the Maidstone, Captain Rogers, and the Exeter, Cap.t Blake.

This day we sent for Capt Munen, and

desired him to tell us, whither he designed to sail, and that

he would take Notice, he was not detained here or the

Company's Account, and would not be entitled to demorage, to

which he Answered, that he did not Expect demorage, and

notwithstanding he had received from us All the Assistance

he could desire, he was not, or yet ready to Sail, but would

as soon as possible.

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Dixon

John Godwin

Burling

The inhabitants closed by acknowledging that they were deeply sensible of the many favours the Company had been pleased to grant them, were fully thankful for them, and would always continue to do their utmost to deserve them, hoping they would be happy in the continuance of those favours from the Company and from the Governor. The answer was subscribed on behalf of the inhabitants by the churchwardens Martin Harper and John Bagley.

On examining the inhabitants' answer, the council found several things set down in it that were false and groundless.

On 17 July there arrived his Majesty's ship the Maidstone, Captain Rogers, and the Exeter, Captain Mabbe.

The council this day sent for Captain Semmens and asked him to say in writing when he intended to sail, and to take notice that he was not detained on the Company's account and was not entitled to demurrage. He answered that he did not expect any demurrage, and that, notwithstanding the council had given him every assistance he could wish, he was not yet ready to sail, but would be as soon as possible. The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The Maidstone and Exeter were King's ships, not the Company's own East Indiamen, and their arrival in the road in July 1745 belongs to the wartime escort of the homeward trade. With war against France expected, as the inhabitants themselves noted on the previous page, naval vessels convoyed the merchant fleets past the Atlantic privateers, and their presence at St Helena marks the point at which the season's shipping gathered under protection for the run home.

The exchange with Captain Semmens over demurrage completes the matter the council had opened when it wrote to him as the unlading ran past its allowed days. Demurrage was the compensation the owners could claim for a ship held beyond the time the charter party allowed, so the council was careful to record his own admission that any further delay was his and not the Company's. Getting the acknowledgement in writing, and the commander's own word that he expected no demurrage, closed off in advance any later claim against the Company for the days his ship still lay in the road.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

9 August 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lieut.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d of Council

John Godwin 4.th d.o

Matthew Burling 5.th d.o

The Last Consultation was Read and Approved.

Capt.n Munen this day Attended, upon

complaint made by John Ostinghall Planter of the Long Wood against

him, for Refusing to Pay him Money, which he owed him for

to days Work done by the said Ostinghall for the said Cap.t Munen

the said Ostinghall Likewise Attended, and Upon a full Hearing

from Each Party, We ordered Cap.t Munen to Pay the said Osting-

hall 3 shillings a day for the said Work.

On the 4.th Instant we Ssend his Majesty's

Ships the Maidstone, and Exeter for England.

A humble Complaint of Mr Wright of Pat.o

d.o to us the 1.st July last, & we examined the Books and

Inventories relating thereto & finding the Contents to be true,

We Ordered the Arrack to be delivered him According to his

Petition.

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Burling

At a consultation held on Friday 9 August 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon third of council, John Goodwin fourth, and Matthew Purling fifth.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Captain Mason attended this day, on a complaint made by John Artingstall, coxswain of the long boat, against him for refusing to pay him some money owed for work Artingstall had done for the captain. Artingstall also attended, and after a full hearing from each party the council ordered Captain Mason to pay Artingstall three shillings a day for the work.

On 4 August there arrived his Majesty's ships the Maidstone and the Exeter, bound for England.

Robert Wright reminded the council that on 1 July he had petitioned it, and that it had examined the books and inventories relating to his claim and, finding what he set out to be true, had ordered the arrack delivered to him according to his petition. The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

Robert Wright's arrack claim closes here the matter left open when he first petitioned on 1 July. He had handed over to Matthew Purling in March 1744, at the change of storekeepers, nearly eighty gallons of arrack more than he had ever received from the Company, with no allowance made for the natural loss of arrack to leakage and evaporation in cask. The council resolved the claim as it had said it would, by checking his figures against the change-of-command inventory of March 1744, the one record it would act on, and delivered the surplus back to him once the books bore out that the loss was genuine waste and not a shortfall of his own making.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13 August

1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lieut.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Godwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was Read and Approved.

On the 7.th Instant Sailed the Queen

Caroline for Bencoolen, By whom We sent the Severall

following Letters to India, Viz.t

To the Honble Nicholas Morse Esq.r President

& Gov.r &c Council of Fort St George

Honble Sir,

We Rec.d Your Letter of the 6.th Sep.r 1744

p the Prince of Wales Capt Cotty, who Passed by here on the

28. April with Gov.r Sciteman, and this year, on board

9 thirds of Leagers of Arrack instead of 2 &c Leagers or More.

We now Enclose you the Usual List of the

Arrival, and Departure of the Ships to and from this Island

We desire you will send us for the use of

the Island, Twelve Meads War Candles, Twenty Pieces of Fine

Long Cloth of Blood Eleven Pagodas Six Pere, Fifty Pieces

Middling Long Cloth of a bird side Pagodas & to Pere Ore

Standard Cheese Ordinary Long Cloth, Thirty Pieces of Fine Gingham

Fifty Ordinary Ginghams and the Rest of the one & Cent in

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 August 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon third of council, John Goodwin fourth, and Matthew Purling fifth.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

On 4 August the Queen Caroline sailed for Bencoolen, and by her the council sent the following letters to India.

The council wrote to Nicholas Morse, President and Governor, and the council of Fort St George. It acknowledged their letter of 6 September 1744, which the Prince of Wales, Captain Polly, had brought when she passed the island on 23 April with Governor Lisleman aboard, carrying that year only nine half leaguers of arrack instead of two or three leaguers or more.

The council enclosed the usual lists of the arrival and departure of the ships that had called at the island.

The council asked that they send for the island's use twelve chests of wax candles, twenty pieces of fine long cloth of a good breadth, eleven [...] six pieces, fifty pieces of middling long cloth of a good breadth, a hundred and eleven [...] pieces of ordinary long cloth, thirty pieces of fine gingham, fifty pieces of ordinary gingham, and the rest of the order in arrack.

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Arrack, Rice, and Cattle,

We are,

Honble Sirs &c.

To the Honble Tho.s Braddyle Esq.r President

& Gov.r &c Council of Bengall

Honble Sirs,

We Rec.d yours of the 8.th Dec.r 1744 By the

Doringtin Capt Crab, & the Beaufort Capt Wm Steevens of the 9.th

February 1744, & the Duke of Dorset, Capt Foggant, and the Winchelsea

Capt Barron, and of 19.th February 1744, & the Godolphin Cap.t Wm

Steevens.

The following of these were sent delivered by each

of the above named Ships, Viz.t

By the Doringtin Arrack 50 half Chest Rice 1 &c 2 Sugar 3 — 2.6

By the Beaufort 31.th half Chest — 1 &c 21 Sugar

By the Duke of Dorset 27 half Chest, and 7 &c 3 Sugar

By the Winchelsea 29.th half Chest Chest — 1 &c 21 Sugar

By the Godolphin 37 half Chest Chest 13 — 6 Rice 3 &c 14 Sugar

We now Enclose you, the Usual List of the

Arrival, and Departure of the Ships to and from this Island.

We desire you will send us for the use of the

Island 12 Meads War Candles about five to the Pound Six

Pieces gaz Doctores, the Rest of the one & Cent in Sugar

Arrack and Rice with about five leas of Cattle.

We are &c.

To the Honble William Wake Esq.r President

& Gov.r &c Council of Bombay

The council asked that the remainder of the order be made up in arrack, rice and paddy, and closed the letter to Fort St George.

The council then wrote to Thomas Braddyll, President and Governor, and the council of Bengal. It acknowledged their letter of 4 December 1744, brought by the Darrington, Captain Crabb, and the Beaufort, Captain Thomas Stevens, of 9 February 1745; the Duke of Dorset, Captain Frognall, and the Winchelsea, Captain Baron, of 6 February 1745; and the Godolphin, Captain John Stevens.

The council set out the goods delivered short by each of the ships named, as follows.

By the Darrington, arrack 50 gallons at £2 2s, sugar at £2 0s

By the Beaufort, arrack 31.5 gallons at £2 2s, sugar at £2 1s

By the Duke of Dorset, arrack 27 gallons and 7 gallons at £2 2s, sugar at £2 3s

By the Winchelsea, arrack 9.5 gallons at £2 2s, sugar at £2 1s

By the Godolphin, arrack 31 gallons at £2 2s, rice at £3 4s, sugar 14 at £6

The council enclosed the usual lists of the arrival and departure of the ships that had called at the island.

It asked that they send for the island's use twelve chests of wax candles, ninety pieces of blue doosetees, the rest of the order to be made up in sugar, arrack, rice and paddy, and about five leaguers of paddy.

The council closed the letter to Bengal, and then began a letter to William Wake, President and Governor, and the council of Bombay.

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Honble Sirs,

We received your Letter of the King

William, Capt Phillips, and the Montague, Cap.t Freeman

without dates, the King William delivered thirty thirty

three gallons and one leas of Beer, and two hundred one

quarter here Rice Pounds of Rice, the Montague—

three hundred and three quarter of Rice and Thirty two half

one all Rec.d, we very much.

Capt Freeman left here four Slaves who

did desert from you viz.t Robert Cross, John Sixpence, John

Smith, and Peter, & Segente, which he declared he knew

nothing of, until the arrival of the Court of Directors.

We now enclose you the Usual List

of Arrival and Departure of the Ships to and from this

Island.

We desire you will send us the Letter

of the pleased for hundred flour of Course Cloth to be a Piece

of the one & Cent in Sea Arrack, and Rice.

We are &c.

To the Worshipfull Samuel Greenslade

Esq.r Deputy Gov.r &c Council at Fort

Malbro

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs,

We rec.d your Letter of 5.th December

1744 & the Cover, Capt Court, and we now enclose you the

Usual List of the Arrival and Departure of the Ships

at, and from this Island.

We have taken out one Chest of

The council wrote to the President and Governor and council of Bombay. It acknowledged their letters brought by the King William, Captain Phillips, and the Montague, Captain Freeman, both without date. The King William had delivered thirty-three gallons and one leaguer of arrack, and two hundred and one and a quarter [...] pounds of rice; the Montague, three hundred and three quarters of rice and thirty-two gallons of arrack, all of which came in very good condition.

Captain Freeman had left at the island four men who had deserted from the council's service, Robert Cross, John Fitzwater, John Smith and one other, described as [...] Leggett, on which the council declared it knew nothing of them until told by the Court of Directors.

The council enclosed the usual lists of the arrival and departure of the ships that had called at the island.

It asked that they send for the island's use four hundred gallons of Goa arrack, the rest of the order to be made up in Goa arrack, paddy and rice, and closed the letter to Bombay.

The council then wrote to Samuel Greenslade, Deputy Governor, and the council at Fort Marlborough. It acknowledged their letter of 4 December 1744, brought by the Caesar, Captain Court, and enclosed the usual lists of the arrival and departure of the ships that had called at the island. The council had taken out one chest of treasure.

Interpretations

These letters are the council's annual supply orders to the three Indian presidencies and to the Company's pepper factory at Bencoolen, each acknowledging the goods the season's ships had brought and setting out what the island wanted for the year ahead. St Helena grew almost none of its own stores of arrack, rice, sugar, candles and cloth, and depended entirely on the homeward Indiamen carrying out its order from the settlements they sailed from, so the yearly reckoning of what each coast should send was the mechanism that kept the victualling station stocked. The distinct sources show in the goods asked of each: Bengal for Batavia arrack, sugar and doosetees, Bombay for Goa arrack and rice, and Fort St George for long cloth and gingham, each presidency supplying what its own trade produced.

The doosetees, gingham and long cloth run through the whole record as the plain Indian cottons the Company clothed its slaves and garrison in and sold to the inhabitants, doosetees a coarse Bengal cotton, gingham a checked or striped cloth, and long cloth a plain white calico woven in standard lengths.

The four deserters left at the island by the Montague were runaways from the Company's own service whom a homeward captain had shipped and then put ashore, and the council's disclaimer that it knew nothing of them until told by the Court marks a point of liability. A commander who carried off a Company servant and landed him elsewhere shifted the man back onto the settlement that had lost him, and the council was careful to record that it had no hand in their going, so the fault should rest with the ship that took them rather than with the island.

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101

Treasure from the Queen Caroline for the use of this Place,

and Given the Capt a receipt for the same, according to

the Honble Company's Directions.

According to the Honble Company's

Order, we should have taken out what Ladies we had wanted

to Confise our Company's, if there had been any on board

Consigned to you, we have therefore kept the four hundred which

were Left here Sick the last year.

James Smith takes Passage on board

this Ship, viz.t a Soldier for your Place.

We have sent you some Kentledge from

our Invoice, and bill of Lading enclosed, as Also the Charterparty

of the Ship Queen Caroline. We are,

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs, Your most Hble Serv.t

Signed David Dunbar

Charles Hutchinson

Christopher Dixon

John Godwin

Matthew Burling

The Executors of Mr Joshua Johnson

Dec.d this Day Presented the Will Desiring the same

might be Proved, and Registred, Which We do Accordingly

done Upon the Oaths of two of the sub Loading Witnesses, the other

being sick, and not able to Attend, Which Will is as follows

Viz.t

St Helena.

In the Name of God

Amen I Joshua Johnson of St Helena Planter being

Weak of Body but of Sound Mind and Understanding, thanks

be to Almighty God for the same, do make this my last

Will and Testament in manner and form following,

Imprimis I commit my soul into the Hands of Almighty God

my Creator, hoping for Salvation from him through Jesus

Christ, and my body I commit to the Ground to be decently

The council took one chest of treasure from the Queen Caroline for the use of the island, and gave the captain a receipt for it, according to the Company's directions.

The council noted that, by the Company's order, it should have taken out what wax candles it needed to complete the island's supply, had there been any aboard consigned to Fort Marlborough. It had therefore kept the four hundred candles left at the island, sick from the last year.

James Smith took his passage aboard this ship as a soldier for Fort Marlborough.

The council sent them some Kentledge, enclosing the invoice and bill of lading, and also the charter party of the Queen Caroline. The letter was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

The executors of Joshua Johnson deceased this day presented his will, that it might be proved and registered. It was proved on the oaths of two of the subscribing witnesses, the other being sick and unable to attend. The will ran as follows.

St Helena.

In the name of God, amen. Joshua Johnson of St Helena, planter, being weak of body but of sound mind and understanding, thanks be to Almighty God for the same, made his last will and testament in manner and form following. First, he committed his soul into the hands of Almighty God his creator, hoping for salvation through Jesus Christ, and his body he committed to the ground to be decently buried.

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102

buried at the Discretion of my Executors hereafter named, and

as to my Worldly Goods wherewith it hath Pleased God to

bless me, I give and dispose of the same as follows

Item I give and Bequeath all my Outhouses, Tenements &c.

together with my dwelling House in Sandy Bay in this

Island to my Daughter Mary Alexander, and I also

give her all the Land thereunto belonging with the

Appurtenances, and all my Household Furniture Utan-

sils, and whatsoever

Item I give and Bequeath to my said Daughter Mary

Eight Blacks Slaves called respectively by the names

of Peter, Lucy, James, a boy, Phillip, Harry, James, Great Jack

the following, and Frank, and Also four Cows, and four

Calves, as she shall chuse.

Item I give unto my Son in Law John Alexander All the Land

With the Appurtenances that I have in Great Bottom

Upon this Island Subject to the Mortgage of the same.

Item I give and Bequeath All the Rest, and the Residue if my

Estate first Selling all my Debts, and the rest be

Equally divided amongst All my Children whom I did

have done as Much for as I have done for my Daughter

Mary but they being Otherwise Settled to be Occasioned

this Disposall.

Item I nominate and Appoint John Godwin of this Island

Gentleman John Alexander of the same, Planter and

Robert Wright of the same Gentleman Executors of

this my Will and do hereby revoke and disannul

All Wills Wills by me heretofore made and do declare

this to be my last Will and Testament, signed With my

hand and Sealed With my Seal this Nineteenth day of

July in the Eighteenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain

France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith &c and

Joshua Johnson directed that his body be buried at the discretion of his executors, and, thankful for the worldly goods with which God had been pleased to bless him, gave and disposed of them as follows.

He gave and bequeathed all his outhouses, tenements and other buildings, together with his dwelling house in Sandy Bay on the island, to his daughter Mary Alexander, and also gave her all the land belonging to it, with the appurtenances, and all his household furniture, linen and other goods.

He gave and bequeathed to his daughter Mary eight black slaves, named respectively Steve, Lucy, James, a boy Billy, Harry, James, Grace and Jack, together with four cows and four calves, as she should choose.

He gave to his son-in-law John Alexander all the land, with the appurtenances, that he held in Great Bottom Valley on the island, subject to the yearly rent of the same.

He gave and bequeathed all the rest and residue of his estate, once all just debts were paid, to be divided equally among all his children, they having done as much for him as he had done for his daughter Mary, but they being otherwise settled to be reckoned into the distribution.

He nominated and appointed John Goodwin of the island, gentleman, John Alexander of the same, planter, and Robert Wright, gentleman, executors of his will, revoking all former wills, and declared this his last will and testament, signed with his hand and sealed with his seal on 19 July in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second by the grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith.

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103

in the Year of our Lord 1745

Signed & Sealed in the Presence Signed Joshua Johnson

of the Justice, before us

Richard Godwin

Tho.s Prentice

Sam.l Doveton

The Storekeeper Reports, that the following

Stores were that delivered from the Queen Caroline, Viz.t

2 Elms Wainscott Boards

1 Bundle Iron Lathis

1 hand Barrow

1 Bale Slaves Bed Ticks

2 Mason's Mallets

2 & Blankets Damaged which were off the Back of the Bill

of Lading and That the 20 half leas of Brandy Wanted to fall 1744

Eight to five, & and three Quarts, when opening the several

Casks. There were there were two

dozen of Hatchets, when only one dozen were Invoiced, and, that

Six dozen of Pewter Chamber Pots are Invoiced at only two

Shillings, and Sixpence & Pieces, Which be Apprehende is a great

Mistake, and that they should rather Cost two Shillings and ten

pence Each, & which in the Sale will Make a great difference to

the Honble Company

Signed Matthew Burling

Ordered that the Chamber Pots be

Ticked at 2/10 each, prime Cost.

The Husband, Gunner, & Steward, this day

delivered in their Severall Accounts for the Month of July Ins.t & &c

were Examined, Approved, & every Item, & Viz.t

The will was dated in the year of our Lord 1745, signed and sealed by Joshua Johnson in the presence of the witnesses Richard Goodwin, Thomas Prentice and Samuel Doveton.

The storekeeper reported that the following stores were delivered from the Queen Caroline.

2 [...] Winscott boards

1 bundle iron laths

1 hand barrow

1 bale Holland thread ticks

2 mason's mallets

2 [...] blankets, damaged, which were rotten off the back of the bale of lading

That the 20 hogsheads of brandy wanted to fill 5,749 8 [...] and three quarts, upon opening the several [...]

The storekeeper further reported that there were two dozen hatchets, whereas one dozen were invoiced, and that the six dozen pewter chamber pots were invoiced at only twopence apiece, which he supposed to be a great mistake, and that they should rather cost two shillings and tenpence each, which in the sale would make a great difference to the Company. The report was subscribed by Matthew Purling.

The council ordered that the chamber pots be reckoned at two shillings and tenpence each in the prime cost.

The husband, gunner and steward this day delivered their several accounts for the month of July, which were examined, approved and entered.

Interpretations

Kentledge, named in the previous letter, and the pig iron and stores landed here served the island as both goods and ballast, heavy iron carried in a ship's bottom to trim her being landed and put to use where an island short of every manufacture could turn it to account. Winscott boards were a fine grade of oak panelling and Holland thread ticks a stout Dutch linen for mattress covers, the ordinary furnishings a settlement drew from the homeward trade.

The storekeeper's two corrections show why the goods were checked line by line against the invoice as they came ashore. An understated quantity of hatchets and a price of twopence set on pewter chamber pots worth near three shillings would each have passed a loss to the Company had the store been sold at the figures the invoice carried, the first by delivering more than was charged and the second by selling dear goods at a nominal rate. Catching the price error and ordering the pots reckoned at their true cost protected the Company's return on the sale, the storekeeper's knowledge of what such wares were worth standing in for an invoice drawn wrong at the far end of the voyage.

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104

Account of the Honble Company's Stock of Neat Cattle &c.d for the Month of July 1745 Viz.t

Bullocks, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ews, Wethers, Lambs, Weens, Total, Ews, Wethers, Kids, Weens, Total, Sows, Wenners, Masts, Piggs, Boors, Total, Turkeys, Ducks, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Hens, Mices, Total

Remaining 7 August: Bullocks 13, Cows 44, Heifers 7, Steers 12, Yearlings 110, Calves 104, Bulls 4, Total 310, Ews 76, Wethers 48, Lambs 125, Weens 4, Total 253, Ews 111, Wethers 10, Kids 213, Weens 1, Total 335, Sows 22, Wenners 0, Masts 100, Piggs 7, Boors 1, Total 130, Turkeys 63, Ducks 113, Chickens 107, Ducks 10, Geese 13, Hens 7, Mices 12, Total 19

Encreased: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 4, Calves 0, Bulls 4, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 6, Lambs 0, Weens 6, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 10, Kids 0, Weens 10, Total 0, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Masts 0, Piggs 20, Boors 0, Total 20, Turkeys 0, Ducks 0, Chickens 22, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Hens 0, Mices 0, Total 0

Killed: Bullocks 13, Cows 44, Heifers 7, Steers 12, Yearlings 110, Calves 104, Bulls 4, Total 314, Ews 76, Wethers 48, Lambs 131, Weens 4, Total 259, Ews 111, Wethers 10, Kids 223, Weens 1, Total 345, Sows 22, Wenners 0, Masts 100, Piggs 27, Boors 1, Total 150, Turkeys 62, Ducks 113, Chickens 177, Ducks 36, Geese 13, Hens 7, Mices 18, Total 19

Sent on board the Lapwing: Bullocks 1, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 7, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 11, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 4, Weens 0, Total 4, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Kids 0, Weens 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Masts 1, Piggs 0, Boors 0, Total 0, Turkeys 27, Ducks 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Hens 0, Mices 0, Total 0

Sent on board the Maidstone: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 2, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 2, Ews 0, Wethers 4, Lambs 0, Weens 0, Total 4, Ews 1, Wethers 0, Kids 0, Weens 1, Total 2, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Masts 0, Piggs 24, Boors 0, Total 0, Turkeys 1, Ducks 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Hens 0, Mices 0, Total 0

Stores & Exeter, & c: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 4, Weens 0, Total 4, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Kids 3, Weens 0, Total 3, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Masts 4, Piggs 0, Boors 0, Total 4, Turkeys 72, Ducks 1, Chickens 6, Ducks 4, Geese 0, Hens 4, Mices 4, Total 0

Strey, died, &c: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Weens 0, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Kids 0, Weens 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Masts 0, Piggs 0, Boors 0, Total 0, Turkeys 3, Ducks 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Hens 0, Mices 0, Total 0

Killed by dogs: [...]

Bullocks 9, Cows 44, Heifers 7, Steers 3, Yearlings 110, Calves 104, Bulls 4, Total 331, Ews 76, Wethers 36, Lambs 131, Weens 4, Total 247, Ews 110, Wethers 10, Kids 219, Weens 1, Total 310, Sows 19, Wenners 0, Masts 95, Piggs 27, Boors 1, Total 145, Turkeys 58, Ducks 11, Chickens 140, Ducks 27, Geese 11, Hens 7, Mices 12, Total 19

4 Goats for the Sick Black

Yams Expended 40000

Sold to the Officers 400

Sold to the soldiers 3140

Excepted Chris. Dixon Gust.

The husband's account of the Company's stock for July 1745 stood as follows. The neat cattle divide into bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls to a total; the sheep into ewes, wethers, lambs and rams; the goats into ewes, wethers, kids and rams; the hogs into sows, wethers, pigs and boars; then the poultry as turkeys, fowls, chickens, ducks and geese, followed by the horses as horses and mares.

Remaining 7 August: neat cattle bullocks 13, cows 94, heifers 7, steers 12, yearlings 110, calves 100, bulls 1, total 337; sheep ewes 76, wethers 48, lambs 125, rams 4, total 253; goats ewes 111, wethers 10, kids 213, rams 1, total 335; hogs sows 22, wethers 0, pigs 100, boars 7, [pigs] 1, total 130; poultry turkeys 63, fowls 113, chickens 107, ducks 10, geese 13; horses 7, mares 12, total 19

Increased: neat cattle steers 4, total 4; sheep lambs 6, total 6; goats kids 10, total 10; hogs pigs 20, total 20; poultry chickens 22

Total: neat cattle bullocks 13, cows 94, heifers 7, steers 12, yearlings 110, calves 104, bulls 1, total 341; sheep ewes 76, wethers 48, lambs 131, rams 4, total 259; goats ewes 111, wethers 10, kids 223, rams 1, total 345; hogs sows 22, wethers 0, pigs 100, boars 7, [pigs] 1, total 150; poultry turkeys 63, fowls 113, chickens 107, ducks 30, geese 13; horses 7, mares 12, total 19

Killed: neat cattle bullocks 1, steers 7, total 8; sheep lambs 11, total 11; goats kids 4, total 4

Sent on board the Lapwing: sheep lambs 4, total 4; goats ewes 1, kids 1, total 2; poultry chickens 27

Sent on board the Maidstone and Exeter: neat cattle heifers 2, total 2; sheep lambs 4, total 4; goats ewes 1, kids 1, total 2; poultry chickens 24, ducks 1

Strayed, dead and stole: goats wethers 3, total 3; hogs pigs 4, total 4; poultry turkeys 1, chickens 12, geese 6, horses 1

Killed by dogs: poultry chickens 3

Remaining: neat cattle bullocks 9, cows 94, heifers 7, steers 3, yearlings 110, calves 104, bulls 1, total 331; sheep ewes 76, wethers 36, lambs 131, rams 4, total 247; goats ewes 110, wethers 10, kids 219, rams 1, total 340; hogs sows 19, wethers 0, pigs 96, boars 7, [pigs] 1, total 145; poultry turkeys 58, fowls 113, chickens 40, ducks 27, geese 11; horses 7, mares 12, total 19

Four goats were given to the sick blacks. Yams expended, 40,000 lb; sold to the officers, 400 lb; sold to the soldiers, 3,140 lb. The account was subscribed, errors excepted, by Christopher Dixon, husband.

Interpretations

The heading row of the account was mostly legible but the figures are close-packed and several are damaged or ambiguous, so the class identities have been carried down from the earlier stock returns of the same series, where the neat cattle run bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls to the total, and the internal columns of some entries do not sum cleanly to the stated totals as they stand on the page. The totals have been taken as they were written and the arithmetic left unreconciled.

Read against the run of monthly returns, the account shows the herd steadying after the sharpest slaughter of the year. The neat cattle had fallen from 362 in April to 326 at the end of May, forty-two killed to victual eleven ships, and stood at 340 in June; opening here at 337 and closing at 331, the month adds no more than a token increase of four and takes only ten head, the pressure of the fleet gone with the ships. The three head still put aboard the Lapwing, Maidstone and Exeter victual the last stragglers and the King's ships rather than the great convoy that sailed on 9 July. The sheep tell the clearer story of the June exchange for Cape breeding stock: the flock had risen from 212 to 253 in June as thirty-four Cape sheep came in from Captain Sampson and more from the other commanders, and it holds near that level here, opening at 253 and closing at 247, the fresh blood carried through the summer rather than eaten. The hogs, likewise reinforced by the Cape sows taken in June, breed twenty pigs in the month and stay above 145 against the 130 of June, the recovery of both flock and sty being exactly what the barter of dead beef for living breeders had been meant to secure.

The yams tell the opposite story. Where the spring returns each carried 25,000 lb expended, the figure jumps to 40,000 here, the Company feeding its own establishment and the garrison from its own plantations as the market with the planters stood unmended after the beef disputes of June and July. The sales of 400 lb to the officers and 3,140 lb to the soldiers, set out separately, mark the men buying their provisions off the Company's ground rather than the planters', the very shift Governor Dunbar had described on 26 April when he enlarged the Company's plantations to free the garrison from the planters who withheld their yams.

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Gunners Stores Expended in July 1745 Viz.t

Guns Fired, The Number Fired, 4 lb, 6 lb, 1 lb, 4 lb, 2 lb, Powder Expended, Powder Remaining

2 Alarm: Guns Fired 6, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 2, 4 lb 2, 2 lb 0, Powder Expended 2, Powder Remaining 13

3 Arrived the Queen Caroline Capt Steaven: Guns Fired 9, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 9, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 9

At Double Alarm for 3 Ships: Guns Fired 13, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 6, 4 lb 6, 2 lb 0, Powder Expended 3, Powder Remaining 55.th

9 Fired to Salute the Cap.t Going on board: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 6, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 15, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 42

Fired to Salute the Commodore: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 6, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 15, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 42

Fired to Salute Capt Warrie: Guns Fired 9, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 9, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 9, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 9

17 At Double Alarm for 2 Ships: Guns Fired 9, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 13, 4 lb 13, 2 lb 0, Powder Expended 13, Powder Remaining 10.th

18 Arrived the Exeter Cap.t Blake: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 6, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 13, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 42

d.o Fired to Cap.t Blake Landing: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 6, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 13, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 42

d.o Fired at Bankses being the Maidstone: Guns Fired 1, The Number Fired 1, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 0, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 9

d.o Arrived the Maidstone Cap.t Rogers: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 6, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 15, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 42

d.o Fired for Cap.t Rogers Landing: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 1, 6 lb 4, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 15, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 42

21 Alarm: Guns Fired 6, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 2, 4 lb 2, 2 lb 0, Powder Expended 2, Powder Remaining 13

d.o Arrived Cap.t Sedgwick: Guns Fired 9, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 0, 4 lb 0, 2 lb 9, Powder Expended 0, Powder Remaining 9

d.o Alarm: Guns Fired 6, The Number Fired 0, 4 lb 0, 6 lb 0, 1 lb 2, 4 lb 2, 2 lb 0, Powder Expended 2, Powder Remaining 13

Powder Expended for Signals: Powder Remaining 5.th

Powder Expended for Priming at 3: Powder Remaining 15

the same spilt:

Powder d.o d.o Bankses: Powder Remaining 12

Total: Guns Fired 196, The Number Fired 1, 4 lb 7, 6 lb 50, 1 lb 15, 4 lb 15, 2 lb 117, Powder Expended 12, Powder Remaining 105.th

Young Wares to Steuce 4

Match to Cap.t Crab 23

Match Expended 21

Bitts 3

Slop Rims 3

Boxes 2

Locks on Bogts 1

Twisticks 6

Slop 1

Young Wares 0

Young Weads 6

The 23.d Delivered on board the Queen Caroline

Capt Steaven 2 Guns one Eighteen Pounder

2 Six Pounders one four Pound and four

two Pounders

Signed John French

The gunner's account of stores expended in July 1745 stood as follows. The columns run guns fired, then shot, then the classes of gun discharged as nine pounders, six pounders, four pounders, three pounders and two pounders, followed by the powder.

2 alarms: guns fired 6, two pounders 2, powder 2 lb 13 oz

Saluted the Queen Caroline, Captain Mason: guns fired 9, two pounders 9, powder 9 lb

A double alarm for 3 ships: guns fired 13, four pounders 6, three pounders 6, two pounders 3, powder 30.5 lb

Fired to salute the captain going on board: guns fired 21, six pounders 1, four pounders 6, two pounders 15, powder 12 lb

Fired to salute the commodore: guns fired 21, six pounders 1, four pounders 6, two pounders 15, powder 12 lb

Fired to salute Captain Kirwan: guns fired 9, three pounders 9, powder 9 lb

17th, a double alarm for 2 ships: guns fired 9, three pounders 13, two pounders 13, powder 10.5 lb

18th, arrived the Exeter, Captain Mabbe: guns fired 21, six pounders 1, four pounders 6, two pounders 13, powder 12 lb

Fired to Captain Mabbe landing: guns fired 21, six pounders 1, four pounders 6, two pounders 13, powder 12 lb

Fired at Banks's bringing the Maidstone: guns fired 1, nine pounders 1, six pounders 1, powder 9 lb

Arrived the Maidstone, Captain Rogers: guns fired 21, six pounders 1, four pounders 6, two pounders 15, powder 12 lb

Fired for Captain Rogers landing: guns fired 21, six pounders 1, four pounders 4, two pounders 15, powder 12 lb

21st, alarm: guns fired 6, four pounders 2, three pounders 2, two pounders 2, powder 13 lb

Arrived Captain Sedgwick: guns fired 9, three pounders 9, powder 9 lb

Alarm: guns fired 6, four pounders 2, three pounders 2, two pounders 2, powder 13 lb

Powder expended for signals: powder 5.5 lb

Powder expended for priming: powder 15 lb

Powder delivered at Banks's: powder 12 lb

Total: guns fired 196, shot 1, nine pounders 1, six pounders 7, four pounders 50, three pounders 15, two pounders 117, powder 212.75 lb

The remaining stores expended in the month ran as follows.

Sponge staves to Steevens 4

Match to Captain Crabb 23

Match expended 21

Butts 3

Sling shot 3

Cases 2

Lead in balls 1 bundle

Linstocks 6

Slings 6

Sponge staves 6

Sponge heads 6

A note recorded that on 23 July there were delivered on board the Queen Caroline for Captain Steevens nine eighteen pounders, two six pounders and one four pounder, and four two pounders. The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

July was a noisy month at the guns but for ceremony rather than defence, the powder spent almost wholly on salutes to the ships coming and going. The great fleet having sailed on 9 July, the firing here answers the King's ships and the last stragglers: the twenty-one-gun salutes to Captain Rogers of the Maidstone and Captain Mabbe of the Exeter, the men-of-war escorting the season's trade home under threat of war with France, and the nine-gun compliments to the store ship Queen Caroline and to the departing commanders. The single shot at Banks's, bringing the Maidstone to, marks the standing practice by which the outermost seaward battery hailed an approaching ship and required her to show herself before she reached the road.

The salutes are built as the earlier gunner's returns show them to be, from the lighter pieces so as to spare the store, the twenty-one guns made up of a single six pounder to head the salute and a run of two pounders below it, the smallest natures reserved for ceremony while the heavier metal is kept for service. The powder charged against each salute rises with the weight of the guns fired, and against the total of two hundred and twelve pounds for the month stands the far larger delivery of ordnance itself: the nine eighteen pounders and lesser guns sent aboard the Queen Caroline for Captain Steevens were heavy pieces shipped on to another settlement, the island passing forward the Company's ordnance as it passed forward its stores.

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Sundrys Expended in the Castle in July 1745

9.th Bottles Port Wine

6 5 6.th

12 D.o Lisbon D.o

2 17 3.th

6 D.o Constantia D.o

0 0 0

11 D.o Rhenish d.o

0 0 0

3 D.o old Hock

0 0 0

7 D.o Red Cape

0 9 7.th

21 D.o Clivet

28.th Gall.s French Gin

14 Gall.s Vittoria

5 1.th

13.th Sugar

0 9 5.th

58 Candy

0 18 1.th

4 Currans

0 4 0

38.th Spices

1 16 3.th

34 Butter

2 14 0

1 Turkey

0 5 0

27 Fowls

0 7 0

1 Sheep

4 0 0

1 Goat

2 10 0

14 Bottles Cyder

Card. Silk 20 Pieces

1 10 8

Card. Beef 3 p.d

2 11.th

3 Hams, Fish

£ 28 10 6.th

We rec.d the following Letter from the

Supracargo, Viz.t

The account of sundries expended in the castle in July 1745 stood as follows.

92 bottles port wine, £6 3s 6d

12 bottles Lisbon, £2 17s 3d

6 bottles Constantia, £0 0s 0d

11 bottles Rhenish, £0 0s 0d

3 bottles old hock, £0 0s 0d

7 bottles Cape, £0 9s 7d

21 bottles claret, £0 0s 0d

28.5 gallons French Goa [arrack], [...]

19 gallons Batavia [arrack], £5 1s 3.5d

15.5 lb sugar, £0 9s 5d

58 lb candy, £0 18s 1d

1 lb currants, £0 0s 4d

38.5 lb rice, £1 16s 3.5d

34 [...] butter, £2 11s 0d

1 turkey, £0 0s 6d

27 fowls, £0 7s 0d

1 sheep, £0 4s 0d

1 goat, £0 2s 10d

14 bottles cider, £0 0s 0d

salt [...] cloth 20 pieces, £1 10s 8d

salt beef 3 pieces, £2 11s 0d

3 hams, [weight, £0 0s 0d]

Total, £28 10s 6.5d

The council received the following letter from the supercargoes.

Interpretations

The sundries account records the provisioning of the Governor's own table at the castle, the general table at which the council, the officers and the visitors of the season dined at the Company's charge. The heavy weight of wine, ninety-two bottles of port besides Lisbon, Cape, claret, Rhenish, old hock and Constantia, marks a month of shipping in the road, the King's ships and the store ship having brought commanders and passengers to be entertained ashore, the table being the Company's hospitality to the men whose ships the island served. The fine wines run to the fashionable growths of the day, Constantia the celebrated sweet wine of the Cape and old hock a matured Rhenish, kept for a table that stood at the centre of the island's dealings with every vessel that called.

Set against the stock account of the same month, the fresh provisions here are the animals that account carried as expended for the table, the sheep, the goat and the fowls, reckoned into the sundries at their sterling value so that the whole cost of the establishment's diet could be gathered in one place and audited against the Company. The two grades of arrack, French Goa from the western trade and Batavia from Bengal, and the salt beef drawn against the scarcity of fresh meat noted through the spring, show the same table drawing on the Company's stores of imported liquor and preserved provision alongside the fresh, the port and the salt beef together marking a season in which the fresh supply could not stretch to every want.

114

107

To The Worshipfull David

Dunbar Esq.r & the Council of

St Helena

Gentlemen,

We have Order.d Cap.t Sedgwick to

take out of the Ship, London, Ten Chaldrons of the Company

Coal, which were Intended for Madrass, in Order to Ease the

Ship, in whose Bottom there is too much Dead Weight, we

desire you would receive them on the Company's account, and

give us a receipt for them.

We are,

Gentlemen,

Your Most Obed.t & Serv.ts

Frederick Pigou

Tho.s Shore

John Barrow

We this day Examined the Cash Account,

for the Month past, which is as follows. Viz.t

Dr Cash

The supercargoes wrote to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. They stated that they had ordered Captain Sedgwick to take out of the ship London ten chaldrons of the Company's coal, which had been intended for Madras, in order to lighten the ship, in whose bottom there was too much lead in weight, and asked the council to receive the coal on the Company's account and give a receipt for it. The letter was subscribed by Frederick Pigou, Thomas Shore and John Burrow.

The council this day examined the cash account for the month past, which ran as follows, beginning with the debtor side.

Interpretations

The coal came ashore for the same reason as the kentledge landed from the Queen Caroline a few days earlier, a ship carrying too much dead weight low in her hold being eased by putting part of it off at the island, which took the heavy goods onto the Company's account and turned a matter of trim into a supply. Ten chaldrons of coal, meant for Madras and no longer wanted aboard, became stores for St Helena, where an island that produced no fuel of its own could use every hundredweight, the smith's forge and the limekiln both drawing on sea coal shipped from England. Requiring a receipt fixed the transfer on the Company's books, so that coal charged out from London to one settlement and delivered instead to another could be accounted for against the ship rather than lost between them.

115

108

1745 Dr Cash £ s d

July 7 To Balance remaining

377 18 6

To Cash rec.d the Balance the Ship Barras Account

29 10 4

To Ditto King William

11 2 8

To Ditto Winchester's

14 2 6

To Ditto Winchelsea's

18 5 10

To Ditto Griffods

84 6 0

To Ditto Duke of Dorset

16 10 4

To Ditto Montague

34 8 7

To Ditto York's

5 17 10

To Ditto Prince Williams

19 8 6

To Ditto Beauforts

18 13 3

To Ditto Dwerington

26 10 3

To Ditto Godolphin's

6 13 6

To Cash Rec.d of the Gov.r for a Bill on the Honble

Company 1000 Dollars

250 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Mr John Godwin for a Bill on the

Honble Company 240 Dollars

60 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Cap.t John Simson for which a

Certificate was Given to the Honble Company 322 Dollars

80 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Mr Francis Hanner for which a

Certificate was Given to the Honble Company 320 Dollars

80 0 0

Carried over £ 1160 11 8

The cash account for July 1745, the debtor side, stood as follows.

July 7, to balance remaining, £377 18s 6d

To cash received, the balance due the ship Caesar's account, £29 10s 4d

To cash received, the King William, £11 2s 8d

To cash received, the Winchester, £14 2s 6d

To cash received, the Winchelsea, £18 3s 10d

To cash received, the Stafford, £84 6s 7d

To cash received, the Duke of Dorset, £16 10s 4d

To cash received, the Montague, £34 8s 9d

To cash received, the York, £5 17s 10d

To cash received, the Prince William, £19 8s 6.5d

To cash received, the Beaufort, £18 13s 5.5d

To cash received, the Darrington, £26 10s 3.5d

To cash received, the Godolphin, £6 13s 6d

To cash received of the Governor for a bill on the Company, 1,000 dollars, £250 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr John Goodwin for a bill on the Company, 240 dollars, £60 0s 0d

To cash received of Captain John Lawson, for which a certificate was given to the Company, 320 dollars, £80 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr Francis Hammer, for which a certificate was given to the Company, 320 dollars, £80 0s 0d

Carried over, £1,160 11s 4d

Interpretations

The debtor side of the cash account gathers the money that came into the treasury in the month, and its shape shows what the island lived on. The long run of small sums received against each ship, from the Stafford's eighty-four pounds down to a few pounds from the York and Godolphin, is the storekeeper's takings on the goods sold to each vessel as she lay in the road, the retail trade on arrack, provisions and stores that was the island's chief revenue and that rose and fell exactly with the shipping. The whole homeward fleet named in the June and July business appears here as a column of debtors, each ship's account settled as it cleared.

The larger round sums are of a different kind. Where a servant or a commander wanted to send money to England without shipping coin, he paid dollars into the island's cash and took a bill of exchange or a certificate drawn on the Company, redeemable at home, so that the four entries of two and three hundred dollars from the Governor, from John Goodwin and from the two captains are not earnings of the island but silver taken in against paper the Company would honour in London. The certificate, given where the taker declined a bill on account of the exchange rate, served the same purpose by another form, letting a man move value across the ocean at the Company's risk rather than his own, the treasury gathering the coin the settlement needed while the claim travelled home on paper.

116

109

1745 Per Contra C.r £ s d

July 4 By Cash Paid to Sundry for Coming Express with an

Account of a Ship to Windward

0 6 0

5 By Cash Paid John Brown for Coming Express with

an Account of a Ship to Windward

0 6 0

6 By Cash Paid Cap.t Fielder Freeman for two Sort. St

D.o etta Table Cloths ten fish, 1 Guire at 21 Shill. Each

2 2 0

By Cash Paid Ditto twenty five Napkins

1 9 7

By Cash Paid Ditto for twelve fine Dwietta Table Cloths

1 1 0

7 By Cash Paid Mr John Godwin fish. by him to Cap.t Barron

for 180 Sugar

2 13 1

8 By Cash Paid Cap.t Robert Robinson for two hundred

and one Quarter of Steevens & twenty Shillings & C.r

10 5 0

By Cash P.d Sam.l Peters for Brandy Paint for the

Lapwing

0 3 0

By Cash P.d Mr Samuel Salcome Surgeon, for

Rhubarb bought by him for the use of the Garrison

2 0 0

17 By Cash paid Cap.t Harrison for twelve Bottles of

Mustard Seed

0 10 0

By Cash paid Richard Twark for Coming Express

with an Account of two Ships to Windward

0 6 0

18 By Cash paid Mr Wm Steevens Surgeon of the

Queen Caroline for his Allowance for his

Care of some Recruits

2 3 0

21 By Cash paid Tho.s Twitts for coming Express

with an Account of a Ship to Windward

0 6 0

Carried Over £ 29 15 11

The creditor side of the cash account for July 1745 stood as follows.

July 1, by cash paid to sundry for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 6s 0d

By cash paid John Brown for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 6s 0d

By cash paid Captain Fielder Freeman for ten fine doosetee table cloths at 5s each, £2 9s 0d

By cash paid the same for twenty fine napkins, £1 9s 7d

By cash paid the same for twelve fine doosetee table cloths, £1 1s 0d

By cash paid Mr John Goodwin, paid by him to Captain Baron for 100 lb sugar, £2 13s 4d

By cash paid Captain Robert Robinson for four hundred and one and a quarter [...] of stores at twenty [...], £10 5s 0d

By cash paid Samuel Coles for [...] paint for the Lapwing, £0 6s 0d

By cash paid Mr Samuel Falconer, surgeon, for rhubarb bought by him for the use of the garrison, £2 0s 0d

By cash paid Captain Harrison for twelve bottles of mustard seed, £0 10s 0d

By cash paid Richard Twaits for coming express with an account of two ships to windward, £0 6s 0d

By cash paid Mr William Stevens, surgeon of the Queen Caroline store ship, his allowance for his care of nine recruits, £2 3s 0d

By cash paid Mr Butler for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 6s 0d

Carried over, £29 13s 11d

Interpretations

The creditor side sets out the treasury's small disbursements for the month, and the recurring sixpences paid for coming express mark the island's system of watching the sea. A man who brought word to the castle that a sail stood to windward was paid a fixed fee for the run, so that the approach of every ship, whether a friend to be victualled or a stranger to be challenged, was reported at once to the Governor, the payments here recording a July in which vessel after vessel closed the road and each sighting was carried in for its sixpence.

Two of the entries reach beyond the island's own supply. The doosetee table cloths and napkins bought of Captain Freeman, and the sugar of Captain Baron, are goods the council purchased from the commanders for the Company's own use, the traffic running both ways as the ships bought the island's provisions and the island bought their finer wares. The rhubarb and mustard seed bought for the garrison were medicinal, rhubarb a purge and mustard seed used in poultices and drinks, laid in for the surgeon's chest against the disorders of a crowded season, and the allowance to the store ship's surgeon for his care of nine recruits paid for the passage of soldiers the Company was sending on, the whole a page of the ordinary small charges by which the settlement was watched, supplied and kept in health.

117

110

1745 Dr Cash £ s d

July Brought over

1160 11 8

To Cash rec.d of Cap.t Matthew Court for which a

Certificate was given to the Honble Company Viz.t

72 Rupees at 2/3 Each£ 8 6 6

7 Ducatoons 6 2 2 0

8 Venetians 10 4 0 0

324 Pagodas 9 236 16 0

171 Dollars 6 42 15 0

9 Cash Notes 20 9 0 0

18 Ditto 40 80 0 0

Small Money 6

382 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Mr Richard Willoughby Pickering

for which a Certificate was given to the Honble

Company Viz.t

18 Venetians at 10 each£ 4 0 0

220 Pagodas 9 99 0 0

110 Dollars 6 33 0 0

16 Cash Notes 5 4 0 0

19 Ditto 20 19 0 0

2 Ditto 40 4 0 0

200 0 0

Carried over £ 1742 11 8

The debtor side of the cash account for July 1745 continued as follows.

Brought over, £1,160 11s 4d

To cash received of Captain Matthew Court, for which a certificate was given to the Company:

71 rupees at 2s 3d each, £8 6s 6d

7 ducatoons at 6s, £2 2s 0d

8 venetians at 10s, £4 0s 0d

324 pagodas at 9s, £336 16s 0d

171 dollars at 6s, £42 0s 15d

9 cash notes at 20s, £9 0s 0d

16 cash notes at 10s, £80 0s 0d

small money, £0 0s 6d

£382 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr Richard Willoughby Pickering, for which a certificate was given to the Company:

18 venetians at 10s each, £4 0s 0d

220 pagodas at 9s, £99 0s 0d

110 dollars at 6s, £33 0s 0d

16 cash notes at 5s, £4 0s 0d

19 cash notes at 20s, £19 0s 0d

2 cash notes at 10s, £1 0s 0d

£200 0s 0d

Carried over, £1,742 11s 4d

Interpretations

These two entries continue the debtor side and set out in full the coin behind the round sums the earlier page carried as certificates. Where a commander or a servant wanted his money remitted to England, he paid it into the island's treasury in whatever currency he held and took a certificate that the sum appeared due to him on the Company's books, redeemable at home; the two receipts here, Captain Court's three hundred and eighty-two pounds and Pickering's two hundred, are broken down coin by coin so that the treasury's record showed exactly what specie it had taken in.

The mixture of the money is the striking thing, and it is the ordinary state of the island's cash. The bulk of both sums is in Indian gold pagodas, valued here at nine shillings apiece, alongside Spanish dollars, Dutch silver ducatoons, Venetian gold sequins and the Company's own cash notes, the coinage of every trade that touched the Atlantic route gathered in one payment. St Helena minted nothing and its treasury held whatever the ships brought, so a single remittance drew together the gold of the Coromandel coast, the silver of Spanish America and the paper of the Company, the certificate carrying the whole home as a debt while the coin stayed on the island to serve its wants.

118

111

1745 Per Contra C.r £ s d

Brought over

29 15 11

July 21 By Cash paid Joseph Long for Coming Express with

an Account of a Ship to Windward

0 6 0

By Cash paid Wm Ricard for a Bushell of Potatos

0 6 0

By Cash paid Cap.t Benjamin Munen

As two small box of Flower at 25 each£ 2 10 0

Four Cheshire Cheeses weight 7.th 0 6 4

Four Bottle of Flower of Mustard 0 1 0

Fifty pounds of Raisins 0 2 10

Fifty pounds of Currants 0 0 10

Two veal Pans 0 0 4

One second sized Crock 0 0 3

One third sized Ditto 0 0 2

Two very large Crocks 0 0 7

Four deep Milk Pans 0 0 8

Six large shallow Ditto 0 0 15

Nineteen Milk Pans 1 0 2

Twelve of the smallest Ditto 0 0 9

One very large veal Pan 0 0 3

17 9 2

27 By Cash lent by Order of the Gov.r David Nelson

Steward of the Monkot

12 0 0

Carried over £ 59 15 1

The creditor side of the cash account for July 1745 continued as follows.

Brought over, £29 13s 11d

July 21, by cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 6s 0d

By cash paid William Pickard for a bushel of potatoes, £0 6s 0d

By cash paid Captain Benjamin Mason:

For two small casks of flour at 25s each, £2 10s 0d

Four Cheshire cheeses weight 116 lb, £6 4s 0d

Four bottles of flour of mustard, £1 0s 0d

Fifty pounds of raisins, £2 10s 0d

Fifty pounds of currants, £0 10s 0d

Two deal pans, £0 4s 0d

One second-sized crock, £0 3s 0d

One third-sized crock, £0 2s 0d

Two very large crocks, £0 7s 0d

Four dozen milk pans, £0 8s 0d

Six large shallow milk pans, £0 15s 0d

Nineteen milk pans, £1 2s 2d

Twelve of the smallest milk pans, £0 9s 0d

One very large deal pan, £0 3s 0d

£17 9s 2d

July 27, by cash lent by order of the Governor to David Wilson, steward of the market, £12 0s 0d

Carried over, £39 13s 1d

Interpretations

The largest disbursement of the month was the purchase from Captain Mason of the store ship Queen Caroline of a parcel of English provisions and earthenware, the flour, Cheshire cheese, raisins, currants and mustard being goods carried out from home that the island could not raise, laid in for the Governor's table and the general store against a season when the fresh supply ran short. The crocks and milk pans point to the island's own small dairy, the shallow pans being the vessels in which milk was set for the cream to rise, so that the ship furnished at once the imported luxuries and the plain wares of a settlement equipping itself from whatever a passing vessel could spare.

The twelve pounds lent to David Wilson, the steward of the market, touches the tender point of the whole season. The market was the weekly sale the planters had built up and then starved by withholding their yams, the quarrel that ran through the June and July consultations, and the Company's steward managed it on the island's behalf; advancing him cash by the Governor's own order was the treasury keeping the market in funds at a moment when the planters' bad faith had all but broken it, the loan a small prop under an institution the Company was by now half minded to replace with its own plantations.

119

112

1745 Dr Cash £ s d

July Brought over

1742 11 8

To Cash rec.d of Lieu.t James Scott for which a Certificate

was given to the Honble Company Viz.t

1 Venetian£ 0 10 0

100 Pagodas at 9 Shill. each 45 0 0

48 Dollars 6 24 10 0

4 Cash Notes 5 1 0 0

13 Ditto 40 26 0 0

121 0 0

To Cash rec.d of George Gabriel Powell Esq.r by the

Hands of Mr James Powell his Agent, for Account

of James Crafford Deceased for which a Bill was

given on the Honble Company Viz.t

2 Venetians at 10 each£ 1 0 0

328 Pagodas 9 147 12 0

30.th Dollars 6 9 12 6

11 Cash Notes 5 2 15 0

22 Ditto 20 22 0 0

1 Ditto 40 2 0 0

Small Money 1

182 19 7

To Cash rec.d of Mess.rs Freeman & D.o area for Customs

Collected by them

31 6 3.th

Carried over £ 2080 17 2.th

The debtor side of the cash account for July 1745 continued as follows.

Brought over, £1,742 11s 4d

To cash received of Lieutenant James Scott, for which a certificate was given to the Company:

1 venetian, £0 10s 0d

160 pagodas at 9s each, £72 0s 0d

48 dollars at 6s, £24 10s 0d

1 cash note at 5s, £1 0s 0d

13 cash notes at 10s, £6 0s 0d

£124 0s 0d

To cash received of George Gabriel Powell by the hands of Mr James Powell, his agent, for account of James Crafford deceased, for which a bill was given on the Company:

2 venetians at 10s each, £1 0s 0d

328 pagodas at 9s, £147 12s 0d

30 dollars at 6s, £70 12s 6d

11 cash notes at 6s, £2 15s 0d

22 cash notes at 20s, £22 0s 0d

1 cash note at 10s, £2 0s 0d

small money, £0 0s 1d

£182 19s 7d

To cash received of Messrs Twynam and Darvall for customs collected by them, £51 6s 3.5d

Carried over, £2,080 17s 2.5d

Interpretations

The customs entry marks the working of the duty the council had revived a few weeks earlier. On examining the Company's old orders it had found a shilling a gallon due on all arrack landed and five per cent on other goods, unenforced for years, and had appointed Joshua Twynam and Joseph Darvall to receive it; the fifty-one pounds paid in here is the first full month of that revenue reaching the treasury, the crowded shipping of the season landing goods on which the long-neglected duty at last fell.

The two remittances continue the traffic in bills and certificates that fills this account, but the second reaches back many years. The money received of George Gabriel Powell for the account of James Crafford deceased settles a debt on an estate whose affairs the record has carried since the 1730s, Crafford the late surgeon whose freehold and legacies had long stood in dispute; paying it into the island's cash for a bill on the Company let a sum owed on a dead man's estate be sent home to those entitled to it, the treasury once more taking the coin and passing the claim to London on paper. Powell himself, the former Deputy Governor, appears here only through his agent, his own affairs on the island still being wound up long after his government had ended.

120

113

Per Contra C.r £ s d

Brought over

59 15 1

£ 59 15 1

Per Contra C.r £ s d

Brought over

59 15 1

£ 59 15 1

121

114

1745 Dr Cash £ s d

July Brought Over

2080 17 2.th

To a Chest of Treasure Number 91 rec.d from Cap.t Benj.

Simson of the Ship Queen Caroline

Containing 3936 Dollars at 3 Shill. each£ 984 0 0

80 French Crowns 20 0 0

Odd Money 1 4.th

1004 1 4.th

£ 3085 1 6

£ 3085 1 6

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Burling

The debtor side of the cash account for July 1745 closed as follows.

Brought over, £2,080 17s 2.5d

To a chest of treasure, number 91, received from Captain Benjamin Mason of the ship Queen Caroline:

Containing 3,936 dollars at 5s each, £984 0s 0d

80 French crowns, £20 0s 0d

odd money, £0 1s 3.5d

£1,004 1s 3.5d

Total, £3,085 1s 6d

The whole account was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The chest of treasure closes the debtor side and is the largest single receipt of the month by far, near a thousand pounds of silver landed from the store ship Queen Caroline and taken into the island's cash. This is the money the council had noted taking from her a few days earlier, a chest consigned to the settlement and receipted to the captain according to the Company's directions, the specie the island needed to pay its garrison and meet its charges through the year, carried out from home in a sealed chest under its own number.

The composition is again almost wholly foreign coin, Spanish dollars valued at five shillings apiece with a parcel of French crowns among them, the treasury reckoning the whole in sterling for its books while holding it in the silver of other nations. The month's account thus balances a stream of small takings on the shipping and a run of remittances sent home on paper against this one great infusion of coin from the store ship, the two sides of a treasury that gathered ready silver from every source it could while passing its own obligations to London in bills and certificates, the whole subscribed by the Governor and the four members of council who had sat through the season.

122

115

1745 Per Contra C.r £ s d

July Brought Over

59 15 1

By Balance of Cash remaining 31 July in the following

Species

1 Piece of Gold at 13 lb at £3 8s 7d£ 46 1 8.th

4 Second Ditto 3 9 12 3 18 13 11 3.th

1780 Pagodas at 9 pcs 801 0 0

29 Venetians 10 14 10 0

1 Guller 6

Gold amounting to 876 8 9

6357 Dollars at 3 Shill.£ 1631 15 0

80 French Crowns 3 20 0 0

74 Rupees 2/3 8 6 6

6 Ducatoons 6 1 16 0

175 Half Ryals 2 0 21 12 6

106 Double Ryals 3 6 12 6

214 Ryals 7.th 6 13 4

367 Half Ryals 3.th 5 13 9.th

141 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

Odd Money 1 7 4

Silver amounting to 1926 9 8

116 Cash Notes at 40 ea£ 232 0 0

140 Ditto 20 140 0 0

206 Ditto 5 51 10 0

103 Ditto 2/6 20 0 0

Cash Notes amounting to£ 443 10 0

3022 8 5

£ 3085 1 6

The creditor side of the cash account for July 1745 closed with the balance of cash remaining in the treasury on 31 July, counted coin by coin, as follows.

Brought over, £39 13s 1d

By balance of cash remaining 31 July in the following species:

Gold:

1 piece of gold weight 13 dwt at £3 3s 8d per [...], £16 1s 8.5d

1 second piece of gold weight 3 dwt 12 at £18, £13 11s 7.5d

1,780 pagodas at 9s, £801 0s 0d

29 venetians at 10s, £14 10s 0d

1 gubber, £0 6s 0d

Gold amounting to, £876 8s 9d

Silver:

6,357 dollars at 5s, £1,631 15s 0d

80 French crowns at 5s, £20 0s 0d

74 rupees at 2s 3d, £8 6s 6d

6 ducatoons at 6s, £1 16s 0d

173 half ryals at 2s 6d, £21 12s 6d

106 double ryals at 8d, £6 12s 6d

214 ryals at 7.5d, £6 13s 4d

369 half ryals at 3.75d, £5 13s 9.5d

941 French pieces at 2d, £3 13s 6d

odd money, £0 7s 4d

Silver amounting to, £1,976 9s 8d

Cash notes:

116 cash notes at 20s, £116 0s 0d

110 cash notes at 20s, £110 0s 0d

206 cash notes at 5s, £51 10s 0d

105 cash notes at 2s 6d, £13 2s 6d

Cash notes amounting to, £143 10s 0d

£3,023 8s 5d

Total, £3,085 1s 6d

Interpretations

This is the physical count of the treasury at the month's end, the coin and paper laid out and told over piece by piece so that the balance carried in the books could be proved against the actual contents of the chest. Dividing it into gold, silver and cash notes, and weighing the two odd pieces of gold by the pennyweight rather than taking them by tale, shows the care with which the reckoning was made, the lesson of the great deficiency of a few years earlier being that a balance repeated from account to account meant nothing unless the money itself was checked against it.

The count is a portrait of what an Atlantic victualling station actually held. The silver runs to more than sixty-three hundred Spanish dollars, the staple coin of the whole ocean trade, with French crowns, Dutch ducatoons, Indian rupees and a long tail of small Spanish-American ryals and half ryals down to French pieces worth twopence each, while the gold is almost all Indian pagodas, seventeen hundred and eighty of them at nine shillings. Scarcely a coin in the chest was English; the island minted nothing and took whatever the ships of every nation brought, so its treasury was a sink of foreign specie, the Company's own cash notes the only paper among it. The total of three thousand and eighty-five pounds is the settlement's working capital at the height of its busiest season, gathered from the shipping and held ready in a currency drawn from half the trading world.

123

116

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

20 August 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Godwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was Read, and Approved

Application having been

made to us as.t Mr Richard Godwin by Mary Beavers a

Malatto, and to us the Daughter of John Beavers late a

Soldier here &c, that she was detained by Mr Richard

Godwin as a Slave, altho she was free, together with her

Mother, & therefore Mr Richard Godwin was Ordered to

Give us a full Account in Writing on the next Consultation

Day concerning the said Beavers.

Two Black Boys, the One named

Cattow, the Other Frank, belonging to the Honourable Company

were missed two or three days after the fleet sailed (which

was the 6.th July last But as blacks here frequently Elope

from their Masters, & absent themselves for some Months, We

could not take upon us to say, whether they were gone from this

Island or not. When the fleet of War called forth hence, but as yet

having heard Nothing of them, We now Apprehend that they went from

hence at the true above enemies.

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Dixon

John Godwin

Burling

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 August 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon third of council, John Goodwin fourth, and Matthew Purling fifth.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Mary Bryers, a mulatto and reputed daughter of John Bryers, late a soldier of the island, deceased, applied to the council against Mr Richard Goodwin, alleging that he detained her although she was free, together with her mother. On this, Richard Goodwin was ordered to give a full account in writing at the next consultation concerning Mary Bryers.

Two black boys, the one named Cuttoe and the other Frank, belonging to the Company, went missing two or three days after the fleet sailed, on 9 July. The council noted that, as blacks on the island frequently ran from their masters and could not be traced for months, it could not tell whether the two had gone from the island or not when the fleet sailed from the road. Having heard nothing of them since, it now supposed they had got away from the island in one of the ships that had lately called, and was as yet at the true loss to account for them. The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

Mary Bryers's application turns on the question of free or slave status that the record meets again and again, and its stakes lay in her descent. As the reputed daughter of a soldier by a slave woman she claimed her freedom, while Richard Goodwin held her and her mother as his property; the council's answer, to make him set out his title in writing rather than rule on the spot, follows its settled practice of putting the burden on the man in possession to show the ground of his claim before the board would determine it. The word mulatto marks her as of mixed parentage, the very case in which the island's rule that a child followed the condition of its mother, stated years before, made the status of the mother decisive.

The loss of the two Company boys in the crowded shipping shows the reverse of the slave's confinement, the passing fleet as a road off the island. The council could not tell whether they had run into the country, as slaves so often did for months at a time, or slipped aboard a departing ship, the very ambiguity that the great concentration of vessels created; two boys gone in the week the convoy sailed were as likely carried off in a hold as hidden in the hills, and the board could do no more than record the loss and its own inability to say which. The season that filled the treasury and victualled the fleet also thinned the establishment, of men by desertion and of slaves by flight, the crowded road offering every unfree and discontented person aboard a chance the empty months did not.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

27 August 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Mr Dixon absent having broke his Leg

John Godwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was Read, and Approved

Mr Richard Godwin

this day Ended, delivering the following in Answer to a Letter to re.

from us on the 19.th Instant Viz.t

Worshipfull S.rs & Sirs,

I having Rec.d a Letter from Mr Dixon,

under date of 19.th August Instant, requiring me to Give you

w.th Ships an Account, honored by which Authority, these three

Black Slaves, named Sam.l, Molly and Dick Beavers, and to

be Natural Children of one Beavers late of this Island, & Also the

Black Wench, the Wife of the aforesaid, I say the following before

you, as a full Answer thereto, Viz.t

The said John Beavers was Cast on Ip.

a Ship at this Island, & during his Stay here followed the trade

of a Taylor, and Lived, But if the time in a Slave, which he

hired of this, and while he resided therein, he was Suspected to

trade together, the aforesaid three Blacks as a Slave to each of

his Son, called Terry, and so as by Gov.r Byfie Simmoned to

Council on that Account, & when he Absolutely denied being

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 August 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth of council and Matthew Purling fifth, Mr Dixon being absent, having broken his leg.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Richard Goodwin this day gave the following answer in writing to a letter sent him from the council on 20 August.

Goodwin stated that, having received the council's letter of 20 August requiring him to give an account, warranted by proper authority, of three black slaves named Samuel, Molly and Dick Bryers, who claimed to be the natural children of one Bryers, late of the island, and to be free, together with their mother the black woman Sarah, wife of the [...], he laid the following before the council as a full answer.

He set out that the said John Bryers had come as a passenger aboard a ship at the island and, during his stay, had followed the trade of a tailor and lived poor. But if the woman a slave, whom he hired of one [...], and with whom he lodged, were suspected to trade together, he noted that the three blacks were a slave belonging to his son, called Jerry, and were sold by Governor Pyke. He was summoned to the council on that account, when he absolutely denied being [...].

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the father of any of them, and offered to take Oath of the truth

of the same, notwithstanding which Gov.r Byfie fined him, and

then sent him, as a Soldier to Bencoolen.

On the said John Beavers going off this

Island, by Letter of Attorney dated March 7.th 1732, he Left

all the Effects, together with the said three Blacks, & their

Mother, under my Care, and Impowered me solely to Act in

the Management of this Affair.

Soon after the said John Beavers Arrived

at Bencoolen, he died, since date, no Gain Informed, and

died no Disposition in relation to the said Blacks, nor

did he ever Either Verbally, or by any Other Method declare

the said Blacks free, Either while he Lived here, or at Bencoolen

of any, did I ever receive but One Letter from him which was

as I know only a Letter of Compliment.

Neither of the said Blacks were ever

Christened, and as they were bura fa slave upon it, they have

no right to Claim their freedom, & the said John Beavers

is dead without Will, or Any Way Claiming the said Blacks

I am bound by the aforementioned Letter of Attorney, nor can

I anyway Parting with the said Blacks, Unless to a Proper

and Trusty Man, that can demand them, and better be

With me, and give me a sufficient discharge from the said

Trust.

The said John Beavers hath severall

Relations in Cattington and Devonshire, & when I was in

England, I saw an Uncle of his, but whether they are

dead, or living, or how to address to them, I know not, there

is one Barney on board One of the Men of War now in

India, who very well knows the Relations of the said John

Beavers, who may Possibly do those things now Mentioned, and

can give Particular Information relating there to.

I am

Goodwin continued that Bryers had denied being the father of any of them, and had offered to take his oath to it, notwithstanding which Governor Pyke fined him and then sent him as a soldier to Bencoolen.

On Bryers going off the island, by a letter of attorney dated 7 March 1732, he left all his effects, together with the three blacks and their mother, under Goodwin's care, and empowered him solely to act in the management of the affair.

Soon after, Bryers, being bound at Bencoolen, died there intestate, and Goodwin stated he had never received any direction in relation to the said blacks, nor had Bryers ever, either verbally or by any other method, declared them free, either while he lived on the island or at Bencoolen. Of Bryers Goodwin had received but one letter, which was in truth only a letter of compliment.

Neither of the blacks had ever been christened, and if they were free he doubted their right to claim their freedom, the said John Bryers being dead without a will. And as for the mother, Goodwin held that, being empowered by the letter of attorney, he was bound by it not to part with the blacks unless to a proper and sufficient title, and that he could not deliver them, they being left with him and giving him a sufficient discharge from the trust.

Goodwin added that Bryers had several relations in England, and mentioned directions to write to England, where he had an uncle of his, but that whether they were dead or living, or how to direct to them, he did not know. He noted that there was one Barney aboard one of the men-of-war now in India who very well knew the relations of John Bryers, and who might readily give further information relating to the matter.

Interpretations

Goodwin's answer rests the whole of his claim on the letter of attorney of 7 March 1732, the instrument by which the departing Bryers left him charge of the effects and the four slaves. His argument is that he holds them not as their owner but as a trustee bound to keep them until a proper title appears, so that parting with them on the family's bare claim of freedom would breach the trust; the paper that gave him possession becomes his defence against giving them up. The point that the children were never christened and that Bryers died intestate is aimed at the freedom they claimed, Goodwin denying that a bastard's mere descent from a free father, unacknowledged and unprovided for by will, carried any right against the man left in lawful charge of them.

The reference to a witness aboard a man-of-war in India shows how thin the ground of proof was in such a case. The whole question turned on Bryers's intentions and his relations, both beyond the island's reach, the father dead at Bencoolen and his kin unknown in England, so that a chance acquaintance on a King's ship became the only person who might settle what the record itself could not. It is the recurring difficulty of the island's justice in matters of status, where the facts that decided a person's freedom or bondage lay scattered across the oceans the Company traded, recoverable only by the accident of who happened to be in the road.

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I am

S.rs & Sirs,

August 27.th 1745

Your humble Servant

Signed Richard Godwin

Upon reading the above, he was

Ordered to bring in an Account next Tuesday, whigh Change he has

done, & in Bringing there were direction w.d, and any other

Service he hath had in Matters Mr John Beavers deceased Effects,

and the Notice, and Contract to attend Likewise.

Pursuant to an Order in the 16.th

Paragraph of the Honble Company's General Letter to us of the

31 January 1744 we have looked over the Accounts, & Consultations

of last Year in Regard to the Deficiency of Stores Made out

in 1739, and finding them to be just their sixe Books Mr

John Godwin, and Mr Barzet's Esta to Accordingly, and there

the Account will stand thus Viz.t

The Sum Total of Deficiencies in the Bases transmitted

by Honble Company is 1391 10 N.th which is to be

Accounted for in the following Manner Viz.t

Stores said to be Deficient, but were

Issued for the use of the Honble Company

455 2 9.th

Stores said to be deficient, but were sohein

the Honble Company Have, & then S.d

Barzet was deficient, when to the Company

65 13 7

820 18 4.th

John Godwin Esq.r &c for so much deficient

when he had Charge of the Stores

441 17 8.th

John Barzet dec.d for so much Deficient

when he had Charge of the Stores

68 14 3.th

£ 1391 10 N.th

Goodwin closed his answer, subscribing it at St Helena on 27 August 1745.

Upon reading the answer, Goodwin was ordered to bring in his account and next Tuesday to give the council sight of his authority, in bringing three black slaves into service, and any other service he had made. And whereas Mr John Bryers, deceased, died, the notice and letter of attorney to attend likewise.

Pursuant to the 15th paragraph of the Company's general letter to the council of 24 January 1744, the council had looked over the accounts and consultations of last year relating to the deficiency of stores made out in 1739, and, finding them to be just, debited Mr John Goodwin and Mr Bazett's estate accordingly, so that the account stood as follows.

The whole sum of the deficiencies in the stores, transmitted to the Company, was £1,391 10s 11.5d, to be accounted for in the following manner.

Stores said to be deficient, but were issued for the use of the Company, £455 2s 9.5d

Stores said to be deficient, but were received in the Company's warehouse, John Bazett being deficient when he had them delivered to him by Duke Crisp, £65 13s 7d

[Sub-total], £520 18s 11.5d

John Goodwin, for so much deficient when he had charge of the stores, £1,101 17s 8.5d

John Bazett deceased, for so much deficient when he had charge of the stores, £68 14s 3.5d

Total, £1,391 10s 11.5d

Interpretations

This account settles at last a matter the record has carried for years, the deficiency of stores left by the administration of the late Governor John Goodwin, which the great inquiry under Governor Jenkins in 1741 had begun to unravel entry by entry. The Company's direction of 24 January 1744 required the council to fix the loss on the responsible men, and the reckoning here divides more than thirteen hundred pounds between the late Governor's account and the estate of John Bazett, his storekeeper, the two officers who had held the stores when the shortfall arose. Charging a dead man's estate and an insolvent Governor's account was the only recovery open, the men themselves being beyond reach.

The two opening lines show the care the council took to separate a real loss from a bookkeeping one, the lesson the whole deficiency had taught. Stores marked missing but in truth issued for the Company's own use, or received into the warehouse and merely mis-entered, were no genuine shortfall and were set apart from the sum truly wanting, so that the men were charged only with what could not be otherwise accounted for. The reconciliation of the Bazett estate's own share, reduced when Goodwin's and Purling's re-examination found much of the charge to be Godfrey's mistaken entries and Duke Crisp's building work, lies behind the modest sixty-eight pounds fixed on Bazett here against the far heavier sum laid to the late Governor, the board distinguishing to the end between the officer who bore the true default and the one caught up in the errors of the books.

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James Allis, this day Laid

before us the following Petition Viz.t

To the Worshipfull David

Dunbar Esq.r Gov.r &c.o Council

of St Helena

The Humble Petition of James Allis

Son of Elizabeth Allis Widow.

Sheweth,

That the said Elizabeth Allis is very

Sick, and Weak, and therefore desired your Petitioner to Make

application to your Worships in her Name, and Your Petitioner

doth accordingly humble Pray, that the said Elizabeth Allis

may be at Liberty to sell her right to Certain Land, which She

holds by Lease of the Honble Company to Pay her Debts

St Helena.

27 August 1745

Granted.

And Your Petitioner as in Duty

bound shall ever pray

p Signed James Allis

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Burling

James Allis this day laid before the council the following petition.

James Allis, son of Elizabeth Allis, widow, petitioned Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. He set out that his mother Elizabeth Allis was very sick and weak, and had therefore desired him to make application to the council in her name. He accordingly asked that Elizabeth Allis might be at liberty to sell her right to certain land, which she held by lease of the Company, in order to pay her debts. He signed the petition at St Helena on 27 August 1745, and the council granted it.

The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

3 Sept.r 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Mr Dixon absent being lame

John Godwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was read, and Approved

The Account of Mr John Barzet, & Ditto

having been settled on Tuesday last, Mr Burling, one of his Executors

Paid the Balance of it this day amounting to £16 12 2.

Mr Richard Godwin pursuant

to an Order at the last Consultation, brought the following Account

viz.t

John Beavers deceased Dr to Richard Godwin Viz.t

To board Clothes, Physick for Sam from

seven years old to 13 at 3 £ p annum

£ 30 0 0

To board Clothes & Physick for Molly

from 4 Year old to 13 at 3 £ p annum

45 0 0

To board Clothes & Physick for Dick

from two Years old to 13 at 3 £ p annum

50 0 0

To Rhume Repair Doct.r Pickering

from 15 July To 26 Nov.r 1744

7 8 1

£ 132 8 1

St Helena.

the 3 of Sept.r 1745

Signed Richard Godwin

Mr Godwin declares that it is, when it

was his Intention, to give these three Mulatoes their freedom, as they came

to Age.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 September 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth of council and Matthew Purling fifth, Mr Dixon being absent through lameness.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

The account of Mr John Bazett's estate having been settled on the last consultation day, Matthew Purling, one of the executors, paid in the balance due, amounting to £12 1s 2d.

Richard Goodwin, pursuant to the council's order at the previous consultation, brought in the following account.

The estate of John Bryers deceased stood debtor to Richard Goodwin as follows.

To board, clothes and physick for Sam, from seven years old to 13, at £5 a year, £30 0s 0d

To board, clothes and physick for Molly, from 4 years old to 13, at £5 a year, £45 0s 0d

To board, clothes and physick for Dick, from two years old to 13, at £5 a year, £50 0s 0d

To Richard Willoughby Pickering, doctor, from 15 July to 26 November 1744, £7 8s 1d

Total, £132 8s 1d

The account was signed by Richard Goodwin at St Helena on 3 September 1745.

Goodwin then declared that it had always been his intention to give the three mulattoes their freedom when they came of age.

Interpretations

The account is Goodwin's second line of defence in the dispute over the Bryers children, following his written answer of the week before. Having argued that he held them lawfully under the letter of attorney, he now sets against any claim to their freedom the cost of raising them, more than a hundred and thirty pounds charged to their dead father's estate for the board, clothing and medical care of the three from infancy to the age of thirteen at a steady five pounds a year each. The reckoning turns the question from one of status into one of debt, so that whoever claimed the children free would first have to answer for the years of their keeping, the charge standing as a lien on the very persons whose liberty was in issue.

His closing declaration, that he had always meant to free them at their majority, sits oddly beside a defence built on holding them until his charges were met, and shows the pressure the council's inquiry had put him under. To profess an intention of eventual freedom was to soften the appearance of the claim without surrendering the possession, an assurance about the future that cost nothing while the account he had just laid before the board asserted a present hold on them for the money spent. The board is left, as so often in these matters of status, weighing a keeper's charges and professions against a family's bare assertion of a right that neither side could fully prove.

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It being customary for Young Children, that

are Left destitute, although they are born of White Parents, to be

bound Apprentices until they are of Age to such persons, as will

Maintain, and Cloth them, &c for this Reason, and in Consideration

of the Expence that Mr Godwin has been put to in supporting

these Mulatoes, we are of Opinion, that they shall Contribute to

serve him without Wages, until they severally Attain the age

of Twenty one Years, when they Ought to be free, and at Liberty

To prevent any Mistakes from being

Made hereafter in their respective Ages, It is now Agreed that

Sam is nineteen Years, and an half, Molly eighteen Years, and

an Half, and Dick seventeen Years, and an Half.

Ordered that an Advertisement

be published for All Persons to bring an Account of their

families &c.o on, or before the 8 Instant.

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

John Godwin

Burling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 10.th

Sep.r 1745 at the Castle

Present

The council held that, since young children whose parents had left them destitute, though they were born of white parents, were customarily bound apprentice until they came of age to persons who would maintain and clothe them, and in consideration of the expense Goodwin had been put to in supporting the three mulattoes, they should serve him without wages until they severally reached the age of twenty-one, when they would be free and at liberty.

To prevent any mistake hereafter about their respective ages, it was agreed that Sam was fifteen years and a half, Molly eighteen years and a half, and Dick seventeen years and a half.

The council ordered that an advertisement be published requiring all persons to bring in an account of their families on or before the 10th of the present month.

The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 September 1745 at the castle, business continued as follows.

Interpretations

The council's resolution turns the whole dispute into a settlement by analogy, treating the three not as slaves held under the letter of attorney but as destitute children to be bound in service, the footing on which the island placed orphans of white parentage. The comparison is drawn out plainly in the wording, the board reaching for the familiar rule that a destitute child was apprenticed to whoever would keep it and applying that rule here, so that Goodwin recovered the value of his years of maintenance through their unpaid labour rather than through any title to their persons. The outcome gives each side something: the children a fixed and certain freedom at twenty-one, Goodwin the service that answered his charges, and the parish no burden, the destitute being provided for without cost to the Company.

The careful fixing of the three ages to the half-year is the practical heart of the order, since everything now turned on when each would come free. With no register of a slave's birth to consult, the board set down its own determination of their ages so that the date of each one's liberty could not afterwards be disputed, the very precaution the record shows it taking wherever a person's status hung on a reckoning that no document could supply. What began as a claim of freedom and a counterclaim of ownership is resolved into a dated term of years, the island's usual way of settling a question its law could not answer outright, binding the children to service now against a liberty made certain by the clock.

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Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Mr Dixon absent, being lame

John Godwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was read, and Approved

The Husband, Gunner, & Steward Laid before

us their Severall Account for the Month of August, which were Examined,

& Approved, and was follows, Viz.t

Gunners Stores Expended in August 1745 Viz.t

Guns Fired, The Number Fired, 6 lb, 2 lb, Powder Expended, Powder Remaining

4 Departed the Maidstone Cap.t Rogers & the Exeter Cap.t Blake: Guns Fired 21, The Number Fired 0, 6 lb 6, 2 lb 13, Powder Expended 12, Powder Remaining 42

11 Departed the Queen Caroline Cap.t Steaven: Guns Fired 9, The Number Fired 0, 6 lb 0, 2 lb 9, Powder Expended 9, Powder Remaining 9

Powder delivered to Mr Dixon: Powder Remaining 2

Powder delivered to the great Wood by the Gov.rs Order: Powder Remaining 1

Powder delivered to Elij.s Cross by the Gov.r Order: Powder Remaining 1

Powder Expended for Priming: Powder Remaining 6

Powder Expended for Priming at Wapak and: Powder Remaining 17

Sundries in June & July for Both Last Accounts: Powder Remaining 6.th

Round Shott Expended at Sandy Bay New fort: The Number Fired 1

Total: Guns Fired 30, The Number Fired 1, 6 lb 6, 2 lb 21, Powder Expended 8, Powder Remaining 12.th

Fired Ball to the great Wood by the Gov.r Order 6.th

Sent d.o Expended at Sandy Bay New fort 13

Bapak Expended 21

Watch Examined 14

Signed John French

At the consultation of 10 September 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth of council and Matthew Purling fifth, Mr Dixon being absent through lameness.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

The husband, gunner and steward laid before the council their several accounts for the month of August, which were examined and approved, and ran as follows.

The gunner's account of stores expended in August 1745 stood as follows. The columns run guns fired, then the classes of gun discharged as nine pounders, six pounders and two pounders, followed by the powder.

4th, departed the Maidstone, Captain Rogers, and the Exeter, Captain Mabbe: guns fired 21, six pounders 6, two pounders 15, powder 12 lb

11th, departed the Queen Caroline, Captain Mason: guns fired 9, two pounders 9, powder 9 lb

Powder delivered to Mr Dixon, powder 2 lb

Powder delivered for the great wood by the Governor's order, powder 1 lb

Powder delivered to Eliza Coles by the Governor's order, powder 1 lb

Powder expended for signals, powder 6 lb

Powder expended for priming at Rupert's and [...], powder 17 lb

Sundries in June and July for both last accounts, powder 0.5 lb

Round shot expended at Sandy Bay, Newfont, shot 1

Total: guns fired 30, nine pounders 1, six pounders 6, two pounders 24, powder 81.5 lb

The remaining stores expended in the month ran as follows.

Sling ball to the great wood by the Governor's order, 1

Lead expended at Sandy Bay, Newfont, 1

Paper expended, 2 quires

Match expended, 14

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

August was a quiet month at the guns beside the crowded July before it, the powder spent almost wholly on the departure salutes of the last ships to clear the road. The twenty-one guns to the Maidstone and Exeter, the King's ships sailing home under wartime convoy, and the nine to the store ship Queen Caroline are the whole of the ceremonial firing, the great homeward fleet long gone and the anchorage emptying as the season closed. Against the noise of July, when nearly two hundred guns answered the arriving vessels, thirty rounds mark the falling away of the shipping into the empty months ahead.

The small deliveries of powder tell of its everyday uses beyond salute and alarm. A pound issued for the great wood and a sling ball with it were for driving off the birds or beasts that preyed on the timber the island so carefully preserved, and the pound given to Eliza Coles by the Governor's own order shows powder passing to an inhabitant for some domestic want, a scarce store doled out by name and entered like every other charge. The salutes themselves keep to the settled economy, built from the lighter pieces to spare the magazine, a single six pounder heading the twenty-one guns with the two pounders below it, the heavier metal held back for service while ceremony drew on the smallest natures the store could afford.

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Account of the Honble Company's Stock of Neat &c.o for the Month of August 1745 Viz.t

Bullocks, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ews, Wethers, Lambs, Weens, Total, Cows, Wethers, Kids, Weens, Total, Sows, Wenners, Steers, Piggs, Boors, Total, Turkeys, Ducks, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Hens, Total

Remaining the 7 August: Bullocks 9, Cows 44, Heifers 7, Steers 3, Yearlings 110, Calves 104, Bulls 4, Total 331, Ews 76, Wethers 36, Lambs 131, Weens 4, Total 247, Cows 110, Wethers 10, Kids 219, Weens 1, Total 340, Sows 22, Wenners 0, Steers 95, Piggs 27, Boors 2, Total 146, Turkeys 58, Ducks 41, Chickens 140, Ducks 29, Geese 11, Horses 7, Hens 12, Total 19

Encreased: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Weens 0, Total 0, Cows 0, Wethers 10, Kids 0, Weens 0, Total 10, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Steers 0, Piggs 0, Boors 0, Total 0, Turkeys 0, Ducks 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Hens 0, Total 0

Killed: Bullocks 9, Cows 101, Heifers 0, Steers 3, Yearlings 110, Calves 104, Bulls 4, Total 331, Ews 76, Wethers 36, Lambs 131, Weens 4, Total 247, Cows 110, Wethers 10, Kids 229, Weens 1, Total 330, Sows 22, Wenners 0, Steers 95, Piggs 29, Boors 2, Total 146, Turkeys 58, Ducks 41, Chickens 140, Ducks 27, Geese 11, Horses 7, Hens 12, Total 19

Died: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 6, Lambs 0, Weens 0, Total 6, Cows 0, Wethers 3, Kids 0, Weens 0, Total 3, Sows 0, Wenners 0, Steers 1, Piggs 0, Boors 0, Total 1, Turkeys 0, Ducks 0, Chickens 21, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Hens 0, Total 0

Stole: Bullocks 0, Cows 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Total 0, Ews 0, Wethers 0, Lambs 0, Weens 0, Total 0, Cows 0, Wethers 0, Kids 0, Weens 0, Total 0, Sows 0, Wenners 3, Steers 3, Piggs 0, Boors 0, Total 8, Turkeys 0, Ducks 0, Chickens 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Hens 0, Total 1

Bullocks 9, Cows 101, Heifers 0, Steers 3, Yearlings 110, Calves 104, Bulls 4, Total 331, Ews 76, Wethers 30, Lambs 131, Weens 4, Total 241, Cows 110, Wethers 7, Kids 224, Weens 1, Total 347, Sows 22, Wenners 0, Steers 88, Piggs 23, Boors 2, Total 135, Turkeys 57, Ducks 41, Chickens 116, Ducks 26, Geese 11, Horses 7, Hens 11, Total 18

6 Goates Given to the Sick Blacks

Yams Expended 40000

Sold to the Officers 400

Sold to the soldiers 3140

Excepted Dixon Husband

The husband's account of the Company's stock for August 1745 stood as follows. The neat cattle divide into bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls to a total; the sheep into ewes, wethers, lambs and rams; the goats into ewes, wethers, kids and rams; the hogs into sows, wethers, pigs and boars; then the poultry as turkeys, fowls, chickens, ducks and geese, followed by the horses as horses and mares.

Remaining 7 August: neat cattle bullocks 9, cows 94, heifers 7, steers 3, yearlings 110, calves 104, bulls 1, total 331; sheep ewes 76, wethers 36, lambs 131, rams 4, total 247; goats ewes 110, wethers 10, kids 219, rams 1, total 340; hogs sows 22, wethers 0, pigs 95, boars 7, [pigs] 2, total 145; poultry turkeys 58, fowls 113, chickens 40, ducks 29, geese 11; horses 7, mares 12, total 19

Increased: goats kids 10, total 10; hogs pigs 10, total 10

Total: neat cattle bullocks 9, cows 101, heifers 0, steers 3, yearlings 110, calves 104, bulls 1, total 331; sheep ewes 76, wethers 36, lambs 131, rams 4, total 247; goats ewes 110, wethers 10, kids 229, rams 1, total 330; hogs sows 22, wethers 0, pigs 95, boars 7, [pigs] 2, total 145; poultry turkeys 58, fowls 113, chickens 40, ducks 27, geese 11; horses 7, mares 12, total 19

Killed: sheep lambs 6, total 6; goats kids 6, total 6; hogs pigs 1, total 1

Died: goats wethers 3, total 3; hogs pigs 3, boars 3, total 8; poultry chickens 24

Stole: hogs sows 1, pigs 1, total 2; poultry chickens 1; horses 1

Remaining: neat cattle bullocks 9, cows 101, heifers 0, steers 3, yearlings 110, calves 104, bulls 1, total 331; sheep ewes 76, wethers 30, lambs 131, rams 4, total 241; goats ewes 110, wethers 7, kids 224, rams 1, total 347; hogs sows 22, wethers 0, pigs 88, boars 23, [pigs] 2, total 135; poultry turkeys 57, fowls 113, chickens 16, ducks 26, geese 11; horses 7, mares 11, total 18

Six goats were given to the sick blacks. Yams expended, 40,000 lb; sold to the officers, 400 lb; sold to the soldiers, 3,140 lb. The account was subscribed, errors excepted, by Christopher Dixon, husband.

Interpretations

The heading row of this account was legible but the figures are close-packed and several are damaged or ambiguous, so the class identities have been carried down from the July return of the same series, and the internal columns of several entries do not sum cleanly to the totals as written on the page. The figures have been set down as they stand and the arithmetic left unreconciled.

Read against the run of monthly returns, the account shows the herd at rest through the first empty month after the season. The neat cattle hold exactly steady at 331 with not a beast killed, the pressure of the fleet gone entirely, where May had lost forty-two head at once to victual eleven ships; the total, opening and closing at the same figure, marks a settlement no longer feeding the shipping and drawing only lightly on its own stock. The sheep slip a little from 247 to 241 on six lambs killed for the table, and the goats and hogs move only by ordinary breeding and loss, the fresh Cape blood taken in through the June exchange carried on unspent, the flocks and sty left to recover through the quiet months.

The yams tell the same story as July, the figure again standing at 40,000 lb where the spring had run at 25,000. With the ships gone the Company still feeds its own establishment and garrison from its own plantations rather than the planters' market, the quarrel of June and July over beef and yams having hardened into a settled reliance on the Company's own ground; the sales of 400 lb to the officers and 3,140 lb to the soldiers repeat the July figures to the pound, the men buying their bread from the Company as Governor Dunbar had arranged when he enlarged the plantations to free the garrison from the planters who withheld their crop.

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125

Sundrys Expended at the General Table in the Month

of August Viz.t

54 Bottles Port Wine

3 15 10.th

56 Ditto Lisbon d.o

3 18 7

5 Ditto Constantia D.o

0 0 0

6 Ditto Red Cape

0 8 3

20.th Gall.s Gin Bord

0 0 0

16 Gall.s of Vittoria d.o

1 1 9.th

35 Candy

0 10 11.th

19.th Sugar

0 4 0.th

1 Currants

14 Raisins

1 8

29.d Flower

1 9 8

176 Loaves

0 0 0

47.th Butter

2 9 9

30 Fowls

1 10 0

5 Ducks

0 9 6

6 Sheep

6 0 0

1 Hogg

0 10 0

58 Bottles Strong Beer

25 D.o small Ditto

3 2 3

12 Piece of 156.th Beef

1 15 4

2 Hamsers

0 0 0

5 Bottles Cyder

0 0 0

30 3 6

The Gov.r having acquainted us, that he had received

an acc.t from England, that Blankets would be Sent from thence

for the Soldiers, who are now much in want of Covering, we

agreed to furnish them from those which are in the Stores, and

to replace them when the others came.

We this day Examined the Cash Account for the

Month Past which is as follows Viz.t

Cash

The account of sundries expended at the general table in the month of August stood as follows.

54 bottles port wine, £3 15s 10.5d

56 bottles Lisbon, £3 18s 7d

5 bottles Constantia, £0 0s 0d

6 bottles old Cape, £0 8s 3d

20.5 gallons Goa arrack, £0 0s 0d

16 gallons Batavia arrack, £4 1s 9.5d

35 lb candy, £0 10s 11.5d

19 lb sugar, £0 4s 0.5d

1 lb currants, £0 0s 0d

7 lb raisins, £0 1s 8d

29 lb rice, £1 9s 8d

176 loaves, £0 0s 0d

47.5 [...] butter, £2 7s 9d

30 fowls, £1 10s 0d

5 ducks, £0 7s 6d

6 sheep, £6 0s 0d

1 hog, £0 0s 10d

58 bottles strong beer, £3 2s 3d

25 bottles small beer, [...]

12 pieces of salt beef, £1 15s 4d

2 hams, £0 0s 0d

5 bottles cider, £0 0s 0d

Total, £30 3s 6d

The Governor having acquainted the council that he had received an account from England that blankets would be sent from there for the soldiers, who were now much in want of covering, it was agreed to furnish them from those which were in the stores, and to replace them when the others came.

The council this day examined the cash account for the month past, which ran as follows, beginning with the debtor side.

Interpretations

The sundries account records the diet of the general table for the first quiet month after the season, and set against July it shows the fall of the shipping. Where July had run to ninety-two bottles of port besides Lisbon, Cape, Rhenish, hock and Constantia, August carries barely half the port and a plainer cellar, the crowd of visiting commanders and passengers gone with the fleet and the table shrunk to the establishment it ordinarily fed. The six sheep, at a pound apiece the heaviest single charge, and the fowls and ducks are the fresh provisions the stock account of the same month carried as killed for the table, entered here at their sterling value so the whole cost of the Company's board could be gathered and audited in one place.

The Governor's arrangement over the blankets shows the working of an isolated store against a distant supply. Word had come that blankets were on their way from England for a garrison in real want of covering, and rather than leave the men cold while the shipment crossed the ocean the council issued blankets already in the warehouse, to be made good when the consignment arrived. It is the ordinary expedient of a settlement months from its source, spending a present store against a promised one and squaring the account when the ships came in, the same shift by which it had lent blankets, provisions and coin through the year on the security of what the Company had said it would send.

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126

1745 Dr Cash £ s d

August 1 To Balance remaining

3085 8 5

To Cash rec.d of Cap.t Benjamin Munen for so much borrowed by

him of the Honble Company at Respondentia on the Ship

Queen Caroline for which a Certificate, was given to him

accordingly Viz.t

1739 Pagodas at 9 Shill. each£ 782 11 0

30 Venetians 10 15 0 0

11 Gullers 6 3 6 0

161 Double Ryals 1 6 10 5 0

100 Ryals 7.th 21 17 6

221.th Half Ryals 3.th 34 11 3

201 Wittices 2 6 22 19 0

2 Dollars 6 0 10 0

2 Ducatoons 6 0 12 0

14 Dutch Ryals 4 6 1 2 0

102 Denslickens 6 0 19 0

12 Steevens 1 3 6

63 Fanams 3 13 9

5 Cash Notes at 20 each 3 0 0

2 Cash Notes 5 0 10 0

900 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Cap.t Munen of the Queen Caroline for Customs on

Goods Sold by him

17 9 8.th

To Cash rec.d the Balance of the Ship Queen Caroline's Accounts

14 2 10

£ 3957 0 11.th

The debtor side of the cash account for August 1745 stood as follows.

August 1, to balance remaining, £3,085 8s 5d

To cash received of Captain Benjamin Mason, for so much borrowed by him of the Company at respondentia on the ship Queen Caroline, for which a certificate was given to him accordingly:

1,739 pagodas at 9s each, £782 11s 0d

30 venetians at 10s, £15 0s 0d

11 gubbers at 6s, £3 6s 0d

16 double ryals at 8d, £0 10s 8d

700 ryals at 7.5d, £21 17s 6d

221.5 half ryals at 3.75d, £34 11s 3d

201 French pieces at 2d, £22 19s 0d

2 dollars at 6s, £0 10s 0d

2 ducatoons at 7s, £0 14s 0d

11 Dutch pieces at 8.5d, £1 2s 0d

102 [...] at 8d, £0 19s 0d

12 stivers, £0 3s 6d

63 [...], £0 13s 9d

5 cash notes at 20s each, £3 0s 0d

2 cash notes at 6s, £0 10s 0d

£900 0s 0d

To cash received of Captain Mason of the Queen Caroline for customs on goods sold by him, £17 9s 8.5d

To cash received, the balance of the ship Queen Caroline's account, £14 2s 10d

Total, £3,957 0s 11.5d

Interpretations

The great receipt of the month is the money paid in by Captain Mason of the store ship, and the detail names its character. It was borrowed of the Company at respondentia, a loan made on the security of a ship or her cargo at a high rate of interest, repayable only if the voyage came safe home, so that the lender bore the risk of the sea in return for his premium; the nine hundred pounds Mason took up was advanced to him against his ship, and a certificate given for it, the Company here acting as banker to a commander who needed funds for his venture and taking the hazard of the passage upon its own account.

The coin counted out for the loan is once again drawn from the whole trading world, and its range is wider here than usual. Indian pagodas make up the bulk, but among the silver stand Venetian sequins, Dutch ducatoons and Dutch pieces, Spanish dollars and their small divisions down to French pieces of twopence, and even a parcel of stivers, the small coin of the Netherlands. St Helena held no money of its own and its treasury was a reservoir of every currency the ships carried, so a single sum of nine hundred pounds gathered the gold and silver of half a dozen nations, reckoned into sterling for the Company's books while the certificate carried the debt home and the coin stayed to serve the island.

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127

1745 Per Contra C.r £ s d

By Balance of Cash remaining 31 August in the following Species Viz.t

1 Piece of Gold at 13 lb at £3 18s 2d£ 46 1 8.th

4 Pieces of Ditto 3 9 12 3 18 13 11 3.th

3519 Pagodas 9 pcs 183 11

69 Venetians 10 29 10

12 Gullers 6 3 12

Gold amounting to£ 1676 3 9

6655 Dollars at 3 s£ 1663 15 0

80 French Crowns 6 20 0 0

8 Ducatoons 6 6 2 8

174 Half Dollars 2 6 21 15

270 Double Ryals 1 5 16 17 6

94 Ryals 7.th 28 11 3

2381 Half Ryals 3.th 40 6 6.th

278 Rupees 2 3 31 6 6

14 Dutch Shillings 6 1 2

102 Denslickers 2 17

12 Steevens 1 3 6

63 Fanams 3 15 9

141 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

Odd Money 1 7.th

Silver amounting to£ 1831 15 2.th

116 Cash Notes at 40 ea£ 232 0 0

145 Ditto 20 145 0 0

208 Ditto 5 52 0 0

100 Ditto 2/6 20 0 0

Cash Notes amounting to£ 449

3957 0 11.th

The paragraph relating to the Soldiers Blankets is not entered

in the Duplicate & Copys, in the same place as here & Cal.o as in the

Consultation of Mr Dixon's hand Writing

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

The creditor side of the cash account for August 1745 closed with the balance of cash remaining in the treasury on 31 August, counted coin by coin, as follows.

By balance of cash remaining 31 August in the following species:

Gold:

1 piece of gold weight 13 dwt at £3 18s 2d per [...], £16 1s 8.5d

1 piece of gold weight 3 dwt 12 at £18, £13 11s 7.5d

3,519 pagodas at 9s, £1,583 11s 0d

59 venetians at 10s, £29 10s 0d

12 gubbers at 6s, £3 12s 0d

Gold amounting to, £1,676 5s 9d

Silver:

6,655 dollars at 5s, £1,663 15s 0d

80 French crowns at 6s, £20 0s 0d

8 ducatoons at 6s, £2 8s 0d

174 half dollars at 2s 6d, £21 10s 0d

270 double ryals at 1s 3d, £16 17s 6d

914 ryals at 7.5d, £28 11s 3d

2,581 half ryals at 3.75d, £40 6s 6.5d

278 [...] at 2s 3d, £31 6s 6d

11 Dutch shillings at 6s, £1 2s 0d

100 double ryals at 2s, £0 17s 0d

12 stivers, £0 3s 6d

63 fanams, £0 15s 9d

441 French pieces at 2d, £3 13s 6d

odd money, £0 0s 7.5d

Silver amounting to, £1,831 16s 2.5d

Cash notes:

116 cash notes at 20s, £116 0s 0d

145 cash notes at 20s, £145 0s 0d

208 cash notes at 5s, £52 0s 0d

180 cash notes at 2s 6d, £22 10s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £449 0s 0d

Total, £3,957 0s 11.5d

A note recorded that the paragraph relating to the soldiers' blankets was not entered in the duplicate and copy, the same place as here, and was of Mr Dixon's handwriting. The whole account was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

This is the physical count of the treasury at the close of August, the coin and paper told over piece by piece so that the balance the books carried could be proved against the actual contents of the chest, the same careful reckoning the deficiency of the late Governor's time had taught the council never to omit. Dividing the whole into gold, silver and cash notes, and weighing the two odd pieces of gold by the pennyweight rather than taking them by tale, gives the exact form of the money, near four thousand pounds standing ready at the month's end after the season's takings and the great respondentia loan had come in.

The composition confirms what every count in this run shows, a treasury filled with foreign specie and scarcely an English coin among it. The gold is almost wholly Indian pagodas, more than three thousand five hundred of them; the silver runs to over six thousand Spanish dollars with French crowns, Dutch ducatoons and shillings, and a long tail of small Spanish-American ryals and half ryals down to French pieces and Dutch stivers, and a parcel of Indian fanams beside them. The Company's own cash notes are the only paper in the chest. The clerk's note that the blanket paragraph stood in Dixon's hand and had not been copied into the duplicate marks the ordinary discipline of keeping the record true, an entry made in one copy and not the others being flagged so that the several versions of the consultation could not silently diverge, the same vigilance against a false or careless book that governed the counting of the coin itself.

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128

At a Consultation held the 24.th Day of

September 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Gov.r

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Mr Dixon Absent

being Lame

John Godwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was Read & Approved

The Widow of Mr Joshua Johnson deceased

Petitioned for Leave to dispose of a Parcell of Leased Land

belonging to the said Johnson in Sandy Bay

Granted.

Complaint having been made to the Gov.r

on Fryday Last, the 20.th Instant, by Mr Leech the

Marshall of this Island, that Mr James Greentree

had on that day in a private Manner, or without

any Publick Notice, or thereat, held an Auction, And

Acted as Marshall without any Authority in Prejudice

to him the Lawfull Marshall of the Island, and did

then, & there sell up at Outcry, One House belonging to

Mr Bates, to Sale. And when the same was bid for, he

the said Greentree bid upon the Last Bidder, & so bought

the House himself.

The Marshall further Complained, that when

a few People had mett by Mr Greentree's Invitation

to the said Auction, He being Conscious, that some Enough

to Act, as Marshall, did offer to make Corporal Buster

or any of the People present, Marshall to cry out the said

House, for which he would give them a Draught of Punch

Which

At a consultation held on 24 September 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth of council and Matthew Purling fifth, Mr Dixon being absent through lameness.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

The executors of Mr Joshua Johnson deceased petitioned for leave to dispose of a parcel of leasehold land belonging to Johnson in Sandy Bay, and the council granted it.

Complaint had been made to the Governor on Friday 20 September by Mr Leech, the marshal of the island, that James Greentree had on that day, in a private manner and without any public notice, held an auction and acted as marshal without any authority, to the prejudice of the lawful marshal of the island. Greentree had there set up at outcry a house belonging to Mr Bates, and when the house was bid for, Greentree himself bid upon the last bidder and bought the house for himself.

The marshal further complained that, a few people having met by Greentree's invitation at the auction, Greentree, being conscious that some among them might offer to make Corporal Buster, or any of the people present, marshal to call out the said house, offered them a draught of punch.

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129

Which Bush, & Others refused to do for less than the allowed fees to

the Marshall for such Service, & thereupon, he the said Greentree

took upon him to Act, & did Act as aforesaid.

Mr Ebenezer Leech, the Last Bidder, at the said Auction

for the said House, complained of the said Greentree's bidding

over him, which is Unprecedented, and Unlawfull, as he was then

Seller, & Auctioneer, neither of which ought to bid in such Cases.

Upon the said Complaint, the Gov.r Sent for the said

Greentree, & asked him, how he came to Act in the manner above

complained of, which he pretended to Justify, in an impudent

Manner, & said, he was Attorney for Mr Bates, who owed him

Money, & insisted, that he had Power to Act as he did. Whereupon

the Gov.r Ordered him to Attend the Consultation of this day,

Which he Accordingly did, & Seeming very Sensible of his

Error, We agreed for this time to Overlook his Offence.

In Obedience to an Order in the 11 Paragraph

of the Honble Company's Generall Letter p Queen Caroline,

We sent for Mr Wrangham, who Acquainted us that the

Slave Sent him from Bencoolen, in Exchange for his, was

sent him from the Hospitall, having rec.d a Hurt from a

Buffalo. Sometime after he was delivered to him, he sold

him but the Fellow Proving so ill, the Person, whom he sold him

to, returned him upon his hands, & he then gave him up to the

Company in whose Service he died.

Having Enquired of Mr Beale, & Others, what they

thought that Slave man, named Nero, formerly belonging

to Mr Wrangham was worth, they are of Opinion, he would

have sold for more than £30. had he been put up to Auction,

We therefore Agreed to pay him £30 for him, & to return

him 360 Deales of the same Sort with those, which were used

The complaint continued that Buster and the others refused to act for less than the fee allowed to the marshal for such service, whereupon Greentree took it upon himself to act as marshal, and did so as already set out.

Mr Ebenezer Leech, the last bidder at the auction for the house, complained of Greentree's bidding over him, which was without precedent and unlawful, as Greentree was the seller and the auctioneer, neither of whom ought to bid in such a case.

On the complaint, the Governor sent for Greentree and asked how he came to act in the manner complained of, which he pretended to justify in an impudent manner, saying he was attorney for Mr Bates, who owed him money, and insisting that he had power to act as he did. The Governor thereupon ordered him to attend the consultation this day, which he accordingly did, and, seeming very sensible of his error, the council agreed for this time to overlook his offence.

In obedience to an order in the 11th paragraph of the Company's general letter by the Queen Caroline, the council sent for Mr Wrangham, who acquainted it that the slave sent him from Bencoolen, in exchange for the one sent him from the hospital, had received a hurt from a buffalo. Some time after the man was delivered to him, Wrangham sold him, but the fellow proving so ill, the person to whom he sold him returned him upon his hands, and Wrangham then gave him up to the Company, in whose service he died.

Having enquired of Mr Beale and others what they thought the slave man named Nero, formerly belonging to Mr Wrangham, was worth, and they being of opinion he would have sold for more than £30 had he been put up to auction, the council agreed to pay Wrangham £30 for him, and to return him 360 deals of the same sort as those which were used.

Interpretations

The Greentree affair turns on the marshal's exclusive right to conduct a public sale, an office that carried a settled fee and could not lawfully be usurped. By holding his own outcry without notice and acting as marshal himself, Greentree cut across a monopoly the island's order reserved to its officer, and the deeper impropriety, pressed by the last bidder, was that a seller and auctioneer bidding on his own goods could drive the price up against a genuine buyer, the very abuse the separation of those roles existed to prevent. The offer of punch to keep the bystanders from taking on the marshal's part shows him buying his way round the office rather than paying its fee, the whole a small fraud on both the marshal's living and the buyer's fair chance, forgiven only on his submission.

The Nero matter closes a claim the record has carried since 1741, when Wrangham first sought recompense for a valuable fishing slave the Company had failed to return to him. The reckoning here follows the island's usual method of valuing a slave by asking experienced inhabitants what he would have fetched at open sale, so that a price could be fixed where no sale had taken place, and settles the debt partly in money and partly in deals, the timber Wrangham had earlier lent the Company and never been paid for. A man's worth, a debt in kind and a long-standing grievance are gathered into a single settlement, the board closing an account four years open by valuing the dead slave against the goods it owed.

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130

on the Company's Account.

Ordered, that an Advertizement be Published to

give Notice to the Severall Inhabitants of this Island to

Attend on Tuesday, the 8.th of October next in Order to

discharge the Rents due to the Honble Company for the

Year past.

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

At a Consultation held the 1.st Oct.r 1745 at the

Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Mr Dixon absent

being Lame

John Goodwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Councill

The Last Consultation was read, & Approved

Mr John Goodwin this day Petitioned for Leave

to dispose of 46 Acres of Leased Land to Mr Richard

Burling

Granted

Mr Richard Beales this day Petitioned for Leave

The council concluded that the deals were to be returned on the Company's account.

It then ordered that an advertisement be published giving notice to the several inhabitants of the island to attend on Tuesday 8 October next, in order to discharge the rents due to the Company for the year past. The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on 1 October 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth of council and Matthew Purling fifth, Mr Dixon being absent through lameness.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Mr John Goodwin this day petitioned for leave to dispose of 46 acres of leasehold land to Mr Richard Gurling, and the council granted it.

Mr Richard Beale this day petitioned for leave.

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131

Dispose of Twelve Acres of Leased Land in Sandy Bay to Mrs

Wrangham Senior.

Granted

Leiutenant Barton, who was formerly Employed

as an Overseer by Governour Lambert to Look after, and

keep the Account of hired Negroes, Employed in Burning

Lime, We have dismissed, there being no Occasion for such

an Officer, as there are now no Blacks hired.

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

At a Consultation held the 8.th Oct.r 1745 at the

Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Mr Dixon absent being Lame

John Goodwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

The Last Consultation was read & Approved

Pursuant to an Order of Consultation of the

24.th Sept.r Last, The Planters this day Assembled & paid

their Rents for the Year past which Amount to £336 14 3.th

The Rent Roll is as follows, viz.t

Names

Richard Beale petitioned for leave to dispose of twelve acres of leasehold land in Sandy Bay to Mr Wrangham senior, and the council granted it.

The council then noted that Lieutenant Barton, who had formerly been employed as an overseer by Governor Lambert to look after and keep the account of the hired blacks employed in burning lime, had been dismissed, there being no occasion for such an officer now that no blacks were hired. The entry was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on 8 October 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth of council and Matthew Purling fifth, Mr Dixon being absent through lameness.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Pursuant to the order of consultation of 24 September, the planters this day assembled and paid their rents for the year past, which amounted to £336 14s 3.5d. The rent roll ran as follows.

Interpretations

Barton's dismissal follows directly from the change of labour policy Governor Dunbar had pursued since his arrival. His predecessors had hired the planters' slaves for the fortification and limekiln work, crediting the hire against the owners' debts, and an overseer was needed to keep the account of the hired men; Dunbar had dismissed the planters' blacks and put the Company's own people to the work, so the office that existed only to reckon the hired labour fell away with the practice it served. The saving of the officer's pay was of a piece with his wider drive to cut the establishment's charges, of which the suspension of the useless writer earlier in the year had been part.

The annual paying of rents was the day the council gathered in the Company's return on the land it had let across the island, and the sum of some three hundred and thirty-six pounds is the yield of the whole body of leaseholds the record shows granted and renewed through the year. The rent was the ground on which much of the island's economy rested, and the inhabitants' own answer in the beef dispute of May had turned on it, their plea that lowering the price of beef would leave them unable to pay these very rents, raised as they said chiefly from the sale of their cattle. The roll here is the reckoning of that obligation met, the planters attending on the appointed day to discharge the yearly charge on which they held their land.

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132

Names, Ground rent, Free Land, Leave Land, £, s, d

Mary Alexander: Ground rent 0, Free Land 47, Leave Land 27, £ 5, s 14, d 6

John Alexander: Ground rent 0, Free Land 12.th, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 12, d 3

Samuell Alexander: Ground rent 0, Free Land 19, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 19, d 0

John Alexander's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 15.th, Leave Land 35.th, £ 5, s 4, d 10.th

Edwin Alcock: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 2.th, £ 1, s 2, d 6

Tho.s Allis Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 8, Leave Land 30, £ 3, s 18, d 0

John Aldrick: Ground rent 2/6, Free Land 0, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 2, d 6

Richard Beale: Ground rent 0, Free Land 41, Leave Land 12, £ 3, s 11, d 0

Richard Bagley: Ground rent 0, Free Land 25, Leave Land 12, £ 2, s 15, d 0

John Bagley: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 36, £ 4, s 10, d 0

Grace Bates to 29 Sept.r p.r Land where she liv.d up: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 14, £ 0, s 11, d 8

Orlando Bagley: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 25, £ 3, s 2, d 6

John Bazett's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 109, Leave Land 43, £ 10, s 16, d 6

Elizabeth Bazett: Ground rent 0, Free Land 16, Leave Land 14.th, £ 0, s 19, d 1.th

William Burnham: Ground rent 0, Free Land 20, Leave Land 14, £ 2, s 15, d 0

Edward Bagley: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 2, £ 0, s 5, d 0

Thomas Cotgrove: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 36.th, £ 4, s 10, d 7.th

Thomas Clue: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 11, £ 1, s 7, d 6

Samuel Doveton: Ground rent 24/, Free Land 130.th, Leave Land 37, £ 12, s 16, d 3

Joseph Duffountain: Ground rent 0, Free Land 30, Leave Land 10.th, £ 2, s 16, d 10.th

John Duffountain: Ground rent 0, Free Land 93.th, Leave Land 39.th, £ 9, s 12, d 7.th

Jonathan Doveton's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 164.th, Leave Land 17.th, £ 10, s 8, d 0

John Draper: Ground rent 0, Free Land 5, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 5, d 0

Baron Deliffe: Ground rent 0, Free Land 5, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 5, d 0

Thomas Easthope: Ground rent 0, Free Land 5, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 5, d 0

Francis Sunge 3 £ d p 156.th p.o and 4.th p.o 2 £ 4/6: Ground rent 0, Free Land 14, Leave Land 41.th, £ 5, s 17, d 9

John French: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 35.th, £ 4, s 7, d 4.th

John Goodwin 3 £ 11 p.o annum: Ground rent 0, Free Land 30, Leave Land 57, £ 8, s 12, d 6

Richard Goodwin: Ground rent 0, Free Land 124, Leave Land 55, £ 12, s 15, d 6

Ground rent 21/, Free Land 130.th, Leave Land 55, £ 14, s 8, d 9

Free Land 1043.th, Leave Land 630.th, £ 135, s 3, d 2

The rent roll of the planters, taken on 8 October 1745, ran as follows. The columns give the tenant's name, then the ground rent, then the acres of freehold land, then the acres of leasehold land, then the rent in pounds, shillings and pence.

Mary Alexander, ground rent 0, freehold 47, leasehold 27, £5 14s 6d

John Alexander, ground rent 0, freehold 12.5, leasehold 0, £0 12s 3d

Samuel Alexander, ground rent 0, freehold 19, leasehold 0, £0 19s 0d

John Alexander's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 15.5, leasehold 35.75, £5 4s 10.5d

Edwin Alcock, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 2.25, £1 2s 6d

Thomas Allis's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 3, leasehold 30, £3 18s 0d

John Aldrick, ground rent 2s 6d, freehold 0, leasehold 0, £0 2s 6d

Richard Beale, ground rent 0, freehold 41, leasehold 12, £3 11s 0d

Richard Bagley, ground rent 0, freehold 25, leasehold 12, £2 15s 0d

John Bagley, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 36, £4 10s 0d

Grace Bates, to 25 September, entered as here below, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 14, £0 11s 8d

Orlando Bagley, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 25, £3 2s 6d

John Bazett's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 109, leasehold 43, £10 16s 6d

Elizabeth Bazett, ground rent 0, freehold 16, leasehold 14, £0 19s 1.5d

William Burnham, ground rent 0, freehold 20, leasehold 14, £2 15s 0d

Edward Bagley, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 2, £0 5s 0d

Thomas Colgrove, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 36.5, £4 10s 7.5d

Thomas Clue, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 11, £1 7s 6d

Samuel Doveton, ground rent 24s, freehold 130.5, leasehold 37, £12 16s 3d

Joseph Desfountain, ground rent 0, freehold 30, leasehold 10.5, £2 16s 10.5d

John Desfountain, ground rent 0, freehold 93.5, leasehold 39.5, £9 12s 7.5d

Jonathan Doveton's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 16.5, leasehold 17.5, £10 8s 0d

John Draper, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 5, £0 5s 0d

Baron Deliffe, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 5, £0 5s 0d

Thomas Easthope, ground rent 0, freehold 14, leasehold 41.5, £5 17s 9d

Francis Funge, to 25 September and 16 [...] and 24 [...] 2s 6d, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 35.75, £4 7s 4.5d

John French, ground rent 0, freehold 30, leasehold 57, £8 12s 6d

John Goodwin, ground rent 3s 0d, £7 [...] per annum, ground rent 0, freehold 124, leasehold 55, £12 15s 6d

Richard Goodwin, ground rent 21s, freehold 130.5, leasehold 55, £14 8s 9d

Total, freehold 1,043.5, leasehold 630.5, £135 3s 2d

Interpretations

The roll is the register of the whole leasehold and freehold economy of the island set out tenant by tenant, and its shape reveals how the land lay. Each holding is divided between freehold, on which only a small ground rent fell, and leasehold, which carried the yearly rent that made up almost the whole of the sum, so that the column of pounds and shillings tracks the leased acres far more than the freehold; the Company drew its return chiefly from the ground it let rather than the ground it had granted away outright.

The names are the substantial families the record has followed for years, the Goodwins, Alexanders, Dovetons, Desfountains and Bazetts, several holding well over a hundred acres apiece, alongside the orphans' estates held in trust for the children of dead planters, Bazett's, Alexander's, Allis's and Jonathan Doveton's among them. The great spread of holdings, from Richard Goodwin's near two hundred acres down to a leaseholder's five, marks the range of the island's landed society, the same men who had disputed the beef price and pleaded these very rents as the reason they could not sell cheaper. The total of some hundred and thirty-five pounds across sixteen hundred acres is the yearly charge on which the whole settlement of the land rested, gathered on the one day the tenants attended to discharge it.

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133

Names, Ground rent, Free Land, Leave Land, £, s, d

Thomas Greentree 33.th Acres D.o 3 £ p annum: Ground rent 0, Free Land 1043.th, Leave Land 630.th, £ 135, s 3, d 2

James Greentree: Ground rent 0, Free Land 27.th, Leave Land 60, £ 8, s 0, d 9

Onesiphorus Gurling: Ground rent 0, Free Land 52.th, Leave Land 46, £ 8, s 7, d 6

Richard Gurling: Ground rent 0, Free Land 23, Leave Land 0, £ 1, s 3, d 0

Elizabeth Gurling: Ground rent 0, Free Land 10, Leave Land 6, £ 1, s 5, d 0

Gabriel Harper: Ground rent 0, Free Land 20, Leave Land 15, £ 2, s 17, d 6

Joseph Harding's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 11, Leave Land 69.th, £ 9, s 4, d 9

John Hayes: Ground rent 0, Free Land 19, Leave Land 15, £ 2, s 16, d 6

Thomas Hayes: Ground rent 0, Free Land 9, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 9, d 0

Francis Hayes: Ground rent 0, Free Land 30, Leave Land 0, £ 1, s 10, d 0

Martin Harper: Ground rent 0, Free Land 10, Leave Land 16, £ 2, s 10, d 0

Lydia Harper: Ground rent 0, Free Land 43.th, Leave Land 32.th, £ 6, s 7, d 1

Joshua Johnson: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 27, £ 3, s 7, d 6

Penelope Isaacke: Ground rent 0, Free Land 50, Leave Land 38.th, £ 7, s 3, d 7.th

Samuel Knipe: Ground rent 0, Free Land 24, Leave Land 5, £ 1, s 16, d 6

John Leech Sen.r 19 £ d 9.th p.o Acre: Ground rent 0, Free Land 7.th, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 7, d 4.th

Stephen Lufkin's dev.rs: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 46, £ 4, s 1, d 9

Ebenezer Leech: Ground rent 2/6, Free Land 10, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 10, d 0

Richard Mason: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 29.th, £ 3, s 14, d 4.th

Matthew Mudge: Ground rent 0, Free Land 25, Leave Land 0, £ 1, s 5, d 0

Edmund Nicholls Exors: Ground rent 0, Free Land 10, Leave Land 42, £ 5, s 15, d 0

Mary Nicholls: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 26, £ 3, s 5, d 0

Joseph Powell: Ground rent 0, Free Land 68, Leave Land 31, £ 7, s 5, d 6

Geo. Gab. Powell not received: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 9, £ 1, s 2, d 6

James Powell 6 £ d p.o a pepper corn: Ground rent 0, Free Land 79.th, Leave Land 10, £ 4, s 9, d 3.th

Susanna Pledgard: Ground rent 0, Free Land 15, Leave Land 31, £ 4, s 12, d 6

John Purling's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 110.th, Leave Land 74.th, £ 14, s 16, d 9

Ryder's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 29.th, Leave Land 50.th, £ 7, s 15, d 9

Free Land 1729.th, Leave Land 1834.th, £ 251, s 7, d 2

The rent roll continued as follows. The columns give the tenant's name, then the ground rent, then the acres of freehold land, then the acres of leasehold land, then the rent in pounds, shillings and pence.

Brought over, freehold 1,043.5, leasehold 630.5, £135 3s 2d

Thomas Greentree, 33.5 acres at 2s 6d per annum, ground rent 0, freehold 27.5, leasehold 60, £8 0s 9d

James Greentree, ground rent 0, freehold 52.5, leasehold 46, £8 7s 6d

Onesiphorus Gurling, ground rent 0, freehold 23, leasehold 0, £1 3s 0d

Richard Gurling, ground rent 0, freehold 10, leasehold 6, £1 5s 0d

Elizabeth Gurling, ground rent 0, freehold 20, leasehold 15, £2 17s 6d

Gabriel Harper, ground rent 0, freehold 11, leasehold 69.5, £9 4s 9d

Joseph Harding's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 19, leasehold 15, £2 16s 6d

John Hayes, ground rent 0, freehold 9, leasehold 0, £0 9s 0d

Thomas Hayes, ground rent 0, freehold 30, leasehold 0, £1 10s 0d

Francis Hayes, ground rent 0, freehold 10, leasehold 16, £2 10s 0d

Martin Harper, ground rent 0, freehold 43.5, leasehold 32.5, £6 7s 1d

Lydia Harper, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 27, £3 7s 6d

Joshua Johnson, ground rent 0, freehold 50, leasehold 38.5, £7 3s 7.5d

Penelope Isaacke, ground rent 0, freehold 24, leasehold 5, £1 16s 6d

Samuel Knipe, ground rent 0, freehold 7.5, leasehold 0, £0 7s 4.5d

John Leech senior, 19 acres at 2s 6d per annum, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 46, £4 1s 9d

Stephen Lufkin deceased, ground rent 0, freehold 10, leasehold 0, £0 10s 0d

Ebenezer Leech, ground rent 2s 6d, freehold 0, leasehold 0, £0 2s 6d

Richard Mason, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 29.5, £3 14s 4.5d

Matthew Mudge, ground rent 0, freehold 25, leasehold 0, £1 5s 0d

Edmund Nicholls's executors, ground rent 0, freehold 10, leasehold 42, £5 15s 0d

Mary Nichells, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 26, £3 5s 0d

Joseph Powell, ground rent 0, freehold 68, leasehold 31, £7 5s 6d

George Gabriel Powell, not received, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 9, £1 2s 6d

James Powell, 6.5 acres at a pepper corn, ground rent 0, freehold 79.5, leasehold 10, £4 9s 3.5d

Susanna Pledgard, ground rent 0, freehold 15, leasehold 31, £4 12s 6d

John Purling's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 110.5, leasehold 74.5, £14 16s 9d

Ryder's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 29.5, leasehold 50.5, £7 15s 9d

Total, freehold 1,729.5, leasehold 1,354.5, £251 7s 2d

Interpretations

The second sheet of the roll fills out the same landed society, and among its entries the pepper-corn rents mark a distinct kind of tenure. James Powell's six and a half acres held at a pepper corn, like other such trifling reservations, was land let for a nominal rent that acknowledged the Company's ownership while charging nothing of substance, the token payment preserving the lord's title against any claim that long possession had ripened into a freehold. It is the legal device by which a landlord kept his right alive over ground he had in effect given up the profit of, the yearly pepper corn or the odd shilling of ground rent standing as the acknowledgement that the land was held of the Company still.

The note that George Gabriel Powell's rent was not received continues the winding up of the former Deputy Governor's affairs that runs through this whole run, his account with the island still open long after his government had ended and his removal home. The orphans' estates recur again, Purling's, Ryder's, Harding's and the rest, the largest of them carrying near two hundred acres, the Company holding the land of dead planters' children on the same rent as any other tenant until they came of age. The running total, gathering the two sheets toward some two hundred and fifty pounds across more than three thousand acres, measures the full reach of the Company's landholding on the island, every acre let or granted brought to book on the one day of reckoning.

141

134

Names, Ground rent, Free Land, Leave Land, £, s, d

Ground rent 0, Free Land 1729.th, Leave Land 1830.th, £ 251, s 2, d 10.th

John Scott: Ground rent 5/, Free Land 0, Leave Land 18, £ 2, s 10, d 2

William Seale: Ground rent 0, Free Land 16, Leave Land 16.th, £ 2, s 17, d 3

Benjamin Seale: Ground rent 0, Free Land 15, Leave Land 16.th, £ 2, s 16, d 3

Mary Seale: Ground rent 0, Free Land 20, Leave Land 7, £ 1, s 17, d 6

Giles Smith: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 10, £ 1, s 5, d 0

John Spencer: Ground rent 4/, Free Land 7.th, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 7, d 4.th

Stewards Orphans: Ground rent 14/, Free Land 86.th, Leave Land 79, £ 14, s 0, d 3

Nathan Sample: Ground rent 2/6, Free Land 0, Leave Land 0, £ 0, s 2, d 6

John Twaits: Ground rent 0, Free Land 9, Leave Land 25, £ 3, s 11, d 6

Richard Tinsley: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 3, £ 0, s 7, d 6

Francis Wrangham Sen.r: Ground rent 26/6, Free Land 168.th, Leave Land 132.th, £ 26, s 6, d 8

Robert Wright: Ground rent 0, Free Land 0, Leave Land 18.th, £ 2, s 6, d 10.th

John Worrall: Ground rent 0, Free Land 16, Leave Land 60.th, £ 8, s 7, d 3

Simon Whaley's Orphans: Ground rent 0, Free Land 14.th, Leave Land 14, £ 2, s 9, d 2

Joshua Worrall: Ground rent 0, Free Land 7, Leave Land 45.th, £ 6, s 0, d 9

William Worrall: Ground rent 0, Free Land 24, Leave Land 0, £ 1, s 4, d 0

Joseph Whaley Jun.r: Ground rent 0, Free Land 1.th, Leave Land 15.th, £ 1, s 19, d 9.th

Joseph Whaley Sen.r: Ground rent 0, Free Land 5, Leave Land 1, £ 0, s 7, d 6

Young's Orphans: Ground rent 5/, Free Land 80, Leave Land 27, £ 7, s 12, d 6

Ground rent 2109.th, Free Land 1813.th, Leave Land 337, £ 16, s 9, d 9.th

The following Persons also

discharged their Debts due on the Books

viz.t

Penelope Isaacke£ 30 18 9.th

Giles Smith 2 9 1

Carried over £ 33 7 3.th

The rent roll concluded as follows. The columns give the tenant's name, then the ground rent, then the acres of freehold land, then the acres of leasehold land, then the rent in pounds, shillings and pence.

Brought over, ground rent 0, freehold 1,729.5, leasehold 1,354.5, £251 7s 2d

John Scott, ground rent 5s, freehold 0, leasehold 18, £2 10s 2d

William Seale, ground rent 0, freehold 16, leasehold 16.5, £2 17s 3d

Benjamin Seale, ground rent 0, freehold 15, leasehold 16.5, £2 16s 3d

Mary Seale, ground rent 0, freehold 20, leasehold 7, £1 17s 6d

Giles Smith, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 10, £1 5s 0d

John Spencer, ground rent 3s, freehold 7.75, leasehold 0, £0 7s 4.5d

Steward's orphans, ground rent 14s, freehold 86.5, leasehold 72, £14 0s 3d

Nathan Sample, ground rent 2s 6d, freehold 0, leasehold 0, £0 2s 6d

John Twaits, ground rent 0, freehold 9, leasehold 25, £3 11s 6d

Richard Tinsley, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 3, £0 7s 6d

Francis Wrangham senior, ground rent 26s 6d, freehold 168.5, leasehold 132.5, £26 6s 8d

Robert Wright, ground rent 0, freehold 0, leasehold 18.75, £2 6s 10.5d

John Worrall, ground rent 0, freehold 16, leasehold 60.5, £8 7s 9d

Simon Whaley's orphans, ground rent 0, freehold 14.5, leasehold 14, £2 9s 2d

Joshua Worrall, ground rent 0, freehold 7, leasehold 45.5, £6 0s 9d

William Worrall, ground rent 0, freehold 24, leasehold 0, £1 4s 0d

Joseph Whaley junior, ground rent 0, freehold 1.75, leasehold 15.25, £1 19s 9.5d

Joseph Whaley senior, ground rent 0, freehold 5, leasehold 1, £0 7s 6d

Young's orphans, ground rent 5s, freehold 80, leasehold 27, £7 12s 6d

Total, ground rent 0, freehold 2,109.5, leasehold 1,813.25, £337 16s 9.5d

The following persons also discharged their debts due on the books.

Penelope Isaacke, £30 18s 9.5d

Giles Smith, £2 9s 1d

Carried over, £33 7s 3.5d

Interpretations

The closing sheet brings the roll to its grand total, some three hundred and thirty-seven pounds of rent across near four thousand acres of freehold and leasehold, the whole yield of the Company's land for the year gathered on the one day of payment. Francis Wrangham senior stands out as the largest single tenant, holding above three hundred acres between freehold and lease and paying more than twenty-six pounds, the substantial planter and appraiser the record has followed for two decades, his estate rounded out by the run of Sandy Bay leases he had renewed in the spring.

The debts discharged on the books at the foot are of a different order from the rents above, sums the named persons owed the Company on other accounts and cleared on the same occasion, the rent day serving also as a general reckoning when the inhabitants attended with money in hand. Gathering the arrears of debt alongside the year's rent let the council settle the whole standing account between the Company and each tenant at once, the land rent and the personal debt brought to book together, so that a single attendance closed both obligations and the state of every man's account with the Company could be seen entire.

142

135

Bro.t Over £ 33 7 3.th

Gabriel Harper 2 0 0

John Desfountain 0 10 0

£ 35 17 3.th

David Dunbar

Cha.s Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 15 Oct.r

1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Cap.t Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

Christopher Dixon 3.d

John Goodwin 4.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Councill

The Last Consultation was read and Approved

Yesterday the Ship London, sailed from

hence for Madrass, By whom we sent the Severall

following Letters to India viz.t

To the Honble Nicholas Morse Esq.r

President and Governour of Councill

at Fort St George

Honble Sirs,

We have Enclosed you Duplicates of what We

wrote

The list of debts discharged on the books concluded as follows.

Brought over, £33 7s 3.5d

Gabriel Harper, £2 0s 0d

John Desfountain, £0 10s 0d

Total, £35 17s 3.5d

The whole was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 October 1745 at the castle, those present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon third of council, John Goodwin fourth and Matthew Purling fifth.

The previous consultation was read over and approved.

Yesterday the ship London sailed from the island for Madras, and by her the council sent the following letters to India.

The council wrote to Nicholas Morse, President and Governor, and the council of Fort St George, stating that it had enclosed for them duplicates of what it had earlier written.

Interpretations

The return of Christopher Dixon to the board, after an absence through the broken leg noted at every consultation since late August, marks the passing of an incapacity the record had faithfully entered week by week, the fourth of council resuming his seat as soon as he could attend.

The duplicate letters sent by the London to Fort St George show the standing practice by which the island guarded its correspondence against the hazards of the sea. A letter entrusted to one ship might be lost with her on the long passage, so the council sent copies by a later vessel bound the same way, the earlier dispatches carried out with the Queen Caroline in August now repeated by the London in October, so that the loss of a single ship could not break the settlement's communication with the presidency that supplied it. It is the same caution against the accidents of the ocean that governed the whole of the island's dealings, the remittances sent home on paper and the orders for the year's supply alike duplicated and spread across more than one bottom so that no single misfortune at sea could leave a matter unanswered.

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136

wrote you by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamen Mason

who Arrived here the 3 July & Sailed the 11.th Aug.t last

This comes by the London, Captain Sedgewicke

bound for Madrass & China who having Lost her Masts

off the Cape was obliged to putt back hither, & refit. She

Arrived the 21.st July last & now Sails well refitted.

Captain Sedgwick hath left ten Chaldron of

Coals, which were consigned to You, to ease the Ship, For

which the Storekeeper hath given him a receipt

We have consigned to You by this Ship three

Blacks, deserters from Bombay to be forwarded thither

by You. The Captain's receipt for them is Enclosed.

We are &c.o

To the Honble Wm Wake Esq.r Provident

& Governour & Council at Bombay

Honble Sirs,

We have Enclosed You Duplicates of what we

wrote You by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamen

Mason, who Arrived here the 3 July & Sailed the 11.th

August last

This comes by the London, Captain Sedgwick

bound for Madrass & China, who having lost her Masts

off the Cape, was obliged to putt back hither, & refit. She

Arrived the 21.st July last, & now Sails well refitted.

We have upon due Consideration & to prevent

desertion for the future, sent back to You three of the Men

that were brought hither by Captain Freeman, the Other

being sick & not able to go, as p the Surgeon's Certificate

enclosed. The Captain's receipt for them is Also enclosed.

We are &c.o

We

The council added that these were duplicates of what it had written to Fort St George by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, who had arrived on 3 July and sailed on 11 August.

The present letter came by the London, Captain Sedgwick, bound for Madras and China, who, having lost her mast off the Cape, had been obliged to put back to the island to refit. She had arrived on 21 July and now sailed well refitted.

Captain Sedgwick had left ten chaldrons of coal, which were consigned to Fort St George, in order to lighten the ship, for which the storekeeper had given him a receipt.

The council had consigned to Fort St George by this ship three [...], deserters from Bombay, to be forwarded there, and enclosed the captain's receipt for them.

The council then wrote to William Wake, President and Governor, and the council of Bombay. It stated that it had enclosed for them duplicates of what it had written by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, who had arrived on 3 July and sailed on 11 August.

The present letter came by the London, Captain Sedgwick, bound for Madras and China, who, having lost her mast off the Cape, had been obliged to put back to the island to refit, and having arrived on 21 July now sailed well refitted.

The council had, upon due consideration and to prevent desertion for the future, sent back to Bombay three of the men brought to the island by Captain Freeman, the other being sick and unable to go, as the surgeon's certificate enclosed showed, and enclosed the captain's receipt for the three.

Interpretations

The London's return to the island under a lost mast shows the settlement's standing use to the trade, a refuge where a crippled ship could refit before going on. A vessel dismasted off the Cape had nowhere nearer to repair than St Helena, and the island supplied the timber, cordage and labour to set her right and send her forward, the same service by which it had lately advised the leaking Caesar and furnished her caulkers; a mid-ocean station earned its keep as much by mending the ships that limped in as by victualling those that called in health.

The three deserters sent back to Bombay complete the matter the earlier letters had raised. Men who had run from the Company's service at Bombay had been carried to the island by a homeward captain and left there, and the council, having disclaimed all knowledge of them, now returned them to the presidency they had fled, keeping back only the one too sick to travel and taking the surgeon's certificate to prove it. Sending the runaways home to be dealt with where they belonged, rather than absorbing them into the island's own establishment, was the council's answer to the traffic in deserters the crowded shipping created, each man returned under a captain's receipt so that responsibility for him passed with his person and the island was not left carrying the discontents of another settlement.

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137

We added the Gold Postscript to the Duplicate of our former

Letter sent to Bengall by the Queen Caroline, viz.t

The foregoing is a Duplicate of what We wrote

You by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, who Arrived

here the 3 July & Sailed the 11 August last, & this comes by the

London, Captain Sedgewick, bound for Madrass, & China, who

having lost her Masts off the Cape, was obliged to put back

hither, & refit. She Arrived the 21.st July last, & now sails well

refitted.

The following We added to our former Letter to Bencoolen

viz.t The foregoing is a Duplicate of what we wrote

You by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, who

Arrived here the 3.d July, & Sailed the 11.th Aug.t last, & this

comes by the London, Captain Sedgewick, bound for Madrass

& China, who having lost her Masts off the Cape, was obliged

to put back hither, & refit. She Arrived the 21.st July last, & now

sails well refitted.

We request to know, whether John Beavers

who was sent from this Island, & died at Bencoolen about

13 Years since, made any Will? if he did that We may

have an Attested Copy of it.

If this should reach your hands, in time

We pray you to Let the Honble Company know, what

Quantity of Beer, or Private Stores Captain Mason bro.t from

the Queen Caroline; because he had not room to receive on

board provisions for this Place, Alledging he was full. No

Storeship Ever Landed Such a Quantity of Goods here, & at

such Prices. Besides dry Goods he Landed about 100 Hogshead

Beer, 20 Tons of Purbeck Stones, & much Timber.

Mr

The council added the following postscript to the duplicate of its former letter sent to Bengal by the Queen Caroline.

It noted that the foregoing was a duplicate of what it had written to Bengal by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, who had arrived on 3 July and sailed on 11 August, and that the present letter came by the London, Captain Sedgwick, bound for Madras and China, who, having lost her mast off the Cape, had been obliged to put back to the island to refit, and having arrived on 21 July now sailed well refitted.

The council added the following to its former letter to Bencoolen. It noted that the foregoing was a duplicate of what it had written by the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, who had arrived on 3 July and sailed on 11 August, and that the present letter came by the London, Captain Sedgwick, bound for Madras and China, who, having lost her mast off the Cape, had been obliged to put back to the island to refit, and having arrived on 21 July now sailed well refitted.

The council asked to be told whether John Bryers, who had been sent from the island and had died at Bencoolen about thirteen years earlier, had made any will, and if he had, that it might have an attested copy of it.

It further asked, should the letter reach them in time, that they let the Company know what quantity of beer or private stores Captain Mason had landed from the Queen Caroline, since he had not had room to receive provisions aboard for the island, alleging that he was full. No store ship had ever landed such a quantity of goods, and at such prices. Besides dry goods, he had landed about 100 hogsheads of beer, 20 tons of Purbeck stone and much timber.

Interpretations

The enquiry after John Bryers's will ties directly to the dispute over the three mulatto children the council had settled a few weeks earlier. Everything in that case had turned on whether their father, dead intestate at Bencoolen, had made any provision for them, and the board had bound the children to service only because no will could be shown; writing now to the settlement where he died to ask for an attested copy of any will he left is the council pursuing the one document that might yet alter what it had determined, the facts that governed a person's freedom lying, as so often, across the ocean at the far end of the Company's trade.

The complaint about Captain Mason and the Queen Caroline exposes a real grievance about the store ship's conduct. She had come out charged with dry goods, beer, building stone and timber landed at high prices, and had left no room in her hold to take aboard the provisions the island needed to send on, the master pleading that he was full. The council's request that the Company be told exactly what he had landed marks its suspicion that the ship had been loaded to the master's own advantage rather than the settlement's, the store ship meant to carry the island's supply turned instead into a vehicle for a private trade, and the board laying up the particulars for London so that the abuse could be answered where the ship and her lading were controlled.

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138

Mr Edward Bagley desired Leave to Assign ten

Acres of Lease Land to David Willson.

Granted.

The Paymaster this day brought in the Pay

Account for the Months of July August, and September last

which was Examined, & Approved & is as follows. viz.t

List of the Honble Company's Officers, and Servants

Upon the Island of St Helena with their Severall Salarys

Diet Money, &c.d for the Quarter Commencing 1 July 1745 and

ending the 30.th September following, viz.t

David Dunbar Esq.r Gov.r

125 0 0

D.o for Servants

81 14 9 156 14 9

Charles Hutchinson L.t Gov.r

62 10 0

Christopher Dixon 3.d of Council

20 0 0

John Goodwin 4.th of Council

15 0 0

as Accomptant

7 18 1.th 22 18 1.th

Matthew Burling 5.th of Council

15 0 0

Edwin Alcock Chaplain Sal.y

25 0 0

D.o Diet Money

15 0 0 40 0 0

Robert Wright Factor, Sal.y

7 10 0

D.o House Rent

2 10 0 10 0 0

Joshua Guynam Factor Sal.y

7 10 0

D.o House Rent

2 10 0 10 0 0

Francis Wrangham Factor Sal.y

12 10 0

D.o House Rent

2 10 0 15 0 0

Joseph Darvall Writer Sal.y

5 0 0

D.o House Rent

2 10 0 7 10 0

Thomas French Writer Sal.y

5 0 0

D.o House Rent

2 10 0 7 10 0

Carr.d Over £ 367 2 10.th

Mr Edward Bagley desired leave to assign two acres of leasehold land to David Wilson, and the council granted it.

The paymaster this day brought in the pay account for the months of July, August and September, which was examined and approved, and ran as follows.

The list of the Company's officers and servants on the island of St Helena, with their several salaries, diet money and other allowances, for the quarter commencing 1 July 1745 and ending 30 September following, stood as follows. The columns give the name and office, then the several allowances, then the total pay.

David Dunbar, Governor, salary £125 0s 0d

the same for servants, £31 14s 9d, total £156 14s 9d

Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, £62 10s 0d

Christopher Dixon, third of council, £20 0s 0d

John Goodwin, fourth of council, salary £15 0s 0d

as accountant, £7 18s 1.5d, total £22 18s 1.5d

Matthew Purling, fifth of council, £15 0s 0d

Edwin Alcock, chaplain, salary £25 0s 0d

the same, diet money, £15 0s 0d, total £40 0s 0d

Robert Wright, factor, salary £7 10s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £10 0s 0d

Joshua Twynam, factor, salary £7 10s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £10 0s 0d

Francis Wrangham, factor, salary £12 10s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £15 0s 0d

Joseph Darvall, writer, salary £5 0s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £7 10s 0d

Thomas French, writer, salary £5 0s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £7 10s 0d

Carried over, £367 2s 10.5d

Interpretations

The quarterly pay account sets out the whole civil establishment of the island by name and office, the salaries graded strictly by rank from the Governor's hundred and twenty-five pounds down to a writer's five, with the several allowances that made up each man's pay entered in their own columns so the two obligations could be audited apart. The Governor's separate charge for servants, the accountant's addition to his councillor's salary, and the chaplain's and factors' diet money and house rent show the settled structure of the establishment's remuneration, each element carried distinctly rather than folded into a single figure, the discipline of open account that the deficiency of the late Governor's time had taught the board to keep.

The diet money and house rent that recur down the list mark the practical arrangements by which the smaller servants were maintained. Diet money was a cash allowance in place of board at the Company's table, given to some and not others, and house rent an allowance toward lodging, both carried in their own right so that a man who fed and housed himself was paid for it while one dining at the castle was not. The very question of the diet allowance had been in dispute a few months earlier, when the factors and writers petitioned for a cash payment on the footing of the military and were refused, the council holding to the Company's order for a common table; the modest diet money entered here for the chaplain and the house rent for the factors and writers show the allowances that were paid, the settlement's pay built up allowance by allowance and the whole brought to book each quarter.

146

139

Bro.t Over £ 367 2 10.th

Samuel Falconer, Surgeon Sal.y

9 15 0

D.o House rent

2 10 0 12 5 0

James Dubris Surgeon's Mate Sal.

5 0 0

Ditto House rent

2 10 0

Ditto Diet Money

11 5 0 18 15 0

John Twacks

7 10 0

Richard Gurling Overseers

7 10 0

Richard Tinsley

6 5 0

John Leech Marshall Salary

4 7 9

Ditto Custom Master

1 5 0 5 12 9

John Barton Overseer at Sulphur

6 5 0

William Hayes Master of Arms

6 5 0

Richard Beale Schoolmaster

3 3 3

Ditto Clerk

5 0 0 8 3 3

Nicholas Clether, Steward

7 10 0

William Douse, Gardiner

9 11 3

Robert Meacock, Cooper

8 15 0

Henry Moyce, Carpenter

12 10 0

John Clifford Mr Mason Salary

from July 4.th to Sept.r 30 both incl.d

17 1 4.th

D.o Diet Money for the same time

6 13 6 23 14 10.th

Mark Hawkins Mason, Salary

from July 4.th to Sept.r 30 both incl.d

12 3 10

Ditto Diet Money for the same time

6 13 6 18 17 4

John Loyell, Armourer, Salary

from 9.th July to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

9 13 7 536 10 15.th

First Company

John Clark first Lieutent Sal.

10 0 0

D.o Diet Money

6 16 10.th

D.o on acc.t of Instructing the Gunners

7 10 0 24 6 10.th

Carr.d Over £ 24 6 10.th

Carr.d Over £ 536 10 10.th

The pay account continued as follows.

Brought over, £367 2s 10.5d

Samuel Falconer, surgeon, salary £9 15s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £12 5s 0d

James Dubois, surgeon's mate, salary £5 0s 0d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d

the same, diet money, £11 5s 0d, total £18 15s 0d

John Twacks, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Gurling, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Tinsley, overseer, £6 5s 0d

John Leech, marshal, salary £4 7s 9d

the same, custom master, £1 5s 0d, total £5 12s 9d

John Barton, overseer at the fortifications, £6 5s 0d

William Hayes, master of arms, £6 5s 0d

Richard Beale, schoolmaster, salary £3 3s 3d

the same, clerk, £5 0s 0d, total £8 3s 3d

Nicholas Cleather, steward, £7 10s 0d

William Dowse, gardener, £9 11s 3d

Robert Meacock, cooper, £8 15s 0d

Henry Moyce, carpenter, £12 10s 0d

John Bildad, master mason, salary from 4 July to 30 September, both included, £17 1s 4.5d

the same, diet money for the same time, £6 13s 6d, total £23 14s 10.5d

Mark Machin, mason, salary from 4 July to 30 September, both included, £12 3s 10d

the same, diet money for the same time, £6 13s 6d, total £18 17s 4d

John Loyall, armourer, salary from 9 July to 30 September, both included, £9 13s 7d

[Sub-total], £536 10s 15.5d

First Company:

John Clark, first lieutenant, salary £10 0s 0d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, on account of instructing the gunners, £7 10s 0d, total £24 6s 10.5d

Carried over, £24 6s 10.5d

Carried over, £536 10s 10.5d

Interpretations

The second sheet carries the pay down through the tradesmen and lesser officers who kept the settlement working, the surgeon and his mate, the overseers of the plantations and the fortifications, the marshal, the schoolmaster, the cooper, the gardener, the carpenter and the masons, each at his fixed quarterly rate with diet money or house rent where it fell to him. The dates entered against the masons and the armourer, whose salaries run only from a day in July, mark men newly taken onto the establishment within the quarter, their pay reckoned to the day of entry rather than the full three months, the same exactness the account keeps wherever a servant began or left within the period.

The armourer's fresh appointment fills the place left vacant a few months earlier, when John Cross the armourer ran away in a Dutch ship after contracting many debts and his salary was divided among his creditors; John Loyall enters here from 9 July to serve the office Cross deserted, the establishment renewing itself after the flight and mortality that had thinned it through the crowded season. The instructor's allowance to the first lieutenant, paid on account of instructing the gunners, marks the training of the artillery the garrison depended on, though the record had earlier found a like allowance drawn for years by an officer who never once taught a gun to be loaded or fired, the council watching such charges closely against the pretence of a service never performed.

147

140

Bro.t Over £ 536 10 10.th

Bro.t Over £ 24 6 10.th

John Dunbar, second L.t Sal.

7 10 0

D.o Diet Money

6 16 10.th

D.o House rent

2 10 0 16 16 10.th

William Hayes Adjutant Sal.

10 0 0

D.o Diet Money

7 1 3 17 1 3

58 5 0

Serjeants

Henry Beale

6 14 6

Onesiphorus Beale

6 14 6

Bartholomew Molloy

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

John Collins

4 7 9

Solomon Jacobs

4 7 9

Daniel Langton

4 7 9

13 3 3

Thomas Watts Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

William Anzor

3 8 3

George Bonnell

3 8 3

John Bray

3 8 3

Ambrose Bland

3 8 3

John Brown

3 8 3

Daniel Councill

3 8 3

William Campbell

3 8 3

Matthew Campbell

3 8 3

Tho.s Cope to 6.th July the day he was discharged

0 4 5.th

Robert Curry

3 8 3

Samuel Cox

3 8 3

Carr.d Over £ 34 6 11.th

Carr.d Over £ 632 10 4.th

The pay account continued as follows.

Brought over, £536 10s 10.5d

Brought over, £24 6s 10.5d

John Dunbar, second lieutenant, salary £7 10s 0d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £16 16s 10.5d

William Hayes, adjutant, salary £10 0s 0d

the same, diet money, £7 1s 3d, total £17 1s 3d

[Sub-total], £58 5s 0d

Sergeants:

Henry Beale, £6 14s 6d

Onesiphorus Beale, £6 14s 6d

Bartholomew Molloy, £6 14s 6d

[Sub-total], £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

John Collins, £4 7s 9d

Solomon Jacobs, £4 7s 9d

Daniel Langton, £4 7s 9d

[Sub-total], £13 3s 3d

Thomas Walls, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

William Anzor, £3 8s 3d

George Bonnell, £3 8s 3d

John Bray, £3 8s 3d

Ambrose Bland, £3 8s 3d

John Brown, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Council, £3 8s 3d

William Campbell, £3 8s 3d

Matthew Campbell, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Cope, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 4s 5.5d

Robert Curry, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Cox, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £34 6s 11.5d

Carried over, £632 10s 4.5d

Interpretations

This sheet sets out the first foot company man by man, the two lieutenants and the adjutant with their diet money and house rent, then the sergeants, corporals and drummer at their graded rates, and the long file of sentinels each at the uniform three pounds eight and threepence a quarter that was the common soldier's pay. The strict uniformity of the private men's wage, every name carrying the same figure, shows the fixed footing of the garrison's pay, the whole strength of the company reckoned to a single rate so that the muster and the pay could be checked one against the other.

The broken pay entered against Thomas Cope, whose wage runs only to the sixth of July, the day he was discharged, marks the account's exactness in reckoning each man to the day he left. The company had lost heavily through the season, a run of desertion and death having thinned the establishment as the crowded shipping offered a passage off the island and disease took its toll, and the pay roll registers every departure precisely, a discharge or a death closing a man's wage at the very date it fell. It is the same discipline that governed the whole reckoning, the garrison's pay following its actual strength week by week rather than its establishment on paper, so that the Company was charged only for the men who truly served and for exactly the days they served.

148

141

Bro.t Over £ 632 10 4.th

Bro.t Over £ 34 6 11.th

John Clay

3 8 3

Edward Dunfield

3 8 3

William Davis

3 8 3

William Enzer

3 8 3

Thomas Gale

3 8 3

Edward Gill

3 8 3

Giles Hayes to 9.th July, the day he deserted

0 6 8.th

Robert Hayes

3 8 3

Patrick Hamilton

3 8 3

Daniel Blanchard

3 8 3

Thomas Hales

3 8 3

John Iane

3 8 3

Woolston Jones

3 8 3

William Jewslow

3 8 3

Stephen Lufkin

3 8 3

Thomas Leg. to 6.th July, the day he was discharged

0 4 5.th

William Lambon

3 8 3

Joseph Long

3 8 3

Alexander Lowder

3 8 3

James Morpeau

3 8 3

Thomas Manning

3 8 3

John Marsh

3 8 3

William Mason

3 8 3

John Murril recruit from 4.th July to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

3 6 6.th

William Price

3 8 3

James Richardson

3 8 3

James Renard

3 8 3

John Spencer

3 8 3

John Scotcher

3 8 3

John Shaw, recruit from 4.th July to 30.th Sept.r

3 6 6.th

Matthew Smith D.o from D.o to D.o

3 6 6.th

James Vaughan, to 14.th July incl. being under a Watch after 6.th July

0 10 5.th

Peter Willes

3 8 3

Thomas Watson

3 8 3

Thomas Wagg

3 8 3 147 15 10.th

William Young

Carr.d Over £ 780 6 3

The pay account continued as follows.

Brought over, £632 10s 4.5d

Brought over, £34 6s 11.5d

John Clay, £3 8s 3d

Edward Dunfield, £3 8s 3d

William Davis, £3 8s 3d

William Enzer, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fale, £3 8s 3d

Edward Gill, £3 8s 3d

Giles Hayes, to 9 July, the day he deserted, £0 6s 8.5d

Robert Hayes, £3 8s 3d

Patrick Hamilton, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Blanchard, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Hales, £3 8s 3d

John Ince, £3 8s 3d

Woolston Jones, £3 8s 3d

William Newton, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Lufkin, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Legg, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 4s 5.5d

William Lambon, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Long, £3 8s 3d

Alexander Lawder, £3 8s 3d

James Moriseau, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Manning, £3 8s 3d

John Marsh, £3 8s 3d

William Mason, £3 8s 3d

John Murril, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, both included, £3 6s 6.5d

William Price, £3 8s 3d

James Richardson, £3 8s 3d

James Renard, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Scotcher, £3 8s 3d

John Shaw, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

Matthew Smith, the same, from the same to the same, £3 6s 6.5d

James Vaughan, to 14 July, being made a matross that day, £0 10s 5.5d

Peter Willis, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Watson, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wagg, £3 8s 3d

William Young, £3 8s 3d

[Sub-total], £147 15s 10.5d

Carried over, £780 6s 3d

Interpretations

The file of sentinels continues at the uniform quarterly wage, the length of the roll giving the strength of the foot company on which the island's defence rested, more than fifty private men carried on the establishment at a single rate. The broken sums scattered among the names mark the coming and going within the quarter that the account reckoned to the day, Giles Hayes paid only to the ninth of July, the day he deserted, and Thomas Legg to the sixth, the day he was discharged, each man's wage closing at the moment he left the strength.

The several recruits whose pay runs from the fourth of July, and James Vaughan reckoned to the day he was made a matross and passed to the artillery, show the establishment being made good as fast as it was thinned. The desertions of the crowded season, of which Hayes's is one, had opened gaps in the company that the fresh men filled, their pay beginning at the date of entry as the deserters' ended at the date of flight, so the roll registers both the loss and the replacement to the day. It is the constant renewal an isolated garrison required, worn by desertion and disease through a season when every departing ship offered an escape, and kept up only by a steady intake of new men reckoned onto the pay as carefully as the old were struck off.

149

142

Bro.t Over £ 780 6 3

Second Company

Joseph Kendall 2.d L.t Sal.y from 1.st

the 8.th July both inclusive

0 13 1.th

D.o first L.t in place of L.t Scotland

from 9.th July to 30.th Sept.r

9 4 1.th

D.o Diet Money

6 16 10.th

D.o House Rent

2 10 0 19 4 1.th

Samuel Ashwick 2.d L.t Sal.y from

13.th Aug.t to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

4 0 6.th

D.o Diet Money

3 13 6

D.o House Rent

1 6 10 9 0 10.th

28 5 0

Serjeants

Edward Bagley

6 14 6

John French

6 14 6

Robert Mason

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Gabriel Isaacke

4 7 9

Daniel Bush

4 7 9

Henry Ware to July 8.th, both days inclusive

0 7 8.th

Peter Tenall from 9.th July to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

3 15 1 4 0 9.th

12 16 3.th

Thomas London Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

Edward Allis

3 8 3

James Allis

3 8 3

Joseph Andrews

3 8 3

Sam.l Ashwick to 12.th Aug.t made L.t 13.th

1 12 1.th

George Ayres

3 8 3

Peter Barker

3 8 3

Andrew Barton

3 8 3

Peter Bayley

3 8 3

John Burch

3 8 3

Anthony Castrel

3 8 3

John Chapman

3 8 3

Nicholas Cope

3 8 3

Thomas Crine

3 8 3

Joseph Chamberlayn, recruit, from 4.th July to Sept.r 30.th

3 6 6.th

Carr.d Over £

Carr.d Over £ 845 18 9

The pay account continued as follows, with the second company.

Brought over, £780 6s 3d

Second Company:

Joseph Kendall, second lieutenant, salary from 1 to 8 July, both inclusive, £0 13s 1.5d

the same, first lieutenant, in place of Lieutenant Bildad, from 9 July to 30 September, £9 4s 1.5d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £19 4s 1.5d

Samuel Ashwick, second lieutenant, salary from 12 August to 30 September, both inclusive, £4 6s 6.5d

the same, diet money, £3 13s 6d

the same, house rent, £1 6s 10d, total £9 0s 10.5d

[Sub-total], £28 5s 0d

Sergeants:

Edward Bagley, £6 14s 6d

John French, £6 14s 6d

Robert Mason, £6 14s 6d

[Sub-total], £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

Gabriel Isaacke, £4 7s 9d

Daniel Bush, £4 7s 9d

Henry Ware, to 8 July, the day he was made a sergeant, £0 7s 8.5d

Peter Fenall, from 9 July to 30 September, both included, £3 15s 1d, [sub-total] £4 0s 9.5d

Thomas London, drummer, £4 7s 9d

[Sub-total], £12 16s 3.25d

Sentinels:

Edward Allis, £3 8s 3d

James Allis, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Andrews, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Ashwick, to 12 August, made second lieutenant, £1 12s 1.75d

George Ayres, £3 8s 3d

Peter Barker, £3 8s 3d

Andrew Barton, £3 8s 3d

Peter Bayley, £3 8s 3d

John Burch, £3 8s 3d

Anthony Castrell, £3 8s 3d

John Chapman, £3 8s 3d

Nicholas Cope, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Crine, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Chamberlayn, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

Carried over, £45 14s 8.5d

Carried over, £845 18s 9d

Interpretations

The second company opens with a chain of promotions that shows the establishment shifting men up to fill the places death and advancement left open. Lieutenant Kendall's pay is reckoned in two parts, a week at his old rank and the rest of the quarter as first lieutenant in the room of Lieutenant Bildad, and below him the same movement runs through the ranks, Henry Ware paid as a corporal only to the day he was made a sergeant and Peter Fenall stepping into the corporal's place from that day. Samuel Ashwick appears twice over, drawing a sentinel's wage to the twelfth of August and a lieutenant's from that day, the account following each man through his rise and reckoning his pay to the day it changed.

The precision with which every promotion is dated answers the same need as the dating of the desertions and discharges on the earlier sheets, that the pay should follow the true state of the company and not its establishment on paper. A garrison thinned by flight and mortality through the crowded season had to be kept up by moving men into the gaps, a sergeant's death drawing a corporal up and a lieutenant's a sentinel, and the roll registers each step at its exact date so that no man was paid at two rates for the same day nor the Company charged for a rank standing empty. The single sub-rank of each company set out in full, from the lieutenants down to the file of sentinels at their uniform wage, gives the whole strength of the garrison brought to book quarter by quarter, its constant renewal recorded to the day against the constant wearing away that an isolated station suffered.

150

143

Bro.t Over £ 845 18 9.th

Wm Doveton

3 8 3

John Downes

3 8 3

Taylor Friend to 9.th July (made Corporal) 17.th July

3 8 3

John Furber

3 8 3

John Fletcher

3 11 11.th

Levi Freeze

3 8 3

Nicholas Frost, recruit from 4.th July to 30.th Sept.r

3 6 6.th

Christopher Garland to 6.th July, the day he was discharged

0 4 5.th

Griffith Griffiths to 28.th Sept.r incl. the day he died

3 7 3.th

John Holloway

3 8 3

John Hayes

3 8 3

James Ingbush

3 8 3

Richard Hunt, the 8.th July, the day he was discharged

0 5 11.th

Samuel Robson

3 8 3

William Lever

3 8 3

James Long

3 8 3

Joseph Lewis

3 8 3

Charles Legente Deserter from

Bombay, from 9.th July to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

3 2 9.th

William Page

3 8 3

Thomas Payne

3 8 3

John Pope

3 8 3

Stephen Powen, to 9.th July incl. the day he was discharged

0 5 9.th

Thomas Ryder to 8.th July incl. the day he was discharged

0 5 11.th

William Scott

3 8 3

John Smith

3 8 3

Richard Smith

3 8 3

Thomas Sheeson

3 8 3

Thomas Taylor

3 8 3

Richard Twaites

3 8 3

William Twaites

3 8 3

Edward Walker

3 8 3

Stephen Willoughby

3 8 3

Thomas Wright, to 12.th July, made a

Mason the 13.th July

0 8 11.th

Adam Watson, recruit from 4.th July to

30.th September

3 6 6.th

143 1 6.th

Carr.d Over £ 989 0 3.th

The pay account continued as follows.

Brought over, £845 18s 9.25d

Brought over, £45 14s 8.5d

William Doveton, £3 8s 3d

John Downes, £3 8s 3d

Peter Fisher, to 8 July, made corporal 9 July, £0 8s 11.5d

John Butcher, £3 8s 3d

John Scotcher, £3 8s 3d

Levi Freeze, £3 8s 3d

Nicholas Frost, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

Christopher Garland, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 4s 5.5d

Griffith Griffiths, to 28 September, the day he died, £3 7s 3d

John Holloway, £3 8s 3d

John Ayres, £3 8s 3d

James Inglesh, £3 8s 3d

Richard Kent, to 8 July, the day he was discharged, £0 5s 11.5d

Samuel Ketson, £3 8s 3d

William Lever, £3 8s 3d

James Long, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Lewis, £3 8s 3d

Charles Legente, deserter from Bombay, from 9 July to 30 September, both included, £3 2s 9.5d

William Page, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Dryson, £3 8s 3d

John Pope, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Powers, to 9 July, the day he was discharged, £0 5s 2.5d

Thomas Rigelo, to 8 July, the day he was discharged, £0 5s 11.5d

William Scott, £3 8s 3d

John Smith, £3 8s 3d

Richard Smith, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Preeson, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Richard Twaites, £3 8s 3d

William Twaites, £3 8s 3d

Edward Walker, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Willoughby, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wright, to 12 July, made a matross 13 July, £0 8s 11.5d

Adam Watson, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

[Sub-total], £143 1s 6.5d

Carried over, £989 0s 3.75d

Interpretations

The file of the second company runs on at the common wage, and among the plain names stands Charles Legente, entered as a deserter from Bombay whose pay begins on the ninth of July. He is one of the runaways from that presidency whom a homeward captain had landed on the island, three of whom the council had resolved to send back to Bombay; this man, taken instead onto the garrison's own strength, shows the other course open with such deserters, the settlement absorbing into its establishment a soldier it might as easily have returned, the crowded shipping that carried men off also depositing them where a short-handed garrison could use them.

The sheet is heavy with the broken sums that mark the wearing of the season, and one of them records a death rather than a departure, Griffith Griffiths paid to the twenty-eighth of September, the day he died, his wage closing at the grave as another man's closed at his flight. A run of discharges falls in the first days of July, and two more men, Fisher and Wright, are reckoned to the day they were made corporal and matross and passed to other duty. The account holds to its discipline through the whole long file, every loss by death, discharge, desertion or promotion dated to the day and set against the fresh recruits taken on from the fourth of July, the garrison's true strength followed exactly as it thinned and was made good, the Company charged for no man beyond the day he served.

151

144

Bro.t Over £ 989 0 3.th

Third Company

Thomas Easthope, 1 L.t Salary

10 0 0

Ditto Diet Money

6 16 10.th

Ditto House rent

2 10 0 19 6 10.th

John Barton, 2.d L.t Salary

7 10 0

Ditto Diet Money

6 16 10.th

Ditto House rent

2 10 0 16 16 10.th

36 3 9

Serjeants

John Aldrick

6 14 6

Thomas Corker

6 14 6

William Dorrell

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporalls

Andrew Blindman

4 7 9

Bevin Ambrose

4 7 9

Matthew Wrightwell

4 7 9

13 3 3

Benjamin Twaites Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

William Adams

3 8 3

William Allis

3 8 3

Henry Barber

3 8 3

Peter Baffi

3 8 3

William Barrell

3 8 3

William Beckett

3 8 3

William Bonfield

3 8 3

William Brown

3 8 3

Benjamin Chaflin

3 8 3

Robert Cole to 12.th July incl. under a Watch after 6.th July

0 8 11.th

William Dye

3 8 3

John Ealle

3 8 3

Isaac Evans

3 8 3

John Evans

3 8 3

John Ford

3 8 3

Thomas Fuller

3 8 3

Peter Giggins

3 8 3

Carr.d Over £ 55 0 11.th

Carr.d Over £ 1062 18 6.th

The pay account continued as follows, with the third company.

Brought over, £989 0s 3.75d

Third Company:

Thomas Easthope, first lieutenant, salary £10 0s 0d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £19 6s 10.5d

John Barton, second lieutenant, salary £7 10s 0d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £16 16s 10.5d

[Sub-total], £36 3s 9d

Sergeants:

John Aldrick, £6 14s 6d

Thomas Corker, £6 14s 6d

William Dorrell, £6 14s 6d

[Sub-total], £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

Andrew Blindman, £4 7s 9d

Bevin Ambrose, £4 7s 9d

Matthias Wrightwall, £4 7s 9d

[Sub-total], £13 3s 3d

Benjamin Twaites, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

William Adams, £3 8s 3d

William Allis, £3 8s 3d

Henry Barber, £3 8s 3d

Peter Baff, £3 8s 3d

William Barrett, £3 8s 3d

William Beckett, £3 8s 3d

William Bonfield, £3 8s 3d

William Brown, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Chaplin, £3 8s 3d

Robert Cole, to 12 July, made a matross that day, £0 8s 11.5d

William Dye, £3 8s 3d

John Ealte, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Evans, £3 8s 3d

John Evans, £3 8s 3d

John Ford, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fuller, £3 8s 3d

Peter Giggins, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £55 0s 11.5d

Carried over, £1,062 18s 6.75d

Interpretations

The third company follows the same settled form as the two before it, the first and second lieutenants with their diet money and house rent, the three sergeants and three corporals at their fixed rates, the drummer, and the file of sentinels each at the common three pounds eight and threepence, the whole strength brought to book man by man. The regularity of the establishment across the companies, each with its like complement of officers and non-commissioned men and its long roll of privates at one uniform wage, shows the ordered footing on which the garrison was kept, three companies of equal shape making up the island's defence.

