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"The Sea is so much haunted with Rovers​​​​."

A Four-Page Manuscript Description of the Bahamas Outlining Plans for Improvement by the Legendary Privateer-Turned-Governor Woodes Rogers.

Penned as Rogers Sought Rehabilitation and Renewed Investment While in Debtors Prison Between Terms As Governor.

This letter contains Bahamas governor Woodes Rogers's description of the current state of affairs in the islands and his proposals for developing the region into a center of commerce. This letter was written in the year of Rogers's replacement as governor of the islands and his imprisonment in London for debts incurred during his first term as governor. Given Rogers's fixation on ending piracy in the Bahamas - he is credited with defeating "the Republic of the Pirates" - the letter includes several discussions of how piracy has adversely affected the colonies and how it can be stopped. Piracy and pirates are mentioned eight times in the letter.

This letter is not only a phenomenal description of the Bahamas at the start of the 18th century but also a proposal for improvements to infrastructure and defense that would stabilize the geopolitical situation of the islands and the British American colonies more generally. Rogers wrote this description and proposal during his return to London after his first term as governor. During that stint in London, he was imprisoned in debtor's jail for personal debts that he incurred while making some of the aforementioned improvements. This letter, dated November 27th, 1721, appears to be a call for help to an unnamed merchant or politician, either by providing renewed investment that would break his debts or by reappointing him governor. Rogers is also known to have written similar letters in 1721 to Treasury officials and his close acquaintance, Captain (later Admiral) Edward Vernon.

Throughout the letter, Rogers argues that the Bahamas have, for too long, been neglected by the Crown and by settlers due to its precarious position:

[The] Inhabitants have been Kept miserably poorly by ye frequent Robberies both from the neighboring Spaniards, & Pirates

Rogers provides many reasons that the Bahamas deserve more attention from England, focusing on their plentiful resources, including timber(!), fish, and salt, and on the strategic benefits of fortifying Nassau. Rogers's concrete proposals include improving the fort (which, when he first arrived in Nassau, had only a single nine-pounder cannon), building two towers to guard the entrance of the port, and establishing a garrison procedure similar to the one already in place in Jamaica. These plans, almost certainly initially conceived during Roger's first term and some partially implemented before Rogers ran out of funding, would have been too expensive to undertake, and serious additional financial support would have been needed to deploy them. The lack of finances was the impetus for Rogers's 1821 return to Britain, and, almost certainly, the impetus for writing this letter.

Woodes Rogers's importance and mythologization in the history of piracy are unparalleled, with the exceptions of Francis Drake and Edward Teach. Not only did Rogers do more than any other representative of the British crown in ending piracy in the Caribbean, but, while a privateer, he captured dozens of Spanish vessels, circumnavigated the globe, had a musket ball removed from the roof of his mouth in Batavia, and (allegedly) sailed further south than any other sailor to date. His legacy is strewn throughout English seafaring literature - he was the captain who rescued the real-life inspiration for the protagonist of Robinson Crusoe (Alexander Selkirk), and he commanded both the inspiration for the narrator of the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner (Simon Hatley) and the inspiration for Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels (William Dampier).

Contents and Excerpts

The four-page letter is written on a single folded sheet. A complete transcription of the letter is provided below. The letter opens with a general description of the Bahamas before emphasizing the extent to which the inhabitants of the islands have suffered:

The Bahama Islands Lie from 20 to near 28 Degrees North Latitude . . . [The] Inhabitants have been Kept miserably poorly by ye frequent Robberies both from the neighboring Spaniards, & Pirates; which has prevented any good Improvements, and Kept industrious and substantial People from settling there, so that the value of the Bahama Islands can't yet be known for want of Improvement.

Rogers discusses at length why fortifying the islands would be economically suitable, e.g.:

Ther's no Colony where fortifications could more easily be rais'd than at Providence, the best of Stone, Lime and Timber being very plenty, and the Situation of the harbour is such, That a small Expence would make it very strong: But should We by Neglecting this Settlement, suffer it to become a Prey to any foreign Power, or in Peace to be again possest by the Pirates, all our American Trade would severely feele the Loss, and it would occasion a great Expence, and be very difficult to dislodge any Force that should once settle there.

