PART pointed governor of the caftle, with a garrison I. of 100 regular troops and fifty feamen. This

was a molt advantageous acquifition to fhorten 1741. the proceedings of the army, on their re-imbarking to re-land nearer the town, which they could now do within a league of it, but without being mafters of Caftillo Grande, they must have landed at the distance of three leagues from the town; fo that St Lazar was the only remaining fort, the reduction of which was to be next undertaken, as it covers the fouth fide of Carthagena and commands all the avenues,and was abfolutely neceffary to be in the poffeffion of the British troops before they could advance a step to lay fiege to the town.

THE vice admiral, intending to get the bombketches in to play upon the town, on the 1ft of April in the morning got to an anchor with his own fhip close to Castillo Grande, and fet fome of his fhips at work to try to heave the mafts out of the Spanish ships, to make a channel over thofe funk in deepest water, as he might get the fquadron in and fecure a safe descent to the army under the fire of their guns as near the town as poffible; and in the evening, by the industry of the gallant failors, a channel was made through the funk wrecks, and two bomb-ketches got in, with two frigates to cover them, commanded by Capt. Rentone and Capt. Broderick. In the mean while Commodore Leftock had completed the re-imbarkation of the land forces, artillery and baggage, who foon after got up the harbour. By ten the next morning the bombketches began to play upon the town, and fome of the guns that were cleared at Caftillo Grande fired on a French fhip that lay up at the head of the harbour, and had been used as an hofpital fhip for the Spaniards, who fet fire to

her,

her, and the burned the greatest part of the day; CHAP.
and the fame evening another channel having VI.
been made through the wrecks to the eastward
of the fhoal, in the mouth of the harbour, 1741.
three fire-fhips got through that channel, and
were pofted to cover the defcent of the land
forces at Texar de Gracias; who kept firing
on the Spaniards where-ever they faw them en-
deavouring to intrench themselves. On the 3d
the Weymouth got through the western chan-
nel, when the town began to fire on her with-
out doing any material damage; and the next
night she paffed round the fhoal to the eastern part
of the harbour. The Cruizer got in at the other
channel the 4th in the evening; and great part
of the tranfports with the troops, being now
come up the harbour, the Weymouth, the three
firefhips and the Cruizer floop, being ordered to
cover the landing of the forces, warped over
the other fide of the harbour undiscovered by
the Spaniards, and were fo prudently pofted, by
the vice admiral, round the eastern part of the
harbour, that their fire fcoured the country all
round, and drove about a hundred of the Spa-
niards from a breaft-work at the upper end of
the harbour; and the Weymouth's guns, firing
brifkly all night with grape fhot, fcoured the
country between that and St Lazar, by which
means a fecure defcent was procured for the
army; whose officers had refolved, in a council

of war,
"To land the troops the next morning at
"break of day, and to poffefs the port of La

Quinta, for cutting off the communication of "the city with the country, for covering the "landing of the artillery, and to clear ground "for the encampment." Accordingly the first divifion, amounting to about 1,400 men, under T 2

the

PART the command of Brigadier Blakeney, about I. two o'clock in the morning of the 5th, were

received by the boats of the fleet from on board 1741 the tranfports, and from thence went and rendezvoufed aboard the Weymouth; at about five the general ordered Colonel Grant to move towards the fhore with the grenadiers, who landed without oppofition at Texar de Gracias, a country house about two miles from Lazar, formerly hired by the fouth fea factors; and being immediately followed by the rest of the troops, the whole was formed in order for marching against the Spaniards; who were now in the wildeft confufion, the whole force of the town was drawn out to oppofe the landing of the troops, and were very impoliticly divided into feveral bodies; and though fome of their parties attempted to attack the forces on their landing, the fhips perceiving their motions fired among them, fwept off numbers, and entirely difperfed them. General Wentworth, at the head of the forces, advanced through a long narrow defile, where he had fome few men hurt by single fhot from the paths and openings into the wood, where the Spaniards had made a lodgment, but were foon put to flight. About a mile further, in coming out of the defile, about 600 of the Spaniards were perceived to be advantageously posted, and feemed determined to difpute the paffage. The ground over which the troops were to march did not admit of much more than one large platoon in front, the lagoon lying upon the left, and a thick copfe upon their right, into which the general ordered a party of American foldiers to fall upon the rear of any fmall parties which might be lodged there to flank them in their march, The grenadiers moyed forward with

great

great alacrity, and having, with very little lofs, CHAP. received two fires from the Spaniards, the front VI. platoon gave their fire at about the diftance of hali-mufket fhot, and immediately wheeled to 1741. the right and left to make room for the next to advance; whence the Spaniards judging that the whole body gave way, expreffed their joy by a loud huzza; but being foon convinced of their mistake, by the fire of the following platoons, they fell into diforder, and precipitately fled towards the city: on which the general immediately poffeffed himself of a convenient piece of ground for forming the camp a fmall mile from the caftle of St Lazar; and in the evening fent a party up to take poffeffion of La Popa, which the Spaniards had abandoned. As the hill on which this convent is fituated overlooks the town and country for many leagues round about, it was a moft advantageous part for obferving the motions of the Spaniards, from whence the general, accompanied by Brigadier Guife and the principal engineer, reconnoitred the city; and having at his return affembled a council of war, it was debated, whether the fort of Lazar fhould not be attacked the following night, before the Spaniards fhould have finished fome works from the hill which they were then carrying on with the utmoft diligence; but as no ftores were then landed from the the ordnance fhips, it was thought neceffary to poftpone the attack. Perhaps this was both an unfortunate and imprudent refolution, for the Spaniards had but lately experienced the boldness and courage of the British troops when they confufedly fled before them at La Quinta; the generality of them were poffeffed with all the horrors of an approaching enemy, whom they

knew

PART knew undauntedly intrepid; and as they were I. now hurrying in fear and confufion, it was a

very favourable criterion for the British troops 1741. to have affaulted them, thus, in the very heighth

of their panic; and had the golden opportunity been seized, it is highly to be conjectured the Spaniards would not have dared to have defended themfelves, but that Lazar would have fell like Boca Chica, and the Spaniards been obliged to feek protection within their walls, where there was the highest probability of their furrendering the town as they had formerly done under the like circumstances to De Pointi.

On the fixth the remainder of the eight regiments came on fhore, so that before noon the whole body of troops were landed with fuch fecurity, as not to have one fingle musket-fhot fired at them; while all poffible dispatch was made in landing the artillery, ammunition, baggage, provifions and military ftores. But the troops were obliged to lie three nights upon their arms, for the want of tents; and as they were not seasonably provided with tools to build them, they were exposed to all the inclemency of the weather; unfheltered from the fervid heat of the scorching fun, and the intemperature of the chilling night dews, which enfeebled the men, and fpread a contagious diftemper throughout the whole camp.

THE fame fort of indolence reigned here, with the fame prevalence, as at the camp before Boca Chica; the engineers having erected a battery only for three mortars, and thrown up a small breaft-work for the advanced guards. While the garrifon in Lazar, perceiving how flowly they took occafion to improve their time in the camp, fet to work with unwearied diligence,

and