"A true and perfect narrative and relation of all the horrid and villainous murthers, robberies, spoils, and piracies committed as well in the American as the African seas by John Hamlyn, a Frenchman, who was commander of a French ship of thirty guns called La Trompeuse," delivered upon oath by Thomas Phips before Edwyn Stede. Deposition of Thomas Phips late of the ship Thomas and William, Richard North commander, in the service of the Royal African Company. In January the ship sailed from Barbados for Jamaica, having touched there with a cargo of slaves from Africa. Off Hispaniola, near the Isle of Ash, spied a ship standing towards us, which, coming up, ordered Captain North to strike, hoist out his boat, and come aboard, at the same time firing a volley of small shot and the great guns. North answered the fire, but was perplexed, some of the crew saying that this was an English frigate firing to make him strike his topsail-yard. Some of the crew hauled down the colours, while others presently re-hoisted them. North presently hoisted out the boat and sent his mate aboard the ship. There the commander, a Frenchman called John Hamlyn, told him that he was a pirate, and that if North did not at once yield his ship he would board him and give no quarter. They then clapped the mate in the hold, and put hand-vices on his thumbs to make him confess what they had on board. Hamlyn then sent the boat back with a message to North to yield. North called his crew together; some were for fighting, others for yielding. The pirate ranged up meanwhile and fired more shots, killing one man and wounding another. The captain was then sent on board the pirate; the whole of the crew was brought away except ten, and the prize manned by the pirates. They then made for a bay in Hispaniola, where they tortured the mate, the doctor, and all the rest of the men, squeezing their thumbs and privy members in vices, hanging them up in the brails by their hands tied behind them; and so found out what riches they carried. They then took all the guns and the best of the tackle and of the negroes, pressed Phips into their service as carpenter, carried off two more of North's men who came
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voluntarily, and putting North on board his ship bade him begone Shortly after, the pirate captured a pink from New England, and some of their men then left the pirate, which was called La Trompeuse. The pirate then made for St. Thomas, where she took a sloop from Jamaica, one of the crew whereof joined her, and in St. Thomas Harbour found two Guinea ships and a French man-of-war. The Frenchman weighed and sailed out in company with the two Guinea ships. The pirate followed, and coming up with one of them opened fire. The man-of-war hailed and asked how she dared fire at ships flying French colours? The pirate answered that he was a robber; but after exchanging a few hard words they saluted each other and so parted. The pirate then went back to St. Thomas and asked if the Governor would permit him peaceably to come into the port at his voyage's end. The Governor replied that he might freely come in and sent refreshments to the pirate, who, in return, sent him silks and satins and arranged with him a private signal. Soon after, the pirate saw a ketch coming in and captured her. She proved to be from Nevis, coming to cut wood, and had little on board; but the captain was tortured to find out what he had, and all that he had was taken. Then, having taken in wood and water and tallowed the ship, the pirates stood across for the coast of Guinea with a pilot picked up at St. Thomas. At the beginning of May they made Sierra Leone, and followed down the coast, generally anchoring at night, for they understood the coast to be full of ships. Their first prize was a Dutch interloper, from which they took all that they wanted and turned her into a fire-ship. They sold the goods to negroes for 2 lb. weight of gold. Next day we saw a large ship at anchor. The pirate as usual flew the King's Jack and pendant like an English man-of-war. The ship as she came near struck her colours and saluted; the pirate returned the salute and then anchoring before her forefoot poured in a volley and a broadside. She cut her cable, but could not escape, and was captured. She was a Flushinger, an interloper of twenty guns, with seventy pounds of gold on board and abundance of liquor. Everything was taken, and the prize turned into a pirate consort. Cruising on in company they came upon the interloper Sevenoaks, which, seeing them plying to and fro, thought they needed something and came to their relief. The La Trompeuse ordered the master to come on board, and on his refusal sent on board to fetch him, tortured him exceedingly, took all that he had, which was not much, and sunk the ship. Next day they took another interloper with some small quantity of gold, took everything out of her, put all the prisoners on board, and bade them begone to leeward. Next day passed Cape Coast Castle, saw first a pink and towards night two ships at anchor. Took them all three with little difficulty on the morrow; they tortured the men and got about twenty pounds weight of gold. Stood on for Accra, but overshot it, and went on towards Wheda. Captured three boats full of trading goods; took all the goods and men and sunk the boats. At Little Poapaw found an interloper at anchor; took her without
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resistance, and plundered her. Went on to Wheda, where found three of the African Company's ships. Drew near one, disguised as an English man-of-war, and poured in a broadside. The ship cut her cable and tried to sail out, whereupon the pirates boarded her, cutting down men right and left, captured her, and sent the men on board the pirate, where they tied the men up so tightly for the night that they were in torture. They found one chest of gold of fifty pounds weight, and, hearing of another, shot the gunner dead and flogged the rest of the men to make them confess where it was. They then sent on board another of the ships, which had been abandoned, and took 150 pounds weight of gold. The third ship cut her cable, and running ashore was wrecked, but the men saved the gold and took it ashore. The pirates then refitted and went off the coast to Cape Lopus, and in a few days came up with a large ship of the Dutch West India Company, mounting twenty guns. She surrendered without resistance, but had little on board but slaves. The pirates did not torture the Dutch, favouring them more than the English. Off Cape St. John's the pirates landed and divided the gold taken on the voyage, where, owing to quarrels, the company divided, and some went for the West Indies in La Trompeuse, and the rest in the other ship made for Cape Lopus. Before they parted they captured an interloper and a ship of the Royal African Company, and took what gold they had. La Trompeuse then sailed to Dominica, where forty men left her, and she kept but sixteen white men and twenty-two negroes on board. The blacks rose against the whites, but were beaten back with loss of three killed; and on 27th July the ship came to St. Thomas and made the private signal, and was admitted. They took their treasure ashore and were very kindly received by the Governor. H.M.S. Francis came in two days later, and was fired at both by the pirate and the forts. Hearing what ship the pirate was he set her on fire, and she blew up. Sworn before Edwyn Stede, 18 October 1683