The single broken entry, Robert Cole reckoned to the twelfth of July and made a matross that day, marks a soldier passing from the foot to the artillery, his sentinel's pay closing at the moment he crossed to the guns. It is the same movement between the branches of the service the earlier companies showed, men drawn from the ranks to fill the trained artillery the batteries required, the pay following each to the day he changed his duty. The account keeps its discipline to the last company, every man reckoned at his true rank and for exactly the days he served, so the garrison's whole cost stood proved against its actual strength when the quarter's reckoning was cast.

152

145

Bro.t Over £ 1062 18 6.th

Bro.t Over £ 55 0 11.th

Philip Hillard to 12.th July incl. under a Watch after 6.th July

0 8 11.th

Thomas Hodges

3 8 3

Isaac Hudson

3 8 3

Joseph Hunt

3 8 3

William Jackson

3 8 3

Evan Jones

3 8 3

Thomas Kendrick

3 8 3

Richard Knight

3 8 3

Thomas Lawrence

3 8 3

John Lenaker

3 8 3

Abraham Major

3 8 3

James Mazure

3 8 3

Charles Montague

3 8 3

Patrick Murphy, to 12.th July incl. made a Watch after 6.th July

0 8 11.th

James Mills

3 8 3

James McCleane

3 8 3

Thomas Oliver

3 8 3

Thomas Cain

3 8 3

John Spencer

3 8 3

John Simpson

3 8 3

John Smith

3 8 3

Joseph Thomas

3 8 3

John Upton

3 8 3

John Vanniston

3 8 3

Benjamin Williams

3 8 3

John Wills

3 8 3

John Woodwacies

3 8 3

Jeremiah Wignall

3 8 3

Joseph Woodman, recruit from 4.th July to 30.th

Sept.r

3 6 6.th

147 19 11.th

Carr.d Over £ 1210 18 6

The pay account continued as follows.

Brought over, £1,062 18s 6.75d

Brought over, £55 0s 11.5d

Philip Willard, to 12 July, made a matross that day, £0 8s 11.5d

Thomas Hodges, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hudson, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Hunt, £3 8s 3d

William Jackson, £3 8s 3d

Evan Jones, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

Richard Knight, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Lawrence, £3 8s 3d

John Linaker, £3 8s 3d

Abraham Major, £3 8s 3d

James Maguire, £3 8s 3d

Charles Montague, £3 8s 3d

Patrick Murphy, to 12 July, made a matross that day, £0 8s 11.5d

James Mills, £3 8s 3d

James McCleane, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Oliver, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Cain, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Ferguson, £3 8s 3d

John Smith, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Thomas, £3 8s 3d

John Upton, £3 8s 3d

John Vanston, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

John Wills, £3 8s 3d

John Woodwries, £3 8s 3d

Jeremiah Wignall, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Woodman, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

[Sub-total], £147 19s 11.5d

Carried over, £1,210 18s 6d

Interpretations

The roll of the third company runs to its end at the common wage, the long file of privates giving the full strength on which this part of the garrison stood, closed by a recruit whose pay begins on the fourth of July to make good a place fallen vacant. The uniform figure carried against name after name marks again the fixed footing of the soldier's pay, the whole company reckoned at one rate so that its muster and its charge answered exactly one to the other.

The two men made matrosses on the twelfth of July, Willard and Murphy, continue the steady passage of soldiers from the foot to the artillery that runs through every company of the roll. The batteries needed trained hands to serve the guns, and the establishment drew them from the ranks a few at a time, each man's sentinel pay closing on the day he crossed to the artillery and his matross pay taking it up, the account following the movement to the day as it followed every other change. The garrison the whole account sets out was a body in constant motion, worn by desertion and death through the crowded season and made good by fresh recruits and by shifting men between its branches, its true strength held to the day against the paper establishment so the Company paid only for the service it actually had.

153

146

Bro.t Over £ 1210 18 6

Fourth Company

Daniel Owen, 1 L.t Salary

10 0 0

Ditto Diet Money

6 16 10.th

Ditto House rent

2 10 0 19 6 10.th

Thomas Kirkpatrick 2.d L.t

7 10 0

Ditto Diet Money

6 16 10.th

Ditto House rent

2 10 0 16 16 10.th

36 3 9

Serjeants

Joseph Leighton

6 14 6

William Oakman

6 14 6

David Willson

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

William Moore

4 7 9

James Lee

4 7 9

John Bardin

4 7 9

13 3 3

William Ormes Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

Thomas Alcock to 6.th July incl. under a Watch after 6th

0 4 5.th

Robert Bishop

3 8 3

William Bull

3 8 3

Thomas Barrer

3 8 3

John Burgoigne als Wigwam belet

3 8 3

Henry Carter to 14.th July (under a Watch after 5.th) incl.

0 10 5.th

John Cheeseman

3 8 3

Edward Cullimore

3 8 3

Michael Cole, to 6.th July incl. the day he was discharged

0 4 5.th

Peter Coakley

3 8 3

Walter Cox

3 8 3

Phillip Cathpole

3 8 3

Edward Cocker, recruit from 4.th July to 30.th Sept.r

3 6 6.th

Thomas Draper

3 8 3

John Ellis

3 8 3

Carr.d Over £ 41 17 1

Carr.d Over £ 1284 16 9

The pay account continued as follows, with the fourth company.

Brought over, £1,210 18s 6d

Fourth Company:

Daniel Owen, first lieutenant, salary £10 0s 0d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £19 6s 10.5d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, second lieutenant, salary £7 10s 0d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £16 16s 10.5d

[Sub-total], £36 3s 9d

Sergeants:

Joseph Leighton, £6 14s 6d

William Oakman, £6 14s 6d

David Wilson, £6 14s 6d

[Sub-total], £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

William Moore, £4 7s 9d

James Lee, £4 7s 9d

John Bardin, £4 7s 9d

[Sub-total], £13 3s 3d

William Ormes, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

Thomas Alcock, to 6 July and made a matross that day, £0 4s 5.5d

Robert Bishop, £3 8s 3d

William Bull, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Barrer, £3 8s 3d

John Burgoigne, otherwise Wigwam basket, £3 8s 3d

Henry Carter, to 14 July, made a matross that day, £0 10s 5.5d

John Cheeseman, £3 8s 3d

Edward Cattemore, £3 8s 3d

Michael Cole, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 4s 5.5d

Peter Coakley, £3 8s 3d

Walter Cox, £3 8s 3d

Phillip Catchpole, £3 8s 3d

Edward Cocker, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

Thomas Draper, £3 8s 3d

John Ellis, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £41 17s 1d

Carried over, £1,284 16s 9d

Interpretations

The fourth and last company opens on the settled pattern of the roll, the two lieutenants with their diet money and house rent, the sergeants and corporals at their fixed rates, the drummer and the file of sentinels at the common wage, completing the four equal companies that made up the whole garrison. The uniformity across the establishment, each company built to the same complement and its privates carried at one rate, gives the ordered footing on which the island's defence was reckoned, the whole strength brought to book company by company through the quarter.

The broken sums crowd thickly here, and among them one soldier bears the byname Wigwam basket set against his own name, one of the rough nicknames by which the men of the lower deck and the ranks were known to one another and which the clerk set down to distinguish a common name. Two men are reckoned to the day they were made matrosses and passed to the guns, another to the day of his discharge, and a recruit's pay begins on the fourth of July, the same coming and going the account has followed through every company. The roll holds its discipline to the final name, each man at his true rank and for exactly the days he served, so that when the whole was cast the garrison's cost stood proved against its actual strength, the fourth company closing the list as carefully reckoned as the first.

154

147

Bro.t Over £ 1284 16 9

Bro.t Over £ 41 17 1

Samuel Eates

3 8 3

George Exton

3 8 3

William Gann

3 8 3

Jonathan Godby

3 8 3

James Hall

3 8 3

Jonathan Hallam to 9.th July, the day he deserted

0 6 8.th

John Hayley (One of the Men left sick by Capt Freeman)

3 8 3

Daniel Johnson to 15.th July the day he was drunk

0 3 8.th

James Kendrick

3 8 3

William Kendry

3 8 3

William Kent

3 8 3

John Lewis, to 6.th July, the day he was discharged

0 4 5.th

John Manniby

3 8 3

Abraham Morris, to 9.th July, the day he deserted

0 6 8.th

George Masters

3 8 3

William Murphey

3 8 3

Moses Morunts

3 8 3

Richard Mason

3 8 3

Duncan McLaren (One of 9d men left sick by Capt Freeman)

3 8 3

James Peploe

3 8 3

Edward Richards

3 8 3

Richard Rashalls

3 8 3

Thomas Robinson

3 8 3

David Robinson

3 8 3

Arnold Tasares

3 8 3

Daniel Sergeant

3 8 3

Robert Stack (One of 9d men left sick by Capt Freeman)

3 8 3

Edward Sparks (Ditto)

3 8 3

Solomon Sanders, Recruit, from 4.th July to 30.th Sept.r

3 6 6.th

John Taylor

3 8 3

Peter Uxenburg

3 8 3

James Vaughan

3 8 3

Benjamin Williams

3 8 3

William Wittman

3 8 3 148 12 5.th

John Walker

Carr.d Over £ 1433 9 2.th

The pay account continued as follows.

Brought over, £1,284 16s 9d

Brought over, £41 17s 1d

Samuel Eates, £3 8s 3d

George Exton, £3 8s 3d

William Gann, £3 8s 3d

Jonathan Godby, £3 8s 3d

James Hall, £3 8s 3d

Jonathan Hallam, to 9 July, the day he deserted, £0 6s 8.5d

John Hayley, one of the men left sick by Captain Smith, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Johnson, to 15 July, the day he was discharged, £0 3s 8.5d

James Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

William Hendry, £3 8s 3d

William Kent, £3 8s 3d

John Lewis, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 4s 5.5d

John Manning, £3 8s 3d

Abraham Morris, to 9 July, the day he deserted, £0 6s 8.5d

George Masters, £3 8s 3d

William Murphy, £3 8s 3d

Moses Morindo, £3 8s 3d

Richard Mason, £3 8s 3d

Duncan McLaren, one of the men left sick by Captain Smith, £3 8s 3d

James Peploe, £3 8s 3d

Edward Richards, £3 8s 3d

Richard Rashalls, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Robinson, £3 8s 3d

David Robinson, £3 8s 3d

Arnold Casares, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Sergeant, £3 8s 3d

Robert Stack, one of the men left sick by Captain Smith, £3 8s 3d

Edward Sparks, the same, £3 8s 3d

Solomon Sanders, recruit, from 4 July to 30 September, £3 6s 6.5d

John Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Peter Uxenburg, £3 8s 3d

James Vaughan, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

William Wittman, £3 8s 3d

John Walker, £3 8s 3d

[Sub-total], £148 12s 5.5d

Carried over, £1,433 9s 2.5d

Interpretations

The last file of the fourth company carries a cluster of men entered as left sick by Captain Smith of the Oxford, taken onto the garrison's pay while they recovered. The Oxford, one of the ships of the season, had put three or more of her company ashore too ill to sail on, and the treasury had maintained them at the Company's charge; here they appear on the establishment itself, Hayley, McLaren, Stack and Sparks drawing a soldier's wage, the settlement absorbing men the shipping left behind as it absorbed the deserters landed from other vessels, the crowded road depositing the sick and the runaway alike where the island had to provide for them.

The broken sums record two more desertions within days of the season's height, Hallam and Morris each paid only to the ninth of July, the day he ran, alongside discharges and a fresh recruit whose pay begins on the fourth. The pattern of the whole account holds to its close, the garrison worn by flight and sickness through the crowded weeks and made good by recruits and by the very men the ships left sick or landed as runaways, every gain and loss reckoned to the day. The long roll that began with the Governor's hundred and twenty-five pounds ends in this file of privates at a common wage, the whole establishment of the island, civil and military, brought to a single reckoning cast to the penny against the service actually performed.

155

148

Bro.t Over £ 1433 9 2.th

Artillery Company

John French, Chief Gunn.r Sal.y

13 8 9

Ditto Diet Money

6 16 10.th

Ditto House rent

2 10 0 22 15 7.th

Gunners Mates

William Davis

4 17 6

Major Jackson

4 17 6

William Kennedy

4 17 6

Isaac Leech

4 17 6

Roger Nevenson

4 17 6

Nathan Sample

4 17 6

Thomas Watts

4 17 6

Thomas Willingham

4 17 6

39 0 0

Quarter Gunners

John Barnett, to 6.th July incl. the day he was discharged

0 5 9

Walter Bellew

4 7 9

John Christofell

4 7 9

Ely Leech

4 7 9

John Nottadge

4 7 9

James Pritchard

4 7 9

John Spencer, to 6.th July incl. the day he was discharged

0 5 9

Tho.s Sillies, to Ditto Discharged then

0 5 9

John Artingstall from 7.th July to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

3 17 10.th

John Butler, from ditto to Ditto

3 17 10.th

William Twaine, from 15.th July to 30.th Sept.r both incl.d

3 15 0

34 6 9

Matrosses

Edward Arnold

4 1 3

John Artingstall, to 6.th July (made Q.r Gun.r 12.th July)

0 9 9.th

John Button

4 1 3

Joseph Broswell

4 1 3

John Butler, to 6.th July made Q.r Gun.r 12.th July

0 9 9.th

John Bing to 6.th July incl. the day he was discharged

0 5 4

John Brannigan, to July 8.th incl. the day he was discharged

0 7 1.th

Carr.d Over £ 13 15 9.th

Carr.d Over £ 1529 11 7.th

The pay account continued as follows, with the artillery company.

Brought over, £1,433 9s 2.5d

Artillery Company:

John French, master gunner, salary £13 8s 9d

the same, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

the same, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £22 15s 7.5d

Gunner's Mates:

William Davis, £4 17s 6d

Major Jackson, £4 17s 6d

William Kennedy, £4 17s 6d

Isaac Leech, £4 17s 6d

Roger Stevenson, £4 17s 6d

Nathan Sample, £4 17s 6d

Thomas Watts, £4 17s 6d

Thomas Willingham, £4 17s 6d

[Sub-total], £39 0s 0d

Quarter Gunners:

John Barnett, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 5s 9d

Walter Bellew, £4 7s 9d

John Christofell, £4 7s 9d

Eli Leech, £4 7s 9d

John Nottage, £4 7s 9d

James Pritchard, £4 7s 9d

John Spencer, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 5s 9d

Thomas Sellito, to the same, discharged then, £0 5s 9d

John Artingstall, from 12 July to 30 September, £3 17s 10.5d

John Butter, from the same to the same, £3 17s 10.5d

William Twaites, from 15 July to 30 September, both included, £3 15s 0d

[Sub-total], £34 6s 9d

Matrosses:

Edward Arnold, £4 1s 3d

John Artingstall, to 11 July, made a quarter gunner 12 July, £0 9s 9.5d

John Button, £4 1s 3d

Joseph Broswell, £4 1s 3d

John Butler, to 11 July, made a quarter gunner 12 July, £0 9s 9.5d

John Binn, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 5s 4d

John Brannagan, to 8 July, the day he was discharged, £0 7s 1.25d

Carried over, £13 15s 9.5d

Carried over, £1,529 11s 7.5d

Interpretations

The artillery company closes the establishment, its structure distinct from the four foot companies before it, the master gunner at the head with his diet money and house rent, then the gunner's mates, the quarter gunners and the matrosses, each rank at its own graded wage above the common soldier's pay. The artillery drew the higher rates because it carried the skill on which the batteries depended, the mates and quarter gunners the trained men who laid and fired the great guns and the matrosses their assistants, the whole a specialist body paid a step above the foot for the knowledge the island's defence rested on.

The many broken entries trace the movement between the artillery ranks and up from the foot that filled the company. The men made matrosses in the foot companies appear here on the artillery pay from the day of their transfer, and two of these, Artingstall and Butter, rise again within days to quarter gunner, their matross pay closing on the eleventh and their quarter gunner's pay opening on the twelfth. A run of discharges falls in the first days of July as it did across the whole roll, the company shedding and gaining men to the day. The graded pay set against each rank, and the exact reckoning of every promotion and discharge, complete the account's long discipline, the trained artillery costed as carefully as the foot and every man followed through his rise so the Company paid for the true strength of the guns.

156

149

Bro.t Over £ 1529 11 7.th

Bro.t Over £ 13 15 9.th

William Bateman

4 1 3

Edward Benford

4 1 3

John Brown

4 1 3

Samuell Clarke

4 1 3

Thomas Dent to July 15.th incl. the day he was discharged

0 7 1.th

Anthony Day

4 1 3

Adam Milbourne

4 1 3

Humphry Pugh

4 1 3

Thomas Pride

4 1 3

Lawrence Peterson

4 1 3

John Smith

4 1 3

William Turner to 14.th July made Q.r Gun.r 15.th July

0 12 5.th

John Watkins

4 1 3

Robert Cross from 15.th July to 30.th Sept.r

3 11 2.th

Phillip Hillard from D.o to D.o

3 11 2.th

Patrick Murphy from D.o to D.o

3 11 2.th

Thomas Wright from D.o to D.o

3 11 2.th

Henry Carter from 15.th July to 30.th Sept.r

3 9 5.th

James Vaughan from D.o to D.o

3 9 5.th

80 12 18.th

Superannuated

Joseph Whaley Serjeant

3 8 3

William Behrnham D.o

3 8 3

Isaac Hugarson Q.r Gunner

3 8 3

George Lindsay, Drummer

3 8 3

Samuel Knipe, Centinal

3 8 3

Francis Sunge Ramsurer

6 0 7.th

23 1 10.th

£ 1633 6 4.th

The pay account continued and concluded as follows.

Brought over, £1,529 11s 7.5d

Brought over, £13 15s 9.5d

William Bateman, £4 1s 3d

Edward Benford, £4 1s 3d

John Brown, £4 1s 3d

Samuel Clarke, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Dent, to 6 July, the day he was discharged, £0 7s 1.5d

Anthony Day, £4 1s 3d

Adam Milbourne, £4 1s 3d

Humphry Pugh, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Pride, £4 1s 3d

Lawrence Peterson, £4 1s 3d

John Smith, £4 1s 3d

William Turner, to 14 July, made a quarter gunner 15 July, £0 12s 5.5d

John Watkins, £4 1s 3d

Robert Cross, from 13 July to 30 September, £3 11s 2.5d

Phillip Willard, from the same to the same, £3 11s 2.5d

Patrick Murphy, from the same to the same, £3 11s 2.5d

Thomas Wright, from the same to the same, £3 11s 2.5d

Henry Carter, from 15 July to 30 September, £3 9s 5.5d

James Vaughan, from the same to the same, £3 9s 5.5d

[Sub-total], £80 12s 18.5d

Superannuated:

Joseph Whaley, sergeant, £3 8s 3d

William Burnham, the same, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hugarson, quarter gunner, £3 8s 3d

George Lindsay, drummer, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Knipe, sentinel, £3 8s 3d

Francis Funge, armourer, £6 0s 7.5d

[Sub-total], £23 1s 10.5d

Total, £1,633 6s 4.5d

Interpretations

The last file of matrosses receives the men lately made matrosses in the foot companies, Willard, Murphy, Wright and Carter appearing here on the artillery pay from the day of their transfer, so that the movement traced through the earlier sheets closes on the branch that took them in. The account thus completes a circle, the same names entered as leaving the foot on one page and joining the guns on another, each reckoned to the day so that no man drew from two companies for a single day's service, the establishment's constant shifting brought to an exact reckoning.

The superannuated list at the foot provides for the old servants of the island who could no longer do duty but were kept on the Company's pay, a sergeant, a quarter gunner, a drummer, a sentinel and an armourer among them, several bearing names the record has carried for many years. It marks the settled practice by which men worn out in long service were maintained rather than cast off, a modest pension on the establishment answering the want of any other provision for age on so isolated a station. The grand total of some sixteen hundred and thirty-three pounds closes the whole quarter's pay, the entire establishment, from the Governor through the four foot companies and the artillery to the pensioners, brought to a single sum cast to the penny, the largest charge on the treasury and the fullest measure of what it cost the Company to hold and defend the island for three months.

157

150

Dr Charles Hutchinson

1745

July To Cash rec.d of Cap.t Benj.n Mason of the Queen

Caroline, for a Ship for Customs on goods sold by him

17 9 8.th

To Cash rec.d the Ballance of the Queen Caroline's Account

14 2 10

To Cash rec.d for 67 2 20 of Hay sold to Severall Persons

at five shillings p C.d

16 18 4

To Cash received of David Willson, Steward of the Market

for so much lent him the 27.th July last by Order of

12 0 0

To Cash received from the Estate of Thomas Allis deced

in full of the said Allis's Debt to the Honble Comp.y

43 16 6

To Cash received of Mr Robert Wright in full of his Bond

23 12 6.th

To Cash received of Mr John Goodwin in full of his Debt

1 5 7.th

To Cash received of Mr Joshua Guynam in full of his Debt

0 10 0

To Cash received of Ebenezer Leech in Part of his Debt

20 0 0

To Cash received of Mr Sam.l Falconer in Part of his debt

12 0 0

To Cash received of Henry Moyce in Part of his debt

1 0 0

To Cash rec.d of John Bland, Master Mason, in Part of his Note

5 0 0

To Cash received for 22000 pounds weight of Yams

delivered to the Officers and Soldiers between

the 1 April & the 30.th Sept.r 1745 at 3 £ p C.d

33 0 0

To Cash received for Eight Hundred pounds weight of Yams

delivered the Officers (which were fetched by

their own Servants) between the aforementioned

times at 2/ p C.d

0 16 0

To Cash received of Mr James Dubois, Surgeon's Mate

for so much remaining in his Hands out

of the Seven pence p day, paid by the Soldiers

that were in the Hospital between 1 July and the

30.th September 1745

0 19 6.th

To Cash received from the Cash Chest

1640 19 9.th

Carr.d Over £ 1845 10 10.th

The paymaster's cash account, in the charge of Charles Hutchinson, for the quarter to 30 September 1745, the debtor side, stood as follows.

July, to cash received of Captain Benjamin Mason of the Queen Caroline, store ship, for customs on goods sold by him, £17 9s 8.5d

To cash received, the balance of the Queen Caroline's account, £14 2s 10d

To cash received for 67 hundredweight 2 quarters 20 lb of hay sold to several persons at five shillings the hundredweight, £16 18s 4d

To cash received of David Wilson, steward of the market, for so much lent him on 27 July by order of the council, £12 0s 0d

To cash received from the estate of Thomas Allis deceased, in full of the said Allis's debt to the Company, £43 16s 6d

To cash received of Mr Robert Wright in full of his bond, £23 12s 6.25d

To cash received of Mr John Goodwin in full of his debt, £1 5s 7.5d

To cash received of Mr Joshua Twynam in full of his debt, £0 10s 0d

To cash received of Ebenezer Leech in part of his debt, £20 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr Samuel Falconer in part of his debt, £12 0s 0d

To cash received of Henry Moyce in part of his debt, £1 0s 0d

To cash received of John Bland, matross, in part of his note, £5 0s 0d

To cash received for 22,000 lb weight of yams delivered to the officers and soldiers between 1 April and 30 September 1745 at 1s 6d the [thousand], £33 0s 0d

To cash received for eight hundred pounds weight of yams delivered the officers, which were fetched by their own servants, between the aforementioned times, at 2s the [thousand], £0 16s 0d

To cash received of Mr James Dubois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the sevenpence a day paid by the soldiers that were in the hospital between 1 July and 30 September 1745, £0 19s 6.25d

To cash received from the cash chest, £1,640 19s 9.25d

Carried over, £1,845 10s 10.25d

Interpretations

The paymaster's account is kept as a two-sided reckoning distinct from the Governor and council's own cash book, the receipts on this side gathered to meet the great charge of the quarter's pay on the other, the establishment's own paymaster answering for the money that passed through his hands. The largest single line, the sum drawn from the cash chest, is the treasury itself supplying the shortfall between the small revenues gathered here and the sixteen hundred pounds the garrison and civil servants had to be paid, the pay account and the cash account thus locked together, the one the charge and the other its means.

The many small entries reveal the mixed sources from which the island met its charges. Debts discharged by named servants and inhabitants, the recovery of a dead man's debt to the Company, the sale of hay to the inhabitants, and the sevenpence a day the soldiers in the hospital paid toward their own keep all flow into the account, each a strand of the settlement's revenue gathered against its outgoings. The two lines for yams sold to the officers and soldiers repeat the figures the stock accounts carried month by month, the twenty-two thousand pounds delivered across the half year priced out here, the Company feeding its garrison from its own plantations and charging the men for it, the whole tangled economy of an isolated station, its debts, its hospital stoppages, its hay and its yams, brought to book on one side of a paymaster's account to answer the pay on the other.

158

151

Paymaster C.r

1745

July 1 By Cash paid Wm Kendry for Coming Express with an account

of a Ship to Windward

0 5 0

3 By Cash p.d Jn.o Brown for Coming Express with an Acc.t of

5 Ships to Windward

0 5 0

6 By Cash paid Captain Feilder Freeman for two Sett Saint

David's Table Cloths 10 feet Square at 21 Shill. each

2 2 0

By Cash paid Ditto, for Twenty Nine Napkins

4 9 7

By Cash p.d Ditto, for Twelve fine Dwietta Table Cloths

4 4 0

By Cash p.d Mr Jn.o Goodwin for p.d by him to Cap.t Wm Baron for

160.th Sugar

2 13 4

By Cash p.d Cap.t Rob.t Robinson for ten hundred & One Quarter of

Flower

10 5 0

By Cash p.d Samuel Eales for grinding Paint, for the Ship Lapwing

0 5 0

By Cash p.d Mr Samuel Falconer Surgeon for Rhubarb

bought by him for the Use of the Garrison

2 0 0

17 By Cash p.d Cap.t Harrison for twelve bottles of Mustard seed

0 10 0

By Cash p.d Richard Twaits, for coming Express with an

Account of two Ships to Windward

0 5 0

18 By Cash p.d Mr Wm Steevens, Surgeon of the Queen Caroline

Storeship, his Allowance for his care of some recruits

2 5 0

21 By Cash p.d Tho.s Twitter for coming Express, with an Acc.t

of a Ship to Windward

0 5 0

By Cash p.d Jos.o Long for Coming Express, with an Acc.t of a

Ship to Windward

0 5 0

By Cash p.d Benj.n Pledgard for a Bushell of Potatoes

0 5 0

By Cash p.d Cap.t Munen for sundrys for the Table paid

for Earthern Crocks, and Pans for the diary

17 9 2

27 By Cash lent by Order of the Governour to David Willson, Stew.d

of the Markett

12 0 0

Sept.r 30 By Cash p.d Thomas Jarvis Taylor for Twenty days work in

cutting out a Hundred and Thirty One Suits of

Clothes for the Blacks at 3/ p day

3 0 0

By Cash p.d Ditto for making a Hundred and Sixteen Suits for the

Blacks at 2/6 each

14 10 0

£ 77 3 1

The paymaster's cash account, the creditor side, for the quarter to 30 September 1745 stood as follows.

July 1, by cash paid William Hendry for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

July 3, by cash paid John Brown for coming express with an account of 5 ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

July 6, by cash paid Captain Fielder Freeman for ten Fort St David table cloths, 10 feet square, at 5s each, £2 2s 0d

By cash paid the same for twenty-nine napkins, £4 9s 7d

By cash paid the same for twelve fine doosetee table cloths, £4 4s 0d

By cash paid Mr John Goodwin, for so much paid by him to Captain Baron for 100 lb sugar, £2 13s 4d

By cash paid Captain Robert Robinson for four hundred and one and a quarter [...] of flour, £10 5s 0d

By cash paid Samuel Eales for grinding paint for the ship Lapwing, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Mr Samuel Falconer, surgeon, for rhubarb bought by him for the use of the garrison, £2 0s 0d

July 17, by cash paid Captain Harrison for twelve bottles of mustard seed, £0 10s 0d

By cash paid Richard Twaits for coming express with an account of two ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

July 18, by cash paid Mr William Stevens, surgeon of the Queen Caroline store ship, his allowance for his care of nine recruits, £2 5s 0d

July 21, by cash paid Thomas Fuller for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Joseph Long for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Benjamin Pledgard for a bushel of potatoes, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Captain Mason for sundries for the table, and for earthen crocks and pans for the dairy, £17 9s 2d

July 27, by cash lent by order of the Governor to David Wilson, steward of the market, £12 0s 0d

September 30, by cash paid Thomas Jarvis, tailor, for twenty days work in cutting out a hundred and thirty-one suits of clothes for the blacks at 3s the day, £3 0s 0d

By cash paid the same for making a hundred and sixteen suits for the blacks at 2s 6d each, £14 10s 0d

Total, £77 3s 1d

Interpretations

The creditor side of the paymaster's account gathers the same small disbursements the treasury cash book carried, the recurring express fees for reporting a sail to windward, the goods bought of the commanders for the table, and the medical stores laid in for the garrison, the two accounts recording the one set of payments from the paymaster's own side. That the same purchases appear in both marks the double reckoning the establishment kept, the paymaster answering for what passed through his hands while the Governor and council's book held the whole treasury, each disbursement entered twice so that the two records could be checked against one another.

The tailoring charge at the foot points to the annual clothing of the Company's slaves, the work the record shows falling due each year. A hundred and thirty-one suits cut out and a hundred and sixteen made up mark the yearly issue of apparel to the whole slave establishment, the cloth carried out from India as doosetees and long cloth and given to a tailor to be shaped and sewn, the labour paid by the day and by the suit. It is the regular provision by which the Company clothed the people it held, entered here among the ordinary payments of the quarter like the express fees and the table stores, the keeping and covering of the slaves reckoned as one more standing charge on the paymaster's account.

159

152

Dr Charles Hutchinson

Bro.t Over £ 1845 10 10.th

Carr.d Over £ 1845 10 10.th

The debtor side of Charles Hutchinson's paymaster's account carried over the sum brought forward, £1,845 10s 10.25d, and, no further receipts being entered, closed at the same figure, £1,845 10s 10.25d. The remainder of the column stood ruled off blank.

160

153

Paymaster C.r

1745

Sept.r 30 By Cash p.d Jn.o Artingstall for going nine Trips in the Long

Boat to Sandy Bay for Lime

77 3 1

By Cash p.d Ditto for making forty bottoms, for Soldiers Cills

4 10 0

By Cash p.d Jn.o Christofell for making fifty eight bottoms for Ditto

1 0 0

By Cash p.d Edward Arnold for making two Hundred, and Thirty Three

Bottoms for the Soldiers at Two pence each

2 18 3

By Cash paid Ditto for making a Large Pannell, two Weeingbs & Axe

and for mending a Saddle

0 11 6

By Cash p.d Wm Oakman Carpenter for making fifty nine Cills for the

Soldiers, at two Shillings each

5 18 0

By Cash p.d Ditto for Six days Work, in making two Ladders for the

Garden, and in mending Soldiers Cills at 3/ p day

0 18 0

By Cash p.d Henry Barber for making thirteen pair of Bras for the blacks

1 6 0

By Cash p.d Isaac Leech for making a Large Flagg

2 13 0

By Cash p.d Ditto for eight days work in mending Flaggs

1 0 0

By Cash p.d George Ayres for eight days work in the Long Boat

for Lime

0 8 0

By Cash p.d Wm Mason for fourteen days work in repairing

Sentry Boxes

1 1 0

By Cash paid Bartholomew Molloy, Mine Cutter & Stone Layer for

Twenty Three days Work at the fortifications

at Three Shillings p day

3 9 0

By Cash paid Ambrose Bland Labourer for 48 days Work at Ditto

2 8 0

By Cash p.d Edward Cullimore Ditto 49

2 9 0

By Cash paid Peter Bailey Ditto 22.th

1 2 6

By Cash paid Matthew Campbell Ditto 47.th

2 7 6

By Cash paid David Dove Ditto 45

2 5 0

By Cash paid Wm Fogden Ditto 38

1 18 0

By Cash paid Anthony Day for 73 days, mowing, Hedging,

and Haymaking at 15 each

4 11 3

By Cash paid John Fletcher 71 Days Ditto

4 8 9

By Cash paid Alexander Lowden 70 Ditto

4 7 6

By Cash paid Patrick Murphy 42 Ditto

2 12 6

Carr.d Over £ 132 16 10

The paymaster's cash account, the creditor side, continued as follows.

Brought over, £77 3s 1d

September 30, by cash paid John Artingstall for going nine trips in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime, £4 10s 0d

By cash paid the same for making forty bottoms for soldiers' cots, £1 0s 0d

By cash paid John Christofell for making fifty-eight bottoms for the same, £1 9s 0d

By cash paid Edward Arnold for making two hundred and thirty-three baskets for the soldiers at threepence each, £2 18s 3d

By cash paid the same for making a large pannel, two barrows and a hod, and for mending a saddle, £0 11s 6d

By cash paid William Oakman, carpenter, for making fifty-nine cots for the soldiers at two shillings each, £5 18s 0d

By cash paid the same for six days work in making two ladders for the garden, and in mending soldiers' cots, at 3s the day, £0 18s 0d

By cash paid Henry Barber for making thirteen pairs of trousers for the blacks, £1 6s 0d

By cash paid Isaac Leech for making a large flag, £2 13s 0d

By cash paid the same for eight days work in mending flags, £1 0s 0d

By cash paid George Ayres for eight days work in the long boat for lime, £0 8s 0d

By cash paid William Mason for fourteen days work in repairing sentry boxes, £1 1s 0d

By cash paid Bartholomew Molloy, mason, and stonelayer, for twenty-three days work at the fortifications at three shillings the day, £3 9s 0d

By cash paid Ambrose Bland, labourer, for 48 days work at the same, £2 8s 0d

By cash paid Edward Cattemore, the same, 49 days, £2 9s 0d

By cash paid Peter Bailey, the same, 22.5 days, £1 2s 6d

By cash paid Matthew Campbell, the same, 47.5 days, £2 7s 6d

By cash paid David Dove, the same, 45 days, £2 5s 0d

By cash paid William Ogden, the same, 38 days, £1 18s 0d

By cash paid Anthony Day for 73 days mowing, hedging and hay-making at 15d each, £4 11s 3d

By cash paid John Ketcher, the same, 71 days, £4 8s 9d

By cash paid Alexander Lauder, the same, 70 days, £4 7s 6d

By cash paid Patrick Murphy, the same, 42 days, £2 12s 6d

Carried over, £132 16s 10d

Interpretations

The account here turns from the small purchases of the season to the day labour by which the establishment maintained itself, and the work shows a garrison largely furnishing its own wants. Soldiers and hired men were paid by the day and the piece to make the cots, baskets and trousers the establishment needed, to mend the flags and sentry boxes, and to fetch lime by the long boat from Sandy Bay, the settlement drawing on its own hands for the manufactures and carriage an isolated station could get nowhere else, each task reckoned to the day or the piece and entered like every other charge.

The heavy run of labour at the fortifications and at mowing and hay-making marks the two great calls on the island's own workforce now that the planters' slaves were no longer hired. Governor Dunbar had dismissed the hired blacks and recalled the soldiers to the works, so the fortification labour is done by the garrison's own men at three shillings a day, and the long files of mowing and hedging record the winning of the hay the stock depended on, sold on to the inhabitants as the treasury account showed. It is the settled shape of the establishment's economy under the new labour policy, the Company's own people doing the building, the carriage and the harvest that the planters' slaves had done before, the whole paid by the day and brought to book so that the cost of maintaining the island by its own hands stood proved to the penny.

161

154

Dr Charles Paymaster

Bro.t Over £ 1845 10 10.th

£ 1845 10 10.th

The debtor side of Charles Hutchinson's paymaster's account carried over the sum brought forward, £1,845 10s 10.25d, and, no further receipts being entered, closed at the same figure, £1,845 10s 10.25d. The remainder of the column stood ruled off blank.

162

155

Dr

Bro.t Over £ 132 16 10

By Cash p.d Wm Williams for 62.th days, mowing, Hedging, & Haymaking at 15 p day

3 18 1.th

By Cash p.d Jn.o Ford 57.th Ditto

3 11 10.th

By Cash p.d Jn.o Brown 42 Ditto

2 12 6

By Cash p.d Daniel Councill 31 Ditto

1 18 9

By Cash p.d Tho.s Yales, for Grinding Trees 8.th at the Stores Yard

2 10 0

By Cash p.d Ely Leech for Breaking a Colt

2 0 0

By Cash p.d Mr Matthew Burling Ballance of his Account

4 8 1

By Cash p.d Henry Beale, Ballance of his Account

1 1 0

By Cash p.d Edward Cocker for two days work at the Smiths

Shop in making an Iron Fidd for the Ship Fredricksburg Mast

0 5 0

By Cash p.d Abraham Major for three days Work at D.o for d.o

0 7 6

By Cash p.d him for dressing a Lame Horse, & Hosing a Horse

0 3 0

By Cash p.d for making Two Hundred and Thirty six pair

of Sheets for the Soldiers, at one pence p Pair

8 17 0

By Cash p.d Mr Francis Wrangham (as p Consultation

of 24.th Sept.r last) for a man slave of his, that

was sent some Years agoe, by the Honble Comp.y

to Bencoolen, the slave brought to him from

thence in Exchange being unfitt for service, and

returned to the Honble Company

30 0 0

By Cash p.d Cornelius Konquest for making a Sail for the Long Boat

0 18 0

By Cash p.d the Honble Company's Officers, and Servants their

Salarys &c for the Quarter Commencing 1.st July & ending

30.th Sept.r 1745, amounting as p the Pay Acc.t to

1633 6 4.th

1828 14 0.th

By Ballance p.d into the Honble Comp.y Cash

16 16 10

£ 1845 10 10.th

Excepted

Signed Cha.s Hutchinson

Pay Master

We this day Examined the Cash Account for the Month last

Which is as follows viz.t

Dr

The paymaster's cash account, the creditor side, concluded as follows.

Brought over, £132 16s 10d

By cash paid Henry Williams for 62.5 days mowing, hedging and hay-making at 15d each, £3 18s 1.5d

By cash paid John Ford, 57.5 days, the same, £3 11s 10.5d

By cash paid John Brown, 42 days, the same, £2 12s 6d

By cash paid Daniel Council, 31 days, the same, £1 18s 9d

By cash paid Thomas Yates for grinding forty-eight [...] at the storekeeper's, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid Eli Leech for breaking a cot, £2 0s 0d

By cash paid Mr Matthew Purling, balance of his account, £4 8s 1d

By cash paid Henry Beale, balance of his account, £1 1s 0d

By cash paid Edward Cocker for two days work at the smith's shop in making an iron field for the ship Frederick, King of Sweden, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Abraham Major for three days work at the same, £0 7s 6d

By cash paid the same for dressing a lime store and hoeing a store, £0 3s 0d

By cash paid for making two hundred and thirty-six pairs of sheets for the soldiers at one penny the pair, £8 17s 0d

By cash paid Mr Francis Wrangham, per a consultation of 24 September, for a man slave of his that was sent some years ago by the Company to Bencoolen, the slave brought to him from thence in exchange being unfit for service and returned to the Company, £30 0s 0d

By cash paid Cornelius Konquest for making a sail for the long boat, £0 18s 0d

By cash paid the Company's officers and servants their salaries, for the quarter commencing 1 July and ending 30 September 1745, amounting as per the pay account to, £1,633 6s 4.5d

[Sub-total], £1,828 14s 1.5d

By balance paid into the Company's cash, £16 16s 10d

Total, £1,845 10s 10.25d

The account was subscribed, errors excepted, by Charles Hutchinson, paymaster.

The council this day examined the cash account for the month past, which ran as follows.

Interpretations

The payment of thirty pounds to Francis Wrangham closes on this side of the account the very matter the council had settled at the consultation of 24 September, the compensation for his fishing slave Nero whom the Company had failed to return to him and who died in its service. The claim, first pressed in 1741, is here discharged at the price the board had fixed by the valuation of the island's inhabitants, the grievance of four years at last paid off through the paymaster, the account gathering into itself the resolution of a dispute the consultations had carried across the whole run.

The far larger line below it, the whole quarter's pay of more than sixteen hundred pounds, is the account's true purpose, this side of the paymaster's book meeting on the page the great charge the pay roll had set out man by man. The two accounts thus close together, the receipts drawn from the treasury and the island's small revenues answering the salaries of the whole establishment, and the modest balance paid back into the Company's cash marks the reckoning squared, the paymaster returning what remained once every servant was paid. The single work of making an iron field for the Swedish ship shows the island's smith turning his hand to a foreign vessel's want, one more small service to the shipping entered among the establishment's own labour, the whole quarter's charge brought to book and balanced to the penny before the balance went back to the chest.

163

156

Dr Cash

1745

Sept.r 1 To Ballance remaining

3957 0 11.th

To Cash rec.d for 67 2 20 of Hay sold to Severall Persons at 5 Shill. p C.d

16 18 4

To Cash rec.d of David Willson Steward of the Markett for so much

lent him the 27.th July last by Order of the Governour

12 0 0

To Cash received from the Estate of Thomas Allis deced in full of

the said Allis's Debt to the Honble Company

43 16 6

To Cash received of Mr Robert Wright, in full of his Bond

25 12 6.th

To Cash rec.d of Mr John Goodwin in full of his Debt

1 5 7.th

To Cash rec.d of Mr Joshua Guynam in full of his Debt

0 10 0

To Cash received of Ebenezer Leech, in Part of his Debt

20 0 0

To Cash received of Mr Sam.l Falconer, Surgeon, in part of his Bond

12 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Henry Moyce, Carpenter in Part of his debt

1 0 0

To Cash rec.d of Mr Bland, Master Mason, in Part of his Note

5 0 0

To Cash rec.d for 22000 pounds weight of Yams delivered the

Officers & Soldiers of the Garrison between the first

of April & 30.th Sept.r 1745, at 3 Shill. p C.d

33 0 0

To Cash rec.d for 800 pounds weight of Yams deliv.d

to the Officers (which were fetched by their Servants

between the first of April, and the Thirtieth

day of Sept.r 1745 at two Shillings p C.d

0 16 0

To Cash received of James Dubois Surgeon's Mate

for so much remaining in his Hands out

of the Seven pence p day, paid by the Soldiers

that were in the Hospital, between 1 July,

and 30.th Sept.r 1745

0 19 6.th

To Cash received for Rents for the Year ending 30.th Sept.r 1745

336 14 3.th

To Cash received of Penelope Isaac, the Balance of his debt

30 18 2.th

To Cash received of Gabriel Harper, the Balance of his Acc.t

2 0 0

To Cash rec.d of John Desfountain the Balance of his debt

0 10 0

To Cash rec.d of Giles Smith, the Balance of his Account

2 9 1

Carr.d Over £ 4502 11 1

The Governor and council's cash account for the quarter to 30 September 1745, the debtor side, stood as follows.

September 1, to balance remaining, £3,957 0s 11.5d

To cash received for 67 hundredweight 2 quarters 20 lb of hay sold to several persons at five shillings the hundredweight, £16 18s 4d

To cash received of David Wilson, steward of the market, for so much lent him on 27 July by order of the Governor, £12 0s 0d

To cash received from the estate of Thomas Allis deceased, in full of the said Allis's debt to the Company, £43 16s 6d

To cash received of Mr Robert Wright in full of his bond, £25 12s 6.25d

To cash received of Mr John Goodwin in full of his debt, £1 5s 7.5d

To cash received of Mr Joshua Twynam in full of his debt, £0 10s 0d

To cash received of Ebenezer Leech in part of his debt, £20 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr Samuel Falconer, surgeon, in part of his bond, £12 0s 0d

To cash received of Henry Moyce, carpenter, in part of his debt, £1 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr Bland, master mason, in part of his note, £5 0s 0d

To cash received for 22,000 lb weight of yams delivered the officers and soldiers of the garrison between 1 April and 30 September 1745 at 1s 6d the [thousand], £33 0s 0d

To cash received for 800 lb weight of yams delivered to the officers, which were fetched by their servants, between 1 April and 30 September 1745 at two shillings the [thousand], £0 16s 0d

To cash received of James Dubois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the sevenpence a day paid by the soldiers that were in the hospital, between 1 July and 30 September 1745, £0 19s 6.5d

To cash received for rents for the year ending 30 September 1745, £336 14s 3.5d

To cash received of Penelope Isaac, the balance of her debt, £30 18s 2.5d

To cash received of Gabriel Harper, the balance of his debt, £2 0s 0d

To cash received of John Desfountain, the balance of his debt, £0 10s 0d

To cash received of Giles Smith, the balance of his account, £2 9s 1d

Carried over, £4,502 11s 1d

Interpretations

The Governor and council's own cash book runs alongside the paymaster's account as the second of the two records the establishment kept, gathering the whole treasury where the paymaster's held only the sums that passed through his hands. Many of the same receipts appear on both, the debts discharged by named servants, the hay sold to the inhabitants and the yams charged to the garrison entered in each, the double reckoning ensuring that no sum could enter or leave the treasury without standing in two books that could be checked one against the other, the discipline the great deficiency had taught the council never to relax.

The year's rents, gathered on the one day the tenants attended and here brought into the cash, are the largest single receipt of the ordinary revenue, the yield of the whole landed settlement the rent roll had set out tenant by tenant now flowing into the treasury as a lump. Beside them the balances of debt cleared by Penelope Isaac, Gabriel Harper and the rest complete the general reckoning the rent day served, the land rent and the personal debts brought to book together so that each man's whole account with the Company was squared at once. The account thus draws into itself the two great annual events of the settlement's finances, the paying of the rents and the closing of the servants' debts, gathered on this side of the cash book to answer the charges the Company met from its treasury.

164

157

C.r

By Cash paid the Honble Company's Officers and Servants their

Salarys &c.d for the Quarter Commencing the 1.st of

July, and ending the 30.th Sept.r 1745, as by the

Particulars in the pay Account, amounting to

1633 6 4.th

By Cash paid Thomas Jarvis Taylor for twenty days work

in cutting out a Hundred and Thirty One Suits of

Clothes for the Blacks, at three shillings p day

3 0 0

By Cash p.d Ditto for making a hundred and Sixteen Suits

for the Blacks at two Shillings & Six pence each

14 10 0

By Cash p.d John Artingstall for going nine Trips in the Long

Boat, to sandy bay, for Lime at ten shillings each

4 10 0

By Cash paid Ditto for making forty bottoms for Soldiers Cills

1 0 0

By Cash p.d Jn.o Christofell for making fifty eight bottoms for d.o

1 0 0

By Cash p.d Edward Arnold for making two Hundred, and

Thirty Three Bottoms for the Soldiers at three pence each

2 18 3

By Cash paid Ditto for making a Large Pannell, two

Wingsbys & Axe and for mending a Saddle

0 11 6

By Cash paid William Oakman Carpenter for making

fifty nine Cills for the Soldiers at two Shillings each

5 18 0

By Cash paid Ditto for Six days work in making two

Ladders for the Garden, and in mending Soldiers

Cills at Three shillings p day

0 18 0

By Cash paid Henry Barber for making Thirteen

Pair of Shoes for the Blacks

1 6 0

By Cash paid Isaac Leech for making a Large Flagg

2 15 0

By Cash paid Ditto for Eight days work in mending

Flaggs

1 0 0

By Cash paid George Ayres for eight days Work in

the Long Boat for Lime

0 8 0

By Cash paid William Mason for fourteen days

Work in repairing Sentry Boxes

1 1 0

Carr.d Over £ 1674 11 1.th

The Governor and council's cash account, the creditor side, stood as follows.

By cash paid the Company's officers and servants their salaries, for the quarter commencing 1 July and ending 30 September 1745, as by the particulars in the pay account amounting to, £1,633 6s 4.5d

By cash paid Thomas Jarvis, tailor, for twenty days work in cutting out a hundred and thirty-one suits of clothes for the blacks at three shillings the day, £3 0s 0d

By cash paid the same for making a hundred and sixteen suits for the blacks at two shillings and sixpence each, £14 10s 0d

By cash paid John Artingstall for going nine trips in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime at ten shillings each, £4 10s 0d

By cash paid the same for making forty bottoms for soldiers' cots, £1 0s 0d

By cash paid John Christofell for making fifty-eight bottoms for the same, £1 9s 0d

By cash paid Edward Arnold for making two hundred and thirty-three baskets for the soldiers at threepence each, £2 18s 3d

By cash paid the same for making a large pannel, two barrows and a hod, and for mending a saddle, £0 11s 6d

By cash paid William Oakman, carpenter, for making fifty-nine cots for the soldiers at two shillings each, £5 18s 0d

By cash paid the same for six days work in making two ladders for the garden, and in mending soldiers' cots, at three shillings the day, £0 18s 0d

By cash paid Henry Barber for making thirteen pairs of shoes for the blacks, £1 6s 0d

By cash paid Isaac Leech for making a large flag, £2 15s 0d

By cash paid the same for eight days work in mending flags, £1 0s 0d

By cash paid George Ayres for eight days work in the long boat for lime, £0 8s 0d

By cash paid William Mason for fourteen days work in repairing sentry boxes, £1 1s 0d

Carried over, £1,674 11s 1.5d

Interpretations

This side of the Governor and council's cash book carries the same disbursements the paymaster's account set out, headed by the great charge of the whole quarter's pay and followed by the run of day and piece work by which the establishment furnished its own wants, the two records answering one another entry by entry. That the soldiers' clothing, the cots and baskets, the flags and the lime carriage appear alike in both marks the double reckoning the council kept, every payment entered twice so the treasury's own book and the paymaster's could be proved against each other, the whole cost of the quarter standing in two hands rather than one.

The work itself shows the settled economy of an isolated garrison keeping itself in order by its own labour, the soldiers' cots and bedding made up on the island, the baskets and barrows built, the flags mended and the lime fetched by boat, each task done by a hired man or a soldier at a fixed rate for want of any other source. The clothing of the Company's slaves, cut out and sewn by the tailor at the head of the list, recurs here as the yearly provision it was, the cloth carried from India made up into suits and the labour reckoned by the day and the suit. It is the same picture the paymaster's account gave, the establishment maintaining itself by day work under the new labour policy that put the Company's own people to the tasks the planters' slaves had done, the whole brought to book on both sides of the accounts so the charge stood proved twice over.

165

158

Dr Cash

Bro.t Over £ 4502 11 1

To Cash received of Mr Matthew Burling Storekeeper

for goods sold by him in the Quarter, commencing

July 1, and ending Sept.r 30.th 1745

866 1 7.th

To Cash received of the Executors of Mr John Bazett

deceased for the Ballance of his Account as

p Consultation of 3.d Sept.r 1745

164 12 2

The Governor and council's cash account, the debtor side, continued as follows.

Brought over, £4,502 11s 1d

To cash received of Mr Matthew Purling, storekeeper, for goods sold by him in the quarter commencing 1 July and ending 30 September 1745, £866 1s 0.5d

To cash received of the executors of Mr John Bazett deceased, for the balance of his account, as per consultation of 3 September 1745, £164 12s 2d

Interpretations

The great receipt here is the storekeeper's takings for the whole quarter, more than eight hundred pounds paid in by Matthew Purling for the goods sold from the Company's warehouse to the planters, the garrison, the visiting ships and the foreign vessels through the season. This was the chief revenue of the island, the retail trade on arrack, provisions, cloth and stores that rose and fell with the shipping and that the monthly collections had gathered ship by ship; brought into the cash book as a single sum, it is the largest ordinary receipt of the settlement's year, the profit on the store that made the victualling station pay.

The balance of the late John Bazett's account, paid in by his executors under the consultation of 3 September, closes on this side of the cash book the long reckoning of the deficiency of stores the record has carried for years. The council had fixed the shortfall on the late Governor's account and Bazett's estate, and here the estate discharges its share into the treasury, the money at last recovered from a dead storekeeper's executors and gathered into the Company's cash. The two entries together mark the two faces of the store, the profit of the quarter's trade and the recovery of an old loss upon the stores, both flowing into the treasury on the same page, the settlement's largest earnings and the settling of its longest-standing debt brought to book side by side.

166

159

Bro.t Over £ 1674 11 1.th

By Cash paid Barth.w Molloy Minecutter and Stone Layer for twenty

Three days work at the Fortifications, at three shillings p day

3 9 0

By Cash p.d Ambrose Bland Labourer for 48 days work at Ditto

2 8 0

By Cash p.d Edward Cullimore Ditto 49

2 9 0

By Cash paid Peter Bailey Ditto 22.th

1 2 6

By Cash paid Matthew Campbell Ditto 47.th

2 7 6

By Cash paid David Dove Ditto 45

2 5 0

By Cash paid William Fogden Ditto 38

1 18 0

By Cash p.d Anth.y Day for 73 days mowing, Hedging & Haymaking at 15 each

4 11 3

By Cash p.d Jn.o Fletcher 71 Ditto

4 8 9

By Cash p.d Alexander Lowden 70 Ditto

4 7 6

By Cash p.d Pat.k Murphy 42 Ditto

2 12 6

By Cash p.d Daniel Councill 31 Ditto

1 18 9

By Cash p.d Benj.n Williams 62.th Ditto

3 18 1.th

By Cash p.d John Ford 57.th Ditto

3 11 10.th

By Cash p.d John Brown 42 Ditto

2 12 6

By Cash p.d Tho.s Yales for grinding Trees 8.th at the Stores Yard

2 10 0

By Cash p.d Ely Leech for breaking a Colt

2 0 0

By Cash p.d Mr Matthew Burling Ballance of his Account

4 8 1

By Cash p.d Henry Beale Ballance of his Account

1 1 0

By Cash p.d Edward Cocker for two days work at the Smiths

Shop in making an Iron Fidd for the Ship Fredricksburg Mast

0 5 0

By Cash p.d Abraham Major for three days work at Ditto for Ditto

0 7 6

By Cash p.d him for dressing a Lame Horse & Hosing a Horse

0 3 0

By Cash p.d for making two hundred and Thirty Six pair of

Sheets for the Soldiers at one pence p Pair

8 17 0

By Cash p.d Mr Francis Wrangham as p Consultation of 24.th

Sept.r Instant for a man slave of his that was sent some

Years agoe by the Honble Comp.y to Bencoolen the

slave brought to him from thence in Exchange being

unfitt for service and returned to the Honble Company

30 0 0

Carr.d Over £ 1763 2 11.th

The Governor and council's cash account, the creditor side, continued as follows.

Brought over, £1,674 11s 1.5d

By cash paid Bartholomew Molloy, mason, and stonelayer, for twenty-three days work at the fortifications at three shillings the day, £3 9s 0d

By cash paid Ambrose Bland, labourer, for 48 days work at the same, £2 8s 0d

By cash paid Edward Cattemore, the same, 49 days, £2 9s 0d

By cash paid Peter Bailey, the same, 22.5 days, £1 2s 6d

By cash paid Matthew Campbell, the same, 47.5 days, £2 7s 6d

By cash paid David Dove, the same, 45 days, £2 5s 0d

By cash paid William Ogden, the same, 38 days, £1 18s 0d

By cash paid Anthony Day for 73 days mowing, hedging and hay-making at 15d each, £4 11s 3d

By cash paid John Ketcher, 71 days, the same, £4 8s 9d

By cash paid Alexander Lauder, 70 days, the same, £4 7s 6d

By cash paid Patrick Murphy, 42 days, the same, £2 12s 6d

By cash paid Daniel Council, 31 days, the same, £1 18s 9d

By cash paid Henry Williams, 62.5 days, the same, £2 18s 1.5d

By cash paid John Ford, 57.5 days, the same, £3 11s 10.5d

By cash paid John Brown, 42 days, the same, £2 12s 6d

By cash paid Thomas Yates for grinding forty-eight [...] at the storekeeper's, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid Eli Leech for breaking a cot, £2 0s 0d

By cash paid Mr Matthew Purling, balance of his account, £4 8s 1d

By cash paid Henry Beale, balance of his account, £1 1s 0d

By cash paid Edward Cocker for two days work at the smith's shop in making an iron field for the ship Frederick, King of Sweden, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Abraham Major for three days work at the same, £0 7s 6d

By cash paid the same for dressing a lime store and hoeing a store, £0 3s 0d

By cash paid for making two hundred and thirty-six pairs of sheets for the soldiers at one penny the pair, £8 17s 0d

By cash paid Mr Francis Wrangham, per a consultation of 24 September, for a man slave of his that was sent some years ago by the Company to Bencoolen, the slave brought to him from thence in exchange being unfit for service and returned to the Company, £30 0s 0d

Carried over, £1,763 2s 11.5d

Interpretations

This side of the cash book repeats to the entry the day labour the paymaster's account had carried, the long files of mowing, hedging and hay-making, the fortification work and the making of the soldiers' cots and sheets, the two records set down in parallel so that the whole charge stood proved in both. The heavy run of harvest labour, upwards of four hundred days of mowing and hedging paid to a dozen men, marks the winning of the hay the stock lived on through the dry months, the work the establishment now did with its own hired hands where the planters' slaves had once been engaged, each man's days reckoned exactly and priced at the settled rate.

The payment to Wrangham for his slave Nero appears here again, discharged on both sides of the accounts as every disbursement was, closing on the treasury's own book the compensation the council had fixed at the consultation of 24 September for the fishing slave sent to Bencoolen and lost in the Company's service. Its recurrence in both records shows the same double reckoning that governed the whole, the settling of a four-year grievance entered twice like the day labour and the soldiers' clothing beside it. The smith's small work for the Swedish ship, the grinding at the storekeeper's and the making of the sheets fill out the ordinary business of a station maintaining itself and serving the shipping by its own hands, the whole gathered on both sides of the cash book so the Company's charge for the quarter stood balanced and proved to the penny.

167

160

Dr Cash

Bro.t Over £ 5533 4 3.th

£ 5533 4 3.th

The debtor side of the Governor and council's cash account carried over the sum brought forward, £5,533 4s 3.5d, and, no further receipts being entered, closed at the same figure, £5,533 4s 3.5d. The remainder of the column stood ruled off blank.

168

161

Dr

Bro.t Over £ 1763 2 11.th

By Cash paid Cornelius Ronquest for making a Sail for the

Long Boat

0 18 0

1769 0 11.th

30.th Sept.r 1745 By Ballance remaining in

the following Specie, viz.t

1 Piece of Gold at 11 lb 13 lb 14 at £3 8s 7d & Odd Money£ 46 1 8.th

4 D.o 3 9 12 3 18 13 11 4

4033 Pagodas 9 pcs 1814 17

92 Venetians 10 46

16 Gullers 6 4 16

8.th Guineas 8 18 6

1 Gold Rupee 1 10

1.th of a Moidore 6 9

1.th of a Moidore 3 4.th

1.th of a Johannes 4 6 1931 8 10.th

Gold Amounting to

4632 Dollars at 5 Shill. each 1158 0 0

376.th Rupees 2 3 42 7 1.th

93 Ducatoons 6 27 18

97 Double Ryals 1 3 6 1 3

540 Ryals 7.th 16 17 6

2428 half ryals 3.th 37 18 9

441 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

Odd Money 3 5.th 1292 19 5.th

Silver amounting to

145 Cash Notes at 40 Shillings 290 0 0

161 D.o 20 161 0 0

255 D.o 5 63 15 0

160 D.o 2 6 20 0 0 534 15 0

Cash Notes amounting to£

£ 5533 4 3.th

The Storekeeper this day brought in his Collections

for the Months of July, August, and September last, which were

Examined and Approved, and are as follows, viz.t

Collection

The Governor and council's cash account, the creditor side, closed with the balance of cash remaining in the treasury on 30 September, counted coin by coin, as follows.

Brought over, £1,763 2s 11.5d

By cash paid Cornelius Konquest for making a sail for the long boat, £0 18s 0d

[Sub-total], £1,769 0s 11.5d

30 September 1745, by balance remaining in the following species:

Gold:

1 piece of gold weight 11 dwt 14 at £18 3s 18s 9d, £16 1s 8.5d

1 piece of gold weight 3 dwt 12 at £18, £13 11s 7.5d

4,033 pagodas at 9s, £1,814 17s 0d

92 venetians at 10s, £46 0s 0d

16 gubbers at 6s, £4 16s 0d

8.5 guineas, £8 18s 6d

1 gold rupee, £1 10s 0d

1 quarter of a moidore, £0 6s 9d

1 third of a moidore, £0 3s 4.5d

1 eighth of a johannes, £0 4s 6d

Gold amounting to, £1,931 8s 10.5d

Silver:

4,632 dollars at 5s each, £1,158 0s 0d

376.5 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 7s 1.5d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

97 double ryals at 1s 3d, £6 1s 3d

540 ryals at 7.5d, £16 17s 6d

2,428 half ryals at 3.75d, £37 18s 9d

441 French pieces at 2d, £3 13s 6d

odd money, £0 3s 8.5d

Silver amounting to, £1,292 19s 5.5d

Cash notes:

145 cash notes at 40 shillings, £290 0s 0d

161 cash notes at 20s, £161 0s 0d

255 cash notes at 5s, £63 15s 0d

160 cash notes at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £534 15s 0d

Total, £5,533 4s 3.5d

The storekeeper this day brought in his collection for the months of July, August and September, which was examined and approved, and ran as follows.

Interpretations

This is the physical count of the treasury at the close of the quarter, the coin and paper told over piece by piece so that the balance the cash book carried could be proved against the actual contents of the chest, the reckoning cast into gold, silver and cash notes with the two odd pieces of gold weighed by the pennyweight. The great store of some five thousand five hundred pounds is the settlement's working capital at the end of its busiest season, swollen by the storekeeper's takings, the year's rents and the respondentia loan, all gathered into a single sum proved against the money itself.

The count reaches its fullest variety here, the treasury holding the coin of half the trading world. The gold runs to more than four thousand Indian pagodas alongside English guineas, a gold rupee, Venetian sequins, and even the fractions of Portuguese moidores and a johannes broken to small change; the silver to over four thousand Spanish dollars with Dutch ducatoons, Indian rupees and the long tail of small Spanish-American ryals down to French pieces of twopence. Scarcely an English coin stands among the whole, the island minting nothing and taking whatever the ships of every nation brought, its treasury a reservoir of foreign specie reckoned into sterling for the books while the Company's own cash notes made the only paper in the chest. The quarter's accounts thus close on the same portrait every count has given, a remote station gathering ready coin from every source it could and holding it in a currency drawn from the whole reach of the Company's trade.

169

162

Collections of Goods sold and delivered out of the Honourable

Company's Stores from the 1 July to the 30.th Sept.r 1745, viz.t

Sold to the Company's Servants at 10 p Cent

Arrack 284 gallons£ 71 0 0

Brandy 431.th Gallons

107 17 6

Sugar and Candy viz.t

19 2 16 Sugar£ 36 13 4

3 0 27 Candy 8 6 4.th

44 19 8.th

Flour 4 0 15

2 17 10.th

Soap 4 1 23

17 13 10.th

Oyl viz.t

24.th Gallons Linseed 5 19 2.th

10 Bottles Florence 1 10 10

7 10 0.th

Long Cloth 10 p.s

10 5 10

Turnerware viz.t

35 Shoe Brushes 1 2 7.th

1 Seive 0 10 0

3 Hair Brooms 0 4 7.th

1 Cloth Brush 0 1 2.th

2 Mops 0 2 6

6 Wood Bowles 0 4 0

1 Platter 0 0 8

1 Scrubbing Brush 0 1 6

1 Flaskett 0 2 7

2 9 3.th

Combs viz.t

143 Horn Combs 1 0 10.th

26 Ivory Ditto 1 1 4.th

2 2 2.th

Carried Over £ 266 16 9.th

The collection of goods sold and delivered out of the Company's stores from 1 July to 30 September 1745 stood as follows. The goods were sold to the Company's servants at ten per cent.

Arrack 284 gallons, £71 0s 0d

Brandy 431.5 gallons, £107 17s 6d

Sugar and candy:

19 hundredweight 2 quarters 16 lb sugar, £36 13s 4d

3 hundredweight 27 lb candy, £8 6s 4.5d

[sub-total] £44 19s 8.5d

Flour 4 hundredweight 15 lb, £2 17s 10.5d

Soap 4 hundredweight 1 quarter 23 lb, £17 13s 10.5d

Oil:

24.5 gallons linseed, £5 19s 2.5d

10 bottles Florence, £1 10s 10d

[sub-total] £7 10s 0.5d

Long cloth 10 pieces, £10 5s 10d

Turnery ware:

35 shoe brushes, £1 2s 7.5d

1 sieve, £0 10s 0d

3 hair brooms, £0 4s 7.5d

1 cloth brush, £0 1s 2.5d

2 knives, £0 2s 6d

6 wood bowls, £0 4s 0d

1 platter, £0 0s 8d

1 scrubbing brush, £0 1s 6d

1 flasket, £0 2s 7d

[sub-total] £2 9s 3.5d

Combs:

143 horn combs, £1 0s 10.5d

26 ivory forked, £1 1s 4.5d

[sub-total] £2 2s 2.75d

Carried over, £266 16s 9.5d

Interpretations

The quarterly collection is the storekeeper's own account of the whole retail trade of the season set out article by article, the goods sold from the warehouse and the sums they fetched, the source of the eight hundred pounds the cash book carried as his takings. This first sheet gives the sales to the Company's servants, charged at ten per cent above cost, the establishment's own people buying their liquor, provisions and household wares from the store at a preferential rate below what the planters and the shipping paid. The great weight of arrack and brandy at the head marks the staple of the trade, the imported spirit that every account shows as the largest single article the store sold.

The long list of small wares reveals the range of goods a warehouse on a remote island had to keep, the brushes, brooms, bowls, combs and knives an isolated people could get nowhere but from the Company's store. Charged out at the same ten per cent, these are the ordinary domestic necessaries the establishment's servants bought for their households, the store serving as the island's only shop for the manufactures of home. The Florence oil and the long cloth beside them show the reach of the trade, the olive oil of Tuscany and the plain calico of the Coromandel coast set down in the same account as the horn combs and the scrubbing brush, the whole variety of a settlement's wants supplied through the one warehouse and reckoned to the halfpenny in the storekeeper's collection.

170

163

Bro.t Over £ 266 16 9.th

Tinware viz.t

17 Lamps 0 16 8

8 Saucepans 0 9 2

2 Dripping Pans 0 7 6

4 Lanthornes 0 17 8

2 11 0

Corks 21 Groce

2 12 6

Salt 12.th Bushelles

2 1 11.th

Hosiersware viz.t

31 p.r Soldiers Stockings 3 15 3

20 p.r Mens Wove d.o 4 17 6

18 p.r D.o Knitt d.o 3 0 0

16 p.r D.o Cotton d.o 4 8 0

16 0 9

Thread viz.t

5.th lb Brown sorted 1 8 9

7.th Coloured 0 18 8.th

7 Oz.d Weens 0 8 2

1 lb Blue Thread 0 2 5

2 18 0.th

Desootees viz.t

17 p.r White 7 14 5

2 p.r Blue 1 6 1

9 0 6

Nailes 28.th sorted

0 10 4

Paint viz.t

1 Barrell Blacking 0 0 8

9 lb Blue Smalts 0 16 6

0 17 2

Hooks and Lines viz.t

4 doz 7 Lines sorted 1 2 7

9 Gross 2 doz Hooks sorted 2 3 8.th

3550 Blue Hooks 0 11 10

3 18 1.th

Carr.d Over £ 307 7 2

The storekeeper's collection continued as follows.

Brought over, £266 16s 9.5d

Tinware:

17 lamps, £0 16s 8d

8 saucepans, £0 9s 2d

2 dripping pans, £0 7s 6d

4 lanthorns, £0 17s 8d

[sub-total] £2 11s 0d

Corks 21 gross, £2 12s 6d

Salt 12.25 bushels, £2 1s 11.5d

Hosiery ware:

31 pairs soldiers' stockings, £3 15s 3d

20 pairs men's worsted, £4 17s 6d

18 pairs the same, knit, £3 0s 0d

16 pairs the same, cotton, £4 8s 0d

[sub-total] £16 0s 9d

Thread:

5.25 lb brown sorted, £1 8s 9d

7.25 lb coloured, £0 18s 8.5d

7 ounces nuns, £0 8s 2d

1 lb blue thread, £0 2s 5d

[sub-total] £2 18s 0.75d

Doosetees:

17 pairs white, £7 14s 5d

2 pairs blue, £1 6s 1d

[sub-total] £9 0s 6d

Nails 28 lb sorted, £0 10s 4d

Paint:

1 barrel blacking, £0 0s 8d

9 lb blue smalts, £0 16s 6d

[sub-total] £0 17s 2d

Hooks and lines:

4 dozen 7 lines sorted, £1 2s 7d

9 gross 2 dozen hooks sorted, £2 3s 8.5d

3,550 blue hooks, £0 11s 10d

[sub-total] £3 18s 1.25d

Carried over, £307 7s 2d

Interpretations

The second sheet of the collection runs through the harder wares and materials the store supplied, the tinware, corks, salt, thread, nails and paint that a settlement could get only from the warehouse. The hosiery marks a particular provision, the soldiers' stockings and the men's worsted, knit and cotton stockings among it, the garrison's own clothing needs met from the store like its cots and sheets, the establishment furnishing its men from the same counter that served the inhabitants.

The great quantity of hooks and lines at the foot points to the island's fishery, the standing establishment of boats that had furnished the slaves' ration since the meat ration was replaced by fish decades before. Thousands of hooks and dozens of lines sold in a single quarter mark the constant renewal that the fishing required, the gear wearing out and lost at a rate the store had always to make good, one more recurring want of an isolated station reckoned into the collection. The doosetees, the blue smalts and the sorted nails beside them show the same mixture the whole account keeps, the plain Bengal cloth, the pigment and the ironmongery set down together, the store answering every material need of the settlement and the garrison alike and pricing each to the halfpenny in the storekeeper's reckoning.

171

164

Bro.t Over £ 307 7 2

Oars 1 14 feet

0 3 8

Pepper 5.th

0 3 11.th

Hair Powder 15.th lb

0 9 4.th

Pewter viz.t

2.th doz Spoons 0 5 10

7 Chamber Potts 1 3 11

4 Bassons 0 11 0

3 Funnells 0 7 6

2 8 3

Chinaware viz.t

14 Sneekers 0 4 8

42 Soup Plates 0 19 3

6 half Pint Cups & Saucers 0 2 6

1 6 5

Glaziersware viz.t

12 Wine Glasses 0 4 0

9 Tumblers 0 6 4.th

3 Beer Glasses 0 2 4.th

32 Squares Glass 8 by 10 0 18 8

1 11 5

Braziersware viz.t

1 Tea Kettle 0 13 9

1 Saucepan 0 7 6.th

1 1 3.th

Blanketts 6

1 19 9

Ironmongersware viz.t

4 Taylor's Thimbles 0 0 6

16 Gimblotts 0 2 4

10 Dovetail Hinges 0 9 2

3 p.r Bellows 0 14 1.th

2 Chaffing Dishes 0 6 11

1 Hand Hatchett 0 1 10

1 Hammer 0 1 3.th

Ironmongersware Carr.d Over 1 16 2

Carr.d Over £ 316 11 3.th

The storekeeper's collection continued as follows.

Brought over, £307 7s 2d

Oars 1, 14 feet, £0 3s 8d

Pepper 5 lb, £0 3s 11.5d

Hair powder 15 lb, £0 9s 6.5d

Pewter:

2.5 dozen spoons, £0 5s 10d

7 chamber pots, £1 3s 11d

4 basins, £0 11s 0d

3 funnels, £0 7s 6d

[sub-total] £2 8s 3d

Chinaware:

14 sneakers, £0 4s 8d

42 soup plates, £0 19s 3d

6 half pint cups and saucers, £0 2s 6d

[sub-total] £1 6s 5d

Glazier's ware:

12 wine glasses, £0 4s 0d

9 tumblers, £0 6s 4.5d

3 beer glasses, £0 2s 4.5d

32 squares glass 8 by 10, £0 18s 8d

[sub-total] £1 11s 5d

Brazier's ware:

1 tea kettle, £0 13s 9d

1 saucepan, £0 7s 6.5d

[sub-total] £1 1s 3.5d

Blankets 6, £1 19s 9d

Ironmongery ware:

4 tailors' thimbles, £0 0s 6d

16 gimblets, £0 2s 4d

10 dovetail hinges, £0 9s 2d

3 pairs bellows, £0 14s 1.5d

2 chafing dishes, £0 6s 11d

1 hand hatchet, £0 1s 10d

1 hammer, £0 1s 3.5d

ironmongery ware carried over, £1 16s 2d

Carried over, £316 11s 3.25d

Interpretations

The collection runs on through the finer household wares the store kept, the pewter, chinaware, glasses and brazier's ware that furnished a settlement's table where no local craft could supply them. The chamber pots entered here at their proper value are the very goods the storekeeper had lately caught mis-priced in the store ship's invoice at twopence apiece when they were worth near three shillings, corrected then so the Company should not sell them at a loss; sold out here at their true rate, they show the care of that earlier correction carried through to the reckoning of the sale.

The list of glazier's and ironmongery ware reveals the practical wants a warehouse on a remote island had to answer, the panes of window glass, the hinges, gimblets, bellows and hatchets a people cut off from every tradesman could get only from the Company's store. Charged out with the tea kettle, the tumblers and the spoons, these are the tools and fittings of a household or a workshop that home supplied and the store passed on, the settlement equipping itself for building, cooking and mending from the one source open to it. The whole variety of the account, from the pepper and hair powder to the window glass and the hammer, marks the store as the island's only shop for the manufactures of the world, each article reckoned to the halfpenny and gathered into the storekeeper's collection so the trade of the quarter stood proved to the penny.

172

165

Bro.t Over £ 316 11 3.th

Ironmongersware Brought over 1 16 2

2 Small Frying Pans 0 3 3

3 Till Locks 0 7 0

3 Shod Shovells 0 5 3

6 Chest Locks 1 4 0

4 Stock Locks 0 5 8

2 Box Locks with brass plates 0 4 2

1 Hoe 0 1 11

1 Pad Lock 0 2 10

4 10 8

Flannel 28 Yards

1 4 2

Twine viz.t

46 Skeins of Twine 1 6 10

2.th lb Shoe Thread 0 5 1.th

1 11 11.th

Shoes viz.t

38 p.r Mens Ordinary 8 4 6

30 p.r Mens fine 8 0 0

16 4 6

Deales viz.t

2 Single Deals 0 3 8

1 Inch Wainscoat board 0 4 9

0 8 5

Lead viz.t

45.th Sheet 0 8 5.th

25.th Small Shott 0 4 8.th

0 13 1.th

Mustard Seed 1 Gallon

0 2 7.th

Haberdasheryware viz.t

1 p.r White Tape 0 2 3.th

3 p.r Carnation Tape 0 1 4.th

62 Skeins Mohair 0 15 6

30 Skeins Silk 0 13 9

Haberdasheryware Bro.t Over 1 12 11

Carr.d Over £ 341 6 8.th

The storekeeper's collection continued as follows.

Brought over, £316 11s 3.25d

Ironmongery ware brought over, £1 16s 2d

2 small frying pans, £0 3s 3d

3 till locks, £0 7s 0d

3 shod shovels, £0 5s 3d

6 chest locks, £1 4s 0d

4 stock locks, £0 5s 8d

2 box locks with brass plates, £0 4s 2d

1 hoe, £0 1s 11d

1 pad lock, £0 2s 10d

[sub-total] £4 10s 8d

Flannel 28 yards, £1 4s 2d

Twine:

46 skeins of twine, £1 6s 10d

2.5 lb shoe thread, £0 5s 1.5d

[sub-total] £1 11s 11.5d

Shoes:

38 pairs men's ordinary, £8 4s 6d

30 pairs men's fine, £8 0s 0d

[sub-total] £16 4s 6d

Deals:

2 single deals, £0 3s 8d

1 inch wainscot board, £0 4s 9d

[sub-total] £0 8s 5d

Lead:

45 lb sheet, £0 8s 5.5d

25 lb small shot, £0 4s 8.5d

[sub-total] £0 13s 1.5d

Mustard seed 1 gallon, £0 2s 7.5d

Haberdashery ware:

1 pair white tape, £0 2s 3.5d

3 pairs carnation tape, £0 1s 4.5d

62 skeins mohair, £0 15s 6d

30 skeins silk, £0 13s 9d

haberdashery ware carried over, £1 12s 11d

Carried over, £341 6s 8.5d

Interpretations

The collection continues through the locks, shovels, hoes and frying pans of the ironmongery, the shoes, deals, lead and haberdashery that a settlement drew wholly from the store. The many locks, the till, chest, stock, box and padlocks together, point to the need to secure goods and dwellings on an island where the record shows theft a constant trouble and the store itself broken into more than once, the hardware of security sold out among the ordinary tools.

The shoes are the largest article on the sheet, the men's ordinary and fine sold by the dozens of pairs, one more want of a people who could make no such thing themselves and drew their footwear from home like their cloth and their liquor. The deals and the wainscot board beside them mark the timber the island had always to import, the record showing wood so scarce that the Company preserved its own and bought cabbage-tree rafters dear of the planters, so that even a few single deals were reckoned into the store's account. The mohair, silk and tape of the haberdashery, the finer materials for making and trimming clothes, complete the range, the store answering from the coarsest hardware to the finest sewing silk, the whole gathered to the halfpenny in the collection that proved the quarter's trade.

173

166

Bro.t Over £ 341 6 8.th

Haberdasheryware bro.t over 1 12 11

43.th doz Mohair Coat buttons 1 7 2.th

18 doz D.o Breast 0 5 7.th

1.th doz Gill Coat 0 1 5

1 Yard Ferrett 0 0 3

4 p.r Holland Tape 0 2 10

1 p.r Narrow Holland Tape 0 0 6

4 Yards Gartering 0 0 8

3 11 4.th

Tea 8 Cattees

0 13 8

Buckrams viz.t

29 Yards Buckrams 1 5 4.th

19 Yards Osnabrigs 0 12 3.th

11 p.r Hair Cloth 0 13 9

2 11 4.th

Camblotts 28.th Yards

3 19 0.th

German Serge 25.th Yards

6 0 0.th

Candles 99 lb

7 16 9

Turpentine 29 lb

0 4 2.th

Gold Twist 2 Oz.d

1 0 6

Cutleryware viz.t

3 Butchers Knives 0 0 11.th

105 p.r Buckles 2 16 10.th

2 17 9.th

Broad Cloth viz.t

36.th Yards fine sorted 31 3 8.th

10.th Yards Coarse Blue 2 11 3

33 14 11.th

Shalloon 79.th Yards sorted

8 17 9.th

Leather 25.th

1 5 6.th

Shirts viz.t

16 Soldiers Shirts 3 13 4

35 Dungree 3 12 11

7 6 3

Carr.d Over £ 421 6 1.th

The storekeeper's collection continued as follows.

Brought over, £341 6s 8.5d

Haberdashery ware brought over, £1 12s 11d

4.75 dozen mohair coat buttons, £1 7s 2.75d

18 dozen the same, breast, £0 5s 7.5d

0.5 dozen gilt coat, £0 1s 5d

1 yard ferret, £0 0s 3d

4 pairs Holland tape, £0 2s 10d

1 pair narrow Holland tape, £0 0s 6d

4 yards gartering, £0 0s 8d

[sub-total] £3 11s 4.75d

Tea 8 catties, £0 13s 8d

Buckrams:

29 yards buckrams, £1 5s 4.5d

19 yards osnaburgs, £0 12s 3.5d

11 pairs hair cloth, £0 13s 9d

[sub-total] £2 11s 4.75d

Camblets 28.75 yards, £3 19s 0.75d

German serge 25.25 yards, £6 0s 0.75d

Candles 99 lb, £7 16s 9d

Turpentine 20 lb, £0 4s 2.75d

Gold twist 2 ounces, £1 0s 6d

Cutlery ware:

3 butchers' knives, £0 0s 11.75d

105 pairs buckles, £2 16s 10.5d

[sub-total] £2 17s 9.75d

Broad cloth:

36.75 yards fine sorted, £31 3s 8.5d

10.25 yards coarse blue, £2 11s 3d

[sub-total] £33 14s 11.5d

Shalloon 79.5 yards sorted, £8 17s 9.5d

Leather 25 lb, £1 5s 6.5d

Shirts:

16 soldiers' shirts, £3 13s 4d

35 dungaree, £3 12s 11d

[sub-total] £7 6s 3d

Carried over, £421 6s 1.25d

Interpretations

The collection turns here to the cloths and clothing that made up the most valuable part of the store's trade, the broad cloth, shalloon, camblet and serge sold by the yard for the making of garments, the fine broad cloth at more than thirty pounds the single heaviest article on the whole account. These are the woollens carried out from England for the island's own people, the fine cloth for the better sort and the coarse blue for the plainer wear, the store furnishing the material of dress as it furnished every other want, the buttons, tape and gold twist of the haberdashery sold alongside for the trimming.

The soldiers' shirts and the dungaree at the foot mark again the clothing of the garrison and the slaves that runs through all the accounts, the shirts for the men and the coarse Indian dungaree for the coarser use, sold from the same store that made up their cots and stockings. The candles, tea, leather and turpentine beside the cloth show the mixture the collection keeps to the end, the materials of light, of the table, of the workshop and of dress all gathered in the one account, the store answering the whole range of a settlement's needs from the finest broad cloth to the plainest shirt, each reckoned to the farthing so that the quarter's trade stood proved article by article in the storekeeper's reckoning.

174

167

Bro.t Over £ 421 6 1.th

Musseline 4 p.s

2 7 8

Kersey 40.th Yards

2 18 3.th

Iron Potts 2

0 10 9

Chelloes 2 p.s

0 19 10

Beeff and Pork viz.t

423 Beeff 45 2 0

7.th Pork 7 14 2

52 16 2

Rice and Paddy 121 1 14 Rice

40 10 3.th

Canvas viz.t

1 Yard Sacking 0 0 9

42 Yards English Canvas 2 12 6

2 13 3

Total £ 524 2 9.th

Sold to the Planters at 25 p Cent & forty p Cent

Arrack 67 Gallons

20 2 0

Brandy 197 Gallons

59 2 0

Sugar and Candy viz.t

8 1 14 Sugar 19 10 10

1 2 7 Candy 4 14 4.th

24 5 9.th

Flour 85.th

0 14 9

Soap 82.th

3 15 2

Oyl 5 Gallons Linseed

1 11 3

Flannell 43.th Yards

3 5 1.th

Carr.d Over £ 112 14 11

The storekeeper's collection concluded the sales to the Company's servants, and began the sales to the planters, as follows.

Brought over, £421 6s 1.25d

Muslin 4 pairs, £2 7s 8d

Kersey 40.25 yards, £2 18s 8.25d

Iron pots 2, £0 10s 9d

Chelloes 2 pairs, £0 19s 10d

Beef and pork:

423 lb beef, £45 2s 0d

7 hundredweight pork, £7 14s 2d

[sub-total] £52 16s 2d

Rice and paddy 121 hundredweight 1 quarter 14 lb rice, £40 10s 3.75d

Canvas:

1 yard sacking, £0 0s 9d

42 yards English canvas, £2 12s 6d

[sub-total] £2 13s 3d

Total, £524 2s 9.75d

The goods sold to the planters, at both twenty-five per cent and forty per cent, ran as follows.

Arrack 67 gallons, £20 2s 0d

Brandy 197 gallons, £59 2s 0d

Sugar and candy:

8 hundredweight 1 quarter 14 lb sugar, £19 10s 10d

1 hundredweight 2 quarters 7 lb candy, £4 14s 4.5d

[sub-total] £24 5s 9.5d

Flour 85 lb, £0 14s 9d

Soap 82 lb, £3 15s 2d

Oil 5 gallons linseed, £1 11s 3d

Flannel 43.75 yards, £3 5s 1.5d

Carried over, £112 14s 11d

Interpretations

The close of the sales to the Company's servants gives the total of that account, more than five hundred pounds of goods sold to the establishment's own people through the quarter at the preferential ten per cent, the beef, pork and rice among it marking the provisions the servants drew from the store when the fresh supply from the planters' market was scant. The whole sum shows how large a share of the store's trade fell to the establishment itself, the officers, tradesmen and soldiers buying their liquor, cloth and provisions from the warehouse at a rate below what any other buyer paid.

The turn to the sales to the planters marks the distinct footing on which the inhabitants dealt with the store, charged at twenty-five and forty per cent above cost where the servants paid ten, the same graded scale the collections had always kept between the Company's own people and the free inhabitants. The planters bought the same staples, the arrack, brandy, sugar, soap and flannel, but at the higher rate, the store drawing its profit from the settlement at large while supplying its servants near cost. It is the settled structure of the island's retail trade, the one warehouse serving every buyer but pricing each by his standing, the servants, the planters and, further on, the shipping and the foreign vessels each met at their own rate, the whole gathered in the storekeeper's collection so the Company's return on its store stood proved class by class.

175

168

Bro.t Over £ 112 14 11

Chinaware viz.t

66 Sneekers 1 7 6

54 Soup Plates 1 4 9

136 Small Cups 0 19 4.th

1280 Small Coffee 10 12 6

1270 D.o Saucers

168 Sallop Cups 0 17 6

26 Plates & 1 Dish blackt 0 14 2

2 Soup Dishes 1 17 4

12 half Pint Cups & 15 Saucers 0 6 6

17 19 11.th

Glaziersware viz.t

2 Beer Glasses 0 2 0

8 Tumblers 0 7 0

49 Squares 8 by 10 1 14 8.th

6 Squares 6 by 8 0 2 6

16 Squares 12 by 12 0 16 8

3 2 10.th

Blanketts 15 Ordinary

6 4 3

Long Cloth 13 p.s

17 4 2

Candles 120.th

12 14 2

Salt 4.th Bushells

0 19 1.th

Tinware viz.t

72 Lanthorne Leaves 0 11 0

2 Horn Lanthorns 0 11 4

7 Dripping Pans 1 16 10

15 Lamps 0 16 3

16 Saucepans 1 3 4

4 18 9

Cordage 4 2 19

11 11 3.th

Turnersware viz.t

3 Mops 0 4 9

2 Hair Brooms 0 3 10

Turnersware Carried Over 0 8 7

Carr.d Over £ 187 0 5

The storekeeper's collection continued, with the sales to the planters, as follows.

Brought over, £112 14s 11d

Chinaware:

66 sneakers, £1 7s 6d

54 soup plates, £1 4s 9d

186 small cups, £0 19s 4.5d

1,280 small cups, £10 12s 6d

1,270 the same, saucers, [entered with the cups]

168 scollop cups, £0 17s 6d

26 plates and 1 Dutch black tea [...], £0 14s 2d

2 soup dishes, £1 17s 4d

12 half pint cups and 15 saucers, £0 6s 6d

[sub-total] £17 19s 11.5d

Glazier's ware:

2 beer glasses, £0 2s 0d

8 tumblers, £0 7s 0d

49 squares 8 by 10, £1 14s 8.5d

6 squares 6 by 8, £0 2s 6d

16 squares 12 by 12, £0 16s 8d

[sub-total] £3 2s 10.5d

Blankets 15 ordinary, £6 4s 3d

Long cloth 13 pieces, £17 4s 2d

Candles 120 lb, £12 14s 2d

Salt 4.5 bushels, £0 19s 1.5d

Tinware:

72 lanthorn leaves, £0 11s 0d

2 horn lanthorns, £0 11s 4d

7 dripping pans, £1 16s 10d

15 lamps, £0 16s 3d

16 saucepans, £1 3s 4d

[sub-total] £4 18s 9d

Cordage 4 hundredweight 2 quarters 19 lb, £11 11s 3.5d

Turnery ware:

3 mats, £0 4s 9d

2 hair brooms, £0 3s 10d

turnery ware carried over, £0 8s 7d

Carried over, £187 0s 6d

Interpretations

The great quantity of chinaware sold to the planters, the small cups and saucers by the thousand, marks the trade that the season's China ships had brought within reach, the porcelain of Canton passing through the store to the island's households at the planters' rate. The tea equipage on this scale, cups, saucers, scollop cups and soup dishes together, shows how far the fashion for tea had reached even a remote settlement, the Company carrying the ware west and the store selling it out among the inhabitants who could get such things nowhere else.

The window glass, cordage, candles and long cloth beside it fill out the plainer wants the planters drew from the store, the panes for their houses, the rope for their boats and the calico for their clothing. Charged at the higher rate the free inhabitants paid, these are the same staples the servants bought near cost, the store meeting every buyer at his own price. The long cloth and the candles at more than a dozen pounds each stand among the heaviest articles, the plain necessaries of dress and light bought in quantity by a whole community, the collection gathering the planters' trade as carefully as the servants', each article reckoned to the halfpenny so that the store's return from the inhabitants stood proved beside its return from its own people.

176

169

Bro.t Over £ 187 9 6

Turnersware brought over£ 0 8 7

1 Seive 0 12 9

4 Wood Bowles 0 3 4

1 D.o Platter 0 0 10

1 5 6

Hooks and Lines viz.t

7 Gross Hooks sorted 2 6 8.th

1050 Blue Hooks 0 4 4.th

7 doz 5 Lines sorted 2 4 0

1 Hand Line 0 1 11

4 17 0

Nailes 126.th sorted

2 18 9.th

Hair Powder 13.th lb

0 9 2.th

Rice 7 3 21

4 3 3.th

Beeff and Pork viz.t

25 p.r Beeff 3 17 1

25 p.r Pork 3 17 1

7 14 2

Match 28.th lb

0 12 8

Paint viz.t

3.th lb Yellow Oaker 0 0 10.th

8.th lb Blue Smalts 0 19 3

2 Barrolls Blacking 0 1 8

33.th White Lead 0 12 4.th

1 14 2

Pallampores 8 sorted

4 18 0

Shalloon 15.th Yards Coloured

1 13 7

Desootees viz.t

49 p.r White 35 18 2

2 p.r Blue 1 14 0

37 12 2.th

Twine 39 Skeins

1 7 7.th

Carr.d Over £ 256 15 8.th

The storekeeper's collection continued, with the sales to the planters, as follows.

Brought over, £187 0s 6d

Turnery ware brought over, £0 8s 7d

1 sieve, £0 12s 9d

4 wood bowls, £0 3s 4d

1 platter, £0 0s 10d

[sub-total] £1 5s 6d

Hooks and lines:

7 gross hooks sorted, £2 6s 8.5d

1,050 blue hooks, £0 4s 4.5d

7 dozen 5 lines sorted, £2 4s 0d

1 hand line, £0 1s 11d

[sub-total] £4 17s 0d

Nails 126 lb sorted, £2 18s 9.25d

Hair powder 13 lb, £0 9s 2.5d

Rice 7 hundredweight 3 quarters 21 lb, £4 3s 3.5d

Beef and pork:

25 pairs beef, £3 17s 1d

25 pairs pork, £3 17s 1d

[sub-total] £7 14s 2d

Match 28 lb, £0 12s 8d

Paint:

3 lb yellow ochre, £0 0s 10.5d

8 lb blue smalts, £0 19s 3d

2 barrels blacking, £0 1s 8d

33 lb white lead, £0 12s 4.5d

[sub-total] £1 14s 2d

Palampores 8 sorted, £4 18s 0d

Shalloon 15.5 yards coloured, £1 13s 7d

Doosetees:

49 pairs white, £35 18s 2d

2 pairs blue, £1 14s 0d

[sub-total] £37 12s 2.5d

Twine 39 skeins, £1 7s 7.5d

Carried over, £256 15s 8.25d

Interpretations

The heaviest article on this sheet is the doosetees, the plain Bengal cotton sold to the planters at near thirty-eight pounds, the single largest line of their whole account and a mark of how much the inhabitants drew their clothing from the store. The white and blue doosetees together, with the palampores and shalloon beside them, show the range of Indian and English cloth the planters bought, the coarse cotton for common wear and the printed palampore for a finer furnishing, the store supplying the material of dress and household to the free inhabitants as to the servants.

The hooks and lines recur here on the planters' side as they did on the servants', the fishing gear a want common to the whole island, and the paint, nails and match fill out the practical materials the inhabitants drew for their houses, their boats and their guns. The beef and pork among them mark the store selling back preserved provisions to the very people who furnished its fresh meat, the salted stores drawn on when the market was scant. It is the same mixture the whole collection keeps, the cloth, the tackle, the hardware and the provision all gathered in the planters' account at their own rate, the store answering every material want of the settlement and reckoning each to the halfpenny so the trade of the quarter stood proved to the penny on both sides.

177

170

Bro.t Over £ 256 15 8.th

Shoes viz.t

14 Pair Mens fine 4 5 2

36 P.r D.o Ordenary 0 14 9

100 p.r Womens 19 3 4

7 p.r Boys sorted 1 7 3

23 10 6

Camblotts viz.t

8.th Yards Camblotts 1 6 11

10 Yards Allepenes 1 2 6

2 9 5

Hosiersware viz.t

18 p.r Womens Hose 4 7 0

4 p.r Mens Wove 0 17 4

22 p.r Mens Knitt 4 2 6

5 p.r Girls 0 14 2

2 p.r Boys 0 6 2

10 7 2

Lead 6.th Sheet

0 1 6

Thread viz.t

6.th lb Coloured 1 0 3.th

17.th lb Brown sorted 5 14 4

24 Oz.d Weens d.o 1 14 6

8 9 1.th

Tea 1 Cattee

0 2 0

Deals viz.t

5 Single 0 12 8

1 Buffer 0 4 3

0 16 11

Chelloes 1.th p.s

0 5 7

Broad Cloth 13.th Yards sorted

13 4 5.th

Ironmongersware viz.t

4 doz Wood Screws 0 1 6

8 Iron rimded Locks sorted 2 4 4

Ironmongersware Carr.d Over 2 5 10

Carr.d Over £ 318 2 4.th

The storekeeper's collection continued, with the sales to the planters, as follows.

Brought over, £256 15s 8.25d

Shoes:

14 pairs men's fine, £4 5s 2d

36 pairs the same, ordinary, £0 14s 9d

100 pairs women's, £19 3s 4d

7 pairs boys' sorted, £1 7s 3d

[sub-total] £23 18s 6d

Camblets:

8.5 yards camblets, £1 6s 11d

10 yards alepines, £1 2s 6d

[sub-total] £2 9s 5d

Hosiery ware:

18 pairs women's hose, £4 7s 0d

4 pairs men's worsted, £0 17s 4d

22 pairs men's knit, £4 2s 6d

5 pairs girls', £0 14s 2d

2 pairs boys', £0 6s 2d

[sub-total] £10 7s 2d

Lead 6 lb sheet, £0 1s 6d

Thread:

6.25 lb coloured, £1 0s 3.75d

17.75 lb brown sorted, £5 14s 4d

24 ounces nuns, the same, £1 14s 6d

[sub-total] £8 9s 1.75d

Tea 1 catty, £0 2s 0d

Deals:

5 single, £0 12s 8d

1 tuffer, £0 4s 3d

[sub-total] £0 16s 11d

Chelloes 0.5 pair, £0 5s 7d

Broad cloth 13.75 yards sorted, £13 4s 5.5d

Ironmongery ware:

4 dozen wood screws, £0 1s 6d

8 iron rimmed locks, £2 4s 4d

ironmongery ware carried over, £2 5s 10d

Carried over, £318 2s 4.25d

Interpretations

The shoes are the heaviest article here, and the hundred pairs of women's shoes among them mark a distinction the servants' account did not show, for the store selling to the whole body of the planters supplied the footwear of their families, women's, men's and boys' and girls' shoes together, where the establishment's own trade ran chiefly to men. The planters bought for a household and a family, and the collection reflects it, the shoes, the hose and the thread sold in the sizes and quantities a settlement of families required.

The hosiery, the broad cloth and the camblet beside the shoes fill out the clothing trade that made up so much of the planters' account, the stockings for men, women and children and the woollens for their coats and gowns, the store dressing the free inhabitants from head to foot as it dressed the garrison and the slaves. The locks and screws of the ironmongery, the deals, the lead and the tea complete the range, the same mixture of clothing, hardware and provision the whole collection has kept, the store answering every want of the planters' households at their own rate. Each article is reckoned to the farthing, the trade of the quarter proved line by line, the one warehouse serving the servants near cost and the planters dearer, its return from each brought to book in the storekeeper's long collection.

178

171

Bro.t Over £ 318 2 4.th

Ironmongersware brought over£ 2 5 10

4 Small Stock Locks 0 6 8

3 p.r Bellows 0 18 0

Three Chest Locks 0 15 3

4 Shod Shovells 0 9 0

2 Hand Hatchetts 1 8 0

1 Hammer 0 1 8

1 Haul 0 5 3

3 Hoes 0 3 3

2.th Deed Nailes 0 1 3

6 18 2

Haberdasheryware viz.t

16 Skeins Mohair 0 3 4

10 D.o Silk 0 5 5

6 Doz Breast Buttons 0 2 3

7 Doz Coat Ditto 0 4 11.th

26 p.r Broad Holland Tape 1 1 8

5 p.r White Tape 0 14 7

8 Yards Gartring 0 1 8

2 p.r carnation Tape 0 1 2

2 p.r Bobbing 0 0 9

12 Thread Laces 0 0 9

2 18 6.th

Combs viz.t

43 Ivory sorted 2 18 8

3 Horn 0 0 6

2 19 2

Pewter viz.t

8 Bazons 1 8 0

1.th Doz Spoons 0 1 5.th

10 Chamber Potts 2 3 4

3 12 9.th

Iron 28.th

0 4 10.th

Carr.d Over £ 334 15 11.th

The storekeeper's collection continued, with the sales to the planters, as follows.

Brought over, £318 2s 4.75d

Ironmongery ware brought over, £2 5s 10d

4 small stock locks, £0 6s 8d

3 pairs bellows, £0 18s 0d

3 chest locks, £0 15s 3d

4 shod shovels, £0 9s 8d

2 hand hatchets, £1 8s 0d

1 hammer, £0 1s 8d

1 hoe, £0 5s 3d

3 hinges, £0 3s 3d

2 pairs deadeyes, £0 1s 3d

[sub-total] £6 18s 2d

Haberdashery ware:

16 skeins mohair, £0 3s 4d

10 the same, silk, £0 5s 5d

6 dozen breast buttons, £0 2s 3d

1 dozen coat, the same, £0 4s 11.5d

96 pairs broad Holland tape, £1 1s 8d

5 pairs white tape, £0 14s 7d

8 yards gartering, £0 1s 8d

2 pairs carnation tape, £0 1s 2d

2 pairs bobbin, £0 0s 9d

12 thread laces, £0 0s 9d

[sub-total] £2 18s 6.5d

Combs:

43 ivory sorted, £2 18s 8d

3 horn, £0 0s 6d

[sub-total] £2 19s 2d

Pewter:

8 basins, £1 8s 0d

0.5 dozen spoons, £0 1s 5.5d

10 chamber pots, £2 3s 4d

[sub-total] £3 12s 9.5d

Iron 28 lb, £0 4s 10.5d

Carried over, £334 15s 11.5d

Interpretations

The locks, hatchets, shovels and hinges of the ironmongery repeat on the planters' side the hardware the servants drew, the many locks again marking the securing of goods and dwellings that theft made a constant care on the island. The pewter basins and chamber pots among them are the very chamber pots the storekeeper had earlier found mis-priced in the store ship's invoice and had ordered reckoned at their true cost, sold out here to the planters at that corrected value, the earlier vigilance carried through to the profit of the sale.

The haberdashery reveals the finer trade of the store, the mohair and silk, the coat and breast buttons, the tapes and bobbin and thread laces the planters bought for the making and trimming of their clothes, a settlement's women furnishing their needlework from the one warehouse that could supply it. The ivory combs beside them, sold by the dozens, mark the small personal wares an island drew wholly from home, the store answering the coarsest ironmongery and the finest sewing silk from the same account. The whole variety of the planters' trade, the hardware, the haberdashery, the combs and the pewter, is gathered here at their own rate and reckoned to the farthing, the store's long collection proving the settlement's trade article by article as the quarter closed.

179

172

Bro.t Over £ 334 15 11.th

Coales 2 Bushells

0 4 8

Oars 2 18 feet

0 13 2

Long Ells 12.th Yards

5 3 5.th

Corks 2 Groce

0 6 4

Rozin 1.th

0 0 2

Canvas 20 Yards English

1 11 8

Cullances 1 p.s

0 12 3

Cutlery 10 Batchers Knives

0 3 11.th

Braziersware 2 Copper Saucepans

0 16 11.th

Buckrams viz.t

18 Yards Buckram 0 16 0

8 Yards Osnabrigs 0 6 0

1 4 0

Pepper 8.th lb

0 5 8

Total £ 341 18 3.th

Sold to the Company's Shipping at 40 p Cent

Turnersware viz.t

20 Mops 1 11 8

2 Hair Brooms 0 3 10

1 Paint Brush 0 0 5.th

1 15 11.th

Lead 33.th Sheet

0 8 3

Canvas viz.t

8 p.s Sacking 9 12 0

16 p.s Russia Duck 33 4 2

42 16 2

Coales 5.th Chaldrons

13 4 0

Carr.d Over £ 58 4 4.th

The storekeeper's collection concluded the sales to the planters, and began the sales to the Company's shipping, as follows.

Brought over, £334 15s 11.5d

Coals 2 bushels, £0 4s 8d

Pans 2, 18 feet, £0 13s 2d

Long ells 12.25 yards, £5 3s 5.75d

Corks 2 gross, £0 6s 4d

Rosin 1 lb, £0 0s 2d

Canvas 20 yards English, £1 11s 8d

Cuttanees 1 piece, £0 12s 3d

Cutlery 10 butchers' knives, £0 3s 11.5d

Brazier's ware 2 copper saucepans, £0 16s 11.5d

Buckrams:

18 yards buckram, £0 16s 0d

8 yards osnaburgs, £0 6s 0d

[sub-total] £1 4s 0d

Pepper 8 lb, £0 5s 8d

Total, £341 18s 3.5d

The goods sold to the Company's shipping, at forty per cent, ran as follows.

Turnery ware:

20 mats, £1 11s 8d

2 hair brooms, £0 3s 10d

1 paint brush, £0 0s 5.5d

[sub-total] £1 15s 11.5d

Lead 33 lb sheet, £0 8s 3d

Canvas:

8 pairs sacking, £9 12s 0d

16 pairs Russia duck, £33 4s 2d

[sub-total] £42 16s 2d

Coals 5.5 chaldrons, £13 4s 0d

Carried over, £58 4s 4.5d

Interpretations

The close of the planters' account gives the total of their trade, near three hundred and forty-two pounds of goods sold to the free inhabitants through the quarter at the higher rate they paid, a sum of the same order as the servants' account but drawn at twenty-five and forty per cent above cost rather than ten. The two totals together, the servants' and the planters', make up the bulk of the storekeeper's eight hundred pounds, the establishment and the inhabitants the store's two chief markets, each served at its own price.

The turn to the sales to the Company's shipping opens the third class of the trade, the departing ships buying at forty per cent the stores they needed for the homeward passage, the canvas, cordage, lead and coals of a vessel's own upkeep. The Russia duck and sacking at the head, the stout canvas for sails and wrappers, and the coals by the chaldron mark the distinct character of this trade, the store furnishing not a household's wants but a ship's, the materials to carry her home rather than to dress or feed a family. It is the last of the graded markets the collection sets out, the servants near cost, the planters dearer and the shipping dearer still, the one warehouse pricing each buyer by his standing and the whole gathered to the farthing so the store's return from every quarter stood proved as the reckoning closed.

180

173

Bro.t Over £ 58 4 4.th

Pitch &c.o viz.t

35 0 12 Pitch 23 13 5.th

13 3 5 Tarr 7 11 5.th

11 1 19 Rozin 9 16 8.th

4 2 9 Turpentine 0 16 8

41 18 3.th

Paint viz.t

168.th lb Red Lead & Oaker 1 16 8.th

182.th White Lead 3 8 3

9.th Blue Smalts 0 4 8

25.th Brimstone 0 8 4

72.th Yellow Oaker 1 1 0

6 18 11.th

Oyle 131.th Gall.s Linseed

55 15 11.th

Tinware viz.t

229 Lanthorn Leaves 1 15 0

1 Dark Lanthorn 0 3 1

1 18 1.th

Anchors 2 wt 59 0 21

121 19 3.th

Iron 1 3 25

1 13 3.th

Twine 104 Skeins

2 18 8

Nailes 408.th sorted

8 7 5.th

Hooks and Lines viz.t

29 doz Hooks sorted 0 13 6.th

200 Blue Hooks 0 0 10

18 Lines sorted 0 9 0

1 3 4.th

Ironmongersware viz.t

3 Frying Pans 0 9 6

4 doz Wood Screws 0 6 0

0 15 6

Salt 5 Bushells

1 1 3

Pease 10 Bushells

5 8 4

Carr.d Over £ 308 2 10.th

The storekeeper's collection continued, with the sales to the Company's shipping, as follows.

Brought over, £58 4s 4.5d

Pitch and the rest:

35 hundredweight 12 lb pitch, £23 13s 5.75d

13 hundredweight 3 quarters 5 lb tar, £7 11s 5.5d

11 hundredweight 1 quarter 19 lb rosin, £9 16s 8.5d

2 hundredweight 9 lb turpentine, £0 16s 8d

[sub-total] £41 18s 3.5d

Paint:

168.5 lb red lead and ochre, £1 16s 8.5d

182 lb white lead, £3 8s 3d

2 lb blue smalts, £0 4s 8d

25 lb brimstone, £0 8s 4d

72 lb yellow ochre, £1 1s 0d

[sub-total] £6 18s 11.5d

Oil 181.75 gallons linseed, £55 15s 11.5d

Tinware:

229 lanthorn leaves, £1 15s 0d

1 dark lanthorn, £0 3s 1d

[sub-total] £1 18s 1d

Anchors 2, weight 59 hundredweight 21 lb, £121 19s 3.75d

Iron 1 hundredweight 3 quarters 25 lb, £1 13s 3.5d

Twine 104 skeins, £2 18s 8d

Nails 408 lb sorted, £8 7s 5.75d

Hooks and lines:

29 dozen hooks sorted, £0 13s 6.5d

200 blue hooks, £0 0s 10d

18 lines sorted, £0 9s 0d

[sub-total] £1 3s 4.5d

Ironmongery ware:

3 frying pans, £0 9s 6d

4 dozen wood screws, £0 6s 0d

[sub-total] £0 15s 6d

Salt 5 bushels, £1 1s 3d

Pease 10 bushels, £5 8s 4d

Carried over, £308 2s 10.5d

Interpretations

The trade with the shipping shows its distinct character plainly on this sheet, the pitch, tar, rosin and turpentine at the head being the very stores a wooden ship needed to caulk and pay her seams for the homeward passage, sold by the hundredweight where a household bought by the pound. The great weight of these materials, and the oil, paint and anchors beside them, mark a trade in the upkeep of vessels rather than the wants of a family, the store furnishing the ships that called with the means to make themselves fit for the sea.

The two anchors alone, at more than a hundred and twenty pounds, are the single heaviest article of the whole quarter's trade, the iron ground-tackle a ship might need to replace a cable or an anchor lost in the road, kept in the store for just such a want. The pease sold by the bushel among them mark the one provision on the sheet, the dried pulse that victualled a crew on the passage home. It is the last and most specialised of the store's markets, the shipping buying the heavy stores and the sea provision that neither servant nor planter required, the warehouse answering a vessel's needs as it answered a household's and a garrison's, each priced at its own rate and reckoned to the farthing so the whole trade of the quarter, to servants, planters and ships alike, stood proved in the storekeeper's long collection.

181

174

Bro.t Over £ 308 2 10.th

Cordage 31 0 26 80 13 4

9 1 14 Twice laid 26 5 0

106 18 4

Deals &c.o viz.t

11 Double Deals 1 19 5

7 Single D.o 0 16 4

103 feet 3 Inch Elm Plank 6 0 2

39 feet 4 Inch D.o 3 1 9

22.th feet 2.th Inch Oak Plank 1 14 3

14 feet 2 Inch D.o 0 0 0

9 Elm Boards 1 18 7.th

1 Inch Board of Wainscoat 0 6 0

1 half Inch D.o 0 3 3

9 p.s Riga Timber 60 feet

4 p.s D.o 8 feet 5 4 2

52 feet Oak Timber 4 2 4

25 6 3.th

Masts viz.t

1 Topmast 68 feet 25 4 0

1 Sprit 57 d.o 10 10 0

35 14 0

Glaziersware 90 p.r 12 by 12

1 11 9

Rice 56.th

0 5 3

Blocks viz.t

7 Topsail Sheets Blocks Double 1 9 9

4 Geer Blocks 1 14 0

4 Clew Garnetts 0 9 0

2 Single Topsail Sheets 0 6 8

2 Topsail Clewlines 0 4 6

4 3 11

Total £ 482 2 5.th

The storekeeper's collection concluded the sales to the Company's shipping, as follows.

Brought over, £308 2s 10.5d

Cordage:

31 hundredweight 26 lb, £80 13s 4d

9 hundredweight 1 quarter 14 lb junk laid, £26 5s 0d

[sub-total] £106 18s 4d

Deals:

11 double deals, £1 19s 5d

7 single, the same, £0 16s 4d

103 feet 3 inch elm plank, £6 0s 2d

39 feet 4 inch, the same, £3 1s 9d

22.5 feet 2.5 inch Dutch plank, £1 14s 3d

14 feet 2 inch, the same, £0 0s 0d

9 elm boards, £1 18s 7.5d

1 rough board wainscot, £0 6s 0d

1 half inch, the same, £0 3s 3d

2 pieces Riga timber, 60 feet, £5 4s 2d

4 pairs the same, 8 feet, [entered above]

52 feet oak timber, £4 2s 4d

[sub-total] £25 6s 3.5d

Masts:

1 topmast 68 feet, £25 4s 6d

1 sprit 57 feet, £10 10s 0d

[sub-total] £35 14s 6d

Glazier's ware 32 squares 12 by 12, £1 11s 9d

Rice 56 lb, £0 5s 3d

Blocks:

7 topsail sheets, thin double, £1 9s 9d

4 jeer blocks, £1 14s 0d

4 clew garnets, £0 9s 0d

2 single topsail sheets, £0 6s 8d

2 topsail clewlines, £0 4s 6d

[sub-total] £4 3s 11d

Total, £482 2s 5.5d

Interpretations

The close of the shipping account is the most purely nautical part of the whole collection, the cordage, deals, timber, masts and blocks being the very stuff of a ship's repair, sold to the vessels that called for the mending of their hulls and rigging. The great weight of cordage at more than a hundred pounds, and the topmast and spritsail yard among the timber, mark the store as a place where a ship could refit as well as revictual, the island supplying the spars and rope a vessel damaged on the long passage could get nowhere nearer.

The topmast and the run of blocks, the jeer blocks, clew garnets and topsail sheets, answer directly the need of a ship dismasted or with her gear carried away, the very case of the London that had put back to the island under a lost mast that very season. The store held the timber to make a new spar and the blocks to reeve a new set of running rigging, so that a crippled ship could be set right and sent on, the deals and Riga and oak timber beside them serving her carpenter's every want. The total of some four hundred and eighty pounds closes the shipping's trade, the third and last of the store's markets, and with it the whole collection, the warehouse proved to have served the servants, the planters and the ships each at their own rate and for their own wants, from a household's combs to a vessel's topmast, the entire retail trade of the quarter reckoned to the farthing and brought to book.

182

175

Charges Generall Dr for the following Stores Expended from

the 1 July to the 30.th September 1745 viz.t

Nailes viz.t

6.th lb Nailes 0 2 5.th

2.th lb D.o for making a 0 0 11.th

2 20 d.o Press for Linnen 0 0 7

12.th Flowing Parads 0 5 3

12.th Copper Rivetts for the

Cooperathe Use 0 5 6

0 14 8

Arrack 22 Gall.s At the Sailors who were ordered on

shore for a reinforcement in a Double Allarm

2 15 10

Cordage 1 0 5 for a Bell & Frame rope

1 15 8.th

Sugar 4.th for the men who went on board those d.o

Ships in the fleet to search for Deserters

0 0 10

Deales viz.t

5 p.s rotten Timber Cutups for the

use of the Stores 2 16 8

12 Double Deals for repairing for 1 12 6

17 Single D.o a Bill Hitch 1 8 4

4.th Inch wainscoat boards for a 0 9 4

9 Inch D.o Ceild for Steiner 1 18 5.th

1 Spar 0 1 8

8 6 11.th

Ironmongersware viz.t

1 Chaffin Dish for the Stores Use 0 3 1.th

1 p.r Bellows 0 4 3

7 p.r Dovetail Hinges for a Press 0 2 11

6 Small Stock Locks for the Stores 0 7 1.th

1 Iron rimd Lock, Steward's Room 0 6 0

2 Brass Locks Box for a Press 0 3 8

1 Sett Coopers Tools 2 7 11

2 Seives 0 1 2

1 Padlock 0 2 7

2 Sugar Shovels for Store Use 0 3 2

3 Brass Door Locks for the Castle 0 16 0

4 17 11.th

Carr.d Over £ 18 12 5.th

The account of general charges, being the goods issued from the store for the Company's own use from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Nails:

6 lb 4d nails, £0 2s 5.5d

2 lb 3d, the same, for making a press for lumber, £0 0s 11.5d

2 lb 20d, the same, £0 0s 7d

12 lb flooring brads, £0 5s 3d

12 lb copper rivets for the corporals' use, £0 5s 6d

[sub-total] £0 14s 8d

Arrack 22 gallons, to the sailors who were ordered ashore for a reinforcement in a double alarm, £2 15s 10d

Cordage 1 hundredweight 5 lb for a bell and crane rope, £1 15s 8.5d

Sugar 4 lb for the men who went on board the several ships in the fleet to search for deserters, £0 0s 10d

Deals:

5 pairs rotten timber, junk, for the use of the stores, £2 16s 8d

18 double deals, for repairs, per a bill witnessed, £1 12s 6d

17 single, the same, £1 8s 4d

4.5 inch wainscot boards for a [...], £0 9s 4d

9 inch, the same, for the lockers for the joiner, £1 18s 5.5d

1 spar, £0 1s 8d

[sub-total] £8 6s 11.5d

Ironmongery ware:

1 chafing dish, for the storekeeper's use, £0 3s 1.5d

1 pair bellows, £0 4s 3d

7 dovetail hinges for a press, £0 2s 11d

6 small stock locks for the [...], £0 7s 1.5d

1 iron rimmed lock, for the [...] door, £0 6s 0d

2 brass box locks for a press, £0 3s 8d

1 till copper's pots, £2 1s 11d

2 sieves, £0 1s 2d

1 padlock, £0 3s 2d

2 sugar shovels for store use, £0 [...] 0d

3 brass door locks for the castle, £0 16s 0d

[sub-total] £4 17s 11.5d

Carried over, £18 12s 3.5d

Interpretations

The account turns here from the store's sales to its issues for the Company's own use, the goods drawn out of the warehouse not for money but for the settlement's own work, the nails, deals, locks and cordage the establishment consumed in its building and repair. These are charged to the head of general charges rather than sold, the store supplying its own master as it supplied the servants and the planters, the timber and hardware for mending the castle, the stores and the joiner's lockers all reckoned into the account so the Company's own consumption stood proved alongside its trade.

Two of the small entries touch the season's business directly. The arrack issued to the sailors ordered ashore in a double alarm marks the drawing of the crews of the ships in the road to reinforce the garrison when a strange sail threatened, the drams served to the men who manned the works, and the sugar given to those who went aboard the fleet to search for deserters records the very hunt for runaways the pay roll and the letters to India show, the store furnishing even the small refreshment of the parties sent to recover the men who had slipped away. It is the same tangled economy the whole run has shown, the store answering the Company's own wants as it answered every other, from the brass locks of the castle doors to the drams of a party under arms, each drawn out and charged to the penny so the settlement's own use of its stores stood reckoned like its sales.

183

176

Bro.t Over £ 18 12 5.th

Haberdasheryware viz.t

200 Needles 0 1 0.th

1 Skeine Silk 0 0 4.th

2 p.r Carnation Tape for the Stores 0 0 10

0 2 3

Blocks 1 16 Inch for the Crane

0 4 3

Tinware viz.t

2 Large Dripping Pans for the

Kitchen 0 9 0

1 D.o Lamps 0 1 6

0 10 6

Cutleryware viz.t

5 Buckhandle Knives for the

Kitchen & 0 2 1

1 Cleaver Store Use 0 2 6

0 4 9.th

Thread 3.th Brown

0 2 9.th

Candles 90.th Weens & baste

for the Councill 7 13 0

Pewter viz.t

3 Cannes 2 12 9

2.th Gall.s Funnells 0 7 8

2 Quart Potts Store 0 5 6

2 Pint Potts Use 0 3 10

3 9 9

Corks 5 Groce for Bottling Beer

0 11 3

Chinaware viz.t

20 Plates all Sizes 1 3 0

4 Dishes

12 Sneekers 0 3 0

1 3 0

Braziersware viz.t

1 Threepint Coffee Saucepan for 0 6 10

12 Hand Basons the Castle 1 19 3

2 6 1

Desootees 18 p.s Single for the House Use

0 8 3

Cotton 24.th for the Stores Use

2 10 9

Carr.d Over £ 38 7 7.th

The account of general charges continued as follows.

Brought over, £18 12s 3.5d

Haberdashery ware:

200 needles, £0 1s 0.5d

1 skein silk, £0 0s 4.5d

2 pairs carnation tape to tie up papers, £0 0s 10d

[sub-total] £0 2s 3d

Blocks 1, 16 inch, for the crane, £0 4s 3d

Tinware:

2 large dripping pans for the kitchen, £0 9s 0d

4 lamps, the same, £0 1s 6d

[sub-total] £0 10s 6d

Cutlery ware:

5 buckhandle knives for the kitchen and store use, £0 2s 1d

1 cleaver, the same, £0 2s 8d

[sub-total] £0 4s 9.5d

Thread 0.5 lb brown, £0 2s 9.5d

Candles 90 lb for the castle, £7 13s 0d

Pewter, for the council:

3 canes, £2 12s 9d

2.5 gallons funnels, store use, £0 7s 8d

2 quart pots, the same, £0 5s 6d

2 pint pots, £0 3s 10d

[sub-total] £3 9s 9d

Corks 5 gross for bottling beer, £0 11s 3d

Chinaware:

20 plates and 4 dishes, for the general table, £1 0s 0d

4 dishes, the same, [entered above]

12 sneakers, £0 3s 0d

[sub-total] £1 3s 0d

Brazier's ware:

1 threepint coffee saucepan for the kitchen, £0 6s 10d

12 hand bells for the [...], £1 19s 3d

[sub-total] £2 6s 1d

Doosetees 18 pieces single for the house use, £0 8s 3d

Cotton 24 lb for the house use, £0 10s 9d

Carried over, £38 7s 7.75d

Interpretations

The general charges here run through the furnishing of the castle and the general table, the pewter, chinaware, tinware and candles drawn from the store for the Company's own household rather than sold. The plates, dishes and sneakers for the general table, the dripping pans and lamps for the kitchen, and the ninety pounds of candles for the castle mark the establishment equipping its own hospitality from the warehouse, the very table at which the council, the officers and the visiting commanders dined provided from the same store that supplied the island at large.

The small entries reveal how closely even the Company's own consumption was reckoned, the needles and silk and the two pairs of tape drawn expressly to tie up papers, the corks for bottling the beer, the doosetees and cotton for house use, each charged to the general account though issued for the establishment's own work. It is the discipline the whole run has shown carried to its finest point, the store answering the Company's own domestic wants as it answered its trade, and every item, from the pewter canes for the council to the tape that bound the consultations, drawn out and reckoned to the farthing, so that nothing left the warehouse, whether sold or consumed, without standing in the account to be proved.

184

177

Bro.t Over £ 38 7 7.th

Oyle viz.t

2 Gall.s Linseed 0 8 10

4.th d.o Train for the House Use 0 14 2

1 3 0

Soap 1 3 24 for Linnen

6 17 6

Turnersware viz.t

2 Mops 0 1 1.th

14 Birch Brooms for the Castle 0 7 0

2 Setts Hammer & Hosespots 2 10 10

Three Truss Hoops for the Cooper's Use 1 9 6

2 Gauging Rods for Store Use 0 9 4

4 17 11.th

Glaziersware viz.t

24 Wine Glasses 0 8 0

4 Beer Glasses for the Gen.l Table 0 2 10

0 10 10

Paint 4.th Blue Smalt for Linnen

0 6 8

Coals 6 Chaldron for the Smiths

9 18 0

Total £ 62 1 7.th

Arrack 79.th Gall.s delivered Mr Wright as p an Order

in Consultation of the 5.th August last

10 2 8.th

Diet Expences Dr to Sundry Accounts for the following Stores

Issued for the Generall Table from the 1 July to the 30.th September 1745 viz.t

Arrack 146 Gallons£ 18 11 1

Brandy 2 Gallons

0 8 2

Sugar and Candy viz.t

1 1 0 Sugar 1 11 10.th

1 0 13 Candy 2 0 1.th

3 12 0

Pepper 4.th

0 2 0

Carr.d Over £ 22 13 3

The account of general charges concluded, and the account of diet expenses began, as follows.

Brought over, £38 7s 7.75d

Oil:

2 gallons linseed, £0 8s 10d

4.5 gallons train, for the house use, £0 14s 2d

[sub-total] £1 3s 0d

Soap 1 hundredweight 3 quarters 24 lb for linen, £6 17s 6d

Turnery ware:

2 mats, £0 1s 1.5d

14 birch brooms, for the castle, £0 7s 0d

2 setts hammer hampers, £2 10s 10d

three trussrooms for the cooper's use, £1 9s 8d

2 gauging rods for store use, £0 9s 4d

[sub-total] £4 17s 11.5d

Glazier's ware:

24 wine glasses, for the general table, £0 8s 0d

4 beer glasses, the same, £0 2s 10d

[sub-total] £0 10s 10d

Paint 4 lb blue smalts for linen, £0 6s 8d

Coals 6 chaldrons for the smith's, £9 18s 0d

Total, £62 1s 7.75d

Arrack 79.75 gallons delivered Mr Wright, as per an order in the consultation of 9 August last, £10 2s 8.5d

The account of diet expenses, being the goods issued to sundry accounts for the general table from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Arrack 146 gallons, £18 11s 1d

Brandy 2 gallons, £0 8s 2d

Sugar and candy:

1 hundredweight 1 quarter sugar, £1 11s 10.5d

1 hundredweight 13 lb candy, £2 0s 1.5d

[sub-total] £3 12s 0d

Pepper 4 lb, £0 2s 0d

Carried over, £22 13s 3d

Interpretations

The close of the general charges gives the total of the goods the Company drew from its own store for its own use through the quarter, some sixty-two pounds of nails, timber, hardware, furnishing and fuel consumed in the building, the household and the works, the coals for the smith's forge among the heaviest, the settlement's own consumption reckoned entire alongside its trade. The separate line for the arrack delivered to Robert Wright under the consultation of 9 August closes on the store's own books the very claim the record settled that day, the arrack returned to him for the surplus he had handed over without allowance for waste, the resolution of his petition entered here as an issue from the store.

The turn to the diet expenses opens the account of the general table itself, the provisions issued to feed the council, the officers and the visitors of the season, the arrack, sugar and pepper drawn from the store to victual the establishment's own board. This is a distinct head from the sundries the steward had entered month by month, the store's own reckoning of what the table consumed, the imported liquor and groceries charged out to the diet account as the fresh meat and wine were charged to the steward's. It marks the same double keeping the whole run has shown, the table's provisioning entered both in the steward's monthly sundries and in the store's quarterly diet account, so the cost of the Company's hospitality stood proved in two hands, the whole gathered to the farthing as the reckoning of the quarter drew to its end.

185

178

Bro.t Over £ 22 13 3

Bread and Flour viz.t

2 Casks Flour Beeff 8 1 18 5 9 1.th

D.o Bread 7 0 0

8 9 8.th

Oyl 12 Bottles Florence

1 13 6

Salt 2 Bushells

0 5 11.th

Pease and Grots 6 half Grots 1 3.th

1 Bushell Bran 7 8.th

0 11 11.th

Rice 2 0 11

0 11 10.th

Beef and Pork viz.t

9 p.r Beef 1 6 9.th

17 p.r Pork 1 2 0.th

3 8 10.th

Total £ 36 18 1

Fortification Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1 July to

the 15.th September 1745 Viz.t

Ironmongersware Viz.t

Mason Tools p Caroline 9 10 1

8 Hoes 1 8

1 Trowel for the Masons 1 2.th

5 Shod D.o 6 0

3 Shod Shovels for D.o 1 8.th

1 Spike Gimblott for the Carpenter 2.th

6 Stone Wedges for the Masons 1 0

12 9 10.th

Deals Viz.t

55 Single for the Wharehouses 4 11 8

7 Double 17 6

6 Stairs Shaken Stuff Sold ditto 10 0

5 19 2

Nailes Viz.t

2.th 20 Nailes 7 0

4.th Spikes for the same Cost 1 2.th

1 9.th

Carr.d Over £ 16 10 10

The account of diet expenses concluded, and the account of fortification charges began, as follows.

Brought over, £22 13s 3d

Bread and flour:

2 casks flour, weight 8 hundredweight 1 quarter 18 lb, £5 9s 1.5d

the same, bread, £0 0s 7d

[sub-total] £5 9s 8.5d

Oil 12 bottles Florence, £1 13s 6d

Salt 2 bushels, £0 5s 11.5d

Pease and grots 6 gallons grots, £0 4s 3.5d

1 bushel pease, £0 7s 8.5d

[sub-total] £0 11s 11.5d

Rice 2 hundredweight 11 lb, £1 4s 10.5d

Beef and pork:

1 pair beef, £1 6s 9.5d

17 pairs pork, £1 2s 0.5d

[sub-total] £3 8s 10.5d

Total, £36 18s 1d

The account of fortification charges, being the stores issued from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Ironmongery ware:

9 iron trucks for the Queen Caroline, £9 10s 1d

8 hoes, £0 4s 8d

1 iron shovel, for the masons, £0 1s 2.5d

5 the same, £0 0s 6d

3 shod shovels for the same, £0 1s 8.5d

1 spike gimblet for the carpenters, £0 0s 2.5d

6 stone wedges for the masons, £0 4s 0d

[sub-total] £10 9s 10.5d

Deals:

55 single, for the fortifications, £4 11s 8d

7 double, the same, £0 17s 6d

6 [...] plank stuff sorted, £0 10s 0d

[sub-total] £5 19s 2d

Nails:

2 lb 20d nails, £0 0s 7d

0.5 lb spikes, per a bill witnessed, £0 1s 2.5d

[sub-total] £0 1s 9.5d

Carried over, £16 10s 10d

Interpretations

The close of the diet expenses gives the total of the store's provisioning of the general table for the quarter, some thirty-seven pounds of flour, bread, oil, rice, pease and salt provision drawn from the warehouse to feed the establishment, the salt beef and pork among them marking the table's reliance on preserved stores when the fresh meat of the planters' market was scant through the season. This is the store's own reckoning of the table's cost, kept beside the steward's monthly sundries so the Company's hospitality stood proved in both accounts.

The turn to the fortification charges opens the reckoning of the stores the works consumed, the iron shovels, wedges and gimblets for the masons and carpenters and the deals for the building, the materials the Company drew from its own store to fortify the coast. The nine iron trucks for the Queen Caroline at the head mark the store furnishing gun-carriage wheels to a departing ship as well as to its own batteries, the same iron-work serving the vessel and the works alike. It is the labour policy of the whole run made visible in the store's account, the fortifications now built by the Company's own hands and supplied from its own warehouse, the deals, the tools and the ironmongery of the works charged to their own head and reckoned to the farthing, so the cost of defending the island by its own means stood proved like every other charge.

186

179

Bro.t Over £ 16 10 10

Lines Viz.t

1 Deep sea Line for a new Flagg 0 4 4

2 Lines 40.th for the Masons 0 0 9

0 5 1

Turnerware Viz.t

2 Wine Sieves for Lime 0 19 6

15 Labourers Baskets 0 9 0

1 8 6

Wheel Barrows Viz.t

8 Wheel Barrows 5 16 0

11 Hand Barrows 3 0 6

8 16 6

Thread Viz.t

1.th lb Brown 0 2 8

1 Coloured to make a new Flagg 0 2 3.th

0 4 11.th

Bunting Viz.t

6 p.r Blue 6 6 4.th

4 p.r White for a new Flagg 4 10 9

2 p.r Red 3 7 6

14 4 3.th

Canvas 10.th Yards for a new Flagg

0 11 0.th

Total £ 42 1 11.th

Blacks Dr for the following Stores Issued for their use from the

1 July to the 30.th September 1745 Viz.t

Sugar 0 3 14 for the Sick Blacks 1 2 3.th

Tea 7 Cattees 0 6 4.th

Brandy 42 Gall.s for Drams

4 11 6

Flour 12 for sick Blacks

0 1 6

Paint 1 Barrell Blacking for their Shoes

0 0 7.th

Carr.d Over £ 6 2 3.th

The account of fortification charges continued as follows.

Brought over, £16 10s 10d

Lines:

1 deep sea line for the crane, £0 1s 1d

2 lines 40 lb for the masons, £0 0s 9d

[sub-total] £0 3s 1d

Turnery ware:

2 wire sieves for lime, £0 19s 6d

15 labourers' baskets, £0 0s 9d

[sub-total] £1 8s 6d

Wheelbarrows:

8 wheelbarrows, £5 16s 0d

11 hand barrows, £3 0s 6d

[sub-total] £8 16s 6d

Thread:

0.5 lb brown, £0 2s 8d

1 coloured, for making a mainstay, £0 2s 3.5d

[sub-total] £0 4s 11.5d

Bunting:

6 pieces blue, £6 6s 0.5d

4 pieces white, for a new flag, £4 10s 9d

2 pieces red, for a new flag, £3 7s 6d

[sub-total] £14 4s 3.5d

Canvas 10.5 yards, for a new flag, £0 11s 0.5d

Total, £42 1s 11.5d

The account of charges for the blacks, being the stores issued for their use from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Sugar 1 hundredweight 14 lb for the sick blacks, £1 2s 3.5d

Tea 7 catties for the same, £0 6s 1.5d

Brandy 42 gallons for drams, £4 11s 6d

Flour 12 lb for the sick blacks, £0 1s 6d

Paint 1 barrel blacking for their doors, £0 0s 7.5d

Carried over, £6 2s 3.5d

Interpretations

The wheelbarrows and hand barrows are the heaviest article of the fortification charges here, the plain carriage the works could not do without, the men wheeling stone, lime and rubbish about the batteries by the barrow-load, the tools worn out and replaced at a rate the store had always to meet. The wire sieves for lime and the labourers' baskets beside them mark the same ground work, the sifting of the lime and the carrying of the spoil, the coarse necessaries of building that the Company drew from its own store now that its own people did the labour.

The bunting at more than fourteen pounds is the striking charge, the blue, white and red woollen cloth drawn expressly for the making of new flags, with the canvas and thread to work them up. The island lived by its signals, the flags at the lookouts and the batteries raising the alarm for a strange sail and answering the ships that closed the road, and a season that had seen the whole homeward fleet and the King's ships pass had worn the colours out. Renewing them was no small charge, the coloured cloth carried from home the only material for the purpose, and the store furnished it to the works like the barrows and the lime sieves, the signals on which the island's watch depended reckoned into the fortification account like every tool of the building.

The turn to the charges for the blacks opens the reckoning of the stores drawn for the Company's slaves, and its first entries are all for the sick among them, the sugar, tea and flour for those laid up and the brandy issued as drams. It marks the provision the establishment made for its slaves in illness, a distinct head in the accounts as the garrison's hospital was, the store furnishing the comforts of the sick-bed to the people it held, the blacking for their doors entered among the rest as the ordinary upkeep of their quarters, the whole reckoned to the farthing like every other charge on the store.

187

180

Bro.t Over £ 6 2 3.th

Kersey 9.th Yards

35 2 8

Desootees Viz.t

60 p.r Blue 33 18 9

26 p.r Damaged White 15 14 6

46 13 3

Thread 3.th Coloured

1 17 9.th

Chelloes 2 p.s D.o for their Clothing

10 11 0

Hosiersware 6 p.r mens stockings

0 3 8

Allepars 12 p.r Silk

7 1 0

Long Cloth 1 D.o Ordinary

0 18 8

Blankets 20 p.r

27 16 9

Shirts 7 Dungree

0 12 10

Rice 46 2 15

16 6 5

Beef and Pork Viz.t

12 p.r Beef 1 13 9

19 p.r Pork 1 13 7.th

3 11 4.th

Total £ 157 0 8.th

Plantation Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1 July to

the 30.th September 1745 Viz.t

Nails Viz.t

11 10 Nails 0 3 8

2 4 D.o for Staknis, and 0 9.th

10 6 D.o Repairing Gates 0 3 9

2 3 D.o about Plantations 0 0 11.th

0 9 2

Cordage 6.th 15.th for clothing & for the Prison &c 1 14 9

Lines 3 4.th

0 1 1.th

Oyl 1.th Gall.s Train for Tanning

0 5 0

Brandy 9.th Gallons for the Haymakers

1 14 9.th

Carr.d Over £ 4 9 10.th

The account of charges for the blacks concluded, and the account of plantation charges began, as follows.

Brought over, £6 2s 3.5d

Kersey 95 yards, £25 2s 8d

Doosetees:

60 pairs blue, £33 18s 9d

26 pairs damaged white, £12 14s 6d

[sub-total] £46 13s 3d

Thread 6.5 lb coloured, £1 17s 9.5d

Chelloes 24 pieces, for their clothing, £10 11s 0d

Hosiery ware 15 the same, women's stockings, £0 3s 8d

Allejars 12 pieces silk, £7 1s 0d

Long cloth 6 pieces ordinary, £1 8s 8d

Blankets 20 pieces, £27 16s 9d

Shirts 7 dungaree, £0 12s 10d

Rice 46 hundredweight 2 quarters 13 lb, £16 6s 5d

Beef and pork:

12 pairs beef, £1 13s 9d

19 pairs pork, £1 13s 7.5d

[sub-total] £3 11s 1.5d

Total, £157 0s 8.5d

The account of plantation charges, being the stores issued from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Nails:

11 lb 10d nails, £0 3s 8d

2 lb 4d, the same, for slaughterhouse and repairing gates, £0 0s 9.5d

10 lb 6d, the same, in the plantation, £0 3s 9d

2 lb 3d, the same, £0 0s 11.5d

[sub-total] £0 9s 2d

Cordage 1 hundredweight 15 lb, for lashing the [...] house, £1 14s 9d

Lines 3 lb, £0 1s 1.5d

Oil 1.5 gallons train, for tanning, £0 5s 0d

Brandy 9.5 gallons for the hay-makers, £1 19s 9.5d

Carried over, £4 9s 10.5d

Interpretations

The great weight of the charges for the blacks falls not on the sick but on the annual clothing of the whole slave establishment, the kersey, doosetees, chelloes, allejars, long cloth, blankets and shirts drawn from the store to apparel the Company's people for the year. The coarse Indian cottons and the plain English kersey among them are the very fabrics the record shows reserved for the slaves and the garrison, the doosetees at more than forty-six pounds the heaviest single article, the damaged white pieces the very bale the storekeeper had earlier ordered given to the black women and children after it was found rotten, put here to that use. The twenty blankets and the allejars for the women's gowns complete the yearly issue, the whole a large charge marking the cost of maintaining and covering the slaves the Company held.

The turn to the plantation charges opens the reckoning of the stores the Company's farms consumed, the nails for the slaughterhouse and gates, the cordage, the lines and the train oil for tanning, the ordinary upkeep of the plantations that fed the establishment. The brandy issued to the hay-makers among them ties directly to the great run of mowing and hedging the pay accounts had set out, the drams served to the men winning the hay the stock lived on through the dry season. It is the whole economy of the Company's own husbandry made visible in the store's account, the plantations now the chief source of the garrison's food since the market with the planters had failed, their tools, their tanning and the refreshment of their labourers all drawn from the warehouse and reckoned to the farthing, the cost of raising the island's own provision proved like every other charge.

188

181

Bro.t Over £ 4 9 10.th

Ironmongersware Viz.t

9 Shod Shovels for the Garden & Plantations 0 10 11.th

10 Scythes 2 16 3

12 Hay Rakes for Mowing, and 0 5 3

4 Hay forks Hay Making 0 8 6

8 Scythe Stones 0 1 0

4 Hatchets for Grubing thorns out 0 6 7

6 Grubbing hoes for the Pastures 0 7 2

2 Small Stock Locks for their Houses 0 2 1.th

4 18 7.th

Sugar 6.th for the Hay makers

0 2 7

Canvas 3.th Yards English for a Spinnel

0 3 10.th

Twine 1 Skeine

0 0 6

Cutleryware Viz.t

10 Butchers Knives for the Plantation 0 2 9

1 Pruning Knife for the Garden 0 0 8.th

0 3 5.th

Rice and Paddy Viz.t

2 0 9 Rice 0 14 0

8 2 21 Paddy 2 11 1.th

3 5 1.th

Total £ 13 4 3.th

Hospital Dr for Stores Issued for the use of the Infirmary from

the 1 July to the 30.th September 1745 Viz.t

Rice 4.th 3 3£ 1 13 6

Sugar 4 0 3 1 6 1.th

Oyl 4.th Gallons Train

0 14 2

Flour 1 2 23

1 2 1.th

Salt 1 Bushel

0 2 11.th

Total £ 4 19 2

The account of plantation charges concluded, and the account of hospital charges began, as follows.

Brought over, £4 9s 10.5d

Ironmongery ware:

9 shod shovels for the garden and plantation, £0 10s 11.5d

10 scythes, £2 16s 3d

12 hay rakes, for mowing and hay-making, £0 5s 3d

4 hay forks, the same, £0 8s 6d

8 scythe stones, £0 1s 0d

4 hatchets, for grubbing thorns, £0 6s 7d

6 grubbing hoes, for the pasture, £0 7s 9d

2 small stock locks for their houses, £0 2s 1.5d

[sub-total] £4 18s 7.75d

Sugar 12 lb for the hay-makers, £0 2s 7d

Canvas 3.5 yards English, for a pinnel, £0 3s 10.5d

Twine 1 skein, £0 0s 6d

Cutlery ware:

10 butchers' knives for the plantation, £0 2s 9d

1 pruning knife for the garden, £0 0s 8.5d

[sub-total] £0 3s 5.5d

Rice and paddy:

2 hundredweight 3 quarters rice, £0 14s 0d

8 hundredweight 2 quarters 21 lb paddy, £2 11s 1.5d

[sub-total] £3 5s 1.5d

Total, £13 4s 3.75d

The account of hospital charges, being the stores issued for the use of the infirmary from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Rice 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 3 lb, £1 13s 6d

Sugar 1 hundredweight 3 lb, £1 6s 1.5d

Oil 2.5 gallons train, £0 11s 2d

Flour 1 hundredweight 2 quarters 23 lb, £1 2s 1.5d

Salt 1 bushel, £0 2s 11.5d

Total, £4 19s 2d

Interpretations

The plantation charges close on the tools of the harvest, the scythes, hay rakes and forks drawn for the mowing and hay-making the whole quarter had turned on, with the hatchets and grubbing hoes for clearing the pasture and the paddy for the poultry. The heavy issue of hay tools answers directly the four hundred days of mowing the pay accounts had set out, the store furnishing the implements as the treasury paid the men, the winning of the hay the stock lived on drawn from both accounts at once, the sugar for the hay-makers entered here as the brandy was on the sheet before.

The turn to the hospital charges opens the reckoning of the stores the infirmary consumed, the rice, sugar, flour, oil and salt drawn for the sick of the garrison, the plain nourishing provisions of a sick-bed rather than any physic. It marks the medical provision the establishment made for its own men, a distinct head in the accounts as the charges for the sick blacks were, the store furnishing the diet of the infirmary from the same warehouse that fed the table and the plantation. The two accounts together, the hospital and the blacks, show the settlement providing in sickness for its people, bond and free alike, each drawn from the store and reckoned to the farthing, the care of the sick brought to book among the tools of the harvest and the provisions of the table as one more standing charge on the Company's stores.

189

182

Garrison Dr for the following Stores Issued for their use from

the 1 July to the 30.th September 1745 Viz.t

Tea 18.th Cattees for the Severall Guards£ 2 7 5.th

Oyl 29.th Gallons Train 4 18 4

Arrack 21.th gallons

2 14 7.th

Brandy 10.th D.o for Drams on Mustering

3 6 10.th

Nailes Viz.t

10.th 6 Nailes 0 4 9

7.th 3 D.o for Soldiers Cills 0 5.th

2 4 0 9.th

55 Sawyer Nailes 1 2 11

1 8 11.th

Canvas 18 p.s & 1 Yard Sacking for Fortifications

14 16 11

9 Bolsters for the Soldiers

Deals 82 Double for Soldiers Cills

10 5 0

Tinware 1 Small p.s a Guard in the Castle

0 0 10

Twine 18 Skeins for making Cap.t Bottoms & Bolsters

0 9 0

Ironmongersware Viz.t

1 Ballance 0 0 0

2 Bottoms for Soldiers Cills 0 2 2

0 2 2.th

Broad Cloth 4.th p.r

3 12 4.th

Buckram Viz.t

1.th p.r Buckram Soldiers Bolsters 1 2.th

1.th p.r Osnabrigs Soldiers Bolsters 0 10.th

1 p.r Hair Cloth for making 1 1.th

3 0

Shalloon 6.th p.r Yards for Soldiers

0 16 1.th

Haircloth 1 p.s Soldiers Use

0 1 8

Soldiers Clothes Viz.t

160 Soldiers Coats 186 6 2

200 p.r Breeches 61 0 0

12 Corporals Coats 15 3 0

12 D.o Breeches 3 16 7

266 4 9

Carr.d Over £ 44 15 3

The account of garrison charges, being the stores issued for their use from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Tea 18.5 catties for the several guards, £2 7s 5.5d

Oil 29.5 gallons train, for the same, £4 18s 4d

Arrack 21.5 gallons, £2 14s 7.5d

Brandy 10.5 gallons, the same, for drams on mustering, £2 6s 10.5d

Nails:

15 lb 6d nails, £1 0s 9d

7 lb 3d, the same, for soldiers' cots, £0 0s 5.5d

2 lb 4d, the same, £0 0s 9.5d

30 lb sharp pointed, the same, £1 2s 11d

[sub-total] £1 8s 11.5d

Canvas:

18.5 pairs sacking for cots and cabins, £14 16s 11d

9 bolsters for the soldiers, [entered above]

[sub-total] £14 16s 11d

Deals 80 double, for soldiers' cots, £10 5s 0d

Tinware 1 small dark lanthorn, for a guard in the castle, £0 0s 10d

Twine 18 skeins for making cots, bolsters and bedticks, £0 9s 0d

Ironmongery ware:

1 basin, for the kind of them, £0 [...] 0d

2 basins, the same, £0 2s 2d

[sub-total] £0 2s 2.5d

Broad cloth 4 yards, £3 12s 4.5d

Buckram:

1.5 yards buckram, £1 2s 4.5d

1.5 yards osnaburgs, £0 0s 10.5d

1 yard hair cloth, £1 1s 4.5d

[sub-total] £3 2s 1d

Shalloon 68 yards sorted, for soldiers' clothing, £3 9s 0d

Flannel 20 yards, the same, £0 16s 1.5d

[...] £0 1s 8d

Soldiers' clothing:

160 soldiers' coats, £185 5s 2d

200 pairs breeches, £61 0s 0d

12 corporals' coats, £15 3s 0d

12 the same, breeches, £3 16s 7d

[sub-total] £265 4s 9d

Carried over, £11 15s 0d

Interpretations

The garrison charges gather the stores the store furnished for the soldiers' own use, and the account divides plainly between the making of their bedding and the making of their clothing. The heavy issue of sacking, deals, twine and bolsters marks the fitting up of the men's cots and cabins, the very work the pay accounts had shown done by the day, the store supplying the canvas and boards as the treasury paid the carpenters, the soldiers' quarters furnished from both accounts. The tea, oil, arrack and brandy at the head are the small comforts of the guards, the drams served on mustering and the oil for the guard-house lamps, the ordinary provision of men under arms.

The soldiers' clothing at more than two hundred and sixty pounds is by far the heaviest article, the annual issue of coats and breeches to the whole garrison, the corporals' coats entered apart at their better rate. This is the yearly re-clothing of the establishment's own men, the broad cloth, shalloon and flannel made up into the uniform the soldiers wore, a great charge falling due each year like the clothing of the slaves on the sheet before, and marking the true cost of keeping the garrison not only fed and quartered but dressed. The whole account shows the store as the sole source of everything the soldier had, his bed, his bedding, his uniform and his dram all drawn from the one warehouse and reckoned to the farthing, the maintenance of the island's defence proved article by article as the reckoning of the quarter drew toward its close.

190

183

Bro.t Over £ 44 1 6

Soldiers Clothes Brought Over£ 263 4 9

1 Marshals Coat 1 6 6

4 Drummers Coats 4 6 0

4 D.o Breeches 2 17 10

8 Gunners Mates Coats 18 19 4

8 p.r D.o Breeches 3 10 7

8 Quarter Gunners Coats 13 7 0

8 p.r D.o Breeches 3 5 7

20 Matrosses Coats 31 4 0

20 D.o Breeches 11 11 0

12 Serjeants Coats 33 4 0

12 D.o Breeches 9 18 0

4 Centry Coats 3 6 0

37 dozen of Yard Trimming 8 8 2

436 7 9

Shalls Viz.t

163 Centinels 22 13 9

28 Serjeants 15 8 0

38 1 9

Shoes 236 Pair

40 4 2

Hosiersware 236 p.r Sorted Stockings

54 9 0

Shirts Viz.t

216 Centinels 45 0 0

20 Serjeants 6 8 0

51 8 0

Blankets 236 Ordinary

71 13 0

Desootees 189 p.r Single for the Shirts for the Soldiers

77 14 4

Thread 8.th lb Brown for Making their Shirts

2 0 1.th

56 p.r Broad Cloth Coats at p recruits which came

by the Queen Caroline

Total £ 799 4 9.th

Ship Lapwing Dr for Casks of Lime

omitted to be Charged in her Account

3 16 10.th

The account of garrison charges concluded as follows.

Brought over, £11 15s 0d

Soldiers' clothing brought over, £265 4s 9d

1 marshal's coat, £1 6s 6d

4 drummers' coats, £4 6s 0d

4 the same, breeches, £2 17s 10d

8 gunners' mates' coats, £18 19s 4d

8 the same, breeches, £3 10s 7d

8 quarter gunners' coats, £13 7s 0d

8 the same, breeches, £3 3s 7d

20 matrosses' coats, £31 4s 0d

20 the same, breeches, £11 11s 0d

12 sergeants' coats, £33 4s 0d

12 the same, breeches, £9 18s 0d

4 cadet coats, £3 6s 0d

37 dozen of ferret trimming, £8 8s 2d

[sub-total] £436 7s 9d

Halts:

106 sentinels, £22 13s 9d

28 sergeants, £15 8s 0d

[sub-total] £38 1s 9d

Shoes 236 pairs, £46 4s 2d

Hosiery ware 236 pairs worsted stockings, £32 9s 0d

Shirts:

216 sentinels, £45 0s 0d

20 sergeants, £6 8s 0d

[sub-total] £51 8s 0d

Blankets 236 ordinary, £71 13s 0d

Doosetees 189 pairs single for stock for the soldiers, £77 14s 8d

Thread 8.5 lb, brown, for making thin ticks, £2 0s 1.5d

56 pairs of doosetees at forecuffs, which came by the Queen Caroline, [entered above]

Total, £799 4s 9.5d

Ship's tutoring, for casks of lime, omitted to be charged in her account, £3 16s 10.5d

Interpretations

The completion of the soldiers' clothing sets out the whole graded issue of coats and breeches through every rank of the garrison, the drummers, gunners' mates, quarter gunners, matrosses and sergeants each in their own class down to the cadets, with the ferret trimming to finish them. The great total of near eight hundred pounds for the garrison charges is dominated entirely by this clothing, the coats, breeches, hats, shoes, stockings, shirts and blankets that re-clothed the establishment for the year, by far the heaviest single burden of the quarter and a truer measure than any other of what it cost the Company to keep its garrison in the field, not the pay alone but the yearly renewal of everything the soldier wore and slept in.

The doosetees laid in as stock for the soldiers, and the fifty-six pairs at forecuffs come by the Queen Caroline, tie the clothing directly to the store ship's lading, the very cloth the storekeeper had checked article by article as it landed now made up and issued to the men. The small line at the foot, the charge for casks of lime omitted from the ship's account, marks the careful correction the whole run has shown, a sum left off a vessel's reckoning caught and entered so the Company should not lose it. The garrison account thus closes on the same discipline that governed every charge, the whole cost of maintaining and clothing the island's defence gathered to the farthing, the clothing that made up its bulk reckoned rank by rank and even a forgotten charge for lime brought to book before the account was cast.

191

184

Boats Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1 July to

the 30.th September 1745 Viz.t

Cordage 2 2 8 for Moorings£ 4 7 10.th

Nails Viz.t

10.th 4 Nails 0 2 4.th

2 6 D.o 0 0 9

2 10 D.o for Repairing the Boats 0 0 7

1 3 D.o 0 0 5.th

4 2.th

Deals Viz.t

12 feet Elm Plank 0 14 0

2.th Inch Elm Boards for repairing 0 6 8

1 Single Deal the Boats 0 1 8

2.th Inch Wainscoat Boards 0 4 8

1 7 0

Lead 6.th Sheet

0 1 8

Oyl 3.th gall.s

0 2 6

Tarr &c.o Viz.t

28 Tarr for Repairs 1 11 0

20 Rozin 2 1

0 4 0

Hooks and Lines Viz.t

3 dozen Lines 0 0 8

2 Groce 2 dozen Hooks sorted for fishing 0 13 0

50 Blue Hooks 0 1.th

1 1 1.th

Twine 2 Skeins for fishing

0 1 0

Haberdashery 3 Skeins Silk for D.o

0 1 8

Oars 2 18 feet

0 9 4

Total £ 8 1 1.th

Sept.r 30.th 1745 Excepted

p M Burling Storekeeper

The account of charges for the boats, being the stores issued from 1 July to 30 September 1745, stood as follows.

Cordage 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 8 lb for moorings, £4 7s 10d

Nails:

6 lb 4d nails, £0 2s 4.5d

2 lb 6d, the same, £0 0s 9d

2 lb 10d, the same, for repairing the boats, £0 0s 7d

1 lb 3d, the same, £0 0s 5.5d

[sub-total] £0 4s 2d

Deals:

12 feet elm plank, £0 14s 9d

2.5 inch elm boards, for repairing the boats, £0 6s 8d

1 single deal, the same, £0 1s 8d

2.5 inch wainscot boards, £0 4s 8d

[sub-total] £1 7s 9d

Lead 12 sheet, £0 1s 8d

Oil 3.5 gallons, £0 2s 6d

Tar:

28 lb tar, for repairs, £0 1s 11d

20 lb rosin, £0 2s 1d

[sub-total] £0 4s 0d

Hooks and lines:

3 dozen lines, £0 0s 8d

2 gross 2 dozen hooks sorted, for fishing, £0 0s 13d

50 blue hooks, £0 0s 1.5d

[sub-total] £1 1s 1.25d

Twine 2 skeins for fishing, £0 1s 0d

Haberdashery ware 3 skeins silk, for the same, £0 1s 8d

Oars 12, 18 feet, £0 9s 4d

Total, £8 1s 1.25d

The whole was subscribed, errors excepted, by Matthew Purling, storekeeper.

Interpretations

The last of the store's accounts is the charge for the boats, and it gathers the stores the island's small craft consumed, the cordage for their moorings, the elm plank and deals for their repair, the tar and rosin to pay their seams and the oars to pull them. An island with no sheltered harbour lived by its boats, every ton of goods landed from the ships and every cask of lime fetched from Sandy Bay carried in the open craft that plied the road, and the wearing of the moorings, planking and oars was a constant charge the store had always to meet.

The hooks, lines and twine for fishing among them tie the account to the fishery that had furnished the slaves' ration since the meat ration was replaced by fish long before, the boats serving not only to land the ships' goods but to work the offshore grounds that fed the establishment. The store thus answers the whole business of the boats, their moorings, their repair and their fishing, from the one account, the cordage and the fishing gear reckoned together to the farthing. With the storekeeper's subscription the whole quarterly collection closes, the entire trade and consumption of the store, its sales to servants, planters and shipping and its issues for the Company's own use, the table, the fortifications, the blacks, the plantation, the hospital, the garrison and the boats, brought to book and proved item by item, the fullest account the record gives of how a remote victualling station supplied every want of itself and the ships it served.

192

185

The Husband Gunner and Steward Ended

office in their several accounts for the Month of September which were Examined

and approved and are as follow Viz

Sundry's Expended at the General Table in Sepr 1745 &c

Bottles Port Wine

61

4 3 2¾

Bottles Lisbon Wine

34

2 6 1¼

Bottles Constantia D°

15

Bottles Red Cape

8

11

Bottles Cyder

14

Gallons Goa Arrack

19

Gallons Bottled Arrack

22

4 7 1½

Candy

33

10 11¾

Sugar

23

6 2¾

Currants

2

5

Raisons

3

Flour

300

1 10 7¾

Butter

31

2 11

Chickens

25

1 5

Ducks

2

3

Turkeys

3

15

Sheep

3

3

Steaks

1

10

Bottles Strong Beer

34

2 17 9

Bottles Small D°

13

Pieces Salt Beef

7

1 6¾

D° of Pork

11

1 2

Hames

2

27 1 11½

Account

The husband, gunner and steward brought in their several accounts for the month of September 1745, which the council examined and approved.

Sundries spent at the general table in September 1745:

61 bottles of port wine, £4 3s 2.75d

34 bottles of Lisbon wine, £2 6s 1.75d

15 bottles of Constantia wine, £0 11s 0d

8 bottles of red cape wine, £0 11s 0d

14 bottles of cider, £0 0s 0d

19 gallons of Goa arrack, £0 0s 0d

122 gallons and bottles of arrack, £4 7s 1.5d

55 pounds of candy, £0 10s 11.5d

25 pounds of sugar, £0 6s 2.5d

2 pounds of currants, £0 5s 0d

3 pounds of raisins, £0 5s 0d

300 pounds of flour, £1 10s 7.5d

51 pounds of butter, £2 11s 0d

25 chickens, £1 5s 0d

2 ducks, £0 3s 0d

5 turkeys, £0 15s 0d

5 sheep, £3 0s 0d

1 goat, £0 10s 0d

34 bottles of strong beer, £2 17s 9d

13 bottles of small beer, £2 17s 9d

7 pieces of salt beef, £1 0s 6.5d

11 pieces of salt pork, £1 0s 2d

2 hams, £0 0s 0d

Total, £27 1s 11.5d

Interpretations

The general table was the common board kept at the Company's charge for the Governor, the council and the senior servants, and this account is the steward's monthly reckoning of what it consumed, priced to the farthing and charged under the diet head of the store. Its bill of fare shows how a remote island victualled a gentleman's table: the wine and spirits shipped from Europe and India, the flour and salt provisions drawn from store, and the fresh meat and poultry taken off the island's own plantation.

Several of the wines fix the reach of the Company's trade. Constantia was a sweet dessert wine from the Cape of Good Hope, the nearest continental source and a regular call for homeward ships; Lisbon and red cape wines came the same way, carried up from the southern latitudes the fleets passed through. The arrack was the eastern spirit, distilled in India and Batavia and landed here in quantity, the 122 gallons of it dwarfing every other line and pointing to punch as the ordinary drink of the table.

The candy and sugar were both refined cane products, candy the harder crystallised grade prized above the ordinary sugar, both imported from the Indian trade rather than grown on the island. Currants and raisins were dried fruit for the kitchen, shipped out for baking and sauces, small luxuries a plain victualling station could only obtain by sea.

The blank sums against the cider, the Goa arrack and the hams do not mark an illegible figure but a nil charge, goods taken to the table at no cost to the diet account, perhaps drawn from another head or furnished as part of a ship's privilege.

193

186

Account of the Hon'ble Company's Stock of Neat &c for the Month of September 1745 Viz

Bullocks, Cows, Heiffers, Steers, Yearlings Cattle, Bulls, Total, Ewes, Wethers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ewes, Wethers Kids, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys Geese, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Remaining 1 September: Bullocks 9, Cows 104, Heiffers 36, Steers 31, Yearlings Cattle 69, Bulls 86, Total 4, Ewes 331, Wethers 104, Lambs 48, Rams 86, Total 4, Ewes 231, Wethers Kids 172, Rams 65, Total 104, Sows 6, Barrows Shoats 347, Piggs 26, Boars 19, Total 65, Turkeys Geese 23, Chickens 2, Ducks 133, Geese 57, Horses 112, Mares 43, Total 26, 11, 7, 11, 18

Encreased in 1745 &c: Bulls 11, Total 11, Rams 10, Total 10, Piggs 33, Total 33, Chickens 22, Geese 18, Horses 4

Bullocks 9, Cows 104, Heiffers 36, Steers 31, Yearlings Cattle 69, Bulls 97, Total 4, Ewes 342, Wethers 104, Lambs 48, Rams 95, Total 4, Ewes 231, Wethers Kids 172, Rams 65, Total 104, Sows 6, Barrows Shoats 347, Piggs 26, Boars 19, Total 65, Turkeys Geese 56, Chickens 2, Ducks 168, Geese 79, Horses 112, Mares 130, Total 30, 11, 7, 11, 18

Killed: Wethers Kids 2, Total 2, Sows 1, Total 1, Chickens 3, Ducks 25, Geese 2

Died: Rams 1, Total 1, Ewes 2, Wethers Kids 10, Total 12, Barrows Shoats 2, Piggs 4, Total 6, Mares 1, Total 1

Stole: Barrows Shoats 1, Piggs 3, Total 4, Chickens 3, Ducks 3

Bullocks 9, Cows 104, Heiffers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings Cattle 62, Bulls 97, Total 4, Ewes 342, Wethers 104, Lambs 47, Rams 95, Total 4, Ewes 250, Wethers Kids 170, Rams 63, Total 94, Sows 6, Barrows Shoats 323, Piggs 26, Boars 19, Total 61, Turkeys Geese 49, Chickens 2, Ducks 157, Geese 73, Horses 107, Mares 205, Total 28, 11, 7, 10, 17

2 Goats Given to the Sick Blacks

Yams Expended 5000

Sold to the Officers 400

D° to the Soldiers 3140

Excepted Chris Dixon husband

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle and other animals for the month of September 1745.

The column headings run, under neat cattle, bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and total; under sheep, ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and total; under goats, ewes, wethers, kids, rams and total; under hogs, sows, barrows, shoats, pigs, boars and total; and under poultry, turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese, with horses and their total closing the return.

Remaining 1 September: bullocks 9, cows 104, heifers 36, steers 31, yearlings 69, calves 86, bulls 4, neat cattle total 331; ewes 104, wethers 48, lambs 85, rams 4, sheep total 241; goat ewes 172, goat wethers 65, kids 104, goat rams 6, goats total 347; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 65, pigs 23, boars 2, hogs total 135; turkeys 57, chickens 112, ducks 43, geese 26, horses 11, foals 7, horses total 11, whole total 18

Increased in 1745: yearlings 11, calves 11, lambs 10, rams 10, pigs 33, shoats 33, chickens 22, ducks 183, geese 4

Standing total: bullocks 9, cows 104, heifers 36, steers 31, yearlings 69, calves 97, bulls 4, neat cattle total 342; ewes 104, wethers 48, lambs 95, rams 4, sheep total 231; goat ewes 172, goat wethers 65, kids 104, goat rams 6, goats total 347; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 65, pigs 56, boars 2, hogs total 168; turkeys 79, chickens 112, ducks 230, geese 30, horses 11, foals 7, horses total 11, whole total 18

Killed: goat ewes 2, goats total 2; sows 1, hogs total 1; turkeys 3, chickens 25, ducks 2

Died: lambs 1; goat ewes 2, goat wethers 10, goats total 12; barrows 2, shoats 4, hogs total 6; horses 1, horses total 1

Stolen: barrows 1, shoats 3, hogs total 4; turkeys 3, chickens 3

Remaining: bullocks 9, cows 104, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 97, bulls 4, neat cattle total 342; ewes 104, wethers 47, lambs 95, rams 4, sheep total 230; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 63, kids 94, goat rams 6, goats total 323; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 61, pigs 49, boars 2, hogs total 157; turkeys 73, chickens 107, ducks 205, geese 28, horses 11, foals 7, horses total 10, whole total 17

Two goats were given to the sick blacks. Yams spent came to 5,000 pounds, with 400 pounds sold to the officers and 3,140 pounds sold to the soldiers. The account was passed, errors excepted, by Christopher Dixon as husband.

Interpretations

This is the husband's monthly return of the Company's live stock, the standing register by which the plantation accounted for every animal it held, opening with the number carried over from the previous month, adding the increase bred in, then subtracting the beasts killed, dead and stolen to arrive at the number left standing. Christopher Dixon signed it in that capacity, having taken the plantation and stock oversight in September 1744 when Samuel Doveton was discharged for returning false stock numbers, and the precise breakdown of every class by age and sex is the very check whose absence had let Doveton pass unweaned pigs off as breeding sows.

The neat cattle stood at 342 all month, none killed and none sold, which continues the holding pattern the record shows through the spring. With the Company's cattle down to about fifty head fit to kill against a dozen or more ships in the road, the council had refused Captain Kirwan of the Lapwing leave to buy fresh beef in April 1745 and was drawing the table's meat from sheep, goats and poultry instead. A month with not one beast killed is the visible result of that restraint.

The goats bore the heaviest loss, opening at 347 and closing at 323, twelve dead and two killed against no increase. The scab or mange that had run through the ranges since September 1744 lay behind it: the Greentrees were fined for refusing to pound their infected goats, upward of twenty were killed and buried by February 1745 to check the distemper, and thirty-one were shot off the Peak Gut range in May 1745 to save the young ebony. The disease still thinning the herds here, by death rather than slaughter, is the same affliction working on through the season.

The hogs sit near the level the beef-for-breeding-stock exchanges had built. The barter of fresh beef for Cape animals in June and July 1745 took in breeding sows from the homeward captains and carried the hogs above 145 through the summer; this return opens at 135, builds to 168 on a strong increase of pigs and shoats, and closes at 157 after loss, the sty recovering on its own breeding through the quiet months.

The separate line for beasts stolen is worth notice, since it distinguishes theft from natural death and slaughter and shows the husband was expected to account for loss by pilfering as a category of its own. Four hogs and several head of poultry carried off in a single month record the steady drain of a settlement where the Company's stock ran on open ranges within reach of a hungry population.

The yam figures below the stock close the plantation's other charge, reckoned by the pound and sold across the counter at a fixed rate. The 3,140 pounds sold to the soldiers against only 400 to the officers shows the garrison fed largely on the root the Company grew, the yam standing in for bread on an island where grain would not ripen, and the month's sales feeding into the half-year totals the paymaster's cash account gathered at 1s 6d the thousand to the soldiers and 2s to the officers.

194

187

The day of the Month

Gunners Stores Expended in September 1745 Viz

Powder Pounds

16 Half a Barrell of Powder to Mr Trant to blow Lime stone 55

17 Powder to Mr Bland to open a Quarry 9 2

18 Powder to Mr Bland for the Quarry 12

29 Powder to Acting Salt to Keep in the Long Boat 3

Powder to the Funeral of Griffith 2 ¾

76 ¾

Horse Hides to Edward Arnold for Harness for the Cart 1

Paper for making Cartridges 4 Quires

Spunge Staves to Henry Moyse for Rake Helves 3

Trucks to Henry Moyse for Scaffolding 10

Ladders and the old Cart

Spunge Heads broke 3

Rammers Ditto D° 3

Signed

Ph French

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

Gunner's stores spent in September 1745, set out by the day of the month:

16: Half a barrel of powder to Mr Twacks to blow limestone, 55 pounds of powder

17: Powder to Mr Bland to open a quarry, 9 pounds 2 ounces

18: Powder to Mr Bland for the quarry, 12 pounds

29: Powder to Artingstall to weigh in the long boat, 3 pounds

Powder for the funeral of Griffith, 2 pounds 4 ounces

Powder expended, 76 pounds 3 ounces

A further list of stores spent, carrying no powder weight:

Horse hides to Edward Knowles for harnessing the carts, 1

Paper for making cartridges, 4 quires

Sponge staves to Henry Moyce for rake helves, 3

Trucks to Henry Moyce for scaffolding, ladders and the old carts, 10

Sponge heads broke, 3

Rammers broke, the same, 3

The powder account was signed by John French, the gunner, and the whole was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

This is the gunner's monthly return of powder and stores spent, kept as a running record by the day so that every issue from the magazine could be traced to its purpose. The powder is charged not for gunnery but almost entirely for blasting, the half-barrel to blow limestone and the two issues to open and work a quarry, which shows the magazine serving the island's building trades as much as its defence, gunpowder being the only means of breaking hard rock for the lime and stone the fortifications and works consumed.

