and do furnish the tobacco plantations with none at all (except what are first agreed for in England, and then the merchant pays extrava. gantly, and the planter must advance for the merchant's encourage. ment, and so pay a double profit) who would, if they had them at a moderate price, quickly double their numbers to a mighty increase of shipping and national wealth. Thus the prohibition and total ingrossing the trade of blacks, by the company, does several ways infinitely prejudice the plantations and industrious planters in them, as well as prejudice the publick; but, if the preservation of the Guiney trade be of such advantage to the kingdom, that the castles must be maintained, it is but reasonable those publick things should fall equally on the publick, and not be made so many ways inconvenient to the most useful part of it, which is the industrious planter of America.

If it should be found necessary to support the African company for the good of the Guiney trade, at the same time no doubt but that such care will be taken of the colonies, that they shall be better and cheaper supplied than they have been yet: therefore, with submission to the better understandings of others, among the many ways, that may be thought convenient, I do humbly propose, that any plan. ters may have them delivered by lots at a moderate price in the colo. nies, or that any planter or merchant, giving good security for the payment of their money in England at a certain time, may have ne. groes at a certain moderate profit to the African company, put on board their ship at Guiney; or may have goods of the African com. pany at a reasonable profit, to be paid in England at the return of the ship; or that they may have liberty to go and trade thither, paying a moderate sum per cent. for leave to carry their own goods; for it is to be understood, that whatsoever burthen is put upon the negroe trade, the planter pays it, and it will so much lessen the increase of the plantations.

And since by no discerning person it can be denied but that the sugar and tobacco colonies are of very great advantage to England, iti s not to be questioned but that our legislators will think it worth their while to methodise that commerce to the best advantage, and to suffer no hardship to be put upon the planter, that they may be enabled to sell their commodities in foreign markets; the benefit of which, to England, will quickly be seen, and in a few years (is easily to be demonstrated) that they will bear out all nations that pretend to produce the like commodities; and then a moderate duty may be laid on their product for the foreigners to pay, which will make foreigners help to support the charge of the nation, and no way hurtful to the planter. By what has been said, for the sugar and to. bacco colonies, may be said for all colonies that produce the commo. dities of foreign nations, as silk, wines, oils, &c. and any other num. ber of men that will engage, to plant and produce, in such a term of years, such a quantity of commodities that are foreign commodities, and not already produced in our colonies, ought to be encou raged by this nation. For no trade can be so advantageous to this nation, for the increasing of navigation, and the consuming of our woollen manufacture, and indeed every thing that is made or used in

England, as colonies; for they, being English, and having all their commerce from England, will always be initiating the customs, and fashions of England, both as to apparel, houshold furniture, eating and drinking, &c. For it is impossible for them to forget from whence they come, or ever be at rest (after they have arrived to a plentiful estate) until they settle their families in England, by which means their industry, time, and labour, are to be spent for the in riching the English nation. Further I shall not enlarge, but leave what I have said to the judgment of every judicious reader, to amend wherein I may be defective.

A TRUE ACCOUNT OF

A LATE HORRID CONSPIRACY

TO BETRAY HOLLAND TO THE FRENCH.

AND OF THE TRYAL

CONFESSION, CONDEMNATION, AND EXECUTION, OF JACOB MARTINET,

SHERIFF OF THE TOWN OF SLUYS,

AND CORNELIUS REOLANDS,

MASTER OF THE SHIP CALLED THE ARGLE OF AMSTERDAM, Who were executed for the said Conspiracy, the sixth of this instant May, 1690. Translated from the Dutch Copy.

London, printed in 1690. Quarto, containing ten pages.

