No. 384. Deposition, made September 29, 1760, by José de Sosa, a Soldier, as to Seizure of a Schooner and two Launches in Barima. [Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, p. 252.] In this fortress of Guiana, on the said day, month and year [Sept. 29, 1760], in execution of the report which is being drawn up, their Honours caused to appear in this Royal "Contaduria" before themselves and before me, the Notary, Joseph de Sosa, a soldier from these forts, whom they admitted upon oath which he made by God our Lord and a sign of the cross, under obligation whereof he promised to tell the truth concerning what he might know and might be asked, and having been questioned by their Honours, declared: That he went from this port in the armed launch under Infantry Lieutenant Don Juan de Flores, and arrived at the mouth of the Barima, where in order to make it they began to tack, and, while doing so, saw a vessel come into the river, and followed it at once and made it heave to by firing a shot, and upon going on board they only found ten Aruac Indians, of whom three escaped, who, being examined by his Lieutenant, said that they came from the Dutch Colony of Essequibo to fish in the River Orinoco; and directly they had secured the vessel by putting two soldiers on board, they continued their course, and on the following day entered the said mouth of Barima, and went up the creek for about three leagues, where they saw a schooner which the ebb had left stranded at a very considerable distance from the stream, for which reason they could not board it until the tide rose, when they approached and went on board but found nobody, because while they were waiting for the tide to come up the crew of the said schooner took the opportunity to escape, carrying off the sails and a portion of the tackle and cutting up some of the remainder; and that notwithstanding all the efforts which his said Lieutenant made to capture the crew he was unable to do so, and that the Aruacs (whom they had previously captured) at once said that the schooner had come from the Colony of Essequibo with the same object of fishing, and that upon asking the pilot whereabouts the Dutch traders in "Poitos" were camping, he said they were at five days' distance from that spot, and that the vessel they were navigating could not enter the creek where the traders were, because it was extremely narrow and only navigable by canoes; that for this reason, and because some of the soldiers they brought were divided among the vessels captured, and likewise because the said Dutch would be warned of their approach by the crew which had escaped from the schooner, his Lieutenant determined to withdraw, which they did, and in going up the river they received information that a launch was lying at anchor in a creek, and his Lieutenant forthwith despatched Pedro de Salas in a canoe to seize it, ordering him to let none of its crew escape, and accordingly No. 384. he seized it and brought it back, saying that he had found no one therein, nor in the hut on the shore, and that he thought they had fled directly they perceived them, and that they continued their voyage thence to the chief port of this city, where they cast anchor; that this is the truth, under obligation of the oath which he made, which is affirmed and ratified therein, and that if necessary he will repeat it; and that he is 27 years of age and has signed it, together with his Honour, whereunto I certify. No. 385. Deposition, made September 29, 1760, by Antonio Ravelo, a Soldier, as to Seizure of a Schooner and Two Launches in Barima. [Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, p. 253.] On the said day, month, and year, [Sept. 29, 1760] for the purpose of the report which is being drawn up respecting the seizure of three vessels, their Honours caused to appear before themselves and before me, the present Notary, Antonio Ravelo, a soldier from these forts, whom their Honours admitted upon oath by God our Lord, and a sign of the cross, under obligation whereof he promised to tell the truth in what he might know and might be asked, and having been questioned by their Honours he declared: That having gone from this port in the armed launch under the Orders of his Lieutenant, Don Juan de Flores, they descended to the front of the Mouth of the Barima, where, in order to make it they began to tack, and then perceived a vessel coming into the River Orinoco, which they followed, and, having come up with it and fired a shot, she surrendered at at once; that they boarded her and only found ten Aruac Indians, whom his Lieutenant examined, and who said that they came to fish in the said river; That from there they went again in search of the mouth of Barima, and on the following day they entered it and went about three leagues up the creek, where they saw a vessel which the ebb had left stranded at a considerable distance from the stream, for which reason they could not board it until the tide came up, when they approached it and went on board, but found no one, because while they were waiting for the tide to rise, the people of the schooner took the opportunity to escape and to carry off its sails and part of the tackle; and that while there his Lieutenant enquired from the pilot who was with them whether the Dutch traders in "Poitos" were very far off, and he replied that it would require five days' sailing to reach them, but that with the vessels they were navigating they could not enter the Creek because it was very narrow and only canoes could pass; for which reason, and for want of men, because the greater part of the crew had been dis No. 385. tributed in the captured vessels, and likewise seeing that the said Dutch would be told by those who escaped from the schooner, his Lieutenant determined to withdraw; and going up the river they were informed that a launch was lying at anchor in a Creek along which they were passing, whereupon his Lieutenant despatched Pedro de Salas in a canoe with four men, under orders to seize and bring it together with all its crew, without letting one escape; and having succeeded in capturing it he returned saying that he had found no one therein, nor in the hut which was on the shore, and that he concluded they had gone into the woods as soon as they saw them; That they continued their voyage from there until they arrived and cast anchor in the chief harbour of this city; That