PART expence of this expedition." It was the reII. "folution of the council, to undertake this ex"pedition against St Jago, and to push it for1741. "ward with all the difpatch the fituation of "their affairs would admit of."

THIS refolution was figned by the two admirals and both the generals, but was diffented from by Governor Trelawney, who was of opinion, "That fince the forces had been fo reduced by "fickness, the remaining number ought not to "be hazarded, but on a fervice that, if it fuc"ceeded, might be of great benefit and importance to Great Britain. He could not "think St Jago de Cuba of confequence, while "the English were masters at fea; and took it "for an inviolable maxim to be fuperiors, as

they might be, at sea in the West Indies, or "elfe poffeffions there would be a detriment, "instead of a benefit, to Great Britain; and "no poffeffions, but fuch as are useful in com"merce, are for the benefit of England. Pan"ama is of that nature, as it would command "the ifthmus of Darien; and therefore, if there "was force enough, with the help of the Mufquito Indians, and negroes under proper "officers from Jamaica, an attempt upon that "place would be, in his opinion, moft advif"able."

86

BUT the poffeffion of this pure, large, aud healthy island of Cuba, was the univerfal cry of the British nation; all their hearts were bent upon it; and nothing could be done in the West Indies half fo acceptable as fuch an acquifition: though Governor Trelawney might naturally predict, that if a British fettlement was obtained in Cuba, the utility of it must neceffarily destroy

the

1.

the trade, and reduce the value of land in Ja- CHAP. maica; and therefore might endeavour to dif courage an enterprize, that feemed extremely prejudicial to his own government. His majefty 1741. in his inftructions, fent from Herenhausen, the 10th of July 1740, had particularly recommended to the vice admiral, to attempt the Havanna, La Vera Cruz, Mexico, Carthagena, and Panama, but of all these the most defirable acquifition was the reduction of the town and port of the Havanna. It was now impoffible to attempt the Havanna, because Don Rodrigo de Torres was in that port, with an equal, if not a fuperior force to the British squadron: and therefore the conqueft of St Jago feemed the most preferable to be undertaken, as that port was the rendezvous of the Spanish privateers; and if the British forces were once in poffeffion of Cuba, the whole world would not be able to difpoffefs them again, and they might then make peace with Spain, without the intervention of France, giving them almost any thing in Europe they might defire, but fhewing them, at the fame time, they should, in great measure, depend upon Great Britain, the chief maritime power, for the very poffeffion of their Indies.

THE vice admiral and General Wentworth returned to their pofts, for giving the neceffary orders for proceeding on the expedition with all poffible dispatch. The inhabitants of Jamaica, fenfible of the abilities of the vice admiral, and grateful for the service he had done them, by ordering his cruizers to fuch advantageous fituations for the protection of their valuable trade, and perceiving the too visible havoc that had riotously raged among, and diminished the land forces, who from 12,000 were now reduced to 3,000, L12 offered

PART offered to raise a body of 5,000 negroes for the II. prefent expedition: but it was judged moft ad

visable, both in regard to the royal fervice, and 1741. to their own conveniency, to defire a smaller number, and to have only a thousand chofen blacks, which were immediately collected; and the fleet, and forces, were as expeditiously prepared for the enterprize.

THE Vice admiral, on the 25th of June, ordered Capt. Renton, in the Ripon, to proceed immediately to fea, and get into a proper ftation, for cruizing to windward of St Jago, for reconnoitring the coaft, and intercepting the Spanish trade; and having appointed Cape Donna Maria for the firft, and Walthenam Bay, about twelve leagues to windward of St Jago, on the island of Cuba, for the second general place of rendezvous; the vice admiral directed the fquadron to proceed to fea, with the tranf ports, in detachments; on which they began to get out from Port Royal harbour on the 28th: the Suffolk, Strafford, Dunkirk, Deptford, Augufta, York, Bristol, Vulcan, and Litchfield, being left at Port Royal, under the command of Capt. Davers, to protect the island of Jamaica; who had orders to forward the York, Deptford, and Augufta, to follow the admiral, as foon as they were in a condition for the fea. On the 13th of July the fleet affembled off the island of Navaffa, when the whole fquadron confifted of the following fhips:

LINE

The transports, and ftorefhips, confifted of fortyone fail; and the land forces, and blacks, on board the fleet, made a body of 4,000 men.

THE whole fleet got into Walthenham harbour on the 18th of July, being fixty-one fail in all; where they had the pleafure to find themfelves poffeffed of the finest harbour in the Weft Indies, capable of containing any number of fhipping, and fecure against hurricanes; which, as that dangerous part of the season was approaching, yielded the fleet a much fafer protection, than the harbour of Port Royal, against the violence of fuch dreadful encounters: to this harbour the vice admiral immediately gave the name of Cumberland harbour; in honour of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland.

THE

CHAP.

I.

1741

PART

II.

THE island of Cuba is the largest, and far the moft temperate and pleasant of all the Antilles; lying between 19 deg. 30 m. and 23 deg. of north 1741. latitude, and from 293 to 304 deg. of longitude, being about 230 leagues in length, and in the broadest part 40 leagues wide, in the narrowest about 12; having Florida, and the Lucayos, on the north, Hifpaniola on the west, Jamaica and the fouthern continent on the fouth, and the gulph of Mexico on the east. A country, redundant, not only with the neceffary conveniences of life, but abounding even with the more delicate bleffings of nature, and is much the largest island in America; the favannas, or large open meadow lands, are fwarming with cattle, and the woods with hogs both wild and tame; the land is good for fugar canes, which it produces, and tobacco of the best kind in great plenty; wheat, rice, all kind of falleting, and pulfe, flourish very plentifully, with fruit of all kinds that thofe Indies afford; the woods are full of mahogony, fuftic, Spanish elm, cedar, and feveral other valuable kinds, alfo cotton grows wild, befides what is planted; the whole island, is full of fine rivers, and harbours, fit for transportation; and the town of Covery, within three leagues of St Jago, has in it one of the richeft of copper mines, on which the Spaniards are inceffantly at work. The Havanna, which lies on the western part of the ifland, is the moft confiderable town for ftrength and opulence, and contains about half of the whole inhabitants; where the Spanish admiral lay, at this time, with twelve fhips of the line, and 8,000 feamen.

THIS admiral had been, for fome time, in the American feas, without attempting any en

terprize