THE unwearied aims of the French, for a great many years, to swallow up the States of Holland, are sufficiently known to all the world; and, by their intrigues with the late unhappy pensioner De Wit, they were once within an ace of overturning this common. wealth for good and all. That the French continue in their former methods of bribing with their money such villains as are destitute of all love to their country, and who are are willing to sacrifice every thing to their accursed greediness of money, we have a fresh example in the treason and tryal of these two miscreants Jacob Marti net Sheriff or Scapen of the town of Sluys, and Cornelius Reolands master of the ship, called the Argle of Amsterdam, which was as follows.

On the third day of April last, there was intercepted a pacquet of letters sewed within the waistcoat of a seaman, going from Sluys to Ostend by land: which being opened by one of the magistrates of Ostend, before whom the fellow was brought, they were found to

him, and that Martinet desired him to return as soon as possible, 6 giving him half a pistole to drink, saying, that, if he got a good 6 answer of some money business he had written about, he, the deponent, should be well paid.'

6

Martinet briskly denied that he ever had seen this witness, or had been in company with Reolands but once in his life, about six years ago. The evidence, immediately in open court, required two men, whom he knew, to declare, if they did not several times see his master Reolands and Martinet together at the Maurice Head tavern in Sluys; who upon oath declared they had often seen them both go into, and come out from that tavern, they two all alone, and that within less than these two months. Notwithstanding all which, Martinet stood firmly to his denial.

At length the declaration and confession of his accomplice Reolands was read before him, whereat he seemed to be much stunned, having often changed colour, the time of the reading it. But, insisting in his denial, and the law not allowing the confession of one accomplice to be sufficient proof, he was adjudged to be put to the torture. Whereupon all things being ready for it, his courage failed him, and he told the people appointed to put it in execution, that he would confess all he knew of the affair he was charged with, before the judges.

،

Being thereupon called into court, he freely confessed, 'His being upon a plot with Reolands to deliver up the town of Sluys to the French, after the manner contained in Reolands's confession, with this particular circumstance, that in a letter, written to him by 'Monsieur de Terry, secretary of war under the Duke of Luxemburgh, he was promised ten-thousand livres more than was to be given to Reolands, together with a place in the presidial court of Sedan, worth three-thousand livres per annum.' And thereafter being desired to decypher the letter written in cyphers found about Reolands's man; he freely did it in these words, as was dictated by him from the letter given him in open court.

6

SIR,

WE have fully concerted the manner we are to act here, in de. livering up the town; and it rests only, that you be as ready to 'effectuate your part at a precise time to be appointed, which both Mr. Reolands and I think to be most proper sometime in the 'middle of May next, because the army of the States will not be in the field till the end of that month at soonest; you see what I ' venture to serve so great and generous a prince, and it is but a small part of what I would do to serve him. Be sure you, by the 6 bearer, adjust the exact time and way of your being in a readiness to accomplish your part of the design; and I think it were time, that some of these soldiers should be stealing in, as you know. After receipt of yours, we will be every day making one step or ' other to forward the thing: and though I doubt not but by the same bearer you will send the bill as you promised; so I assure ⚫ you, I am more persuaded of the reasonableness of having a

had sent upon that errand, when he was taken beside Ostend; and 'that the way of returning the money was by a bill of exchange from a banker of Paris upon a Jew in Amsterdam, payable to the said other prisoner, Jacob Martinet.' Adding, 'That his servant knew "nothing of the secret, but only was employed to carry the letters 'betwixt Martinet and him, and the said Monsieur Rayon. And 'that he knew nothing of the design till Martinet drew him into it. and assured him, that there was the like design in most of the 'towns of Holland.'

