Lord Balcarres in his answer says, he will transmit the precious gift to his posterity, as an everlasting mark of the reverence, attachment, and gratitude which he bears to the island of Jamaica. Major-General Walpole was dissatisfied with the resolution of the legislature to transport the Maroons from the country, and refused the sword they voted him for his services in subduing them. In June his Majesty's ship Dover, with two transports, having on board about 600 Maroons, sailed for Halifax; they were provided with necessaries for the voyage and for the change of climate, and arrived at Halifax in July. Upon the 25th of November an express boat arrived at St. Kitt's, with the information that the French, in two ships of war and several small vessels with about 400 men, had attacked the island of Anguilla. Captain R. Barton, in his Majesty's ship Lapwing, immediately proceeded to the relief of the island. The wind being from the northward prevented his getting there in time to save the town from being burnt; but after an action of two hours, he relieved the island, by taking the ship and sinking the brig. The ship was Le Decius of twenty-four six pounders, two twelve pound carronades, and two brass field pieces, with 133 men of her own complement, and 203 troops, commanded by Citoyen Andre Senis; and the brig La Vaillante, mounting four twenty-four pounders, with forty-five men and ninety troops, commanded by Citoyen Laboutique: they were picked troops, sent by Victor Hughes for the sole purpose of destroying the island. They landed on the 26th, and committed acts of great cruelty. It is said Victor Hughes' instructions to the officers were to exterminate the inhabitants. "The French burnt the little town, pulled down the church, stabbed men in their houses, and stripped women of their clothes."1 Edwards, vol. i. pp. 571. 576. Captain Barton's Official Letter, p. 21. Annual Register, 1797, p. 13. Admiral H. Harvey's Official Letter. Six Months in the West Indies in 1825. "To Robert Barton, Esq., Commander of his Majesty's ship Lapwing, the Address of the Inhabitants of St. Christopher's, on his recent success against the Land and Sea Forces destined for the reduction of Anguilla, presented by a Deputation from the Island at large. "Deputations from a whole community are not common, because it rarely happens that actions so brilliant as to excite general admiration are performed; but your success, Sir, is of a nature so glorious to yourself, so honourable to the service in which you are engaged, so fortunate and critical for the inhabitants of Anguilla, that a sister colony would be insensible not to "It is not, however, by our acknowledgments or emotions that your deserts can be expressed, they are proclaimed by the tongues and engraven on the hearts of the people you have saved; whom a merciless enemy doomed to destruction, and whom you rescued from the horrors with which they were menaced. "These devoted people hail you as their deliverer, bless you for the security and happiness to which they are restored; and while they recite your actions, will perpetuate your name in the traditions of their country, and the memories of their children. Nor do the testimonies of your honour cease here; even your enemies bear witness to the value of your exertions, and On the appearance of the Lapwing they reimbarked the troops in the night of the 26th, and the following morning early the Lapwing brought them to action: the Decius had eighty men killed and forty wounded. The brig ran on shore on St. Martin's. The next day the Lapwing was chased by two large French frigates. Early in the year General Nicholls received reinforcements at Grenada, and commenced active operations. In the beginning of March he attacked the French at Port Royal, and was beat back with considerable loss; the second attempt succeeded: he carried their works by storm, and only six prisoners were taken. After this signal defeat and dreadful loss, the insurgents submitted. Upon the 10th of June, the French in Grenada, under their commandant Jossy, surrendered all their posts, by capitulation, to the British under Major-General Nicholls. On the 19th the British were in full possession of every established post which the enemy had. Fedon, with a few of his associates, escaped into the woods. Several of the French inhabitants had joined the insurgents, and now surrendered themselves to General Nicholls, who sent them to the Lieutenant-Governor Houstoun, to be tried by the civil power. Upon the 20th of June, fifty persons were put to the bar in the course of the day; all of them were found to be the persons named in the bill of attainder, the whole of whom were ordered to be executed, at eight A.M. the following day, as traitors. On the 1st of July, fourteen of the most criminal were executed upon the parade at St. George's; the rest were respited by the Lieutenant-Governor Houstoun. A canoe was found at some distance from the island, which had been overset; a compass nailed to her bottom was known to have been one which Fedon had, it was therefore supposed, that, in attempting to escape, he had been drowned. June the 1st, William Campbell, Esq. was appointed governor of the Bermuda islands. September the 30th, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Green was appointed governor of Grenada. The Methodists in Grenada assert the especial favour of Provi Annual Register, 1796, pp. 78. 258.-1797, p. 14. General Graham's Letter. it whenever they mention their losses and disappointments, the destruction of their shipping, and the slaughter of their men. They tell it too, not indeed so loudly, but much more emphatically, whenever they mention your humanity and goodness, your care of the wounded, your anxiety for their your endeavours and success in rescuing dence towards their society. In February the Reverend Mr. Dent says, "I cannot help mentioning a singular instance of the goodness of Divine Providence to our poor little flock in Grenada. They have all been eminently loyal from the commencement of our troubles; and though the men have been as much exposed as any other soldiers, and have undergone as much fatigue, yet I know not of one that has been killed or wounded, or that has died of disease, either of the men or women. We are assured, that when the righteous are removed by death, they are taken away from the evil to come. But to be spared, when inhabitants are so much wanted, is a very great mercy and kindness to the living." Upon the 10th of November the mob at Nevis attacked the Methodist chapel, threw a large squib into it, and set it on fire. The fire was speedily extinguished; but the congregation, assailed with swords and bludgeons, were obliged to disperse, and