and strike me there." To the French he pleaded having a commission from the English, as governor of Dominica, and demanded to be treated as a prisoner of war, threatening vengeance if he made his escape. His pleadings and his threats were equally vain the French kept him confined as long as the war lasted.

Assisted by the French, the savages from St. Vincent's and Dominica waged a horrible war with the English, attacking them by surprise in the different islands, burning the houses, murdering the males, the old and the ugly, occasionally banqueting upon their carcasses, and carrying away the more beautiful of the women as slaves! M. de Clodore, the governor of Martinico, planned their expeditions, and assisted them with Frenchmen and arms. The governor of Guadaloupe disapproved of employing such allies in the war, and dreading reprisals, wrote to M. Clodore, expressing his fears of the consequences. The savages, dissatisfied with his conduct, complained to M. Clodore, and a quarrel between the two governors was the consequence.

The wants of the inhabitants of Martinico produced discontent, which, upon the 13th of July, broke out in open rebellion: it was quelled by the address of some officers, prisoners, who persuaded their captors, that the party coming to oppose them were coming to join them, and by that means attacked them unexpectedly, killed seventeen, and wounded many more. Several of the prisoners were afterwards executed.

Upon the 28th of July, Lord Willoughby, having appointed Henry Hawley and Henry Willoughby deputy-governors during his absence, sailed from Barbadoes with seventeen sail and near two thousand troops. Upon the 30th he was off St. Pierre's, Martinico, under French colours, and upon the 2d of August off Guadaloupe. Upon the 4th, three frigates and some smaller vessels were sent in, and destroyed the French ships in the Saints. Symptoms of an approaching hurricane made Lord Willoughby extremely anxious for the return of the ships from the Saints; but the commanding officer's ship had suffered some damage, and could not be refitted before night. At 6 P.M. the gale began from the north, and continued with great violence till midnight, when, after a calm which lasted for a quarter of an hour, it shifted suddenly to the E.S. E. driving every thing before it with irresistible violence. Every vessel and boat upon the coast of Guadaloupe was dashed to pieces all the vessels in the Saints were driven on shore and of the whole of Lord Willoughby's fleet, only two were ever heard of afterwards!' An armée-en-flute of twenty

Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 69. 79, 80, 81. 33. 87. 89. 98.

1 "Tous les gens de bien des isles fort informez des desseins du Milord, qu'ils asseurent avoir este de ne donner aucun

quartier aux François de St. Christopher, faisoient des vœux à Dieu, afin qu'il luy plust envoyer un bon ouragan, qui abis

two guns got to Montserrat with only the stump of her mizenmast standing, and a fire ship got to Antigua, dismasted. The bottom of one ship was washed on shore at Cabsterre, Guadaloupe, and another at the Saints: the whole coast was covered with the wrecks of masts and yards; a figure from the stern of Lord Willoughby's ship was recognized among the ruins. The . hurricane lasted twenty-four hours: houses and trees were blown down, and a great number of cattle killed. The sea rose, and was driven to an unusual height. All the batteries,-walls of six feet thickness, near the sea, were destroyed, and guns, fourteen pounders, were washed away. The storm was felt at St. Christopher's and Martinico, but with less violence.

The 16th of August, the English who had been shipwrecked in the Saints surrendered to the French, under M. du Lion, the governor of Guadaloupe. The capitulation is signed, on the part of the English, by William Hill, John Stapleton, John Gardner, J. Dixwell, Richard Pearson, Florence O'Sullivan, and Edward Bard. The soldiers and sailors were so enraged at the surrender, that rather than give up their colours, they tore them to pieces!

În commemoration of this victory, the French governor made a foundation for the Jacobins of 2000 pounds of sugar, for them to chaunt a Te Deum annually upon the day of the Assumption. Two of the English vessels were afterwards got afloat, and commissioned by the French.

Upon the 20th of August, Lieutenant-general Henry Willoughby, with eight sail, the largest of which carried only twelve guns, appeared off the Saints, with the intention of carrying off his countrymen; but finding the islands in the possession of the French, and a squadron of four large ships off the harbour, he made the best of his way to St. Vincent's. Three of his fleet were taken by the French; the rest escaped.

Lord Willoughby was succeeded in the government of Barbadoes by his brother (William), Lord Willoughby.

The 17th of November, the island of St. Eustatia surrendered to the combined Dutch and French forces, under the command of Vandelbourg and D'Orvilliers: they were about to storm the fort, when the English agreed to capitulate, upon being allowed to carry away their effects, and have a vessel found by the French to carry them to Jamaica. The capitulation was so far complied

Colquhoun, Brit. Emp. p. 372. Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 99. 170. 109.

mast le Milord et toute sa flote, pour les empêcher de nous faire tout le mal qu'il pretendoit et le'on voyoit tout le long de la rive, les hommes et les femmes

Edwards, vol. iii. p. 335.

Univ. Hist. vol. xxxvi. p. 196.

levans les mains au ciel, et faisants cette priere avec tant d'instance, qu'il y a quelque appearance qu'ils furent exauqy." - Du Tertre, tom. iv. p. 98.

with by the French, that they supplied the English with a vessel, but took away her main-top-mast. Three hundred and fifty persons evacuated the island in this vessel: they had but very little ammunition in the fort when they surrendered. The French appointed M. Rose to command the troops on the island, and left him a garrison of eighty men.

The English made an attempt to establish a colony upon the Island of New Providence, but did not succeed.

Fort Charles, in Jamaica, "was made close, which to that time wanted a whole line;" and a breast-work was also built at Port Royal.

The great Lord Clarendon, in his own Life, says, "It was upon the first day of that September, in the dismal year of 1666 (in which many prodigies were expected, and so many really fell out), that that memorable and terrible fire broke out in London."

