guide, but the Indians were unwilling; one of them died under the torture, the other confessed that he knew the road to Panama, and undertook to lead the army.

Morgan then sent Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bradley, with four ships and a bark, with 400 men, to take the Fort St. Laurence de Chagre. As soon as they arrived within sight of the castle of Chagre, the Spaniards began firing. At night the English anchored in a small port, about a league from the castle, which stood on the top of a high rock, on the east side of the river: the palisades which surrounded it were filled with earth, and of great thickness. The only entrance was by a draw-bridge over a ditch thirty feet deep, which divided the hill into two parts: there were four bastions towards the land side, and two towards the sea. The steepness of the hill to the south rendered it wholly inaccessible on that side the river was on the north side. At the foot of the hill was a strong fort of eight guns, and a little further, two batteries of six guns. There were two great storehouses at one end of the castle, and near them a steep range of steps hewn out of the rock, reaching to the entrance of the castle.

Early in the morning of the 27th of December, they landed, and with great difficulty marched through the woods. By two P.M. they were within shot of the castle, and, being without shelter, lost several men: they attempted to storm the works, but were repulsed with loss. In the night they attacked them again: one of the men was shot in the back with an arrow, which he drew out at his breast, and wrapping some cotton round it, shot it back into the fort. The cotton kindled in the discharge, and the arrow falling upon a house thatched with palm-leaves, set them on fire: the conflagration spread to some gunpowder, which exploded. The English now, taking advantage of the confusion, set fire to the palisades in several places at once: as these consumed, the earth fell into the ditch. At daylight the breach was observed to be practicable, though planted with artillery. At noon the assailants were masters of the breach, and entered the castle; upon which many of the Spaniards threw themselves from the top of the hill into the sea. The governor retreated to the Corps du Garde, and continued to defend himself until he was shot through the head: the rest surrendered, to the number of thirty, all that remained out of 314, and not ten of them unwounded!

The English had above 100 killed and seventy wounded, "whereof the brave Bradley was one, with two lieutenants, who died in ten days after."1

Gent. Mag., September, 1740, p. 457.

1 This anonymous account, in the Gentleman's Magazine, is adopted in preference to Esquemeling's: it is more circumstantial, and bears strong internal

It is to be

evidence of being authentic.
regretted that the publisher did not give
bis authorities.

1671.

Upon the 2d of January, Admiral Henry Morgan arrived with the whole fleet, off the river Chagre-four of whom were wrecked in the river, as was his own vessel, in which he led them: the crews were saved. From hence, on the 9th, 1400 men, in seven vessels, with thirty-six boats and canoes, set off up the river, on their way to the attack of Panama — leaving 300 men, under the command of Captain Richard Norman, to guard the castle and ships. His further proceedings in this memorable and successful expedition, do not belong to this work.

Upon the 26th of February, they returned to Chagre, where the plunder was divided: it amounted to about 30,000 sterling. Upon the 6th of March, after having destroyed the castle, they sailed for Jamaica.

man.

Most of his followers murmured at the distribution he made of the plunder, which amounted to only 200 pieces of eight per But there was another reason why some of them disliked him. Before their return to Chagre, Morgan took an opportunity of mustering all his forces, and making each man swear, that he had not concealed any part of the plunder. Knowing that this would not have the desired effect upon all of them, he insisted upon every company appointing one man, to search all the rest as an example, suffering himself to be searched first: many of the French objected to this, but they were outnumbered, and forced to submit. These men afterwards accused Morgan of keeping the best jewels for himself; and his secretly setting sail with four other vessels, and leaving them to their fate, gave some probability to the accusation. Morgan returned to Jamaica.

On the 1st of December, Sir Thomas Lynch, the governor of Jamaica, issued writs for calling an assembly, to consist of two persons for each parish. They passed a body of laws, which were transmitted to England, but were not confirmed.

Sir Thomas Lynch, the governor of Jamaica, gave King Charles the Second the following reasons for his encouraging the logwood cutters :--

1. That the English had then used this right for divers years. 2. That the logwood was cut in desolate and uninhabited places.

3. That it was a right confirmed by treaty with the Spaniards.

Gent. Mag., August, 1740, p. 386.
Edwards, vol. iii. p. 295.

Esquemeling's Hist. Buccaneers, chap. xx.
Harris's Voyages, vol. ii. p. 268,

4. That thereby we excluded the French and Dutch from that trade.

5. That the Spaniards had not then made any complaint of it. 6. That this employment made the reducing our privateers, who used to commit hostilities against the Spaniards, more easy.

Lastly, That this trade employed 100 sail of ships annually, and increased his Majesty's customs, and the trade of the nation, more than any of his American colonies.

M. de Gabaret, with his squadron, arrived at Tortuga the 7th of February. D'Ogeron, thus assisted, made all the inhabitants take the oath of allegiance, and went with the commodore to the Cul de Sac: they anchored in Leogane Roads the 14th, and summoned the rebels to lay down their arms, who refused, saying they were loyal subjects to their King, but would not be dependants upon the Company, or have M. d'Ogeron as governor.

M. de Gabaret landed, and was received by about 600 men under arms, with whom he succeeded no better than his messenger, and the surf prevented his landing troops. The 16th, the squadron proceeded to Petit Goave, where the inhabitants were also under arms, and gave the messenger for answer, that they should do as the inhabitants of Leogane had done: and to the reply of the messenger that M. Gabaret would commence hostilities, they answered, they were ready. Dauphine, their leader, said he had 600 men upon whom he could rely, and more would come to him from Leogane.

