A LETTER FROM Captain john Tosier, Commander of His Majesty's Ship the HUNTER at JAMAICA. With a Narrative of his Embassy and Command in that Frigate to the Captain General and Governor of Havannah; to demand His Majesty of Great Britain's Subjects kept Prisoners there: The Account and manner of their Delivery, with a List of their Names, and Times of Bondage. AS ALSO, The Miraculous Preservation of Fifteen English His Majesty's Subjects, cast away and remaining Eighteen Days in a Long Boat at Sea in a sad condition, taken up by the said Captain John Tosier. Printed in the Year 1679 A Letter from Captain John Tosier, Commander of His Majesty's Ship the Hunter at Jamaica; with a Narrative of his Embassy and Command in that Frigate to the Captain General and Governor of Havannah. SIR, I Have received your most welcome Letters, and they came not to my hand till the 20th. Instant, because of my being at Sea: For by virtue of his Exellencies the Earl of Carlisle Captain General and Governor of Jamaica's order, I failed from hence the 25th. of January last, (as well in Quality of Ambassador, as that of my Command) for Havannah to demand from the Captain General of that place His Majesty's Subjects of Great Britain, which were kept worse Slaves than those of Algiers, and so often denied to several persons of Quality, which have been sent Ambassadors from time to time, with Frigates of Fifty Guns and upwards. I gave you some account of this my last; and was much troubled in order to the management of so great an affair and of a concern as that was, (but God be thanked) to the honour of my Master the King of England, for whose service, if I had a 1000 lives, I would sacrifice them all, I obtained that success which was not expected from me by any: For the Spaniards were never known to have delivered any English that they took in the West Indies before now. And thousands of people would have ventured most of their Estates against that success which I brought home with me (blessed be God) for the honour of His Majesty and the English Nation, and the great satisfaction of my Lord and all Jamaica; all which has here been acknowledged for a great piece of service, done not only for the present but future good, there never having been the like precedent before: The Particular of which short Negotiation I have here enclosed, sent you with a List of their Names, to which I refer you. The next day after I received the Prisoners on board, It pleased God further to Crown our success by the Preservation of Captain Joseph Graves and 14 of his men (all His Majesty's Subjects) who were in a long Boat, and had been cast away eighteen days before thirty Leagues to the Eastward of the Havannah, and expected nothing but to be utterly lost, or to be Slaves in the Havannah at the best. Captain Graves sailed hence a Month before I went out, and was bound for London; I believe he will come and see you, and give you thanks for my kindness to him which he owned here. The great goodness of God is to be observed herein, for the first time I saw this man, he was Dr— and did so much abuse me, that I could hardly endure it, but I was withheld: Yet that it so happened I should be an Instrument to preserve him, you may imagine the great joy we had on Board, I for my good fortune in this undertaking; the poor Slaves for their deliverance, and Captain Graves with his fourteen men for their preservation in all their perils. Between them our Ship got two Names in two days, the first was the Blessing of England by the Slaves of Havannah, and the second the Preservation by the Wracked men. And though this Voyage is never made in less than three Months and sometimes in four: We (putting ourselves to ½. allowance, having 61 of his Majesties lost Subjects on Board, besides our compliment of men) made our Voyage in seven weeks and three days. My love and kindness to— etc. Port-Royal in Jamaica the 28th. of March 1679. SIR, I rest Your Affectionate Friend and Servant. JOHN TOSIER. ON the 25th. of January 1678/9. I Sailed from Port-Royal in Jamaica for the Havannah, upon the North-side of Cuba, with Orders to demand His Majesty's Subjects that were there Prisoners. On the 11th. of February I arrived upon the Coast, where I lay off and on two days for a settled Wether; on the 13th. I Sailed within two Miles of the Moors Castle, with our Courses in the Brailes, and our Top Sails a Trip, Jack, Ancient and Pendant flying, and sent in my Boat ashore with my List, and Mr. Richard Bear his Excellency the Earl of Carliles Gentleman of the Horse, who was sent my Interpreter to the Governor; as soon as they were within command, the Guard of the Moors Castle commanded them ashore, and put a Sergeant and Soldiers on Board them, who Guarded them