Two small issues at the foot of the powder list mark customary uses that had nothing to do with either war or works. The three pounds to Artingstall to weigh in the long boat was powder burnt to help raise a heavy anchor, the charge fired to break it from the ground, and the two and a quarter pounds for the funeral of Griffith was the powder spent on the salute fired over a burial, a military honour reckoned and charged like any other issue. The Griffith buried was almost certainly the soldier Griffith Griffiths, whose death on 28 September closed his line in the quarter's pay roll.

The second list gathers the durable stores issued to the tradesmen. Trucks were the small solid wheels of a gun carriage, here given out by the ten to Henry Moyce not for the guns but for scaffolding, ladders and the old carts, and sponge staves were the shafts of the gun sponges, handed over to be cut down into rake helves. The account thus records the constant conversion of worn ordnance stores to the works, the sponge heads and rammers broken in service written off in the same breath, the gunner keeping account of what perished as closely as what was drawn.

The two men named as receiving stores both stand elsewhere in the record as having deserted the island in a Dutch ship earlier in the season, Edward Knowles the wheelwright and the armourer having run after contracting many debts, their salaries divided among their creditors. Their appearance here taking horse hides and trucks in September, if the same men, would place these issues before their flight, the account reaching back over the quarter it closes.

195

188

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 22

October 1745 at the Castle.

PRESENT Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Captain Charles Hutchinson Dep Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4

Matthew Purling 5 Council

The last Consultation was read and approved.

The Govr this day Acquainted us that the

Officers had represented to him, That there were not a

Sufficient Number of Coats and Hatts to give to each Children

That there were in Every Company two or Three men who had

not received either Coat or Hatt UPON which we agreed

to Allow them 15/ for a Coat, and 2/ for a Hatt as an

Encouragement to Poor Men to be Carefull of their Cloathing

which may serve in case of any Accident to detain the

Cloathing longer than usuall due to their time.

Complaint having been made by the

Soldiers, that Severall Pieces of Salt Beeff which they

have lately had out of the Company's Stores, do not

weigh above four or five pounds, for which they paid

3/9 which they could not afford out of their Subsistence

We thought it very Unreasonable, that they should be

Continued And therefore Agreed to let them have such

Pieces for two shillings for the future & to represent

this case to the Hon'ble Court in our next Generall

Letter, in hopes they will find a Cheaper Method to supply

the Garrison, which cannot be done from the Markett here.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 October 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Governor Dunbar told the board that the officers had reported to him a shortage of coats and hats to give out to the soldiers. Two or three men in every company had received neither coat nor hat, so the council agreed to allow them fifteen shillings for a coat and two shillings for a hat, meaning this as an encouragement to the men to take care of their clothing, which might serve in an emergency, and so make each issue last longer than it otherwise would.

The soldiers had also complained that several pieces of salt beef lately drawn from the Company's stores weighed no more than four or five pounds each, for which they were charged threepence-halfpenny, more than they could afford out of their subsistence. The council held the charge unreasonable and agreed that in future the men should have such a piece for two shillings, and that the matter be laid before the Court in the next general letter, in the hope that the directors would find a cheaper way to supply the garrison, which could not be done from the market on the island.

Interpretations

This consultation records the council setting the terms on which the garrison was clothed and fed, and both decisions turn on the soldier's subsistence, the fixed daily allowance out of which he had to meet stoppages for the goods the Company issued him. The clothing shortage was met not by finding more coats but by paying the men a cash sum in place of them, fifteen shillings for a coat and two for a hat, and the reasoning is set down plainly: a man given money to buy and keep his own coat would look after it better than one handed a coat off the store, so the allowance was framed as an incentive to husband the clothing against the day it was needed.

The salt beef complaint exposes how the store's pricing bore on the men. The pieces drawn weighed only four or five pounds yet were charged threepence-halfpenny, a rate the soldiers could not carry, and the council's remedy was to fix a flat price of two shillings a piece regardless of weight, shifting the loss from the man to the account. That the board then resolved to raise the matter with the Court, admitting the garrison could not be supplied more cheaply from the island's own market, points to the standing difficulty of a victualling station whose local produce was dear and whose salt provisions came at a charge the establishment could barely bear.

Speculations

The obvious course on the clothing shortage was to issue coats from store as the men fell due for them, the ordinary way a garrison was clothed, and the account records that course being set aside because the store simply had none to give, two or three men in every company standing unclothed. Rather than leave them so, the council paid out cash against coats and hats they could not supply, and chose to dress the expedient as a virtue, casting the payment as an encouragement to care for clothing so that the men would make each garment last. The path not taken shows in the reason offered: a store with coats to spare would have handed them over without a word about thrift, and the appeal to making the clothing last longer is the tell that the board was making the best of an empty warehouse rather than reforming how the garrison was dressed.

196

189

Ordered that Severall Articles which

Stand on the Generall Books under the Head of Household Furniture as are

worn out, Weak and Unfit for Use, be wrote off.

Great part of the Linen being so very bad

that it was cut up for the Use of the Riggers, and to make Candle Wicks

and Rubbers for the Use of the House &c

And that Mr Burcock Stone, and the

Money which was Advanced to Mr Moyse the Acting Salt Subsist him during

his stay here, be also wrote off.

Captain Sedgwick of the ship

London, who came here in great Distress, being in want of Masts and

Sundry Stores for the Use of the Ship, desired to be supplyed from the

Stores, And upon his Examining what stores we have, if the Hon'ble Company

found them so much decayed, or rendered them Unfit for their Use

Whereupon the Governour Ordered the said Masts and Timber to be

Surveyed by the Carpenters, Which was done in the Presence of the

Governour and Capt Sedgwick, Who gave the Governour the Following

report all writing Viz

September the 16 1745

This is to certifie Your Honour that I

Henry Moyse Carpenter of the Island of St Helena and George

Guyver Carpenter of the London, have thoroughly surveyed

the Timber belonging to the Honourable United East India Company

there is Six pieces two which will make a Mizen or a Bowsprit

that is not too much decayed and three entirely Condemned for

Ships use, only to serve on occasion for the House Carpenters use

and one may serve to make a Main Yard or a Spring if occasion

should serve

As Wittness our Hands Signd Henry Moyse

George Guyver

The

The council ordered that several articles standing on the general books under the head of household furniture, being worn out, broken and useless, be written off.

A great part of the linen, being poor and worn, was cut up for the use of the slaves and to make cloths and rubbers for the use of the house.

The council also ordered that the Purbeck stone, and the money advanced to Mr Sedgwick, the storekeeper submitting his account during his stay, be likewise written off.

Captain Sedgwick of the ship London, which had come in distressed and in want of masts and sundry timber for the use of the ship, asked to be supplied from the stores, and after examining the anchors held there, whether the Company found them much decayed or rendered them useless. The Governor accordingly ordered the masts and timber surveyed by the carpenters, which was done in the presence of the Governor and Captain Sedgwick, who gave the Governor the following report:

Report dated 16 September 1745. Henry Moyce, carpenter of the island of St Helena, and George Guyver, carpenter of the London, certified that they had thoroughly surveyed the timber belonging to the Company. Six pieces of it would make a mizzen or a boom, and were not too much decayed. Three pieces were entirely condemned for a ship's use and fit only for the house carpenter's use as occasion required. One piece might serve to make a stern yard or a spare topmast, should either be wanted. Henry Moyce and George Guyver signed as witnesses to the survey.

Interpretations

This consultation records two distinct pieces of business, the routine writing-off of worn stores and the survey of the Company's timber for a distressed ship, both governed by the same discipline of accounting for every article the store held. Goods could not simply be discarded; furniture worn useless and linen too poor to serve had to be formally struck from the general books by order of the council, and the linen was not thrown away but cut down for the slaves' clothing and into cloths and rubbers for the house, nothing of value let go while any use remained in it.

The London was the store ship that had lost her mast off the Cape and put back to St Helena to refit, and this survey is the mechanism by which the island supplied her. The Company's timber stock could not be handed over on the captain's word alone; a carpenter of the island and a carpenter of the ship together examined every piece and certified in writing what each was fit for, so that good spars went to the ship, condemned pieces were reserved for the house carpenter, and the account of what left the store rested on a sworn joint survey rather than on any one man's judgement.

The grading of the timber by intended use shows the exact vocabulary of the trade. A mizzen was the aftermost mast, a boom the spar extending the foot of a sail, a stern yard and a spare topmast further spars a ship might need, and the survey sorted the pieces by which of these each could make, the sound timber to the ship and the decayed to the shore, the material of a mast reckoned as closely as any other store.

Speculations

The default when a store ship came in wanting spars would be to give her what timber the Company held and enter it out, the store existing to supply the shipping. The account shows that course qualified rather than simply followed: before any timber was released, the Governor ordered a joint survey by the two carpenters, and the pieces were sorted so that three were withheld from the ship altogether and kept for the house carpenter. The reason shows in the report itself, that the condemned timber was unfit for a ship's use though still serviceable ashore, so the council declined to let sound-looking stock go to sea on the captain's need alone and reserved to the island the timber that would not answer at sea but would still serve on land, supplying the ship only with what the survey passed as fit.

197

190

The Will of John Gurling was this Day Read

by his Executors Desiring the same might be Recited Which was done by

the Recording Witnesses

In the Name of God Amen

John Gurling being Sick and Weak of Body but of Sound and Perfect

Memory thanks be to Almighty God Knowing that it is Appointed

for all men Once to die first and Principally I Recommend my Soul

into the hands of my Saviour Jesus Christ trusting in his Mercys

for the Remission of all my Sins My Body I Recommend to the

Earth to be Buried In a Christian like and Decent manner at the

Discretion of my Executors as for my Worldly Goods I Give and

Dispose of them In manner and form as follows

Imprimis I give to my Brother Joseph one Brass Slave but

not to be Named to him.

Item All the Rest and Remainer of my Estate I give to my two Brothers

namely Richard & Joseph them to be Equally Divided between

them.

Lastly I nominate and Appoint my Dear Brother Richard Gurling

and Joseph Gurling Executors to this my Last Will & Testament

Utterly Revoking and Disannulling All former Wills Willed by me

made Confirming this and no other to be my Last Will In Ju

Witness Whereof I have set my hand and seal this twenty fourth

day of June 1746

Signd Seald & Declared to be his Last Will

and Testament In the Presence of us John his X Gurling

Josh Wyrall Mark

John Dixon

This Day the Storekeeper delivered

Inventory of the Stores taken the 30 of Sept last by the Governour

and Gunr Roff

Inventory

The will of John Gurling was presented by his executors, who asked that it be proved, which was done on the oaths of the subscribing witnesses.

John Gurling, sick and weak of body but of sound and perfect memory, made his will knowing it appointed for all men once to die. He commended his soul to Jesus Christ his saviour, trusting in his mercy for the remission of all his sins, and his body to the earth to be buried in a Christian and decent manner at the discretion of his executor. His worldly goods he disposed of as follows. To his brother Joseph Gurling he left one man slave already named to him. All the rest and remainder of his estate he gave to his two brothers, Joseph and Richard Gurling, to be equally divided between them. He named and appointed his brother Richard Gurling sole executor to his last will, revoking all former wills, and confirmed this as his last. He signed the will with his mark on 24 June 1745, in the presence of the witnesses Joseph Worrall and John Doveton.

The storekeeper this day delivered an inventory of the stores taken on 30 September last, passed by the Governor and Christopher Dixon, husband.

Interpretations

This is a soldier's or planter's will of the plainest kind, proved before the council in its standing role as the island's probate authority, the executors bringing it in and the subscribing witnesses swearing to its execution before it could take effect. Gurling signed with a mark rather than a signature, the ordinary sign of a man who could not write, and the whole estate turns on the two things such a man had to leave, a single slave and an undivided share of goods passed among brothers.

The bequest of one man slave to Joseph Gurling, already named to him, shows a slave treated as the most particular and valuable item of a modest estate, singled out by name and set apart from the general residue in the same way a testator of more substance might reserve a piece of plate or a named parcel of land. The rest of the estate was left undivided between the two brothers, the keeping of a small holding within one family being the plain object, and the appointment of the third brother Richard as sole executor closing the arrangement wholly among kin.

The note of the inventory below belongs to the timber survey and store business of the preceding consultations rather than to the will, recording the storekeeper delivering the formal inventory of the whole stores taken at the quarter's end on 30 September, passed by the Governor and by Christopher Dixon in his capacity as husband, the periodic reckoning by which the Company fixed exactly what stood in its warehouse.

198

191

Inventory of Stores remaining in the Honourable Company's

Ware house the 30 September 1745 Viz

Anchors Viz

8 large Anchors

1 D° on the West Rocks not of much any Weight

2 Iron Hoops

192 16 6

Bunting Viz

224 ¾ Yards narrow red Bunting 8¼

8 5 10¼

140 ¾ Yards broad red D° 9

5 5 6¾

49 Yards broad White D°

1 D° damaged

1 6

1 D° Blue

1 3 3½

15 19 7½

Blankets 88 6/½

26 14

Broad Cloth Viz

13 Yards Dark Coloured 14/

9 2

18 ¾ Yards Scarlet 16/

14 16

7 Yards 13 ¾ Yds Coarse Blue

40 12 11½

64 10 11½

Flower 66: 2: 14 D° 13/4 £0

13 6 1½

Brazierware Viz

1 dozen small Skimmers

1 9 8¼

4 Large D° 2 8

10 8

8 Skimmers of different sizes 6/

2 8

Brazierware Carried Over 4 8 1½

Carried Over 343 10 9

Inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Anchors:

8 large anchors, £192 16s 7.5d

1 anchor on the west rocks, most of it worn away by rust

2 iron hoops

Bunting:

221.75 yards of Government broad bunting at 8d, £8 3s 10.5d

110.75 yards of narrow bunting at 7d, £3 5s 6.5d

49 yards of very fine bunting, damaged

1 yard, damaged, £1 6s 0d

1 piece of blue, £1 3s 8.5d

Bunting, £15 19s 7.5d

Blankets, 88, £26 19s 0d

Broad cloth:

13 yards dark coloured at 14s, £9 2s 0d

18.5 yards scarlet at 16s, £14 16s 0d

7 yards and 13.75 yards coarse blue at 40s, £40 12s 11.5d

Broad cloth, £64 10s 11.5d

Flour, 66 hundredweight 2 quarters 14 pounds at 13s 4d, £13 6s 1.5d

Braziersware:

1 dozen small skimmers, £1 9s 8d

4 large skimmers, £0 10s 8d

8 skimmers of different sizes, £0 2s 8d

Braziersware carried over, £4 8s 1.5d

Carried over, £343 10s 9d

Interpretations

This is the quarterly inventory of the Company's warehouse, the periodic reckoning that fixed exactly what stood in store on the accounting day, valued item by item to the farthing and carried forward from head to head so that the whole could be proved against the books. It is the same inventory of 30 September the storekeeper delivered to the council, and the running total carried over at the foot, £343 10s 9d, shows this to be only the opening leaf of a much longer schedule.

The anchor lying on the west rocks, noted as mostly worn away by rust, records the standing difficulty of an island with no sheltered harbour, where heavy iron once landed or lost was left to the weather because it could not readily be moved, and the inventory marks it as good as gone while still entering it on the books. The Company held eight sound anchors besides, the ground tackle a victualling station kept to serve the ships that could not lie safely in its open road.

The bunting and broad cloth show the two ends of the store's textile stock. Bunting was the light open woollen from which flags and signals were made, graded here by width and fineness and wanted for the colours the fortifications flew, while broad cloth was the fine dense woollen sold by the yard, the scarlet the dearest at sixteen shillings and the coarse blue cheaper, the cloth from which coats and uniforms were cut. That damaged bunting was entered and valued rather than written off shows the same care to account for every remaining pennyworth that governed the whole return.

Braziersware was the worked-brass kitchen ware, the skimmers being the perforated ladles used to lift scum from a boiling pot, graded by size and held in the store among the household goods a remote settlement could obtain only by sea. Their entry by the dozen and by the single piece, down to a parcel worth two shillings and eightpence, is characteristic of an inventory that reckoned the trifling and the substantial alike.

199

192

Brought over 343 10 9

Brazierware brought over

4 8 11½

2 Skimmers at 4/4

1 8 8

9 Ladles 1/9

15 9

1 Copper Wash pan

1 6

11 Flat brass Candlesticks 2/

1 2

3 D° 2/4

7

2 Large Candlesticks

18 10

5 Stands for Snuffers broke

4 Warming Pans 14 3

2 5

2 Brass Cocks broke 4 1

8 2

7 Copper Pumps 11/

3 17

38 Brass Chaffing Dishes 6/1

11 11 2

5 Copper Boiling potts

7 15 8¼

1 Copper Wash pan

18 2¼

2 D° D° 11/

1 2

2 D° 6/11

13 10

6 D° Brass Candlesticks 6/9½

1 13 11½

7 Flat Candlesticks 3/7½

1 5 1½

2 D° 2/9

5 6

5 D° 2/5¾

12 3½

2 Copper Tea Kettles 12/6

1 5

2 Copper Saucepans Covers 8/7

17 2

2 D° 6/10

13 8

1 D°

6 3

6 Small brass Cocks

6 D° 3/5¼

1 9 9

6 D° Large

1 16 5

49 2 1

Carried Over 392 12 10

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the braziersware carried over from the previous leaf:

Braziersware brought over, £4 8s 1.5d

2 skimmers at 4s each, £1 8s 8d

9 ladles at 1s 9d, £0 15s 9d

1 copper wash pan, £1 6s 0d

11 flat brass candlesticks at 2s, £1 2s 0d

3 candlesticks at 2s 4d, £0 7s 0d

2 large candlesticks, £0 18s 10d

5 stands for snuffers, broke, £0 0s 0d

4 warming pans at 11s 3d, £2 5s 0d

2 brass cocks, broke, at 4s 1d, £0 8s 2d

7 copper pumps at 11s, £3 17s 0d

38 brass chafing dishes at 6s 1d, £11 11s 2d

5 copper boiling pots, £7 15s 8.5d

1 copper wash pan, £0 18s 2.5d

2 copper wash pans, the same, £1 2s 0d

2 copper wash pans, at 6s 11d, £0 13s 10d

6 pairs of brass candlesticks at 6s 9.5d, £1 13s 11.5d

7 flat candlesticks at 3s 7.5d, £1 5s 1.5d

2 flat candlesticks at 2s 9d, £0 5s 6d

5 flat candlesticks at 2s 5.5d, £0 12s 3.5d

2 copper tea kettles at 12s 6d, £1 5s 0d

2 copper saucepans and covers at 8s 7d, £0 17s 2d

2 copper saucepans, at 6s 10d, £0 13s 8d

1 copper saucepan, £0 3s 3d

6 small brass cocks, £0 0s 0d

6 brass cocks at 3s 3.5d, £1 9s 9d

6 brass cocks, large, £1 16s 5d

Braziersware, £49 2s 1d

Carried over, £392 12s 10d

Interpretations

This leaf continues the braziersware head of the warehouse inventory, the whole run of worked-brass and copper kitchen and household ware the store held, each line valued to the farthing and the head totalling £49 2s 1d before the schedule is carried forward again at £392 12s 10d. It shows the sheer weight of imported metal goods a remote settlement had to keep in store, every pot, pan, candlestick and cock brought out by sea and reckoned as carefully as the ordnance and cloth of the earlier leaves.

The ware divides between the two metals of the kitchen. Copper served the vessels that met the fire, the wash pans, boiling pots, saucepans and tea kettles, its virtue being to conduct heat and take tinning inside, while brass served the fittings and lighter ware, the candlesticks, chafing dishes and cocks. A chafing dish was a vessel holding hot coals or a spirit flame to keep food warm at table or to cook it gently, and the store held thirty-eight of them, a quantity that speaks to the scale of the general table it supplied.

The cocks entered here in some number, small, large, broke and sound, were the brass taps drawn off casks and cisterns, wanted about a store and a table that dealt constantly in liquids by the leaguer and the hogshead. Their appearance among the kitchen ware, graded by size and condition, shows the inventory gathering every article of brass under the one head regardless of its particular use.

The broken items entered without a value, the snuffer stands and the small brass cocks, are not gaps in the reckoning but goods held to be worth nothing, carried on the schedule so that the count should be complete while contributing no sum to the total. It is the same discipline seen throughout the inventory, that a thing once on the books stayed on them until formally struck off, whether it retained any worth or not.

200

193

Brought Over 392 12 10

Blocks Viz

4 Iron bound Cat Blocks 6/2

1 5 8

2 D° Snatch 13/9

1 7 6

2 D° double Tye

1 D° Single 5/

15

6 Dead Eyes with pau Work

12 Dead Eyes

8 8 2

5 double Long Tackles 4 9

1 3 9

2 Topsail Sheet Standard 3

6

5 Single Topsail Sheets 2/4

11 8

1 Topsail Tye Block

5

9 Clew Garnick 1/3½

11 7½

4 14 Inch Leechlines

2 13 Inch D°

12 4

2 Blocks with double Score

6

13 15 8½

Brandy 521 Gallons 4/3

Beef and Pork Viz

19 Cask 779 Beef & Pork No 2 Cask 188 8¼

8¼

1 Cask 104 Beef & Stores 14 2

202 2 8¼

Buckram Viz

7 D° 22 Yards Buckram 9/2

7 9

7 D° 4 Yards Bandrigs 6/8

8 2 8¾

8 D° hair Cloths 1/1½

4

10 8¾

Coales 17 Chaldron 5 Bushells

28 6 7

Carried Over 766 11 9¾

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £392 12s 10d

Blocks:

4 iron-bound cat blocks at 6s 5d, £1 5s 8d

2 snatch blocks at 13s 9d, £1 7s 6d

2 double top blocks

1 single block at 5s, £0 15s 0d

6 dead eyes with iron work

12 dead eyes, £8 8s 2d

5 double long tackles at 4s 9d, £1 3s 9d

2 topsail sheet blocks, shivered, at 3s, £0 6s 0d

5 single topsail blocks at 2s 4d, £0 11s 8d

1 topsail tye block, £0 5s 0d

9 clew garnet blocks at 1s 3.5d, £0 11s 7.5d

4 14-inch leechlines

2 13-inch leechlines, £0 12s 4d

2 blocks with double score, £0 6s 0d

Blocks, £13 15s 8.5d

Brandy, 521 gallons at 7s 3d, £202 2s 8.5d

Beef and pork:

19 casks, 779 pieces of beef and pork, number 2 casks, 188 pieces at 8.5d, [in the beef and pork total]

1 cask, 104 pieces of beef and stores, £14 2s 0d

Beef and pork, £202 2s 8.5d

Buckram:

7 pieces, 22 yards of buckram at 9s 2d, £7 9s 0d

7 pieces, 12 yards of buntridge at 6s 8d, £8 2s 8.5d

8 pieces of hair cloth at 1s 3.5d, £0 9s 0d

Buckram, £10 0s 8.5d

Coals, 17 chaldrons 5 bushels, £28 6s 7d

Carried over, £766 11s 9.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the inventory through the ship's blocks, the provisions and the coal, the same head-by-head reckoning of everything in the warehouse valued to the farthing and carried forward, closing here at £766 11s 9.5d. The bulk of it is the rigging tackle a victualling station kept to refit the ships that called, a stock of pulley blocks graded and priced by kind so that any homeward vessel wanting gear could be supplied from store.

The blocks are the whole vocabulary of the standing and running rigging. A cat block hoisted the anchor to the cathead, a snatch block took a rope's turn at any point along its length, dead eyes were the round blind blocks through which the shrouds were set up, and the topsail sheet, tye and clew garnet blocks each worked a particular sail. Leechlines hauled up the leech or edge of a sail, and the whole reckoning shows the store holding the exact ironwork and cordage tackle by which a ship was rigged and worked, several pieces noted shivered or split yet still entered at value.

The provisions record the salt meat the store held against the shipping's wants and the garrison's. Beef and pork were packed by the piece in numbered casks, counted piece by piece so the account could follow every joint, and the brandy, held by the gallon at seven shillings and threepence, was the European spirit kept beside the eastern arrack for the table and for sale. The coal, measured by the chaldron, was the sea fuel that supplied the smith's forge and the limekiln where no fuel grew on the island, carried out as ballast in the ships and reckoned here among the stores.

The buckram and hair cloth were the stiffening fabrics of the tailoring trade, buckram a coarse cloth gummed stiff to line and shape garments and hair cloth a haircloth interlining, held in the store to make up the coats and clothing the garrison and the slaves were issued, the material of the tailor's craft kept in stock alongside the finished cloth of the earlier leaves.

201

194

Brought Over 766 11 9¾

Copper Money 638 60 Irish halfpence

133 10

Combs Viz

1 Dandriff Comb

1 2¼

27 dozen 10 Horn Combs 13¼ for fighting

18 3¼

31 Horn Combs

7 9

2 7 2¼

Cutlerqware Viz

4 Wood handle Butchers knives

1 8

1 Cleaver

2 8

2 D° Gilies Buckles No 19

17 8

2 D° D° 20

13 4

2 D° D° 21

15

2 D° D° 22

11

12 Large Buck handle knives

3 3¼

16 dozen 3 D° Yellow Shoe Buckles

5¾ ea

4 9 6¾

7 14

Cartwheels 1 D°

9 6 1

40 Wheel Barrows

29

36 Hand Barrows

9 18

48 4 1

Canvas Viz

69 D° 23 Yds Sacking Canvas

56 1

4 D° 4 Yds English Canvas 4¼

8 17 9¾

10 D° Ravens Duck

23 14 2

88 12 11¾

Cordage 63 D°

112 4

Camblets & Allepines Viz

13¾ Yds Camblets 3/6

1 11 10¼

60 Yards Allepine

3 7 8½

6 14 7

Carried Over 1164 10 6¾

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £765 11s 9.5d

Copper money, 638 dollars, Irish halfpence, £155 0s 10d

Combs:

1 dandruff comb, £0 1s 2.5d

27 dozen 10 horn combs at 8.5d, fitting, £0 18s 3.5d

31 horn combs, £0 0s 7s 9d

Combs, £2 7s 2.5d

Cutleryware:

4 wood-handle butchers' knives, £0 1s 8d

1 cleaver, £0 2s 8d

2 pieces yellow buckles, number 19, £0 17s 8d

2 pieces the same, number 20, £0 13s 4d

2 pieces the same, number 21, £0 15s 0d

2 pieces the same, number 22, £0 11s 0d

12 large buck-handle knives, £0 3s 3.5d

16 dozen 3 yellow shoe buckles, 5.5 inches, £4 9s 6.5d

Cutleryware, £7 14s 0d

Cartwheels:

1 cartwheel, £9 6s 1d

40 wheelbarrows, £29 0s 0d

36 hand barrows, £9 18s 0d

Cartwheels, £48 4s 1d

Canvas:

69 pieces, 23 yards of sacking canvas, £56 1s 0d

41 pieces, 16 yards of English canvas at 4s 4d, £8 17s 9.5d

108 pieces of Russia duck, £23 14s 2d

Canvas, £88 12s 11.5d

Cordage, 63 hundredweight, £112 0s 4d

Camlets and allejars:

15.5 yards of camlet at 3s 6d, £1 11s 10.5d

60 yards of allejars, £3 7s 8.5d

Camlets and allejars, £6 14s 7d

Carried over, £1,164 10s 6.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the warehouse inventory through the store's copper money and its wares in cutlery, wheels, canvas, cordage and cloth, the running total mounting to £1,164 10s 6.5d as head after head is reckoned and carried forward. It shows the extraordinary variety a single Company warehouse held, from small coin and combs to wheelbarrows and ship's canvas, every article valued to the farthing.

The copper money entered as a store rather than as cash marks a standing feature of the island's economy. Small coin was itself a commodity shipped out and held in the warehouse, the Irish halfpence and dollars kept as goods to be issued or sold, since a remote settlement that minted nothing had to import even its petty currency by the sea like any other ware, and reckon it into the inventory alongside the combs and knives.

The canvas and cordage were the sailmaker's and rigger's stores, held to refit the shipping that called. Sacking and English canvas made and mended sails, Russia duck was a fine strong linen canvas from the Baltic prized for the same use, and cordage was the rope reckoned by the hundredweight, the whole a stock of the heavy materials by which a ship was kept in sail and rigging, wanted constantly by vessels that could carry no great reserve of their own.

The camlets and allejars were eastern cloths of the Company's Indian trade, camlet a fine worsted or mixed stuff and allejar a striped cotton from the coast, held by the yard for sale and for the slaves' clothing, the allejars in particular being the cloth the record shows made up into the women slaves' gowns. Their presence closes the leaf as the earlier cloths opened the inventory, the store dealing at once in the coarse canvas of the ships and the figured stuffs of the eastern trade.

202

195

Brought Over 1164 10 6¾

Corks Viz

31 Gross 5 dozen Corks 2/3

3 10 8¼

12 Cork Wood

9 1

3 19 9¼

Deals Viz

602 Double Deals 2/6

75 5

548 Single D° 1/8

45 13 4

12 D° J Stevens 2

1 4

22 D° 3 Riga Timber

39 1 5

10 ½ foot 3 Inch Oak plank

12 7¼

24 ½ Elm planks

10 16 4

1 Oak plank

3 9

2 foot D° J Stevens

9

50 Large Balks

19 10 2

46 Bundles Laths

2 11 3

23 Inch Elm boards

3 10 5½

16 ½ D° D° 3/4

1 16 8

25 Inch Wainscott Board 1/3 ½

6 3 10½

18 ½ Inch D° 2/1

2 2

115 Spars 1/8

9 11 8

218 10 12¾

Flannel 24 ½ Yards 16/9

7 8 5

Gold and Silver Twist Viz

16 ½ Oz Gold Twist 9/1

7 11 8

13 ½ Oz D° Sleaving 9/1

6 6

52 Oz D° Twine 9/1

24 5 4

Gold and Silver Twist Carried Over 38 3

Carried Over 1594 9 7¼

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £1,164 10s 6.5d

Corks:

31 gross 3 dozen corks at 2s 3d, £3 10s 8.5d

12 cork wood, £0 9s 1d

Corks, £3 19s 9.5d

Deals:

602 double deals at 2s 6d, £73 6s 0d

548 single deals at 1s 8d, £45 13s 4d

12 deals of Mr Stevens at 2s, £1 4s 0d

292 pieces 3 of Riga timber, £39 1s 5d

10.5 feet 3-inch oak plank, £0 12s 0.5d

24.5 elm planks, £10 16s 4d

1 oak plank, £0 3s 9d

2 pieces the same, of Mr Stevens, £0 9s 0d

50 large balks, £19 10s 2d

16 bundles of laths, £2 11s 3d

23-inch elm boards, £3 10s 5.5d

16.5 elm boards, the same, at 3s, £1 16s 8d

2.5-inch wainscot boards, 133.5, £6 3s 10.5d

1.5-inch wainscot boards, at 2s 4d, £2 2s 0d

115 spars at 1s 8d, £9 11s 8d

Deals, £218 10s 11.5d

Flannel, 21.5 yards at 1s 5d, £7 8s 5d

Gold and silver twist:

16.5 ounces of gold twist at 9s 1d, £7 11s 8d

13.5 ounces of silver twist for looping at 9s 1d, £6 6s 0d

52 ounces of silver twist at 9s 1d, £24 5s 4d

Gold and silver twist carried over, £38 3s 0d

Carried over, £1,394 9s 7.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the warehouse inventory through the store's corks, its great stock of timber and its gold and silver thread, the running total climbing to £1,394 9s 7.5d as each head is reckoned and carried forward. The overwhelming weight of it is the deals and timber, the single largest head so far, which fixes what a treeless island most depended on the ships to bring.

The timber head is the whole material of building and repair on an island that grew almost no usable wood of its own. Deals were sawn softwood planks graded double and single by thickness, balks the squared logs of structural timber, laths the thin strips for plastering and roofing, and the oak, elm and wainscot boards the finer and more durable woods for particular work. Riga timber came from the Baltic through the European trade, and the spars were the poles for scaffolding, handles and light masts, the store holding by the hundred the sawn and squared wood the fortifications, the houses and the boats consumed without cease.

The gold and silver twist was the metal thread of the tailor's finest work, a fine wire wound on silk used to lace and trim uniforms and rich clothing, the silver twist for looping being the thread worked into the buttonholes and frogging of a coat. Held by the ounce at nine shillings and a penny, it was among the dearest textile stores by weight in the whole warehouse, kept for the facing and ornament of the officers' and the Governor's clothing rather than the plain issue of the garrison.

The naming of Mr Stevens against several parcels of deals and oak records timber received from a particular commander or supplier and kept identifiable in the store, most likely Captain Steevens of the Swift who had carried away the homeward cargo earlier in the run. The store distinguished such lots by their source even within a single head, the account able to say not only how much timber it held but whose it had been, the better to settle the reckoning when the supply was traced back to the ship that brought it.

203

196

Brought Over 1594 9 7¼

Gold and Silver Twist brought Over 58 3

13 ½ Oz Silver Twist 7/1

4 19

21 Oz D° Sleaving

37 Oz D° Twine 7/1

28 12

71 14

Glazierware Viz

767 Sq Glass 12 by 12 5/13½

27 19 3½

181 D° 8 by 10 3/3½

4 6 8¾

187 D° 6 by 8 3/2

7 2 1½

2 Half plate Crown Glass

12

3 pint Decanters old Store 2/1

7

2 Beer Glasses D°

1 2

21 Half hour Glasses D°

11 1½

26 half Minute Glasses D°

14 1

4 Two hour Glasses 3/1

13 1

1 three hour D°

3 1

8 Wine and Water Glasses at 7½ ea

5

18 Beer Glasses 8/2

12 9

16 Wine Glasses 4/

3 4

4 Quart Decanters

8 Pint D° at 3/3½ each

1 2 9¼

44 16 2¼

Grind stones Viz

2 Grindstones 15/6

1 11

1 D° 8/1

8 1

1 D° 5/

5

2 4 1

Carried Over 1513 4 1½

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the gold and silver twist carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £1,394 9s 7.5d

Gold and silver twist brought over, £38 3s 0d

13.5 ounces of silver twist at 7s 1d, £4 19s 0d

21 ounces of silver twist for looping at 7s 1d, [in the twist total]

37 ounces of silver twist for looping at 7s 1d, £28 12s 0d

Gold and silver twist, £71 14s 0d

Glazierware:

767 squares of glass, size 6 by 12, at 8.5d, £27 19s 3.5d

181 squares, size 8 by 10, at 3.5d, £4 6s 8.5d

187 squares, size 6 by 8, at 3.5d, £7 2s 1.5d

2 half-plate crown glass, £0 12s 0d

3 pint decanters, old store, at 2s 4d, £0 7s 0d

2 beer glasses, old store, £0 1s 2d

21 half-hour glasses, old store, £0 11s 1.5d

26 half-minute glasses, old store, £0 14s 1d

4 two-hour glasses at 3s 4d, £0 13s 4d

1 three-hour glass, £0 3s 4d

8 wine and water glasses with stoppers, £0 3s 0d

18 beer glasses, old store, £0 12s 9d

16 wine glasses at 4d, £0 3s 4d

4 quart decanters, £0 0s 0d

8 pint decanters, with stoppers of the same, £1 2s 9.5d

Glazierware, £44 16s 2.5d

Grindstones:

2 grindstones at 15s 6d, £1 11s 0d

1 grindstone at 8s 4d, £0 8s 4d

1 grindstone at 5s, £0 5s 0d

Grindstones, £2 4s 4d

Carried over, £1,513 4s 1.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the warehouse inventory through the remainder of the gold and silver twist, the glazierware and the grindstones, the running total reaching £1,513 4s 1.5d as each head is reckoned and carried forward. The largest of the three is the glazierware, and its bulk in window glass fixes what an island of stone and timber buildings drew from the store to keep itself weathertight and lit.

The window glass is entered by the square in three standard sizes, the panes cut to fit the casements of the castle, the houses and the works, held in quantity because glass broke easily and could be replaced only from store. Crown glass was the finer sort spun into a disc and cut, and the half-plate the larger pane, the whole a stock of the glazier's material kept ready for the constant reglazing a settlement in an exposed climate required.

The hour glasses and minute glasses among the drinking ware were the sand timers by which time was kept and measured, the half-hour and half-minute glasses in particular the instruments that timed the watches, the log at sea and the ordinary reckoning of the day where no clock served. Held in some number and graded by their run, they were as much a working store as the window glass, the means by which a settlement without dependable clockwork marked its hours.

The grindstones were the rotating abrasive wheels on which the island's tools and edges were sharpened, wanted by every trade that used a blade, from the butcher and the carpenter to the armourer and the plantation. Their entry among the finished wares, graded by size and price, shows the inventory reaching from the finest gold thread of the tailor's craft down to the plain working stone of the workshop, the whole range of a store that had to furnish every want of the island from the one warehouse.

204

197

Brought Over 1513 4 1½

Hatts Viz

3 Silver Lace trimmed 22/

3 6

6 Plain Hatts

1 D° damaged 13/9

4 12 2

39 Serjeant Hatts 11

21 9

29 7 2

Hooks and Lines Viz

39 Dozen 4 Lines No 6 5/6

10 16 4

17 dozen 3 D° No 5 No 3

3 10 2¾

70 dozen 7 Damaged Lines Sold

26 13

7 Dozen Lines

1 10 4

20 hanks Lines

19 Hand Lines 4/3½

2 11 2¾

45 Log lines

2 1 1

140 Gross 1 dozen Hooks Sorted

14 8 11

80 30 Blue Hooks 3/6 pr C

10 18 1½

72 15 1½

Haberdashery ware Viz

57 Yards Diaper tape 11

3 1 4

177 Yds Coarse Holland D° 7¾

5 14 3¾

109 Yds narrow D° 7¾

3 13 11¾

16 Yds Cravation tape 5

6 8

96 Yds Broad White tape

57 Yds D° narrow Tape 2/1

10 10 6

107 Yds Coloured tape 12¾

5 13 8¼

231 Yds Bobin 5

2 17 9

Haberdasheryware Carried Over 31 18 6¾

Carried Over 1615 6 3½

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £1,513 4s 1.5d

Hats:

2 silver-laced hats, tarnished, at 24s, £3 6s 0d

6 plain hats

1 hat, damaged, at 13s 9d, £4 12s 2d

39 sergeants' hats at 11s, £21 9s 0d

Hats, £29 7s 2d

Hooks and lines:

39 dozen lines, number 6, at 5s 6d, £10 16s 4d

17 dozen lines, number 5, number 3, £3 10s 2.5d

70 dozen damaged lines, sorted, £26 13s 0d

7 deep-sea lines, £1 10s 4d

20 hand lines

19 hand lines at 3s 4.5d, £2 11s 2.5d

15 log lines, £2 1s 1d

110 gross 1 dozen hooks, sorted, £11 8s 11d

8,050 blue hooks at 3s per thousand, £10 18s 1.5d

Hooks and lines, £72 15s 1.5d

Haberdasheryware:

37 pieces of narrow tape at 11d, £3 1s 9d

177 pieces of coarse Holland tape at 7.5d, £5 11s 3.5d

109 pieces of narrow tape at 8.5d, £3 13s 11.5d

16 pieces of Coventry tape at 3d, £0 6s 8d

96 pieces of fine white tape and 5 pieces of quality tape at 2s, £10 10s 6d

107 pieces of filleting tape at 12.5d, £5 13s 8.5d

231 pieces of bobbin at 3d, £2 17s 0d

Haberdasheryware carried over, £31 18s 6.5d

Carried over, £1,613 6s 3.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the warehouse inventory through the store's hats, its fishing tackle and its haberdashery, the running total climbing to £1,613 6s 3.5d as each head is reckoned and carried forward. The two largest heads, the hooks and lines and the haberdashery, mark the two very different demands the one warehouse met, the offshore fishery that fed the settlement and the tailoring trade that clothed it.

The fishing tackle held here in great quantity, over a hundred and thirty dozen lines besides deep-sea, hand and log lines and better than eight thousand hooks, fixes the scale of the island's fishery. St Helena had replaced much of the meat ration with fish long before, and the store kept the lines and hooks by which the Company's boats worked the offshore grounds, graded by number and sort and held by the gross and the thousand, damaged lines entered at value alongside the sound. The blue hooks in their thousands and the sorted hooks by the gross were the working stock of a fishery the establishment depended on for its daily food.

The haberdashery was the small ware of the tailor and the sempstress, the tapes, filleting and bobbin used to bind, tie and finish clothing, held by the piece in a dozen grades and origins. Coventry and Holland tapes were named for their manufacture, bobbin a narrow woven cord, and quality tape a better binding, the whole a stock of the trimming and fastening that made up the coats, shirts and gowns the garrison and the slaves were issued, the finishing material of the clothing trade kept as carefully as the cloth itself.

The hats divide sharply between the plain and the laced. The silver-laced hats, though tarnished, and the damaged hat were the trimmed headwear of officers or gentlemen, while the thirty-nine sergeants' hats were the plain uniform issue of the garrison's non-commissioned rank, held in bulk for the annual clothing. That the tarnished and damaged pieces were entered at value rather than written off shows again the discipline of the inventory, every article carried at what worth remained in it until formally struck from the books.

205

198

Brought Over 1615 6 3½

Haberdasheryware Brought Over 31 18 6¾

9 Yds Whale Bone 4/9

2 8 7¾

2 10 ½ Mohair 11/5 7½

2 6 1½

4 Belladine Silk 1 half 3

7 4

79 dozen 10 Mohair Coat Buttons 5¾

2 4 11

59 dozen D° Vlicon Coat Buttons

16 6

10 Gross Six Bread Coat Buttons

14 2

1 6 D° Coat D°

3 10

111 ½ Yds Ferrit 2¾

1 5 7

75 ½ Yds Gallom 3

18 3¾

190 ½ Yds Stay Tape

1 4 4

11 Dozen 3 Yds Stay Laces

6 1½

11 Yds 3 Yds Gartering

2 18

47 19 11½

Hosierware Viz

1 Womens Stockings quite Good

3 6

10 Yds Yarns wove Stockings

1 14 2

34 Yds Yarns Cotton Stockings

8 10

133 Yds Thread D°

16 6 11½

26 14 6½

Sacks 12 Patched and spoild 39/ ½ ea

21 4

Iron Potts Viz

2 Iron Pottage 3 11

7 10

19 D° 7/2 C

5 7 3½

5 15 1½

Iron and Steel No 1 16 pun

8 10

Carried Over 1725 10 4

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the haberdasheryware carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £1,613 6s 3.5d

Haberdasheryware brought over, £31 18s 6.5d

9 pounds 3 ounces of whalebone at 4s 4d, £2 8s 7.5d

2 pounds 10 ounces of mohair at 14s 7.5d, £2 6s 4.5d

4 pounds of balladine silk at 1s 6d, £0 7s 4d

79 dozen 10 mohair coat buttons at 3.5d, £2 4s 11d

59 dozen breast buttons the same, £0 16s 6d

15 gross of tin round breast buttons, £0 14s 2d

1 gross the same, coat the same, £0 3s 10d

111.5 dozen of ferret at 2.5d, £1 3s 7d

75.5 dozen of galloon at 3d, £0 18s 3.5d

190.5 dozen of stay tape, £1 4s 4d

11 dozen 2 of stay lace, £0 6s 1.5d

11 pieces 31 yards of gartering, £2 18s 0d

Haberdasheryware, £47 19s 11.5d

Hosieryware:

1 pair of women's stockings, quite good, £0 3s 5d

10 pairs of thread-worsted stockings, £1 14s 2d

34 pairs of cotton stockings, £8 10s 0d

133 pairs of thread stockings, £16 6s 11.5d

Hosieryware, £26 14s 6.5d

Sacks, 12 filled and 39 empty, 4.5 inch, £21 4s 0d

Iron pots:

2 iron pots at 3s 11d, £0 7s 10d

19 iron pots, weight 2 hundredweight, £3 7s 3.5d

Iron pots, £5 15s 1.5d

Iron and steel, weight 76 pounds, £8 10s 0d

Carried over, £1,725 10s 0d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the warehouse inventory through the last of the haberdashery, the hosiery, the sacks and the iron ware, the running total reaching £1,725 10s 0d as each head is reckoned and carried forward. It continues the material of the clothing trade begun on the previous leaf and then turns to the plain iron of the kitchen and the field, the one warehouse holding at once the buttons and lace of a coat and the pots and bar iron of the forge.

The buttons, lace and stiffening are the whole furniture of the tailor's finishing. Whalebone and buckram stiffened the bodies of garments, mohair a fine goat's-hair yarn covered the buttons of a coat, balladine was a raw thrown silk of the Levant, and ferret, galloon and stay tape were the woven tapes and braids that bound edges and laced stays. Held by the dozen and the gross, these were the small wares by which the coarse cloth and the finished buttons were made up into the clothing the establishment issued, the store keeping the entire kit of the trade down to the gartering sold by the yard.

The hosiery graded the stockings by their fibre and worth. Thread, cotton and worsted stockings were held by the pair in some hundreds, the thread the plainest and cheapest and the worsted the warmest, the store issuing the coarser sorts to the garrison and the slaves and holding a finer pair or two besides. The single pair of women's stockings noted quite good among the bulk shows the inventory distinguishing quality even within a modest head, the better article marked apart from the common issue.

The iron ware turns from clothing to the plainest working metal. The iron pots were the cast cooking vessels of the kitchen and the plantation, reckoned by weight as well as number, and the bar iron and steel were the raw material of the smith's forge, held by the pound to be worked into tools, fittings and repairs. An island that could make nothing of metal from the ground kept its very iron in store as a commodity, the forge drawing on the warehouse for the stuff of every tool it made, the account reaching from the finest silk thread to the crude bar as it closed the leaf.

206

199

Brought Over 1725 10 4

Ironmongersware Viz

10 Bell rope Needles 7¾

1 7½

1 Stock Lock without a Key

11½

2 Large D° Good

1 4

12 Stock Locks with Keys 4/11

2 19

11 Iron round Locks

6 17 10

6 D°

2 13 6

8 D° quite Good without Keys

4 12 8

3 Till Locks damaged 2/1

6 3

1 D° 4/6

4 6

2 Box Locks with Brass plates 4/10

6 8

3 Stock Locks D° 6/1

18 1½

71 Hand Vices 18 2

6 1 3¼

12 Lock Rimers 1/10

1 2

2 Long D° 3/10½

7 8½

34 Plain Irons

12 D° Good 7¼

17 8

4 Rimers Sorted & spoild 1/4

3 4

13 Sawing Axes 2/4

1 10 4

12 Grubs

1 No broke 2¼

2 11½

20 Yds Sheep Shears 4/

1 1 8

13 Adges 2/2

1 12 6

13 Hay Knives

14 4

22 Scrapers 1/8

2 D° broke

2

4 Iron plate Box Locks No 1/8

6 8

Ironware Carried Over 35 10 6½

Carried Over 1725 10 4

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Ironmongeryware:

10 packing needles at 4d, £0 1s 0.5d

1 stock lock without a key, £0 0s 11.5d

2 large stock locks, gilt, £1 4s 0d

12 stock locks with keys at 4s 11d, £2 19s 0d

11 iron-round locks, £6 17s 10d

6 iron-round locks, £2 13s 6d

8 iron-round locks, quite good, without keys, £4 12s 8d

3 till locks, damaged, at 3s 4d, £0 6s 3d

1 till lock at 4s 6d, £0 4s 6d

2 box locks with brass plates at 4s 10d, £0 8s 8d

3 stock locks, the same, at 6s 1.5d, £0 18s 1.5d

71 hand vices at 1s 8.5d, £6 1s 3.5d

12 lock pincers at 1s 10d, £1 2s 0d

2 long pincers at 3s 10.5d, £0 7s 8.5d

34 plain irons, £0 0s 0d

12 plain irons, gilt, at 1s 5.5d, £0 17s 3d

4 pincers sorted and gilt at 1s 5d, £0 3s 4d

13 sawing vices at 2s 4d, £1 10s 4d

12 gouges, £0 0s 0d

1 vice broke at 2s 4.5d, £0 2s 10.5d

20 pairs of sheep shears at 4s, £1 1s 8d

15 adzes at 2s 2d, £1 12s 6d

15 hatchets, £0 14s 4d

22 scrapers at 1s 8d, £2 0s 0d

2 scrapers, broke, £0 0s 8d

4 iron-plate box locks, number 18, £0 6s 8d

Ironmongeryware carried over, £35 10s 6.5d

Carried over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the warehouse inventory into the ironmongeryware, the store's stock of finished iron tools, locks and fastenings, the head reaching £35 10s 6.5d before it is carried forward. It shows the range of worked iron a remote settlement had to hold ready, from the locks that secured its stores and buildings to the edge tools of every trade on the island, all brought out by sea because no such manufacture existed on St Helena.

The locks are the largest part and mark the island's constant concern to secure what it held. Stock locks were the heavy iron locks fixed to a door on a wooden stock, till locks the small locks of a drawer or chest, and box locks the flush locks let into a case, held in quantity and graded by kind, condition and whether their keys survived. That a lock without its key was still entered at value shows how scarce and worth keeping even a partial fastening was, in a place where every store had to be locked against a hungry population.

The edge tools and the trade instruments gather the working iron of the carpenter, the smith and the plantation. Adzes and hatchets shaped timber, gouges cut it, hand vices and sawing vices held work at the bench, and the various pincers served the lock-work and the forge. The sheep shears and scrapers belonged to the husbandry and the tanning, the whole a stock of the implements by which the island's tradesmen worked, held against wear and breakage and reckoned down to a broken vice and a pair of broken scrapers.

The gilt finish noted on several locks and plain irons marks the better sort of fitting, the gilding protecting the iron and answering for the doors and furniture of the castle and the principal houses rather than the plain issue of the works. The inventory distinguishes the ornamented from the common within the one head, as it did the laced hats from the sergeants' and the fine thread from the coarse, the store holding the fitting for a gentleman's door beside the plain lock of a warehouse.

207

200

Brought Over 1725 10 4

Ironware Brought Over 35 10 6½

5 Edging Irons

2 D° broke No 2

1 8 3½

10 Turning Irons 2/10½

1 8 9

2 Large frying Pans 3/5

6 10

64 Soldiers D° 1/8

4 10

8 Steel Yard Tops 8/3

3 6

2 Double Spring D° Rusty

2 15

29 Trowels 3/8½

5 7 6¼

2 Key hole saws

4 6

10 Pick Axes 2/6

1 3

3 Hand hammers

3

3 Augers

9 11½

54 Lead Awls 2¾

1 4 9

22 Drill bow strings 8¾

16 4

8 Drill Bows

2 2¼

6 dozen file Rasps

4 6

5 Bench Vice 3/10

7 6

280 Picking needles 1¼

1 9 10

1 dozen Turning Chissels & Gouges

11

7 Iron round Locks A 3/5

1 3 11

6 D° B 6/10

2 1

4 Ditto Brass Hooks C 6/10

1 7 4

6 D° with 2 Keys D

6 12 5

5 fine Chest Locks 3/7

10 9

8 Stock Locks and Staples 1 2¾

9 6

13 Iron with Locks with Brass plates

2 6 1½

Ironware Carried Over 70 12 1¼

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the ironmongeryware carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Ironmongeryware brought over, £35 10s 6.5d

5 flying irons, £1 8s 3.5d

2 flying irons, broke, number 2, [in the flying-irons total]

10 surfing irons at 2s 10.5d, £1 8s 9d

2 large frying pans at 3s 3d, £0 6s 10d

64 soldering irons at 1s 8d, £4 10s 0d

8 steel saws at 8s 3d, £3 6s 0d

2 double spring saws, rusty, £2 15s 0d

29 awls at 3s 8.5d, £5 7s 6.5d

2 keyhole saws, £0 4s 6d

10 pick axes at 2s 6d, £1 3s 0d

3 hand hammers, £0 3s 0d

3 augers, £0 9s 11.5d

54 seed nails at 5.5d, £1 4s 9d

22 drill bowstrings at 8.5d, £0 16s 0.5d

8 drill bows, £0 2s 2.5d

6 dozen files, coarse, £0 4s 6d

5 breast vices at 2s 6d, £0 7s 6d

280 packing needles at 4.5d, £1 19s 10d

1 dozen framing chisels and gouges, £0 11s 0d

7 iron-round locks, number A, at 3s 5d, £1 3s 11d

6 iron-round locks, number B, at 6s 10d, £2 1s 0d

4 ditto with brass hooks, number C, at 6s 10d, £1 7s 4d

6 ditto with 2 keys, number D, £6 12s 5d

5 fine chest locks at 3s 7d, £0 10s 9d

8 stock locks and staples at 1s 2.5d, £0 9s 6d

13 iron-plate locks with brass plates, £2 6s 0.5d

Ironmongeryware carried over, £70 12s 1d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the ironmongeryware on through a second long run of tools and locks, the head mounting to £70 12s 1d before it is carried forward. It continues the stock of worked iron begun on the previous leaf, the store holding by the dozen and the score the edge tools, saws, drills and fastenings of every trade practised on the island, all imported and reckoned to the farthing.

The saws, awls, chisels and drills gather the whole equipment of the woodworking trades. Steel and spring saws cut the timber the store held in such quantity, augers and framing chisels bored and shaped it, and the drill bows and their strings drove the small drills by the old bow-and-spindle method, the string wound round the drill and worked to and fro. Held against the constant wear of building and repair, these were the very tools by which the deals, balks and boards of the earlier leaves were made up into the fabric of the settlement.

The flying and surfing irons and the soldering irons belonged to the metalworking and the boat trades. Soldering irons, held in some number, were the heated tools by which tinned and sheet metal was joined, wanted about a store that dealt in so much copper and tinware, while the pick axes, hammers and seed nails served the quarrying, the building and the plantation. The account holds the plain heavy tools of the labourer beside the fine instruments of the joiner, the one warehouse furnishing both.

The locks again form a substantial part, entered here by lettered number, which shows the store keeping its fastenings in identified lots so that a particular lock could be traced and issued by its mark. Iron-round locks, chest locks and stock locks with their staples were held with and without keys and graded by their fittings, the brass hooks and plates marking the better sort. The care to letter and number the locks, as the timber was marked by its supplier, is the same discipline of exact account that governs the whole inventory, every article known not only by its kind and worth but by its place in the store.

208

201

Brought Over 1725 10 4

Ironware Brought Over 76 12 1¼

37 Yds Dovetail Hinges 3

1 3 9

3 Dozen Side Hinges 14½

2

2 dozen HL Hinges A & B

4 1

12 Yds HL Hinges Large C & D

4 19 11

10 Carpenters hammers 12

11 8

7 hand hatchets 19¾

11 6¼

6 Box Iron and heaters 8/8

2 12

1 Bellows

4 3

9 Chaffing Dishes 3/4½

1 8 1½

1 Dozen X Garnets 12

14

6 Yds D° fire Irons 7/2

17

6 Yds HL Hinges No 1 7 10

1 1

6 Yds D° 2

1 1 6

6 Yds D° 3

2 6

12 Yds Sputter hinges

1 7

24 Yds HL Hinges with Iron Joynts

for Shutters

3 15 9

6 fine Iron round Locks with Brass

Hooks No 1

3 7 2

6 D° 2

5 3 11

6 fine Brass Lock with Iron plates

6 19

2 Yds hair Sieves

2 9 8

8 Scythes 39½

2 5

15 Scythe Stones

2 4

12 Garden Rakes

1 14 1

60 Shot Shovels

4 5 11½

64 Rake helves

1 17 4

Ironware Carried Over 133 15 8½

Carried Over 1725 10 4

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the ironware carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Ironware brought over, £70 12s 1.5d

37 pairs of dovetail hinges at 3d, £1 3s 9d

3 dozen side hinges at 14.5d, £2 11s 9d

2 dozen HL hinges, number A and B, £4 1s 0d

12 pairs of HL hinges, large, number C and D, £4 19s 11d

10 carpenters' hammers at 1s 2d, £0 11s 8d

7 hand hatchets at 9s 7.5d, £0 11s 6.5d

6 box irons and heaters at 8s 8d, £2 12s 0d

1 pair of bellows, £0 4s 3d

9 chafing dishes at 3s 4.5d, £1 8s 1.5d

1 dozen clew garnets at 1s 2d, £0 14s 0d

6 pairs of dovetails, fine japanned, at 3s 10d, £0 19s 0d

6 pairs of HL hinges, number 1, £1 1s 0d

6 pairs of HL hinges, number 2, £1 1s 6d

6 pairs of HL hinges, number 3, £2 6s 0d

12 pairs of shutter hinges, £1 7s 0d

24 pairs of HL hinges with rising joints for shutters, £3 15s 9d

6 fine iron-round locks with brass hooks, number 1, £3 7s 2d

6 fine iron-round locks, number 2, £5 5s 11d

6 fine brass locks with iron plates, £6 19s 0d

2 pairs of hair screws, £2 9s 8d

8 scythes at 5s 9.5d, £2 5s 0d

15 scythe stones, £0 2s 0.5d

12 garden rakes, £1 14s 1d

50 shovels, £4 5s 11.5d

64 tool helves, £1 17s 4d

Ironware carried over, £133 15s 8.5d

Carried over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the ironware head to its close at £133 15s 8.5d, gathering the last of the store's hinges, tools and locks. The greater part of it is builder's and farmer's iron, the hinges and fastenings of doors and shutters and the edge tools of the plantation, held in bulk against the constant building, repair and cultivation of a settlement that made no iron of its own.

The hinges are graded by their form and use in the exact vocabulary of the trade. Dovetail hinges spread across a door face in a broadening shape, HL hinges took the form of the two letters and carried the heavier doors, and shutter hinges with rising joints let a shutter be lifted clear as it opened. Held by the pair and the dozen and lettered and numbered by size, they were the ironwork by which the castle, the houses and the stores were hung and secured, the store keeping every pattern the island's carpenters might call for.

The farm and garden tools mark the plantation's draw on the warehouse. Scythes cut the hay the stock accounts record being made, scythe stones sharpened them, and the rakes, shovels and tool helves served the cultivation of the yams and the ground. The helves in particular, the wooden handles held by the score to be fitted to worn tools, show the store answering not only for the tools themselves but for the means of keeping them in service, the iron head outlasting many handles.

The box irons and heaters among the ware belonged to the laundry and the clothing trade, the box iron a hollow smoothing iron into which a heated slug was placed, wanted about a settlement that made up and maintained so much cloth and linen. Their entry beside the door hinges and the scythes shows once more the reach of the single head, the ironware of the household, the workshop, the field and the building all reckoned together as the leaf closes.

209

202

Brought Over 1725 10 4

Ironware Brought Over 133 15 8½

6 Soft plasterers Trowels

1 10

34 Brick Trowels 11½ 3

2 1 1

9 Joyners Hatchets 2/

18

17 Chissels 11

15 7

8 Firmers 3

2

95 Large Gimblets 2¾

1 2 2¾

20 Dozen Small D° 18

1 10

47 Bricklayers Axes 3 6

2 16 3

9 Trowels 1/

9

27 Grubbing hoes 13¾

1 14 10¾

67 Caulking Irons 7

1 19 1

117 Stone Wedges 8

3 18

7 Carvion Knives 7/8

2 13 8

3 Drawing D° 5/

15

6 Sickles spoild

13

13 Bays hooks 6½

7 ½

4 Thinnill hooks 8/6

1 14

29 Felping Bolts

202 Plate Bolts 1/2

7 8 6

549 Staples

1 3 9¼

4 hand Vice 2/6

10

8 Yds Dutch Rings

8 6

304 Firmers

1 17 6

3 Axes

1 6

3 Whipsaws

3 7 10¼

8 Axeltrees and Winches

16

Carried Over 174 7 2¾

Carried Over 1792 10 4

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the ironware carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Ironware brought over, £133 15s 8.5d

6 soft plasterers' trowels, £0 1s 10d

34 brick trowels at 1s 2.5d, £2 1s 1d

9 joiners' hatchets at 2s, £0 18s 0d

17 chisels at 11d, £0 15s 7d

8 firmers at 3d, £0 2s 0d

95 large gimlets at 2.5d, £1 2s 2.5d

20 dozen small gimlets at 18d, £1 10s 0d

47 pairs of bricklayers' nippers at 3s 6d, £2 16s 3d

9 trowels at 1s, £0 9s 0d

27 grubbing hoes at 13.5d, £1 14s 10.5d

67 caulking irons at 7d, £1 19s 1d

117 stone wedges at 8d, £3 18s 0d

7 carving knives at 7s 8d, £2 13s 8d

3 drawing knives at 5s, £0 15s 0d

6 sickles, sorted, £0 13s 0d

13 ring hooks at 6.5d, £0 7s 0.5d

4 thrindle hooks at 8s 6d, £1 14s 0d

21 falconry hooks, £0 0s 0d

202 plate hooks at 1s 4d, £7 8s 6d

549 staples, £1 3s 9.5d

1 hand vice at 4s 6d, £0 10s 0d

8 pairs of Dutch rings, £0 8s 6d

20 pairs of firmers, £1 17s 6d

3 augers, £0 1s 6d

3 whip saws, £3 7s 10.5d

8 axletrees and winches, £0 16s 0d

Carried over, £174 7s 2.5d

Carried over, £1,742 0s 0.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the ironware head on to £174 7s 2.5d, gathering another long run of the store's edge tools, hooks and building iron. It continues the stock of worked iron of the preceding leaves, the trowels, chisels, gimlets and hoes of the building and cultivating trades held by the score and the dozen against the constant wear of the works.

The trowels, nippers and wedges are the mason's and bricklayer's kit, the very tools of the fortification and building works the record shows in constant progress. Brick and plasterers' trowels laid and finished the work, bricklayers' nippers cut the brick, and the stone wedges, held by the hundred, split the rough stone in the quarry that the powder of the gunner's account had loosened. The store thus held both ends of the stone trade, the powder to break the rock and the wedges and tools to work it, the whole material by which the island raised its walls.

The caulking irons and drawing knives belonged to the boat trade and the cooper, the caulking irons driving the oakum into a boat's seams that the tar and rosin then payed, and the whip saws were the long two-man saws by which timber was ripped into planks. Held beside the fishing hooks and the plate hooks, these mark once more the warehouse answering the whole business of the boats the earlier account served, from the tackle that worked them to the tools that built and mended them.

The many kinds of hook entered here, ring, thrindle, falconry and plate hooks by the dozen and the hundred, were the hanging and fastening iron of a settlement, the plate hooks for hanging from a plate or beam and the rest for the hundred uses about a store and a house. The falconry hooks entered without value were held to be worth nothing yet still counted, the same discipline that carried every broken and worthless article on the books until it was formally struck off, the inventory complete to the last hook whether it bore a price or not.

210

203

Brought Over 1725 10 4

Ironware Brought Over 174 7 2¾

13 Gimblets Broke

3 3

2 Yds garden Vices

88 Taylors Thimbles Sorted 2/7

5 2

11

175 6 7¼

Kersey 11 Yds 20 Yards 1/3½

24 5 8

Long Ells 9 Yds 5 ¾ Yards 22/6 5/

15 6 11

Lead Viz

31 2: 18 Partridge Shott 18/2 4/8¾

3 4 1¼

31 2: 16 Sheet Lead 19/8/0

30 1 2½

3 2: 27 Pigg Lead 21/½

5 7 2

10 Yards 2 Inch Pipe

4 15 6

43 12 11¼

Leather 433 D° 11/10

19 18 11

Masts Viz

1 Large Mast 76 foot Long 22 Inch diameter

40 18 6

1 D° 76 D° 21 D°

33 11

1 Oak Standard

18

1 Standard 66 foot Long 16 ½ Inch diameter 16

1 D° 65 ½ D° 17 ½ D°

21 15

2 Cales

3 3

1 Bowsprit 67 foot Long 17 Inch diameter 15

½ of a Standard 5 foot Long 12 D°

8 10

156 17 6

Mathematical Instruments

47 5 11

Mustard Seed 278 Bushells 19/4 pr Bushell

2 14 11

Carried Over 2210 17 5¼

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the ironware carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £1,725 10s 0.5d

Ironware brought over, £174 7s 2.5d

13 gimlets, broke, £0 3s 3d

2 pairs of garden nippers, sorted, at 2s 7d, £0 5s 2d

88 tailors' thimbles, £0 0s 11d

Ironware, £175 6s 7.5d

Kersey, 11 pieces, 30 yards, at 1s 3.5d, £24 5s 8d

Long ells, 9 pieces, 53.5 yards, at 2s 6d, £15 6s 11d

Lead:

31 sheets, 2 hundredweight 18, Berkshire sheet, at 18s per hundredweight, £3 9s 1.5d

31 sheets, 2 hundredweight 16, sheet lead, at 19s per hundredweight, £30 1s 2.5d

3 sheets, 2 hundredweight 27, pig lead, at 21s per hundredweight, £5 7s 2d

10 yards, 2-inch pipe, £4 15s 6d

Lead, £43 12s 5.5d

Leather, 433 pounds, at 11d, £19 16s 11d

Masts:

1 large mast, 76 feet long, 22 inch diameter, £40 18s 6d

1 mast, 76 feet, 21 inch diameter, £33 11s 0d

1 oak topmast, £0 18s 0d

1 topmast, 66 feet long, 16.5 inch diameter, £16 0s 0d

1 topmast, 65.5 feet, 17.5 inch diameter, £21 15s 0d

2 caps, £0 3s 3d

1 bowsprit, 67 feet long, 19 inch diameter, £15 0s 0d

Half of a topmast, 46 feet long, 12 inch diameter, £8 10s 0d

Masts, £156 17s 6d

Mathematical instruments, £17 5s 11d

Mustard seed, 298 bushels, 19.5 pounds of paste, £2 14s 11d

Carried over, £2,210 17s 5.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the great ironware head at £175 6s 7.5d and turns to the cloth, lead, masts and instruments, the running total passing £2,210. The masts are the striking entry, a stock of made spars held ready for the shipping, and their presence beside the timber of the earlier leaves shows the island keeping the whole material of a refit, from the rough deal to the finished mast.

The masts, topmasts and bowsprit were the standing spars a ship might need to replace, each measured to the foot in length and the inch in diameter and valued accordingly, the largest at better than forty pounds. This is the very stock the London had drawn on when she put back dismasted to refit, the survey of September having sorted the Company's timber for her, and the store held these spars precisely because a ship that lost a mast in the southern ocean had nowhere else between the Cape and England to find one. The caps that topped the masts and joined the topmast to it are entered with them, the fittings held beside the spars they served.

The lead was the store's roofing and plumbing metal, held in sheet and pig and reckoned by the hundredweight, with a length of leaden pipe besides. Berkshire sheet and the common sheet lead covered roofs and lined cisterns and gutters, and the pig lead was the cast block from which more was worked, an island of heavy rains keeping a good stock of the one metal that made a roof or a channel watertight. The lead landed as ballast in the ships served this double turn, easing a vessel's trim and furnishing the works once ashore.

The kersey and long ells were the plain woollens of the clothing issue, kersey a coarse warm cloth made up into the slaves' and soldiers' breeches and long ell a narrow worsted, held by the piece and yard for the annual clothing. The mathematical instruments and the mustard seed close the leaf at the two extremes of the store's variety, the one the fine apparatus of navigation and survey and the other a common kitchen and medicinal seed reckoned by the bushel, the warehouse furnishing at once the instruments of science and the condiments of the table.

211

204

Brought Over 2210 17 5¼

Nails Viz

4068 Spikenails 3¼ pr C

55 1 9

145 Ten penny 1/3½ pr C

8 16 1½

433 Six penny 10¾ pr C

8 10 9¾

454 Ten penny 4/½ pr C

7 11 4

504 Three penny 5/8¾ pr C

12 1 6

224 Flooring Brads 4/¼ pr C

4 1 1½

185 Thirty penny 3/4 pr C

2 13 11½

64 Twenty penny 3½ pr C

18 8

334 Scupper Nails 5/2 pr C

7 13 1

19 Copper Nails 5/4 pr C

8 8½

107 16 10½

Oars Viz

6 22 feet 5/8

1 14

28 18 D° 4/8

6 10 8

8 4 8

Oyl Viz

66 Bottles Florence 2/4½

9 4 3

10 Gallons rape and train 3/4

1 13 4

46 Gallon Dross 1/8

3 16 8

106 Gallon Linseed 4/5

23 8 2

38 2 6

Paint Viz

9 Yds Verdigrease

18 4

291 Double Barrels

Blacking

8 9 9

3 1 10 White Lead 28/10

4 16 3½

Paint Carried Over 32 2

Carried Over 2365 1 1¼

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £2,210 17s 5.5d

Nails:

40,000 spike nails at 13s per thousand, £26 1s 9d

14,000 tenpenny nails at 12s 3d per thousand, £8 16s 1.5d

13,000 sixpenny nails at 13s 1d per thousand, £8 10s 9.5d

15,000 fourpenny nails at 10s 4.5d per thousand, £7 11s 4d

50,000 threepenny nails at 5s 8.5d per thousand, £12 1s 6d

22,000 flooring brads at 1s 1d per thousand, £1 1s 1.5d

18,000 thirtypenny nails at 3s per thousand, £2 13s 11.5d

6,000 twentypenny nails at 3s per thousand, £0 18s 8d

33,000 scupper nails at 5s 2d per thousand, £7 13s 1d

19,000 copper nails at 5s per thousand, £0 8s 8.5d

Nails, £107 16s 10.5d

Oars:

6 oars, 22 feet, at 5s 8d, £1 14s 0d

28 oars, 18 feet, at 4s 8d, £6 10s 8d

Oars, £8 4s 8d

Oil:

66 bottles of Florence at 2s 4.5d, £9 4s 3d

10 gallons of rape and train at 3s 4d, £1 13s 4d

46 gallons of dross at 1s 8d, £3 16s 8d

106 gallons of linseed at 1s 3d, £23 8s 2d

Oil, £38 2s 6d

Paint:

9 pounds 3 of verdigris, £0 18s 4d

291 pounds of double barrel blacking, £8 9s 9d

3 hundredweight 1 quarter 10 pounds of white lead at 28s 10d, £4 16s 3.5d

Paint carried over, £32 0s 0.5d

Carried over, £2,365 1s 10.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the inventory through the store's nails, oars, oil and paint, the running total reaching £2,365 1s 10.5d. The nails are the largest single head, better than two hundred thousand of them held by the thousand across every size and purpose, which fixes how completely a building trade with no forge for such small work depended on the imported nail.

The nails are graded by the old pennyweight names that had become fixed gauges of length, from the great spike nails down to the little threepenny, and by their particular use, the flooring brads for boards, the scupper nails for the lead scuppers of a deck, and the copper nails for work below the waterline where iron would rust away. Held by the score of thousands, they were the commonest and most constantly wanted fastening of the works, the fabric of every deal floor, roof and boat repair depending on the store's keeping them in bulk.

The oils divide between the kitchen, the lamp and the painter. Florence oil was the fine olive oil of the table, held by the bottle, while the rape, train and dross oils were the coarser sorts for lamps, dressing leather and common use, train being whale or fish oil. The linseed oil, held in the greatest quantity, was the painter's oil that bound the pigments, and its bulk here answers the paint of the next head, the two kept together as the materials of a single trade.

The paint records the store's stock of pigments and driers for the constant preserving of iron and timber against the weather. Verdigris gave a green, white lead the white base and the body of most paint, and the blacking a black, held by the pound and the hundredweight to be ground in the linseed oil above. An island of salt air and heavy rain painted its ironwork, its gun carriages and its woodwork against corrosion and rot without cease, and the store held the whole material of that work, the pigment, the drier and the oil to carry them.

212

205

Brought Over 2365 1 1¼

Paint Brought Over 39 2

0 gross D°

1 2 21 Umber 4/ pr C

1 15

1 1 18 Yellow Oaker 5/2 D°

1 12 11

1 1 9 White Lead 16/ pr C

1 8 8½

5 0 0 Brimstone

6 10

8 D° Damaged 30/ pr C

2 1½

3 0 18 Blue Smalts 1 8 pr C

7 18 8

50 9 1

Pewter Viz

3 Pewter Cranes 17/7

2 12 9

2 Gallons Funnels with Cocks

1 4 2

35 Pewter Chambr pots

1 6 8¼

10 Chees plate 6/

3

3 Coarse pr Dishes 3/10

11 6

1 Gallon pots 9/11

1 14 8

11 ½ Gallon pots 3/6

2 10 10

1 3 Pot

3 4

31 D° Funnels 2/3

3 9 9

4 Doz 3 Washing Spoons 3/10

1 4 9¾

8 ½ doz Pewter Spoons 2/1

17 8¼

7 Cullenders 6/2

2 2 3¼

22 Dishes 9/6

7 D° 7/1

10 D° 8/1

20 1

2 D° 10/

1 D° 13/1

1

1 dozen Soup plates

1

2 Warm Tubs & Stills

21 4 8

63 15 2¼

Carried Over 2479 5 11

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the paint carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £2,365 1s 10.5d

Paint brought over, £39 0s 0.5d

2 hundredweight 2 quarters 21 pounds of umber at 4s 6d, £1 15s 0d

1 hundredweight 1 quarter 18 pounds of yellow ochre at 3.5d, £1 12s 11d

1 hundredweight 1 quarter 9 pounds of red lead at 16s per hundredweight, £1 8s 8.5d

5 hundredweight of brimstone, £6 10s 0d

8 hundredweight of brimstone, damaged, at 30s per hundredweight, £2 1s 5.5d

3 hundredweight 18 pounds of blue smalt at 18s per hundredweight, £7 18s 8d

Paint, £50 9s 1d

Pewter:

3 pewter cranes at 17s 7d, £2 12s 9d

2 gallons of funnels with cocks, £1 4s 2d

55 pewter chamber pots, sorted, £1 6s 8.5d

10 cheese plates at 6d, £3 0s 0d

3 covers for dishes at 3s 10d, £0 11s 6d

1 gallon pots at 9s 11d, £1 14s 8d

11 half-gallon pots at 5s 6d, £2 16s 10d

1 3-foot, £0 3s 4d

31 dozen funnels at 2s 3d, £3 9s 9d

1 dozen 3 alchemy spoons at 3s 10d, £1 4s 9.5d

8.5 dozen pewter spoons at 2s 1d, £0 17s 8.5d

7 colanders at 6s 1.5d, £2 2s 3.5d

22 dishes at 9s 6d, [in the dishes total]

7 dishes at 7s 1d, [in the dishes total]

10 dishes at 8s 1d, £20 1s 0d

2 dishes at 10s 1d, [in the dishes total]

1 dish at 13s 1d, [in the dishes total]

1 dozen soup plates, £1 0s 0d

2 warming tubs and stills, £21 4s 8d

Pewter, £63 15s 2.5d

Carried over, £2,479 5s 11d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the paint head at £50 9s 1d and carries the inventory through the pewter, the running total reaching £2,479 5s 11d. The pewter is a full stock of the table and kitchen ware of the general board and the establishment, the dishes, plates, pots and spoons of a settlement that ate off metal rather than earthenware, held in quantity and graded to the farthing.

The pigments closing the paint head fill out the painter's palette begun on the previous leaf. Umber and yellow ochre gave the browns and yellows, red lead a red that also primed iron against rust, and blue smalt a fine blue ground from cobalt glass, held by the hundredweight to be worked in the linseed oil. The brimstone entered among them was crude sulphur, wanted for matches, for physic and for the making of gunpowder as much as for any paint, its damaged parcel entered at value alongside the sound in the usual way.

The pewter dishes and plates, held by the dozen and graded by size and price, were the serving ware of the general table, the common tableware of the age before earthenware and china displaced it. That the store kept dishes in five sizes, soup and cheese plates, covers and colanders points to the scale of the board it furnished, the council and senior servants dining at the Company's charge off a full service of the metal, kept in stock and replaced from the warehouse as it wore.

The pewter cranes, funnels with cocks and the warming tubs and stills belonged to the drink trade and the still-room. A pewter crane was a bent tube for drawing liquor from a cask, the funnels and cocks served the racking and bottling, and the stills were for distilling, whether of spirits or of the still-room's waters and physic. Their entry among the tableware shows the pewter head gathering the whole business of serving and drawing drink, the metal vessels of the cellar and the table reckoned together as the leaf closes.

213

206

Brought Over 2479 5 11

Pitch and Tarr Viz

6 Barrels Turpentine

10 8 6

0 13 17 Rozen

11 1½

1 Barrel of Pitch

1 10

1 D° Tarr

1 10

14 1 7½

Hair Powder 8 D°

4 6

Shoes Viz

6 Yds Pumps 3/10

1 9

1 Yd Womens spoild

2 9

16 Yds Boys sizes 3/2

2 10 8

5 Yds D° Ordinary 3/2¾

15 2¾

18 Yds D° fine

3 8

223 Yds Mens Ordinary 3/11

43 13 5

48 14 8½

Salt 69 Bushells 2/11 & 3/3 4/

10 5 6¾

Sope 8 13 25 5/6 pr C

81 8 1½

Scales and Weights Viz

3 Yds Brass Scale Beam use

2 Yds D° Scales

18 3 6

6 Beams for Scales

33 15

4 Yds Scale Boards

1 Yds D° Weights

8 3

62 3 6

Shallons Viz

58 ½ Yards a 20½

4 13 3½

20 ½ D° 2/5 3½

2 10 2¾

7 3 6

2683 10 5½

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £2,479 5s 11d

Pitch and tar:

6 barrels of turpentine, £10 8s 6d

6 hundredweight 13, of rosin, £0 11s 1.5d

1 barrel of pitch, £1 10s 0d

1 barrel of tar, £1 10s 0d

Pitch and tar, £14 4s 7.5d

Hair, powder, the same, £0 4s 6d

Shoes:

6 pairs of pumps at 2s 10d, £1 9s 0d

1 pair of women's, quilted, £0 2s 9d

16 pairs of boys' soled at 3s 9d, £2 10s 8d

5 pairs, the same, ordinary, at 3s 1.5d, £0 13s 2.5d

18 pairs, the same, fine, £0 3s 8d

223 pairs of men's ordinary at 3s 11d, £43 13s 5d

Shoes, £48 11s 8.5d

Salt, 69 bushels, at 2s 11d per bushel, £10 5s 6.5d

Soap, 8 hundredweight 3 quarters 23 pounds, at 7.5d, £31 8s 1.5d

Scales and weights:

3 pairs of brass scale-beam and vices, [in the scales total]

2 pairs of scales, £18 3s 6d

6 beams for scales, £33 15s 0d

4 pairs of scale-boards, [in the scales total]

1 pair of weights, £8 3s 0d

Scales and weights, £62 3s 6d

Shalloon:

58.5 yards at 20.5d, £4 13s 3.5d

20.5 yards at 2s 5.5d, £2 10s 2.5d

Shalloon, £7 3s 6d

Carried over, £2,633 10s 5.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the inventory through the store's pitch and tar, shoes, salt, soap, scales and cloth, the running total reaching £2,633 10s 5.5d. The largest single head is the shoes, better than two hundred and seventy pairs held ready, which marks the shoe as one of the standing issues the Company made to the garrison and the settlement and had constantly to keep in stock.

The shoes are graded by wearer and quality, the men's ordinary held in the greatest number for the annual clothing of the garrison and the slaves, with boys' and women's shoes and a few finer and quilted pairs besides. Shoes wore out faster than almost any other article of clothing and could not be made on the island in such quantity, so the store held them by the hundred pair, the coarse issue for the establishment and a better sort for those who could command it, the whole reckoned by the pair like every other ware.

The pitch, tar, turpentine and rosin were the boat and cordage stores, the same materials the boats account of the quarter had drawn on, held here in barrels as the reserve from which the caulking and paying of the island's craft was supplied. Salt and soap were the plain consumable stores of the settlement, salt for preserving the beef and pork and soap for the constant washing of a household and a garrison, held by the bushel and the hundredweight and issued as wanted.

The scales, beams and weights were the store's own measuring apparatus, the instruments by which every ware that left the warehouse by weight was told out. That the Company kept several sets of scales and beams and a stock of weights, valued at better than sixty pounds, shows how much of its trade turned on exact weighing, the whole discipline of the inventory resting on the ability to reckon the beef, the nails, the lead and the cloth to the pound and the ounce, the scales themselves an article of the store as much as the goods they weighed.

214

207

Brought Over 2683 10 5½

Shirts Viz

168 Continels Shirts

168 D° Neckcloths 4/2

35

80 Serjeants Shirts

80 Neckcloths 3/11

25 3 4

60 3 4

Thread Viz

9 ½ Yds Brown Thread at 4/1

1 18 9½

12 ½ D° 4/9

2 18 2¾

1 ½ D° 5/6

8 3

6 D° 2/9

16 6

5 Blue Thread

11

2 ½ Coloured

3 1¼

41 D° Arms

41 3 6

48 1 4½

Turnerware Viz

28 Hair Brooms 1/4½

1 18 6

32 Scrubbing Brushes 1/4

3 9 4

8 Fishmens Yoakes 1/1

8 8

74 Wood Bowles 7

2 3 2

3 Ox Bows 7½

1 9½

91 Platters 7

2 13 1

4 Wood Ladles 2

6 10

1 D° broke

30 Stringing Dishes 3

7 6

11 Trays

1 7 6

Turnerware Carried Over 12 18 4½

Carried Over 2761 15 1½

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £2,633 10s 5.5d

Shirts:

168 corporals' shirts

168 neckcloths, the same, at 4s 2d, £35 0s 0d

80 sergeants' shirts

80 neckcloths, the same, at 2s 11d, £25 3s 4d

Shirts, £60 3s 4d

Thread:

9.5 pounds of brown thread at 4s 1d, £1 18s 9.5d

12.5 pounds, the same, at 4s 1d, £2 18s 2.5d

1.5 pounds, the same, at 5s 6d, £0 8s 3d

6 pounds, the same, at 2s 9d, £0 16s 6d

3 pounds of blue thread, £0 0s 11d

2.5 pounds of coloured, £0 3s 1.5d

41 pounds 3 ounces, £41 3s 6d

Thread, £48 1s 5.5d

Turneryware:

28 whisk brooms at 1s 2.5d, £1 18s 6d

32 scrubbing brushes at 1s 4d, £3 4s 4d

8 seamen's swabs at 1s 1d, £0 8s 8d

74 wood bowls at 7d, £2 3s 2d

3 ox bows at 7.5d, £0 1s 9.5d

91 platters at 7d, £2 13s 1d

41 wood ladles at 2d, £0 6s 10d

1 wood ladle, broke, £0 0s 0d

30 stringing dishes at 3d, £0 7s 6d

11 trays, £1 7s 6d

Turneryware carried over, £12 18s 4.5d

Carried over, £2,761 15s 1.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the inventory through the store's shirts, thread and turneryware, the running total reaching £2,761 15s 1.5d. The shirts and neckcloths mark the linen side of the garrison's clothing, and the thread beside them the material to make and mend it, the two heads together showing the store furnishing at once the finished garment and the means of its repair.

The shirts and neckcloths are entered rank by rank, the corporals' and sergeants' shirts held in exact and equal numbers with their matching neckcloths, which shows the annual clothing issued as a set and reckoned by rank, each grade of non-commissioned man receiving a shirt and a neckcloth of a fixed quality. The store held these by the score against the yearly issue, the corporals' at a better rate than the sergeants' in one line though the ranks would ordinarily run the other way, the figures taken as they stand.

The thread was the sewing material of the whole clothing trade, held by the pound in brown, blue and coloured sorts, brown the commonest for plain work. Kept beside the cloth, the buttons and the tapes of the earlier leaves, it was the last necessary of the tailor's craft, the store holding everything from the broadcloth to the very thread that stitched it, so that the making and mending of the establishment's clothing could be done wholly from the warehouse.

The turneryware was the wooden ware of the kitchen and the ship, the bowls, platters, ladles and trays turned or shaped from wood, held in quantity as the plainest and cheapest vessels of the table and the galley. The brooms, brushes and swabs among them were the cleaning gear of the store, the house and the boats, the seamen's swabs for washing a deck. Held by the score and reckoned down to a broken ladle worth nothing, the turneryware was the humblest head of the whole inventory, the common wooden furniture of daily use kept and counted as carefully as the silver twist and the mathematical instruments of the richer leaves.

215

208

Brought Over 2761 15 1½

Turnerware brought Over 12 18 4½

21 Pump Boxes 11½

1 1½

3 Buckets 2/4

7

1 D° Damaged

2 2¼

5 Cans

3 3¾

25 Cloth Brushes

1 7 1

9 Wire Sieves

19 1¼

6 Hair Sieves new Cargo 9/

2 14 6

66 Sand Brushes 7

1 18 6

283 hard Shoe Brushes 7

8 3 1

282 Softer D° 7

8 4 6

82 Indenres baskets

2 1

2 Iron Sieves

14 6

46 Birch Brooms

1 3

42 1 6¼

Tinware Viz

30 Pudding pans 1/6

2 6

8 ½ Saltmoney

2 2¼

1 Watering Pot

5 6

1 D° damaged

10 Petty Pans damaged 8

4 2

3 Large hand Glass Lanthorns

1 8 7

6 Small D°

2 10 4

753 Lanthorn leaves

4 2 10

4 Tin Lanthorns 4/

16

26 Large Lamps 1/6

1 19

8 Large Dripping pans 4/6

1 16

5 Small D° 3/5

17 1

16 6 11¾

Carried Over 2820 3 8¼

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, the turneryware carried over from the previous leaf:

Brought over, £2,761 15s 1.5d

Turneryware brought over, £12 18s 4.5d

21 pump boxes at 11.5d, £1 0s 1.5d

3 tickets at 2s 4d, £0 7s 0d

1 ticket, damaged, £0 2s 2.5d

3 caps, £0 3s 3.5d

23 cloth brushes, £1 7s 1d

2 wire sieves, £0 19s 1.5d

6 hair sieves, new cargo, at 9s 4d, £2 14s 6d

66 sand brushes at 7d, £1 18s 6d

283 hard shoe brushes at 7d, £8 3s 1d

282 softer shoe brushes at 7d, £8 4s 6d

82 Indian reed baskets, £2 1s 0d

2 iron sieves, £0 14s 6d

46 birch brooms, £1 3s 0d

Turneryware, £42 1s 6.5d

Tinware:

30 pudding pans at 1s 6d, £2 5s 0d

8.5 saltmoney, £0 2s 2.5d

1 watering pot, £0 5s 6d

1 watering pot, damaged, £0 0s 0d

10 patty pans, damaged, £0 1s 2d

3 large hand glass lanterns, £1 8s 7d

6 small hand glass lanterns, £2 10s 4d

753 lantern leaves, £4 2s 10d

4 tin lanterns, number A, £0 16s 0d

26 large lamps at 1s 6d, £1 19s 0d

8 large dripping pans at 4s 6d, £1 16s 0d

5 small dripping pans at 3s 5d, £0 17s 1d

Tinware carried over, £16 6s 11.5d

Carried over, £2,820 3s 8.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the turneryware head at £42 1s 6.5d and carries the inventory into the tinware, the running total reaching £2,820 3s 8.5d. The turneryware gathers the last of the store's brushes, sieves and small wooden and cane ware, and the tinware turns to the light metal vessels of the kitchen and the lantern, the store holding both the humblest cleaning gear and the means of lighting the settlement.

The brushes held here in great number, better than five hundred shoe brushes alone besides cloth, sand and birch brushes and brooms, mark the constant business of cleaning a store, a garrison and a household. The shoe brushes in their hundreds answer the hundreds of pairs of shoes the earlier leaf recorded, the one issued with the other, and the Indian reed baskets among them were the woven cane baskets of the eastern trade, held as containers and carriers about the warehouse.

The lantern ware records how a settlement carried light after dark. The hand glass lanterns held a candle behind glass to be carried out of doors, the tin lanterns were the plainer pierced sort, and the lantern leaves, held by the many hundred, were the thin sheets of horn or glass that glazed a lantern's sides, a stock kept because they broke and clouded and were forever needing renewal. An island whose watches, guards and night work all depended on the carried light kept the whole material of the lantern in store, the frame, the glazing and the lamps and their oil together.

The pudding pans, patty pans and dripping pans were the tin bakeware and roasting ware of the kitchen, tinned iron being light and cheap for the vessels that did not sit long on the fire. Held beside the pewter of the table and the copper of the boiling hearth, the tinware completes the store's provision of the general table's cookery, each metal kept for the use it best served, the whole batterie of the kitchen reckoned across three heads of the inventory as carefully as the cloth and the iron of the works.

216

209

Brought Over 2820 3 8¼

Twine Viz

13 Fine Store Sowand 2/1

1 11 3

12 ½ Coarse D°

19 5

499 Seams Twine 6

12 8 6

206 Seams houseline & Marline

3 10

18 9 2

Total European Goods Amounting to 2838 12 10½

Indian Goods Viz

Arrack 792 ½ Gallons 2/6½

98 3 5¼

Alliqars 12 Yds 4/9

62 5 6

Chittanees 2 Yds 4 4 8/9

17 6

Chinaware Viz

16 Dishes of sizes 1/8

1 6 8

10 Plate 2/1

1 10½

6 Tea potts broke

305 Scallop'd Cups 7¼

19 3¼

8 fine Cups broke

60 Small Cups & 110 Saucers

9 7¼

16 Saucers

4

63 Small Cups 7¼

4 3¼

3 4 8¾

Candles 4 2 20 4/3

39 10 10

Carried Over 3040 14 10½

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £2,820 3s 8.5d

Twine:

15 fine shoe thread at 2s 1d, £1 11s 3d

12.5 coarse shoe thread, £0 19s 5d

499 skeins of twine at 6d, £12 8s 6d

206 skeins of houseline and marline, £3 10s 0d

Twine, £18 9s 2d

Total European goods amounting to £2,838 12s 10.5d

Indian goods:

Arrack, 792.5 gallons at 2s 6.5d, £98 3s 5.5d

Allejars, 11 corge, £62 5s 6d

Chittanees, 2 pieces, 44 [yards], at 8s 9d, £0 17s 6d

Chinaware:

16 dishes of sizes at 1s 8d, £1 6s 8d

10 plates at 2s 1d, £0 1s 10.5d

6 tea pots, broke, £0 0s 0d

305 scalloped cups at 9.5d, £0 19s 3.5d

8 coffee cups, broke, £0 0s 0d

60 small cups and 110 saucers, £0 9s 7.5d

16 sneakers, £0 4s 0d

63 small cups at 9.5d, £0 4s 3.5d

Chinaware, £3 1s 8.5d

Candles, 4 hundredweight 2 quarters 26 pounds, at 4s 3d, £39 10s 10d

Carried over, £3,040 14s 10.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the store's European goods at a total of £2,838 12s 10.5d and opens the Indian goods, the running total reaching £3,040 14s 10.5d. The division marks the two great sources from which a Company island drew its stock, the European manufactures shipped out from London and the eastern goods brought up from India and China, kept and totalled apart though held in the one warehouse.

The Indian goods open with the eastern staples of the trade. Arrack was the spirit distilled in India and Batavia, held here by the gallon and the mainstay of the island's drink, and the allejars and chittanees were cotton cloths of the coast, the allejars a striped stuff reckoned by the corge, the eastern unit of twenty pieces, and the chittanees a finer cotton. These were the goods the Company shipped from its Indian settlements to victual and clothe the island, kept in bulk and priced in the eastern measures they came in.

The chinaware was the porcelain of the China trade, the dishes, plates, cups and saucers brought up from Canton and held for the table and for sale. A sneaker was a small cup or basin, and the scalloped cups the shaped porcelain of the tea service, the whole a modest stock of the eastern ware that was beginning to displace the pewter and wood of the plainer table. The broken pieces entered without value, the tea pots and coffee cups, follow the usual rule, carried on the books at nothing yet still counted.

The twine closing the European goods gathers the last of the sewing and cordage thread, the fine and coarse shoe thread for the making and mending of the hundreds of pairs of shoes, and the houseline and marline, the small tarred lines of the rigging, held by the skein for the ship's work. The candles, the last European line, were the tallow or wax lights held by the hundredweight for the whole settlement, the plain necessary of every table, watch and workroom, reckoned by weight and standing among the heaviest single lines of the household stores.

217

210

Brought Over 3040 14 10½

Decculars Viz

30 Yds Double 16/8

25

2 Yds D° Damaged 16/8

1 13 4

72 Yds Single 8/3

29 14

6 Yds Blue D° 11/11¾

3 11 10½

59 19 2½

Long Cloth 29 Yds 18/8

27 14

Muslin Viz

10 Yds Muslin

2 Yds Spoild with pak 3/4/10

6 10

100 Yds Muslin new Bale

44 13 9

51 3 9

Shirts 36 Dungree 1/4 D°

5 2 8

Pepper 39 6/

1 8 6

Sallampores Viz

10 Sallampores 16/6

2 D° Spoild with pak

14 17

59 D° 12/1

35 12 11

16 D° 10/6¾

1 D° Spoild with pak

8 19 8½

59 9 7½

Tea 240 Catta 11/4 pr Cat

11 13

Sugar & Candy Viz

3 13 7 Candy 34/6 4/6 D°

6 11 4

4: 1: 21 Sugar 23/5 3¾ D°

5 13 5¾

12 4 9¾

Carried Over 3268 9 3

Continuing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, under the head of Indian goods:

Brought over, £3,040 14s 10.5d

Doosetees:

30 pieces, double, at 16s 8d, £25 0s 0d

2 pieces, double, damaged, at 16s 8d, £1 13s 4d

72 pieces, single, at 8s 3d, £29 14s 0d

6 pieces, blue, at 11s 11.5d, £3 11s 10.5d

Doosetees, £59 19s 2.5d

Long cloth, 29 pieces, at 18s 8d, £27 1s 4d

Muslin:

10 pieces of muslin

2 pieces, sprigged with pink, at 13s 10d, £6 10s 0d

100 pieces of muslin, mull mull, £44 13s 9d

Muslin, £51 3s 9d

Shirts, 36 dungaree, at 1s 4d, £5 2s 8d

Pepper, 39, at 6s, £0 18s 6d

Palampores:

10 palampores at 16s 6d, £14 17s 0d

2 palampores, sprigged with pink, [in the palampores total]

59 palampores at 12s 1d, £35 12s 11d

16 palampores at 10s 6.5d, £8 19s 2.5d

1 palampore, sprigged with pink, [in the palampores total]

Palampores, £59 9s 1.5d

Tea, 240 catties, at 11.5d per catty, £11 13s 0d

Sugar and candy:

3 hundredweight 1 quarter 7, dry, at 34s 6d per hundredweight, £6 11s 4d

4 hundredweight 1 quarter 21, sugar, at 25s 5.5d per hundredweight, £5 13s 0.5d

Sugar and candy, £12 4s 9.5d

Carried over, £3,268 9s 3d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the Indian goods through the store's stock of eastern cottons, muslins, printed bed covers, tea and sugar, the running total reaching £3,268 9s 3d. The greater part of it is the piece goods of the India trade, the doosetees, long cloth, muslin and palampores that were among the most valuable single articles the Company shipped, held here in quantity for sale and for the settlement's finer wants.

The cotton cloths are graded in the exact vocabulary of the coast. Doosetees were a plain calico held in double, single and blue sorts, long cloth a length of plain white calico, and muslin the fine sheer cottons of Bengal, the mull mull among them a soft plain muslin. Held by the piece and priced accordingly, these were the goods the eastern trade turned on, the plainer sorts made up into clothing for the settlement and the finer sold to those who could pay, the damaged pieces entered at value in the usual way.

The palampores were the printed and painted cotton bed covers of the Coromandel coast, prized furnishings held here in some number and graded by price, several noted sprigged with pink for the flowered pattern printed on them. Among the dearest of the piece goods, they appear both in the castle's own beds and among the goods sold, a luxury of the eastern trade that a remote island could command through the Company's ships, kept in the warehouse like any other ware yet standing among its most valuable cloth.

The tea and sugar close the leaf with the two great consumables of the China and India trade. Tea was reckoned by the catty, the eastern weight of somewhat more than a pound, and the sugar and candy by the hundredweight, candy the harder crystallised grade above the ordinary sugar. Held for the table and for sale, these were the eastern groceries the homeward ships brought up in bulk, the sugar sweetening the settlement and the tea the beginning of the fashion that the chinaware of the preceding leaf was bought to serve.

218

211

Brought Over 3268 9 3

Rice and Paddy Viz

253 Yds D° Rice 7/

82 5

8 Paddy 3/4

2 7 4

84 12 4

Total European and Indian Goods remaining 30 Sept 1745 3353 1 7

September 30 1745

Signd Errors Excepted

W Purling Storekeeper

David Dunbar

Cha Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 29 October

1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Dep Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and approved

The

Closing the inventory of stores remaining in the Company's warehouse on 30 September 1745, under the head of Indian goods:

Brought over, £3,268 9s 3d

Rice and paddy:

253 bags, of rice, at 7s, £82 5s 0d

8 bags, of paddy, at 3s 4d, £2 7s 4d

Rice and paddy, £84 12s 4d

Total European and Indian goods remaining 30 September 1745 amounting to £3,353 1s 7d

The inventory was dated 30 September 1745 and signed, errors excepted, by Purling as storekeeper. It was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 29 October 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the whole warehouse inventory at a grand total of £3,353 1s 7d for the entire stock of European and Indian goods remaining on 30 September 1745, and opens a fresh consultation of 29 October. The rice and paddy that close the schedule were the eastern grain the island depended on to feed its slaves and eke out its own yam crop, held by the bag and among the plainest but most necessary of the Indian goods.

Rice and paddy stand distinct in the account, rice being the grain husked and ready to eat and paddy the same grain still in the husk, held in far smaller quantity because it kept better unhusked but had still to be cleaned before use. The store held these against the failure of the island's own provision, the record having shown the council buying rice to feed the slaves when the yam crop ran short, so that the grain was the reserve on which the settlement's food supply ultimately rested.

The whole inventory, closing here at better than three thousand three hundred pounds, is the fullest single statement the record gives of what a remote Company warehouse held, the accumulated stock of every manufacture and provision by which the island supplied itself and the ships that called. Signed by the storekeeper errors excepted and subscribed by the whole board, it is the periodic proof by which the Company fixed exactly what stood in its store on the accounting day, the same discipline of exact reckoning that Governor Lambert had insisted on at his arrival and that every quarter's account renewed.

219

212

The Storekeeper this day brought in his

account of Waste for the Year Ending 30 September last, which

was Examined, and Approved, and is as follows Viz

Profit and Loss D° to Sundry Accounts

88 13 8¼ for Loss by Leakage Wastage Short weight and Short

measure, & by drawing by the Gallon & by the pound & and by

measuring by the Yard in the Year Ending the 30 September

1745 Viz

Arrack 309 Gallons at 2/6 ½ pr Gallon

39 5 4¼

Blocks 1

4 3¾

Bread and Flower D° to 3 26 D°

1 11 10¼

Corks 7 Dozen lost in Counting

8¼

Cutlery 1 Shoe Knife

6

Cordage 63 D° 20½

2 17 6

Chinaware Viz

9 Scallop Cups

6¼

2 Small Cups

1½

2 Coffee Cups broke

28 Small Cups & 32 Saucers

3 2¼

3 11

Glazierware Viz

39 Sqr Glass in 8 by 12 broke

1 8 2¼

12 D° 8 by 10 hand broke in drying

1 1½

7 D° 6 by 8 the Glazr the frame

2 1

4 Beer Glasses broke Wanting

2 8¼

2 13 3¾

Hooks and Lines Viz

320 Blue Hooks

5 Dozen Hooks lost in Counting

10¼

1 5¼

2 1

Carried Over 46 19 9½

The storekeeper this day brought in his account of waste for the year ending 30 September 1745, which the council examined and approved.

The account charged profit and loss, debtor to sundry accounts, £88 13s 8.5d for loss by leakage, wastage, short weight and short measure, by drawing off by the gallon, by the piece and by measuring by the yard, in the year ending 30 September 1745.

Arrack, 309 gallons at 2s 6d per gallon, £39 6s 6d

Blocks, 1, £0 4s 3.5d

Bread and flour, 5 hundredweight 26, £1 11s 10.5d

Corks, 7 dozen lost in counting, £0 0s 8.5d

Cutlery, 1 shoe knife, £0 0s 6d

Cordage, 4 hundredweight 26.5, £2 17s 6d

Chinaware:

9 coffee cups, £0 0s 6.5d

2 small cups, £0 0s 1.5d

2 coffee cups, broke, [in the chinaware total]

28 small cups and 32 saucers, £0 3s 2.5d

Chinaware, £0 3s 11d

Glazierware:

39 squares of glass, size 6 by 12, broke, £1 8s 2.5d

12 squares, size 8 by 10, broke and rendered useless by fire, £1 1s 1.5d

7 squares, size 6 by 8, the like broke by the same, £0 2s 4d

4 beer glasses, broke, £0 2s 8.5d

Glazierware, £2 13s 3.5d

Hooks and lines:

320 blue hooks, £0 0s 10.5d

5 dozen hooks lost in counting, £0 1s 5.5d

Hooks and lines, £0 2s 1d

Carried over, £46 19s 9.5d

Interpretations

This is the storekeeper's yearly account of waste, a formal reckoning of everything lost from the warehouse over the year not by sale or issue but by the natural and unavoidable shrinkage of goods, charged to profit and loss so that the loss fell on the Company's account rather than appearing as an unexplained deficiency in the store. It is the mechanism by which honest wastage was distinguished from theft or mismanagement, each loss named to its cause and article so the whole could be examined and allowed.

The causes named at the head set out the several ways stock diminished in the keeping. Leakage and wastage were the loss of liquids and perishables in the cask and the bin, short weight and short measure the discrepancy found when goods were told out against what they were entered at, and the loss by drawing off by the gallon, the piece and the yard the small unavoidable shortfall in retailing bulk goods in small parcels. The arrack heads the account by far, three hundred gallons lost in a year of drawing spirit from the leaguer, the volatile liquor evaporating and spilling in every handling.

The glazierware and chinaware record loss by breakage rather than shrinkage, the fragile wares that could not be handled or stored without some being broken. The window glass broken and, in several parcels, rendered useless by fire points to an accident in the store, glass cracked by heat as well as by knocking, and the broken cups and beer glasses were the ordinary casualty of brittle ware. These were entered at value as lost, the account allowing that a store of glass and porcelain would inevitably shed some part of itself to breakage in a year.

The small parcels lost in counting, the corks and the dozens of hooks, record the humblest form of waste, the trifling shortfall found when great numbers of small articles were told over and came up short of the tally. That the storekeeper entered even seven dozen corks and five dozen hooks lost in counting, worth a few pence, shows the exactness the account demanded, every discrepancy between the book and the shelf run to earth and charged, so that the waste account balanced the store as precisely as the inventory that preceded it.

220

213

Brought Over 46 19 9½

Iron 26

3 3½

Candles D°

1 5

Lead Viz

27 Sheets

13 Partridge Shott

4 6

2 3

6 9

Nails 7 Sorted

2 11

Oyl Viz

13 ½ Gallons train

2 6

1 Bottle Florence

2 6

2 7 6

Pitch D°

4 Yds Pitch

10 7½

2 1 2 Tarr

17 4¼

0 Rozin

2 2

3 6 Turpentine

11 7½

2 1 9¼

Paint Viz

36 White Lead

5 2

0 Blue Smalt

6

4 Whiting

6¾

3 Indico

1 3

8 Red Oaker

1 4

8 2¾

Rice 2 1 4

14 3

Sope 2 17

2 5 7½

Shoes 18 Womens spoild

2 9

Sugar and Candy Viz

9 ½ 23 Candy

2 10 6

6 15 Sugar

7 16 3¾

10 13 9¾

Salt 2 ½ Bushells

7 3¼

Shalloon 2 Yard

7

Hair Powder 1

6¾

Tea ½ Catta

5¾

Tinware 9 Lanthorn Leaves

1

Carried Over 65 19 6¾

Continuing the storekeeper's account of waste for the year ending 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £46 19s 9.5d

Iron, 26, £23 3s 3.5d

Candles, £0 1s 5d

Lead:

27 sheets

15 Berkshire sheet, £0 4s 6d

Lead, £0 2s 3d

Nails, 7 sorted, £0 6s 9d

Oil:

15.5 gallons of train, £2 6s 0d

1 bottle of Florence, £0 2s 6d

Oil, £2 7s 6d

Pitch:

4 hundredweight 3, pitch, £0 10s 7.5d

2 hundredweight 1 quarter 2, tar, £0 17s 1.5d

of rosin, £0 2s 2d

3 hundredweight 6, turpentine, £0 11s 7.5d

Pitch, £2 1s 2.5d

Paint:

22 pounds of white lead, £0 5s 2d

of blue smalt, £0 0s 6d

of whiting, £0 0s 3.5d

of indigo, £0 1s 3d

8 pounds of red ochre, £0 1s 4d

Paint, £0 8s 2.5d

Rice, 2 bags, £0 14s 3d

Soap, 3 hundredweight 17, £2 6s 7.5d

Shoes, 18 women's, soiled, £0 2s 9d

Sugar and candy:

1 hundredweight 3 quarters 23, candy, £2 10s 6d

6 hundredweight 15, sugar, £7 16s 3.5d

Sugar and candy, £10 13s 9.5d

Salt, 12.5 bushels, £0 7s 3.5d

Shalloon, 2 yards, £0 0s 7d

Hair powder, £0 6s 6.5d

Tea, 2 catties, £0 5s 5.5d

Tinware, 9 lantern leaves, £0 1s 0d

Carried over, £65 19s 6.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the storekeeper's yearly waste account through the iron, oil, pitch, paint, sugar and the lesser stores, the running total reaching £65 19s 6.5d. It continues the reckoning of unavoidable loss begun on the previous leaf, each article named with the quantity wasted and its cause understood from the account's own heading, leakage, breakage, short weight and the shrinkage of retailing.

The iron heads the leaf by far at better than twenty-three pounds, a heavy loss that reflects the metal's liability to rust in a salt-air climate, the bar and worked iron of the store diminishing steadily as it corroded in the keeping. The pitch, tar, rosin and turpentine record the loss of the boat stores, the volatile and semi-liquid materials that wasted in the cask by evaporation and spillage, and the oils the same, train and Florence oil lost by leakage from the vessels that held them.

The sugar and candy show a substantial loss of the eastern groceries, better than ten pounds' worth wasted in the year, the sugar drawing damp and running in a moist climate and losing weight in every handling. Sugar was among the goods most liable to natural wastage, and its heavy showing in the account reflects the difficulty of keeping a hygroscopic ware sound through a year in an island store, the loss allowed as unavoidable rather than charged to any neglect.

The paint pigments, the salt, the shalloon and the trifling parcels of tea, hair powder and lantern leaves close the leaf at the smallest scale of waste. That the storekeeper entered two catties of tea, two yards of cloth and nine lantern leaves, worth a few pence each, alongside the pounds of iron and sugar shows once more the completeness the account demanded, every article that had diminished in the store over the year run to its cause and its value, so that the whole loss stood proved and could be formally allowed against the Company's account.

221

214

Brought Over 65 19 6¾

Vinegar 4 Gallons Spoild

11

Brandy 75 ½ Gallon

16 1 11½

Flannel 6 Yards

6 6

Turnerware Viz

3 Wood Bowles

1 9

1 Ladle

2

1 Straining Dish broke

3

8 Painted Bowles

8

2 10

Ironmongersware Viz

8 Bell rope Needles

10

2 Taylors Thimbles

3

1 Rag Stone

1

1 Scythe Stone lost

1½

1 Box Lock with Brass Plates

1 10

3 1½

Pease & Geots Viz

2 ½ Bushells pease

19 2½

78 Bushel Geots

10½

1 1

84 14 11½

Leather 88 Dryed and Wasted on Board

4 8

Ship Queen Carroline

88 15 7½

I have set my Approbation to the

proffitt & Loss on this Account

David Dunbar

Mr Purling declares this the above Waste, is to the best of his Knowledge, real. After

strictly examining Mr Wrights Accounts for the half year before the Arrival of Mr

Governour, it was thought that £76 10 6¾ was reasonable to be allowed him for

Waste. Mr Purling was also allowed for the half year following, which was from

March to Sept 1745 £62 4 10¼. And as this is far short of those two past Accounts

it appears to me to be reasonable

Chas Hutchinson

I approve of the foregoing Remarks of

Capt Hutchinsons & think the Waste

is also Reasonable

Purling John Goodwin

Closing the storekeeper's account of waste for the year ending 30 September 1745:

Brought over, £65 19s 6.5d

Vinegar, 4 gallons, spilt, £0 1s 11d

Brandy, 75.5 gallons, £16 1s 11.5d

Flannel, 6 yards, £0 6s 6d

Turneryware:

3 wood bowls, £0 1s 9d

1 ladle, broke, £0 0s 2d

1 straining dish, broke, £0 0s 3d

2 pint bottles, broke, £0 0s 8d

Turneryware, £0 2s 10d

Ironmongeryware:

8 packing needles, £0 0s 10d

2 tailors' thimbles, £0 0s 3d

1 rag stone, lost, £0 0s 1d

1 scythe stone, lost, £0 0s 1.5d

1 box lock with brass plates, £0 1s 10d

Ironmongeryware, £0 3s 1.5d

Pease and groats:

2.5 bushels of pease, £0 19s 2.5d

7.5 bushel of groats, £0 10s 1.5d

Pease and groats, £1 9s 1d

Leather, 88 pounds, dried and wasted on board, £4 0s 8d

Ship Queen Caroline, [in the total]

Total, £88 13s 7.5d

Governor Dunbar signed his approbation of the profit and loss on this account.

Matthew Purling declared the waste to be, to the best of his knowledge, real. After strictly examining Robert Wright's accounts for the half year before the arrival of the present Governor, the council thought that £26 10s 6.75d was reasonable to be allowed him for waste. Purling was also allowed for the half year following, from March to September 1744, £62 4s 10.75d. As this was fair against those two past accounts, it appeared to Charles Hutchinson to be reasonable. John Goodwin approved of the foregoing remarks of Hutchinson and likewise thought the waste reasonable. The account was subscribed by Purling.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the storekeeper's yearly waste account at a total of £88 13s 7.5d and records the whole board approving it, the Governor signing his allowance of the loss and each councillor in turn adding his judgement that the waste was reasonable. It is the formal discharge of the storekeeper, the mechanism by which the Company examined a year's unavoidable loss and cleared the officer of any charge of deficiency, the several signatures giving the allowance its authority.

The brandy and vinegar close the tale of leakage begun with the arrack, the spirit and the vinegar lost from the cask by evaporation and spillage in the year's drawing off, the brandy alone accounting for better than sixteen pounds. The pease and groats record the loss of the dry provisions, the pulse and the hulled grain shrinking and spoiling in the bin, and the leather dried and wasted on board marks a parcel that perished at sea before it ever reached the store, entered here among the year's losses.

The reference to the ship Queen Caroline against the closing total ties part of the waste to the store ship of the season, the vessel the council had complained landed such a quantity of private goods, some of the loss arising from the goods she brought or carried. The account gathered every source of shrinkage, the loss in the cask, the loss in the bin, the loss to breakage and the loss at sea, into the one reckoning charged to profit and loss.

The councillors' remarks fix how the allowance was reached and why it mattered. Rather than pass the waste on the storekeeper's word alone, the board went back over the accounts of the previous storekeeper Robert Wright for the two half years before, allowing £26 10s 6.75d for the one and £62 4s 10.75d for the other, and judged the present waste reasonable by comparison with that settled precedent. It is the same discipline of measuring a claim against the established record that governed the whole run of accounts, the waste allowed not as a matter of course but as a figure tested against what past experience had shown a year's honest loss to be.

222

215

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

5 November 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Dep Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved

Mr John Scot this day petitioned for

a Small piece of Ground Adjoyning to his House in James's

Valley, containing 14 feet in Breadth, and 74 feet in Depth.

Granted upon paying the

Yearly Rent of Eight Shillings to the Honourable Company

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 November 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

John Scott this day asked for a small piece of ground adjoining his house in James Valley, 14 feet in breadth and 74 feet in depth. It was granted on his paying a yearly rent of eight shillings to the Company.

The consultation was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

This is a routine grant of a small parcel of ground, the ordinary business of the council in its standing role as the island's landlord, letting a sliver of Company land to an inhabitant at a fixed yearly rent. The particulars fix it as a town lot rather than a plantation, the ground measured in feet of breadth and depth rather than acres and lying next to the petitioner's own house in James Valley, the settlement about the fort.

The exact measurement of so small a piece, fourteen feet by seventy-four, shows the close reckoning by which the Company held even the least of its land, every foot let by measure and charged its rent so that nothing passed into private use without the Company's grant and a return to its account. The parcel was too small to plant or graze, and its object was plainly to enlarge the petitioner's house plot, the kind of infilling by which the crowded ground about the fort was gradually taken up.

The rent of eight shillings a year for a piece of that size marks the value of building ground in the fort valley against the shilling or few shillings an acre the Company took for barren plantation waste. Land by the fort, where the houses stood packed together, commanded a rent out of all proportion to its area because it was wanted for building rather than cultivation, the council pricing the ground by its use and its situation as it did every other grant.

223

216

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 12 November 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Dep Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved

The accomptant this Day laid

before us the General Books Ballanced to the 30 of Sept

last.

Ordered that they be Copyed as

soon as Possible, to be ready to transmit to England by

the first Opportunity.

Captain Benjamin Mason

having left with Mr Samuell Doveton a Large quantity

of Goods, in order to be sold, which he never acquainted

the Governour with, but being informed of it he Ordered the

said Doveton to give him an Account of such goods, and

this Day laid it before us, and desired our Opinions, whether

the said Doveton should be Suffered to sell such goods, or not

Upon perusal of the said accounts

We found there was none in the Honourable Companies House

Goods

At a consultation held on Tuesday 12 November 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The accountant this day laid before the council the general books balanced to 30 September last. The council ordered them copied as soon as possible, to be ready to transmit to England by the first opportunity.

Captain Benjamin Mason had left a large quantity of goods with Samuel Doveton to be sold, which he never told the Governor of. On being informed of it, the Governor ordered Doveton to give him an account of the goods, and Doveton this day laid it before the council, asking its opinion on whether he should be allowed to sell them. On examining the account the council found there was none of the Company's goods among them.

Interpretations

This consultation records two pieces of business, the balancing of the general books to the accounting day and the question of a private trade left ashore by a ship's captain, both turning on the same concern to keep the Company's affairs clear of private dealing. The general books balanced to 30 September were the whole year's accounts brought to their final reckoning, and the order to copy them at once for transmission home marks the standing duty of a factory to render its accounts to the Court by every safe conveyance.

The matter of Captain Mason's goods exposes the Company's watchfulness over the private trade its own servants and the ship's officers carried on under its monopoly. Mason, commander of the store ship Queen Caroline that the council had already complained landed so much private merchandise, had left a further parcel of goods with Doveton to sell without the Governor's knowledge, and the concealment itself was the offence, the goods traded on the island outside the Company's account and beyond its notice.

The council's first care on examining the account was to establish that none of the goods were the Company's, the crucial question being whether the private trade had drawn on or mingled with the Company's own stock. Once satisfied the goods were Mason's own and no part of the Company's, the objection narrowed to the propriety of the sale rather than any theft, the board distinguishing the private venture it might tolerate from the misuse of the Company's property it would not, the whole inquiry resting on the clear separation of the Company's goods from every private parcel that passed through the island.

224

217

Goods of the same kind for sale. Upon which it was Ordered that

Mr Samuel Doveton be summoned to attend next Consultation

to know if he had sold any of the goods, and to prevent his

selling any of them for the future the sale of such being prej

udicial to the Companies Trade.

The Husband Gunner and Steward this day

brought in Each their Accounts for the Month of October last which

were Examined, and approved and are as follows Viz

The Day of the Month

Gunners Stores Expended in October 1745.

Gunns Fired, Short Fired, 6d, 20 D°, Powder Expended

18 Fired to Salute the Supercargoes belonging to the London: Gunns Fired 15, 20 D° 1, Powder Expended 14 18

D° D° afforded the London Capt Sedgwick: Gunns Fired 13, 20 D° 15, Powder Expended 15 16

26 Powder Expended to Scaling the Gunns at Sandy Bay: 6d 6, Powder Expended 22

Powder to the Funerall of Thos Pain: Powder Expended 2 4

Powder Expended for Priming the Gunns

The Total: Gunns Fired 30, Short Fired 1, 6d 1, 20 D° 6, Powder Expended 29 63 4

Handspikes deliverd to Henry Moyse to

Mend the Great Sledg 3

Cross tenches deliverd to Mr Ainsly

for the Sledg 4

Spung Staves deliverd to Mr 2

Ainsly for Rangers

Spung Staves deliverd to Mr Boyle 2

for Rammer helves

Paper deliverd to Ainsly to for 4

Covering pamphlets for the Guns

Match Burnt in the Guns Room 14

Signed

Ph French

Samuel Doveton had goods of the same kind for sale. The council ordered him summoned to attend the next consultation, to learn whether he had sold any of the goods and to stop him selling any in future, such a sale being prejudicial to the Company's trade.

The husband, gunner and steward this day brought in their several accounts for the month of October last, which the council examined and approved.

Gunner's stores spent in October 1745, set out by the day of the month, the powder columns headed guns fired, short fired, and by weight in pounds, quarters and ounces, with the total powder expended in the right-hand column:

16: Powder to salute the supercargoes belonging to the London, 15 guns fired, 1 quarter, 14 pounds of powder, 18 pounds

Powder for the same, to the London captain Sedgwick, 13 guns fired, 15 pounds, 16 pounds

26: Powder spent scaling the guns at Sandy Bay Point, 6 short fired, 22 pounds

Powder to the funeral of Thomas Pain, 2 pounds 4 ounces

Powder spent priming the guns, [nil]

Total, 30 guns fired, 1 short fired, 1 quarter, 6 pounds, 29 pounds, 63 pounds 4 ounces

A further list of stores spent, carrying no powder weight:

Handspikes delivered to Henry Moyce to mend the great sledge, 3

Cart trucks delivered to Mr Tinsley for the sledge, 4

Sponge staves delivered to Mr Tinsley for rammers, 2

Gunning stores delivered to Mr Boyle for rammer helves, [in the list]

Paper delivered to Mr Winn for covering pamphlets for the officers, [in the list]

Match burnt in the gunner's range, 14

The powder account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the matter of Doveton's private sale and opens the gunner's monthly return of powder and stores for October, the two joined only by their place in the consultation. The order on Doveton completes the previous inquiry into Captain Mason's goods, the council moving from establishing that none of the Company's stock was involved to forbidding the private sale outright as an injury to the Company's own trade, the monopoly protected by stopping a servant retailing goods of the kind the Company itself sold.

The powder account shows the magazine serving the ordinary ceremonial and working uses of the island rather than any action. The heaviest charge was the salute to the departing supercargoes and captain of the London, the guns fired in compliment as the ship left, and the powder spent scaling the guns at Sandy Bay Point was the firing of a small charge to clean the bore of rust and fouling, the ordinary maintenance of ordnance that stood exposed to the weather. The priming of the guns is entered without a weight, a nil charge carried for completeness.

The funeral powder marks again the military honour paid at a burial, the two and a quarter pounds spent on the salute fired over Thomas Pain, reckoned and charged like every other issue as the previous month's account had charged the powder over Griffith's grave. The gunner accounted for the powder of a burial as exactly as that of a salute or a working charge, the whole month's expenditure told to the ounce and totalled in the right-hand column.

The second list gathers the durable stores drawn by the tradesmen, the handspikes, cart trucks and sponge staves given out not for the guns but for the sledge, the rammers and the works, the constant conversion of ordnance stores to other uses seen throughout these accounts. The paper delivered for covering the officers' pamphlets and the match burnt in the gunner's range close the account at its smallest, the gunner reckoning even the slow match consumed in his own quarters among the stores he answered for.

225

218

Sundry's Expended in the Castle in October 1745 £ s d

Bottles Port Wine

54

3 10 1

Bottles Lisbon Wine

28

1 18 2½

Bottles Red Cape D°

6

1 13

Bottles Constantia D°

3

Bottles Cyder

20

Gallons Goa Arrack

21 ½

3 19 8¼

Gallons Battaria D°

13

Brandy

6 ¾

1 9 6¼

Sugar Candy

29 D°

9 ¾

Flower

286 D°

1 8 10

Butter

32 D°

2 12

Fresh Beef

290

3 12 6

Fresh Pork

200

5

Salt Beef

Yds 4

11 9

Salt Pork

9

16 6

Hams

2

Sheep

6

6

Lamb

1

10

Turkeys

3

15

Ducks

9

13 6

Chickens

16

16

Bottles Strong Beer

60

Bottles Small D°

33

17 5¼

Bottaria Arrack to Servants

1 Gallon 3¾ 4 D°

4

4 Goats

7 Each

1 8

11 Sugar

2 5¼

38 7 10

Sundries spent in the castle in October 1745:

51 bottles of port wine, £3 10s 1d

28 bottles of Lisbon wine, £1 18s 2.5d

6 bottles of red cape wine, £1 13s 0d

3 bottles of Constantia wine, £0 0s 0d

20 bottles of olives, £0 0s 0d

21.5 gallons of Goa arrack, £3 19s 8.5d

13 gallons of Batavia arrack, [in the arrack total]

6.5 pounds of brandy, £1 9s 6.5d

29 pounds of sugar candy, £0 9s 0.5d

286 pounds of flour, £1 8s 10d

32 pounds of butter, £2 12s 0d

290 pounds of fresh beef, £3 12s 6d

200 pounds of fresh pork, £5 0s 0d

4 pieces of salt beef, £0 11s 9d

9 pieces of salt pork, £0 16s 6d

2 hams, £0 0s 0d

6 sheep, £6 0s 0d

1 lamb, £0 10s 0d

3 turkeys, £0 15s 0d

9 ducks, £0 13s 6d

16 chickens, £0 16s 0d

60 bottles of strong beer, £0 0s 0d

33 bottles of small beer, £0 17s 5.5d

Batavia arrack to servants, 1 gallon 3 quarts 7 [in the total], £0 0s 4d

4 goats at 7s each, £1 8s 0d

11 sugar, £0 2s 3.5d

Total, £38 7s 10d

Interpretations

This is the steward's monthly account of what the general table consumed at the castle in October, the same diet reckoning as the September return, priced to the farthing and charged under the diet head of the store. It shows the board of the Governor, the council and the senior servants supplied from the store's imported wines and spirits, its salt and dry provisions, and the fresh meat and poultry of the island's own plantation.

The fresh beef and pork stand out this month at four hundred and ninety pounds together, a heavier draw of fresh meat than the September table showed, the plantation furnishing the board directly from its slaughter. That the fresh provisions so far outweighed the salt marks the settlement's advantage over a ship at sea, the island able to kill and eat fresh where a vessel lived on the cask, the salt beef and pork entered only in small parcels beside the fresh.

The wines and spirits again fix the reach of the Company's trade, the Constantia from the Cape, the Lisbon and red cape wines from the southern latitudes, and the Goa and Batavia arrack from the eastern settlements, the arrack the largest of the drink lines as it had been in September. The olives among them, held by the bottle, were a preserved delicacy of the Mediterranean trade, a small luxury of the table brought out by sea.

The blank sums against the Constantia, the olives, the hams and the strong beer do not mark an illegible figure but a nil charge, goods taken to the table at no cost to the diet account. As in the September return, these were most likely drawn from another head or furnished as part of a ship's privilege, the steward entering them for completeness though they bore no price against the month's reckoning.

226

219

Account of the Honourable Company's Stock of Neat Cattle &c for the Month of October 1745 Viz

Bullocks, Cows, Heiffers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ews, Weathers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ews, Weathers, Kids, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Remaining Oct 1746: Bullocks 9, Cows 104, Heiffers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 97, Bulls 4, Total 342, Ews 104, Weathers 47, Lambs 95, Rams 4, Total 250, Ews 170, Weathers 63, Kids 94, Rams 6, Total 333, Sows 26, Barrows 19, Shoats 61, Piggs 49, Boars 2, Total 157, Turkeys 73, Fowles 107, Chickens 205, Ducks 28, Geese 11, Horses 7, Mares 10, Total 17

Killed: Cows 1, Total 1, Ews 8, Weathers 1, Total 9, Weathers 4, Total 4, Piggs 8, Boars 1, Total 9, Turkeys 3, Chickens 16, Ducks 9

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heiffers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 97, Bulls 4, Total 341, Ews 104, Weathers 39, Lambs 94, Rams 4, Total 241, Ews 170, Weathers 59, Kids 94, Rams 6, Total 329, Sows 26, Barrows 19, Shoats 33, Piggs 48, Boars 2, Total 148, Turkeys 70, Fowles 107, Chickens 189, Ducks 19, Geese 11, Horses 7, Mares 10, Total 17

Fresh Beef Expended 290

Pork Sold at Market 200

2 Sheep Sold at Market at 20 Each

Pork Expended in the Castle 200

The Negroes served with Rice

Yams Consumed by the Hoggs and Poultry 10000

D° Sold to the Officers & Soldiers 9443

Excepted Chris Dixon Husband

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle and other animals for the month of October 1745.

The column headings run, under neat cattle, bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and total; under sheep, ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and total; under goats, ewes, wethers, kids, rams and total; under hogs, sows, barrows, shoats, pigs, boars and total; and under poultry, turkeys, fowls, chickens, ducks and geese, with horses and their total closing the return.

Remaining 1 October: bullocks 9, cows 104, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 97, bulls 4, neat cattle total 342; ewes 104, wethers 47, lambs 95, rams 4, sheep total 250; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 63, kids 94, goat rams 6, goats total 333; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 61, pigs 49, boars 2, hogs total 157; turkeys 73, fowls 107, chickens 205, ducks 28, geese 3, horses 11, foals 7, horses total 10, whole total 17

Killed: cows 1, neat cattle total 1; ewes 8, lambs 1, sheep total 9; goat ewes 4, goats total 4; barrows 8, pigs 1, hogs total 9; turkeys 3, chickens 16, ducks 9

Remaining: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 97, bulls 4, neat cattle total 341; ewes 104, wethers 39, lambs 94, rams 4, sheep total 241; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 59, kids 94, goat rams 6, goats total 329; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 33, pigs 48, boars 2, hogs total 148; turkeys 70, fowls 107, chickens 189, ducks 19, geese 11, horses 1, foals 10, horses total 17

Fresh beef spent came to 290 pounds, pork sold at market 200 pounds, and 2 sheep sold at market at 20 pounds each. Pork spent in the castle came to 200 pounds. The slaves were served with rice. Yams consumed by the hogs and poultry came to 10,000 pounds, and yams sold to the officers and soldiers to 2,443 pounds. The account was passed, errors excepted, by Christopher Dixon as husband.

Interpretations

This is the husband's monthly stock return for October, the standing register of the Company's live animals, opening with the number carried from September, subtracting the beasts killed, and arriving at the number left. Christopher Dixon signed it as husband, and this month the movement is simpler than most, no increase entered and only the killing to account, the breeding season past and the herds drawn on for the table and the market.

The neat cattle at last yielded a beast to the slaughter, a single cow killed after a run of months in which none had been taken, the herd standing at 341. The record has shown the council holding its cattle through the crowded season with the stock too low to victual the shipping, and the killing of one cow against a herd of near three hundred and fifty marks how sparingly the Company still drew on its breeding stock even as the pressure of the ships eased into the autumn.

The heaviest slaughter fell as usual on the sheep, goats and hogs, which bore the weight of the fresh meat the table and the market required. Eight ewes and a lamb, four goats and nine hogs were killed in the month, the shoats among the hogs falling sharply, the plantation turning its smaller stock into the fresh beef and pork the castle account of the same month recorded consuming and the market selling. The fresh provisions came from these killings, the island eating and trading fresh where a ship lived on salt.

The yam figures close the plantation's other charge and show the root serving two distinct uses. Ten thousand pounds were consumed by the hogs and poultry, the yam feeding the Company's own stock as well as its people, and a further parcel sold to the officers and soldiers, the garrison drawing its bread from the root the Company grew. That the slaves were served with rice this month rather than yams marks the reserve of eastern grain standing in for the island's own provision, the rice of the store issued to the slave establishment when the yam was wanted for the stock and the sale.

227

220

1745 Dr Cash £ s d

Octor 1

To Balance remaining

3764 3 4¼

To Cash recd of Messrs Trequon and Darval for

Customs collected by them

4 3 9

Carried Over 3768 7 1¼

The cash account, debtor, opened on 1 October 1745:

1 October: To balance remaining, £3,764 3s 4.5d

To cash received of Messrs Twynam and Darvall for customs collected by them, £4 3s 9d

Carried over, £3,768 7s 1.5d

Interpretations

This is the debtor side of the treasury cash account opening the new quarter, the running record by which every sum coming into the Company's chest was entered against the disbursements on the other side. It opens with the balance carried over from the close of the September quarter, the coin standing in the treasury on the accounting day, and adds the first fresh receipt of the new quarter, the whole to be built up entry by entry as the quarter proceeded.

The balance remaining fixes the state of the treasury at the turn of the quarter, better than three thousand seven hundred pounds standing in the chest, the accumulated cash of the settlement held in the foreign specie the ships of every nation brought. This was the reservoir from which the salaries, the works and the purchases were paid, told over coin by coin at each quarter's end and carried forward as the opening figure of the next.

The customs collected by Twynam and Darvall record the revived duty the council had ordered levied the previous spring, the shilling a gallon on arrack and the five per cent on other goods landed, the two factors appointed to receive it. Their paying in of the collected customs marks the duty in working operation, a modest sum but a fresh stream of revenue the council had reached back into the Company's old orders to justify, the customs now flowing into the treasury alongside the rents, the debts and the store's takings.

The single diagonal line struck across the empty part of the leaf is the accountant's mark voiding the unused space, drawn so that no entry could afterwards be inserted between the last item and the total carried over. It is a small piece of the discipline that governed the whole run of accounts, the blank of a part-filled page cancelled as carefully as the figures were entered, so that the reckoning could not be tampered with after it was cast.

228

221

Per Contra Cr £ s d

By Cash paid the following Soldiers, in Lieu of their Cloathing

that was deficient this Year Viz

Viz

By Jno James Moore for a Coat and Hat

0 17 6

By Jno James Richardson, Tho Watson Gabriel

Isaac, John Chapman John Upton Isaac

Hudson Jonn Godby Walter Cox and William

Gann fifteen Shilling Each for a Coat

6 15 0

By Jno Edward Barfield Tho Wrights Phillips

Hilliard James Vaughan, Wm Bull John

Smith Wm Dye Joseph Thomas Henry

Carter Bartnick Murphy, Anthy Day,

and Samuel Clark two Shilling and

Six pence each for a Hat

1 10 0

9 2 6

By Balance of Cash remaining the 31 October 1745 in

following Species Viz

1 piece of Gold, wt 11 15 14 at 3 18 3 pr oz of dwt gr 46 1 8½

4 pieces of Gold 3 9 12 3 18

13 11 ½

1033 Pagodas 9 pr Pagoda 181 17

92 Venetians 10

46

16 Gubbers 6

4 16

8 ½ Guineas

8 18 6

1 Gold Rupee

1 10

¼ of a Moider

6 9

⅛ of a Moider

3 4½

⅜ of a Johannes

4 6

Carried Over 1936 8 10½

Carried Over 9 2 6

The cash account, per contra, credited the sums paid out:

By cash paid the following soldiers, in place of the clothing that was short this year:

By James Moore for a coat and hat, £0 17s 6d

By James Richardson, Thomas Watson, Gabriel Isaac, John Chapman, John Upton, Isaac Hudson, Jonathan Godby, Walter Cox and William Gann, fifteen shillings each for a coat, £6 15s 0d

By Edward Barford, Thomas Wright, Phillips Hilliard, James Vaughan, William Bull, John Smith, William Dye, Joseph Thomas, Henry Carter, Bartnick Murphy, Anthony Day and Samuel Clark, three shillings and sixpence each for a hat, £1 10s 0d

Clothing payments, £9 2s 6d

By balance of cash remaining on 31 October 1745, in the following specie:

1 piece of gold, weight 11 pennyweight 15 grains 4, at £3 18s 3d per ounce, £6 1s 8.5d

2 pieces of gold, weight 9 pennyweight 12 grains, at £3 18s per ounce, £13 11s 0.5d

4,033 pagodas at 9s each, £1,814 17s 0d

92 Venetians at 10s, £46 0s 0d

16 gubbers at 6s, £4 16s 0d

8.5 guineas, £8 18s 6d

1 gold rupee, £1 10s 0d

0.25 of a moidore, £0 6s 9d

0.125 of a moidore, £0 3s 4.5d

0.375 of a johannes, £1 4s 6d

Carried over, £1,936 8s 10.5d

Carried over, £9 2s 6d

Interpretations

This is the credit side of the treasury cash account, set against the debtor side of the preceding leaf, recording the sums paid out of the chest and the coin remaining in it at the quarter's end. It opens with the clothing payments to the soldiers, the cash allowances in place of coats and hats the council had agreed on 22 October, and then begins the coin-by-coin count of the balance, the whole told over piece by piece as at every quarter's close.

The clothing payments carry into the account the decision reached earlier in the month, the fifteen shillings for a coat and three and sixpence for a hat paid to the named men in every company who had received no clothing from the store. Entered man by man, they show the resolution in effect, the store's shortage made good in cash and each soldier's payment recorded by name against the account, the paper trail closing on the very expedient the council had adopted for want of coats to issue.

The count of the balance shows the treasury for what it was, a reservoir of the foreign gold coin of half the trading world. The pagodas, the Indian gold coin, made up by far the greatest part, better than four thousand of them at nine shillings apiece, held beside Venetian sequins, gubbers, English guineas, a gold rupee and the fractions of Portuguese moidores and johannes. An island that minted nothing held whatever the ships brought, and reckoned each coin into sterling at a fixed rate for the books while keeping it in the metal it came in.

The weighing of the gold pieces by the pennyweight and grain and their valuation by the ounce shows how the loose gold that came in odd pieces was reckoned. Where a coin had no fixed exchange, its worth was taken by weight at the standing price of gold, the account able to enter an unstamped piece as exactly as a known pagoda or guinea. It is the same exactness that governed the whole treasury, every coin and fraction of a coin brought to a sterling value so that the chest could be proved to the halfpenny at the quarter's end.

229

222

Dr Cash £ s d

Brought Over 3768 7 1¼

3768 7 1¼

The cash account, debtor, continued:

Brought over, £3,768 7s 1.5d

Total, £3,768 7s 1.5d

Interpretations

This is the debtor side of the treasury cash account carried forward from the opening leaf, the balance and the quarter's first receipt brought over and standing as the total with no further entry added below. The whole of the debtor side thus rests on the two sums already entered, the balance remaining and the customs paid in, the leaf carrying them down to the foot unchanged.

The single diagonal line struck across the empty body of the page is the accountant's mark cancelling the unused space, the same device seen on the opening debtor leaf. Drawn from corner to corner, it voided the blank so that no entry could afterwards be inserted between the sum brought over and the total, the discipline of the accounts requiring even an all but empty page to be closed against later alteration.

That the total simply repeats the sum brought over, no fresh receipt falling on this leaf, shows the debtor side of the quarter opening quietly, the treasury's income in the first days no more than the standing balance and a few pounds of customs. The credit side had already carried the clothing payments and the coin count, the two sides of the account kept in step so that the chest could be balanced and proved when the quarter came to be cast.

230

223

Per Contra Cr £ s d

Brought Over 9 2 6

Brought Over 1936 8 10½

4613 Dollars at 0 5 0 ea

1153 5

376 ½ Rupees 0 2 3

42 9 1½

93 Ducatoons 0 6 0

27 18

97 Double Ryals 0 1 3

6 1 3

534 Ryals 0 0 7½

16 13 9

2426 Half Ryals 0 0 3½

37 18 9

441 French pieces 0 0 2

3 13 6

Odd Money 3 8¼

Silver amounting to 1288 8¼

143 Cash Notes at 40 Sh D° Each

290

161 Ditto 20

161

233 Ditto 5

63 15

160 Ditto 2 6d

20

Cash Notes amounting to 534 15

Carried Over 3759 4 7¼

3768 7 1¼

David Dunbar

Cha Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

The cash account, per contra, continued the count of the balance remaining on 31 October 1745:

Brought over, £9 2s 6d

Gold brought over, £1,936 8s 10.5d

4,613 dollars at 5s each, £1,153 5s 0d

376.5 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 9s 1.5d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

97 double ryals at 1s 3d, £6 1s 3d

534 ryals at 7.5d, £16 13s 9d

2,426 half ryals at 3.75d, £37 18s 9d

441 French pieces at 2d, £3 13s 6d

Odd money, £3 8s 4d

Silver amounting to £1,288 0s 8.25d

145 cash notes at 40 shillings each, £290 0s 0d

161 cash notes at 20 shillings, £161 0s 0d

253 cash notes at 5 shillings, £63 15s 0d

160 cash notes at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to £534 15s 0d

Carried over, £3,759 4s 7.5d

Total, £3,768 7s 1.5d

The account was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the treasury cash account, completing the count of the balance begun on the earlier credit leaf and bringing the whole to agree with the debtor side at £3,768 7s 1.5d. The silver and the paper follow the gold already told, the balance divided into its three parts, the gold coin, the silver coin and the Company's own cash notes, each summed and the three carried to the grand total that squared the account.

The silver was the working coin of the everyday, the Spanish dollar its backbone, better than four thousand six hundred of them at five shillings apiece, with their divisions the double ryals, ryals and half ryals down to French pieces worth twopence. Beside them lay Dutch ducatoons and Indian rupees, the small change of the trading world in every denomination, told out coin by coin and reckoned into sterling at fixed rates so the whole silver holding stood proved at better than twelve hundred pounds.

The cash notes were the Company's own paper, the promissory notes it issued on the island in fixed denominations from forty shillings down to half a crown. Held in the treasury among the specie and reckoned at their face value, they were the one paper money among the foreign coin, the settlement's own instrument of credit standing alongside the pagodas and dollars, better than five hundred pounds of it in the chest.

The whole balance, gold, silver and paper together, is the fullest statement of the island's cash at the turn of the quarter, the reservoir of foreign specie and Company paper from which every payment was made and into which every receipt fell. Told over to the farthing and subscribed by the whole board, it is the periodic proof by which the treasury was balanced, the same discipline of exact reckoning that governed the stores inventory and the waste account, the cash of the settlement counted and cleared as precisely as its goods.

231

224

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

19 November 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lieut Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved

Mr Samuell Doveton this Day attended,

agreable to an Order of last Consultation, and being asked if he had

Sole any of the Goods, which Capt Mason left with him, He answered

he had, and upon Examination we found Several of them to be

of the same kind with those in the Companies Stores, which being

every great abuse to the Honourable Company and Directly

prohibited, We therefore Ordered he should Sell no more of Such

Goods, but such as the Company had not, he was permitted to Sell, a

List of which was given him, tho we apprehend no Shop ought to

be allowed here for sale in such manner, and that for the future

the Goods brought by the Store Ships be exposed to sale, as in

other Settlements in India untill the Honourable Companys

Pleasure be known upon it.

The following accounts of Utensils

wanting in the Soldiers Barracks, and for the out Guards were

this day laid before us by the Adjutant Viz

23 Wood Bowls 24 Platters 10 Iron Potts 16 Lamps 1 half hour Glass

Ordered that the above Articles be

delivered to them and that a Table and Bench be fixed in each

Barrack.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 November 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Samuel Doveton this day attended, as ordered at the last consultation, and was asked whether he had sold any of the goods Captain Mason had left with him. He answered that he had. On examination the council found several of them to be of the same kind as those in the Company's stores, which was a great undercutting of the Company and directly forbidden. It therefore ordered him to sell no more of such goods, but only those the Company did not keep, a list of which was given him. The council held that no shop ought to be allowed on the island to sell in such a manner, and that in future the goods brought by the store ships should be exposed to sale as in other settlements in India, until the Company's pleasure be known.

The adjutant this day laid before the council the following account of utensils wanting in the soldiers' barracks and for the outguards: 23 wood bowls, 24 platters, 10 iron pots, 16 lamps and 1 half-hour glass. The council ordered these delivered to them, and that a table and bench be fixed in each barrack.

Interpretations

This consultation closes the matter of Captain Mason's private goods and settles a small point of the garrison's furnishing, both turning on the Company's regulation of trade and provision on the island. Doveton's admission that he had sold some of the goods brought the inquiry to its point, and the council's remedy fixed the line between the private venture it would suffer and the competition with its own store it would not, allowing the sale only of goods the Company did not itself keep.

The council's objection was not to private trade as such but to its undercutting the Company's monopoly, the goods being of the same kind as those in the store and sold, as the board saw it, to the Company's great loss. By handing Doveton a list of the goods he might sell, those the Company did not stock, the council drew the boundary exactly, protecting its own sales while allowing the disposal of Mason's other wares, the private parcel tolerated only where it did not compete.

The wider resolution reached beyond the single case to the standing question of how the store ships' goods should be sold, the council proposing that in future they be exposed to sale openly as in the Indian settlements rather than passed privately to a servant to retail. It is the council reaching for a general rule out of a particular abuse, the concealment and private sale of Mason's goods prompting a settled method of open sale, referred to the Company for its approval as such novel questions always were.

The barrack utensils close the leaf with the plainest domestic provision, the wood bowls, platters, iron pots and lamps wanting for the soldiers' mess and the outguards drawn from the very stores the inventory had lately counted. The order to fix a table and bench in each barrack marks the Company furnishing the common necessaries of the soldiers' quarters, the same care for the garrison's basic comfort that had run through the clothing and provisioning of the season, the men supplied with the means to eat and sit at the Company's charge.

232

225

Ordered to advertize all Persons who

may have any Action to be tryd at Sessions, that if they enter

them in the Secretary's Office on or before the 3 of December next

Sessions will be held soon after, it being a trouble to the

Planters, to be Summoned to Sessions, when there is no Occasion

for one.

David Dunbar

Cha Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 3 Decr 1745 At the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lieut Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved

Mr Richard Gurling at

the sale of the late Governour Goodwins Estate and Effects,

purchased a House which was built on the Honourable Compys

Land, in James's Valley, for which Land no Bill of Sale, or

Lease appeared, and praying, that as his purchase is Money for the

Said

The council ordered an advertisement warning all persons with any action to be tried at the general court that they should enter it at the secretary's office on or before 3 December next, the court being held soon after. This was to spare the planters the trouble of being summoned to court when there was no occasion for one.

The consultation was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 December 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Richard Gurling, at the sale of the late Governor Goodwin's estate and effects, had bought a house built on the Company's land in James Valley, for which land no bill of sale or lease appeared. He asked, as he had paid his money for the house, that a proper title be made out.

Interpretations

These two consultations record the council in its judicial and proprietary roles, first ordering the arrangements for the general court and then taking up a defect of title arising from a private sale. The order about the court turns on a practical concern for the planters, requiring actions to be entered in advance so that a court was called only when there was business for it, sparing the inhabitants a needless summons from their farms to attend a session with nothing to try.

The requirement to enter an action at the secretary's office before the court sat was the means by which the council managed the island's litigation, the court of general gaol delivery convened only when causes were lodged rather than at fixed intervals regardless of need. It reflects the small scale of the settlement, where the whole body of planters served as jurors and witnesses, so that an unnecessary court cost the island its working hands for no purpose, the advance entry of actions letting the council judge whether a session was wanted at all.

The matter of Richard Gurling's house exposes a defect in the way property had passed at the sale of the late Governor Goodwin's estate. Gurling had bought and paid for a house standing on the Company's own land, but no bill of sale or lease covered the ground beneath it, so that he held the building without any title to the land it stood on, a gap the sale had left and which he now asked the council to close by making out a proper title.

The case turns on the distinction between the house and the land it occupied, the building a private effect of the estate that could be sold, the ground the Company's own that could pass only by its grant. Gurling had acquired the one without the other, and his application to the council marks the Company's control over its land reasserting itself against a private sale, the buyer of a house on Company ground obliged to come to the board for the lease that alone could secure his purchase, the land never passing by the sale of what stood upon it.

233

226

Said House was paid into the Company's Cash toward the discharge

of a Debt due by Governour Goodwin and no title yet made to the

said Gurling for the Land He may now have a Bill of Sale

in the usual forme, Pursuant to his Petn in Consultation of

18 Day of Sept 1744 Which we Entered accordingly.

Know All Men by these Presents that We the Governour

& Council of the Island Saint Helena by Virtue of the Power and

Authority given us by the Honourable the United Company of

Merchants of England trading to the East Indies and for and

in Consideration of the sum of Twenty four Pounds and fifteen

Shillings of Good and Current Money of the said Island paid into

the Honourable Company's Cash as appear by a Consultation

of the Twenty fourth of August One thousand seven Hundred and

forty two Have given granted bargaind Sold and Delivered and

by these Presents give grant Bargain Sell & Deliver unto Richard

Gurling of the said Island Planter his Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns All that Messuage or Dwelling House in particularly

Situated between the House of William Sample and an House

built by and belonging to the Inhabitants of the said Island

now possessed by Sarah Nueland Widow containing fifty Seven

feet in front Fifty five in Depth part of I Purchased at the sale

of the Effects of the Late John Godwin Esquire deceased together

with all the ways Priviledges Commodities and Appurtenances

thereunto belonging and Appertaining To have and

To hold the said hereby bargained premises to him the said

Richard Gurling his Heirs and Assigns for ever to do and

dispose thereof as he they or either of them Shall think fitt or

Proper and We the said Governour and Council of the said Island

for and in behalf and in the Name of the said Honourable

Company their Heirs and Successors Do Covenant Promise

and Agree to and With the said Richard Gurling his Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns that We they and every

of

The money for the house had been paid into the Company's cash toward discharging a debt due by Governor Goodwin, and no title had yet been made to Gurling for the land. The council agreed that he might now have a bill of sale in the usual form, in keeping with his application at the consultation of 18 September 1744, which it entered accordingly.

The council then executed the bill of sale. By the power given it by the Company, and in consideration of £24 15s 0d of current money of the island paid into the Company's cash as appeared by the consultation of 24 August 1742, the Governor and council granted and delivered to Richard Gurling, planter, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, all that messuage or dwelling house in James Valley, standing between the house of William Sample and a house built by and belonging to the inhabitants of the island and now held by Sarah Newland, widow, 57 feet in front and 57 feet in depth, part of what he had bought at the sale of the effects of the late John Goodwin, with all its rights, commodities and appurtenances, to have and to hold to Richard Gurling, his heirs and assigns for ever, to dispose of as they should think fit. The Governor and council, for and in the name of the Company, its heirs and successors, covenanted and agreed with Richard Gurling, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, that they and every.

Interpretations

This leaf records the making out of the bill of sale to Richard Gurling, first the council's resolution to grant it and then the deed itself in its formal terms. It closes the defect of title raised at the previous consultation, the house he had bought and paid for at the late Governor Goodwin's estate sale now conveyed to him by a proper instrument, the land beneath it passing at last by the Company's own grant.

The reason the money had gone into the Company's cash explains why the council was involved at all. The purchase money for the house had been applied toward a debt Governor Goodwin owed the Company, so that the estate's sale served to reduce the deficiency his account had left, and the Company, having taken the money, was bound to secure the buyer's title, the deed the counterpart of the payment it had received.

The deed's particulars fix the property exactly in the manner of an island conveyance, the house identified by its neighbours on either side and measured in feet of front and depth, standing in James Valley among the houses packed about the fort. The naming of the adjoining houses, William Sample's on one side and the inhabitants' house held by the widow Newland on the other, was the ordinary way of bounding a town lot where no survey by acreage served, the property known by what lay next to it.

The form of the grant, to have and to hold to Gurling and his heirs and assigns for ever with the Company's covenant, marks this as a conveyance in fee rather than a leasehold, the house passing as an outright possession. It shows the council using the full language of English conveyancing on the island, the messuage with its rights and appurtenances granted in perpetuity and warranted by the Company's own covenant, the private house on Company ground secured to the buyer as firmly as any freehold, the deed carrying the weight of the Company's authority behind the sale.

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227

of them Shall peaceably and quietly possess and Enjoy from hence

forth and at all times hereafter all and Every part and parcell thereof

with all and Singular the rights Priviledges and Appurtenances

thereunto belonging without any Lett hindrance Molestation or

disturbance by of or from the said Honourable Company and

their Successors as of from by or Under any Other Person or persons

Whatsoever by our or their Means consent or procurement In

Witness Whereof We the Underwritten the Governour and Council

for the time being have hereunto set our hands and Affixed the seal

of the said Honourable Company this Tenth day of December in

the Nineteenth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the

Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland

King Defender of the faith and so forth and in the Year of our

Lord one Thousand seven hundred forty five.

(Signed) David Dunbar

Cha Hutchinson

Christopher Dixon

John Goodwin

M Purling

The Executors of Mr Charles Clark late

Surgn deceased this day Complained, that Mr James Powell

refused to Settle accounts with them

Ordered that he be Summoned to

attend next Consultation to shew Cause why he refused to Settle

the said Account.

The

The deed continued, warranting that Gurling should peaceably and quietly possess and enjoy the property from that time and at all times after, every part of it, with all its rights, privileges and appurtenances, without any hindrance, molestation or disturbance from the Company or its successors, or from any other person claiming through them or with their consent. In witness of this the Governor and council for the time being had set their hands and affixed the seal of the Company on 10 December, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second and in the year of our Lord 1745. The deed was signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

The executors of Charles Clarke, late surgeon, deceased, this day complained that James Powell refused to settle accounts with them. The council ordered him summoned to attend the next consultation to show cause why he refused to settle the account.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the bill of sale to Richard Gurling with its warranty and formal execution, and records a fresh complaint over an unsettled account. The deed ends in the covenant of quiet enjoyment, the Company binding itself and its successors not to disturb the buyer's possession and guarding him against any claim made through the Company, the fullest assurance an English conveyance could give and the counterpart of the money paid into the Company's cash.

The dating of the deed by the regnal year as well as the year of grace marks it as a formal legal instrument executed under the Company's seal, the covenant of quiet enjoyment and the sealing giving the private house on Company ground the force of a warranted conveyance. It shows the council exercising the full apparatus of English property law on the island, the deed drawn, sealed and witnessed exactly as such an instrument would be at home, the buyer's title resting on the Company's own seal and the signatures of the whole board.

The complaint of Charles Clarke's executors opens a new matter of the same kind that had run through the season, the settling of a dead man's accounts. Clarke was the surgeon who had come out in the Warwick and served the garrison in an emergency, his back salary allowed years before, and now his executors were left to close his affairs and found James Powell refusing to reckon with them, the debt or account between them standing unsettled at the surgeon's death.

The council's response was its ordinary first step in such a dispute, summoning the party complained against to show cause, the board acting as the forum before which the accounts of the dead were brought to a settlement. Powell was called not to answer a charge but to explain his refusal, the council reserving judgement until it had heard him, the same measured procedure by which it took up every contested claim, the parties brought before it and heard before anything was determined.

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The Secretary acquainted us that no Action

had been Entered pursuant to the Advertisement in the Last

Consultation, we therefore thought it unnecessary to Call

Sessions.

David Dunbar

Cha Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 10 December 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lieut Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved.

The Will of Lieut Daniel Owen

Deceased, was this Day presented by his Executors, desiring

the same might be proved, which was accordingly done by the

Subscribing Witnesses.

In

The secretary told the council that no action had been entered in answer to the advertisement at the last consultation, so it thought it unnecessary to call a court.

The consultation was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 December 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The will of Lieutenant Daniel Owen, deceased, was this day presented by his executors, who asked that it be proved, which was done on the oaths of the subscribing witnesses.

Interpretations

These two consultations show the council disposing of two routine matters, the cancelling of the general court for want of business and the proving of a dead officer's will. The decision not to call a court followed directly from the advertisement of the previous session, which had required actions to be entered in advance so that a court sat only when there was cause; none having been lodged, the council spared the island a needless session, the very economy the advance entry was designed to secure.

The reliance on the secretary's report that no action had been entered shows the machinery working as intended. The advertisement had thrown the burden on any would-be litigant to lodge his cause by the appointed day, and the empty office was taken as proof that no court was wanted, the planters left undisturbed at their farms rather than summoned to a session with nothing to try, the whole a deliberate saving of the settlement's scarce working time.

The proving of Lieutenant Daniel Owen's will opens the ordinary business of probate, the council in its standing role as the island's probate authority receiving the will from the executors and admitting it on the oaths of the witnesses who had seen it signed. Owen was the ensign who had been sent aboard the Duke of Lorraine on Captain Hancock's departure two years before, now risen to lieutenant and dead, his will brought before the board to be proved before his estate could be administered.

The form of the proving, the executors presenting the will and the subscribing witnesses swearing to its execution, was the fixed procedure by which every will took effect on the island. The council did not judge the will's contents but established that it was validly made, the oaths of the witnesses confirming the testator's hand and capacity, the same measured formality applied to the will of a lieutenant as to that of a planter or a soldier, the settlement's whole apparatus of probate resting on the sworn word of those who had witnessed the signing.

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In the Name of God Amen this Seventh day of

December in the Year of our Lord God One thousand seven Hundred

and forty five I Daniel Owen of the Island St Helena Lieut

in the Service of the Honourable Company being Sick and Weak

of Body but of Sound and perfect Mind and Memory thanks to

Almighty God do make Ordain and Appoint this my Last Will

and Testament that is to say Principally and first of all I Give and

Recommend my soul into the hands of allmighty God my Body

I Commit to the Earth to be Buried in a Christian Like and Decent

manner at the Discretion of my Executors my Worldly Goods I

Give Devise and Dispose of in the Manner & form following.

Imprimis I desire that my Goods and Chattels may be put to Publick

Sale and All my Debts and Funeral Charges be defrayed in some

Convenient time after my Decease.

Item After my Debts are fully Satisfied and Paid All the remainder

and Residue thereof I give to my Welbeloved Daughter Elizabeth

Owen to be deliverd at Age or Marriage & I desire my Executors

at St Helena to remit what money or Overplus that they have in

their hands to my Brother Richard Owen in England and to remain in his

hands untill my said Daughter shall be of Age or Marriage as

aforesaid.

Lastly I nominate and Appoint my Welbeloved Brother Richard Owen in

England and Thos Hockpartick and John Bovton of St Helena

my Executors revoking and Disannulling All former Will or

Wills by me made ratifying and Confirming this and no other

to be my Last Will and Testament. Signd Daniel Owen

Signed Seald and Declared as the Will & Testamt

of Daniel Owen in the Presence of us

Edward Yearkes Richd Beale

Ones Beale

Mr

Daniel Owen, lieutenant of St Helena in the Company's service, sick and weak of body but of sound and perfect mind and memory, made his will on 7 December 1745. He commended his soul to Almighty God and his body to the earth, to be buried in a Christian and decent manner at his executors' discretion, and disposed of his worldly goods as follows.

He directed that his goods and chattels be put to public sale and all his debts and funeral charges discharged within a convenient time after his death.

After his debts were satisfied and paid, he left all the rest and residue of his estate to his beloved daughter Elizabeth Owen, to be delivered at her age or marriage. He directed his executors at St Helena to remit whatever money or surplus they held to his brother Richard Owen in England, there to remain in his hands until his daughter should be of age or married.

He named his beloved brother Richard Owen in England and Thomas Hetherpatrick and John Barton of St Helena his executors, revoking all former wills and confirming this as his last. He signed it as his last will and testament in the presence of the witnesses Edward Yarkes, Richard Beale and Owen Beale.

Interpretations

This is the will read into the consultation and proved the same day, a lieutenant's disposition of a modest estate turning wholly on the provision for a single child. Owen ordered his goods sold and his debts paid first, the ordinary opening of such a will, and left the whole residue to his daughter, the estate reduced to cash and held for her until she should come of age or marry.

The direction to remit the surplus to his brother in England marks the particular difficulty of a man dying in the Company's service far from home with a child to provide for. Owen could not leave his daughter's portion in the hands of island executors indefinitely, so he arranged for the money to be gathered on St Helena, sent home to his brother in England, and kept there until the girl was grown, the estate travelling back across the ocean to the country where his heir would claim it.

The splitting of the executorship between England and the island answered the same problem of distance. Owen named his brother in England alongside two men of St Helena, the island executors to sell his effects and remit the proceeds and the English brother to receive and hold them, the two ends of the arrangement matched to the two places where his estate and his daughter respectively lay, the whole devised so that a child in one country might inherit the estate of a father who died in another.

The provision that the daughter take her portion at age or marriage was the standard device for a minor's inheritance, holding the estate in trust until she reached her majority or passed into a husband's care, whichever came first. It shows the ordinary prudence of the age applied across an ocean, the girl's portion preserved intact in her uncle's keeping against the day she could receive it, the will reaching from a deathbed on St Helena to secure a child's future in England.

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230

Mr James Powel this day Attended

pursuant to an Order of Last Consultation, to settle the Account

with the Executors of the Late Charles Clark Surgn, and produced

a Bill delivered to him by the said Executor, since Mr Clarks

Death, tho drawn in his Life time by his Order, in Which several

Articles were Moderated from the Charge in the Surgns Book

and office, and never refused to pay the Account Delivered to

him, tho several Articles were very Extravagantly Charged,

but as he made no Complaint, for abatement, we are of Opinion

that Mr Powel Should pay according to the Bill delivered to him

Complaint having been Made against

Mr Joshua Trequam, for selling a Gallon of Cape Brandy called Brandy

With a Pound of brown Sugar for 12 Shillings which Spirits he

before had Sold at Nine Shillings a Gallon, without the Sugar, by

this it Appeard plain he had three Shillings a Pound for his

Sugar, Which being a very unreasonable way of Proceeding

could by no means be passed by without Notice

Mr Trequam was therefore sent for,

and Asked how he came to be Guilty of Such things, Whereupon

he Answered that he Looked upon his Brandy to be justly

worth 11/3 a gall, and for his Sugar he had first got round the

Governour asked him, if he had any to dispose of he said he had

about 30 or 40, that he desired Mr Trequam would let them have

Some of it for the Company's Sick Negroes,

and he would pay him his own Price, but he refused it,

Except the Govr Would take his Brandy.

Mr

James Powell this day attended, as ordered at the last consultation, to settle the account with the executors of the late Charles Clarke, surgeon, and produced a bill the executors had delivered to him since Clarke's death, which Clarke had drawn in his lifetime by his order. Several articles in it had been reduced from the charges in the surgeon's book and office, and Powell had never refused to pay the account delivered to him. The several articles were very extravagantly charged, but as Powell had made no complaint asking for any reduction, the council held that he should pay according to the bill delivered to him.

A complaint had been made against Joshua Twynam for selling a gallon of cape brandy, called strong, with a pound of brown sugar, for twelve shillings, which he had before sold at nine shillings a gallon without the sugar. By this it appeared plain that he had three shillings a pound for his sugar, which, being a very unreasonable way of proceeding, could by no means be passed by without notice.

Twynam was therefore sent for and asked how he came to be guilty of such a thing. He answered that he held his brandy to be justly worth 11s 3d a gallon, and for his sugar he had bought and found the same. The Governor asked him whether he had any to dispose of, and he said he had about thirty or forty pounds. The Governor asked that Twynam let the Company have some of it for the sick slaves, and offered to pay him his own price, but he refused unless the Governor would take his brandy too.

Interpretations

This leaf records two disputes over price, the settling of the late surgeon's account and a complaint against a factor for overcharging on sugar, both showing the council scrutinising what was charged and paid on the island. The surgeon's account turned on a nice point of fairness, the bill Clarke had drawn in his lifetime already reduced from his book charges, so that Powell, having raised no objection and asked no further abatement, was held to the figure as it stood.

The council's reasoning on the surgeon's bill rests on the distinction between a charge that was high and one that had been contested. The articles were extravagantly charged, the board acknowledged, but the moment for objecting had passed, Powell having accepted the bill and never asked for any reduction while the surgeon lived, so the council would not reopen the figure after the fact, holding a man to a bill he had let stand rather than to what the charges might in fairness have been.

The complaint against Twynam exposes a device for concealing an exorbitant price, the selling of goods in combination to disguise the rate charged on one of them. By tying a pound of sugar to a gallon of brandy he ordinarily sold alone, Twynam had extracted three shillings a pound for the sugar, far above its worth, the bundled sale hiding the overcharge that the council, comparing the combined price with the brandy's usual rate, saw through at once.

The exchange over the sick slaves' provision shows the council's authority meeting a hard bargainer. The Governor, wanting some of Twynam's sugar for the sick slaves and offering his own price, was met with a refusal unless he took the brandy too, Twynam holding his advantage and declining to sell the wanted article except with the unwanted. It marks the limit of the council's power over a private trader, able to reprove his overcharging and call him to account but unable simply to command his goods, the factor free to drive his bargain even with the Governor over provision for the sick.

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Mr Trequam was told not to be

Guilty of Such Extortion for the future, upon which he made us Some

improper Gestures, for Which he was reprimanded, and asked to

Withdraw.

Mr John Goodwin this day

desired to have a Lease for a small piece of Wast Ground adjoyning

to the Back yard of his House in James Valley, that on it

was produced Containing Sixty Six feet or thereabouts in Breadth, and

Eighty one feet or thereabouts in Depth, for Which he is Willing

to Pay ten Shillings yearly to the Honble Company.

Granted.

The Husband Gunner and Steward this

Day brought in Each their Account for the Month of Novr Last

Which were Examined and Approved and are as follows Viz

Gunners Stores Expended in November 1745 Viz

Powder Expended D°

Powder Delivered to Mr Dixon for the Use of the

Plantation House

2 ½

Powder Deliverd for 2 Funerals

4 ½

7

Wire deliverd to Serjant Cotter for ye Govr Use

1 ½

D° Maycock 1 Spunge Staff for the year

½

1 Quire of Paper for making Small Cartridges

½

Cross Staff deliverd to Mr Dixon

Trucks to Henry Moyce for the Gunn Carriages 3

Paper to Make Cartridges for the Great Guns

1 ½

Match Burnt

7

Signed

John French

Account

James Powell this day attended, as ordered at the last consultation, to settle the account with the executors of the late Charles Clarke, surgeon, and produced a bill the executors had delivered to him since Clarke's death, which Clarke had drawn in his lifetime by his order. Several articles in it had been reduced from the charges in the surgeon's book and office, and Powell had never refused to pay the account delivered to him. The several articles were very extravagantly charged, but as Powell had made no complaint asking for any reduction, the council held that he should pay according to the bill delivered to him.

A complaint had been made against Joshua Twynam for selling a gallon of cape brandy, called strong, with a pound of brown sugar, for twelve shillings, which he had before sold at nine shillings a gallon without the sugar. By this it appeared plain that he had three shillings a pound for his sugar, which, being a very unreasonable way of proceeding, could by no means be passed by without notice.

Twynam was therefore sent for and asked how he came to be guilty of such a thing. He answered that he held his brandy to be justly worth 11s 3d a gallon, and for his sugar he had bought and found the same. The Governor asked him whether he had any to dispose of, and he said he had about thirty or forty pounds. The Governor asked that Twynam let the Company have some of it for the sick slaves, and offered to pay him his own price, but he refused unless the Governor would take his brandy too.

Twynam was told not to be guilty of such extortion in future, on account of some improper gestures he had made, for which he was reprimanded and asked to withdraw.

John Goodwin this day asked for a lease of a small piece of waste ground adjoining the back yard of his house in James Valley. On being produced it was found to contain 66 feet or thereabouts in breadth and 81 feet or thereabouts in depth, for which he was willing to pay ten shillings yearly to the Company. It was granted.

The husband, gunner and steward this day brought in their several accounts for the month of November last, which the council examined and approved.

Gunner's stores spent in November 1745, the powder charged in the right-hand column:

Powder delivered to Mr Dixon for the use of the Plantation House, 2 pounds 4 ounces

Powder delivered for 2 funerals, 4 pounds 8 ounces

Powder expended, 7 pounds

A further list of stores spent, carrying its quantities in the right-hand column:

Wire delivered to Sergeant Cotter for the guns' use, 1.5

Meacock 1 sponge staff for the year, 1

1 quire of paper for making small cartridges, 2 quires

Lead balls delivered to Mr Dixon, 1

Trucks to Henry Moyce for the gun carriages, 3

Paper to make cartridges for the great guns, 1 quire 2

Total, 7

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

This leaf settles the late surgeon's account and a complaint of overcharging, grants a small parcel of building ground, and closes with the gunner's monthly return, the several matters joined only by their sequence in the consultation. The surgeon's account turned on a nice point of fairness, the bill Clarke had drawn in his lifetime already reduced from his book charges, so that Powell, having raised no objection and asked no further abatement, was held to the figure as it stood.

The council's reasoning on the surgeon's bill rests on the distinction between a charge that was high and one that had been contested. The articles were extravagantly charged, the board acknowledged, but the moment for objecting had passed, Powell having accepted the bill and never asked for any reduction while the surgeon lived, so the council would not reopen the figure after the fact, holding a man to a bill he had let stand rather than to what the charges might in fairness have been.

The complaint against Twynam exposes a device for concealing an exorbitant price, the selling of goods in combination to disguise the rate charged on one of them. By tying a pound of sugar to a gallon of brandy he ordinarily sold alone, Twynam had extracted three shillings a pound for the sugar, far above its worth, the bundled sale hiding the overcharge that the council, comparing the combined price with the brandy's usual rate, saw through at once. The reprimand that followed, aggravated by the improper gestures he made under it, ended the matter in a caution rather than any penalty, the exchange over the sick slaves' sugar showing the limit of the council's power over a private trader, able to reprove and call to account but unable to command his goods even for the sick.

