Woodes Rogers who had not yet accepted it, and started to rebuild the island's fortifications, which had fallen into decrepitude under pirate domination. Less than a month into his residence on New Providence, Rogers was faced with a double threat: Vane wrote, threatening to join with Edward Teach (better known as Blackbeard) to retake the island, and Rogers learned that the Spanish also planned to drive the British out of the Bahamas. Rogers' expedition suffered further setbacks. An unidentified disease killed almost a hundred of his expedition members, while leaving the long-term residents nearly untouched. Two of the three navy vessels, having
Robert Lane (pirate) Robert Lane (pirate) Robert Lane (died 1719) was a pirate active in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. He is best known for sailing with Edward England. Edward England had taken the ship "Pearl" (renamed "Royal James") in late 1718, pirating between the Azores and Cape Verde. In spring 1719 he took a number of ships near Gambia. Several he burned or looted and let go, but he kept two. One of them was the 4-gun, 18-man "Mercury", commanded by Captain Maggot out of London, which he captured on May 29. A few of the "Mercury’s" crew joined