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PART no hopes of ftorming it without. Indeed the British admiral sent in the Galicia, purposely to try what effect her guns would have upon the 1741. walls, but found it too inconfiderable to do the Spaniards any other prejudice than destroying their houses and as an uncontroverted evidence of the impracticability of fhips of war approaching near enough to batter the walls, De Pointi was convinced they could perform no effectual fervice; for having ordered the Sceptre of 84 guns, St Lewis of 64 guns, and Vermandois of 60 guns, to advance and batter the city with their artillery, he found it ineffectual, their shot only reaching the tops of the houses: he therefore ordered them to retire, and afterwards confined his endeavours folely to the land, where the city of Carthagena is only liable to be

taken.

BUT the principal and most unhappy accident that contributed to promote the ill fuccefs of the fiege of Carthagena, was occafioned by the arrival of the land forces in America in the most unhealthy part of the year. Every year is attended with one intemperate feason that never miffes this part of the Indian coaft; when the great rains, and violent thunder, spread an infection through the air, which scatters a contagious distemper, not only among fuch as are ftrangers to the climate, but even among those that have been long inured to it, the very natives frequently finding it fatal to themfelves. The violence of this inclement feafon was too heavily felt by the British troops, which fwept them off the more fatally as the greateft part of the army were raw and unfeafoned men, inexpert in the ufe of arms, and incapable of enduring the fatigues of military difcipline in a climate of fuch intempe

CHAP.
VI.

intemperature: it was this diminished the army infinitely more than the Spaniards; it was this occafioned them to abandon the expedition; and it was this fo greatly enfeebled the furvivors, 1741. that on their arrival at Jamaica, many of the principal officers, and great numbers of the men were daily perifhing, through the infirmities they had contracted on their unprofperous enterprize.

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Death of the Emperor CHARLES VI,

On the 9th of OCTOBER, M DCC XL,

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End of the CAMPAIGN in M DCC XLI.

SECOND DIVISION,

Naval War in AMERICA and EUROPE, In M DCC XLI.

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