English, with a fire ship, destroyed a Dutch vessel in Basse Terre roads, and continued to blockade the anchorage with two frigates. Notwithstanding which, the French contrived to throw in 250 soldiers as a reinforcement to the troops upon that island.

Upon the 19th of April, the English attacked the Dutch vessels in the Little Cul de Sac, Guadaloupe, and succeeded in bringing out six sail: the crews escaped on shore. The English afterwards landed in Grande Terre, and plundered the houses within their reach.

Upon the 9th of May, M. Barre arrived at Martinico from Santa Cruz; and upon the same day, four sail of Dutch men of war arriving, the smallest of which carried twenty-eight guns, it was determined in a council of war that they should fight the English fleet, and succour the island of St. Christopher's. The fleet consisted of seventeen sail, two of which were under twenty guns, the largest an eight and thirty, and two fire-ships. Eleven hundred men were embarked from Martinico, and 600 more from Guadaloupe, from which island the fleet sailed upon the 18th of May.

On the 20th, between Redondo and Nevis, they saw the English look-out ship, and soon afterwards, round Nevis Point, their fleet, consisting of seventeen sail. "They then began to doubt of the success of the battle they were going to begin':" but soon afterwards observing four of the English vessels part company, and that their fleet was reduced to eleven sail, they began to take courage again, and prepare for battle; but first they lay-to, held a council of war, and altered the whole of their previous arrangements — directing M. de Clodore, who acted as vice-admiral, with his seconds a-head and astern, to precede the commanderin-chief, instead of following him. M. Clodore approached sufficiently near the English to exchange a few shot; but the commander-in-chief, instead of sending the orders, lay to to deliver them, and the rest of the fleet followed his example. This, Du Tertre says, caused some little confusion. M. Clodore stood down within half gun-shot of the English, and then hove to again, to wait for the rest.

-

The Dutch, indignant at these manœuvres, pushed on before the wind to engage, and were followed by the French. The Dutch admiral, Crinssen, intended to board the English admiral; but, to avoid a fire-ship which was standing towards him, he passed to leeward. The English immediately tacked, and the French and Dutch made all sail for St. Christopher's, closely

Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 238. 241, 242. 250, 251, 252.

"Et cela fit penser que toutes les

flote, et apprehender le succès du combat

pursued by the English. Du Tertre says, " It is certain that our naval armament was able to fight the English fleet, and to take the island of Nevis, but for the bad manœuvres that were made!" And Admiral Crinssen did not scruple to say openly at St. Christopher's, before the principal inhabitants, that if such a thing had been done by any of his countrymen, they would have been punished for it.

M. Barre afterwards blamed the ship on board of which was M. Lion, the governor of Martinico, as the cause of the fleet's not succeeding better; that ship, with the rear squadron, not having kept sufficiently close up.

Upon the 25th, M. Barre left St. Christopher's at nine P.M. in such haste, that the whole of the fleet did not understand his instructions, and some of them were standing towards Nevis. Discovering their mistake in time, they bore up, and before daylight the whole fleet were to leeward of St. Christopher's. On the 27th they passed to windward of St. Bartholomew's. Having escaped the English, the Dutch squadron parted company with them, and they stood to the northward as far as lat. 18°, from which, however, they only fetched Redondo; and here an accident that could not be calculated upon prevented their falling into the hands of the English, whose commander, suspecting where the French were gone, stood over for Guadaloupe to intercept them; but had left orders at Nevis, in case the French came back the way they had gone, to make large bonfires upon the island, as a signal to him. By accident a patch of canes caught fire, and was mistaken for the signal. The fleet returned to Nevis, and next morning the French were to windward of them, under Montserrat. Favoured by a partial breeze, they escaped, and upon the 6th of June arrived at Grenada.

Upon the 5th of June, the English fleet began to collect at Nevis, for the attack upon St. Christopher's. The troops embarked amounted to 8000 men. At daylight upon the 17th the English fleet, consisting of fourteen sail, stood for St. Christopher's in two divisions, one for the Grand Roads, and the other for Basse Terre. At noon both divisions anchored in Basse Terre Roads, and remained there until the night of the 18th.

The next morning, at day-break, they were off Palmeto point, and the men in the boats off the river Pelan, three hundred of whom were landed before any opposition was made. The spot, though good for landing, was ill-chosen for advancing into the island. On each side there was a ravine: up the side of one of these there was a path, which only one man could ascend at a time. To command this ascent, the French commander, with a few picked men, had taken his station. The English were unable to

Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 253, 254. 257, 258. 262.

gain the ridge. Colonel Stapleton, in saving the colours, when the ensign who carried them was shot, had his arm broken; and giving up the attempt, the English passed under the cliff. Another party of them landed on the left of the river Pelan; but being unable to make good their landing, both parties took shelter under the cliff, from the summit of which they were annoyed by the army's rolling down stones, and firing upon them. They were six hours in this situation. Unable to force a passage at either end to climb the cliff, or get off in the boats with their handkerchiefs at their bayonet's points, they made signals for a truce, and surrendered to the number of 550, most of whom were wounded.

Du Tertre says, that General Henry Willoughby, who commanded the English, was drunk-Colonels Stapleton, Warner, and Boucle were made prisoners, and Colonel Lauvren and Lord Belamont were killed: all the officers were wounded. Besides the prisoners, 700 were killed or drowned, and eight colours were lost.

