did take the place and brought it under the obedience of the States of Holland;" that on the first day of August he "fled with his ship for New England and was pursued with three pinances and armed men and brought back to New York where they felloniously Robbed and Ranged his ship and goods." The Dutch then freighted his ship to go to Holland with " 90 barrels of whale oyle 83 hhds of Tobacco 473 peces of Logwood 150 cowhides;" and now, said the petitioner, "the foreseeing providence of god has brought him to this his majesties Island, with the loss of masts, sayles, rigging, furniture, which your worships hereby may perceive." He offered a letter from Governor Lovelace, dated in the year 1669, certifying that Isaac Melyne was an inhabitant and also "a free denizen of New York. His petition was referred to the island court to be held on the 20th of October, 1673. To this court he testified "that the ship was his own proper goods and himself a free dennison of his majesty the King of England." His testimony was confirmed by by "the boson of the ship," and by his own body-servant, who said that Captain Melyne had been master of the ship for three years, "and never out of her." He claimed judgment against the ship because she had been "taken from him by the States of Holland." The case was committed to a jury of six men of Nantucket, who, not forgetting that they had become Dutchmen, rendered this verdict : We doe not find he is a subject to the King of England, and concerning the ship we doe not find it is his. The Dutch governor at New York, hearing of the accident and not knowing the loyal verdict of the island court, ordered an armed vessel" to proceed with all speed to the cape of Nantucket," and bring away the stranded ship and crew. On return of this vessel its captain reported that the ship had been hauled off the Rip, and taken to Boston by an armed brigantine sailing under a commission from the King of England; and that he, in retaliation for this act, had captured and brought to New York four Massachusetts ketches with cargoes. One One of these was bound to Nantucket, loaded with rum, sugar, salt, and wine, belonging to James Coffin, who was on board. The governor immediately confiscated the vessels with their cargoes, and sent James Coffin and the captured crews to New England. During the war between England and Holland, the half-share men of Nantucket were encouraged to claim an equality in all the rights of the original proprietors. When they heard "the news that Yorke was taken by the Dutch," wrote Thomas Mayhew, they said: "Noe Man had a Right to a Foot of Land before the Date of the last Charter, and they by the Book endeavour to dethrone our Libertys-announcing my Right obtained from the Earle of Stirlinge nothing, also the Indian Right nothing, my quiett Occupation there of 29 yeares nothing, the Grounding of the ten Partners upon my first Graunt nothing." The war with Holland was ended by a treaty of peace restoring New York to England; England; and in November, 1674, Sir Edmund Andros became governor of the province. But the half-share men of Nantucket remained firm in their purpose to carry on the revolution. II The Triumph of John Gardner WHILE yet the Dutch were in New York the freeholders of Nantucket held a town meeting, "and did vote to send to the Governour at the next convenant season to petition about what may Infringe the Libertyes of the Chartar." When John Gardner was nominated and "chosen to go to New Yorke" about the business, the meeting was in an uproar. Immediately, as the record says, Mr Tristram Coffin enters his disent John Swayne enters his disent Nathaniel Starbuck enters his disent Steven Coffin enters his disent Nathaniel Wier enters his disent. By this action the lines were publicly drawn between the old and the new pro prietors. |