Being desired to give account of the design itself, he gave it thus: That the said Martinet and he were to let in a great many French

by threes and fours, under the notion of deserters from the French 6 army, and that, before-hand, they were to provide several private 'lodgings for them to be ready upon call. In the mean time he and 'Martinet were to provide a great many firelocks, under the pretence of buying them, in order to sell them again to the new raised 6 regiments in Flanders. That, when they had got into town a competent number of French in the manner above-mentioned, they were to concert with the said Monsieur Rayon a particular night, in which he, with other two regiments, should be in readiness to march from the nearest places of the French conquests, to Sluys, by such ways as were laid down in a plan agreed betwixt them. That, at the night and hour appointed, the said Martinet and he were to have all the French in readiness with their arms to fall upon the garison, there being ordinarily but two-hundred men upon duty at a time; and having cut them off, they were at the 6 same time to open the east gate to the other French, under the command of Monsieur Rayon, and being joined together to take possession of, and keep the town for the French king, whose army, at the same time, was to fall down with all diligence and force upon the frontiers of Holland.' He further acknowledged, that he doubted not but the French were tampering with some in most of the towns of Holland to the same effect; and that he knew, there were several great sums of money returned by bill to Amsterdam to this end, and that there were several agents up and down Am'sterdam, Rotterdam, Bergen, Upsom, the Bush, Utrecht, Leyden, and all other towns in Holland, who were busy in making intrigues to betray the respective towns to the French for several sums of money, and promises of great preferment."

6

Cornelius Reolands, being found guilty upon his confession, was removed, and immediately thereafter Jacob Martinet, the other pri. soner, was brought to his tryal. Who stoutly denied he knew any thing of a design to betray the town of Sluys into the hands of the French, or that he had ever entertained correspondence with Mon. sieur Rayon, or Monsieur de Terry, to that or any other effect. Whereupon Reolands's servant, with whom the above written letters were found, was produced against him as an evidence; who, being $worn, deposed, That he had received the letters, which had been taken about him at Ostend, from his master Reolands, and that he the said Jacob Martinet was present, when his master gave them

him, and that Martinet desired him to return as soon as possible, 6 giving him half a pistole to drink, saying, that, if he got a good answer of some money business he had written about, he, the 6 deponent, should be well paid.'

Martinet briskly denied that he ever had seen this witness, or had been in company with Reolands but once in his life, about six years ago. The evidence, immediately in open court, required two men, whom he knew, to declare, if they did not several times see his master Reolands and Martinet together at the Maurice Head tavern in Sluys; who upon oath declared they had often seen them both go into, and come out from that tavern, they two all alone, and that within less than these two months. Notwithstanding all which, Martinet stood firmly to his denial.

At length the declaration and confession of his accomplice Reolands was read before him, whereat he seemed to be much stunned, having often changed colour, the time of the reading it. But, in sisting in his denial, and the law not allowing the confession of one accomplice to be sufficient proof, he was adjudged to be put to the torture. Whereupon all things being ready for it, his courage failed him, and he told the people appointed to put it in execution, that he would confess all he knew of the affair he was charged with, before the judges.

Being thereupon called into court, he freely confessed, 'His being upon a plot with Reolands to deliver up the town of Sluys to the French, after the manner contained in Reolands's confession, with this particular circumstance, that in a letter, written to him by Monsieur de Terry, secretary of war under the Duke of Lux6 emburgh, he was promised ten-thousand livres more than was to be given to Reolands, together with a place in the presidial court of Sedan, worth three-thousand livres per annum.' And thereafter being desired to decypher the letter written in cyphers found about Reolands's man; he freely did it in these words, as was dictated by him from the letter given him in open court.

SIR,

'WE have fully concerted the manner we are to act here, in de livering up the town; and it rests only, that you be as ready to effectuate your part at a precise time to be appointed, which both Mr. Reolands and I think to be most proper sometime in the 'middle of May next, because the army of the States will not be in the field till the end of that month at soonest; you see what I ' venture to serve so great and generous a prince, and it is but a small part of what I would do to serve him. Be sure you, by the bearer, adjust the exact time and way of your being in a readiness to accomplish your part of the design; and I think it were time, that some of these soldiers should be stealing in, as you know. After receipt of yours, we will be every day making one step or ' other to forward the thing: and though I doubt not but by the same bearer you will send the bill as you promised; so I assure you, I am more persuaded of the reasonableness of having a