:

It was truly a dismal year for the English in the West Indies. also the hurricane had destroyed their armament, and the successes of the French in one quarter seem to have stimulated the governors in the others to greater exertions, who do not appear to have been opposed by men of equal abilities.

The English had left a garrison of fifty men in the fort at Tobago. To oppose these, M. Vincent, the governor of Grenada, sent twenty-five well-armed volunteers, with two drums, to try to deceive the governor into a surrender, and the event justified the apparently chimerical attempt! The French landed unobserved in the Ancé de Courland, just before dark, and succeeded in killing a sentry, and driving in a picquet which was placed at a sugar-store, about musket-shot from the fort. The next morning at day-break, the French made as much noise as they could with their two drums, and sent to summon the commandant of the fort to surrender immediately to the French army, or the fort would be instantly stormed, and no quarter given - because the French army, which were within fifty yards, had other and more important enterprises to achieve, and could not be delayed. The fleet was on the other side the island, and only waited their return to make sail. The drummer, who was calculated to deliver such a message, had his musket, contrary to all the laws of war, which he laid down whilst he beat a parley, and delivered his message.

The English commander was foolish enough to come himself to receive it, without any other arms than his sword; and after having given an hostage, that he might have time to capitulate, he asked the drummer where the French army were, who replied not fifty yards off — from a small eminence just by, he could see

Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 115. 114. 165, 166. Life of the Earl of Clarendon, vol. iii. p. 660. 3d Edit. 1791.

them. The commander accompanied the drummer to the hill, where he was shewn the French officer, with fourteen volunteers! Seeing himself duped, he would have returned to the fort; but the drummer, changing his office, took the musket, and putting the muzzle to his breast, said he was a dead man if he did not surrender his sword. The commandant obeyed, and was made prisoner of war. The rest of the French came up; and the governor, who appears to have been traitor rather than fool, asked permission to tell the garrison to surrender! They marched towards the fort, the drummer leading the way, and the others guarding the governor: when the drummer approached the sentry, he ordered him to lay down his arms, and the officer and his men entered the fort, where the garrison were under arms; and supposing that these were a party sent to take possession of the place, they, at the drummer's directions, lodged all their muskets and arms in a corner, and surrendered themselves prisoners of war. A fort capable of sustaining a siege, well provided with guns and ammunition, and fifty men, were thus taken without any resistance !

M. Vincent kept a garrison in the fort, till the month of March in the following year, when he withdrew them, and set fire to every thing. Du Tertre says he tells this story upon the authority of M. Vincent himself, whose account of the transaction, in his own hand-writing, Du Tertre says he had in his possession. The combined French and Dutch fleets rendezvoused at Tobago, and were attacked there by Admiral Sir John Harman, who defeated them.

1667.

The 29th January, M. de la Barre sailed from St. Christopher's with twenty-five sail, to attack Montserrat. After an ineffectual cannonade for a whole night, the attack was deferred until the whole of the fleet, some of whom had not arrived, were come up. Upon the 9th of February, the whole being collected, preparations were made for landing, and a summons sent to the governor to surrender, which was refused: at the same time an Irishman deserted to the French, with the information, that of the 900 men which composed the garrison, most were his countrymen, and unwilling to fight for the English. The landing was effected next morning in three different places, and a false attempt was made at a fourth. The French lost a great many men in getting on shore-1200, however, landed, and the English having retreated to a place among the mountains,

called the Gardens, the French encamped for the night. Next day they advanced into the island, till they were stopped by sixty men, strongly posted upon an almost inaccessible moun

De Barre encamped again, and remained two days, during which time several Irishmen deserted to him, and ten piraguas full of Caribs, joined the French.

Upon the deserters' report, M. Barre sent to offer terms to the governor. The Caribs, headed by D'Orvillier, by a circuitous route surprised the governor's wife and family, and took eighty prisoners: - above forty sugar-houses were burnt — every thing was destroyed belonging to the English inhabitants. Upon the sixth day, the governor, with 200 English, surrendered themselves prisoners of war. As soon as the plunder was embarked, M. Barre returned to St. Christopher's, leaving M. Praille, with eighty men, and 500 Irish, with their families, who took the oaths of allegiance to the French upon the island.

The English were sent to Jamaica, with the exception of the governor and his family, and some officers.

While the French were at Montserrat, L'Hercule arrived at Martinico, with dispatches from the French West India Company to the governors of their different islands, stating that they had agreed with the Dutch, and given them permission to trade to their islands, upon condition of their paying the Company ten per cent. upon their cargoes out and home, which duties they might pay either in the islands or at their departure or return; and that the Company had also contracted with some French merchants who were to have the same privileges upon paying five per cent. upon their cargoes out and home.

Upon the news of the arrival of an English fleet at Barbadoes, all the French governors in the different islands consulted how they could secure their shipping, and it was settled, upon the 12th April, that they should all go to the Carennage, Martinico, which was defended by sixty pieces of cannon, and a boom across the entrance. Twelve English men of war were at Nevis

on the 2d of April.

M. de la Barre, the French commander-in-chief, in attempting to pass from St. Christopher's to Martinico, in a swift-sailing vessel, was attacked by an English vessel, from which he escaped with difficulty, and was obliged to bear up for Santa Cruz, to repair damages, and land his wounded, among whom was M. de Barre himself: he had received a musket-shot in his hand, and another in his thigh.

Upon the 4th of April, the English drove one of the French West India Company's ships on shore at Palmeto Point, St. Christopher's, where the crew destroyed her; and afterwards the

Du Tertre, tom. iv. p. 203, 204, 205. 221. 224. 227. 230.