favorites, which he declined to give without
their warrants as councilors. Captain Martin of the Council was till
then ignorant that only store for thirteen and a half weeks was in
the hands of the Cape Merchant, or treasurer, who was at that time Mr.
Thomas Studley. Upon a representation to the Council of the lowness of
the stores, and the length of time that must elapse before the harvest
of grain, they declined to enlarge the allowance, and even ordered that
every meal of fish or flesh should excuse the allowance of porridge. Mr.
Wingfield goes on to say: "Nor was the common store of oyle, vinegar,
sack, and aquavite all spent, saving two gallons of each: the sack
reserved for the Communion table, the rest for such extremities as
might fall upon us, which the President had only made known to Captain
Gosnold; of which course he liked well. The vessels wear, therefore,
boonged upp. When Mr. Gosnold was dead, the President did acquaint the
rest of the Council with the said remnant; but, Lord, how they then
longed for to supp up that little remnant: for they had now emptied all
their own bottles, and all other that they could smell out."

Shortly after this the Council again importuned the President for some
better allowance for themselves and for the sick. He protested his
impartiality, showed them that if the portions were distributed
according to their request the colony would soon starve; he still
offered to deliver what they pleased on their warrants, but would not
himself take the responsibility of distributing all the stores, and when
he divined the reason of their impatience he besought them to bestow
the presidency among themselves, and he would be content to obey as
a private. Meantime the Indians were bringing in supplies of corn and
meat, the men were so improved in health that thirty were able to work,
and provision for three weeks' bread was laid up.

Nevertheless, says Mr. Wingfield, the Council had fully plotted to
depose him. Of the original seven there remained, besides Mr. Wingfield,
only three in the Council. Newport was in England, Gosnold was dead, and
Kendall deposed. Mr. Wingfield charged that the three--Ratcliffe,
Smith, and Martin--forsook the instructions of his Majesty, and set up
a Triumvirate. At any rate, Wingfield was forcibly deposed from the
Council on the 10th of September. If the object had been merely to
depose him, there was an easier way, for Wingfield was ready to resign.
But it a