Cartagena, Vera Cruz,
San Domingo and other Spanish ports, where the governors took charge of
their prisoners and allowed them to dispose of their captured goods.
They held their commissions, it seems, directly from the Crown, and so
pretended to be outside the pale of the authority of the Spanish
governors. The latter, at any rate, declared that they could give no
redress, and themselves complained to the authorities in Jamaica of the
independence of these marauders.[486] In December 1688 the king issued a
warrant to the Governor of Jamaica authorizing him to suppress the
Biscayans with the royal frigates.[487]

On 28th October 1685 the governorship of the island was assigned to Sir
Philip Howard,[488] but Howard died shortly after, and the Duke of
Albemarle was appointed in his stead.[489] Albemarle, who arrived at
Port Royal in December 1687,[490] completely reversed the policy of his
predecessors, Lynch and Molesworth. Even before he left England he had
undermined his health by his intemperate habits, and when he came to
Jamaica he leagued himself with the most unruly and debauched men in the
colony. He seems to have had no object but to increase his fortune at
the expense of the island. Before he sailed he had boldly petitioned for
powers to dispose of money without the advice and consent of his
council, and, if he saw fit, to reinstate into office Sir Henry Morgan
and Robert Byndloss. The king, however, decided that the suspension of
Morgan and Byndloss should remain until Albemarle had reported on their
case from Jamaica.[491] When the Duke entered upon his new government,
he immediately appointed Roger Elletson to be Chief Justice of the
island in the place of Samuel Bernard. Three assistant-judges of the
Supreme Court thereupon resigned their positions on the bench, and one
was, in revenge, dismissed by the governor from the council. Several
other councillors were also suspended, contrary to the governor's
instructions against arbitrary dismissal of such officers, and on 18th
January 1688 Sir Henry Morgan, upon the king's approval of the Duke's
recommendation, was re-admitted to the council-chamber.[492] The old
buccaneer, however, did not long enjoy his restored dignity. About a
month later he succumbed to a sharp illness, and on 26th August was
buried in St. Catherine's Church in Port Royal.[493]

In November 1688 a petition was presented to the king by the planters
and merchants trading to Jamaica protestin