PRIVATEERS AND PIRATES 169

goods were sold cheaply and no questions were
asked. One ship sailing from New York laden
with Jamaica rum, Madeira wine, and gunpowder
returned with a cargo of slaves and East India
goods, and the voyage was reported to have cleared
a net profit of thirty thousand pounds.

The scandal of "adventuring" continued to
grow, and in 1695 Peter De la Noy wrote thus
to the home government:

We have a parcell of pirates in these parts which
(people) call the Red Sea men, who often get great booty
of Arabian Gold. His Excellency gives all due en-
couragement to these men, because they make all due
acknowledgements to him; one Coats, a captain of this
honorable order presented his Excellency with his ship,
which his Excellency sold for eight hundred pounds and
every one of the crew made him a suitable present of
Arabian Gold for his protection; one Captain Twoo
who is gone to the Red Sea upon the same errand was
before his departure highly caressed by His Excellency
in his coach and six horses, and presented with a gold
watch to engage him to make New York his port at his
return. Twoo retaliated the kindnesse with a present
of Jewells; but I can't learn how much further the bar-
gain proceeded; time must shew that. . . . After this
all you will perhaps wonder when I tell you that this
man's bell rings twice a day for prayers and that he
appears with a great affectation of piety; but this is
true, and it is as true that it makes him only more ridicu-
lous, not more respected.