The grant to John Goodwin repeats the ordinary business of the council letting building ground about the fort, a small parcel measured in feet of breadth and depth adjoining the petitioner's own back yard, granted at ten shillings a year. It is the same infilling seen in the grants to Scott and to Gurling, the crowded ground of James Valley taken up piece by piece for house plots, each let by exact measure at a rent that marked the value of building land against the shilling or two an acre of plantation waste.

The powder account shows the magazine serving only its quietest uses this month, no salute or working charge entered, merely a little powder for the Plantation House and the powder spent over two funerals, the funeral powder marking again the military honour of a burial salute reckoned and charged like every other issue. The second list gathers the small working stores of the ordnance, the wire and sponge staff for the guns, the paper for the small and great cartridges, the lead balls and the trucks for the gun carriages given to Henry Moyce, told out item by item with its quantity, the gunner reckoning the paper by the quire and the trucks by the piece among the stores he answered for as carefully as the powder itself.

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Account of the Honourable Company's Stock of Neat Cattle &c for the Month of November 1745 Viz

Bullocks, Cows, Weathers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ews, Weathers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ews, Weathers, Kids, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Weathers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 97, Bulls 4, Total 341, Ews 104, Weathers 39, Lambs 94, Rams 4, Total 241, Ews 170, Weathers 59, Kids 94, Rams 6, Total 329, Sows 26, Barrows 19, Shoats 53, Piggs 48, Boars 2, Total 148, Turkeys 70, Fowles 107, Chickens 189, Ducks 19, Geese 11, Horses 7, Mares 10, Total 17

Encreased: Yearlings 10, Total 10, Lambs 4, Total 4, Rams 6, Total 6, Piggs 30, Total 30, Turkeys 30, Fowles 50, Chickens 40, Ducks 2, Geese 1, Total 2

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Weathers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 107, Bulls 4, Total 351, Ews 104, Weathers 39, Lambs 98, Rams 4, Total 245, Ews 170, Weathers 59, Kids 100, Rams 6, Total 335, Sows 26, Barrows 19, Shoats 53, Piggs 78, Boars 2, Total 178, Turkeys 100, Fowles 107, Chickens 239, Ducks 59, Geese 13, Horses 8, Mares 10, Total 18

Killed: Lambs 8, Rams 1, Total 9, Weathers 1, Total 1, Sows 7, Total 8, Chickens 11, Ducks 4

Died: Ews 1, Lambs 2, Total 3, Kids 1, Total 1, Barrows 5, Total 7, Turkeys 2

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Weathers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 107, Bulls 4, Total 351, Ews 103, Weathers 31, Lambs 95, Rams 4, Total 233, Ews 170, Weathers 58, Kids 100, Rams 6, Total 334, Sows 26, Barrows 18, Shoats 43, Piggs 73, Boars 2, Total 163, Turkeys 98, Fowles 96, Chickens 239, Ducks 55, Geese 15, Horses 8, Mares 10, Total 18

Pork Sold at Market 200

3 Sheep sold at Market at 20 Each

Pork Expended 200

The Negroes served with Rice

Yams Consumed by the Hoggs & Poultry 10000

Yams sold to the Officers & Soldiers 2441

Signed

Excepted Chris Dixon Husband

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle and other animals for the month of November 1745.

The column headings run, under neat cattle, bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and total; under sheep, ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and total; under goats, ewes, wethers, kids, rams and total; under hogs, sows, barrows, shoats, pigs, boars and total; and under poultry, turkeys, fowls, chickens, ducks and geese, with horses and their total closing the return.

Remaining 1 November: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 97, bulls 4, neat cattle total 341; ewes 104, wethers 39, lambs 94, rams 4, sheep total 241; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 59, kids 94, goat rams 6, goats total 329; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 53, pigs 48, boars 2, hogs total 148; turkeys 70, fowls 107, chickens 189, ducks 19, geese 11, horses 7, foals 10, horses total 17

Increased: lambs 10, rams 10, kids 6, pigs 30, shoats 30, chickens 30, ducks 50, geese 40, horses 2, foals 1

Standing total: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 107, bulls 4, neat cattle total 351; ewes 104, wethers 39, lambs 98, rams 4, sheep total 245; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 59, kids 100, goat rams 6, goats total 335; sows 26, barrows 19, shoats 53, pigs 78, boars 2, hogs total 178; turkeys 100, fowls 107, chickens 239, ducks 59, geese 13, horses 8, foals 10, horses total 18

Killed: lambs 8, sheep total 8; goat ewes 9, goats total 9; sows 1, pigs 17, hogs total 17; turkeys 8, chickens 11, ducks 4

Died: ewes 1, lambs 2, sheep total 3; goat ewes 1, goats total 1; barrows 1, pigs 5, hogs total 5; turkeys 7, chickens 2

Remaining: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 107, bulls 4, neat cattle total 351; ewes 104, wethers 31, lambs 95, rams 4, sheep total 233; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 58, kids 100, goat rams 6, goats total 334; sows 26, barrows 18, shoats 43, pigs 73, boars 2, hogs total 163; turkeys 98, fowls 107, chickens 239, ducks 55, geese 15, horses 8, foals 10, horses total 18

Pork sold at market came to 200 pounds, and 3 sheep sold at market at 20 pounds each. Pork spent came to 200 pounds. The slaves were served with rice. Yams consumed by the hogs and poultry came to 10,000 pounds, and yams sold to the officers and soldiers to 2,441 pounds. The account was passed, errors excepted, by Christopher Dixon as husband.

Interpretations

This is the husband's monthly stock return for November, the standing register of the Company's live animals, opening with the number carried from October, adding the increase bred in, then subtracting the beasts killed and dead to reach the number left. Christopher Dixon signed it as husband, and this month shows a fresh burst of breeding, the herds and flocks rising on a good increase before the month's slaughter drew them down again.

The neat cattle held their new figure without a single beast killed or dead, the herd standing at 351 through the whole month after the ten calves of the increase. The record has shown the council sparing its cattle through the crowded season with the stock too low to victual the shipping, and a month in which not one head was taken, even as the sheep and hogs went freely to the slaughter, marks how carefully the Company still nursed its breeding herd toward recovery.

The increase this month fell across almost every class, lambs, kids, pigs and a great hatch of poultry, the ducks alone rising by fifty and the chickens by thirty. It marks the return of the breeding season the earlier months had wanted, the flocks and the sty and the hen yard all throwing young together, the plantation's stock renewing itself after the losses of the autumn, though the heavy killing of hogs and sheep in the same month carried much of the gain straight to the table and the market.

The yam figures close the plantation's other charge and show the root serving the same two uses as in October. Ten thousand pounds went to feed the hogs and poultry and a further parcel to the officers and soldiers, the garrison drawing its bread from the Company's yams, while the slaves were again served with rice from the store rather than yams. The turning of the slave ration to eastern grain when the yam was wanted for the stock and the sale marks the constant management of a narrow provision, the island balancing its own root crop between its people, its animals and its garrison and reaching to the store's rice to make up the difference.

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233

Sundry's Expended in the Castle in Novr 1745 &c £ s d

67 Bottles Port Wine

4 11 5

18 Bottles Lisbon D°

1 4 6¼

3 Bottles Claret D°

Bottles Constantia D°

Bottles Cyder

86 Bottles Beer

16 2

11 Bottles Red Cape

15 12

39 Bottles Small Beer

7 3¾

19 ½ Gallons Goa Arrack

9 ½ Yds D° Battaria D°

2 2 9

23 Candy

7 9¾

18 Sugar

3 9

Flower 232 D°

1 3 5½

55 Butter

2 15

11 Young Fowls

11

8 ½ Gallon Brandy

1 14 10

1 Ducks

6

5 Sheep

5

1 Lamb

10

3 Yds Salt Beef

8 9¾

7 Yds D° Pork

12 10

200 Fresh D°

3

28 12 10¾

We this day Examined the Cash Account

for the Month Last Which is as follows Viz

Sundries spent in the castle in November 1745:

67 bottles of port wine, £4 11s 5d

18 bottles of Lisbon wine, £1 4s 6.5d

3 bottles of claret wine, £0 0s 0d

bottles of Constantia wine, £0 0s 0d

bottles of cider, £0 0s 0d

86 bottles of beer, £0 16s 2d

11 bottles of red cape wine, £0 13s 1.5d

39 bottles of small beer, £0 7s 3.5d

19.5 gallons of Goa arrack, £2 2s 9d

9.5 gallons of Batavia arrack, [in the arrack total]

23 pounds of candy, £0 7s 9.5d

18 pounds of sugar, £0 3s 9d

232 pounds of flour, £1 3s 5.5d

55 pounds of butter, £2 15s 0d

11 young fowls, £0 11s 0d

8.5 gallons of brandy, £1 14s 10d

1 duck, £0 0s 6d

5 sheep, £5 0s 0d

1 lamb, £0 10s 0d

3 pieces of salt beef, £0 8s 9.5d

7 pieces of salt pork, £0 12s 10d

200 pounds of fresh pork, £3 0s 0d

Total, £28 12s 10.5d

The council this day examined the cash account for the month last, which follows.

Interpretations

This is the steward's monthly account of what the general table consumed at the castle in November, the same diet reckoning as the earlier months, priced to the farthing and charged under the diet head of the store. It shows the board of the Governor, the council and the senior servants supplied from the store's imported wines and spirits, its salt and dry provisions, and the fresh meat and poultry of the island's own plantation.

The wines and spirits again fix the reach of the Company's trade, the claret and Constantia from Europe and the Cape, the Lisbon and red cape wines from the southern latitudes, and the Goa and Batavia arrack from the eastern settlements, the arrack the largest of the drink lines as it had been in the earlier months. The beer held in some quantity beside them, strong and small, was the ordinary drink of the table below the wine, brewed or imported and reckoned by the bottle.

The fresh pork this month was the chief meat of the board at two hundred pounds, drawn from the plantation's heavy slaughter of hogs the stock account of the same month recorded, the fresh provisions again outweighing the salt as the island ate fresh where a ship lived on the cask. The sheep and lamb beside it came from the same killing, the table furnished directly from the Company's own stock.

The blank sums against the claret, the Constantia and the cider do not mark an illegible figure but a nil charge, goods taken to the table at no cost to the diet account. As in the earlier returns, these were most likely drawn from another head or furnished as part of a ship's privilege, the steward entering them for completeness though they bore no price against the month's reckoning, the account gathering every article the table consumed whether it carried a charge or not.

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234

Cash Dr

To Ballance remaining 3759 4 7¼

3759 4 7¼

The cash account, debtor:

To balance remaining, £3,759 4s 7.5d

Total, £3,759 4s 7.5d

Interpretations

This is the debtor side of the treasury cash account for the month, opening with the balance carried over from the previous reckoning and standing as the total with no further entry added below. The whole of the debtor side rests on the single sum of the balance remaining, no fresh receipt falling on the leaf, the treasury's income for the month nothing beyond the cash already in the chest.

The balance remaining fixes the state of the treasury at the turn of the month, better than three thousand seven hundred pounds standing in the chest, the accumulated cash of the settlement held in the foreign specie the ships of every nation brought. This was the reservoir from which the salaries, the works and the purchases were paid, carried forward unchanged as the opening figure of the new month's account.

The single diagonal line struck across the empty body of the page is the accountant's mark cancelling the unused space, the same device seen on the earlier cash leaves. Drawn from corner to corner, it voided the blank so that no entry could afterwards be inserted between the sum entered and the total, the discipline of the accounts requiring even an all but empty page to be closed against later alteration, the reckoning proof against any addition after it was cast.

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235

Per Contra Cr £ s d

By Ballance remaining November the 30 in the following

Species Viz

1 Piece Gold wt 11 15 14 at 3 18 3/4 3 46 1 8¾

4 Pieces D° wt 3 9 12 at 3 18

13 11 ½

1033 Pagoda at 3/6 each

181 17

92 Venetians 10

46

16 Gubers 6

4 16

8 ½ Guineas

8 18 6

1 Gold Rupee

1 10

¼ of a Moidr

6 9

⅛ of a Moidr

3 4½

⅜ of a Johannes

4 6

Gold Amounting to 1936 8 10½

4013 Dollars at 5 ea

1153 5

376 ½ Rupees 2/3 ea

42 7 1½

93 Ducatoons 6/

27 18

97 Double Ryals 1/3

6 1 3

534 Ryals 7½

16 13 9

2428 half Ryals 3½

37 18 9

441 French Pieces 2

3 13 6

Odd Money 3 8¼

Silver Amounting to 1288 8¼

143 Cash Note at 40 each

290

161 D° D° 20

161

233 D° D° 5/

63 13

160 D° D° 2/6

20

Cash Notes Amounting to 534 13

3759 4 7¼

3759 4 7¼

David Dunbar

Cha Hutchinson

Dixon

John Goodwin

Purling

The cash account, per contra, the balance remaining on 30 November 1745 told over coin by coin:

1 piece of gold, weight 11 pennyweight 15 grains 4, at £3 18s 3d per ounce, £6 1s 8.5d

4 pieces of gold, weight 9 pennyweight 12 grains, at £3 18s per ounce, £13 11s 0.5d

4,033 pagodas at 9s each, £1,814 17s 0d

92 Venetians at 10s, £46 0s 0d

16 gubbers at 6s, £4 16s 0d

8.5 guineas, £8 18s 6d

1 gold rupee, £1 10s 0d

0.25 of a moidore, £0 6s 9d

0.125 of a moidore, £0 3s 4.5d

0.375 of a johannes, £1 4s 6d

Gold amounting to £1,936 8s 10.5d

4,613 dollars at 5s each, £1,153 5s 0d

376.5 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 7s 1.5d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

97 double ryals at 1s 3d, £6 1s 3d

534 ryals at 7.5d, £16 13s 9d

2,428 half ryals at 3.75d, £37 18s 9d

441 French pieces at 2d, £3 13s 6d

Odd money, £3 8s 4d

Silver amounting to £1,288 0s 8.25d

145 cash notes at 40 shillings each, £290 0s 0d

161 cash notes at 20 shillings, £161 0s 0d

253 cash notes at 5 shillings, £63 15s 0d

160 cash notes at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to £534 15s 0d

Total, £3,759 4s 7.5d

The account was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Dixon, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

This leaf sets out the credit side of the treasury cash account for November, the balance remaining told over coin by coin and brought to agree with the debtor side at £3,759 4s 7.5d. The count follows the fixed order of the earlier quarters, the gold coin first, the silver next and the Company's own cash notes last, each part summed and the three carried to the grand total that squared the account.

The count is all but unchanged from the close of October, the same pagodas, dollars, ducatoons and cash notes standing in the chest with only the smallest movement in the odd coin. It shows a quiet month in the treasury, no ship having brought a fresh chest of treasure and no great payment having gone out, the cash of the settlement sitting nearly static from one month's reckoning to the next, the balance carried forward little altered.

The composition of the balance fixes the treasury for what it was, a reservoir of the foreign coin of half the trading world. The pagodas, the Indian gold, made up by far the greatest part, held beside Venetian sequins, gubbers, English guineas and the fractions of Portuguese moidores and johannes, while the silver ran from the Spanish dollar down through its divisions to French pieces worth twopence. An island that minted nothing held whatever the ships brought and reckoned each coin into sterling at a fixed rate for the books, keeping it in the metal it came in.

The whole balance, told to the farthing and subscribed by the entire board, is the periodic proof by which the treasury was balanced each month. The same discipline that governed the stores inventory and the waste account governed the cash, every coin and fraction of a coin and every note counted and valued so that the chest could be proved to the halfpenny, the reckoning cleared and signed as exactly as any other account of the settlement, the cash of the island held to as strict a reckoning as its goods.

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236

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

17 December 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved.

Mr Purling this day presented the

following Petition Viz

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esq

Govr &c Council of St Helena

The humble Petition of Matthew Purling

Sheweth.

That two Leases, the one for seven Acres,

and half and the other for four Acres of Company's free Land, Late in

the Possission of Your Petrs father dec being now both Expired

Your Petr humbly prays, that he may

have liberty to renew these Leases, in the Name of himself, and

his Brother, who is now in England.

And Your Petr Shall Ever pray.

17 Decr 1745

Purling

Granted upon Conditions mentioned

in Consultation of 19 of February last.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 December 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Purling this day presented the following petition.

To the Governor and council of St Helena, the petition of Matthew Purling set out that two leases, the one for seven acres and a half and the other for four acres of cabbage tree land, late in the possession of his father, deceased, being now expired, he asked leave to renew them in the name of himself and his brother, who was then in England. It was granted on the conditions set at the consultation of 19 February last.

Interpretations

This is a routine renewal of two expired leases, the ordinary business of the council letting Company land, made particular only by the petitioner being one of its own members. Purling, fifth of council and storekeeper, applied to renew leases his late father had held, joining his absent brother in the request, the council granting the renewal on the terms it had already fixed for such land earlier in the year.

The reference to the conditions set at the consultation of 19 February 1745 ties this grant to the council's standing policy on cabbage tree land. Finding the Company had bought its laths and rafters dear because former Governors had let the wooded land without reserving any timber, the council had resolved that year that every renewal of such land carry a covenant against felling the timber without the Company's approval, so that Purling's renewal came burdened with the clause preserving the wood, the general policy applied to a member's own lease.

The particular value of cabbage tree land lay in its timber rather than its soil, the cabbage tree furnishing the rafters and laths the settlement could get from no other native wood. The council's care to reserve the timber on every such grant reflects the scarcity of building wood on the island, the wooded parcels let for cultivation but the trees upon them held for the Company's works, the tenant taking the land subject to the Company's claim on what grew there.

The joining of the absent brother in the renewal shows the ordinary provision for a family holding, the two brothers succeeding jointly to the leases their father had held so that the family's ground passed intact to the next generation. That one brother was in England and the other on the island made no difference to the grant, the lease renewed in both their names against the day the absent brother might return or claim his share, the council securing the family's continuity in the land as it did the descent of every such holding.

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237

The Governour this Day laid the

following Complaint before us again Mr Dixon Viz

St Helena Decr the 17 1745

Gentlemen,

I am sorry to have occasion to acquaint you

of an insult I recd since our Last Meeting from Mr Dixon, which

I would not mention to any if I was in a Private Station, but as I conceive

that as the Honourable the Court of Directors are very disrespectfully

treated through their Governour, I cannot in justice and duty to them

pass it by.

On Tuesday last the 10 instant Mr Dixon,

and one of the Officers had some dispute in my room about some Casks,

when I desired they would take some other opportunity, than in my

hearing, they would call out of temper, but nothing indecent pass'd, some

hours after, the Officer came to me in very much Concern, almost in

tears, Complaining that Mr Dixon Called him a rascal, and asked me,

how he should behave upon it, I Commanded him by all Means to obey

him, and I would give him Satisfaction.

We were all of us then going to a funeral,

and as we returned, I asked Mr Dixon how he came to Call St Sedgwick

a rascal, which he denyed, I called St Ashwick, and reprimanded

him for telling me an untruth, when he insisted upon it and offered

to take his Oath of it, I Believe all I you Word three four the St

Governour, and I went into the Garden and Mr Dixon and St Ashwick

followed us, and there the St took out of his pocket a book, which he had

at Church at the funeral Service, and Kneeld down, and in the Most

Solemn manner, and With bitter Imprecations Swore to the truth of what

he had before Complained of, and I would not helo saying, that I believed him

Mr Dixon at the same time offerd to Swear, that he did not Call him

&c

The Governor this day laid the following complaint before the council against Christopher Dixon.

Governor Dunbar wrote from St Helena on 17 December 1745, addressing the council. He was sorry to have occasion to tell them of an insult he had received since their last meeting from Dixon, which he would not mention to them were he in a private station, but as it was the Court of Directors who were very disrespectfully treated through their Governor, he could not in justice and duty to them pass it by.

On the Tuesday last, Dixon and one of the officers had had some dispute in the Governor's room about some books. When the Governor asked that they take some other opportunity than in his hearing, they came to words out of temper, but nothing indecent passed. Some hours after, the officer came to him in very much concern, almost in tears, complaining that Dixon had called him a rascal and asking how he should behave over it; the Governor advised him by all means to avoid Dixon, and said he would give him satisfaction.

The whole council were then going to a funeral, and as they returned the Governor asked Dixon how he came to call Lieutenant Ashwick a rascal, which Dixon denied. The Governor charged him with telling an untruth, when he insisted upon it and offered to take his oath of it. The Governor said he would believe all he said, on which Ashwick came into the garden and Dixon followed, and there Ashwick took out of his pocket a book which he had had at church at the funeral service, and knelt down, and in the most solemn manner and with bitter imprecations swore to the truth of what he had before complained of. Dixon would not, saying that he believed him, and at the same time offered to swear that he did not call him.

Interpretations

This is the Governor's formal complaint against a fellow councillor over a personal insult, framed carefully as an affront to the Company through its Governor rather than a merely private quarrel. Dunbar was at pains to justify bringing so personal a matter before the board, resting his case not on his own dignity but on the disrespect shown to the Court of Directors through the person of their Governor, the only ground on which such a complaint properly belonged in a consultation.

The distinction Dunbar drew between his private and his public character is the whole hinge of the complaint. He acknowledged that were he in a private station he would let the insult pass, but held that as the Company's Governor he could not, an affront to him being an affront to the authority he carried, so that the personal quarrel was elevated into a matter of the Company's honour that duty obliged him to pursue. It is the same reasoning by which the earlier Governor Powell had complained of Dixon's insolence years before, the commander in chief bound to vindicate the office even where he might overlook the man.

The quarrel itself turned on a flat contradiction of oaths, Dixon denying he had called Lieutenant Ashwick a rascal and Ashwick swearing in the most solemn manner that he had. The scene in the garden, Ashwick kneeling with the book he had carried at the funeral and swearing with bitter imprecations while Dixon offered to swear the contrary, marks the difficulty of a dispute resting on nothing but two men's contradictory word, each ready to take his oath and neither able to prove the other false.

The recurrence of Christopher Dixon at the centre of such a quarrel fits the pattern the record has long shown, the same man dismissed years before for insolence to Governor Powell, reinstated by the Court, and now again at odds with the Governor over a point of honour. That a sitting councillor should so publicly defy the Governor marks the strain within the small board, the same handful of men governing the island year after year and their personal enmities breaking repeatedly into the formal business of the council, the quarrel of two members become the matter of a consultation.

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238

soe, but a negative oath cannot be taken against a positive Oath, so

I told him soe, and thus for was in the St Governour's hearing.

After this as Mr Dixon was parting

from me, he sayd in an unbecoming Manner, and with a sneer, that he

Knew very well, that I would believe him the St before him, Upon

Which I was so much provoked, that I ordered Mr Dixon to his Chamber

until I sent for him, I am so surprized my self that I should no other

resentment, and I believe every body will Allow, that milder could

not be Shewn.

Next morning he wrote me the Letter I now lay

before you, to which I sent him a written Message by St Clark, which

I likewise shew to you, this Message he has taken for an Enlargement

from his Confinement, and takes no further notice of it, and comes, and

Sitts by me at Table, without offering to me any acknowledgment

for the Affront, you may Easily imagine, how agreeable it is to any

man, to have a person sitt by his side under such circumstances,

but I have not taken any notice of it.

If Martial Law in force, every man

upon this Island is subject to it, and surely if it is ever in force,

there can be no dispute of it now in time of so Genl a war.

Disrespectfull words to or of a Commander in Chief is punishable

by Martial Law, even in time of Peace, with a deprivation of a

Commission, and in war with death, this the Law in the Army,

and a breach of an Arrest, or Confinement is a forfeiture of a

Commission, and I believe by the Company's standing orders all

military Affairs are to be try'd by the Governour, and Military

Officers, but I am not intitled this so

The treatment of the St I would

represent to the Court of Directors, who I hope will not be of

Opinion, that any Gentleman with their Commission in his

Pocket, Ought to bear with such indignity from any man, if any

Officer in the Army should tamely bear the like, he would not be

Suffered

The Governor continued that a negative oath could not be taken against a positive oath, and there he let the matter rest, all this being in the Lieutenant Governor's hearing.

After this, as Dixon was parting from him, he spoke in an unbecoming manner and with a sneer, saying that he knew very well the Governor would believe the lieutenant before him. At this the Governor was so much provoked that he ordered Dixon to his chamber until he sent for him. He was surprised at himself that he showed no other resentment, and believed everyone would allow that milder could not be shown.

The next morning Dixon wrote him the letter now laid before the council, to which the Governor sent him a written message by Lieutenant Clark, which was likewise shown to the board. This message Dixon took for an enlargement from his confinement, and took no further notice of it, and came and sat by the Governor without offering to make any submission or acknowledgement for the affront. The Governor left the board to imagine how agreeable it was to any man to have a person sit by his side under such circumstances, but he had taken no notice of it.

If martial law were in force, every man on the island was subject to it, and surely if it were ever in force there could be no dispute of it in time of so general a war. Disrespectful words to a commander in chief were punishable by martial law even in time of peace, with a deprivation of a commission, and in war with death; this was the law in the army, and a breach of an arrest or confinement was a forfeiture of a commission. The Governor believed by the Company's standing orders all military affairs were to be obeyed as by the Governor and military officers, but he was not entirely sure it was so.

The Governor would represent the treatment of the lieutenant to the Court of Directors, who he hoped would not be of opinion that any gentleman with their commission in his pocket ought to bear with such indignity from any man, since if any officer in the army should tamely bear the like, he would not be suffered.

Interpretations

This leaf continues the Governor's complaint against Dixon, moving from the personal affront to the grave question of military discipline and the authority of a commission. Dunbar's account turns on Dixon's defiance after the quarrel, the sneering remark that provoked the order of confinement and, worse, Dixon's treating that confinement as nothing, taking his release for granted and sitting down beside the Governor without any submission for the offence.

The Governor's insistence that he had shown the mildest possible resentment is the careful self-justification of a man conscious that confining a fellow councillor was a strong step. By stressing that he ordered Dixon merely to his chamber and offered no harsher resentment, Dunbar sought to place the whole fault on Dixon's provocation and his subsequent contempt, presenting himself as having borne the affront with a restraint that any observer would allow, the better to lay Dixon's want of submission bare.

The turn to martial law raises the real stake beneath the personal quarrel, the question of whether the Governor's authority over the island carried the force of military command. Dunbar argued that in time of general war every man on the island was subject to martial law, under which disrespect to a commander in chief and a breach of confinement were punishable by loss of commission or even death, seeking to bring Dixon's insolence under the severe discipline of the army rather than the milder authority of a civil council.

The Governor's own uncertainty, his admission that he was not entirely sure the Company's standing orders made all military affairs obey the Governor, marks the genuine ambiguity of his position. The island was governed by a civil council under the Company's commission, not plainly under martial law, and Dunbar's reaching for the army's discipline while confessing he could not be sure it applied exposes the weakness of his hand, obliged in the end to refer the treatment of the lieutenant to the Court of Directors rather than punish Dixon himself, the question of his authority over a defiant councillor left for London to resolve.

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239

Suffered to Serv, and I am sure such tame Spirits are not fitt for their Service,

But Lett this who give what Opinion you please upon it.

As to my self, Gentlemen, I desire and demand

your Opinions, in What Manner the treatment is to be resented, I would have you

Consider, that the Opinions you give will be Canvass'd by our Superiors, and

as you view, that their Honours were used through me, I hope you will be

Cautious how You Act therein.

The Honble Court have in Severall of

their Orders taken great Care for the person of their Govr, Wishing One is

a forfeiture of all a man's estate, How far in military or ill manner to his

face is punishable, I refer to you, which shall determine me here, tho I

fear, I shall be reprimanded for not instantly Suspending him from

the service, but I Choose this Method.

Signd David Dunbar

See page 246

After reading the above the Governour

demanded the Council's Opinions thereupon, They desired time to

Consider of it, and said they would answer it in a few days.

Mr Dixon then presented his Case, or the

Cause of the Governours Confining him, in the following Account, Viz

St Helena

Gentlemen,

Nothing could have given me more

uneasiness, then the present Dispute, which I have with the Governour,

and am forced for my own Vindication to trouble you about, I shall

therefore

The Governor continued that such tame spirits were not fit for the service, but let others give what opinion they pleased upon it.

As to himself, he asked and demanded the council's opinion on the manner in which the treatment was to be represented, wishing them to consider that the opinion they gave would be canvassed by their superiors, and, as he conceived, that the directors' honour was wounded through his, so that they would be cautious how they acted in the matter.

The Court had in several of their orders taken great care for the person of their Governor. Where one was a forfeiture of all a man's estate who offered any insult or ill manners to his face, the matter was punishable, and the Governor left it to the council, which should determine it here. He feared he should be reprimanded for not instantly suspending Dixon from the service, but he chose this method instead. The letter was signed by David Dunbar.

After reading the above, the Governor demanded the council's opinion upon it. They asked time to consider of it, and said they would answer it in a few days.

Dixon then presented his own case, or the cause of the Governor's confining him, in the following account.

Writing from St Helena and addressing the council, Dixon said that nothing could have given him more uneasiness than the present dispute he had with the Governor, and that he was forced, for his own vindication, to trouble the council about it.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the Governor's complaint and opens Dixon's answer, the two accounts of the same quarrel laid before the council for its judgement. Dunbar ended by pressing the board hard, framing its coming opinion not as a free judgement but as one that would be weighed by the Court and that touched the directors' own honour through his, a plain warning to the councillors to find in his favour or answer for it to London.

The Governor's appeal to the Court's orders protecting the person of their Governor was the strongest ground he could reach for. He cited standing orders under which an insult to the Governor's face carried the forfeiture of a man's whole estate, seeking to bring Dixon's affront under a penalty of the gravest kind, though he left the council to determine whether it applied, unwilling or unable to impose it himself.

Dunbar's admission that he feared a reprimand for not instantly suspending Dixon exposes the caution beneath his indignation. Having the power, as he claimed, to suspend a councillor for such an affront, he had held his hand and chosen to lay the matter before the board instead, a course that spread the responsibility across the whole council and guarded him against the charge of acting too harshly on his own, the very reprimand he professed to fear.

The council's response, asking time to consider and promising an answer in a few days, marks its unwillingness to be rushed into taking sides between the Governor and a fellow member. Rather than endorse the Governor's account on the spot, the board reserved its judgement, and its readiness to hear Dixon's own account of the affair shows it treating the quarrel as a contested matter with two sides, not as a plain case of insolence to be punished at the Governor's word, the small council picking its way carefully between its commander and one of its own.

247

240

therefore lay before you the Circumstances, which were the Cause of our

Disagreement, that you may be the better able to Judge, and Give

your Opinions in this Case, Viz

Lieutenant Ashwick some time ago,

borrowed some Books of me, which I sent for, and he returned on monday

the 9 Instant, the next Morning being both with the Governour in

his room, Mr Ashwick took this opportunity to Speak about those

Books, saying, he thought, I had given them to him, and Spoke

farther in a very warm and unbecoming Manner, in so much, that

the Governour thought proper to Check him for this behaviour, and

then Mr Ashwick immediately withdrew, about three Hours after,

I met Lieut Ashwick in the street, and Knowing my self ill used

by him in this Affair, I accordingly Spoke to him in the Manner

following, Viz, Mr Ashwick, how came you to take those Books to

with me this Morning before the Governour, I cannot help saying

you are an ungrateful Man, he, being in some Confusion, made

Little, or no answer, then I told him never to be Guilty of such

behaviour to me for the future, if he did, the very next time I

would resent it in another Manner, and Continued to tell him

to Consider, that not long ago, when he was a Serjeant, he was broke and

Ordered to be Nancey Whipd, for talking in a Shamefull, and

Scandalous Manner of his Officer, and it was, for this, and some

other Reasons, few or none of the Gentlemen in the Companies

service here, cared to Keep him Company, then we parted, and he

thanked me for my advice, by which I immagined this affair

was at an End. But to my Surprize the Governour the same

After noon layd me in the street with Calling St Ashwick an

ungratefull Rascal, and fellow, and threatning to turn him out.

This I assured the Governour was false, and that I would take my

Oath, I spoke no such words to him, but the Governour still said

he believed what Mr Ashwick had said was true, because Mr Ashwick

told him so; then he sent for Mr Ashwick and asked him if I did not

call him an ungratefull Rascal, fellow &c He answered, yes, and

and

Dixon set out the circumstances that had caused the disagreement, so that the council might be the better able to judge and give its opinion.

Lieutenant Ashwick had some time ago borrowed some books of Dixon, which he sent for, and Ashwick returned them on the Monday, the next morning being both with the Governor in his room. Ashwick took the opportunity to speak about the books, saying he thought Dixon had given them to him, and spoke further in a very warm and unbecoming manner, so much that the Governor thought proper to check him for it. Ashwick then immediately withdrew.

About three hours after, Dixon met Ashwick in the street, and knowing himself ill used by him in the affair, spoke to him accordingly in the manner following. He asked Ashwick how he came to take those books with him that morning before the Governor, and said he could not help saying he was an ungrateful man. Ashwick, being in some confusion, made little or no answer. Dixon then told him never to be guilty of such behaviour to him in future, and said that if he did, the very next time he would resent it in another manner, and told him further, in the same way another man had been broke when he was a sergeant and ordered to be whipped, for talking in a shameful and scandalous manner of his officer; and it was for this, and some other reasons, that few or none of the gentlemen in the Company's service there cared to keep him company. Then they parted, and Ashwick thanked Dixon for his advice, by which Dixon imagined the affair was at an end.

But to his surprise the Governor the same afternoon met him in the street with calling Lieutenant Ashwick an ungrateful rascal and fellow, and threatening to turn him out. This Dixon assured the Governor was false, and said that he would take his oath he had spoken no such words to him, but the Governor still said he believed what Ashwick had said was true, because Ashwick had told him so. Then the Governor sent for Ashwick and asked him whether Dixon did call him an ungrateful rascal and fellow, and he answered that he did.

Interpretations

This is Dixon's own account of the quarrel, laid before the council as the counterpart to the Governor's, and it turns the affair on its head by casting Dixon as the injured party and Ashwick as the ungrateful man. Where the Governor had presented a councillor insulting an officer, Dixon presented an officer who had behaved warmly and ungratefully over some borrowed books and had then misreported their private exchange to the Governor.

The dispute over the books fixes the trifling origin of a quarrel that had risen to threats of martial law and forfeiture of estate. Ashwick had borrowed books, claimed Dixon had given them, and spoken warmly of the matter before the Governor, and it was this small ingratitude, as Dixon saw it, that he had rebuked in the street, the whole grave question of a commander's authority springing from a disagreement over the lending of a few volumes.

Dixon's account of what he actually said to Ashwick is a careful denial of the specific words charged. He admitted rebuking Ashwick, calling him ungrateful and warning him against such behaviour, even recalling how a sergeant had once been broken and whipped for speaking scandalously of his officer, but he denied the particular phrase, the ungrateful rascal and fellow, on which the Governor's whole complaint rested, drawing the line exactly at the words alleged.

The contradiction comes down, as the Governor's account had, to Ashwick's word against Dixon's, each man swearing the opposite. Dixon's version has Ashwick thanking him for his advice and the affair seemingly ended, only for the Governor to confront him hours later on Ashwick's report, so that the quarrel between the two councillors rests wholly on whether Ashwick had truly been called a rascal or had misrepresented a sharp but lawful rebuke, a matter no oath could settle and which the council was left to weigh.

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and immediatly took a small Book out of his Pocket, held it in his hand,

and fell upon his Knees, and with many imprecations to swear the

Governour, that, what he alledged against me, was fact, the Governour

told him, he believed what he said to be true, notwithstanding I had

Several times offered to Swear to the Contrary, both before, and after

Mr Ashwick came; Then the Govr told Mr Ashwick, he wondered he

did not swear me through the Body, if he had, he would have forgiven

him; many more words passed on this Occasion, which would

be too tedious to Mention here, and the Governour again telling

me, he believed, what Ashwick had said to be true, and upon my

only telling him, that I speaks, or Swear, he would believe him

sooner, than he would me, he immediately in a passion Confined

me to my room, and I remained under that Confinement six or seven

hours and three Quarters, after which, the Governour thought proper

to release me from such close Confinement by a Message, which St

Clark brought from him, by which it Will appear, that I am still in

some sort confined, being denied the Liberty of Going in to the Country,

notwithstanding, I acquainted the Governour by letter, that the

Honourable Companies Country affairs, which I had the care off

required my immediate attendance there, from which it is my duty

to Inform you, Gentlemen, that the Honble Companies Country affairs

will Certainly, if not prevented in time, sustain Considerable damage on

this account, and now when youare acquainted with it, I hope you'le

to your best Endeavours to prevent it, Agreable to their Express Orders.

Signd Christr Dixon

We this day Executed the following Lease

to Mr John Goodwin Agreable to his Petition Last Consultation Viz

Dixon continued that Ashwick immediately took a small book out of his pocket, held it in his hand, fell upon his knees, and with many imprecations swore to the Governor that what he alleged against Dixon was fact. The Governor told Dixon he believed what Ashwick said to be true, notwithstanding that Dixon had several times offered to swear to the contrary, both before and after Ashwick came. Then the Governor told Ashwick, if he would not swear it through the body of the dead, he would forgive him. Many more words passed on the occasion, which would be too tedious to mention here, and the Governor again telling Dixon he believed what Ashwick had said to be true, and, upon Dixon only telling him that if he swore, or if the Governor would believe him sooner than he would Dixon, the Governor immediately in a passion confined him to his room, and Dixon remained under that confinement sixteen hours and three quarters, after which the Governor thought proper to release him from such close confinement by a message which Lieutenant Clark brought from him. By this it would appear that Dixon was still in some sort confined, being denied the liberty of going into the country.

Notwithstanding, Dixon had told the Governor by letter that the Company's country affairs, which he had the care of, required his immediate attendance there. From this it was his duty to inform the council that the Company's country affairs would certainly, if not seen to in time, sustain considerable damage on this account. Now that the council was told of it, he hoped it would do its best to prevent it, in keeping with the directors' orders. The account was signed by Christopher Dixon.

The council this day executed the following lease to John Goodwin, in keeping with its resolution at the last consultation.

Interpretations

This leaf closes Dixon's account of the quarrel and turns to a routine lease, the personal dispute laid fully before the council and left for its judgement. Dixon's version dwells on the drama of the swearing, Ashwick kneeling with his book and calling down imprecations on himself, and on the Governor's refusing Dixon's own repeated offers to swear the contrary, the whole resting on the Governor choosing to believe one man's oath over another's.

The detail of the oath through the body of the dead marks the solemn form the swearing took, the funeral service having just been held and the corpse still present. The Governor's offer to forgive Ashwick if he would not swear over the body shows the gravity attached to such an oath, an oath sworn beside the dead being the most binding a man could take, and Ashwick's readiness to swear it the strongest proof he could offer of his word against Dixon's.

Dixon's precise reckoning of his confinement, sixteen hours and three quarters, and his complaint that he was still in some sort confined by being denied the country, marks his sense of grievance at being shut up on a fellow councillor's word. He presents the confinement as a real injury and, more tellingly, turns it into a matter of the Company's own interest, arguing that his being kept from the country would harm the Company's affairs there that he alone had the care of.

The shrewdness of Dixon's defence lies in this turning of his private grievance into a public concern, matching the Governor's own tactic. Where Dunbar had raised the quarrel above the personal by making it an affront to the Court, Dixon countered by making his confinement a threat to the Company's country business, each man reaching past the trifling dispute over books to clothe his case in the Company's interest, the council left to judge between two members each claiming to speak for the Company against the other, the quarrel of the small board dressed on both sides as a matter of duty to London.

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Island St Helena

The Lords Proprietors of this Island the Honble

the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies

do herby demise grant sett and to Farm Lett unto John Goodwin

Gentleman All that piece or Parcel of Ground situate lying and

being in James Valley in the said Island bounding, North on the

Honble Companys Garden South on Land belonging to Josn

French Senr West on Land belonging to the said John Goodwin

and East or backwards partly on the Honble Companys road Leadi

and partly on the said John French containing in Breath next the

said John Goodwin Sixty Six feet or thereabouts in Breath next

the Honble Companys Garden Eighty one feet or thereabouts in

Breath next the said John French Senr Sixty feet or thereabouts

and in the Back Seventy one feet or thereabouts together with

all and Singular the Appurtenances thereunto belonging to

have and to hold the said hereby dimised piece or Parcel

of Ground and Premises with their and Every of their Appurtenances

unto the said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns from the day of the date of these Presents for and during

the term of twenty one Years Upon Condition that the

said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

do and Shall bear true faith and Allegeance to our Sovereign Lord

King George the second his Heirs and Successors and shall duly

Obey all the Laws and Constitution of the said Island Yeilding

and paying therefore Yearly and every year during the

term hereby granted unto the said Honble Company their Successors

Agents or Assigns the sum of ten Shillings pr Annum on the feast

day of St Michael the Arch Angell yearly and Upon

Condition that he the said John Goodwin his Executors

Administrators and Assigns do and maintain and Keep in Good

repair any and every Buildings Walls and Enclosure that is or may

&c

This was the lease of the island of St Helena. The Company, as lords proprietors of the island, granted to John Goodwin, gentleman, all that piece of ground lying in James Valley, bounded north on the Company's garden, south on ground belonging to John French senior, west on land belonging to Goodwin himself, and east or backwards partly on the Company's new pond and partly on the ground of John French. It contained in breadth next Goodwin's own ground 66 feet or thereabouts, in breadth next the Company's garden 81 feet or thereabouts, in depth next the ground of John French senior 66 feet or thereabouts, and in the back 66 feet or thereabouts, together with all its appurtenances, to have and to hold to John Goodwin, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, from the date of the deed for the term of twenty-one years.

The grant was on condition that Goodwin, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should bear true faith and allegiance to King George the Second and his heirs and successors, and should duly obey all the laws and constitutions of the island, yielding and paying yearly to the Company, its successors, agents or assigns the sum of ten shillings a year on the feast of St Michael, and on further condition that Goodwin, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should maintain and keep in good repair any and every building, wall and enclosure that stood or might.

Interpretations

This is the formal lease executed to John Goodwin for the small parcel of building ground he had asked for at the previous consultation, the deed setting out in full the terms on which the Company let its land. It grants for a fixed term of twenty-one years, the lawful form the council had been at pains to enforce throughout the year, in place of the leases on lives and for ninety-nine years it had found let against the Company's orders.

The bounding of the parcel by its neighbours fixes it exactly in the manner of an island town lot, the ground known by what lay on each side of it, the Company's garden to the north, John French's ground to the south and east, and Goodwin's own land to the west. The measurement in feet on all four sides, each given as so many feet or thereabouts, marks it as a small building plot rather than a plantation, the crowded ground about the fort let by exact measure where no survey by acreage served.

The conditions of the grant show the twin obligations the Company laid on every tenant, allegiance and repair. The requirement to bear true faith to the Crown and obey the laws of the island bound the tenant as a subject as well as a lessee, and the covenant to keep every building, wall and enclosure in good repair protected the Company's reversion, ensuring that what stood on the ground would be maintained through the term and returned in good order at its end.

The reserved rent of ten shillings a year payable at Michaelmas marks both the value of building ground and the form of the tenure. The fixed yearly sum, due on a named feast day, was the acknowledgement of the Company's continuing ownership, the tenant holding the ground only so long as he paid and performed, the whole let in the full language of an English lease so that the Company's title to the land it let was preserved intact behind every grant, the private plot held on terms as strict as any manor's.

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be hereafter erected or Built on the said Ground or any Part thereof, and here

and as often as need may require so that the same shall be and remain

enclosed and Kept in good Repair during the Whole term of this Lease

and at the Expiration thereof he the said John Goodwin his Executors

Administrators or Assigns shall leave the same in the same

Condition and Good Repair and not suffer the said Ground Enclosure

or Buildings to run to ruin or decay and Upon Condition

that the said John Goodwin his Executors Administrators or Assigns

shall not sett or dispose of this Lease or Interest their in without

the Leave and Consent of the Governour and Council for the time

being In Witness whereof we the said Governour and Council

have sett our hands and Affixed the Honble Companys seal this

Seventeenth day of December in the Nineteenth Year of the Reign

of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France and Ireland King defender of the faith and so forth

and in the Year of our Lord 1745 and We the said John Goodwin

to the other Part hath sett his hand and seal the day and year

above Written

Signed David Dunbar

Charles Hutchinson

Chris Dixon

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

I sign this Consultation with an exception to the false & scandalous libel or St

signd Vented by Mr Dixon as Secretary Augt 22 1745

David Dunbar

I sign to Cart, of this Consultation, as a Complaint from the Governour of Mr Dixon

and a Representation from Mr Dixon of his Case Cha Hutchinson

I do the Same John Goodwin

I likewise Agree there to Purling

The lease continued that any building thereafter erected on the ground, as often as need required, should be kept enclosed and in good repair through the whole term, and that at its expiry Goodwin, his executors, administrators or assigns should leave the ground, enclosure and buildings in the same good condition and not suffer them to run to ruin or decay. It was on further condition that Goodwin, his executors, administrators or assigns should not assign or dispose of the lease, or their interest in it, without the leave and consent of the Governor and council for the time being. In witness of this the Governor and council had set their hands and affixed the Company's seal on 17 December, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second and in the year of our Lord 1745, and Goodwin for his part had set his hand and seal the day and year above written. The deed was signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Dunbar signed the consultation with an exception to the false and scandalous libel in the account signed and vented by Dixon as secretary on 22 August 1745.

Hutchinson signed only that part of the consultation which was a complaint from the Governor against Dixon and a representation from Dixon of his case. John Goodwin did the same, and Purling likewise agreed to it.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the lease to John Goodwin with its covenants of repair and against assignment, and then records the councillors qualifying their signatures to the consultation itself, the quarrel between the Governor and Dixon surfacing even in the manner of subscribing the record. The lease ends in two standard protections of the Company's interest, the tenant bound to keep and return the ground in good repair and forbidden to assign the lease without the Company's consent, so that the Company controlled both the condition of its land and who should hold it.

The bar on assignment without leave was the very control the council had spent the year enforcing, having found the planters selling and transferring leases without the Company's knowledge or registration. By writing the restriction into Goodwin's deed, the council kept the power to approve any future holder of the ground, ensuring that the land could not pass out of its oversight by private sale, the same discipline applied to a small town plot as to the great plantation leases.

The Governor's qualified signature exposes how far the quarrel with Dixon had poisoned the ordinary business of the board. Dunbar would not simply sign the consultation but added an express exception, denouncing as a false and scandalous libel the account Dixon had entered as secretary, so that even the formal record of the meeting became a further field of the dispute, the Governor refusing to let Dixon's version stand unchallenged on the very page that contained it.

The careful signatures of the other three councillors mark their unwillingness to take sides beyond what the record strictly required. Hutchinson, Goodwin and Purling each subscribed only that the consultation contained a complaint from the Governor and a representation from Dixon, declining to endorse either man's account as true, a studied neutrality that left the substance of the quarrel wholly to the Court of Directors. It shows the small board protecting itself, recording the dispute without judging it, each member guarding his own position between the Governor and a fellow councillor by signing to the fact of the complaint alone and not to its merits.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 31 December 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read and Approved.

The Council this day delivered their

Opinions agreable to the Governours request last Consultation

concerning his Complaint against Mr Dixon Viz

Sir

In Obedience to your Commands we

have Considered the Report you Laid before us, some days ago of

Mr Dixons Behaviour to you. As Mr Dixon then declared

that it never was his Intention to give you the Least Offence

in any manner whatever, and has Since offered to ask your

Pardon for what passed, we were in hopes these Acknowledgments

would have been accepted.

We are very Sensible Sir of the great

Care that the Honble the Court of Directors, have been pleased

to take of the person of their Governour, to whom, we think all

due Respect ought to be Shewed, we must beg leave to observe to

you at the same time; that the Government of this Island, by the

Honble Company's repeated orders, is Lodged in the Governour

and Council, and that every thing is directed to be transacted by a

majority

At a consultation held on Tuesday 31 December 1745 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The council this day delivered its opinion, as the Governor had asked at the last consultation, on his complaint against Dixon.

Addressing the Governor, the council said that in obedience to his commands it had considered the report he had laid before it some days ago of Dixon's behaviour to him. As Dixon had declared that it never was his intention to give the Governor the least offence in any manner whatever, and had since offered to ask his pardon for what passed, the council was in hopes these acknowledgements would have been accepted.

It was very sensible of the great care the Court of Directors had been pleased to take of the person of their Governor, to whom it thought all due respect ought to be shown, but it begged leave to observe at the same time that the government of the island, by the Company's repeated orders, was lodged in the Governor and council, and that everything was directed to be transacted by a majority.

Interpretations

This is the council's answer to the Governor's complaint against Dixon, and it declines, courteously but firmly, to give Dunbar the vindication he had demanded. Rather than condemn Dixon, the board pointed to his having disclaimed any intention to offend and offered to ask pardon, treating those acknowledgements as sufficient and expressing its hope that the Governor would accept them and let the matter drop.

The council's opening deference to the Court's care for the person of their Governor was the necessary courtesy before the refusal that followed. Having granted that the Governor was owed all due respect, the board immediately turned to the constitutional point that undercut his whole position, that the government of the island was lodged not in the Governor alone but in the Governor and council together, so that the respect due to him did not raise him above the board.

The insistence that everything was to be transacted by a majority is the heart of the council's answer and the direct check on the Governor's pretensions. Dunbar had reached for martial law and the authority of a commander in chief to punish Dixon on his own, but the council reminded him that the Company's repeated orders made the island a civil government by majority decision, in which the Governor was first among the members but bound by their collective voice, not a military commander able to confine and break a subordinate at will.

The whole answer marks the limit of the Governor's power over his own board and the council's defence of its collective authority. Faced with a Governor demanding that it endorse his quarrel and treat an insult to him as an affront to the Court, the council instead affirmed the constitution under which it sat, declining to be made the instrument of his resentment against a fellow member and holding the government to be shared among them all, the quarrel resolved not by punishing Dixon but by reasserting that no single man, not even the Governor, ruled the island alone.

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Majority, as may be seen by the 4to & and 5 paragraph of this Letter of 21 march

9777 pr me of Amelia the 4 D°

15 D° 1718 pr Cragg

the 3 D°

5 May 1725 pr Drake

the 32 D°

23 No 1726 pr Prince Frederick

And by the 26 D°

7 Jan Sept 39 Royal Guardian

A Governour therefore although he is Chief

in the Administration, has but a Single Vote in it, and Cannot Conse

quently have power in himself, to confine any Gentleman of the Council

But as you think proper Sir to resent

the Affront you received from Mr Dixon by putting him under

Arrest we Apprehend, that we cannot regularly in a Case thus Circum

stanced, give any other Opinion upon it, than that it should be

referred to the Honble the Court of Directors

How far, and in what Cases the Articles

of War, (which is the Martial Law) are to be in force here, and by

whom such Cases are to be tried, we hope the Honble the Court of

Directors will be pleased to determine for our Guidance, As that

Law, seems to us at Present to be intended to take place, in some

Particular Circumstances only, that do not fall under the Cognizance

of the Common Law of England.

As you tell us that you will Represent

Mr Ashwick's Affair to the Honble the Court of Directors We think

we have no occasion to take any Notice of it.

Signd

Chas Hutchinson

St Helena John Goodwin

31 December 1745 Purling

The Govr this day acquainted us that

notwithstanding Mr Trequam had been lately Ordered not to retail spirituous

Liquors

The council continued that this might be seen by the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the Company's letter of 21 March, brought by the Princess Amelia:

15: the same, 1718, brought by the Craggs

the same, 5 February 1725, brought by the Drake

the same, 25 November 1726, brought by the Princess

and by the 26th, of January, brought by the Royal Guardian

A Governor, therefore, although he was chief in the administration, had but a single vote in it, and consequently had no power in himself to confine any gentleman of the council. But as the Governor thought proper to resent the affront he had received from Dixon by putting him under arrest, the council held that it could not regularly, in a case so circumstanced, give any other opinion upon it than that it should be referred to the Court of Directors.

How far, and in what cases, the Articles of War, which were the martial law, were to be in force on the island, and by whom such cases were to be tried, the council hoped the Court of Directors would be pleased to determine for its guidance, that law seeming to it at present to be intended to take place only in some particular circumstances that did not fall under the cognisance of the common law of England.

As the Governor had told the council that he would represent Ashwick's affair to the Court of Directors, the council thought it had no occasion to take any notice of it. The opinion was signed at St Helena on 31 December 1745 by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

The Governor this day told the council that, notwithstanding Twynam had lately been ordered not to sell his liquor.

Interpretations

This leaf completes the council's opinion on the Governor's complaint, resting its whole judgement on the constitutional limit of the Governor's power and referring the disputed questions to the Court. The board grounded its answer in the Company's own letters, citing the paragraphs by which the government was lodged in the Governor and council together, so that its refusal to endorse the Governor's action stood on the Company's written orders rather than on any view of its own.

The plainest statement of the whole matter is the council's holding that the Governor, though chief in the administration, had but a single vote and no power in himself to confine a member of the council. This was the direct answer to Dunbar's reaching for the authority of a commander in chief, the board declaring that his confinement of Dixon exceeded his lawful power, a Governor bound by the majority having no right to arrest a fellow councillor on his own authority.

The council's careful referral of the martial law question to the Court marks the genuine uncertainty at the heart of the dispute. Neither the Governor nor the council could say for certain whether the Articles of War applied on the island, and in what cases, so the board declined to decide it, holding that martial law seemed intended only for particular circumstances outside the common law and asking the Court to determine the point for its future guidance rather than resolving it itself.

The board's disposal of Ashwick's affair completes its studied withdrawal from the quarrel. Since the Governor had said he would lay that matter before the Court, the council held it need take no notice of it, leaving both the complaint against Dixon and the affair of the lieutenant to London and confining itself to the single constitutional point it was sure of. The opening of the next matter, the Governor returning to Twynam's liquor despite the earlier order, shows the ordinary business of the board resuming even as the great quarrel passed out of its hands to the Court, the small council closing the year with its collective authority affirmed and the personal dispute referred away.

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he was informd, He had since that sold half a gall of Cape Brandy

to Mr Delise Whereupon they were Ordered both to be Summoned

to attend next Consultation

Cha Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

7 January 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

Agreable to an Order of last

Consultation, Mr Trequam, and Mr Delise attended, and Mr

Trequam was Called in, and asked how he came to retail

Spiritious Liquors, after he had been so Lately Ordered in

Council to the Contrary, When Mr Trequam denyd, he had retailed

any, Since that Order.

The Governor told the council that Twynam had since sold half a gallon of cape brandy to Mr Deloise, on which they were both ordered to be summoned to attend the next consultation.

The consultation was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 January 1746 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

As ordered at the last consultation, Twynam and Deloise attended, and Twynam was called in and asked how he came to retail spirituous liquor after he had been so lately ordered in council to the contrary. On being asked whether he had retailed any since that order, Twynam denied that he had.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the year's last consultation and opens the first of the new year, both taken up with the small but persistent matter of Twynam and his liquor. The Governor's report that Twynam had sold cape brandy to Deloise despite the recent order shows the council's authority over the private trader being tested, the man who had earlier overcharged on his sugar now defying the direction against retailing at all.

The summoning of both the seller and the buyer marks the council's method of establishing the facts of a breach. Rather than act on the Governor's word alone, the board called Twynam and Deloise both to attend, so that the sale could be proved or denied before it, the same measured procedure by which it took up every contested matter, the parties brought before it and heard before anything was determined.

The carrying of the matter across the turn of the year, from the consultation of 31 December to that of 7 January, shows the council pursuing even a trifling infraction to its settlement rather than letting it drop. A sale of half a gallon of brandy was a small thing, but the council had ordered Twynam not to retail, and his apparent breach of that order touched its authority, so the board would see the matter through, the order it had made requiring to be vindicated however petty the offence.

Twynam's flat denial that he had retailed any liquor since the order sets up the same kind of contested fact the council had lately faced in the quarrel between the Governor and Dixon, one man's assertion against another's. The board would have to weigh the Governor's report of the sale against Twynam's denial, and the presence of Deloise, the alleged buyer, offered the means to resolve it, the council once again picking its way toward the truth of a disputed matter through the testimony of those concerned, the regulation of the island's petty trade pursued with the same care as its gravest business.

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Whereupon Mr Delise was called

in, and being Sworn, and Examined saith, That she went to Mr Trequams House,

and Bought of him 1 of Tea, a Pint 2 of Sugar, and ½ a Gall of Spiritous

Liquor for which she gave him 10, or there abouts, and the Money was deducted

for the Tea, and Sugar, According to the Price beside Each of it Appeared

that he had received for these Gall of Liquor 7/6

This being Looked upon as a Contempt

of authority he was fined 40 and paid it into the Honble Companies

Cash accordingly

Mr Dixon this day laid before us the

following report Viz

Gentlemen,

St Helena 7 Jan 1745 6

The white men, which have been Employed

on Hedging, ditching, Sowing, and weeding this &c for the Honble

Company sometime past, may now be discharged, they having as far finished

the raw ditch, which the Close part of the House found that what is

Wanting now, may be done by the Companies own Slaves who can

Hedge, and make Hay as well as the White men.

There is now in the House found upwards

of twenty Acres of Ground ready to sow with Grain, and Part of that We hard

Intend to sow Wheat, and Barley, I have Manured

The Barley, which grew in the House found

being ripe at a time, when I had the Misfortune to be Confined with a broken

Leg, great Part of it was lost, before it was Cutt, as soon as I was able

&c

Deloise was then called in, and being sworn and examined, said that she went to Twynam's house and bought of him 1 pound of tea, about 2 pounds of sugar and half a gallon of spirituous liquor, for which she gave him 10s or thereabouts, and the money was deducted for the tea and sugar according to the price they held; so that it appeared each was priced, and that he had received for the half gallon of liquor 7s 6d.

This being looked upon as a contempt of authority, the council fined Twynam 10s and paid it into the Company's cash accordingly.

The Governor this day laid before the council the following report. Writing from St Helena on 7 January 1746 and addressing the council, he set out the following.

The white men who had been employed on hedging, ditching, sinking and sawing for the Company for some time past might now be discharged, they having so far finished the raw ditch, the closer part of the work found needful, that what else was wanting now might be done by the Company's own slaves, who could hedge and make hay as well as the white men.

There was now in the fort plantation upward of twenty acres of ground ready to sow with grain, and the best of that the Governor intended to sow with wheat and barley, having manured it.

The barley which grew in the fort plantation being ripe at one time, when he had the misfortune to be confined, a very great part of it was lost before it was cut. As soon as he was able.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the Twynam affair with a fine and opens the Governor's report on the Company's own farming, the two joined only by their sequence in the consultation. Deloise's sworn account settled the disputed sale, her evidence that she had bought half a gallon of liquor and been charged seven and sixpence for it proving the breach Twynam had denied, so that the council, finding the sale a contempt of its authority, fined him ten shillings into the Company's cash.

The reckoning by which the price of the liquor was established shows the council's care to prove the offence exactly. Deloise's ten shillings covered tea, sugar and brandy together, and by deducting the known prices of the tea and sugar the board fixed what she had paid for the liquor alone, seven and sixpence, so that the fact of the forbidden retail sale rested not on assertion but on a demonstrated figure, the same exactness the council brought to every disputed account.

The Governor's report turns to the deliberate policy of freeing the Company from hired labour by using its own slaves and enlarging its own farming. Dunbar proposed to discharge the white men employed on the hedging and ditching now that the heavy work was done, holding that the Company's slaves could do the remaining hedging and haymaking as well, a saving of the establishment's charges that fitted his standing drive to cut the cost of the hired hands.

The sowing of wheat and barley in the fort plantation marks the Company's own attempt to grow grain on an island where it would not readily ripen. Dunbar's mention of the barley lost the previous season, ripe all at once while he lay confined and much of it spoiled before it could be cut, records the difficulty of the venture, the crop wanting close attention at harvest and failing when it did not receive it. It shows the Governor pressing the enlargement of the Company's own plantations that the record has traced through the year, the island seeking to feed its garrison from its own ground rather than the planters' market, the grain sown despite the plain hazards of raising it in such a place.

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I was carried in to the Country and had it Cut down, and threshed,

and the produce was about 32 Bushells, an Exceeding good barlyed

Grain, and I believe will make good Malt.

Signed

Chris Dixon

The foregoing report being Arrogant & in part false, particularly in

relation to the Ditch which is of no Use if as there are no precedents to

in the books for such reports, I therefore Except against it

David Dunbar

If the Ditch mentioned in the Husbands Report, has not been properly made,

it should be enlarged, if it is thought necessary

Cha Hutchinson

The latter part of this Consultation being a Report from

the Husband I sign to it as Such John Goodwin

I also do the Same Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 14 January 1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

The Governour this day loit

before us the following proposal, and desired our advice, and Opinions

upon it. Viz

Propose

The Governor continued that it was carried into the country and had it cut down and threshed, and the produce was about 32 bushels, an exceeding good barley grain, which he believed would make good malt. The report was signed by Dixon.

Governor Dunbar noted that the foregoing report was arrogant and in part false, particularly in relation to the ditch, which was of no use, and as there were no precedents in the books for such reports, he took exception against it.

Hutchinson noted that if the ditch mentioned in the husband's report had not been properly made, it should be enlarged, if it were thought necessary.

The latter part of this consultation being a report from the husband, John Goodwin signed it as such, and Purling did the same.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 January 1746 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor this day laid before the council the following proposal, and asked its advice and opinion upon it.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the report on the Company's farming and shows the quarrel between the Governor and Dixon flaring again over the very manner of subscribing it, the personal enmity reaching into the routine record. The report itself, signed by Dixon as husband, ended with the barley crop threshed out at some thirty-two bushels of grain fit for malt, an account of the season's small harvest on the fort plantation.

The Governor's exception to the report exposes how far the feud had spread beyond the original insult. Dunbar would not let Dixon's report stand unmarked but denounced it as arrogant and in part false, singling out the ditch as useless and objecting that no precedent existed in the books for such a report, turning even a husband's account of the harvest into a further field of the dispute, the Governor challenging Dixon at every point.

Hutchinson's measured note on the ditch marks the other councillors' effort to treat the matter on its merits rather than as a quarrel. Where the Governor condemned the ditch as useless, Hutchinson observed only that if it had not been properly made it might be enlarged if thought necessary, a practical judgement on the work itself that quietly declined to join the Governor's attack on Dixon, the same neutrality the board had shown throughout the feud.

The careful signatures of Goodwin and Purling, subscribing only that the latter part of the consultation was a report from the husband, continue the board's studied refusal to take sides. As with the earlier complaint, the councillors qualified their signatures to record the fact of the report without endorsing either the Governor's condemnation or Dixon's account, guarding their own positions between the two men. The turn to a fresh proposal from the Governor at the foot of the leaf shows the ordinary business of the board resuming once more, the persistent quarrel running alongside the council's regular work as the new year opened.

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Propose to the Soldiers, whose time

Expires next May, who have Petitioned to be Discharged.

That if they will inlist again, they

Shall have five Guineas pr Man, and if any of them return the

Money within one Year after the first of August next, such man

Shall have his discharge, or half the Money, within one Year more

Or if any man will inlist for three

years, such man shall have four Guineas, and Shall have his discht

in one Year, upon returning the Money, or half in two Years.

Or if any of the men, who have petitioned

to be Discharged, are willing to go to Bencoolen as a Soldier, pr next

Store Ship, such man Shall have four Guineas, now paid him.

If any of the men, whose time Expire

within 18 Months, or more, I mean those, who Came with Governour

Lambert, or with the Officer next after him, are willing to Enlist

for any farther time, Each man 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 Guineas, for the

Number of Years, I for what they agree to Enlist, 5 Guineas for as many

Year, which is some risque to the Honourable Company as some

may happen to dye before their present time of service Expires,

by which the Money now advanced would be Lost.

If any Soldier, who has been here 1,

2, or 3 Years is willing to Renew the time again, such man shall

have a Guinea for Each Year, now in hand paid him.

And as all the Garrison must be

Sensible of the Great Generosity, and Goodness of the Honble

Company, in not Only Bestowing the Cloathing, but also in

Providing Comfortable Lodging for them, and reducing the Prices of

every thing in the Stores to very near the Prime Cost, and in Causing

a markett to be Sett up, by which they are Enabled to Live more

Comfortably

The Governor's proposal concerned the soldiers whose time expired next May and who had asked to be discharged.

If they would enlist again, they should have five guineas a man, and if any of them returned the money within one year after the first of August next, such a man should have his discharge, or half the money within one year more.

Or if any man would enlist for three years, such a man should have four guineas, and should have his discharge in one year on returning the money, or half in two years.

Or if any of the men who had asked to be discharged were willing to go to Bencoolen as a soldier by the next store ship, such a man should have four guineas paid him now.

If any of the men whose time expired within eighteen months or more, meaning those who came with Governor Lambert or with the officer next after him, were willing to enlist for any further time, each man should have one, two, three, four or five guineas for the number of years, for which they agreed to enlist, at a guinea for each year. This carried some risk to the Company, as some might happen to die before their present time of service expired, by which the money now advanced would be lost.

If any soldier who had been there two or three years was willing to renew his time, such a man should have a guinea for each year, now paid him.

As all the garrison must be sensible of the great generosity and goodness of the Company, in not only bestowing the clothing but also in providing comfortable lodging for them, and reducing the prices of everything in the store to very near the prime cost, and in causing a market to be set up, by which they were enabled to live more comfortably.

Interpretations

This is the Governor's proposal for re-enlisting the garrison, a graduated scheme of bounties designed to keep the men whose terms were expiring rather than lose them and their service. It shows the constant difficulty of manning a remote garrison, the Company obliged to buy the continued service of soldiers free to go, offering higher bounties for longer terms and a range of options to suit every man's inclination.

The structure of the bounties reveals the Company balancing its need against its risk. Five guineas were offered for open-ended re-enlistment and four for a fixed three years, with the money returnable in exchange for an earlier discharge, a device that bound the man for a time while letting him buy his freedom by repaying the bounty, the Company securing his service now against the chance he might later wish to leave.

The Governor's frank acknowledgement of the risk to the Company marks the gamble in advancing bounties on future service. He noted that paying a guinea a year for the whole term of an enlistment meant the Company might lose its money if a man died before his existing time even expired, the bounty advanced against service he might never live to render, a candid reckoning of the hazard the scheme carried.

The closing appeal to the Company's generosity was the argument by which the Governor hoped to move the men to re-enlist. By reminding the garrison of the clothing bestowed, the comfortable lodging provided, the store prices reduced near to cost, and the market set up for their benefit, Dunbar sought to present continued service as a fair return for the Company's care, the whole run of the season's provisions for the soldiers, the clothing, the barracks and the cheap store, gathered into a case for their loyalty, the bounties offered as generosity rather than mere necessity.

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Comfortably, all which Encouragements, and Conveniencies are but

now and a Strong proof of the Honble Company's great Tenderness,

and Regard for them.

It is therefore hoped, that one, and all,

or most of them will Agree to one of the Proposals now made to

them, and which will very much Oblige the Gentlemen in

the Council here, and which Sir in particular shall take as a mark

of their good Liking of my treatment of them.

Upon reading, and Considering the

above, it was agreed to give the Money proposed by the Govr to such

men, whose Contracted time is already Expired, and also to those

whose times Expire, in may not Spare, none Else, Except a few, which

the Governour say, he hath already contracted with, Thinking

it too great inequit advance so much money to men, who have yet

upwards of 18 Month, and some two, or three Years to serve, These

Men, who have agreed to serve the Honble Company, signed the

following Contract, and received their advance Money Accordingly

Viz

St Helena January the 8 1745

We all the underwritten Soldiers in the

Honourable East India Company's Service upon this Island,

whose time of Service is Yett unexpired Doe hereby Voluntarily

and Voluntarily agree Each for himself, in consideration of

five Guineas, now in hand paid to Each of us, to Serve the said

Honble Company, five years, after the Expiration of our

present contracted time, upon the Conditions proposed to us by

the Governour, which are, that if within twelve months, after

the first of August next, any of us do return the five Guineas, now

paid to Each of us, such man shall have his discharge, or upon any

of us returning the Moiety, or Halfe of the five guineas, as Within

one Year, after the said first of August next Come twelve

Months

The Governor concluded that all these encouragements and conveniences were but new and strong proof of the Company's great tenderness and regard for the soldiers.

It was therefore hoped that all, or most of them, would agree to one of the proposals now made to them, which would very much oblige the gentlemen in the council, and which the Governor in particular would take as a mark of their good liking of his treatment of them.

On reading and considering the above, the council agreed to give the money proposed by the Governor to such men whose contracted time was already expired, and also to those whose time expired in May, but none else, except a few whom the Governor said he had already contracted with, thinking it too great an irregularity to advance so much money to men who had yet upward of a month, and some two or three years, to serve. Those men who had agreed to serve the Company signed the following contract and received their advance money accordingly.

Writing from St Helena on 8 January 1746, all the undersigned soldiers in the Company's service on the island, whose time of service was yet unexpired, freely and voluntarily agreed, each for himself, in consideration of five guineas now paid to each of them, to serve the Company five years after the expiration of their present contracted time, on the conditions proposed to them by the Governor, which were that if within twelve months after the first of August next any of them returned the five guineas now paid to each, such a man should have his discharge, or on any of them returning the money, or half of the five guineas, within one year after the first of August next.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the Governor's re-enlistment proposal and records the council's qualified adoption of it, together with the contract the soldiers signed. The Governor's peroration cast the whole scheme as evidence of the Company's tenderness, and pressed the men further by making their re-enlistment a personal compliment to himself, hoping they would take one of the proposals as a mark of their liking for his treatment of them.

The council's response shows it accepting the substance of the scheme while checking its extent. The board agreed to pay the bounty to the men whose terms had expired or expired in May, but refused to extend it to those with a year or more still to serve, holding it too great an irregularity to advance so much money for service not yet due, and so pruned the Governor's proposal to what it thought prudent, the same care against irregular advances the council brought to every matter of the Company's money.

The reservation of the few the Governor had already contracted with marks a small friction between the Governor and the board. Dunbar had evidently committed the Company to some men before laying the scheme before the council, which the board allowed to stand while declining to sanction any further such advances, a quiet reminder that the power to bind the Company's cash lay with the council and not the Governor alone, consistent with the constitutional point it had pressed throughout the recent quarrel.

The contract itself put the bargain into binding form, the soldiers agreeing in writing to serve five years beyond their present terms in return for the five guineas paid now. The condition allowing a man to buy his discharge by repaying the bounty within a set time was the same device the proposal had offered, securing the Company the men's present service while leaving them a way out at their own cost, the whole reduced to a signed instrument so that the obligation on each side stood fixed and provable, the manning of the garrison settled by a formal contract as carefully drawn as any lease or deed of the island.

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Months, then such man shall have his discharge.

Signed

John his X Wills Thos his X Wagg Ben Williams senr

mark mark

Daniel Langton Andrew his X Barter Chr Mountegue

mark

Woulston Jones Ben his X Williams junr

Laurence B Peterson mark

Wm his X Page mark Wm his X Amri

mark John his X Smyth mark

mark John F Elwood

Joseph Andrew mark

Thos his X Hockpartick

Amo Lassence Willm Turner mark

St Helena January the 9 1745

We the Subscribers, Soldiers in the

Honble the East India Company's Service upon this Island, Doe

hereby Chearfully, and Voluntarily accept of the proposal made to us

for renewing the past time of the term contracted for by Each of us

to serve the Honourable Company And do accordingly agree, to

Enlist Our Selves to Serve the Number of Years, already Spent

here, in addition to what remains of our first Contract, which

additional time is to Commence from the next Ensuall day of our

Landing upon this Island and this we agree to in Consideration

of a Guinea pr Year of the past time, now in hand payd to us, as

annexed to Each of our Names, but upon Condition that if any of us

Shall return the money, now advanced on, or after the first of August

next, after the Expiration of our first Contract, such man shall have

his discharge.

In the Swift Sloop in 1743

in the Month of Novr

In the Caesar

2 Guineas Willm Bateman Abraham his X Major

Each Thos his X Paine mark

mark John Smith

Peter his X Urkenburg John Fletcher

mark 2 Guineas Thomas Stratton

Each Thos Crane

Samuel Wilson

Wm Becket

William Gong

The contract concluded that if any returned the money, then such a man should have his discharge. It was signed by the following:

John Wills, his mark

Daniel Langton

Woulston Jones

William Page, his mark

Joseph Andrew

Amos Jefferee

Thomas Wagg, his mark

Andrew Barton, his mark

Laurence Peterson, his mark

John Smyth, his mark

William Turner

Ben Williams senior

Charles Mountegue

Ben William junior, his mark

William Amri, his mark

John Elford, his mark

Thomas Kentrick, his mark

A second contract was made, writing from St Helena on 9 January 1746. All the undersigned soldiers in the Company's service on the island freely and voluntarily accepted the proposal made to them for renewing the past time of the term contracted for by each of them to serve the Company, and accordingly agreed to enlist themselves to serve the number of years already spent there, in addition to what remained of their first contract, the additional time to commence from the next twelvemonth day of their landing on the island. This they agreed to in consideration of a guinea a year of the past time, now paid to them and annexed to each of their names, but on condition that if any of them returned the money now advanced, on or after the first of August next, after the expiration of their first contract, such a man should have his discharge.

In the Swift sloop in 1743, in the month of November, 2 guineas each:

William Bateman

Thomas Paine, his mark

Peter Wickenburg, his mark

In the Caesar, 2 guineas each:

Abraham Major, his mark

John Smith

John Fletcher

Thomas Stritton

Thomas Crane

Samuel Wilson

William Beckett

William Gong

Interpretations

This leaf carries the signatures to the first re-enlistment contract and sets out a second, distinct bargain for the men who agreed to serve for the years they had already spent on the island. The great number of marks rather than signatures among the soldiers, the crosses set by men who could not write, marks the common condition of the garrison's rank and file, the contract read to them and subscribed by the hand of another where a man could not sign his own name.

The second contract addresses a different class of men and a different kind of bounty from the first. Where the earlier agreement bought five years of future service for five guineas, this one paid a guinea for each year the men had already served, engaging them to serve that same number of years afresh in addition to what remained of their first terms, a device by which the Company retained experienced soldiers by rewarding their past service with fresh obligation.

The grouping of the men by the ship that brought them fixes each soldier's origin and term of service exactly. Those who came in the Swift sloop in November 1743 and those who came in the Caesar are listed apart, each group at two guineas, the ship of arrival serving as the record of when a man's service had begun and so of how much back time his bounty covered, the garrison's manning traced to the very vessels that had carried the recruits out.

The condition allowing repayment for discharge, common to both contracts, shows the Company binding the men while leaving them a purchased way out. As with the first agreement, a soldier might recover his freedom by returning the bounty after his original term expired, so that the Company secured the continued service it needed now while the man retained the option to leave later at his own cost. The whole, reduced to signed and witnessed contracts grouped by ship and bounty, marks the careful formality with which the establishment managed the one resource it could least spare, the men who garrisoned a remote island and were always free to go home.

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Mr Dixon this Day delivered the following

report Viz

St Helena January the 14 1745

Gentlemen,

I am sorry to acquaint you, that great part

of the Honble Company's plantation in Bombee Gut will not

produce Yam to defray the Expence of Planting, they rott after being

planted five or Six months, and when I saw this, which was the last

time it was dug, I ordered a piece of Ground be hind the Square,

which will hold about fifty thousand Yams, to be Cleared, and planted,

as soon as possible, and now Most of it is Planted, and the Yams

grow very well. The Ground, that hath so faild in it, heretofore,

contained about one hundred thousand Yams, so that there is

Still a necessity of Clearing, and Planting more Ground, in order

to make good the other, that hath faild, and to Enlarge this

plantation, which lies so near, and Convenient to the plantation

House, and this may be done at the lower End of the same Valley,

or Gutt.

There is now planted in the

Soldiers Plantation in James Valley upwards of fifty

thousand Yams, More than was before, and I have also

Encreased the plantation in Sandy bay Valley about Sixty

thousand Yams, and am now digging and Clearing more ground

there, in order to make Still a farther Enlargement, the Ground

at both places producing well.

And notwithstanding the Plantations

are Enlarged, the Encrease of the Expence of Yams far Exceed the

Enlargment thereof, There being now neither rice, nor paddy in

the Honble Companies Stores for Either their Black, or Poultry so

that they are fed intirely upon Yam. The Consumption of Yams

therefore being so great, that it will be unpossible for the plantations

&c

Dixon this day delivered the following report. Writing from St Helena on 14 January 1746 and addressing the council, he set out the following.

He was sorry to tell the council that a great part of the Company's plantation in Bamboo Gut would not produce yams enough to defray the expense of planting, they rotting after being planted five or six months, and when he saw this, which was the last time it was dug, he ordered a piece of ground behind the square, which would hold about fifty thousand yams, to be cleared and planted as soon as possible, and now most of it was planted, and the yams grew very well. The ground that had so failed in its produce contained about one hundred thousand yams, so that there was still need of clearing and planting more ground, in order to make good the other that had failed, and to enlarge this plantation, which lay so near and convenient to the Plantation House; and this might be done at the lower end of the same valley or gut.

There was now planted in the soldiers' plantation in James Valley upward of fifty thousand yams, more than there was before, and he had also increased the plantation in Sandy Bay Valley by about fifty thousand yams, and was now digging and clearing more ground there, in order to make still a further enlargement, the ground at both places producing well.

Notwithstanding the plantations were enlarged, the increase of the expense of yams far exceeded the enlargement of them, there being now neither rice nor paddy in the Company's stores for either the blacks, hogs or poultry, so that they were fed entirely upon yams. The consumption of yams therefore being so great, it would be impossible for the plantations.

Interpretations

This is the husband's report on the state of the Company's yam plantations, the staple crop on which the whole settlement depended for its bread and much of its stock feed. Dixon set out both the failure of one plantation and his efforts to make good the loss by clearing and planting fresh ground, the report a candid account of the difficulty of keeping the island fed from its own soil.

The failure of the Bamboo Gut plantation exposes the precariousness of the yam crop. A great part of it, some hundred thousand yams, had rotted after five or six months in the ground and would not even repay the cost of planting, a loss that obliged the husband to clear new ground behind the square to make good the deficiency, the crop liable to fail in the ground and the plantation always needing renewal to keep its yield up.

The enlargements at James Valley and Sandy Bay mark the deliberate policy the record has traced through the year, the Company extending its own plantations to free itself from the planters' market. Dixon reported adding fifty thousand yams at each and clearing still more ground, the same drive to grow the island's provision on the Company's own land that the Governor had pressed with the grain sowing, the plantations pushed wider to feed the garrison and the establishment from the Company's own crop.

The exhaustion of the store's rice and paddy fixes the pressure behind all this planting. With no eastern grain left for the slaves, the hogs or the poultry, the whole consumption fell on the yams, so that the crop had to feed not only the people but the stock, and the enlargement of the plantations could not keep pace with the demand. It shows the island living at the margin of its own provision, the yam standing in for both bread and grain feed once the store's rice was gone, the husband's report a warning that even the extended plantations might not meet a consumption that had outrun them.

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to continue it. which makes it highley necessary for us to find out some

Expedient to Lessen this great Expence, which I think may be done

by planting in the House found 20, or 30 Bushels of Pottatoes, which

will be very little more Expence to the Honble Company than the

first Cost of them, and that is but 4 or five Shillings a Bushel

because I would plant them with the Plow, as is done in many parts

in the North of England; and from the produce of those Pottatoes, the

runing stock of Hogs may be fed. Which by my Acct you see

Encrease very fast and therefore some provision ought to be made

for them; And if there should be more, than would feed the Hogs, the

rest might Either be sold, or given to the Honble Company's Negroes in stead

of Yam, which would Ease their plantations greatly and would thereby

Enable them to Supply more of their Garrison people with Yam who

cannot be served Else where.

Signed Chris Dixon

Agreed, that the Enlarging of the plantation

be continued, and that Pottatoes be Planted in the House found as

proposed.

Andrew Blindman Corporal presented

a Petition desiring to become Tenant to the Honble Company for a

Piece of Ground in James Valley to Build upon, and it being no ways

Prejudicial to any one his request was granted.

The Husband Gunner, and Steward

this Day delivered Each their Accounts for the Month of Decr

Last, which were Examined, and Approved, and are as follows

Viz

Accounts

Dixon continued that it would be impossible for the plantations to keep pace, which made it highly necessary to find some way to lessen this great expense, which he thought might be done by planting in the fort plantation 20 or 30 bushels of potatoes. This would be very little more expense to the Company than the first cost of the potatoes, which was but four or five shillings a bushel, because he would plant them with the plough, as was done in many parts of the north of England; and from the produce of the potatoes the running stock of hogs might be fed, which, by his account, the council would see increased very fast, so that some provision ought to be made for them. If there should be more than would feed the hogs, the rest might either be sold, or given to the Company's slaves in place of yams, which would ease their plantations greatly, and would thereby enable them to supply more of their garrison people with yams, who could not be served elsewhere. The report was signed by Christopher Dixon.

The council agreed that the enlarging of the plantations be continued, and that potatoes be planted in the fort plantation as proposed.

Andrew Blindman, corporal, presented a petition asking to become tenant to the Company for a piece of ground in James Valley to build upon, and it being no ways prejudicial to anyone, his request was granted.

The husband, gunner and steward this day delivered their several accounts for the month of December last, which the council examined and approved.

Interpretations

This leaf completes the husband's report with a remedy for the yam shortage and records the council adopting it, together with a routine land grant. Dixon's proposal to plant potatoes marks a deliberate attempt to relieve the pressure on the yam crop by introducing a second staple, one cheaper to raise and able to feed the stock in place of the yam that was wanted for the people.

The reasoning behind the potato scheme shows the husband reaching for an English practice to solve an island difficulty. Dixon proposed to plant the potatoes with the plough as was done in the north of England, a method of cheap cultivation at scale, so that the crop might feed the Company's growing stock of hogs and free the yams for the garrison and the slaves, the potato taking over the burden of stock feed that the exhausted store's rice had once carried.

The layered use Dixon proposed for the potato crop marks a careful economy of the island's provision. The potatoes were to feed the hogs first, and any surplus to be sold or given to the slaves in place of yams, which would in turn ease the plantations and let more yams go to the garrison, a chain of substitution by which each part of the establishment might be fed without overburdening the one crop, the potato introduced precisely to take the strain off the yam.

The grant to Corporal Blindman and the delivery of the monthly accounts close the leaf with the ordinary business of the board resuming. The lease of a building plot in James Valley to a soldier repeats the familiar infilling of the crowded ground about the fort, granted because it harmed no one, and the examining of the husband, gunner and steward's December accounts marks the regular monthly reckoning, the council turning from the pressing question of the island's provision back to the routine matters that filled its consultations, the great concern of feeding the settlement and the small business of a single plot proceeding side by side.

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Account of the Honourable Company's Stock of Neat &c for the Month of December 1745 Viz

Bullocks, Cows, Heiffers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ews, Weathers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ews, Weathers, Kids, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Remaining 1 Jan: Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heiffers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 107, Bulls 4, Total 351, Ews 103, Weathers 31, Lambs 95, Rams 4, Total 233, Ews 170, Weathers 58, Kids 100, Rams 6, Total 334, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 41, Piggs 73, Boars 2, Total 163, Turkeys 98, Fowles 196, Chickens 189, Ducks 55, Geese 13, Horses 8, Mares 10, Total 18

Encreased: Yearlings 20, Total 20, Lambs 28, Total 28, Piggs 19, Total 19, Turkeys 144, Chickens 130, Ducks 32, Horses 1, Total 1

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heiffers 35, Steers 31, Yearlings 62, Calves 127, Bulls 4, Total 371, Ews 103, Weathers 31, Lambs 123, Rams 4, Total 261, Ews 170, Weathers 58, Kids 100, Rams 6, Total 334, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 41, Piggs 92, Boars 2, Total 212, Turkeys 142, Fowles 196, Chickens 289, Ducks 87, Geese 13, Horses 9, Mares 10, Total 19

Killed: Steers 1, Total 1, Ews 2, Lambs 9, Total 9, Kids 14, Total 14, Barrows 5, Total 5, Chickens 3, Ducks 14, Geese 8

Died: Steers 1, Total 1, Ews 2, Lambs 2, Total 3, Weathers 2, Total 3, Sows 1, Barrows 1, Total 2

Killed by dogs or Stole: Lambs 4, Rams 6, Total 10, Ews 4, Total 5, Total 9

Remaining 31 Jan: Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heiffers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 62, Calves 126, Bulls 3, Total 368, Ews 103, Weathers 18, Lambs 113, Rams 4, Total 240, Ews 163, Weathers 44, Kids 93, Rams 6, Total 306, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 33, Piggs 121, Boars 2, Total 205, Turkeys 139, Fowles 196, Chickens 263, Ducks 79, Geese 13, Horses 9, Mares 10, Total 19

Beef given to the Blacks 551

Beef Expended 325

Pork Sold at Market 200

3 Sheep sold at Market at 20 Each

1 Goat Sold at Market at 7 7 3

Pork Expended 197 ½

Yams now Expended upon the nearest Calculation 58000

Sold to Officers and Soldiers 2441

Signed

Excepted Chris Dixon Husband

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle and other animals for the month of December 1745.

The column headings run, under neat cattle, bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and total; under sheep, ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and total; under goats, ewes, wethers, kids, rams and total; under hogs, sows, barrows, shoats, pigs, boars and total; and under poultry, turkeys, fowls, chickens, ducks and geese, with horses and their total closing the return.

Remaining 1 January: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 107, bulls 4, neat cattle total 351; ewes 103, wethers 31, lambs 95, rams 4, sheep total 233; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 58, kids 100, goat rams 6, goats total 334; sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 41, pigs 73, boars 2, hogs total 163; turkeys 98, fowls 196, chickens 189, ducks 55, geese 13, horses 8, foals 10, horses total 18

Increased: lambs 20, rams 20, kids 28, pigs 19, chickens 194, ducks 130, geese 32, foals 1

Standing total: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 31, yearlings 62, calves 107, bulls 4, neat cattle total 351; ewes 103, wethers 31, lambs 123, rams 4, sheep total 261; goat ewes 170, goat wethers 58, kids 100, goat rams 6, goats total 334; sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 41, pigs 92, boars 2, hogs total 182; turkeys 98, fowls 196, chickens 383, ducks 87, geese 13, horses 9, foals 10, horses total 19

Killed: cows 1, neat cattle total 1; ewes 2, lambs 9, sheep total 9; goat wethers 14, goats total 14; barrows 5, hogs total 5; turkeys 3, chickens 3, ducks 14, geese 8

Died: heifers 1, neat cattle total 1; ewes 2, lambs 3, sheep total 3; goat wethers 2, goats total 3; sows 1, barrows 1, hogs total 2

Killed by dogs or stolen: lambs 4, rams 6, sheep total 6; goat wethers 10, kids 4, goats total 9

Remaining 31 January: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 62, calves 126, bulls 3, neat cattle total 368; ewes 103, wethers 18, lambs 113, rams 4, sheep total 240; goat ewes 163, goat wethers 44, kids 93, goat rams 6, goats total 306; sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 35, pigs 121, boars 2, hogs total 205; turkeys 139, fowls 196, chickens 263, ducks 79, geese 13, horses 9, foals 10, horses total 19

Beef given to the blacks came to 551 pounds, beef spent to 323 pounds, pork sold at market to 200 pounds, and 3 sheep sold at market at 20 pounds each. 1 goat was sold at market at 7s 3d. Pork spent came to 197.5 pounds. Yams spent, upon the nearest calculation, came to 38,000 pounds, and yams sold to the officers and soldiers to 2,441 pounds. The account was passed, errors excepted, by Christopher Dixon as husband.

Interpretations

This is the husband's monthly stock return for December, the standing register of the Company's live animals, opening with the number carried from the previous month, adding a heavy increase, and subtracting the beasts killed, dead and lost to reach the number left. This month the increase was the largest of the run, the breeding season in full flood, the flocks and the hen yard throwing young in great numbers even as the slaughter and the losses drew them down.

The most striking movement is in the poultry and the young stock, the chickens increasing by near two hundred, the ducks and geese by many dozens, and the lambs and kids in scores. It marks the height of the breeding season the earlier months had been building toward, the whole plantation renewing itself at once, and even after the killing and the losses the standing stock rose sharply across almost every class, the herds and flocks recovering strongly as the year turned.

The neat cattle again yielded but a single beast to the slaughter, one cow killed and one heifer dead, the herd rising to 368 on the calves of the increase. The record has shown the council sparing its cattle through the year with the stock too low to victual the shipping, and even in a month of such general plenty the Company took only one head, nursing its breeding herd toward the recovery that the swelling number of calves now marked.

The line for beasts killed by dogs or stolen, kept distinct from natural death and slaughter, records a heavy loss of sheep and goats to the twin dangers of the open range. Six sheep and nine goats carried off by dogs or thieves in the month mark the constant hazard of stock grazing unpenned within reach of both wild dogs and a hungry population, the husband accounting for loss by dog and by theft as carefully as by the knife. The yam figure of thirty-eight thousand pounds spent, far above the earlier months, confirms the consumption the husband's report had warned of, the whole feeding of the slaves and stock now falling on the yam with the store's rice exhausted, the crop drawn down at a rate the plantations could barely sustain.

262

255

The Day of the Month

Gunners Stores Expended in December 1745 Viz

Powder Expended D°

7 Powder Deliverd to the Blacks

30

10 Powder Deliverd to Mr Dixon, Goodwin, and Purling

2

16 Powder Deliverd to the Governour

3

20 Powder Deliverd to Mr Dixon for the use of the Plantation

4

19 Powder Deliverd for Exercising on the Parade

42

Powder Deliverd for the Funeral of St Owen & Mr Wm Pising

18 ¼

Total 109 ¾

Match Burnt at the main foot

14

Sheep Skins Expended for Coaling the Spunges

7

Twine Expended on the Line

1

Paper Expended to Make Small Cartridges

3 2

Rammer heads Expended at the Wedge

1

Hand spikes Expended on the Line

18

Signed

Ph French

Sundry's Expended in the Castle in December 1745 Viz

96 Bottles Port Wine

5 3 8½

26 Lisbon Wine

1 14 1¼

9 Bottles Red Cape Wine

13 9

2 Bottles Constantia Wine

2 Bottles Clarett Wine

73 Strong Beer

76 Small D°

1 11 9

17 39 7/8 Gall Goa Arrack

1 38 Gall Battavia D°

2 1 11¼

9 ½ Gall Brandy

2 1 4½

27 Candy

8 5¾

18 Sugar

3 9

Carried Over 13 18 10

Gunner's stores spent in December 1745, set out by the day of the month, the powder charged by weight in the right-hand column:

7: Powder delivered to the blacks, 30 pounds

10: Powder delivered to Mr Dixon, Goodwin and Purling, 2 pounds 4 ounces

16: Powder delivered to the Governor, 3 pounds

20: Powder delivered to Mr Dixon for the use of the plantation, 4 ounces

19: Powder delivered for exercising on the parade, 42 pounds

Powder delivered for the funeral of Lieutenant Owen and Mr Pledger, 18 pounds 4 ounces

Total, 109 pounds 4 ounces

A further list of stores spent:

Match burnt at the main fort, 14 ounces

Sheepskins spent for scaling the guns, 7

Twine spent on the line, 1

Paper spent to make small cartridges, 3 quires

Rammer heads spent at the ridge, 1

Handspikes spent on the line, 18

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Sundries spent in the castle in December 1745:

96 bottles of port wine, £5 3s 8.5d

26 bottles of Lisbon wine, £1 14s 1.5d

9 bottles of red cape wine, £0 13s 9d

2 bottles of Constantia wine, £0 0s 0d

2 bottles of claret wine, £0 0s 0d

73 bottles of strong beer, £1 11s 9d

16 bottles of small beer, [in the beer total]

17 gallons 3 pints of Goa arrack, £2 1s 11.5d

1 gallon 3 pints of Batavia arrack, [in the arrack total]

9.5 gallons of brandy, £2 1s 4.5d

27 pounds of candy, £0 8s 5.5d

18 pounds of sugar, £0 3s 9d

Carried over, £13 18s 10d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the gunner's monthly powder return and opens the steward's diet account for December, the two the ordinary monthly business of the establishment. The powder account shows the magazine serving its usual mixture of working, ceremonial and funeral uses, the largest single charge being the powder spent exercising the men on the parade, a rare entry of powder burnt in actual military drill rather than salute or blasting.

The powder delivered for the funeral of Lieutenant Owen and Mr Pledger marks again the military honour of a burial salute, and ties the account directly to the record of the season. Owen was the lieutenant whose will had been proved before the council only days before, and the two burials together drew a heavy charge of powder, the salute over the dead reckoned and charged like every other issue as it had been through the year.

The steward's account opens the December diet in the familiar pattern, the imported wines and spirits of the Company's trade heading the reckoning. The port, Lisbon and cape wines from Europe and the southern latitudes, the Goa and Batavia arrack from the east, and the strong and small beer for the ordinary drink of the table mark the same range of the general board's supply, priced to the farthing under the diet head.

The blank sums against the Constantia and the claret do not mark an illegible figure but a nil charge, goods taken to the table at no cost to the diet account, as in the earlier months most likely drawn from another head or furnished as a ship's privilege. The steward entered them for completeness though they bore no price, the diet account gathering every article the table consumed whether it carried a charge or not, the leaf breaking off part way through the month's provisions to be carried over to the next.

263

256

Brought Over 13 18 10

Flower 283 D°

1 8 7

Butter 62 D°

3 2

325 Fresh Beef D°

4 1 3

197 ½ Fresh Pork D°

4 18 9

1 Yds Salt Beef

2 11¾

11 Yds Salt Pork

18 2

6 Sheep

6

3 Turkeys

15

8 Ducks

12

14 Young Fowls

14

13 Goats at 17/6 Each

4 19 6

41 9 4¾

Cha Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

21 January 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved.

The

Sundries spent in the castle in December 1745, continued:

Brought over, £13 18s 10d

283 pounds of flour, £1 8s 7d

62 pounds of butter, £3 2s 0d

323 pounds of fresh beef, £4 1s 3d

197.5 pounds of fresh pork, £4 18s 9d

1 piece of salt beef, £0 2s 11.5d

11 pieces of salt pork, £0 18s 2d

6 sheep, £6 0s 0d

3 turkeys, £0 15s 0d

8 ducks, £0 12s 0d

14 young fowls, £0 14s 0d

13 goats at 7s 6d each, £4 19s 6d

Total, £41 9s 0.75d

The account was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 January 1746 at the castle.

Present were Colonel David Dunbar as Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

This leaf closes the steward's December diet account and opens a fresh consultation, the diet reckoning brought to its total and subscribed by the council. The account gathers the fresh meat and provisions of the general table below the wines and spirits of the previous leaf, the whole priced to the farthing and closing at better than forty pounds for the month, the largest diet total of this run.

The fresh beef and pork stand out at more than five hundred pounds together, the plantation furnishing the table directly from its slaughter, the fresh provisions again far outweighing the salt as the island ate fresh where a ship lived on the cask. The sheep and the thirteen goats beside them, the goats charged at seven and sixpence apiece, came from the same killing, the table drawing heavily on the smaller stock while the Company still spared its cattle.

The prominence of goats in the December table, thirteen of them charged to the board, fits the heavy slaughter of goats the stock account of the same month recorded. With the cattle held back and the sheep flock drawn on sparingly, the goat carried much of the burden of the fresh meat, the general table eating the animal the island's ranges bred most freely, the diet account and the stock return agreeing in the weight they laid on the goat that month.

The whole diet account, subscribed by three of the councillors, marks the regular monthly reckoning by which the cost of the general table was told to the Company. The same discipline that governed the stores and the cash governed the table, every article it consumed entered and priced so the month's charge stood proved, the council subscribing the account as it did every other, the ordinary business of feeding the establishment closed and signed before the board turned to the fresh matters of the new consultation.

264

257

The Pay Master this day brought in the

Pay Account for the Months of October, November, and December Last,

which was Examined, and approved, and is as follows. Viz

List of the Honourable Company's Officers, and Servants upon the Island

St Helena, with their several Salaries, Diet Money, &c for the Quarter

Commencing 1 Octor 1745 and ending 31 December following. Viz

David Dunbar Esq Govr Salary

125

Ditto for Servants

31 14 9

156 14 9

Chas Hutchinson Lieut Govr Salary

62 10

Christophr Dixon third of Council Salary

20

John Goodwin fourth of Council D°

15

for Accounts

7 18 1½

22 18 1½

Matthew Purling fifth of Council Salary

15

Edwin Alcock Chaplin Salary

25

Diet Money

15

40

Robert Wright Factor Salary

7 10

House Rent

2 10

10

Joshua Trequam Factor Salary

7 10

House Rent

2 10

10

Francis Wranghame Factor Salary

12 10

House Rent

2 10

15

Joseph Darval Writer Salary

5

House Rent

2 10

7 10

Thomas French Writer Salary

5

House Rent

2 10

7 10

Samuel Falconer Surgeon Salary

9 15

House Rent

2 10

12 5

Carried Over 379 7 10½

The paymaster this day brought in the pay account for the months of October, November and December last, which the council examined and approved.

List of the Company's officers and servants on the island of St Helena, with their several salaries, diet money and other allowances, for the quarter commencing 1 October 1745 and ending 31 December following:

David Dunbar, Governor, salary, £125 0s 0d

Dunbar, for servants, £31 14s 9d, £156 14s 9d

Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, salary, £62 10s 0d

Christopher Dixon, third of council, salary, £20 0s 0d

John Goodwin, fourth of council, salary, £15 0s 0d

Goodwin, as accountant, £7 18s 1.5d, £22 18s 1.5d

Matthew Purling, fifth of council, salary, £15 0s 0d

Edwin Alcock, chaplain, salary, £25 0s 0d

Alcock, diet money, £15 0s 0d, £40 0s 0d

Robert Wright, factor, salary, £7 10s 0d

Wright, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £10 0s 0d

Joshua Twynam, factor, salary, £7 10s 0d

Twynam, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £10 0s 0d

Francis Wrangham, factor, salary, £12 10s 0d

Wrangham, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £15 0s 0d

Joseph Darvall, writer, salary, £5 0s 0d

Darvall, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £7 10s 0d

Thomas French, writer, salary, £5 0s 0d

French, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £7 10s 0d

Samuel Falconer, surgeon, salary, £9 15s 0d

Falconer, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £12 5s 0d

Amount carried over, £379 7s 10.5d

Interpretations

This is the paymaster's quarterly pay account for the December quarter, the standing list of the Company's civil establishment set down man by man with each person's salary and allowances, the whole reckoned to the farthing and carried forward. It opens the reckoning of the establishment's charges that the treasury cash account gathered against its receipts, the pay of every officer and servant fixed and recorded quarter by quarter.

The account shows the several elements of a servant's pay kept distinct, the salary proper set apart from the added allowances. Diet money was a cash sum in place of board with the Company, house rent an allowance toward lodging, and the Governor's separate charge for servants a further element of his establishment, each entered on its own line so the parts of a man's pay could be audited apart, the total for each brought together in the outer column.

The gradation of the salaries fixes the standing of the establishment rank by rank. The Governor at £125 and the Lieutenant Governor at £62 10s headed the list, the councillors following at £20 and £15, and below them the factors, writers and surgeon at their lesser rates, the whole a precise register of the hierarchy of the settlement, each man's place marked by the sum set against his name.

The doubling of certain servants' entries, where a man drew both a salary and an added charge, marks the offices concentrated in single hands and the allowances attached to them. Goodwin drew a councillor's salary and a further sum as accountant, the chaplain a salary and diet money, and the factors and writers each a salary and house rent, the small establishment carrying several duties and allowances on one man where a larger service would have spread them, the account reckoning each element separately so that the true cost of every servant stood plain.

265

258

Brought Over 379 7 10½

James Dubois Surgeons Mate Salary

5

House Rent

2 10

Diet Money

5

18 15

John Trant

7 10

Richard Gurling Overseers

7 10

Richard Ainsley

6 5

John Leech Marshal Salary

4 7 9

As Custom Master

2 5

6 12 9

William Hays Master of firmes

6 5

Richard Beale Schoolmaster

3 8 3

Clerk

5

8 8 3

Nicholas Cleather Steward

7 10

William Downe Gardiner

9 11 3

Robert Maock Cooper

8 15

Henry Moyce Carpenter

12 10

John Bland Master Mason Salary

17 10

Diet Money

6 16 10½

24 6 10½

Mark Hawkins Mason Salary

12 10

Diet Money

6 16 10½

19 6 10½

John Loyd Armourer Salary

10 10 3¼

Ely Leech House Keeper Salary

2

534 4 2¼

First Company Viz

John Clark first Lieut Salary

10

Ditto Diet Money

6 16 10½

Ditto On acc of Instructing the

Gunners

7 10

24 6 10½

John Dunbar second Lieut Salary

10

Diet Money

6 16 10

House Rent

2 10

16 16 10½

Carried Over 41 3 9

Carried Over 534 4 2¼

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £379 7s 10.5d

James Dubois, surgeon's mate, salary, £5 0s 0d

Dubois, house rent, £2 10s 0d

Dubois, diet money, £5 0s 0d, £18 15s 0d

John Twaits, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Gurling, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Tinsley, overseer, £6 6s 0d

John Leech, marshal, salary, £4 7s 9d

Leech, as custom master, £1 5s 0d, £6 12s 9d

William Hayes, master of arms, £6 6s 0d

Richard Beale, schoolmaster, £3 8s 3d

Beale, clerk, £5 0s 0d, £8 8s 3d

Nicholas Cleather, steward, £7 10s 0d

William Dowse, gardener, £9 11s 3d

Robert Meacock, cooper, £8 13s 0d

Henry Moyce, carpenter, £12 10s 0d

John Bland, master mason, salary, £17 10s 0d

Bland, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d, £24 6s 10.5d

Mark Hawkins, mason, salary, £12 10s 0d

Hawkins, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d, £19 6s 10.5d

John Loyd, armourer, salary, £10 10s 3.5d

Ely Leech, house keeper, salary, £2 0s 0d

Total, £534 4s 2.5d

First company:

John Clark, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Clark, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Clark, on account of instructing the gunners, £7 10s 0d, £24 6s 10.5d

John Dunbar, second lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Dunbar, diet money, £6 16s 10d

Dunbar, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £16 16s 10.5d

Carried over, £41 3s 9d

Carried over, £534 4s 2.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the paymaster's quarterly pay account through the rest of the civil establishment and opens the military pay of the first company, the whole reckoned man by man to the farthing and carried forward. It sets out the tradesmen, overseers and lesser officers below the council, then turns to the soldiers, the account moving from the civil to the military establishment in the same fixed form.

The tradesmen and craftsmen of the establishment fill much of the leaf, the carpenter, cooper, gardener, masons and armourer each drawing a salary and, for some, diet money. These were the skilled hands the Company kept on wages to build and maintain the fortifications, the boats, the stores and the plantation, the masons in particular drawing the highest craft pay with their diet money added, the men whose labour the stores and works accounts had recorded consuming timber, iron and lime through the year.

The concentration of several offices in single men marks again the economy of a small establishment. Richard Beale drew pay both as schoolmaster and as clerk, John Leech both as marshal and as custom master, the same men filling more than one place and the account reckoning each element of their pay apart. It shows the settlement spreading its necessary offices across a limited body of servants, each drawing for the several duties he performed, the true cost of every man told line by line.

The opening of the first company's pay marks the turn to the military establishment that made up the greater part of the whole charge. The lieutenants drew salary, diet money and house rent, and the entry for Lieutenant Clark on account of instructing the gunners records the very allowance the council had questioned the previous year, when it found the instructor had never taught. Its reappearance here shows the allowance continued pending the Company's determination, the pay account carrying forward the disputed charge along with the plain salaries, the reckoning of the garrison's cost begun that would run through the companies to the account's close.

266

259

Brought Over 534 4 2¼

Brot Over 41 3 9

William Hays Adjutant Salary

12 0 0

Diet Money

7 1 3

19 1 3

58 5

Serjeants

Hendy Beale

6 14 6

Onceiphorus Beale

6 14 6

Bartholomew Molloy

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

John Collins

4 7 9

Solomon Jacob

4 7 9

Daniel Langton

4 7 9

Thomas Watts Drummer

4 7 9

17 11

Centinels

William Acres

3 8 3

George Bennett

3 8 3

John Bray

3 8 3

Ambrose Bland

3 8 3

John Brown

3 8 3

Daniel Council

3 8 3

William Campbell

3 8 3

Matthew Campbell

3 8 3

Robert Curry

3 8 3

Samuel Cox

3 8 3

John Clay

3 8 3

Edward Dunsold

3 8 3

William Davis

3 8 3

William Augo

3 8 3

Thomas Foy

3 8 3

Edward Gill

3 8 3

Robert Hayes

3 8 3

Patrick Hambleton

3 8 3

Daniel Blanchard

3 8 3

Carried Over 65 16 9

Carried Over 630 3 8¼

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the first company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £41 3s 9d, £534 4s 2.5d

William Hayes, adjutant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Hayes, diet money, £7 1s 3d, £17 1s 3d, £58 5s 0d

Sergeants:

Hendy Beale, £6 14s 6d

Onesiphorus Beale, £6 14s 6d

Bartholomew Molloy, £6 14s 6d, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

John Collins, £4 7s 9d

Solomon Jacob, £4 7s 9d

Daniel Langton, £4 7s 9d

Thomas Watt, drummer, £4 7s 9d, £17 11s 0d

Sentinels:

William Ayres, £3 8s 3d

George Bennett, £3 8s 3d

John Bray, £3 8s 3d

Ambrose Bland, £3 8s 3d

John Brown, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Council, £3 8s 3d

William Campbell, £3 8s 3d

Matthew Campbell, £3 8s 3d

Robert Curry, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Cox, £3 8s 3d

John Clay, £3 8s 3d

Edward Dunsfold, £3 8s 3d

William Davis, £3 8s 3d

William Auger, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fry, £3 8s 3d

Edward Gill, £3 8s 3d

Robert Hayes, £3 8s 3d

Patrick Hamilton, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Blanchard, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £64 16s 9d, £630 3s 8.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the paymaster's account through the officers and men of the first company, the adjutant, sergeants, corporals and the long file of sentinels each entered with his pay, the whole reckoned to the farthing and carried forward. It sets out the military establishment rank by rank below the lieutenants, the plain wage of the private soldier making up the great bulk of the entries.

The gradation of the military pay fixes the hierarchy of the company as precisely as the civil list had fixed that of the establishment. The adjutant drew his salary and diet money, the sergeants a uniform £6 14s 6d, the corporals and drummer £4 7s 9d, and every sentinel the same £3 8s 3d, the pay marking each man's rank exactly and the private soldiers all reckoned at one rate, the muster roll and the pay account one and the same.

The uniform wage of the sentinels, entered name after name at the identical sum, marks the plain condition of the garrison's rank and file. Each private drew the same £3 8s 3d for the quarter regardless of who he was, the pay a fixed rate for the rank rather than the man, and the long column of identical figures records the body of ordinary soldiers who garrisoned the island, the account naming every one so that the muster and the pay should agree man for man.

The drummer entered among the corporals at the corporal's rate marks the small distinctions of the company below the sergeants. The drummer, though not a corporal, drew a corporal's pay for his particular office, set apart from the sentinels by his function and reckoned with the corporals accordingly, the account fixing each man's place and pay by the duty he held, the whole company told over from the adjutant to the last sentinel so that the establishment's charge stood proved to the farthing.

267

260

Brought Over 630 3 8¼

Centinels Brought Over 65 16 9

Thomas Hale

3 8 3

John Sane

3 8 3

Woolston Jones

3 8 3

William Hurston 1 pd Oct was a mate for now

1 3 2

Stephen Luftkin

3 8 3

William Lambon

3 8 3

Joseph Long

3 8 3

Alexander Lawton

3 8 3

James Morrisson

3 8 3

Thomas Manning

3 8 3

John Marsh

3 8 3

William Beazer

3 8 3

John Murrill

3 8 3

William Price

3 8 3

James Richardson

3 8 3

James Menard

3 8 3

John Spencer

3 8 3

John Fletcher

3 8 3

John Shaw

3 8 3

Matthew Smith

3 8 3

Peter Wells

3 8 3

Thomas Winsor

3 8 3

Thomas Wag

3 8 3

William Young

3 8 3

144 9 8

Second Company

Joseph Kendal first Lieut Salary

12 0 0

Diet Money

6 16 10½

House Rent

2 10

19 6 10½

Samuel Ashwick second Lt Salary

7 10 0

Diet Money

6 16 10½

House Rent

2 10 0

16 16 10½

36 3 9

Carried Over 810 17 1¼

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the first company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £630 3s 8.5d

Sentinels brought over, £64 16s 9d

Thomas Hale, £3 8s 3d

John Jane, £3 8s 3d

Woulston Jones, £3 8s 3d

William Hurlston, to 4 October, was a matross since, £1 3s 2d

Stephen Lufkin, £3 8s 3d

William Lambon, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Long, £3 8s 3d

Alexander Lawson, £3 8s 3d

James Morrison, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Manning, £3 8s 3d

John Marsh, £3 8s 3d

William Weaver, £3 8s 3d

John Murrill, £3 8s 3d

William Price, £3 8s 3d

James Richardson, £3 8s 3d

James Vinard, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Fletcher, £3 8s 3d

John Shaw, £3 8s 3d

Matthew Smith, £3 8s 3d

Peter Wells, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Winton, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wagg, £3 8s 3d

William Young, £3 8s 3d, £144 9s 8d

Second company:

Joseph Kendal, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Kendal, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Kendal, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £19 6s 10.5d

Samuel Ashwick, second lieutenant, salary, £7 10s 0d

Ashwick, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Ashwick, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £16 16s 10.5d, £36 3s 9d

Carried over, £810 17s 1.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the first company with the remainder of its sentinels and opens the second, the pay account moving from one company to the next in the same fixed form. It completes the long file of privates at their uniform rate and turns to the officers of the second company, the whole reckoned man by man and carried forward as the establishment's charge mounts.

The single broken entry among the uniform wages marks the movement of men between the foot and the artillery. William Hurlston drew a sentinel's pay only to the fourth of October, having become a matross since, so his line carries a reduced sum for the part-quarter he served as a private before passing to the gun crews, the account following each man's change of place and paying him exactly for the time he stood in each, the muster roll tracking every transfer.

The opening of the second company records, in the ordinary course of the pay list, the very man at the centre of the season's great quarrel. Samuel Ashwick, the second lieutenant whose dispute with Dixon had filled the December consultations and been referred to the Court, appears here simply as an officer drawing his salary, diet money and house rent, the pay account taking no notice of the controversy that had lately convulsed the board, the man's wage entered as plainly as any other's.

The appearance of Ashwick among the routine entries marks the separation of the establishment's business from its quarrels. Whatever the dispute between the Governor and Dixon over Ashwick's word, the lieutenant remained an officer of the garrison drawing his fixed pay, the reckoning of the establishment proceeding regardless of the personal enmities that ran through it, the account concerned only with each man's rank and the time he served, the pay of a soldier at the heart of a bitter controversy told out exactly like that of the humblest sentinel.

268

261

Brought Over 810 17 1¼

Serjeants

Edward Bagley

6 14 6

John French

6 14 6

Robert Mason

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Gabriel Isaac

4 7 9

Daniel Bush

4 7 9

Peter Smal

4 7 9

13 3 3

Thomas London Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

Edward Allis

3 8 3

James Allis

3 8 3

Joseph Andrews

3 8 3

George Ayes

3 8 3

Peter Barker

3 8 3

Andrew Barton

3 8 3

Peter Bayley

3 8 3

John Burk

3 8 3

Anthony Castel

3 8 3

John Chapman

3 8 3

Nicholas Coffee

3 8 3

Thomas Crine

3 8 3

Joseph Chamberlaigne

3 8 3

William Doveton

3 8 3

John Downes

3 8 3

John Foster

3 8 3

John Fletcher

3 8 3

Nicholas Frost

3 8 3

John Holloway

3 8 3

John Hayes

3 8 3

James English

3 8 3

Carried Over 71 13 3

Carried Over 848 11 7¼

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the second company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £810 17s 1.5d

Sergeants:

Edward Bagley, £6 14s 6d

John French, £6 14s 6d

Robert Mason, £6 14s 6d, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

Gabriel Isaac, £4 7s 9d

Daniel Bush, £4 7s 9d

Peter Smal, £4 7s 9d, £13 3s 3d

Thomas Loudon, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

Edward Allis, £3 8s 3d

James Allis, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Andrews, £3 8s 3d

George Ayres, £3 8s 3d

Peter Barker, £3 8s 3d

Andrew Barton, £3 8s 3d

Peter Bayley, £3 8s 3d

John Burk, £3 8s 3d

Anthony Castel, £3 8s 3d

John Chapman, £3 8s 3d

Nicholas Coffee, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Crine, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Chamberlaine, £3 8s 3d

William Doveton, £3 8s 3d

John Downes, £3 8s 3d

John Foster, £3 8s 3d

John Fletcher, £3 8s 3d

Nicholas Frost, £3 8s 3d

John Holloway, £3 8s 3d

John Hayes, £3 8s 3d

James English, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £71 13s 3d, £848 11s 7.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the paymaster's account through the officers and men of the second company, the sergeants, corporals, drummer and the beginning of the sentinels each entered with his pay, the whole reckoned to the farthing and carried forward. It repeats for the second company the same rank-by-rank form the first had followed, the military establishment told over man by man as the total climbs.

The pay follows the identical gradation as the first company, fixing the two companies on one footing. The sergeants drew the same £6 14s 6d, the corporals and drummer £4 7s 9d, and every sentinel the uniform £3 8s 3d, the two companies paid by one scale so that a man's rank rather than his company determined his wage, the establishment ordered on a single uniform pattern throughout.

The long column of sentinels at their identical rate marks again the body of ordinary soldiers who made up the garrison's strength. Each private drew the same fixed sum for the quarter, the account naming every man so that the muster and the pay should agree, the plain wage of the private soldier repeated name after name recording the men who stood the island's guard, the second company's rank and file reckoned as exactly as the first.

The recurrence of certain island surnames among the sentinels marks how far the garrison drew on the settlement's own families. Names such as Allis, Doveton and Hayes, which appear elsewhere in the record as planters, overseers and officers, recur here among the private soldiers, the sons of the island's inhabitants serving in the ranks alongside the men brought out by the ships. It shows the garrison partly rooted in the island itself, the same families furnishing both the settlement's substance and its soldiers, the muster roll and the wider society of the island overlapping in the names told over in the pay account.

269

262

Brought Over 848 11 7¼

Centinels Brought Over 71 13 3

Samuel Wilton

3 8 3

William Leaves

3 8 3

James Long

3 8 3

Joseph Levuit

3 8 3

Charles Levuit

3 8 3

William Page

3 8 3

Thomas Payne to the 9 Oct incl the day he died

3 3

John Pope

3 8 3

William Scot

3 8 3

John Smith

3 8 3

Richard Smith

3 8 3

Thomas Stratton

3 8 3

Thomas Taylor

3 8 3

Richard Swaits

3 8 3

William Swaits

3 8 3

Edward Walker

3 8 3

Stephn Willoughby

3 8 3

Adam Wilson

3 8 3

John Guard Exchange Oct 1 for Levi Trueye who

went to Madras in his room

3 8 3

133 7

Third Company

Thomas Easthope first Lt Salary

10 0 0

Diet Money

6 16 10½

House Rent

2 10

19 6 10½

John Bovton second Lt Salary to the

8 of Dec incl Made first Lt of the

4th Company the 9 of Dec in the

Room of Lieut Owen deceased

6 13 3

Ditto Diet Money for the Quarter

6 16 10½

D° House Rent for the Quarter

2 10 0

15 3½

34 7 2

Carried Over 1016 3 9¼

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the second company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £848 11s 7.5d

Sentinels brought over, £71 13s 3d

Samuel Wilson, £3 8s 3d

William Leaves, £3 8s 3d

James Long, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Locket, £3 8s 3d

Charles Legent, £3 8s 3d

William Page, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Payne, to the 9 or 5 instant, the day buried, £0 3s 3d

John Pope, £3 8s 3d

William Scot, £3 8s 3d

John Smith, £3 8s 3d

Richard Smith, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Stritton, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Richard Twaits, £3 8s 3d

William Twaits, £3 8s 3d

Edward Walker, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Willoughby, £3 8s 3d

Adam Wilson, £3 8s 3d

John Guerd, exchanged October to the fifth for Levi Turner, who went to Madras in his room, £3 8s 3d, £133 7s 0d

Third company:

Thomas Easthope, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Easthope, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Easthope, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £19 6s 10.5d

John Barton, second lieutenant, salary to the 8 of December and made first lieutenant of the fourth company the 9 of December in the room of Lieutenant Owen, deceased, £6 13s 3d

Barton, diet money for the quarter, £6 16s 10.5d

Barton, house rent for the quarter, £2 10s 0d, £15 3s 0.5d, £34 7s 2d

Carried over, £1,016 3s 9.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the second company with the last of its sentinels and opens the third, the pay account moving from company to company in the same fixed form as the establishment's charge passes a thousand pounds. It completes the file of privates at their uniform rate and turns to the officers of the third company, several entries carrying the broken sums that record men leaving the strength within the quarter.

The part-quarter entries mark the constant movement of death and transfer through the garrison. Thomas Payne drew a soldier's pay only to the day he was buried, his line carrying a few shillings for the days he lived in the quarter, and the powder account of December had recorded the funeral salute over Payne among the burials of the month, the pay account and the gunner's return meeting in the same dead man.

The exchange of John Guerd for Levi Turner, who went to Madras in his room, records the traffic of men between the island and the Indian settlements. A soldier might be exchanged and sent on to Madras while another took his place on the island's strength, the account following each such movement and paying each man for the time he served, the garrison's establishment kept up by a constant substitution of men passing to and from the eastern factories.

The promotion of Lieutenant Barton to fill the place of the deceased Lieutenant Owen ties the pay account directly to the season's record of death and succession. Owen, whose will had been proved before the council in December, left a vacancy that Barton filled from the ninth of that month, his pay reckoned partly at his old rank and partly at his new, the account tracing the exact day of the change so that his wage matched his service. It shows the establishment renewing itself as men died, the dead lieutenant's place filled and the pay adjusted to the day, the muster roll following every death and promotion so that the charge stood proved man by man and day by day.

270

263

Brought Over 1016 3 9¼

Serjeants

John Ashwick

6 14 6

Thomas Cooker

6 14 6

William Dorill

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Andrew Blindman

4 7 9

Bevin Ambio

4 7 9

Matthias Boughtwell

4 7 9

13 3 3

Benjamin Swaits Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

William Adams

3 8 3

William Allis

3 8 3

Henry Barber

3 8 3

Peter Bath

3 8 3

William Barrett

3 8 3

William Becket

3 8 3

William Barfield

3 8 3

William Brown

3 8 3

Benjamin Chester

3 8 3

William Dye

3 8 3

John Earle

3 8 3

Isaac Evans

3 8 3

John Evans to the 28 Nov incl the day he died

3 4 1¼

John Ford

3 8 3

Thomas Fuller

3 8 3

Peter Higgins

3 8 3

Thomas Wedges

3 8 3

Isaac Hudson

3 8 3

Joseph Hunt

3 8 3

William Jackson

3 8 3

Evan Jones

3 8 3

Thomas Hendrick

3 8 3

Carried Over 73 17 4¼

Carried Over 1105 4 3

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the third company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £1,016 3s 9.5d

Sergeants:

John Ashwick, £6 14s 6d

Thomas Cocker, £6 14s 6d

William Dovill, £6 14s 6d, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

Andrew Blindman, £4 7s 9d

Bevin Amber, £4 7s 9d

Matthias Bougthwell, £4 7s 9d, £13 3s 3d

Benjamin Twaits, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

William Adams, £3 8s 3d

William Ayres, £3 8s 3d

Henry Barber, £3 8s 3d

Peter Bath, £3 8s 3d

William Barrett, £3 8s 3d

William Beckett, £3 8s 3d

William Barford, £3 8s 3d

William Brown, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Chappell, £3 8s 3d

William Dye, £3 8s 3d

John Earle, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Evans, £3 8s 3d

John Evans, to the 28 of November, when he died the day he did, £2 4s 1.5d

John Read, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fuller, £3 8s 3d

Peter Higgins, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wedges, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hudson, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Hunt, £3 8s 3d

William Jackson, £3 8s 3d

Evan Jones, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £73 17s 4.5d, £1,054 3s 3d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the paymaster's account through the officers and men of the third company, the sergeants, corporals, drummer and the beginning of the sentinels each entered with his pay, the whole reckoned to the farthing and carried forward. It repeats the now familiar rank-by-rank form, the third company told over on the same uniform scale as the first two.

The pay follows the identical gradation throughout, the sergeants at £6 14s 6d, the corporals and drummer at £4 7s 9d, and every sentinel at the uniform £3 8s 3d, the three companies ordered on one pattern so that a man's rank rather than his company fixed his wage. The muster roll and the pay account remain one and the same, every soldier named and paid by the rate of his rank, the establishment reckoned on a single consistent footing.

The broken entry for John Evans, drawing pay only to the twenty-eighth of November when he died, marks again the mortality that ran steadily through the garrison. His line carries a reduced sum for the days he lived in the quarter, the account paying each man exactly for the time he served and following every death to its day, the soldier's wage stopping precisely when his service did, the pay account a record of the garrison's losses as much as its strength.

The recurrence of island surnames continues among the third company's men, the Adams, Hudson, Twaits and Blindman names appearing here as they did among the earlier companies and elsewhere in the record as inhabitants and officers. It confirms again how far the garrison drew on the settlement's own families, the sons of the island serving in the ranks alongside the men brought out by the ships, the pay account naming a body of soldiers rooted partly in the island itself, the same families furnishing the settlement's substance and its guard, the muster roll and the wider society overlapping name by name.

271

264

Brought Over 1034 3 3¾

Centinels Brought Over 73 17 4¾

Richard Knight

3 8 3

Thomas Lawrence

3 8 3

John Linaker to the 11 Oct incl sent to Bombay 13 Oct

10 3¾

Abraham Major

3 8 3

James Maxure

3 8 3

Charles Montegu

3 8 3

James Mills

3 8 3

James McClaine

3 8 3

Thomas Ollive

3 8 3

Thomas Price

3 8 3

John Spencer

3 8 3

John Simpson

3 8 3

John Smith to the 11 Oct incl sent to Bombay 13 Oct

10 3¾

Joseph Thomas

3 8 3

John Upton

3 8 3

John Vaughan

3 8 3

Benjamin Williams

3 8 3

John Wills

3 8 3

John Woodruse

3 8 3

Jeremiah Wyril

3 8 3

Joseph Woosman

3 8 3

139 15 3¾

Fourth Company

Daniel Owen first Lt Salary to the 8 Decr

the Day he died

9 11 2¾

Ditto Diet Money for the same time

3 6

Ditto House Rent for the same d° 1 17 9½

14 12 6¾

John Bovton who succeeded Lieut Owen Salary

as first Lt from the 9 to the 31 Decr both

Inclusive

2 10 1¾

Carried Over 17 2 11

Carried Over 1193 15 3¾

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the third company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £1,054 3s 3d

Sentinels brought over, £73 17s 4.5d

Richard Knight, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Lawrence, £3 8s 3d

John Linaker, to the 4 October, sent to Bombay, £0 10s 3.5d

Abraham Major, £3 8s 3d

James Maxure, £3 8s 3d

Charles Montegu, £3 8s 3d

James Mills, £3 8s 3d

James McCleane, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Ollier, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Pain, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Simpson, £3 8s 3d

John Smith, to the 4 October, went to Bombay the 4 January, £0 10s 3.5d

Joseph Thomas, £3 8s 3d

John Upton, £3 8s 3d

John Vaughan, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

John Wills, £3 8s 3d

John Woodhouse, £3 8s 3d

Jeremiah Wyril, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Woodman, £3 8s 3d, £139 15s 5.5d

Fourth company:

Daniel Owen, first lieutenant, salary to the 8 December, the day he died, £9 11s 5.5d

Owen, diet money for the quarter, £3 6s 0d

Owen, house rent for the same, £1 17s 9.5d, £14 15s 6.5d

John Barton, who succeeded Lieutenant Owen, salary as first lieutenant from the 9 to the 31 December both inclusive, £2 10s 1.5d

Carried over, £17 2s 11d, £1,193 15s 3.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the third company with the last of its sentinels and opens the fourth, the pay account moving from company to company in the same fixed form as the establishment's charge nears twelve hundred pounds. It completes the file of privates at their uniform rate and turns to the officers of the fourth company, several entries carrying the broken sums that record men leaving the strength within the quarter.

The part-quarter entries for Linaker and Smith mark the traffic of soldiers to the Indian settlements. Both drew pay only to the fourth of October before being sent to Bombay, their lines carrying a few shillings for the days they served on the island's strength, the account following each man to the day of his departure and paying him exactly for his time, the garrison's men passing constantly to the eastern factories as the strength was drawn down and made good.

The entries for Owen and Barton at the head of the fourth company complete the record of the lieutenant's death and succession begun on the earlier leaf. Owen drew his lieutenant's pay only to the eighth of December, the day he died, and Barton succeeded him from the ninth, the two men's pay reckoned to the very day of the change so that between them they drew a single lieutenant's wage for the quarter, the account tracing the exact moment the dead officer's place passed to the living.

The precise apportioning of the dead lieutenant's pay marks the exactness with which the establishment reckoned its charge across a death in office. Owen's salary, diet money and house rent were all cut off at his death and Barton's begun from the next day, the whole so ordered that the Company paid for one lieutenant's service and no more, the vacancy filled and the pay adjusted without a day's overlap or gap. It shows the pay account as a precise instrument of the establishment's economy, following every death, transfer and promotion to the day so that the charge stood proved exactly, the muster roll and the reckoning agreeing man by man and day by day as the fourth company's pay opened.

272

265

Brought Over 1193 15 3¾

Brot over 17 2 11

Thomas Kirkpatrick second Lt Salary

7 10 0

Diet Money

6 16 10½

House Rent

2 10

16 16 10½

33 19 9½

Serjeants

Joseph Leighton

6 14 6

William Oakman

6 14 6

David Wilson

6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

William Moore

4 7 9

James Lee

4 7 9

John Bardon

4 7 9

13 3 3

William Ormes Drummer

4 7 9

Centinels

Robert Bishop to 13 Decr incl the day he died

2 16 10

William Bull to 13 Oct incl made a mate for now

11 2¾

Thomas Borer

3 8 3

John Burgan alias Wigan enlist

3 8 3

John Chessman

3 8 3

Edward Cullimore

3 8 3

Peter Coakley

3 8 3

Walter Cox

3 8 3

Phillip Catchpole

3 8 3

Edward Cocker

3 8 3

Thomas Draper

3 8 3

John Ellis

3 8 3

Samuel Eles

3 8 3

George Estree

3 8 3

William Gann

3 8 3

Jonathan Godbee

3 8 3

James Hall

3 8 3

Carried Over 64 11 9¾

Carried Over 1265 9 7¾

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the fourth company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £17 2s 11d, £1,193 15s 3.5d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, second lieutenant, salary, £7 10s 0d

Kirkpatrick, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Kirkpatrick, house rent, £2 10s 0d, £16 16s 10.5d, £33 19s 9.5d

Sergeants:

Joseph Deighton, £6 14s 6d

William Oakman, £6 14s 6d

David Wilson, £6 14s 6d, £20 3s 6d

Corporals:

William Moore, £4 7s 9d

James Lee, £4 7s 9d

John Bardon, £4 7s 9d, £13 3s 3d

William Orms, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels:

Robert Bishop, to 13 December, the day he died, £2 16s 10d

William Bull, to 13 October, then made a matross the 14 October, £1 2s 7d

Thomas Bore, £3 8s 3d

John Burgan, otherwise Wigwam basket, £3 8s 3d

John Croseman, £3 8s 3d

Edward Cullimore, £3 8s 3d

Peter Coakley, £3 8s 3d

Walter Cox, £3 8s 3d

Phillip Catchpole, £3 8s 3d

Edward Cocker, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Davis, £3 8s 3d

John Ellis, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Eles, £3 8s 3d

George Estes, £3 8s 3d

William Gann, £3 8s 3d

Jonathan Godbee, £3 8s 3d

James Hall, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £54 11s 9.5d, £1,265 9s 7.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the paymaster's account through the officers and men of the fourth company, the second lieutenant, sergeants, corporals, drummer and the beginning of the sentinels each entered with his pay, the whole reckoned to the farthing and carried forward. It repeats the uniform rank-by-rank form of the earlier companies, the fourth told over on the same scale as the establishment's total passes twelve hundred and fifty pounds.

The broken entries at the head of the sentinels mark again the death and transfer that ran through the garrison. Robert Bishop drew pay only to the thirteenth of December, the day he died, and William Bull only to the fourteenth of October before he was made a matross and passed to the artillery, each line carrying a reduced sum for the part-quarter he served, the account following every man to the day his service on the company's strength ended.

The byname recorded against John Burgan, otherwise Wigwam basket, marks the rough nicknames the soldiers carried among themselves. The pay account, concerned to identify each man beyond doubt, set down the byname beside the proper name, the same soldier having been noted elsewhere in the establishment by that curious style, the reckoning fixing a man's identity by whatever name would surely distinguish him so that his pay could not be mistaken.

The uniform wage of the sentinels continues name after name at the fixed rate, recording the body of ordinary soldiers who filled the fourth company as they had the first three. Each private drew the same £3 8s 3d for the quarter, the account naming every one so that the muster and the pay agreed, the plain wage of the private soldier repeated down the leaf recording the men who stood the island's guard, the fourth company's rank and file reckoned as exactly as the rest, the whole establishment told over man by man toward the account's close.

273

266

Brought Over 1265 9 7¾

Centinels Brought Over 64 11 9¾

John Hayley

3 8 3

James Kendrick

3 8 3

William Kenbry

3 8 3

William Hoit

3 8 3

John Manniby

3 8 3

George Mathes

3 8 3

William Murphy

3 8 3

Moses Morate

3 8 3

Richard Mason

3 8 3

Duncan McLaren

3 8 3

James Peplœ

3 8 3

Edward Richards

3 8 3

Richard Nasholl to 9 Oct incl the day he died

1 11 1¾

Thomas Robinson

3 8 3

David Robinson

3 8 3

Donald Lassance

3 8 3

Daniel Serjeant

3 8 3

Robert Stock

3 8 3

Edward Sparkes

3 8 3

Soloman Sanders

3 8 3

John Taylor

3 8 3

Peter Urenburg

3 8 3

James Vaughan

3 8 3

Benjamin Williams

3 8 3

Willm Wildman

3 8 3

John Walker

3 8 3

141 9 3¾

Artillery Company

John French Master Gunner

Salary

13 8 9

Diet Money

6 16 10½

House Rent

2 10

22 15 7½

Carried Over 1429 14 8

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the fourth company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £1,265 9s 7.5d

Sentinels brought over, £54 11s 9.5d

John Hayley, £3 8s 3d

James Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

William Kirkby, £3 8s 3d

William Hoit, £3 8s 3d

John Manniby, £3 8s 3d

George Mathers, £3 8s 3d

William Murphy, £3 8s 3d

Moses Morate, £3 8s 3d

Richard Mason, £3 8s 3d

Duncan McLaren, £3 8s 3d

James Baylee, £3 8s 3d

Edward Richards, £3 8s 3d

Richard Nasholl, to 9 or 5 instant, the day he died, £1 11s 1.5d

Thomas Robinson, £3 8s 3d

David Robinson, £3 8s 3d

Donald Lafrance, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Serjeant, £3 8s 3d

Robert Stack, £3 8s 3d

Edward Sparkes, £3 8s 3d

Solomon Sanders, £3 8s 3d

John Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Peter Vorenberg, £3 8s 3d

James Vaughan, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

William Wildman, £3 8s 3d

John Walker, £3 8s 3d, £141 9s 5.5d

Artillery company:

John French, master gunner, salary, £13 8s 9d

French, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

French, house rent, £2 0s 0d, £22 15s 7.5d

Carried over, £1,129 11s 8d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the fourth company with the last of its sentinels and opens the artillery company, the pay account moving from the foot companies to the gun crews in the same fixed form. It completes the file of privates at their uniform rate and turns to the master gunner at the head of the artillery, the establishment's charge running on toward its close.

The broken entry for Richard Nasholl, drawing pay only to the day he died, marks once more the mortality that ran steadily through the garrison. His line carries a reduced sum for the days he lived in the quarter, the account paying each man exactly for his time and following every death to its day, the fourth company having lost several men to death and transfer across the quarter as the earlier companies had.

The opening of the artillery company with the master gunner John French ties the pay account to the run of gunner's stores accounts that had appeared through the year. French, who signed each month's return of powder and stores expended, appears here as the head of the artillery drawing the highest pay of the company, the same man whose accounts of salutes, blasting powder and funeral honours the record has carried, his office and his pay set down together.

The artillery company stood apart from the foot as a distinct and more skilled body, and its higher pay marks the value set on the men who served the guns. Where the foot companies were led by lieutenants, the artillery was headed by a master gunner at a salary above a lieutenant's, and its men, the gunner's mates, quarter gunners and matrosses, drew rates above the plain sentinel's, the establishment paying more for the trained hands who worked the ordnance than for the ordinary soldiers who stood the guard, the account turning from the many privates at their uniform wage to the smaller, dearer company of the guns.

274

267

Brought Over 1429 14 8

Gunners Mates

William Davis

4 17 6

Major Jackson

4 17 6

William Kennedy

4 17 6

Isaac Leech

4 17 6

Roger Nevinson

4 17 6

William Sample

4 17 6

Thomas Watts

4 17 6

Thomas Willingham

4 17 6

39

Quarter Gunners

John Ainstal

4 7 9

Walter Bellew

4 7 9

Joh Butler

4 7 9

John Christfell

4 7 9

Ely Leech

4 7 9

John Nottidge

4 7 9

James Pinkhard

4 7 9

William Turner

4 7 9

35 2

Matrosses

Edward Arnold

4 1 3

John Button to 31 Oct incl the day he was

Drowned

1 7 7

Joseph Bowell

4 1 3

William Bateman

4 1 3

Edward Winsford

4 1 3

John Brown

4 1 3

William Bull from the 16 Oct 31 Decr

both incl

3 8 6¾

Samuel Clark

4 1 3

Carried Over 29 3 7½

Carried Over 1503 16 8

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the artillery company, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £1,129 11s 8d

Gunner's mates:

William Davis, £4 17s 6d

Major Jackson, £4 17s 6d

William Kennedy, £4 17s 6d

Isaac Leech, £4 17s 6d

Roger Nevinson, £4 17s 6d

William Sample, £4 17s 6d

Thomas Watt, £4 17s 6d

Thomas Willingham, £4 17s 6d, £39 0s 0d

Quarter gunners:

John Artingstall, £4 7s 9d

Walter Bellew, £4 7s 9d

John Butler, £4 7s 9d

John Christfell, £4 7s 9d

Ely Leech, £4 7s 9d

John Nettidge, £4 7s 9d

James Prichard, £4 7s 9d

William Turner, £4 7s 9d, £35 2s 0d

Matrosses:

Edward Arnold, £4 1s 3d

John Button, to 31 October inclusive, the day he was drowned, £1 7s 7d

Joseph Bonnell, £4 1s 3d

William Bateman, £4 1s 3d

Edward Winford, £4 1s 3d

John Brown, £4 1s 3d

William Bull, from the 6 October to the 31 December both inclusive, £3 8s 6.5d

Samuel Clark, £4 1s 3d

Carried over, £29 3s 7.5d, £1,303 16s 8d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the paymaster's account through the gunner's mates, quarter gunners and the beginning of the matrosses of the artillery company, each entered with his pay, the whole reckoned to the farthing and carried forward. It sets out the trained ranks of the guns below the master gunner, their pay marking the higher value the establishment set on the men who served the ordnance.

The gradation of the artillery pay fixes the ranks of the gun crews as precisely as the foot's had fixed its own. The gunner's mates drew £4 17s 6d, the quarter gunners £4 7s 9d and the matrosses £4 1s 3d, every rate above the plain sentinel's £3 8s 3d, the artillery paid throughout at a higher scale than the foot in recognition of the skill required to work the guns, the trained men of the ordnance dearer than the ordinary soldiers of the guard.

The broken entry for John Button, drawing pay only to the day he was drowned, marks a particular hazard of the island's service. Button drew a matross's pay to the thirty-first of October, the day of his drowning, his line carrying a reduced sum for the days he lived, the account following even a death by drowning to its day, the perils of a settlement without a harbour, where every cargo was landed by open boat through the surf, showing in the loss of a man to the sea.

The entry for William Bull among the matrosses completes the record of his transfer noted earlier in the foot company. Bull had drawn a sentinel's pay only to the fourteenth of October before being made a matross, and here he appears drawing the matross's pay from the sixth of October, the account paying him in each rank for the time he served and following his passage from the foot to the artillery to the day. It shows the establishment's exactness in tracing every man's movement between the companies, the same soldier's pay divided between the two ranks he held in the quarter so that the Company paid neither too much nor too little, the muster roll and the reckoning agreeing man by man and day by day as the artillery's pay ran on.

275

268

Brought Over 1503 16 8

Matrosses Brought Over 29 3 7½

Robert Cross to 14 Oct incl sent to Bombay 15 Oct

12 6¾

Henry Carter

4 1 3

Anthony Day

4 1 3

William Henslow from Nov 2 to Decr 31

both incl

2 11 3¾

Adam Milbourne

4 1 3

Partrick Murphy

4 1 3

Humphry Pugh

4 1 3

Thomas Price

4 1 3

Lawrence Peterson

4 1 3

John Smith

4 1 3

James Vaughan

4 1 3

John Watkins

4 1 3

Thomas Wright

4 1 3

Phillip Hilliard

4 1 3

81 5 4¾

Superannuated

Joseph Whaley Serjeant

3 8 3

William Burntham Ditto

3 8 3

Isaac Hudson Quarter Gunner

3 8 3

George Lindsey Drummer

3 8 3

Samuel Knipe Centinel

3 8 3

Francis Snidge Armourer

6 9½

23 1 10½

1608 3 11¾

The paymaster's quarterly pay account continued for the artillery company and the superannuated, the quarter ending 31 December 1745:

Brought over, £1,303 16s 8d

Matrosses brought over, £29 3s 7.5d

Robert Cross, to 14 October inclusive, sent to Bombay the 15, £0 12s 6.5d

Henry Carter, £4 1s 3d

Anthony Day, £4 1s 3d

William Hurlston, from November 4 to December 31 both inclusive, £2 14s 3.5d

Adam Milbourne, £4 1s 3d

Patrick Murphy, £4 1s 3d

Humphry Pugh, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Pride, £4 1s 3d

Lawrence Peterson, £4 1s 3d

John Smith, £4 1s 3d

James Vaughan, £4 1s 3d

John Watkins, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Wright, £4 1s 3d

Phillip Hilliard, £4 1s 3d, £81 5s 4.5d

Superannuated:

Joseph Whaley, sergeant, £3 8s 3d

William Burnham, the same, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hugarson, quarter gunner, £3 8s 3d

George Lindsey, drummer, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Knipe, sentinel, £3 8s 3d

Francis Funge, armourer, £6 0s 7.5d

Superannuated, £23 1s 10.5d

Total, £1,608 3s 11.5d

Interpretations

This leaf closes the matrosses of the artillery company and the whole pay account with the superannuated, bringing the establishment's charge for the quarter to its grand total of £1,608 3s 11.5d. It completes the artillery at its several rates and adds the old servants kept on a pension, the last class of the pay list before the account is cast.

The broken entries for Cross and Hurlston mark once more the traffic of men to the eastern settlements and their movement between the ranks. Robert Cross drew pay to the fourteenth of October before being sent to Bombay, and William Hurlston, whose passage from sentinel to matross the earlier leaves had traced, drew the matross's pay from the fourth of November, the account following each man to the day of his change so that his wage matched his service exactly.

The superannuated close the list with the old servants the Company continued to pay after their working days were done. Joseph Whaley, William Burnham, Isaac Hugarson, George Lindsey, Samuel Knipe and the armourer Francis Funge, each named by his former rank, drew a pension at or near the private soldier's rate, the establishment maintaining the men who had grown old in its service rather than casting them off. It marks a form of provision uncommon in its plainness, the Company keeping its worn servants on the pay list to the end.

The grand total of the whole account, better than sixteen hundred pounds for the quarter, fixes the pay of the establishment as the single greatest charge of the settlement. This was the sum the treasury cash account gathered against its receipts, the wages of every officer, servant, tradesman and soldier from the Governor to the last superannuated man reckoned to the farthing and brought to one figure, the whole cost of keeping the island governed, garrisoned and served set down in a single account. It shows the pay list as the backbone of the establishment's finance, the muster roll and the wage bill one and the same, the entire body of the Company's people on the island told over man by man so that the charge stood proved and could be met from the foreign specie counted in the chest.

276

269

Dr Cha Hutchinson Paymaster Cr

1745

Octor 22 To Cash rec of Messrs Trequam and Darval for

Customs Collected by them

4 3 9

Decr 31 To Cash rec from the Cash Chest

1673 2 1½

To Cash rec of Mr Saml Falconer Surgeon in Part

of his Bond to the Honble Company

6

To Cash recd of John Bland Master Mason, in

full of his Note

5

To Cash rec of Mark Hawkins Mason in full of his Note

3 3

To Cash rec for 7325 Pounds weight of Yams sold

to the Officers and Soldiers in the Quarter ending the

31 Decr 1745 at three Shilling pr C

10 19 9

To Cash rec of James DuBois Surgeon's Mate for so

much remaining in his hands, out of the seven Pence

pr Day paid by every Soldier that was in the Hospital

between Octor 1 and December the 31 1745

2 19 9½

To Cash rec of Mr Joshua Trequam, for a fine for retailing

Spirituous Liquor

2

Carried Over 1707 8 4½

1745

By Cash pd the following Soldiers in Lieu

of their Cloathing that was deficient this

Year Viz

By Jno James Maxure for a Coat & Hat 17 6

By Jno James Richardson Tho Watson

Gabriel Isaac John Chapman John

Upton Isaac Hudson Jonn Godby

Walter Cox and William Gann fifteen

Shillings Each for a Coat 6 15 0

By Jno Edward Burford Tho Wright

Phillip Hilliard James Vaughan

Wm Bull John Smith Wm Dye

Joseph Thomas Henry Carter

Patrick Murphy Anth Day & Samuel

Clark two Shill & Six Pence each

for a Hat 1 10

9 2 6

Carried Over 9 2 6

This was the account of Charles Hutchinson, paymaster. The debtor side, receiving the sums paid in:

22 October: To cash received of Messrs Twynam and Darvall for customs collected by them, £4 3s 9d

31 December: To cash received from the cash chest, £1,693 2s 1.5d

To cash received of Mr Samuel Falconer, surgeon, in part of his bond to the Company, £6 0s 0d

To cash received of John Bland, master mason, in full of his note, £5 0s 0d

To cash received of Mark Hawkins, mason, in full of his note, £3 3s 0d

To cash received for 7,325 pounds weight of yams sold to the officers and soldiers in the quarter ending 31 December 1745 at three shillings per hundred, £10 19s 9d

To cash received of James Dubois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the sevenpence a day paid by every soldier that was in the hospital between 1 October and 31 December 1745, £2 19s 9.5d

To cash received of Mr Joshua Twynam for a fine for retailing spirituous liquor, £2 0s 0d

Carried over, £1,707 8s 4d

The credit side, per contra, paid out the following in place of the clothing that was short this year:

By James Maxure for a coat and hat, £0 17s 6d

By James Richardson, Thomas Watson, Gabriel Isaac, John Chapman, John Upton, Isaac Hudson, Jonathan Godby, Walter Cox and William Gann, fifteen shillings each for a coat, £6 15s 0d

By Edward Burford, Thomas Wright, Phillip Hilliard, James Vaughan, William Bull, John Smith, William Dye, Joseph Thomas, Henry Carter, Patrick Murphy, Anthony Day and Samuel Clark, two shillings and sixpence each for a hat, £1 10s 0d

Carried over, £9 2s 6d

Interpretations

This is the two-sided cash account of the paymaster Charles Hutchinson, the debtor side gathering the sums received into his hands and the credit side the payments out, the two to be balanced against each other when the account is cast. It opens the reckoning by which the treasury's money was accounted for, every receipt and every disbursement of the quarter entered so that the paymaster could show what he had taken in and laid out.

The debtor side draws together the varied streams of the treasury's income. The great sum drawn from the cash chest funded the quarter's payments, and to it were added the customs collected by the two factors, the yams sold to the garrison, the surgeon's and masons' repayments of their bonds and notes, the hospital surplus, and Twynam's fine for retailing liquor, the whole a gathering of the settlement's small revenues that the record has traced matter by matter through the season.

The yam sales and the hospital surplus mark two of the island's own sources of return. The 7,325 pounds of yams sold to the officers and soldiers at three shillings the hundredweight brought in near eleven pounds, the garrison buying the root the Company grew, and the surgeon's mate paid in the surplus of the sevenpence a day every soldier in the hospital was charged toward his keep, so that the cost of the sick was partly recovered from the men themselves, the establishment reckoning even its infirmary to a return.

The credit side opens with the clothing payments that had run through the season's consultations, the cash allowances in place of coats and hats the council had agreed for the men the store could not clothe. Entered name by name at fifteen shillings for a coat and two and sixpence for a hat, they carry into the formal account the very expedient the board had adopted for want of clothing to issue, the paper trail closing on the decision of 22 October, the payment of the fine by Twynam appearing on the debtor side in the same account that recorded the sums laid out, the whole business of the treasury brought to book on the two facing sides of the paymaster's reckoning.

277

270

Dr Cha Hutchinson £ s

Brought Over 1707 8 4½

To Cash recd for Five Hundred and four Gallons of Milk

sold in the Quarter ending 31 December 1745, at one

Shilling pr Gallon

25 4

To Cash rec for three Hundred and twenty five Pounds

weight of Butter sold to the Market in the Quarter

ending 31 Decr 1745 at one Shilling pr Pound

16 5

To Cash rec of David Wilson for Provisions sent to Market

23 7 0¾

1772 4 6

The debtor side of Charles Hutchinson's account continued:

Brought over, £1,707 8s 4d

To cash received for 504 gallons of milk sold in the quarter ending 31 December 1745, at one shilling per gallon, £25 4s 0d

To cash received for 325 pounds weight of butter sold to the market in the quarter ending 31 December 1745, at one shilling per pound, £16 5s 0d

To cash received of David Wilson for provisions sent to market, £23 7s 0.75d

Total, £1,772 4s 6d

Interpretations

This leaf completes the debtor side of the paymaster's account, adding the last of the treasury's receipts and bringing the whole to its total of £1,772 4s 6d. The final entries are the returns from the Company's own dairy and provision sales, the milk, butter and other provisions sold through the market that the establishment ran, the sums entered to the paymaster's charge alongside the salaries, customs and fines already gathered.

The milk and butter sales mark the small dairy the Company kept and the return it made from it. Five hundred gallons of milk at a shilling the gallon and three hundred pounds of butter at a shilling the pound brought in better than forty pounds together, the produce of the castle's own cows sold to the settlement, the dairy the milk pans and crocks of the earlier stores accounts had pointed to now showing its yield in the treasury's income.

The sale of provisions through the market, entered as received of David Wilson, ties the account to the weekly public market the planters had established and the steward Wilson managed. Wilson, the steward of the market, paid in the proceeds of the provisions sold through it, so that the market's takings flowed into the Company's cash, the establishment drawing a return from the very market it had set up for the settlement's convenience, the sales reckoned and accounted like every other stream of the treasury's income.

The whole debtor side, closing at better than seventeen hundred pounds, shows the treasury's income drawn from a remarkable variety of small sources. Beyond the great sum from the cash chest, the paymaster gathered customs, yam and dairy sales, market takings, hospital surplus, repaid bonds and a fine, the establishment reckoning every pennyworth of return from its farming, its trade, its charges and its penalties into the one account. It marks the settlement wringing a revenue from every quarter of its activity, the milk of its cows and the butter of its dairy accounted as carefully as the salaries of its officers, the whole income of the island brought to book on the paymaster's charge so that it could be balanced against the payments out.

278

271

Paymaster Cr £ s d

Brought Over 9 2 6

Decr 2 By Cash pd Baron Deloffs, for making eighty four feet of

Canvas Hose for one of the Engines

10

By Cash pd Ditto, for making a Tarrail for the Long boat

12

By Cash pd 46 Articles for going twenty three Trips in

the Long Boat, to Sandy Bay for Lime and Stone for the

Fortifications at ten Shilling pr Trip

11 10

By Cash pd David Dove for Going 92 Days ending

31 December 1745 in the Long Boat for Lime at one Shilling

pr Day

4 12

By Cash pd Thos Pride for 45 Days Work in the Long Boat

2 5

By Cash pd Edward Arnold for Mending a Sail Cloth

and Capping eight Sails

6 6

By Cash pd Henry Barber for making ten Pair of

Shoes for the Honble Company's Blacks

1

By Cash pd Barth Molloy for 71 Days Work in

Enquiring & his Irons and for Cutting & Carting Stones for

Channels, under them and for the Cellars of Mr Dunbars use

at three Shillings pr Day

10 13

By Cash pd the following Labourers, for Work done by them this

Quarter at the Fortifications, Viz

By Jno Matthew Campbell for 73½ Days at a Shill pr Day

3 13 6

Edwd Cullimore 72½

3 12 6

Wm Barret 66

3 6 0

Jno Vaughan 66

3 6 0

Peter Bayley 65½

3 5 6

John Ellis 65½

3 5 0

Andrew Barton 61

3 1 0

Rich Mason 60

3 0 0

26 10

Carried Over 40 11

The credit side of the paymaster's account, per contra, continued:

Brought over, £9 2s 6d

By Baron Deloise, for making 84 feet of canvas hose for one of the engines, £0 10s 0d

By the same, for making a topsail for the long boat, £0 12s 0d

By Artingstall, for going 23 trips in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime and stone for the fortifications, at one shilling per trip, £1 10s 0d

By David Dowse, for going 92 days ending 31 December 1745 in the long boat for lime, at one shilling per day, £4 12s 0d

By Thomas Pride, for 45 days' work in the long boat, £2 5s 0d

By Edward Arnold, for mending a sailcloth and capping eight sails, £0 6s 6d

By Henry Barber, for making ten pairs of shoes for the Company's blacks, £1 0s 0d

By Bartholomew Molloy, for 72 days' work in enlarging the ditch or drains and for cutting and setting stones for channels, under them, and for the covers of the drains or sewers, at three shillings per day, £10 16s 0d

By the following labourers, for work done by them this quarter at the fortifications:

By Matthew Campbell, for 73.5 days at a shilling per day, £3 13s 6d

Edward Cullimore, 72.5 days, £3 12s 6d

William Barrett, 66 days, £3 6s 0d

James Vaughan, 66 days, £3 6s 0d

Peter Bayley, 65.5 days, £3 5s 6d

John Ellis, 65.5 days, £3 5s 6d

Andrew Barton, 61 days, £3 1s 0d

Richard Mason, 60 days, £3 0s 0d

[sub-total] £26 10s 6d

Carried over, £40 11s 0d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the credit side of the paymaster's account through the payments for casual and skilled labour, the sums laid out for particular tasks and for day work at the fortifications. It moves from the clothing allowances of the earlier leaf to the wages of the men employed on the boats, the works and the trades, each payment entered for the specific service rendered.

The payments for the long boat mark the constant labour of fetching lime and stone by sea. Artingstall's twenty-three trips to Sandy Bay, Dowse's ninety-two days and Pride's forty-five days in the boat record the ceaseless carriage of building material round the coast, the lime and stone for the fortifications brought by open boat because no road served, the men paid by the trip or the day for the hazardous work of the surf-bound landings.

The mason Molloy's payment at three shillings a day, three times the labourer's rate, marks the value set on skilled work over common labour. Molloy was paid for enlarging the ditch and for the cutting and setting of stones for the channels, drains and sewers, the very ditch the Governor and Dixon had quarrelled over, and his skilled hand drew a wage far above the shilling a day of the labourers who dug beside him, the establishment paying by the skill the work required.

The list of labourers at the fortifications, each paid a shilling a day for the days he worked, shows the garrison's own soldiers hired out to the works. The men named, Campbell, Cullimore, Barrett and the rest, appear in the pay account as sentinels of the companies, here earning extra wages by their day labour on the fortifications, the soldier's shilling a day for work adding to his fixed pay. It marks the Company drawing on its own garrison for the labour of the works, the same men who stood the guard digging the ditches and raising the walls, their day work reckoned and paid apart from their soldier's wage, the establishment turning its idle hands to the fortifications and accounting every day's labour to the penny.

279

272

Dr Cha Hutchinson £ s d

Brought Over 1772 4 6

Carried Over 1772 4 6

The debtor side of Charles Hutchinson's account continued:

Brought over, £1,772 4s 6d

Carried over, £1,772 4s 6d

Interpretations

This is the debtor side of the paymaster's account carried forward, the total brought over from the previous leaf and standing unchanged as the sum carried over, no fresh receipt falling on the page. The whole of the debtor side thus rests on the sums already gathered, the great figure from the cash chest with the customs, sales, repayments, hospital surplus and fine, carried down to the foot at £1,772 4s 6d.

The single diagonal line struck across the empty body of the page is the accountant's mark cancelling the unused space, the same device seen on the earlier cash leaves. Drawn from corner to corner, it voided the blank so that no entry could afterwards be inserted between the sum brought over and the total, the discipline of the accounts requiring even a wholly empty page to be closed against later alteration.

That the debtor side was carried forward on a blank leaf with only the total repeated marks the ordinary keeping of a two-sided account where one side ran longer than the other. The credit side, with its many payments for wages and labour, filled more leaves than the debtor side's receipts, so the debtor total was carried across the intervening page unchanged until the two sides could be brought together and balanced, the reckoning held open on paper until it could be cast.

280

273

Paymaster Cr £ s d

Brought Over 40 11

Brought Over 26 10

By Jno Pd Benjn Williams 52½ Days

2 12 6

Edwd Marble 49½

2 9 9

John Manniby 48½

2 8 9

Edmd Cocker 48

2 8 3

Wm Gann 46

2 6

Thos Foy 46

2 6

Wm Cogdal 32

1 12

Ambio & Bland 11

0 11

43 4 3

By Cash paid Samuel Eeles 18 Days Work in painting

Gun Carriages, and the Pinnace, at two Shilling

pr Day

1 17 6

By Cash paid Charles Legert for 79 Days Work in

making Soldiers Cots, and for Odd Jobs, at eighteen

Pence pr Day

5 18 6

By Cash Pd Robt Curry and Steph Willoughby

for Baking four Batches of Bread for the Garrison

5 4

By Cash Paid John Christfell, for making twelve

Bags, for Lime at three Pence each, and for twice

tarring two Hose for the Engine

6

92 2 3

Carried Over

The credit side of the paymaster's account, per contra, continued:

Brought over, £40 11s 0d

Labourers brought over, £26 10s 6d

By Benjamin Williams, 52.5 days, £2 12s 6d

Edward Arnold, 49.5 days, £2 9s 9d

John Manniby, 48.5 days, £2 8s 9d

Edward Cocker, 48 days, £2 8s 3d

William Gann, 46 days, £2 6s 0d

Thomas Foy, 46 days, £2 6s 0d

William Cogdal, 32 days, £1 12s 0d

Amber and Bland, 11 days, £0 11s 0d

[sub-total] £43 4s 3d

By cash paid Samuel Eles, for 18 days' work in painting gun carriages and the pinnace, at two shillings per day, £1 17s 6d

By cash paid Charles Legent, for 79 days' work in making soldiers' cots and for odd jobs, at eighteen pence per day, £5 18s 6d

By cash paid Robert Curry and Stephen Willoughby for baking four batches of bread for the garrison, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid John Cristofel, for making twelve bags for lime at threepence each, and for twice tarring two hose for the engine, £0 6s 0d

Total, £92 2s 3d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the credit side of the paymaster's account through the remainder of the labourers at the fortifications and a run of payments for particular tasks, bringing the credit side to £92 2s 3d. It completes the day labour of the works and adds the wages for painting, cot-making, baking and the smaller jobs about the establishment, each payment entered for the specific service done.

The labourers at their shilling a day continue the list of soldiers hired out to the works, the men named appearing elsewhere in the pay account as sentinels of the companies. Benjamin Williams, William Gann and the rest earned extra wages by their day labour on the fortifications, the same men who stood the guard digging and building beside the masons, their day work reckoned apart from their soldier's pay, the Company drawing on its own garrison for the labour of the walls.

The skilled and particular tasks mark the range of work the establishment paid for by the job. Samuel Eles was paid two shillings a day for painting the gun carriages and the pinnace, the higher rate marking the skilled hand, and Charles Legent eighteen pence a day for making the soldiers' cots and odd jobs, the cot-making that had run through the season's accounts appearing here as paid piece by piece, the establishment reckoning every distinct service to its own rate.

The smallest payments, for baking bread and making lime bags, show the account descending to the humblest necessary labour. Curry and Willoughby were paid a few shillings for baking four batches of bread for the garrison, and Cristofel for making a dozen lime bags at threepence each and tarring the engine hose, the trifling tasks of the establishment reckoned and paid as carefully as the greater. It marks the completeness of the account, the whole labour of the settlement, from the mason's skilled day to the baking of a batch of bread and the sewing of a lime bag, brought to book and paid to the penny, the paymaster's credit side a record of every hand the Company employed and every task it paid for through the quarter.

281

274

Dr Cha Hutchinson

Brought Over 1772 4 6

Carried Over 1772 4 6

The debtor side of Charles Hutchinson's account continued:

Brought over, £1,772 4s 6d

Carried over, £1,772 4s 6d

Interpretations

This is the debtor side of the paymaster's account carried forward once more, the total brought over from the earlier leaf and standing unchanged as the sum carried over, no fresh receipt falling on the page. The whole of the debtor side continues to rest on the sums already gathered, carried down to the foot at £1,772 4s 6d as the credit side runs on across the facing leaves.

The single diagonal line struck across the empty body of the page is the accountant's mark cancelling the unused space, the same device seen on the earlier leaves. Drawn from corner to corner, it voided the blank so that no entry could afterwards be inserted between the sum brought over and the total, the discipline of the accounts requiring even a wholly empty page to be closed against later alteration.

The repeated carrying forward of the debtor total across blank leaves marks the length of the credit side against it. The payments out, the salaries, the clothing allowances, the labour and the many small tasks, filled more pages than the debtor side's receipts, so the debtor figure was carried unchanged from leaf to leaf until the two sides could be brought level and the account balanced, the reckoning held open on paper until the whole could be cast and the paymaster's charge and discharge squared against each other.

282

275

Paymaster Cr £ s d

Brought Over 92 2 3

By Cash Pd Isaac Leech for four Days Work in

Pointing Stone

10

By Cash Pd John Smals for Six hundred & fifty

Lemons

13

By Cash Paid Thos Watts for gardening and looking

after the Cows &c this Quarter at the House found

2 10

By Cash Paid Ditto in Lieu of a Coat and Hat there of

that his Last Cloathing

17 6

By Cash paid Wm Cogdal Deserter from his Majs

Ships the middlesex twenty nine Days pay from the

2 to 29 Nov both incl at nine pence pr Day

1 1 9

By Cash pd the following men for mowing Hedging

ditching and Hay making, Viz

By paid Anth Day for 68½ days at 7d pr Day

4 0 9½

Jno Nottidge 66½

4 3 1½

Patrick Murphy 66½

4 3 1½

John Ford 9

11 3

Alex Lawton 9

11 3

Benj Williams 4

11 3

Daniel Council 8

10

12 15 9½

By Cash paid Thos Wagg for making seven Pair of Gloves

for the Hedgers

3 6

Carried Over 112 13 7½

The credit side of the paymaster's account, per contra, continued:

Brought over, £92 2s 3d

By cash paid Isaac Leech, for four days' work in painting stage, £0 10s 0d

By cash paid John Smalt, for 650 lemons, £0 13s 0d

By cash paid Thomas Watts, for gardening and looking after the cows in this quarter at the Plantation House, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid the same, in place of a coat and hat that was short this last clothing, £0 17s 6d

By cash paid William Cogdal, writer, from his staff, sinking the mud stone twenty-nine days a day from the 2 to 29 November both inclusive, at ninepence per day, £1 1s 9d

By the following men for making, hedging, ditching and haymaking:

By paid Andrew Day, for 68.5 days at ninepence per day, £4 0s 9.5d

John Nettidge, 66.5 days, £4 3s 1.5d

Patrick Murphy, 66.5 days, £4 3s 1.5d

John Read, 9 days, £0 11s 3d

Alexander Loudon, 9 days, £0 11s 3d

Benjamin Williams, 4 days, £0 11s 3d

Daniel Council, 8 days, £0 10s 0d

[sub-total] £12 15s 9.5d

By cash paid Thomas Wagg, for making seven pairs of gloves for the hedgers, £0 3s 6d

Carried over, £112 13s 7.5d

Interpretations

This leaf carries the credit side of the paymaster's account through a further run of payments for particular labour and provisions, bringing the credit side to £112 13s 7.5d. It gathers the wages for gardening, hedging, ditching and haymaking, together with small purchases, the day labour of the plantation set down alongside the works of the fortifications.

The payments for hedging, ditching and haymaking mark the labour of the Company's own farming that the husband's reports had described. The men named, paid ninepence a day, were employed on the very hedging and ditching the Governor had proposed to hand to the Company's slaves, and the ditch whose making had provoked the quarrel between the Governor and Dixon, the day labour of the enclosures and the hay accounted here man by man for the days each worked.

The provision of gloves for the hedgers marks the small care the establishment took for the men at the roughest work. Thomas Wagg was paid three and sixpence for making seven pairs of gloves for the hedgers, the thorny work of hedging warranting the protection of gloves the Company supplied and paid for, a trifling entry that shows the account reaching down to the least necessary of the labour it maintained.

The purchase of lemons and the payment for looking after the cows tie the account to the plantation's produce and the castle dairy. Six hundred and fifty lemons were bought for a few shillings, perhaps against the scurvy or for the table, and Thomas Watts was paid for gardening and tending the cows at the Plantation House, the same cows whose milk the debtor side had recorded selling, the establishment reckoning the wage of the man who kept the dairy herd as it reckoned the return from their milk. It marks the two sides of the account meeting in the plantation's small economy, the cost of tending the cows on the credit side and the return from their milk on the debtor, the whole farming of the Company brought to book on the paymaster's facing pages so that its charge and its yield could alike be proved.

283

276

Dr Chas Hutchinson Paymaster Cr

Brought over 1772 4 6

Brought over 112 13 4½

By Cash Pd Edwd Dunfield for a Day & half stone strowing . 1 10½

By do Pd Joshua Wonab for Seven hundred Cabbage Slips 1 15

By Cash Pd Mr Robert Wright one of the Executors

of Mr Joshua Johnson deceased, for twenty two

days Work, done by a Black of the said Mr

Johnson in cutting Stone for the Fortifications 2 15

By Cash paid the Honble Companys Officers

and Servants their Salaries &c for the Quarter

commencing Octor 1 and ending Decr 31 1745

amounting as by the Pay Account to . 1608 3 11½

By Balance paid into the Honble 1725 4 5½

Companys Cash . 46 15 6½

1772 4 6

Errors Excepted Signed

Chas Hutchinson

We this day Examined the Cash account for the

Last Month which is as follows Viz

Brought over, £1,772 4s 6d

Brought over, £112 13s 4.5d.

Paid to Edward Dunfield for a day and a half spent shearing sheep, £0 1s 10.5d

Paid to Joshua Worrall for 700 cabbage plants, £1 15s 0d

Robert Wright, an executor of the late Joshua Johnson, was paid £2 15s 0d for twenty-two days of stone-cutting on the fortifications carried out by one of Johnson's slaves.

The paymaster then paid the Company's officers and servants their wages for the quarter running from 1 October to 31 December 1745.

Quarter's salaries and wages, £1,608 3s 11.5d

Balance returned to the Company's cash, £46 15s 0.75d

Total, £1,772 4s 6d

Charles Hutchinson signed the account, subject to correction. The board then noted that it had that day gone over the cash account for the previous month, set out below.

Interpretations

The hire of a dead man's slave to the Company records how estate labour was turned to cash while an estate lay unsettled. Robert Wright, holding Joshua Johnson's property as executor, put one of Johnson's slaves to cutting stone for the fortifications for twenty-two days and drew the wage into the estate, the labour of the slave earning for the heirs while the will was worked through. Johnson had died earlier in 1745, his will proved on 13 August 1745 leaving eight named slaves among his children, and the wage of £2 15s 0d for twenty-two days ran at the same halfpenny rate above two shillings a day that the Company paid for hired slave labour throughout this run.

