e Cargoe he then had on Board,
we Inquired for the rest of his Papers, he answered he had left them
in Martinico, we told him such mistakes were not at all likely, and
therefore must Send him into Port. he made Use of many horrid
Imprecations, and many times offered to Swear, his Vessell and Cargoe
was a Dutch Property and that neither french nor Spaniards were anyway
Concerned in either. when we Told him he must go in his Sloop for
Rhode Island, his answer Generally was, what Signifies my going with
the Sloop without my papers, do but first lett me go to Curacoa and
furnish myself w'th papers and then I will follow my Sloop. and his
Sloop being Leaky we Concluded to heave her down and stop her leaks
before we Sent her homeward. after we had Cleaned her and got the
Cargoe on Board, found Concealed in the under part of the Boats
Chock,[4] a Sett of french Papers Expressing who the Cargoe belonged
to. John Paas Imediately retracted what he had formerly Said,
Acknowledged that Vessell and Cargoe did belong to the french. Some
time afterwards we had Some discourse Concerning the Illicit Trade
that is Carried on by the Inhabitants of Curacoa. John Paas Told me a
Sure way of knowing a real dutch Vessell and Cargoe from a Counterfeit
one, which is by a paper Carried by all Dutch Vessells (but wanted
where french or Spainards are Concerned) expressing the Owners and
Master Name, where bound to, a Particular account of all the Cargoe on
Board.[5] this Paper is Sworn to by the Owners, afterwards Signed by
the Governour and other Officers, with the Island Seal affixed to it.

WILL. DUNBAR.

[Footnote 2: Orchilla, a small island in the Caribbean, north of
Venezuela and 200 miles east of Curacao.]

[Footnote 3: See doc. no. 129.]

[Footnote 4: Blocks of wood, shaped to the under side of a boat, on
which a boat rested when on the deck of a ship.]

[Footnote 5: See doc. no. 128, note 12.]

The above Eviden[ce] was sworn to in Court
the 7th Day of May 1747.

* * * * *

_179. Petition of Edward Winter. May, 1749._[1]

[Footnote 1: Mass. Archives, vol. 64, pp. 333-335.]

Province of the } To his Excellency William Shirley
Massachusetts Bay } Esqr. Govr: and Commander in
chief in and over sd. Province[2] the
Hon'ble the Council and House of
Rep'ves in General Court Assembled
May ---- 1749.

[Footnote 2: Shirley