some of the coloured people "were obliged to flee from the island to preserve their lives." This outrage was committed, from the general belief that the Methodists "were connected with Mr. Wilberforce in England, to support his application to parliament to abolish the slave trade." The missionary applied to the magistrates for assistance, and was effectually relieved. The number of Methodists in society in Barbadoes did not exceed fifty. He In October the Methodists in Dominica had "nearly eighty in class." In the same month the missionary was ordered to appear in the field on the ensuing Sunday, to learn the use of arms. presented a petition to the president, praying to be exempted from military service, in order that he might attend to his ministerial duties. The president, after he had heard the petition, told him, that he had been informed he was a very suspicious character, who disseminated pernicious doctrines among the slaves; and instead of being exempted from military duty, he would compel him to quit the island, and gave him an order accordingly, with which order he was obliged to comply, to avoid imprisonment. In May, the numbers of Methodists in society in the British Virgin Islands were as follows:- In Tortola, 2624; in Peter's Island, 49; in Jost Vandykes, 76; in Spanish Town, 299; in Anegada, 82: "amounting in the whole to more than 3000 souls." In Spanish Town they began to build a chapel, for which purpose the inhabitants subscribed £300. Upon the 18th of October, Captain Evans, in his Majesty's sloop Fury, between the islands of St. Thomas and Santa Cruz, captured L'Elize, French national schooner, carrying ten guns and fifty-six men, from Cape François bound to St. Thomas. Coke's West Indies, vol. ii. pp. 81. 154. 356.; vol. iii. pp. 21. 119. Although the British parliament voted, in 1792, that the slave trade should cease upon the 1st of January this year, yet when Mr. Wilberforce, on the 18th of February, moved that the slave trade be abolished, the motion was lost by a majority of four. Though the legislature of the Bahamas had laid a tax of £90 currency on manumissions, in 1784, the odious innovation was so unpopular, the assembly report, that it was never carried into execution, and that it was repealed this year; since which period no tax or other restraint upon enfranchisement has been imposed in that colony. The English officers in garrison at Demerara, in April, erected a few houses at the mouth of the river, and named the village Kingstown; the garrison hospital was in a village, which increased afterwards in size and consequence. From a return made to the House of Commons, May 6th, 1806, it appears that Great Britain imported from the British West Indies, 102,227 cwt. of coffee, and 131,200 hhds. of sugar, (of which 33,870 cwt. of coffee, and 83,400 hhds. of sugar, came from Jamaica,) and exported 1,816,584 cwt. of sugar, 5,567,754 gallons of rum, 94,086 cwt. of coffee, and 8,854,413 lbs. of cotton. The Otaheite sugar-cane was sent from Trinidad to the plantations of Terra Firma. This cane is "at least double the size of the Creole cane, is much higher, and consequently contains much more juice." In May, 7000 men, under the command of Brigadier-General Howe, arrived at Cape St. Nicholas Mole, to reinforce the British troops in St. Domingo. Admiral Parker and General Forbes proceeded to Leogane, to attempt the recapture of that place. Admiral Parker cannonaded a fort at the entrance of the creek, and General Forbes determined to attempt the place without any regular approaches, protected by a few light guns. A part of the ditch was filled up, over which the Annual Register, 1796, p. 181. Stephen on West Indian Slavery, p. 417. Depon's South America, vol. i. p. 444. pp. 16. 29. 30. 32, 33. Bolinbroke's Demerary, p. 81. 1 Rear Admiral Sir W. Parker's Squadron, in the unsuccessful attack on the town of Leogane. The Leviathan had 5 killed and 12 wounded; the Africa, 1 killed and 7 wounded. 1 1 troops marched to the assault; but the fire from an adjacent tower compelled the assailants to abandon both the ditch and their cannon. After this failure the attempt was abandoned. At Bombarde the British were more successful; but the place was found to be untenable, and abandoned. Rigaud was also compelled by Major-General Bowyer to retire from Trois, and abandon his attempt upon that place, with the loss of 100 men. December the 3d, Major-General John Graves Simcoe was appointed governor of such parts of St. Domingo as were in the British possession. The Upon the 5th of October, the King of Spain declared war against the King of England, his kingdom and vassals. reasons assigned for so doing are, that Admiral Hood ruined at Toulon all he could not carry away; that he afterwards attacked the island of Corsica, without communicating his intention of so doing to Don Juan de Langara, who was with him at Toulon; that the English minister, on the 19th of November, 1794, concluded a treaty with the United States of America, without any regard to the Spanish rights; that the cargo of the Spanish ship El Santiago, or L'Achille, which was taken from the French, ought to have been restored to Spain; that some ammunition for the Spanish squadrons was stopped on board some Dutch ships; and that some English ships had landed upon the coasts of Chili and Peru, to carry on a contraband trade, and reconnoitre the shore, under the pretence of fishing for whales: also, because England had sent an army to St. Domingo; and because her merchants had formed establishments upon the banks of the Missouri; and finally, because she had conquered Demerara from the Dutch, which situation puts her in a condition to get possession of posts still more important: that the King of Spain could not doubt the hostile intentions of England, when he considered that her frigates in the Mediterranean had carried away some soldiers, coming from Genoa to Barcelona on board Spanish ships; and that the Corsican corsairs were protected by the English government in that island; and because an embargo was laid upon the Spanish ship Minerva. The arrest of Don Simon de las Casas, the ambassador at London, was called another outrage. The English ships Camelion and Kangaroo were said to have violated the coasts of Galicia and Alicant. And lastly, it says, "moreover, Captain-General Vaughan, commodore of the Alarm, behaved in a manner equally insolent and scandalous in the island of Trinidad, where he landed, with drums beating and flags flying, to attack the French, and to avenge the injuries which he pretended to have received." "Dated at the palace of St. Lorenzo, October the 5th, 1796." On Saturday the 8th of October, war was proclaimed at Madrid in the usual form. |