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My Lords

Your Lordships most humble and obedient Servant

BELLOMONT.

_86. Information of Henry Bolton. February 4, 1701._[1]

[Footnote 1: From the manuscripts of the Duke of Portland at Welbeck
Abbey, a copy having been kindly furnished by the Rev. Richard W.
Goulding, librarian to the duke. The date Feb. 4, 1700, means Feb. 4,
1701, new style. Bolton's previous history and his relations with Kidd
are sufficiently shown by this and preceding documents. In 1700 he had
been shipped to England from Jamaica, and he was now, or at any rate
on Dec. 22, 1700, in Newgate prison under charges of piracy. _Cal. St.
P. Col._, 1700, p. 760.]

Information of Henry Bolton.

4th of February 1700

Being required by the Right hono'ble the Commission'rs for Executing
the office of High Admiral of England, Ireland etc. to informe their
Lord'ps of the place of my nativity, manner of Living for some time in
the West Indies, and particularly of my meeting and Transactions with
Capt. Kidd, I presume to make the following Answer, being the best and
fullest I can make at present having neither my Books or papers in
this Kingdome.

That I was born in Worcestershire about the yeare 1672 and in the year
1697 was Deputed by the Commissioners of his Maj'ties Customes for the
Leeward Islands to be Collector for the Island of Antigua.

That in the year 1698 following I quitted that Imployment[2] and
followed Merchandizing about the said Leeward Islands.

[Footnote 2: He was removed, and at the time of his removal he owed
the crown about L500. _Ibid._, p. 603.]

That in February 1698/9 I sailed from Antigua in the Sloop _St.
Antonie_, Samuel Wood Master, on a Trading Voyage amongst the Dutch
and Spaniards. The Markett at Curacoa (a Dutch Island) not answering
my Ends I went to Rio De la Hacha,[3] and there sold my Cargoe, and
Loaded my Sloope with Stock Fish [and] Wood on Freight for Curacoa
aforesaid, which I there Landed and departed for the Island of Porto
Rico with intention to Trade with the Inhabitants of that Island,
having a Cargo on Board for that purpose.

[Footnote 3: On the Spanish Main, or north coast of South America,
about 300 miles west of Curacao.]

That in that Voyage in the Moneth of Aprill 1699 being becalmed to the
N.N.E. of the Island Mona the Men belonging to the Sloop discovered a
Sail E. and B.S.[4] from Mona which the Pilote of the Sloope supposed
to be a Guarda Costa, a small vessell fitted out by t