Cette carte de l'Amérique permet de comprendre le choix de Carthagène des Indes (le point rouge) comme point d'atterrissage pour l'Armada anglaise : c'est le port de la terre ferme le plus proche des points d'appui anglais des Antilles. Pour s'en emparer, els Anglais vont mobiliser 27 000 hommes et près de 200 navires pour écraser une faible garnison de 5000 espagnols.

L'histoire maritime est écrite par des Anglais et c'est sans doute pour cela qu'en deux siècles après les événements ils n'ont publié qu'un seul livre sur un des pires désastre de leur histoire. En 1741, la plus puissante armada jamais rassemblée par une puissance européenne tente de s'emparer de l'Amérique espagnole au profit de la couronne britannique. En dépit d'une supériorité numérique écrasante, les Anglais échouent à s'emparer de la ville qui devait leur servir de tête de pont pour s'emparer du continent.

Nous avons choisi de vous présenter les souvenirs d'un des participants à cette expédition, un des rares témoignages de ce désastre parvenu jusqu'à nous.

The miscellaneous works of Tobias Smollett,
with a life of the author

By Tobias George Smollett

Londres 1756.


An account of the expedition against Carthagena.

ENGLAND having declared war against Spain, in the year 1739, the government resolved to distress the enemy by attacking their possessions in the West Indies; and for that purpose, a plan was proposed by Colonel Spotswood, governor of Virginia, in consequence of which he was empowered to raise a regiment of Americans, consisting of four battalions, to serve under his command against the Spaniards ; but he dying before the scheme could be put in execution, this regiment was given to Colonel Gooch, who succeeded him in the government of that colony.

The lieutenants were appointed in England, at the recommendation of the Lord Cathcart, who commanded all the land forces on the intended expedition ; and he chose for this purpose young gentlemen of family, chiefly North Britons, who had learned the rudiments of the military art in Holland and other foreign services, and consequently were the better qualified to discipline a new raised regiment. These had commissions signed by his majesty's own hand ; but the captains and ensigns were appointed by the governors of the different provinces in which the companies were levied, according to a power vested in them by the king for that purpose.

While these officers were employed in raising and disciplining the companies in North America, six regiments of marines were levied in England by means of draughts made from the foot-guards ; the command of them bestowed upon gentlemen of character and capacity for military operations, and all possible pains taken to render them immediately fit for service in the West Indies, to which the seat of war was to be transferred. A squadron was equipped, and actually sailed under the auspices of Commodore Anson for the South seas, in order to harass the Spaniards on the coasts of Chili and Peru, and if possible to establish a correspondence across the Isthmus of Darien, with a fleet and army destined for Carthagena, so as to co-operate for the advantage of the nation.

The marine regiments being well disciplined, and having for some time encamped on the Isle of Wight,were embarked on board of eighty transports, with all sorts of warlike utensils that might be necessary in the expedition ; and detachments from three old regiments were sent on board of the men of war appointed to join Admiral Vernon on the same service. These were,

Ships & Guns & Commanders

Russel, 80, Sir Chaloner Ogle, rear-admiral of blue, Captain Norris.
Torbay, 80, Captain Gascoyne, having on board Lord Cathcart, general of the land forces.
Cumberland, 80 Captain Stuart.
Boyne, 80 Commodore Lestock.
Princess Amelia, 80 Commodore Hemmington.
Chichester, 80 Captain Robert Trevor.
Norfolk, 80 Captain Grates.
Shrewsbury, 80 Captain Townihend.
Princess Caroline, 80 Captain Griffin.
Suffolk, 70 Captain Daries.
Buckingham, 70 Captain Mitchel.
Oxford, 70 Captain Lord Augustus Fitzroy,
Prince Frederick, 70 Captain Lord Aubrey Beauclerc.
Prince of Orange, 70 Captain Osborne.
Lion, 60 Captain Cotteril.
Weymouth, 60 Captain Knowles.
Superb, 60 Captain Harvey.
Montague, 60 Captain Chalmers.
Deptford, 60 Captain Mostyn.
Jersey, 60 Captain Lawrence.
Augusta, 60 Captain Dennison.
Dunkirk, 60 Captain Cooper.
Rippon, 60 Captain Joliff.
Vurk, 60 Captain Coates.
Litchfield, 50 Captain Cleveland.