Following this discussion, Rogers provides concrete proposals of what should be done in the islands, and even refers to recent improvements that would have been made under his watch:

The Expence now wanting to make two Towers, or Block Houses, with Batteries under them, one at each Entrance of the harbour of Providence, with the additional Works, and Repairs that may be necessary for ye fort already built, need not be much; Guns & Ammunitions being there, and sent thither lately for that use. When this is done, and another Independent Company added to the Garrison, it would make Providence as strong as it need to be, till the value and Importance of the Bahama Islands, is sufficiently Experienced, and the Wisdom of the Nation see it necessary that this harbour should be made impregnable, for as is mentioned before, ther's no Place can be by Nature better Situated, and where Materials for that Purpose may be raised on the Spott with less Expence.

The letter concludes with a fascinating argument about the value of the Bahamas being over 1,200,000 pieces of eight, since the Spanish attacked the island twice, once at the cost of 400,000 and a second at double that expense.

I humbly presume it needless to say more of a Place that has for too many Years past been often represented in Parliament, and by the Lords Commissioners of Trade, to be of equal Consequence to any thing I have here sett forth from my own Observations whilst I had the honour to [Page 3] to serve his Majesty as Governour there. Another great Testimony of the Importance of these Islands is, That the Spaniards attack Us at that time by an Expedition from the Havana, at the acknowledged Charge of more then four hundred thousand pieces of Eight, and being repulsed they prepared a Second Attempt, and was at above double that Expense in order to gett the Sd. Islands into their hands before the late Peace, but a Cessation of Armes happen'd just in time enough to prevent it.

The Bahamas: "The Republic of Pirates"

Following their discovery by Christopher Columbus, the islands were claimed by Spain but largely ignored. The first European settlers were Puritans who arrived in 1646  from Bermuda seeking to freely practice their faith. Led by William Sayle, the one-time Governor of Bermuda, this "Company of Adventurers for the Plantation of the Islands of Eleutheria" struggled for several decades, with most original settlers returning to Bermuda. In 1666, a second Bermuda colony was founded, which instead settled on New Providence. These colonists were more successful, making a living from harvesting salt, salvaging Spanish ships, and fishing. In 1670, the islands were given by Charles II to the Lords Proprietor of the Carolinas.

The reputation for piracy in the Bahamas initially grew out of the salvaging of Spanish ships. Bahamians claimed the right to salvage the ships, going so far as to drive Spanish salvagers away and raid Spanish ships that were salvaging their own vessels. The Spanish raided the settlements repeatedly, while the Bahamians commissioned privateers to harass the Spanish. Eventually, in 1684, a Spanish expedition destroyed the settlement and had the English governor tortured to death under the inquisition.

Two years after New Providence was razed, it was repopulated by settlers from Jamaica. The English privateers returned during the war with France in the 1690s and established a base in the Bahamas. A turning point for the island came in 1696, when Henry Every bribed the local governor with precious ores as well as fifty tons of elephant tusk and one hundred barrels of gunpowder and, in turn, was given safe haven.

The peace with France and Spain in 1697 ended the pretense of New Providence as a base for privateers, and it became known as a pirate's haven. The subsequent governors sent by the Lords Proprietors of Carolina to the settlements all fell prey to bribery, and, in the early 1700s, they ceased to apply any form of government to the island.

Without oversight from the British Crown, the Bahamas became a "Pirate's Republic." The 1,000 or so pirates outnumbered the 200 or so families who lived there. Captain Matthew Musson, a former cast-away on the island, relayed the following tale in 1717:

"At Harbour Island he found about 30 families, with several pirates, which frequently are comeing and goeing to purchase provissons for the piratts vessells at Providence. There were there two ships of 90 tons which sold provissons to the said pirates, the sailors of which said they belong'd to Boston. At Habakoe one of the Bahamas he found Capt. Thomas Walker and others who had left Providence by reason of the rudeness of the pirates and settled there. They advis'd him that five pirates made ye harbour of Providence their place of rendevous vist. [Benjamin] Honrgold, a sloop with 10 guns and about 80 men; [Henry] Jennings, a sloop with 10 guns and 100 men; [Josiah] Burgiss, a sloop with 8 guns and about 80 men; [Henry?] White, in a small vessel with 30 men and small armes; [Edward] Thatch, a sloop 6 gunns and about 70 men. All took and destroyd ships of all nations except Jennings who took no Englihs; they had taken a Spanish ship of 32 gunns, which they kept in the harbour for a guardship."

Woodes Rogers's First Term as Governor of the Bahamas: "Piracy Expelled, Commerce Restored"

With the above-described sorry state of affairs, the British government was keen to reassert control. Woodes Rogers was convinced to take charge of this effort, and he formed a company to fund the venture. The Lords Proprietors returned the Bahamas to the King, and Rogers was appointed governor and given permission to pardon any pirate who surrendered to the British Crown.

