Being desired the Week before last, to render into good English
an imperfect Translation of the Letter from some Palatines to the
Rev. Mr. Weys, I took the Pains to alter the Form of it entirely,
and put it in the most advantageous Dress I could, with a View of
inserting it afterwards in my Gazette: But before the Time
of Publishing, the Gentleman from whom I had the Letter, let me
know, that there being some Reflections therein upon the Captain,
which perhaps were too much aggravated, and he not here to answer
any thing in his own vindication, it might be better not to print
it till we should be further informed, and allowed me only to make
a short Abstract, giving an Account what Distress the poor People
had been in, without mentioning the Captain at all. This I did; but
was surpriz’d upon sight of Mr. Bradford’s next Paper, to find my
Version inserted there at length, Word for Word, (excepting a few
typographical Errors and his affixing a Date to it whereas there
was none in the Original.) It seems some Person, to whom a Copy had
been lent, carried it to him. I was displeas’d that I had taken so
much pains for my Competitor, and my Subscribers are displeased
that I did not in my Paper give as full an Account as he gave: I
have therefore now made a new Version of the Letter, containing
some Particulars omitted in the former, and more agreeable to the
rude Simplicity of Language and Incoherence of Narrative in the
Original. From which the Reader may perhaps be able to make a
better Judgment of the Affair than before.
Dear Mr. Weys,
We your poor and abandon’d Sheep, who have no
Relief or Assistance to expect of any Body, turn our selves to you
as our faithful Pastor, and beseech you to take part of our
deplorable Condition, and to represent it to the Spiritual and
Temporal Powers in Philadelphia: For this wicked Murderer of Souls,
Capt. Labb, has thought to starve us all, (not have taken enough
Provision in Rotterdam according to our Agreement) and to make
himself Master of all our Goods; for we have seen in the last eight
Weeks no Bread at all, and in four of these eight Weeks, a pint of
Grouts was the Allowance of Five Persons one Day, and a Quart of
Water a Person one Day. Our Time from Rotterdam to the Land here at
Homes Hole Marthas Vineyard 16 hours from Rhode-island, has been
four and twenty Weeks, and of 150 Persons, more than 100 are died
and perished. And the Ship went on only in the Day-time, and Nights
commonly the Helm was tied, and twice we awaked them, and asking
them why they did not sail, and the Wind was so good; then they
loosed the Sails, and went away. And in these last eight Weeks, the
Hunger was so great, that we have eat Rats and Mice, so that one
Rat cost eight pence, and two Shillings; and a Mouse three pence
and four pence, and a Quart of Water four pence, that some of us
let others have for their Childrens sake. When it was a little
stormy Weather, the whole Voyage from Rotterdam, they did not give
us in two and three Days no Victuals, and these last eight Weeks no
Water too; so that in one Night seven Persons miserably are starved
to Death and thrown into the Sea; one must throw the poor People
naked into the Sea, and let them swim, and one could not have a
little Sand to sink the Body to the Ground; one dare not ask any
thing from the Sailors, for they sent us back with Scolding and
Railing, and we were kicked, beat and used as if we were Slaves and
maleficent Persons. In this Time, we thought to refresh our selves
with our Rhenish Wine, which was about six Awms that we had bought
at Worms for our Money got with hard Labour; we would distribute it
amongst the People, that they might not all be starved; and we went
together to the Captain, and desired that he would give it us out;
at last he gave us the Key to the Hold in a great Passion, but sent
no body with to show where they had put the Wine: When we had
searched a great while, we found some of our Casks, the Bungs drawn
out with a Skrew, and the Wine all drunk up. And when we asked the
Sailors what they had done with our Wine, we received Scolding and
Railing for all Answer. Misery was so great: And we desired the
Captain oftentimes to put us on Land, that we might buy us some
more Provision; then he has put us off from day to day eight Weeks
long. Till at last it pleased Almighty God to send us a Sloop,
which brought us to Homes Hole, Marthas Vineyard, where he came to
Anchor in the middle of the Sea: He kept us there in the Ship still
five or six Days, and we must pay dear for every thing, so that one
Loaf of Indian Corn Bread cost 8 Shillings; and he gave out of us,
that we were Turks and no Christians: In that time starved yet
fifteen Persons more, and if we had been kept there three or four
Days longer, we should all have been starved, for not one was able
to reach to the other a Drop of Water. And then we were put in a
great Hurry in the Sloop, and set on shore, without our Beds, or
any thing of our Moveables; so that we did not know what he
intended to do with us, nor if we should ever see any thing again
of our Moveables; which makes us suffer much, for there are but few
Houses, so that we can have no Accommodation, because of the
narrowness of the Place. The good People of this Island did
whatever they could to refresh us with Bread, Meat and other
Victuals. And the Sailors carried away most all our Moveables, and
all our Chests broke open and spoliated. They have persuaded us,
for dead and living, to pay the whole Freight, as if they had
landed us at Philadelphia; and which we have sign’d to, not
understanding what it was; but we are not able to accomplish; for
in order to pay for the dead, we should have taken the Goods of the
Dead; but in discharging the Vessel we found, that most of their
Chests as well as ours were broke open and plundered. The Captain
however has obtained that we should pay him in 3 Weeks time,
therefore we desire you instantly to have Compassion with us, and
to assist us as much as in your Power, and to represent our pitiful
State to the Governour; for if no Resistance be made to this wicked
Captain, he’ll make us all Beggars. What shall be our Duty for your
pains, we shall thankfully repay. God Almighty have Mercy upon us,
and help us out of this Distress. We would have sent two or three
Men with this Letter, but not one is yet able to stir; for we are
all very weak and feeble; but assoon as there shall be two or three
able to travel, they shall follow: But if the cold Weather should
fall in, and hinder them, we desire you to go on in our Name, and
recommending you to the Protection of the Almighty we are