Upon the 18th, the town was attacked, and several houses burnt, but the troops embarked again at night. The squadron proceeded to Nippes and Rochelois; but, meeting with the same reception, M. de Gabaret returned to Tortuga. At Port de Paix and Port François the inhabitants made no resistance, but took the oath of fidelity as was required.

M. de Gabaret proceeded to France-proposing to bring the other districts to submission by blockading their ports and destroying their commerce.

D'Ogeron, with Renou, returned to the Cul de Sac. The inhabitants, expecting their trade to be destroyed by ships of war, were disposed to submit, upon condition of forgiveness for the past, and permission being given for any vessels from France to trade with them; and for this liberty they consented such vessels should pay the Company five per cent. for entry and for clearance. By the end of April, tranquillity was restored. D'Ogeron, however, contrived, in the night, to seize Limousin, the most active rebel, whom he hung without any molestation, and then returned to Tortuga.

Charlevoix, tom. iii. pp. 121, 122, 123, 124. 126.

The island of St. Thomas was colonized by the Danes. Before this it had been the refuge of some English vagabonds, who had begun to clear the ground.

1672.

Extracts from the "Declaration de Guerre de Charles le Second, Roy d'Angleterre, contre les Provinces-Unies. Fait au mois de Mars, 1672:

"Aux Indes Occidentales ils ont passé plus avant; Car, par un article du même Traité (of Breda), nous estions obligés de leur restituer Surinam; et par d'autres articles de la même paix, ils estoient obligés de permettre à nos sujets de cette colonie de se transporter avec leurs effets en quelques autres de nos peuplades. En vertu de ce Traité, nous leurs livrames ce lieu là, et nonobstant ils y retindrent tous nos sujets et arresterent prisonnier notre Major Banister, parce qu'il demandoit permission de les faire passer ailleurs, conformement au Traité.

"Nostre ambassadeur se plaignant de cette injustice reçut enfin, apres deux ans de sollicitation, un ordre pour l'execution de ces articles; mais y ayant envoyé des commissaires et deux vaisseaux pour le transport de nos sujets, les Hollandois, selon ce qu'ils avoient auparavant pratique pendant plus de quarante ans en l'affaire de Pouleron, y envoyerent, en secret, un ordre contraire à celui qu'ils nous avoient donné publiquement; de sorte que le voyage de nos commissaires en ce lieu là ne servit qu'a en transporter quelques uns des plus pauvres de nos sujets, et a en raporter les prières ardentes que faisoient les plus riches et les plus considerables pour sortir de cette servitude: Apres quoi nous en fimes nos plaintes au mois d'Août dernier, par les lettres que nous en ecrivimes aux Etats Generaux par lesquelles nous demandions qu'on envoyast ordre à leurs governeurs en ce pais là pour l'observation de ces articles; mais jusques ici, nous n'avons pu en recevoir un seul mot de response ni de satisfaction."

The Dutch, in their answer to this declaration, say "As to the English planters in Surinam, they themselves were not willing to forsake their effects and subsistence, and therefore staid there behind upon their own choice."

By Stat. 25 Car. II. c. 7. " If any ship or vessel shall come to any of his Majesty's plantations to ship any sugars, tobacco, &c., and bond shall not be first given to bring the same to England, there shall be answered to the King several duties before lading

Reynal, tom. iv. p. 273.
Edwards, vol. iii. C. 4. B. 1.

Du Mont, tom. vii. partie 1. p. 162.
Jacob's Law Dict. Plantations.

thereof, and under such penalties as for nonpayment or defrauding the King of his customs in England."

Upon the 6th of April, Louis the Fourteenth, King of France, declared war against the Dutch.

"Dr. Blome writes that horned cattle were so numerous (in Jamaica), that although there had been every year so many killed, yet their number seemed not much to be lessened." There were also great numbers of wild hogs.

King Charles, by a new commission, appointed Lord Willoughby governor of Barbadoes, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Dominica; and Sir William Stapleton, governor of the other leeward islands: and this separation has always subsisted since.

Mr. Chillingworth arrived at Providence as governor, the first which government had sent out to that island. The inhabitants were the outcasts of society, and so ungovernable, that in attempting to reclaim them, Mr. Chillingworth was in a tumultuous manner shipped off and sent to Jamaica.

The African Company having surrendered their Charter to the crown, a fourth Company was incorporated, with the title of Royal African Company: their capital, £111,000, was raised by subscription in nine months. The King and Duke of York were among the subscribers.

Men able to bear Arms. Negroes.

Fort James, in the island of Jamaica, was built.

Sir Thomas Lynch, the governor of Jamaica, reported to the Secretary of State, that the population of the island amounted to 7768 Whites, 800 seamen in privateers, and 9504 Negroes and sent him a present of a pot of sugar, with its history. It would seem, from this, that the cultivation of sugar was now but just entered upon: the chief productions of the island were cacao, indigo, and hides.

In May, Sir Thomas Lynch called an assembly, to consist of two persons for each parish. After sitting a few days, he dissolved

Du Mont, tom. vii. partie 1. p.164.

Long's Jamaica, vol. ii. p. 36.-vol. i. p. 376. -vol. iii. p. 295. B. Edwards, vol. i. pp. 411.201.—vol. ii. p. 53.-vol. iii. p. 335. Harris's Voyages, vol. ii. p. 284.

Univ. Hist. vol. xxxvi. pp. 287.
Report of the Lords of the Committee, 1789. Supplement, No. 15.