Many of the pirates on the islands were, indeed, ready to surrender. When Rogers arrived in New Providence with his 460-ton warship, three of his own ships, and a three-ship escort from the Royal Navy, he was attacked by the pirate Charles Vane, who used the distraction to flee Nassau. While Rogers was warmly received by the settlers, Vane and other pirates that refused the pardon repeatedly attacked the settlements and trade routes. Eventually, Rogers, the Navy, and their ex-pirates allies were able to suppress most pirate activity in the Bahamas.

As another war with Spain loomed, Rogers spent his personal fortune building defenses in Nassau and went into debt doing so. In March 1721, Rogers sailed to London to request more funds and recompense, arriving in June, only to find a new governor of the Bahamas appointed (George Phenney), creditors clamoring for repayment, and a cell in debtor's jail awaiting him.

Rogers in Debtor's Jail

This letter was penned during Rogers's tenure as a liable debtor, perhaps the lowest point in his life. Characteristically, he responded to his imprisonment by fighting against the claims of failure and rehabilitating his personal image. Letters that were sent to his former acquaintances and prominent Britons, such as the one penned here, renewed interest in the islands and showed what Rogers had to further offer the islands. These letters, along with the publication of the 1724 A General History of the robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, which was based in part on interviews with Rogers and painted him a hero, led to his rehabilitation.

In 1726, George I granted him a pension retroactive to 1721, providing him further funds, and he was reappointed governor in 1728. He was able to make further progress with the development of New Providence's fortifications and rebuilding the Old Fort of Nassau, among other projects. However, he attempted to impose the costs on the local population, who fought him vehemently. He was unable to make further substantial progress before his death in 1731, and the fort and defenses of the harbor would not be brought up to date until 1744.

Rarity and Comparison

While there may be uncatalogued manuscript material from Woodes Rogers in British national archives and other institutions, we are unable to locate many examples online. Through OCLC and Google searches, we have been able to locate two instances of manuscript letters by Woodes Rogers: a digitized letter from Woodes Rogers at the National Archives in Bristol and a letter to "T. Eden, Esq., dated 1730 at the Morgan Library in New York. In addition, holograph of a group of letters from Woodes Rogers to Sir Charles Wager dated 1730 are kept at the Royal Museum Greenwich, although we have been unable to locate the original. A few other letters are mentioned in bibliographies, although we have not been able to trace where they are held. We are also aware of a manuscript sketch map by Woodes Rogers in an American private collection. 

Provenance

With John Fleming;
Purchased from the above in 1965;
Jay Kislak;
His sale, Doyle New York, September 15, 2022, Lot 35

Conclusion

This letter not only presents an exceptional contemporary account of settlement, trade, and piracy in the Bahamas by one of the most influential people in the islands' history, but also shows Rogers's desire to return to the islands and continue his work in eradicating piracy and establishing a new Caribbean center of commerce. Written at the low point in the life of one the great privateer-heroes of the British Empire, this letter is an unparalleled insight into the change of fortunes that the Bahamas experienced under Rogers's rule.

Transcription

A Description of the Bahama Islands

The Bahama Islands Lie from 20 to near 28 Degrees North Latitude along the north side of the great Island of Cuba, from 15 to 90 Leagues distance from that Island; the most part of them from 22 to 27 were granted by King Charles the Second in the year 1670, to six Lords Proprietors under the Soverignty of the British Crown. Their situation was ever thought very Comodious, and if the chief Island called Providence that lies in the latitude of 25 North, was well Garrison'd, it would be a Security to all our American Plantations, and very much prevent the growth of Piracy, which generally begun, and Continued amongst these Islands; whose Inhabitants have been Kept miserably poorly by ye frequent Robberies both from the neighboring Spaniards, & Pirates; which has prevented any good Improvements, and Kept industrious and substantial People from settling there, so that the value of the Bahama Islands can't yet be known for want of Improvement. Ther's sufficient of Land to raise Stock, and Provisions of different kinds, as reasonable as in any Part of America; and the Trade which goes yearly under Convoy of his Majesty's ships of War to Sal de Todos, and all that saile to other Places of America for salt, may be dispatch from hence, much more advantageously than from any other Parts. There may be several good Plantations for sugar made on Providence, but most of the Land on that Island is fitter for Cotton and Indico. On Columbo, alias, Catta Island, Islethera, Abacco, and Andros Island which are large Islands, two of them at least 150 Miles long, and on many other's ther's a much greater Quantity of plantable Land fit for Sugar Worths. But our Plantations at Jamaica, and the Windward Islands, having enough Spare land, and can produce sufficient of those Comodities, It's not to be expected that the Bahama Islands should be settled purely to enlarge our Sugar Plantations.