Etna, Firebrand, Phaeton, Vesuvius, Flame, Vulcan,—Fire- ships. Two bomb-ketches, and hospital-ship, store- ships, etc.

This noble fleet sailed from St. Helens on Sunday, October the 26th, in the year 1740, with a fine breeze at east-north-east, which continued till Friday the 31st, when the weather looked squally astern, and at night blew a hard gale; and this in the morning of Saturday, November the 1st, increased to a violent storm, which did abundance of damage in several ships, splitting sails, carrying away masts, and throwing every thing in confusion.

La ville de Carthagène vue du château de San Felipe.

The author of this account, who was on board of one of the largest ships in the fleet, says, he was waked early in the morning, by a dreadful concert, produced from the clanking of chain-pumps, the creaking of gun-carriages, the cracking of cabins strained by the violent motion, the dashing of the sea, the howling of the wind, the rattling of the rigging, and the confused clamours of six hundred men, running up and down the deck in confusion.

Nor was the eye more agreeably entertained than the ear: for, when he got up, and mounted the accommodation ladder, he found the prospect altogether dismal. Of all the fleet, seven sail only were to he seen, and of these, two had lost their masts, while the others scudded under reefed mainsails; the billows were incredibly vast and tremendous: there was. nothing to be seen on board, but tumult, uproar, and dismay; the ship pitched with such violence, that the masts quivered like slender twigs; a cask of water broke from its lashings on deck, and maimed sixteen men before it could be staved; the main-sail was split into a thousand tatters, and the yard being manned to bend another in its room, one of the braces gave way with such a shock, as threw four men over-board, two of whom were lost, while the knee of a fifth was crushed in a terrible manner between the beril and the mast.

Nevertheless, the wind being fair they made shift to lie their course under a balanced mizen, going at a great rate; and on Monday at noon, though the weather was still very boisterous, with rain and hail, forty sail of the fleet appeared in sight, and from this period assembled again gradually. On Saturday the 8th, the Orford gave chace to a vessel,plying to the eastward, and brought her into the fleet under French colours. On Monday, Captain Lestock and Captain Hemmington hoisted broad blue pendants as commodores : and on Wednesday the line of battle was altered, because the Cumberland was still missing, since the storm of the 1st of November. All Monday the 17th, it rained and blew very hard: next day, the weather being mild, all hands diverted themselves with striking dolphins, which are a beautiful species of fish, as they swim along-side, and, when first caught, exhibit a charming variety of bright eolours. They are in continual pursuit of the flyingfish, which is about the size and make of a herring, furnished with membraneous fins, by means of which it rises above the surface, and flies a considerable space in order to avoid its persecutors.

Les armes de Don Pedro de Heredia, sur le mur d'une vieille maison de Carthagène.

On Wednesday the 19th, the wind proved contrary, though in those latitudes where it generally blows from the east during the whole year.

On Tuesday the 25th, a man belonging to the Chichester, jumped overboard and drowned himself, in resentment for having undergone the shameful discipline of the ship for vermin. The weather growing sultry and calm about this time, began to produce ardent fevers among the men, and in a few days the fleet became very sickly; but nothing material occurred.

Friday, December the 19th, after having lain to several nights, on the supposition of their being in the neighbourhood of land, they sailed along the coast of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Marigalante islands, possessed by the French, and came to anchor in the bay of Dominica, which is a neutral island, though some parts of it were settled by French adventurers. The very day after their arrival at this island, the expedition sustained an irreparable loss by the death of Charles Lord Cathcart, a nobleman of distinguished valour, capacity, and experience in the military art, whose character was in all respects truly amiable, and whose fate was universally regretted, more especially as he was succeeded in command by Brigadier-general Wentworth, an officer who had neither knowledge, weight, nor self-confidence, sufficient to conduct an enterprise of such importance.

Le château de San Felipe, le dernier bastion de la défense espagnole.