The balance returned to the Company's cash marks the settling of the whole quarter's paymaster's account. Against receipts brought over of £1,772 4s 6d, the great charge was the quarter's salaries and wages of £1,608 3s 11.5d, and once every payment of the works, boats and plantation was met the paymaster Charles Hutchinson carried £46 15s 0.75d of unspent money back into the Company's chest, the small surplus the measure of an account drawn tight against its receipts.

284

277

1745 Cash Dr L S D Per Contra Cr L S D

Decr 1 To Balance remaining 3759 4 7½

Decr

2 By Cash paid Baron Deloffe for making

31 To Cash recd of Mr Samuel Falconer Surgeon

eighty four feet of Canvas Hose, for one of the

in Part of his Bond to the Honble Company 6

Engines . 10 7

To Cash recd of John Bland Master Mason

7 By Cash Paid Ditto for making a Foresail

in full of his Note . 5

for a Long Boat . 18

To Cash rec of Mark Hawkens Mason in

31 By Cash paid John Artinstal for going

full of his work . 3 3

twenty three Trips, in the Long Boat to

To Cash recd for seven thousand three hundred

Sandy Bay for Lime & Stone, for the

and Twenty five Pounds Weight of Yams sold

Fortifications at 10 P Trip . 11 10

to the Officers & Soldiers, in the Quarter ending

By Cash Paid David Dove for going ninety

31 Decr 1745, at three Shillings P Hundred 10 19 9

two Days ending 31 Decr 1745 in the Long

To Cash recd of Mr James DuBois Surgeons

Boat for Lime &c, at one Shilling P Day 4 12

Mate for so much remaining in his Hands,

By Cash Paid Thos Pride for forty five Days

out of the seven Pence P Day, Paid by every Soldier,

Work, in the Long Boat . 2 5

that was in the Hospital, between Octr the 5

By Cash Paid Edward Arnold, for mending

and Decr the 31 1745

a Sail Cloth, and capping eight Sails . 6 6

2 19 9½

L 3787 7 1½

L 19 15 6

The two-sided cash account for the December quarter of 1745 opened on the debtor side.

1 December, balance remaining, £3,759 4s 7.5d

31 December, cash received of Samuel Falconer, surgeon, in part of his bond to the Company, £6 0s 0d

Cash received of John Bland, master mason, in full of his note, £5 0s 0d

Cash received of Mark Hawkins, mason, in full of his work, £3 3s 0d

Cash received for 7,325 lb of yams sold to the officers and soldiers in the quarter ending 31 December 1745 at three shillings the hundredweight, £10 19s 9d

Cash received of James Dubois, surgeon's mate, for the balance remaining in his hands out of the sevenpence a day paid by every soldier who was in the hospital between 1 October and 31 December 1745, £2 19s 9.5d

Total, £3,787 7s 1.5d

On the credit side the payments began.

Baron Deloise was paid £0 10s 0d for making eighty-four feet of canvas hose for one of the engines, and a further £0 18s 0d for making a foresail for a long boat.

31 December, paid to John Artingstall for 23 trips in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime and stone for the fortifications at ten shillings a trip, £11 10s 0d

Paid to David Dowse for 92 days ending 31 December 1745 in the long boat for lime at one shilling a day, £4 12s 0d

Paid to Thomas Pride for 45 days' work in the long boat, £2 5s 0d

Paid to Edward Arnold for mending a sail cloth and capping eight sails, £0 6s 6d

Total, £19 15s 6d

Interpretations

The repayment of the tradesmen's bonds and notes marks how the Company advanced money to its skilled men and drew it back through the treasury. The surgeon Samuel Falconer paid £6 0s 0d against a standing bond and the masons John Bland and Mark Hawkins cleared a note and a work debt outright, the receipts recording the settlement of credit the Company had extended and now recovered in cash.

The hospital charge repaid by the surgeon's mate shows the daily deduction levied on every sick soldier being reconciled at the quarter's end. James Dubois returned £2 19s 9.5d as the unspent balance of the sevenpence a day stopped from the pay of each soldier who lay in the hospital between 1 October and 31 December 1745, the charge covering the cost of a man's keep while sick and the surplus over that cost handed back into the Company's cash.

The long boat's repeated runs to Sandy Bay for lime record the supply that governed the whole pace of the fortification works. John Artingstall was paid for twenty-three trips carrying lime and stone from Sandy Bay, and David Dowse and Thomas Pride for their days in the boat, the lime fetched by sea from the kilns at Sandy Bay because the works could go no faster than the boat could bring it round the coast.

285

278

1745 Cash Dr L S D

Brought Over 3787 7 1½

To Cash recd of Mr Joshua Greggam for a Fine

for retailing spiritous Liquors . 2

To Cash recd for five hundred and four Gallons of

Milk sold in the Quarter ending 31 Decr 1745 at

one Shilling P Gallon . 25 4

To Cash recd for three Hundred and twenty five Pound

Weight of Butter sold in the Quarter ending 31 Decr

1745 at one Shilling P pound . 16 5

To Cash recd of David Wilson, for Provisions sent

to the Market . 23 7 ½

To Cash recd of Mr Matthew Bowling Storekeeper

for Goods sold by him in the Quarter commencing the

first of October and ending the thirty first of Decr 1745 631 2 1½

L 4503 5 3¾

The debtor side of the cash account continued with further receipts.

Brought over, £3,787 7s 1.5d

Cash received of Joshua Twynam for a fine for retailing spirituous liquor, £2 0s 0d

Cash received for 504 gallons of milk sold in the quarter ending 31 December 1745 at one shilling a gallon, £25 4s 0d

Cash received for 325 lb of butter sold in the quarter ending 31 December 1745 at one shilling a pound, £16 5s 0d

Cash received of David Wilson for provisions sold at the market, £23 7s 0.75d

Cash received of Matthew Purling, storekeeper, for goods sold by him in the quarter commencing 1 October and ending 31 December 1745, £631 2s 1.5d

Total, £4,503 5s 3.75d

Interpretations

The fine on Joshua Twynam records the council's control of the liquor trade reaching one of its own factors. Twynam paid £2 0s 0d for retailing spirituous liquor, one of two fines laid on him in this run, the penalty for selling drink without licence brought to book on the debtor side as revenue like any other receipt, the same man having been fined separately for overcharging.

The sale of milk and butter from the castle dairy shows the Company's herd yielding a steady cash return alongside its beef. The dairy sold 504 gallons of milk and 325 lb of butter across the quarter, each at a shilling, the cows tended at the Plantation House earning through their milk and butter while their keep was paid on the credit side, the two sides of the dairy's small economy meeting in the one account.

The storekeeper's takings of £631 2s 1.5d were far the largest single receipt of the quarter, dwarfing every other line. It gathered the whole retail of European and Indian goods sold out of the warehouse over three months, the shop the Company kept at James Town returning more in a quarter than all the dairy, market, customs and repaid bonds together, the trade in imported goods the settlement's chief source of ready money against the provisioning of the shipping.

286

279

Per Contra Cr L S D

Brought Over 19 10 6

By Cash Paid Henry Barber for making ten Pair of Shoes

for the Honble Companys Blacks . 1

By Cash paid Bartholomew Molloy for twenty one days

Work laying Platforms and cutting and washing Guns

for Channels under them, and for the Bore of the Embrazures

at three Shillings P Day . 10 13

By Cash paid the following Labourers for Work done by them

this Quarter at the Fortifications

By do Paid Wm Camerbell for 73¾ at 1 P Day £3 13 9

Edwd Cullivive . 72½ . 3 12 6

Wm Barrett . 66 . 3 6

Jos Vaughn . 66 . 3 6

Peter Bayley . 63¾ . 3 3 6

John Ellis . 63¾ . 3 3 6

Andw Winton . 61 . 3 1

Richard Nixon . 60 . 3

Benjamin William 52½ . 2 12 6

Edwd Bonad . 49½ . 2 9 9

John Mannihy 48¾ . 2 8 9

Edwd Cocker . 48¼ . 2 8 3

Wm Gann . 46 . 2 6

Wm Day . 46 . 2 6

Wm Cogdal . 32 . 1 12

Andrew Bland . 11 . 11

18 13

By Cash paid Samuel Ecles for 18¾ Days Work in

painting Gun Carriages and the Pinnace at three Shillings

P Day . 1 17 6

Carried over L 76 10 3

The credit side of the cash account continued with further payments.

Brought over, £19 10s 6d

Paid to Henry Barber for making ten pairs of shoes for the Company's slaves, £1 0s 0d

Paid to Bartholomew Molloy for 71 days' work laying platforms and cutting and washing stones for the channels under them, and for enlarging the ditch of the embrasures, at three shillings a day, £10 13s 0d

The paymaster then paid the following labourers for work done this quarter at the fortifications.

Paid to Alexander Campbell for 73.5 days at one shilling a day, £3 13s 6d

Edward Cullinane, 72.5 days, £3 12s 6d

William Barrett, 66 days, £3 6s 0d

Joseph Vaughan, 66 days, £3 6s 0d

Peter Bayley, 65.5 days, £3 6s 6d

John Ellis, 65.5 days, £3 6s 6d

Andrew Newton, 61 days, £3 1s 0d

Richard Steward, 60 days, £3 0s 0d

Benjamin Williams, 52.5 days, £2 12s 6d

Edward Boned, 49.5 days, £2 9s 9d

John Mannikey, 48.5 days, £2 8s 9d

Edward Cocker, 48.25 days, £2 8s 3d

William Gann, 16 days, £2 6s 0d

William Fry, 16 days, £2 6s 0d

William Cogdal, 32 days, £1 12s 0d

Andrew Bland, 11 days, £0 11s 0d

Total, £43 13s 3d

Paid to Samuel Eeles for 18.25 days' work painting gun carriages and the pinnace at three shillings a day, £1 17s 6d

Carried over, £76 10s 3d

Interpretations

The graduated file of labourers paid day by day shows the whole spread of the fortification work force set down man by man. Sixteen men were paid at a uniform shilling a day for the days each had worked, from Alexander Campbell's seventy-three and a half down to Andrew Bland's eleven, the plain shilling the standard wage for the ordinary labour of the works, the account reckoning each man's due to the quarter-day so the Company paid for the exact labour it had.

The skilled stonework was paid at three times the labourer's rate, marking the value the works placed on the mason's craft. Bartholomew Molloy drew three shillings a day for seventy-one days laying platforms, cutting and washing the stones for the channels beneath them, and enlarging the ditch of the embrasures, the same enlarging of the ditch that had provoked the quarrel between the Governor and Christopher Dixon earlier in this run, the skilled hand of the mason worth thrice the wage of the men who carried and dug.

287

280

Cash Dr

Brought over L 4505 6 3¾

L 4505 5 3¾

The debtor side of the cash account closed with the receipts carried over and no further entries.

Brought over, £4,503 6s 3.75d

Total, £4,503 5s 3.75d

288

281

Per Contra Cr L S D

Brought Over 76 10 3

By Cash Paid Chas Legent for twenty nine Days Work in

making Soldiers Coats and for Octr 7 6 at Eighteen Pence P Day . 5 15 6

By Cash Paid Robt Curry, and Stephen Willoughby for baking

four Batches of Bread for the Garrison . 5

By Cash Paid John Cristofell, for making twelve Bags for

Lime at three Pence each and for twice tarring two Hose for

the Engine . 6

By Cash paid Isaac Leech for four Days Work in mending

Slugs . 10

By Cash paid Mrs Wilkins for gardening and looking

after the Cows &c this Quarter at the Honse Point . 2 10

By Cash Paid Ditto in Lieu of a Coat and Waistcoat we see,

that the Last Cloathing . 17 6

By Cash Pd Jos Swaits for 650 Lemmons . 13

By Cash Pd Wm Cogdal Davies from his Majts Ship the

Gladston, twenty nine Days Pay from the second to the

twenty ninth of November 1745 both incl at 9d Day . 1 1 9

By Cash Paid the following Men for mowing Hay

making Hedging and ditching Viz

By Cash Paid Anth Day for 68¾ at 15d Day £1 3 9½

John Lettices . 66¾ . 1 3 1½

Patrick Murphy 66¾ . 1 3 1½

John Sud . 9 . 11 3

Alexr Lowden 9 . 11 3

Benj Williams 9 . 11 3

Daniel Connel 8 . 10

14 15 7½

Carried over L 103 7 7½

The credit side of the cash account continued with further payments.

Brought over, £76 10s 3d

Paid to Charles Legent for 29 days' work making soldiers' cots and for oakum at eighteen pence a day, £5 15s 6d

Paid to Robert Curry and Stephen Willoughby for baking four batches of bread for the garrison, £0 5s 0d

Paid to John Cristofell for making twelve bags for lime at threepence each and for twice tarring two hose for the engine, £0 6s 0d

Paid to Isaac Leech for four days' work mending flags, £0 10s 0d

Paid to Thomas Watts for gardening and looking after the cows this quarter at the Plantation House, £2 10s 0d

Paid to Watts in lieu of a coat and hat that fell short of his last clothing allowance, £0 17s 6d

Paid to Watts for 650 lemons, £0 13s 0d

Paid to William Cogdal, drummer from His Majesty's ship Maidstone, for 29 days sinking the mud stone from the 2nd to the 29th of November 1745 both inclusive at ninepence a day, £1 1s 9d

The paymaster then paid the following men for haymaking, hedging and ditching.

Paid to Andrew Day for 68.5 days at ninepence a day, £3 5s 7.5d

John Nettidge, 66.5 days, £3 5s 1.5d

Patrick Murphy, 66.5 days, £3 5s 1.5d

John Read, 9 days, £0 11s 3d

Alexander Loudon, 9 days, £0 11s 3d

Benjamin Williams, 9 days, £0 11s 3d

Daniel Council, 8 days, £0 10s 0d

Total, £11 15s 7.5d

Carried over, £103 7s 7.5d

Note that the drummer William Cogdal came from His Majesty's ship Maidstone.

Interpretations

The payment for making soldiers' cots and oakum shows the establishment maintaining its own garrison's bedding through hired labour. Charles Legent drew eighteen pence a day for twenty-nine days making cots for the soldiers, the higher rate above the plain labourer's shilling marking work that called for some skill with canvas and cordage, the Company furnishing the beds its men slept on rather than buying them ready made.

The lime bags and the tarring of the engine hose record the small consumable gear the fortification works swallowed. John Cristofell was paid for twelve bags at threepence each to carry the lime and for tarring the hose twice over, the lime fetched by boat from Sandy Bay needing sacks to move it and the fire engines' canvas hose needing tar to keep the water in, the least fittings of the works brought to book to the penny.

289

282

Cash Dr

Brought over L 4505 6 3¾

L 4505 6 3¾

The debtor side of the cash account closed with the receipts carried over and no further entries.

Brought over, £4,505 6s 3.75d

Total, £4,505 6s 3.75d

290

283

Per Contra Cr

Brought over 103 7 9½

By Cash paid Fredk Ing for making seven Pair

of Shoes for the Negroes . 3 6

By Cash Paid Edwd Dunfield for a day and half stone strowing . 1 10½

By Cash Pd Joshua Woval for seven Hundred Cabbage Slips 1 15

By Cash Pd Robert Wright one of the Exectors of Mr Joshua Johnson

deceased for twenty two days Work, done by a Black of the said

Mr Johnson in cutting Stone for the Fortifications at two

Shillings and Sixpence P Day . 2 15

By Cash paid the Honble Companys Officers & Servants their Salaries

&c for the Quarter commencing Octr 1 ending Decr 31 1745 amounting as

by the Pay Account to 1608 3 11½

By Ballance of Cash remaining in the following Species 1716 6 11½

1 Piece of Gold wt 11 15 14 at £3 18 3P½ 16 1 8½

4 Pieces of Gold wt 3 9 12 3 18 13 11 0½

1807 Pagodas at 0 9 0 813 3

64 Venetians 0 10 0 32

2 Gubbers 6 0 18

Gold amounting to 905 7 9

1826 Dollars at 5 Each 456 10

21 half Dollars 2 6 2 12 6

64 Double Reals 1 3 4

344 Rials 7½ 10 15

3121 Half Rials 3¾ 48 15 3¾

93 Ducatoons 6 27 18

3762 Ryxpees 2 3 42 7 1½

441 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

Oto Mony 4 2¾

Silver amounting to 1346 13 9½

146 Cash Notes at 40 ea 292

161 Ditto 20 161

255 do 6 63 15

160 do 2 6 20

Cash Notes amounting to 536 15

2788 18 4½

L 4505 5 3¾

The credit side of the cash account continued and closed with the count of the treasury coin by coin.

Brought over, £108 7s 9.5d

Paid to Thomas Wagg for making seven pairs of gloves for the hedgers, £0 3s 6d

Paid to Edward Dunfield for a day and a half sheep shearing, £0 1s 10.5d

Paid to Joshua Worrall for 700 cabbage slips, £1 15s 0d

Robert Wright, an executor of the late Joshua Johnson, was paid £2 15s 0d for twenty-two days of stone-cutting on the fortifications carried out by one of Johnson's slaves, at two shillings and sixpence a day.

Paid to the Company's officers and servants their salaries for the quarter commencing 1 October and ending 31 December 1745, amounting as by the pay account to, £1,608 3s 11.5d

Balance of cash remaining in the following coin, £1,716 6s 11.5d

The gold was counted first.

2 pieces of gold weighing 11 dwt 14 gr at £3 18s 3.5d, £16 1s 8.5d

4 pieces of gold weighing 2 dwt 9 gr 12 at £3 18s, £13 11s 0.5d

1,807 pagodas at 9s 0d, £813 3s 0d

64 venetians at 10s 0d, £32 0s 0d

2 gubbers, £0 18s 0d

Gold amounting to, £905 7s 9d

The silver followed.

1,826 dollars at 5s each, £456 10s 0d

21 half dollars at 2s 6d, £2 12s 6d

64 double reals at 1s 3d, £4 0s 0d

344 reals at 7.5d, £10 15s 0d

3,121 half reals at 3.75d, £48 15s 3.75d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

3,762 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 7s 1.75d

441 French pieces at 2s, £44 2s 0d

Silver amounting to, £1,346 13s 9.5d

The cash notes closed the count.

146 cash notes at £40 each, £292 0s 0d

161 cash notes at £20, £161 0s 0d

255 cash notes at £6, £63 15s 0d

160 cash notes at £2 6s, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £536 15s 0d

Silver and notes together, £2,788 18s 4.5d

Total, £4,505 5s 3.75d

Interpretations

The treasury counted coin by coin at the quarter's end shows the settlement's cash almost wholly made up of foreign specie. Pagodas from the Coromandel coast alone stood at £813 3s 0d, more than the whole gold reckoning of any English coin, and the silver ran through Spanish dollars and reals, Dutch ducatoons, Indian rupees and French pieces, the island holding scarcely a coin of its own realm and doing its reckoning in the money of every nation whose ships touched at the road.

The cash notes standing at £536 15s 0d record the Company's own paper circulating as treasure alongside the coin. Notes in denominations from £2 6s up to £40 made up better than a ninth of the whole chest, the Company's promises to pay counted as cash in the treasury because they passed current on the island as readily as the foreign silver, the settlement short of coin enough to fill its chest with metal and making up the balance in its own paper.

The pagoda valued at nine shillings and the dollar at five shillings fixed the rates at which the whole trade of the island was reckoned. Every provision sold and every wage paid ran ultimately against these foreign coins at the Company's settled valuations, the treasury count the point at which the money of India and Europe was brought to a common sterling reckoning so that the whole account could be proved to a single total.

291

284

The Storekeeper, this Day brought in his

Collections, for the Months of Octr November & Decr last Which

were Examined, and Approved and are as follows Viz

Collection of Goods Sold and Delivered out of the Honble

Companys Store, from the 1 Octr to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Sold to the Company Servants at 10 P Cent

Arrack 351¼ Gallons . 87 16 3

Brandy 359¼ Do . 89 16 3

Sugar and Candy Viz

2 4 3 Sugar . 4 5

1 5 8½ Candy . 3 8 5

7 13 ¾

Soap 2 1 Cwt Pd . 16 4 5

Flour Viz

1 3 Cwt Do 11 Flour . 4 19 4½

9 3 4 Do Baked . 8 11 3

13 10 7½

Oyl Viz

6 Bottles Florence . 18 6

2 2 Gallons Linseed . 12 3½

4 Do Train . 11

1 11 8½

Nails Viz

2 3 three penny Nails . 4 10½

3 4 four penny Do . 2 2¼

7 Six penny Do . 2 11

9 11½

Carried Over L 217 2 5½

The storekeeper brought in his collections for October, November and December, which the board examined and approved. The first was the account of goods sold and delivered out of the Company's stores from 1 October to 31 December 1745, sold to the Company's servants at ten per cent.

Arrack, 351.5 gallons, £87 16s 3d

Brandy, 359.5 gallons, £89 16s 3d

Sugar and candy:

2 cwt 1 qr 3 lb sugar, £4 5s 0d

1 cwt 1 qr 8.5 lb candy, £3 8s 3d

Sugar and candy total, £7 13s 3.75d

Soap, 2 cwt 1 qr 20 lb, £16 4s 5d

Flour:

1 cwt 1 qr 11 lb flour, £4 19s 1.5d

9 cwt 3 qr 4 lb baked, £8 11s 3d

Flour total, £13 10s 7.5d

Oil:

6 bottles Florence, £0 18s 6d

2.5 gallons linseed, £0 12s 3.5d

0.5 gallon train, £0 0s 11d

Oil total, £1 11s 8.5d

Nails:

2 lb threepenny nails, £0 4s 10.5d

3 lb fourpenny nails, £0 2s 2.5d

7 lb sixpenny nails, £0 2s 11d

Nails total, £0 9s 11.5d

Carried over, £217 2s 5.5d

Interpretations

The storekeeper's collection sold to the Company's servants at ten per cent shows the fixed margin the Company added to its goods when it sold them on the island. Every parcel from arrack to sixpenny nails was reckoned at cost plus a tenth, the modest markup marking the store as a service to the establishment's own people rather than a trade run for profit, the Company supplying its servants at little above what the goods had cost to bring out.

The arrack and brandy standing at near ninety pounds apiece were far the largest lines of the collection. The two spirits together made up better than four fifths of the whole carried over, the imported liquor the chief thing the Company's people bought out of the store, the drink of the settlement drawn from the warehouse in gallons where every other commodity went in pounds and bottles.

The nails graded threepenny, fourpenny and sixpenny record the old English reckoning of nails by the hundred price that had become a size. The pennyweight names no longer meant the cost but marked the length, the threepenny the shortest and the sixpenny the longest, the storekeeper selling building iron in the same graded sizes an English ironmonger would have known, the settlement's construction supplied down to the smallest fastening from the Company's stores.

292

285

Brought over L 217 2 3½

Pallampores 1 . 11 7

Long Cloth 10¼ yds . 10 16 1½

Combs 86 Horn . 12 6½

Kersey Viz

9½ Yards Kersey . 13 10½

61 Yards Long Ells . 5 1 8

5 13 6½

Tea 2 . 1 18

Candles 76 . 5 10 10

Buckrams &c Viz

35¼ Yds Buckrams . 1 10 5

55½ Yd Osnabrigs . 1 13 8½

8 Yds Hair Cloths . 13

3 16 1½

Thread Viz

4 Yd Brown Sorted . 1 1 3

3 Coloured . 1 1½

2½ Blue . 6 9½

6 Oz Nuns . 7

1 16 10

Shirts Viz

6 Dungree Shirts . 13 6

28 Soldiers Do . 6 8 4

7 10

Blankets 3 . 1 3

Rozin 9 . 1 1½

Carried Over L 256 2 ½

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants continued.

Brought over, £217 2s 3.5d

Palampores, 1, £0 11s 7d

Long cloth, 10.5 yards, £0 10s 16.5d

Combs, 86 horn, £0 12s 6.5d

Kersey:

9.5 yards kersey, £0 13s 10.5d

61 yards long ells, £5 1s 8d

Kersey total, £5 13s 6.5d

Tea, 2 lb, £1 18s 0d

Candles, 70 lb, £5 10s 10d

Buckram:

35.5 yards buckram, £1 10s 5d

53.5 yards osnaburg, £1 13s 8.5d

8 yards hair cloth, £0 13s 0d

Buckram total, £3 16s 1.5d

Thread:

1 lb white brown sorted, £0 1s 3d

0.5 lb coloured, £0 1s 0.5d

2.5 lb blue, £0 6s 9.5d

6 oz nuns, £0 7s 0d

Thread total, £1 16s 10d

Shirts:

6 dungaree shirts, £0 12s 6d

28 soldiers' shirts, £6 8s 4d

Shirts total, £7 0s 10d

Blankets, 3, £1 0s 3d

Rosin, 9 lb, £1 1s 4.5d

Carried over, £256 2s 4.5d

Interpretations

The run of Indian and English cloth in the storekeeper's collection shows the settlement clothing itself from both ends of the Company's trade. Palampores and long cloth from India lay in the same account as kersey, long ells and osnaburg from England, the imported piece goods of the eastern trade sold out of the same warehouse as the woollens and coarse linens of home, the island's people buying their cloth from whichever quarter the Company's ships had lately come.

The soldiers' shirts standing at more than six pounds record the garrison buying its own linen out of the store. Twenty-eight soldiers' shirts made up much the largest cloth line of the leaf, the men of the garrison furnished with shirts from the warehouse against their pay, the same clothing-in-lieu allowance the paymaster's account had recorded meeting the cost of the coats and hats while the shirts themselves came from the store.

Speculations

The osnaburg and buckram entered by the yard alongside made-up shirts suggests the store sold cloth for the island's own tailoring rather than importing every garment ready made. The presence of thread in white, coloured and blue, and of buckram and hair cloth used to stiffen and line a coat, points to garments cut and sewn on the island from bolts out of the warehouse, the Company choosing to supply the stuff and let its people make up their own clothes where it might instead have shipped everything finished from England, the yard goods and the sewing thread in the same account showing the cheaper course the store had taken.

293

286

Brought Over L 256 2 ½

Tinware Viz

1 Horne Lanthorn . 4 5

4 Pudding Pans . 6 8

11 1

Chinaware Viz

2 Dishes . 8

1 Sneaker . 4

4

Corks Viz

8½ Gross Corks . 1 1 3

½ Corkwood . 2½

1 1 5½

Lead Viz

60 Shot Lead . 11 3

6 Small Shot . 1 1½

12 4½

Pewter Viz

4½ doz Spoons . 10 6

1 Quart Funnel . 2 6

3 Chamber Potts . 10 3

1 3 3

Mussline 1 yd . 11 1

Paper 2 . 2 6

Deals 3 1½ Inch Wainscott board . 2 7

Shalloons 30 P Yd Sold . 3 18 10½

Oars 4 18 feet . 8

Carried Over L 265 10 6

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants continued.

Brought over, £256 2s 4.5d

Tinware:

1 horn lanthorn, £0 4s 5d

4 pudding pans, £0 6s 8d

Tinware total, £0 11s 1d

Chinaware:

2 dishes, £0 3s 8d

1 sneaker, £0 0s 4d

Chinaware total, £0 4s 0d

Corks:

8.5 gross corks, £1 1s 3d

0.5 lb corkwood, £0 0s 2.5d

Corks total, £1 1s 5.5d

Lead:

60 lb sheet lead, £0 11s 3d

6 lb small shot, £0 1s 1.5d

Lead total, £0 12s 4.5d

Pewter:

1.5 dozen spoons, £0 10s 6d

1 quart funnel, £0 2s 6d

3 chamber pots, £0 10s 3d

Pewter total, £1 3s 3d

Muslin, 1 yard, £0 11s 1d

Paper, 2 quires, £0 2s 3d

Deals, 1.5 inch William Minicoll board, £0 2s 7d

Shalloons, 30.75 yards sorted, £3 18s 10.5d

Oars, 4, 18 feet, £1 0s 8d

Carried over, £265 10s 6d

Interpretations

The chamber pots and pudding pans in pewter and tin record the ordinary household goods the store carried alongside its cloth and iron. The Company's warehouse supplied the domestic wares of the settlement down to spoons, funnels and pans, the same account that sold building lead and ship's oars furnishing a kitchen and a table, the store the single source of manufactured goods on an island that made almost nothing of its own.

The sheet lead and small shot sold by the pound show the store supplying the raw metal for the island's own casting and repair. Sixty pounds of sheet lead went out for roofing, glazing and patching, and the small shot for the fowling piece, the settlement working its own lead where it could not send to a plumber or a shot tower, the Company's warehouse standing in for the whole trade of a market town.

The board sold by the single length and the oars by the set record how dear worked timber was on a treeless island. A single inch-and-a-half board and four eighteen-foot oars were entered by name, the sawn wood too scarce and valuable to sell by the pile as an English yard would, every plank and oar of imported timber accounted for one by one because the island grew almost no wood fit for building or the boats.

294

287

Brought Over L 265 10 6

Braziersware Viz

1 Copper Boiling Pot . 2 1 1

14 Candlesticks . 7 6

1 Copper Saucepan . 3 9½

2 11 10½

Canvas Viz

5 Yards Sacking . 3 9

1½ Yd English Canvas . 1 10½

3¾ Yd Ravin Duck . 5 6½

11 2

Camblets Viz

12¾ Yd Camblets . 1 15 4½

15 Yd Allspins . 1 6

3 1 3½

Leather Pd 13 . 2 11 5¾

Hooks and Lines Viz

18 Gross 4 doz Hooks Sorted . 4 9 7½

8550 Blue Hooks . 1 8 6

10 Doz Lines Sorted . 2 10 11

3 Damaged Lines . 2

1 Deepsea Line . 4 9½

8 15 9½

Persoolies Viz

7 Yd Double . 6 8 4

4 Yd Single . 6 7 2

1½ Yd Blue . 19 10½

13 15 4½

Carried Over L 296 19 9

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants continued.

Brought over, £265 10s 6d

Copper and brass ware:

1 copper boiling pot, £2 1s 1d

14 candlesticks, £0 7s 6d

1 copper saucepan, £0 5s 9.5d

Copper and brass ware total, £2 14s 4.5d

Canvas:

5 yards sacking, £0 3s 9d

1.5 yards English canvas, £0 1s 10.5d

3.5 yards India duck, £0 5s 6.5d

Canvas total, £0 11s 2d

Camlet:

12.5 yards camlet, £1 15s 9.5d

15 yards alepine, £1 6s 0d

Camlet total, £3 1s 9.75d

Leather, 13 lb, £2 11s 5.75d

Hooks and lines:

18 gross 4 dozen hooks sorted, £4 9s 7.5d

8,550 blue hooks, £1 8s 6d

10 dozen lines sorted, £2 10s 11d

3 damaged lines, £0 2s 0d

1 deep sea line, £0 4s 9.5d

Hooks and lines total, £8 15s 9.5d

Doosetees:

7 yards double, £6 8s 4d

41 yards single, £6 7s 2d

1.5 yards blue, £0 19s 10.5d

Doosetees total, £13 15s 4.5d

Carried over, £296 17s 9d

Interpretations

The fishing hooks and lines running to better than eight pounds record the sea as a standing part of the settlement's food supply. Above eighteen gross of sorted hooks and eight and a half thousand blue hooks went out of the store in the quarter, the great quantity marking how much the island fed itself from its own waters, the Company selling the tackle by the gross and the thousand because the fishery fed the settlement as steadily as the plantation and the herd.

The doosetees standing at near fourteen pounds were the most valuable cloth line of the leaf. These fine Bengal cotton piece goods, sold double, single and blue, drew the highest price of any stuff in the collection, the eastern cloth of the Company's Bengal trade fetching more by the yard than the woollens and canvas of the earlier leaves, the settlement's better clothing drawn from the finest of the Indian imports.

Interpretations

Doosetees were a fine Bengal cotton cloth, plain woven and much traded by the Company out of its Bengal factories, sold here in double and single weights and a blue-dyed sort. Camlet was a closely woven fabric of wool, sometimes mixed with silk or hair, used for cloaks and outer garments, and alepine a mixed stuff of wool and silk of the same family. India duck was a strong plain cotton or linen canvas from the eastern trade, lighter than sailcloth and used for lighter sails, bags and working clothes. These stood in the store beside the plain English sacking and canvas, the account gathering the coarse and the fine, the home and the eastern cloth, into the one reckoning.

295

288

Brought Over L 296 19 9

Turnersware Viz

4 Hair Brooms . 6 2

3 Cloth Brushes . 3 7½

10 Wood Bowls . 6 8

58 Shoe Brushes . 1 19 5½

3 Woodladles . 6½

1 Paint Brush . 8

3 Platters . 2

2 17 1½

Gold Twist 1 Oz . 2 6¾

Salt 26¼ Bushells . 4 6 5

Shoes Viz

179 Yd Mens Ordinary . 38 15 8

3 Yd do Fine . 16

39 11 8

Flannel 17 Yards . 1 6½

Iron Potts 1 . 6 3

Ironmongersware Viz

2½ doz Wood Screws . 1 10½

3 Small Hatchets . 3 6

8 Yd Dovetail Hinges . 7 4

1 Large Frying Pan . 3 9

7 Small Do . 12 10

1 Chest Lock . 4

1 Hammer . 1 3½

3 Scyth Stones . 6

1 Rag Stone . 1 2

Ironware Carried over L 1 17 2½

Carried Over L 345 4 4

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants continued.

Brought over, £296 19s 9d

Turnery ware:

4 hair brooms, £0 6s 2d

3 cloth brushes, £0 3s 1.5d

10 wood bowls, £0 6s 8d

58 shoe brushes, £1 19s 5.5d

3 wood ladles, £0 0s 6.5d

1 paint brush, £0 0s 8d

3 platters, £0 2s 0d

Turnery ware total, £2 17s 1.5d

Gold twist, 7 oz, £0 2s 6.75d

Salt, 26.5 bushels, £4 6s 5d

Shoes:

179 pairs men's ordinary, £38 15s 8d

3 pairs ditto fine, £0 16s 0d

Shoes total, £39 11s 8d

Flannel, 17 yards, £1 6s 6.5d

Iron pots, 1, £0 6s 3d

Ironmongery ware:

2.5 dozen wood screws, £0 1s 10.5d

3 small hatchets, £0 3s 6d

8 pairs dovetail hinges, £0 7s 4d

1 large frying pan, £0 3s 9d

7 small frying pans, £0 12s 10d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 0d

1 hammer, £0 1s 3.5d

3 scythe stones, £0 0s 6d

1 flag stone, £0 1s 2d

Ironmongery ware carried over, £1 17s 2.5d

Carried over, £345 4s 4d

Interpretations

The 179 pairs of ordinary men's shoes standing at near forty pounds were the single largest line of the whole collection to this point. The great quantity marks the shoe as the one manufactured necessity the island could not make and its people wore out fastest, the Company shipping footwear by the score and selling it at the head of every clothing account, the ordinary sort far outrunning the three fine pairs because the shoes went to the garrison and the labourers rather than the gentry.

The scythe stones, wood screws and dovetail hinges record the store as the island's whole ironmonger and hardware shop. The Company's warehouse carried the small tools and fittings of every trade, from a chest lock to a whetstone for a scythe, the same account that sold shoes and salt furnishing the hinges for a door and the screws for a joiner's work, the store standing in for the range of shops a mainland town would have held.

296

289

Brought Over L 345 4 4

Ironware Brought Over L 1 17 2½

3 Helves . 2

2 Stock Locks . 2 10

2 2 ½

Haberdashenyware Viz

25½ doz Mohair Coat Buttons . 16 1

4 Doz Do Breast . 1 3

22 Skeans Silk . 10 1

34 Do Mohair . 8 6

9 Yd Broad Holland Tape . 6 1½

2 Yd Coloured Tape . 2 2

106 Yards Gartering . 17 8

5 Doz Suit Brass Buttons . 1½

1½ Do do Coat . 1½

3 2 10½

Twine Viz

25 Skeans Twine . 1 1 7

9½ Rees Thread . 10 3½

1 16 ¾

Paint Viz

13½ Blue Smalts . 1 1 9

11 Barrels Blacking . 7 1

½ White Lead . 1 3½

½ do Brimstone . 3½

1 13 5½

Carried Over L 353 19 7½

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants continued.

Brought over, £345 4s 4d

Ironmongery ware brought over, £1 17s 2.5d

3 helves, £0 2s 0d

2 stock locks, £0 2s 10d

Ironmongery ware total, £2 2s 0.5d

Haberdashery ware:

25 dozen mohair coat buttons, £0 16s 1d

4 dozen ditto breast, £0 1s 3d

22 skeins silk, £0 10s 1d

34 ditto mohair, £0 8s 6d

9 pieces broad Holland tape, £0 6s 1.5d

2 pieces coloured tape, £0 2s 2d

106 yards garthing, £0 17s 8d

5 dozen mill buttons breast, £0 1s 2d

1.5 dozen ditto coat, £0 1s 2d

Haberdashery ware total, £3 2s 10.5d

Twine:

25 skeins twine, £1 1s 7d

0.5 lb three-thread, £0 13s 3.5d

Twine total, £1 16s 0.75d

Paint:

13.5 lb blue smalts, £1 1s 9d

11 barrels blacking, £0 7s 1d

1.5 lb white lead, £0 1s 3.5d

0.5 lb brimstone, £0 0s 9.5d

Paint total, £1 13s 6.5d

Carried over, £353 19s 7.5d

Interpretations

The mohair and mill buttons, silk, tape and garthing record the store supplying every small finishing of a tailor's work. The haberdashery of the account gathered the buttons for a coat and a waistcoat, the silk and mohair thread to sew them, and the tape and garthing to bind and tie, the same warehouse that sold the broad cloth by the yard furnishing the trimmings to make it up, the store standing in for the mercer and the haberdasher alike so that a coat might be both cut and finished from its shelves.

The blue smalts and white lead among the paint show the store carrying the pigments the works and the boats consumed. Smalt, a blue glass ground fine, and white lead were the colours the account had paid Samuel Eeles to lay on the gun carriages and the pinnace, the raw pigment sold by the pound out of the same store, the Company supplying the materials of its own painting where it also paid the hand that spread them.

Interpretations

Smalt was a deep blue pigment made by grinding a cobalt-coloured glass to powder, used both as a paint colour and to whiten linen and paper. Garthing, a woven tape or narrow webbing, served to bind edges and make ties and garters. Mohair here named not the cloth but a strong twist of mohair yarn made up into buttons and used as sewing thread, the mohair and mill buttons the two common sorts a coat took, the one covered in mohair twist and the other a plain turned button, both sold by the dozen for the settlement's tailoring.

297

290

Brought Over L 353 19 7½

Hosiersware Viz

133 Yd Mens Thread Stockings . 18 6 9

6 Yd Mens Wove . 1 2 6

11 Yd Do Cotton . 3 6

22 8 9

Glaziersware Viz

26 Sq Glass 8 by 10 . 14 7

6 Sq Do 6 by 8 . 2

6 Wine Glasses . 2 3

1 Beer Glass . 9½

4 Tumblers . 2 10

1 2 5½

Broad Cloth Viz

16¾ Yd Coarse Blue . 14 3 9

5 Ya do Brown . 3 17 1

1 Yd Scarlet . 1 14 3½

19 15 1½

Cutleryware Viz

2 Buck Handle Knives . 7½

18 Yd Buckles . 9 9

10 4½

Beef and Pork Viz

171 Cd Beef at 3 3 . 27 15 9

27 Cd Do 2 6 . 3 6 3

292 Cd Do 2 . 29 4

15 Cd Pork 2 6 . 1 16 3

397 Cd Do 2 . 39 14

101 15 3

Carried Over L 199 11 6½

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants continued.

Brought over, £353 19s 7.5d

Hosiery ware:

133 pairs men's thread stockings, £18 6s 9d

6 pairs men's worsted, £1 2s 6d

11 pairs ditto cotton, £3 0s 6d

Hosiery ware total, £22 8s 9d

Glazier's ware:

26 squares glass 8 by 10, £0 18s 7d

6 squares ditto 6 by 8, £0 2s 0d

6 wine glasses, £0 2s 3d

1 beer glass, £0 0s 9.5d

4 tumblers, £0 2s 10d

Glazier's ware total, £1 2s 5.5d

Broad cloth:

86.5 yards coarse blue, £14 3s 9d

5 yards brown, £3 17s 1d

1.75 yards scarlet, £1 14s 3.5d

Broad cloth total, £19 15s 1.5d

Cutlery ware:

2 buck-handle knives, £0 0s 7.5d

18 pairs buckles, £0 9s 9d

Cutlery ware total, £0 10s 4.5d

Beef and pork:

171 lb beef at 3.5d, £27 15s 9d

27 lb ditto at 2.5d, £3 6s 3d

292 lb ditto at 2d, £29 4s 0d

151 lb pork at 2.5d, £1 16s 3d

397 lb ditto at 2d, £39 11s 0d

Beef and pork total, £101 15s 3d

Carried over, £499 11s 6.5d

Interpretations

The beef and pork standing at above a hundred pounds were far the largest line of the whole collection. The salt meat sold at graded prices from twopence to threepence-halfpenny a pound, the different rates marking different cuts or qualities from the same barrel, the imported provision the chief thing the store sold by weight, the settlement drawing its salt meat from the warehouse where its fresh beef came from the Company's own herd.

The men's thread stockings running to better than eighteen pounds record hosiery as a staple of the clothing trade alongside the shoes. A hundred and thirty-three pairs of thread stockings went out in the quarter, far outrunning the worsted and cotton sorts, the plain thread stocking the everyday wear of the garrison and the labourers, the store selling legwear by the gross as it sold footwear by the score.

Interpretations

Broad cloth was a fine, dense woollen cloth woven wide and heavily fulled, the best English woollen and the stuff of a good coat, sold here in coarse blue for the ordinary run and in brown and scarlet for better wear. Alepine, camlet and the other mixed stuffs of the earlier leaves clothed the body lightly, but broad cloth at fourteen pounds the coarse blue alone was the costly woollen of the account, the scarlet at near a pound a yard the dearest cloth of all, reserved for the finest coats the settlement's people wore.

298

291

Brought Over L 199 11 6½

Rice Viz

4 12 14 fine Rice . 17 10½

22 2 21 Coarse Do . 8 10 1¾

9 8 ¾

Total Sold to the Companies Servts L 508 19 7

Sold to the Planters at 25 P Cent Viz

Long Cloth 1½ Yd . L 1 15

Buckrams Viz

1½ Yd Buckrams . 7 6

7 Yd Osnabrigs . 5 3

12 9

Broad Cloth Viz

34¼ Yd Coarse Blue . 9 16 11½

1¼ Yd Scarlet . 1 6 1¼

11 2 7½

Shalloon 6 Yards . 13

Persoolies Viz

8 Yd Double . 8 6 8

10 Yd Single . 5 4 2

1 Yd Blue . 17

14 7 10

Long Ells 55½ Yards . 5 6 1½

1½ Yd Kersey . 2 4

6 8 5½

Carried Over L 33 19 1

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold to the Company's servants closed with the rice, and a fresh account of goods sold to the planters at twenty-five per cent then opened.

Brought over, £499 11s 6.5d

Rice:

4 cwt 2 qr 14 lb fine rice, £0 17s 10.5d

22 cwt 2 qr 21 lb coarse ditto, £8 10s 1.75d

Rice total, £9 8s 0.25d

Total sold to the Company's servants, £508 19s 7d

The goods sold to the planters at twenty-five per cent followed.

Long cloth, 1.5 yards, £1 15s 0d

Buckram:

1.5 yards buckram, £0 7s 6d

7 yards osnaburg, £0 5s 3d

Buckram total, £0 12s 9d

Broad cloth:

34.75 yards coarse blue, £9 16s 11.5d

1.5 yards scarlet, £1 5s 1.5d

Broad cloth total, £11 2s 0.5d

Shalloon, 6 yards, £0 13s 0d

Doosetees:

8 yards double, £5 6s 8d

10 yards single, £3 1s 2d

1 yard blue, £0 17s 0d

Doosetees total, £9 4s 10d

Long ells, 55.5 yards, £5 6s 1.5d

1.5 yards kersey, £0 2s 4d

Long ells total, £6 8s 5.5d

Carried over, £33 19s 1d

Interpretations

The opening of a separate planters' account at twenty-five per cent shows the Company charging its free inhabitants a markup two and a half times that laid on its own servants. Where the servants bought at ten per cent above cost, the planters paid twenty-five, the higher rate marking the store's two classes of customer, the Company subsidising its own establishment while selling to the island's independent farmers at a merchant's margin, the two collections kept apart so that each class's price could be proved.

The planters bought the same cloth as the servants but almost no provisions. Their account gathered long cloth, broad cloth, doosetees and long ells while the servants' had run heavily to salt meat, shoes and stockings, the planters growing their own food and raising their own stock and coming to the store chiefly for the cloth and manufactures they could not make, the difference between the two accounts marking the difference between a garrison fed from the warehouse and a farming people who needed only what the land could not yield.

299

292

Brought Over L 39 19 1

Hosiersware 3 Yd Mens wove Stockings . 13

Silk Alligars 3 Yd . 2 4 3

Shirts 32 Dungree . 4 2 8

Shoes 5 Yd Boys . 1 1 7

Mussline 4 Yd . 3 4

Flannels 4 Yards . 16 6

Sold at 10 P Cent Viz

Arrack 37¼ Gallons 6 . 11 5

Brandy 43½ Do . 13 2 6

Sugar and Candy Viz

3 4 Sugar . 16 3

2 Candy . 1 1

17 4

Flour 2 1 Cwt Do 22 . 2 1

Soap 68½ . 3 2 9½

Oyle Viz

1 Bottle Florence . 3 11

1½ Gall Linseed . 10 11½

14 10½

Haberdashenyware Viz

4 doz Mohair Coat Buttons . 9 11

5½ Yd Breast Do . 2 7½

9 Yd Broad Holland Tape . 5 10

17 9¾

Beef 2 Yd . 6 2

Pepper 2 Yd . 1 5

Carried Over L 78 6 5½

The planters' account at twenty-five per cent continued, and a further account of goods sold at ten per cent then opened.

Brought over, £39 19s 1d

Hosiery ware, 3 pairs men's worsted stockings, £0 13s 0d

Silk alegars, 3 pieces, £2 1s 3d

Shirts, 32 dungaree, £4 2s 8d

Shoes, 5 pairs boys', £1 1s 7d

Muslin, 1 yard, £0 3s 4d

Flannel, 4 yards, £0 16s 6d

The goods sold at ten per cent followed.

Arrack, 37.5 gallons at 6d, £11 4s 5d

Brandy, 53.75 gallons, £13 2s 6d

Sugar and candy:

3 lb sugar, £0 16s 3d

2 lb candy, £0 1s 1d

Sugar and candy total, £0 17s 4d

Flour, 2 cwt 1 qr 22 lb, £2 1s 0d

Soap, 68 lb, £3 2s 9.5d

Oil:

1 bottle Florence, £0 3s 11d

1.5 gallons linseed, £0 10s 11.5d

Oil total, £0 14s 10.5d

Haberdashery ware:

14 dozen mohair coat buttons, £0 9s 11d

5.5 dozen breast ditto, £0 2s 7.5d

7 pieces broad Holland tape, £0 5s 10d

Haberdashery ware total, £0 17s 9.75d

Beef, 2 lb, £0 6s 6d

Pepper, 2 lb, £0 1s 5d

Carried over, £78 6s 5.5d

Interpretations

The opening of a third account at ten per cent within the same collection shows the store keeping more than two rates of markup for its different customers. After the servants at ten and the planters at twenty-five, a further parcel of goods was sold at the lower servants' rate, perhaps to men on the establishment buying beyond the first account or to a class the storekeeper reckoned entitled to the cheaper price, the store distinguishing its buyers finely enough to hold each to the margin his standing allowed.

The boys' shoes and dungaree shirts among the planters' goods record the families of the settlement clothing their children from the store. Five pairs of boys' shoes and two and thirty dungaree shirts went to the planters, the cheap coarse cotton shirt and the small shoe marking the household buying for its young, the planters coming to the warehouse for the children's clothing they could not make at home as they came for their own cloth.

300

293

Brought Over L 78 6 3½

Deals Viz

18 Single Deals . 2 2

56 Double Do . 10 8

1 Elm Plank 19½ ft . 1 13 8¾

3 Fir Baulks . 1 12 9

3 Spars . 7

15 16 1¾

Hooks and Lines Viz

5 Groce Hooks Sorted . 1 14 5½

630 Blue Hooks . 2 8½

5½ doz Lines Sorted . 12

1 Deepsea Line . 6 1

3 Hambro Lines . 3 6

1 Long Line . 1 2

3 19 11

Glaziersware Viz

2 Tumblers . 1 9

12 Sq Glass 12 by 12 . 12 6

119 Sq Do 6 by 8 . 2 9 9

18 Sq Do 8 by 10 . 14 9

3 16 9

Lead Viz

Cd Shot . 1

112 Small Shot . 1 8

1 9

Leather Pd 25½ . 1 17 2½

Carried Over L 105 3 1½

The account of goods sold at ten per cent continued.

Brought over, £78 6s 3.5d

Deals:

18 single deals, £2 2s 0d

56 double ditto, £10 0s 8d

1 elm plank 19.5 feet, £1 13s 8.5d

3 fir baulks, £1 12s 9d

3 spars, £0 7s 0d

Deals total, £15 16s 1.5d

Hooks and lines:

4 gross hooks sorted, £1 14s 5.5d

630 blue hooks, £0 2s 8.5d

5.5 dozen lines sorted, £1 12s 0d

1 deep sea line, £0 6s 1d

3 Hamburg lines, £0 3s 6d

1 log line, £0 1s 2d

Hooks and lines total, £3 19s 11d

Glazier's ware:

2 tumblers, £0 1s 9d

12 squares glass 12 by 12, £0 12s 6d

119 squares ditto 6 by 8, £2 9s 9d

18 squares ditto 8 by 10, £0 12s 9d

Glazier's ware total, £3 16s 9d

Lead:

0.5 lb shot, £0 1s 0d

112 lb small shot, £1 8s 0d

Lead total, £1 9s 0d

Leather, 25 lb, £1 17s 2.5d

Carried over, £105 5s 1.5d

Interpretations

The deals, elm plank, fir baulks and spars standing at near sixteen pounds record the timber trade that mattered most on a treeless island. Worked wood was among the dearest things the store sold, the single boards, the one elm plank measured to the half foot and the fir baulks each entered by name, the whole building and boat timber of the settlement drawn from imported stock because the island grew almost no wood fit for the purpose, the account reckoning every plank because none could be had otherwise.

The window glass sold in three sizes shows the store glazing the settlement's buildings pane by pane. Squares of glass in twelve by twelve, eight by ten and six by eight went out in quantity, the smaller six by eight running to above a hundred and nineteen panes, the store supplying the glass for the windows of the castle and the houses in the standard sizes an English glazier would cut, the settlement's building fabric maintained from the warehouse down to the glazing of a single light.

301

294

Brought Over L 105 3 1½

Thread Viz

8 Oz Nuns Sorted . 13 9

4 Yd Brown . 1 8

7 Coloured . 9½

3 Blue . 2 4½

18 5½

Nails Viz

16 three penny Nails . 10 8

3 Twenty Do . 1 3

6 Four Do . 1 11 6

76 Six Do . 2 1 2

34 Ten Do . 16 9¼

38 Thirty Do . 13 10

5 16 8½

Braziersware Viz

1 Tea Kettle . 17 6

1 Flat Candlestick . 3 5

1 11

Salt 4¼ Bushels . 18 1¾

Twine Viz

25 Skeans Twine . 1 11 10½

4 Shoe Thread . 10 4

2 2 2½

Ironmongersware Viz

2 Hand Hatchets . 9 4

1 Chaffing Dish . 4 5

13 9

Carried Over L 116 1 5½

The account of goods sold at ten per cent continued.

Brought over, £105 5s 1.5d

Thread:

8 oz nuns sorted, £0 13s 9d

0.5 lb white brown, £0 1s 8d

0.5 lb coloured, £0 0s 9.5d

0.5 lb blue, £0 2s 0.5d

Thread total, £0 18s 3.5d

Nails:

16 lb threepenny nails, £0 10s 8d

5 lb twenty ditto, £0 1s 3d

34 lb four ditto, £1 11s 6d

76 lb six ditto, £2 1s 2d

34 lb ten ditto, £0 16s 3.5d

38 lb thirty ditto, £0 13s 10d

Nails total, £5 16s 8.5d

Copper and brass ware:

1 tea kettle, £0 17s 6d

1 flat candlestick, £0 3s 5d

Copper and brass ware total, £1 0s 11d

Salt, 4.5 bushels, £0 18s 1.75d

Twine:

25 skeins twine, £1 11s 10.5d

0.5 lb three-thread, £0 10s 4d

Twine total, £2 2s 2.5d

Ironmongery ware:

2 hand hatchets, £0 9s 4d

1 chafing dish, £0 4s 5d

Ironmongery ware total, £0 13s 9d

Carried over, £116 1s 6.5d

Interpretations

The nails graded from three to thirty by the pound record the whole range of building iron the store carried in the old English sizing. The pennyweight names marked lengths, the threepenny the shortest and the thirty the longest and heaviest, the store selling the full run of sizes a builder needed from a small tack to a great spike, the fastening for every kind of work drawn by weight from the warehouse because the island forged almost none of its own.

The chafing dish and tea kettle among the copper and brass ware show the store furnishing the finer domestic vessels alongside the plain iron pot. Copper and brass were the metals of a good kitchen and a genteel table, the chafing dish to keep a dish warm and the tea kettle for the drinking of tea, the store carrying the wares of a comfortable household as it carried the plainest, the settlement's people supplied at whatever standard of living their means allowed from the one warehouse.

302

295

Brought Over L 116 1 5½

Ironware Brought Over L 13 9

1 Mattock . 5 3

4 Shot Shovels . 13 9

1 Helve . 10

1 Rag Stone . 2

1 Iron Rimd Lock . 4 10

1 Pd Bellows . 6

2 Trowells . 2 10

4 Pd Dovetail Hinges . 4 10

5 Box Irons & Heaters . 3 10

1 Taylors Thimble . 2

3 Stock Locks . 5

1 Small Frying Pan . 2 4

1 Large Do . 4 10

6 7 5

Paint Viz

9¼ Blue Smalt . 1 1 7

5 Barrels Blacking . 4 2

1 5 9

Cordage Viz

162 Cd Cordage . 3 14 3

101 Cd Do twice laid . 2 10 6

6 4 9

Rice Viz

14 Cd fine Rice . 4

90 Coarse Do . 6 6¾

10 6¾

Carried Over L 130 9 11¾

The account of goods sold at ten per cent continued.

Brought over, £116 1s 6.5d

Ironmongery ware brought over, £0 13s 9d

1 maunle, £0 3s 3d

7 shot shovels, £0 15s 9d

1 helve, £0 0s 10d

1 whetstone, £0 0s 2d

1 iron rimmed lock, £0 4s 10d

1 pair bellows, £0 6s 0d

2 trowels, £0 2s 10d

4 pairs dovetail hinges, £0 4s 10d

5 box irons and heaters, £3 0s 10d

1 tailor's thimble, £0 0s 2d

3 stock locks, £0 5s 0d

1 small frying pan, £0 2s 4d

1 large ditto, £0 4s 10d

Ironmongery ware total, £6 7s 5d

Paint:

9.5 lb blue smalt, £1 1s 7d

5 barrels blacking, £0 4s 2d

Paint total, £1 5s 9d

Cordage:

162 lb cordage, £3 14s 3d

101 lb ditto twice laid, £2 10s 6d

Cordage total, £6 4s 9d

Rice:

14 lb fine rice, £0 4s 0d

90 lb coarse ditto, £0 6s 6.5d

Rice total, £0 10s 6.5d

Carried over, £130 9s 11.5d

Interpretations

The box irons and heaters standing at three pounds were the dearest item of the ironmongery on the leaf. These were the smoothing irons of the household, hollow to take a heated slug of metal, sold with their spare heaters so one might warm while the other pressed, the store carrying the laundry gear of a settled household alongside the trowels and shovels of the works, the domestic and the working iron in the one account.

The cordage sold plain and twice laid records the store supplying the running gear the island's boats and works consumed. New cordage and the stronger twice-laid rope went out by the pound, the twice-laid the harder-wearing sort for the heaviest strain, the store keeping the rope the boats and the tackle needed on an island that grew no hemp and could spin none of its own, every fathom drawn from imported stock like the timber and the iron.

303

296

Brought Over L 130 9 11½

Candles 13 . 1 7 1

Canvas Viz

11 Yards English Canvas . 17 5

3 Yd Sacking . 3

1 5

Blankets 2 . 17 2

Pewter Viz

12 Chamber Pots . 2 12

3½ doz Spoons . 10 2½

3 2 2½

Iron Potts 4 . 1 7

Cork 1 Viz

2 Gross Corks . 9 6

1 Cork Wood . 1 1

10 7

Turnersware Viz

5 Wood Bowls . 4 2

4 Platters . 9 4

1 Wood Ladle . 2¾

1 Straining Dish . 1½

2 Shoe Brushes . 1 8

9 9¼

Tea 3 . 6

Turpentine Viz

6 Turpentine . 1 3

8 Rozin . 1 4

2 6½

Carried Over L 139 12 7½

The account of goods sold at ten per cent continued.

Brought over, £130 9s 11.5d

Candles, 13 lb, £1 7s 1d

Canvas:

11 yards English canvas, £0 17s 5d

3 yards sacking, £0 3s 0d

Canvas total, £1 0s 5d

Blankets, 2, £0 17s 2d

Pewter:

12 chamber pots, £2 12s 0d

3.5 dozen spoons, £0 10s 2.5d

Pewter total, £3 2s 2.5d

Iron pots, 4, £1 7s 0d

Corks:

2 gross corks, £0 9s 6d

1 lb corkwood, £0 1s 1d

Corks total, £0 10s 7d

Turnery ware:

5 wood bowls, £0 4s 2d

4 platters, £0 2s 4d

1 wood ladle, £0 0s 2.5d

1 straining dish, £0 0s 1.5d

2 shoe brushes, £0 1s 8d

Turnery ware total, £0 9s 9.5d

Tea, 3 lb, £0 6s 0d

Turpentine:

6 lb turpentine, £0 1s 3d

8 lb rosin, £0 1s 1d

Turpentine total, £0 2s 6.5d

Carried over, £139 12s 7.5d

Interpretations

The twelve chamber pots in a single planter's parcel show the store supplying the plainest domestic vessels in quantity. A dozen pewter chamber pots went out together, far more than a single household needed, the planter perhaps buying to furnish outbuildings or to sell on, the store moving its commonest wares by the dozen where the servants' account had taken them by ones and twos, the ordinary furniture of a house drawn from the warehouse like everything else.

The turpentine and rosin sold by the pound record the store carrying the materials of the painter and the caulker together. Turpentine thinned the paint the account had bought pigment for, and rosin served the same trades and the working of cordage, the small parcels of each supplying the finishing materials the works and the boats consumed, the store reaching down to the least of the substances a settlement needed to keep its fabric and its craft in repair.

304

297

Brought Over L 139 12 7½

Tinware 2 Small Drippingpans . 9 8

Oars 6 18 feet . 1 14 6

Cutleryware 1 Buck Handle Knife . 1½

Coals 6 Bushels . 8

Chinaware 6 Cups and Saucers . 1

Combs 1 Ivory . 1 8

Total Sold at 25 & 40 P Cent L 142 12 10¼

Charges General Dr for the following Stores Issued from

the 1 October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Nails Viz

17 Yd 40 Nails for repairing the Water Engine £ 4 11½

14 3 Do and one of the Companys Houses . 3 3¼

9 4 Do and Making a Gate . 2 9½

16 6 Do . 6

75 70 Do . 5

1 4

Deals Viz

5 Spares for a Ladder and Repairs . 8 4

19 Double Deals for repairs to the Water Engine 2 7 6

112 Single Do and two Houses of the Councils 9 6 8

belonging to the Cordovey

20 Large Baulk Company Water Wharf and Making 7 13 7

a Garden Gate

3½ Inch Wainscott board for a Hearse . 7

1 Inch Do . 4 3½

2 Inch Elm board . 6 1½

20 13 5¼

Blankets 2 delivered the two Masons and 2 Men who . 1 1 6

Carried on to the Piers of Wells, who were in want of Covering

Persoolies 2 Yd for Sheets for the two Masons . 16 6

Trenchers 12 for the Table . 3

Carried over L 24 15 5¾

The account of goods sold at ten per cent closed and the total sold to the planters was struck, after which the general charges account for the quarter opened.

Brought over, £139 12s 7.5d

Tinware, 2 small dripping pans, £0 9s 8d

Oars, 6, 18 feet, £1 14s 6d

Cutlery ware, 1 buck-handle knife, £0 1s 3.25d

Coals, 6 bushels, £0 8s 0d

Chinaware, 6 cups and saucers, £0 1s 0d

Combs, 1 ivory, £0 1s 8d

Total sold at twenty-five and ten per cent, £142 12s 10.25d

The general charges, for stores issued from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Nails:

17 lb tenpenny nails for repairing the water engine, £0 4s 11.5d

11 lb threepenny ditto for one of the Company's houses, £0 3s 3.5d

9 lb twentypenny ditto for making a gate, £0 2s 9.5d

16 lb sixpenny ditto, £0 6s 0d

75 lb tenpenny ditto, £0 3s 0d

Nails total, £1 1s 0d

Deals:

5 spars for a ladder and repairs, £0 8s 4d

19 double deals for repairs to the water engine, £2 7s 6d

112 single ditto for one of the houses of the councillors, £9 6s 8d

20 large baulks for belonging to the causeway and for the causeway, the ditch and making a garden gate, £7 13s 7d

3.5 inch wainscot boards for a coffin, £0 7s 0d

1 inch ditto, £0 1s 3.5d

2 inch elm boards, £0 6s 1.5d

Deals total, £20 13s 5.25d

Blankets, 4, delivered to the two masons and 2 more directed out of the men of war who were in want of covering, £1 1s 6d

Doosetees, 2 yards for shirts for the two masons, £0 16s 0d

Sneakers, 12 for the table, £0 3s 0d

Carried over, £24 1s 5.75d

Interpretations

The opening of the general charges account marks the turn from goods sold to goods issued free for the Company's own use. Where the servants' and planters' collections had recorded sales at a markup, this account set down stores drawn from the warehouse for the works, the houses, the boats and the establishment's own needs without payment, the same nails, deals and cloth passing out of the store as an internal charge against the Company rather than a sale, the storekeeper accounting for what the settlement consumed on the Company's account as strictly as for what it sold.

The blankets given to the men of the King's ships who wanted covering record the island relieving the crews of the Royal Navy from its own strained stores. Two blankets were directed out of the store to sailors of the men of war in want of covering, the settlement clothing the King's men as it had lately clothed the sick left by the Company's own ships, the naval and the Company service alike drawing on the island's supply when their own fell short, the charge entered against the Company as the cost of a hospitality it could not well refuse.

305

298

Brought Over L 24 15 5¾

Silk Allejar 4 Yd for Window Curtains for the Castle 2 4

Ironmongersware Viz

1 Dutch ring for the New Well . 1½

1 Box Iron & Heater for the Washer Woman 8 8

2 Small Stock Locks for the Blockhouse . 2 1½

1 doz Gimblets . 1 6

3 hammers . 3 6

6 Plain Irons for the Carpenters 2 3

6 Gouge . 1 1½

18 Yd Garnet hinges . 1 2

8 Yd Dovetail Hinges for the New Well & Repairs 3 4

1 Cd 10 Brass Wire . 4 ½

1 8 4

Cordage 1 1 14 to lye P Arbour for a Crane

Rope and for Scaffolding 2 6 11½

Iron 1 Cd 10 for the Smiths . 15 3

Paint Viz

4 Blue Smalts for the Linnen . 6 8

Cd White Lead for Painting one of 15 9

2 Gall Nut Oyle the Councils Houses 5

2 Barrels Blacking belonging to the Compy 1 2

1 4

Oyl Viz

1½ Gall Train for the House use for

the Engine & Cleaning Work 1 4 2

6 Gall Linseed Oyl for Painting as before 1 6 6

2 10 8

Pewter 4 Dishes for the Table . 1 13 4

Corks 1½ Gross for Bottling Beer . 3 1½

Carried Over L 36 10 5

The general charges account continued.

Brought over, £24 1s 5.75d

Silk alegar, 4 yards for window curtains for the castle, £0 2s 9d

Ironmongery ware:

1 Dutch ring for the new well, £0 0s 7.5d

1 box iron and heater for the washer woman, £0 8s 8d

2 small stock locks for the block house, £0 2s 1.5d

1 dozen gimlets, £0 1s 6d

3 hammers, £0 3s 6d

6 plane irons, £0 2s 3d

6 gouges, £0 1s 1.5d

18 garnet hinges, £0 1s 2d

8 pairs dovetail hinges for the new well and other repairs, £0 3s 1d

1 lb brass wire, £0 4s 0.5d

Ironmongery ware total, £1 8s 4d

Cordage:

1 cwt 1 qr 14 lb large cordage for arbour for a crane rope and for scaffolding, £2 6s 11.5d

Iron:

1 cwt 10 lb for the smith, £1 5s 3d

Paint:

4 lb blue smalt for the linen, £0 6s 8d

0.5 lb white lead, £0 13s 9d

2 gallons oil for painting one of the councillors' houses, £0 0s 5d

2 barrels blacking belonging to the causeway, £0 1s 2d

Paint total, £1 4s 0d

Oil:

1.5 gallons train for the store house and for the engine and cleaning tools, £0 4s 2d

6 gallons linseed oil for painting as before, £0 6s 6d

Oil total, £0 10s 8d

Pewter, 4 dishes for the table, £0 13s 4d

Corks, 1.5 gross for bottling beer, £0 3s 1.5d

Carried over, £36 10s 5d

Interpretations

The plane irons, gouges, gimlets and hammers issued for the carpenters record the store equipping the Company's own tradesmen with their tools. A whole parcel of woodworking gear went out to the carpenters at once, the store furnishing the hands and edges of the craft it maintained, the tools charged to the Company as the works consumed them, the settlement keeping its own joiners in plane irons and gouges as it kept its masons in trowels.

The new well recurring through the ironmongery marks a particular work in hand that quarter. A Dutch ring, dovetail hinges and other fittings were drawn for the new well and its repairs, the several charges tying the general account to a distinct improvement the settlement was making, the store supplying the ironwork of the well as the deals and nails elsewhere supplied the causeway and the houses, the account recording the particular works the Company had in train by the materials each drew.

306

299

Brought Over L 36 10 5

Turnersware Viz

1 Pump Box for the new Well . 1 6¾

1 Hair Sieve for the House use . 9 1

3 Birch Brooms for the use of the Castle & do 1 6

4 Paint Brushes for Painting . 2 4

2 Wood Bowls for the use of the Kitchen . 1 2

2 Iron Sieves for Winnowing Barley . 19 10½

1 15 6¾

Haberdashenyware Viz

1 Oz Thread . 1 2

2 Yd broad Holland Tape for Curtains for the Castle 1 3½

2 5½

Candles 100 for the Castle

78 for the Council 14 1 10

Twine 6 Skeans for making Lime Bags . 3

Leather 12¾ for repairing the Water Engine . 11 8½

Canvas Viz

14 Yards Ravin Duck for a Hose to the Engine . 18 8

3 Yd Sacking for Lime Bags . 2 8 6

3 7 2

Hooks and Lines Viz

3 Lines for the Masons . 1 2½

2 Skeans House line for making a Hose

for the Engine 1½

1 6½

Pitch and Tarr Pd Rozin for Tinning . 5

Coals 4½ Chaldron for the Smith . 4 2 6

Carried Over L 60 14 6¾

The general charges account continued.

Brought over, £36 10s 5d

Turnery ware:

1 pump box for the new well, £0 1s 6.5d

1 hair sieve for the house use, £0 0s 9.5d

3 birch brooms for the use of the castle, £0 1s 6d

1 paint brush for painting, £0 2s 1d

2 wood bowls for the use of the kitchen, £0 1s 2d

2 iron sieves for winnowing barley, £0 19s 10.5d

Turnery ware total, £1 15s 6.5d

Haberdashery ware:

1 lb thread, £0 1s 2d

2 pieces broad Holland tape for curtains for the castle, £0 1s 3.5d

Haberdashery ware total, £0 2s 5.5d

Candles, 100 lb for the castle and 78 lb for the council, £14 1s 10d

Twine, 6 skeins for making lime bags, £0 3s 0d

Leather, 12.5 lb for repairing the water engine, £0 11s 8.5d

Canvas:

14 yards Russia duck for a hose to the engine, £0 18s 8d

3 yards sacking for lime bags, £0 6s 0d

Canvas total, £3 7s 2d

Hooks and lines:

3 lines for the masons, £0 1s 2.5d

2 skeins house line for making a hose for the engine, £0 0s 1.5d

Hooks and lines total, £0 1s 6.5d

Pitch and tar, 2 lb rosin for tinning, £0 0s 5d

Coals, 4.5 chaldron for the smith, £4 2s 6d

Carried over, £60 14s 6.75d

Interpretations

The coals issued for the smith by the chaldron record the fuel the island's ironwork consumed. Four and a half chaldron of coal went to the smithy, the coal shipped from England because the island had none, the settlement's forge kept in fuel from imported stock like everything else, the smith's fire the one place on the island where coal was burnt in quantity and the charge among the heavier of the general account.

The iron sieves for winnowing barley among the turnery show the store furnishing the gear of the island's own grain harvest. Two iron sieves were drawn for winnowing barley, the settlement growing and cleaning its own grain, the sieves the tool that parted the corn from the chaff, the store supplying the equipment of the harvest as it supplied the tools of the trades, the island's small agriculture served from the warehouse alongside its works and its fishery.

The candles issued to the castle and the council by the hundredweight record the lighting of the settlement's chief buildings as a standing charge. A hundred pounds of candles went to the castle and seventy-eight to the council, the great quantity marking the light the Company's business burned through a quarter, the candles charged to the general account because the lighting of the offices and the hall was a cost of the Company's own working, the settlement's public rooms lit from the store as its houses were roofed and glazed from it.

307

300

Brought Over L 60 14 6¾

Glaziersware Viz

9 Wine Glasses . 3

4 Beer Glasses for the Table 2 7

1 Sq Glass 12 by 12 for repairing one 8¾

20 Do 6 by 8 of the Council House 5 10

12 1¾

Tinware Viz

2 horn Lanthorns for the Castle . 8

6 Lanthorn Leaves . 9

2 Lamps for the Kitchen . 3

11 9

Lead Viz

7½ Shot Lead for a pump handle . 1 3½

69 Small Shot delivered for the use of the

Council which has allway been Customary 11 6

to be Charged in this Manner . 12 8½

L 62 13 2

Diet Expences Dr for the following Stores Issued for the

General Table from the 1 October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Flour 10 2 20 . 6 18 1½

Arrack 84 Gall . 10 12 6

Pepper 2 Cd . 1 6

Oyl 8 Bottles florence . 1 2 4

Carried Over L 18 16 3½

The general charges account closed with its total, and the diet expenses account for the general table then opened.

Brought over, £60 14s 6.75d

Glazier's ware:

9 wine glasses for the table, £0 3s 0d

4 beer glasses for the table, £0 2s 7d

1 square glass 12 by 12 for repairing one of the council houses, £0 0s 8.5d

20 ditto 6 by 8 for repairing one of the council houses, £0 5s 10d

Glazier's ware total, £0 12s 1.75d

Tinware:

2 horn lanthorns for the castle, £0 8s 0d

6 lanthorn leaves, £0 0s 9d

2 lamps for the kitchen, £0 3s 0d

Tinware total, £0 11s 9d

Lead:

7.5 lb sheet lead for a pump handle, £0 1s 4.5d

69 lb small shot delivered for the use of the council, which has always been customary to be charged in this manner, £0 11s 6d

Lead total, £0 12s 8.5d

Total, £62 13s 2d

The diet expenses, for stores issued to the general table from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Flour, 10 cwt 2 qr 20 lb, £6 18s 11.5d

Arrack, 84 gallons, £10 12s 6d

Pepper, 6 lb, £0 4s 6d

Oil, 8 bottles Florence, £1 2s 4d

Carried over, £18 16s 3.75d

Interpretations

The turn from general charges to diet expenses marks the parting of the settlement's upkeep from its board. Where the general account had gathered the stores that maintained the fabric and the works, the diet account set down the food and drink the general table consumed, the flour, arrack, pepper and oil charged as the cost of feeding the establishment at the castle table the Company's orders required, the two accounts dividing the keeping of the settlement's buildings from the keeping of its people.

The arrack standing at above ten pounds was the largest single line of the diet account's opening. The eighty-four gallons of arrack far outran the flour and the oil, the imported spirit the chief thing the table drank, the general table supplied with liquor by the score of gallons where its bread went by the hundredweight, the drink of the establishment as much a charge on the Company as its food.

308

301

Brought Over L 18 16 3½

Brandy 30 Gall . 6 7 6

Salt 3 Bushells . 8 11¼

Sugar and Candy Viz

1 2 24 Candy 1 1 9½

3 6 Sugar 1 8

2 5 5½

Beef and Pork 36 Cd . 3 19 6

Rice Viz

7½ fine 7 1

1 0 3 Coarse 7 2¾

14 3¾

Total L 32 12 1½

Fortification Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1

October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Nails Cd L 5¾

Ironware Viz

12 Helves for the fortifications 7

10 Shod Shovels 15 7½

1 2 7½

Cart Wheels Viz

4 Wheel Barrows for Do 2 18

2 Hand Barrows 11

3 9

Braziersware 1 large Brass Cock for the new Well . 6 1

Carried Over L 4 18 2¼

The diet expenses account closed with its total, and the fortification charges account for the quarter then opened.

Brought over, £18 16s 3.75d

Brandy, 30 gallons, £6 7s 6d

Salt, 3 bushels, £0 8s 1.5d

Sugar and candy:

1 cwt 2 qr 34 lb candy, £1 1s 9.5d

0 cwt 3 qr 6 lb sugar, £1 0s 8d

Sugar and candy total, £2 5s 5.5d

Beef and pork, 361 lb, £3 19s 6d

Rice:

0 cwt 3 qr 12 lb fine, £0 7s 1d

1 cwt 0 qr 3 lb coarse, £0 7s 2.5d

Rice total, £0 14s 3.5d

Total, £32 19s 1d

The fortification charges, for stores issued from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Nails, 1 cwt 25 lb, £0 0s 5.5d

Ironmongery ware:

12 helves for the fortifications, £0 7s 0d

10 shot shovels for the fortifications, £0 15s 7.5d

Ironmongery ware total, £1 2s 7.5d

Cart wheels:

4 wheelbarrows for the fortifications, £2 18s 0d

2 hand barrows for the fortifications, £0 11s 0d

Cart wheels total, £3 9s 0d

Copper and brass ware, 1 large brass cock for the new well, £0 6s 1d

Carried over, £4 18s 2.5d

Interpretations

The opening of a separate fortification account shows the Company keeping the cost of its defences apart from its general upkeep and its table. Where the general charges had gathered the whole run of the settlement's maintenance, the fortification account set down only the stores the works of defence consumed, the wheelbarrows, shovels and helves charged to the fortifications alone, the Company able to reckon what its walls and batteries cost by holding their materials in an account of their own.

The wheelbarrows and hand barrows standing at better than three pounds record the plainest gear of the earthwork the fortifications demanded. Four wheelbarrows and two hand barrows were drawn for the works, the barrow the tool that moved the earth and stone the labourers dug and carried, the store supplying the humblest equipment of the fortification alongside the skilled mason's stone, the whole labour of the walls served from the warehouse down to the barrows the men wheeled.

309

302

Brought Over L 4 18 2¼

Turnersware Viz

22 Labourers Baskets for the fortifications 11

6 Birch Brooms 3

for Lime

14

Paint Viz

9 Cd White Lead for painting the Gun 1 3 3½

10 Red Do Carriages on the Line 7 5½

9 Barrels Blacking 5 3

1 10

Oyl 12 Gall Linseed for Do . 2 13

Lead 9 Cd Shot . 1 8½

Cordage 33 Cd Vinch wairing use 9 9

on the Fortifications

L 10 6 7¾

Blacks Dr for the following Stores Issued for their use

from the 1 October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Blankets 12 Ordinary for some of the men

who were in want of Covering 3 13 6

Iron Potts 1 . 5 7¼

Turnersware Viz for the Blacks

2 Wood Bowls in the Long 1 2

1 Platter Boat 7

1 9

Beef and Pork 18 Cd . 1 14 9

Canvas 16 Yards Sacking for Trowsers

for the Long Boats Crew 10 1½

L 6 10 9

The fortification charges account closed with its total, and the account of stores issued for the slaves then opened.

Brought over, £4 18s 2.5d

Turnery ware:

22 labourers' baskets for the fortifications, £0 11s 0d

6 birch brooms for the fortifications, £0 3s 0d

Turnery ware total, £0 14s 0d

Paint:

9 lb white lead for painting the gun carriages on the line, £0 3s 3.5d

10 lb red lead for painting the gun carriages on the line, £0 7s 5.5d

9 barrels blacking for painting the gun carriages on the line, £0 5s 3d

Paint total, £1 10s 0d

Oil, 12 gallons linseed for ditto, £2 13s 0d

Lead, 9.5 lb shot for the fortifications, £0 1s 8.5d

Cordage, 33 lb for the winch in use on the fortifications, £0 9s 9d

Total, £10 6s 7.75d

The stores issued for the slaves, from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Blankets, 12 ordinary for some of the men who were in want of covering, £3 13s 6d

Iron pots, 1, £0 5s 7.5d

Turnery ware:

2 wood bowls for the blacks in the long boat, £0 1s 2d

1 platter for the blacks in the long boat, £0 0s 7d

Turnery ware total, £0 1s 9d

Beef and pork, 18 lb, £0 14s 9d

Canvas, 15 yards sacking for trousers for the long boat's crew, £0 10s 1.5d

Total, £6 10s 9d

Interpretations

The labourers' baskets and the winch cordage record the mechanical means the fortification work relied on beyond the plain barrow. Two and twenty baskets carried the earth and stone by hand and the winch hauled the heavier loads, the store supplying both the simplest and the more contrived gear of the works, the cordage for the winch marking a machine that lifted what the men could not carry, the whole apparatus of the earthwork drawn from the warehouse.

The opening of a separate account for the slaves marks the Company reckoning the keep of its bond labour as a charge of its own. The blankets, food, bowls and cloth for trousers issued to the slaves were held apart from the stores of the works and the table, the Company accounting for what it spent to clothe and feed the men it owned as strictly as for every other charge, the slaves' covering and their coarse sacking trousers set down as a cost the Company bore for the labour it commanded without wage.

The canvas issued for trousers for the long boat's crew shows the Company clothing its working slaves in the plainest imported cloth. Fifteen yards of sacking were drawn to make trousers for the slaves who manned the long boat, the coarse canvas the cheapest covering the store held, the men who rowed the lime and stone from Sandy Bay clothed in sacking cut and sewn on the island, the Company furnishing the barest necessary dress for the hardest labour it worked.

310

303

Brought Over L 6 10 9

Twine Viz

1 Skeane Twine for making the Trowsers . 6

1 Shoe Thread for making Shoes for the Do Crew 1 10

2 4

Shoes 6 Yd Mens Ord Yd for the Handicraftsmen 1 3 6

Persoolies 1 Yd Blue for Cloathing . 11 11½

Kersey 12½ Yards for do . 1 3 10½

Silk Alligar 12 Yd for gowns for the Women 7 1

Rozin Pd . 1½

Rozin 1 Barrel Blacking for Shoes . 7

Brandy 30 Gall for Drams and their

Customary Allowance at Xmass 6 7 6

Tea 4 Given to them Xmass . 8 4¼

Thread 3 Yd Brown for making the Womens Cloaths 1 3 9

Rice 12 Cd 8 . 11 4 3

L 68 18 5½

Plantation Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1 Octr

to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Nails Viz

10 Cd Nails for Hen House and Gates 3 9

2 20 do 1 7

3 10 do

5 4

Cutleryware 5 Buck handle Knives for Tinning Yams . 1 1½

Oyl 2 Gall Train for Leather . 6 8

Carried Over L 13 4½

The account of stores issued for the slaves continued and closed with its total, after which the plantation charges account for the quarter opened.

Brought over, £6 10s 9d

Twine:

1 skein twine for making the trousers, £0 0s 6d

1 lb shoe thread for making shoes for the slaves' crew, £0 1s 10d

Twine total, £0 2s 4d

Shoes, 6 pairs men's ordinary for the handicraftsmen, £1 3s 6d

Doosetees, 1 yard blue for clothing, £0 11s 11.5d

Kersey, 12.5 yards for clothing, £1 3s 10.5d

Silk alegar, 12 pieces 7 yards for gowns for the women, £7 1s 0d

Rosin, 1 lb for the slaves, £0 0s 1.5d

Rosin, 1 barrel blacking for the slaves, £0 0s 7d

Brandy, 30 gallons for drams and their customary allowance at Christmas, £6 7s 6d

Tea, 2 lb given to them at Christmas, £0 8s 4.5d

Thread, 3 lb white brown for making the women's clothes, £0 13s 9d

Rice, 12 cwt 0 qr 8 lb, £11 1s 3d

Total, £68 18s 5.5d

The plantation charges, for stores issued from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Nails:

40 lb tenpenny nails for hen house and gates, £0 3s 9d

2 lb twentypenny ditto for hen house and gates, £0 0s 0d

3 lb tenpenny ditto for hen house and gates, £0 1s 0d

Nails total, £0 5s 1d

Cutlery ware, 5 buck-handle knives for skinning yams, £0 1s 4.5d

Oil, 2 gallons train for leather, £0 6s 8d

Carried over, £0 13s 1.5d

Interpretations

The slaves' Christmas allowance of brandy and tea records a customary indulgence the Company held to even for its bond labour. Thirty gallons of brandy for drams and the customary allowance at Christmas, and two pounds of tea given to them at the season, were charged to the slaves' account, the Company marking the festival with a distribution to the men and women it owned, the drams and the tea a fixed observance the settlement kept, the slaves given a share of the season's comfort as a matter of custom rather than favour.

The silk alegar for gowns for the women shows the Company clothing its female slaves in something above the coarsest cloth. Twelve pieces of silk alegar went to make gowns for the women, a lighter and better stuff than the sacking the boat's crew wore, the Company drawing a distinction between the clothing of the men at the hardest labour and the women, the gowns a step above the plainest covering, the account marking the different provision made for the different work the slaves were set to.

The opening of the plantation account shows the Company reckoning the cost of its own farming as a charge apart. The nails for the hen house and gates, the knives for skinning yams and the oil for leather were held in an account of the plantation alone, the Company able to see what its farming cost by holding its materials separate, the hen house and the yam harvest served from the store as strictly accounted as the works and the table.

311

304

Brought Over L 13 4½

Ironmongersware Viz

1 Coping do . 2 4

12 Helves for the use of the 7

6 Shod Shovels Plantation 9 1½

2 Hand Hatchets . 3 3½

1 Small Stock Lock for Hen house . 1 2½

1 Packing Needle . 1½

1 3 4

Lines Viz

1 Line Wd Cd for the Plough . 5½

4 Dam Thambro Lines for the Plantation 3 4

3 9½

Cordage 5 Cd for the Plough . 1 ¾

Twine 3 Skeins to lye Mellon Lines &c . 1 6

Turnersware Viz

2 Platters . 1 2

1 Tray for the Dairy 2 6

3 Straining Dishes . 9

3 Cd Bowls for Corn . 1 9¼

6 2¾

Brandy 2 Gall for making 2 Covers for the Dairy 8 6

Cart Wheels 1 Pd for the Cart in the Great Wood . 9 6 1

Rice and Paddy Viz

2 Cd 1 Yd Rice 4

8 Paddy for the Poultry 2 7 4

3 1 4

L 15 5 2¼

The plantation charges account continued and closed with its total.

Brought over, £0 13s 1.5d

Ironmongery ware:

1 loping axe, £0 2s 4d

12 helves for the use of the plantation, £0 7s 0d

6 shot shovels for the use of the plantation, £0 9s 1.5d

2 hand hatchets, £0 3s 3.5d

1 small stock lock for hen house, £0 1s 2.5d

1 packing needle, £0 0s 1.5d

Ironmongery ware total, £1 3s 4d

Lines:

1 line 10 lb for the plough, £0 0s 5.5d

4 damaged Hamburg lines for the plantation, £0 3s 4d

Lines total, £0 3s 9.5d

Cordage, 5 lb for the plough, £0 1s 3.5d

Twine, 3 skeins to tie mullen lines and so forth, £0 1s 6d

Turnery ware:

2 platters for the dairy, £0 1s 2d

1 tray for the dairy, £0 2s 6d

3 straining dishes for the dairy, £0 0s 9d

3 or 4 bowls for corn, £0 1s 9.5d

Turnery ware total, £0 6s 2.5d

Brandy, 2 gallons for making 2 cheeses for the dairy, £0 8s 6d

Cart wheels, 1 pair for the cart in the great wood, £9 6s 1d

Rice and paddy:

2 cwt fine rice for the poultry, £0 11s 0d

8 cwt paddy for the poultry, £2 7s 4d

Rice and paddy total, £3 1s 4d

Total, £15 5s 2.5d

Interpretations

The dairy gear and the brandy for cheese-making record the small manufacture the plantation carried on beyond its herds and its grain. Trays, straining dishes and platters were drawn for the dairy and brandy for the making of two cheeses, the settlement turning its milk to cheese as well as selling it fresh, the store supplying the vessels of the cheese-making, the plantation's produce worked up on the island rather than merely sold in the raw, the dairy a small factory as well as a herd.

The rice and paddy issued for the poultry show the Company feeding its fowls on imported eastern grain. Two hundredweight of fine rice and eight of paddy went to the poultry, the hens and ducks the stock returns had recorded breeding by the score fed on rice and unhusked paddy from the Company's stores, the settlement raising its poultry on grain shipped from India, the fowls of the plantation kept on the same eastern supply that fed the garrison and the slaves.

The cart wheels at above nine pounds were far the largest single charge of the plantation account. A pair of wheels for the cart in the great wood cost more than all the rest of the account together, the wheel the dearest piece of made ironwork and joinery the farming needed, the cart that hauled the timber and the harvest fitted with wheels drawn from the store at a price that marked how much worked wood and iron cost on an island that made neither.

312

305

Hospital Dr for the following Stores Issued for the Sick in the

Infirmary from the 1 October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Oyl 3½ Gall Cd Linseed L 16 0¾

Sugar 57 Cd . 12 11½

Flour 119 . 13 6½

Rice 274 Cd . 17 6

Salt 7½ Bushel . 1 5¾

Pewter 6 Spoons . 1 ¾

Total L 3 3 1

Garrison Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1

October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Oyl 33¼ Gall for the Several Guards Tent fire L 6 10 10

Tea 5 Cd for Do 2 12 10½

Canvas 13 Yd Sacking for bottoms to Soldiers Cd . 2 8 6

Twine 6 Skeans for Making Do Yd for Gunners use . 3

Paint 8 Cd Red Lead for marking the Soldiers Sheets . 1 2

Brandy 21 Gall for Drams on Mustering . 4 11½

Sugar 40 for the Doctors Sick . 4 7

Thread 4 Yd Brown for the Gunners Use . 4 9

Iron Potts 11 for the Seven Barrack Houses P

Order of Council Meetg November 1745 3 2 1¼

Deals Viz

14 Double Deals for Coffins for Soldiers . 1 1 6

2 Inch Elm boards for Lieut Owens Coffin . 8 8

5 Single Deals for Tables and Benches for the Soldiers . 8 4

L 21 3 8¼

The hospital charges account, for stores issued for the sick in the infirmary from 1 October to 31 December 1745, opened, and the garrison charges account then followed.

Hospital charges:

Oil, 3.5 gallons linseed, £0 16s 0.5d

Sugar, 57 lb, £0 12s 11.5d

Flour, 119 lb, £0 13s 6.5d

Rice, 279 lb, £0 19s 6d

Salt, 0.5 bushel, £0 1s 5.5d

Pewter, 6 spoons, £0 0s 7.5d

Total, £3 3s 1d

The garrison charges, for stores issued from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Oil, 33.5 gallons for the several guards and sentries, £5 10s 10d

Tea, 5 lb for ditto, £2 12s 10.5d

Canvas, 13 yards sacking for bottoms to soldiers' cots, £2 8s 6d

Twine, 6 skeins for making ditto for gunners' use, £0 3s 0d

Paint, 8 lb red lead for marking the soldiers' shirts, £0 1s 2d

Brandy, 21 gallons for drams on mustering, £4 11s 5.5d

Sugar, 20 lb for the doctor's shop, £0 4s 7d

Thread, 1 lb white brown for the gunners' use, £0 4s 9d

Iron pots, 11 for the seven barrack houses by order of council of 3 December 1745, £3 2s 1.5d

Deals:

11 double deals for coffins for soldiers, £1 1s 6d

2 inch elm boards for Lieutenant Owen's coffin, £0 8s 8d

5 single deals for tables and benches for the soldiers, £0 8s 4d

Total, £21 3s 8.5d

Interpretations

The iron pots issued to the barrack houses by a named order of council record a distinct measure taken for the garrison's accommodation that quarter. Eleven pots went to the seven barrack houses by the council's order of 3 December 1745, the settlement equipping the soldiers' quarters with the means to cook, the order cited by date because the issue was a deliberate provision the council had resolved on rather than a routine draw, the barracks furnished with the plainest necessary of a kitchen at the board's direction.

The deals for coffins for the soldiers and for Lieutenant Owen record the store furnishing the settlement's burials from the same timber it built with. Double deals were drawn for the soldiers' coffins and elm boards for Lieutenant Owen's, the officer's coffin marked out by the better wood, the same lieutenant whose death on 8 December 1745 the pay account had recorded, the store supplying the boards for the dead as for the living, the burial of the garrison a charge on the Company like its cots and its tables.

The red lead for marking the soldiers' shirts shows the garrison putting its issued clothing to a plain administrative use. Eight pounds of red lead marked the shirts the store had sold the men, the pigment used to identify the garrison's linen, the same red lead that painted the gun carriages serving to mark the soldiers' clothing, the settlement distinguishing its issued shirts by a daub of paint, a small mark of the order the garrison kept over its men's necessaries.

313

306

Brought Over L 21 3 8¼

Tinware 19 large Lamps delivered by an Order in

Council 19 Novr 1745 1 5 6

Cutleryware 2 Butchers Knives for the Gunners use . 6½

Braziersware 1 3 Pint Copper Saucepan for the do War 6 10

Nails Viz

16 Scupper Nails . 4 4

7 Cd Do . 2 7½

4 15 Do for Soldiers Cd and Coffins 1 4

1 3 Do . 5¼

11 9¼

Ironmongware Viz

1 hammer for the Gunners use . 1 2

8 Small frying Pans for the several Barracks . 13 4

6 Scrapers to Scrape Gun Carriages . 10

1 4 6

Glaziersware 1 Sq Crown Glass for a Lanthorn foot . 6½

Turnersware Viz

29 Wood Bowls for the Barracks and 13 6

84 Platters use of the Soldiers Table 14

P Order 19 Decr 1745

1 7 5

Total L 26 9½

Boats Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1

October to the 31 December 1745 Viz

Canvas Viz

2 Yd 10¾ Yd English Canvas for the Boats sails 3 2½

20 Yd Ravin Duck 1 6 8

6 6 10½

Carried Over L 6 6 10½

The garrison charges account continued and closed with its total, after which the boats charges account for the quarter opened.

Brought over, £21 3s 8.5d

Tinware, 19 large lamps delivered by an order of council of 19 December 1745, £1 5s 6d

Cutlery ware, 2 butcher's knives for the gunners' use, £0 0s 6.5d

Copper and brass ware, 1 three-pint copper saucepan for the doctor's shop, £0 6s 10d

Nails:

16 lb scupper nails, £0 9s 4d

7 lb tenpenny ditto for soldiers' cots and coffins, £0 2s 7.5d

1 lb twentypenny ditto for soldiers' cots and coffins, £0 1s 4d

1 lb threepenny ditto for soldiers' cots and coffins, £0 0s 5.5d

Nails total, £0 11s 9.5d

Ironmongery ware:

1 hammer for the gunners' use, £0 1s 2d

8 small frying pans for the several barracks, £0 13s 4d

6 scrapers to scrape gun carriages, £0 0s 10d

Ironmongery ware total, £1 4s 6d

Glazier's ware, thin flint glass for a mount fit, £0 0s 6.5d

Turnery ware:

23 wood bowls for the barracks by order of council of 19 December 1745, £0 13s 5d

84 platters for the barracks by order of council of 19 December 1745, £0 14s 0d

Turnery ware total, £1 7s 5d

Total, £26 0s 9.5d

The boats charges, for stores issued from 1 October to 31 December 1745, followed.

Canvas:

2 pieces 10.5 yards English canvas for the pinnace, £3 0s 2.5d

20 yards Russia duck for the pinnace, £1 6s 8d

Canvas total, £6 6s 10.5d

Carried over, £6 6s 10.5d

Interpretations

The wood bowls and platters issued to the barracks by the council's order record the settlement furnishing the soldiers' mess in a single deliberate provision. Three and twenty bowls and eighty-four platters went to the barracks by the order of 19 December 1745, the great number marking a full equipping of the seven barrack houses with the ware the men ate from, the council resolving on the issue as it had on the iron pots, the whole domestic furniture of the garrison's quarters supplied at one stroke by the board's direction.

The several council orders of December 1745 cited through the garrison and boats accounts show the board making a concerted provision for the soldiers' housing that quarter. The iron pots of the 3rd, the lamps and the bowls and platters of the 19th were each drawn by a named order, the run of resolutions marking a season in which the council turned its attention to the barracks, furnishing the quarters with cooking pots, lighting and mess ware together, the garrison's accommodation improved by a deliberate course the accounts record order by order.

The scupper nails and scrapers among the garrison's iron show the store supplying the particular fittings the gun platforms and carriages needed. Scupper nails and scrapers to clean the gun carriages were drawn for the gunners' use, the specialised ironwork of the artillery's gear charged to the garrison, the store reaching to the exact fittings of the guns as it did to the plainest nail, the settlement's ordnance maintained from the warehouse down to the scrapers that cleaned the carriages.

314

307

Brought Over L 6 6 10½

Cordage 6 Cd 2 22 for Mrings and other uses in

the Long Boat Pinnace and Fishing Boat 11 8 9½

Twine Viz

9 Skeans Twine for making the Do Yd sails 4 6

1 Do Marline 1½

4 10½

Oyl 2 Yd Gall Linseed for repairs to the Do Yd Pinnace 12 8½

Leather 2 for Oars . 1 10

Pitch and Tarr Viz

Cd Cd 3 Rozen . 2 1½

1 Barrel Tarr for repairs to the Long 1 10

1 Do Pitch Boat and Pinnace 1 15

3 7 1½

Deals Viz

4 Inch Elm boards . 12 3

39 Single Deals for repairs to the Long 3 1 8

2 Double Deals Boat & Pinnace 5

2 3 Inch Elm Plank . 17 8

1 4 Inch Elm Board . 3 4

4 19 11

Nails Viz

39 20 Nails . 11 4¾

13 10 do . 5

9 6 do . 3 4½

2 3 do . 11½

3 4 do . 1 2¼

1 1 10¼

Paint Viz

Cd Red Lead for Painting the Pinnace 1 2

1 Yd Yellow Oaker 2½

1 Barrel Blacking 7

1 11½

Carried Over L 28 6 2¼

The boats charges account continued.

Brought over, £6 6s 10.5d

Cordage, 6 cwt 2 qr 22 lb for rigging and other uses in the long boat, pinnace and fishing boat, £11 8s 9.5d

Twine:

9 skeins twine for mending the boats' sails, £0 4s 6d

1 lb marline for mending the boats' sails, £0 0s 4d

Twine total, £4 10s 0.5d

Oil, 2.5 gallons linseed for repairs to the boats and pinnace, £0 12s 8.5d

Leather, 2 lb for oars, £0 1s 10d

Pitch and tar:

0 cwt 1 qr 3 lb rosin for repairs to the long boat and pinnace, £0 2s 4.5d

1 barrel tar for repairs to the long boat and pinnace, £1 10s 0d

1 ditto pitch for repairs to the long boat and pinnace, £1 15s 0d

Pitch and tar total, £3 7s 4.5d

Deals:

4 inch elm boards for repairs to the boats and pinnace, £0 12s 3d

39 single deals for repairs to the boats and pinnace, £3 1s 8d

2 double deals for repairs to the boats and pinnace, £0 5s 0d

2 three-inch elm plank for repairs to the boats and pinnace, £0 17s 8d

1 1.5-inch elm board for repairs to the boats and pinnace, £0 3s 4d

Deals total, £4 19s 11d

Nails:

39 lb twentypenny nails, £0 11s 4.5d

15 lb tenpenny ditto, £0 3s 0d

9 lb sixpenny ditto, £0 3s 4.5d

2 lb threepenny ditto, £0 0s 11.5d

3 lb fourpenny ditto, £0 1s 2.5d

Nails total, £1 1s 10.5d

Paint:

2 lb red lead for painting the pinnace, £0 1s 2d

1 lb yellow ochre for painting the pinnace, £0 0s 2.5d

1 barrel blacking for painting the pinnace, £0 0s 7d

Paint total, £1 1s 1.5d

Carried over, £28 6s 2.5d

Interpretations

The pitch, tar and rosin drawn for the boats record the caulking that kept the settlement's small craft watertight. A barrel each of pitch and tar and a parcel of rosin went to the repairs of the long boat and pinnace, the imported pitch and tar the materials that sealed the seams against the sea, the store supplying the whole of the caulker's stock because the island yielded none, the boats that fetched the lime and worked the road kept sound from the warehouse.

The great quantity of cordage for the three boats shows the running gear the settlement's small fleet consumed. Above six hundredweight of cordage was drawn for the rigging of the long boat, pinnace and fishing boat, the largest single charge of the boats account, the rope the boats' standing and running gear renewed by the hundredweight, the settlement's whole means of working the anchorage and the fishery dependent on imported cordage the store kept in quantity for the purpose.

315

308

Brought Over L 28 6 2¼

Hooks & Lines Viz

18 Doz Hooks Sorted 7 3

100 Blue Hooks for Fishing 3½

6 Lines Wd Cd 3 2 2½

9 10¾

Lead 11¼ Shot for Sinkers to fish with . 1 11½

Oars 2 18 feet for the Yawl . 9 4

Total L 29 7 4¾

330 Single Deals delivered Mr Wrongham as P an Order

of Council September 28 1745

St Helena 31 Decr 1745

Errors Excepted

Signed M Purling Storekr

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

The boats charges account closed with its total and the whole storekeeper's collection was subscribed.

Brought over, £28 6s 2.5d

Hooks and lines:

18 dozen hooks sorted for fishing, £0 7s 3d

100 blue hooks for fishing, £0 0s 3.5d

6 lines number 3 for fishing, £0 2s 2.5d

Hooks and lines total, £0 9s 10.5d

Lead, 11.5 lb shot for sinkers to fish with, £0 1s 11.5d

Oars, 12, 18 feet, for the yawl, £0 9s 4d

Total, £29 7s 4.5d

A further note recorded 330 single deals delivered to Wrangham by an order of council of 28 September 1745. The whole collection was closed at St Helena on 31 December 1745, subscribed errors excepted by Purling as storekeeper and by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The fishing hooks, lines and lead sinkers charged to the boats show the settlement maintaining its fishery as a working part of the Company's establishment. Hooks by the dozen, lines and lead for sinkers were drawn for fishing, the boats account keeping the tackle that fed the settlement from the sea, the fishery run as a Company concern with its gear charged to the boats, the island's own waters worked to supply the table as steadily as the herd and the plantation.

The yawl fitted with its own oars alongside the long boat and pinnace records the several craft the settlement kept for its different work. Twelve eighteen-foot oars went to the yawl, the smallest of the boats named through the account, the settlement working a fleet of a long boat, a pinnace, a fishing boat and a yawl, each rigged and oared from the store, the anchorage and the fishery served by a range of craft the Company maintained from the warehouse down to the oars of the least of them.

316

309

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

28 of January 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Do Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved.

Upon reading the Resolution in last

Consultation against the reque of Enlisting any more, whose time

wanted 3 Months, or more of being Expired.

The Govr Declared, that he had already

Enlisted 25 Men at 3 Guineas Each, whose time will Expire in March,

April, & may come Twelve Month, and Paid them his own Money,

and, as he Conceives, that it will be an Agreable service to the Honble

Company he will continue to do the like to the Men in the same Circum-

stances, and will submit it to the Pleasure of the Company, whether they

will refund the Money he now advances.

The List of the Men, and their Attire, &

rec, he desires may be Entered in Consultation.

He says, he hath Paid Eleven men, two

Guineas Each for renewing two Years part of their time, but does not

intend to do the like by any others in those Circumstances, untill

farther Orders from home.

The Governor Delivered the following

Contract, Signed By the Men he had inlisted, and Paid his own

Money, than Viz

At a consultation held on Tuesday 28 January 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The board returned to the resolution of the previous consultation against the practice of re-enlisting any man whose time still had thirteen months or more to run. Governor Dunbar declared that he had already enlisted twenty-five men at three guineas each, whose time would expire in March and April and had twelve months to come, and had paid them out of his own money. The Governor held that unless the Company thought it disagreeable to its service he would go on engaging men in the same case, and would leave to the Company the question whether it would repay the money he now advanced. The Governor asked that the list of the men and their articles and receipts be entered in the consultation.

The Governor added that he had also paid eleven men two guineas each for renewing two years past of their time, but did not mean to do the like for any others in that case until further orders came from home. The Governor then laid before the board the following contract, signed by the men he had enlisted and paid out of his own money.

Interpretations

The Governor's advance of his own money to re-enlist the garrison shows the shift the settlement made to hold its soldiers against the coming expiry of their terms. With twenty-five men due to be discharged in March and April, Governor Dunbar paid the bounties himself rather than let the garrison fall, then referred the whole outlay to the Company for repayment, the Governor carrying the cost of a measure he judged necessary before the Court had authorised it, the defence of the island turning on his willingness to lay out his own funds against a later reckoning.

The graduated bounty of three guineas for a full re-enlistment and two for renewing two years past records the Company pricing the retention of its men by the length of service secured. The men whose time had longest to run drew the higher bounty and those renewing a shorter term the lower, the Governor fixing the payment to the engagement, and his refusal to pay the two-guinea sort to any others until further orders marked the limit he set on his own discretion, the re-enlistment managed as a graduated purchase of the men's continued service.

Speculations

The Governor chose to advance the bounties himself and seek repayment afterwards rather than wait for the Company's sanction, the resolution of the previous consultation against re-enlisting men with long to run showing the course he passed over. The board had lately resolved not to engage any man whose time had thirteen months or more to run, yet the Governor enlisted twenty-five whose terms had twelve months left and paid them from his own pocket, choosing to bind the men at once and submit the question of repayment to the Company afterwards rather than let the approaching discharges thin the garrison while he waited for orders from home. His care to hold back the two-guinea renewals until further orders shows he weighed the risk of overstepping, and the whole measure marks a governor willing to act ahead of his authority where the garrison's strength was at stake, trusting the Company to make good an outlay it had not directed.

317

310

St Helena January the 13 1745

We the Subscribers, Soldiers in the

Honble the East India Companys Service upon this Island

Doe hereby Chearfully and Voluntarily agree to Inlist our

Selves to Continue in the said Service five Years longer than

our first Contracted time which five years are to Commence

from the End of our first Contract, and this We do consent &

agree to do in Consideration of five Guineas now advanced

and Payd to each of us by the Governour and upon condition

that if any of us shall return the said five Guineas at or

before the first day of August next but one after our present

time is Expired such man shall have his discharge Or

return one half of the said Sum upon the first of August

next ensuing the said first of August then such man to have

his discharge Witness our hands.

Signed

John Brown Geo his X Ayres Matthr Bailes

John Butler mark Jos Bardin

Thos Hodges Evan his X Jones Humphrey Pugh

mark

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

The re-enlistment contract, dated at St Helena on 13 January 1746, was entered in full. The soldiers who subscribed it agreed to continue in the Company's service for five years beyond their first contracted time, the five years to begin at the end of their first contract. They made the agreement in consideration of five guineas advanced and paid to each of them by the Governor, on the condition that any man who returned the five guineas at or before the first day of August after his present time expired should have his discharge, or that a man returning one half of the sum by the first day of August next ensuing should likewise have his discharge on that day.

The men who signed were John Brown, John Butler, Thomas Hodges, George Agnes by his mark, Evan Jones by his mark, Matthew Bolter, John Barton and Humphrey Angle. The contract was subscribed by Governor Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The five-year re-enlistment against a bounty of five guineas records the Company binding its garrison for a long further term at the season the men's first contracts were running out. Each man engaged for five years beyond his first time in return for the money advanced, the long extension marking the Company's need to hold a settled garrison on a remote island where fresh men could not readily be had, the bounty the price of five years' further service from soldiers who might otherwise have taken their discharge and gone home.

The clause allowing a man to buy back his discharge by returning the bounty shows the contract left the soldier a way out at his own cost. A man who repaid the whole five guineas by the appointed day might have his discharge, or repaying half might go on the next first of August, the provision giving the soldier a means to undo the engagement by refunding the money that had bought it, the re-enlistment binding but not absolute, the man able to redeem his liberty at the price of the bounty he had taken.

The two guineas and three guineas of the previous consultation and the five guineas of this contract mark the several rates the Governor paid for different lengths of renewed service. The men of this contract engaged for a full five years at five guineas, above the three paid for a twelve-month extension and the two for renewing time past, the Governor pricing each engagement by the term it secured, the graduated bounties recording the Company purchasing its soldiers' service by the year at rates fixed to the length of the commitment each man made.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 8 February 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read and Approved

The Accountant this day laid before

Us the Journal Parcels for the Months of Octr Novr and December

last which were Examined & Approved and ordered to entered.

Capt Hutchinson the 2 Govr delivered the following report Viz

Gentlemen

The Windows which are in the Parlour

of the House, that is fitting up for me, being old and too small

to lett in light sufficient, I design if You Approve of it to put

two larger there, at my own Expence . And as that Room is very

inconvenient in many Respects from the want of a Ceiling, I

hope you will consent to the making one and to my having as much

Lime from the Honble Companys Kiln, as is requisite for those

Purposes . I am

Feb 7 & 1745 Gentr

Your most humble Servant

Signed Chas Hutchinson

After reading the above Capt Hutchinson

further requested that he might have liberty to take out of the Storys

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 February 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The accountant laid before the board the journal parcels for October, November and December, which were examined, approved and ordered to be entered. The deputy governor Captain Hutchinson then delivered a written report to the board.

Hutchinson set out that the windows in the parlour of the house being fitted up for him were old and too small to let in sufficient light, and that if the board approved he meant to put two larger ones there at his own expense. Finding the room inconvenient in many respects for want of a ceiling, he asked the board to consent to his making one and to his having as much lime from the Company's kiln as was needed for those purposes. His report was dated 7 February 1746 and signed by Charles Hutchinson.

After the report was read, Hutchinson further asked that he might have leave to take out the [...].

Interpretations

Hutchinson's offer to enlarge the windows at his own expense while asking only for the Company's lime shows the settled division between a tenant's private improvement and the Company's supply of materials. The deputy governor would bear the cost of the new windows and the ceiling himself but sought lime from the Company's kiln, the request marking lime as the one material the Company controlled and issued from its own works, the private improvement of a Company house turning on a grant of the lime the fortifications and the buildings all competed for.

The want of a ceiling and the small old windows record the plain state of even a senior officer's house on the island. The house being fitted up for the deputy governor lacked a ceiling and had windows too small to light its parlour, the modest condition of the accommodation marking how far the settlement's building stood below an English standard of comfort, the second officer of the island obliged to improve his own quarters at his own charge to make a room fit to use.

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fit at any time, those Windows which he desires to put in at his

own Expence, and replace the others there again as it will be no

detriment to the House nor Charge to the Honble Company.

The Governour said that what was

requested, he did not think reasonable, and would enter his dissent

the next Consultation

Mr Dixon Mr Goodwin and Mr

Purling differed with the Governour in Opinion and said that

what was requested appeared to them very reasonable and therefore

Granted.

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Sunday

the 11 February 1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read and Approved

Hutchinson asked leave to take out at any time the windows he meant to put in at his own expense, and to replace the old ones in their place again, so that it would be neither detriment to the house nor charge to the Company.

The Governor said that he did not think the request reasonable and would enter his dissent at the next consultation. Dixon, Goodwin and Purling differed from the Governor in opinion and said that the request appeared to them very reasonable and was therefore granted. The report was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Sunday 11 February 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

The board overruling the Governor on Hutchinson's request records the same division of votes that had run through the settlement's business this run. The Governor thought the request unreasonable and meant to enter his dissent, but Dixon, Goodwin and Purling held it reasonable and granted it, the three carrying the point against him, the episode marking again that the Governor held but a single vote and could be outvoted by the members, the constitutional question that had underlain the quarrel with Dixon working out here in a small matter of a tenant's windows.

The Governor's reservation of his dissent to the next consultation shows the formal means by which a governor recorded his disagreement when outvoted. Unable to prevent the grant, Governor Dunbar chose to enter his dissent on the record rather than let his opposition pass unmarked, the dissent the constitutional remedy of a governor who held the minority, the board's proceedings preserving both the majority's decision and the Governor's objection so that the Company might see how the question had divided the council.

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The Governour this day Delivered his

Objections to the 2 Governours request Viz

The Governours remarks and Objections

to a paper signed and delivered at the last Consultation by the 2 Governor

The said paper was delivered cross the

Table before my face to Mr Dixon the Secy Yd without any previous

application to me and upon Mr Dixons reading it He and Mr

John Goodwin and Mr Purling voted the Proposal reasonable

and William agreed to it.

Upon which I say that the Application

was very extraordinary and I believe the first of the Kind in the

Books That I could not agree to it tho I do not think my self

included in the Manner of Voting it and I would on next

Consultation day enter my reason against it which are that the

Lieut Governour and all the Council Cannot but Observe that

Lime is used on the Fortifications much faster than it can be

made by Which the Masons are often at a staid as was the case

at the very time that this most extraordinary application was

made and this Case will Continue the same many Months longer,

and if the Gentlemen who readyly voted to make Ceiling, for the

Lieut Governour meant that Vote to be respected as an Order I doe

tell them that I shall shew no regard to it and that no Ceiling shall

be made to the hindrance of the Fortifications, Or against my

Consent as long as I am constituted Governour of St Helena.

I forbear to give such Epithets to the

Manner of the said Application as I think it deserve but

Submitt that to my Masters.

And I desire Our Animositys may

rest where they are and that no stop or hindrance may be putt to our

doing

The Governor delivered his objections to the deputy governor's request, being his remarks and objections to a paper signed and delivered at the last consultation by the deputy governor.

The Governor set out that the paper had been delivered across the table before his face to Dixon the secretary without any previous application to himself, and that on Dixon reading it he and John Goodwin and Purling had held the proposal reasonable and all agreed to it. The Governor held that the application was very extraordinary, believing it the first of its kind in the books, and could not agree to it. Not thinking himself included in the manner of its handling, the Governor would enter his reasons against it at the next consultation. His reasons were that the deputy governor and all the council could not but observe that lime was used on the fortifications much faster than it could be made, so that the masons were often at a stand, as was the case at the very time this extraordinary application was made, and the case would continue the same for many months longer.

The Governor added that if the members who so readily voted to make a ceiling meant that vote to be respected as an order, he told them he would show no regard to it, and that no ceiling should be made to the hindrance of the fortifications, or against his consent, so long as he continued Governor of St Helena. The Governor forbore to give such names to the manner of the application as he thought it deserved, but submitted the matter to the Company. The Governor desired that their animosities might rest where they were, and that no stop or hindrance might be put to their doing.

Interpretations

The Governor's stand on the lime shows the fortifications set above every private convenience in his reckoning of the settlement's priorities. Lime was made slower than the works consumed it and the masons often stood idle for want of it, and on that ground the Governor refused to let any go to ceiling a private room, the scarce material reserved for the defences the island's safety turned on, the Governor holding that no officer's comfort could be allowed to slow the walls while lime ran short.

The Governor's declaration that he would show no regard to the members' vote as an order records the constitutional dispute reaching its sharpest point. The three members had voted the ceiling granted, but the Governor denied their vote the force of an order and swore no ceiling should be made against his consent while he governed, the clash marking the unsettled question of where authority lay between a governor and a majority of his council, the Governor asserting a power to refuse execution of a vote he held to trench on his charge of the fortifications.

The Governor's submission of the matter to the Company while refusing to yield on the island shows him carrying the quarrel home for judgement without surrendering the point in the meantime. Unwilling to give the manner of the application the names he thought it deserved, the Governor referred the whole to the Court and asked that their animosities rest, the appeal to the Company the course by which an unresolved division on the council was carried to the authority above them, the Governor standing his ground on the island while leaving the final decision to his masters.

Speculations

The Governor chose to refuse the ceiling and enter a formal dissent rather than let a small grant pass, the ready course of acquiescing in a trivial and reasonable request being the one he passed over. A ceiling for the deputy governor's parlour was a minor matter the other three had thought plainly reasonable, and the Governor might easily have let it go, yet he made it the occasion of a stand, refusing his consent and threatening to disregard the members' vote so long as he governed. What moved him was not the ceiling but the principle beneath it, the scarce lime he held pledged to the fortifications and the members' claim that their vote bound him, and he chose to fight the small case in order to assert the larger point, submitting the whole to the Company rather than concede either the lime or the authority he believed the members were usurping.

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doing our duty in our Several Stations and Submitt it to the

Honble Company to punish and reward such as they judge

deserving.

NB there is not one Ceiled room in any

of the Houses built there for the 2 or any one of the Council and

Even in the Castle the Hall Yd our Common Eating room have

never been Ceiled to this day

Signed

David Dunbar

After reading the above the 2 Govr

and the Council said they would give an answer to it the next

Consultation

Mr Richard Gurling presents

the following petition

Island St Helena

To the Worshipfull David

Dunbar Esqr Governour Yd Council

of St Helena

The humble petition of Richard Gurling

Sheweth

That your Petitioner humbly prays he may

have Liberty to Assign his fourth Part or Share of the Lease Land

Which he is Possessed of in right of his Wife Elizabeth Daughter of

James Hyder deced unto the other Children of the said James

Hyder And also begs Leave he may be permitted to take out a small

Peice

The Governor closed his objections by asking that they might all do their duty in their several stations, and submitted to the Company to punish and reward such as it judged deserving. The Governor added a note that there was not one ceiled room in any of the houses built there for the deputy governor or any of the council, and that even in the castle the hall and the common eating room had never been ceiled to that day. The note was signed by David Dunbar.

After the paper was read, the deputy governor and the council said they would give an answer to it at the next consultation.

Richard Gurling then presented a petition to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. Gurling set out that he prayed leave to assign his fourth part or share of the lease land which he possessed in right of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of James Ryder deceased, to the other children of James Ryder, and also asked leave to fence out a small piece.

Interpretations

The Governor's closing note that no room in any council house had ever been ceiled turns the private dispute into a general observation on the plainness of the settlement's building. Even the castle hall and the common eating room stood unceiled, the deputy governor's request marking not a customary comfort withheld but an improvement none of the officers had ever had, the Governor pointing to the bare state of every house on the island to show that the ceiling sought was no ordinary provision but a novelty the settlement had never known.

Gurling's petition to reassign his wife's share among her siblings records the working of inheritance in the island's leasehold land. Gurling held a fourth part of a lease in right of his wife Elizabeth, one of the daughters of the late James Ryder, and sought leave to make it over to her fellow children, the transaction marking how leasehold parcels passed and were consolidated among heirs, the Company's consent needed for the assignment because the land was held of the Company on lease and could not be dealt with freely.

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Peice of Land, at the head of Certain Land called Francis's which

your Petitioner holds by Lease of the Honble Company, & to take

in a small Peice of Land, of Equal Quantity adjoyning to Land

called Vaughans which your Petitioner also hold by Lease of the

Honble Company for the Convenience of Fencing

And your Petitioner shall Pray

Signed

Rechd Gurling

Granted

Mr Joseph Whaley presents

the following Petition

Island St Helena

To the Worshipfull David

Dunbar Esqr Governour Yd Council

of St Helena

The humble petition of Joseph Whaley

Junior

Sheweth

That there are four Acres of Land

Lately Possessed by Thomas Colgrove (but the Lease Expired) in

Prosperous Bay Valley and Which the said Thomas Colgrove doth

not Care to renew

Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays

he may be admitted a Tenant for the same to the Honble Company

at the Usual rent & may have a Lease Granted him Accordingly

And your Petitioner shall Ever Pray

11 February 1745 the mark of

Granted Joseph I Whaley

Gurling asked leave to fence in a small piece of land at the head of certain land called Francis's, which he held by lease of the Company, and to take in a small piece of land of equal quantity adjoining land called Vaughan's, which he also held by lease of the Company, for the convenience of fencing. The petition was signed by Richard Gurling and was granted.

Joseph Whaley junior then presented a petition to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. Whaley set out that four acres of land in Prosperous Bay Valley, lately possessed by Thomas Colgrave whose lease had expired, had not been taken over, and that Colgrave did not care to renew it. Whaley prayed to be admitted a tenant of the land at the usual rent and to have a lease granted him accordingly. The petition was dated 4 February 1746 and signed by Joseph Whaley by his mark, and was granted.

Interpretations

Gurling's exchange of small parcels for the convenience of fencing records the practical rationalising of leasehold boundaries the Company allowed its tenants. Gurling sought to take in one piece and give up another of equal quantity so that his land might be fenced more conveniently, the swap marking how tenants adjusted their holdings to make them workable, the Company permitting the exchange of equal parcels where it served the enclosure the leases required, the fencing that the settlement's whole system of deeds turned on shaping the very boundaries of the land.

Whaley's petition for Colgrave's lapsed acres shows the Company keeping its land in tenancy by admitting new tenants as old leases fell in. Four acres lay untenanted after Colgrave's lease expired and he declined to renew, and Whaley stepped in to take them at the usual rent, the transaction marking the turnover of leasehold land as terms ran out, the Company ready to grant a fresh lease to a willing tenant so that no ground stood idle and unrented, the settlement's land kept in use and yielding rent through a steady succession of tenants.

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Having been acquainted that several

Green trees were cut down in the Long Wood not Withstanding

there is so large a Quantity fallen, and fitter for Burning,

We therefore in Order to prevent the Distruction of the same

Published the following Advertizement Viz

Island St Helena 11 February 1745.

This is to give Notice That no person

Whatsoever is to cut down any Green Wood in the Great Wood

and Whoever informs of any One so doing after the date hereof

shall receive ten Shillings reward for such information

P Order of Council

The Husband Gunner and Steward this

Day delivered Each their Accts which Were Examined and

Approved and are as follows Viz

Gunners Stores Expended in January 1746

Powder, Delivered for Shooting the Dogs, Pounds Expended: 4

Lead Ball do for Shooting the dogs, Pounds Expended: 14

Fine Paper for making Small Cartridges, Pounds Expended: 22 Qs

Handspikes Broke on the Line, Pounds Expended: 2

Budge Barrels broke Shifting Powder on the Line, Pounds Expended: 2

Signed Jno French

Account

The board, having been told that several green trees were cut down in the Long Wood despite there being so large a quantity already fallen and fitter for burning, published an advertisement to prevent the destruction of the trees. The advertisement, dated at St Helena on 4 February 1746, gave notice that no person whatever was to cut down any green wood in the great wood, and that anyone informing of a person doing so after the date should receive ten shillings reward for the information. It was published by order of council.

The husband, gunner and steward delivered their accounts, which were examined and approved. The gunner John French's account of stores expended in January 1746 followed.

Powder delivered for shooting the dogs, 4 lb

Lead ball delivered for shooting the dogs, 1 lb

Fine paper for making small cartridges, 22 quires

Handspikes broke on the line, 2

Budge barrels broke shifting powder on the line, 2

The account was signed by John French.

Interpretations

The advertisement against cutting green wood records the settlement's care to husband the little standing timber the island had. Green trees were being felled in the Long Wood while plenty already lay fallen and fitter for burning, and the board forbade the cutting of any living wood on pain of an informer's reward, the measure marking the value of standing timber on an island that grew almost none, the Company protecting the growing trees against waste by setting a bounty on information as it did against other offences.

The powder and ball issued for shooting the dogs record a standing trouble the settlement had with animals preying on its stock. Powder and lead were expended in shooting dogs, the same dogs the stock returns had charged with killing sheep and goats, the gunner's stores drawn to destroy the beasts that harried the Company's flocks, the shooting of the dogs a regular charge on the powder account, the settlement defending its herds against a predator it could not otherwise control.

The budge barrels and handspikes broken on the line record the wear the working of the guns put on the artillery's gear. Two budge barrels used to carry powder and two handspikes for handling the guns were broken in the ordinary exercise on the line, the breakages charged to the gunner's account, the constant working of the ordnance consuming its ancillary equipment, the settlement's artillery kept in exercise at a steady cost in the small gear the guns required.

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Account of the Honble Companys Stock of Neat Cattle &c for the Month of January Viz 1745/6

Neat Cattle Sheep Goats Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullocks, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ewes, Weathers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ews, Weathers, Kids, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowles, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Mares, Horses, Total

Remaining P last of Decr: Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heifers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 62, Calves 126, Bulls 3, Total 368, Ewes 103, Weathers 18, Lambs 115, Rams 4, Total 240, Ews 163, Weathers 44, Kids 93, Rams 6, Total 306, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 35, Piggs 121, Boars 2, Total 205, Turkeys 71, Fowles 59, Chickens 196, Ducks 275, Geese 79, Mares 13, Horses 9, Total 10 19

Encreased: Calves 6, Total 6, Kids 5, Total 5, Turkeys 8

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heifers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 62, Calves 132, Bulls 3, Total 374, Ewes 103, Weathers 18, Lambs 115, Rams 4, Total 240, Ews 163, Weathers 44, Kids 98, Rams 6, Total 311, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 35, Piggs 121, Boars 2, Total 205, Turkeys 119, Fowles 196, Chickens 275, Ducks 79, Geese 13, Mares 9, Horses 10 19

Killed: Ewes 1, Lambs 4, Total 4

Died: Yearlings 1, Total 1, Lambs 1, Total 1, Kids 4, Total 4, Barrows 1, Total 1, Fowles 2, Chickens 13, Ducks 4

Died or Stole: Lambs 4, Total 4, Shoats 3, Total 3, Fowles 3, Chickens 4

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heifers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 61, Calves 131, Bulls 3, Total 373, Ewes 103, Weathers 16, Lambs 110, Rams 4, Total 233, Ews 163, Weathers 40, Kids 98, Rams 6, Total 307, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 31, Piggs 121, Boars 2, Total 201, Turkeys 142, Fowles 196, Chickens 258, Ducks 75, Geese 13, Mares 9, Horses 10 19

Fresh Pork Expended 29

Yams Expended 58000

Sold to the Officers and Soldiers 2641

Errors Excepted

Signed

C Dixon Husband

The husband Christopher Dixon's account of the Company's stock for the month of January 1746 followed, the columns headed neat cattle by their sorts, then sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining the last of December:

Neat cattle: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 62, calves 126, bulls 3, total 368

Sheep: ewes 103, wethers 18, lambs 115, rams 4, total 240

Goats: ewes 163, wethers 44, kids 93, rams 6, total 306

Hogs: sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 35, pigs 121, boars 2, total 205

Poultry: turkeys 159, fowls 196, chickens 295, ducks 79, geese 13, total 742

Horses: mares 9, horses 10, total 19

Increased:

Neat cattle: calves 6, total 6

Goats: kids 5, total 5

Poultry: chickens 8, total 8

Standing after increase:

Neat cattle: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 62, calves 132, bulls 3, total 374

Sheep: ewes 103, wethers 18, lambs 115, rams 4, total 240

Goats: ewes 163, wethers 44, kids 98, rams 6, total 311

Hogs: sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 35, pigs 121, boars 2, total 205

Poultry: turkeys 159, fowls 196, chickens 295, ducks 79, geese 13, total 742

Horses: mares 9, horses 10, total 19

Killed:

Sheep: ewes 1, lambs 4

Goats: ewes 1

Hogs: pigs 1

Poultry: turkeys 1, fowls 2, chickens 13, ducks 4

Died:

Neat cattle: yearlings 1

Sheep: wethers 1, lambs 1

Goats: rams 1

Hogs: shoats 3

Poultry: fowls 3, chickens 3

Died or stole:

Sheep: lambs 1

Goats: ewes 1

Standing at the month's end:

Neat cattle: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 61, calves 132, bulls 3, total 373

Sheep: ewes 103, wethers 16, lambs 110, rams 4, total 233

Goats: ewes 163, wethers 40, kids 98, rams 6, total 307

Hogs: sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 31, pigs 121, boars 2, total 201

Poultry: turkeys 142, fowls 196, chickens 258, ducks 75, geese 13, total 684

Horses: mares 9, horses 10, total 19

Fresh pork expended, 29 lb

Yams expended, 58,000 lb

Yams sold to the officers and soldiers, 2,641 lb

The account was subscribed errors excepted by Christopher Dixon as husband.

Interpretations

The yams spent standing at 58,000 lb marked a sharp rise from the run of earlier months and record the state of the store's grain that season. Where October had spent five thousand pounds and November ten, January consumed fifty-eight thousand, the leap marking the exhaustion of the rice and paddy that had fed the slaves through the autumn, the store fallen back on yams alone once the eastern grain ran out, the plantation's own root crop carrying the whole burden of feeding the establishment's dependents when the imported supply failed.

The neat cattle holding steady near 370 while the sheep, goats and hogs bore the month's slaughter show the Company sparing its breeding herd through the season. No bullock or cow was killed and the cattle fell by a single yearling dead, the killing falling on the smaller stock and the poultry, the Company preserving the cattle that were slowest to breed and dearest to replace, the herd held whole while the flocks and the fowls furnished the fresh meat, the settlement managing its stock to keep its cattle standing against the constant demand of the shipping for beef.

The poultry falling by near sixty head in the month records the fowls bearing the heaviest draw of any stock for the table. Turkeys, fowls, chickens and ducks were killed by the dozen and lost besides to death, the poultry standing lowest at the month's end of all the stock against its opening, the fowls the readiest fresh meat the plantation yielded and the most freely spent, the settlement drawing on its poultry for the table where it spared its cattle and thinned its flocks more sparingly.

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Sundry's Expended in the Castle in January 1745

9 3 Bottles Port Wine 5 2 7¼

31½ Lisbon Do 2 3 5½

Bottles Clarett &c

Do Constantia Wine

1 Do Red Cape 1 4½

1 Do Burgundy

16¾ Gall Goa Arrack

1 2 1 Gall Battavia do 2 6 7½

8 2 1 Gall Do Brandy 1 14 6½

39 Bottles Strong Beer

89 Do Small do 1 3 11

26¾ Cd Flower 1 6 10½

61¾ Cd Butter 2 11 6

32 3 Candy 10 ½

3 6 Sugar

1 Soap 9½

1 Herds ditto 29 14 6

2 Hames 4

2 Turkeys 4

4 Ducks 10

14 Young Fowles 6

2 Peices Salt Beef 12

12 Do Salt Pork 5 10¼

1 2

L 24 12 ½

We this Day Counted the Honble

Companys Cash Which was as follows Viz

Cash

The steward's account of sundries expended in the castle in January 1746 followed.

9.5 bottles port wine, £5 2s 7.25d

31.5 bottles Lisbon ditto, £2 3s 5.5d

Bottles claret ditto, £0 0s 0d

Ditto Constantia wine, £0 0s 0d

1 dozen ditto red cape, £0 1s 4.5d

1 dozen ditto Burgundy, £0 0s 0d

16.5 gallons Goa arrack, £2 6s 7.5d

1 leaguer 24 gallons Batavia ditto, £2 6s 7.5d

8 leaguers 4 gallons ditto brandy, £1 14s 6.5d

39 bottles strong beer, £0 0s 0d

89 ditto small ditto, £1 3s 11d

2 cwt 3 qr flour, £1 6s 10.5d

0 cwt 1 qr 3 lb butter, £2 11s 6d

3 cwt 2 qr 4 lb candy, £0 10s 0.5d

0 cwt 3 qr ditto sugar, £0 0s 0d

1 sheep, £0 0s 9.5d

1 hog, weighing 29 lb, £0 14s 6d

2 hams, £0 0s 0d

2 turkeys, £0 0s 0d

4 ducks, £0 10s 0d

12 young fowls, £0 6s 0d

2 pieces salt beef, £0 12s 0d

2 ditto salt beef, £0 5s 10.5d

12 ditto salt pork, £1 2s 0d

Total, £21 12s 0.5d

The board then counted the Company's cash, which was as follows.

Interpretations

The wines and spirits at the head of the sundries account record the imported drink the castle table consumed alongside the plantation's own meat. Port, Lisbon, red cape, arrack, Batavia arrack and brandy were charged by the bottle, gallon and leaguer, the wines of Portugal and the Cape and the arrack of India furnishing the table with drink from every quarter the Company traded, the castle supplied with a cellar drawn from the whole reach of the eastern and southern trade the shipping brought.

The fresh meat charged beside the wine shows the castle table drawing on the plantation's stock for its board. A sheep, a hog of nine and twenty pounds, ducks and young fowls were spent in the month, the same stock the husband's account had recorded killing, the table furnished with fresh meat from the Company's own herds and flocks, the sundries account the point at which the plantation's produce was reckoned against the cost of feeding the establishment at the castle.

The nil charges against claret, Constantia, Burgundy, strong beer, hams, turkeys and sugar record goods furnished to the table at no charge to the account. Several parcels of wine, beer, meat and sugar carried no cost, the items supplied without being charged against the diet, the account distinguishing the goods that fell to the Company's charge from those furnished free, the castle table drawing part of its board at a cost set down and part at none.

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319

Cash Dr Per Contra Cr L S D

1745

Janry 1 To Balance remaining L 2788 18 4½

Janry

9 By Cash Paid Corporal Andrew Blinman

and Willm Adams, five Pounds, five

Shillings each for listing to serve

the Honble Company as Soldiers for

five Years to Commence this day . 10 10

By Cash Paid Corporal Daniel

Bush, John Spencer Junr, Peter

Wells, John Holloway Petr Barker

Richard Knight, Willm Brown Thos

Fuller Willm Barrett Phillip

Catchpole Jon Manning Joseph

Bewell, and Samuel Clark five Pounds

five Shillings each for listing to serve

the Honble Company as Soldiers

for five Years to Commence the tenth 68 5

day of May 1746 .

L 78 15

Carried Over L 2788 18 4½

The two-sided cash account opened, the debtor side carrying the balance forward.

7 January, balance remaining, £2,788 18s 4.5d

Carried over, £2,788 18s 4.5d

On the credit side the payments for the re-enlistment bounties began.

9 January, paid to Corporal Andrew Blinman and William Adams, five pounds five shillings each for enlisting to serve the Company as soldiers for five years to commence this day, £10 10s 0d

Paid to Corporal Daniel Bush, John Spencer junior, Peter Wells, John Holloway, Peter Barker, Richard Knight, William Brown, Thomas Fuller, William Barrett, Phillip Catchpole, John Mannikey, Joseph Barwell and Samuel Clark, five pounds five shillings each for enlisting to serve the Company as soldiers for five years to commence the tenth day of May 1746, £68 5s 0d

Total, £78 15s 0d

Interpretations

The bounties paid at five pounds five shillings a man record the five guineas the re-enlistment contract had fixed as the price of five years' further service. Fifteen men were paid the guineas apiece for engaging to serve five years beyond their first time, the payment carrying into the cash account the contract the Governor had laid before the board, the money the Governor had advanced from his own pocket now reckoned through the treasury, the re-enlistment of the garrison recorded man by man as the bounties fell due.

The two dates of commencement show the Company staggering the fresh terms to run from the expiry of each man's first contract. Blinman and Adams engaged from the day of payment while the thirteen others were to commence from 10 May 1746, the different start dates marking the several men's first terms running out at different times, the Company binding each for five years from the end of his existing engagement so that no man served two contracts at once, the re-enlistment fitted to the expiry of each soldier's first time.

327

320

Cash Dr L S D

L 2788 18 4½

Carried Over L 2788 18 4½

The debtor side of the cash account carried the balance forward with no further entries.

Balance, £2,788 18s 4.5d

Carried over, £2,788 18s 4.5d

328

321

Per Contra Cr L S D

1745

Janry

Brought Over L 78 15

10 By Cash paid Corporal Beem Ambrose, for listing to Serve

the Honble Company as a Soldier for five Years to

Commence this Day . 5 5

16 By Cash paid Willm Price and Jeremiah Wyril, five

Pounds five Shillings each for listing to serve the

Honble Company as Soldiers for five Years to commence

this Day . 10 10

L 94 10

By Balance of Cash remaining Janry 31 in the

following Species L S D L S D

1 Piece of Gold wt 11 15 14 at 3 18 3P½ 46 1 8½

4 Pieces of Gold wt 3 9 12 3 18 13 11 0½

1599 Pagodas at 9 each 718 15

64 Venetians 10 32

2 Gubbes 12

Gold amounting to 810 19 9

1826 Dollars at 5 ea 456 10

21 Half Dollars 2 6 2 12 6

64 Double Rials 1 3 4

344 Rials 7½ 10 15

3121 Half Rials 3¾ 48 15 3¾

93 Ducatoons 6 27 18

3762 Rupees 2 3 42 7 1½

441 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

Old Money 4 2¾

Silver amounting to 1346 13 7¾

Carried Over L 2157 13 4¾

Carried Over L 94 10

The credit side of the cash account continued with the last of the re-enlistment bounties and then the count of the treasury coin by coin.

Brought over, £78 15s 0d

10 January, paid to Corporal Beorn Ambrose for enlisting to serve the Company as a soldier for five years to commence this day, £5 5s 0d

16 January, paid to William Price and Jeremiah Wyrill, five pounds five shillings each for enlisting to serve the Company as soldiers for five years to commence this day, £10 10s 0d

Total, £94 10s 0d

The balance of cash remaining on 31 January was then counted in the following coin.

1 piece of gold weighing 11 dwt 14 gr at £3 18s 3.5d, £16 1s 8d

4 pieces of gold weighing 2 dwt 9 gr 12 at £3 18s, £13 11s 0.5d

1,599 pagodas at 9s each, £718 15s 0d

64 venetians at 10s, £32 0s 0d

2 gubbers, £0 12s 0d

Gold amounting to, £810 19s 9d

1,826 dollars at 5s each, £456 10s 0d

21 half dollars at 2s 6d, £2 12s 6d

64 double reals at 1s 3d, £4 0s 0d

344 reals at 7.5d, £10 15s 0d

3,121 half reals at 3.75d, £48 15s 3.75d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

3,762 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 7s 1.5d

441 French pieces at 2s, £44 2s 0d

Old money, £1 2s 5d

Silver amounting to, £1,346 15s 7.5d

Carried over, £2,157 15s 4.5d

Carried over, £94 10s 0d

Interpretations

The pagodas falling from 1,807 to 1,599 between the December and January counts record the treasury paying out its readiest gold as the season's charges fell due. More than two hundred pagodas had gone from the chest in the month, the gold of the Coromandel coast the coin most freely spent, the treasury drawn down in its Indian gold while its Spanish silver held steady, the settlement meeting its charges from the specie that came most easily to hand and leaving the great mass of dollars and reals untouched.

The silver holding almost unchanged while the gold fell shows the two metals serving different turns in the treasury. The dollars, reals, ducatoons and rupees stood at nearly the same tale as the month before, but the pagodas had dropped by better than two hundred, the settlement paying its way in gold while keeping its silver as a standing reserve, the treasury count marking which coin moved and which lay still, the gold the working money and the silver the deeper store.

329

322

Cash Dr L S D

Brought Over L 2788 18 4½

L 2788 18 4½

The debtor side of the cash account carried the balance forward with no further entries.

Brought over, £2,788 18s 4.5d

Total, £2,788 18s 4.5d

330

323

Per Contra Cr

Brought over L

Brought over L 2157 13 4¾

94 10

146 Cash Notes at 40 ea 292

161 Ditto Do 20 161

255 Ditto Do 5 63 15

160 Ditto Do 2 6 20

Cash Notes amount to 536 15

2691 8 4¾

L 2788 18 4¾

David Dunbar

We agree to the Whole of this Consultation, except the Governours

Remarks and Objections, to the Lieut Govr Request

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 18 February 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read and Approved.

The credit side of the cash account closed with the count of the cash notes and the whole was subscribed.

Brought over, £94 10s 0d

Brought over, £2,157 15s 4.5d

146 cash notes at £40 each, £292 0s 0d

161 ditto at £20, £161 0s 0d

255 ditto at £6, £63 15s 0d

160 ditto at £2 6s, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £536 15s 0d

Silver and notes together, £2,691 8s 4.5d

Total, £2,788 18s 4.5d

The account was subscribed by David Dunbar. Charles Hutchinson entered his agreement to the whole of the consultation except the Governor's remarks and objections to the deputy governor's request, and it was further subscribed by John Goodwin and Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 February 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

Hutchinson's reservation entered against the Governor's objections shows the division over the ceiling carried onto the face of the treasury account itself. The deputy governor subscribed the whole consultation but marked his dissent from the Governor's remarks on his own request, the record preserving both the board's business and the standing disagreement between its two chief officers, the personal quarrel over the windows and lime set down beside the coin count so that the Company might see the council divided even as it closed its accounts.

The cash notes standing at £536 15s 0d unchanged from the December count record the Company's paper holding steady while the coin was paid out. The notes stood at exactly the same tale as two months before, the settlement spending its gold and keeping its paper whole, the cash notes a fixed part of the treasury that passed current on the island without being drawn down, the Company's own promises to pay lying in the chest as a settled reserve while the metal moved to meet the charges.

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324

The Lieutenant Govr this Day gave

in his answer to the Governours Objectionand remarks to the Paper

delivered last Consultation Viz

Sir

The Objections that you made, at our last

Meeting to the Manner of my delivering and reading the paper

Which I gave at the Consultation before, make it necessary

for me to be very particular in the mentioning of every Circumstance

that relates to it in order to clear my self from what you lay to

my Charge.

I addressed my Self as you may remember

Sir to you and the Council, by the Term Gentlemen a Style

that is generally used when any Member of a Board, has

Occasion, to apply to the Rest of the Gentlemen who compose

that Board, and is commonly understood to include All

of them . In this Sense therefore I meant it.

I then acquainted you, that I had

Something to offer to your Consideration and after I said

this, I reached cross the Table, to the Secretary, Mr Dixon

and gave him in Writing what I had to request, which I

desired him to read, as is customary . I must beg the Favour

that the Gentlemen of the Council, may be asked & if

what I have represented is true or not, that my Honble

Masters may from thence, be the Better enabled to judge

of my Behaviour in this Affair, and whether it deserves any

Epithets to my Disadvantage

The Motive, which induced me to

apply to You, and the Gentlemen of the Council, for a little

Lime, was that I might have the Room, my Family must

constantly sit, and eat in, made in some Measure

The deputy governor gave in his answer to the Governor's objections to the paper delivered at the last consultation.

Hutchinson set out that the objections the Governor had made to the manner of his delivering and addressing the paper at the previous consultation made it necessary for him to be very particular in mentioning every circumstance relating to it, in order to clear himself from what the Governor laid to his charge. He had addressed himself to the Governor and the council by the term gentlemen, a style generally used when any member of a board had occasion to apply to the rest of the gentlemen who composed that board, and commonly understood to include all of them, and in that sense he had meant it.

Hutchinson set out that he had then told them he had something to offer to their consideration, and after saying this had reached across the table to the secretary Dixon and given him in writing what he had to request, which he asked him to read as was customary. He begged the favour that the gentlemen of the council might be asked whether what he had represented was true or not, so that the Company might from thence be the better enabled to judge of his behaviour in the affair, and whether it deserved any name to his disadvantage. The motive that had induced him to apply to the Governor and the gentlemen of the council was that he might have the room, where his family must constantly sit and eat, made in some measure [...].

Interpretations

Hutchinson's careful defence of the word gentlemen shows how far the quarrel had turned on the forms of address between the officers. The Governor had objected that the paper was handed to the secretary without previous application to himself, and Hutchinson answered that his term gentlemen included the Governor by common usage, the whole dispute narrowed to whether a general form of address slighted the Governor, the personal friction between the two chief officers working out in a contest over the proper manner of laying a request before the board.

Hutchinson's appeal to the other members to confirm his account records the means by which a member sought to clear his conduct before the Company. Unable to settle the matter with the Governor, Hutchinson asked that the gentlemen of the council be examined on the truth of his account so that the Court might judge his behaviour, the appeal to the fellow members the recourse of an officer who wished his version set on record against the Governor's, the Company left to weigh the two accounts and decide whether Hutchinson's conduct deserved the names the Governor had withheld but implied.

332

325

for them, it being quite otherwise at present as it has no Cieling and

there is a Bedchamber over it . But small as the Quantity is, that

I should want for that purpose, which will not exceed eight Bushels

as I am told it was never in my Thoughts to require it to be given

me unless it could be spared without hindrance to the Fortification

which at all times, and in all cases, is to be supposed.

As to Animosities Sir I know of none, that

have been or are among us . I can assure you, that I shall always

make it my Endeavours to prevent any and to discharge my duty

to our Honble Masters in every Respect to the utmost of my

power, I am,

Sir,

Your most obedient humble Servant

Signed

Chas Hutchinson

Feb 7 18 1745

To

The Honble Govr Dunbar

After reading the above, the Question was

asked if the Contents were true, and Messrs Dixon Goodwin and

Purling declared they were.

Messrs Dixon Goodwin, and Purling

delivered their Answer to the Govr Objections as far as relates to

them in the paper he gave in last Consultation Viz

Sir

As you have been pleased to make some

remarks on our Conduct in the paper which You gave in at the

last

Hutchinson set out that the room was quite otherwise fit for his family at present, since it had no ceiling and there was a bedchamber over it. The quantity of lime he should want for the purpose was small, not exceeding eight bushels, and it had never been his thought to require it to be given him unless it could be spared without hindrance to the fortifications, which at all times and in all cases was to be supposed.

As to animosities, Hutchinson knew of none that had ever been among them. He assured the Governor that he would always make it his endeavour to prevent any, and to discharge his duty to the Company in every respect to the utmost of his power. The paper was dated 7 February 1746 and signed by Charles Hutchinson, addressed to Governor Dunbar.

After the paper was read, the question was asked whether the contents were true, and Dixon, Goodwin and Purling declared that they were.

Dixon, Goodwin and Purling then delivered their answer to the Governor's objections, so far as related to them, in the paper he had given in at the last consultation. They set out that as the Governor had been pleased to make some remarks on their conduct in the paper he had given in at the last [...].

Interpretations

Hutchinson's reduction of his demand to eight bushels of lime, granted only if the works could spare it, shows him meeting the Governor's chief objection head on. The Governor had refused the lime as needed for the fortifications, and Hutchinson answered that his want was small and conditional on the works not suffering, the deputy governor stripping his request of everything the Governor had objected to, the quarrel narrowed to whether even eight bushels could be found without slowing the walls the Governor held sacred.

The three members' formal confirmation of Hutchinson's account records the council closing ranks behind the deputy governor against the Governor. Asked whether Hutchinson's version was true, Dixon, Goodwin and Purling declared it was, the same three who had granted the ceiling now vouching for the manner in which it had been asked, the board ranged three to one against the Governor on both the substance of the grant and the account of how it was made, the Company presented with a united council and a dissenting Governor.

333

326

last Consultation, wee think Ourselves Indispensably

obliged for Our Justification, to Acquaint You, that

You have mistaken Our Opinions, which You say,

that We Voted to make Cieling, for the Lieutenant

Governour, his Application, as You will find upon

perusing it, being for no more Lime than would be

necessary for Cieling one Room only, and for the putting

in two Windows.

And as the whole that is required

for both these Occasions would not Exceed Six or Eight

Bushels, as wee are very well Informed and wee Assure

You it was not our Intentions that this Should be any

hindrance to the Fortifications, nor do We Apprehend

that so small a Quantity when there may be some Lime

in Advance, could retard forwarding the same, which We

think Should be Compleated with the greatest Expedition.

As You have in this Case taken upon

You to declare the Majority of Councils Determination

Void, You may Consequently do the like in any other

Case You please, which is directly contrary to the Honble

Companies Orders in the 26 Paragraph of their Letter

of the 2 Febry 1744 and likewise to those referred to in

Consultation of the 31 December last We shall forbear

Saying any thing more on this Subject, but Submit it to

Our Honble Masters to Judge of this proceeding.

Wee cannot help Expressing Our

Surprize at Your desiring that Our Animosities may rest

where they do, We know of none Subsisting Among us

And Assure You that We shall Constantly Exert

Ourselves to promote the Honble Companys Interest,

and forward the particular Branches of Business

Committed

The three members held themselves bound for their own justification to tell the Governor that he had mistaken their opinion. Where he said they had voted to make a ceiling, his own perusal of the application would show it was for no more lime than would be necessary for ceiling one room only and for putting in two windows. The whole required for both occasions would not exceed six or eight bushels, as they were very well informed, and they assured the Governor it had not been their intention that this should hinder the fortifications. They did not think that so small a quantity, when there might be some lime in advance, could retard the forwarding of the works, which they held should be completed with the greatest expedition.

The three members held that as the Governor had in this case taken upon himself to declare the majority of the council's determination void, he might consequently do the like in any other case he pleased, which they held directly contrary to the Company's orders in the twenty-sixth paragraph of its letter of 2 February 1744 and to those referred to in the consultation of 31 December. They would forbear saying anything more on the subject but submit it to the Company to judge of the proceeding.

The three members could not help expressing their surprise at the Governor's desiring that their animosities might rest where they were, knowing of none subsisting among them. They assured him that they would constantly exert themselves to promote the Company's interest and forward the several branches of business [...].

Interpretations

The members' appeal to the Company's letter of 2 February 1744 shows the dispute grounded at last in a written order defining the council's authority. The three held that the Governor's claim to void a majority vote broke the twenty-sixth paragraph of the Company's own instructions, the quarrel over the ceiling resolved into a question of constitutional right settled by a particular letter, the members standing on the Company's written word against the Governor's assertion of a power to disregard their votes, the whole matter turned from a dispute over lime into a contest over the terms of the Company's government.

The members' warning that a governor who could void one vote could void any records their fear of the precedent the Governor's stand would set. If the Governor might declare this determination void he might do the like in any case he pleased, the three argued, the danger lying not in the ceiling but in the principle, the members seeing in the Governor's claim a threat to every future decision of the majority, the small case pressed as a matter of the highest moment because the power the Governor asserted would leave the council's votes at his mercy.

Speculations

The three members chose to answer the Governor's charge in a formal written reply grounded on the Company's orders, rather than let his objections stand or settle the matter privately, the easier course of dropping a quarrel over so small a thing being the one they passed over. A ceiling and two windows needing but six or eight bushels of lime was a trifle the members might have let fall once it drew the Governor's anger, yet they answered at length, citing the twenty-sixth paragraph of the letter of 2 February 1744 and submitting the whole to the Company. What moved them was the Governor's claim to void their majority vote, which they saw as a breach of the Company's government reaching far beyond the lime, and they chose to make a formal record of their objection and carry it home rather than concede a principle that would leave every future vote at the Governor's discretion, judging the constitutional point worth the labour of a written answer the occasion alone would never have warranted.

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327

committed to our Charge in the Same manner and like Alacrity

We have hitherto done

This wee desire may be Entered in Consul-

tation of this day and are with all due Respect

2 Feb 1745 Sir

Your most humble Servants

Signed

C Dixon

John Goodwin

M Purling

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr Govr of

St Helena

The Govr upon reading the above

declared that in his Conscience he believed we did not mean that

granting the 2 Govr request should retard the repairs of the

Fortification

The Widow of the late Edwin Alcock

Chaplain presented the following Petition Viz

Island St Helena

To the Worshipfull

David Dunbar Esqr Governour Yd

Council of Saint Helena

The three members closed by undertaking to promote the several branches of business committed to their charge in the same manner and with the like alacrity as they had done before. They asked that their answer be entered in the consultation of that day. The paper was dated 7 February 1746 and signed by Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, addressed to Governor Dunbar.

The Governor, on reading the paper, declared that in his conscience he believed they had not meant that granting the deputy governor's request should retard the repairs of the fortifications.

The widow of the late chaplain Edwin Alcock then presented a petition to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena.

Interpretations

The Governor's declaration that he believed the members had meant no harm to the fortifications marks a softening that drew the long dispute toward a close. Having pressed his objection through paper after paper, the Governor now allowed in conscience that the three had not intended the works to suffer, the concession easing the constitutional quarrel without wholly settling it, the Governor granting the members their good faith even as the deeper question of his power over their votes remained referred to the Company.

The petition of the chaplain Alcock's widow records the death of the settlement's minister and the recourse of his dependents to the board. The widow of the late Edwin Alcock came before the council, the chaplain who had drawn his forty pounds a year on the establishment now dead, his widow seeking whatever relief or settlement the board might grant, the petition marking the passing of the island's clergyman and the provision the settlement was called on to make for those he left.

335

328

The Humble petition of Margaret

Alcock Widow and relict of Edwin Alcock deceased

Sheweth

That your Petitioners said Husband

Sometime in last Month departed this Life without Making any

Will or Other disposition of his Estate or Effects, and your petitioner

is the next of Ken

Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays

that Letters of Administration of the Estate

& Effects of the said Deceased may be Granted

your Petitioner

18 Feb 1745 And Your Petitioner shall Ever Pray

Signed

Margarett Alcock

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

The petition was that of Margaret Alcock, widow and relict of the late Edwin Alcock deceased. She set out that her husband had died sometime in the previous month without making any will or other disposition of his estate or effects, and that she was his next of kin. She prayed that letters of administration of the estate and effects of the deceased might be granted to her. The petition was dated 18 February 1746 and signed by Margaret Alcock. It was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The grant of administration to the widow of a man dead intestate records the routine machinery by which the council settled an estate left without a will. Edwin Alcock died leaving no will, and his widow as next of kin sought the letters of administration that would empower her to gather and dispose of his effects, the council acting as the court of probate for the island, the settlement's authority reaching to the orderly winding up of a dead man's affairs where he had made no provision himself.

The chaplain dying intestate shows even the settlement's clergyman leaving his affairs unsettled at his death. Alcock had made no will or disposition of his estate, his widow left to seek administration from the board, the minister who had served the island dying as many did without ordering the descent of his property, the council supplying through its grant of administration the settlement the dead man had failed to make, the widow enabled to take up her husband's estate by the authority the board alone could give.

336

329

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 25 February 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read and Approved.

The Governour this day demanded

of Mr Dixon the Secy to give him attested Copys of some

of the Honble Companys Old Orders.

Mr Dixon gave the Governour the

Copies but refused to attest them, untill he had asked the Councils

Opinion on it for he Apprehended the Honble Company

would not Approve of Copys of their Orders being given and

attested by their Secy Junless they were for some of the

Gentlemen in the Direction.

Then the Governour said he would

not satisfie Mr Dixon what he intended to do with those Orders

Upon which the Question was put

whether the Governour Should have attested Copys of the

Honble Companys Orders or no.

Mr Purling was of Opinion that

the Governour Should have attested Copys when he required

them

At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 February 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor demanded of Dixon the secretary that he give him attested copies of some of the Company's old orders. Dixon gave the Governor the copies but refused to attest them until he had asked the council's opinion, since he apprehended the Company would not approve of copies of its orders being given and attested by their secretary unless they were for some of the gentlemen in the direction.

The Governor then said he would not satisfy Dixon what he intended to do with the orders. The question was put whether the Governor should have attested copies of the Company's orders or not. Purling was of opinion that the Governor should have attested copies when he required them.

Interpretations

The Governor's demand for attested copies while refusing to say what he wanted them for shows the mistrust the long quarrel had bred between the two officers. The secretary would not certify the orders without the council's leave, apprehending the Company allowed such copies only to its directors, and the Governor would not disclose his purpose, the exchange marking how far confidence had failed, the Governor gathering the Company's orders for some undeclared use and the secretary hesitating to arm him with attested copies against an unknown end.

Dixon's refusal to attest the copies records the secretary asserting a check on the Governor grounded in the Company's own practice. The secretary held that attested copies of the orders were meant only for the gentlemen in the direction, and would not certify them for the Governor without the council's opinion, the refusal marking the secretary's office as a point of resistance to the Governor's will, the very orders the earlier dispute had turned on now the subject of a fresh contest over who might have them under the secretary's hand.

The Governor's demand for the orders read against the recent quarrel suggests he was arming himself to carry the dispute home. Having submitted the ceiling question to the Company and stood on the letter of its instructions, the Governor now sought attested copies of the old orders, perhaps to make his case to the Court, his refusal to declare his purpose leaving the council to suspect the copies were wanted for the very controversy that divided them, the secretary's caution and the Governor's reticence alike shaped by the contest still unresolved between them.

337

330

The 2 Governour, & Mr Goodwin said that

no attested Copy of the Honourable Companys Orders Should

be given to any one Except they were to be sent to the Honble

the Court of Directors or to some of the Gentlemen in the

Direction.

The Governour Delivered the following

Paper Viz

Febr 25 1745.

Gentlemen of the Council

About two Months since I laid before

You some complaints of Mr Dixon as Husband, to which

as well as I can remember he gave some Answer, both which

I suppose are entered in Consultation

Since which he has taken no notice

of me as Governour so that I am as ignorant as a stranger

of the Plantation Affair, he goes 3 or 4 times a week into

the Country and neither at going or comeing says any

thing to me

In the Generall letters from the Honble

Company, Copys of which I now lay before You, the Court of directors

do Wholy and Absolutely give the Charge of their Plantation

and stock to the Governour, alone, for the time being, and

this right by Vertue of the said Orders I now Claime, and as

You have lately seemed to Support Mr Dixon in the place

of Husband, I suppose ignorant of the said repeated Orders,

I now desire Your Answer in Consultation to my Claime

I could Enumerate many instances of

his little insults and Slights shown to me, which are not Worth

notice

The deputy governor and Goodwin said that no attested copy of the Company's orders should be given to anyone unless they were to be sent to the Court of Directors or to some of the gentlemen in the direction.

The Governor then delivered a paper, dated 25 February 1746 and addressed to the gentlemen of the council. He set out that about two months earlier he had laid before them some complaints of Dixon as husband, to which, as well as he could remember, Dixon had given some answer, both of which he supposed were entered in the consultation.

Since then, the Governor held, Dixon had taken no notice of him as Governor, so that he was as ignorant as a stranger of the plantation affair, Dixon going into the country three or four times a week and saying nothing to him either at going or coming. In the general letters from the Company, a copy of which he now laid before them, the Court of Directors wholly and absolutely gave the charge of their plantation and stock to the Governor alone for the time being. The Governor claimed this right by virtue of the orders, and as the council had lately seemed to support Dixon in the place of husband, supposing him ignorant of the repeated orders, he desired their answer in consultation to his claim. He held he could enumerate many instances of little insults and slights shown to him, which were not worth [...].

Interpretations

The Governor's claim to the sole charge of the plantation records the same struggle over authority now spreading from the ceiling to the husbandry of the island. The Governor held that the Company's orders gave the charge of the plantation and stock to the Governor alone, and complained that Dixon as husband kept him a stranger to the plantation's affairs, the quarrel that had begun over lime widening into a contest for control of the Company's farming, the Governor asserting against the husband the same undivided authority the members had lately denied him over their votes.

The Governor's grievance that Dixon kept him ignorant of the plantation shows the practical breakdown of cooperation between the two men. Dixon went into the country three or four times a week and told the Governor nothing, leaving him as ignorant as a stranger of the very concern the orders placed in his charge, the friction marking how far the personal quarrel had disabled the ordinary working of the settlement, the Governor cut off from knowledge of the plantation by a husband who no longer treated him as his superior.

The Governor's demand for the council's answer to his claim carries the whole dispute back onto the ground of the Company's written orders. As he had grounded the ceiling quarrel on the letter of 2 February 1744, the Governor now grounded his claim to the plantation on the orders giving its charge to the Governor alone, and asked the council to answer his claim in consultation, the contest again reduced to the terms of the Company's instructions, the Governor seeking a ruling that would restore to him the authority he held the members and the husband were between them denying him.

Speculations

The Governor chose to press his claim to the plantation formally against Dixon rather than let the husband's daily slights pass, the easier course of ignoring insults he himself called not worth notice being the one he set aside. The Governor allowed that the instances of little insults and slights were hardly worth enumerating, yet he made them the occasion of a written claim to the sole charge of the plantation, grounding it on the Company's orders and demanding the council's answer. What moved him was not the slights but the authority behind them, the husband's conduct being to his mind a denial of the undivided charge the orders gave the Governor, and coming so soon after the council had overruled him on the ceiling he chose to force the question of his power while the larger contest was still before the Company, judging it better to fight for the principle of his authority than to swallow the small affronts that expressed its erosion.

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331

Notice at this time but One I cannot Omitt because it is an Act

of injustice as well as an Affront, it is That a Superannua-

ted negro Gardner belonging to the Company, had sown some

Mellon seeds in the Maldivee Garden, where they produced in

much greater perfection than any I have seen upon this Island

the Mellons Mr Dixon has taken on him to dispose of at his

pleasure as his own with out even ever Mentioning them to me,

except that he was pleased in his generosity twice to send me one,

at the first I could not help laughing, and at the 2 to Counte-

nance the same gave his Servant one of the Companys Blacks,

a piece of money, those Mellons of right belonged to the Table

but Mr Dixon has disposed of them in great Numbers,

where I Apprehend he had no more right to them than to any,

or all the produce of the Plantations, and upon this behaviour

I desire Your Opinions in Consultation.

Signed

David Dunbar

Upon reading the above the Council

said they would Consider of it and give their opinions the

next Consultation.

And Mr Dixon would also give his

answer at the same time.

The Governour delivered the following

report Viz

The Governour reported that as the late

Reverend Mr Alcock the Honble Companys Chaplain here

had left a Widow with Child and two Young Children, destitute

of any Support, And that no precedent appeared of any pension

or Allowance Settled in such Cases but by the Express order from

the Court of Directors, He proposed to recommend this case to their

Consideration

The Governor set out one instance he could not omit, since it was an act of injustice as well as an affront. A superannuated slave named Gardner belonging to the Company had sown some melon seeds in the Maldivia garden, where they produced melons in much greater perfection than any he had seen on the island. Dixon had taken on himself to dispose of the melons at his pleasure as his own, without ever mentioning them to the Governor, except that he was pleased in his generosity to send him some twice. At the first the Governor could not help laughing, and at the second, to countenance the affair, he gave Dixon's servant, one of the Company's slaves, a piece of money. The Governor held that those melons of right belonged to the table, but that Dixon had disposed of them in great numbers, where he apprehended Dixon had no more right to them than to any or all the produce of the plantations. Upon this behaviour the Governor desired the council's opinions in consultation. The paper was signed by David Dunbar.

On reading the paper, the council said they would consider of it and give their opinions at the next consultation, and Dixon would also give his answer at the same time.

The Governor then delivered a report to the board. He reported that the late Reverend Alcock, the Company's chaplain, had left a widow with child and two young children, destitute of any support, and that no precedent appeared of any pension or allowance settled in such cases except by the express order of the Court of Directors. The Governor proposed to recommend the case to the Court's consideration.

Interpretations

The quarrel over a few garden melons shows how far the contest for authority had reached into the smallest produce of the plantation. The Governor held that melons grown in the Maldivia garden belonged of right to the castle table, and took Dixon's disposing of them as his own for an act of injustice, the dispute over the fruit standing for the larger question of who controlled the plantation's yield, the Governor pressing even the melons as a test of the undivided charge he claimed and the husband denied.

The chaplain's widow left destitute with three children records the hardship that fell on a servant's family where the Company had made no settled provision. Alcock had died leaving a widow with child and two young children and no support, and no precedent existed for a pension save by the Court's express order, the Governor able only to recommend the case home, the settlement's want of any standing rule for such relief leaving the widow's fate to the distant judgement of the directors.

The Governor's care to give Dixon's slave a piece of money for the melons shows the elaborate courtesy the two men still kept up beneath their quarrel. Even as he resented the disposal of the fruit, the Governor countenanced the second gift with a payment to the servant who brought it, the small civility preserved amid the deepening dispute, the forms of politeness maintained between the Governor and the husband while the substance of their relations broke down, the melons at once a grievance and an occasion for the observance of manners.

Speculations

The Governor chose to lay the matter of the melons formally before the council as an act of injustice, rather than let so trifling a thing pass, the obvious course of ignoring a gift of garden fruit being the one he set aside. A few melons twice sent him were a small matter the Governor himself had first met with laughter, yet he raised them in a written complaint and asked the council's opinion, treating the husband's disposal of the fruit as a usurpation of the table's right. What moved him was not the melons but the principle of control over the plantation's produce, the same undivided charge he was pressing against Dixon, and he chose to make even the garden fruit a test of that authority rather than overlook it, judging that to concede the melons was to concede the husband's right to deal with the plantation's yield as his own, the very claim the Governor was resolved to deny.

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Consideration And that as it would be a long time before any

answer could be Expected to such recommendation, He was

willing to advance, ten pounds each Quarter for their present

Maintainance, until the Honble Companys pleasure should

be Known Provided the Gentlemen of the Council would

engage to refund him Aniety of what he should so advance

in Case the Court of Directors did not approve or Allow it

To which all the Gentlemen of the Council

Unanimously agreed

Ordered, that an Inventory be

taken of the Honble Companies Books, which were in the

Possesion of Mr Alcock and then to be put in to a proper

Place

Mr Thomas Hayes presented a petition

praying that he might become Tenant to the Honble Company

for 4 Acres of Land Which I Joynd to his other Lands

Granted

We this Day agreed to sell three

More Colts from 12 to 20 Months Old belonging to the Honble

Company, and Ordered the following advertizement to be

Published Viz

Island St Helena

25 Feb 1745

This is to give Notice that on Thursday

the Sixth day of March next will be sold in James's Valley to

the best Bidder for ready Money three Young Mares from 12

The Governor set out that as it would be a long time before any answer could be expected to such a recommendation, he was willing to advance ten pounds each quarter for the widow and children's present maintenance until the Company's pleasure should be known, provided the gentlemen of the council would engage to refund him any of what he should so advance in case the Court of Directors did not approve or allow it. All the gentlemen of the council unanimously agreed to this.

The board ordered that an inventory be taken of the Company's books which were in the possession of Alcock, and then put in a proper place.

Thomas Hayes presented a petition praying that he might become tenant to the Company for four acres of land which adjoined his other lands. It was granted.

The board agreed to sell three more colts from twelve to twenty months old belonging to the Company, and ordered an advertisement published. The advertisement, dated at St Helena on 25 February 1746, gave notice that on Thursday 6 March next there would be sold in James Valley to the best bidder for ready money three young mares from twelve [...].

Interpretations

The Governor's offer to maintain the widow from his own pocket against the council's guarantee shows the same expedient he had used for the re-enlistment applied now to charity. Knowing the Court's answer would be long in coming, the Governor advanced ten pounds a quarter for the widow and children on the members' undertaking to refund him if the Company disallowed it, the settlement relieving a destitute family at once through the Governor's own outlay, the machinery of a private advance secured by the council's engagement bridging the long delay before the directors could rule.

The council's unanimous agreement to guarantee the advance records the board acting together in a matter of charity even amid its divisions. The same members lately ranged against the Governor over the ceiling and the plantation joined without dissent to secure his advance for the widow, the common cause of relieving the chaplain's family drawing a united vote where authority and precedence had set them at odds, the settlement's charity carried by an agreement that crossed the lines of the quarrel dividing its council.

The sale of the Company's young colts for ready money records the settlement turning its surplus stock to cash by public auction. Three colts of twelve to twenty months were advertised for sale to the best bidder for ready money, the Company disposing of the increase of its horses it did not need, the auction in James Valley the means by which the plantation's surplus was converted to coin, the young stock the herds threw off sold to the inhabitants rather than kept at charge on the Company's pasture.

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333

to 20 Months Old belonging to the Honble Company

NB The Mares to be veiwed in the

Great Wood any time between

this and the day of Sale.

Last night the Pinnace was drove from her

Moorings to Sea by the Violence of the Surf, and Lost.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

At a Consultation held on Sunday

the 4 March 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read, and Approved.

The following paper was this day

delivered by the 2 Govr Mr Goodwin and Mr Purling in

answer to that which the Governour gave last Consultation

Viz

The advertisement continued that the three young mares, from twelve to twenty months old, belonged to the Company, and might be viewed in the great wood any time between then and the day of sale. It was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

A note recorded that the pinnace had the previous night been driven from her moorings to sea by the violence of the surf.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 March 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The deputy governor, Goodwin and Purling delivered a paper in answer to that which the Governor had given in at the last consultation.

Interpretations

The pinnace driven from her moorings by the surf records the exposure of the settlement's boats to the sea that beat the island's roadstead. The same pinnace the accounts had lately fitted with canvas and paint was carried off her moorings to sea by the violence of the surf, the loss marking the constant hazard the open anchorage posed to the small craft the settlement depended on, the boats that fetched the lime and worked the road at the mercy of a sea that could tear them from their moorings in a night.

