received by the fmall craft. On the 13th, being CHAP. joined by Capt. Knowles in the Diamond, the III. admiral ordered him "To go on board the "Success firefhip, and accompanied with the 1740. Brig tender to get off the mouth of the

6B

66

Chagre, and there use the best of his judg"ment in getting all proper information, how "the fort at the mouth of that river could be "attacked, either by bombardment or canno"nading; and particularly to inform himself "of the foundings and depth of water there"abouts, to be certain how near any of the "fhips could approach; and to observe what "convenient landing places might be near; and "return to the admiral as foon as conveniently " he could, who would be making an easy fail "after him to lie off the faid river, till he' "fhould receive his information to form the fu"ture plan of operation on." The next day the admiral anchored with his fquadron in Porto Bello harbour, and on the 18th detached the Succefs and Eleanor "To cruize off the mouth' "of the river Chagre for feven days, or till "the fquadron fhould fooner appear off there, "for preventing the Spanish privateer floops " from putting to fea from thence, or inter

cepting any thing that might be coming or "going there." The Strafford and Norwich and all the fmall veffels being watered, the admiral got them out to fea on the 22d, leaving orders with the Louifa and Falmouth σε Το "haften in compleating their watering and fol"low him;" but an accident in the fore-top-fail' yard of his fhip the Strafford retarding her progrefs, he ordered Capt. Herbert in the Norwich To make all the fail he could, and en"ter the harbour of Chagre before him with

"the

1.

1740, "

PART" the bomb-ketches and all the fire-fhips and "tenders under his orders, and Capt. Knowles "as engineer on board the bomb-ketches, for placing them to play on the caftle of St Lorenzo, at the mouth of the river Chagre; "and to cover them with his own ship and the "reft." The fame day Capt. Knowles got to an anchor by three in the afternoon, and began bombarding and cannonading that evening, by ten at night the admiral got alfo to an anchor with his own fhip the Strafford; as did the Falmouth and Princefs Louifa that followed him the fame night. They continued bombarding and cannonading with three fhips, firing leifurely only from their lower tier till monday the 24th, when the Spaniards hung out a flag of truce from the fort, the admiral answered it from his own fhip, ftopt all things as foon as pof fible, and fent Capt. Knowles afhore, who foon returned with Don Juan Carlos Gutierer de Ranettas, caftillanor or governor of the fort, to whom the admiral granted the following capi tulation.

Ift." THAT upon his Britannic majesty's "troops being put into immediate poffeffion of "the Fort St Lorenzo, the caftillanor and all his "garrifon fhould be at free liberty to march out "without any moleftation, and retire into the

village of Chagre or where else they pleased. 2d.THAT the inhabitants of Chagre might "remain in all fafety in their habitations, under "a promise of fecurity to themselves and their ❝houses.

3d. "THAT the guarda cofta floops fhould "be delivered up to the use of his Britannic ma jefty in the condition they were, and the king of Spain's custom-house,

4th." THAT the clergy and churches in the CHAP. "town of Chagre fhould be protected and pre- III. "ferved in all their immunities."

THE capitulation being thus fettled and a- 1740. greed to, the admiral fent the governor afhore with Capt. Knowles, whom he appointed governor of the castle for his Britannic majefty, and sent a garrison along with him of five lieutenants and 120 men, and all the boats of the fleet to land them; and by three o'clock that afternoon Capt. Knowles entered the fort with his garrifon. The fame evening Capt. Knowles fent and placed a guard upon the cuftom-house on the oppofite fide of the river Chagre; and admiral Vernon went on fhore himfelt by day-break the next morning to give all neceffary orders, and found the custom-house full of goods for the lading of the galleons, fuch as guayaquil, coca, jefuit's bark, and Spanish wool; and gave immediate orders for their being speedily fhipped off. The number of ferons and bags of goods amounted to 4,300. The two guarda cofta floops in the river (which were all the guarda coftas that were left in those parts) were funk juft above the customhouse, carpenters being ordered to break up their decks and entirely destroy them.

THE Custom-houfe being entirely cleared by friday the 28th, was filled with combuftible matter of the neighbouring hutts, and fet on fire that evening, which burnt with great fierceness all that night.

On the 29th in the morning the brass cannon being embarked, which were eleven guns and eleven Patteraroes, and a good part of the garrifon; the mines were fprung under the lower bastion, which entirely demolished it: then two mines were sprung to blow up fome of the upper

parts

PART parts of the works; afterwards all the inner build· I. ings of the caftle were fet on fire, and were burning all the night of the 29th. On the 30th 1740. Vice Admiral Vernon put to fea with his fqua

dron; and on the 1ft of April in the evening got to the mouth of the harbour of Porto Bello, where he was joined by the Windfor and Greenwich, just arrived from their cruize off Carthagena; and on the 2d was joined alfo by the Burford, which he had left to be repaired at Jamaica.

ON the 5th the admiral ordered Mr Henry Barnley To take "To take upon him the command of "the little Spanish prize floop that had been car❝reened in Porto Bello harbour, and to carry "Mr Joshua Thomas, Purfer of the Strafford,

to England, with the packet for the govern"ment committed to his care, with an account "of the fuccefs of this expedition." The admiral, after failing from Porto Bello, received advice that two Spanish men of war bound from Ferol, with the vice roy of the kingdom of St Fee, were arrived at St John de Porto Rico, and immagining the vice roy might probably choose to fall in with the port of St Martha, being within his s government, before he proceeded to Carthagena; the admiral being off the little Baru, on the 21ft ordered the Windfor, Greenwich and Burford, under the direction of Capt. Berkley "To cruize juft to windward of St Martha for "intercepting the vice roy" but the Spanish men of war efcaped their vigilance, and fafely conducted the vice roy to Carthagena, with 600 foldiers, defigned for reinforcing the garrison of Porto Bello; while Admiral Vernon with the reft of the fquadron foon after returned to Jamaica.

THE

III.

1740:

THE admiral, both at Porto Bello and Cha- CHAP. gre, fhewed the true fpirit of his countrymen; their intrepidity in attacking, their moderation in victory, their difinterestednefs in the use of it, and their honour in obferving capitulations: for this he was highly commended by the Spaniards, who found in him the true glory of his heroic countrymen, whofe courage was exceeded by nothing but their clemency, on which alone they founded their eternal fame.

THE admiral was obliged to demolish the fortifications at Porto Bello and Chagre, as he was incapable of maintaining them through the want of a proper fupply of land forces; and had he been provided with only 2,000, he might have kept poffeffion of Porto Bello and made himself mafter of Panama, by which means he would have laid the whole coaft of Chili and Peru, and the western coaft of Mexico, open both to the trade and the attacks of the British fubjects; and by being thus poffeffed of the ifthmus of Darien, by receiving proper reinforcements, there would have been a great probability of even feizing the mines of Peru.

A SCHEME having been recommended at Jamaica to Governor Trelawny to procure the affistance of the Mosquito Indians, and diftress the Spaniards in Guatimala, one of the provinces of Mexico, it gained the governor's approbation who was alfo informed, that from the particular fituation and trade of that part of the continent, great advantages and wealth might accrue to the undertakers. In purfuance of this representation, Governor Trelawny, after having previously follicited and gained a promise of affiftance from the Mosquito nation, in October fent Lieut. Hodg fon for the coaft of Honduras, with a neceffary fup VOL. I.

ply