The fleet remained seven days at Dominica, for the convenience of wooding and watering: during which period, tents were pitched along shore for the accommodation of the sick ; and those afflicted with the scurvy recovered in a surprising manner, solely, from their enjoying the land air and plenty of fresh water; for the island produced no other refreshments, although the soil is fertile, and naturally abounds with lime, lemon, and orange trees ; hut the bloom had been destroyed by a hurricane, and the few planters who were on the island had removed their provisions and stock, for fear of being plundered by the English.

On Friday the 26th, the whole fleet sailed from Dominica, and next day passed by Montserrat and Nevis, which saluted the admiral with their cannon, and afforded a pleasant prospect of green fruitful fields, level towards the shore, and swelling up into mountains farther in the country.

On Saturday they arrived at St. Christopher's, and anchored in Basseterre road, where they found, his .majesty's ship the Leostoff, and a good number of vessels, which had parted from them in the storm, and rendezvoused here, in pursuance of their instructions. Next day the admiral proceeded on his voyage, with fair weather, sailing in sight of the verdant islands of Sabe, Santa Cruz, Porto Rico, and Hispaniola, the fleet being by this time increased to one hundred and eighteen sail, till the afternoon of Wednesday, January the 7th, when they descried five large ships towards the shore.

The admiral immediately made signal for the Orford, the Prince Frederick, the Weymouth, the Dunkirk, and the York, to give chase, while he and the fleet continued their course for Jamaica. They accordingly came up with the five ships, which were French men of war; and Lord Augustus Fitzroy, who commanded the Orford, ordered their commodore to hoist out his boat and come aboard. This order the French captain refusing to obey, his lordship gave him a broadside, and a very obstinate engagement ensued. The two squadrons being equally matched, fought all night with equal courage ; and in the morning, the English commodore seeing French colours displayed, hailed his antagonist, and pretended he had mistaken them for Spaniards : the battle was forthwith suspended, mutual compliments passed, and having treated each other with great marks of politeness, they parted with the loss of about an hundred men killed on each side, among whom was Captain England of the marines, a worthy gentleman, and a gallant officer.

Meanwhile, Sir Chaloner, with the rest of the fleet, sailed along the coast of Jamaica, from whence a pilot came on board, and on Friday the 9th conducted them safely into the harbour of Port Royal, where they found Admiral Vernon with his squadron; and the regiment of North Americans were by this time arrived, and quartered ashore.

Une vue intérieur du château de San Felipe.

While measures were taking for embarking this corps, and supplying the ships with proper refreshments, provision, and other necessaries, a council of war was held at Governor Trelawney's house in Spanishtown, in which it was resolved, that the whole fleet should beat up to windward, and observe the motions of the French squadron, commanded by the Marquis d'Antin, then lying in the harbour of Port Louis, in the island of Hispaniola.

Le Blas de Lezo est une des plus modernes frégates de l'Armada espagnole. 

Ce fut ce navire qui se rendit aux commémorations de la bataille de Trafalgar. 

Accordingly, a body of negroes, raised by the governor, being put on board, the fleet sailed from Port Royal harbour in three divisions, the first of which, under the command of Sir Chaloner Ogle, weighed on the 22d day of January; the second, commanded by Commodore Lestock, sailed on the 26th ; and Admiral Vernon, with the third division, took his departure on the 31st; when the three , plied to windward, and on the 7th of February made Cape Tiberoon, where he was joined by the Wolf sloop, which he had previously detached for intelligence. Captain Dandridge, the commander of this vessel, gave him to understand, that he had looked into Port Louis, and seen nineteen ships of war, one of which carried a flag at the main-top-mast head.

In consequence of this information, the fleet steered for the Isle of Vache, and coming to anchor, about two leagues to the westward of Port Louis, on the 12th, Captain Laws of the Spence sloop was sent to reconnoitre the harbour, and pretty nearly con* firmed the report of Dandridge.