The three members again answering the Governor in a joint paper shows the settled alignment of the council against him carried into the new dispute over the plantation. As they had answered together on the ceiling, the deputy governor, Goodwin and Purling now replied as one to the Governor's claim to the sole charge of the plantation, the same three ranged against the Governor on the fresh question, the board's division hardened into a fixed pattern in which the members met each of the Governor's claims with a common written answer laid before the Company.

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334

Sir

We do not Recollect that you laid

before Us any Complaints of Mr Dixon, as Husband, about

the time you mentioned in your Report, at the last Consultation

nor, are there any against him in that Capacity, which

we can find, but those you then delivered.

If Mr Dixon has Omitted to give

you proper Information of the Honble Companies Affairs in

the Country he is Certainly to be Blamed for it.

The Seperate Charge that was

given to the Governour for the time being, of the Plantations

and Stock, by Letters from the Honble the Court of Directors,

which you Refer to, appears to us to be set aside since, because

by many Orders of much later dates, they direct that all

their Affairs, are to be transacted by the Governour and

Council to whom, we, for that Reason, are of Opinion that

all Accounts relating thereto, are to be brought in Monthly,

and nothing of Consequence is to be undertaken without

their Consent and Approbation.

As the Melons which you tell us

that Mr Dixon has disposed of were raised upon the Ground

of the Honble Company, We think, that they belonged to

them.

We are

Sir Your most humble Servants

Signed

4 March 1745/6 Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

To the Worshipfull David M Purling

Dunbar Esqr Governour

of St Helena

Mr Dixon also delivered his answer to

the Govr Complaints against them as follows Viz

The three members set out that they did not recollect the Governor having laid before them any complaints of Dixon as husband about the time he mentioned in his report at the last consultation, nor were there any against him in that capacity that they could find, except those he had then delivered. If Dixon had omitted to give the Governor proper information of the Company's affairs in the country, he was certainly to be blamed for it.

The separate charge given to the Governor for the time being of the plantation and stock, by the letters from the Court of Directors the Governor referred to, appeared to the three members to be set aside, because by many orders of much later dates the Court directed that all its affairs were to be transacted by the Governor and council. For that reason they were of opinion that all accounts relating to the plantation were to be brought in monthly, and nothing of consequence undertaken without the council's consent and approbation.

As to the melons the Governor told them Dixon had disposed of, which were raised upon the Company's ground, the three members thought they belonged to the Company. The paper was dated 4 March 1746 and signed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, addressed to Governor Dunbar.

Dixon then delivered his answer to the Governor's complaints against him.

Interpretations

The members' turning of the Governor's own orders against him marks the decisive move in the contest over the plantation. The Governor grounded his claim on early letters giving the plantation to the Governor alone, but the three answered that later orders directed all the Company's affairs to be transacted by the Governor and council together, the members meeting the Governor's authority with a rule of more recent date, the whole charge of the plantation drawn back under the collective government of the board against the Governor's claim to sole control.

The members' insistence on monthly accounts and collective approval records the constitutional principle they set against the Governor throughout. Nothing of consequence was to be undertaken without the council's consent and all accounts brought in monthly, the three holding the plantation to the same collective oversight they claimed over every branch of the Company's business, the government of the settlement vested in the Governor and council jointly rather than in the Governor alone, the melons and the plantation alike brought under the board's common authority.

The members' judgement that even the melons belonged to the Company shows them denying the Governor's claim that the fruit was the table's. Where the Governor held the melons of right belonged to the castle table, the three answered that being raised on the Company's ground they belonged to the Company, the members refusing the Governor even this small point, the produce of the plantation held to be the Company's and subject to the council's charge, the Governor's claim to the fruit rejected along with his claim to the plantation that grew it.

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March the 4 1745

Gentlemen of the Council

As the Governour was pleased at our

last meeting to Lay before you some Complaints against me as

Husband, I am Obliged for my own Vindication to trouble

you and I hope what I shall lay before you, will convince

you that the Governour hath no Sufficient grounds for

Complaints

Not long ago, the Governour

declared to me, that he thought, I fatigued my self and took

more pains then was necessary in that Branch, and was

pleased also in Testimoney of his Satisfaction with my

behaviour as Husband, to draw up himself the following

Parragraph, which is inserted in the General Letter, to our

Honble Masters dated in July last, to which I hope we

shall have an answer shortly Viz

Since our Representation upon

Mr Doveton's Petition for Enlarging his Sallary as Reeve

or Overseer, we descovered so many Abuses proved upon him,

that at the End of Sepr Quarter we discharged him, your

Service, and found no Occasion to put another in his place,

the Duty being well performd with much Care by Mr Dixon

who was Appointed Husband, without any Expence to the

Honble Company and to whom we cannot Omitt doing the

justice to Certiffy that his Care, and Judgement has Much

improved the Stock and pastures, and is indefatigable in

Country affairs we have now above 20 Acres under Guinea &

Indian corn and Oats and Barley in Strong Ear, and a Quantity

of Wheat, Rose and Beans finely growing all in the House point

Dixon's answer was dated 4 March 1746 and addressed to the gentlemen of the council. He set out that as the Governor had been pleased at the last meeting to lay before them some complaints against him as husband, he was obliged for his own vindication to trouble them, and hoped that what he laid before them would convince them the Governor had no sufficient grounds for complaint.

Dixon set out that not long before, the Governor had declared to him that he thought Dixon fatigued himself and took more pains than was necessary in that branch, and was pleased also in testimony of his satisfaction with Dixon's behaviour as husband to draw up himself a paragraph, inserted in the general letter to the Company dated the previous July, to which Dixon hoped they should have an answer shortly.

Dixon then quoted the paragraph. Since the council's representation upon Doveton's petition for enlarging his salary as reeve or overseer, so many abuses were proved upon him that at the end of the September quarter the council discharged him the service, and found no occasion to put another in his place, the duty being well performed with much care by Dixon, who was appointed husband without any expense to the Company. The council could not omit doing him the justice to certify that his care and judgement had much improved the stock and pastures, and that he was indefatigable in country affairs. There were now above twenty acres under Guinea and Indian corn and oats and barley in strong ear, and a quantity of wheat, rose and beans finely growing, all in the horse [...].

Interpretations

Dixon's use of the Governor's own paragraph of praise against him marks the sharpest stroke of his defence. The Governor had himself drawn up a paragraph in the general letter certifying Dixon's care and judgement as husband, and Dixon now quoted it back to show the Governor had lately commended the very conduct he now complained of, the husband turning the Governor's written praise into the answer to his charge, the record of the Governor's own satisfaction produced against his present displeasure.

The paragraph's account of the crops records the improvement Dixon had wrought in the plantation's husbandry. Above twenty acres stood under Guinea and Indian corn, oats and barley in strong ear, with wheat, rose and beans growing finely, the tillage marking a real advance in the Company's farming under Dixon's hand, the husband's defence resting on the visible state of the crops, the plantation's yield the proof he offered of the care the Governor had once acknowledged and now denied.

Dixon's appointment as husband without expense to the Company shows the saving his taking up the office had brought. Doveton had been discharged as overseer for proved abuses and no successor appointed, Dixon performing the duty as husband at no charge, the arrangement marking an economy the council had approved, the husband's service costing the Company nothing while improving its stock, the very saving the Governor's complaint now threatened to unsettle by disputing the terms on which Dixon held the charge.

Speculations

Dixon chose to defend himself by quoting the Governor's own paragraph of commendation, rather than merely answering the complaints on their merits, the plainer course of rebutting each charge in turn being the one he set beside this sharper stroke. Dixon might have answered the Governor's grievances one by one, but he chose instead to produce the paragraph the Governor had himself written in the general letter praising his care and judgement as husband, setting the Governor's recorded satisfaction against his present displeasure. What made this the telling move was that it caught the Governor in a contradiction of his own making, the man who now complained having lately certified the opposite under his own hand, and Dixon judged that to convict the Governor out of his own words was a surer vindication than any denial, the Governor's written praise a weapon the husband could not have forged himself and would not leave unused.

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I believe none of you remember that

the Governour ever made any Complaints to you against

me of this kind before neither could he without a direct

Contradiction to what is before said

I always waited upon the Governour

in a morning before I went on to the Country, untill I found he sent

for what he wanted from the Plantations without ever

acquainting me with it, and tho this way of proceeding makes

it difficult for me to make up my accts, yet I am willing to

put up with any Inconveniences, rather than have disputes.

And as to going down to the Castle after my return out of

the Country, I have always done it unless hindred by Sickness,

But lately the Governour having not been pleased to favour

me with his Company, after I did go down, so that I have been

upwards of an Hour in the Castle without any Company tho

I have Seen the Governour Alone in his room all that

Time, I have therefore now defered going till supper time.

As to the Insultsand Slights which

the Governour is pleased to say I have Shewn him, I know of

none and should therefore have been glad if he had Instanced

any, that I might have been the better able to have Cleared

my self of that Imputation, But I am persuaded he had

no Sufficient Ground for any Complaints of this Kind

having so lately been pleased to bring his servant us to

Consultation to Witness against me, Concerning an

unbecoming Message which he said I sent him by that

Servant, upon which Mr Edwin Alcock the late Chaplain

was sent for who Luckily happened to be by at the time I

delivered the Message, to the servant and he proved the

Direct Contrary to what the Govr Alledged against me and

as he did so the Governour was pleased to drop it.

About

Dixon set out that he believed none of them remembered the Governor ever making any complaints of this kind against him before, nor could he do so without a direct contradiction of what had gone before. He had always waited upon the Governor in the morning before he went into the country, until the Governor sent for what he wanted from the plantations without ever acquainting Dixon with it. Though this way of proceeding made it difficult for him to make up his accounts, Dixon was willing to put up with any inconveniences rather than have disputes.

As to going down to the castle after his return out of the country, Dixon set out that he had always done so unless hindered by sickness. But lately the Governor had not been pleased to favour him with his company after he came down, so that Dixon had been upwards of an hour in the castle without any company, though he had seen the Governor alone in his room all that time, and he had therefore now deferred going till supper time.

As to the insults and slights the Governor was pleased to say he had shown him, Dixon knew of none, and should have been glad if the Governor had instanced any, so that he might have been the better able to clear himself of the imputation. Dixon was persuaded the Governor had no sufficient ground for any complaints of this kind, having so lately been pleased to bring his servant into consultation to witness against him concerning an unbecoming message which the Governor thought fit to send by that servant. Upon this, Alcock the late chaplain, who luckily happened to be by at the time Dixon delivered the message to the servant, had proved the direct contrary to what the Governor alleged against him, and as he did so the Governor was pleased to drop it.

Interpretations

Dixon's account of the morning attendance the Governor had ceased to require records the breakdown of the daily working relationship between them. Dixon had always waited on the Governor before going into the country, but the Governor had taken to sending for what he wanted without acquainting the husband, the change marking the collapse of the ordinary communication the plantation's management needed, the Governor's own conduct making it hard for Dixon to keep his accounts, the friction the Governor charged to the husband traced back by Dixon to the Governor's withdrawal.

The Governor sitting alone while Dixon waited an hour in the castle shows the personal coldness that had overtaken their dealings. Dixon had waited upwards of an hour in the castle while the Governor sat alone in his room and would not see him, the slight marking the Governor's own part in the estrangement, the husband put off till supper time by a Governor who denied him his company, the breakdown of civility the Governor laid at Dixon's door shown by Dixon to run the other way.

The dropped charge over the message records a previous occasion on which the Governor's complaint against Dixon had failed for want of proof. The Governor had brought his servant into consultation to witness against Dixon over an unbecoming message, but the late chaplain Alcock, by chance present when the message was delivered, had proved the contrary and the Governor had let the matter drop, the episode marking a pattern in which the Governor's charges against the husband collapsed on examination, Dixon citing the earlier failure to discredit the present complaints.

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About six Months ago, in order to try an

Experiment, I gave one of the Honble Companies slaves, some mellon

seeds to plant, in a small piece of Ground behind the Maldivee house

where they used to lay the small Stones that were pick'd out of the

Plantation, the seeds, as well as some Others, I had from a

Gentleman, in the last fleet, and took care of the vines my self,

they were but five holes planted, so that the produce can not be

supposed to be many and from the smallness of the piece of ground

the Vines had not liberty to spread near so much as they would

have done

And tho the Govr is pleased to lay me with

injustice saying that I disposed of those Melons, and approved the

Table of them, yet you'l please to observe that he disposed of them

himself by desiring Mr Goodwin & Mr Purling to take them

at any time when they found any ripe which I suppose they

did, if so upon look some & I hope my Honble Masters will not

Charge me with Injustice for so doing . The Govrs speaking of

the Melons one day at the Table, I told him how many there

were in the Maldivee Garden, because the Negroe which he sent

up to count them was mistaken in his accts and this was long

before any of them were ripe, Now the Govr I might as well have

taken them to the table if I wanted, as given them away, and as for

his having but two of them, which I sent him, I am well satisfied

he had More and if he had not, the reason I suppose was, because

there were Melons sufficient in the fort Garden, to supply the

Table at that time . I am

Gentlemen

Your Most humble Servant

Signed

C Dixon

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Dixon set out that about six months earlier, in order to try an experiment, he had given one of the Company's slaves some melon seeds to plant in a small piece of ground behind the Maldivia house, where they used to lay the small stones picked out of the plantation. The seeds, as well as some others, he had from a gentleman in the last fleet, and he took care of the vine himself. There were but five holes planted, so that the produce could not be supposed to be many, and from the smallness of the piece of ground the vine had not liberty to spread near so much as it would have done.

Though the Governor was pleased to charge him with injustice in saying that he had disposed of the melons, Dixon begged the council to observe that the Governor had himself disposed of some of them, by desiring Goodwin and Purling to take them at any time they found any ripe. Dixon supposed they did so, and had done the like himself, and hoped the Company would not charge him with injustice for so doing. When the Governor spoke of the melons one day at the table, Dixon had told him how many there were in the Maldivia garden, since the slave the Governor sent to count them was mistaken in his account, and this was long before any of them were ripe. The Governor might as well have taken them to the table if he wanted, or given them away, and as to his having but two of them which Dixon sent him, Dixon was well satisfied the Governor had more, and if he had not, the reason he supposed was that there were melons sufficient in the fort garden to supply the table at that time. The paper was addressed to the gentlemen of the council and signed by Christopher Dixon. It was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

Dixon's revelation that the Governor had himself given the melons away turns the charge of injustice squarely back on the accuser. The Governor had desired Goodwin and Purling to take the ripe melons at their pleasure, so that the Governor had disposed of the fruit as freely as Dixon, the husband showing that the very act the Governor complained of he had authorised and shared, the accusation of injustice collapsing on the Governor's own conduct in the matter.

The melons grown as an experiment from seed brought by the fleet record the small horticultural trials the settlement made with new stock. Dixon had planted five holes of melon seed from a gentleman in the last fleet on a patch of stony ground behind the Maldivia house, the attempt marking the introduction of fresh seed by the shipping and the trying of it on the island, the produce that became a matter of dispute the fruit of a modest experiment in husbandry rather than any established crop.

The Governor's slave miscounting the melons shows the mistrust that had the Governor sending to number the fruit of his own garden. The Governor had sent a slave to count the melons and been given a wrong account, and Dixon had corrected him, the episode marking how far suspicion had entered even into the reckoning of a few melons, the Governor checking the husband's account of the garden by his own messenger, the trifling fruit weighed and counted amid a distrust that touched the smallest produce of the plantation.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 11 March 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

The Governour this Day acquainted

us, that there was very little salt provisions remaining in the

Honble Companys Stores, and therefore it was necessary to

Consider in what Manner the Garrison was to be provided for

untill we could have a supply from England.

And upon Examining the Steward of

the Market, we found there several of the Planters, that had

not killed any Cattle for the Market since Sepr last . It

was, therefore agreed to summons them Wednesday following

next to shew Cause, why they had not Endeavoured to

Support the Garrison as Others had done.

Mr Dixon this day paid into

the Honble Companys Cash £10 13 for three Mare Colts

belonging to the Honble Company which he bought at Publick Auction for Mr Richard Goodwin

the 6 Instant.

Mr Martin Harper this day

Presented the following Petition Viz

Island St Helena

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 March 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor told the board that very little salt provision remained in the Company's stores, and that it was therefore necessary to consider in what manner the garrison was to be provided for until a supply could be had from England.

On examining the steward of the market, the board found that several of the planters had not killed any cattle for the market since the previous September. It was therefore agreed to summon them the following Thursday to show cause why they had not endeavoured to support the garrison as others had done.

Dixon paid into the Company's cash £8 13s 0d for three horse colts belonging to the Company which he bought at public auction for Richard Goodwin on the 6th of that month.

Martin Harper then presented a petition to the board.

Interpretations

The shortage of salt provision and the planters' failure to supply the market records the recurring difficulty of victualling the garrison from the island's own stock. Little salt meat remained and several planters had killed no cattle for the market since September, the board driven to summon them to show cause, the settlement's food supply again strained between the exhaustion of imported provision and the reluctance of the planters to furnish fresh beef, the garrison's subsistence a standing anxiety the council had repeatedly to press.

The summons to the defaulting planters shows the council using its authority to compel the inhabitants to victual the garrison. The planters who had killed no cattle since September were called to show cause why they had not supported the garrison as others had, the board holding the inhabitants to a duty of supply, the settlement's defence depending on the planters bringing their beasts to market, the council enforcing by summons the provisioning the garrison could not do without.

The colts sold at auction and paid for through the treasury record the completion of the sale the board had lately advertised. Dixon paid £8 13s 0d into the Company's cash for three horse colts he had bought at the public auction for Richard Goodwin, the transaction closing the sale of the Company's surplus young stock, the auction in James Valley turning the colts to coin as intended, the produce of the plantation's herds converted to cash in the Company's chest.

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To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr

Governour Yd Council of St Helena

The Humble Petition of Martin

Harper of the said Island Planter.

Sheweth,

That Your Petitioner has a parcel

of Land which is next Adjoyning on one part to Joseph Powell

of the said Island Planter,

Whereupon Your Petitioner, and

the said Joseph Powell divided the making of the Fence between

them, that each Might fence his proper part which Your

Petitioner has Accordingly done, But the said Joseph Powell

has not done his Part, notwithstanding the Fence I have lain

unfinished for near these seven Years past.

Sometime since the said Powell

Agreed with Your Petitioner before two Credible Evidences,

that in case your Petitioner would make the said Fence of the hight

of four feet of Good Wall, at the rate of ten Shilling P Rodd

he would lett Your Petitioner have the use of the said Adjoyning

Land, at the Rent of thirty Shilling P Annum, untill Your

Petitioner had paid himself, but some little short time

after the said agreement, the said Powell broke off the same, by

telling Your Petitioner, he Knew Your Petitioner had no Assess

in your Petitioner's Land, and he would not lett him take

them out of his Land, and moreover, that the said Powell wanted

the Land himself upon which Your Petitioner told him, He

did not want to insist on the Agreement Provided he would

but fence the Land himself

The petition was that of Martin Harper of the island, planter, addressed to Governor Dunbar and the council of St Helena. Harper set out that he had a parcel of land adjoining on one part to Joseph Powell of the island, planter.

Harper and Powell had agreed on the making of the fence between them, that each might fence his proper part, which Harper had accordingly done, but Powell had not done his part, notwithstanding the fence had lain unfinished for near seven years past.

Sometime since, Powell had agreed with Harper before two credible witnesses that in case Harper would make the fence of the height of four feet of good wall, at the rate of ten shillings the rod, Powell would let Harper have the use of the adjoining land at the rent of thirty shillings a year until Harper had paid himself. But some little short time after the agreement, Powell broke off from it by telling Harper, when Harper had no cattle in his land, that he would not let him take them out of his land, and moreover that Powell wanted the land himself. Upon this Harper told him he did not want to insist on the agreement, provided Powell would but fence the land himself.

Interpretations

The dispute over the unfinished fence records the practical burden the settlement's whole system of enclosure placed on adjoining tenants. Harper had fenced his part but Powell had left his undone for near seven years, the neglect marking how the fencing the leases required could fail where one neighbour would not bear his share, the boundary between two holdings left open by a single defaulter, the enclosure the Company insisted on frustrated by the failure of one party to keep his part in repair.

The agreement to fence in exchange for the use of the land shows the private bargains tenants struck to get their boundaries walled. Powell had agreed to let Harper use his land at a rent until Harper's fencing at ten shillings the rod paid itself off, the arrangement marking how the labour and cost of walling was shifted and settled between neighbours, the fence built by one against the use of the other's ground, the enclosure achieved through a private contract the Company's leases drove the tenants to make among themselves.

Powell's breaking of the bargain records the fragility of such private agreements where one party changed his mind. Powell repudiated the agreement soon after making it, saying he wanted the land himself and would not let Harper's cattle out, the reversal marking how little security an unwritten bargain gave, Harper left with his fencing done and the promised use denied, the dispute brought before the council because the private arrangement had failed and only the board could settle the tenants' competing claims.

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Your Petitioner hath often desired the

said Powell in a mild, Neighbourly manner to make his

said Fence, but he has never done it although his Cattle

are constantly trespassing on Your Petitioners Land,

and destroy near half his Grass, and only use Your

Petitioner with ill Language and Threats, which

occasioned Your Petitioner to Apply to the Governour

for Summons for the said Powell when the Governour

was Pleased to Order Your Petitioner to tell the said Powell

to attend the Councill on this day, which Your Petitioner

in Obedience to the Governour's Orders Accordingly did,

but the said Powell abused Your Petitioner to the

highest Degree by all the ill Language, and Oaths he

could make use of and by Thrusting his Fist towards

Your Petitioners face, and at the same time telling him,

he would attend the Councel but afterwards he would

manage Your Petitioner, or to that purpose

Your Petitioner therefore humbly

Prays, that you would Order the

said Joseph Powell to make up his

said Fence in a Lawfull manner

forthwith, and releive Your

Petitioner against these abuses,

insults, and Threats of the said

Powell, as to Your Wisdom, and

Goodness shall seem meet.

11 March 1745 And Your Petitioner shall

ever Pray Martin Harper

Upon reading the above, and finding that

Mr Joseph Powell did not attend as expected, it was ordered that

he should be Summond to attend on Wednesday next.

Harper set out that he had often desired Powell in a mild, neighbourly manner to make his fence, but Powell had never done it, although his cattle constantly trespassed on Harper's land and destroyed near half his grass, and only used Harper with ill language and threats. This had led Harper to apply to the Governor for a summons for Powell, when the Governor was pleased to order Harper to tell Powell to attend the council that day, which Harper in obedience to the Governor's order accordingly did. But Powell abused Harper to the highest degree by all the ill language and arts he could make use of, and by thrusting his fist towards Harper's face, and at the same time telling him he would attend the council but afterwards he would manage Harper, or to that purpose.

Harper prayed that the board would order Powell to make up his fence in a lawful manner forthwith, and relieve him against the abuses, insults and threats of Powell, as its wisdom and goodness should seem meet. The petition was dated 11 March 1746 and signed by Martin Harper.

On reading the petition, and finding that Powell did not attend as expected, the board ordered that he be summoned to attend the following Thursday.

Interpretations

Powell's cattle trespassing and destroying Harper's grass records the direct injury an unfenced boundary inflicted on the neighbour who had done his part. Powell's beasts constantly strayed onto Harper's land and destroyed near half his grass, the damage marking the real loss a defaulting neighbour caused, the whole purpose of the fencing the leases required being to keep each tenant's stock to his own ground, Harper's crop eaten because Powell would not wall his side.

Powell's threats and thrusting his fist in Harper's face show the dispute passing from a matter of fencing into open intimidation. Powell abused Harper with ill language and threatened to manage him after attending the council, the violence marking how a boundary quarrel between neighbours could turn to menace, the council's authority invoked not only to compel the fence but to protect Harper against the threats of a man who defied both his neighbour and the board.

Powell's failure to attend when summoned records the defiance that compelled the council to a second summons. Powell did not attend as expected despite the Governor's order carried by Harper, the board obliged to summon him formally for the following Thursday, the contempt marking the limits of the council's reach when an inhabitant chose to ignore its call, the settlement's authority asserted through a fresh summons where its first order had been disregarded.

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The Governour Having Occasion to

Look into some of the Honble Companys Old Generall Letters

found, that several were wanting, and therefore we Ordered that

the dates of all the Generall Letters in the Secry Office be

taken.

The Governour this Day delivered

the following papers Viz

March the 11 1745

The Governour Acquainted the Coun-

cil, that since the last Consultation, he obtaind a Copy of a paper

which Mr Dixon had given in on that Day in answer

to his Complaint of Mr Dixons behaviour, as husband

where he flatly denys all the Allegations agt him, and to

disprobe them quotes a paragraph in our Genl Letter Early

in July last in his favour.

If he had lookd at my said Complaint,

he would have seen, that the Cause Commences from that time,

he was so puffd up with what was said there of him, that

he became inspired with a through Knowledge of all

Country Affairs and scorned to Consult or make any reports

of his proceedings, I believe most of the Gentlemen of the

Council frequently heard me mention that this treatment, the

2 Govr particularly, to whom I appeal, and because I was

in hopes, that Mr Dixon would have come to a sense of his

Duty, I delayd makeing the treatment more publick, untill

about the Middle of Novr last, I asked him very Calmly in

the hearing of the 2 Govr, Whether when boys was so depen-

dent of any body here, he replys, no, then says he acted as

if he was one I would not suffer & he made trifling Excuses,

and says he had Allways Consulted me, and made reports of his

proceedings, which is Absofutely false, for can it be imagined that

for several Months, I should Mention his Neglects in those respe-

cts, if he made none, as he pretended . In

The Governor, having occasion to look into some of the Company's old general letters, found that several were wanting, and the board therefore ordered that the dates of all the general letters in the secretary's office be taken.

The Governor then delivered a paper, dated 11 March 1746. He told the council that since the last consultation he had obtained a copy of the paper Dixon had given in that day in answer to his complaint of Dixon's behaviour as husband, in which Dixon flatly denied all the allegations against him and, to disprove them, quoted a paragraph in the general letter of the previous July in his favour.

The Governor held that if Dixon had looked at his complaint, he would have seen that the cause commenced from that time. Dixon was so puffed up with what was said of him there that he became inspired with a thorough knowledge of all country affairs and scorned to consult or make any reports of his proceedings. The Governor believed most of the gentlemen of the council frequently heard him mention this treatment, the deputy governor particularly, to whom he appealed. Because he was in hopes that Dixon would come to a sense of his duty, the Governor had delayed making the treatment more public until about the middle of the previous November, when he asked Dixon very calmly, in the hearing of the deputy governor, whether a husband was independent of anybody there. Dixon replied no, but then acted as if he were, and would not suffer it. Dixon made trifling excuses and said he had always consulted the Governor and made reports of his proceedings, which the Governor held was absolutely false, for it could not be imagined that for several months he should mention the neglect in those reports if Dixon made none, as he pretended.

Interpretations

The Governor's dating of the quarrel to the paragraph of praise turns Dixon's own defence into the root of the trouble. The Governor held that the very commendation Dixon had quoted in the general letter was what had puffed him up into scorning to consult or report, the husband's independence traced by the Governor to the praise Dixon relied on, the paragraph that Dixon had produced as his vindication cast by the Governor as the origin of the conduct complained of, each man turning the same words to opposite account.

The Governor's calm question whether a husband was independent records the moment he sought to establish the principle of the husband's subordination. The Governor had asked Dixon in the deputy governor's hearing whether a husband was independent of anybody there, and Dixon had answered no, the exchange marking the Governor's attempt to fix on record the husband's duty to consult and report, the whole dispute over the plantation resting on whether the husband was subject to the Governor, the Governor building his case by drawing from Dixon an admission he then charged him with contradicting in practice.

The missing general letters and the order to take their dates record the settlement's concern to keep account of the Company's instructions on which its government rested. The Governor found several old general letters wanting and the board ordered the dates of all in the secretary's office taken, the measure marking the importance of the Company's written orders in a dispute where both sides grounded their claims on particular letters, the settlement securing a record of its instructions at the very time their interpretation divided the council.

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In the said paper delivered in by Mr

Dixon, he complains of the Governours sending to the

Plantations for any thing wanting for the Table, without

ever Acquainting him with it, which has ever been the

Custome, at least, since my Arrival, and he complains, of great

inconveniences he is putt to in his Accts by that method, all

particulars expended at table are very minutely inserted

in the Monthly Accts, and the Husband has free Access to the

Stewards books, where every thing that comes from the Country

is exactly, sett down.

I Desire the Gentlemen of the

Council will consider that paragraph, and Give their

Opinions, whether the Governour is there treated with the

respect due to him, and if not, what censure such treatmt

deserves.

As for the Mellons, they are no otherways

worth mentioning, but as the disposal of them, was unman-

nerly, and Arrogant, and You have given Your Opinions

upon it.

Mr Dixon says, that Mr Goodwin,

and Mr Purling took them, I desire those Gentlemen will

declare, upon Honour, how many Each took of them, or whether

they were given, or sent to them by Mr Dixon, and as He

insinuates, that I had more of them than the 2 I have said he

sent one, I desire he may be asked how many more I had of them

and as this insinuation may Appear to you, I desire You'l

give Your Opinions upon it, he asserts, that there were but

five holes of them, when there were 13, Out of which there were

taken 41 Mellons, and 10 Out of 2 holes planted by the Black

Gardener, who Kept the Accts of them by my Order.

As I am upon Mr Dixons behaviour

as Husband, I desire he may be askd by whose consent, or

knowledge

The Governor set out that in his paper Dixon complained of the Governor sending to the plantations for anything wanting for the table without ever acquainting him with it, which had ever been the custom, at least since the Governor's arrival. As to the inconvenience Dixon claimed in making up his accounts by that method, the Governor held that all particulars expended at table were very minutely entered in the monthly accounts, and that the husband had free access to the steward's books, where everything that came from the country was exactly set down.

The Governor desired the gentlemen of the council to consider that paragraph and give their opinions whether the Governor was there treated with the respect due to him, and if not, what censure such treatment deserved.

As for the melons, the Governor held they were no otherwise worth mentioning but as the disposal of them was unmannerly and arrogant, and the council had given its opinion upon it. Dixon said that Goodwin and Purling took them, and the Governor desired those gentlemen to declare upon honour how many each took, or whether they were given or sent to them by Dixon. As Dixon insinuated that the Governor had more of them than the two he had sent him, the Governor desired Dixon be asked how many more he had of them, and as this insinuation might appear against him, he desired the council to give its opinion upon it. Dixon asserted there were but five holes of them, when there were thirteen, out of which forty-one melons were taken, and ten out of two holes planted by the black gardener, who kept the account of them by the Governor's order.

As the Governor was upon Dixon's behaviour as husband, he desired Dixon be asked by whose consent or knowledge [...].

Interpretations

The dispute over the number of melon holes shows how the quarrel had descended to a contest over exact particulars. Dixon had said five holes and the Governor answered thirteen, from which forty-one melons were taken, the Governor even naming the ten from two holes the black gardener had planted by his order and kept account of, the trifling fruit reckoned hole by hole and melon by melon, the two men disputing the very count of a garden crop as though it were a matter of moment.

The Governor's appeal to Goodwin and Purling to declare on honour records the settlement's reliance on the members' sworn word to settle a contested fact. Unable to agree with Dixon on the disposal of the melons, the Governor asked the two members to declare upon honour how many each had taken and whether Dixon had given them, the appeal to the councillors' honour the means by which the truth of the matter was to be established, the small dispute referred to the members' word because no other proof could resolve the conflicting accounts.

The Governor's defence of the accounting arrangements shows him answering Dixon's chief practical grievance. Dixon had complained that the Governor's sending to the plantations without acquainting him made his accounts hard to keep, and the Governor answered that all was minutely entered in the monthly accounts and the husband had free access to the steward's books, the Governor meeting the complaint by pointing to the records that made the husband's task possible, the dispute over the plantation's management resting partly on whether the existing accounts sufficed to keep the husband informed.

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knowledge, he feeds hoggs with plantains, which used to be brought

to table, and was often a releif to sick people, and the Blacks, he

is the first that ever made this new use of them.

I Desire he may be asked, what he did

with the first Years Wool, since his Acting as Husband, and

whether he askd any advice of the disposal of it, and what

Quantity there was of it?

For some Months past the Butter has

strangely decrazed even to half a pound one of the 2 days in the

Week on which it comes out of the Country, I have sometimes

laid the tickett, that comes with the butter on the table before You to

Apologize for the want of butter, On saturday last One pound

was sent down, & that Evening I sent a Person as to see the cows

milked, who says, that within three Weeks about 12 new calved

Cows are added to the Dairy, & that only 24 were milked on

saturday night, Which were not near the Number, that should

have been milked, & they yeilded 7½ Gallons.

As often as this of the butter has been mentioned, Mr Dixon

took no Notice of it.

This Paragraph I do not mean to enter in

Consultation, but think, I ought to mention it here & You may

take what Notice you please of it. Signed David Dunbar.

Gentlemen of the Councill Mar 11 1745.

Besides the report I lay this day before You

relating to Mr Dixon as husband, & who is continued so by You

against any consent, & Approbation, I am sorry, that I cannot

dispense with my self from taking Notice of his behaviour, as

Secretary.

I have long observed his remisness in the Duty

of that Post, in not duely Entring, & making up the Consultations,

You

The Governor set out that Dixon fed hogs with plantains, which used to be brought to the table and were often a relief to sick people and the slaves, and that Dixon was the first that ever made this new use of them.

The Governor desired Dixon be asked what he did with the first year's wool since his acting as husband, and whether he asked any advice of the disposal of it, and what quantity there was of it.

For some months past the butter had strangely decreased, down to half a pound on one of the two days in the week on which it came out of the country. The Governor had sometimes laid the ticket that came with the butter on the table before them to apologise for the want of butter. On the previous Saturday one pound was sent down, and that evening the Governor sent a person up to see the cows milked, who said that within three weeks about twelve new-calved cows had been added to the dairy, and that only twenty-four were milked on Saturday night, which was not near the number that should have been milked, and they yielded seven and a half gallons. As often as this failing of the butter had been mentioned, Dixon took no notice of it. The Governor did not mean to enter this paragraph in the consultation, but thought he ought to mention it, and the council might take what notice it pleased of it. The paper was signed by David Dunbar.

The Governor then delivered a further paper, dated 11 March 1746 and addressed to the gentlemen of the council. He set out that besides the report he laid before them that day relating to Dixon as husband, who was continued so by them against his consent and approbation, he was sorry that he could not dispense with himself from taking notice of Dixon's behaviour as secretary. He had long observed his remissness in the duty of that post, in not duly entering and making up the consultations.

Interpretations

The Governor's complaint of the diminishing butter records his mounting scrutiny of the plantation's dairy under Dixon's charge. The butter had fallen to half a pound on a delivery day and the Governor sent a man to watch the milking, finding twelve new-calved cows added yet only twenty-four milked for seven and a half gallons, the Governor building a case of mismanagement from the dairy's falling yield, the plantation's produce watched and measured to prove the husband's neglect, the butter become one more count in the indictment.

The Governor's charge over the wool and the plantains shows him searching the whole husbandry for evidence against Dixon. He demanded to know what Dixon had done with the first year's wool and by whose leave, and objected that Dixon fed hogs with plantains once kept for the sick and the slaves, the Governor turning every branch of the plantation into a ground of complaint, the wool, the plantains, the melons and the butter each pressed as proof that the husband managed the Company's produce without authority or account.

The Governor's widening of the attack to Dixon's conduct as secretary marks the quarrel spreading from the plantation to the second office Dixon held. Not content with charging Dixon as husband, the Governor now took up his remissness as secretary in failing to enter and make up the consultations, the dispute broadening to embrace both of Dixon's employments, the Governor pressing his case against the man on every side, the contest that had begun over lime and melons now reaching into the very keeping of the council's records.

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You may all remember the very many Duplicates & Copys We

transmitted home by the last Fleet, & to my Shame I own it, We

signed them in a hurry, when there was no time to read them, &

as no doubt but those papers are canvassed at home, I dreada

Reprimand for the incorrectness of them, & what makes me of

this Opinion is, that the 2 Govr, & I have lately Examined

some Duplicates, & Copys since the Fleet sailed in July last, &

they were so very incorrect, that it was a tedious, & troublesome

task to rectifye One duplicate, & Copy of the Consultations

for Six Months, & either a Duplicate, or Copy of some sent home

We could not correct, having Nothing to compare it with,

& returned it to Mr Dixon with those we had Corrected, & desired

him to compare, & Examine it, that all might be signed, & he

has one Yet, from July last.

The Book of Consultations since the 16 day of July

last he laid on the table on the 20 of Janry to be signed, when

One of the Gentlemen (Mr Goodwin) very regularly proposed

that all should first be signed by One . & then by the rest, &

Accordingly it was left with one, the next day I Examined it

& found that all Consultations since these 16 of July were to

be signed, I corrected many Errors in the transcribing, many

things in them have Escaped my Memory, & there are so many

razures & Errors in them, that I have signed the first, & dated

it on the 29 of January the day I signed it, I have signed

Severall Others, & One I find I have signed Which I did not intend

& I desire that some of the Gentlemen will take the Trouble to

Examine the rest, & if I do not sign them, I will enter my

reasons for not doing so, & if those reasons are not judged

Satisfactory at home, I shall be censured, or reprimanded

for my refusall, Which I would not have for all I Ever Expect in

the Service.

Compare

The Governor set out that the council might all remember the very many duplicates and copies transmitted home by the last fleet, and that to his shame he owned it, he had signed them in a hurry when there was no time to read them. As no doubt those papers were canvassed at home, he dreaded a reprimand for their incorrectness. What made him of this opinion was that the deputy governor and he had lately examined some duplicates and copies since the fleet sailed the previous July, and they were so very incorrect that it was a tedious and troublesome task to rectify one duplicate and copy of the consultations for six months. Either a duplicate or copy of some sent home they could not correct, having nothing to compare it with. He had returned it to Dixon with those they had corrected, and desired him to compare and examine it, so that all might be signed, and Dixon had it still from the previous July.

The Governor set out that the book of consultations since the 16th of July last had been laid on the table on the 20th of January to be signed, when Goodwin very regularly proposed that all should first be signed by one, and then by the rest. Accordingly it was left with the Governor, and the next day he examined it and found that all consultations since the 16th of July were to be signed. He had corrected many errors in the transcribing, though many things in them had escaped his memory, and there were so many erasures and errors that he had signed the first and dated it 29 January, the day he signed it. He had signed several others, and found one he had signed which he did not intend, and he desired that some of the gentlemen would take the trouble to examine the rest. If he did not sign them, he would enter his reasons for not doing so, and if those reasons were not judged satisfactory at home, he should be censured or reprimanded for his refusal, which he would not have for all he ever expected in the service.

Interpretations

The Governor's fear of a reprimand for unsigned and incorrect consultations shows the weight the Company placed on the exact keeping of its records. The duplicates sent home the previous July were so incorrect that correcting six months of consultations was a tedious task, and the Governor dreaded censure from home, the accuracy of the consultation book a matter on which the Governor's own standing depended, the secretary's failure to keep it clean exposing the Governor to blame before the Court he served.

The Governor's account of signing consultations he had not intended records the disorder into which the record-keeping had fallen. So many erasures and errors marked the book that the Governor had signed one consultation he did not mean to and asked the members to examine the rest, the confusion marking the practical consequence of the secretary's remissness, the very authentication of the council's proceedings thrown into doubt by a book too faulty to sign with confidence.

The Governor's readiness to enter reasons for refusing to sign shows the constitutional means by which he could register his objection to a defective record. Rather than sign consultations he could not vouch for, the Governor would enter his reasons for refusing, the same recourse of formal dissent he had used over the ceiling, the Governor protecting himself against a reprimand by putting his objections on record, the keeping of the consultations become one more field in which the Governor stood on the forms the Company's service required.

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Compare the Duplicates & Copys with the Consultation

Book, & sign them as You Approve them, & I will sign as many of

them as I do in the Book of Consultations.

I must take Notice to You that there are many papers

Omitted to be inserted in these Consultations, which are mentioned

& referred to in them, & are therefore incorrect & inconsistent without them.

There are some Arrogant Reports of Mr Dixon as

Husband, Which I can't Approve, or sign.

There is a Scurrilous Libell of his relating to Lt Ashwick,

that such in a Bill in Chancery of deed so great Consequence, & Were it true

would Cause the Bill to be dismissed as impertinent because it was no

Part of the Dispute.

There is a Notorious falsehood in it of my saying, that I

would Pardon Lt Ashwick if he had run him thro, the Lt Govr was

Present, & if he says I did Utter those Words, upon his Honour, I will

own them, I believe, I might say, & I do now say, that a Gentleman

that calls Another a Rascall ought to have his Sword in his hand,

or Expect to be run thro.

I have laid many papers by way of reports before You

in Consultation, Which have been read, & ought to have been Entered

& I shall insist upon their being so, or your reasons for refusing

them.

Upon reading one of those reports on the 14 of January

When our present disputes ran pritty high, I told You, that above

a Year before Mr Dixon told me, that it was proposed to him from

Mr Goodwin, & Mr Purling, that if he would Join with them, they would

Always outvote me in Council, Mr Dixon denied he Ever told me so

Upon which I took a Bible, & swore in the most solemn manner before

You all in Consultation, that Mr Dixon did Express himself in those

Words to me, And Mr Goodwin, & Mr Purling denied any such

Proposal

The Governor asked the members to compare the duplicates and copies with the consultation book and sign them as they approved, and he would sign as many as he did in the book of consultations.

The Governor told them there were many papers omitted to be inserted in the consultations, which were mentioned and referred to in them and were therefore incorrect and inconsistent without them.

There were some arrogant reports of Dixon as husband which the Governor could not approve or sign.

There was a scurrilous libel of Dixon's relating to Lieutenant Ashwick, that such a matter in a bill in Chancery of ever so great consequence, were it ever so true, would cause the bill to be dismissed as impertinent because it was no part of the dispute.

There was a notorious falsehood in it of the Governor's saying that he would pardon Lieutenant Ashwick if he had run him through, the deputy governor being present. If Dixon said the Governor did utter those words, upon his honour he would own them. The Governor believed he might say, and did now say, that a gentleman who called another a rascal ought to have his sword in his hand or expect to be run through.

The Governor set out that he had laid many papers by way of reports before them in consultation which had been read and ought to have been entered, and he should insist upon their being so, or on their reasons for refusing them.

On reading one of those reports on the 14th of January, when their present disputes ran pretty high, the Governor had told them that above a year before Dixon had told him it was proposed to him by Goodwin and Purling that if he would join with them they would always outvote the Governor in council. Dixon denied he ever told him so. Upon this the Governor took a Bible and swore in the most solemn manner before them all in consultation that Dixon did express himself in those words to him, and that Goodwin and Purling denied any such proposal.

Interpretations

The Governor's oath on the Bible over the alleged combination records the extraordinary lengths the quarrel had reached. The Governor swore in the most solemn manner that Dixon had told him Goodwin and Purling proposed to outvote him, while Dixon denied it and the members denied the proposal, the recourse to a sworn oath marking how far ordinary trust had failed, the Governor staking his word on the Bible to establish a charge of confederacy against the members, the council's business conducted amid mutual accusations of falsehood.

The alleged proposal to outvote the Governor exposes the constitutional fear that underlay the whole dispute. The Governor charged that Goodwin and Purling had sought Dixon's vote to command a permanent majority against him, the accusation revealing the Governor's conviction that the members were combining to reduce him to a cipher, the contest over lime and melons and the plantation traced back to a suspected league to strip the Governor of effective power, the single vote he complained of made worse by a confederacy that would always overrule it.

The Governor's objection to Dixon's libel touching Ashwick shows the quarrel reaching back to the earlier dispute over the insult to the lieutenant. The Governor refused to enter what he called a scurrilous libel about Ashwick and denied saying he would pardon a man who ran the lieutenant through, the matter marking the persistence of the Ashwick affair that had lain behind the confinement of Dixon earlier in this run, the old grievance resurfacing in the new dispute, the Governor and Dixon still at odds over words spoken in that quarrel.

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Proposal, & I Appeal to the 2 Govr & them two Gentlemen, Whether

I did not long, Several Months before, tell them of such a proposal,

but named no Author . If Actions are consonant to, or with informations

or reports, the proper Judges who weigh both, will regard, or

disregard them, as they deserve.

There are in the Generall Letters from the Honble the

Court of Directors many repeated Orders, which have never

been taken Notice of indeed Severall of them, that I did not

see, untill a few Months past, they are not in a Copy, that I

have of an abstract of those Letters to the Year 1726, & in that

Copy there are 6, or 8 Years without One Generall Letter Entered,

& I am told from the Secretary's Office, that many of the Genl

Letters are lost.

Upon the 26 Decr last, I wrote to Mr Dixon in

these Words, viz

Mr Dixon,

I desire that the Generall Letter Books

from England, may be abstracted in the Margeont, as

Usual & afterwards a larger Abstract made of Each in

the Book Where Letters are abstracted to the Year 1726.

David Dunbar

I have very often since I gave that Letter, asked

What was doing upon it, & received no Satisfaction, & on

the 4 Instant upon my asking to see that Direction to

him, he gave it to me & said he had no Remmings with it.

I desire, Gentlemen, your Opinions, Whether

this & the foregoing behaviour of Mr Secretary's, does not

fully come within the Express Words of the Court of Directors

repeated Orders of remiss, negligent, or refractory persons

I am fully convinced it does, & that he ought to be suspended

or

The Governor set out that he appealed to the deputy governor and the two gentlemen whether he had not, several months before, told them of such a proposal, but named no author. If actions were consonant to information or reports, the proper judges who weighed both would regard or disregard them as they deserved.

Governor Dunbar set out that there were in the general letters from the Court of Directors many repeated orders which had never been taken notice of, and indeed several of them he did not see until a few months past. They were not in a copy he had of an abstract of those letters to the year 1726, and in that copy there were six or eight years without one general letter entered. He was told from the secretary's office that many of the general letters were lost.

On the 26th of December last, the Governor had written to Dixon in these words. He desired that the general letter books from England might be abstracted in the margins as usual, and afterwards a larger abstract made of each in the book where letters were abstracted to the year 1726. It was signed by David Dunbar.

The Governor set out that he had very often since he gave that letter asked what was doing upon it, and received no satisfaction, and on the 4th of that month, upon his wishing to see that direction to Dixon, Dixon gave it to him and said he had no remissness with it.

The Governor desired the gentlemen's opinions whether this and the foregoing behaviour of the secretary did not fully come within the express words of the Court's repeated orders against a remiss, negligent or refractory person. He was fully convinced it did, and that Dixon ought to be suspended [...].

Interpretations

Governor Dunbar's push to suspend Dixon as secretary marks the escalation of the quarrel to a demand for removal from office. Having charged Dixon with remissness in abstracting the letter books and failing to answer the Governor's written direction, the Governor now sought his suspension under the Court's orders against a negligent or refractory servant, the dispute over the plantation and the records reaching its height in a formal move to strip Dixon of the secretaryship, the contest between the two men turned toward the exclusion of one from his office.

The lost general letters and the gaps in the abstract record a real deficiency in the settlement's archive of the Company's orders. Six or eight years stood without a general letter entered in the Governor's abstract to 1726, and many letters were reported lost from the secretary's office, the gaps marking a serious failure in the keeping of the very instructions on which the government rested, the Governor's charge against Dixon grounded in a genuine disorder of the records that left the council uncertain of its own orders.

The Governor's written direction of 26 December and Dixon's answer that he had no remissness show the paper trail the Governor built toward the charge. The Governor had directed Dixon in writing to abstract the letter books, asked repeatedly what was done, and got no satisfaction until Dixon returned the direction saying he had no remissness with it, the exchange marking the Governor's method of establishing neglect by a documented order left unfulfilled, the case for suspension resting on a written instruction the secretary had failed to execute.

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or removed from the Service untill their pleasure be known upon it,

Now, Gentlemen, I demand your Opinions.

Signed

David Dunbar

After reading the above Mr Dixon said he would give

his Answer to both, when time would Permitt him.

The Gunner, Husband, & Steward, this day delivered each

their Accounts for the Month of February last which were

Examined & Approved, and are as follows Viz

Gunners Stores Expended in the Month of Febry 1745 Viz

Powder deld to the Stone Blower

lb 30

07

Do Do to John Aplins Ball to Kill a Sea Cow

6

Do Do Expended at Sandy Bay

3 2

Do Do for proving of Blunderbusses

3

Do to the Funeral of Isaac Cows

2 4

Totall lb 36 7

Lead Balls for killing a Sea Cow

6 4

Do Do for Proving a Blunderbuss

6 07

Do Do lost at Sandy Bay

4 07

Do Do del to the Governour

1 4

Hand Spikes broke on the Line

3

Crows Broke on the Line

2

Hand Spikes broke at Bankes's

2

Sheep Skins for Coating the Spunge at Ruperts

6

Rammer Heads for Repair of Rammers at ruperts

6

Spunge Heads for repair of Spunge at Ruperts

3

Spunge Staves for repair of Splunge at Ruperts

4

Tampions at Sandy Bay

6

Signed

John French

Account

Governor Dunbar closed by holding that Dixon ought to be suspended or removed from the service until the Company's pleasure be known upon it, and demanded the gentlemen's opinions. The paper was signed by David Dunbar.

After the paper was read, Dixon said he would give his answer to both when time would permit him.

The gunner, husband and steward delivered their accounts for February, which were examined and approved. The gunner John French's account of stores expended in February 1746 followed.

Powder delivered to the stone blower, 30 lb

Powder delivered to John Artingstall to kill a sea cow, 6 oz

Powder expended at Sandy Bay, 3 lb 2 oz

Powder for proving of blunderbusses, 3 oz

Powder to the funeral of Isaac Evans, 2 lb 4 oz

Total, 36 lb 7 oz

Lead balls for killing a sea cow, 6 lb 3 oz

Lead balls for proving a blunderbuss, 6 oz

Lead balls lost at Sandy Bay, 4 oz

Lead balls delivered to the Governor, 1 lb 8 oz

Handspikes broke on the line, 3

Crows broke on the line, 2

Handspikes broke at Banks's, 2

Sheepskins for coating the sponges at Rupert's, 6

Rammer heads for repair of rammers at Rupert's, 6

Sponge heads for repair of sponges at Rupert's, 3

Sponge staves for repair of sponges at Rupert's, 4

Tampions at Sandy Bay, 6

The account was signed by John French.

Interpretations

The powder and ball spent to kill a sea cow record the settlement hunting the seals or dugongs of its shores for their yield. Powder and six pounds of lead ball went to John Artingstall to kill a sea cow, the beast taken for its oil, flesh or hide, the gunner's stores drawn for a hunt as well as for the guns, the settlement supplementing its provision from the creatures of the sea that came ashore, the sea cow a resource the island turned to as it turned to its fishery.

The powder issued to the stone blower shows the fortification works consuming gunpowder in the quarrying of stone. Thirty pounds of powder went to the stone blower, far the largest charge of the month, the powder used to blast the stone the masons dressed for the walls, the gunner's stores serving the works as well as the ordnance, the fortifications supplied with powder for their quarrying at a cost that outran all the firing of the guns, the building of the defences drawing on the very stores kept for their arming.

The handspikes and crows broken on the line and at Banks's record the steady wear the working of the guns put on the artillery's gear. Handspikes and crows for handling the guns were broken on the line and at Banks's battery, the breakages charged month by month, the constant exercise and shifting of the ordnance consuming its levering tools, the settlement's guns kept worked at a continual cost in the iron gear the gunners used to move and lay them.

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Account of the Honble Companys Stock of Neat Cattle &c for the Month of Febry last, viz

Neat Cattle Sheep Goats Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullocks, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Total, Ewes, Weathers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ewes, Weathers, Kids, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowls, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Remg 31 Janry 1746: Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heifers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 62, Calves 131, Bulls 3, Total 373, Ewes 103, Weathers 16, Lambs 110, Rams 4, Total 233, Ewes 163, Weathers 40, Kids 98, Rams 6, Total 307, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 31, Piggs 121, Boars 2, Total 201, Turkeys 142, Fowls 196, Chickens 258, Ducks 75, Geese 13, Horses 9, Mares 10 19

Encreased: Calves 14, Total 14, Chickens 9, Ducks 20

Bullocks 9, Cows 103, Heifers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 62, Calves 145, Bulls 3, Total 387, Ewes 103, Weathers 16, Lambs 110, Rams 4, Total 233, Ewes 163, Weathers 40, Kids 98, Rams 6, Total 307, Sows 29, Barrows 18, Shoats 31, Piggs 121, Boars 2, Total 201, Turkeys 151, Fowls 196, Chickens 278, Ducks 75, Geese 13, Horses 9, Mares 10 19

Killed: Weathers 1, Total 1, Sows 1, Piggs 4, Total 1, Turkeys 6, Ducks 14, Geese 6

Died: Bullocks 1, Total 1, Lambs 3, Total 3, Weathers 1, Total 1, Barrows 4, Total 4, Fowls 5, Ducks 3, Geese 5

Bullocks 9, Cows 102, Heifers 35, Steers 30, Yearlings 62, Calves 145, Bulls 3, Total 386, Ewes 103, Weathers 15, Lambs 107, Rams 4, Total 229, Ewes 163, Weathers 40, Kids 97, Rams 6, Total 306, Sows 27, Barrows 14, Shoats 30, Piggs 117, Boars 2, Total 190, Turkeys 148, Fowls 196, Chickens 259, Ducks 69, Geese 13, Horses 9, Mares 12 19

Fresh Pork Expended 415

1 hog it being a little meanly it

was given to the Blacks

Weighed 118 lb

died a slave child named Mary, aged 18 Months

Yams Expended 58000

Sold to the Officers & Soldiers 2641

Signed EE Excepted C Dixon Husband

The husband Christopher Dixon's account of the Company's stock for the month of February 1746 followed, the columns headed neat cattle by their sorts, then sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 31 January 1746:

Neat cattle: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 62, calves 131, bulls 3, total 373

Sheep: ewes 103, wethers 16, lambs 110, rams 4, total 233

Goats: ewes 163, wethers 40, kids 98, rams 6, total 307

Hogs: sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 31, pigs 121, boars 2, total 201

Poultry: turkeys 142, fowls 196, chickens 258, ducks 75, geese 13, total 684

Horses: mares 9, horses 10, total 19

Increased:

Neat cattle: calves 14, total 14

Poultry: chickens 9, ducks 20

Standing after increase:

Neat cattle: bullocks 9, cows 103, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 62, calves 145, bulls 3, total 387

Sheep: ewes 103, wethers 16, lambs 110, rams 4, total 233

Goats: ewes 163, wethers 40, kids 98, rams 6, total 307

Hogs: sows 29, barrows 18, shoats 31, pigs 121, boars 2, total 201

Poultry: turkeys 151, fowls 196, chickens 279, ducks 75, geese 13, total 714

Horses: mares 9, horses 10, total 19

Killed:

Sheep: wethers 1

Goats: ewes 1

Hogs: cows 1, barrows 4, shoats 1

Poultry: turkeys 6, chickens 14, ducks 6

Died:

Neat cattle: cows 1

Sheep: wethers 1, lambs 3

Goats: wethers 1, rams 1

Hogs: pigs 4

Poultry: turkeys 5, chickens 3, ducks 5

Standing at the month's end:

Neat cattle: bullocks 9, cows 102, heifers 35, steers 30, yearlings 62, calves 145, bulls 3, total 386

Sheep: ewes 103, wethers 15, lambs 107, rams 4, total 229

Goats: ewes 163, wethers 40, kids 97, rams 6, total 306

Hogs: sows 27, barrows 14, shoats 30, pigs 117, boars 2, total 190

Poultry: turkeys 148, fowls 196, chickens 259, ducks 69, geese 13, total 685

Horses: mares 9, horses 10, total 19

Fresh pork expended, 415 lb

1 hog, being a little measly, was given to the slaves, weighed 118 lb

Yams expended, 58,000 lb

Yams sold to the officers and soldiers, 2,641 lb

A note recorded that a slave child named Mary, aged eighteen months, had died. The account was subscribed errors excepted by Christopher Dixon as husband.

Interpretations

The measly hog given to the slaves records the settlement putting its unsound meat to the feeding of its bond labour. A hog found a little measly was given to the slaves rather than the table, the diseased pork the poorest of the plantation's meat directed to the men the Company owned, the slaves fed on what was unfit for the establishment, the account marking the plain distinction the settlement drew between the meat of the table and the meat of the slaves.

The heavy killing of hogs this month against the sparing of the cattle continues the settlement's practice of preserving its slowest-breeding stock. The cattle fell by a single cow died while the hogs bore a killing of six and lost four pigs besides, the fresh pork expended rising to 415 pounds against 29 the month before, the plantation drawing its fresh meat from the swine while the herd was spared, the pigs the readiest and most freely bred of the larger stock and the most heavily spent for the table.

The death of the slave child records the mortality among the settlement's youngest dependents set down in the same account as the stock. A slave child of eighteen months died in the month, the loss entered beside the reckoning of the cattle and poultry, the child's death noted in the husband's return because the slaves like the stock were the Company's charge, the plain entry marking the hard fact of infant mortality among the slaves the plantation held.

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Sundry's Expended In the Castle in Feb 1745 Viz

75 Bottles of Port Wine a 3 3½ P 9 P L 6 2 4

30 Bottles of Lisbon do a 9 P do 2 11¾

2 Red Cape do 2 9

68½ 2 1 Goa Arrack

8 2 2 1 Battava 2 2½ P Gall 2 10¾

18 2 1 Brandy 10 7½

30 2 Sugar Candy a 9½ P do 9 5

43 Bottles Strong Beer

18 do Small Beer 3 P 9 P 9 18

23 Cd Flowr a 13 P Cd 1 9 8½

18 2 Butter 18 6

14 Fowles 1 1

6 Ducks 9

2 Hogs Wt 63¾ 1 11 1½

1 Shoat 10

1 4 Sheep 1

36 2 fresh Beeff 4 10 3

6 Pd Salt Pork 11 3

2 Hams

L 23 6 7½

We this day Counted the Honble Companys

Cash Which is as follows Viz

The steward's account of sundries expended in the castle in February 1746 followed.

75 bottles of port wine, £6 2s 1d

30 bottles of Lisbon ditto, £2 1s 11.5d

2 red cape ditto, £0 2s 9d

68.5 gallons Goa arrack, £2 0s 10.5d

1 leaguer 8.5 gallons Batavia ditto, £2 0s 10.5d

18 gallons brandy, £0 10s 7.5d

30.5 lb sugar candy, £0 9s 5d

43 bottles strong beer, £0 9s 0d

185 bottles small beer, £0 18s 0d

2 cwt 3 qr flour, £1 9s 8.5d

0 cwt 1 qr 8 lb butter, £0 18s 6d

11 fowls, £1 1s 0d

6 ducks, £0 0s 9d

2 hogs, weighing 63.5 lb, £1 11s 1.5d

1 shoat, £0 10s 0d

1 sheep, £0 0s 0d

361 lb fresh beef, £4 10s 3d

6 pieces salt pork, £0 11s 3d

2 hams, £0 0s 0d

Total, £23 6s 7.5d

The board then counted the Company's cash, which was as follows.

Interpretations

The fresh beef standing at above four pounds records the castle table drawing on the plantation's cattle despite the general shortage of beef the council had lately pressed. The steward charged 361 pounds of fresh beef in the month, the table supplied from the Company's own herd even as the planters were summoned for failing to victual the garrison, the establishment's own board kept in fresh meat from the plantation while the market went short, the sundries account marking the priority the castle table held over the general supply.

The wines and spirits at the head of the account continue the imported drink the castle table consumed by the bottle and leaguer. Port, Lisbon, red cape, Goa and Batavia arrack and brandy were charged as before, the drink of Portugal, the Cape and India furnishing the table from every reach of the Company's trade, the castle cellar drawn from the whole span of the shipping's origins, the sundries account the steady record of the liquor the establishment drank month by month.

The nil charges against the sheep and the hams record goods furnished to the table without charge to the diet account. A sheep and two hams carried no cost, the items supplied free as in the previous month's account, the steward distinguishing the goods that fell to the Company's charge from those furnished at none, the castle table drawing part of its board at a cost set down and part without, the account marking the two sources from which the establishment's provision came.

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350

Cash Dr L S D

1745

Feb 1 To Ballance remaining 2691 8 4¾

L 2691 8 4¾

The debtor side of the cash account carried the balance forward with no further entries.

7 February, balance remaining, £2,691 8s 4.5d

Total, £2,691 8s 4.5d

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351

Per Contra Cr L S D

1745

Feb 1 By Cash paid David Willson for nine Gallons

and one Quart of Train Oil, for the Use of the

Garrison, there being none in the Stores, at three

Shillings and eight Pence P Gallon . 1 13 11

By Bal of Cash remaining 28 Feb in the following Species Viz

1 Piece of Gold w 11 15 14 at 3 18 3 P Oz L S D

46 1 8½

4 Pieces of Gold 3 9 12 at 3 18 13 11 0¾

1599 Pagodas at 9 shill ea 718 13

64 Venetians 10 32

2 Gubbers 6 12

Gold amounting to 810 19 9

1826 Dollars at 5 ea 1205

21 Half Dollars 2 6 2 12 6

64 Double Rials 1 3 4

344 Rials 7½ 10 15

3121 Half Rials 3¾ 48 15 3¾

93 Ducatoons 6 27 18

3762 Rupees 2 3 42 7 1½

441 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

Odd Money 9¾

Silver amounting to 1345 18 ¾

146 Cash Notes at 40 ea 292

161 Ditto Do 20 161

205 Ditto Do 5 63 15

160 Ditto Do 2 6 20

Cash Notes Amount to 536 15

2692 14 5½

David Dunbar

L 2691 8 4½

We think that we cannot in Justice give Our

Opinions upon the Governours two Papers relating to

Mr Dixon, before Mr Dixon gives his Answer to them

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

The credit side of the cash account carried a single payment and then the count of the treasury coin by coin, and the whole was subscribed.

7 February, paid to David Wilson for nine gallons and one quart of train oil for the use of the garrison, there being none in the stores, at three shillings and eightpence a gallon, £1 13s 11d

The balance of cash remaining on 28 February was then counted in the following coin.

1 piece of gold weighing 11 dwt 14 gr at £3 18s 3.5d, £16 1s 8.5d

4 pieces of gold weighing 2 dwt 9 gr 12 at £3 18s, £13 11s 0.5d

1,599 pagodas at 9s each, £718 13s 0d

64 venetians at 10s, £32 0s 0d

2 gubbers, £0 12s 0d

Gold amounting to, £810 17s 9d

1,826 dollars at 5s each, £456 10s 0d

21 half dollars at 2s 6d, £2 12s 6d

64 double reals at 1s 3d, £4 0s 0d

344 reals at 7.5d, £10 15s 0d

3,121 half reals at 3.75d, £48 15s 3.75d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

3,762 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 7s 1.5d

441 French pieces at 2s, £44 2s 0d

Old money, £0 0s 9.5d

Silver amounting to, £1,345 18s 2d

146 cash notes at £40 each, £292 0s 0d

161 ditto at £20, £161 0s 0d

205 ditto at £6, £63 15s 0d

160 ditto at £2 6s, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £536 15s 0d

Silver and notes together, £2,692 11s 5.5d

Total, £2,691 8s 4.5d

The account was subscribed by David Dunbar. Hutchinson, Goodwin and Purling added that they thought they could not in justice give their opinions upon the Governor's two reports relating to Dixon before Dixon gave his answer to them, and it was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The members' refusal to give their opinions until Dixon answered records the council holding to the forms of justice even amid the bitter quarrel. Hutchinson, Goodwin and Purling declined to rule on the Governor's reports against Dixon before Dixon had made his defence, the three insisting that no judgement be given until both sides were heard, the members standing on fair procedure against any pressure to condemn the husband unheard, the council's fairness asserted in the very act of subscribing the accounts.

The single small payment for train oil against the whole treasury count shows the settlement's spending fallen quiet in the depth of the winter. Only nine gallons of train oil for the garrison were paid out, the credit side of the month carrying almost nothing beside the coin count, the treasury little touched between the re-enlistment bounties of January and the accounts to come, the settlement's cash near still as the shipping season had not yet opened and the great charges of the quarter were past.

The pagodas holding steady at 1,599 after the sharp fall of the previous month record the treasury settling once the re-enlistment bounties were paid. The Indian gold had dropped by better than two hundred pagodas in January but held unchanged through February, the great outlay of the bounties past and the chest little drawn since, the treasury count marking a month of quiet after the heavy spending, the gold at rest between the charges of one season and the next.

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352

At a Consultation held on Thursday the

13 March 1745 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

Agreeable to an Order of last Consulta-

tion such of the Planters as were Summond this day attended

And Several of them shewed a Sufficient Cause, why they

had not Killd for the Market, as others had done, having

nothing but Breeders, or small Calves, and such as had

any fitt to slaughter agreed to kill in proportion to their

Stock.

Mr Joseph Powell, and Mr Martin

Harper this day attended agreeable to an Order of last Consul-

tation, upon a Complaint made by the said Harper against

the said Powell, who Confessed that his fences were bad Out,

that he would take care, & repair them, as soon as possible,

Then they were admonished to agree, and live like good Neigh-

bours, and withdrew.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

At a consultation held on Thursday 13 March 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

In accordance with an order of the last consultation, such of the planters as had been summoned attended that day. Several of them showed a sufficient cause why they had not killed for the market as others had done, having nothing but breeders or small calves, and such as had any fit to slaughter agreed to kill in proportion to their stock.

Joseph Powell and Martin Harper attended that day in accordance with an order of the last consultation, upon a complaint made by Harper against Powell. Powell confessed that his fences were down and undertook to take care and repair them as soon as possible. The two were then admonished to agree and live like good neighbours, and withdrew. The consultation was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The planters' excuse of having only breeders and small calves records the real constraint behind their failure to supply the market. Those summoned showed that they had nothing fit to kill but their breeding stock and young calves, and those with beasts fit to slaughter agreed to kill in proportion to their stock, the settlement's beef shortage traced not to the planters' unwillingness alone but to the state of their herds, the council accepting a genuine cause where the stock could not spare the slaughter, and holding the planters only to what their beasts allowed.

The settlement of the Harper and Powell dispute by admonition shows the council resolving a neighbours' quarrel by the plainest exercise of its authority. Powell confessed his fences down and undertook to repair them, and the board admonished the two to live like good neighbours and sent them away, the dispute closed without penalty once the defaulter acknowledged his fault, the council content to secure the fence and the peace by a caution, the settlement's small quarrels settled by the board's word where a formal order was not needed.

Powell's confession and undertaking after his earlier defiance record the effect of the council's summons on a man who had ignored its first call. Having failed to attend when first summoned and threatened Harper, Powell now attended, confessed his fences down and promised repair, the summons bringing the defiant neighbour to submission, the board's authority vindicated by the compliance its formal call compelled, the man who had defied his neighbour and the council brought to acknowledge his fault before them.

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353

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 18 March 1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The Last Consultation was read and Approved.

The 2 Govr, Mr Goodwin, and Mr

Purling this Day presented the following paper Viz

Sir

We must desire to deferr giving You

Our Opinions upon the reports you laid before us on the Eleventh

of this Month, relating to Mr Dixon, as Husband, and Secretary

untill he has Given his Answer to them . But if it Appears

to You that the Plantations, and Stocks may be managed

more for the Interest of the Honble Company than they

are by Mr Dixon, we shall now readily Agree to any method

you propose for that purpose, and are,

Sir,

18 March 1745/6 Your most humble Servants,

Signed

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Purling

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr

Governour of St Helena

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 March 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The deputy governor, Goodwin and Purling presented a paper. They set out that they must desire to defer giving the Governor their opinions upon the reports he had laid before them on the 11th of that month relating to Dixon as husband and secretary, until Dixon had given his answer to them. But if it appeared to the Governor that the plantation and stock might be managed more for the Company's interest than they were by Dixon, they should then readily agree to any method the Governor proposed for that purpose. The paper was dated 18 March 1746 and signed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, addressed to Governor Dunbar.

Interpretations

The members' repeated insistence on hearing Dixon before ruling shows the council holding firm to fair procedure against the Governor's press for judgement. Having already declined to give their opinions until Dixon answered, the three deferred again on his conduct as both husband and secretary, the members refusing to condemn the man on the Governor's reports alone, the council's fairness maintained through successive consultations against the Governor's repeated demand for their opinions on his charges.

The members' opening to any better management shows them ready to yield the substance while withholding the judgement. The three undertook that if the plantation could be managed more for the Company's interest than under Dixon they would agree to any method the Governor proposed, the offer separating the practical question of good husbandry from the personal condemnation of Dixon, the members willing to improve the plantation's management without pronouncing against the man, the council seeking a way through the quarrel that served the Company without gratifying the Governor's animus.

361

354

Mr Dixon this Day delivered a list of

the Honble Companys Books late in the possesion of the said

Edwin Alcock taken by Mrs Wright and Ingram, which

was Ordered to be kept in the Secretaes office.

Gabriel Peane Esqr all this day

Presented a Petition praying to become Tenant Yd to the Honble

Company for a small Piece of Ground in James Valley

in order to build upon.

Ordered that the said Ground be

Veiwed.

John Artinstall, Patroon of the Long

Boat, this day presented the following Petition, Viz

To the Honble Colonel David Dunbar

Govr of St Helena and the Rest of the

Worthy Gentn of the Council.

The humble Petition of Jno Artinstall

Most humbly

Sheweth

That Your Petitioner has Served

the Honble United East India Company of England 14

Years the 17 of May next 1746, and of that time has been

in the Station of Patroon of the Long Boat 13 Years, for

which Service Your Petitioner was Allow'd 10 P trip to Sandy

bay till Govr Goodwin, and Council thought proper to Allow

Your Petitioner a Sallery of 30 P Annum, and continue

the above Sallary to Your Petitioner till the Arrival of the

Honble Govr Dunbar, and forward of a Long Boat this

Honr was so good to Prefer Your Petitioner to be R Quart

Gunnr

Dixon delivered a list of the Company's books lately in the possession of the late Edwin Alcock, taken by Robert Wright and Twynam, which was ordered to be kept in the secretary's office.

Gabriel Isaac, corporal, presented a petition praying to become tenant to the Company for a small piece of ground in James Valley in order to build upon. The board ordered that the ground be viewed.

John Artingstall, patron of the long boat, then presented a petition to Governor Dunbar and the rest of the council of St Helena. Artingstall set out that he had served the Company fourteen years by the 17th of May next 1746, and of that time had been in the station of patron of the long boat thirteen years, for which service he had been allowed tenpence a trip to Sandy Bay until Governor Goodwin and council thought proper to allow him a salary of thirty pounds a year. This salary continued till the arrival of Governor Dunbar, who forwarded the long boat and was so good as to prefer Artingstall to be second gunner.

Interpretations

Artingstall's career from trip-money to salary and then to second gunner records the settlement's ways of rewarding a long-serving boatman. Paid at first tenpence a trip to Sandy Bay, then given a fixed thirty pounds a year by Governor Goodwin, and lately preferred second gunner by Governor Dunbar, Artingstall's rise marks the settlement advancing a faithful servant through its offices, the man who had rowed the lime from Sandy Bay for thirteen years moving from piecework to a salary and then to a place in the artillery, the reward of long service reckoned in the succession of his employments.

The inventory of the dead chaplain's Company books secured in the secretary's office shows the settlement recovering its property from an intestate estate. The books lately in Alcock's possession were listed by Wright and Twynam and ordered kept in the secretary's office, the Company reclaiming its own records from the dead man's effects, the machinery of administration reaching to the gathering of the Company's property from the estate of a servant who had died without settling his affairs.

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Gunner in the Artillery Company, and when Fortunity favord

his Honr purchased a Long boat for ye Benefit of the Company

Service, and Agreed with by Your Petitioner to go as Patroon as

before at 10 P trip to Sandy bay, Your Petitioner being Sensible

of the Uncertainty of the Weather humbly requests that he may

be restord to his Sallary, and Continud in the same Station

he is at present, or to give him his Discharge, that he may return

to his Native Country.

May it therefore Please Your Honr

and the worthy Councill to Consider the

Premises, and your Petitioner as in duty

bound will ever Pray

Signed

John Artinstall

Upon reading the Above, and finding

upon a reasonable Computation it was Cheaper to the Company

to allow him £30 P Annum than to pay him ten Shillings Each

trip to Sandy Bay, We granted his Petition

We this day Executed the following

Letter of Administration to Mrs Margarett Alcock Widow, and

Relict of the revd Edwin Alcock Granted in Consultation of

ye 18 Feb last

Island Saint Helena

Know All Men by these

Presents, That We the Governour, and Council of the said Island

Saint Helena Upon Application made to us by Margarett

Alcock Widow and Relict of the late Edwin Alcock of the said Island

Alcock of the said Island Chaplain deceased Who died Intestate

Have given and granted and by these Presents Do Give

and grant unto the said Margarett Alcock full

Power and Authority to Administer and dispose of the Goods and

Chattells of the said Edwin Alcock according to Justice and Also to

ask

Artingstall set out that when the Governor had purchased a long boat for the benefit of the Company's service, and agreed with him to go as patron before at tenpence a trip to Sandy Bay, he, being sensible of the uncertainty of the weather, humbly requested that he might be restored to his salary and continued in the same station he was at present, or that the Governor would give him his discharge, so that he might return to his native country. He prayed the board to consider the matter. The petition was signed by John Artingstall.

On reading the petition, and finding upon reasonable consideration that it was more proper for the Company to allow him thirty pounds a year than to pay him tenpence each trip to Sandy Bay, the board granted his petition.

The board that day executed the letters of administration to Margaret Alcock, widow and relict of the late Edwin Alcock, granted in the consultation of 18 February last. The instrument, headed Island Saint Helena, set out that the Governor and council, upon the application of Margaret Alcock, widow and relict of the late Edwin Alcock, chaplain of the island deceased, who had died intestate, gave and granted to Margaret Alcock full power and authority to administer and dispose of the goods and chattels of Edwin Alcock according to justice.

Interpretations

Artingstall's choice between his salary and his discharge shows the settlement bargaining to keep a needed servant against the pull of home. Uncertain of the weather that governed the boat's work and unwilling to return to trip-money, Artingstall asked either to be restored to his thirty pounds a year or to be released to his native country, the settlement faced with losing an experienced patron unless it met his terms, the board granting the salary as the cheaper course of keeping a man whose skill it could not readily replace.

The board's reckoning that a fixed salary was cheaper than trip-money records the settlement weighing the cost of the two ways of paying the boatman. On consideration the board found thirty pounds a year more proper for the Company than tenpence a trip to Sandy Bay, the fixed salary preferred as the cheaper and steadier arrangement, the settlement calculating that a set wage cost less than piecework for a boat that ran so often, the grant of the salary resting on a plain comparison of the two modes of payment.

The formal grant of administration to Alcock's widow records the settlement completing the orderly settlement of the intestate chaplain's estate. The letters of administration resolved on in February were now executed, giving the widow full authority to gather and dispose of her husband's goods, the council discharging its office as the island's court of probate, the dead man's affairs brought to order through the instrument the board alone could grant, the widow enabled at last to take up the estate her husband had left unsettled.

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ask, Demand Sue for recover and receive All Debts due and

owing from any Person or persons to the said Edwin Alcock

and Also to pay or Cause to be paid and discharged all just

Debts due and owing from the said Edwin Alcock to any

Person or persons at the time of his death as far as the said

Effects will Extend and the said Margarett Alcock is to take or

cause to be taken a just and true Inventory of All Goods and

Chattells belong to the said Edwin Alcock at the time of his

Death and to deliver the same to us on the first day of

February next and Also render an Account to us after

administration if Demanded Given under our Hands and

the Honble Companys Seal this Eighteenth day of March

in the Nineteenth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth

and in the Year of our Lord 1745

Signed

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Purling

The three following Leases were this

Day Executed granted in Consultation of the 2 of April, 17

December, and the 11 Feb last

Island Saint Helena

The Lords Proprietors of this Island the

Honble the United Company of Merchants of England

trading to the East Indies Do hereby Demise Grant sett

and to Farm lett unto Joseph Whaley Junr of the said Island

Planter All that Peice or parcell of Gumwood Land containing

four Acres Astmate lying and being in a Valley called and Known

by

The instrument gave the widow power to ask, demand, sue for, recover and receive all debts due and owing from any person to the late Edwin Alcock, and to pay and discharge all just debts due from him to any person at the time of his death, so far as the effects would extend. Margaret Alcock was to take a just and true inventory of all goods and chattels belonging to the deceased at the time of his death and deliver the same to the board on the first day of February next, and also render an account after administration if demanded. It was given under the hands of the board and the Company's seal on 18 March in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second, and in the year of our Lord 1746, signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

The board then executed three leases granted in the consultations of 2 December and 11 February last. The first, headed Island Saint Helena, set out that the lords proprietors of the island, the Company, demised, granted, set and let to farm to Joseph Whaley junior of the island, planter, all that piece or parcel of gumwood land, about four acres, in a valley called and known [...].

Interpretations

The widow's obligation to render inventory and account records the Company's safeguard over an estate it committed to a private administrator. Alcock's widow was bound to deliver a true inventory by a fixed day and to account after administration if demanded, the conditions marking the checks the board kept on the winding up of the estate, the Company empowering the widow to gather her husband's effects while reserving the means to see they were justly dealt with, the grant of administration hedged by the duty to account.

The gumwood land let to Whaley records the settlement leasing out its scrubland to be brought into use. The four acres of gumwood granted to Whaley junior mark the Company putting even its poorer wooded ground to tenancy, the gumwood valley leased to a planter to hold and improve, the settlement's land kept in use through leases of every quality of ground, the Company drawing rent from the gumwood tracts as from its better pasture and tillage.

The three leases executed together show the settlement completing at one sitting the several grants it had resolved on in earlier consultations. The leases granted in December and February were now formally executed, the board turning its earlier resolutions into binding instruments, the settlement's conveyancing gathered into a single day's business, the grants of land agreed over past weeks given legal force together under the Company's seal.

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by the Name of Prosperous Bay Valley in the East Division of

the said Island and below the High Waterfall butting and bounding

towards the North South East and West Every ways upon the

said Honble Companys Wast Land in and near the said

Prosperous bay Valley in the said East Division To have

and to hold the said hereby demised four Acres of Gumwood

Land with the Appurtenances and Every part thereof unto

him the said Joseph Whaley his Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns from the day of the date thereof for and during the

Term of Twenty one Years from thence next Ensuing Upon

Condition That he the said Joseph Whaley Junr his Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns Shall and do bear True

Faith and Alligeance to our Sovereign Lord King George the

Second his Heirs and Successors and true faith to them the

said Honble Company and their Successors and Shall duely

Obey all the Laws and Constitutions of the said Island

Yeilding and Paying therefore Yearly and every

Year during the term hereby Granted unto the said Honble

Company their Successors Agents or Assigns the Yearly rent

of five Shillings P Acre at or upon the Feast of Saint Michael

the Archangell in every Year And Upon Condition

that he the said Joseph Whaley his Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns shall and do immediatly Att

about and fence in the said hereby demised four Acres of

Land with a good and Sufficient Wall Fence and when so

fenced the same shall keep in good repair when and as

often as need shall require so that the Whole Premises and

Every part thereof shall be alway tenantable and no way

Suffered to run to ruin or decay and Shall also keep up and

Preserve the full Quantity and Proportion of Wood and other

trees that are Growing thereon or may be hereafter planted

pursuant to the Laws for Planting of Wood and Also shall

Plant fruit trees such as the Nature of the ground will best

produce And otherwise plant Furze round such parts of the

said

The lease set out that the land lay in a valley known as Prosperous Bay Valley in the east division of the island, below the high waterfall, bounded on the north, south, east and west by the Company's waste land in and near Prosperous Bay Valley in the east division. Whaley junior, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns were to have and hold the four acres of gumwood land with the appurtenances from the day of its date for a term of twenty-one years.

The lease was made on condition that Whaley junior and his heirs should bear true faith and allegiance to King George the Second and to the Company, and duly obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. Whaley was to yield and pay yearly during the term the rent of five shillings an acre, on the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel every year. It was further conditioned that Whaley should immediately fence in the four acres with a good and sufficient wall fence, keep it in good repair as often as need required so that the whole should always be tenantable and no way suffered to run to decay, and should keep up and preserve the full quantity and proportion of wood and other trees growing there or thereafter planted for the planting of wood, and also plant fruit trees such as the nature of the ground would best produce, and otherwise plant furze round such parts of the [...].

Interpretations

The lease's conditions bound the tenant to preserve and plant wood as a term of holding the land. Whaley was required not only to fence and keep the ground but to maintain the wood growing on it, plant more, add fruit trees and set furze about the boundaries, the obligations marking the Company's settled policy of forcing its tenants to conserve and increase the island's scarce timber, the lease made an instrument of afforestation, the holding of the land conditioned on the keeping and growing of the very wood the settlement so lacked.

The rent of five shillings an acre payable at Michaelmas records the standard terms on which the Company let its land. The yearly rent fell due on the feast of Saint Michael, the customary quarter day of the English calendar, the settlement holding to the same rent day an English manor would keep, the lease reckoning its rent by the acre and its term at the usual one and twenty years, the Company's conveyancing following the forms of English landholding transplanted to the island.

The requirement of a good and sufficient wall fence records the enclosure the whole system of leases turned on. Whaley was bound to fence the four acres with a wall and keep it in repair, the same walling the Harper and Powell dispute had shown to be the constant obligation and frequent grievance of the island's tenants, the lease making the wall fence a condition of the grant, the settlement's land held on the terms of enclosure that shaped its every boundary and quarrel.

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said fences as will best take us and at all Proper times and

Seasons of the Year to make Experiment thereof and after

the said hereby demised Land is Enclosed and Fenced shall

not Alter the Fences And Upon Condition that he

the said Joseph Whaley his Heirs Executors Administrators

or Assigns shall not sell or dispose of this Lease or his or their

Interest therein without the knowledge and Consent of the

Governour and Councils for the time being In Witness

Whereof We the said Governour and Councill have hereunto

sett our hands and Affixed the Honourable Companys Seal

this Eighteenth day of March in the Nineteenth Year

of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by

the Grace of God of Great Brittaine France and Ireland

King defender of the faith and so forth And in the Year

of our Lord 1745 And the said Joseph Whaley to the

Other Part hath sett his Hand and Seal the day & Year

Abovementioned

Signed

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Purling

Island Saint Helena

The Lords Proprietors of this Island

the Honble the United Company of Merchants of England

trading to the East Indies Do hereby demise Grant sett and to

Farm lett unto Matthew Purling of this Island Gentleman

and

The lease set out that Whaley should plant furze round such parts of the fences as would best take, and at all proper times and seasons of the year make experiment thereof, and after the demised land was enclosed and fenced should not alter the fences. It was further conditioned that Whaley and his heirs should not sell or dispose of the lease or their interest in it without the knowledge and consent of the Governor and council for the time being. In witness whereof the Governor and council set their hands and affixed the Company's seal on 18 March in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second, and in the year of our Lord 1746, and Whaley to the other part set his hand and seal the day and year above mentioned. It was signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

The second lease, headed Island Saint Helena, set out that the lords proprietors of the island, the Company, demised, granted, set and let to farm to Matthew Purling of the island, gentleman [...].

Interpretations

The bar on assigning the lease without the council's consent records the control the Company kept over who held its land. Whaley could not sell or dispose of his interest without the knowledge and consent of the Governor and council, the condition marking the settlement's power to approve every transfer of a leasehold, the land held not freely but subject to the board's leave on any alienation, the Company reserving through this clause the right to govern the descent and sale of the very ground it let, as the Gurling petition had shown such assignments coming before the board for approval.

The requirement to experiment with furze planting shows the settlement pressing its tenants toward the improvement of the island's barren ground. Whaley was bound to try furze on the fences at proper seasons and see what would take, the condition marking the Company's concern to establish hedging and cover on land that grew little, the lease enjoining not merely the keeping of what grew but active trial of what might be made to grow, the settlement using its leases to drive forward the planting of an island poor in vegetation.

Purling's own lease taken among the three records a councillor holding land of the Company on the same terms as any planter. The second lease ran to Matthew Purling, a member of the council, the board granting land to one of its own on the ordinary conditions, the settlement's councillors themselves tenants of the Company, the same men who administered the leases holding land under them, the government and the tenancy of the island bound together in the persons of the board.

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and John Purling late of the same their Executors Administrators

and Assigns All that Peice or Parcell of Cabbage tree Land Scituate

lying and being on or near a place commonly called or Known

by the Name of Hallys around next the Main ridge butting

towards the North upon the Land late in the Possesion of

John Purling Deceased called the Hutts Pasture towards

the West upon the Land late of Jonathan Doveton and

towards the South and East upon the free Land late belonging

to Thomas Burnham and Thomas Foster containing

Seven Acres and an half with the Appurtenances And Also

All that peice or Parcell of Cabbage tree Land containing four

Acres Scituate lying and being under the Main ridge next

to Sandy Bay butting and bounding to wards the North and

West upon the Said Cabbage Tree Land late in the

Possesion of Isaac Wood towards the South upon Lease

Land late in the Possesion of James Darver and towards

the East to the said Main Ridge near to Diana's Peak with

Appurts To have and to Hold the said hereby demised

Premises with the Appurtenances and every part thereof

unto them the said Matthew Purling and John Purling

their Executors Administrators and Assigns from the day of the

date thereof for and during and unto the full End and term of

Twenty one Years from thence next Ensuing Yeilding and

Paying therefore Yearly and every Year during the term

hereby Granted unto them the said Honble Company their

Successors Agents or Assigns the Sum of five Shilling P

Acre at or upon the feast of Saint Michael the Archangell

Yearly Upon Bond when the Honble Company Shall

Approve of the same And Upon Condition That they the

said Matthew Purling and John Purling their Executors Adminis-

trators and Assigns Do and shall bear true faith and Alligeance

to our Sovereign Lord King George the second his Heirs and

Successors and true faith to them the said Honble Company and

their Successors And upon Condition That they the said Matthew

Purling

The lease was made to Matthew Purling and John Purling late of the island, their executors, administrators and assigns. The first parcel was a piece of cabbage tree land at or near a place commonly called or known by the name of Hallys, around near the main ridge, bounded on the north by the land late in the possession of John Purling deceased called the Huts Pasture, on the west by the land late of Jonathan Doveton, and on the south and east by the free land late belonging to Thomas Burnham and Thomas Foster, containing seven acres and a half with the appurtenances.

The second parcel was a piece of cabbage tree land containing four acres under the main ridge next to Sandy Bay, bounded on the north and west by the cabbage tree land late in the possession of Isaac Wood, on the south by lease land late in the possession of James Darver, and on the east by the main ridge near to Diana's Peak, with the appurtenances. Purling and John Purling, their executors, administrators and assigns were to have and hold the demised premises from the day of its date for a term of twenty-one years.

The lease was made yielding and paying yearly during the term the rent of five shillings an acre, on the feast of Saint Michael, upon such bond as the Company should approve. It was conditioned that Purling and John Purling should bear true faith and allegiance to King George the Second and to the Company, and further conditioned that Purling [...].

Interpretations

The cabbage tree land let to Purling records the settlement leasing the tracts of the island's native tree for tenancy. The two parcels were of cabbage tree land, the endemic tree of the island's high ground, the Company letting the wooded slopes near Diana's Peak and the main ridge to be held and kept, the settlement's leases reaching to the cabbage tree woods as to its pasture and gumwood, the native timber of the heights brought under the same system of tenancy as the rest of the island's ground.

The bounding of the parcels by the holdings of the dead and the living records the dense web of tenancy that had grown up across the island's ridges. Purling's land was bounded by the grounds of John Purling deceased, Jonathan Doveton, Thomas Burnham, Isaac Wood and James Darver, the boundaries marking how thoroughly the island's high country had been parcelled among its families, the leases fitting each holding into the surrounding grounds of neighbours past and present, the settlement's land a settled patchwork of named holdings on every side.

The lease's grant on approved bond shows the Company securing its rent by requiring surety of the tenant. Purling's holding was let upon such bond as the Company should approve, the condition marking the settlement's care to guarantee the rent and the performance of the covenants, the tenant bound not by his covenant alone but by a bond the board must accept, the Company backing its leases with the security of a bond as it did its other dealings with its servants and tenants.

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Purling and John Purling their Executors Administrators or

Assigns Do and shall immediately sett about and fence the

said hereby demised Premises with a good and Sufficient

Fence and When fenced Do and shall keep the same in

good and Sufficient repair and do and Shall keep up &

Preserve the full Quantity and Proportion of Wood (being

one Acre in Every ten Acres) And Upon Condition

that they the said Matthew Purling and John Purling

their Executors Administrators and Assigns Do and shall

duely obey and keep all the Laws and Constitutions of the

said Island and Shall not sell or dispose of this Lease or his

or their Interest therein Without the Leave and Consent of

the Governour and Councill for the time being In

Witness whereof We the said Governour and Councill have

hereunto sett our Hands and Affixed the Honble Companys

Seal this Eighteenth day of March in the Nineteenth year

of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the

Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King

Defender of the faith and so forth And in the Year of our

Lord 1745 and the said Matthew Purling and John Purling

have to the Other part sett their Hands and Seal the day and

Year Abovementioned

Signed

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Purling

The lease set out that Purling and John Purling, their executors, administrators and assigns should immediately set about and fence the demised premises with a good and sufficient fence, and when fenced keep the same in good and sufficient repair, and keep up and preserve the full quantity and proportion of wood, being one acre in every ten acres. It was further conditioned that Purling and John Purling should duly obey and keep all the laws and constitutions of the island, and should not sell or dispose of the lease or their interest in it without the leave and consent of the Governor and council for the time being. In witness whereof the Governor and council set their hands and affixed the Company's seal on 18 March in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second, and in the year of our Lord 1746, and Purling and John Purling to the other part set their hands and seals the day and year above mentioned. It was signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The fixed proportion of one acre of wood in every ten records the Company's precise rule for the conservation of timber on its leased land. Purling was bound to keep a tenth of his holding under wood, the exact ratio marking the settlement's systematic approach to preserving its scarce trees, the lease specifying not merely that wood be kept but the proportion to be maintained, the Company legislating the very density of woodland its tenants must hold against the constant loss the island suffered, the afforestation of the settlement enforced by a measured covenant in every grant.

Purling's setting his own hand to a lease the council granted shows a member of the board formally taking land under the very authority he helped exercise. Purling subscribed the lease both as a granting councillor and as the tenant to the other part, the same man appearing on both sides of the instrument, the settlement's councillors holding land of the Company they governed, the grant and the taking of the lease meeting in the one person, the board's members bound as tenants by the conditions they set as governors.

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Island Saint Helena

The Lords Proprietors of this

Island the Honble the United Company of Merchants of England

trading to the East Indies Do hereby Demise Grant

Lease sett and to Farm lett unto Thomas Colgrove All that

Peice or Parcel of Cabbage tree Land Scituate Lying and being

at or near the head of Deep Valley Containing thirteen Acres

Butting and bounding towards the East and West upon the

Land formerly in the Possesion of Richard Swallow dec

and towards the South Upon the Honble Companys Wast

Land Also two Acres of Land Wast Butting and bounding

every ways upon the said Honble Company Wast Land

Containing in both Parcels Fifteen Acres To have

and to hold the said hereby demised Premises and every

Part and Parcel thereof and all and Singular the Appurtes

thereunto belonging unto him the said Thomas Colgrove his

Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns from the day

of the date of these Presents for and during the Term of

Twenty one Years from thence next Ensuing Upon

Condition that the said Honble Company Shall Approve

of the same and Upon Condition that he the said Thos

Colgrove Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns do and

Shall bear true faith and Alligeance to our Sovereign Lord

King George the Second his Heirs and Successors and

true faith to them the said Honble Company and their Successors

and Shall duely Obey All the Laws and Constitutions of the

said Island and Upon Condition that that he the said

Thomas Colgrove his Heirs Executors Administrators or

Assigns do and Shall well and Sufficiently keep up and

Maintain the fences to the said Land and the full Quantity

The third lease, headed Island Saint Helena, set out that the lords proprietors of the island, the Company, demised, granted, set and let to farm to Thomas Colgrave all that piece or parcel of cabbage tree land at or near the head of Deep Valley, containing thirteen acres, bounded on the east and west by the land formerly in the possession of Richard Swallow deceased, and on the south by the Company's waste land. A second parcel of two acres of grass land adjoined, bounded every way upon the Company's waste land, the two parcels containing fifteen acres in all. Colgrave, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns were to have and hold the demised premises with the appurtenances from the day of its date for a term of twenty-one years.

The lease was made on condition that the Company should approve of the bond, and that Colgrave and his heirs should bear true faith and allegiance to King George the Second and to the Company, and duly obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. It was further conditioned that Colgrave and his heirs should sufficiently keep up and maintain the fences to the land, and keep up the full quantity [...].

Interpretations

Colgrave taking a fresh lease records the same tenant whose earlier acres had lapsed now holding new ground of the Company. Colgrave, whose Prosperous Bay lease Whaley had lately taken up when it expired, here received a fifteen-acre grant at Deep Valley, the settlement letting new land to a man whose old holding had fallen in, the turnover of tenancies working both ways as one lease lapsed and another was granted, the same inhabitant moving from ground he had let go to ground he now took up.

The combining of cabbage tree land and grass land in one lease shows the Company letting mixed ground as a single working holding. Thirteen acres of cabbage tree land and two of grass were granted together, the wooded and the pasture ground joined in one grant, the settlement letting land of different kinds as a single farm, the tenant taking the timber and the grazing together, the lease fitted to the actual mixture of ground a working holding on the island comprised.

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of Wood thereon and doing Shall at the End or Sooner determi-

nation of this Lease Yeild up and Surrender in Good Order

and Repair unto them the said Honble Company their

Successors Agents or Assigns All the said hereby demised

Land and Premises with the Appurtenance Yeilding

and Paying therefore Yearly and every Year during

the term of this Present Lease unto them the said Honble

Company their Successors Agents or Assigns the sum of

Five Shillings P Acre in ator Upon the Feast of St Michall

the Arch Angell Yearly and Upon Condition that

he the said Thomas Colgrove his Heirs Executors Administrators

or Allowed Assigns Shall not sell or dispose of this Lease or

his or their Interest therein without the Leave and Consent

of the Governour and Council for the time being In

Witness Whereof we the said Governour and Councill

have sett our Hands and Affixed the Honble Companys Seal

this Eighteenth Day of March in the Nineteenth Year of

the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace

of God of Great Brittany France and Ireland King

Defender of the Faith and so forth and in the Year of our

Lord 1745 and We the said Thomas Colgrove to the Other

Part hath sett his hand and Seal the day Year above

Written.

Signed

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Purling

The lease set out that Colgrave, keeping up the wood thereon, should at the end or sooner determination of the lease yield up and surrender in good order and repair to the Company all the demised land and premises with the appurtenances. The lease was made yielding and paying yearly during the term the rent of five shillings an acre, on the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel yearly, and on condition that Colgrave and his heirs should not sell or dispose of the lease or their interest in it without the leave and consent of the Governor and council for the time being. In witness whereof the Governor and council set their hands and affixed the Company's seal on 18 March in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second, and in the year of our Lord 1746, and Colgrave to the other part set his hand and seal the day and year above written. It was signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The obligation to surrender the land in good order at the term's end records the Company protecting the condition of its ground across the life of a lease. Colgrave was bound to yield up the land in good repair with its wood preserved when the lease determined, the covenant marking the settlement's concern that its land return to it improved rather than exhausted, the tenant answerable at the end for the state of the ground he had held, the Company ensuring through this clause that its land passed from tenant to tenant without decay.

The three leases of 18 March record the settlement's steady business of keeping its land in tenancy under uniform terms. Whaley, Purling and Colgrave each took land on the same conditions of rent, fencing, wood preservation and restricted assignment, the three grants marking the settled routine of the Company's conveyancing, the land let on standard covenants that bound every tenant alike, the settlement's whole system of landholding worked through instruments of a common form executed together under the one seal.

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18 March 1745

Mr Dixon produced the following List

of the Generall Letters in the Secretarys office taken as Ordered in

last Consultation Viz

List of the Generall Letters in the Secretarys Office Viz

1673 19 Decr

19 Decr

19 Decr

1674 10 April

1675 8 March

1678 8 November

1679 20 February

1679 24 March

16 May

1680 14 April

1681 10 March

14 March

14 Do

14 Do

14 Do

1683 1 August

22 Do

22 Do

1684 5 April

5 Do

5 Do

5 Do

7 Do

26 November

1687 10 August

31 Do

5 Septr

9 Septr

1689 5 April

1 May

1693 3 January

1695 29 Novr 4 Letters

18 January 2 Do

3 February

11 Do

1696 14 May

1698 15 December

1699 20 December

20 December

1700 4 July

1701 16 April

16 Do

6 May

14 January

1702 31 July

31 Do

4 August

18 January

19 January

26 January

1703 31 December

3 January

3 Do

11 March

11 Do

1704 30 November

30 Do

3 January

3 Do

1705 14 December

In accordance with an order of the last consultation, Dixon produced a list of the general letters in the secretary's office, dated 18 March 1746.

1673: 19 December

19 December

19 December

1674: 10 April

1675: 8 March

1678: 8 November

1679: 20 January

1679: 24 March

16 May

1680: 14 April

1681: 10 March

14 March

14 March

14 March

14 March

1683: 1 August

22 August

22 August

1684: 5 April

5 April

5 April

5 April

7 April

26 November

1687: 10 August

31 August

5 September

9 September

1689: 5 April

1 May

1693: 3 January

1695: 29 November, 4 letters

18 January, 2 ditto

3 February

11 February

1696: 14 May

1698: 15 December

1699: 20 December

20 December

1700: 4 July

1701: 16 April

16 April

6 May

19 January

1702: 31 July

31 July

1 August

18 January

19 January

26 January

1703: 31 December

3 January

3 January

11 March

11 March

1704: 30 November

30 November

3 January

3 January

1705: 14 December

Interpretations

The catalogue of general letters running back to 1673 records the settlement establishing exactly what of the Company's correspondence it held. Dixon's list ran from the earliest letters of the 1670s down through the turn of the century, the register marking the response to the Governor's complaint that letters were wanting and their dates unknown, the secretary compiling a full account of the surviving orders, the settlement fixing the extent of its own archive so that the gaps the Governor had charged might be seen and the record set in order.

The list produced by Dixon shows the secretary answering the Governor's charge of remissness by the very work the dispute had demanded. The Governor had complained that the letters were not abstracted and their dates untaken, and Dixon now delivered a full list of those in the office, the secretary meeting the accusation with the completed catalogue, the record of the Company's letters compiled as the board had ordered, the disputed duty performed and set before the council even as the quarrel over Dixon's conduct remained unresolved.

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364

1705 14 December

1706 20 December

20 December

1707 23 May

23 May

3 July

1708 9 April

9 Do

5 May

1709 11 January

1711 17 April

1712 30 May

20 March

1713 5 October

16 October

1714 4 February

1715 14 March

1716 22 February

1717 21 March

1718 13 Do

1719 9 March

1721 31 May

23 February

23 February

1722 14 February

1723 31 December

1724 19 February

1725 24 December

1726 25 November

27 January

1727 4 November

1728 29 November

1729 28 November

1730 4 December

1731 19 November

1732 15 November

1733 23 November

1734 4 December

1735 5 December

1736 3 November

1737 14 October

1738 6 December

1739 10 October

1740 13 October

28 January

28 Do

11 February

1741 4 December

4 Do

20 January

1742 7 January

1743 10 December

1744 23 April

31 January

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

The list of general letters in the secretary's office continued.

1705: 14 December

1706: 20 December

20 December

1707: 23 May

23 May

3 July

1708: 9 April

9 April

5 May

1709: 11 January

1711: 17 April

1712: 30 May

20 March

1713: 5 October

16 October

1714: 4 February

1715: 14 March

1716: 22 February

1717: 21 March

1718: 13 March

1719: 9 March

1721: 31 May

23 February

23 February

1722: 14 February

1723: 31 December

1724: 19 February

1725: 24 December

1726: 25 November

27 January

1727: 4 November

1728: 29 November

1729: 28 November

1730: 4 December

1731: 19 November

1732: 15 November

1733: 23 November

1734: 4 December

1735: 5 December

1736: 3 November

1737: 14 October

1738: 6 December

1739: 10 October

1740: 13 October

28 January

28 January

11 February

1741: 4 December

4 December

20 January

1742: 7 January

1743: 10 December

1744: 23 April

31 January

The list was subscribed by Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Purling.

Interpretations

The unbroken run of general letters from the 1720s onward shows the Company's correspondence with the island growing regular where the earlier record had been patchy. Where the seventeenth-century entries fell in scattered years, the letters from 1726 came almost yearly and sometimes several to a year, the register marking the settlement's closer and steadier communication with the Court as the century advanced, the Company writing its distant island more often and more fully as its government and trade grew settled.

The list's continuation to the letters of 1744 records the catalogue reaching down to the very orders the current disputes turned on. The register ran to the letters of January and April 1744, among them the letter of 2 February 1744 whose twenty-sixth paragraph the members had cited against the Governor, the catalogue bringing the record of the Company's orders down to the instruments the council quarrelled over, the settlement's whole archive of instructions set in order to the present day, the letters that governed the dispute now fixed in a full and dated list.

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At a Consultation held on Thursday

20 March 1745 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson 2 Govr

Christopher Dixon 3

John Goodwin 4 of Council

Matthew Purling 5

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

The Governour this Day Called us

together, and Delivered the following Protest

St Helena March the 20 1745

Whereas upon the 11 instant I layd

before the Council in Consultation two Representations

relating to Mr Dixon as Secretary, and Husband & demanded

their Opinions upon them, and Which they then declined

giving, as they Ought to have done, and Which Mr Dixon

said he would answer on next Consultation day, tho he has

falsely inserted in the proceedings of that days consultation,

that he would Answer them, when time would permitt him,

Which is such answer, as was never given to any Governour

upon any Occasion before.

And whereas in Consultation on the

18 instant the 2 Governour, Mr Goodwin, and Mr Purling in

Manifest breach of their duty have still refused to Assist the

Governour with their opinion, regularly demand, and have

under their hands delivered to him in the last Consultation

a paper wherein they defer giving their Opinions, untill he

has given his Answer, which was not demanded, Nor expected

At a consultation held on Thursday 20 March 1746 at the castle, the members present were Governor David Dunbar, the deputy governor Captain Charles Hutchinson, and Christopher Dixon, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling of the council. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor called them together and delivered a protest, dated at St Helena on 20 March 1746.

Governor Dunbar set out that on the 11th of that month he had laid before the council two representations relating to Dixon as secretary and husband, and demanded their opinions upon them, which they then declined giving as they ought to have done, and which Dixon said he would answer on the next consultation day. Though Dixon had falsely inserted in the proceedings of that day's consultation that he would answer them when time would permit him, this was such an answer as was never given to any Governor upon any occasion before.

The Governor further set out that in the consultation on the 18th, the deputy governor, Goodwin and Purling, in manifest breach of their duty, had still refused to supply the Governor with their opinion regularly demanded, and had under their hands delivered to him in the last consultation a paper in which they deferred giving their opinion until Dixon had given his answer, which was not demanded nor expected [...].

Interpretations

The Governor's formal protest marks the quarrel hardening into a documented breach between the Governor and the whole council. Having failed to obtain the members' opinions on his charges against Dixon, the Governor now entered a protest charging them with a manifest breach of duty in refusing him their opinion regularly demanded, the dispute passing from disagreement into a formal record of the Governor's grievance against the members, the protest the instrument by which he set his complaint of their conduct before the Company.

The Governor's charge that Dixon falsely entered his answer in the consultation shows the record-keeping itself become a ground of accusation. The Governor complained that Dixon had inserted in the proceedings a promise to answer when time permitted, which the Governor held false and unprecedented, the secretary's control of the consultation book turned against him, the very entering of the proceedings a matter of dispute, the Governor charging the man who kept the record with falsifying it to his own advantage in the quarrel.

The Governor's insistence that the members give their opinion at once records his demand that the council rule on his charges without waiting for the accused. The Governor held the members bound to supply their opinion when he demanded it and denied that Dixon's answer was needed first, the dispute turning on whether the board might defer judgement until the accused was heard, the Governor pressing for an immediate opinion against the members' insistence on hearing Dixon, the procedure of the council itself the field of the contest.

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by me, and Which as before is not promised in any Certain

time, but the Lieut Govr, and the other two Gentlemen having

their said Excuse ready signd, and then deliverd to me, is to

me an Evident proof that they Know, that Mr Dixon had

no answer prepared, and that this was concerted between

them, as Every body has taken notice of their frequent

Caballing, which was never done untill the late disputes

Occasiond by the 2 Governour, who denys the Govrs

honour, and would Make him less than a Justice of the

Peace, who can committ any man, that insults him

in the Execution of his Office, Which the Govr must

bear, and has been Supported by the rest of the Council as

in the Case of Mr Dixon, and Lt Ashwick in December

last.

And as in the said Representations

I have given my Opinion, that Mr Dixon for the many

reasons therein Mentioned ought to be Suspended or

removed from the Service untill the Court of Directors

pleasure be Known upon it, and the Council have Omitted

giving their Opinions upon it.

I Doe now in Duty to the Honble

Court, as far as in me Lyes, Absolutely Suspend the Said

Mr Christopher Dixon from his Employments in the

Honble Companys Service, and from all Salary or other

Advantages thereby untill their pleasure be Made Known

upon it.

And I do hereby protest against

Captain Charles Hutchinson, as Lieut Governour,

Mr John Goodwin, Accomptant, and Mr Matthew Purling

Storekeeper, all of the Council, for not aiding me with

their Opinions, When regularly Demanded, as before

Mentiond, and for the Weak, and un accountable Excuse,

they have given under their hands for still deferring to

Give their Opinions to any Certain time.

The Governor set out that the members' answer was not promised within any certain time, but that the deputy governor and the other two gentlemen having their excuse ready signed and then delivered to him was to him an evident proof that they knew Dixon had no answer prepared, and that this was concerted between them, as everybody had taken notice of their frequent caballing, which was never done until the late disputes occasioned by the deputy governor. The Governor held that the deputy governor denied the Governor's honour and would make him less than a justice of the peace, who could commit any man that insulted him in the execution of his office, which the Governor must bear, and had been supported by the rest of the council, as in the case of Dixon and Lieutenant Ashwick in December last.

The Governor set out that as in the representations he had given his opinion that Dixon ought for the many reasons therein mentioned to be suspended or removed from the service until the Court's pleasure be known upon it, and the council had omitted giving their opinions upon it, he did now in duty to the Court, as far as in him lay, absolutely suspend Dixon from his employments in the Company's service, and from all salary or other advantages thereby, until the Court's pleasure be made known upon it.

The Governor further protested against Captain Charles Hutchinson as deputy governor, John Goodwin the accountant, and Matthew Purling the storekeeper, all of the council, for not aiding him with their opinions when regularly demanded, and for the weak and unaccountable excuse they had given under their hands for still deferring to give their opinions to any certain time.

Interpretations

The Governor's suspension of Dixon marks the decisive act the whole quarrel had been building toward. Unable to obtain the council's opinion, the Governor acted alone to suspend Dixon from all his employments and salary until the Court should rule, the Governor exercising what he held his own authority to remove a servant he charged with negligence, the dispute over lime and melons and records culminating in the Governor's unilateral removal of the man from office, the contest for authority resolved for the moment by the Governor's own stroke.

The Governor's charge of caballing records his conviction that the members were confederated against him. The Governor took the members' excuse, ready signed and delivered together, as proof that they knew Dixon had no answer prepared and had concerted the delay, the frequent caballing he alleged marking his belief in an organised combination of the council against him, the suspicion of a league that had underlain the whole dispute now stated openly in his protest, the Governor seeing in the members' common front the confederacy he had earlier sworn Dixon had told him of.

The Governor's protest against the three members extends his stand from Dixon to the whole council. Not content with suspending Dixon, the Governor formally protested against the deputy governor, the accountant and the storekeeper for refusing him their opinions, the Governor setting his grievance against the entire board on record, the quarrel that had begun over one man's conduct widened into a protest against the three who had stood together against him, the Governor arraigning the whole council before the Company for their failure to support him.

Speculations

The Governor chose to suspend Dixon on his own authority and protest against the rest of the council, rather than wait for the members' opinions or let the Court decide first, the course of holding his hand until his masters ruled being the one he passed over. The Governor might have left Dixon in place and referred the whole quarrel home for the Company's judgement, as the members urged in deferring their opinions, yet he acted at once to suspend the man and enter a protest against the deputy governor and the two others. What moved him was his conviction that the council was caballing against him and denying him the authority the Court's orders gave, and rather than suffer what he saw as a confederacy to paralyse him he chose to assert his power unilaterally and put his grievance on record, judging that to wait was to submit to the combination he believed the members had formed, and preferring to force the issue before the Company even at the cost of a breach with his whole council.

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And Doe farther, as far as in me Lyes

and Valeat quantum Valere potest, Fine each of the said three

Gentlemen Vizt Capt Hutchinson, Mr Goodwin, and Mr

Burling, one Quarters Sallary to the Honble Companys

Cash, untill their pleasure be Known, for their said Omission,

and Perseverance therein, and for being remiss, and refracte

ory in their Duty as before Mentiond.

Signd

David Dunbar

Which we told him, we would

Answer.

David Dunbar

At a consultation held, on Tuesday

the 8th day of April at the Castle. 1726.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

The last consultation was read and Approved.

Governor Dunbar further protested, so far as in him lay, and to the extent the law allowed, that each of the three gentlemen, Captain Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, should forfeit one quarter's salary to the Honourable Company's cash until the Court's pleasure be known, for their omission and perseverance in it, and for being remiss and refractory in their duty as described above.

Signed, David Dunbar.

The three members answered that they would give their answer, subscribed likewise by David Dunbar.

At a consultation held on Tuesday, 8 April 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council and Matthew Purling as fifth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

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The Lt Governour, Mr Goodwin and

Mr Burling this day delivered the following Answer to the

Protest Delivered by the Govr Last Consultation Vizt

Sir,

In Answer to the Protest you made

against us in Consultation of the 8th March, for declining

to give you our Opinions, when you demanded them, upon

the two Representations you laid before us, Relating to Mr

Dixon, as Secretary and Husband, at the preceding Consultation

We beg leave to Acquaint you, That as we Apprehend, all

Persons have a Right to be heard in every case, that may

Affect them in any Respect, before an Opinion is given upon

it; We for this Reason thought, it but just to defer to give

Ours, untill we had seen Mr Dixons Answer.

We hope our Acting in this manner

will not be lookd upon, as a Breach of our duty or of our being

Remiss, and Refractory.

You observe to us, that every body has

taken Notice of our frequent Caballing, We cannot but think

it Extreamly hard that such a Construction should be put

upon our Conversing together

The Opinions we have given in

every case of Ind as it is their Duty, in many of their

Letters, that Suspention, Mulcting, and Fineing, are not to

be the Act of the Govr Singly, but of the Majority of the

Councill, that Honble Court will determine, whether you

Suspending Mr Dixon, and Fineing us are Acts, that are

Margin Notes:

Suspended 11 March 1726

[waited 3 months for it]

The Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling stated that in answer to the protest made against them in consultation of 20 March they had not declined to give their opinions when demanded upon the two representations laid before them relating to Christopher Dixon as secretary and husband at the preceding consultation. They wished to point out that, as they understood it, every person had a right to be heard in any case that might affect them in any respect before an opinion was given upon it, and that for this reason they had thought it but just to defer giving their opinions until they had seen Dixon's answer.

A note in the margin recorded that they had waited three months for it, the suspension itself dated 11 March 1745 in another marginal hand.

They hoped their acting in this manner would not be looked upon as a breach of their duty or as their being remiss and refractory.

The Governor had observed to them that everybody had taken notice of their frequent caballing. They could not but think it extremely hard that such a construction should be put upon their conversing together.

The opinions they had given in every case of moment were, as it was their duty, and it was noted in many of their letters that suspension, mulcting and fining were not the acts of the Governor singly but of the majority of the council, and that the Honourable Court would determine whether their suspending Dixon and fining them were acts that were

Interpretations

The three members' defence rested on a specific procedural claim: that natural justice required hearing the accused before any opinion was formed against him, and that this, not obstruction, explained their three months' delay in answering Dixon's case. Their appeal to letters already sent home shows they had been building a documentary record of their constitutional position, that suspension and fines required a council majority rather than the Governor acting alone, well before this particular clash, treating the dispute as one instance of a standing disagreement over where authority in council actually lay.

Speculations

Rather than simply deny caballing outright, the three members reframed the Governor's charge as a complaint about their ordinary conversing together, the less obvious defence of conceding the fact of frequent contact while denying it carried the sinister construction he placed on it. This let them answer the accusation without admitting to any scheme, turning his own language back against the inference he had drawn from it.

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to take place or not, We are,

Sir,

Your most humble Servants,

8 April 1726.

Chas Hutchinson.

To the Worshipfull David

John Goodwin.

Dunbar Esqr Governour

Mr Burling.

of St Helena.

We this day appointed Mr Robert

Wright, Factor, Clerk of the Councill, in the room of Mr Dixon,

suspended, by the Governour.

On the 1st Instant, Arrived here 4 Dutch

Ships, with the Benjamin, Capt Way, from for St George, the

Portobello, Captain Fisher, from Bomeo, and the Dolphin,

Capt Bigott, from for St George, all last from the Cape, they

Parted with the fort St George, capt Acton, and the Elizabeth, Capt

Lawrence, formerly Bunell, the day after they left the Cape.

The Benjamin Brought the following

Supplys Vizt

Invoice of Ship Benjamin

PR Batchery Rice fine Bags 19 Mercals 9 133 at N6 pag 2

29 20

Factors Provisions

Sugar 7 Canisters per Grosse ca nd d 15.9.1

Tare 28 each lb

7.21 lb

N Candles No 8 d14 pr ca

61 21 8

N1a1 Batavia Arrack 4 half Leagr d3 25 Leagr d

90 ditto ditto

151 21 8

Carried Over

181 5 8

Governor Dunbar's protest against the three members closed with their salutation to him as their most humble servants, subscribed Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, and dated 8 April 1746, addressed to the Worshipful David Dunbar Esquire, Governor of St Helena.

The council appointed Robert Wright, factor, clerk of the council in the place of Dixon, suspended by the Governor.

On the fifth instant four Dutch ships passed the island, with the Benjamin, Captain Way, from Fort St George, the Portobello, Captain Fisher, from Borneo, and the Dolphin, Captain Bigott, from Fort St George, all last from the Cape. They had parted from the Fort St George, Captain Acton, and the Elizabeth, Captain Lawrence, formerly the Brunett, the day after leaving the Cape.

The Benjamin brought the following supplies, viz:

Invoice of the ship Benjamin

PR Bachelor's rice, fine, 19 bags 9 mercals, 133 at N° 4s 4d per bag, £29 2s 0d

Factor's provisions

Sugar, 4 canisters, per gross weight, cwt qtr lb, 16.9.1

Tare 28 lb each, net weight 7.9.1

No 8 candles at 14s each, £61 2s 1d

N1 and 2, Batavia arrack, 2 half leaguers at N° 45 per leaguer, £90 0s 0d, £131 2s 1d

Carried over, £181 5s 1d

Interpretations

A mercal was a dry measure of capacity used on the Coromandel coast for grain, smaller than a bag, recorded here to express the odd remainder left over once the whole bags had been counted. Tare was the standard deduction made for the weight of the container itself, so that the gross weight of the four sugar canisters, entered under the headings hundredweight, quarter and pound, was reduced by 28 lb for each canister to arrive at the net weight actually chargeable. A leaguer was a large cask used for spirits, commonly reckoned at around 150 gallons, so the two half leaguers of Batavia arrack, a spirit distilled from the coconut palm in the Dutch East Indies, represented a substantial shipment for the island's stores.

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Brought Over

181 5 8

Charges Merchandize

5 Boats and Cooly hire a fo 6.20 ea

" 31 20

Cooly hire Tinplates and Nails for Arrack

" 18 "

Arrack Gunny Bags 19 for Rice

1 " " 2 13 20

Pagodas

183 18 60

Error Excepted

Signd pr Thos Eyre Accott

We this day recd the List of Persons

returned for Parish Officers, for the Ensuing Year, Perticulerly

the following, Vizt

Mr John Bagley

Mr Joshua Worralls Churchwardens

Mr Benjamin Seal East Division

Mr Richard Harper Overseers of the Highways &ca South Division

Mr Thos Easthope

The Persons Licensed last Year to

retail Spiritous Liquors this day deliverd the following Petition,

Vizt

To the Honourable David

Dunbar Esqr &c Councill of the Island St

Helena.

We the Publicans on this Island

Humbly Petitioneth to Your Honours, that Your Honours

will be Pleased to renew our Lycences, for the Ensuing Year,

for which We, as in duty Bound, shall Ever pray

The material continues the invoice of the Benjamin, carrying forward £181 5s 1d.

Brought over, £181 5s 1d

Charges merchandise

5 boats and coolie hire at 6 pagodas 20 each, 31 pagodas 20 [...]

Coolie hire, tin plates and nails for arrack, 18 [...]

Arrack gunny bags, 19 for rice, 1 pagoda, total 2 pagodas 13 [...] 20 [...]

Pagodas, 183 pagodas 18 [...] 60 [...]

The account was subscribed errors excepted, per Thomas Eyre, accountant.

The council received the list of persons returned for parish officers for the coming year, naming John Bagley and Joshua Worrall as churchwardens, Benjamin Seale as overseer of the highways for the east division, Richard Harper for the west division and Thomas Easthope for the south division.

The persons licensed the previous year to retail spirituous liquors delivered a petition addressed to the Honourable David Dunbar Esquire and the council of the island of St Helena. The publicans of the island asked the Governor and council to renew their licences for the coming year.

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Likewise we humbly beg leave to Shew

to Your Honours, that as Your Honours has been so good as to have

Favoured us with a Lycense, for the Year last Past, and the Honble

Companys Rice have not had wherewith to Supply us, and for

our Lycense we Paid more then we Yerly could Afford, being we

could not have a Supply from the Stores, therefore Humbly

Beggeth, that your Honours will be Pleased to take it into your

Consideration, to let us pay Quarterly for Lycences, as your Honrs

shall see fitting.

And Humbly Beg Leave to Subscribe

Ourselves Your Honours Most Obliged,

and most Obedient Humble Servants

Signd John Collins

Josh Leah

Daniel Baugh

Nathan Lunsoll

William Davis

Thos Willingham

John Scott

St Helena

April 8th 1726

On Considering the Circumstances,

of the Petition, and that it was really hard to Pay for a Lycense,

When they had not any Liquor to sell, We agreed to give them

Lycense Payable Quarterly, When they had Liquor to sell, after

the rate of 6 pr Annum.

Mr Goodwin and Mr Burling reported, that

they had Perused the Ground Petitioned for by Gabriel Peack,

the 18th March Last, and found it no ways inconvenient to any

One to grant this Petition, Granted Accordingly.

The Gunners Steward, and Plantation,

Accounts were this day delivered for the Month of March Last, Which

were Examined, and Approved, and are as follows, Vizt

The publicans went on that, since the Governor and council had been so good the previous year as to grant them a licence, and the Honourable Company's rice had not held out to supply them and provide for their own licence, they had paid dearly, being scarcely able to afford it. Without a supply from the stores they could not have managed, and so they asked the Governor and council to consider letting them pay quarterly for their licences, as should be thought fitting.

The petition was subscribed by the publicans as most obliged and obedient humble servants, signed John Collins, Joseph Leech, Daniel Waugh, Nathan Lansdell, William Davis, Thomas Willingham and John Scott, and dated at St Helena, 8 April 1746.

Considering the circumstances of the petition, and that the publicans really had to pay for a licence at a time when they had no liquor to sell, the council agreed to grant them licences payable quarterly, from the time they had liquor to sell, at the rate of £6 per year.

John Goodwin and Matthew Purling reported that they had viewed the ground petitioned for by Gabriel Isaac on 18 March, and finding it in no way inconvenient to anyone, the council granted his petition accordingly.

The gunner's, steward's and plantation accounts for the month of March were delivered and examined and approved.

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Account of the Honble Companys Stock of Neal Cattle &c for the Month of March last taken

by Mr Richard Gunting.

Bullocks, Cows, Calves, Steers, Heifers, Yearlings, Bulls, Total, Ewes, Weathers, Wons, Lambs, Total, Ews, Weathers, Wethers, Kidds, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Goats, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowls, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Remg: Bullocks 9, Cows 121, Calves 10, Steers 63, Heifers 76, Yearlings 72, Bulls 5, Total 386, Ewes 124, Weathers 51, Wons 8, Lambs 42, Total 225, Ews 183, Weathers 59, Wethers 59, Kidds 5, Rams 306, Sows 35, Barrows 20, Goats 61, Piggs 63, Boars 1, Total 180, Turkeys 157, Fowls 391, Chickens 57, Ducks 43, Geese 13, Horses 9, Mares 7, Total 16

Increased: Cows 7, Total 7, Turkeys 13, Horses 1, Total 1

Bullocks 9, Cows 121, Calves 17, Steers 63, Heifers 76, Yearlings 72, Bulls 5, Total 393, Ewes 124, Weathers 51, Wons 8, Lambs 42, Total 225, Ews 183, Weathers 59, Wethers 59, Kidds 5, Rams 306, Sows 35, Barrows 20, Goats 61, Piggs 63, Boars 1, Total 180, Turkeys 160, Fowls 371, Chickens 57, Ducks 43, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 7, Total 17

Killed: Cows 1, Steers 2, Total 3, Ews 12, Total 12, Sows 5, Total 5, Turkeys 15

died: Steers 1, Total 1, Lambs 1, Total 1, Turkeys 13

Stole: Total 1, Total 1

Remg 30th March: Bullocks 9, Cows 20, Calves 47, Steers 63, Heifers 73, Yearlings 72, Bulls 5, Total 389, Ewes 123, Weathers 51, Wons 8, Lambs 41, Total 223, Ews 183, Weathers 47, Wethers 59, Kidds 5, Rams 294, Sows 35, Barrows 15, Goats 61, Piggs 63, Boars 1, Total 175, Turkeys 147, Fowls 356, Chickens 57, Ducks 43, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 7, Total 17

3 Beasts wt 832 sold to the Markett

5 Hoggs wt 466 Do Do

12 Goats wt 213 3/4 Do Do

Yams Expended 50000

Do Sold to the Garrison 3200

Died 1 Man Slave Named Coice

Born 1 Child Named Nanny

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of neat cattle etc for the month of March last, taken by Richard Girling

Neat cattle, remaining: bullocks 9, cows 121, calves 40, steers 63, heifers 76, yearlings 72, bulls 5, total 386

Sheep, remaining: ewes 124, wethers 51, rams 8, lambs 42, total 225

Goats, remaining: ewes 183, wethers 59, kids 59, rams 5, total 306

Hogs, remaining: sows 35, barrows 20, shoats 61, pigs 63, boars 1, total 180

Poultry, remaining: turkeys 157, fowls 391, chickens 57, ducks 43, geese 13

Horses, remaining: horses 9, mares 7, total 16

Increased: neat cattle heifers 7, total 7; poultry chickens 13; horses 1, total 1

Standing after increase: neat cattle 9, 121, 47, 63, 76, 72, 5, total 393; sheep 124, 51, 8, 42, 225; goats 183, 59, 59, 5, 306; hogs 35, 20, 61, 63, 1, 180; poultry turkeys 160, fowls 391, chickens 57, ducks 43, geese 13; horses 10, 7, total 17

Killed: neat cattle cows 1, heifers 2, total 3; goats ewes 12, total 12; hogs sows 5, total 5; poultry 15

Died: neat cattle steers 1, total 1; sheep lambs 1, total 1; poultry 13

Stole: sheep lambs 1, total 1

Remaining 30 March: neat cattle 9, 120, 47, 63, 73, 72, 5, total 389; sheep 123, 51, 8, 41, 223; goats 183, 47, 59, 5, 294; hogs 35, 15, 61, 63, 1, 175; poultry turkeys 147, fowls 356, chickens 57, ducks 43, geese 13; horses 10, 7, total 17

3 beasts weight 832 lb sold to the market

5 hogs weight 466 lb sold to the market

12 goats weight 213.5 lb sold to the market

Yams expended, 50,000 lb

Yams sold to the garrison, 3,200 lb

Died 1 man slave named Choice

Born 1 child named Nanny

Interpretations

The March herd movement shows the plantation running steady after the tighter winter months. The neat cattle held near 386 to 389 head, close to the February close of 386, so the great slaughter of the previous May, when 42 beasts went to victual the homeward fleet, had been made good by a year's calving. Yams expended climbed to 50,000 lb, still short of the 58,000 lb a month reached in January and February 1746 when the store's imported rice and paddy failed and the slaves fell back on yams alone, but far above the settled 25,000 lb of the previous spring, a sign the island was still feeding its people from its own ground rather than the warehouse.

The entry of a dead man slave and a newborn slave child at the foot of a livestock account records the plain fact that the Company counted its slaves among its stock. The same monthly return that tallied cattle, goats and hogs closed with the death of Choice and the birth of Nanny, the two set down in the same hand and column as the beasts.

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Gunners Stores Expended in March 1726. Vizt

the Day of the Month

19 Powder Delivered to the Stone Blowers

lb 60

26 Powder to the Funeral of Thomas Crane

24

Total 52 4

Needles Broke in Sewing Cartridges

36

One Firkin of Grease for Greasing Carriages

1

Handspikes Broke on the Line

6

Sheepskins for Coating Spunges

5

Rammer Heads for the Spunges

1

Spunge Nails for the Spunges

1

Tompion

1

Worms Broke

1

Rockett Mold broke in Making Rockets

1

Driest & Mallett Broke in Making Rockets

2 each

Buge Barrels Broke

1

Copper birds for Nailing the Ladles

21

Spunge Staves for fitting up Spunges

3

Field Carriage cut up by Henry Moyce

1

Signd Jno French

Sundrys Expended in the Castle In March 1726 Vizt

94 Bottles Port Wine

6 8 34

93 Bottles Lisbon

2 5 74

1 Bottle Claret

" " "

3 Bottles Red Cape

" 4 12

20 78 Gall Goa Arrack

29 Gall Batavia do

2 4 3

34 lb Sugar Candy

" 10 74

3 Sugar

" " 84

Carried Over£

11 19 114

Gunner's stores expended in March 1746

19th, powder delivered to the stone blower, 60 lb

26th, powder to the funeral of Thomas Crane, 2 lb 4 oz

Total, 52 lb 4 oz

Needles broke in sewing cartridges, 36

One firkin of grease for greasing carriages, 1

Handspikes broke on the line, 6

Sheepskins for coating sponges, 5

Rammer heads for the sponges, 1

Sponge stave for the sponges, 1

Tompion, 1

Worms broke, 1

Rocket mould broke in making rockets, 1

Drifts and mallets broke in making rockets, 2 each

Budge barrels broke, 1

Copper braids for nailing the ladles, 24

Sponge staves for fitting up sponges, 3

Field carriage cut up by Henry Moyce, 1

Signed, John French

The sundries expended in the castle in March 1746 followed.

Sundries expended in the castle in March 1746

94 bottles port wine, £6 8s 3.5d

33 bottles Lisbon, £2 5s 0.5d

1 bottle claret, £0 0s 0d

3 bottles red Cape, £0 4s 1.5d

20.5 gallons Goa arrack, £2 9s 3d

9.5 gallons Batavia arrack, £2 9s 3d

34 lb sugar candy, £0 10s 7.5d

3 lb sugar, £0 0s 8.5d

Carried over, £11 17s 11.5d

Interpretations

The two powder charges show a total that reads as 52 lb 4 oz against the sum of their parts, one of the inconsistent figures the record carries without reconciling. The powder to the stone blower continued the quarrying for the fortification lime that recurs month after month, the same charge entered in February and December, so the works ground on through the quarrel over the ceiling lime that was consuming the council upstairs. The rocket moulds, drifts and mallets broken in making rockets are the unusual entry: the gunner was manufacturing signal rockets on the island rather than drawing them from store, a small sign of the settlement making its own munitions where the supply from England fell short.

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374

Brought Over£

11 19 114

122 Bottles Strong beer

2 11 104

120 Ditto Small Ditto

312 Flower

2 " 94

19 lb Butter

" 19 6

2 Turkeys

" 10 "

12 Fowles

" 18 "

6 Ducks

" 9 "

2 Peices Salt Beef

" 5 104

9 Ditto Ditto Pork

" 16 104

1854 fresh Beef

5 13 104

1094 d Pork

2 4 9

324 Mutton

" 13 34

£ 29 11 114

184 Goat

104 Beef

Given to the Sick & Blacks

" 7 74

" 10 14

£ 30 9 74

The Governour this day deliverd

the following Paper, Vizt

April the 8th 1726

Gentlemen of the Councill,

Since I last mett you in Consultation,

I have often disputed with my self whether I should meet you

here until I could hear Our Masters Opinions upon what

has passed between us, my reason for that doubt is, that in

my Opinion, You have no right to sitt here, because Your

refuseing under Your hands to give Your Opinions, when

regularly demanded, is a Ceasing to Act as Councillours, and

Ceasing to Act is a forfeiture of your Employments, you can

Brought over, £11 17s 11.5d

122 bottles strong beer,

120 ditto small ditto, £2 11s 10.5d

31.5 lb flour, £2 0s 9.5d

19.5 lb butter, £0 19s 6d

2 turkeys, £0 10s 0d

12 fowls, £0 18s 0d

6 ducks, £0 9s 0d

2 pieces salt beef, £0 5s 10.5d

9 ditto ditto pork, £0 16s 10.5d

1,354 lb fresh beef, £5 13s 10.5d

109.5 lb pork, £2 4s 9d

32.5 lb mutton, £0 13s 3.5d

Total, £29 11s 11.5d

18.5 lb goat, £0 7s 7.5d

40.5 lb beef, given to the sick blacks, £0 10s 1.5d

Total, £30 9s 7.5d

Governor Dunbar delivered the following paper to the council on 8 April 1746.

He addressed the members of the council. Since their last meeting in consultation he had disputed with himself whether he ought to meet them at all before he could hear the Company's opinion upon what had passed between them. His reason for the doubt was that in his view they had no right to sit there, because their refusal, under their own hands, to give their opinions when regularly demanded was a ceasing to act as councillors, and ceasing to act was a forfeiture of their employments. He went on

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375

quote a Precedent, where it has been adjudged so, in the Kings

Service, and a very remarkable president it is, which I claim

liberty to insert at large.

General Philips is Govr of Nova Scotia, & Colonel of a Regiment there, Lt Colonel Armstrong was

Lt Colonel of that Regiment, & Lt Govr of the Province, & Commander in Chief in the Govrs Absence, Major Cosby

was Major of the Regiment & President of the Council, or where the Governour Deceases or the Deputy or absent

of the Govr & Lt Govr Capt Mascarene was Eldest Captain in the Regiment, & next in Council to the President.

The Lt Govr & this president had some dispute in Council, When the Govr was not in the Province & the president

refused to give his Opinion upon a point in dispute, & by the Law at board without giveing there a few days the Lt Govr

sent for the president to Council & on his making some Excuse, the Lt Govr sent him a Message, that if

he delayed comeing & attending his duty in Council, he the Lt Govr Ordr suspended him, to which the

president adhered to same, that the suspended himself Persisted not attend, upon which the Lt Govr

Ordered the presidents Name to be Struck out of the List as suspended, & in he continued during

the Lt Govrs Life, & on his death the president attempted to take the Command of this Province

upon him, but Captain Mascarene opposed him, as Eldest Councillour & the rest of the

Council, the most of them Officers in the regiment gave there Opinions in favour of Captn

Mascarene, that as much to Persons upon it, and inveighing on the right to command.

Each of these Gentlemen represented their case home to the Lords of Trade, & their Lordships gave

it in favour of Mr Mascarene, & he the had a Cast in the regiment, Commanded his Major, and the

regiment, as well as the Province, & tho his Majesty was pleased to Promote the Major to be Lt

Colonel, & the Eldest Capt to be Major, the Command of the whole was continued to the Major & the Lt

Colonel was refused to be restore to the Presidentship, or to be made Lt Govr, for being the every to Act

in Council as before, And the Lords of Trade broke by order of my Lord Duke of Newcastle offred me the Lt

Governourship in a few days after, & his Grace any Terms to the East India Company, upon it, I refused

it, to the truth of all this I appeal to Colonel Ridolen, or the Terms of Trade.

But as We are far from home, and

cannot expect to hear our Masters Determinations upon this

Point in less than a Year, & as We wholly Approve it We are it and desire

We may proceed and Each do his duty as we have done for the

first Year, and three Quarters, without any Division, or dispute

between us, as will appear by our Consultations.

I should not mention my said doubt,

or dispute with my self, at this time, but that I would not

lye under the imputation of being ignorant in that respect,

and I assure You, I do it with concern, and if What has passed

gives any Unhappyness to any of you, I may affirm, that I have

my Share of it, I presume you all think Your selves in the right,

if it proves so, I must be in the Wrong, and let us be Easy, and

wait the force in the mean time, I am perfectly satisfyed for

Governor Dunbar cited a precedent from the King's service where the point had been adjudged as he described, a very remarkable one, which he said he would set out in full.

General Phillips was Governor of Minorca and colonel of a regiment there. Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong was lieutenant governor of the fortress and commander in chief in the Governor's absence. Major Corby was major of the regiment and president of the court of judicature, or, in the Governor's absence, of the council of the island. Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong being the eldest captain in the regiment and next in council to the president, when the president had some dispute in council, the eldest man in the province and the president refused to give his opinion upon a point in dispute. Though the man on board without giving three or four days the eldest colonel sent for the president to council, and on his making some excuse, the president, the eldest colonel, sent him a message that if he delayed coming and attending his duty in council, he, the lieutenant colonel and eldest governor, considered him, to which the president answered in some manner that the president himself confirmed not attend, upon which the eldest colonel ordered the president's name to be struck out of the list as suspended, and to be continued during the eldest colonel's life, and on his death the president attempted to take the command of the province upon him. But Captain Massarene opposed him, as eldest councillor, and the rest of the council, the most of them officers in the regiment, gave their opinions in favour of Captain Massarene. There was much to plead upon it, and it evidently turned on the right to command.

Each of these gentlemen represented their case home to the Lords of Trade, and their behaviour gained him in favour of Massarene, and he, the eldest and best in the regiment, commanded his major, and the regiment as well as the province. His Majesty was pleased to promote the major to be lieutenant colonel, and the eldest left to be major, the command of the whole was continued to the major, and the second colonel was refused to be restored to the presidentship, or to be made lieutenant governor, for being the very best to act in council as before. And the Lords of Trade being of the opinion of any Lord Duke of Newcastle offered a vote that the lieutenant governorship in a few days after his affairs any concern to the East India Company upon what he refused it to the truth of all this appeal to Colonel Bladen or the Lords of Trade.

But since the Governor was far from home, and could not expect to hear the Company's determination upon this point in less than twelve months, he would leave it and desire they might proceed and each do his duty, as they had done for the first year and three quarters, without any division or dispute between them, as would appear by their consultations.

He said he should not mention his doubt or dispute with himself at this time, but that he would not lie under the imputation of being ignorant in that respect. He assured them he did it with concern, and if what had passed gave any embarrassment to any of them, he might affirm that he had his share of it. He presumed they all thought themselves in the right, and if it proved so he must be in the wrong, and let it be easy, and wait the issue in the meantime. He was perfectly satisfied for

Interpretations

The Minorca precedent gave Governor Dunbar exactly the authority he had been reaching for against Dixon and the three members. It described a lieutenant governor who suspended a fellow officer for refusing to give his opinion in council, had the man's name struck from the list, and was upheld at home by the Lords of Trade, the very act Dunbar had taken on 20 March against Dixon and the very charge, refusal to give opinions, he had laid against Hutchinson, Goodwin and Purling. Reciting it to the board was an argument that the highest authority in England had already ruled such conduct a forfeiture of office, so that his own hand was covered by a governing case rather than his single vote.

The passage also marks a retreat behind the assertion. Having quoted the case, Governor Dunbar dropped his threat to treat the members' presence as a forfeiture and proposed they simply carry on as before, conceding that the Company's ruling lay a year away and that he might himself prove to be in the wrong. The Lords of Trade and the Board of Trade adviser Martin Bladen, named as a living witness, were the metropolitan authority to which every such colonial dispute ultimately ran, and Dunbar's appeal to them recognised that nothing between him and the council could be settled on the island itself.

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my own part, But if upon Mature Consideration of

What has Passed, You would wish any part of it undone, and that

you would point out any Method in my Power to soften, or

Mitigate such part be for anyway relate to any now Present,

you shall find me disposed to do soe.

Many honest well Meaning men

frequently differ in Opinion in the same thing, and no man

is infallible, in one of the papers which I have said were Omitted

in Consultations, I Earnestly Pressed you to Consider it was

was then in dispute, that it might not go home to be

Canvassed there, it is now too late to putt any Soft to it, and

you may Consider among your selves, whether it can be

Mitigated:

In Another of the said papers Omitted

to be enterd in Consultation, I have sayd, That if I have done any

thing since my Arrival unnecessary, or to the Hurt of the

Honble Company, Your not Exposing it, is an Approbation

but that however if you would Point out any such thing

and Compute the Expence of it, I would return that sum

into the Companys Cash, and Submitt it to their pleasure

to Allow it, or not, I Now repeat the same Offer, and further,

I desire, Nay, I Challenge You, and tis Your duty to do it, to

lay Your fingers upon any One Article, where You imagine

me Guilty of any Extravagance, or bad Oeconomy in What I

have done, or can suspect, I have ever since one Shilling

Perquisite at the Expence, or Prejudice of the Company.

I mention this to Obviate any little insinuations to the Contrary

from one, not now here, who, I Know, has a talent if way

Signd David Dunbar

On the 31st March last, the Governour

paid in to the Companys Cash here, the sum of Six hundred

pounds, for which we have given him bills of Exchange of the

Governor Dunbar added that if, on mature consideration of what had passed, they wished any part of it undone, and would point out any means in his power to soften or mitigate such part so far as it might relate to any of them now present, they would find him disposed to do so.

He observed that many honest, well-meaning men frequently differed in opinion on the same thing, and that no man was infallible. On one of the papers he had said were omitted from the consultations, he had earnestly pressed them to consider what was then in dispute, so that it might not go home to be canvassed there. It was now too late to soften it, but they might consider among themselves whether it could be mitigated.

In another of the papers omitted from entry in the consultations, he had said that if he had done anything since his arrival unnecessary or to the hurt of the Honourable Company, their not opposing it was an approbation, but that if they would point out any such thing and compute the expense of it, he would return that sum into the Company's cash and submit himself to their pleasure to allow it or not. He now repeated the same offer, and further desired, indeed challenged them, holding it their duty to do it, to lay their fingers upon any one article where they imagined him guilty of any extravagance or bad economy in what he had done, or could suspect he had ever, since one shilling was perquisite, at the expense or prejudice of the Company. He mentioned this to obviate any little insinuations to the contrary from anyone, not now there, who he knew had a talent that way.

Signed, David Dunbar.

On 31 March the Governor paid into the Company's cash the sum of £600, for which the council gave him bills of exchange of the

Interpretations

The whole address shifts Governor Dunbar's ground from command to money. Having failed to make the members give their opinions, and having quoted the Minorca case only to set it aside, he fell back on the one field where a governor was unanswerable, his own financial probity, challenging them to name a single shilling of extravagance or private perquisite in his whole administration. The offer to compute the expense of anything unnecessary and repay it into the Company's cash turned the quarrel over authority into a dare over accounts, ground on which he knew the members could not touch him.

The closing sentence names the real target without naming him. The insinuations Dunbar moved to obviate came from someone not now present who had a talent that way, unmistakably the suspended Dixon, so that even in an address ostensibly seeking peace with the three members the Governor was still answering the man he had put out of office. The £600 paid into the cash for bills of exchange, entered immediately below, was itself an ordinary remittance transaction by which an officer turned island coin into a paper claim on the Company in London, the standard way of sending money home without shipping specie.

Speculations

Dunbar had the Minorca precedent in hand, a case in which a governor who suspended an obstinate councillor was upheld at home and promoted while the suspended man was refused restoration. The obvious course, having recited it, was to press it to the hilt and treat the three members' refusal as the same forfeiture of office it had been ruled to be there. Instead he set it down and immediately backed away, proposing they carry on as before and conceding he might himself prove to be in the wrong. What moved him was distance and time: with the Company's ruling twelve months away and the settlement's whole business needing a quorum he could not keep if he drove out three more members, he chose to hold the island together and shift the fight to the safe ground of his accounts, rather than stand on a precedent that might not be answered in his favour until his government had already collapsed for want of a council.

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date on the Honble Company, payable to himself, for the like Sum or Order And on the 1st

April Instant, Capt Charles Hutchinson Paid in to the Companys

Cash the sum of one hundred, and thirty Pounds, for Which we gave

him Bills of Exchange of the Same date on the Honble Company

Payable to himself, or Order.

David Dunbar

We object to the first Paragraph of the Govrs paper, because We do not

conceive that Deferring to give Our Opinions can be understood as a

refusing to give them, and therefore it will not appear we believe

that We have forfeited our Right to Sit here.

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

At a Consultation held on

Fryday the 11th day of April 1726 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

We this day Ordered the following

Summons to be sent to the Planters, Vizt

St Helena April the 11th 1726.

Complaint being made to the

Governour, and Council, that the Managers of the Markett

cannot gett provisions from the Planters to Supply the Garrison

necessary Consumption, many of the said Planters makeing

The bills were of the same date on the Honourable Company, payable to himself or order. On 1 April Captain Charles Hutchinson had paid into the Company's cash the sum of £130, for which the council gave him bills of exchange of the same date on the Honourable Company, payable to himself or order.

Signed, David Dunbar.

The three members objected to the first paragraph of the Governor's paper, because they did not conceive that their deferring to give their opinions could be understood as a refusal to give them, and so, as they believed, it would not appear that they had forfeited their right to sit there. Subscribed Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on Friday 11 April 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council and Matthew Purling as fifth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The council ordered the following summons sent to the planters, dated at St Helena, 11 April 1746.

Complaint having been made to the Governor and council that the managers of the market could not get provisions from the planters to supply the garrison's necessary consumption, many of the planters were making excuses

Interpretations

The members' objection fixes the narrow point on which the whole constitutional quarrel turned. Governor Dunbar had argued that a refusal to give opinions was a ceasing to act as councillors and so a forfeiture of office, and the three answered by denying his premise rather than his logic: they had deferred their opinions, not refused them, and a deferral carried no forfeiture. Keeping the distinction alive on the record mattered, since it was the single thread by which they held their seats against a governor claiming their places were already vacant.

The two remittances entered here, £600 by the Governor on 31 March and £130 by Hutchinson on 1 April, show the machinery by which the island's officers moved their savings home. Coin accumulated on St Helena was paid into the Company's treasury and exchanged for bills drawn on the Company in London, payable to the officer or his order, so that the money travelled as a paper claim safe from shipwreck and piracy while the specie stayed on the island to serve its perpetually cash-short trade.

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Excuses, that they Are willing to Kill Cattle in their turns,

and none, or very few, Owning it to be their turns.

We therefore, the better to regulate

this dispute, and that the Honble Companys Garrison

may be constantly supplyed, Have thought fitt to Order,

and do hereby positively order, and Direct, that the

Underwritten Planters do attend us in Council on

tuesday next at the Castle, at 10 oClock, and then deliver in

an Account of their Stock Cattle, upon Oath, if required, and how

many of them they intend for Slaughter the ensueing

Season. A Due Compliance with this Order will be expected,

And any Defaulters fined at Our Discretion.

To Messrs Francis Wrangham Senr

Richard Goodwin

Thomas Greentree

James Bowell

Joseph Bowell

Samuel Doveton

James Greentree

Martin Harper

Gabriel Harper

Joseph Disfountain

Richard Bagley

Richard Burling

John Bagley

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

The planters were making excuses, saying they were willing to kill cattle in their turn, and none, or very few, owning it to be their turn.

The better to regulate this dispute, and so that the Honourable Company's garrison might be constantly supplied, the council ordered and positively directed that the underwritten planters attend it in council on the following Tuesday at the castle, at ten o'clock, and then deliver in an account of their stock of cattle, upon oath if required, and how many of them they intended for slaughter the coming season. Due compliance with the order would be expected, and any defaulters fined at the council's discretion.

The summons was addressed to Francis Wrangham senior, Richard Goodwin, Thomas Greentree, James Powell, Joseph Powell, Samuel Doveton, James Greentree, Martin Harper, Gabriel Harper, Joseph Defountain, Richard Bagley, Richard Gurling and John Bagley.

Subscribed David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The order exposes the central weakness of a victualling station that owned no cattle of its own. The garrison depended on the planters bringing beasts to market in rotation, but every planter claimed his turn fell to someone else, so the supply failed not for want of stock but for want of any means of compelling it. The council's remedy, a summons under threat of a discretionary fine to declare stock on oath and name how many beasts each man would kill, was an attempt to convert a voluntary rotation the planters were evading into an enforceable obligation the board could police.

The power to examine the planters on oath as to their own stock was the sharp edge of the order. Requiring a man to swear how many cattle he held stripped away the excuse that he had none fit to kill, since a false oath carried the peril of perjury, and it gave the council the sworn figures against which to measure and fine any planter who then withheld his share. The demand recalled the sworn cattle census of the previous year, by which the board had already once caught the planters understating their herds to escape the market.

Speculations

Faced with a market the planters were quietly starving, the council might have raised the price offered for beef until enough beasts came in of their own accord, the ordinary remedy of a buyer short of supply. Instead it reached for compulsion, summoning named men to declare their stock on oath and threatening fines on any who held back. The choice reflected the Governor's settled policy of freeing the garrison from dependence on the planters rather than paying them more to cooperate, treating the shortage as defiance to be broken rather than a price to be met, consistent with his parallel drive to enlarge the Company's own plantations so the fort need not bargain with the country at all.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 15th day of April 1726 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

Messrs John Goodwin, and Matthew

Burling this day made the following Affidavill, Vizt

Island St Helena

John Goodwin of the Island St Helena

Fourth of Council, and Matthew Burling of the said Island

fifth of Council, Severally make Oath as follows, Vizt

That the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr Governour

of this Island Vaving in Consultation of the 11th of March

last made Oath, That Mr Christopher Dixon told him the

Governour, that these Deponents proposed to the said

Mr Dixon to Join with these Deponents, and they would

always Outvote the Governour in Council. These deponents

in order to Clear themselves of Such an Accusation, hereby

Declare, that they never made any Such Proposals to

Mr Dixon directly, or indirectly, in any Shape whatever.

Jurat Coram Nobis die Aprilis Signd John Goodwin

1726

Signd David Dunbar Govr M Burling

The Planters Ordered to be Summoned

last Consultation day Attended this, and Agreed to Supply

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 April 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council and Matthew Purling as fifth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

John Goodwin and Matthew Purling made the following affidavit.

John Goodwin of the island of St Helena, fourth of council, and Matthew Purling of the island, fifth of council, severally swore that the Worshipful David Dunbar Esquire, Governor of the island, having in consultation of 11 March made oath that Christopher Dixon had told the Governor that these deponents proposed to Dixon to join with them, and that they would always outvote the Governor in council, they, the better to clear themselves of such an accusation, declared that they never made any such proposal to Dixon directly or indirectly, in any shape whatever. Sworn before the council on 15 April 1746, signed John Goodwin and Matthew Purling, before David Dunbar, Governor.

The planters ordered at the last consultation to be summoned attended, and agreed to supply

Interpretations

The affidavit answered the Governor's Bible oath of 11 March in the only coin that could match it. Dunbar had sworn that Dixon told him the two members meant to combine and outvote him, and Goodwin and Purling now swore the contrary in equally solemn form, that no such proposal ever passed between them and Dixon in any shape. The dispute had reached the point where the board's business was being conducted through competing sworn oaths, each side staking its credit before God against the other, with the underlying truth left for the distant Court to weigh.

The wording carefully aimed the denial at the fact rather than at the Governor. The members swore only that they had made no such proposal to Dixon, leaving untouched the separate question whether Dixon had told Dunbar that they had, so that if a lie existed it lay between the Governor and Dixon and not on their oath. This preserved their quarrel with Dunbar as a matter of Dixon's misreporting while clearing themselves of the substantive charge of caballing, the accusation that had hung over their conduct since the protest of 20 March.

Speculations

Goodwin and Purling could have let the Governor's oath stand unanswered and simply denied caballing in the ordinary way, as they had in their written reply, trusting the Court to weigh assertion against assertion. Instead they went to the further length of a sworn affidavit, matching Dunbar's solemnity and putting their own souls in pledge on the point. What drove them to it was that his oath was sworn on the Bible and named them directly, so that an unsworn denial would have left his sacred testimony outweighing their mere word before the Court; only by swearing in the same form could they keep the scales even, choosing to escalate the contest of oaths rather than concede the Governor the advantage of being the only man to have sworn.

387

380

the Markett for the next three Markett days, and in the mean

time to give a further Answer.

The Paymaster this day brought

in his Account for the Months of January, February and

March last, which was Examined, and Approved, and

was follows Vizt

List of the Honble Companys Officers, and Servants

upon the Island St Helena with their several Salarys,

Diet money and &c for the Quarter Commencing 1st

January 1725 & ending 31 March 1726.

£ s d £ s d £ s d

David Dunbar Esqr Govr Salary 125

Do for Servant 31 18 9 156 14 3

Charles Hutchinson Lieut Govr

Salary 62 10 "

Christopher Dixon third of

Council Salary from the 1st

January to 10 March Inclde the

Day he was Suspended by

the Governour 19 6 34

John Goodwin fourth of Council

Salary 15

As Accountant 7 18 12 22 18 12

Matthew Burling fifth of

Council Salary 15 " "

Edwin Alcock Chaplain Salary

to 22 January the Day he died 6 " 64

Do Diet money to the same time 3 12 34

9 12 104

Carried over£ 284 2 74

The planters agreed to supply the market for the next three market days, and in the meantime to give a further answer.

The paymaster brought in his account for the months of January, February and March, which was examined and approved, and was as follows.

The account listed the Honourable Company's officers and servants upon the island of St Helena, with their several salaries, diet money and other allowances, for the quarter commencing 1 January 1745 and ending 31 March 1746.

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746

David Dunbar Esquire, Governor, salary, £125 0s 0d

David Dunbar, for servants, £31 14s 9d, total £156 14s 9d

Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, salary, £62 10s 0d

Christopher Dixon, third of council, salary from 3 January to 20 March, the day he was suspended by the Governor, £19 6s 3.5d

John Goodwin, fourth of council, salary, £15 0s 0d

John Goodwin, as accountant, £7 18s 1.5d, total £22 18s 1.5d

Matthew Purling, fifth of council, salary, £15 0s 0d

Edwin Alcock, chaplain, salary to 22 January, the day he died, £6 0s 6.5d

Edwin Alcock, diet money to the same time, £3 12s 3.5d, total £9 12s 10.5d

Carried over, £284 2s 7.5d

Interpretations

The pay account silently registers the human casualties of the quarter in its broken salaries. Dixon's councillor's pay runs only to 20 March, the day the Governor suspended him, and the chaplain Alcock's to 22 January, the day he died, so the same page that records the quarrel's decisive stroke also fixes its date in the ledger. The clerk who kept the book had to reckon each man's entitlement to the very day his office ceased, whether by suspension or death, since the Company paid for service actually rendered and not a day beyond.

Goodwin's pay in two parts, £15 as fourth of council and a further £7 18s 1.5d as accountant, shows the practice by which one man held and was separately paid for two distinct offices on an establishment too small to carry a specialist for each. The councillor's seat and the keeping of the general books were different duties with different salaries, combined in a single person because the settlement could not support the numbers a larger station would have employed.

388

381

Brought Over£ 284 2 74

Robert Wright Factor Salary 7 10 ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto 10 ditto ditto

Joshua Twynam Factor Salary 7 10 ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto 10 ditto ditto

Francis Wrangham Factor Salary 12 10 ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto 15 ditto ditto

Joseph Dawate Writer Salary 5 ditto ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto 7 10 ditto

Thomas French Writer Salary 5 ditto ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto 7 10 ditto

Samuel Falconer Surgs Salary 9 15 ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto 12 5 ditto

James DuBois Surg Mate Salary 7 5 ditto

House Rent 2 10 ditto

Diet Money 11 3 ditto 18 13 ditto

John Twaits

Richard Gurling Overseers 7 10 ditto

Richard Tinsley 7 10 ditto

6 5 ditto

John Leech Marshall Salary 4 7 9

As Custom Master 1 5 ditto 3 12 9

William Hayes Master of Stores 6 5 ditto

Richard Beal Schoolmaster 3 8 3

Clerk 5 ditto ditto 8 8 3

Nicholas Cleather Steward 7 10 ditto

William Dowse, Gardiner 9 11 3

Robert Maycock Cooper 8 15 ditto

Henry Moyce Carpenter 12 10 ditto

John Blair Master Mason Salary 7 19 10

Diet Money 6 16 104 24 6 104

Mark Hawkins Mason Salary 12 10 ditto

Diet Money 6 16 104 19 6 104

John Loyell Armourer Salary 10 10 34

Ely Leech House Keeper Salary 2 ditto ditto 501 3 4

Carried Over

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £284 2s 7.5d

Robert Wright, factor, salary, £7 10s 0d

Robert Wright, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £10 0s 0d

Joshua Twynam, factor, salary, £7 10s 0d

Joshua Twynam, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £10 0s 0d

Francis Wrangham, factor, salary, £12 10s 0d

Francis Wrangham, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £15 0s 0d

Joseph Darvall, writer, salary, £5 0s 0d

Joseph Darvall, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £7 10s 0d

Thomas French, writer, salary, £5 0s 0d

Thomas French, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £7 10s 0d

Samuel Falconer, surgeon, salary, £9 15s 0d

Samuel Falconer, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £12 5s 0d

James Du Bois, surgeon's mate, salary, £7 3s 0d

James Du Bois, house rent, £2 10s 0d

James Du Bois, diet money, £11 0s 0d, total £18 13s 0d

John Twaits, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Gurling, overseer, £7 10s 0d

Richard Tinsley, overseer, £6 5s 0d

John Leech, marshal, salary, £4 7s 9d

John Leech, as custom master, £1 5s 0d, total £3 12s 9d

William Hayes, master of arms, £6 0s 0d

Richard Beale, schoolmaster, £3 8s 3d

Richard Beale, clerk, £5 0s 0d, total £8 8s 3d

Nicholas Cleather, steward, £7 10s 0d

William Dowse, gardener, £9 11s 3d

Robert Maycock, cooper, £8 15s 0d

Henry Moyce, carpenter, £12 10s 0d

John Bland, master mason, salary, £17 10s 0d

John Bland, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d, total £24 6s 10.5d

Mark Hawkins, mason, salary, £12 10s 0d

Mark Hawkins, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d, total £19 6s 10.5d

John Loyell, armourer, salary, £10 10s 9.5d

Ely Leech, housekeeper, salary, £2 0s 0d

Carried over, £501 3s 1d

Interpretations

The house rent allowance paid at a flat £2 10s to almost every servant on the list, from factor to writer to surgeon, reveals a settlement without a stock of Company housing for its junior establishment. Rather than lodge its people the Company gave each a fixed money allowance to find his own accommodation among the island's dwellings, a uniform sum that took no account of rank and so operated as a standard supplement to salary rather than a true reimbursement of what each man paid.

The masons stand out as the best-paid tradesmen on the roll, John Bland and Mark Hawkins each drawing more with their diet money than any factor or surgeon. Their premium reflected the fortification programme that had run through the whole Dunbar government, where skilled masons to build the works in stone and mortar were the scarce commodity the survey of 1744 had singled out, the island having no regular supply of them, so that those it retained had to be paid well above the ordinary run of servants to keep them.

389

382

Brought Over£ 501 3 4

First Company. Vizt

John Clark first Lieut Salary 10 " "

Do Diet Money 6 16 104

Do on Accot of Instructing the Gunrs 7 10 24 6 104

John Dunbar second Lieut Salary 7 10

Do Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 16 16 104

William Hayes Adjutant Salary 10 " "

Diet Money 7 1 3 17 1 3

58 5 "

Sergeants

Henry Beale 6 14 6

Onesiphorus Beale 6 14 6

Bartholomew Molloy 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

John Collins 4 7 9

Solomon Jacob 4 7 9

Daniel Langton 4 7 9

13 3 3

Thomas Watts Junr Drummer " " " 4 7 9

Centinels

William Amor 3 8 3

George Bennitt 3 8 3

John Berry 3 8 3

Ambrose Bland 3 8 3

John Brown 3 8 3

Daniel Council 3 8 3

William Campbell 3 8 3

Matthew Campbell 3 8 3

Robert Currey 3 8 3

Samuel Cox 3 8 3

Carried Over£ 34 2 6 597 2 10

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £501 3s 1d

First company

John Clark, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

John Clark, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John Clark, on account of instructing the gunners, £7 10s 0d, total £24 6s 10.5d

John Dunbar, second lieutenant, salary, £7 10s 0d

John Dunbar, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John Dunbar, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £16 16s 10.5d

William Hayes, adjutant, salary, £10 0s 0d

William Hayes, diet money, £7 1s 3d, total £17 1s 3d, total £58 5s 0d

Sergeants

Henry Beale, £6 14s 6d

Onesiphorus Beale, £6 14s 6d

Bartholomew Molloy, £6 14s 6d, total £20 3s 6d

Corporals

John Collins, £4 7s 9d

Solomon Jacob, £4 7s 9d

Daniel Langton, £4 7s 9d, total £13 3s 3d

Thomas Watts, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels

William Anwer, £3 8s 3d

George Bennett, £3 8s 3d

John Berry, £3 8s 3d

Ambrose Bland, £3 8s 3d

John Brown, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Council, £3 8s 3d

William Campbell, £3 8s 3d

Matthew Campbell, £3 8s 3d

Robert Currey, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Cox, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £34 2s 6d, total £597 2s 10d

Interpretations

Lieutenant Clark's pay carries the same disputed £7 10s for instructing the gunners that the council had examined and let stand under the previous administration. The charge had been challenged on the ground that he never actually taught any gunner to load or fire, yet it continued to be entered quarter after quarter, so the board's decision to keep paying it on security given until the Company ruled had hardened into a standing line of the establishment while the underlying question waited on London.

The uniform £3 8s 3d paid to every sentinel, against the graded rates above them, shows the flat base wage on which the whole garrison rested. A private soldier's pay admitted no distinction of merit or service, every man drawing exactly the same, while the steps up to corporal, sergeant and lieutenant each carried a fixed increment, the structure of military pay reduced to its plainest form on a small station where the ranks were few and the numbers in each easily counted.

390

383

Brought Over£ 34 2 6 597 2 10

John Clay 3 8 3

Edmund Dunfield 3 8 3

William Davis 3 8 3

William Ensor 3 8 3

Thomas Fox 3 8 3

Edward Gill 3 8 3

Robert Hayes 3 8 3

Partick Hamilton 3 8 3

Daniel Henchard 3 8 3

Thomas Hale 3 8 3

John Jane 3 8 3

Woolston Jones 3 8 3

Stephen Luffkin 3 8 3

William Lawson 3 8 3

Joseph Long 3 8 3

Alexander Lowdon 3 8 3

James Morison 3 8 3

Thos Manning 3 8 3

John Marsh 3 8 3

William Moran 3 8 3

John Murrell 3 8 3

William Price 3 8 3

James Richardson 3 8 3

James Rynard 3 8 3

John Spencer 3 8 3

John Kotcher 3 8 3

John Shaw 3 8 3

Matthew Smith 3 8 3

Peter Wells 3 8 3

Thomas Wathon 3 8 3

Thomas Wagg 3 8 3

William Young

143 6 6

Carried Over£

£ 740 9 4

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, first company sentinels continued

Brought over, £34 2s 6d, total £597 2s 10d

John Cley, £3 8s 3d

Edmund Dunfield, £3 8s 3d

William Davis, £3 8s 3d

William Ensor, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Fox, £3 8s 3d

Edward Gill, £3 8s 3d

Robert Hayes, £3 8s 3d

Patrick Hamilton, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Henchard, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Hales, £3 8s 3d

John Jane, £3 8s 3d

Woolston Jones, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Lufkin, £3 8s 3d

William Lawson, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Long, £3 8s 3d

Alexander Lowdon, £3 8s 3d

James Morrison, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Manning, £3 8s 3d

John Marsh, £3 8s 3d

William Moran, £3 8s 3d

John Murrell, £3 8s 3d

William Price, £3 8s 3d

James Richardson, £3 8s 3d

James Rynard, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Scotcher, £3 8s 3d

John Shaw, £3 8s 3d

Matthew Smith, £3 8s 3d

Peter Wells, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Watton, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Wagg, £3 8s 3d

William Young, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £143 6s 6d, total £740 9s 4d

This is a plain pay roll of sentinels at a uniform rate, carrying no decision, so no analysis is owed.

391

384

Brought Over£ 740 9 4

Second Company

Joseph Kendal, first Lieut Salary

£ 10

Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 19 6 104

Samuel Ashwick second Lt Salary 7 10

Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 16 16 104

36 3 9

Sergeants

Edward Hagley 6 14 6

John French 6 14 6

Robert Mason 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Gabriel Peac 4 7 9

Daniel Bush 4 7 9

Peter Small 4 7 9

13 3 3

Thomas London Drummer " " " 4 7 9

Centinels

Edward Allis 3 8 3

James Allis 3 8 3

Joseph Andrews 3 8 3

George Ayres 3 8 3

Peter Barker 3 8 3

Andrew Barton 3 8 3

Peter Bailey 3 8 3

John Burk 3 8 3

Anthony Castle 3 8 3

John Chapmeare 3 8 3

Carried over£ 31 2 6

Carried Over£ 814 7 7

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £740 9s 4d

Second company

Joseph Kendal, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Joseph Kendal, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Joseph Kendal, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £19 6s 10.5d

Samuel Ashwick, second lieutenant, salary, £7 10s 0d

Samuel Ashwick, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Samuel Ashwick, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £16 16s 10.5d, total £36 3s 9d

Sergeants

Edward Bagley, £6 14s 6d

John French, £6 14s 6d

Robert Mason, £6 14s 6d, total £20 3s 6d

Corporals

Gabriel Isaac, £4 7s 9d

Daniel Bush, £4 7s 9d

Peter Small, £4 7s 9d, total £13 3s 3d

Thomas London, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels

Edward Allis, £3 8s 3d

James Allis, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Andrews, £3 8s 3d

George Ayres, £3 8s 3d

Peter Barker, £3 8s 3d

Andrew Barton, £3 8s 3d

Peter Bailey, £3 8s 3d

John Burk, £3 8s 3d

Anthony Castle, £3 8s 3d

John Chapman, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £34 2s 6d, total £814 7s 7d

Lieutenant Ashwick, whose quarrel with Dixon in December set off the whole crisis, appears here drawing his ordinary second lieutenant's pay of £7 10s with diet money and house rent, the pay account taking no notice of the controversy that had run on to Dixon's suspension. The man whose sworn word against Dixon the Governor believed, and on which he confined a councillor, is entered as an ordinary officer at his fixed rate, the ledger recording rank and nothing of the events his complaint had set in motion.

392

385

Brought Over£ 814 7 7

Brought Over£ 34 2 6

Nicholas Bass 3 8 3

Thomas Crane to 26 March pd 1st day he died 3 2 34

Joseph Chamberlayne 3 8 3

William Doveton 3 8 3

John Doern 3 8 3

John Foster 3 8 3

John Fletcher 3 8 3

Nicholas Frost 3 8 3

John Gold 3 8 3

John Holloway 3 8 3

John Hays 3 8 3

James Inglish 3 8 3

Samuel Kitson 3 8 3

William Leaver 3 8 3

James Long 3 8 3

Joseph Lewit 3 8 3

Charles Legont 3 8 3

William Page 3 8 3

John Pate 4 8 3

William Pot 3 8 3

John Smith 3 8 3

Richard Smith 3 8 3

Thomas Streton 3 8 3

Thomas Taylor 3 8 3

Richard Twaik 3 8 3

Edward Walker 3 8 3

Stephen Willoughby 3 8 3

Adam Watson 3 8 3

William Twait 3 8 3

139 16 64

Carried Over£ 957 3 14

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, second company sentinels continued

Brought over, £814 7s 7d

Brought over, £34 2s 6d

Nicholas Rose, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Crane, to 26 March, part by the day he died, £3 2s 9.5d

Joseph Chamberlayne, £3 8s 3d

William Doveton, £3 8s 3d

John Doern, £3 8s 3d

John Foster, £3 8s 3d

John Fletcher, £3 8s 3d

Nicholas Frost, £3 8s 3d

John Gold, £3 8s 3d

John Holloway, £3 8s 3d

John Hays, £3 8s 3d

James Inglish, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Kitson, £3 8s 3d

William Leaver, £3 8s 3d

James Long, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Lovett, £3 8s 3d

Charles Legent, £3 8s 3d

William Page, £3 8s 3d

John Bates, £4 8s 3d

William Lot, £3 8s 3d

John Smith, £3 8s 3d

Richard Smith, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Preston, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Richard Twaits, £3 8s 3d

Edward Walker, £3 8s 3d

Stephen Willoughby, £3 8s 3d

Adam Watson, £3 8s 3d

William Twaits, £3 8s 3d, total £139 15s 6.5d

Carried over, £957 3s 1.5d

Interpretations

The sentinel Thomas Crane appears with broken pay to 26 March, the day he died, the same funeral for which the gunner's account of this month charged its powder. The two records meet on the one man: the pay roll reckons his wage to the day his service ended, and the gunner's stores enter the powder spent burying him, so a single death is caught twice in the same quarter's books from the two different sides of the Company's reckoning.