The 21st of June, Admiral Sir John Harman arrived at Nevis, with six sail, three days only after the unsuccessful attack upon St. Christopher's. Upon the 26th, having received information, from a prize, that the French were at Martinico, with nine sail, a fire-ship, and a ketch, he stood for that island, and arrived off St. Pierre's in the evening of the 29th: he immediately stood in to reconnoitre the French fleet; and without returning a shot, received the fire from all the batteries and vessels. The French had nineteen sail of large ships, and fourteen small vessels, moored in a line, close to the beach, with hawsers from their mast-heads to the shore; and 500 troops from the island were sent to augment their force.

The next day, Admiral Harman led the fleet in to attack the French, and succeeded in getting within musket-shot of their ships; but after four hours cannonading, being becalmed, the fleet were towed off again, not without loss of the men in the boats. The admiral had his main-yard carried away.

On the 2d of July, the breeze allowing it, the English stood in to the attack again at six in the morning; and after an indecisive cannonade of three hours, stood off again.

The French expecting that the English would attempt to take possession of the Carennage, made the English prisoners work with the Negroes at the fortifications.

The 4th of July, Admiral Harman stood in again, and cannonaded the French shipping for two hours: he made an unsuccessful attempt, with two boats, to bring out two of their small vessels. The fire from the houses and vessels prevented

its being effected. A small vessel, named the St. Antoine, coming from Europe, was driven on shore by one of the English frigates, and destroyed.

The 6th of July, there being a favourable breeze, Admiral Harman stood in again to the attack, and after five hours' firing, a fire-ship grappled with the " Lys Couronné," the French admiral's ship, and burnt her, and three others. The loss of these ships spread terror and dismay among the crews of the remainder, the whole of whom threw themselves overboard, unable to stand the cannonade of the English. The wind suddenly shifting from south to east, prevented the whole fleet from being burnt. The French sent out a fire-ship; but upon the approach of the English boats, the crew set her on fire, and leapt overboard: the blazing vessel went upon the beach.

Upon the 7th, Admiral Harman stood in again, for the fifth and last time, and in an hour and half completed the destruction of the whole fleet - leaving upon the beach at St. Pierre's, the wrecks of thirty-three sail, of different descriptions! Within the space of 100 paces, 500 balls were picked up on the sand!

After the action, Admiral Harman anchored off Fort St. Pierre, and remained till the 9th, when the fleet weighed, to the dismay of the French, who expected another attack; but a boat, with a flag of truce, pulling on shore, agreeably undeceived them. Captain Barret went in her. Admiral Harman had been told that the English prisoners were used by the French worse than their slaves, and sent to demand them pointing out at the same time, the mutability of fortune, and his power of destroying all the houses in St. Pierre's.

M. Barre denied that the prisoners were ill-treated, and offered to exchange them. As for destroying the houses, M. Barre said that the French could do the same in their turn.

On the 11th, Admiral Harman made sail for Nevis.

Some of the vessels that Admiral Harman had driven upon the beach at St. Pierre's were afterwards got afloat, and towed round to the Carennage: they never went to sea. Du Tertre says, they lay there so long, that the worms destroyed them! It may be fairly concluded that the English shot had some share in their destruction.

During the whole of this war, the inhabitants of the French islands, were constantly under arms: the cultivation of the land was neglected. At St. Christopher's the misery was extreme. The island was so closely blockaded, that supplies were with the greatest difficulty thrown in. The necessaries of life became dear beyond all former example. To add to their distress, upon the 1st of September, a tremendous hurricane desolated

Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 287. 293. 301. 298.

the island it began at nine A.M. with a strong gale from the north, which lasted until five P.M. At six it shifted to the south, and blew with such violence, that all the houses and buildings were blown down. The inhabitants sought shelter from its fury by throwing themselves flat upon the ground in the fields.

M. Laurent, the governor, in a letter to Mr. Colbert describes it thus: "There has blown here the most violent hurricane ever known; and I hold myself obliged to inform you, that this island is in the most deplorable state that can be imagined, and that the inhabitants could not have suffered a greater loss, or been more unfortunate, except they had been taken by the English. There is not a house or sugar-works standing, and they cannot hope to make any sugar for fifteen months to come. As for the the manioc, which is the bread of the country, there is not one left, and it is more than a year in growing. I cannot describe to you, sir, the misery of this poor island, without wounding my heart. It is as a place over which the fire has passed! I assure you, that if peace, is not made, or men of war sent into this country, to facilitate the means of bringing cassava from the other islands, that the inhabitants and troops will die of famine! I shall do every thing in my power to keep up the spirits of the inhabitants, who are stunned like men that are totally ruined; and I shall not spare either trouble or pains to maintain the island and remedy the evil, which is irremediable, except succours arrive from without." 1

Upon the 21st of July, 1667, peace was signed at Breda, between the English, French, and Dutch. The following are the articles, in the treaty between England and France, which relate particularly to the West Indies:

“Article 7. That the Most Christian King shall, with all speed, or at furthest within six months, to be reckoned from the day of subscribing this present agreement, restore unto the King of Great Britain, or unto such as to that purpose shall receive his commands, duly passed under the Great Seal of England, that part of the isle of St. Christopher's which the English possessed the 1st of January, 1665, before the declaration of the late war: And to that end the said Most Christian King shall, immediately upon the ratification of this same agreement, deliver,

Du Tertre, tom. iv. pp. 306, 307.

Pol. State Great Brit. vol. xxxiv. p. 109. 1727.

1 "L'on esperoit que cet houragan auroit fait perir cinq grandes frégates de guerre Angloises, qui tenoient toutes les avenues fermées à tous les secours qui pouvoient venir de dehors dans cette isle.

peste, qu'ils eurent le temps de prendre de large de la mer, et l'on fut autant surpris qu' affligé de les voir deux jours apres mouillez à la rade de l'isle de Nieve, quoy que desmattez et en desordre." - Du