Tis the Situation for the Benefit of Trade, The raking Salt, culling Braziletto, and other Dying Woods, of which these Islands abound, The Benefits that may be made by Whale fishing, The Accidents of Wrecks, The Building small vessells, here being the best of Cedar, & other Timber very plentiful, and ambergris and Sperma Caeti is often found in quantitys amongst these Islands, all which must invite Inhabitants hitter for no part of America, can Employ People in more advantagious Ways, where little Stock is required.

If a War should again happen with France, or Spain, the Island of Providence lies much more convenient to obstruct the Trade of both Nations, than any other Colony his Majesty hath in America, and if the Harbour was well secured, there would in a time of War be no Want of small Cruizers from all parts to rendevous here, Sufficient to annoy or Intercept the Trade To, and from all the Bay of Mexico, Hispaniola and Cuba. And in time of Peace a good Garrison would as aforesaid, contribute very much towards preventing the growth of Piracy, for it's impossible our Men of War can follow the Pirates amongst the large shoals and Rocks which surround these Islands; and the Pirates are now so thoroughly acquainted [Page 2] with them, that nothing but a strong Garrison at Providence can hinder sheltering there, and being formidable to the rest of the West Indies, and they can Support themselves nowhere else in America to do the like Mischief as they have, and may from thence.

Ther's no Colony where fortifications could more easily be rais'd than at Providence, the best of Stone, Lime and Timber being very plenty, and the Situation of the harbour is such, That a small Expence would make it very strong: But should We by Neglecting this Settlement, suffer it to become a Prey to any foreign Power, or in Peace to be again possest by the Pirates, all our American Trade would severely feele the Loss, and it would occasion a great Expence, and be very difficult to dislodge any Force that should once settle there.

The Island of Providence is near as big as that of Barbados & the harbour very Convenient, Safe and deep Enough to receive his Majesty's fith and sixth Rate Men of War, or any Merchant Ships trading to America, all Ships of War may ride as Secure as in other Roades in the West Indies, at two Places, one to the North East About 12 Leagues, and the other to the Eastward of the harbour of Providence about 2 Leagues, and likewise ther's a Harbour at Salt Key but one League distance, which has 3 foot more Water than at Providence, having at the Entrance 19 foot at the lowest Ebb & deep enough within for any Ship. There are very few good anchoring Places amongst the Bahama Islands for large ships, But harbours everywhere for such as don't draw above Ten, or twelve foot Water, which makes these Islands so convenient to shelter the Pirates.

One independent company is too weake to garrison the Bahama Islands, whilst the Sea is so much haunted with Rovers, and ye present Inhabitants are but few in Number, and those not to be relyed on, and fill the Fortifications are augmented, and a sufficient Garrison is establisht at Providence, a better sort of People will not adventure thither to settle, and Contributed towards maintaining the Soldiery as at Jamaica, and other Colonys, where they receive no more than their Pay from his Majesty.

The Expence now wanting to make two Towers, or Block Houses, with Batteries under them, one at each Entrance of the harbour of Providence, with the additional Works, and Repairs that may be necessary for ye fort already built, need not be much; Guns & Ammunitions being there, and sent thither lately for that use. When this is done, and another Independent Company added to the Garrison, it would make Providence as strong as it need to be, till the value and Importance of the Bahama Islands, is sufficiently Experienced, and the Wisdom of the Nation see it necessary that this harbour should be made impregnable, for as is mentioned before, ther's no Place can be by Nature better Situated, and where Materials for that Purpose may be raised on the Spott with less Expence.

I humbly presume it needless to say more of a Place that has for too many Years past been often represented in Parliament, and by the Lords Commissioners of Trade, to be of equal Consequence to any thing I have here sett forth from my own Observations whilst I had the honour to [Page 3] to serve his Majesty as Governour there. Another great Testimony of the Importance of these Islands is, That the Spaniards attack Us at that time by an Expedition from the Havana, at the acknowledged Charge of more then four hundred thousand pieces of Eight, and being repulsed they prepared a Second Attempt, and was at above double that Expense in order to gett the Sd. Islands into their hands before the late Peace, but a Cessation of Armes happen'd just in time enough to prevent it.

Sign'd /.

London Novembr. 27.1721.

Woodes Rogers.