terprize against the English; and his failors CHAP. were difpirited at the many unfortunate acci- I. dents, that had happened to him, being pre-r poffeffed with an opinion, that nothing but mis- 1741. fortune, would attend a commander, on whom the heavens had feemed to threaten and prognoftic deftruction, by a variety of inaufpicious omens; nor, confidering the blind fuperftition of the Spaniards, does this, their opinion, afford the leaft matter of admiration for the admiral, on his departure from Carthagena, run his fhip, the Santa Anna, a-ground, on the rocks in going into the Havanna, where fhe beat off half her keel; De Torres then hoifted his flag on board the Invincible, a new built fhip at the Havanna, and never at fea, which was foon afterwards blown up by lightening, and in her four millions of pieces of eight; the town was deferted by all the Spaniards, whilst the ship was burning; two churches were extremely damaged by the blast; the admiral narrowly ef caped in his boat, and the next fhip in which he hoisted his flag, had her main-maft carried away in a thunder-ftorm, two days after his coming on board; which made the ftrongest impreffions, on the minds of fo weak and pufillanimous a people.

ST JAGO is the principal town in the eastern part of the country, is the moft antient in the inland, and generally esteemed the capital; tho' now the governor refides at the Havanna; and only fuch of the Spaniards as have estates on the ifland, and are contented with their poffeffions without interfering much in trade, inhabit this place; which has a declining afpect, and preferves only the ruins of its former greatness: yet this city has a port inferior, in its fituation, to

the

PART the Havanna, only in trade, but much more II. commodious for privateers, as it commands the windward paffage. Though the city is well in1741. habited, and well fituated, for trade, it remains

but in a very indifferent condition as to its forti-
fications; for the harbour was naturally fo well
fortified, as to give the Spaniards no reafon to
fear any attack from the fea; and the distance
the town lay at from any other harbour, gave
them as little concern from the land quarter,
where they had left their fortifications, without
the least repairation fince the commencement of
the war.
The towns, in general, are awed
beneath the subjection of a few wealthy Spaniards,
who exercise an arbitrary power over a multitude
of indigent people, that have no recourse to any
open laws, to relieve them from their unnatural
and inhuman fervility; which has depraved
them to an indolent and effeminate courfe of
life, making them very inclinable to throw off
the heavy yoke of Spanish flavery, and ready
to embrace an opportunity of enjoying the hap-
piness of British liberty.

THE vice admiral, when at fea, having folemnly taken the declaration of John Drake, an English mariner, who had refided thirteen years upon that part of the island, and was, well acquainted with the nature of the country, and the road from Cumberland harbour to St Jago, which appeared, by that declaration, to make it easily practicable for the army to advance to the town. For Cumberland harbour was, declared to be, about two or three miles broad, having a freshwater river running into it on the leewardmoft fide; up which river for about a league there is four or five fathom water, and on the larboard fide the royal falina. Further up, the water

fhoals,

hoals, but in fuch a manner that the Boyne's CHAP. long-boat could very well pafs about three or four I. leagues, farther than which even a doree cannot pass, being only ancle deep. About two leagues 1741. from the king's falina, upwards on the starboard fide, were two other falinas, from which falinas to a village called Elleguava, containing about a hundred houses, and a small church, it is eight leagues; where the inhabitants are Indians and mulattoes, who live by hunting and raising of ftock. This village is eleven leagues from Cumberland harbour, thirteen leagues from St Jago, and lies in the direct road from that town to Baraccoa, which is about thirty leagues from the village. The road, from the two falinas to Elleguava, is about two miles along the river fide; from thence a good open road for about two leagues more, when there is a fine large favanna for about two leagues further, and the remaining two leagues is likewife good and open, with crawles, or cattle pens, frequently scattered upon the road. From Elleguava to St. Jago, the road is for the most part woody hills and dales; but in the narrowest part, fo broad that ten men may very well go a-breaft; and there are three or four rivulets, alfo crawles or cattle pens, to be often met with in the paffage.

ADMIRAL VERNON had likewife collected proper intelligence of the fituation and strength of the town, port, and citadel of St Jago; and in this received great affiftance from Henry Cavelier, carpenter of an Affiento brigantine, who had been prifoner there, and employed a confiderable time at work on the fortifications; by whofe declaration it appeared, That at the fouth entrance of the port, on the ftarboard fide, is a low battery called the Punto, which has two VOL. I. twelve

M m

PART twelve pounders, three fix pounders, and one II. four pounder, at the entrance below, pointing

to the road which leads from the bay where they 1741. land. About half way up the hill, by steps, is another battery, called Plata Forma Grande, fronting the fea, with eight forty-two pounders, and two eighteen pounders, with seven caves for lodging foldiers and provifions: higher up is another battery, which has two honey-comb guns, four pounders, and a ciftern which will contain about 2 or 3,000 gallons of water. Higher up is another small plat-form, with a little ciftern, but no guns: above this is another plat-form, about twenty feet from the top of the hill, which has ten guns, four pounders, two of them brafs; three of these guns point to the fea, all the reft to the land. Under this plat-form is the entrance into the Morro caftle, or citadel, which is a quadrangular fort of eight guns. Above, through a gate about ten feet wide, about fixteen feet from the gate is a dry mote, about fixteen or eighteen feet wide, and as many deep; and about fixteen feet from this mote is another, about eleven feet wide and as many deep, with a draw-bridge over each: and on the western fide of the harbour, opposite to Morro castle, was a small battery of five guns.

ABOUT a quarter of a mile further up in the north part of the harbour, on the town fide, is the caftle Estrella, fituate on an eminence, with a battery of eighteen pounders; and about twenty feet below, a small battery of three guns, eighteen pounders, both fronting the entrance of the port; and on the fame level with the ten gun battery, is an angle fronting cross the harbour, which has .feven guns, four pounders. This caftle may be eafily furprized, feveral paths Teading

leading to the top thereof, from which the af-CHAP. cendants might fire down upon all the batteries, I. or even kill the men with ftones from the top; and the eastermoft fide is open, and without any 1741. defence, The Eftrella once gained, will command the Punto, the westermoft end of Plata Forma Grande, and the top of Morro castle.

AT fome further distance to the northward of the Estrella, is another little battery called Santa Catalina, which has two twelve pounders lying almost level with the water, and fronting the entrance of the port; this battery, with twenty men only, may be easily furprized and taken at any time; and here the Spaniards had moored a fhip across the harbour,

THERE was also, to the eastward of Morro castle, another battery of feven guns called the Aquadores, and the Spaniards had lately erected two other small batteries on eminences, to guard the road between Elleguava and the town.

THE narrownefs of the entrance into the harbour of St Jago, and the fingular difficulty of fhips getting into it, occafioned by the obftruction of the eddy wind (that comes down the Morro caftle and the Eftrella, and would infallibly drive them on the western shore, without the affiftance of a cable faftened to an anchor on fhore, in the bight between the two castles) renders it impoffible to attack the town by fea; for this reafon Vice Admiral Vernon had fixed on Walthenam bay, diftant eleven leagues W. S. W. from St Jago, as the nearest and most commodious fituation to embark the troops, for their proceeding to march and attack the town on the land fide, where, as they did not expect to be furprized, the Spaniards were at prefent entirely open and defenceless. Walthenam, now CumM m 2 berland