V. (Bryan Edwards, History of the war in the W. I., t. IV, ch. vпI, p. 84 et seq.) Not so fortunate was the next expedition which was undertaken by the British. Turning their views from the South American extremity to the center of that immense chain of islands which encircles the Charibean Sea and the Gulph of Mexico, they singled out the colony of Puerto Rico, as the second object of attack.... The first blow of the invading force was designed to be struck against the city of San Juan, the capital, the fall of which, it was hoped, would ensure the submission of the colony. The city of San Juan is strongly situated, and its fortifications, which were constructed in 1765 by the Count O'Reilly, render it nearly if not quite equal in artificial strengle to the Havannah or Carthagena..... Against a town thus fortified and garrisoned, the armament which was dispatch must undoubtedly be considered as inadequate. The troops consisted of only three thousand men, and a body of black pioneers. It has been insinuated that the British commander expected to find auxiliaries within the place, and the smallness of his army gives probability to this idea; yet, even then, it was impolitic to undertake the enterprise with such scanty numbers as were not only incompetent to over power resistance, but also insufficient to inspire with confidence the secret friends of the invader. ́ VI. (E.-L. Joseph, History of Trinidad, part. II, ch. x1, p. 200 et seq.) The written defense of Don Chacon, by General Cagigal, which, together with all the proceeding of the court, are now before me, is a beautiful composition; seldom have I seen a more able defense. I shall, however, make no transcript from it at present, because it implicates certain persons who are still alive in this colony, and others whose families are most respectable colonists of Trinidad. Don Apodaca's defense, by his brother, is lessable. He merely reets his case on the advice to burn his ships, given him by his five captains, at the council of war while at anchor off Gaspar islet. He a little exaggerates the force of the English, and makes it appear that he had but 1,000 men well enough to work the guns of four line-of-battle ships and the frigate. He, however, kept out of view the battery of 20 pieces of cannan and three mortars on Gaspar islet, which would have added considerably to his defense. This fort he certainly, with a little foresight, might have rendered stronger. He states troly, that escape out of the gulph was morally impossible: he could not have got either up the Oronoque or out of the Dragon or Serpent's mouth, without a battle with a more numerous, and beyond comparison better manned British squadron; hence he concludes, it was better to burn his ships than to allow them to fall into the hands of the British. NOTES DU CHAPITRE XIV. I. (E.-L. Joseph, History of Trinidad, part. II, ch. VIII, p. 165 ) In this part of the world there are, besides Spaniards, French, English, Dutch, and a few Danes and Swedes Portuguese are too distant to come as colonists to Trinidad. In the English islands, a few Frish and English Roman Catholics might be found likely to take advantage of the cedula, as well as many discontented French located in Grenada, but very few in the Dutch, Swedish, and Danish colonies; hence the tide of emigration would naturally set in from the wornout French islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe from the insalubrious hills and valleys of St Lucia, and the pestiferous plains of Cayenne; this it did so rapidly that, I repeat, in 1784, Trinidad was a French colony in all but name. This is easily proved: at the present day, 1838, creole French is more the language of the people here than either English or Spanish, although it has been a British possession more than 40 years. II. LISTE des colons français titres établis dans l'île antérieurement à la capitulation. Voir le Libro Becerro de poblacion, Registre de population, tenu sous le gouvernement de Chacon en vertu de la cédule royale de colonisation, et les Parliamentary Papers, Report on titles to lands in Trinidad, ou Documents parlementaires, Rapport sur les titres des terres à la Trinidad, imprimés par ordre de la Chambre des communes, le 18 février 1823. 1. Comte Louis-Nicolas de Percin la Roque, chevalier de Saint-Louis, ex-gouverneur de l'île de Saint-Vincent. 2. Comte Benjamin de Castelet, chevalier de Saint-Louis, ex-lieutenant-colonel de S. M. B. 3. Comte Philippe-Vincent de Saint-Pern. 4. Vicomte Jean Martin de Fouquet, chevalier de SaintLazare. 5. Vicomte Louis-Sylvestre de Nesmond. 6. Vicomte Jean de Crény. 7. Chevalier Pierre de Crény. 8. Chevalier Gabriel de Crény. 9. Chevalier Philippe-Rose Roume de Saint-Laurent. 10. Chevalier François Roume de Saint-Laurent. 11. Chevalier de Gannes de la Chancellerie. 12. Chevalier Antoine de Jacques de la Bastide. 13. Chevalier de la Sauvagère, ex-gouverneur français de Tabago. 14. Chevalier François-Régis de Rampont-Sommercour. 15. Baron Joseph-Paul-Augustin de Cambefort. 16. Baron Thomas de Paussadet. 17. Antoine Lafaye de Beaubrun, écuyer. 18. Christophe Le Gendre, écuyer, seigneur de la Bretesque. 19. Michel du Pont du Vivier de Gourville, chevalier de Saint-Louis, ex-lieutenant de vaisseau. 20. Pierre du Pont du Vivier de Gourville. 21. Louis-Charles-François Malleveault de la Varenne, 22. Guillaume Faure de Chabrac. 23. Pierre-Guy Gallet de Saint-Aurin. 24. Louis Hodebourg de Brosse. 25. Nicolas Hodebourg de Brosse. 26. Alexandre-François-Jacques-Guy-Abdon de Failly. 27. Antoine Charbonné de Bompart. 28. Nicolas de Saint-Pré. 29. Jean-Baptiste de la Gaudière. 30. Jean de Poulaine. 31. Jean-Baptiste d'Albuquerque. 34. Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Didier. 38. Jean de la Forest. 39. Joseph de la Forest. 40. Jean d'Anneville. 41. Thomas de Thomaseau. 42. Jacques Prioteau de Coudrée. 43. Joseph de Guillaume de Rochebrune. 44. Charles du Bochet. 45. Jean de Saint-Martin. 46. Charles de Lanoz. 47. Nicolas-Pierre-Louis-Charles le Mercier de Beauvoisin. 48. Pierre Carcenas de la Beissière. 49. Jean-Baptiste de la Grange-Platellet de la Tuilerie. 50. Charles-César de la Barquerie. 51. Jean-André-Martin de la Dence. 52. Élie-François Rabocon des Combes. 53. Joseph-François des Rieux. 54. Antoine Rigault de Rozée. 55. Philippe de la Hante-Belisle. |