Next day, Admiral Vernon, accompanied by General Wentworth, went in a barge, and sounded the depth of water between the Isle of Vache and Hispaniola; and on the 14th, Mr. Went worth reconnoitred in person from the Spence sloop, which had no sooner opened the harbour of Port Louis, than he plainly perceived that all the ships were merchantmen, mostly unrigged, except one frigate of forty guns; and that the supposed flag was no other than the white gable end of a house, in a line with the main-top-mast of this vessel. As a French officer had come off with a message from the governor on the 14th, and was not admitted to the admiral, Mr. Vernon now sent Captains Boscawen and Knowles to make an apology for having declined seeing that gentleman, to know what his proposals were, and to ask leave to wood and water in the bay. They returned with a polite answer, and brought an account of the Marquis d'Antin's having sailed for Europe on the 26th day of January ; a circumstance which was confirmed by the arrival of Captain Reaton in the Experiment, who had been cruising some time off Hispaniola. February the 16th, it was resolved, in a general council of war, that the fleet should, with all expedition, wood and water in Iros, Tiberoon, and Donna Maria bays, and thence proceed directly to Carthagena.

During the seven days which were thus employed, detachments from the American regiment and the negroes were daily sent ashore to cut fascines and pickets; and the Weymouth, Experiment, and Spence sloop, under the command of Captain Knowles, detached beforehand to sound Punta Canoa bay, about two leagues to the windward of Carthagena.

Amiral Edward Vernon.

February the 26th, the whole fleet was under sail, to the number of one hundred and twenty-four, and in the evening of Wednesday, March the 4th, anchored in Playa Grande, between the town of Carthagena and Point Canoa. The small frigates and fire ships were ordered to lie in a line along the shore, as if the design had been to carry on the operations to the windward of the town; and this feint had such an effect upon the enemy, that they drew their forces from the remoter parts, and began to entrench themselves where they seemed mostly threatened by the danger. The Dunkirk, Experiment, and Spence sloop, were immediately dispatched to leeward to sound the coast of Tierra Bomba, as far as Boca Chica, or entrance into the harbour, which was pitched upon as the first scene of action. March the 5th, a council of war was held to settle the distribution of plunder, according to his majesty's instructions. Next day, the general went on board of the Lion to reconnoitre the shore and forts on Tierra Bomba, when the swell was so great, that she rolled away her mainmast, and was in the utmost danger of perishing. A disposition was immediately formed for landing the troops ; and in the morning of the 9th, Sir Chaloner Ogle proceeded with his division to destroy the small fort of St. Jago and St. Philip, which might otherwise have annoyed the troops in landing, and hindered the fleet from anchoring near the shore.

Carthagène des Indes, ville prise par les Français, mais que les Anglais n'ont pas réussi à prendre en dépit d'une supériorité militaire écrasante.

This piece of service was very effectually performed by the Norfolk, Captain Graves, the Russel, Captain Norris, and the Shrewsbury, Captain Townshend; for, after a brisk cannonading, the enemy were before the evening compelled to abandon the forts. Nor was this success attained without some loss ; for the Shrewsbury's cable being cut by a shot, she fell to leeward before they could let go, another anchor, and being exposed to the fire of Boca Chica, and a fascine battery, she received considerable damage in her hull and rigging, besides the loss of sixty men killed or wounded whereas her two consorts did not lose above ten.

All obstruction being thus removed, Lieutenant-: colonel Cochrane landed with the grenadiers that same evening, and took possession of the forts : the bomb-ketches began to play upon the castle of Boca Chica ; and next morning the grenadiers were formed on the beach, to cover the landing of the rest of the army, which was effected without opposition ; though the troops were obliged to lie that night upon their arms.

Don Blas de Lezo.

On the 11th, the negroes, tools, and tents, being put ashore, the ground was cleared, the tents were pitched and the troops put under cover from the night-dews, which are very dangerous in that climate. A coupure was made through the woods, to cut off the communication between the city and forts at the harbour's mouth, and another opening towards the fort of Boca Chica, which they intended to batter in breach from a fascine battery, raised under the directions of Mr. Moor, the principal engineer, a man of capacity and experience. He at the same time planned out a mortar battery, defended from the enemy's fire by casks filled with sand, which began to play upon the castle on the 13th, in conjunction with the bomb-ketches.

As for the great-gun battery, it could not be finished with such expedition ; for the workmen were not only galled by the shot of the enemy, who fired with great vigor, but so relaxed by the heat of the climate, that they could not bear much fatigue; and the negroes, upon whose labour there was great dependence, were so intimidated by the fire from Boca Chica, that they threw down their burdens, and fled at the report of every gun.