393

386

Brought Over£ 957 3 14

Third Company

Thomas Easthope, first Lieut Salry

£ 10 " "

Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 19 6 104

Sergeants

John Aldrick 6 14 6

Thomas Corker 6 14 6

William Dorrill 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

Andrew Blinman 4 7 9

Beau Ambrose 4 7 9

Matthias Brightwell 4 7 9

13 3 3

Benjamin Twait Drummer 4 7 9

Centinels

William Adams 3 8 3

William Allis 3 8 3

Henry Barber 3 8 3

Peter Bath 3 8 3

William Barrett 3 8 3

William Beckett 3 8 3

William Bonford 3 8 3

William Brown 3 8 3

Benjamin Chaplin 3 8 3

William Dye 3 8 3

John Earle 3 8 3

Isaac Evans to 21 Feby pd Sick 1st day he died 1 18 104

John Ford 3 8 3

Carried Over£ 42 17 104

Carried Over£ 1004 4 6

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £957 3s 1.5d

Third company

Thomas Easthope, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

Thomas Easthope, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Thomas Easthope, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £19 6s 10.5d

Sergeants

John Aldrick, £6 14s 6d

Thomas Cosker, £6 14s 6d

William Dowitt, £6 14s 6d, total £20 3s 6d

Corporals

Andrew Blinman, £4 7s 9d

Beau Ambrose, £4 7s 9d

Matthias Brightwell, £4 7s 9d, total £13 3s 3d

Benjamin Twaits, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels

William Adams, £3 8s 3d

William Allis, £3 8s 3d

Henry Barber, £3 8s 3d

Peter Bath, £3 8s 3d

William Barrett, £3 8s 3d

William Beckett, £3 8s 3d

William Bonford, £3 8s 3d

William Brown, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Chaplin, £3 8s 3d

William Dye, £3 8s 3d

John Earle, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Evans, to 21 February, part by the day he died, £1 18s 10.5d

John Ford, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £42 19s 10.5d, total £1,004 4s 6d

The sentinel Isaac Evans carries broken pay to 21 February, the day he died, the same soldier whose funeral drew the powder charged in the gunner's account for February. His death is fixed here to the day by the reckoning of his wage, just as Thomas Crane's was in the company before, the pay roll and the gunner's stores again recording one man's end from the two sides of the Company's books.

394

387

Brought Over£ 1004 4 64

Brought Over£

Thomas Fuller 3 8 3

Peter Higgins 3 8 3

Thomas Hedges 3 8 3

Isaac Hudson 3 8 3

Joseph Hunt 3 8 3

William Jackson 3 8 3

Evan Jones 3 8 3

Thomas Kendrick 3 8 3

Richard Knight 3 8 3

Thomas Lawrence 3 8 3

Abraham Major 3 8 3

James Mazure 3 8 3

Charles Mountague 3 8 3

James Mills 3 8 3

James McLane 3 8 3

Thomas Oxeer 3 8 3

Thomas Bam 3 8 3

John Spencer 3 8 3

John Simkison 3 8 3

Joseph Thomas 3 8 3

John Upton 3 8 3

John Langton 3 8 3

Benjamin Williams 3 8 3

John Wills 3 8 3

John Woodwise 3 8 3

Jeremiah Wyril 3 8 3

Joseph Woodman 3 8 3

135 " 74

Carried Over£ 1139 5 14

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, third company sentinels continued

Brought over, £1,004 4s 6d

Brought over, £42 19s 10.5d

Thomas Fuller, £3 8s 3d

Peter Higgins, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Hedges, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hudson, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Hunt, £3 8s 3d

William Jackson, £3 8s 3d

Evan Jones, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Kendrick, £3 8s 3d

Richard Knight, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Lawrence, £3 8s 3d

Abraham Major, £3 8s 3d

James Mazure, £3 8s 3d

Charles Mountague, £3 8s 3d

James Mills, £3 8s 3d

James McLane, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Oliver, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Pain, £3 8s 3d

John Spencer, £3 8s 3d

John Simkson, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Thomas, £3 8s 3d

John Upton, £3 8s 3d

John Langton, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

John Wills, £3 8s 3d

John Woodwise, £3 8s 3d

Jeremiah Wybil, £3 8s 3d

Joseph Woodman, £3 8s 3d, total £135 0s 7.5d

Carried over, £1,139 5s 1.5d

395

388

Brought£ 1139 5 14

Fourth Company

Joh Barton first Lieut Salary £ 10 " "

Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 19 6 104

Thomas Kirkpatrick 2d Lt Salary £ 7 10

Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 16 16 104

36 3 9

Sergeants

Joseph Leighton 6 14 6

William Oakman 6 14 6

David Wilson 6 14 6

20 3 6

Corporals

William Moor 4 7 9

James Lee 4 7 9

John Bardin 4 7 9

13 3 3

William Oames Drummer " " " 4 7 9

Centinels

Thomas Borrer 3 8 3

John Burgoin Alias Wigsanbullet 3 8 3

John Cheesman 3 8 3

Edward Cullimore 3 8 3

Peter Coakley 3 8 3

Wilter Cox 3 8 3

Philip Catchpole 3 8 3

Edward Cocker 3 8 3

Thomas Draper 3 8 3

John Ellis 3 8 3

Samuel Eals 3 8 3

George Exton 3 8 3

Carried Over£ 40 19 "

Carried Over£ 1213 3 4

Yes, it was. It should have carried the heading.

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £1,139 5s 1.5d

Fourth company

John Barton, first lieutenant, salary, £10 0s 0d

John Barton, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

John Barton, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £19 6s 10.5d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, second lieutenant, salary, £7 10s 0d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, diet money, £6 16s 10.5d

Thomas Kirkpatrick, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £16 16s 10.5d, total £36 3s 9d

Sergeants

Joseph Leighton, £6 14s 6d

William Oakman, £6 14s 6d

David Wilson, £6 14s 6d, total £20 3s 6d

Corporals

William Moor, £4 7s 9d

James Lee, £4 7s 9d

John Bardin, £4 7s 9d, total £13 3s 3d

William Comer, drummer, £4 7s 9d

Sentinels

Thomas Borrer, £3 8s 3d

John Burgoin, alias Wigwam basket, £3 8s 3d

John Chessman, £3 8s 3d

Edward Cullimore, £3 8s 3d

Peter Coakley, £3 8s 3d

Walter Cox, £3 8s 3d

Philip Catchpole, £3 8s 3d

Edward Cocker, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Draper, £3 8s 3d

John Ellis, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Falls, £3 8s 3d

George Exton, £3 8s 3d

Carried over, £40 19s 0d, total £1,213 3s 4.5d

Interpretations

The sentinel John Burgoin carries the byname Wigwam basket, entered on the roll as a formal alias beside his name. The clerk set the nickname down as part of the official record, the settlement small enough that a man was known and paid under the name the garrison used for him, the same soldier carried under that byname through the earlier pay accounts of the run.

396

389

Brought Over£ 1213 3 14

Brought Over£ 40 19 "

William Gann 3 8 3

Jonathan Grebee 3 8 3

James Hall 3 8 3

John Waley 3 8 3

James Kendrick 3 8 3

William Hendry 3 8 3

William Kent 3 8 3

John Mamakey 3 8 3

George Master 3 8 3

William Murphy 3 8 3

Moses Menaite 3 8 3

Richard Mason 3 8 3

Duncan McLawson 3 8 3

James Peploe 3 8 3

Edward Richards 3 8 3

Thomas Robinson 3 8 3

David Robinson 3 8 3

Arnold Lefievre 3 8 3

Daniel Serjeant 3 8 3

Robert Pack 4 8 3

Edward Parks 3 8 3

Solomon Sanders 3 8 3

John Taylor 3 8 3

Peter Merenbergh 3 8 3

James Vaughn 3 8 3

Benjamin Williams 3 8 3

William Wellman 3 8 3

John Walker 3 8 3

136 10 "

Artillery Company

John French Master Gunner Salry 13 8 9

Diet Money 6 16 104

House Rent 2 10 22 15 74

Carried Over£

Carried Over£ 1372 9

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, fourth company sentinels continued

Brought over, £1,213 3s 4.5d

Brought over, £40 19s 0d

William Gann, £3 8s 3d

Jonathan Ovsbee, £3 8s 3d

James Hall, £3 8s 3d

John Whaley, £3 8s 3d

James Hendrick, £3 8s 3d

William Hendry, £3 8s 3d

William Kent, £3 8s 3d

John Mannakey, £3 8s 3d

George Masters, £3 8s 3d

William Murphy, £3 8s 3d

Moses Menaite, £3 8s 3d

Richard Mason, £3 8s 3d

Duncan McLawson, £3 8s 3d

James Peploe, £3 8s 3d

Edward Richards, £3 8s 3d

Thomas Robinson, £3 8s 3d

David Robinson, £3 8s 3d

Arnold Lefevre, £3 8s 3d

Daniel Serjeant, £3 8s 3d

Robert Pack, £4 8s 3d

Edward Sparks, £3 8s 3d

Solomon Sanders, £3 8s 3d

John Taylor, £3 8s 3d

Peter Ubenbrough, £3 8s 3d

James Vaughan, £3 8s 3d

Benjamin Williams, £3 8s 3d

William Wellman, £3 8s 3d

John Walker, £3 8s 3d, total £136 10s 0d

Artillery company

John French, master gunner, salary, £13 8s 9d

John French, diet money, £6 10s 10.5d

John French, house rent, £2 10s 0d, total £22 15s 7.5d

Carried over, £1,372 9s 0d

397

390

Brought Over£ 1372 9 74

Gunners Mates

William Davis 4 17 6

Major Jackson 4 17 6

William Kennedy 4 17 6

Isaac Leech 4 17 6

Roger Vearnson 4 17 6

Nathan Sample 4 17 6

Thomas Watts 4 17 6

Thomas Willingham 4 17 6

39 " "

Quarter Gunners

John Artin Hall 4 7 9

Walter Bolton 4 7 9

John Butler 4 7 9

John Chuffell 4 7 9

Ely Leech 4 7 9

John Nottidge 4 7 9

James Critchard 4 7 9

William Turner 4 7 9

33 2 "

Matrosses

Edward Arnold

Joseph Bosswell 4 1 3

William Batenard 4 1 3

Edward Burford 4 1 3

John Brown 4 1 3

William Bull 4 1 3

Samuell Clark 4 1 3

Henry Carter 4 1 3

Anthony Day 4 1 3

Carried Over£ 36 11 3

Carried Over£ 1446 11 "

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, artillery company continued

Brought over, £1,372 9s 0d

Gunners' mates

William Davis, £4 17s 6d

Major Jackson, £4 17s 6d

William Kennedy, £4 17s 6d

Isaac Leech, £4 17s 6d

Roger Vearnson, £4 17s 6d

Nathan Sample, £4 17s 6d

Thomas Watts, £4 17s 6d

Thomas Willingham, £4 17s 6d, total £39 0s 0d

Quarter gunners

John Artingstall, £4 7s 9d

Walter Bolton, £4 7s 9d

John Butler, £4 7s 9d

John Chuffell, £4 7s 9d

Ely Leech, £4 7s 9d

John Nottidge, £4 7s 9d

James Critchard, £4 7s 9d

William Turner, £4 7s 9d, total £35 2s 0d

Matrosses

Edward Arnold, £4 1s 3d

Joseph Boswell, £4 1s 3d

William Batenard, £4 1s 3d

Edward Burford, £4 1s 3d

John Brown, £4 1s 3d

William Bull, £4 1s 3d

Samuel Clerk, £4 1s 3d

Henry Carter, £4 1s 3d

Anthony Day, £4 1s 3d

Carried over, £36 11s 3d, total £1,446 11s 0d

398

391

Brought Over£ 1446 11 74

Brought Over£ 36 11 3

William Winslow 4 1 3

Adam Milbourn 4 1 3

Patrick Murphy 4 1 3

Humphry Pugh 4 1 3

Thomas Pride 4 1 3

Lawrence Peterson 4 1 3

John Smith 4 1 3

James Vaughn 4 1 3

John Watkins 4 1 3

Thomas Wright 4 1 3

Philip Millard 4 1 3

81 5 "

Superanuated

Joseph Whaby Serjeant 3 8 3

William Burnham 3 8 3

Isaac Hugarson Quarter Gunner 3 8 3

George Lindey Drummer 3 8 3

Samuel Whip Centinel 3 8 3

Francis Funge Armour 6 " 74

23 1 104

£ 1550 17 104

List of the Company's officers and servants, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, matrosses continued

Brought over, £1,446 11s 0d

Brought over, £36 11s 3d

William Winslow, £4 1s 3d

Adam Milbourn, £4 1s 3d

Patrick Murphy, £4 1s 3d

Humphry Pugh, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Pride, £4 1s 3d

Lawrence Peterson, £4 1s 3d

John Smith, £4 1s 3d

James Vaughn, £4 1s 3d

John Watkins, £4 1s 3d

Thomas Wright, £4 1s 3d

Philip Hillard, £4 1s 3d, total £81 5s 0d

Superannuated

Joseph Whaley, sergeant, £3 8s 3d

William Burnham, £3 8s 3d

Isaac Hugarson, quarter gunner, £3 8s 3d

George Lindsey, drummer, £3 8s 3d

Samuel Knipe, sentinel, £3 8s 3d

Francis Funge, armourer, £6 0s 7.5d, total £23 1s 10.5d

Total, £1,550 17s 10.5d

Interpretations

The superannuated men close the roll at reduced rates that record the Company's practice of keeping worn-out servants on a small pension rather than discharging them destitute. A former sergeant, quarter gunner, drummer and armourer each drew a sentinel's £3 8s 3d in place of the higher pay their old ranks had carried, their working days behind them but their names still on the establishment, the settlement providing for its aged soldiers by carrying them at the lowest wage rather than turning them off.

399

392

Dr Chas Hutchinson

£ s d

1725

March 11 To Cash recd of Mr Dixon for three Mare Colts

bought by him at Auction for Mr Richard Goodwin 16 15 "

31 To Cash recd of Mr Samuel Falconer Surgeon in

Part of his Bond 6 " "

To Cash recd of David Willson for Ballance

of his Account for Provisions supplied to the

Market from the Plantations 7 10 94

To Cash recd for one Thousand and two Gallo

two Quarts and one Pint of Milk sold in the Quarter

Ending 31 March 1726 at one Shilling pr Gallon 50 2 74

To Cash recd for thirty Six pounds of Butter

Sold in the Quarter ending 31 March 1726

at one Shilling pr pound 1 16 "

To Cash recd from the Cash Chest 799 5 9

To Cash recd of Mr James Dubois Surgeons

Mate, for so much remaining in his hands out

of the seven pence pr Day paid by the Soldiers

that Were in the Hospital, between the first

of January 1725 and the thirty first Day of

March 1726 " 18 7

To Cash recd for nine thousand three hundred

and fifty Pounds weight of Yams delivered

the Officers and Soldiers in the Quarter

Commencing the first of January 1725

and ending the thirty first of March 1726

at three Shillings pr Hundred 14 " 6

To Cash recd for Island Leather 13 4 14

£ 1908 13 14

This is the debtor side of the paymaster Charles Hutchinson's cash account for the quarter, headed as owing by him and gathering the receipts brought in against the disbursements.

Debtor, Charles Hutchinson, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746

11 March, to cash received of Dixon for three mare colts bought by him at auction for Richard Goodwin, £16 15s 0d

3 March, to cash received of Samuel Falconer, surgeon, in part of his bond, £6 0s 0d

To cash received of David Wilson for balance of his account for provisions supplied to the market from the plantations, £7 10s 9.5d

To cash received for 1,002.5 gallons, two quarts and one pint of milk sold in the quarter ending 31 March 1746 at one shilling per gallon, £50 2s 7.5d

To cash received for 36 lb of butter sold in the quarter ending 31 March 1746 at one shilling per pound, £1 16s 0d

To cash received from the cash chest, £799 5s 9d

To cash received of James Du Bois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the sevenpence a day paid by the soldiers that were in the hospital between 1 January 1745 and 31 March 1746, £0 18s 7d

To cash received for 9,350 lb weight of yams delivered the officers and soldiers in the quarter commencing 1 January 1745 and ending 31 March 1746 at three shillings per hundred, £14 0s 6d

To cash received for island leather, £13 4s 1.5d

Total, £1,908 13s 4.5d

Interpretations

The milk and butter figures show the castle dairy run as a commercial concern whose takings flowed straight into the Company's cash. Over a thousand gallons of milk sold in the quarter at a shilling a gallon, entered to the penny alongside the sale of the plantation's provisions to the market, so that the paymaster accounted for the produce of the Company's cows in the same book as the wages of its garrison, the settlement's farming and its treasury being a single undivided operation.

The sevenpence a day stopped from the soldiers in hospital reveals the men paying toward their own keep while sick. The surgeon's mate held the money collected from the hospitalised soldiers and paid over the unspent balance, so the medical service ran partly on a levy from the patients themselves rather than wholly on the Company's charge, the sick soldier contributing to the cost of his own care out of his subsistence.

400

393

Paymaster

Cr £ s d

1726

Jany 7 5 By Cash Paid Corporal Andrew Blinman and

William Adams five pound five Shillings each

for Listing to serve the Honble Company as Soldiers

for five years to Commence this day 10 10 "

By Cash Paid Corporals Daniel Bush, John

Spencer Junr, Peter Wells, John Holloway, Peter

Barker, Richard Knight, William Brown,

Thomas Fuller William Barrett, Phillip

Catchpole John Mamikoy Joseph Bosswell, and

Samuel Clark five Pound five Shillings each

for Listing to serve the Honble Company as

Soldiers for five Years to Commence the tenth day

of May 1726 68 5 "

10 By Cash paid Corporal Beau Ambrose for Listing

to serve the Honble Company as a Soldier for five year

to Commence this Day 5 5 "

16 By Cash paid William Price, and Jeremiah

Wyril five Pound five Shillings each for Listing

to serve the Honble Companys as Soldiers for five

Years to Commence this Day 10 10 "

Feby 7 4 5 By Cash Paid David Willson for Nine Gallons

and one Quart of Train Oyle for the use of the

Garrison, if they being none in the Stores at three

Shillings and Eight pence pr Gallon 1 13 11

By Cash Paid the following Persons for work

done by them at the Fortifications in the Quarter

ending the 31 March 1726 Vizt

By Cash paid Bartholomew Molloy for 63 Days

Work in Laying Platforms and for Cutting Stones

for thresholds under them and for Coins of the

Embrasures at three Shillings pr Day 9 9 "

Carried Over£ 105 12 11

This is the creditor side of the paymaster's cash account, the disbursements paid out against the receipts on the facing page.

Creditor, paymaster's cash account, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746

9 January, by cash paid Corporal Andrew Blinman and William Adams five pounds five shillings each for enlisting to serve the Honourable Company as soldiers for five years to commence this day, £10 10s 0d

By cash paid Corporal Daniel Bush, John Spencer junior, Peter Wells, John Holloway, Peter Barker, Richard Knight, William Brown, Thomas Fuller, William Barrett, Philip Catchpole, John Mannikoy, Joseph Boswell and Samuel Clark five pounds five shillings each for enlisting to serve the Honourable Company as soldiers for five years to commence 10 May 1746, £68 5s 0d

10 January, by cash paid Corporal Beau Ambrose for enlisting to serve the Honourable Company as a soldier for five years to commence this day, £5 5s 0d

16 January, by cash paid William Price and Jeremiah Wybil five pounds five shillings each for enlisting to serve the Honourable Company as soldiers for five years to commence this day, £10 10s 0d

29 February, by cash paid David Wilson for nine gallons and one quart of train oil for the use of the garrison, there being none in the stores, at three shillings and eight pence per gallon, £1 13s 11d

By cash paid the following persons for work done by them at the fortifications in the quarter ending 31 March 1746

By cash paid Bartholomew Molloy for 63 days work in laying platforms and for cutting stones for the merlons under them and for coins of the embrasures at three shillings per day, £9 9s 0d

Carried over, £105 12s 11d

Interpretations

The disbursements record the five-guinea bounties paid out man by man to complete the graduated re-enlistment of the garrison the Governor had driven through the winter. Each soldier drew exactly five pounds five shillings for engaging five years, and the entry distinguishes those whose new term began at once from the larger batch whose service was to commence on 10 May, so the paymaster's book fixes to the day the terms of the contracts of 8 and 9 January and the Governor's own advance of the bounty money out of his pocket.

The train oil bought from David Wilson because none remained in the stores shows the settlement falling back on private purchase when its warehouse ran dry. Train oil, rendered from whale or fish blubber and burned in the garrison's lamps, had to be had from a planter's own stock at a set price a gallon rather than issued from store, one more instance of the island's supply from England failing and the Company buying on the spot to fill the gap.

Speculations

The batch of thirteen men enlisted on the same day were paid their full five-guinea bounty at once, yet their five years were set to commence only on 10 May rather than the day of payment. The obvious course was to date the term from the day the money changed hands, as was done for Blinman, Adams and Ambrose whose service began at once. The gap marks men whose existing engagements still had time to run to early May, so the Company paid the bounty in January to secure them against a rival claim on their service while deferring the new term to the day their old one expired, buying the men now against a shortage of hands it feared but not wasting the overlap by starting the fresh five years before the old time was served out.

401

394

Dr Chas Hutchinson

Brought Over£ 1908 13 44

Carried over£ 1908 13 44

Debtor, Charles Hutchinson

Brought over, £1,908 13s 4.5d

Carried over, £1,908 13s 4.5d

The debtor side of the paymaster's account carries its total forward unchanged across the leaf, the body of the page struck through with a single diagonal line to void the empty space, so that no entry could be added between the sum brought over and the same sum carried on.

402

395

Paymaster

Cr s d

Brought Over£ 105 12 11

By Cash Paid Edw Cullimore for 74 Days Work done Sett pr day

£ s d

Matthew Campbell 84 3 " 11 "

Peter Bugley 72 3 " 12 "

John Ellis 62 3 " 4 "

James Vaughn 74 3 14 "

Edw Cocker 72 3 " 12 "

Edw Arnold 604 3 " " 6

Thos Fox 724 3 " 12 6

Willm Gann 664 3 6 6

Steph Willonghby 124 " 12 9

James Maclean 574 2 " 17 3

Abra Major 84 " 8 9

Thos Taylor 124 " 12 3

Willm Campbell 34 3 " 9

Willm Hendry 694 3 " 9 3

Pat Hamilton 234 1 3 9

Danl Henchard 44 " 11 9

Isaac Evans 94 1 " 4 "

Willm Barrett 69 3 " 9 "

Peter Higgins 6 " 6 "

Dan MacLwronsh 2 " 16 "

Sam Kitson 1 " 1 "

Phill Catchpole 104 " 13 6

Joseph Hunt 6 6 "

John Mamikey 12 12 "

Edw Murphy 4 " " 6

Thomas Oliver 2 2 "

Robt Hayes 14 1 " 6

Peter Wells 11 11 "

John Marsh 5 5 "

Carried Over£ 52 " "

Carried over£ 105 12 11

This continues the creditor side of the paymaster's account, the fortification labour paid to individual soldiers by the day.

Creditor, paymaster's cash account, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £105 12s 11d

By cash paid Edward Cullimore for 74 days work at one shilling per day, £3 14s 0d

Matthew Campbell, 71 days, £3 11s 0d

Peter Bagley, 72 days, £3 12s 0d

John Ellis, 62 days, £3 2s 0d

James Vaughn, 74 days, £3 14s 0d

Edward Cocker, 72 days, £3 12s 0d

Edward Arnold, 60.5 days, £3 0s 6d

Thomas Fox, 72.5 days, £3 12s 6d

William Gann, 66.5 days, £3 6s 6d

Stephen Willoughby, 12.75 days, £0 12s 9d

James Maclean, 57.25 days, £2 17s 3d

Abraham Major, 8.75 days, £0 8s 9d

Thomas Taylor, 12.25 days, £0 12s 3d

William Campbell, 3.75 days, £0 3s 9d

William Hendry, 69.25 days, £3 9s 3d

Patrick Hamilton, 23.75 days, £1 3s 9d

Daniel Henchard, 11.75 days, £0 11s 9d

Isaac Evans, 24 days, £1 4s 0d

William Barrett, 69 days, £3 9s 0d

Peter Higgins, 6 days, £0 6s 0d

Duncan McLawson, 56 days, £2 16s 0d

Samuel Kitson, 1 day, £0 1s 0d

Philip Catchpole, 13.5 days, £0 13s 6d

Joseph Hunt, 6 days, £0 6s 0d

John Mannikey, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

Edward Murphy, 0.5 day, £0 0s 6d

Thomas Oliver, 2 days, £0 2s 0d

Robert Hayes, 1.5 days, £0 1s 6d

Peter Wells, 11 days, £0 11s 0d

John Marsh, 5 days, £0 5s 0d

Carried over, £52 0s 0d, total £105 12s 11d

Interpretations

The soldiers were paid a shilling a day on top of their standing wage for labouring on the fortifications, the work reckoned to the quarter-day against each man's name. The garrison thus served as the Company's building force, the same men who stood sentry at £3 8s 3d a quarter earning extra as their turns on the works allowed, so the settlement raised its defences chiefly from its own soldiers hired by the day rather than from a separate body of paid labourers.

The spread of days worked, from a single day to more than seventy in the quarter, shows the labour taken as each man could be spared from duty rather than by any fixed rotation. Guard mounting, sickness and the ordinary business of the companies left some soldiers free for weeks and others for barely a day, so the fortification work went forward in the uneven hours the garrison's first duty left over, a slow way to build that matched the perpetual shortage of lime that governed the pace of the whole programme.

403

396

Dr Chas Hutchinson

Brought Over£ 1908 13 44

Carried over£ 1908 13 44

Debtor, Charles Hutchinson

Brought over, £1,908 13s 4.5d

Carried over, £1,908 13s 4.5d

The debtor total carries forward unchanged across the leaf, the body of the page struck through with a single diagonal line to void the empty space so that no entry could be inserted between the sum brought over and the same sum carried on.

404

397

Paymaster

Cr £ s d

Brought Over£ 105 12 11

Brought Over£ 52 " "

By Cash pd Adam Milbourne 12 days Work " 12 "

John Smith 12 " 12 "

John Taylor 9 " 9 "

John Uphton 12 " 12 "

Moses Menaite 12 " 12 "

Jos Chamberlin 7 " " 6

David Dove 91 3 " 11 "

58 8 6

By Cash pd Thos Hail for Gardening & Pruning

Gumwood Trees 2 10 "

By Cash pd Willm Mason for making a bark winding Cask

and a Chizel 1 12 "

By Cash pd Onesiphorus Beale twenty one days Allowance

for Overseing the Men that Were at Work in the Glacis 2 12 6

By Cash pd Thomas Pride for making twelve Baggs for Lime " 3 "

By Cash pd Charles Legont Corpo for twenty two Days

Work at Eighteen pence pr Day 5 13 6

By Cash pd Henry Barber for making and Mending

Shoes for the Honble Companys Blacks " 10 44

By Cash pd Samuel Eals for fifteen Days Work in

Glazing Windows and Painting them and Gun

Carriages 1 10 "

By Cash pd John Orting Sall for Going sixteen Voyages

in the Long Boat to Sandy Bay for Lime for the

Fortifications in the Quarter ending 31 March 1726 8 " "

By Cash pd the following Corers for being in the Long Boat

Wm Orting Sall to the Sandy Bay for Lime Vizt

By Cash pd Wm Pugh 74 at 8d each £ 3 " 12 "

Willm Oames 40 2 " "

Maj Jackson 8 " 8 "

6 " "

Carried Over£ 192 14 94

This continues the creditor side of the paymaster's account, the fortification labour and works paid by the day.

Creditor, paymaster's cash account, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £105 12s 11d

Brought over, £52 0s 0d

By cash paid Adam Milbourn, 12 days work, £0 12s 0d

John Smith, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

John Taylor, 9 days, £0 9s 0d

John Fletcher, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

Moses Menaite, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

Joseph Chamberlin, 7 days, £0 7s 6d

David Dove, 71 days, £3 11s 0d, total £58 8s 6d

By cash paid Thomas Wall for gardening and pruning gumwood trees, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid William Mason for making a bar and winding cask and a chisel, £1 12s 0d

By cash paid Onesiphorus Beale twenty one days allowance for overseeing the men that were at work on the glacis, £2 12s 6d

By cash paid Thomas Pride for making twelve baggs for lime, £0 3s 0d

By cash paid Charles Legent, joyner, for twenty one days work at eighteen pence per day, £5 13s 6d

By cash paid Henry Barber for making and mending shoes for the Honourable Company's blacks, £0 10s 1.5d

By cash paid Samuel Day for fifteen days work in glazing windows and painting them and gun carriages, £1 10s 0d

By cash paid John Artingstall for going sixteen voyages in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime for the fortifications in the quarter ending 31 March 1746, £8 0s 0d

By cash paid the following coolies for going in the long boat with Artingstall to Sandy Bay for lime, viz

William Pugh, 72 days at 1s each, £3 12s 0d

William Innes, 40 days, £2 0s 0d

Major Jackson, 8 days, £0 8s 0d, total £6 0s 0d

Carried over, £192 14s 9.5d

Interpretations

The lime for the fortifications came round by sea from Sandy Bay in the long boat, sixteen voyages in the quarter, with Artingstall paid a lump sum for the trips and his coolie crew paid by the day. The whole building programme rested on this shuttle, since the works could rise no faster than the lime reached them, which is why the boatman's service was worth restoring to a fixed salary and why the ceiling-lime dispute upstairs could paralyse the council: every bushel that went to a private room was a bushel off the fortifications the boat laboured all quarter to supply.

The range of piece and day rates gathered here shows how a small settlement bought in every skill it briefly needed rather than keeping a tradesman on the establishment for each. A joiner at eighteen pence a day, a shoemaker mending the slaves' shoes by the piece, a glazier painting windows and gun carriages, a man making lime bags at a farthing or two apiece: each was hired for the particular job and paid off, the Company drawing on whatever hands the garrison and the inhabitants could supply for work its standing servants could not cover.

405

398

Dr Chas Hutchinson

Brought Over£ 1908 13 44

1726 March 31st £ 1908 13 44

Error Excepted

Signd Chas Hutchinson Paymaster

Debtor, Charles Hutchinson

Brought over, £1,908 13s 4.5d

31 March 1746, £1,908 13s 4.5d

The debtor side closed and balanced against its total, the empty body of the page struck through with a diagonal line, subscribed errors excepted and signed by Charles Hutchinson as paymaster.

406

399

Paymaster

Cr £ s d

Brought Over£ 192 14 94

By Cash pd Michael Frost for Cleaning & mending a block

and for the odd Jobbs " 12 "

By Cash pd John Watkins for Ploughing one hundred & six

days at Middsize Point in the last Quarter at this at fifteen

Pence pr day 6 12 6

By Cash pd the Govr Overseers for two thousand Lemons for the

Use of the Ships at two Shillings pr hundred which should

have been charged the last Quarter but the Treasurer forgot 2 " "

By Cash pd Mr John Doveton for three thousand two hundred

Lemons for the Use of St Ships this Quarter at two Shill pr hund 3 4 "

By Cash paid the Honble Companys Officers and

Servants their Salarys for the Quarter commencing

January 1 1725 and ending March 31 1726 amounting

as pr the pay Account, to 1550 17 104

By Cash paid the Govr as pd by Him for Listing

Men as pr Consultation of 14 Jany 1725 112 4 "

£ 1868 8 24

Ballce paid in to the Honble Companys Cash 40 5 24

£ 1908 13 44

The Storekeeper brought in his

Collections for the Months of January, February, and March last,

which were Examined, and Approved, and are as follows, Vizt

Collection

This closes the creditor side of the paymaster's account and balances it against the debtor total.

Creditor, paymaster's cash account, quarter 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £192 14s 9.5d

By cash paid Michael Frost for cleaning and mending a block and for the odd jobs, £0 12s 0d

By cash paid John Watkins for ploughing one hundred and fourteen days at Middle House Point in the last quarter and this at fifteen pence per day, £6 12s 6d

By cash paid the husband for one thousand and one gallons for the use of the table at two shillings per hundred, which should have been charged the last quarter but this, £2 0s 0d

By cash paid David Wilson for three thousand two hundred lemons for the use of St Helena this quarter at four shillings per thousand, £3 1s 0d

By cash paid the Honourable Company's officers and servants their salaries for the quarter commencing 1 January 1745 and ending 31 March 1746, amounting as per the pay account to, £1,550 17s 10.5d

By cash paid the Governor for so much paid by him for enlisting men as per consultation of 14 January 1745, £112 7s 0d

Total, £1,868 8s 2.5d

Balance paid into the Honourable Company's cash, £40 5s 2.5d

Total, £1,908 13s 4.5d

The storekeeper brought in his collection of goods sold and delivered for the months of January, February and March, which were examined and approved.

Interpretations

The account balances the whole quarter's cash on the paymaster's own hands, the disbursements led by the £1,550 17s 10.5d of salaries carried over from the pay roll, and closes with a small balance of £40 5s 2.5d paid into the Company's cash. The single line for the Governor's £112 7s repaid the money Dunbar had advanced from his own pocket to enlist men under the January contracts, so the treasury made good the bounties the Governor had laid out ahead of it, the re-enlistment financed in the first instance by the Governor and only afterwards charged to the Company.

The lemons bought by the thousand for the use of St Helena record the island's standing defence against scurvy. Fresh citrus was the one sure preventive against the disease that killed on long voyages, and St Helena's value as a refreshment station lay largely in supplying it, so the Company bought lemons in bulk from a planter's crop for the garrison and the calling ships, a cheap purchase of great consequence to every crew that touched at the island.

407

400

Collection of Goods Sold and Delivered out of the

Honble Companys Stores from the 1st January to the 31 March

1726 Vizt

Sold to the Companys Servants at 10 pr Cent

Arrack 1284 Gallons

£ 32 3 9

Brandy 1 Gallon

" 3 "

Candys 8

" 3 8

Flour 32 lb

3 5 9

Soap 1274

3 5 64

Oyl Vizt

1 Pint Linseed 74

1 Quart Train 14

6 Bottles Frence 18 6

1 " 74

Salt 1734 Bushells

2 18 5

Hooks and Lines Vizt

7 gro 4 doz 11 Hooks sorted 6 9 2

5525 Blue Hooks 14 5

5 Doz 2 Lines sorted 1 10

10 Hambro Lines 8 4

2 Deepsea Lines 9 7

9 8 2

Paint Vizt

2474 lb Blue Smalts 2 5 84

6 Barrels Blacking 3 4

2 8 84

Shalloon 19 Yards sorted

1 15 7

Carried Over£ 56 14 74

Collection of goods sold and delivered out of the Honourable Company's stores from 1 January to 31 March 1746

Sold to the Company's servants at ten per cent

Arrack, 128.75 gallons, £32 3s 9d

Brandy, 1 gallon, £0 0s 5d

Candy, 8 lb, £0 3s 8d

Flour, 32 lb, £0 3s 9d

Soap, 42.5 lb, £0 3s 5.5d

Oil, viz

1 pint linseed, £0 0s 7.5d

1 quart train, £0 0s 4d

6 bottles Florence, £0 18s 6d, total £1 0s 7.5d

Salt, 17.75 bushels, £2 18s 5d

Hooks and lines, viz

7 gross 11 hooks assorted, £6 9s 2d

5,325 blue hooks, £0 14s 5d

5 dozen 2 lines assorted, £1 10s 0d

10 Manila lines, £0 8s 4d

2 deep sea lines, £0 9s 7d, total £9 8s 2d

Paint, viz

24.75 lb blue smalt, £2 5s 4.5d

6 barrels blacking, £0 3s 4d, total £2 8s 8.5d

Shalloon, 19 yards assorted, £1 15s 7d

Carried over, £56 14s 7.5d

Interpretations

The whole collection was sold to the Company's own servants at ten per cent, a markup on the cost price by which the store served the establishment as a general shop while covering its handling and taking a modest profit. The servants bought their arrack, oil, salt and cloth from the warehouse at a fixed advance rather than from the open market, so the store both supplied and taxed the settlement's consumption in one operation, the ten per cent running quietly across every line.

Several of the goods explain the settlement's daily working life. Blue smalt was a ground cobalt-glass pigment giving a strong blue for painting; shalloon a light woollen twill used chiefly to line coats; the fish hooks and lines, run out in gross and by the thousand, supplied the boats that worked the island's own fishery, one of the few fresh foods the place could take from the sea without depending on the shipping or the planters' herds.

408

401

Brought Over£ 56 14 74

Broad Cloth Vizt

54 Yards Blue 13 10 "

64 Yards Brown 5 " 24

14 Yard Scarlet 1 10 11

20 1 14

Kersey Vizt

14 Yards Kersey " 2 24

28 34 Yards Long Ells 2 7 11

2 10 14

Tea 32 lb

2 11 54

Shirts Vizt

123 Cotton Shirts 28 3 9

6 Dimgree Do 12 6

28 16 3

Cuttleryware Vizt

56 Horse Combs 8 2

364 Buckles 19 6

1 7 8

Twine Vizt

110 Skains Twine 3 4 2

54 Shoe Thread 11 24

3 15 44

Flannel 6 Yards

7 3

Buckrams Vizt

23 Yards Osnabrigs 14 104

114 Yards Buckrams 9 10

1 4 84

Carried Over£ 117 8 7

Collection of goods sold to the Company's servants, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £56 14s 7.5d

Broadcloth, viz

5.5 yards blue, £13 10s 0d

6.5 yards brown, £5 0s 2.5d

1.5 yard scarlet, £1 10s 11d, total £20 1s 1.5d

Kersey, viz

1.5 yards kersey, £0 2s 2.5d

28.5 yards shag ell, £2 7s 11d, total £2 10s 1.5d

Sea, 32 lb, £2 11s 5.5d

Shirts, viz

123 cotton shirts, £28 3s 9d

6 dungaree ditto, £0 12s 6d, total £28 16s 3d

Cutlery ware, viz

36 horn combs, £0 8s 2d

36 buckles, £0 19s 6d, total £1 7s 8d

Twine, viz

110 seams twine, £3 4s 2d

5.5 shoe thread, £0 11s 2.5d, total £3 15s 4.5d

Flannel, 6 yards, £0 7s 3d

Buckrams, viz

23 yards osnaburg, £0 14s 10.5d

11.5 yards buckrams, £0 9s 10d, total £1 4s 8.5d

Carried over, £117 8s 7d

Interpretations

The cloth heads run from fine to coarse across a single supply, showing the whole social range the store clothed from one warehouse. Scarlet and blue broadcloth at ten shillings and more a yard dressed the officers and gentlemen, while osnaburg, dungaree and buckram at a few pence supplied the common soldiers and the slaves, so the same collection served the coat of a councillor and the shirt of a labourer, the price of each cloth marking the rank it covered.

Several fabrics named here would be unfamiliar today. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen for hard wear; shag a worsted with a long nap; shalloon and buckram stiffened linings for tailoring; osnaburg a rough flaxen cloth from Osnabrück used for the plainest working garments and for slaves' clothing. The 123 ready-made cotton shirts show the store stocking finished garments as well as the cloth to make them, sparing the buyer the labour of a tailor for the commonest item of dress.

409

402

Brought Over£ 117 8 7

Thread Vizt

10 Ozs Nuns sorted 11 8

74 Whited Brown 7 84

4 Blue 9 5

1 1 94

Lead Vizt

192 lb Sheet Lead 1 16 "

4 Small Shot " 9

1 16 9

Iron mongers ware Vizt

1 Chest Lock 4 "

8 Frying Pans 14 8

1 Iron Plate Box Lock 1 10

1 Rag Stone 14

3 Taylors Thimbles 4 "

1 Hammer 1 34

1 Packing Needle 2

1 Plaisterers Trowell 2 24

14 D Dovetail Hinges 11

1 Helve 8

1 Chaffing Dish 3 54

1 9 84

Glaziers ware Vizt

6 Pcs Glass by 8 2 "

4 Decanters 9 14

1 Tumbler 84

10 Beer Glasses 7 11

19 94

Carried Over£ 122 16 74

Collection of goods sold to the Company's servants, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £117 8s 7d

Thread, viz

10 lb nuns thread assorted, £0 11s 8d

0.5 lb whited brown, £0 9s 8.5d

1 lb blue, £0 2s 5d, total £1 1s 9.5d

Lead, viz

192 lb sheet lead, £1 16s 0d

0.5 lb small shot, £0 0s 9d, total £1 16s 9d

Ironmongery ware, viz

1 chest lock, £0 1s 0d

8 frying pans, £0 14s 8d

1 iron plate box lock, £0 1s 10d

1 rag stone, £0 1s 2d

3 taylors thimbles, £0 1s 0d

1 hammer, £0 1s 3.5d

1 packing needle, £0 0s 2d

1 plaisterers trowell, £0 2s 2.5d

14 dovetail hinges, £0 1s 1d

1 helve, £0 0s 8d

1 clasping dish, £0 3s 5.5d, total £1 9s 8.5d

Glaziers ware, viz

6 panes glass by 8, £0 2s 0d

4 decanters, £0 9s 1.5d

1 tumbler, £0 0s 8.5d

10 beer glasses, £0 7s 11d, total £0 19s 9.5d

Carried over, £122 16s 7.5d

Interpretations

The ironmongery reveals a store that had to answer any small want that arose on an island cut off from resupply for months at a stretch. A single chest lock, one packing needle, three tailors' thimbles, a plasterer's trowel: the warehouse held ones and twos of a great range of hardware rather than bulk stocks of a few lines, since a settlement with no shops and no near market had to keep on hand whatever tool or fitting a household or tradesman might suddenly need.

The decanters, tumbler and beer glasses among the goods sold show the officers and better servants keeping a table furnished in the English manner. Glass was fragile, costly to ship and impossible to make on the island, so its steady sale from the store reflected the effort of the settlement's gentry to maintain the domestic comforts of home at the far end of the Company's world, drinking their imported wine and beer from proper glass rather than from the plainer vessels the common men used.

410

403

Brought Over£ 122 16 74

Turners ware Vizt

22 Platters

20 Wood Bowls 14 8

1 Flaskett 13 4

31 Shoe Brushes 2 7

2 Hair Brooms 1 " 74

2 Straining Dishes 3 4

1 Scrubing Brush 7

1 Fror 1 6

1 Tray 2 9

9 Ladles 14

2 18 11

Haberdashery ware Vizt

2 pr Webbing 7

1974 Yards Gartering 1 12 11

3 Yards Galloon 104

8 Ps Broad Holland Tape 2 14

1 Skaine Silk 54

10 Ds Mohair 2 6

2 Doz Mohair Coat Buttons 1 3

14 doz Ds Breast 1 44

2 2 14

Canvas Vizt

6 Yards Sacking 3 9

104 Yard Russia Duck 15 2

74 Yard English Canvas 74

19 64

Pewter 5 Chamberpotts 17 1

Carried Over£ 129 14 34

Collection of goods sold to the Company's servants, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £122 16s 7.5d

Turnery ware, viz

22 platters, £0 14s 8d

90 wood bowls, £0 13s 4d

1 flasket, £0 2s 7d

31 shoe brushes, £0 7s 3.5d

2 hair brooms, £0 3s 4d

2 straining dishes, £0 0s 7d

1 scrubbing brush, £0 1s 6d

1 tray, £0 2s 9d

2 ladles, £0 0s 4.5d, total £2 18s 11d

Haberdashery ware, viz

2 lb webbing, £0 0s 7d

197.5 yards gartering, £1 12s 11d

3 yards galloon, £0 0s 10.5d

8 lb broad Holland tape, £2 1s 3d

1 skein silk, £0 0s 5.5d

10 lb mohair, £0 2s 6d

2 dozen mohair coat buttons, £0 1s 3d

1.5 dozen ditto breast, £0 1s 4.5d, total £2 2s 1.5d

Canvas, viz

5 yards packing, £0 3s 9d

40.5 yards Russia duck, £0 15s 2d

0.5 yard English canvas, £0 0s 7.5d, total £0 19s 6.5d

Pewter, 5 chamber pots, £0 17s 1d

Carried over, £129 14s 3.75d

Interpretations

The turnery and haberdashery reveal the store supplying the raw materials of domestic manufacture as much as finished goods. Gartering, galloon, tape, silk, mohair and coat and breast buttons were the trimmings a household needed to make and mend its own clothes, so the settlement's people bought the components of dress by the yard and dozen and made up the rest at home, the warehouse standing in for the mercer, the haberdasher and the button-maker of an English town all at once.

Russia duck was a strong bleached linen canvas from the Baltic, used for light sailcloth, working clothes and bedding; galloon a narrow braided trim for edging garments and furnishings. Their presence beside packing canvas and English canvas shows the store carrying several grades of cloth for uses that ran from a sailor's frock to the wrapping of goods, each named and priced apart so the buyer took exactly the weight and quality his purpose required.

411

404

Brought Over£ 129 14 34

Deesootees Vizt

6 Yds Double Deesootees 5 10

8 Yds Single Do 3 12 3

9 2 3

Hosiers ware Vizt

21 Prs Cotton Stockings 5 15 6

1 Pr Wove Do 3 9

5 19 3

Shoes Vizt

22 Prs Mens Ordinary 4 15 4

1 Pr Fine 5 4

5 " 8

Candles 34 lb 4 3 6

Nails Vizt

12 lb Three penny Nails 6 6

5 lb four penny Do 2 24

5 lb Six penny Do 2 1

10 94

Leather Ds 30 1 16 3

Corks 64 Gross 16 3

Blankets 1 6 9

Rozin 4 lb 64

Oars 4 18 feet 1 8

Allspice 4 49 Yards 4 14

Mussline 1 Pr 11 11

Ballamspoees 1 11 9

Carried Over£ 161 11 14

Collection of goods sold to the Company's servants, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £129 14s 3.75d

Doosetees, viz

6 yards double doosetees, £5 10s 0d

8 yards single ditto, £3 12s 3d, total £9 2s 3d

Hosiery ware, viz

21 pairs cotton stockings, £5 15s 6d

1 pair worsted ditto, £0 3s 9d, total £5 19s 3d

Shoes, viz

22 pairs men's ordinary, £4 15s 4d

1 pair fine, £0 5s 4d, total £5 0s 8d

Candles, 54 lb, £1 3s 6d

Nails, viz

12 lb three penny nails, £0 0s 6.6d

5 lb four penny ditto, £0 2s 2.5d

5 lb six penny ditto, £0 2s 1d, total £0 10s 9.25d

Leather, 30 lb, £1 16s 3d

Corks, 6.25 gross, £0 16s 3d

Blankets, 1, £0 6s 9d

Rozin, 4 lb, £0 0s 6.5d

Oars, 4, 18 feet, £1 0s 8d

Allepine, 49 yards, £1 14s 0d

Muslin, 1 yard, £0 11s 11d

Ballampoores, 1, £0 11s 9d

Carried over, £161 11s 11d

Interpretations

Several of the cloths named here came from the Indian trade and would be strange to a modern reader. Doosetees were plain cotton cloths from Bengal, sold single or double according to weight; allepine a mixed stuff of wool and silk or mohair used for garments; ballampoores painted or printed cotton bed hangings from the Coromandel coast, prized for their coloured designs. Their sale from the store shows the eastern textiles that passed through the island on the Company's ships finding buyers among its own people, the trade the settlement existed to serve also clothing and furnishing it.

The nails priced by the penny record an old naming that had nothing to do with their cost by this date. Threepenny, fourpenny and sixpenny named the size of the nail, not its price, the figure originally the cost per hundred centuries earlier but by now a fixed measure of length, so the clerk sold twelve pounds of a nail called threepenny for a charge that bore no relation to the name, the term surviving as a standard of size long after its price had changed.

412

405

Brought Over£ 161 11 14

Braziers ware Vizt

3 Copper Saucepans 1 4 7

1 Wash pan 12 2

2 Pr Large Candlesticks 1 10

1 Skimmer 3 "

3 " 7

Tin ware Vizt

2 Dripping pans 7 6

3 Pudding pans 5 "

6 Lanthorn Leaves 9

13 3

Pepper 4 lb 2 3

Deals 6 4 Inch Wainscoat boards 15 6

Gold Twist 4 oz 2 04

Wine in Bottles port 11 47 "

Beef and Pork Vizt

40 lb Beef and Pork a 24 10 12

234 lb Do 24 2 15 7

13 7 7

Rice Vizt

45 lb fine 8 3

4 " 1 4 Coarse 1 12 94

2 1 74

Totall Sold to the Garrison at 10 pr Cent£ 256 10 104

Collection of goods sold to the Company's servants, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £161 11s 11d

Braziers ware, viz

3 copper saucepans, £1 4s 7d

1 wash pan, £0 12s 2d

2 pairs large candlesticks, £1 1s 0d

1 skimmer, £0 3s 0d, total £3 0s 7d

Tin ware, viz

2 dripping pans, £0 7s 6d

3 pudding pans, £0 5s 0d

6 lanthorn leaves, £0 0s 9d, total £0 13s 3d

Pepper, 4 lb, £0 2s 3d

Deals, 6 quarter inch wainscot boards, £0 15s 6d

Gold twist, 4 oz, £0 2s 0.5d

Wine in bottles, port, £0 11s 11d

Beef and pork, viz

40 pieces beef and pork at 2s, £10 12s 0d

23 pieces ditto at 2s 3d, £2 15s 7d, total £13 7s 7d

Rice, viz

13 pieces fine, £0 8s 3d

4 hundredweight 1 quarter 14 lb coarse, £1 12s 9.5d, total £2 1s 0.5d

Total sold to the garrison at ten per cent, £256 10s 10.5d

Interpretations

The salt beef and pork sold in numbered pieces at a flat two shillings, or two and three, records the standing ration by which the garrison was fed when fresh meat fell short. The council had fixed the price of a piece of salt beef at a flat two shillings the previous autumn, holding the old charge of threepence-halfpenny a pound unreasonable when a piece weighed only four or five, so the round figure here is that settled ration price carried into the store's own book, the soldier buying his salt provision at the rate the board had ruled fair.

The whole collection closes at £256 10s 10.5d sold to the garrison at ten per cent, the same fixed advance that governed the servants' side. The store thus supplied the entire settlement, officers, servants and common soldiers alike, at a uniform markup on cost, running as the single source of nearly every manufactured good on an island that made almost nothing for itself and lay months from any other market.

413

406

Sold to the Planters at 20 pr Cent Vizt

Deesootees Vizt

13 Yds Double 13 10 10

4 Yds Single 2 1 8

15 12 6

Broad Cloth Vizt

14 Yard Brown 1 6 3

2474 Yards Coarse Blue 7 2 34

8 8 64

Shalloon 54 Yards Sorted 12 6

Flannel 194 Yards 1 9 3

Buckrams Vizt

24 Yards Buckrams 2 6

14 Yards Osnabrigs 10 6

13

Long Ells 27 Yards 2 11 9

Hosiers ware 2 pr Cotton Stockings 12 6

Shoes Vizt

1 Pr Mens Ordinary 4 11

7 Prs Boys Sorted 1 10 4

1 15 3

Silk Allejars 1 pr 11 9

Sold at 10 pr Cent

Cordage Vizt

214 lb Cordage 4 16 84

205 Do Twice laid 5 2 6

9 19 24

Carried Over£ 42 9 34

Collection of goods, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Sold to the planters at twenty-five per cent, viz

Doosetees, viz

13 yards double, £13 10s 10d

4 yards single, £2 1s 8d, total £15 12s 6d

Broadcloth, viz

1.5 yard brown, £1 6s 3d

21.5 yards coarse blue, £7 2s 3.5d, total £8 8s 6.5d

Shalloon, 5.5 yards assorted, £0 12s 6d

Flannel, 19.5 yards, £1 9s 3d

Buckrams, viz

2.5 yards buckrams, £0 2s 6d

14 yards osnaburgs, £0 10s 6d, total £0 13s 0d

Long ells, 27 yards, £2 11s 9d

Hosiery ware, 2 pairs cotton stockings, £0 12s 6d

Shoes, viz

1 pair men's ordinary, £0 4s 11d

7 pairs boys assorted, £1 10s 4d, total £1 15s 3d

Silk allejars, 1 piece, £0 11s 9d

Sold at ten per cent

Cordage, viz

211 lb cordage, £4 16s 8.5d

205 lb ditto twice laid, £5 2s 6d, total £9 19s 2.5d

Carried over, £42 9s 3.75d

Interpretations

The planters bought at twenty-five per cent where the Company's servants and the garrison paid ten, a plain distinction the store drew between those on the establishment and the free inhabitants. The servants' and soldiers' ten per cent was a supply to the Company's own people near cost, while the higher charge on the planters treated them as outside customers to be profited from, so the same warehouse operated two price lists at once according to whether the buyer served the Company or merely lived under it.

The cordage was sold to the planters at the lower ten per cent, breaking the twenty-five per cent rule that governed the rest of their purchases. Rope was working gear rather than domestic goods, needed for the boats and the fortification tackle the whole settlement depended on, so the store charged it at the servants' rate even to the inhabitants, treating an item essential to the island's common business more favourably than the cloth and clothing the planters bought for themselves. Twice-laid cordage was rope made from the reclaimed yarns of old worn rope, cheaper and weaker than new, sold here beside the full-priced sort for lighter uses.

414

407

Brought Over£ 42 9 34

Soap 6 lb 74

Candles 6 lb 4 3 1 5

Turners ware Vizt

6 Wood Bowls 4 2

3 Straining Dishes 1 14

1 Scrubing Brush 1 11

7 24

Pewter 6 Chamber potts 1 6

Hooks and Lines Vizt

7 Gross 2 doz Hooks sorted 2 6 64

274 Blue Hooks 1 14

8 Lines Sorted 5 "

5 Hambro Ds 5 10

2 18 64

Leather 6 lb 44

Twine Vizt

3 Skaines Twine 10 74

34 Shoe Thread 9 4

19 8

Tin ware Vizt

2 Dripping Pans 11 2

6 Lanthorne Leaves 11

1 Pudding Pan 2 1

14 2

Turpentine 4 lb 8 24

Lead 57 lb 4 Sheet 14 84

Carried Over£ 56 6 114

Collection of goods sold to the planters, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £84 9s 3.75d

Soap, 6 lb, £0 0s 7d

Candles, 34 lb, £0 3s 1.5d

Turnery ware, viz

6 wood bowls, £0 4s 2d

3 straining dishes, £0 1s 1.5d

1 scrubbing brush, £0 1s 11d, total £0 7s 2.5d

Pewter, 6 chamber pots, £1 6s 0d

Hooks and lines, viz

7 gross 2 dozen hooks assorted, £2 6s 6.5d

27 lb blue hooks, £0 1s 1.5d

8 lines assorted, £0 5s 0d

6 Manila ditto, £0 5s 10d, total £2 18s 6.5d

Leather, 13 lb, £3 4s 2d

Twine, viz

13 seams twine, £0 10s 7.5d

32 lb shoe thread, £0 9s 2d, total £0 19s 8d

Tin ware, viz

2 dripping pans, £0 11s 2d

6 lanthorn leaves, £0 0s 11d

1 pudding pan, £0 2s 1d, total £0 14s 2d

Turpentine, 13 lb, £0 8s 0.75d

Lead, 37 lb, sheet, £0 14s 3.25d

Carried over, £96 6s 11.5d

Interpretations

The hooks and lines sold to the planters in the same quantities as to the servants confirm the island fishery as a general resource rather than the Company's alone. Every household on the island fished the road and the coves for its own table, so the store ran out fish hooks by the gross and lines by the dozen to planter and servant alike, the sea supplying a fresh food that neither the herds nor the imported salt provision could match for cheapness or plenty.

The chamber pots, dripping pans, pudding pans and wooden bowls record the plainest furniture of a planter's kitchen and bedchamber, all bought from the one store. A household on the island could not turn to a local potter, pewterer or turner, so the ordinary vessels of cooking and daily life came from the warehouse alongside the imported cloth and hardware, the settlement's domestic economy resting on the same single supply as everything else.

415

408

Brought Over£ 56 6 114

Nails Vizt

25 lb Three penny Nails 16 8

25 lb Ten penny Do 11 74

41 lb Sixpenny Do 1 2 24

18 lb Thirty penny Do 7 6

38 lb four penny Do 1 2 2

3 19 64

China ware 6 Small Cups and Sancers 1

Glaziers ware Vizt

113 Pcs Glass 6 by 8 2 7 11

96 Do 8 by 10 3 8 "

5 15 11

Paint 44 lb Blue Smalt 1 9 2

Oars 8 18 feet 2 12 8

Deals Vizt

2 Spars 1 1 "

9 Double Deals 1 12 3

1 Large Baulk 10 11

4 Ps Riga Timber of 128 feet 9 1 4

12 5 6

Cutleryware Vizt

1 Pr Silver Buckles 9 4

2 Horn Combs 4

9 5

Canvas 12 Yards Sacking 12 "

Tea 8 lb 16 "

Carried Over£ 84 8 24

Collection of goods sold to the planters, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £56 10s 10.5d

Nails, viz

25 lb three penny nails, £0 16s 8d

25 lb ten penny ditto, £0 11s 7.5d

41 lb sixpenny ditto, £1 2s 2.5d

18 lb thirty penny ditto, £0 7s 6d

38 lb four penny ditto, £1 2s 2d, total £3 19s 6.25d

China ware, 6 small cups and saucers, £0 0s 1d

Glaziers ware, viz

113 panes glass 6 by 8, £2 7s 11d

96 ditto 8 by 10, £3 8s 0d, total £5 15s 11d

Paint, 11 lb blue smalt, £0 19s 2d

Oars, 8, 18 feet, £2 12s 8d

Deals, viz

9 spars, £1 1s 0d

9 double deals, £1 12s 3d

1 large baulk, £0 10s 11d

4 pieces Riga timber, 128 feet, £9 1s 4d, total £12 5s 6d

Cutlery ware, viz

1 pair silver buckles, £0 9s 1d

2 horn combs, £0 0s 4d, total £0 9s 5d

Canvas, 12 yards sacking, £0 12s 0d

Sea, 8 lb, £0 16s 0d

Carried over, £84 8s 2.5d

Interpretations

The building timber sold here shows the planters drawing their construction materials from the Company's store, since the island grew almost no wood fit for building. Riga timber came from the Baltic through England, deals were sawn softwood planks, a baulk a squared beam and spars round poles for light framing, so every stick a planter needed to raise or repair a house had crossed two oceans to reach him and could be had only from the warehouse, the treeless island depending wholly on imported wood.

The window glass in two standard sizes, six by eight and eight by ten inches, sold to the planters by the pane records the glazing of the island's houses from the store. Glass could not be made on the island and broke easily in the trade winds, so a planter reglazing his windows bought the panes ready cut to the common sashes, the warehouse holding the two sizes that fitted most of the settlement's frames.

416

409

Brought Over£ 84 8 24

Haberdashery ware Vizt

1 Pr Holland Tape 3 4

6 Yards Gartering 1 3

14 Doz Mohair Coat Buttons 1 34

1 Doz Ds Breast 14

2 Grea Mohair 8

6 Dozen Trebcoat Buttons 1 54

4 Doz Ds Breast 7

8 84

Thread Vizt

3 Ozs Nuns 4 3

4 Blue 1 7

4 Whited Brown 5 4

11 7

Blankets 2 17 2

Salt 4 Bushel 2 14

Flour 6 lb 1

Rice 4 lb 94

Iron mongers ware Vizt

5 Shod Shovels 11 3

1 Whip saw 1 11 84

1 Trowell 1 5

1 Maule 5 3

1 Hoe 2 6

1 Chaffing Dish 4 3

1 Helve 10

2 17 34

Coals 12 Bushells 16

Total Sold to the Planters at 20 pr Cent£ 90 2 84

Charges General Dr for the following Slaves paid for from the

January 1 to the 31 March 1726 Vizt

Iron mongers ware Vizt

9 Pr Dovetail Hinges for the Rums & Repairs 7 6

3 Stock Locks for a Gate on the Mount and

the two Doors leading up to the Slaves 18 14

Carried Over£ 1 5 74

Collection of goods sold to the planters, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £84 8s 2.5d

Haberdashery ware, viz

1 lb Holland tape, £0 3s 4d

6 yards gartering, £0 1s 3d

1.5 dozen mohair coat buttons, £0 1s 3.5d

1 dozen ditto breast, £0 1s 3.5d

2 lb mohair, £0 0s 4.5d

6 dozen tin coat buttons, £0 0s 8d

4 dozen ditto breast, £0 0s 7d, total £0 8s 3.5d

Thread, viz

2 oz nuns, £0 4s 3d

0.5 lb blue, £0 1s 7d

1 lb whited brown, £0 5s 4d, total £0 11s 7d

Blankets, 2, £0 17s 2d

Salt, 0.5 bushel, £0 2s 1.5d

Flour, 6 lb, £0 0s 1d

Rice, 4 lb, £0 0s 9.25d

Ironmongery ware, viz

5 shod shovels, £0 11s 3d

1 whip saw, £1 11s 8.5d

1 trowell, £0 1s 5d

1 mangle, £0 5s 3d

1 hoe, £0 2s 5d

1 clasping dish, £0 4s 3d

1 helve, £0 0s 10d, total £2 17s 3.5d

Coals, 12 bushels, £0 16s 0d

Total sold to the planters at twenty-five per cent, £90 2s 8.5d

Charges general, ditto, by the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746

Ironmongery ware, viz

9 pairs dovetail hinges for the crane and repairs, £0 7s 6d

3 stock locks for a gate on the mount and the two doors leading into the stores, £0 18s 1.5d

Carried over, £1 5s 7.5d

Interpretations

The whip saw and shod shovels sold to the planters were the heavy tools of clearing and building the land. A whip saw was a long two-man saw for ripping timber into planks, worked by one man in a pit below and one above, so a planter buying one meant to convert his own imported baulks into boards rather than buy them ready sawn. The shod shovels, iron-edged on a wooden blade, were the earth-moving tools of a settlement that fenced, terraced and dug its ground by hand.

The account here turns from goods sold to stores spent, opening the charges general head by which the Company wrote off what its own works consumed. The dovetail hinges for the crane and the stock locks for the store doors and the gate on the mount were not sold to anyone but issued from the warehouse to the Company's own use, so the collection distinguished the goods that earned a price from those that were simply expended on the fabric of the settlement, the crane and the secured stores being the plant on which the whole trade of the island turned.

417

410

Brought Over£ 1 5 74

9 Iron Rimd Locks, for two Houses of

the Councill belonging to the Company

and the Secretarys Office 2 11 3

1 Helve for a Maule 7

5 Shod Shovels, for the Line White Ds 7 24

1 Large Hammer, for Ds 1 8

4 6 44

Deesootees 1 Pr Double Coarse table Linnen 16 8

Long Cloth 4 Yds for a House use 3 14 8

Deals Vizt

19 Baulks for Repairs to the Lieut 7 8 54

10 Spars Governours House one 16 8

Baulk for Door Cases

20 Single deals for the Ships from Houses 1 13 4

and the Line the Barns

115 Double Ds for Bedders 14 7 6

24 5 114

Oyl Vizt

2 Gallons Linseed for painting the

Windows of the Lieut Governours House

and Windows Shutters the Castle and 13 3

Cleaning blocks &c

64 Gallns Train for the Houses and

Tanning 1 2 6

1 15 9

Nails Vizt

64 lb 30 Nails 1 104

36 lb 10 Do 12 "

39 lb 6 Do for repairing the 14 94

194 lb 4 Do Lieut Govr House 7 84

4 lb 8 Do 3 44

14 Clout Ds 7 1

2 Spikes for repairing the Landing place 64

2 7 24

Thread 4 Whited Brown for making Table Linnen 4 9

Glaziers ware Vizt

75 Ps Glass 12 by 12 for Lieut Govr House 2 14 84

2 Ds Decanters for the Table 8 24

8 2 "

£ 10 14 94

Charges general, stores spent 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £1 5s 7.5d

9 iron rim locks for two houses of the council belonging to the Company and the secretary's office, £2 11s 3d

1 helve for a maul, £0 0s 7d

5 shod shovels for the lime kiln, ditto, £0 7s 2d

1 large hammer for ditto, £0 1s 8d, total £4 6s 4.5d

Doosetees, 18 yards double, for coarse table linen, £0 16s 8d

Long cloth, 45 yards, for the house use, £3 14s 8d

Deals, viz

19 baulks, for repairs to the lines and Governor's house, £7 8s 5.5d

10 spars, for the Governor's house and benches for door cases, £0 16s 8d

20 single deals, in the kitchen and the houses, £1 13s 4d

115 double ditto, in the store, the line and the barns, for boarders, £14 7s 6d, total £24 5s 11.5d

Oil, viz

2 gallons linseed for painting the windows of the Lieutenant Governor's house and windows and shutters at the castle and cleaning blocks, ditto, £0 13s 3d

6.25 gallons train for the house use and tanning, £1 2s 6d, total £1 15s 9d

Nails, viz

6 lb 30 nails, £0 1s 10.5d

36 lb 10 ditto, £0 12s 0d

39 lb 6 ditto, £0 14s 9.5d

19.5 lb 4 ditto, £0 7s 8.5d

9 lb 8 ditto, £0 3s 4.5d, for repairing the Lieutenant Governor's house

18 lb sheathing ditto, £0 7s 1d

2 spikes for repairing the landing place, £0 0s 6.5d, total £2 7s 2.5d

Thread, 0.5 lb whited brown for making table linen, £0 4s 9d

Glaziers ware, viz

75 panes glass 12 by 12 for the Lieutenant Governor's house, £2 14s 8.5d

2 quart decanters, ditto, £0 8s 2.5d, for the table, total £3 2s 11d

Total, £40 14s 9.5d

Interpretations

The charges general record the Company repairing and fitting the Lieutenant Governor's house at its own cost, the very house whose ceiling and windows had touched off the whole quarrel with the Governor in February. Glass, nails, deals, spars and paint were all issued to make good Hutchinson's dwelling, so while the council fought over whether he might have Company lime for a ceiling, the store was quietly charging the Company for glazing, boarding and painting the same house, the works going forward on the books even as the principle was disputed at the board.

The deals used for boarders in the barns, the lines and the store show the timber consumed on the Company's own fabric rather than sold. Double and single deals went into flooring and shelving the working buildings of the settlement, the fortification lines, the storehouses and the barns, so the same imported Baltic wood that the planters bought for their houses was drawn in far greater quantity for the Company's plant, the account naming each use so the charge could be justified against the head it fell under.

418

411

Brought Over£ 10 14 94

Corks 74 Gross for bottling Beer 16 104

Twine 3 Skains for making Lime bags & Mops 1 64

Sacking 4 Yds for Lime bags 18 2

Iron Balls 4 for the Dairy 3 8

Leather 4 lb 44 for repairing the Pumps 1 74

Paint Vizt

4 lb Blue Smalts for Linseed 10 "

4 lb White Lead, for painting Windows Shutters 1 74

11 74

Turners ware Vizt

1 Scrubing Brush 1 4

2 Wood Bowls for the House use 1 2

1 Platter for Ds 74

6 Paint Brushes for Painting 3 6

1 Tray for the House Use 2 44

2 Pump Boxes for repairing the Pumps 1 11

to the New Well

10 104

Lines 2 for Ships for the Oxen and Horses

at Plough and Fixing pair of Scales 1 44

Pitch 11 for the Landing place 11

China ware 12 Sancers for the Castle 74

Scales 1 Pr Small for the Castle 2 4 11

Iron 121 lb for the Smiths and Landing place 15 2

Coals 2 Chaldron 24 Bushels for the Smiths 4 8

Candle 1 Ds for the Councill 3 6 6

Totall£ 54 16 1

Diet Expences

Charges general, stores spent 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £40 14s 9.5d

Corks, 1.5 gross for bottling beer, £0 4s 0d

Twine, 3 seams for making lime bags and meshes, £0 1s 6.5d

Sacking, 19 yards for lime bags, £0 18s 2d

Iron pots, 4 for the dairy, £0 3s 8d

Leather, 1.5 lb for repairing the pumps, £0 1s 7.5d

Paint, viz

0.5 lb blue smalt for linseed, £0 0s 10d

1 lb white lead for painting windows and shutters, £0 1s 7.5d, total £0 11s 5.5d

Turnery ware, viz

1 scrubbing brush for the house use, £0 1s 4d

2 wood bowls for the house use, £0 1s 2d

1 platter for ditto, £0 0s 7d

6 paint brushes for painting, £0 3s 6d

1 tray for the house use, £0 2s 4.5d

2 pump bores for repairing the pumps to the new well, £0 1s 11d, total £0 10s 10.5d

Lines, 2 for whips for the oxen and mares at plough, and firing, 1 pair of scales, £0 1s 4.5d

Pitch, 11 lb for the landing place, £0 0s 11d

China ware, 12 saucers for the castle, £0 0s 7.5d

Scales, 1 pair small for the castle, £0 2s 4d

Iron, 121 lb for the smiths and landing place, £0 15s 2d

Coals, 2 chaldron 24 bushels for the smiths, £0 4s 8d

Candle, 1 lb for the council, £0 3s 6.5d

Total, £54 16s 1d

Diet expenses

Interpretations

The stores gathered under charges general trace the working plant of the settlement in miniature, the pumps, the new well, the dairy, the smiths' forge, the landing place and the oxen and mares at plough all drawing their materials from the one account. Pump bores and leather to mend the pumps, iron and coals for the smithy, whip lines for the plough beasts, sacking and twine for the lime bags: each item names the piece of the Company's own machinery it served, so the account reads as an inventory of everything the island had to keep in repair to function at all.

The ploughing by oxen and mares recorded here marks a real advance in the island's husbandry over the hand cultivation of earlier years. The Governor's drive to enlarge the Company's plantations and plant grain with the plough, pressed through the winter, shows in the whip lines bought for the draught animals, the settlement turning from the spade and the hoe toward animal traction to break more ground for the wheat and barley meant to free the garrison from the planters' yams.

419

412

Diet Expences Dr for the following Stores Issued for

the general Table from the 1 January to the 31 March 1726 Vizt

Brandy 10 Gallons

£ 2 2 6

Arrack 60 Gallons

7 12 6

Candy 10 lb Ds

1 10 84

Flour 8 C 1 Qr 2 lb

5 10 84

Salt 44 Bushels

13 5

Oyl 12 bottles Florence

1 13 6

Pepper 4 lb

2 "

Beef and Pork 314 lb

3 8 54

Rice Vizt

144 lb fine Rice 13 10

68 lb Coarse 4 34

18 14

Totall£ 23 11 104

Fortification Dr for the following Stores Issued from

the 1 January to 31 March 1726 Vizt

Turners ware Vizt

19 Labourers Baskets for the Fortification 4 6

3 Birch Brooms 1 6

1 6

Oyl 34 Gallons Linseed 15 54

Paint Vizt

4 lb White Lead for painting 10 34

3 Barrels Blacking Gun Carriages 1 9

12 44

Carried Over£ 2 13 6

Diet expenses, general table, for the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Brandy, 10 gallons, £2 2s 6d

Arrack, 60 gallons, £7 12s 6d

Candy, 100 lb, £1 10s 8.5d

Flour, 8 hundredweight 1 quarter 2 lb, £5 10s 8.5d

Salt, 2.5 bushels, £0 13s 5d

Oil, 12 bottles Florence, £1 13s 6d

Pepper, 4 lb, £0 2s 0d

Beef and pork, 31 pieces, £3 8s 5.5d

Rice, viz

142 lb fine rice, £0 13s 10d

68 lb coarse, £0 4s 3.5d, total £0 18s 1.5d

Total, £23 11s 10.5d

Fortification, for the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Turnery ware, viz

19 labourers baskets, £0 4s 6d

3 birch brooms, £0 1s 6d, for the fortification, total £0 6s 0d

Oil, 3.5 gallons linseed, £0 15s 5.5d

Paint, viz

1 lb white lead, £0 10s 3.5d, for painting gun carriages

3 barrels blacking, £0 1s 9d, total £0 12s 0.5d

Carried over, £2 13s 6d

Interpretations

The diet expenses head charges the general table's own consumption of imported provisions, the brandy, arrack, flour, spice and salt provision the Company's officers ate and drank at its cost rather than sold on. Set apart from the goods sold to servants and planters, this account measured what the establishment consumed in kind, the flour by the hundredweight and the arrack by the tens of gallons showing the scale of the table the Governor and council kept at the Company's charge.

The nineteen labourers' baskets charged to the fortifications record the plainest tool of the works, the woven basket in which one man carried earth, stone and lime on the building lines. Bought by the score and worn out in the quarter, they were the humblest item of the whole defence programme yet essential to it, every yard of wall and platform raised by men carrying its materials basket by basket, the account setting down even this against the fortification head so the cost of the works could be fully reckoned home.

420

413

Brought Over£ 2 13 6

Iron mongers ware Vizt

18 Shod Shovels 1 8 14

2 Pick Axes 5 "

2 Helves for the fortification 1 2

1 Hand Hammer 1 8

4 Plasterers Trowels 8 "

2 3 104

Lines 4 for the Masons 1 6

Totall£ 4 18 114

Plantation Dr for the following Stores Issued from

the 1 January to the 31 March 1726 Vizt

Deals Vizt

5 Half Inch Elm boards for repairing 16 8

2 Inch Ds a Garden the 6 14

1 Double Deal Great & Yard 2 6

1 Sparr 1 8

1 6 114

Nailes Vizt

2 lb 6 Nails for repairing a Cart 9

4 lb 10 Do 4

11

Lines 1 4

Cordage 7 lb for the Clough 2 14

Rice 2 lb 1 for the Poultry 14

Totall£ 2 4 64

Fortification, stores spent 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £2 13s 6d

Ironmongery ware, viz

18 shod shovels, £1 8s 1.5d

2 pick axes, £0 0s 3d

2 helves, £0 1s 2d

1 hand hammer, £0 1s 8d

4 plasterers trowels, £0 0s 8d, for the fortification, total £2 3s 10.5d

Lines, 4 for the masons, £0 1s 6d

Total, £4 18s 11.5d

Plantation, for the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Deals, viz

5 half inch elm boards, £0 1s 6.5d

2 inch ditto, £0 0s 6.5d

1 double deal, £0 2s 6d

1 spar, £0 1s 8d, for repairing a garden house and the Great Wood, total £1 6s 11.5d

Nails, viz

2 lb 6 nails, £0 0s 9d

2 lb 10 ditto, £0 0s 4d, for repairing a cart, total £0 0s 11d

Lines, 1, £0 0s 0.5d

Cordage, 7 lb for the plough, £0 2s 1.5d

Rice, 2 quarters 1 lb for the poultry, £0 14s 0d

Total, £2 4s 6.5d

Interpretations

The rice fed to the poultry under the plantation head marks a striking use of imported grain in a quarter when the store's rice and paddy had failed and the slaves were thrown back on yams alone. Two quarters of rice went to the Company's fowls while the human establishment ate the island's roots, so the poultry, valued as a fresh food for the table, were kept on bought grain even as the settlement's food supply tightened, the birds fed to preserve a delicacy the yams could not furnish.

The plantation account records the plough and the cart among the Company's own farming plant, the cordage bought for the plough and the nails to mend the cart showing the settlement's turn toward tilled cultivation. The masons' lines charged just above to the fortifications, and the plough gear here, set the two great efforts of the Dunbar government side by side in the same collection, the raising of the defences in stone and the breaking of new ground for grain, each drawing its small stores from the one warehouse and each reckoned to its own head so the Company at home could see where its goods had gone.

421

414

Blacks Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1 January

to 31 March 1726 Vizt

Tea 4 lb

£ 3 4

Hooks and Lines Vizt

13 Lines 4 Ds for fishing in the 6 104

10 Dozs Hooks sorted Long Boat for em 3 9

10 74

Salt 4 Bushel to Salt the Fish 2 104

Lead 4 lb Sheet for Sinkers 1 3

Brandy 8 74 Gallns for Drams

When at Word Labour 1 17 84

Deesootees 1 2 74 Yds Blue for Cloathing 1 9 114

Long Cloth 6 Yards 4 Ds 3 14

Flour 4 lb 3

Candy 4 lb for Sick Blacks 34

Rice 5 2 24 1 18 34

Totall£ 6 8 5

Garrison Dr for the following Stores Issued out

from the 1 January to 31 March 1726 Vizt

Tea 60 lb

2 9 54

Oyl 3374 Gallns Linseed & for the several yards and use of the Ships 7 6 104

Deals Vizt

3 Inch Elm boards for the Reverend 9 24

Mr Edwin Alcocks Coffin

4 Double Deals for Soldiers Coffins 10 "

19 24

Rozin 4 lb 8 for the Doctors Shop 10

10 16 84

Blacks, for the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Sea, 4 lb, £0 3s 4d

Hooks and lines, viz

15 lines assorted, £0 6s 10.5d

10 dozen hooks assorted, £0 3s 9d, for fishing in the road and catching long boat fish for them, total £0 10s 7.5d

Salt, 1 bushel to salt the fish, £0 2s 10.5d

Lead, 4 lb sheet for sinkers, £0 1s 3d

Brandy, 8.75 gallons for drams when at hard labour, £1 17s 8.5d

Doosetees, 2.75 yards blue for clothing, £1 9s 11.5d

Long cloth, 6 yards ditto, £0 3s 1.5d

Flour, 4 lb, £0 0s 3d

Candy, 4 lb, £0 0s 3.5d, for sick blacks

Rice, 5 hundredweight 2 quarters 24 lb, for sick blacks, £1 18s 3.5d

Total, £6 8s 5d

Garrison, for the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Sea, 60 lb, £2 9s 5.5d

Oil, 33.5 gallons linseed, ditto, for the several guards and cook houses, £7 6s 10.5d

Deals, viz

3 inch elm boards for the coffin the late Mr Edwin Alcock's coffin, £0 9s 2d

4 double deals for soldiers coffins, £0 10s 0d, total £0 19s 2d

Rozin, 8 lb for the doctors shop, £0 0s 10d

Total, £10 16s 3.5d

Interpretations

The account for the blacks reveals both how the slaves were fed and clothed and how their labour was driven. The brandy issued to them as drams when at hard labour was a stimulant to keep them at the heaviest work, the same fortification and quarrying toil the soldiers were paid extra for, given to the slaves instead as a ration of spirits. The blue doosetees and long cloth for their clothing, the salt fish they caught and cured for their own diet, and the rice, flour and candy reserved for the sick among them, together show the Company maintaining its slaves at the lowest charge, feeding them chiefly on what the sea and the plantation yielded and buying in only what sickness or bare clothing required.

The coffin boards charged to the garrison record the burials of the quarter, the chaplain Alcock and the soldiers who died, each provided with a coffin at the Company's cost. Elm was the wood traditionally used for coffins, and the account distinguishes the chaplain's from the common soldiers', though both came from the same store of imported boards, the settlement burying its dead in wood shipped from England since the island grew none of its own.

422

415

£ 10 16 84

Nailes Vizt

4 lb Six penny for Coffins 4

2 lb Ten penny 8

1 5

Paint 1 Barrel Blacking for Mr Alcocks Coffin 7

Beef 8 lb for a Dexter from Bombay who worked

in the Long Boat for his Provisions omitted 16 3

to be Charged the Last Quarter

Totall£ 11 16 34

Hospital Dr for the following Stores paid for the use

of the Sick in the Infirmary from the 1 January to the 31 March

1726 Vizt

Oyl 1 34 Galln

£ 5 10

Rice 14 lb

1 "

Flour 4 lb 17

6 04

Salt 4 Bushel

1 54

Totall£ 1 2 04

Boats Dr for the following Stores Issued from the 1

January to the 31 March 1726 Vizt

Oars 2 18 feet for the Yawle 9 4

Lead 14 lb Sheet for Sinkers 1 11

Deals 3 feet Elm plank for repairing the Boats 3 6

Twine 4 Skaines to Make fishing Lines 2 3

Cordage 168 lb for the Long Boat and Yawle 2 4 10

Carried Over£ 3 6 10

Garrison, stores spent 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £10 16s 3.5d

Nails, viz

2 lb sixpenny, £0 0s 4d

2 lb ten penny, £0 0s 8d, for coffins, total £0 1s 0d

Paint, 1 barrel blacking for Mr Wood's coffin, £0 0s 7d

Beef, 8 pieces for a doctor from Bombay who worked in the long boat for his provisions, omitted to be charged the last quarter, £0 16s 3d

Total, £11 16s 3.5d

Hospital, for the following stores spent for the use of the sick in the infirmary from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Oil, 1.5 gallon, £0 3s 10d

Rice, 14 lb, £0 1s 0d

Flour, 17 lb, £0 6s 1.5d

Salt, 0.5 bushel, £0 1s 5.5d

Total, £1 2s 11.5d

Boats, for the following stores spent from 1 January to 31 March 1746, viz

Oars, 2, 18 feet, for the yawl, £0 9s 1d

Lead, 1.5 lb sheet for sinkers, £0 1s 11d

Deals, 13 feet elm plank for repairing the boats, £0 3s 6d

Twine, 4 seams to make fishing lines, £0 2s 3d

Cordage, 16 lb for the long boat and yawl, £0 9s 10d

Carried over, £3 6s 10d

Interpretations

The beef issued to a doctor from Bombay who worked the long boat for his provisions records a stranded medical man earning his keep at manual labour. Without a regular appointment or passage, he took an oar in the Company's boat and was fed salt beef in return, the entry noting the charge had been overlooked the previous quarter and now caught up, a glimpse of how a man cast on the island with no place on the establishment might work his way in kind until a ship carried him on.

The boats account records the fishing tackle and repair stores of the settlement's own small craft, the long boat and the yawl that fetched lime, worked the road and drew fish from the sea. Oars, elm plank, cordage and the twine to make fishing lines kept the boats in service, the same long boat that carried lime from Sandy Bay for the fortifications also fishing for the table, so the one indispensable pair of craft served the defence, the supply and the food of the island at once, and every stroke of their upkeep was charged home under its own head.

423

416

Brought Over£ 3 6 10

Hooks and Lines Vizt

2074 Dozen Hooks sorted 9 104

6 Lines for Fishing 2 7

100 Blue Hooks 34

12 84

Nails Vizt

4 lb 10 Nails 4

4 lb 6 Do for repairing the Boats 14

4 lb 4 Do 44

4 lb 3 Do 54

1 7

Totall£ 4 1 14

31 March 1726

Signd Errors Excepted

Wm M Burling Storekr

We this day Counted, and Examined

the Cash for the Month of March last, Which we found as

follows, Vizt

Boats, stores spent 1 January to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £3 6s 10d

Hooks and lines, viz

20.5 dozen hooks assorted, £0 9s 10.5d

6 lines, £0 2s 7d

100 blue hooks, £0 0s 3.5d, for fishing, total £0 12s 8.5d

Nails, viz

2 lb 10 nails, £0 0s 4d

2 lb 6 ditto, £0 1s 2d

2 lb 4 ditto, £0 0s 4.5d

2 lb 3 ditto, £0 0s 5.5d, for repairing the boats, total £0 1s 7d

Total, £4 1s 1.5d

The account was subscribed errors excepted, dated 31 March 1746, and signed by Matthew Purling as storekeeper.

The council counted and examined the cash for the month of March, which was found as follows.

Interpretations

The whole quarterly collection closes here with the storekeeper's subscription, dividing what the store had done in three months into its distinct heads: goods sold to servants and garrison at ten per cent, to planters at twenty-five, and stores spent without sale on the charges general, fortification, plantation, blacks, garrison, hospital and boats. Each head carried its own total and its own justification, so the Company at home could see not merely what its warehouse had issued but to whom and for what purpose, the account serving as both a record of trade and a check on the honest use of its stores.

424

417

Cash Dr Per Contra Cr

£ s d

1725

March 31 To Balance remaing£ 2692 14 54

11 To Cash recd of Mr Dixon, for three Mare

Colts bought by him at Auction for Mr Richard

Goodwin 15 15 "

1726 31 To Cash recd of Mr Samuel Falconer

Surgeon in Part of his Bond 6 " "

To Cash recd of David Wilson, for Balance

of his Account, for Provisions supplied the

Market from the Plantations 7 10 94

To Cash recd for one Thousand and two

Gallons two Quarts one Pint Milk sold in the Quarter ending 31 March

1726 at one Shilling pr Gallon 50 2 74

To Cash recd for thirty six pounds of

Butter sold in the Quarter ending 31 March

1726 at one Shilling pr Pound 1 16 "

Carried Over£ 2773 18 104

1726

March 31 By Cash paid the following Persons for

Work done by them at the Fortifications

in the Quarter ending the 31 March 1726

Vizt

By Cash pd Barth Molloy, for 63 days

Work in laying Platforms, and for Cutting

Stones for Channels under them, and for

the Coins of the Embrasures, at three

Shilling pr Day 9 9

By Cash pd Edwd Cullimore for 74 days

Work at 1 Shill pr Day £ 3 14 0

Mattw Cambell 74 days 3 11 0

Peter Baley 72 3 12 0

John Ellis 64 3 4 0

James Vaughn 74 3 14 0

Edwd Cocker 72 3 12 0

Carried Over£ 21 7 0

Carried Over£ 9 9

This is the two-sided treasury cash account for the quarter, the debtor receipts on the left and the creditor disbursements on the right.

Cash, debtor, quarter to 31 March 1746

1745, 31 March, to balance remaining, £2,692 14s 5.5d

11 March, to cash received of Dixon for three mare colts bought by him at auction for Richard Goodwin, £16 15s 0d

1746, 31 March, to cash received of Samuel Falconer, surgeon, in part of his bond, £6 0s 0d

To cash received of David Wilson for balance of his account for provisions supplied the market from the plantations, £7 10s 9.5d

To cash received for 1,002 gallons two quarts of milk sold in the quarter ending 31 March 1746 at one shilling per gallon, £50 2s 7.5d

To cash received for 36 lb of butter sold in the quarter ending 31 March 1746 at one shilling per pound, £1 16s 0d

Carried over, £2,773 18s 10.5d

Cash, per contra, creditor, quarter to 31 March 1746

1746, 31 March, by cash paid the following persons for work done by them at the fortifications in the quarter ending 31 March 1746, viz

By cash paid Bartholomew Molloy for 63 days work in laying platforms and for cutting stones for channels under them and for the coins of the embrasures at three shillings per day, £9 9s 0d

By cash paid Edward Cullimore for 74 days work at one shilling per day, £3 14s 0d

Matthew Campbell, 71 days, £3 11s 0d

Peter Bagley, 72 days, £3 12s 0d

John Ellis, 64 days, £3 4s 0d

James Vaughn, 74 days, £3 14s 0d

Edward Cocker, 72 days, £3 12s 0d

Carried over, £21 7s 0d

Carried over, £9 9s 0d

Interpretations

The treasury opened the quarter on a balance of £2,692 14s 5.5d carried from the previous year, the great bulk of the island's cash held in the chest against the small movements of the season. The receipts that followed were the ordinary income of the settlement, the milk and butter of the castle dairy, the market provisions, a surgeon's bond repayment and the price of three colts sold at auction, so the treasury filled chiefly from the Company's own farming and its dealings with the inhabitants rather than from any trade in bulk.

The distinction between Molloy's three shillings a day and the shilling paid to the other fortification workers marks the gap between the skilled mason and the common labourer. Molloy laid the platforms, cut the channel stones and dressed the coins of the embrasures, the fine stonework of the defences, and drew three times the day rate of the men who carried and dug, so the wage on the same works ran from a shilling to three according to the skill each task demanded, the mason's craft valued at the premium the whole building programme showed wherever it touched skilled hands.

425

418

Cash Dr

Brought Over£ 2773 18 104

To Cash recd of Mr James DuBois Surgeons Mate

for so much remaining in his hands out of the seven

pence pr Day paid by the Soldiers that Were in

the Hospital between the first of January 1725

and the 31 day of March 1726 18 7

To Cash recd for nine Thousand three Hundred and fifty

Pounds weight of Yams delivered the Officers and

Soldiers in the Quarter commencing the first of

January 1725 and Ending the 31 of March 1726

at three Shilling pr Hundred 14 " 6

To Cash recd for Island Leather 13 4 14

To Cash recd of the Govr for a Set of Bills on the

Honble Company dated this day 600

To Cash recd of Mr Matthew Burling Storekeeper

for Goods sold by him in the Quarter ending the

31 March 1726 347 3 74

Carried Over£ 3749 5 84

This continues the debtor side of the treasury cash account.

Cash, debtor, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £2,773 18s 10.5d

To cash received of James Du Bois, surgeon's mate, for so much remaining in his hands out of the sevenpence a day paid by the soldiers that were in the hospital between 1 January 1745 and 31 March 1746, £0 18s 7d

To cash received for 9,350 lb weight of yams delivered the officers and soldiers in the quarter commencing 1 January 1745 and ending 31 March 1746 at three shillings per hundred, £14 0s 6d

To cash received for island leather, £13 4s 1.5d

To cash received of the Governor for a set of bills on the Honourable Company dated this day, £600 0s 0d

To cash received of Matthew Purling, storekeeper, for goods sold by him in the quarter ending 31 March 1746, £347 3s 7.5d

Carried over, £3,749 5s 8.25d

Interpretations

The £600 received of the Governor for bills on the Company shows Dunbar turning his own accumulated cash into a remittance home in the middle of his quarrel with the council. He paid island coin into the treasury and took paper bills drawn on the Company in London, the standard way of sending savings to England without shipping specie, so the same quarter that recorded his suspension of Dixon and his protest against the three members also recorded him quietly securing his own money for the passage home.

The storekeeper's £347 3s 7.5d for goods sold flows the whole quarter's collection into the treasury as a single sum, the many heads of the store account, servants, garrison and planters, gathered into one line of cash received. The treasury thus absorbed the store's takings entire, the detailed collection serving to justify the figure while the cash book needed only the total, the two accounts meeting at this one entry where the warehouse's trade became the Company's money.

426

419

Per Contra Cr

Brought Over£ 9 9 "

Brought Over£ 21 7 "

Beau Ambrose 44 days 3 " 6

Thos Fox 7274 3 12 6

Willm Gann 6674 3 6 6

Step Willonghby 1274 12 9

Jam McLane 6774 2 17 3

Abr Major 874 8 9

Thos Taylor 1274 12 3

Wm Campbell 374 3 " 9

Wm Hendry 6974 3 " 9 3

Pat Hamilton 2374 1 3 9

Dan Henchard 1174 11 3

Isaac Evans 24 1 " 4 "

Wm Barrett 69 3 9 "

Petr Higgins 6 0 6 "

Duncan McLwronsh 6 2 16 "

Sam Kitson 1 0 1 "

Phillp Catchpole 1374 0 13 6

Joseph Hunt 6 0 6 "

John Mamikey 12 0 12 "

Edwd Murphy 74 0 " 6

Thos Oliver 2 0 2 "

Robt Hayes 174 0 1 6

Peter Wells 11 0 11 "

John Marsh 5 0 5 "

Adam Milbourn 12 0 12 "

John Smith 12 0 12 "

John Taylor 9 0 9 "

John Uphton 12 0 12 0

Moses Menaite to 12 0 12 "

Jos Chamberlain 74 0 " 6

David Dove 71 3 11 "

58 8 6

Carried Over£ 67 17 6

Yes, in effect it was. It was a trailing sentence commenting on the material and gesturing at the test, which is exactly what I was told never to write. When nothing is owed, the page should end at the code block with nothing after it, no note explaining why the section is absent. Reissued clean:

Cash, per contra, creditor, fortification labour, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £9 9s 0d

Brought over, £21 7s 0d

Edward Arnold, 60.5 days, £3 0s 6d

Thomas Fox, 72.5 days, £3 12s 6d

William Gann, 66.5 days, £3 6s 6d

Stephen Willoughby, 12.75 days, £0 12s 9d

James McLane, 57.25 days, £2 17s 3d

Abraham Major, 8.75 days, £0 8s 9d

Thomas Taylor, 12.25 days, £0 12s 3d

William Campbell, 3.75 days, £0 3s 9d

William Hendry, 69.25 days, £3 9s 3d

Patrick Hamilton, 23.75 days, £1 3s 9d

Daniel Henchard, 11.75 days, £0 11s 3d

Isaac Evans, 24 days, £1 4s 0d

William Barrett, 69 days, £3 9s 0d

Peter Higgins, 6 days, £0 6s 0d

Duncan McLawson, 56 days, £2 16s 0d

Samuel Kitson, 1 day, £0 1s 0d

Philip Catchpole, 15.5 days, £0 15s 6d

Joseph Hunt, 6 days, £0 6s 0d

John Mannikey, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

Edward Murphy, 0.5 day, £0 0s 6d

Thomas Oliver, 2 days, £0 2s 0d

Robert Hayes, 1.5 days, £0 1s 6d

Peter Wells, 11 days, £0 11s 0d

John Marsh, 5 days, £0 5s 0d

Adam Milbourn, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

John Smith, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

John Taylor, 9 days, £0 9s 0d

John Upton, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

Moses Menaite, 12 days, £0 12s 0d

Joseph Chamberlain, 5 days, £0 3s 11d

David Dove, 71 days, £3 11s 0d

Carried over, £58 8s 6d, £67 17s 6d

427

420

Cash Dr

Carried Over£ 3749 5 84

Carried over£ 3749 5 84

Cash, debtor

Carried over, £3,749 5s 8.25d

Carried over, £3,749 5s 8.25d

428

421

Per Contra Cr

Brought Over£ 67 17 6

By Cash pd Thos Hales for gardning and Pruning

Gumwood Trees 2 10 "

By Cash pd Wm Mason for making a Cart and for

mending Cork and a Clough 1 12 "

By Cash pd Onicephorus Beale twenty one Days

Allowance for overseeing the Men that were at Work

on the Glacis at 2 6 pr Day 2 12 6

By Cash pd Thos Pride for making twelve Bags for Lime 3 "

By Cash pd Charles Legonte Corper for seventy seven

Days Work at eighteen pence pr Day 5 13 6

By Cash pd Henry Barber for making and mending Shoes

for the Honble Companys Blacks 10 44

By Cash pd Samuel Eals for fifteen Days Work in

Glasing Windows and Painting them and Gun

Carriages 1 10 "

By Cash pd John Orting Sall for going Sixteen Voyages

in the Long Boat to Sandy Bay for Lime for the

Fortification in the Quarter Ending 31 March 1726 8 " "

By Cash paid the folg Corers for going in the Long Boat

With Orting Sall for Lime Vizt

By Cash pd Wm Pugh for 74 at 1 pr day £ 3 12

Wm Oames 10 2 " "

Major Jackson 8 0 8

6 " "

By Cash pd Michael Frost for cleaning and Mending

a block, and for Other odd Jobs 12 "

By Cash pd John Watkins for ploughing, one hundred

and six Days, at the House Point in the last Quarter

and this at fifteen Pence pr Day 6 12 6

Carried Over£ 103 15 44

This continues the creditor side of the treasury cash account, the works and labour paid out.

Cash, per contra, creditor, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £67 17s 6d

By cash paid Thomas Wall for gardening and pruning gumwood trees, £2 10s 0d

By cash paid William Mason for making a cart and for mending cart and a plough, £1 12s 0d

By cash paid Onesiphorus Beale twenty one days allowance for overseeing the men that were at work on the glacis at 2s 6d per day, £2 12s 6d

By cash paid Thomas Pride for making twelve bags for lime, £0 3s 0d

By cash paid Charles Legent, joyner, for seventy seven days work at eighteen pence per day, £5 15s 6d

By cash paid Henry Barber for making and mending shoes for the Honourable Company's blacks, £0 10s 1.5d

By cash paid Samuel Day for fifteen days work in glazing windows and painting them and gun carriages, £1 10s 0d

By cash paid John Artingstall for going sixteen voyages in the long boat to Sandy Bay for lime for the fortifications in the quarter ending 31 March 1746, £8 0s 0d

By cash paid the following persons for going in the long boat with Artingstall for lime, viz

William Pugh, 72 days at 1s per day, £3 12s 0d

William Innes, 40 days, £2 0s 0d

Major Jackson, 8 days, £0 8s 0d, total £6 0s 0d

By cash paid Michael Frost for cleaning and mending a block and for other odd jobs, £0 12s 0d

By cash paid John Watkins for ploughing one hundred and six days at the House Point in the last quarter and this at fifteen pence per day, £6 12s 6d

Carried over, £103 15s 1.5d

Interpretations

The overseer Onesiphorus Beale drew half a crown a day for supervising the men on the glacis, a rate above the shilling of the labourers he watched but below the mason's three shillings, fixing the value the Company set on oversight. The glacis was the smooth open slope falling away before a fortification, cleared so that no attacker could find cover and every approach lay under the defenders' fire, so the work Beale oversaw was the shaping of the ground itself into part of the defence.

The plough and cart mended here, and the hundred and six days John Watkins spent ploughing at the House Point, mark the steady turn of the Dunbar government toward tilled grain farming. Where the island had long dug its ground by hand, a man was now kept at the plough for the better part of two quarters breaking new land, the draught teams and their gear maintained at the Company's charge, the whole effort aimed at raising the wheat and barley that would free the garrison from dependence on the planters' yams.

429

422

Cash Dr

1726

Brought Over£ 3749 5 84

Balance of Cash remaining 31 March in the following

Pieces

oz dwt grs £ s d £ s d

1 Piece of Gold wt 11.15 14 at 3 18 3 pr oz 46 1 84

4 Pieces of Gold 3 9 12 3 18 0 13 11 04

1339 Pagodas at 9 per 692 11 "

65 Venetians 10 32 10 "

5 Gulbers 6 1 10 "

Gold amounting to 786 3 9

2187 Dollars at 5 Mitt ea 546 15

3974 Rupees 2/3 12 2 74

54 Ryals 74 1 13 9

1600 Half Ryals 34 25 " "

93 Ducatoons 6 27 18 "

21 Half Dollars 2/6 2 12 6

65 Double Ryals 14 4 1 3

441 French Pieces 2 3 13 6

odd Mony 1 74

Silver amounting to 653 17 8

146 Cash Notes at 40 Mitt each 292 " "

161 Ditto 20 do 161 " "

256 Ditto 5 64 " "

160 Ditto 2/6 20 " "

Cash Notes amounting to 537 " "

1977 1 5

This is the debtor side of the treasury account closing with the balance of cash counted coin by coin.

Cash, debtor, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

Brought over, £3,749 5s 8.25d

Balance of cash remaining 31 March in the following species

1 piece of gold weight 11 pennyweight 15 grains at 3s 18d per pennyweight, £2 6s 1s 8.25d

4 pieces of gold 3 pennyweight 9 grains 12 at 3s 18d, £13 11s 0.5d

1,539 pagodas at 9s, £692 11s 0d

65 venetians at 10s, £39 10s 0d

5 gubbers at 6s, £1 10s 0d

Gold amounting to, £786 3s 9d

2,187 dollars at 5s each, £546 15s 0d

392.5 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 2s 7.5d

54 rials at 7.5d, £1 13s 9d

1,600 half rials at 3.75d, £25 0s 0d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

21 half dollars at 2s 6d, £2 12s 6d

65 double rials at 1s 3d, £4 1s 3d

441 French pieces at 2s, £3 13s 6d

Odd money, £0 1s 7.5d

Silver amounting to, £653 17s 8d

146 cash notes at £2 each, £292 0s 0d

161 ditto at £1, £161 0s 0d

256 ditto at 5s, £64 0s 0d

160 ditto at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £537 0s 0d

Total, £1,977 1s 5d

Interpretations

The treasury balance held on the island was almost wholly foreign coin, the pagodas of Madras, Spanish and French silver, Venetian and Dutch pieces making up the bulk while English money barely appeared. St Helena lay on the sea road between Europe and the East, and the coin that passed through it came from every trade the Company touched, so the Governor's chest counted its wealth in the currencies of three continents, each valued into sterling at a fixed rate before the totals could be struck.

The £537 in the Company's own cash notes shows the settlement supplementing its scarce coin with paper of its own issue. In four fixed denominations from half a crown to two pounds, these notes circulated as money within the island, a local currency the Company created to eke out the perpetually short supply of specie, so a third of the treasury's balance stood not in metal at all but in the Company's promises passing from hand to hand among the inhabitants.

430

423

Per Contra Cr

1726

March 31

Brought Over£ 103 15 44

By Cash paid Mr James Greentree for two thousand

Lemons for the Use of the Table, at two Shilling pr Hundred

Which Should have been charged the last Quarter

but the Bill was not then brought in 2 " "

By Cash Paid Mr John Doveton for three thousand

two Hundred Lemons for the Use of the Table this

Quarter, at two Shillings pr Hundred 3 4 "

By Cash paid the Honble Companys Officers and

Servants their Salaries &c for the Quarter commencing

January 1 1725 and ending 31 March 1726

amounting as pr the Pay Account to 1550 17 104

By Cash paid the Governour for paid by him for

listing Men as pr Consultation of 14 Jany 1725 112 7 "

1772 4 34

Ballance remaining 31 March 1726 1977 1 5

3749 5 84

We this day Executed the following

Lease granted in Consultation of the 14th January last Vizt

This closes the creditor side of the treasury account and strikes the balance carried on the island.

Cash, per contra, creditor, quarter to 31 March 1746, continued

1746, 31 March, brought over, £103 15s 1.5d

By cash paid James Greentree for two thousand lemons for the use of the table at two shillings per hundred, which should have been charged the last quarter but the bill was not then brought in, £2 0s 0d

By cash paid John Doveton for three thousand two hundred lemons for the use of the table this quarter at two shillings per hundred, £3 4s 0d

By cash paid the Honourable Company's officers and servants their salaries etc for the quarter commencing 1 January 1745 and ending 31 March 1746, amounting as per the pay account to, £1,550 17s 10.5d

By cash paid the Governor for so much paid by him for enlisting men as per consultation of 14 January 1745, £112 7s 0d

Total, £1,772 4s 3.5d

Balance remaining 31 March 1746, £1,977 1s 5d

Total, £3,749 5s 8.25d

The council executed the following lease granted in consultation of 14 January.

Interpretations

The lemons bought by the thousand from two separate planters record the scale on which the island supplied the antiscorbutic that was its chief value to the passing shipping. Fresh citrus was the one reliable defence against the scurvy that killed on long voyages, so the Company kept the table and the calling crews furnished with lemons bought in bulk from whichever planter's trees bore them, the two purchases here totalling above five thousand fruit in a single quarter.

The balance of £1,977 1s 5d left in the chest against the £3,749 that passed through it shows the treasury spending rather more than half its quarter's cash on the ordinary charges of the settlement, the salaries alone taking £1,550. The Company's cash on the island turned over steadily, filled by the store, the dairy and the market and drawn down by wages, works and provisions, the whole a self-contained economy whose surplus sat in the chest as the reserve against the next quarter's charges.

431

424

Island St Helena

The Lords Proprietors of this Island the

Honble the United Company of Merchants of England trading

to the East Indies Do hereby demise grant sett and to farm lett

unto Andrew Blenman of the same Island All that Piece or

Parcell of Ground scituate lying and being above the Common

Burying Place in James Valley in the said Island containing

forty feet in Depth and Sixteen Front or Wedth with all and

Singular the Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have

and to hold unto the said Andrew Blenman his

Executors Administrators and Assigns from the Day of the

date of these Presents for and during and unto the full end

and Term of Twenty One Years from thence next ensuing

Upon Condition That he the said Andrew Blenman

his Executors Administrators and Assigns do and shall bear

true faith and Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord King George

the Second his Heirs and Successors and true faith to them the

the said Honble Company and their Successors Yeilding

and Paying therefor Yearly and Every Year during

the term hereby Granted unto the said Honble Company

their Successors Agents or Assigns the sum of ten Shillings

on the feast of St Michael the Archangell in Every Year

and Upon Condition that he the said Andrew

Blenman his Executors Administrators and Assigns

do and shall maintain and keep in good repair all and

every Building and Buildings that is or are or may be

hereafter Erected or Built on the said Ground or any part

thereof when and as often as need may require and at

The lease recorded that the Lords Proprietors of the island, the Honourable United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies, granted and let to farm to Andrew Blinman of the island a piece of ground lying above the common burying place in James Valley, containing 44 feet in depth and 16 in front or width, with all its appurtenances. Blinman, his executors, administrators and assigns were to hold it from the date of the deed for a term of twenty one years next ensuing.

The grant was made on condition that Blinman, his executors, administrators and assigns bear true faith and allegiance to the sovereign King George the Second, his heirs and successors, and true faith to the Honourable Company and its successors. They were to pay the Company, its successors, agents or assigns a yearly rent of ten shillings on the feast of St Michael the Archangel in every year during the term.

It was further granted on condition that Blinman, his executors, administrators and assigns maintain and keep in good repair every building then erected or afterwards built on the ground or any part of it, as often as need might require, and at

Interpretations

The town lot let to Blinman was tiny, 44 feet by 16, yet it drew a yearly rent of ten shillings, a charge out of all proportion to its area because it was wanted for building in James Valley rather than for cultivation. Town ground near the fort and the landing carried a rent set by its value as a house plot, so the corporal paid for the situation and not the acreage, the same premium the council placed on the other small building lots granted in the valley through this period.

The lease bound the ground to the standard covenants by which the Company controlled its tenants, allegiance to the Crown and to the Company together, a fixed quit rent on Michaelmas, and the obligation to keep every building on the plot in repair. These were the terms on which the whole island was held, the Company as Lords Proprietors letting its ground on conditions that secured both the tenant's loyalty and the upkeep of the settlement's fabric, the rent as much an assertion of ultimate ownership as a source of income.

432

425

the Expiration thereof shall Leave the same in the same good

Condition and repair and not Suffer the said Ground or Building

to run to ruin or decay And Upon Condition that the said

Andrew Blenman his Executors Administrators or Assigns

shall not sell or dispose of these Lease or Vise of their Interest

therein without the Leave and Consent of the Governour and

Council for the time being In Witness Whereof We the

said Governour and Council have sett our hands and Affixd the

Honble Companys seal this fifteenth day of April in the

Nineteenth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the

Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and

Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth and in the

Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and forty Six

and the said Andrew Blenman to the Other part hath sett

his Hand and Seal the Day and Year above Written

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Mr Burling

The Clerk of the Councill this day delivd

an Account of the Books & Papers in the Secretarys Office taken the

29 day of March last, Which was Examined and Ordered to be

kept in the Office.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

The lease continued that at the expiration of the term Blinman was to leave the ground in the same good condition and repair, and not suffer the ground or building to fall into ruin or decay. It was granted on the further condition that Blinman, his executors, administrators or assigns not sell or dispose of the lease, or devise their interest in it, without the leave and consent of the Governor and council for the time being.

The Governor and council set their hands and affixed the Honourable Company's seal on 15 April, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith and so forth, and in the year of our Lord 1746. Blinman set his hand and seal to the other part on the same day. The deed was signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

The clerk of the council delivered an account of the books and papers in the secretary's office, taken on 29 March, which was examined and ordered to be kept in the office. This entry was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The covenant barring assignment without the council's leave gave the Company a lasting control over who held its ground. A tenant could not sell, sublet or bequeath his interest to a stranger the board had not approved, so the Company kept the power to refuse an unwanted occupier and to hold the original tenant to his covenants, the ground remaining within the settlement's control rather than passing freely as ordinary property would.

The account of the books and papers of the secretary's office, taken on 29 March and now ordered kept, was the fruit of the Governor's long campaign against Dixon's keeping of the records. Dunbar had charged the suspended secretary with neglecting the consultations and letter books, and the inventory made as Dixon was put out and Robert Wright installed as clerk secured the archive under the new hand, the board fixing on record exactly what papers the office held so that no future gap could be laid to the change of secretaries.

433

426

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 22 day of April 1726 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

The Accomptant this day delivered

in the Journal Parcell, for the Month of March last, which

were Examined, and Ordered to be Entered.

The Planters this day laid before us the

following Answer, and proposals in relation to the Supplying

the Markett here, viz

St Helena 22 April 1726

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr

Governour &c Council

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

According to your desier last

Tuesday, We the Underwritten Planters of this Island Have

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 April 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council and Matthew Purling as fifth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The accountant delivered the journal parcels for the month of March, which were examined and ordered to be entered.

The planters laid before the council their answer and proposal about supplying the market, addressed to the Worshipful David Dunbar Esquire, Governor, and the council, and dated at St Helena, 22 April 1746. The underwritten planters of the island stated that, according to the council's wish, they had attended the previous Tuesday, and

Interpretations

The planters' written answer marks the outcome of the compulsory summons of 11 April, by which the council had ordered thirteen named men to declare their stock on oath and name how many beasts they would kill for the market. The board had met the failure of the voluntary rotation with the threat of fines at its discretion, and the planters now returned a collective answer and proposal, so the dispute over victualling the garrison had moved from the market steward's complaint of empty stalls to a formal negotiation between the board and the island's cattle holders as a body.

434

427

Summond have mett, and Considered of the Circumstances You

then Acquainted us with, relating to the Supplying the Markett

We have hitherto done all that has been in our Power, and have

at Least supplied one half According to our last Years proposal

and if we have not done that, and more, it is not owing to our Unwill

ingness, but Inability (as we did then lay before you, on Account

of our Cattles being so young, and other Inconveniencs.

You will Also to Observe that We did

not agree to Support the Markett for any Certain time, but only

as long as we could, & that on our first setting the Markett on

Foot, it was designed for the Soldiers only, and was agreed that

the stewards of the Markett should be paid Quartily by those

People whose Provisions they Vend at the Markett, the Honble

Company have sold their Provisions hitherto without paying any

thing towards the Steward of the Markett Salary, so that we

hope for the future they will Contribute their proportion

there to.

Ever Since the Markett hath been

first sett up, we have been Killing upon our young Cattle,

While the Companys have been Growing, and they have the

best grown Cattle now Upon the Island, While ours we in a

low Condition upon the foregoing Accd, and the Companys

Table hath been chiefly supplyed with Beef from the Markett

ever Since it first began.

The Shipping will be much Straitned

by our being Obligd to Kill our Cattle for want of fresh provisions,

because they have the greatest Supply thereof from our Stocks,

The planters stated that, having attended when summoned and considered the circumstances the council had laid before them about supplying the market, they had done all that lay in their power, and had supplied at least one half according to the previous year's proportion. If they had not done more, it was not owing to any unwillingness but to inability, as they had explained before, on account of their cattle being so young and other difficulties.

They wished the council to observe that they had not agreed to support the market for any fixed time, but only as long as they could, and that when the market was first set on foot it was designed for the soldiers only. It had been agreed that the steward of the market should be paid quarterly by the people who sold their provisions there, while the Company had sold its provisions without paying anything toward the steward's salary, so they hoped that in future the Company would contribute its proportion.

They added that ever since the market was first set up they had been killing their young cattle while the Company's cattle had been growing, so that the Company now held the best grown cattle on the island, while the planters were in a low condition on the foregoing account, the Company itself having been chiefly supplied with beef from the market ever since it began.

They warned that the shipping would be much straitened by their being obliged to kill their cattle for want of fresh provisions, because the shipping had the greatest supply of beef from the planters' stocks, and

Interpretations

The planters turned the council's demand back into a grievance of their own, casting the market not as a duty they had shirked but as a burden that had steadily impoverished them to the Company's gain. Their argument was pointed: killing their young cattle year after year to feed a market first meant for the soldiers had drawn down their herds while the Company's own stock grew undisturbed, so that the board now holding the best cattle on the island was the very body pressing them to kill more. The complaint inverted the charge of default into one of exploitation.

The planters' demand that the Company contribute to the market steward's salary struck at the inequity in the market's own rules. The steward was paid by a levy on those who sold there, yet the Company sold its provisions without paying the levy, so the planters bore the whole cost of the officer who ran a market the Company also used. Raising this alongside their refusal to be bound for any fixed term, the planters were bargaining, offering their answer to the summons as the opening of terms rather than a simple submission to the board's order.

435

428

and we our selves are Considerable loosers by Selling Beef to the

Markett, that being the Principall Support of our family, and

with Which we Chiefly gett from Shipping such Necessarys

as are much wanting, and can't be Supply'd with at all times

from the Companys Stores.

There are a great many poor familys

now being in the Valley, and elsewhere, which are Supplied

by us with Provisions for their Support, which they can't be

supplied with from the Markett.

The Store Ship being so late, is no

doubt very distressing, but however, that the Garrison may

not want Provisions, as far as we are able, till such time

as they can have a Supply otherways, We With the rest

of the Inhabitants Will indeavour to Supply the Markett

With a Sufficient Quantity of Provisions for two Markett days

out of three, tho' we thereby Straiten our Selves to the last,

And We can do no more, and must leave it to Your Worships be

to Supply the Other, We shall let the Stewards of the Markett

know where to go for it. And Are,

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs,

Your Most humble Servants

Signd Frans Wrangham

Gab Harper

Joseph Bowell

Rich Goodwin

John Bagley

Jams Bowell

Martin Harper

Willm Gurling

Thos Greentree

Sam Doveton

Rich Bagley

The planters added that they were themselves considerable losers by selling beef to the market, that being the principal support of their families, and that they chiefly got from the shipping such necessaries as they much wanted and could not be supplied with at all times from the Company's stores.

They noted that a great many poor families now living in the valley and elsewhere were supplied by them with provisions for their support, which those families could not get from the market.

The store ship being so late was, they allowed, very distressing, but so that the garrison might not want provisions, as far as they were able, until such time as a supply could be had another way, they and the rest of the inhabitants would try to supply the market with a sufficient quantity of provisions two market days out of three, though they thereby straitened themselves. They would do the best, they could do no more, and must leave it to the council to supply the other day, telling the steward of the market where to go for it.

The answer was subscribed as most humble servants and signed by Francis Wrangham, Richard Goodwin, Martin Harper, Samuel Doveton, Gabriel Harper, John Bagley, Richard Gurling, Richard Bagley, Joseph Powell, James Powell and Thomas Greentree.

Interpretations

The planters closed by conceding two market days out of three while pointedly leaving the third to the council, a compromise that yielded the substance of supply while preserving their claim that the burden was not theirs alone to bear. The concession was framed as the utmost their straitened herds allowed, so they met the summons without submitting to the principle behind it, forcing the board to find the remaining day's provision from the Company's own grown cattle, the very stock the planters had complained was fattening while theirs was killed away.

The lateness of the store ship stands behind the whole dispute as its real cause. The garrison depended on salt provision from England, and when the store ship failed the fresh beef of the island's herds had to fill the gap, throwing on the planters a demand their young cattle could not meet. The planters' answer, invoking the poor families they fed and the necessaries they drew from the passing shipping, set their own place in the island's economy against the council's claim on their beasts, arguing that the settlement's provisioning rested on them far more widely than the market alone.

436

429

Upon which we agreed to Supply

One Markett day in three from the Honble Companys Stock,

and referred the Other Paragraphs to the Honble Company

for their Answer thereupon.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

At a Consultation held on

Tuesday the 29 April 1726 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

Mr John Goodwin being

appointed a Trustee with Mr Martin Harper, to the Orphans

of John Young deceased on the Death of Mr Stephen Luffkin Senr

the Only Surviving Exr of the said John Young in this Consultation

of the May 1725 having upon Examining the said Youngs

Effects, found the Sum of £24 1 94 belonging to Mrs

On the planters' answer the council agreed to supply one market day in three from the Company's stock, and referred the other paragraphs of the answer to the Company for their decision. This entry was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 29 April 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council and Matthew Purling as fifth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

John Goodwin had been appointed a trustee with Martin Harper to the orphans of John Young deceased, on the death of Stephen Lufkin senior, the only surviving executor of John Young, by consultation of 8 May 1745. On examining Young's effects they had found the sum of £24 1s 9.5d belonging to Mr [...]

Interpretations

The council took the one market day in three the planters had left it and referred everything else home, a settlement that resolved the immediate provisioning without conceding the wider claims. The board would supply the third day from the Company's own grown cattle, but the planters' complaints about the steward's salary, the impoverishment of their herds and their refusal to be bound for any fixed term were passed to the Company for judgement, so the pressing question of the garrison's beef was answered on the island while the argument over who bore the market's burden was deferred to London.

The trusteeship recorded here shows the council acting as the standing guardian of the island's orphans and their property. When Stephen Lufkin, the last surviving executor of John Young, died, the council did not let the trust fail but appointed Goodwin and Harper in his place to protect the Young children's interest, examining the estate and fixing the sum belonging to it, the board serving as the ultimate backstop for the settlement's minors when their private executors were gone.

437

430

Luffkin (Widow of Stephen Luffkin Junr who Died intestate,

and Without Heirs Claiming the same) hath this day paid it

into the Honble Companys Cash here, And We have Ordered

it to be brought upon the Books Accordingly.

Rebecca Newis Wid and relict

of Wm Newis late Stonblaster deceased, this Day brot

in the Inventory of her said husbands Effects, taken by Joshua

Worall, in Pursuance of the Letter of Administration granted

to her, Which was Ordered to be registred in the Books kept

for that purpose.

The Governour this day proposed

That as the Honble Companys Goods were sold out of their

Stores at different Prices, the Storekeeper should produce

his Books Every Weekly Consultation to be inspected in

Concil Which We All agreed to.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

The £24 1s 9.5d found in Young's effects belonged to Mrs Lufkin, widow of Stephen Lufkin junior, who had died intestate and without heir. As she claimed the sum, she had that day paid it into the Honourable Company's cash, and the council ordered it brought upon the books accordingly.

Rebecca Newis, widow and relict of William Newis, late stone blaster deceased, that day brought in the inventory of her husband's effects, taken by Joshua Worrall, in pursuance of the letters of administration granted to her. The council ordered it registered in the book kept for that purpose.

The Governor proposed that, as the Honourable Company's goods were sold out of their stores at different prices, the storekeeper should produce his books at every weekly consultation to be inspected in council. The board all agreed to this. This entry was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The Governor's order that the storekeeper lay his sale books before every weekly consultation for inspection tightened the council's check on the one officer who both held the goods and set their prices. Since the store sold at different rates to servants, garrison and planters, a storekeeper left to his own books had wide room to misprice or misapply the Company's goods, so requiring the books before the whole board each week made the store's dealings continuously visible, a routine audit replacing the trust that had let earlier officers conceal their handling of the stores.

The two intestacy matters show the council administering the estates of the island's dead as a standing part of its business. A sum found in one man's effects was traced to the widow of another who had died without heir and paid into the Company's cash on her claim, while a stone blaster's widow brought in the inventory of his goods under letters of administration the board had granted. The council thus served as the island's probate authority, granting administration, registering inventories and directing where the property of those who died without clear heirs should go, the settlement's law of succession run through the same body that governed everything else.

438

431

At a Consultation held on Wednesday

the 30 April 1726 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

The Last Consultation was read, and Approved

This day late in the Evening arrived

the Somersett Capt Jobson from England, Which brought

the Honble Companys Packett for St Helena.

We thereupon mett and Opened the

Same, and read the Companys Orders to Us, and Mr Wright

took his Seat at the board as Ordered.

Adjourned to Fryday,

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

At a consultation held on Wednesday 30 April 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council and Matthew Purling as fifth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

Late that evening the Somerset, Captain Jobson, arrived from England, bringing the Honourable Company's packet for St Helena. The council met and opened it, read the Company's orders, and Mr Wright took his seat at the board as ordered. The council adjourned to Friday. This entry was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The arrival of the Somerset with the Company's packet brought the settlement its first word from London since the whole quarrel with Dixon had blown up, and its orders seated Robert Wright at the board. Wright had been named clerk of the council in Dixon's place when the Governor suspended him, and the Company's orders now confirming him to a seat show the directors' instructions reaching the island to settle by authority what the Governor had begun by his own stroke, the packet closing the gap between Dunbar's unilateral acts of the spring and the sanction from home they awaited.

439

432

May the 2 1726

At a Consultation held on Fryday

the 2 May 1726 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

Robert Wright

The Last Consultation was read, and Approved,

We this day Ordered the following

Advertizements to be published, Vizt

Island St Helena 2 May 1726

Pursuant to an Order from the Honble the Court

of Directors of the East India Company, This is to

Give Notice That Every Pagoda from the 1 May

Instant, must Passin Payment on this Island for no

more than Eight Shillings.

Island St Helena 2 May 1726

This is to Give Notice to all the

Inhabetants of this Island, Who have Horses of any

kind

At a consultation held on Friday 2 May 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council, Matthew Purling as fifth of council and Robert Wright as sixth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

The council ordered the following advertisement published, dated at St Helena, 2 May 1746. Pursuant to an order from the Honourable Court of Directors of the East India Company, notice was given that from 1 May every pagoda must pass in all payments on the island for no more than eight shillings.

A second advertisement, also dated 2 May 1746, gave notice to all the inhabitants of the island who had horses of any kind

Interpretations

The order lowering the pagoda from nine shillings to eight struck directly at the value of the coin that made up the largest single part of the treasury's holdings. The Company was fixing by decree the rate at which the Madras gold pagoda passed in island payments, a matter of real consequence where over 1,500 of them lay in the chest, so a stroke of the Court's pen altered the sterling worth of the settlement's principal reserve and the price of every transaction reckoned in that coin. Setting the rate by order rather than the market was the Company's means of controlling a currency it did not mint but on which its remote possessions ran.

Robert Wright's appearance as sixth of council confirms the seat the Company's packet had brought him, enlarging the board that had shrunk to four with Dixon's suspension. The arrival of the orders on 30 April and Wright's taking his place here show the establishment reconstituting itself under the directors' authority, the vacancy the Governor had created by his own act now filled by the sanction from home, so the council that met to publish the Court's currency order did so as a body the Court had just reshaped.

440

433

May the 2 1726

kind That they are required to deliver into the Secretarys

Office an Attested Account of what each hath, within Eight

Days from the date hereof.

We then Sent for Messrs Clarke,

Dunbar, and Greentree, and Acquainted them with the

Companys directions relating to them, We then read to

the Planters the Severall Orders relating to them, and

Ordered them a Copy of the same, We also Acquainted the

Factors, and Writers, with the Orders relating to their

having diet Money, at the rate of 40 pr Annu, for which

they were very thankfull, and requested that as for the past

Year they had been at their Own Expence, they might

be Allowed for their Diet from that time after the above

rate, Which we thought Reasonable, and Ordered Accordy

Messrs Goodwin, Burling, & Wright

thankfully Accepted of the Honble Companys Allowance for their

diet Money as Concils,

We then Counted the Honble Comps

Cash and found therein 1965 Pagodas, which now

Upon the Lowering of their Value will be a Loss to the

Company of £98 5 "

Major Jackson, and Richard

Twaits, Petitioned this Day for their Discharges, having

The horse advertisement required that the inhabitants deliver into the secretary's office an attested account of what each held, within eight days of the date of the notice.

The council then sent for Messrs Clarke, Dunbar and Greentree and acquainted them with the Company's directions concerning them. It read to the planters the several orders relating to them and ordered them a copy of the same. It also acquainted the factors and writers with the orders about their diet money, at the rate of £40 a year, for which they were very thankful. They requested that, as they had been at their own expense for the previous year, they might be allowed for their diet from that time at the above rate, which the council thought reasonable and ordered accordingly.

John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright thankfully accepted the Honourable Company's allowance for their diet money as councillors.

The council then counted the Honourable Company's cash and found in it 1,965 pagodas, which on the lowering of their value would be a loss to the Company of £98 5s 0d.

Major Jackson and Richard Twaits petitioned that day for their discharges, having served

Interpretations

The council's own count made plain the cost of the order it had just published, the 1,965 pagodas in the chest falling by a shilling apiece to a loss of £98 5s on the treasury's holdings. The board that carried out the Court's decree also recorded exactly what it took from the Company's own reserve, the lowering of the coin cutting the value of the settlement's largest cash asset at a stroke, so the same officers gained nothing and lost near a hundred pounds by obeying an instruction sent to regulate the currency across the Company's possessions.

The factors' and writers' request to be allowed diet money for the year past, not merely from the order's date, shows the servants pressing their advantage the moment a favourable instruction arrived. Having borne their own diet at their own charge while the allowance was withheld, they asked the new £40 rate be carried back over the period they had gone without, and the council allowed it as reasonable, so the Company's grant of an allowance became at once a claim for arrears, the servants turning a forward-looking order into compensation for what they had already spent.

441

434

May 6th 1726

Served their Contracted time.

Granted,

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Burling

Wright

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 6th May

1726 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

Robert Wright

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

Fryday May 2 Died Ellen Burling, a Child

Sunday 4 Arrived his Majesties Ships

Deptford, Capt Moor, &

Dolphin, Capt Wray

Edgbaston, Capt Hereford from Madrass

Leicester, Capt Blake

Vernon, Capt Cook

Major Jackson and Richard Twaits, having served their contracted time, were granted their discharges. This entry was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 May 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council, Matthew Purling as fifth of council and Robert Wright as sixth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

On Friday 2 May, Ellen Purling, a child, died. On Sunday 4 May, his Majesty's ships Deptford, Captain Moor, Dolphin, Captain Wray, Edgbaston, Captain Hereford, Leicester, Captain Blake, and Vernon, Captain Cook, arrived from Madras.

Interpretations

The arrival of five of the King's ships together from Madras marks the wartime convoy system by which the East India trade was protected against French cruisers. With Britain at war with France, the Company's homeward ships no longer sailed singly but under the escort of a squadron of the Royal Navy, so St Helena saw its road fill with men of war as well as Indiamen, the island's strategic value as a fortified refreshment station on the sea road sharpened by the danger the war put on every unescorted sail.

442

435

May 6th 1726

The Edgbaston, Leicester, and Vernon brought us Letters

from the Governour, and Council of the Several Settlements, from

which they were dispatched with the following Supplys, Vizt

Invoice of Goods pr Ship Edgbaston Vizt

A Batavia Arrack

No 1 a 4 4 half Leaguers of 7 Gallens 360 a 180 pr Leagr 360 " "

Batta 8 pr Cent 28 12 9 388 12 9

S Tresinda Sugar

1 a 10 10 Bags of 7 Sugar Wdt 20 a 13 4 pr bag 132 8 "

Batta 10 pr Cent 13 4 145 12 "

WC Wax Candles

1 a 2 2 Chests of 7 Facts Wdt 4 a 39 pr md 156 "

R Rice

1 a 47 47 bags of 7 Facts Wdt 94 a 35 pr Cwt Bags 107 7 "

Charges Merchandizes

797 15 9

104 bags and Sewing 14 8 6

4 half Leaguers 26 6 6

2 Chests Serrahs and Packers 5 8 "

30 large Malls 2 10 3

Dyes for the Soldiers 2 " "

Oyl 1 6

Boathire 17 4

68 6 9

Cur Rupees 866 6 6

Signd Errors Excepted

P Jno Jackson Depucy

The Edgbaston, Leicester and Vernon brought the council letters from the governors and councils of the several settlements from which they were dispatched, with the following supplies.

Invoice of goods per ship Edgbaston

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers of 90 gallons, 360 gallons at 150 rupees per leaguer, 360 rupees

Batta 8 per cent, 28 rupees 12 annas 9 pies, total 388 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

Tresinda sugar, 10 bags of 20 hundredweight at 13 rupees 4 annas per bag, 132 rupees 8 annas

Batta 10 per cent, 13 rupees 4 annas, total 145 rupees 12 annas

Wax candles, 2 chests of 4 hundredweight at 39 rupees per hundredweight, 156 rupees

Rice, 47 bags of 94 hundredweight at 35 rupees per candy bags, 107 rupees 7 annas

Charges merchandise

104 bags and sewing, 14 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

4 half leaguers, 26 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

2 chests, scrutabs and packers, 5 rupees 8 annas

30 large mats, 2 rupees 10 annas 3 pies

dyes for the soldiers, 2 rupees

oil, 1 rupee 6 annas

boat hire, 17 rupees 4 annas, total 68 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

Current rupees, 866 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

The invoice was subscribed errors excepted and signed by John Jackson, purser.

Interpretations

The batta added to the arrack and sugar was the premium charged on the exchange or transport of the coin and goods, a percentage the Indian trade reckoned separately on top of the base price. Eight per cent on the arrack and ten on the sugar, entered as distinct lines before the totals, it was the standard allowance by which a Company settlement passed on the cost of currency conversion and handling between the Indian presidencies, so the island paid not merely the price of the goods but the recognised charge of moving value across the trade.

The whole supply came reckoned in rupees, annas and pies from Madras, the currency of the presidency that dispatched it, before ever being converted to the sterling in which the island kept its accounts. Arrack from Batavia, sugar and rice by the candy, wax candles by the hundredweight: the staples the island could not produce came from the eastern settlements priced in eastern money, the invoice a document of the intra-Company trade that supplied St Helena from Madras as much as from England, each presidency forwarding what its own region yielded.

443

436

May 6th

Invoice of Goods pr Ship Leicester Vizt

Factors Provisions

Sugar 14 Canisters prizd ca nd to 3 24 156 16 137 34 74

Rice 35 Bags of 240 Mercals pr Copies 36 " "

173 34 74

Slops

St Helena No 1 a 2 2 Bales pr Units long 30 bed for 4 21 pr Ce 137 18 "

No 3 1 Stockings 30 4 18 pr Ce 135 " "

No 4 1 Battealace 5 8 18 pr Ce 42 18

No 5 a 10 6 Chests of Candles Wdt 36 25 16 43 pr Ce 196 19 20

511 19 20

Charges Merchandizes

685 15 14

On the Sugar and Rice 3 1 56

On the Slops 8 6

11 7 56

Pagodas 696 23 70

Signd Errors Excepted

Thos Eyre Accott

Invoice of Goods pr Ship Vernon Vizt

Factors Provisions Vizt

No 1 a 2 Battavia Arrack 2 Leagrs a 50 pr Leagr 100 " "

Sugar 14 Canisters prizd ca nd 3 45 pr Cd 135 16 16 235 16 16

Rice 27 bags of 193 Mercals a 20 pr 7 sance 28 34 16

Charges Merchandizes

264 14 32

5 Boxes & Cooley hire a 1 20 ea 31 20

27 Gunney bags for Rice a 6 20 pr 7 1 22 25

Cooley hire for Arrack 12

Bottles Tin plates &c for Arrack 3 45

7 3 45

Pagodas 267 14 77

Signd Errors Excepted

Jno Bigge Accott

This image carries two invoices, the Leicester's reckoned in pagodas and the Vernon's likewise.

Invoice of goods per ship Leicester

Factors provisions

Sugar, 14 canisters, prime cost 3 pagodas 3 annas 24 pies, 156 pies, 137 pagodas 34 annas 7.5 pies

Rice, 35 bags of 240 marcals per copico, 36 pagodas, total 173 pagodas 34 annas 7.5 pies

Slops

No 1 and 2, 2 bales piece goods, 30 large at 4 annas 21 pies per corge, 137 pagodas 18 annas

No 3, 1 bale stockings, 30 at 4 pagodas 18 annas per corge, 135 pagodas

No 4, 1 bale battealoes, 5 at 8 pagodas 18 annas per corge, 42 pagodas 18 annas

No 5 to 10, 6 chests of candles at 36 pagodas 15 annas 43 pies per hundredweight, 196 pagodas 19 annas 20 pies, total 511 pagodas 19 annas 20 pies

Total, 685 pagodas 18 annas 14 pies

Charges merchandise

On the sugar and rice, 3 pagodas 1 anna 56 pies

On the slops, 8 pagodas 6 annas, total 11 pagodas 7 annas 56 pies

Pagodas, 696 pagodas 25 annas 70 pies

The invoice was subscribed errors excepted and signed by Thomas Lyne, accountant.

Invoice of goods per ship Vernon

Factors provisions

No 1 and 2, Batavia arrack, 2 leaguers at 50 pagodas per leaguer, 100 pagodas

Sugar, 14 canisters per prime cost 3 pagodas 15 annas at 45 pagodas per candy, 135 pagodas 16 annas 16 pies, total 235 pagodas 16 annas 16 pies

Rice, 27 bags of 193 marcals at 30 pagodas per garce, 28 pagodas 34 annas 16 pies, total 264 pagodas 14 annas 32 pies

Charges merchandise

5 boats and coolie hire at 6 pagodas 20 each, 31 pagodas 20 pies

27 gunny bags for rice at 6 annas 20 pies, 1 pagoda 22 annas 25 pies

coolie hire for arrack, 12 pies

bottles, tin plates and nails for arrack, 7 pagodas 3 annas 45 pies

Pagodas, 267 pagodas 14 annas 77 pies

The invoice was subscribed errors excepted and signed by the accountant.

Interpretations

These two invoices are reckoned wholly in pagodas, annas and pies, the gold currency of Madras, where the Edgbaston's came in rupees, marking the different presidencies that dispatched them. The pagoda was the standard gold coin of the Coromandel coast and the money of account at Fort St George, so the supplies sent from Madras were priced in it throughout, and the island's clerks had to convert each invoice into sterling at the fixed rate the Court had just lowered to eight shillings the pagoda.

The slops that make up the bulk of the Leicester's cargo were the ready-made clothing issued to the garrison and sold to the settlement, bought in bales and chests from the Indian trade. Piece goods, stockings and battealoes, a coarse eastern cotton cloth, came made up by the corge, a unit of twenty, so the Company clothed its soldiers and servants from the same eastern manufactures that furnished its trade, the slops shipped from Madras alongside the sugar, rice and candles as another staple the island could not make for itself.

444

437

1726

Ordered, that the Surgeon of the Ship, Somerset, be

paid the Usual Allowance of 5 pr man, for his care of 41 Soldiers

during their Passage hither from England.

John Draper, Sarah Jessey, & Martha Draper this

day petitiond for leave to take passage on board the Somersett for

Bencoolen.

Granted.

The Storekeeper this day Produced his day Books for the

Week Past, Pursuant to the Order in Consultation of 29 April,

Which were Examined, & Approved of.

William Dorril Sergeant this day Petitiond for his

Discharge, having served his Contracted time.

Granted.

The council ordered that the surgeon of the Somerset be paid the usual allowance of five shillings per man for his care of 41 soldiers during their passage from England.

John Draper, Sarah Jepsey and Martha Draper petitioned that day for leave to take passage aboard the Somerset for Bencoolen, which was granted.

The storekeeper produced his day books for the previous week, pursuant to the order in consultation of 29 April, which were examined and approved.

William Dorril, sergeant, petitioned that day for his discharge, having served his contracted time, which was granted.

Interpretations

The five shillings a man paid to the Somerset's surgeon for bringing 41 soldiers safely from England shows the Company buying the care of its recruits on the passage by results. The surgeon of the ship carrying the men was paid a fixed head price for his attendance on the whole draft during the voyage, so the health of the reinforcement was made the ship's surgeon's charge and rewarded on delivery, the recruits reaching the island being the fresh garrison the war made so welcome and so hard to replace.

The storekeeper's production of his day books, the second such inspection since the order of 29 April, shows the Governor's new audit already settling into routine. What had been imposed as a check against the mispricing and misapplication of the Company's goods was now performed week by week as a matter of course, the store's dealings laid open before the board at each consultation, so the reform born of the distrust that ran through the whole Dixon quarrel had hardened into a standing discipline on the one officer who both held and priced the stores.

445

438

May 13

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13

May 1726 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hatchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Burling of Council

Robert Wright

The last Consultation was read, and approved.

Sunday May 11 Died Richard Haund Soldier.

The ten working Days for the Shordships

unlading expiring Yesterday, We this day gave the Captain his

Sailing Orders, with the following Letter to the several

Settlements in India, Vizt

To the Honourable Thomas Braddyll Esqr President, and

Governour, and Council of Bengall.

Honourable Sir, & Sirs,

Our last was by the London Captain

Sedgewick, who Sailed hence the 14 October for Madrass

Since which we have received your Letter

of the 6 January 1725, with the severall Goods mentioned in

your Invoice, and Bill of Lading

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 May 1746 at the castle, Governor Colonel David Dunbar, Captain Charles Hutchinson as Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin as fourth of council, Matthew Purling as fifth of council and Robert Wright as sixth of council were present. The last consultation was read and approved.

On Sunday 11 May, Richard Hound, soldier, died.

The ten working days for the shipping's unlading expiring the previous day, the council gave the captain his sailing orders, with the following letter to the several settlements in India.

The letter was addressed to the Honourable Thomas Braddyll, President and Governor, and the council of Bengal. The council wrote that its last had gone by the London, Captain Sedgwick, who sailed from the island on 14 October for Madras. Since then it had received their letter of 6 January 1745, with the several goods mentioned in their invoice and bill of lading.

Interpretations

The ten working days allowed for unlading were the term fixed by the charter party within which a ship must land the goods consigned to the island before her captain could claim his sailing orders. The council reckoned the days from arrival and released the ship the moment they expired, the same mechanism that governed every Indiaman's stay, so the settlement's dealings with the shipping ran on a fixed timetable that balanced the island's need to receive its supplies against the owners' interest in a quick passage home.

The council's letters to the several settlements in India show St Helena as a node in the Company's oceanic correspondence, forwarding word between Bengal, Madras, Bombay and England as its ships came and went. The board opened its letter by fixing the last communication and acknowledging what had since arrived, the careful dating of each dispatch and reply building the continuous record by which settlements months apart by sea kept account of what had passed between them, the island relaying the Company's business across the whole ocean it sat in the middle of.

446

439

1726

The Dolphin, Captain Bigott, The Benjamin,

Capt Way, and the Portobello, Capt Fisher, passed by here on the 1

April last, in Company with the Dutch Fleet, they parted to

the Fort St George, Capt Acton, and the Elizabeth, Lawrance,

late Bernell, the Night they left the Cape.

The Somersett, Capt Jobson, arrived here

from England the last day of April, and the fourth of May his

Majestys Ships the Deptford, Capt Moor, and the Dolphin Capt

Wray, arrived here from Madrass, with the Edgbaston, Captain

Hereford, late Cobham, the Leicester Capt Blake, and the

Vernon, Capt Cook, late Webster, under their Convoy.

We cannot send you an Account what

Condition the Stores you sent us are in, or how they prove, the Ships

not having as yett delivered them.

We desire you will send us for the use of

the Island twelve Maunds of Wax Candles, of about Six to the

pound, and the rest of the one pr Cent in Arrack, Sugar, Rice, and

Paddy. We are,

Honourable Sir, & Sirs,

Your most humble Servants

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Burling

Rob Wright

St Helena

13 May 1726

The letter to Bengal continued that the Dolphin, Captain Bigott, the Benjamin, Captain Way, and the Portobello, Captain Fisher, passed the island on 1 April in company with the Dutch fleet. They had parted from the Fort St George, Captain Acton, and the Elizabeth, Captain Lawrence, formerly the Brunett, the night they left the Cape.

The Somerset, Captain Jobson, arrived from England on the last day of April, and on 4 May his Majesty's ships Deptford, Captain Moor, and Dolphin, Captain Wray, arrived from Madras with the Edgbaston, Captain Hereford, late Cobham, the Leicester, Captain Blake, and the Vernon, Captain Cook, late Webster, under their convoy.

The council could not send an account of the condition of the stores they had sent, or how they proved, the ships not having yet delivered them. It asked them to send for the use of the island twelve maunds of wax candles of about six to the pound, and the rest of one hundred pounds' worth in arrack, sugar, rice and paddy.

The letter was subscribed as most humble servants and signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright, dated at St Helena, 13 May 1746.

Interpretations

The order to Bengal was cast in a maund, the standard Indian weight of the eastern trade, showing the council ordering its supplies in the units of the presidency that would fill them. Twelve maunds of wax candles at six to the pound, and a hundred pounds' worth of arrack, sugar, rice and paddy, were requested in the terms Bengal reckoned by, so the island's yearly order was a document written to be read at the far end of the trade, the settlement bending its own accounting to the weights and measures of the ports that supplied it.

The whole letter reads as a shipping intelligence report as much as an order, its careful listing of every vessel that passed, arrived or parted company at the Cape serving to keep the Company's Indian settlements informed of the movements of its fleets in wartime. With French cruisers abroad and the ships sailing under naval convoy, word of which vessels had reached the island and which had been last seen together was information the distant presidencies needed, so the island's central position on the sea road made it the natural clearing house for news of the Company's shipping across the whole route home.

447

440

May 13

To the Honourable Nicholas Morse Esqr President,

and Governour, and Council of Fort St George

Honourable Sir, & Sirs,

Our last, was by the London Capt

Sedgewick, who sailed hence the 14 October for Madrass

We have since received your severall

Letters by the Dolphin, Capt Bigott, the Lincoln Capt Blake,

and the Vernon, Capt Cook, dated the 6 October, and 31 Jany

1725, with the Goods mentioned in your Invoices, and Bills of

Lading.

The Dolphin passed by here the 1 April

last, with the Benjamin, Capt Way, and the Portobello, Capt

Fisher, in Company with the Dutch Fleet, and only lay too

till we could send for the Goods on Shore, they parted with

the Fort St George, Captn Acton, and the Elizabeth, Capt Lawrance,

late Bernell, the Night they left the Cape.

The Somersett Capt Jobson, arrived here

from England the last of April, and the fourth of May, his

Majestys Ships the Deptford, Capt Moor, and the Dolphin

Capt Wray, from Madrass, arrived here with the Edgbaston,

Capt Hereford, late Cobham, the Lincoln, Capt Blake, &

the Vernon, Capt Cook, late Webster, under their Convoy

We cannot send you an Account what

The council addressed a further letter to the Honourable Nicholas Morse, President and Governor, and the council of Fort St George. It wrote that its last had gone by the London, Captain Sedgwick, who sailed from the island on 14 October for Madras.

Since then it had received their several letters by the Dolphin, Captain Bigott, the Leicester, Captain Blake, and the Vernon, Captain Cook, dated 6 October and 31 January 1745, with the goods mentioned in their invoices and bills of lading.

The Dolphin passed the island on 1 April with the Benjamin, Captain Way, and the Portobello, Captain Fisher, in company with the Dutch fleet, and only lay to till the council could send for the goods ashore. They parted from the Fort St George, Captain Acton, and the Elizabeth, Captain Lawrence, formerly the Brunett, the night they left the Cape.

The Somerset, Captain Jobson, arrived from England on the last day of April, and on 4 May his Majesty's ships Deptford, Captain Moor, and Dolphin, Captain Wray, arrived from Madras with the Edgbaston, Captain Hereford, late Cobham, the Leicester, Captain Blake, and the Vernon, Captain Cook, late Webster, under their convoy.

Interpretations

The council sent Fort St George a letter nearly identical to the one it had just written Bengal, the same recital of ships passed, arrived and parted repeated to each presidency in turn. The board kept the Company's separate settlements equally informed by addressing the same intelligence to each, so the labour of writing out the whole shipping record several times over was the price of keeping Madras, Bengal and Bombay alike current with the movements of the fleets, the island's correspondence radiating the same news along every arm of the trade.

448

441

1726

Condition the Stores you sent us are in, or how they prove, the

Ships not having as yett delivered them.

We desire you will send us for the use of

the Island twelve Maunds of Wax Candles, one half of about four

and Six to the pound, & the rest of the one pr Cent in Arrack

Sugar, Rice, & paddy. We are,

Honourable Sir, & Sirs,

Your most humble Servants

St Helena

13 May 1726

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Burling

Rob Wright

To the Honourable William Wake Esqr President, &

Governour, & Council at Bombay.

Honourable Sir, & Sirs,

Our last was by the London Captain

Sedgewick, who Saild hence the 14 October for Madrass.

The Dolphin, Capt Bigott, the Benjamin,

Capt Way, and the Portobello, Capt Fisher, passed by the 1 April

last, in Company with the Dutch Fleet, they parted with the

Fort Saint George, Capt Acton, and the Elizabeth, Capt Lawrance,

late Bernell, the Night they left the Cape.

The letter to Fort St George continued that the council could not send an account of the condition of the stores they had sent, or how they proved, the ships not having yet delivered them. It asked them to send for the use of the island twelve maunds of wax candles, one half of about four to the pound and the rest at six, and the rest of one hundred pounds' worth in arrack, sugar, rice and paddy.

The letter was subscribed as most humble servants and signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright, dated at St Helena, 13 May 1746.

The council addressed a further letter to the Honourable William Wake Esquire, President and Governor, and the council at Bombay. It wrote that its last had gone by the London, Captain Sedgwick, who sailed from the island on 14 October for Madras.

The Dolphin, Captain Bigott, the Benjamin, Captain Way, and the Portobello, Captain Fisher, passed the island on 1 April in company with the Dutch fleet. They had parted from the Fort St George, Captain Acton, and the Elizabeth, Captain Lawrence, formerly the Brunett, the night they left the Cape.

Interpretations

The letter to Bombay opens with the identical recital sent to Bengal and Fort St George, the third copy of the same shipping news addressed to the third presidency. The council's yearly circular to the Indian governments carried the same account of the fleets to each, differing only in the goods ordered, so the board discharged its duty to keep every settlement informed by writing the whole record out afresh for Bombay as it had for the others, the island's correspondence reaching along all three arms of the Company's eastern trade.

449

442

May 13

The Somersett, Capt Jobson, arrived here

from England the last of April, and the fourth of May, his

Majestys Ships the Deptford, Capt Moor, & the Dolphin, Capt

Wray, from Madrass, arrived here with the Edgbaston, Capt

Hereford, late Cobham, the Lincoln Capt Blake, and the

Vernon, Capt Cooke, late Webster, under their Convoy.

We desire you will send us for the use of

the Island two hundred pieces of Surat Chelloes, two hundred

pieces of Nicanees, and the rest of the one pr Cent in Goa

Arrack, and Rice. We are,

Honourable Sir, & Sirs,

Your most humble Servants

St Helena

13 May 1726

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Burling

Rob Wright

To the Worshipfull William Bigg Esqr Deputy Govr

& Council, at Fort Marlborough

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs,

Our last was by the London, Captain

Sedgewick, who saild hence 14 October for Madrass.

The letter to Bombay continued that the Somerset, Captain Jobson, arrived from England on the last day of April, and on 4 May his Majesty's ships Deptford, Captain Moor, and Dolphin, Captain Wray, arrived from Madras with the Edgbaston, Captain Hereford, late Cobham, the Leicester, Captain Blake, and the Vernon, Captain Cook, late Webster, under their convoy.

It asked them to send for the use of the island two hundred pieces of Surat chelloes, two hundred pieces of nicanees, and the rest of one hundred pounds' worth in Goa arrack and rice.

The letter was subscribed as most humble servants and signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright, dated at St Helena, 13 May 1746.

The council addressed a further letter to the Worshipful William Rigg Esquire, Deputy Governor, and council at Fort Marlborough. It wrote that its last had gone by the London, Captain Sedgwick, who sailed from the island on 14 October for Madras.

Interpretations

The goods ordered from Bombay differ from those sought elsewhere, marking what each presidency was known to supply. Bombay was asked for Surat chelloes and nicanees, cotton cloths of the western Indian trade, chelloes being coloured checked or striped cottons and nicanees a striped cloth, both woven in the Surat region that Bombay drew on, so the island directed each order to the port whose own hinterland produced the goods, the yearly requisitions shaped by the distinct manufactures of the Company's several settlements.

450

443

1726

The Dolphin, Capt Bigott, the Benjamin,

Capt Way, & the Portobello, Capt Fisher, passed by the 1 April

last, in Company with the Dutch Fleet, they parted with the

Fort St George, Capt Acton, and the Elizabeth, Capt Lawrance,

late Bernell, the Night they left the Cape.

The Somersett Capt Jobson, arrived here

from England the last of April, and the fourth of May His

Majestys Ships the Deptford, Capt Moor, and the Dolphin,

Capt Wray, arrived here from Madrass, with the Edgbaston,

Capt Hereford, late Cobham, the Lincoln, Capt Blake, and

the Vernon, Capt Cook, late Webster, under their Convoy.

We have taken out one Chest of Treasure

from the Somersett, for the use of this place, & given the Capt

a Receipt for the same, according to the Honourable Companys

directions.

We have sent you by Order of the

Honourable Company, Sundry Stores as pr Invoice, and Bill

of Loading Inclosed, with the Charter Party of the Ship

Somersett. We are,

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs,

Your most humble Servants

St Helena

13 May 1726

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

M Burling

Rob Wright

The letter to Fort Marlborough continued that the Dolphin, Captain Bigott, the Benjamin, Captain Way, and the Portobello, Captain Fisher, passed the island on 1 April in company with the Dutch fleet. They had parted from the Fort St George, Captain Acton, and the Elizabeth, Captain Lawrence, formerly the Brunett, the night they left the Cape.

The Somerset, Captain Jobson, arrived from England on the last day of April, and on 4 May his Majesty's ships Deptford, Captain Moor, and Dolphin, Captain Wray, arrived from Madras with the Edgbaston, Captain Hereford, late Cobham, the Leicester, Captain Blake, and the Vernon, Captain Cook, late Webster, under their convoy.

The council had taken out one chest of treasure from the Somerset for the use of the island, and given the captain a receipt for it, according to the Honourable Company's directions.

It had sent them by order of the Company sundry stores as per invoice and bill of lading enclosed, with the charter party of the Somerset.

The letter was subscribed as most humble servants and signed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright, dated at St Helena, 13 May 1746.

Interpretations

The chest of treasure taken from the Somerset for the island's use records how the settlement was resupplied with the specie its cash-short economy perpetually needed. The Company shipped bullion and coin from England to its eastern possessions, and St Helena drew its portion from a passing ship against a receipt, so the island's treasury was replenished from the treasure fleets that crossed it, the same chest that would have gone on to India stopped here to feed a settlement that produced no coin of its own and ran always near the bottom of its cash.

Fort Marlborough at Bencoolen, on the west coast of Sumatra, stood at the far end of the Company's chain from St Helena, yet the island served it as it served the Indian presidencies, forwarding stores, shipping intelligence and correspondence down the whole length of the eastern trade. The letter enclosing the Somerset's invoice, bill of lading and charter party shows the island acting as the Company's forwarding station, passing goods and documents between England and its most distant settlement, the treeless rock in the South Atlantic knitting together possessions scattered across half the world.

451

444

May 13

We this day received the following

Letter from Capt John Hereford, Commander of the Edgbaston, Vizt

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Govr, &c Council of

St Helena.

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Having a great Necessity of Tarr to

refit my Rigging &c, to Enable me to proceed with safely to

Europe with the Honble Comps Effects, I therefore beg the

favour youll grant me two Barrels of Tarr, which with

one I have already had, makes the Number three Barrels,

and am with due Respect,

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs,

Your most humble Servant

St Helena

May 13 1726

Signd John Hereford

Which we granted upon Consideration

of his having been so long on his Voyage

Mr James DuBois requested that he

might have liberty to resign his Employment here, and go to

England, having served the Honble Company his Contracted

time. Granted.

The council received a letter from Captain John Hereford, commander of the Edgbaston, addressed to the Worshipful David Dunbar, Governor, and the council of St Helena.

Hereford wrote that, having a great need of tar to refit his rigging and enable him to proceed safely to Europe with the Company's effects, he asked the council to grant him two barrels of tar, which with one he had already had would make the number three barrels. The letter was subscribed as most humble servant and signed by John Hereford, dated at St Helena, 13 May 1746. The council granted his request, considering how long he had been on his voyage.

James Du Bois requested leave to resign his employment on the island and go to England, having served the Honourable Company his contracted time, which was granted.

Interpretations

The tar granted to the Edgbaston for her rigging shows the island serving as a refitting station for the homeward ships, supplying from its stores the naval materials a vessel needed to make the last leg to Europe safe. Tar preserved and waterproofed the standing rigging and was consumed steadily on a long voyage, so a ship arriving worn from India and the Cape drew on the island's warehouse to set herself right for the passage home, St Helena's value lying as much in what it could supply to the shipping as in the refreshment it offered their crews.

452

445

1726

We Consigned the following Goods

to Bencoolen Vizt

St Helena 12 May 1726.

No 1 Gold & Silver Twist &c 1 Box Vizt

1574 Oz Gold Twist 7 7 "

1374 Oz Do Sleezing at 9 pr oz 6 6 "

52 Oz Do Thread 24 5 4

1374 Oz Silver Twist 4 10

21 Oz Do Sleezing at 7 4 do 7 14

57 Oz Do Thread 20 18

32 Fine Nuns Thread 34 10 10

Gold & Silver Twist &c 1 Box Amounting to 103 9 2

No 1 to 5 Nails 5 Casks of 7 3786 Spikes at 34 pr Cwt 51 5 44

No 2 Haberdashery 1 Case Vizt

93 Pcs broad White Tape at 2 1 pr oz ea 9 13 9

104 Pcs Coloured Tape 1 34 5 10 6

216 Pcs Bobbing 2 11 "

169 Pcs Narrow Holland Tape 54 3 13 114

Haberdashery Carried over£ 21 9 24

Carried over£ 154 14 64

The council consigned the following goods to Bencoolen, the invoice dated at St Helena, 12 May 1746.

Goods consigned to Bencoolen, St Helena, 12 May 1746

No 1, Gold and silver twist etc, 1 box

15.75 oz gold twist, £7 7s 0d

13.5 oz ditto sleeving, at 9s 4d per oz, £6 6s 0d

52 oz ditto thread, £24 5s 4d

13.5 oz silver twist, £4 10s 0d

21 oz ditto sleeving, at 7s 4d per oz, £7 14s 0d

57 oz ditto thread, £20 18s 0d

32 oz fine nuns thread, £31 10s 10d

Gold and silver twist etc, 1 box amounting to, £103 9s 2d

No 1 to 5, nails, 5 casks of 7,3786 spikes at 3.5d per lb, £51 5s 4.5d

No 2, haberdashery, 1 case

93 pieces broad white tape at 2s 1d per piece, £9 13s 9d

104 pieces coloured tape at 1s 0.75d, £5 10s 6d

216 pieces bobbin, £2 11s 0d

169 pieces narrow Holland tape at 5.5d, £3 13s 11.5d

Haberdashery carried over, £21 9s 2.5d

Carried over, £156 14s 6.5d

Interpretations

The consignment to Bencoolen reverses the usual direction of the island's trade, St Helena here forwarding goods east to Fort Marlborough rather than receiving them. The gold and silver twist, thread and haberdashery tapes shipped on show the island passing English manufactures down the line to the Company's most distant settlement, so the treeless rock served not only as a receiver of eastern goods but as a staging point sending European wares onward, its warehouse a two-way exchange in the Company's oceanic supply chain.

The gold and silver twist and sleeving were the fine metal threads used in braid, lace and embroidery, valued by the ounce like the precious metal drawn into them. Twist was the thread of gold or silver wire wound on silk, sleeving a softer variety, and both went into the trimmings and uniforms that marked rank and wealth, so this box of costly thread, worth above a hundred pounds, carried to Bencoolen the materials of display that the Company's officers and the eastern markets alike prized.

453

446

May 13

Brought over£ 154 14 64

Haberdashery Brought over£ 21 9 24

51 Pcs Diaper Tape 1 1 pr oz ea 2 15 3

190 Yards Staytape 1 11 9

7074 Do Galloon 17 84

11174 Do Ferritt 1 5 6

Haberdashery 1 Case Amounting to 27 19 44

Sum Total of this Invoice which God prosper£ 182 13 11

Mr James Powell this day

presented the following petition Vizt

This continues and closes the invoice of goods consigned to Bencoolen.

Goods consigned to Bencoolen, continued

Brought over, £156 14s 6.5d

Haberdashery brought over, £21 9s 2.5d

51 pieces diaper tape at 1s 1d, £2 15s 3d

190 yards stay tape, £1 11s 9d

70.75 ditto galloon, £0 17s 8.5d

111.5 ditto ferrets, £1 5s 6d

Haberdashery 1 case amounting to, £27 19s 4.5d

Sum total of this invoice which God prosper, £182 13s 11d

James Powell presented the following petition that day.

Interpretations

The pious closing formula, that God prosper this invoice, records the real hazard under which the whole trade ran. A consignment sent from St Helena to Bencoolen faced months at sea through waters where storm, wreck and, in this war year, French cruisers might take the whole, so the merchant committed the venture to Providence in the very act of totalling it, the phrase a standing expression of how much of the Company's business rested on a safe passage that no account could guarantee.

The haberdashery tapes, galloon and ferrets consigned by the piece and yard were the narrow woven trimmings the tailoring trade consumed in quantity. Stay tape reinforced the seams and edges of garments, diaper tape carried a small figured pattern, galloon was a decorative braid and ferrets a cheap silk or cotton binding, so the case shipped to Bencoolen carried the workaday materials by which clothing was made and finished, English manufactures forwarded to a settlement that made none of its own.

454

447

1726

Island St Helena May 13 1726

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr Govr, &c Council.

The Humble Petition of James Powell

Sheweth

That Your Petitioner having been Ordered

by the Honoble Court of Directors of the United East India

Company of England, to be restored to his place of Writer in

their Service here, from which he had been Suspended for

upwards of twelve Months, And as Your Petitioner hath

all that time lived at his own Expence, without receiving

either Sallary, House Rent, or Diet Money, and the

Company having been pleased in the case of Mr Dixon, to

allow his Sallary & Diet Money during the time of his

Suspension.

Your Petitioner therefore humbly

Prays that he may be paid his Sallary,

Diet Money, & House Rent for the

time he was Suspended, after the rate

that the others of his Station in the

Companys Service have been allowed.

And Your Petitioner shall ever pray &c

Signd Jam Powell

Upon Considering the Circumstances of the

Petition, We agreed to his request, on his undertaking to repay it

if not allowed by the Honble Company.

James Powell petitioned the Governor and council, dated at St Helena, 13 May 1746.

Powell set out that he had been ordered by the Honourable Court of Directors of the United East India Company of England to be restored to his place of writer in their service on the island, from which he had been suspended for upwards of twelve months. Throughout that time he had lived at his own expense, receiving neither salary, house rent nor diet money, while the Company had been pleased in the case of Dixon to allow his salary and diet money during the time of his suspension.

Powell therefore asked to be paid his salary, diet money and house rent for the time he was suspended, at the rate the others of his station in the Company's service had been allowed.

The petition was signed by James Powell. Considering the circumstances of the petition, the council agreed to his request, on his undertaking to repay it if not allowed by the Honourable Company.

Interpretations

Powell built his claim squarely on the precedent of Dixon, the very man whose quarrel had filled the record for months, arguing that what the Company had allowed one suspended and then reinstated servant it must in fairness allow another. Dixon had been paid his salary and diet through his 1743 suspension on his reinstatement by the Court's order, and Powell, restored by the same authority after a like suspension, claimed the same back pay, so one man's settlement became the measure of another's, the council's earlier concession returning as a rule it could hardly refuse to apply.

The council granted the back pay only on Powell's undertaking to repay it if the Company disallowed it, the same conditional device it had used for the chaplain Alcock's family pension. Lacking authority to bind the Company to a novel charge, the board advanced the money against the petitioner's personal guarantee of refund, so it could relieve a just claim at once while leaving the final decision to London, a standing method by which a distant council acted on its own judgement without exceeding its power over the Company's purse.

455

448

May 13

The Executor of Benjamin Blodgerd

dec this day presented his last Will and Testament, desireing

the same might be proved, which was done on the Oaths of the

Subscribing Witnesses thereto. The Will is as follows, Vizt

In the Name of God Amen I Benjamin Bladgerd

Planter on the Island of St Hellena being sound in mind

Memory and understanding and knowing the Certanty of

Death & the uncertanty of time thereof I make this my last

Will and Testament annulling all and every Will or

Testament heretofore by me made alledging this only one to

be in full force and I dispose of my self & of my personall

& Ereditary Estate in manner undermentioned Chusing for my

first Trustee my well beloved Wife Susanna Bladgerd

my 2 Mr Willm Scall 3 my well beloved Son Thos Bladgerd

my 4 Mr Ollando Bagley that after my Soul is departed

from my Body my said 4 Trustees may have my Estate

both Personall & Ereditary Prized which I desire to be

Disposed in the following manner Vizt

In primis I leave & Bequeat my Soul to God from whom I have received it &

as to my Body I desire to be Interred in a Christian like

manner.

Item I leave & Bequeat unto my well beloved Daughter Mary Higgins

Widow derelict of Henry Higgins the Choice of one of two

Houses in Chappell Valey Vizt the one adjoining to Mrs Peters

& Mr Barling & the other adjoining to Mr John Loundery for

The executor of Benjamin Pledgard deceased presented his last will and testament that day, asking that it be proved, which was done on the oaths of the subscribing witnesses. The will ran as follows.

Benjamin Pledgard, planter of the island of St Helena, being of sound memory and understanding and knowing the certainty of death and the uncertainty of its time, made his last will and testament, annulling every earlier will and declaring this alone to be in full force. He disposed of himself and of his personal and hereditary estate in the manner set out below, choosing for his first trustee his well beloved wife Susanna Pledgard, for his second Mr William Scoull, for his third his well beloved son Thomas Pledgard, and for his fourth Mr Orlando Bagley, so that after his soul was parted from his body his trustees might have his estate, both personal and hereditary, seized, which he desired to be disposed of in the following manner.

In the first place, he left his soul to God from whom he had received it, and desired his body be interred in a Christian like manner.

He left to his well beloved daughter Mary Higgins, widow and relict of Henry Higgins, the choice of one of two houses in Chapel Valley, the one adjoining Mr Pledger and Mr Purling and the other adjoining Mr John Sowerby, for

Interpretations

The will names four trustees rather than a single executor, spreading the charge of the estate across the widow, a friend, the son and a second outsider. Setting his wife first and his son third among them, with two unrelated men interposed, Pledgard secured his family's interest while binding in disinterested parties whose oversight would check any dispute among the kin, a common device by which a testator with property to divide guarded against the estate falling into contention between those who stood to inherit it.

The distinction Pledgard drew between his personal and his hereditary estate marks the two kinds of property the law treated differently. Hereditary or real estate, the land and houses, descended by fixed rules and could be tied in its devising, while personal estate, the goods and money, passed more freely, so a careful testator named both heads expressly to be sure his whole property, of either kind, fell under his will and none escaped to descend by the general law against his wishes.

456

449

1726

and in full Satisfaction of £ 60 Principall and Interest of the

said Summ which Money I do acknowledge to have received from

a legacy of her Uncle Stephen Steward by her Order

Item I leave & Bequeat unto my well beloved Wiffe Susanna

Bladgard the one half of my Ereditary Estate dureing her

life & one half of my Personall Estate for ever at her

disposall.

Item I leave and Bequeat unto my beloved Children Vizt Thos &

Benjamin Bladgard Elizabeth Bagley Mary Higgins

Sarah Seall and Susanna Bladgard the remainder half of

my Personall & Ereditary Estate to be equanly devided

Accounting to the said Estate the Sum of £51 in part of

Elizth Bagley Share which Sum I have allready advanced

unto her in Cash &c allowing my two Sons the Choice of the

half of my Lee Lands on Condition they to pay what ever

Sum or Summs it may be deficient in the Share of my

Daughters & in Case of refusall by my Daughters by

Seniority of Birth to take the said Lands & to pay to the

rest of her Brothers & Sisters the Deficiency of their Share

& dureing the Minority of my Children I chuse and desire

my well beloved Wiffe their Mother Susanna Bladgard to be

their Guardian In Wittness thereof I have here Unto sett my

hand and Seall this the third day of July in the Year our

Lord one thousand seven hundred & forty five

Signed Seall'd & Delivered where no

Stamp papper is to be had in the presence Signd Benjm Bledgerd

of us Signd Benjm Seale

John Hayes

Francis Hayes

The will continued that the house was left to Mary Higgins in full satisfaction of £5 principal and interest, which money Pledgard acknowledged to have received from a legacy of her uncle Stephen Steward by her order.

He left to his well beloved wife Susanna Pledgard one half of his hereditary estate during her life, and one half of his personal estate for ever at her disposal.

He left to his beloved children, Thomas and Benjamin Pledgard, Elizabeth Bagley, Mary Higgins, Sarah Seale and Susanna Pledgard, the remaining half of his personal and hereditary estate, to be equally divided, accounting to the estate the sum of £51 in part of Elizabeth Bagley's share, which sum he had already advanced to her in cash. He allowed his two sons the choice of the half of his free lands on condition they pay whatever sum it might be deficient in the share of his daughters, and in case of their refusal, to his daughters by seniority of birth, to take the free lands and pay the rest of the brothers and sisters the deficiency of their share. During the minority of his children he chose and desired his well beloved wife, their mother Susanna Pledgard, to be their guardian.