up to the Governor, and left another Guard upon the Boat, that none of the men should come on Shore: I sent by them his Excellency's Letter to the Governor, and to show my Sailing Orders, and to desire his Excellencies leave to enter into, and departed out of that Port of the Havannah with the King of England's Frigate under my Command at my pleasure, and to have my Salutes answered Gun for Gun: As soon as this was read, the Governor answered them, that all those of the King's Subjects there, were Pirates, and therefore would deliver none; and as to my coming in, he was very willing, but he must put a Guard upon the King's Ship; and Salutes, he could not answer so much as one Gun; and then bidding them go three times out of his house, sent them Guarded away to the Boat, and so forced them to Sea at seven a Clock at Night, and very dark upon a dangerous Coast, where they Boagged all Night, whilst I stood off and in, not thinking they would turn them out so late: The next Morning at six a Clock I took up the Boat with this answer, and at Nine sent them a shore again, with full Power and Instruction to tell him, that His Majesty's Ship under my command is well Man'd, where he might be very safe and welcome if he would vouchsafe to give her his Company; and that His Majesty of England never spared his Powder to answer Civilities, nor received such Indignities as walter's or Guards on Board any of His Majesty's Ships of War, which will be a strange report, when His Majesty shall come to hear of it. And to tell him further, that though I with His Majesty's Frigate cannot be admitted upon Honourable Terms, that I sent him word, that his Excellency Charles Earl of Carlisle, Captain General and Governor of Jamaica, hath commanded me one of the Captains of His Majesty of Great Britain's Ships of War, attending that His Majesty's Island of Jamaica, to desire his Excellency in the King of England's Name, and in obedience to the Order of the Catholic King, all the Subjects of His most Excellent Majesty, that are detained Prisoners at the Havannah, that they be forthwith set at Liberty, and delivered to me, to be Transported to the Territories of the King of England. With several other directions, in case of a further denial to demand a sight of their Commitment upon Record: If Pirates, to send them for Old Spain, and there to be Tried, and not to be kept in perpetual Slavery; relating the several Complaints made to the King and Council, of their most barbarous usage to our Nation here with the force of Authority, when at the same time we treat them with all tender kindness in the World, etc. But before this Latter discourse was ended, the Governor caused the Prisoners to be called over in a back Court near his house, and examined some of them, one after another; who before he had done, said, though I have no order to deliver them to you, and that I may be blamed, yet take them all with you, and if there be any more, let them come forth immediately and they shall be discharged, at which Declaration, they all being 46. in number, gave such Cheer-ho, that they made the house ring, saying, God bless the Blessing of England, which they called our Ship; immediately I hoist out the long Boat, and had them all on Board in less than three hours: Whereupon I set Sail the next day for the Bay of Mettances to Water, and so to Port-Royal, where I arrived the 20th day of March following, to the great satisfaction of all men here. A List of all His Majesty's Subjects that were Prisoners at Havannah, and received on Board His Majesty's Ship the Hunter, under the Command of Captain John Tosier, lying off and on before the Harbour, on February 14. 1678/ 9 And the next day entered into Victualling at half allowance. Yrs. M this. 1 Mr. William Winford 2 6 2 James Pung. 2 8 3 Francis Redmain. 5 4 Thomas Richardson. 5 6 5 John Evans. 6 7 6 Thomas Cock. 6 7 7 Ralph Graves. 5 6 8 Ionas Johnson. 5 6 9 Ambrose Brown. 6 10 John Kenneday. 5 6 11 Robert Peppin. 5 6 12 Nicholas Gunniop. 4 5 13 Thomas Macket. 4 7 14 Peter Watson. 4 7 15 Thomas Hall. 4 16 Richard Harris. 4 17 John Vaughan. 3 3 18 Robert Mercum. 3 3 19 Joseph Rivers. 5 20 Richard Merrington. 3 3 21 Ambrose Hensree. 3 3 22 Robert Chiffin. 2 10 23 Robert Middleton. 2 10 24 Gilbert Dike. 2 7 25 John Alexander. 2 7 26 John Woodcock. 2 7 27 James Hall. 2 6 28 Morris Smith. 2 6 29 Henry Webber. 2 6 30 William owen's. 2 6 31 Patrick Cairney. 2 6 32 Thomas Mason. 2 1 33 John West. 2 1 34 Benjamin Willis. 2 5 35 Nicholas Stonning. 2 5 36 Cornelius Lachlon. 2 5 37 Thomas Loind. 1 9 38 Noah Parker. 1 9 39 Thomas Butler. 1 9 40 Ambrose Rose. 1 9 41 John Horn. 1 10 42 Hugh May. 1 3 43 Thomas Bishop. 1 3 44 Thomas Maynder. 1 3 45 Thomas Rous. 1 3 46 George Winch. 1 3 FINIS.