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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;randygeki, post: 682186, member: 13719&quot;]one more</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i>&quot;Bartholomew Sharpe </i></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Between the piratical times of Henry Morgan and Captain Kidd sailed a buccaneer/pirate named Bartholomew Sharpe. </i></p><p><i>Captain Sharpe could have made history as possibly the only man to have lived in the company of the two notorious pirate captains. Back in 1671, Sharpe was a young buccaneer in Morgans raiding party, when they walked across the Isthmus of Darien (Isthmus of Panama) and attacked the old city of Panama. And almost three decades later in 1699 when the British Royal Navy visited St. Thomas looking to capture Captain Kidd. The Danish governor answered the inquiries: &quot;That there were not any subjects of England on the Island, Captain Sharp, the noted pirate, only excepted who was confined for misdemeanours, and having some Alliegence to the King of Denmark, could not justifiably be delivered up.&quot; </i></p><p><i>Sharpe did make history though and escape the hangmans noose due to his discovery of a special treasure aboard the Spanish vessel Rosario on July 29, 1681. </i></p><p><i>This particular adventure began in the beginning of the year 1680 when a fleet of five pirate vessels and 331 buccaneers sailed from Port Royal, Jamaica under the general command of Captain Peter Harris. Their goal was to repeat Henry Morgans amazing success in 1668 and attack the city of Porto Bello. Flushed with victory and pockets full of pieces of eight, the buccaneers then crossed the Isthmus of Darien, embarked in Indian canoes, and after a fierce battle, captured five Spanish ships off the coast of Panama. The largest of the ships was the 400-ton La Santissima Trinidad (Blessed Trinity) which coincidently, was the same ship that had fought and escaped with Panamanian treasure ten years earlier when Morgan attacked the town. </i></p><p><i>The buccaneers suffered only eighteen casualties, including Captain Harris who was shot in both legs while boarding the Trinity. Captain Richard Sawkins was elected to command the flagship Trinity, and now instead of emulating Morgan and attacking the fortified city itself, the pirate flotilla voted on imitating the success of an even earlier English pirate, Sir Francis Drake, and attack Spanish shipping and towns along the South Sea (Pacific Ocean). </i></p><p><i>The ships got separated in the Spanish Lake and Sharpes first encounter was with the Spanish ship San Pedro on route from Peru to pay the garrison of Panama. After relieving her of 57,000 pieces of eight, 2000 jars of wine and brandy, and 50 jars of gunpowder, Sharpe allowed the ship to go on her way. Catching up with the Trinity at anchor off Coiba, Sawkins directed a joint land assault of Puebla Nueva (Remedios). But the Spanish were forewarned, repulsed the pirates, killing Sawkins and two others. </i></p><p><i>Of the five pirate captains who had marched their crews across the isthmus Peter Harris and Richard Sawkins had been killed, John Coxon opted to return to the Caribbean with seventy men after the decision to abort the assault of Panama, Bartholomew Sharpe was now commander over the Trinity and Edmund Cook his captain of the Mayflower. Eventually the slower Mayflowers 40-man crew, ordinance, and provisions were transferred to Sharpes Trinity and the disabled ship was sunk. </i></p><p><i>Dozens of prizes and towns were plundered, but one of the most important incidents during the entire 18-month journey occurred when Sharpe gave chase and captured the El Santo Rosario bound for Panama from Callao. In addition to silver plate, pieces of eight, jars of wine, oil, and fruit, the pirates prevented a Spanish crewman from throwing overboard according to the buccaneer/writer Basil Ringrose: a great Book full of Sea-Charts and Maps, containing a very accurate and exact description of all the Ports, Soundings, Creeks, Rivers, Capes, and Coasts belonging to the South Sea, and all the Navigations usually performed by the Spaniards in that Ocean. The priceless atlas of Spanish sailing secrets illustrating the coastline from California to Cape Horn - known as a derrotero - would eventually be exchanged for Sharpes life. </i></p><p><i>Sharpe planned to return to England via the Straits of Magellan but a severe storm pushed the Trinity too far south causing Sharpe to weather Cape Horn making him the first Englishman to travel eastward around the Cape. (Not even Sir Francis Drake had been so far south.) </i></p><p><i>Upon his return to his homeland, Sharpe and two of his crew, John Cox and William Williams, were indicted on charges of piracy and murder in the High Court of the Admiralty on June 10, 1681. The looting of the Rosario had been in flagrant defiance of the Treaty of Madrid (July 1670) by which England was permitted to retain possession of Jamaica, in exchange for guaranteeing Spains trading monopoly in America. But in spite of the charges - including Sharpe murdering Captain John Lopez of the Rosario the jury declined to hear the testimonies of several West Indian boys and consequently the defendants were acquitted. In an age when the death penalty was common for lesser crimes, Sharpe was set free with a fine of eight shillings and four pence. </i></p><p><i>Prior to the trial, Sharpe privately presented a journal of his voyage, along with a copy of the derrotero, to King Charles II to secure his acquittal. It appears the king of England was prepared to risk a diplomatic catastrophe with Spain in exchange for learning her secrets to the South Sea. </i><i>Sharpe was offered a Royal commission to command the Royal Navys sloop Bonetta. But instead, he set out as a brethren of the coast and boarded a French vessel near the South Downs and returned to the Caribbean to do what he did best to a ripe old age. &quot;</i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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