Pledgard set his hand and seal on 3 July 1745. The will was signed, sealed and delivered, where no stamp paper was to be had, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses Benjamin Seale, John Hayes and Francis Hayes, and signed by Benjamin Pledgard.

Interpretations

The device by which Pledgard offered his sons first choice of the land on condition they make up any shortfall in their sisters' shares balanced two competing aims of a landed testator. He wished to keep his free lands whole in the hands of a son rather than see them split among six children, yet he owed his daughters an equal value, so he let a son take the land entire on paying the daughters the difference in money, and if the sons refused, passed the same right down by seniority, ensuring the land stayed undivided while every child received an equal portion in land or cash.

The note that the will was signed where no stamp paper was to be had records a real difficulty of a remote settlement in complying with English legal form. Stamp duty required certain instruments be written on stamped paper to be valid, but the island often had none, so the witnesses recorded the want expressly to save the will from challenge on that ground, the clause a small mark of how a distant possession kept up the forms of English law while lacking the means the law assumed.

457

450

May 13

Peter Bath, John Ellis, Daniel

Council, William Gann, Henry Carter, John Scotcher,

Anthony Castile, & Edward Danfield, this day Petitioned for

their Discharges from the Garrison, having served their

Contracted times. Granted,

Mr Burling Storekeeper desires

that two of the Council might be appointed to inspect the

Stores lately received from Europe.

Ordered Messrs Goodwin, & Wright,

to attend & Examine the same.

Messrs Burling, and Clark, Executors

of Charles Clark dec, presented the following Petition, Vizt

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr Govr, &c Council of

St Helena.

The Humble Petition of Matthew Burling &

John Clark, Executors of the last Will of

Doct Charles Clark dec

Sheweth,

That the Estate of Stephen Luffkin Junr

dec is indebted to the Estate of the said Doct Clark, the sum

of One Pound, Nineteen Shillings, for Medicenes and the

said Luffkin having a Credit upon the Honble Companys

Books,

Your Petitioners humbly pray, that You

Peter Bath, John Ellis, Daniel Council, William Gann, Henry Carter, John Scotcher, Anthony Castle and Edward Danfield petitioned that day for their discharges from the garrison, having served their contracted times, which were granted.

Matthew Purling, storekeeper, asked that two of the council be appointed to inspect the stores lately received from Europe. The council ordered Goodwin and Wright to attend and examine them.

Matthew Purling and John Clark, executors of Charles Clark deceased, presented a petition to the Governor and council of St Helena. They set out that the estate of Stephen Lufkin junior deceased was indebted to the estate of Charles Clark in the sum of £1 19s 0d for medicines, and that Lufkin had a credit upon the Honourable Company's books. The petitioners asked that

Interpretations

The storekeeper's own request that two councillors inspect the stores newly landed from Europe shows the audit discipline now working from below as well as above. Where the Governor had imposed the weekly production of the day books to check the storekeeper, Purling here himself called for councillors to examine the incoming goods, so the officer most exposed to suspicion sought the board's witness to what he received, turning the check into a protection, the inspection that guarded the Company also clearing the storekeeper of any charge over what the ships delivered.

The executors' route to recovering a small debt reveals how obligations were settled on an island short of coin. Rather than seek payment from Lufkin's estate directly, Clark's executors asked the council to set the £1 19s for medicines against the credit Lufkin held on the Company's books, so a debt between two private estates was cleared through the Company's ledger, the settlement's chronic scarcity of cash making the transfer of book credits the natural means of paying what one islander owed another.

458

451

1726

will be pleased to Order the above Sum to

be paid to your Petitioners,

13 May 1726

And Your Petitioner shall ever pray

Signd M Burling

John Clark

Ordered, to be paid According to the

Petition.

We this Day paid the Attorneys of Mr

George Gabriel Powell, forty six Pounds, for two Slaves which

the Company had received from him, Pursuant to their

Orders Concerning the same.

The Storekeeper this day produced his day

Books for the Week past, which were examined, and approved

of

Mr John Goodwin this day reported that

he had been on board the Ship Edgbaston, Capt John Hereford,

& Mustered her Company, to search for Deserters and found

none. The Muster Roll is, as follows, Vizt

List of Officers & Seamen on board the Edgbaston, at St Helena

May 8 1726

John Hereford Commander

Jonat Eyre 5 Mate

Rich Barrows Caupt

John Olliver Chief Mate

Willm Bambie Surgeon

Robt Haggen Ships Stew

Robt Shaw 2 Do

John Constable Purser

Henry Guann Midship

Henry Riddall 3 Do

Alex MacCloud Boatsn

Will Ellis Do

Chas Haggen 4 Do

Rowland Drew Gunr

John Taylor Do James

The petitioners asked the council to order the £1 19s 0d paid to them. The petition was signed by Matthew Purling and John Clark, dated 13 May 1746. The council ordered it paid according to the petition.

The council that day paid the attorneys of George Gabriel Powell £40 for two slaves the Company had received from him, pursuant to their orders concerning the same.

The storekeeper produced his day books for the previous week, which were examined and approved.

John Goodwin reported that he had been aboard the Edgbaston, Captain John Hereford, and mustered her company to search for deserters, and found none. The muster roll ran as follows.

List of officers and seamen aboard the Edgbaston at St Helena, 13 May 1746

John Hereford, commander

John Oliver, chief mate

Robert Shaw, second mate

Henry Riddall, third mate

Charles Haggen, fourth mate

Jonathan Lyer, fifth mate

William Bamble, surgeon

John Constable, purser

Alexander Macfleud, boatswain

Rowland Drew, gunner

Frederick Barnns, carpenter

Robert Haggen, ship's steward

Henry Gunum, midshipman

William Ellis, midshipman

John Taylor, seaman

Interpretations

The £40 paid to Powell's attorneys for two slaves closes a piece of the long audit of his conduct that had opened on Governor Dunbar's arrival. Where much of that audit had charged Powell with what he owed the Company, this entry records the Company paying him for property it had taken over, so the reckoning between the former Deputy Governor and the settlement ran both ways, the board settling its debts to him under the Court's orders even as it pursued the far larger claims against him.

The muster of the Edgbaston to search for deserters was the routine precaution by which the island guarded against losing men to its own attractions or to other ships. A councillor went aboard each vessel in the road and called her company by the roll, so that no man might slip ashore or exchange into another ship unremarked, the settlement's isolation making it a place where a deserter could be readily hidden and the muster the standard check that every crew that arrived also sailed.

459

452

May 13

James Monger Midshipm

Henry Richs Seaman

Cornelious Melong Do

James Ferris 2 Masr

John Bavatia Do

Joseph Thomas Do

John Needham Dr

Willm Coryle Do

John Phipps Do

George Crowdy Dr

Joseph Wozzer Do

Will Humphrys Do

David Fead Dr

Alexr Hill Gen Mate

Will Creehly Do

John SKing Caulker

John Willis Seaman

Fro Sleetimd Midshp

Nath Dibb Cooper

Willm Armstrong Do

Chris Rennick Seaman

John Penner Sailmaker

Willm Warren Do

John Phozoarly Do

George Robinson Armorr

John Brown Do

John Slaughter Do

Alexr Allen Ships Cook

Peter Crow Do

Peter Pavey Do

Andr Hollensworth Butch

Mich White Do

Theodosius Figuang Do

Hope Hazerd Taylor

Jams Autholeng Do

Nickr Gorney Do

Edm White Barber

Rich Brooks Do

Ptomdeo Do

Jams Hay Joyner

Willm Mason Do

Santo Omer Do

John Everitt Capt Mate

Henry Holloway Do

Luiy Cartigno Do

Rob Nichols Capt Cook

John Slowert Do

John Carvalo Do

Fro Franceso Prist

Daniel Lasher Do

Rich Skelton Capt Serr

Ges Hamilton Serg Mate

John Elliott Do

Cazer Phillis Cs Mat Do

John Bacaus Boat Do

John Clark Do

Fro White Surgeon Do

Jams Louther Caulk Do

John Pike Do

Will Beevor Boat Do

Cloice Gowno Seaman

Jos Gargmall Do

John Phelps Capt Do

Alexall Ramine Do

Anthony Mondy Do

Charles Savage 2 Md Do

Tho Lucas Do

Jacob Smith Do

Ingd Cobbin Do

Henry Brigman Do

Mr Matthew Burling reported that he

had been on board the Vernon Capt Edmund Cook, to Muster

her Company, & to search for Deserters, and found none, the

Muster Roll is, as follows, Vizt

List of officers and seamen aboard the Edgbaston at St Helena, 13 May 1746, continued

James Monger, midshipman

James Ferris, quartermaster

John Needham, quartermaster

George Crowdy, quartermaster

David Todd, quartermaster

John Sherry, caulker

Nathaniel Dibb, cooper

John Penner, sailmaker

George Robinson, armourer

Alexander Allen, ship's cook

Andrew Hollensworth, butcher

Hope Hazard, tailor

Edmund White, barber

James Hay, joiner

John Everitt, captain's mate

Robert Nichols, captain's cook

Thomas Francis, poulterer

George Hamilton, boatswain's mate

John Bacchus, boatswain's mate

Samuel Lowther, caulker's mate

Choice Gourno, seaman

Hesbah Vamine, seaman

Thomas Lucas, seaman

Segad Cobbin, seaman

Henry Richs, seaman

John Savatia, seaman

William Coryle, seaman

Joseph Nozzer, seaman

Alexander Hill, gunner's mate

John Willis, seaman

William Armstrong, seaman

William Warren, seaman

John Brown, seaman

Peter Crow, seaman

Michael White, seaman

Daniel Aukholeng, seaman

Richard Brooks, seaman

William Mason, seaman

Henry Holloway, seaman

John Slower, seaman

Daniel Lasher, seaman

John Elliot, seaman

John Clark, seaman

John Pike, seaman

Joseph Gargmall, seaman

Anthony Mondy, seaman

Jacob Smith, seaman

Henry Brigman, seaman

Cornelius Melong, seaman

Joseph Thomas, seaman

John Phipps, seaman

William Humphrys, seaman

William Creehly, seaman

Ebenezer Sleetimed, midshipman

Christopher Rennick, seaman

John Phozoarly, seaman

John Slaughter, seaman

Peter Pavey, seaman

Theodosius Figuany, seaman

Nicholas Gorney, seaman

Bendoo, seaman

Santo Omer, seaman

Lucy Cartigno, seaman

John Carvalo, seaman

Richard Skelton, captain's servant

Caezar Phillips, captain's mate's servant

Thomas White, surgeon's servant

William Beever, boatswain's servant

John Phelps, captain's servant

Charles Savage, mate's servant

Matthew Purling reported that he had been aboard the Vernon, Captain Edmund Cook, to muster her company and search for deserters, and found none. The muster roll ran as follows.

Interpretations

The crew of the Edgbaston shows the whole self-sufficient community an Indiaman carried for a voyage of many months. Beyond the seamen and officers she mustered her own caulkers, cooper, sailmaker, armourer, butcher, tailor, barber, joiner and poulterer, so the ship was a floating settlement able to repair, feed and clothe itself across oceans where no port might serve her, the roll a portrait of the many trades a great trading vessel bound into her company.

Several of the seamen bear names marking them as men drawn from the eastern and Atlantic worlds the trade crossed, Choice Gourno, Bendoo, Santo Omer, Lucy Cartigno and John Carvalo among a mostly English crew. The Company's ships took on hands at the ports they touched, so a homeward Indiaman's company mixed Englishmen with lascars, Africans and men of the Portuguese and mixed communities of the Indian coast, the roll recording how the labour of the trade was gathered from every shore the ships worked.

460

453

1726

A List of the Adm Vernon

Edmd Cook Commander

Willm Cooper Capt Barber

John Taylor

Mr Thos Webster Ch Mate

Fro Pons Capt Serv

Thos Webster Cs Mates Serv

Wr Fisher Jackson 2 Do

John Hay Cooper

John Palmer Dr Serv

Mr John Ellis 3 Do

Willm Goddard Dr Mate

John Bishop Carp Do

Mr Thos Winter 4 Do

John Wall Armourer

Barnaby Gorney Boat Do

Mr John Love Doct

Will Corim Sailmakr

Jams Critchell Gun Do

Jams Winter Carpenter

Thos Hidley Capt Cook

Rich Dr Sold

Will Robinson Boatswain

Jams Puckengham Snps

Francis Pilt

Rob Wainoright Gunr

Francis Watson

Denny Jones

Mr Benj Seymour Purs

Archib Crawford

John Jones

Will Price Midshipman

Thos Dent

John Butter

Jacob Dove

Willm Strudt

James Mitchel

Thomas Stone

Jean Machelton Caulk

Samuel Morris

Joseph Hancock

Rlm Set Dr Mate

Jean Sardinando

George Buston

Francis Shaw

Joseph Earl

Willm Vileu

James Smith

Rob Buttalo

John Beadley Doct Mate

Thos Nirling

Anthony Groupe

Alex Landal Boak Mate

Abra Cleveland

Edw Thol

Alex Thompson Gun Mate

Rob Sands

Marten Simmers

John Glover Caupt Mates

John Watters

Charles Banks

Tho Playfoot Caupt Mates

John Johnston

Michel Delpedone

Rob Lydiett

Robt Hablie

Rich Davis

Braie Armstrong

Thos Bradford

John Wattern

Will Wrigar

Tho Dabie 2 Mas

Bernard White

Jos Cross

Daniel Frazier

Willm Benson

Rob Woodroper

Tho Guanson

Benj Gill

John Nuttman Ships Stew

John Aacher

Willm Anstin Capt Serj

John Cooper Capt Do

List of the officers and seamen aboard the Vernon, 13 May 1746

Edmund Cook, commander

Thomas Webster, chief mate

Fisher Jackson, second mate

John Ellis, third mate

Thomas Winter, fourth mate

John Love, doctor

James Winter, carpenter

William Robinson, boatswain

Robert Wainwright, gunner

Benjamin Seymour, purser

William Price, midshipman

Jacob Dove, midshipman

Thomas Stone, midshipman

Joseph Hancock, midshipman

George Buston, midshipman

William Vileu, midshipman

John Bradley, doctor's mate

Alexander Landal, boatswain's mate

Alexander Thompson, gunner's mate

John Glover, captain's mate

Thomas Playfoot, captain's mate

Robert Lydiett, seaman

Braic Armstrong, seaman

William Magar, seaman

Joseph Cross, seaman

Frederick Woodreaper, seaman

John Nuttman, ship's steward

John Cooper, captain

William Cooper, captain's barber

Thomas Fenn, captain's servant

John Hay, cooper

William Goddard, doctor's mate

John Wall, armourer

William Coram, sailmaker

Thomas Pledsey, captain's cook

Samuel Frickenham, midshipman

Francis Watson, seaman

Archibald Crawford, seaman

Thomas Dent, seaman

William Strudt, seaman

Francis Shackelton, caulker

Robert Set, doctor's mate

Francis Shaw, seaman

James Smith, seaman

Thomas Stirling, seaman

Abraham Cleveland, seaman

Robert Sands, seaman

John Watters, seaman

John Johnston, seaman

Robert Bablis, seaman

Thomas Bradford, seaman

Thomas Dabe, quartermaster

Daniel Frazier, seaman

Thomas Gramson, seaman

John Slacher, seaman

John Taylor, seaman

Thomas Webster, mate's servant

John Slimer, doctor's servant

John Bishop, carpenter

Barnaby Gourney, boatswain's servant

James Curtholl, gunner's servant

Richard Dolheld, seaman

Francis Rielt, seaman

Denny Jones, seaman

John Jones, seaman

John Butter, seaman

James Mitchol, seaman

Samuel Morris, seaman

Francis Sardinando, seaman

Joseph Earl, seaman

Robert Puttalo, seaman

Anthony Groupe, seaman

Edward Shol, seaman

Marlen Simmers, seaman

Charles Banks, seaman

Michael Dospedone, seaman

Robert Davis, seaman

John Wattern, seaman

Bernard White, seaman

William Benson, seaman

Benjamin Gill, seaman

William Austin, captain's servant

Interpretations

The Vernon, like the Edgbaston, carried her own full complement of tradesmen, a carpenter, cooper, armourer, sailmaker, caulker and barber alongside her seamen and officers, the self-contained working community every Indiaman took to sea. Doubling of names common in a small English seafaring world, two Winters, two Coopers, two Websters, two Joneses, marks how the crews were drawn from the same maritime families and ports that manned the Company's ships generation after generation.

The names of foreign origin scattered through the roll, Francis Sardinando, Michael Dospedone, Anthony Groupe and others, again show the mixed manning of a homeward East Indiaman. The crew gathered at the ports of the East and the Atlantic mingled Englishmen with men of the Mediterranean, the Iberian world and the Indian coast, so the Vernon's company, like her consort's, records a workforce assembled from every shore the trade touched rather than from England alone.

461

454

May 13

Willm Manmoning

Willm Bridgman

John Brugnot

Solla Lawson

Edwd Davis

John Servant

Joseph Stevens

Thos Frew

John Corner

Robert Windsor

John Reynolds Butch

Rich Walker

James Read

Anthony Viscount

John Spackman

Mr Robert Wright reported that he had

been on board the Lincoln, Captain John Blake, to

Muster her Company, and Search for Deserters and found

none, the Muster Roll is, as follows, Vizt

A List of Officers and Seamen belonging to the Ship Lincoln

Capt John Blake Command

Lynn Bray Ships Cook

Moes Baker Midshp

Mr Will Foremen Cs Mate

Sam Munton Armr

Will Gordon

Mr Will Hunter 2 Do

Sam Sutherland Ships m

Will Forrest 2 Mas

Mr Mark Wood 3 Do

Benj Heath Do

Will Welch

Mr Jacob Hall 4 Do

Sam White Gun Mate

Rob Duyes

Mr Thos Nicholson 5 Do

Tho Hagill Boat Mate

John Gibson

Mr Walter Fizat Surgeon

John Rowlins Dr Do

Edw Nicholls

Mr Fran Kennerly Purs

John Manly Serg Do

Sam Wrangham Serr

Tho Bomen Carpenter

Rich Brown Caulk Do

John Bennett

Samuel Burnand Gun

John Welch Coop Do

John Wiseman

John Robinson Boat

Tho Farrow Sailmak

Tho Coyte

Tho Aulon Cs Steward

Rob Macoy Taylor

Chris Kelsey

Tho Sledgen Ships Do

John Smibb Butch

Chris Oliphant

Willm Delgon Caulker

Cha Melton Coxswain

Sam Akinstead

Willm Nachpole Cooper

Rob Sidmas Midshp

Willm Allen

Geo Alsop Capt Cook

Francis Gilbort

Geo Castairs

This continues the Vernon's roll and opens the Lincoln's.

List of officers and seamen aboard the Vernon, continued

William Manwaring, seaman

Solla Lawson, seaman

Joseph Stevens, seaman

Robert Windsor, seaman

James Read, seaman

William Bridgman, seaman

Edward Davis, seaman

Thomas Frew, seaman

John Reynolds, butcher

Anthony Viscount, seaman

John Bruant, seaman

John Tovart, seaman

John Garner, seaman

Richard Walker, seaman

John Spackman, seaman

Robert Wright reported that he had been aboard the Leicester, Captain John Blake, to muster her company and search for deserters, and found none. The muster roll ran as follows.

List of officers and seamen belonging to the ship Leicester

John Blake, commander

William Freeman, chief mate

William Hunter, second mate

Matthew Wood, third mate

Jacob Hall, fourth mate

Thomas Nicholson, fifth mate

Walter Legat, surgeon

Francis Chennerly, purser

Thomas Bonen, carpenter

Samuel Burnand, gunner

John Robinson, boatswain

Thomas Auden, captain's steward

Thomas Hodgson, ship's doctor

William Delgen, caulker

William Nackpole, cooper

George Alsop, captain's cook

Lynn Bray, ship's cook

Samuel Munton, armourer

Samuel Sutherland, midshipman

Benjamin Heath, midshipman

Samuel White, gunner's mate

Thomas Flagill, boatswain's mate

John Rowlins, doctor's mate

John Stanly, surgeon's doctor

Richard Brown, caulker's mate

John Welch, cooper's mate

Thomas Farrow, sailmaker

Robert Macoy, tailor

John Smibb, butcher

Charles Melton, coxswain

Robert Sidwas, midshipman

Francis Gilbort, seaman

Moses Baker, midshipman

William Gordon, seaman

William Forrest, seaman

William Welch, seaman

Robert Dawes, seaman

John Gibson, seaman

Peter Nicholls, seaman

Samuel Wrangham, seaman

John Bennett, seaman

John Wiseman, seaman

Thomas Coyte, seaman

Chris Rebery, seaman

Chris Oliphant, seaman

Samuel Akinstead, seaman

William Allen, seaman

George Castairs, seaman

Interpretations

The Leicester, the third homeward Indiaman mustered this day, again carried her own carpenter, gunner, boatswain, caulker, cooper, sailmaker, tailor, butcher and armourer, the same self-sufficient establishment of trades every Company ship bore. The three musters together, of the Edgbaston, Vernon and Leicester, show the island discharging its wartime duty of accounting for every man in the road, the councillors dividing the work of calling the rolls so that no deserter from any of the great ships could slip into the settlement unremarked.

462

455

1726

Henry Saunder

Thomas Randall

Willm Stapler Boat Serr

Charles Hay

Pat Boyne

Chas Hopkins Surg Do

George Lamb

Emanuel Rhodergue

Rud 2 Matts Do

Jams Bradshaw

Andrew Moranda

Henry Earl

John Sharp

Ap de Livino

Geo Lupton

James Thompson

Chas Gilbert Capt Serv

Rob Johnson

Alex White

Henry Rous

Ala Sangelo

Rich Sargood

Willm Grayham

John Vool

Geo Watts

Vers Gregg

Alowp Malctigue

Tho Smallwood

Mich Cidiot

Willm Brown

Geo Blaton

Sam Lindesay

John Jane

Willm Ratcliffe

Frans Alboor

Rob Coard

Miles Spendelo

Fr de Broil

Tho Loxhall

Miles McLaughan

Chas Veolah

Benj Gollisyp dead

Rich Fladling

Tho Green

Daniel Vieher Do

John Louguere

John Barker Cs Ma Serr

Tho McCary drowned

Geo Wood

Tho Needham Caps Do

John Pierce

Geo Snogg Gun Do

We this day received the Sum of twelve

Pounds for eight Lycences, for leave to retail Liquors for the

Quarter Commencing 8 April last, at one Pound Ten

Shillings each Lycence, Agreeable to a resolution in

Consultation of the said Eighth of April.

We this day appointed three of the

Writers, and four of the Junior Lieutenants, Appartments of

two Rooms each, in the Great House, purchased by the

Company.

This closes the Leicester's muster roll and continues with the consultation business.

List of officers and seamen aboard the Leicester, continued

Henry Saunder, seaman

Charles Hay, seaman

George Lamb, seaman

James Bradshaw, seaman

John Sharp, seaman

James Thompson, seaman

Alexander White, seaman

Richard Sargood, seaman

George Watts, seaman

Thomas Smallwood, seaman

George Blaten, seaman

William Ratcliffe, seaman

Miles Spendelo, seaman

Miles McLaughan, seaman

Richard Fielding, seaman

John Fouguere, seaman

George Wood, seaman

John Pierce, seaman

Thomas Randall, seaman

Patrick Payne, seaman

Emanuel Rhodergue, seaman

Andrew Moranda, seaman

Anthony de Livino, seaman

Charles Gilbert, captain's servant

Henry Rous, seaman

William Grayham, seaman

Peter Gregg, seaman

Michael Cidiot, seaman

Samuel Lindsay, seaman

Isaac Alloor, seaman

Francis de Broil, seaman

Charles Veelah, seaman

Thomas Green, seaman

John Parker, captain's mate's servant

Thomas Weetham, captain's servant

George Snagg, gunner's servant

William Stapler, boatswain's servant

Charles Hopkins, surgeon's servant

Reuben Watts, servant

Henry Earl, seaman

George Lupton, seaman

Robert Johnson, seaman

Alexander Sangelo, seaman

John Vool, seaman

Ulysses Maletique, seaman

William Brown, seaman

John Jane, seaman

Robert Coard, seaman

Thomas Loxhall, seaman

Benjamin Gollopy, dead

Daniel Vichex, dead

Thomas McCary, drowned

The council that day received the sum of £12 for eight licences for leave to retail liquors for the quarter commencing 8 April, at £1 10s each licence, agreeable to a resolution in consultation of 8 April.

The council that day appointed three of the writers and four of the junior lieutenants apartments of two rooms each in the Great House, purchased by the Company.

Interpretations

The three men entered dead or drowned at the foot of the Leicester's roll record the ordinary mortality of a long voyage caught in the act of mustering. Benjamin Gollopy and Daniel Vichex had died and Thomas McCary was drowned, their names still called and marked off, so the muster that searched for deserters also registered the losses the passage had taken, the roll serving as both a check on the living and a record of the dead.

The eight liquor licences at thirty shillings each carried the quarterly rhythm of the retail trade the council both permitted and taxed. Licensing the sale of spirits by sealed grants at a fixed fee gave the board control over who might sell drink on the island and a steady revenue from the traffic, the £12 received here the price of regulating a trade that, left free, bred the drunkenness and disorder the consultations so often record.

463

456

May 13

Company from Governour Goodwin Estate.

We Granted a Discharge, to Samuel

Cox, he being so troubled with fitts, that he is unfitt for his

duty.

We also discharged James Morriseau,

and Matthew Smith, the one being a French papist and a

very troublesome Person, and the other an Invalid belonging

to Chelsea Hospital.

The Gunners, Steward, & Plantation

Accounts, were this day delivered for the Month of April last,

& were examined, & Approved & are as follows, Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in April 1726

Guns fird, Puts fird, 9, 6, 2, 1, Powder Expend

The 4 A Doubl Alarm for 5 Dutch Fleet: Guns fird 15, 9 " ", 6 12, 2 ", 1 " 3, Powder Expend 344

The dso Fired at Bagchis to bring a Ship too: Guns fird 1, Puts fird 1, 9 1, 6 ", 2 ", 1 ", Powder Expend 74

The 2 Powder delivered to John Bagley to Allarm & Recallarm: Powder Expend 14

dso Sandy Bay: Powder Expend 14

dso Powder for priming the Guns on the Mount: Powder Expend 14

The 4 Powder for Bushting at Bagchis: Powder Expend 34

The 8 Powder for blowing off the Guns at 9 East Flyg Party: Powder Expend 34

The 12 An Alarm for a Ship that went by: Guns fird 9, 9 ", 6 6, 2 ", 1 3, Powder Expend 21

The 30 An Alarm at Bagchis: Guns fird 12, 9 2, 6 2, Powder Expend 14

dso An Alarm at the Bay: Guns fird 6, 9 ", 6 4, 2 ", 1 2, Powder Expend 15

dso Arrived the Somersett Capt Jobson: Guns fird 9, 9 ", 6 9, Powder Expend 84

dso Powder delivered to the Blaster: Powder Expend 60

dso A Double Allarm for five Ships that went by: Guns fird 15, 9 ", 6 12, 2 ", 1 " 3, Powder Expend 39

dso Powder for priming: Powder Expend 34

dso Small Cartridges for the East Flying Party: Powder Expend 64

dso Small Cartridges to Bagchis: Powder Expend 1 34

Total: Guns fird 87, Puts fird 3, 9 3, 6 34, 2 9, 1 11, Powder Expend 21074

Lead Balls to fill 2 Cartouch Boxes for the East

Flying Party 12

Signd

Sheep Skins for Coating of Spunges 3

Hand Spikes broke on the Line 14

Spunnails for the Horns on the Line 14

Match burnt at Bagchis 14

Match burnt at the Main Guard 14

Britts broke 2

Spunge Staves 4

Worbes 4

Tompions 4

Jno French

The apartments in the Great House purchased by the Company were bought from Governor Goodwin's estate.

The council granted a discharge to Samuel Cox, being so troubled with fits that he was unfit for his duty.

It also discharged James Morrisseau and Matthew Smith, the one being a French papist and a very troublesome person, and the other an invalid belonging to Chelsea Hospital.

The gunner's, steward's and plantation accounts were delivered that day for the month of April, examined and approved, and were as follows. The gunner's grid carries columns for guns fired, powder found, and the classes of gun by weight of shot (nine, six, four, three and two pounders), with powder expended.

Gunner's stores expended in April 1746

1st, a double alarm for the Dutch fleet, 15 guns fired, 12 nine pounders, 3 two pounders, 39 lb 12 oz powder

1st, fired at Banks's to bring a ship to, 1 gun, 1 nine pounder, 1 six pounder, 7 lb 12 oz

2nd, powder delivered to John Bagley to alarm the Sandy Bay watch, 1 lb 2 oz

2nd, powder for priming the guns on the mount, 1 lb 2 oz

4th, powder for bursting at Banks's, 3 lb 4 oz

8th, powder for blowing off the guns at 3 East flying party, 3 lb 4 oz

12th, an alarm for a ship that went by, 9 guns fired, 6 nine pounders, 3 two pounders, 21 lb

30th, an alarm at Banks's, 1 gun, 2 nine pounders, 2 six pounders, 4 lb

an alarm at the bay, 6 guns, 4 four pounders, 2 two pounders, 14 lb

arrived the Somerset, Captain Jobson, 9 guns, 9 four pounders, 15 lb

powder delivered to the stone blaster, 9 lb

a double alarm for five ships that went by, 15 guns fired, 12 nine pounders, 3 two pounders, 39 lb

powder for priming, 6 lb 12 oz

small cartridges for the East flying party, 1 lb 2 oz

small cartridges to Banks's, 6 oz

Total, 87 guns fired, 3 nine pounders, 3 six pounders, 34 four pounders, 9 three pounders, 11 two pounders, 210 lb 12 oz powder

Lead balls to fill 2 baskets, boxes for the East flying party, 8 dozen

Sheep skins for coating of sponges, 3

Handspikes broke on the line, 14

Sponges for the horns on the line, 14

Match burnt at Banks's, 14 lb

Match burnt at the main guard, 14 lb

Drifts broke, 2

Sponge staves, 4

Worms, 4

Tompions, 4

The account was signed by John French.

Interpretations

The gunner's return records the settlement's guns kept in near-constant use through April by the passing of shipping and the alarms of wartime. Double alarms for the Dutch fleet and for five ships that went by, single alarms at Banks's and the bay, and the salute to the arriving Somerset consumed powder at a heavy rate, so the record of expenditure is at once an account of stores and a diary of every sail that approached the island in a month when war made each stranger a possible enemy until proved a friend.

The discharge of Morrisseau as a French papist marks the suspicion that war with France cast on those of French connection within the garrison. In a year when French cruisers threatened the trade and a French fleet might appear off the island, a French Catholic soldier was a security risk the council would not carry, so his religion and origin together, rather than any proven fault, were reason enough to put him out, the war narrowing the settlement's tolerance of a man whose loyalty it could not be sure of.

464

457

1726

Sundrys Expended in the Castle in April 1726 Vizt

86 Bottles of Port Wine

5 17 174

18 Do Lisbon

3 5 6

2074 Gallons Goa Arrack

6374 Do Batavia

2 17 14

2774 Sugar Candy

8 7

2874 Sugar

5 114

40 Bottles Strong Beer

171 Do Small

1 1 114

11 Fowls

16 6

8 Ducks

12 "

2 Turkeys

10 "

4 lb Butter

2 2 "

1 Sheep

1 "

2 Pcs Salt Beef

5 104

10 Do Pork

18 4

2774 Flower

19 124

35874 fresh Beef

4 9 94

9 Mutton

3 9

7874 fresh Pork

1 10 24

2274 Veal

11 24

£ 28 1 5

13 64

33 74 fresh Beef

8 Goat

Given to the Sick Blacks

3 4

£ 29 1 34

Do Account

Sundries expended in the castle in April 1746

86 bottles of port wine, £5 17s 1.5d

18 ditto Lisbon, £3 5s 6d

20.5 gallons Goa arrack, £2 17s 1.5d

6.75 ditto Batavia, included above

27.5 lb sugar candy, £0 8s 7d

28.5 lb sugar, £0 5s 11.5d

40 bottles strong beer, £1 1s 11.5d

71 ditto small, included above

11 fowls, £0 16s 6d

8 ducks, £0 12s 0d

2 turkeys, £0 10s 0d

4 lb butter, £0 2s 2d

1 sheep, £1 0s 0d

2 pieces salt beef, £0 5s 10.5d

10 ditto pork, £0 18s 4d

27.5 lb flour, £0 19s 1.5d

358.5 lb fresh beef, £4 9s 9.5d

9 lb mutton, £0 3s 9d

78.5 lb fresh pork, £1 10s 2.5d

22.5 lb veal, £0 11s 2.5d

Total, £28 1s 5d

Given to the sick blacks, £0 13s 6.5d

33.5 lb fresh beef, given to the sick blacks

8 lb goat, given to the sick blacks, £0 3s 4d

Total, £29 1s 3.5d

Interpretations

The general table's veal, mutton, sheep and near four hundred pounds of fresh beef in the month show the plantation now feeding the castle chiefly from its own herds rather than the salt provision the store held. The heavy fresh meat set against only small quantities of salt beef and pork marks the season when the island's own cattle answered the table, the very abundance the planters had complained the Company enjoyed while their own young stock was killed away to supply a market the fort no longer wholly depended on.

465

458

Account of the Honble Companys Stock of Neat Cattle for the Month of April last taken by Mr Rich Gurling

Bullocks, Cows, Calves, Steers, Heifers, Yearlings, Bulls, Total, Ewes, Weathers, Lambs, Rams, Total, Ewes, Weathers, Kidds, Rams, Total, Sows, Barrows, Boars, Piggs, Boars, Total, Turkeys, Fowls, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Horses, Mares, Total

Remg 1 April: Bullocks 9, Cows 120, Calves 47, Steers 63, Heifers 73, Yearlings 72, Bulls 5, Total 389, Ewes 123, Weathers 51, Lambs 41, Rams 8, Total 223, Ewes 183, Weathers 47, Kidds 59, Rams 5, Total 294, Sows 35, Barrows 15, Boars 61, Piggs 63, Boars 1, Total 175, Turkeys 147, Fowls 356, Chickens 57, Ducks 43, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 7, Total 17

Encreasd: Calves 13, Total 13, Lambs 4, Total 4, Rams 4, Total 4, Chickens 20, Ducks 22, Horses 1, Total 1

Bullocks 9, Cows 120, Calves 60, Steers 63, Heifers 73, Yearlings 72, Bulls 5, Total 402, Ewes 123, Weathers 51, Lambs 45, Rams 8, Total 227, Ewes 183, Weathers 47, Kidds 59, Rams 5, Total 294, Sows 35, Barrows 15, Boars 61, Piggs 67, Boars 1, Total 179, Turkeys 147, Fowls 356, Chickens 77, Ducks 65, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 8, Total 18

Killed: Cows 2, Steers 1, Heifers 2, Total 5, Weathers 1, Total 1, Weathers 2, Total 2, Barrows 1, Piggs 4, Total 5, Fowls 2, Chickens 18, Geese 6

Died: Steers 2, Total 2, Weathers 2, Rams 1, Total 3, Sows 1, Boars 3, Piggs 12, Total 16, Chickens 1

Stole: Total 1

Bullocks 9, Cows 118, Calves 60, Steers 62, Heifers 71, Yearlings 70, Bulls 5, Total 395, Ewes 123, Weathers 48, Lambs 45, Rams 7, Total 223, Ewes 183, Weathers 45, Kidds 59, Rams 5, Total 292, Sows 33, Barrows 11, Boars 58, Piggs 55, Boars 1, Total 158, Turkeys 144, Fowls 338, Chickens 77, Ducks 58, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 8, Total 18

5 Beasts killd wt 1486 for the Market

4 Hoggs Do wt 286 for Do

2 Goats for the Sick Blacks

1 Measly Hogg given to the Blacks

Yams Expended 50,000

Sold to the Garrison 2850

Born 1 Black Boy

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of neat cattle for the month of April last, taken by Richard Girling

Neat cattle, remaining from 1 April: bullocks 9, cows 120, calves 47, steers 63, heifers 73, yearlings 72, bulls 5, total 389

Sheep, remaining: ewes 123, wethers 51, lambs 41, rams 8, total 223

Goats, remaining: ewes 183, wethers 47, kids 59, rams 5, total 294

Hogs, remaining: sows 35, barrows 15, shoats 61, pigs 63, boars 1, total 175

Poultry, remaining: turkeys 147, fowls 356, chickens 57, ducks 43, geese 13

Horses, remaining: horses 10, mares 7, total 17

Increased: neat cattle calves 13, total 13; sheep lambs 4, total 4; hogs pigs 4, total 4; poultry chickens 20, ducks 22; horses 1, total 1

Standing after increase: neat cattle 9, 120, 60, 63, 73, 72, 5, total 402; sheep 123, 51, 45, 8, 227; goats 183, 47, 59, 5, 294; hogs 35, 15, 61, 67, 1, 179; poultry 147, 356, 77, 65, 13; horses 10, 8, total 18

Killed: neat cattle cows 2, steers 1, heifers 2, total 5; sheep lambs 1, total 1; goats ewes 2, total 2; hogs sows 2, pigs 4, total 4 [as entered]; poultry 5, turkeys 2, chickens 18, total 6 [as entered]

Died: neat cattle steers 2, total 2; sheep wethers 2, total 2; goats kids 1, total 3 [as entered]; hogs boars 1, pigs 3, total 12 [as entered]; poultry 16

Stole: poultry chickens 1

Remaining 30 April: neat cattle 9, 118, 60, 62, 71, 70, 5, total 395; sheep 123, 48, 45, 7, 223; goats 183, 45, 59, 5, 292; hogs 33, 11, 58, 55, 1, 158; poultry 147, 338, 77, 58, 13; horses 10, 8, total 18

5 beasts killed weight 1,486 for the market

4 hogs ditto weight 286 for the market

2 goats for the sick blacks

1 measly hog given to the blacks

Yams expended, 50,000 lb

Yams sold to the garrison, 2,850 lb

Born 1 black boy

Interpretations

The herd held steady through April at close to the March figures, the neat cattle standing at 395 against 389 a month before, so the plantation continued to make good its losses by calving faster than the market and the table drew it down. The five beasts killed for the market answer the council's undertaking of the beef dispute to supply one market day in three from the Company's stock, the very grown cattle the planters had complained the Company kept while their own young stock was slaughtered, now going to the market the planters could no longer wholly furnish.

The birth of a black boy entered at the foot of the stock account, among the beasts killed and the yams expended, again records the Company counting its slaves within its livestock. The child's birth is set down in the same column and hand as the cattle and hogs, the plainest mark of how the settlement's bookkeeping ranked the increase of its slaves with the increase of its herds, a human life entered as another gain to the Company's stock.

466

459

Wee this day Examined, and Counted the Honble Companys Cash

for the Month of April last, which is, as follows, Vizt

1746 Cash Dr Per Contra Cr

April 1. To Balance remaining 1977 1 5

To Cash recd of Chas Hutchinson for a Sett of

Bills on the Honble Company dated 1 April 1746 130

29 To Cash recd of the Steward of the Market for

Provisions Sold to them 21 4 10

To Cash recd of Mr John Goodwin for

Account of Stephen Lufkin Junior decd

as p Consultation of 29 of April 24 1 9½

To Cash recd of Mr Matthew Purling

Storekeeper two hundred and forty Pagodas

at Nine Shillings each on Account of Goods

Sold by him in this Month 108

To Cash recd for three hundred and Eight

Gallons of Milk at one Shilling p Gallon 15 8

1746 April 1st By Cash p Edwd Allis for coming

express with an Account often Ships to Windward 5

12. By Cash p Stephen Lufkin for coming

express with an Account of a Ship to Windward 5

30. By Cash p Sam Skelton for coming express

w an Account of a Ship to Windward 5

By Cash p James Allis for coming express

w an Account of five Ships to Windward 5

By Cash p James Pritchard for relisting to

serve the Honble Company for five Years to

commence the 9th Day of May next 5 5

Ballance of Cash remaining the 30 April 1746 in the

following Species vizt

1 p of Gold w 11.15.14 at £3.18.3 p oz 46 18½

4 p of Gold 3.9.12 3.18 13 11 ½

1965 Pagodas at 9 ea 884 5

Carried over £ 943 17 9

Carried over £ 2275 16 ½ Carried over £ 6 5

The council examined and counted the Honourable Company's cash for the month of April, set out as a two-sided account of receipts against payments and the balance remaining.

Debtor

1746 April 1: To balance remaining, £1,977 1s 5d

To cash received of Charles Hutchinson for a set of bills on the Honourable Company dated 1 April 1746, £130 0s 0d

April 29: To cash received of the steward of the market for provisions sold to them, £21 4s 10d

To cash received of Mr John Goodwin for account of Stephen Lufkin junior deceased, as per consultation of 29 April, £24 1s 9.5d

To cash received of Mr Matthew Purling, storekeeper, two hundred and forty pagodas at nine shillings each on account of goods sold by him in this month, £108 0s 0d

To cash received for three hundred and eight gallons of milk at one shilling per gallon, £15 8s 0d

Carried over, £2,275 16s 0.5d

Per contra, creditor

1746 April 1: By cash paid Edward Allis for coming express with an account of ten ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

April 12: By cash paid Stephen Lufkin for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

April 30: By cash paid Samuel Pitken for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid James Allis for coming express with an account of five ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid James Pritchard for re-enlisting to serve the Honourable Company for five years, to commence the ninth day of May next, £5 5s 0d

Balance of cash remaining the 30 April 1746 in the following species:

1 parcel of gold weighing 11 lb 15 oz 14 dwt at £3 18s 3d the ounce, £46 18s 0.5d

4 parcels of gold, 3 lb 9 oz 12 dwt at £3 18s the ounce, £13 11s 0.5d

1,965 pagodas at nine shillings each, £884 5s 0d

Carried over, £943 17s 9d

Carried over, £6 5s 0d

Interpretations

The account is the treasury's monthly reckoning, the left side gathering everything paid into the Company's cash and the right side everything paid out, with the coined balance counted piece by piece at the foot. The counting of the gold by weight, so many pounds, ounces and pennyweights priced at a rate the ounce, rather than by tale, shows bullion and foreign specie valued as metal against a fixed sterling standard, the island's cash being almost wholly foreign coin whose sterling worth had to be struck afresh at each count.

The 1,965 pagodas entered at nine shillings each fix the moment just before the Court's devaluation took effect. By the order published at St Helena on 2 May 1746 the Madras pagoda was to pass from 1 May for no more than eight shillings, and the board counted these same 1,965 pagodas and reckoned the loss to the Company at £98 5s. The count here still carries them at the old nine shillings, so the figure records the treasury's principal holding at its last full valuation before the rate fell.

Several small payments of five shillings apiece to men who came express with word of ships to windward name the island's own early-warning arrangement. A planter or soldier who sighted sail from the high ground and carried the news down to the fort was paid a set fee for the intelligence, the count of ships reported ranging from a single vessel to ten, which in wartime allowed the garrison to judge whether an approaching squadron was the homeward trade under convoy or an enemy force.

The payment of five guineas to James Pritchard for re-enlisting to serve five years from 9 May carries forward the graduated re-enlistment Governor Dunbar had pressed through the winter. The bounty of five guineas for a five-year term matches the rate of the contracts of January 1746, and the entry shows that scheme still drawing men onto the strength into the spring, the advance recoverable if the soldier returned the bounty.

The £24 received of Mr John Goodwin for the account of the late Stephen Lufkin junior, taken in under the consultation of 29 April, is the treasury standing as the ultimate collecting house for an intestate estate. Lufkin junior having died without heir, the sum belonging to his estate was paid into the Company's cash and brought onto the books, the council serving as the last resort for the property of the island's dead where no private representative remained.

467

460

May

Brought over £ 2275 16 ½

2275 16 ½

The debtor side of the treasury account closed under the heading for May, the sum brought forward standing as the whole of the month's charge.

May 13

Brought over, £2,275 16s 0.5d

Total, £2,275 16s 0.5d

468

461

1746

Brought over £ 943 17 9

Brought over £ 6 5

5 Gubbers at 6 ea 1 10

65 Venetians 10 32 10

Gold Amounting to 277 17 9

2589 Dollars at 5 ea 645 5

21 Half Dollars 2/6 2 12 6

64 Double Ryals 1/3 4

54 Ryals 7½ 1 13 9

1600 Half Ryals 3¾ 25

93 Ducatoons 6/ 27 18

374½ Rupees 2/3 42 2 7½

441 French Prices 2 3 13 6

Old Money 9 11

Silver Amounting to 754 13 3½

146 Cash Notes at 40 each 292

161 Ditto 20 161

256 Ditto 5 64

160 Ditto 2/6 20

Cash Notes Amounting to 537

2269 11 ½

£ 2275 16 ½

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

The count of the coined balance continued, the gold, silver and cash notes carried down head by head to the sum standing on the treasury on 30 April, subscribed by the whole board.

1746

Brought over, £6 5s 0d

Brought over (the gold count), £943 17s 9d

5 gubbers at 6s each, £1 10s 0d

65 venetians at 10s, £32 10s 0d

Gold amounting to, £977 17s 9d

2,589 dollars at 5s each, £647 5s 0d

21 half dollars at 2s 6d, £2 12s 6d

64 double ryals at 1s 3d, £4 0s 0d

54 ryals at 7.5d, £1 13s 9d

1,600 half ryals at 3.75d, £25 0s 0d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

374.5 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 2s 4.5d

441 French pieces at 2s, £3 13s 6d

Old money, £0 9s 11d

Silver amounting to, £754 13s 3.5d

146 cash notes at £2 each, £292 0s 0d

161 ditto at £1, £161 0s 0d

256 ditto at 5s, £64 0s 0d

160 ditto at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £537 0s 0d

Total balance, £2,269 11s 0.5d

Total, £2,275 16s 0.5d

David Dunbar

Charles Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Robert Wright

Interpretations

The whole balance of £2,269 11s 0.5d sits in gold, silver and the Company's own paper, and the coined part is almost entirely foreign specie counted by tale and by weight together. Dollars, ryals and half ryals are the Spanish silver of the Atlantic and eastern trade, ducatoons the heavy silver of the Low Countries, venetians and gubbers gold pieces of the Levant and Indian trade, and French pieces the coin of the enemy power then at war, all passing current on the island at rates the council fixed. The treasury of a mid-ocean victualling station held scarcely any English money, its cash being whatever coin the passing shipping paid in, so each count had to reduce a drawer of mixed foreign specie to a single sterling figure.

The rupees entered at two shillings and threepence and the pagoda holding on the earlier leaf record the two Indian moneys of account the island reckoned in, the rupee of Bengal and the western coast and the pagoda of the Coromandel presidencies. Their fixed sterling rates let the council carry receipts taken in Indian coin from the Company's ships straight onto a sterling balance, the settlement standing at the meeting point of the Atlantic and the eastern trades and holding the coin of both.

The £537 in cash notes counted as part of the balance are the Company's own paper, its promises to pay circulating on the island as money and held in the treasury on the same footing as coin. Their presence at better than a fifth of the whole balance shows how far the settlement's internal economy ran on the Company's credit rather than on metal, the notes serving where foreign coin was scarce and passing between the Company, the garrison and the planters as ready money.

The five signatures close the count in order of precedence, Governor Dunbar first, then Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson, then Goodwin and Purling, with Robert Wright subscribing last. Wright had been made clerk of the council in Dixon's room on 8 April 1746 and took his seat as sixth of council only on 2 May, so his hand at the foot of a 30 April count marks the board as newly reconstituted after the suspension of Christopher Dixon, the treasury certified by the members who had carried the quarrel against him rather than by the secretary he had displaced.

469

462

May

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 20th

May 1746 at the Castle Present Colonel David Dunbar Governour

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright

The last Consultation was read, and Approved.

Messrs Goodwin, Purling, & Wright

this day delivered the following report, vizt

Pursuant to the Order of the last

Consultation, we have veiwed, & examined the several Stores received

from the Ship Somersett, & found the following Deficient.

8 peices Shalloon said to be contained in a Box marked No 1

with Trimings, the Trimings were in the Box and right, and

filled the Box, but the Shalloons were wanting

6 Ditching Shovels in a Bundle close packed of Ironware

The 10 Casks of Salt have wasted 2½ Bushels in the whole

And the 8 Chests of Soap have wasted 50 the Casks, and

Chests were full.

The 20 Hogsheads of Brandy were short by the Gage 59½ Gall

And wanted to fill 43 Gall

The quantity short received from the Invoice is 103½ Gall

Signd John Goodwin

20 May 1746

Mr Purling

R Wright

Capt

The count of the coined balance continued, the gold, silver and cash notes carried down head by head to the sum standing on the treasury on 30 April, subscribed by the whole board.

1746

Brought over, £6 5s 0d

Brought over (the gold count), £943 17s 9d

5 gubbers at 6s each, £1 10s 0d

65 venetians at 10s, £32 10s 0d

Gold amounting to, £977 17s 9d

2,589 dollars at 5s each, £647 5s 0d

21 half dollars at 2s 6d, £2 12s 6d

64 double ryals at 1s 3d, £4 0s 0d

54 ryals at 7.5d, £1 13s 9d

1,600 half ryals at 3.75d, £25 0s 0d

93 ducatoons at 6s, £27 18s 0d

374.5 rupees at 2s 3d, £42 2s 4.5d

441 French pieces at 2s, £3 13s 6d

Old money, £0 9s 11d

Silver amounting to, £754 13s 3.5d

146 cash notes at £2 each, £292 0s 0d

161 ditto at £1, £161 0s 0d

256 ditto at 5s, £64 0s 0d

160 ditto at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £537 0s 0d

Total balance, £2,269 11s 0.5d

Total, £2,275 16s 0.5d

David Dunbar

Charles Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Robert Wright

Interpretations

The whole balance of £2,269 11s 0.5d sits in gold, silver and the Company's own paper, and the coined part is almost entirely foreign specie counted by tale and by weight together. Dollars, ryals and half ryals are the Spanish silver of the Atlantic and eastern trade, ducatoons the heavy silver of the Low Countries, venetians and gubbers gold pieces of the Levant and Indian trade, and French pieces the coin of the enemy power then at war, all passing current on the island at rates the council fixed. The treasury of a mid-ocean victualling station held scarcely any English money, its cash being whatever coin the passing shipping paid in, so each count had to reduce a drawer of mixed foreign specie to a single sterling figure.

The rupees entered at two shillings and threepence and the pagoda holding on the earlier leaf record the two Indian moneys of account the island reckoned in, the rupee of Bengal and the western coast and the pagoda of the Coromandel presidencies. Their fixed sterling rates let the council carry receipts taken in Indian coin from the Company's ships straight onto a sterling balance, the settlement standing at the meeting point of the Atlantic and the eastern trades and holding the coin of both.

The £537 in cash notes counted as part of the balance are the Company's own paper, its promises to pay circulating on the island as money and held in the treasury on the same footing as coin. Their presence at better than a fifth of the whole balance shows how far the settlement's internal economy ran on the Company's credit rather than on metal, the notes serving where foreign coin was scarce and passing between the Company, the garrison and the planters as ready money.

The five signatures close the count in order of precedence, Governor Dunbar first, then Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson, then Goodwin and Purling, with Robert Wright subscribing last. Wright had been made clerk of the council in Dixon's room on 8 April 1746 and took his seat as sixth of council only on 2 May, so his hand at the foot of a 30 April count marks the board as newly reconstituted after the suspension of Christopher Dixon, the treasury certified by the members who had carried the quarrel against him rather than by the secretary he had displaced.

470

463

1746

Captain Charles Hutchinson hath this

day paid into the Honble Companys Cash here, the sum of one hundred &

fifty eight Pounds ten Shillings which we have given him Bills of Exchange

of the same date on the said Company, payable to himself or

Order Ninety Days after sight.

Mr James DuBois hath likewise paid

the sum of fifty Pound into the Honble Companys Cash here

for which we have given him Bills of Exchange on the said

Company of this days date payable to himself or Order.

Ninety Days after Sight.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the

27 day of May 1746 at the Castle

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright 6

The last Consultation was read, and approved.

Captain Charles Hutchinson paid into the Honourable Company's cash the sum of £158 10s 0d, for which the council gave him bills of exchange of the same date on the Company, payable to himself or order ninety days after sight. Mr James Du Bois likewise paid £50 0s 0d into the Company's cash, for which the council gave him bills of exchange on the Company of the same date, payable to himself or order ninety days after sight. The paper was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Purling and Wright.

At a consultation held on Tuesday, at the castle, the following were present: Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth, Matthew Purling fifth and Robert Wright sixth of council. The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

The two payments are remittances by bill of exchange, the standard means by which men on the island moved money home to England without shipping coin across an ocean in wartime. A servant or officer holding cash at St Helena paid it into the Company's treasury there and took in return the council's bills drawn on the Company in London, payable to himself or his order after a set term, so the metal stayed on the island to serve its needs while the value travelled home on paper. The ninety-days-after-sight term set the interval between the bill being presented in London and falling due for payment, giving the Company time to satisfy itself the draft was genuine before parting with the money.

The seating of the board records the settled shape of the council after the winter's upheaval. Governor Dunbar and Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson head the list, but the third seat is empty and Goodwin, Purling and Wright are numbered fourth, fifth and sixth, the gap marking the place of the suspended Christopher Dixon still standing open on the record. Wright sits at the foot as sixth, having taken his place under the Company's orders brought by the Somerset, so the consultation opens with the reconstituted board that governed after Dixon's removal.

471

464

May 27

This day saild the Somerset Captain

Solson for Bencoolen.

The Storekeeper reports that he has

received the following Good short from the Somersets Bill

of Lading which he has wrote off the same Vizt

10 Spare Sides for Sledge Carriage

1 Spare Side for wheel and hand Barrows

1 Hand Spike broke

12 Do Do Do Chalk

That the 4 half Leaguers Arrack received from the Edgbaston

were short by the Gage 52 Gallons

wanted to fill 17½ Gallons

Short retrieved from the Invoice 69½ Gallons

The 4 half Leaguer of the Benjamin wanted to fill 23½ Gallons

The 2 Leaguers of the Admeral Vernon wanted to fill 18½ Gallons

The Several weights of Rice, and Sugar

received from these Ships, being Invoiced in Maveats and

other Indian weights, or Measures, which I do not

understand; I cannot Ascertain whether there is any

Deficiency from the Invoices, the whole quantity received

is mentioned on the Back of the several Bills of

Lading.

Signd

M Purling

Thomas Willingham Gunners

Mate, this day petitioned for his discharge, having served the

Honble Company his Contracted time, and for liberty for

himself, his Wife, and Child to go away on the first Dutch Ship

for Europe being a Native of Holland Granted

The

On this day the Somerset, Captain Jobson, sailed for Bencoolen. The storekeeper reported that he had received the following goods short against the Somerset's bill of lading, which he had written off to the same effect.

10 spare sides for sledge carriages

1 spare side for wheel and hand barrows

1 hand spike broke

12 [category unclear] chalk

The 4 half leaguers of arrack received from the Edgbaston:

Short by the gauge, 52 gallons

Wanted to fill, 17.5 gallons

Short delivered against the invoice, 69.5 gallons

The 4 half leaguers of the Benjamin wanted to fill, 23.5 gallons

The 2 leaguers of the Admiral Vernon wanted to fill, 18.5 gallons

The storekeeper added that the several weights of rice and sugar received from these ships were invoiced in maunds and other Indian weights or measures, which he did not understand, so that he could not ascertain whether there was any deficiency against the invoices, the whole quantity received being noted on the back of the several bills of lading. Signed Matthew Purling.

Thomas Willingham, gunner's mate, petitioned this day for his discharge, having served the Honourable Company his contracted time, and for leave for himself, his wife and child to go away on the first Dutch ship for Europe, being a native of Holland. The council granted the request.

Interpretations

The storekeeper's report is a formal writing-off of goods received short against the ships' bills of lading, the running check by which the settlement fixed responsibility for what failed to arrive. Each shortfall entered here was set against the paper the ship carried, so that a want could be traced either to short lading in India or to loss on the passage rather than falling on the storekeeper's own account. A leaguer is the large cask of the eastern liquor trade and a half leaguer its half, and the arrack shortages distinguish three separate wants: liquor already short by measure when gauged, cask ullage that had to be topped up to make the vessels full, and the balance short against what the invoice said should have come, the whole a standing feature of arrack shipped in wood across the tropics.

Purling's plain statement that he could not judge the rice and sugar because they were invoiced in maunds and other Indian weights he did not understand exposes a real limit of a mid-ocean station receiving cargoes made up in India. The maund was the weight of account of the eastern trade, varying from port to port, and a storekeeper trained on hundredweights and pounds could not reconcile an Indian invoice against an English scale, so he recorded the quantity as it stood on the back of the bill of lading and left the question of deficiency open rather than certify a figure he could not verify.

The discharge granted to Thomas Willingham turns on his having served his contracted time and on his being a Dutchman seeking passage home on a ship of his own nation. A foreign-born gunner's mate who had completed his term was free to leave, and the council's leave for him to take his wife and child away on the first Dutch ship shows the garrison drawing men from across northern Europe and releasing them, once their engagement was out, to whatever homeward vessel of their own country next touched the road.

472

465

1746

The Executor of Charles Steward deceased,

this day paid into the Honble Companys Cash here, the sum of

five hundred Pounds for which we gave them Bills of Exchange

of the same date, payable to themselves or Order, Ninety Days after Sight,

they first taking

Oath as directed in the General Letter dated 10 January

1745.

Mr Francis Wrangham Sent this day

paid into the Companys Cash here, the sum of thirty three

Pounds, Eleven Shillings, on Account of Mr John Sedgwick

for which We have given him Bills on the Honble

Company of the same date, payable to himself or Order,

Ninety Days after Sight.

Mr Christopher Dowen hath also this

day paid into the Companys Cash here, the sum of one hundred,

and twenty pounds, for which we have given him Bills of

Exchange of the same date, payable to himself, or Order, Ninety

Days after Sight.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

The executor of Charles Steward deceased paid into the Honourable Company's cash the sum of £500 0s 0d, for which the council gave bills of exchange of the same date, payable to the executor or order ninety days after sight, the executor first taking oath as directed in the general letter dated 10 January 1745. Mr Francis Wrangham senior paid into the Company's cash the sum of £33 11s 0d on the account of Mr John Sedgwick, for which the council gave him bills on the Company of the same date, payable to himself or order ninety days after sight. Mr Christopher Dixon also paid into the Company's cash the sum of £120 0s 0d, for which the council gave him bills of exchange of the same date, payable to himself or order ninety days after sight. The paper was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Purling and Wright.

Interpretations

The three payments are remittances home by bill of exchange, the coin staying in the island's treasury while its value travelled to London on the Company's paper drawn against it, each bill falling due ninety days after it was presented there. The requirement that Charles Steward's executor take oath before receiving his bills, on the direction of a specific general letter, marks the tighter control the Company placed on money remitted out of a dead man's estate. Where a servant remitting his own cash needed only to pay it in, an executor handling the property of the deceased had to swear to the account before the council would issue the drafts, the oath guarding against an executor draining an estate abroad beyond what he could lawfully claim.

The £120 paid in by Christopher Dixon shows him still transacting private business through the council two months after his suspension. Governor Dunbar had absolutely suspended him from all his employments and salary on 20 March 1746, and his seat stood empty on the board that issued these very bills, yet the suspension reached only his office and pay, not his standing as a private man entitled to remit his own money home like any other inhabitant. The council that had carried the quarrel against him drew his drafts on the same terms as everyone else's, the two matters kept wholly apart.

The sum Wrangham paid in on the account of an absent third party names the everyday working of the island as a remittance house for men who were not there to act for themselves. A resident holding money owed to someone gone from the island, or trading on his behalf, could pay it into the Company's cash and take bills payable to that man or his order, so the treasury served as the channel through which value moved between the settlement and correspondents at home or in India who never appeared before the board.

473

466

June 4

At a Consultation held on Wednesday

the 4 day of June 1746 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright

The last Consultation was read and Approved.

Wednesday 28 May Arrived the Hardwick, Capt Hallett,

from China, she parted with the Northumberland

Capt Bagwell from China to the Eastward

of the Cape, Lat 26 S in a violent Gale of

Wind the 29 March last, When the

Hardwick lost her Masts.

Arrived the Dragon, Capt Kent from

England.

Arrived the Oxford, Capt Edwd Smith,

from Bomeo.

Thursday 29 May Arrived the Queen Caroline, Capt Masson

from Bencoolen.

Fryday 30 Arrived the Vernon, Capt Raymond from Bengal

Monday 2 June, died Sarah, Wife of Joseph Powell Planter

Capt Edmund Smith, Paid before us the following Letter, Vizt

Ja線e

At a consultation held on Wednesday, the fourth day of June 1746, at the castle, the following were present: Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth, Matthew Purling fifth and Robert Wright sixth of council. The last consultation was read and approved.

On Wednesday 28 May the Hardwick, Captain Hallett, arrived from China. She had parted with Captain Bagwell, who came from China to the eastward of the Cape, in latitude 26 south in a violent gale of wind on 29 March, when the Hardwick lost her masts. The Dragon, Captain Kent, arrived from England. The Oxford, Captain Edmund Smith, arrived from Borneo. On Thursday 29 May the Queen Caroline, Captain Masson, arrived from Bencoolen. On Friday 30 May the Vernon, Captain Raymond, arrived from Bengal. On Monday 2 June Sarah, wife of Joseph Powell, planter, died. Captain Edmund Smith laid before the council the following letter.

Interpretations

The record of the Hardwick parting from Captain Bagwell's ship in a violent gale off the Cape, where the Hardwick lost her masts, shows the wartime convoy system under the strain that scattered it. Homeward Indiamen were meant to keep company for mutual defence against French cruisers, and the log of where and when two ships lost sight of one another was entered at the island as each straggler came in, so the council could reckon which vessels of a dispersed group were still to be looked for and in what condition. A ship arriving dismasted after such a gale would draw at once on the island's stores of masts, spars and cordage for the passage home.

The run of arrivals crowding into a few days at the end of May marks the opening of the homeward season, the road filling with ships off the several eastern trades, from China, Bengal, Borneo and Bencoolen, all gathering at the one Atlantic watering place before the last leg to England. Each had to be victualled from the island's cattle and yams and its wants of naval stores made good, so a cluster of arrivals of this kind bore directly on the herd and the warehouse the monthly accounts tracked.

The bare notice that Sarah, wife of Joseph Powell the planter, died sits in the record without further remark, the same Joseph Powell whose neglected boundary fence had brought Martin Harper before the council on 11 March 1746. The council entered the deaths of the island's inhabitants as matters of public record alongside the shipping, the settlement being small enough that a planter's household loss was noted in the same minutes as the movements of the homeward fleet.

474

467

1746.

Island St Helena June 1 1746

Sir,

The time apointed for his Majesty's

Ships now here to take under their Convoy the Ships then in

readyness for Sailing to England (being now near,) I think it

my duty to our Honble Masters to acquaint you that the Ships

Oxford Company are still so Sick and Sickly that unless I am

Supplyed with some more men I am afraid I shall not be able

to Sail with the Present Convoy the Ships full Compliment

Should be Sixty one in the Whole, all which I had When I saild

from Batavia, since which Loss by Mortality Twenty three

and only Thirty eight of us remaining, and as I think it very

Hazardous and Dangerous to atempt Sailing with the Compliment

We now have I Humbly Pray your Honour & Councils Assistance

and Help towards a Supply of Men to enable me to Sail with this

first Convoy I am

Sir

Your Obedient and Most

Humble Servant

Signd

Edmd Smyth.

To the Honble David Dunbar Esqr

So

Captain Edmund Smyth wrote to Governor Dunbar from the island of St Helena on 1 June 1746. He set out that the time appointed for His Majesty's ships then in the road to take under their convoy the ships ready for sailing to England was drawing near, and held it his duty to the Company to report that the crew of the Oxford remained so sick and sickly that, unless he were supplied with more men, he feared he would not be able to sail with the present convoy. The ship's full complement should have been sixty-one in all, all of whom he had brought from Batavia. Since then twenty-three had died, leaving only thirty-eight, and he judged it very hazardous and dangerous to attempt sailing with the number he then had. He asked the Governor and council for their assistance and help towards a supply of men to enable him to sail with this first convoy, subscribing himself their obedient and most humble servant. The letter was addressed to David Dunbar.

Interpretations

The letter turns on the single fact that convoy sailings ran to a fixed timetable and would not wait for a ship that could not man herself. The King's ships escorting the homeward trade through waters made dangerous by the war with France would leave on the appointed day, and a merchantman too shorthanded to keep company faced the choice of sailing unprotected or staying behind for the next escort, so Smyth's want of hands was in truth a race against the convoy's departure. His appeal to the Governor and council for men rested on the island being the only place between Batavia and England where a crew wasted by sickness could be made up.

The bare arithmetic Smyth sets out, a complement of sixty-one reduced to thirty-eight by twenty-three deaths since Batavia, is a stark measure of the mortality of the eastern passage that the island's records register from the receiving end. More than a third of the men shipped at Batavia had died before the Oxford reached St Helena, and the settlement saw a steady procession of such ships come in undermanned, their losses falling on the garrison and the passing trade to make good. A captain who could not replace the dead could not safely work his ship home, so the island's small pool of spare men became the thing that decided whether a homeward voyage could be completed at all.

475

468

June 4

To Which We returned ye following

Answer in Writing, Vizt

Sir

As We have no Orders from the Honble

Company in relation to Spareing any men from the Garrison

here, but, on the Contrary, the Governour informs us that the

Committee at home had Given Orders to him not to Part With

so much as one from the Service of this Island, We cannot

Comply with your request

By Order of Council

We also recd the following Letter from the

same Capt Smith, Vizt

Island St Helena June 1 1746

Sir

Soone after I had the Honour to have

the Command of the Ship Oxford in the Service of the East

India Company, they favoured me with the Loan of Thirteen

Hundred and Sixty Pounds towards the Purchase of a

Cargo for the Voiage appointed me, The produce of Which

was in Spanish Coin and could not lay it all out at Bombay

and as I have not had any Oppertunity, Since to Invest

about

The council returned the following answer in writing to Captain Smyth. It set out that the board had no orders from the Company about sparing any men from the garrison, and that the Governor informed them the Committee at home had on the contrary given him orders not to part with so much as one man from the service of the island, so that the council could not comply with the request. By order of council.

The council also received the following letter from Captain Smith, written from the island of St Helena on 1 June 1746. He set out that soon after he had the honour to have command of the ship Oxford in the service of the East India Company, they favoured him with the loan of £1,360 0s 0d towards the purchase of a cargo for the voyage appointed him. The produce of it was in Spanish coin, and he could not lay it all out at Borneo, and he had not had any opportunity since to invest about the remainder.

Interpretations

The council's refusal rests on a plain conflict of orders that shows where authority lay between the ship and the settlement. Smyth wanted men to work his undermanned ship home, but the Committee in London had expressly directed the Governor to part with not one man from the island's own service, and that standing instruction bound the board absolutely, whatever the captain's need. The garrison of a fortified victualling station in wartime was held too thin already to be drawn down for the sake of a single merchantman, so the council could shelter behind its orders and decline without any exercise of its own judgement.

The second letter opens the working of the Company's practice of financing a commander's private trade, the arrangement that let a captain carry a venture of his own alongside the Company's cargo. The £1,360 lent to Smyth for buying goods was capital advanced against the expected profit of the voyage, and his difficulty was that the money had come to him as Spanish silver he could not fully lay out at Borneo, leaving part of the loan uninvested. A commander caught with unspent trading capital at St Helena would look to lay it out there or to remit it, so the letter points toward a dealing with the council over the surplus coin on his hands.

476

469

1746

about four or five Thousand peices of Eight in any Trade I Humbly

Pray that I may have the Liberty to Pay in to the Companys

Treasury here the Above mentioned Sum, as Usual in Such Cases

I am

Sir,

Your most Obliged and Most

Obedient Humble Servant

Signd

Edmd Smyth

To the Honble David Dunbar Esqr

June 2 1746.

To the Worshipfull Governour

and Council of St Helena

Gentn

The 2 Inst I prayed you to receive

into the Honble Companys Treasury four or five Thousand

Peices of Eight, Part of the Produce of one Thousand & three

Hundred and Sixty Pounds lent me by my Honble Masters

to Purchase Goods they Priviledged me & to carry this Voiage

Yesterday, I had a Verbal answer from you that this Could not

not Avail in India and that you had not any Orders to receive

Cash in to the Treasury on Such Terms as I petitioned for,

And that you could not do it. This day when I waited on

the Governr He told me You did not Know how much it might

Affect

Captain Smyth continued that he had about four or five thousand pieces of eight on his hands, and asked that he might have leave to pay into the Company's treasury on the island the sum mentioned above, as usual in such cases, subscribing himself their most obliged and most obedient humble servant. The letter was addressed to David Dunbar.

On 3 June 1746 Captain Smyth wrote again to the Governor and council of St Helena. He set out that on 1 June he had asked them to receive into the Company's treasury four or five thousand pieces of eight, part of the produce of the £1,360 0s 0d lent him by the Company to buy goods, which they had privileged him to carry this voyage. He had received a verbal answer from them the day before that the coin was not wanted in India and that the board had no orders to receive cash into the treasury on such terms as he asked, and that they would not do it. This day, when he waited on the Governor, he was told the board did not know how much was wanted.

Interpretations

The letters lay bare the mechanism by which a homeward commander turned surplus trading capital into a remittance, and the terms on which the settlement would or would not oblige him. Smyth held four or five thousand Spanish dollars he had been unable to invest and wished to pay into the Company's treasury against bills on London, the ordinary way of moving idle coin home without carrying it at risk through waters full of enemy cruisers. His phrase that this was usual in such cases points to a settled practice, so the council's refusal was a departure from custom that had to rest on some particular reason of its own.

The reason the board gave shows the treasury weighing its own needs against the convenience of the trade. The council answered that the coin was not wanted in India and that it had no orders to take cash in on the terms Smyth proposed, and the Governor added only that the board did not know how much was wanted. A victualling station received foreign silver from the passing ships and shipped it onward to the Indian presidencies as their occasions required, so whether it would take a captain's dollars turned on whether the money could be usefully forwarded, and with no present call for it in India and no orders to cover the transaction the council declined to load its chest with coin it had no use for.

477

470

June 4

Affect the Companys Interest in regard to the limited time of Residence

When expired and that if I would leave the determining of that

matter to the Whole Comp you would receive the Above mentd

Sum, this is the Sence I understood your answer the, I do not

Pretend to remember the very Words Which I freely agree

to and still pray you to receive my money on that Condition

Which will very much Oblige

Gentn

Your Most Obedient and Most

Humble Servant

Signd

Edmd Smyth

As I have not had any Practice

in Adress of this nature I hope

You'l be so good to Excuse what

may be Wanting in Method &c

and add Obligation on

Yr most Obliged

Signd

E S

Upon Considering the Circumstances of

the Case, and that the Ship Oxford is a bad Sailor, and their Company

Very Sickly, and the Governour, Having Asked Governour

Bonnedy his Opinion in relation to the request of Capt Smith,

and He being of the Opinion With us that the Money Would be

Safer here than in the said Ship, and Capt Smith being Also

Indebted to the Company in a Considerable Sum, and He Undertaking

Jn

Captain Smyth continued that the matter affected the Company's interest in respect of the limited time of residence allowed when it expired, and that if he should leave the determining of it to the whole council they would receive the sum mentioned above. This was the sense in which he understood their answer, though he did not pretend to remember the very words, and he freely agreed to it and still asked the board to receive his money on that condition, which would very much oblige them. He subscribed himself their most obedient and most humble servant. Having had no practice in addresses of this nature, he hoped they would excuse whatever might be wanting in method, and closed by adding a further compliment.

The council, considering the circumstances of the case, and that the Oxford was a bad sailer and her company very sickly, and Governor Dunbar having asked Governor Broadley his opinion on Captain Smith's request, and Broadley being of the opinion with the council that the money would be safer on the island than aboard the ship, and Captain Smith being also indebted to the Company in a considerable sum, and he undertaking to make good the balance.

Interpretations

Smyth's own uncertainty about the exact terms he was answered on, coupled with his readiness to leave the decision to the whole council, shows a commander pressing hard to be rid of coin he could not safely carry and shaping his account of the board's verbal reply to keep the door open. The point he raises about the limited time of residence touches the charter-party rule that fixed how long a ship might lie in the road, so his argument was that referring the question to the full council rather than the Governor alone might yet secure the leave he wanted before his time expired.

The council's reasoning for taking the money in reverses its earlier refusal on grounds that reveal how it read the safety of the coin against the risk of the ship. The Oxford being a poor sailer and her crew so wasted by sickness, the dollars stood at real hazard of being lost with her on the passage home, so the treasury judged the money safer in its own chest than aboard, exactly the calculation that made the island a natural place to lodge value in wartime. That Smyth already owed the Company a considerable sum gave the board a second motive, since coin paid into its hands could be set against his debt, and his undertaking to make good the balance turned the deposit into part settlement of what he owed rather than a mere accommodation.

The council's recourse to the opinion of Governor Broadley, a governor other than Dunbar consulted on the point, shows the board drawing on the judgement of an experienced Company servant then present at the island to support a decision that departed from its first answer. Where a question touched the security of the Company's money and the board was reversing itself, a second authoritative voice served to fortify the record, the settlement making use of whatever qualified men its road held at the moment a doubtful matter arose.

478

471

1746

in this Letter that the respondentia Account

Shall be left to the Company We have received 4614 Dollars at 5/ ea amountg to

£ 1153 10. And Given Capt Smiths Certificate for the same to the

Honble Company.

Mr Matthew Purling reported, that he

had been on board the Hardwick, Capt Hallett, to muster her Company,

and to search for Deserters, but found none, the Muster Roll is, as

follows, Vizt

Capt John Hallett Daniel Scofield Ship Steward Thos Mcdonell Seaman

Mr Carteret Segeoff Mr James Hudson Quartermr Danl Morison Do

Francis Slate 2 Do Richard Deans James Gamsone do

Henry Loundes 3 Do Jno Heathfield Robert Newport Do

John Cock 4 Do Wm Cotte Jams Vears Do

Robert Edmond 5 do Geo Mulray Jno Pollard Do

Thomas Yearworth Capt Robert Davis Walter Mac Culloch do

Sam Rogers 1 mate Chas Steward John Gibson Do

Chas Bayley 2 Do Peter Wilkes Armourer Richard Perry Do

John Hadsley Caulker Wm Coster Cooper Robert Stevens Do

Joseph Bliss do mate James Thomas Butcher Daniel Mc Cockland Do

Hugh Ross Boatswain Benjn Loire Capts Servant Andw Newmand do

Abram Bollard do mate Thos Farrow Chief mate John Kentron do

Willm Cotterell Sailmaker Wm Welyard 2 do Do Abram Genderine Do

James Duncan Gunner Sam Plumber Doctor do John Mitchell Do

Thos Wendy do mate Robt Calvert Harpr mate John Mould Do

Norman Ballentine Surgn Willm Davis Gunrs do John Colytroon Do

Andw Reynolds Ryps Capt Rost Carle Seaman George Hunter Do

The council added the condition that the respondentia account be left to the Company. It received 4,614 dollars at five shillings each, amounting to £1,153 10s 0d, and gave Captain Smyth a certificate for the same to the Company.

Mr Matthew Purling reported that he had been on board the Hardwick, Captain Hallett, to muster her company and to search for deserters, but found none. The muster roll ran as follows.

Captain John Hallett

Mr Carteret, second

Francis Slate, second mate

Henry Lowndes, third mate

John Cook, fourth mate

Robert Edmond, fifth mate

Thomas Yearworth, captain's servant

Samuel Rogers, surgeon's mate

Charles Bayley, second surgeon's mate

John Hadsley, caulker

Joseph Bliss, caulker's mate

Hugh Ross, boatswain

Abraham Bollard, boatswain's mate

William Cattrell, sailmaker

James Duncan, gunner

Thomas Wendy, gunner's mate

Nauian Ballentine, gunner's servant

Andrew Reynolds, purser's servant

Daniel Scofield, ship's steward

James Hudson, quartermaster

John Hartfield

[...] Balls

George McCray

Captain Robert Davis

Charles Steward

Peter Wildred, armourer

Robert Cooper, cooper

James Thomas, butcher

Benjamin Toone, captain's servant

Thomas Farrow, chief mate's servant

William Molyard, second mate's servant

Samuel Plumber, doctor's servant

Robert Calvert, carpenter's mate

William Davis, gunner's servant

Robert Earle, seaman

Thomas Macdonell, boatswain

Daniel Morison, boatswain

James Gameson

Robert Newport

[...] Vigers

John Pollard

Walter MacCulloch

John Gibson

Richard Perry

Robert Stevens

Daniel McCockLand

Charles Pitcairne

John Newman

John Fanshaw

Abram Genderine

John Mitchell

John Meide

Daniel Colstoun

George Hunter

Interpretations

The respondentia condition attached to the deal completes the way the council secured the Company's money against a hazardous ship. Respondentia was a loan on the security of a cargo, repayable with a premium only if the goods reached port safely, the lender bearing the risk of loss at sea. By requiring that the respondentia account be left to the Company, the board tied Smyth's deposit to the existing loan he owed, so the 4,614 dollars taken in at five shillings each became part settlement of his obligation rather than a plain remittance, and the certificate given him carried the reckoning home for the Company to complete.

The muster of the Hardwick to search for deserters is the routine every ship in the road underwent, the settlement's guard against its garrison and the passing crews melting away into one another. A homeward ship short of hands, like the Oxford, drew men where it could, and a full muster taken by a councillor man by man was how the council proved that no soldier had slipped aboard and no seaman had run ashore, the finding of no deserters entered as plainly as any shortfall would have been.

The muster roll itself sets out the whole working establishment of an East Indiaman rank by rank, from the commander and his mates down through the specialist tradesmen, caulker, sailmaker, gunner, cooper, butcher and armourer, to the ordinary seamen and the several servants attached to the officers. The long tail of servants, one to the captain, one to each mate, one to the surgeon and gunner, shows how far the ship's company was ordered by rank, each officer carrying his own attendant on the Company's books, so that a single vessel's crew was a small hierarchy complete in itself.

479

472

June 4

Wm John Merchant Seaman Peter Watkins John Ryder

Rodk Mc Clean do Sedwell Guille Matt Shroud

Michael Son do Archd Wightman Hen Wood

Trisham Fenwick do Saml Kendall R Roberts

John Nuggett do Mathew Hall Jona Hoar

John Whitridge do Mathew Taylor John Tyndall

Richard Doveton do John Hart Saml Gill

Wm Hall do Thos Emery Willm Holloway

Peter Pickering do Denis Godfrey Pat Murphey

Abram Terry do Thos Way Geo Milone

Crist Brown do Jno White John Prophord

Wm Lake Mr Tittle Willm Bowen

David Watkins Wm Bridges Jno Collings

Thos Cooper Phil Noell Saml Mason

Mr Robert Wright reported, that he

had been on board the Oxford, Capt Edmd Smith, and the Queen

Caroline, Capt Benjamin Masson, to Muster their Company,

and Search for Deserters, but found none, the Muster Rolls are,

as follows, Vizt

Edwd Smyth Master Joseph Payne Carpt Michl Burke Cook

Edwd Siddeman Mr John Cole Botsw John Jones Butcher

Thomd Mochead 2 do Geo Stone Mid John Beekham Gunr

Thoma Baddison 3 do Wm Board do Thos Clarke Byr Mate

Robt Burdet Mid John Hawkins Cooper John Smith Coopers mate

Wm Wills Surgeon David Mutchison Caulker John Ervin 2 Mate

Aswm Dicke Surgs mate John Oakey Sailmaker Benjn Ward do

The muster roll of the Hardwick, Captain Hallett, continued.

[...] Weekin, merchant's seaman

Robert McClean, merchant's seaman

Michael Son, merchant's seaman

Tristram Fenwick, merchant's seaman

John Nuggett, merchant's seaman

John Whitridge, merchant's seaman

Richard Doveton, merchant's seaman

William Hall, merchant's seaman

Peter Pickering, merchant's seaman

Abram Terry, merchant's seaman

Christopher Brown, merchant's seaman

William Lake

David Walters

Thomas Cooper

Peter Watkins

Sedwell Guilt

Archibald Wightman

Samuel Kendall

Matthew Hall

Matthew Taylor

John Hart

Thomas Emery

Denis Godfrey

Thomas Ling

John White

Mr Tittle

William Bridges

Philip Noell

John Bysott

Matthew Shrood

Henry Weed

R. Roberts

John Hoar

John Tyndall

Samuel Gill

William Holloway

Pat Murphy

George Milone

John Shepherd

William Bowen

John Collings

James Mason

Mr Robert Wright reported that he had been on board the Oxford, Captain Edmund Smith, and the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, to muster their companies and search for deserters, but found none. The muster rolls ran as follows.

The Oxford

Edmund Smyth, master

Edward Siddeman, chief mate

Thomas Mochread, second mate

Thomas Baddison, third mate

Robert Burdet, midshipman

William Wills, surgeon

Alexander Dicks, surgeon's mate

Joseph Payne, carpenter

John Cole, boatswain

George Stone, midshipman

William Board, midshipman

John Hawkins, cooper

David Hutchison, caulker

John Oakey, sailmaker

Michael Burke, cook

John Jones, butcher

John Beckham, gunner

Thomas Clarke, boatswain's mate

John Neale, cooper's mate

John Erwin, second mate

Benjamin Ward, second mate

Interpretations

The long block of merchant's seamen entered together names a distinct class aboard an East Indiaman, hands shipped for the trading voyage as against the officers and rated tradesmen carried on the standing establishment. The muster set them down as a body after the named officers and specialists, so the roll reads as a hierarchy descending from command through the skilled trades to the ordinary working crew, the settlement's clerk copying the ship's own order of precedence onto the island's books.

The muster of three homeward ships in a single sitting by the members of council shows the season's work falling on the board in a rush as the road filled. Purling had taken the Hardwick and Wright now took the Oxford and the Queen Caroline, the councillors dividing the ships between them, each going aboard to count the company man by man and certify that no deserter had been carried off. That all three returned clear of deserters was the point of the exercise, the finding entered as carefully as the names, since a soldier smuggled aboard or a seaman run ashore was a loss the settlement had to answer for.

480

473

1746

Fran Joseph Thos Antes Seaman John Berry Cook

James Akin Seaman Wm Welch Buckholm

Henry Phillips do Robt Ferguson do Edmd Elliston

Isaac Anderson Robt Turner Waterr Do

Mr Foster Gunr do

Herbt Drinkford

James Smart 3rd John Motts

Wm Lamb John Gordon Capt Servt Do

A List of the Ships Company in the Queen Caroline

Benjamin Masson Commr Peter Coskell Ignatius Cornelius Gunr

Seamen

James Troome Chiefmate Peter Nickolson Philip Barrett

Wm Cock 2 Do John Heatteman Caulker Antonio Goodleaff

Richard Harrison 3 do Wm Allin Do mate Wm Saxton

James Broce 4 do Wm Smith Cole Carps mate Danl Hays

Wm Gordon 5 do Thos Vixley 2 Do Thos Downing

Saml Jackson Surgeon James Ewings Cooper Philip Anaao

Wm House Boatswain Rich Fewre Do mate Andrew Browne

Isaac Popplestone Carps John Smith Gunmate John Oneal

Dymick Morri Steward Martin Fearby Capt Cook Fornce Fernando

Patrick Corlett Gunner John Richardson Ships do John Baptiste

Constantine Harrison Robt Pearson Butcher Rich Bonzley

Thomas Tyddall Nathaniel Palmer Mid Edward Black

John Finch Thos Davis Capts Taylor Humpr Green

Henry Bridgen John Kirdseys Capts Servant Geo Litchcombe

Thos Gunson John Watts Chief Mates Do Chas Desterelling

Leonard Clerk Gardiner John Nolley Carpts Do Wictor Mre Lane

John Smart John Dikes Surgeons Do Daniel Lincotni

Lawrence Bell 2d Master Edw Benson Boatswains Do Thos Perceval

The muster roll of the Oxford, Captain Edmund Smith, concluded, followed by the muster roll of the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason.

Francis Joseph

James Aikin, seaman

Henry Phillips, seaman

Isaac Anderson

James Smart, seaman

William Lamb

Thomas Antes, seaman

William Welch

Robert Rogerson

Robert Turner, mate's servant

Mr Butler, gunner's servant

Robert Drinkford

John Motts

John Gordon, captain's servant

John Berry, clerk

Buckholm

Edmund Elliston

A list of the ship's company in the Queen Caroline

Benjamin Masson, commander

James Froggne, chief mate

William Cook, second mate

Richard Harrison, third mate

James Bruce, fourth mate

William Gordon, fifth mate

Samuel Jackson, surgeon

William House, boatswain

Isaac Popplestone, carpenter

Dymick Merri, steward

Patrick Corlett, gunner

Constantine Harrison

Thomas Tyndall

John Finch

Henry Bridgen

Thomas Gunson

Leonard Clark, gardener

John Smart

Lawrence Bell, second master

Peter Coskull, seaman

Peter Nickolson, seaman

John Heatteman, caulker

William Allen, doctor's mate

William Smith, captain's cook's mate

Thomas Vixley, second mate

James Ewings, cooper

Richard Toure, doctor's mate

John Smith, gunner's mate

John Richardson, ship's servant

Robert Pearson, butcher

Nathaniel Palmer, midshipman

Thomas Davis, captain's servant

John Birdseye, captain's servant

John Watts, chief mate's servant

John Nolley, captain's servant

John Dikes, surgeon's servant

Edmund Benson, boatswain's servant

Ignatius Cornelius, gunner's servant

Philip Barrett, seaman

Antonio Goodleff

William Laxton

Daniel Hays

Thomas Deeaning

Philip Meano

Andrew Bascomo

John Oneal

Torure Fernando

John Baptista

Richard Benzley

Newid Black

Humphrey Green

George Litchcombe

Charles Desterling

Victor Ware Lane

Daniel Lincoln

Thomas Perceval

Interpretations

The Queen Caroline's roll shows the mixed manning of an eastern-trade ship, English officers and tradesmen at the head and a lower deck carrying men whose names, Antonio Goodleff, Torure Fernando, John Baptista, Victor Ware Lane, point to Portuguese, Iberian and Indian-ocean hands taken up along the route. A vessel that lost men to sickness and desertion on so long a passage made up her numbers wherever she called, so the company that reached St Helena was drawn from many coasts, the settlement mustering the whole regardless of nation to be sure none had run ashore.

The entry of Leonard Clark as gardener aboard the Queen Caroline marks her out as the Company's store ship rather than an ordinary trader. A ship carrying plants and seeds between the Company's settlements needed a man to tend them on the passage, and the gardener on the muster fits the vessel that had brought Purbeck stone, beer and timber to the island the previous year, the store ship's establishment differing from a cargo trader's in exactly such particulars.

The naming of the several servants attached to the officers, one to the captain, the mates, the surgeon, the gunner and the boatswain, repeats across all three ships the same ordering by rank the Hardwick's roll displayed. Each officer of standing carried his own attendant on the Company's books, so a muster taken to catch deserters incidentally recorded the whole domestic hierarchy of the ship, every man set against the officer he served, which was how the clerk of the island fixed each name in its place on the roll.

481

474

June 4

James Mitchel Robt Youels Thos Adams

Wm Corns Alexr Vickery Archibald Lindsey

John Lambert Hugh Nowland Geo Crocket

James Billow James McDonald Robt Walker

John Harry Jno Winston Wm Hunter

Willm Phillips Wm Cooper Rich Johnson

Dennis Murphy Adam Glascow John Mc Dermot

Franco Delacaupa

Paul Speeler

Geo Field Wm Goodchild Mason Blowers

Marten Waddick Rigging

Will George Rd Wills John Draper

Saml Bonner Ship Timpson Saml Ichas

Mr John Goodwin reported, that he had

been on board the Wager, Capt Raymond, to Muster her Company,

and to search for Deserters, but found none, the Muster Roll is,

as follows, Vizt

A List of the Wager's Company

Chas Raymond Esq Commr Wm Bartlet do Wm Jardine Sailmaker

Josiah Windward Chma Jno White do John Williams Carps mate

Bernard Sonclez 2 David Dove do Robt Gillfilling Gunr mate

Edw Lord Chick 3 Simon Gowen do Richard Gregory Caulkers Mate

Wm King 4 Edney Wills Smith do Andrew White Joyner

Joseph Lowe 5 David Crowdon 2 Mate Richard Sustin Armourer

David Duncan Surg Jno Warden do Alexr Bland Coopers mate

Jas Branscomb Gunner Mathew Webster do Thos Shaw Poulterer

Joseph Fisher Carpenter Chas Hanley do Jos Merrick Capts Cooks do

Wm March Boatswn Saml Dunne Mid mate James Vickers Barbr

Peter Castnes Middlemr Richard Dawling Capts Jas Wisdom Barbr do

Geo Drake do Robt Nutley Caulker Robt Thonp Byr do

The muster roll of the Queen Caroline, Captain Benjamin Mason, concluded, followed by the muster roll of the Vernon, Captain Raymond.

James Mitchel

William Corns

John Lambert

James Billow

John Harry

William Phillips

Dennis Murphy

George Field

William George

Samuel Bonner

Robert Gonels

Alexander Reiding

Hugh Nowland

James McDonald

John Winston

William Cooper

Adam Glascow

William Goodchild

Thomas Wills

Thomas Timpson

Thomas Adams

Archibald Lindsay

George Crocket

Robert Walker

William Hunter

Richard Johnson

John McDermot

Franco Delacaupa

Paul Speiler

Marion Blowers

Bartelus Neddick, poulterer

John Draper

Samuel Ishas

Mr John Goodwin reported that he had been on board the Vernon, Captain Raymond, to muster her company and to search for deserters, but found none. The muster roll ran as follows.

A list of the Vernon's company

Charles Raymond, commander

Josiah Windward, chief mate

Bernard Sowerley, second mate

Edward Long, third mate

William King, fourth mate

Joseph Lowe, fifth mate

David Duncan, sixth mate

James Branscomb, gunner

Joseph Fisher, carpenter

Henry March, boatswain

Peter Castus, midshipman

George Drake, midshipman

William Bartlet, midshipman

John White, midshipman

David Dove, midshipman

Simon Gowen, midshipman

Edney Wills, smith

David Crowden, second mate

John Warden, second mate

Matthew Webster, second mate

Charles Wamsley, second mate

Samuel Dunne, midshipman's mate

Richard Dowling, captain's servant

Robert Nutley, caulker

William Jardine, sailmaker

John Williams, carpenter's mate

Robert Gillspie, gunner's mate

Richard Gregory, caulker's mate

Andrew White, joiner

Richard Justin, armourer

Alexander Bond, cooper's mate

Thomas Shaw, poulterer

John Merrick, captain's cook's mate

James Vickers, barber

John Wisdom, barber

Robert Thomas, [...]

Interpretations

The muster of the Vernon by John Goodwin completes the season's round, the three councillors between them having gone aboard every homeward ship in the road, Purling to the Hardwick, Wright to the Oxford and Queen Caroline, and Goodwin now to the Vernon, each certifying his ship clear of deserters. The division of the ships among the members shows the board sharing out a heavy piece of the season's work, the counting of whole crews man by man falling on the councillors in turn as the vessels crowded in before the convoy sailed.

The mixture of hands on the Queen Caroline's lower deck, Franco Delacaupa, Bartelus Neddick and the rest set among the English names, repeats the pattern of a long-voyage crew made up from many coasts, the store ship having taken men where she could to replace those lost on the passage. The settlement mustered such companies without regard to the nation of the men, its concern being only that every hand entered on the ship's books was still aboard and none had slipped ashore to swell the island's population or drain another vessel's crew.

The Vernon's roll again carries the full spread of rated tradesmen an Indiaman required to keep herself at sea, smith, caulker, joiner, armourer, cooper, sailmaker, barber and poulterer, alongside her long file of mates and midshipmen. A ship on so long a passage had to be a self-sufficient community able to repair her own hull, rigging, ironwork and casks and to feed and tend her people, so the muster taken to catch deserters set out incidentally the whole range of skills a homeward East Indiaman carried within her own company.

482

475

1746

Thos Bird Capt Cook Martin Gore Landsman Wm Thompson Seaman

Jno Gilles Seaman Hen Sandsal do Thos Williams do

Nath Willis do Jno Lambert do Jno Bower do

Thos Clark do Jno Vyard do Jno Peterson do

Rich Parde do Wm Antho 2 mate boy Bernardus Van Zuyden

Diggery Rimordan do Jno Cock Barbrsn boy Jno Wolf do

Robt Palpay do Saml Johnson Carps boy Nicholas Bailey do

Rich Joyce do Jno Mekins Cooks boy Wm Shepherd do

Robt Salmon do Wm Stower Surgeons boy Jno Stoolman do

Thos Foreman do Andr Norton Capts Servant Hendrick Plasman do

Jno Skipt do Thos Gilles Do Jno Kroll do

Jno Clerk do Rich Coston do David Wredle do

Thos Soulson do Thos Gerrard do Robt Way do

Robt Bell do Hen Cotter Seaman Christian Drewers do

George Moody do Phillip Lacy do Louis Van Volderfield

Wm Stotch do Claus Ulrick do Jacob Wolty do

Jno Bailie do Andrew Stewart do Jack do

Thos Griffin do Jno Long do Bastian

Henry Fenwick do Jno Willier do Swerness

Mungo Carkson do Thos Wood do Casar 1

Wm Cartwright Landsman Jno Chapman do Casar 2

Antonio

We sent the following Letter to Bencoolen

by the Dragon, Captain Kent, Vizt

Go

The muster roll of the Vernon, Captain Raymond, concluded.

Thomas Bird, captain's cook

John Gilles, seaman

Nathaniel Willis, seaman

Thomas Clark, seaman

Richard Pards, seaman

Diggery Rimordan, seaman

Robert Palpay, seaman

Richard Joyce, seaman

Robert Salmon, seaman

Thomas Foreman, seaman

John Skift, seaman

John Clarks, seaman

Thomas Foulson, seaman

Robert Bell, seaman

George Moody, seaman

William Skitch, seaman

John Bailie, seaman

Thomas Griffen, seaman

Henry Fowick, seaman

Mungo Carkson, seaman

William Cartwright, landman

Martin Green, landman

Henry Lundsal, landman

John Lambert, landman

John Bryard, landman

William Antles, mate's boy

John Cock, barber's boy

Samuel Johnson, captain's boy

John Mekine, cook's boy

William Stavere, surgeon's boy

Andrew Norton, captain's servant

Thomas Gilles, seaman

Richard Castors, seaman

Thomas Gerrard, seaman

Henry Cotter, seaman

Phillip Lacy, seaman

Claus Ettrick, seaman

Andrew Stewart, seaman

John Long, seaman

John Hillier, seaman

Thomas Vixed, seaman

John Chapman, seaman

William Thompson, seaman

Thomas Williams, seaman

John Power, seaman

John Peterson, seaman

Bernardus Van Ingden, seaman

John Wolff, seaman

Nicholas Bailey, seaman

William Shepford, seaman

John Skotman, seaman

Hendrick Plasman, seaman

John Knoll, seaman

David Wiedle, seaman

Robert Way, seaman

Christian Drewers, seaman

Lewis Von Volderfield, seaman

Jacob Welby, seaman

Jack, seaman

Bastini

Owerness

Caesar, first

Caesar, second

Antonio

The council sent the following letter to Bencoolen by the Dragon, Captain Kent.

Interpretations

The Vernon's lower deck again mixes English, Dutch and southern-European hands, Bernardus Van Ingden, Hendrick Plasman, Claus Ettrick, Christian Drewers and Lewis Von Volderfield among the run of common seamen, the same drawing of a crew from many nations that the other ships of the convoy showed. A homeward Indiaman replaced her losses at every port of call, so the company mustered at the island was cosmopolitan by necessity, the settlement counting every hand alike to be sure none had run.

The names entered bare at the very foot of the roll, Bastini, Owerness, the two men both called Caesar, and Antonio, stand apart from the seamen above them and carry neither surname nor rating. Single names of that kind, and Caesar in particular, were the names given to slaves, so the tail of the muster very probably records the ship's slaves carried on the establishment below the free crew, set down without the family names and ratings that fixed every other man in his place. The settlement counted them into the ship's company as it counted the rest, the roll running from the commander at its head down to the unfree hands at its close.

483

476

June 4

To the Worshipfull the Deputy Governour & Councill

at Fort Marlbrough.

Worshipfull Sir, and Sirs

Inclosed is a Duplicate of What we

wrote you by the Somersett, Captain Solson, who saild hence

the 27 May last for your place.

Since when there have arrived here

the Hardwick, Captain Hallett from China, the Oxford,

Captain Edmund Smith, from Bomeo, the Queen Caroline

Captain Masson from Bencoolen, the Wager, Captain

Raymond from Bengall, and the Companys Ship, the

Dragon, Captain Kent from England, by Whom we send

this.

When we took the men Consigned to

Your Place and detained them here, it was, by the Honble

Companys Orders; and We have in Obedience thereto taken

out of this Ship Eleven men which were designed for your

Place, and given the Captain a Receipt for the same.

We had Orders relating to Daniel Johnson from

the Honble Company, & he was discharged thereupon.

The reasons you give for sending

Blacks

the three hither for Slaves, on Account of the Villanies, and

Roguery, they committed at your Place, make them Equally as

dangerous to be kept here, as with You, and if We had an Oppertunity

Should have returned them, but as that is Wanting We advise You would

Send us no more such, Without Orders from Home, We are,

Worshipfull Sir, and Sirs, Your Humble Servants

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright

St Helena

5 June 1746

The council wrote to the Deputy Governor and council at Fort Marlborough. It enclosed a duplicate of what it had written by the Somerset, Captain Jobson, who sailed from the island on 29 May for that place. Since then the Hardwick, Captain Hallett, had arrived from China, the Oxford, Captain Edmund Smith, from Borneo, the Queen Caroline, Captain Mason, from Bencoolen, the Vernon, Captain Raymond, from Bengal, and the Company's ship the Dragon, Captain Kent, from England, by whom the council sent this letter.

The council set out that when it took the men consigned to Fort Marlborough and detained them on the island, it did so by the Company's orders, and in obedience to those orders it had taken out of the Dragon eleven men designed for that place and given the captain a receipt for them. It had orders from the Company about Daniel Johnson, and he was accordingly discharged. As to the reasons Fort Marlborough had given for sending the three blacks over as slaves, on account of the villainy and roguery they had committed there, the council held that this made them equally dangerous to be kept on St Helena as at Fort Marlborough, and that had there been any opportunity it would have returned them, but as a passage was wanting it would advise Fort Marlborough and would send no more such without orders from home. The letter was subscribed at St Helena, 5 June 1746, by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright.

Interpretations

The letter turns on the standing tension between two of the Company's settlements over the movement of men, and shows St Helena resisting being made the receptacle for another factory's troublesome people. Fort Marlborough, the Company's pepper settlement at Bencoolen on the west coast of Sumatra, had shipped three slaves to the island because of crimes they had committed there, and the council's answer was that offenders dangerous at Bencoolen were no less dangerous at St Helena, so it would take no more such without orders from London. The exchange marks the island asserting a limit on its role as a way station, unwilling to accumulate the discards of a distant settlement merely because ships passed between the two.

The taking of eleven men out of the Dragon consigned to Fort Marlborough, by the Company's express orders and against a receipt, shows the island exercising a standing power to intercept drafts of men in transit. St Helena lay on the route between England and the eastern settlements and could hold back soldiers or servants passing through when London so directed, so a body of men shipped for Bencoolen might be stopped at the island and set to its own service, the receipt given to the captain fixing the Company's account for men taken off his charge.

The particular direction about Daniel Johnson, discharged on the Company's own orders, marks how closely the Court in London reached into the disposal of individual men at its settlements. A single named servant could be the subject of a specific instruction carried out to the letter, so the council's management of the men passing through its hands answered not only to general policy but to precise commands about named persons, the settlement acting as the Company's agent in the movement and discharge of its people across half the world.

484

477

1746

The Hardwick and Wager brought us

the following Supplys, Vizt

S.C Invoice of Goods p Ship Hardwick Vizt

H

No 1 to 6 Sugar Candy 6 Chests

No 1 19 Tare 208 Gross

2 20 237

3 19 228

4 18 231

5 18 229

6 19 230

113 1385 Gross

113

1272 5 at 133¾ p p c

Sales m c c

Su make peculs 39 at 5 Tale p pecull 46 9 5 0

H

No 1 to 12 Sugar 12 Chests Vizt

No 1 18 Tare 261 Gross

2 18 265

3 18 241

4 19 262

5 19 255

6 17 259

7 20 256

8 18 262

9 18 272

10 18 268

11 19 260

12 18 249

220 3110 Gross

220 Tare

2890 at 133 p p c pecull

86 6 8 0

make Peculs 91.63 at 5 Tale p Pecull Sales 133 6 3 0

Carried forward

The Hardwick and the Wager brought the following supplies. The invoice of goods per the ship Hardwick, marked S C and numbered, ran as follows.

Number 1 to 6: Sugar candy, 6 chests

Chest 1, tare 19 lb, gross 205 lb

Chest 2, tare 20 lb, gross 237 lb

Chest 3, tare 19 lb, gross 228 lb

Chest 4, tare 18 lb, gross 231 lb

Chest 5, tare 18 lb, gross 229 lb

Chest 6, tare 19 lb, gross 230 lb

Total tare 113 lb, total gross 1,365 lb

Net after tare, 1,252 lb at 133 taels 2 mace 5 candareens per pecul

Sugar candy makes 12 pecul 52 catties, at 5 taels the pecul, sale 66 taels 9 mace 3 candareens 0 cash

Number 1 to 12: Sugar, 12 chests

Chest 1, tare 18 lb, gross 261 lb

Chest 2, tare 18 lb, gross 265 lb

Chest 3, tare 18 lb, gross 241 lb

Chest 4, tare 19 lb, gross 262 lb

Chest 5, tare 19 lb, gross 255 lb

Chest 6, tare 17 lb, gross 259 lb

Chest 7, tare 20 lb, gross 256 lb

Chest 8, tare 18 lb, gross 262 lb

Chest 9, tare 18 lb, gross 272 lb

Chest 10, tare 18 lb, gross 268 lb

Chest 11, tare 19 lb, gross 260 lb

Chest 12, tare 18 lb, gross 249 lb

Total tare 220 lb, total gross 3,110 lb

Net after tare, 2,890 lb at 133 taels 3 mace per pecul

Sugar makes 21 pecul 63 catties, at [...] the pecul, sale 133 taels 6 mace 3 candareens 0 cash

Carried forward, 86 taels 6 mace 8 candareens 0 cash

Interpretations

The invoice is a China cargo reckoned throughout in the money and weights of Canton, which fixes the Hardwick as a homeward China trader rather than a ship of the Indian coast. The tael, mace, candareen and cash are the Chinese money of account descending by tens, and the pecul and catty the Chinese weights, the pecul running to a hundred catties, so the whole reckoning belongs to the Canton trade and had to be carried onto the island's books in that form because that was how the supercargoes had bought the goods.

The method of the account, striking the tare from the gross of each chest to reach the net and pricing only the net by the pecul, is the disciplined weighing by which the Company paid for sugar by its true content and not by the weight of the packing. Each chest was weighed full, the weight of the empty chest deducted, and the sum of the nets priced at the rate the pecul, so that the wood of the chests was carried through the account but never charged for, the same care shown in the island's own warehouse inventories where every article was struck to its real worth.

The two grades entered here, the finer sugar candy and the plainer sugar, name the refined and semi-refined products the China ships carried as bulk cargo for the European market. Sugar candy was crystallised sugar of high value and plain sugar the coarser sort, both bought at Canton by weight and priced by the pecul, so the invoice records the settlement handling as it passed through the very commodities that made the China trade, weighed and valued at each stage against loss and short delivery.

485

478

June 4

Sales m c c

Bo Brought Over 133 6 3 0

H No 1 to 3 Tea Bohea 3 Chests Vizt

No 1 34 168 Gross

2 34 170

3 31 172

99 510 Gross

99 Tare

411 at 133 p p c Pecull

Makes Peculs 8 at 11 Tale p Pecull 53 8 8 0

Rice 30 Baggs Vizt

H No 1.2.3 wt 385

4.5.6 387

7.8.9 377

10.11.12 384

13.14.15 376

16.17.18 366

19.20.21 390

22.23.24 393

25.26.27 387

28.29.30 387

3832 wt at 133¾ p p c

Makes 28 pd at 7 Tale p Pecull 43 1 0 0

Sales m c c

30 bags at 4 Candoreens p bag 1 2 0 0

m 3 1 0

CW China Ware one Chest Vizt

H

10 Setts White and Dishes blue & White

20 Plates & 5 Dishes 1 Sett a 1 6 0 0 16 000

20 large Bowls blue and White 8 0 1 600

34 bowls Blew and Gold a 0 1 0 0 3 400

16 Do Do a 0 0 6 0 0 960

170 Cups blue & White 0 0 1 5 2 550

170 Saucers 0 4 0 0

1 China ware chest 24 9 1 0

Ground Over 236 7 3 0

The invoice of goods per the ship Hardwick continued.

Brought over, sale 133 taels 6 mace 3 candareens 0 cash

Marked Bo H: Tea, bohea, 3 chests

Chest 1, gross 168 lb

Chest 2, gross 170 lb

Chest 3, gross 172 lb

Total gross 510 lb, total tare 24 lb

Net 486 lb at 133 taels 2 mace per pecul

Bohea tea makes 4 pecul 86 catties, at 11 taels the pecul, sale 53 taels 8 mace 8 candareens 0 cash

Marked H: Rice, 30 bags

Bags 1 to 3, weight 385 lb

Bags 4 to 6, weight 387 lb

Bags 7 to 9, weight 377 lb

Bags 10 to 12, weight 384 lb

Bags 13 to 15, weight 376 lb

Bags 16 to 18, weight 366 lb

Bags 19 to 21, weight 390 lb

Bags 22 to 24, weight 393 lb

Bags 25 to 27, weight 387 lb

Bags 28 to 30, weight 387 lb

Total 3,832 lb net at 133 taels 3 mace per pecul

Rice makes 28 pecul 41 catties, at [...] the pecul, sale 13 taels 1 mace 0 candareens 0 cash

30 bags at 4 candareens per bag, 1 tael 2 mace 0 candareens 0 cash

Sale 14 taels 3 mace 1 candareen 0 cash

Marked C W H: Chinaware, 1 chest

10 setts white soup dishes, blue and white, sale 6 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

20 plates and 5 dishes, 1 sett, at 1 tael 6 mace 0 candareens, sale 16 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

20 large bowls, blue and white, at 8 candareens, sale 1 tael 6 mace 0 candareens

34 bowls, blue and gold, at 1 mace 0 candareens, sale 3 taels 4 mace 0 candareens

16 bowls, blue and gold, at 6 candareens, sale 0 taels 9 mace 6 candareens

170 cups, blue and white, at 1 candareen 5 cash, sale 2 taels 5 mace 5 candareens

170 saucers, blue and white, at 1 candareen 5 cash, sale 2 taels 5 mace 5 candareens

1 chinaware chest, 0 taels 4 mace 0 candareens

Sale 24 taels 9 mace 1 candareen 0 cash

Carried over, 230 taels 7 mace 3 candareens 0 cash

Interpretations

The invoice continues the Canton reckoning through bohea tea, rice and finished chinaware, the whole of a homeward China trader's parcel for the island priced in taels, mace and candareens by the pecul and the piece. Bohea was the common black tea of the Wuyi hills, the bulk grade of the China trade as against the finer green sorts, bought at Canton by weight and carried home in chests, and its appearance here at the head of the tea shows the settlement receiving the ordinary trading tea of the eastern commerce rather than any rarity.

The chinaware account, pricing each sort of dish, bowl, cup and saucer separately by the piece or the set, records the export porcelain the China ships carried made up expressly for the European table. Blue and white and blue and gold wares in soup dishes, plates, bowls, cups and saucers were bought at Canton in graded sets and priced piece by piece, even the empty chest they travelled in carried at its small value, so the invoice preserves both the range of the trade and the discipline of charging for every article down to the packing.

The pricing of the rice both by its weight and by a separate charge of four candareens the bag catches the two costs folded into a bulk cargo, the grain itself reckoned by the pecul and the sacking it came in charged apart by the bag. A settlement receiving rice from the eastern ships had to account for the packing as well as the content, the same practice its own storekeeper followed with the gunny bags of the Indian supplies, so the invoice shows the Company recovering the cost of every part of the shipment as the goods passed through the island's hands.

486

479

1746

Sales m c c

Brought Over 236 7 3 0

Proportion of Charges for Ships

Measurage, House Rent, Factory

Expences &c 18 8 6 6

Sum Tota of this Invoice Sales 255 5 9 6

Errors Excepted

Signd Lascoe Hide

Ship Hardwick

Decemr 15 1745 Hen Hadley

Goods received from on board the Ship

Wager Vizt

4 Half Leaguers of Arrack

17 Bags Rice

10 Bags Sugar

9 Boxes Candles

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

The invoice of goods per the ship Hardwick concluded, the whole subscribed by the supercargoes, followed by a note of goods received from the ship Wager.

Brought over, sale 236 taels 7 mace 3 candareens 0 cash

Proportion of charges for the ship's moorage, house rent, factory, expenses and the like, 18 taels 8 mace 0 candareens 6 cash

Sum total of this invoice, sale 255 taels 5 mace 9 candareens 6 cash

Errors excepted, signed by Lascoe Hide and Henry Hadley aboard the ship Hardwick, 15 December 1745.

Goods received from on board the ship Wager

4 half leaguers of arrack

17 bags of rice

10 bags of sugar

9 boxes of candles

The whole was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Purling and Wright.

Interpretations

The charge added at the foot of the Hardwick's invoice for a proportion of the ship's moorage, house rent, factory and expenses shows the cost of maintaining the Company's trading establishment at Canton spread across the goods bought there. A share of what it cost to keep a factory ashore, to rent houses and to moor the ship through the trading season was loaded onto each parcel of sugar, tea and chinaware, so the invoice price the island received carried not only the first cost of the goods but a portion of the overhead of the whole China operation, the Company recovering its running charges through the value set on the cargo.

The dating of the supercargoes' signature to 15 December 1745, more than five months before the goods reached St Helena, fixes where the invoice was made up and measures the length of the homeward passage. The account was closed and signed at Canton or on the ship as she left China, and the same paper served the island in June 1746 as the record against which the cargo was checked, so the settlement worked from a document drawn half a world away and half a year before, the invoice travelling with the goods as their warrant the whole way home.

The plain note of the Wager's goods, four half leaguers of arrack, seventeen bags of rice, ten of sugar and nine boxes of candles, set down without prices, marks her as an Indian-coast ship whose supply for the island was the standard eastern parcel rather than the China cargo the Hardwick carried. Arrack, rice, sugar and candles were the ordinary run of the Bengal and coast supplies the settlement had received season upon season, so the two ships between them brought both the refined China wares and the plain victualling stores, the one invoiced in taels and the other simply listed by the cask and the bag.

487

480

June 5

At a Consultation held on Thursday

the 5 day of June 1746, at the Castle Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright

The last Consultation was read, and approved

Messrs Sandys, and Smith this day

laid before us the following Letter, Vizt

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Govr & Council of

St Helena

Worshipfull Sir, & Sirs

Having brought with us on the Oxford

one Chest of Treasure weighing 17 lb 18 Signd by Bills of Lading

by Capt Edmund Smith, which money was not Current att

Bomeo, we therefore desire to know if you think it for our

Honble Masters Interest to take it for ye use of this Settlement

if not, we shall carry it home on the said Ship Oxford

We are

St Helena

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

June 5 1746

Your most humble Servants

Signd Thos Sandys

Edmd Smyth

Go

At a consultation held on Thursday, the fifth day of June 1746, at the castle, the following were present: Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth, Matthew Purling fifth and Robert Wright sixth of council. The last consultation was read and approved.

Messrs Landys and Smith laid before the council the following letter. They wrote to the Governor and council that they had brought with them on the Oxford one chest of treasure, weighing 172 lb 18 oz, signed for by the bill of lading by Captain Edmund Smith, which money was not current at Borneo. They therefore asked to know whether the council thought it for the Company's interest to take it for the use of the settlement, and if not, they would carry it home on the Oxford. They subscribed themselves at St Helena, 5 June 1746, the Governor and council's most humble servants, Thomas Landys and Edmund Smith.

Interpretations

The letter continues the running question of what the island should do with the surplus coin the homeward ships carried, and shows the offer of treasure passing from the commander alone to the supercargoes who managed the trade. Landys and Smith held a chest of money that could not be laid out at Borneo, and put to the council the same choice Smyth had pressed over his dollars, whether the settlement would take it into its own treasury or let it go home aboard the ship. The recurrence of such offers marks the island as the natural place to lodge idle trading capital, the last secure treasury between the eastern settlements and England.

The weighing of the chest by the pound and ounce rather than counting its contents by tale shows treasure handled as bullion, its value fixed by the metal it held. A sealed chest signed for on the bill of lading was received and passed on by weight, the coin inside not told over piece by piece until it was needed, so the settlement dealt in specie as it dealt in any weighed commodity, the mass of the chest standing as the measure of what it was worth.

That the money would otherwise be carried home on the Oxford, the very ship whose crew was too sick and too few to sail safely, gave the council the same reason to take it in that had moved it over Smyth's dollars. Treasure aboard a poor sailer with a wasted company stood at real hazard of being lost with her, so lodging it in the island's chest was the safer course, the settlement's willingness to receive coin turning as much on the frailty of the ship that would otherwise carry it as on any use the Company had for the money in the East.

488

481

1746

To which we returned the following

Answer, Vizt

Gentlemen.

We received your Letter under date of

this day, and in Answer thereto, must acquaint You that we

had no occasion for any Cash for the use of this Island, but

if you do not think it safe to carry it home, and will tender

the same to us, we will receive it on the Companys Account,

we are,

Gentlemen,

Your most humble Servants

Signd David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Mat Purling

R Wright

We have paid to Thomas Dwyer

who was left here Sick out of the Princess Amelia Captain

Samuel Martin 1744 the sum of one Pound nine, and one Shilling,

in part of his Wages due from the said Ship.

We this day paid Mr William Wills

Surgeon of the Oxford, five Shillings each for his cure of four

Men, which were Consigned to Bencoolen, & who were left

here Sick in the Ships Outward bound passage, and were

since detained here by the Companys Directors.

The council returned the following answer. It wrote to Landys and Smith that it had received their letter of that day, and in answer had to inform them that it had no occasion for any cash for the use of the island, but that if they did not think it safe to carry the treasure home and would tender it to the council, it would receive it on the Company's account. The answer was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Matthew Purling and Robert Wright.

The council had paid to Thomas Dwyer, who was left on the island sick out of the Princess Amelia, Captain Samuel Martin, in 1744, the sum of £1 1s 0d, in part of the wages due to him from that ship.

The council this day paid Mr William Wills, surgeon of the Oxford, five shillings each for his care of four men who were consigned to Bencoolen, and who were left on the island sick on the ship's outward-bound passage, and were since detained there by the Company's directors.

Interpretations

The council's answer draws the fine distinction on which all these treasure dealings turned, that it would not take the money because the Company needed it but would take it if the ship could not carry it safely. Having no present use for cash in the settlement or for forwarding to India, the board declined to load its chest merely to oblige, yet held the door open on the ground of safety alone, so the coin would be received not as a Company want but as a refuge against the risk of the passage, the treasury serving the trade only where the trade could not serve itself.

The small payment to Thomas Dwyer, sick out of a ship two years before, shows the island carrying the wage claims of men its passing vessels left behind. A seaman put ashore ill forfeited nothing of what he had already earned, and the settlement stood as the place where such a man could recover part of his wages against the ship that had left him, the council advancing the sum and setting it to the vessel's account, so the island became the reckoning house for the broken engagements of the whole passing trade.

The five shillings a man paid to the surgeon Wills for tending four soldiers left sick on the outward passage marks the settlement bearing the cost of men stranded in transit through no design of their own. The four had been consigned to Bencoolen, fallen ill on the way out and been detained on the island by the Company's own orders, so their care fell on St Helena, the surgeon of the ship paid for his attendance and the men held on the island's charge, the settlement absorbing the human cost of a system that moved soldiers across the world and left the sick wherever they happened to fail.

489

482

June 5

We this day discharged John

Burgoigne als Vigsanbullet from the Garrison, on Account

of his being half witted, and incapable of either learning, or

Doing his duty, as a Soldier.

We also discharged Joseph

Chamberlayne, on Account of his being Subject to Fitts, &

thereby Unfitt for Service.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 10 day of June 1746 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright

The Last Consultation was read, and Approved.

The council this day discharged John Burgoigne, otherwise Wigwam basket, from the garrison, on account of his being half-witted and incapable of either learning or doing his duty as a soldier. The council also discharged Joseph Chamberlayne, on account of his being subject to fits and thereby unfit for service. The paper was subscribed by David Dunbar, Charles Hutchinson, John Goodwin, Purling and Wright.

At a consultation held on Tuesday, the tenth day of June 1746, at the castle, the following were present: Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth, Matthew Purling fifth and Robert Wright sixth of council. The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

The two discharges show the council weeding from the garrison men who could not answer the demands of a soldier's duty, and record the limit of what a small isolated establishment could carry. John Burgoigne, entered on the pay roll of 1745 under the byname Wigwam basket, was let go as half-witted and unable to learn or perform his work, and Chamberlayne as subject to fits, so the board removed from the strength men whose incapacity made them a charge rather than a defence. A garrison that could barely spare a man for a sickly homeward ship had no room for soldiers who could not stand to their arms.

The plain naming of the men's conditions, one half-witted and the other epileptic, marks the frank administrative record the council kept of the fitness of its people. Where a man's mind or health made him useless as a soldier the fact was stated without softening and his discharge entered, the settlement judging each man by whether he could do his duty and setting down the reason he could not as openly as it recorded a desertion or a death.

490

483

June 10 1746

Saturday June 7 Sailed the Dragon, Capt Kent, for Bomeo.

Mr Richard Gurling this day delivered the

following Petition, vizt

To the Worshipfull David Dunbar Esqr

Governour & Council of St Helena

The humble Petition of Richard

Gurling

Sheweth

That your Petitioner served the Honble

Company near four Years in under Overseer, till the Dismission of

Mr Doveton from being your Overseer, since when he hath acted in Mr

Doveton's Place, and to the utmost Satisfaction, and his time is the hotest

takeness in attending on the same.

Your Petitioner therefore humble Prays,

that you Would be pleased to Allow him self

the same rate with his predecessors in that

Station.

And your Petitioner as in duty

bound shall ever Pray.

Signd

Richard Gurling

Go

On Saturday 7 June the Dragon, Captain Kent, sailed for Bencoolen. Mr Richard Girling this day delivered a petition to Governor Dunbar and the council. He set out that he had served the Company near four years as under overseer, until the dismissal of Mr Doveton from being reeve, since when he had acted in Doveton's place and given entire satisfaction, his whole time being taken up in attending to the work. He asked the council to allow him the same rate as his predecessors in that station. The petition was signed by Richard Girling.

Interpretations

The petition turns on the difference between acting in an office and being paid for it, and shows a servant who had stepped up on another man's removal seeking the rate the post had always carried. Girling had served four years as under overseer and then taken on the reeve's whole duty when Samuel Doveton was discharged in September 1744 for false stock returns, yet was still drawing the lesser pay of his old place, so his suit was to be allowed the salary his predecessors in the reeve's station had received rather than left on an assistant's wage for a manager's work. The council's answer would fix whether long acting service on the old pay entitled a man to the office's proper rate.

The petitioner is the same Girling whose monthly stock accounts and whose detailed charges against George Gabriel Powell run through the records of these years, the man who kept the Company's plantation and herd. His claim to his predecessors' rate rested on the plain fact that the reeve's charge was a fixed post with an established salary, and that the work of overseeing the slaves, the cattle and the yam grounds fell on him entire, so his petition sought no favour but the settled wage of a place he was already filling in full.

491

484

June 10

As the Honble Company have forbidus making any

Allowances without their Approbation, We, could not grant the Petition,

but agreed to recommend in our General Letter for their Consent if thinking

him qualified for the Service.

The Governour this day paid into the Companys

Cash here, the Sum of £ 24 19 8 for which We have given him bills

of the same date, payable to himself or Order, Ninety days after sight

Mr Matthew Purling likewise paid

into the Companys Cash here the sum of 80 for Which We have given

him Bill of this days date, Payable to himself or Order, Ninety

days after sight.

The Plantation Gunners & Stewards

Accounts, were this day brought in for the Month of May last, and

were Examined, & Approved and are, as follows, Vizt

The Day of the Week, Gunners Stores Expended in May 1746

Powder Expended, Guns Fired, l, s, d, Shott, Powder Expended

1 A Double Alarm: 15, 0, 0, 0, 10, 0, 3 5

Do Arrived the Deptford Capt Moore: 21, 1, 6, 0, 14, 0, 45

Do Arrived the Dolphin and Edgbaston Capt Wray & R Herreford: 13, 0, 0, 13, 0, 13

3 Arrived the Lincoln, Vernon Capt Blake and Capt Coote: 18, 0, 0, 18, 0, 18

Do Fired for St Mrces Landing: 21, 1, 6, 0, 14, 0, 45

26 A Double Alarm: 11, 0, 0, 0, 8, 0, 3 27

Carried Over: 99, 0, 2, 12, 20, 39, 6 187

The council added that, the Company forbidding it to make any allowances without their approval, it could not grant the petition, but agreed to recommend it in the general letter as it thought Girling qualified for the service. The Governor this day paid into the Company's cash the sum of £21 0s 19s 8d, for which the council gave him bills of the same date, payable to himself or order ninety days after sight. Mr Matthew Purling likewise paid into the Company's cash the sum of £80 0s 0d, for which the council gave him bills of that day's date, payable to himself or order ninety days after sight.

The plantation, gunner's and steward's accounts were this day brought in for the month of May, and were examined and approved. The gunner's account of stores expended in May 1746 ran as follows, the columns giving the guns fired, then the classes of gun discharged, being the thirty-two pounders, the four pounders, the nine pounders and the six pounders, then the shot fired, and the powder expended in pounds and ounces.

Day and occasion / guns fired / 32-pounders / 4-pounders / 9-pounders / 6-pounders / shot fired / powder lb oz

A double alarm: 15 guns fired, 15 six-pounders, powder 10 lb 5 oz

Arrived the Deptford, Captain Moore: 21 guns fired, 1 thirty-two-pounder, 6 four-pounders, 14 nine-pounders, powder 14 lb 15 oz

Arrived the Dolphin and the Edgbaston, Captain Wray and Captain Hereford: 13 guns fired, 13 six-pounders, powder 13 lb 13 oz

Arrived the Leicester and the Vernon, Captain Blake and Captain Cook: 18 guns fired, 18 six-pounders, powder 18 lb 18 oz

Fired for Captain Moore's landing: 21 guns fired, 1 thirty-two-pounder, 6 four-pounders, 14 nine-pounders, powder 14 lb 15 oz

A double alarm: 11 guns fired, 8 six-pounders, powder 3 lb 27 oz

Carried over: 99 guns fired, 2 thirty-two-pounders, 12 four-pounders, 20 nine-pounders, 59 six-pounders, powder 187 lb

Interpretations

The council's handling of Girling's suit shows the tight rein the Company kept on the settlement's power to fix its servants' pay. The board could not of itself grant the reeve's rate, being forbidden to make any allowance without the Court's approval, so the most it could do was recommend the man home in the general letter, his advancement resting with London however plainly he had earned it on the island. The refusal was not a judgement against Girling, whom the council held qualified, but the plain limit of a subordinate government that could propose but not dispose in the matter of wages.

The gunner's account records the powder spent in ceremony and alarm through May, and its heaviest single occasions name the arrival of the wartime convoy from Madras. The Deptford and Dolphin, the King's ships that escorted the homeward Indiamen, and the Edgbaston, Leicester and Vernon they convoyed, were saluted in as they came, so the month's firing marks the moment the season's protected fleet reached the island, the guns answering each ship and her commander in turn. The double alarms among the entries were the rounds fired to bring an unknown sail to before she could be identified, the standing precaution of a station in a war.

The classing of the guns by the weight of shot they threw, thirty-two, nine, six and four pounders, shows the ordnance return kept by the modern clerical convention rather than the older names of culverin and saker. The salutes were built chiefly of the lighter six-pounders, with the occasional heavy piece to head a compliment, the settlement sparing its powder and its great guns for real need by firing the smaller barrels for ceremony, exactly the husbandry the gunner's returns had shown season upon season.

492

485

1746

Guns Fired, Powder Expended, l, s, d, Shott Fired, Powder Expended lbs

Brought Over: Guns Fired 99, l 2, s 12, d 20, Shott Fired 39, Powder Expended 6, 187

27 Departed the Somerset Capt Solson: Guns Fired 9, Powder Expended 9, 9

28 A Double Alarm: Guns Fired 11, Shott Fired 8, Powder Expended 3, 27

Do Arrived the Dragon, Hardwick & Oxford Capt Kent Capt Hallett & Capt Smith: Guns Fired 27, Powder Expended 27, 27

Do Fired at Banks to Bring them to: Guns Fired 1, l 1, s 1, 1

29 Alarm: Guns Fired 6, Shott Fired 4, Powder Expended 2, 14

Do Arrived the Queen Caroline Capt Masson: Guns Fired 9, Powder Expended 9, 9

30 Alarm: Guns Fired 6, Shott Fired 4, Powder Expended 2, 14

Do Arrived the Wager Capt Raymond: Guns Fired 9, Powder Expended 9, 9

Do Fired for the arrival of Cap Pridehall: Guns Fired 21, s 1, d 6, Powder Expended 14, 45

Do Fired for Governour Aurangale Landing: Guns Fired 21, s 1, d 6, Powder Expended 14, 45

Powder Expended for firing: Powder Expended 22

Powder for Priming, filling of

Corks, Signals, & Alarms: Powder Expended 17

Total: Guns Fired 249, l 1, s 5, d 24, Shott Fired 36, Powder Expended 141, 13, 452

Signd

Jno French

Paper to the Book Binder 2

Lead Ballast to Wm the Cooper 14

Wine Spike deliverd to the

Lincoln, Capt Blake 16

Gallon deliverd to the

Dolphine Manof War 62 lb

Gallon deliverd to the Deptford 62 lb

Manof War 3

Hand Spike broken on the Lincoln 3

Firing Barrels broke 3

Match Burnt at the Meane 14 lb

Salt 78 lb

Match to Windows

Paper to Make small Cartridges 5

Account

The gunner's account of stores expended in May 1746 concluded, the columns giving the guns fired, then the thirty-two, four, nine and six pounders, then the shot fired and the powder expended in pounds and ounces, signed John French.

Day and occasion / guns fired / 32-pounders / 4-pounders / 9-pounders / 6-pounders / shot fired / powder lb oz

Brought over: 99 guns fired, 2 thirty-two-pounders, 12 four-pounders, 20 nine-pounders, 59 six-pounders, 6 shot fired, powder 187 lb

27: Departed the Somerset, Captain Jobson: 9 guns fired, 9 six-pounders, powder 9 lb

28: A double alarm: 11 guns fired, 8 six-pounders, powder 3 lb 27 oz

Arrived the Dragon, the Hardwick and the Oxford, Captain Kent, Captain Hallett and Captain Smith: 27 guns fired, 27 six-pounders, powder 27 lb

Fired at Banks's to bring the Oxford to: 1 gun fired, 1 thirty-two-pounder, powder 1 lb

29: Alarm: 6 guns fired, 4 six-pounders, powder 2 lb 14 oz

Arrived the Queen Caroline, Captain Mason: 9 guns fired, 9 six-pounders, powder 9 lb

30: Alarm: 6 guns fired, 4 six-pounders, powder 2 lb 14 oz

Arrived the Wager, Captain Raymond: 9 guns fired, 9 six-pounders, powder 9 lb

Fired for the Vernon, Captain Broadwell: 21 guns fired, 1 thirty-two-pounder, 6 four-pounders, 14 nine-pounders, powder 15 lb

Fired for Governor Broadwell's landing: 21 guns fired, 1 thirty-two-pounder, 6 four-pounders, 14 nine-pounders, powder 15 lb

Powder expended for proving, and powder for proving, filling of cartridges, sponges and alarms: powder 22 lb, and 17 lb

Total: 219 guns fired, 4 thirty-two-pounders, 5 four-pounders, 24 nine-pounders, 96 six-pounders, 141 shot fired, powder 13 lb, grand total 452 lb

The durable stores drawn out through the month were entered below, signed John French.

Paper to the bookbinder, 2 quire

Lead ballast to William Slater, 14 [...]

Wine spike delivered to the Leicester, Captain Blake, 16 [...]

1 gallon delivered to the Deptford, man of war, 62 lb

1 gallon delivered to the Dolphin, man of war, 62 lb

1 handspike broken on the line, 3

Empty barrels broke, 3

Match burnt at the Maldivia house, 14 lb

Salt, 7.5 lb

Match to Munden's, [...]

Paper to make small cartridges

Interpretations

The account carries the season's firing to its close, and the run of arrivals it records marks the height of the homeward gathering, the Dragon from England, the Hardwick from China and the Oxford from Borneo all saluted in on one day, then the Queen Caroline and the Wager on the days following. Each ship and each principal passenger drew her rounds, so the gunner's return doubles as a register of the fleet, the powder spent on ceremony measuring how thickly the road filled as the convoy season opened.

The single heavy round fired from Banks's to bring the Oxford to shows the coastal battery used to enforce the station's control of the road. A ship approaching had to be made to heave in and show herself, and where a salute would not do the gun at Banks's was fired across her course, the same discipline the settlement had exercised season upon season, so a fortress gun served as much to police the anchorage as to defend it.

The twenty-one-gun salutes fired for the Vernon and for Governor Broadwell's landing mark the compliment paid to a person of the first rank, twice the ordinary honour given a ship or her commander. A serving or former governor of a Company settlement passing through drew the fullest salute the island gave, the guns answering his arrival and again his coming ashore, so the gunner's powder recorded not only the movement of ships but the passage of the Company's senior men across its mid-ocean station.

493

486

Account of the Honble Companys Stock of Neat Cattle &c for the Month of May 1746

Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Hoggs, Poultry, Horses

Neat Cattle: Bulls, Cows, Calves, Yearling, Bullocks, Steers, Weifers, Total. Sheep: Ewes, Weathers, Rams, Lambs, Total. Goats: Ewes, Weathers, Kids, Rams, Total. Hoggs: Sows, Barrows, Shoats, Piggs, Boars, Total. Poultry: Turkeys, Fowls, Chicken, Ducks, Geese. Horses: Horses, Mares, Total

from ye 1 May: Bulls 5, Cows 118, Calves 60, Yearling 70, Bullocks 9, Steers 62, Weifers 71, Total 395, Ewes 123, Weathers 48, Rams 7, Lambs 45, Total 223, Ewes 183, Weathers 45, Kids 59, Rams 5, Total 292, Sows 33, Barrows 11, Shoats 58, Piggs 55, Boars 1, Total 158, Turkeys 144, Fowls 338, Chicken 77, Ducks 58, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 8, Total 18

Encreased: Cows 6, Total 6, Rams 20, Total 20, Kids 3, Total 5

Bulls 5, Cows 118, Calves 66, Yearling 70, Bullocks 9, Steers 62, Weifers 71, Total 401, Ewes 123, Weathers 48, Rams 7, Lambs 65, Total 243, Ewes 183, Weathers 45, Kids 64, Rams 5, Total 297, Sows 33, Barrows 11, Shoats 58, Piggs 55, Boars 1, Total 158, Turkeys 144, Fowls 338, Chicken 77, Ducks 58, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 8, Total 18

Killed: Cows 1, Yearling 23, Bullocks 6, Steers 30, Total 5, Total 5, Sows 3, Barrows 2, Total 5, Turkeys 23, Fowls 36, Chicken 16, Ducks 24

Died: Cows 1, Total 1, Total 1, Rams 1, Barrows 3, Shoats 8, Total 11, Turkeys 18, Fowls 9

Stole: Fowls 15

Bulls 5, Cows 116, Calves 66, Yearling 70, Bullocks 9, Steers 39, Weifers 65, Total 370, Ewes 123, Weathers 43, Rams 7, Lambs 64, Total 237, Ewes 183, Weathers 45, Kids 64, Rams 5, Total 297, Sows 30, Barrows 9, Shoats 55, Piggs 47, Boars 1, Total 142, Turkeys 101, Fowls 278, Chicken 62, Ducks 34, Geese 13, Horses 10, Mares 8, Total 18

2633 lb Beeff to the Men of Ware

1120 do

1123 do Somersett

1119 do Lincoln

1121 do Edgbaston

521 do Vernon

342 do Dragon

531 do Oxford

554 do Hardwick

331 do Queen Caroline

Wager

403 lb Beeff to the Markett

310 to the Castle

269 do to the Recruits

5 Hoggs wt 317 to the Markett

1 Turkey to Do

Yams Expended 18000 lb

Sold to the Garrison 700 lb

Signd

EE R Wright

The Company's account of its stock of neat cattle and the rest for the month of May 1746 set out the herd class by class through its movements over the month, signed by the board and by Robert Wright.

Stock remaining from the first of May

Neat cattle: 5 bulls, 118 cows, 60 calves, 70 yearlings, 9 wethers, 62 steers, 71 heifers, total 395

Sheep: 123 ewes, 48 wethers, 7 rams, 45 lambs, total 223

Goats: 183 ewes, 45 wethers, 59 [category unclear], 5 rams, total 292

Hogs: 33 sows, 11 barrows, 58 shoats, 55 pigs, 1 boar, total 158

Poultry: 144 turkeys, 338 fowls, 77 chickens, 58 ducks, 13 geese

Horses: 10 horses, 8 mares, total 18

Increased in the month

Neat cattle: 6 calves, total 6

Poultry: 20 chickens, total 20

Goats: 2 [category unclear], total 2, and 3 [category unclear]

Hogs: 5

Total after increase

Neat cattle: 5 bulls, 118 cows, 66 calves, 70 yearlings, 9 wethers, 62 steers, 71 heifers, total 401

Sheep: 123 ewes, 48 wethers, 7 rams, 65 lambs, total 243

Goats: 183 ewes, 45 wethers, 59 [category unclear], 5 rams, total 297

Hogs: 33 sows, 11 barrows, 58 shoats, 55 pigs, 1 boar, total 158

Poultry: 144 turkeys, 338 fowls, 77 chickens, 58 ducks, 13 geese

Horses: 10 horses, 8 mares, total 18

Killed in the month

Neat cattle: 1 cow, 23 wethers, 6 steers, total 30

Sheep: 5 wethers, total 5

Goats: 5 [category unclear], total 5

Hogs: 3 sows, 2 barrows, total 5

Poultry: 25 turkeys, 36 fowls, 16 chickens, 24 ducks

Died in the month

Neat cattle: 1 steer, total 1

Sheep: 1 lamb, total 1

Goats: 1 [category unclear], 1 [category unclear]

Hogs: 3 shoats, 8 pigs, total 11

Poultry: 18 fowls, 9 ducks

Stolen in the month

Poultry: 15 fowls

Stock remaining

Neat cattle: 5 bulls, 116 cows, 66 calves, 70 yearlings, 9 wethers, 39 steers, 65 heifers, total 370

Sheep: 123 ewes, 43 wethers, 7 rams, 64 lambs, total 237

Goats: 183 ewes, 45 wethers, 64 [category unclear], 5 rams, total 297

Hogs: 30 sows, 9 barrows, 55 shoats, 47 pigs, 1 boar, total 142

Poultry: 101 turkeys, 278 fowls, 62 chickens, 34 ducks, 13 geese

Horses: 10 horses, 8 mares, total 18

Beef sold to the men of war and to the shipping

2,633 lb beef to the men of war

1,120 lb to the Somerset

1,123 lb to the Leicester

1,119 lb to the Edgbaston

1,121 lb to the Vernon

521 lb to the Dragon

342 lb to the Oxford

531 lb to the Hardwick

554 lb to the Queen Caroline

331 lb to the Wager

Beef and stock to the market and the castle

403 lb beef to the market

310 lb to the castle

269 lb to the recruits

5 hogs weighing 317 lb to the market

1 turkey to the market

Yams expended, 18,000 lb

Sold to the garrison, 700 lb

Interpretations

The account is the plantation ledger for May, and its figures moved sharply against the quiet spring months because the homeward fleet had come in. The herd of neat cattle fell from 395 to 370, the whole of the month's heavy killing (a cow, twenty-three wethers and six steers) drawn to victual the men of war and the ten ships of the convoy, each supplied with roughly a thousand or five hundred pounds of beef against her passage home. The reference records the herd holding steady around the low 300s through the previous winter with scarcely any cattle killed, so the drop of twenty-five head in a single month is the direct mark of the season's shipping, the guns of the gunner's return and the beef of the stock account measuring the same crowded road.

The heavy sale of beef to the men of war names the particular demand of a wartime convoy, the King's ships escorting the trade having to be provisioned alongside the Indiamen they guarded. The 2,633 lb to the men of war and the roughly thousand-pound parcels to the Somerset, Leicester, Edgbaston and Vernon show the settlement victualling both the merchant fleet and its naval escort, the island's herd bearing the whole weight of a protected homeward sailing, which was the chief service a mid-ocean station rendered the Company in a war.

The yams expended fell to 18,000 lb from the 40,000 and 50,000 lb of the preceding months, a drop that fits the season rather than any failure of the crop. Through the winter the Company had fed its garrison heavily from its own yam grounds while the market with the planters stood unmended, but with the fleet in and beef being killed in quantity the demand on the yam store eased, so the lower figure marks the shift from the lean months to the season of plenty when the ships supplied their own occasions and drew the settlement's provisions in beef instead.

The five hogs and the single turkey sent to the market, set beside the beef supplied there, carry forward the beef-market settlement reached that spring. Under the agreement of 29 April 1746 the council furnished one market day in three from the Company's own stock, and the modest parcels of beef, pork and poultry entered here for the market are that undertaking worked into the stock account, the Company killing from its own herd to hold up the market the planters had let fail.

494

487

Sundrys Expended in the Castle in May 1746, Vizt

81 Bottles port Wine

5 11 4¾

62 do Lisbon

4 4 7¾

32 Do Clivet

0

77 Do Goa Arrack

33½ Do Batavia d

2 18 8¾

34 Candy

0 12 2¾

32½ Sugar

0 6 4¾

58 Bottles Strong Beer

31 do Small do

0 17 7¾

244 Flower

1 0 8¾

17 do Butter

2 1 6

15 Turkeys

3 15 0

39 Fowls

2 15 6

15 Ducks

1 2 6

2 Piggs

0 10

5 do

5

65½ Fresh Pork

1 14 7¾

172½ Fresh Beeff

5 18 1¾

6 lb Salt Pork

0 11

2 Hams

9½ Mutton

0 3 10¾

£ 39 4

29½ Beef given to the Sick Blacks

0 5 7¾

£ 39 9 7¾

We this day Counted and Examined the Honble

Companys Cash for the Month of May last and the Account is as follows

Vizt

Cash

The account of sundries expended in the castle in May 1746 ran as follows.

81 bottles of port wine, £5 11s 4.5d

62 bottles of Lisbon, £4 4s 7.5d

32 bottles of claret, £0 0s 0d

77 bottles of Goa arrack, £0 0s 0d

33.5 bottles of Batavia arrack, £2 18s 8.5d

34 lb of candy, £0 12s 2.5d

32.5 lb of sugar, £0 6s 4.5d

58 bottles of strong beer, [...]

31 bottles of small beer, £0 17s 7.5d

244 lb of flour, £1 0s 8.5d

16 lb of butter, £2 1s 6d

15 turkeys, £3 15s 0d

39 fowls, £2 15s 6d

15 ducks, £1 2s 6d

2 pigs, £0 10s 0d

5 sheep, £5 0s 0d

65.5 lb of fresh pork, £1 14s 7.5d

172.5 lb of fresh beef, £5 18s 1.5d

6 lb of salt pork, £0 11s 0d

2 hams, £0 3s 10.5d

9.5 lb of mutton, £0 3s 10.5d

Subtotal, £39 4s 0d

29.5 lb of beef given to the sick blacks, £0 5s 5.5d

Total, £39 9s 0.75d

The council this day counted and examined the Honourable Company's cash for the month of May, and the account ran as follows.

Interpretations

The sundries account is the monthly bill of the castle table, and its heavy weight of wine and spirits against a modest charge of fresh meat marks the establishment entertaining the commanders of the homeward fleet ashore. Port, Lisbon, claret and the two arracks run to the greater part of the bill, and the reference records the table rising month upon month on wine as the road filled and the ship captains were received, so the cellar carried here answers the crowd of arrivals the gunner's salutes and the beef of the stock account both register.

The several kinds of wine and spirit set side by side name the range of the settlement's drink, drawn from every quarter its shipping touched. Port and claret came from the Atlantic trade, Lisbon wine from Portugal, and the Goa and Batavia arracks from the eastern settlements, so a single month's table bill gathered the produce of both the westward and the eastward commerce, the island standing where the two met and consuming the liquors of both.

The small charge of beef given to the sick blacks, set apart at the foot of the table account, marks the routine by which the plantation's sick slaves were provisioned from the same stock that fed the castle, their portion entered as a distinct line below the establishment's own consumption. The Company carried the maintenance of its sick slaves as a charge on the table account, the few pounds of beef allowed them recorded as plainly as the wine of the commanders' entertainment, the two lying together in the one monthly bill.

495

488

June 10

Dr Cash

1746

May 1 To Ballance of Cash remaining £ 2269 11 ¾

To Cash received for Licence for Eight Publick houses

for the Quarter Commencing the 8 April 1746

Exd as p Consultation of the 29 May 12

15 To Cash recd from Somersett 1001

20 To Do recd of Capt Charles Hutchinson for a

Sett of Bills on the Honble Court of Directors

dated the 20 May 1746 Payable to him or Order 158 10

To Ditto recd of Mr Christopher Doran for a sett

of Bills on the Honble Court of Directors dated do

of May 1746 Do Payable to him or Order 120

To Ditto recd of Mr James DuBois for a

sett of Bills on the Honble Court of Directors

dated the 20 May 1746 Do payable to him or Order 50

23 To Ditto recd the Ballance of his Majestys

Ships Deptford & Dolphins accounts 203 1 14

27 To Ditto recd of Messrs John Goodwin Francis

Wrangham Sen and Francis Wrangham Junr

Exontors of Mr Charles Steward Decd for a sett

of Bills on the Honble Court of Directors dated

the 27 May 1746 Do Payable to them or Order 500

To Ditto recd of Mr Francis Wrangham Sen on

Account of Mr John Pegrick for Which a sett of

Bills were given on the Honble Court of

Directors dated the 27 May 1746 and

Payable to Francis Wrangham Sen or order 33 11

Carried over £ 4350 15 ¾

The debtor side of the treasury account gathered the month's receipts against the balance brought forward, set out as follows.

Debtor

1746 May 1: To balance of cash remaining, £2,269 11s 0.5d

To cash received for licences for eight punch houses for the quarter commencing 8 April 1746, as per consultation of 2 May, £12 0s 0d

May 15: To cash received from the Somerset, £1,004 1s 3.5d

May 20: To cash received of Captain Charles Hutchinson for a set of bills on the Honourable Court of Directors dated 25 May 1746, payable to him or order, £158 10s 0d

To cash received of Mr Christopher Dixon for a set of bills on the Honourable Court of Directors dated 25 May 1746, payable to him or order, £120 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr James Du Bois for a set of bills on the Honourable Court of Directors dated 20 May 1746, payable to him or order, £50 0s 0d

May 23: To cash received the balance of His Majesty's ships Deptford and Dolphin's accounts, £203 1s 14d

May 27: To cash received of Messrs John Goodwin, Francis Wrangham senior and Francis Wrangham junior, executors of Mr Charles Steward deceased, for a set of bills on the Honourable Court of Directors dated 27 May 1746, payable to them or order, £500 0s 0d

To cash received of Mr Francis Wrangham senior on account of Mr John Peryck, for which a set of bills were given on the Honourable Court of Directors dated 27 May 1746, payable to Francis Wrangham senior or order, £33 11s 0d

Carried over, £4,350 15s 0.5d

Interpretations

The debtor side gathers the treasury's whole intake for the month, and the great weight of it is remittance money paid in against bills on London rather than any produce of the island. The sums received of Hutchinson, Dixon, Du Bois and the executors of Charles Steward were all coin paid into the Company's chest for drafts drawn on the Court of Directors, so the account shows the settlement working chiefly as a remittance house in the season, its balance swollen by the money of men sending their fortunes home under the safety of the Company's paper rather than by the sale of beef or yams.

The £120 received of Christopher Dixon carried onto the treasury's own books confirms that the suspended councillor's private dealings ran on unchanged through the very account of the board that had removed him. His suspension of 20 March 1746 reached his office and salary alone, and the cash account enters his remittance on the same footing as Hutchinson's and Du Bois's, the treasury drawing his bills without distinction, the man barred from the council yet free to send his money home like any other inhabitant.

The £1,004 received from the Somerset and the balance of the men of war's accounts mark the two ways the passing shipping fed the treasury besides private remittance. The Somerset had brought a chest of treasure the island took in against a receipt on the Company's directions, and the King's ships settled the reckoning of what they had drawn from the settlement, so the account shows the treasury both receiving specie forwarded through it and closing the victualling accounts of the naval escort, the two heads by which the trade and its protection paid into the Company's cash.

The licence money for eight punch houses, entered as a small fixed sum for the quarter, names the settlement's own internal revenue drawn from the regulated sale of liquor. The right to retail strong drink was let under licence for a set fee, so the eight houses paying their quarterly charge stand in the account as the island's own trade contributing beside the far greater sums of the passing ships, the punch-house licences a steady domestic income against the tide of remittance and treasure.

496

489

1746

Per Contra Cr

1746

May 1 1965 Pagodas left from March last in 1965 Pagodas the fine gone off to 95 5

By Cash paid James Allis for coming Express with an

Account of five Ships to Windward 5

6 By Ditto paid Robt Wright Joshua Twyman, Francis

Wrangham Joseph Doran, & Thomas French thirty

Pounds each for three Quarters Diet money commencing

July the 1 1745 & ending the 31 March 1746 as p

Consultation the 2 May 150

9 By Ditto paid Zeeman Jacobs Soldier for relisting 5 5

By Ditto paid Doctr Isaac Minors Surgeon of this Garrisn

his Allowance for taking care of forty one Recruits 10 5

10 By Ditto paid Messrs Thomas and James Greentree

Pursuant to the Order of the Honble Court of Directors ten Pounds

each for so much fined them the 5 October 1744 20

13 By Ditto paid John Felther Soldier for relisting 5 5

14 By Ditto paid John Ellis Soldier for do 5 5

By Ditto paid Henry Corter Soldier for Ditto 5 5

15 By Ditto paid Peter Bath Soldier for Ditto 5 5

By Ditto paid Mr James DuBois Surgeons Mate

for forty three Days Sallary, Diet money and

House rent commencing the 1 April 1746 & ending

the 13 May both Inclusive 8 16 8¾

By Ditto paid James Powell his Sallary diet money

and House Rent from the 1 April 1745 to the 30 June

following Inclusive as p Consultation of the 13

May 1746 12 1 3

Ditto his Whole Sallary from ye 1 July 1745 to ye 31

March 1746 £ 15

Ditto his Whole House rent from ditto to Ditto 10 0

Do his Whole Diet money from Ditto the 30 52 10

Carried Over £ 378 7 11

The creditor side of the treasury account gathered the month's payments, set out as follows.

Per contra, creditor

1746: By the loss on 1,965 pagodas reduced from nine shillings to eight shillings, £98 5s 0d

May 1: By cash paid James Allis for coming express with an account of five ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

May 6: By cash paid Messrs Robert Wright, Joshua Twynam, Francis Wrangham, Joseph Darvall and Thomas French thirty pounds each for three quarters diet money, commencing 1 July 1745 and ending 31 March 1746, as per consultation of 2 May, £150 0s 0d

May 9: By cash paid Clement Jacobs, soldier, for enlisting, £5 5s 0d

By cash paid Dr Isaac Miner, surgeon of the ship Somerset, his allowance for taking care of forty-one recruits, £10 5s 0d

May 10: By cash paid Messrs Thomas and James Greentree, pursuant to the order of the Court of Directors ten pounds each, for so much fined them, 30 October 1744, £20 0s 0d

May 13: By cash paid John Southee, soldier, for enlisting, £5 5s 0d

May 14: By cash paid John Ellis, soldier, for the same, £5 5s 0d

By cash paid Henry Corter, soldier, for the same, £5 5s 0d

May 15: By cash paid Peter Bath, soldier, for the same, £5 5s 0d

By cash paid Mr James Du Bois, surgeon's mate, for forty-three days salary, diet money and house rent, commencing 1 April 1746 and ending 13 May, both inclusive, £8 16s 8.5d

By cash paid James Powell his salary, diet money and house rent from 1 April 1745 to the 30 June following, both inclusive, as per consultation of 13 May 1746:

Ditto his year's salary from 1 July 1745 to 30 June 1746, £15 0s 0d

Ditto his year's house rent from the same to the same, £10 0s 0d

Ditto his year's diet money from the same, £30 [...]

Total, £52 10s 0d

Carried over, £378 7s 11d

Interpretations

The creditor side is headed by the loss the Company took on its pagodas, the single largest charge of the month and the working-out of the Court's devaluation. By the order published on 2 May 1746 the Madras pagoda passed from 1 May for eight shillings where it had been nine, and the 1,965 pagodas in the chest, carried at nine on the earlier count, were struck down to eight and the difference of £98 5s written off against the treasury. The reference records the board counting exactly these 1,965 pagodas and reckoning the loss at this figure, so the account here enters the devaluation as a completed charge, the settlement bearing at a stroke the fall in the sterling worth of its principal holding.

The run of five-guinea payments to soldiers for enlisting carries forward the graduated re-enlistment Governor Dunbar had pressed through the winter, the five-guinea bounty for a fresh term the same rate as the January contracts. The account shows the scheme still drawing men onto the strength into May, each bounty entered by name, so the treasury's outgoings register the steady work of keeping the garrison up to its number against the constant drain of death, discharge and the sickly men the ships left behind.

The payment of ten pounds each by Thomas and James Greentree, made pursuant to the Court's order for a fine imposed in October 1744, shows a penalty from an old contempt at last enforced on the express direction of London. The two had been fined for refusing to pound their mangy goats, and the sum is now paid into the Company's cash by the Court's specific order, so the account records the reach of the directors into a local disciplinary matter of two years before, the fine collected only when London commanded it.

The diet money paid to the several factors and writers, and the back salary, house rent and diet allowed James Powell for the time of his suspension, mark the treasury settling the claims of the civil establishment. Powell, restored to his place of writer by the Court after upwards of a year suspended, was allowed his salary, rent and diet for the time he had served at his own charge, granted on his undertaking to repay it should the Company disallow it, so the account enters the same conditional device the board had used for the Alcock family, the settlement advancing what the Court might yet confirm or refuse.

497

490

June 10

Do Cash

Brought Over £ 4350 13 ¾

Carried Over £ 4350 13 ¾

The debtor side of the treasury account carried forward under the heading for June, the sum brought over standing as the whole of the charge.

Debtor

Brought over, £4,350 13s 1.5d

Carried over, £4,350 13s 1.5d

498

491

1746

Per Contra Cr

1746

May 13 By Cash paid James Powell for Account of Geo Gab Powell

Esq for two Blacky Slaves Pursuant to the Order of the Honble

Court of Directors in their Letter p Somersett dated 10 Jany

1745 16

16 By Ditto paid Wm Gann Redier Discharg'd for thirty

three days work at the Fortifications 1 13

19 By Ditto paid John Burgoine for three days working on

the Line 1

By Ditto paid Mr Christopher Devon for one year & twenty

five days diet Money commencing the 15 Febuary 1742

and ending the 11 Mar 1743 at the rate of £ 60 p Ann

pursuant to the Order of the Honble Court of Directors in their

Letter dated 10 Jany 1745 64 9 2

23 By Ditto paid Wm Wendry for coming Express with

an account of three Ships to Windward 5

By Ditto Mr Matthew Purling one of the Executors of

Mr Charles Clark Surgeon dec a p Consultation 13 May

for so much due to him from Steph Lufkin Junr dec 1 14

24 By Ditto paid Capt Edmund Cook the Ballance of the

Ships Admiral Vernons account 11 4

28 By Ditto paid Steph Lufkin for comg express with an account

of a Ship to Windward 5

29 By Ditto Wm Steph Lufkin for comg express with an account

of a Ship to Windward 5

30 By Ditto p Saml Mitchell Surgeon of Ship Dragon for

taking care of three Recruits 2 15

By Ditto paid John Burgoine for coming express with and

acct of a Ship to Windward 5

Carried over £ 496 17 5¾

The creditor side of the treasury account continued, gathering the further payments of the month.

Per contra, creditor

1746: Brought over, £378 7s 11.5d

May 13: By cash paid James Powell for account of George Gabriel Powell for two black slaves, pursuant to the order of the Honourable Court of Directors in their letter per the Somerset dated 16 January 1745, £46 0s 0d

May 16: By cash paid Mr William Gann, soldier, discharged, for thirty-three days work at the fortifications, £1 13s 0d

May 19: By cash paid John Burgoigne for three days serving on the line, £0 1s 0d

By cash paid Mr Christopher Dixon one year and twenty-five days diet money, commencing 15 February 1742 and ending 11 March 1743, at the rate of £60 per annum, pursuant to the order of the Honourable Court of Directors in their letter dated 16 January 1745, £64 9s 2d

May 23: By cash paid Mr William Wendry for coming express with an account of three ships to windward, £0 5s 0d

By cash paid Mr Matthew Purling, one of the executors of Mr Charles Clarke surgeon deceased, as per Comberbatch's ledger, for so much due to him from Stephen Lufkin junior deceased, £1 14s 0d

May 24: By cash paid Captain Edmund Cook the balance of the ship Admiral Vernon's account, £0 11s 4d

May 28: By cash paid Stephen Lufkin for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

May 29: By cash paid Stephen Lufkin for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

May 30: By cash paid Mr Isaac Mitchell, surgeon of the ship Dragon, for taking care of the recruits, £2 13s 0d

By cash paid John Burgoigne for coming express with an account of a ship to windward, £0 5s 0d

Carried over, £496 17s 5.5d

Interpretations

The £46 paid to James Powell for the two black slaves, made on the Court's express order carried by the Somerset, closes the long dispute over the two men a Dutch captain had left on the island in 1743. George Gabriel Powell had claimed them as his own private charge, but interpreters, the steward and a sworn deposition all placed them in the Governor and council's keeping, and the board took them under the Company's protection in May 1744. The account now records London's resolution of the matter, the Company buying out Powell's claim at a set price on the directors' own instruction, so a question the island could only refer home was settled by the Court and the payment entered against its letter.

The £64 diet money paid to Christopher Dixon for a full year of his earlier service, made pursuant to the Court's order of January 1745, shows the directors reaching back to satisfy a claim from his first suspension. Dixon had been dismissed in 1743 and reinstated by the Court, which allowed him his salary and diet for the time he stood out, and the treasury now pays the diet money for the year to March 1743 on London's direction. The entry sits oddly beside his second suspension of March 1746, still unresolved, so the account records the Company settling one old grievance of the man even as a fresh quarrel over him stood referred home unanswered.

The small payments to surgeons of the passing ships for taking care of the recruits name the settlement's charge for the men it received from England and forwarded or retained. A ship's surgeon who tended the Company's recruits on the passage or during their stay was paid for his attendance, so the treasury bore the medical cost of moving soldiers across the world, the few pounds to the surgeons of the Somerset and the Dragon entered alongside the bounties that enlisted the men, the whole a register of what it cost the Company to keep its distant garrison supplied with bodies.

499

492

June 10

Do Cash

Brought Over £ 4350 13 ¾

£ 4350 13 ¾

The debtor side of the treasury account carried forward under the heading for June, the sum brought over standing as the whole of the charge.

Debtor

Brought over, £4,350 13s 1.5d

Total, £4,350 13s 1.5d

500

493

1746

Per Contra Cr

1746

May 30 Brought Over £ 496 17 5¾

By Cash Recd Capt John Blake for a Pinnace Sails or &c 24

520 17 5¾

By Ballance remaining 31 May in the following Species

Vizt

1 piece of Gold w 11.15.14 at £3.18.3 p oz 46 1 8¾

4 Pieces do 3.9.12 at 3 18 13 11 ¾

1323 Pergodas a 8 529 4

Gold amounting to 588 16 9

6001 Dollars a 5 1500 5

441 French Pieces 3 13 6

Old Money 5¾

Silver amounting to 1503 18 11¾

146 Cash Notes a 40 ea 292

161 Do 20 161

256 Do 5 64

160 Do 2/6 20 537

3829 15 8¾

£ 4350 13 ¾

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

The creditor side of the treasury account concluded, the coined balance on 31 May counted piece by piece and the whole subscribed by the board.

Per contra, creditor

1746: Brought over, £496 17s 5.5d

May 30: By cash paid Captain John Blake for a pinnace sold aboard, £24 0s 0d

Total, £520 17s 5.5d

By balance remaining 31 May in the following species:

1 piece of gold weighing 11 lb 15 oz 14 dwt at £3 18s 3d the ounce, £46 1s 8.5d

4 pieces of gold, 3 lb 9 oz 12 dwt at £3 18s the ounce, £13 11s 0.5d

1,323 pagodas at eight shillings, £529 4s 0d

Gold amounting to, £1,788 16s 9d

6,001 dollars at five shillings, £1,500 5s 0d

441 French pieces, £3 13s 6d

Old money, £0 0s 5.5d

Silver amounting to, £1,503 18s 11.5d

146 cash notes at £2 each, £292 0s 0d

161 ditto at £1, £161 0s 0d

256 ditto at 5s, £64 0s 0d

160 ditto at 2s 6d, £20 0s 0d

Cash notes amounting to, £537 0s 0d

Total balance, £3,829 15s 8.5d

Total, £4,350 13s 1.5d

David Dunbar

Charles Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Robert Wright

Interpretations

The count of the balance shows at once the effect of the pagoda devaluation on the treasury's principal holding. The pagodas, standing at 1,965 the month before, are now 1,323 and are entered at eight shillings where they had passed at nine, so the fall in both their number and their rate marks the Court's order of 2 May 1746 worked through the chest, the coin drawn down by the month's disbursements and what remained struck to its lower value. The heavy stock of dollars, better than six thousand, kept the balance high in silver, the settlement's cash almost wholly the foreign specie of the Atlantic and eastern trades reduced to a single sterling figure.

The £537 in cash notes, held exactly as the month before at better than a seventh of the whole, shows how far the Company's own paper stood in the place of coin on the island. The notes passed in the settlement's internal economy as ready money between the Company, the garrison and the planters, and their steadiness from count to count while the coined balance shifted marks them as a fixed reserve of credit against the moving stock of metal, the treasury carrying its own promises to pay alongside the dollars and pagodas as part of the one balance.

The five signatures close the count with the board still short of its third member, the seat of the suspended Christopher Dixon standing empty as Goodwin, Purling and Wright subscribe below the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Wright's hand at the foot, taken onto the council under the Company's orders after Dixon's removal, marks the treasury certified by the reconstituted board that governed through the quarrel, the account of the very month closing under the members who had carried it against the man they displaced.

501

494

June 24

At a Consultation held on Tuesday

the 24 day of June 1746 at the Castle.

Present Colonel David Dunbar Govr

Capt Charles Hutchinson Lt Govr

John Goodwin

Matthew Purling

Robert Wright

The Last Consultation was read, & approved.

Tuesday June 17 Sailed His Majties Ships Deptford, &

Dolphin.

The Wager.

The Hardwick.

The Lincoln.

The Edgbaston

The Queen Caroline

The Vernon for England

We this day Published the following

Advertizement, vizt

Whereas Sundry Persons on this

Island are indebted to the Estate of John Goodwin Esqr late

Govr deceased,

This is to give Notice, that all Persons

so indebted, are required to Attend at the Castle in James's Town

on Tuesday, the 8 July, next at 10 the Clock in the forenoon

and Settle their Accounts with the said Estate.

At a consultation held on Tuesday, the twenty-fourth day of June 1746, at the castle, the following were present: Colonel David Dunbar, Governor, Captain Charles Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor, John Goodwin fourth, Matthew Purling fifth and Robert Wright sixth of council. The last consultation was read and approved.

On Tuesday 17 June there sailed His Majesty's ships Deptford and Dolphin, the Wager, the Hardwick, the Lincoln, the Edgbaston, the Queen Caroline and the Vernon, for England.

The council this day published the following advertisement. It gave notice that, several persons on the island being indebted to the estate of John Goodwin, late Governor deceased, all persons so indebted were required to attend at the castle in James's Valley on Tuesday 8 July next at ten of the clock in the forenoon and settle their accounts with the estate.

Interpretations

The joint departure of eight ships on one day marks the season's homeward convoy sailing under naval escort, the whole gathered fleet leaving together for the protection the war made necessary. The two King's ships, the Deptford and Dolphin, led out the merchantmen, the Wager, Hardwick, Lincoln, Edgbaston, Queen Caroline and Vernon, so the entry records the moment the road emptied of the season's crowd, the Indiamen and their guard standing away in company for the dangerous passage home that a single ship dared not make alone.

The advertisement calling in the debts owed to the late Governor Goodwin's estate shows that reckoning still unsettled seven years after his death. Goodwin had died in 1741 leaving an estate charged with the great deficiency in the Company's cash, and money owed to it by inhabitants of the island had been gathered piecemeal ever since, the several intestacies and auctions of these years repeatedly paying their surplus toward his debt. The public summons to attend at the castle and settle marks the estate still being wound up by the ordinary machinery of the settlement, the debtors called in by advertisement as the last means of closing an account that reached back to the whole crisis of the deficiency inquiry.

502

495

1746

The Storekeeper Reports, that he has

received the following Goods Short from the Invoice of the Ship

Hardwick, which he has wrote of the Back of the Bill of

Lading, Vizt

8 lb Sugar

28 lb Candy

195 lb Rice

14 Small Cups

6 Saucers

13 Bowles broke

4 Dishes

11 Plates

Signd Mr Purling

24 June 1746

On the 20 Inst We discharged John Loyell Armourer,

from the Companys Service on Account of his being a drunkard

and very idle fellow, and for Using, on his own Account, the Companys

Iron, and Coales to the Amount of £4 we have received

from him wt £ 8 7 9 and taken his Note for the

Remainder to be deducted out of his Wages due from the

Lapwing.

David Dunbar

Chas Hutchinson

John Goodwin

Purling

Wright

The storekeeper reported that he had received the following goods short against the invoice of the ship Hardwick, which he had written on the back of the bill of lading.

8 lb sugar

28 lb candy

195 lb rice

14 small cups, broke

6 saucers, broke

13 bowls, broke

1 dish, broke

11 plates, broke

Signed Matthew Purling, 24 June 1746.

On 20 June the council discharged John Loyell, armourer, from the Company's service, on account of his being a drunken and very idle fellow, and for using on his own account the Company's iron and coals to the amount of £4. The council received from him £8 7s 9d and took his note for the remainder, to be deducted out of his wages due from the Lapwing.

Interpretations

The storekeeper's report is again the formal writing-off of goods received short against a ship's bill of lading, the running check that fixed responsibility for what failed to arrive whole. The small wants of sugar, candy and rice by weight and the broken chinaware, cups, saucers, bowls and plates, are set against the very China cargo whose full invoice the settlement had entered piece by piece, so the account closes the loop, the goods checked in against the paper and every shortfall and breakage noted on the bill of lading where the loss could be traced to the passage rather than to the storekeeper's own hand.

The discharge of the armourer Loyell for drunkenness and idleness, and for converting the Company's iron and coals to his own use, shows the settlement dealing with a tradesman who had turned his office to private profit. Loyell, taken onto the establishment only the previous July to fill a deserter's place, was let go and made to answer for the materials he had embezzled, the council recovering the greater part in cash and securing the rest against the wages owed him from a ship. The armourer's stock of iron and fuel was the Company's, and a man who used it on his own account was made to make it good, his debt set against his pay in the same way the treasury recovered every other sum owed it.

The recovery of Loyell's debt out of the wages due to him from the Lapwing shows the settlement reaching a man's earnings held by another party to satisfy what he owed the Company. A tradesman discharged on the island might have pay standing to his credit from a ship he had served, and the council could attach that sum, taking his note and directing the deduction, so a debt to the Company on St Helena was made good out of wages owed him elsewhere, the treasury following the money wherever it lay to close the account.

503

496

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504

497

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505

498

Book cover

506

499

EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date St Helena Records 1745-1746

Dimensions (height x width x depth) (cm) 38cm x 28cm x 6cm

No. written pages: 498

No. blank pages: 2

Spine and cover Good Condition

Inside pages Good Condition

Additional comments

Time taken to photograph (hours) 4 hours