and Tackle, mounted the Morning Star with 32 Pieces of Cannon, mann’d her with a 100 Men, and appointed one John Fenn Captain; for the Brigantine being of far leſs Force, the Morning Star would have fallen to Anſtis, as elder Officer, yet he was ſo in Love with his own Veſſel, (ſhe being an excellent Sailor,) that he made it his Choice to ſtay in her, and let Fenn, who was, before, his Gunner, Command the great Ship.
Now, that they had two good Ships well mann’d, it may be ſuppoſed they were in a Condition to undertake ſomething bold: But their Government was diſturbed by Malecontents, and a Kingdom divided within it ſelf cannot ſtand; they had ſuch a Number of new Men amongſt them, that ſeem’d not ſo violently enclined for the Game; that whatever the Captain propoſed, it was certainly carried againſt him, ſo that they came to no fix’d Reſolution for the undertaking any Enterprize; therefore there was nothing to be done, but to break up the Company, which ſeemed to be the Inclination of the Majority, but the Manner of doing ſo, concerned their common Safety; to which Purpoſe various Means were propoſed, at length it was concluded to ſend home a Petition to his Majeſty (there being then no Act of Indemnity in Force) for a Pardon, and wait the Iſſue; at the ſame Time one Jones, Boatſwain of the Good Fortune, propoſed a Place of ſafe Retreat, it being an uninhabited Iſland near Cuba, which he had been uſed to in the late War, when he went a privateering againſt the Spaniards.
This being approved of, it was unanimouſly reſolved on, and the underwritten Petition drawn up and ſigned by the whole Company in the Manner of what they call a Round Robin, that is, the Names were writ in a Circle, to avoid all Appearance
