they
left their bodies upon the earth or beneath the waters, and they
consequently looked upon life and death with the same composure.
Ferocious in mind, misguided in conscience, destitute of connections, of
relatives, of friends, of fellow citizens, of country, of an asylum;
without any of those motives which moderate the ardor of bravery by the
value which they attach to existence, they were ever ready to rush, as
without sight, upon the most desperate attempts. Equally incapable of
submitting to indigence or quiet; too proud to employ themselves in
common labor; they would have been the scourge of the Old World, had
they not been that of the New.'

* * * * *

In closing this paper, it remains to glance for a moment at the real
history of William Kidd, the buccaneer of the American colonies, whose
name, as remarked in the former part of this article,[C] has for a
hundred and fifty years stood at the head of the pirate legends of the
North, but who, in reality, must have been one of the smallest members
of the fraternity. I have not been able to ascertain the place of Kidd's
nativity. He was, however, the captain of a merchant vessel, trading
between New York and London, and was celebrated for his nautical skill
and enterprise. The first mention of him, in our authentic criminal
history, occurs in 1691, in which year, as we learn from the journals of
the New York Assembly, much was allowed to be due him 'for the many good
services done for the province in attending with his vessels.' But in
what capacity, or for what object, he 'attended with his vessels,' does
not appear. It was also declared that he ought to be suitably rewarded.
Accordingly, in the same year, it was ordered by the Assembly 'that the
sum of one hundred and fifty pounds be paid to Captain Kidd, as a
suitable acknowledgement for the important benefits which the colony had
derived from his services.' The presumption is, that those services were
in some way connected with the protection of the colonial merchant ships
from the attacks of the pirates, who were even yet hovering along the
coasts of the Northern colonies. Indeed, the harbor of New York itself
was no stranger to the pirate vessels, and the commerce between them and
the 'people of figure' in the city was not inconsiderable. It was no
secret that the pirates were freely supplied with provisions by the
inhabitants of Long Island. Further yet, it was well known in