I. PART man to entertain an affection for another, his lordship was charmed with the fpirit, good conduct, and difinterestedness with which Admiral 1740. Vernon had begun and continued the war, with whom he determined perfectly to maintain a good understanding; thereby promising to himfelt, that their conjunction would make them the glorious inftruments of finishing the war, with all the advantages the nation had expected from so profperous a beginning; and had heaven fpared him to have completed his wifhes in affifting the admiral, what might not the nation have expected from the unanimity of fuch able commanders? UPON the death of Lord Cathcart, the military command devolved upon Brigadier-General Wentworth. Sir Chaloner Ogle pursued his voyage to Jamaica, and on the 27th of December arrived at St Christopher's, the place of general rendezvous; where he was joined by the rest of the fleet, and all the tranfports and store-ships that had been separated from him: at the same time he received advice from Admiral Vernon, that fifteen fail of Spanish men of war were at Porto Bello, where the inhabitants were diligently repairing their ruined fortifications. On the 28th Sir Chaloner Ogle proceeded for Jamaica; and in his paffage between Hifpaniola and Jamaica, feeing four fail, who proved to be French men of war, he dispatched fix of his fquadron after them; four of them came up with the French off cape Tiberon before it was dark, and Lord Aubrey Beauclerc, who commanded in the Prince Frederick, hailing them, and the French refufing either to fend an officer on board the English to fatisfy them who they were, or to lie by for the English officer's fending on board of them, as as the certainty could not be otherwife known; CHAP. a gun was fired to bring them too, on which an VI. engagement enfued, which lafted till morning, when the French hoifted their colours, and boats were sent to clear up the point who they were, in which the English officers being fatisfied, nothing more paffed than reciprocal civilities, and they continued their different courses. On the 9th of January Sir Chaloner Ogle arrived in Port Roy- 1741. al harbour with the whole fleet, and all the transports and ftore-fhips. This re-animated Admiral Vernon; he now found himself in a capacity of exerting his martial genius, he refolved to remain no longer in a state of inactivity, and foon after the bulwarks of Carthagena were doomed to feel the fury of the British thunder. ADMIRAL VERNON heartily condoled the lofs of fo valuable an officer as Lord Cathcart, but on his acquaintance with General Wentworth his fucceffor, the admiral promifed to himfelf, on finding the general fincerely difpofed to fupply fo great a lofs, that his Britannic majesty's fervice would be promoted and carried on faithfully, diligently, and refolutely, with all poffible harmony. And on communicating their inftructions, the admiral and general refolved to lose no time in fetting about the execution of them. THE determination of what enterprizes should be undertaken, was committed to the direction of the principal council of war, to confift of the two eldest officers of the army, of the two eldest officers of the navy, and of the governor of Jamaica whenever he could be prefent; and on the 10th of January, in the principal council of war held at Spanish-Town, at which were present Admiral Vernon, Sir Chaloner Ogle, General Wenworth, PART worth, General Guife, and Governor Trelawny, I. it was unanimously refolved, "That the whole "fleet should proceed to windward, to obferve 1741. "the motions of the fquadron under the com"mand of the Marquis d'Antin, which had "been for fome time at Hifpaniola; and that "Capt. Dandridge fhould be fent before in the "Wolf floop to get intelligence." As the fleet was now thirty fail of the line, there was an abfolute neceffity for forming a third divifion, and the vice admiral appointed Capt, Leftock, an old and experienced officer, to be commodore, with a Captain under him, for commanding the third divifion. THE vice admiral, intent on getting the fleet to fea, was in a perpetual hurry in making preparations for fo expedient a purpose, well knowing that any delay would certainly defeat their best intentions: he knew the great difficulty of watering fo large a fleet in Port Royal harbour, and had previously provided against any interruption. on that account; and confidering what a fickly condition many of the fhips came in, that four ftanding mafts were obliged to be repaired, three damaged by shot, and one by lightning, of which two were under a neceffity of being hove out and repaired afhore, and that all the ships were to be fupplied with provifions, and many with ftores, never greater dispatch was given for getting a fleet into the fea in any country; all the officers and men, in concurrence with the admi, ral, manifefting an univerfal good-will for the fuccefs of the expedition, for which all was in readiness in less than a fortnight. As the fleet was fo large, and the channel fo dangerous in going out from Port Royal harbour, the admiral gave orders for the fhips go ing out only one divifion in a day, forwarding CHAP. thofe that were to go first, as no time might be VI. loft. Capt. Douglafs and Capt. Cleland, with ~ two bomb-ketches, were to remain till the men 1741. of war had all failed out, and then to proceed with the tranfports, in three divifions, that they might not crowd one another afhore; the first rendezvous was ordered off the east end, and by a fealed rendezvous, the next off cape Tiberon, and the bays to the northward of it. On the 22d of January, Sir Chaloner Ogle got out with his divifion of ten fail of the line; on the 24th Commodore Leftock failed out with his divifion of nine fail of the line; the vice admiral remaining himself to the last, for giving the neceffary orders: and on the 26th, the vice admiral failed out with his divifion, confifting of eleven fail of the line; but the winds proving faint that day, he was obliged to anchor with them in the channel; and the Augufta, one of his divifion, fell fo far to leeward, as upon anchoring to veer upon a fhoal aftern of her, where fhe beat off her rudder, and having had thumped fo hard as to make ner very leaky, the vice admiral ordered her into harbour to refit. The next day the wind continued fo faint, that the vice admiral v was obliged to anchor with his whole divifion again, juft without the channel; but on the 28th got clear to fea without further damage to any, and joined the two divifions under Sir Chaloner Ogle and Commodore Leftock on the 30th off the Yellows, when the whole fleet confifted of the following divifions: LINE |