CO129-543-4 Piracy- Case of Rex v. Chung Tam Kwong and others 10-2-1933 - 2-3-1934 — Page 18

18

Seventeenth Century published in 1931.

At pages

69 and 70 mention is made of the trial of Thomas

Smith in 1637 before the Assembly of Maryland.

Smith was one of the crew of a pinnace which had

come into conflict with two of Cornwallis's ships

off Kent Island. The pinnace had been beaten off

with the loss of three killed and one taken.

Smith was charged with piracy, found guilty and

executed, although nothing more than an attempt

to rob appears to have been committed. Miss

Crump's statement is not very authoritative, but

she appears to have got it from the "Archives

of Maryland Proceedings of the General Assembly

1637 to 1664". At the end of the book where

Miss Crump deals with Bibliography, she mentions

"Archives of Maryland" edited by W. H. Browne and

B.C. Steiner. Baltimore 1883-1922.

The "Archives of Maryland" comprising

21 volumes are in the Library of the Royal Colonial

Institute and I have had copied from Volume 1 the

material extracts relating to the trial of Thomas

Smith a copy of which I enclose for your information.

I am also sending a copy to Wilfrid Lewis.

CLC/PK.

H.G. Bushe, Esq.,

C.B., C.M.G., Colonial Office,

S.W.1.

Yours sincerely,

этаной