this is the truth under obligation of the oath which he had made which is affirmed and ratified therein, and that if necessary he will repeat it, that he is forty-two years of age and has signed it together with His Honour, whereunto I certify. No. 386. Summons ordered to issue for the halfbreed (mustee), Yana, September 30, 1760. [Reprinted From Blue Book, No. 3, p. 253.] Having seen the foregoing declarations Their Honours said that, in order to draw up these reports more adequately, they would summon the half-breed whom Infantry Lieutenant Don Juan de Flores captured with the Aruac Indians, in order that he and the other Aruac Indians should give evidence respecting the particulars about which Their Honors should consider it desirable to question them, and hereby Their Honors, have thus provided, ordered and signed on the 30 September of the said year, whereunto I certify. No. 387. Deposition, made September 29, 1760, by Simaracuri, an Arawak Indian, as to Seizure of a Schooner and two Launches in Barima. [Reprinted From Blue Book, No. 3, p. 254.] In the said City of Santo Thomé de Guayana, on the said day, month and year [Sept. 29, 1760], for the purpose of the report which is being drawn up, Their Honours caused to appear before them, and before me, the present Notary, one of the Indians, sufficiently conversant with Spanish, from among those seized by Lieutenant Don Juan de Flores, and he No. 387. was asked by their Honours where he was born, what was his name, for what purpose he came to the River Orinoco, and by whom he was sent ; and he replied that he was a native of Muruca, a place where the Post of Essequibo is situated, that his name was Simaracuri, an Indian of the Aruac nation, that the purpose for which he came to the River Orinoco was to fish, that he was sent by a Dutchman called Fardûll, and that the cargo consisted of a small quantity of salt; being asked if he knew to whom the other vessels which were seized belonged, he replied that the schooner belonged to a Dutchman called Monk, and the launch to another called Bobre, and that they also came for the purpose of fishing. Being asked if he knew whether there were any Dutchmen buying "Poitos," and in what places they were to be found, he replied that he knew there were four Dutchmen in the Creek of Barima with a number of Carib Indians, carrying on this traffic, that they were from the Colony of Surinam, and that it was impossible for a large vessel to enter the part of the said Creek where these traders were, as it was much higher up and very narrow; and that this is what he knows in reply to the questions, that he does not know how to give any account of his age or to sign; so their Honours signed it, whereunto I certify. No. 388. Order of Juan Valdes and Lorenzo Coronado as to Record of Seizure of Schooner and Launches in Barima, September 11, 1760, and as to Disposition of Yana and the perishable Cargo; October 1, 1760. [Reprinted from Ven. Sp. Docs., Vol. 2, p. 47.] In the city of Santo Thome, in the Guayana, on the first day of October, in the year seventeen hundred and sixty, the Castillian Captain of His Majesty, Don Juan Valdes, and the Royal Lieutenant, Don Lorenzo Coronado, said: That the foregoing acts being sufficient, about the seizure of one schooner and two launches, belonging to the Esquivo Colony, introduced in this Orinoco river on the pretext of fishing, but in reality to go on practicing the illicit commerce and the purchase of Poytos from the Carib tribe, we rule that an authentic copy of these acts be made and the originals be sent to the Superior Tribunal of the Treasury; and that in regard to the mustee, Jean Baptista, well known, although in his confession he denies his name and to be a mustee, calling himself an Indian of the Aruaca tribe, and dyeing himself red with annotto, maliciously, so as not to be recognized, his Honor the Commander, ordered that he be kept secure in irons in the Castle until further orders from his Honor, the Governor and Captain General, furnishing him the daily ration of a dime, as the Reverend Father Prefect refuses to admit him, on account No. 388. of the serious evils brought about among the people by the mustees whom they have received before, and who had run away afterwards, carrying along with them several persons of those already settled; that in regard to the Indians, he ordered to have them sent to said Reverend Father Prefect, so as to be distributed among the several settlements under his charge, and increase the population in the way that has been regulated; that in regard to the part of the cargo consisting of fish, the Royal Lieutenant will be in charge of the sale on account of the Royal Treasury, as this is a kind of article that loses in weight and quantity. It was so ordered, and sigued before me by their Honors. No. 389. Verification by Juan Valdes and Lorenzo Coronado of Inventory of Schooner and Launches seized at Barima on September 11, 1760; October 1, 1760. [Reprinted from Ven. Sp. Docs., Vol. 2, pp. 48-49.] Don Jose Diguja Villagomes, a Colonel of the Royal Armies, Commissioner of the Royal Expedition of Boundaries, and Captain General of these Provinces of New Andalusia, Cumana, New Barcelona, the Main-land and Guayana, its coasts and fortresses, Superintendent in the same, and of the branch of crusades by the King, our Lord; Don Pedro Luis Martinez de Gordon y Lugo, Accomptant, and Don Antonio de Alcala, Royal Official Treasurers of His Majesty, etc.: Whereas the preceding acts refer to the seizure of a schooner, two launches, and two curiaras (small Indian boats), made by the Lieutenant of Infantry, Don Juan de Dios Gonzales de Flores, in the Barima Creek, at its mouth, we have definitely ruled that the same, with the inventory contained therein be inserted to the letter, and they are as follows: Inventory. On the same day, month and year [Oct. 1, 1760], in compliance with the above rule, their Honors went on board the vessels, lying at anchor in this port, at the Castle of San Francisco de Asis, in order to pass the visit of said vessels, and being on board, the following inventory was made of everything found by them on board: Firstly. One schooner, with main and foremasts, with its shrouds without sails. A small anchor and hemp rope. Five barrels of salt fish. One launch, with mast and canvas shrouds, and a round sail of coarse cloth. Four barrels of powdered salt. |