For these reasons, the engineer represented to the council of war, that the work could not be carried on in a proper manner, without a reinforcement of one thousand six hundred men added to the troops already landed; and as there was a number of soldiers still Ob board of the fleet, the general demanded this supply, which the admiral refused, on the supposition that such a reinforcement could not be necessary.

March the 17th, when the parapet of the battery was raised almost up to the embrasures, the land officers, in a council of war, agreed to solicit the assistance of the admiral in destroying a fascine battery on the other side of the harbour, called the Barradera, from which they had received considerable damage and interruption; and, in compliance with this request, a detachment of three hundred sailors, supported by a body of the soldiers that still remained on board of the fleet, were conveyed thither at night in boats, under the command of Captains Boscawen, Watson, Coats, Washington, Mr. Murray, and Lieutenant Forrest, who attacked the battery with great valour, repulsed the enemy, and spiked up the cannon.

On the 19th, an epaulement was raised on the left of the great-gun lattery, to cover it from tho fire of the enemy's ships of war, which were ; moored between the forts of Boca Chica and St. Joseph, so as entirely to block up the entrance of the harbour; and that same day, the enemy were perceived at work in repairing the Barradera battery, which having been imperfectly demolished, was soon in a condition to renew its fire, and annoy our troops; so that the admiral ordered a sixty- gun ship to beat it down; but her efforts had little effect.

March the 22d, the battery being finished, began early in the morning to play upon the fort of Boca Chica,* with four-and-twenty great guns, and forty small mortars and cohorns, that fired alternately with good effect; and the enemy returned the fire with great vigour from the castle, the fascine battery on the Barradera side, and their shipping.

* The enemy having neglected to clear away the wood in the neighbourhood of Boca Chica, the English engineer took advantage of the omission, to screen the workmen who were employed in raining the battery; for, as the Spaniards did not see them, they could not properly direct their fire; and the battery being finished, the trees were immediately knocked down, to that it rose to the view like the effects of magic.

Next day, Commodore Lestock, who lay with his squadron to the windward of tho whole fleet, hoisted a broad red pendant, and weighed anchor in the Boyne, and, with the Princess Amelia, the Prince Frederic, Hampton Court, Suffolk, and Tilbury, went in to cannonade the forts of Boca Chica, St. Joseph, the Spanish men of war, and the Barradera battery. As the commodore sailed along the whole line of the fleet, all the ships were manned to do him honour; every vessel saluted him with three cheers as he passed, and all the music played « Britons strike home » . This squadron having run in as near the forts as possible, each ship clapped a spring on her cable, and a terrible cannonading ensued; as the reader may easily conceive, when he is informed, that above five hundred great guns, besides a great number of bombs and cohorns, were incessantly plied during the best part of the day. In the evening they were called off, after having sustained considerable loss, and next morning renewed their fire with fresh alacrity, though their shot did very little execution among the enemy, and had no effect at all on the face of the western bastion, which was battered in breach from the land battery. In this engagement, Lord Aubrey Beauclerc, who commanded the Prince Frederic, lost his life, and was universally regretted; and Mr. Moor, the chief engineer, was killed ashore on the battery, to the great prejudice of the expedition. In the evening another detachment of sailors and soldiers, commanded by Captain Watson, was transported in boats to the Barradera shore, and burned the battery without opposition, together with a sloop which lay on the other side of a neck of land, and supplied it with necessaries and ammunition.



Meanwhile, the English battery fired night and day, without intermission, till the 25th, when the breach being reported practicable by an engineer, who had been sent to reconnoitre, it was resolved, in a council of war, to make the attack that same evening. A disposition was instantly made and communicated to the admiral, who, in order to make a favourable diversion, agreed to send his boats well manned and armed, under the command of Captain Knowles, to make an attempt upon Fort St. Joseph and the Spanish ships, while the land forces should be employed in storming the breach of Boca Chica. These precautions being taken, the troops advanced to the assault about five hi the afternoon. A serjeant and twelve grenadiers, accompanied by thirty volunteers, composed the forlorn hope; these were followed by two hundred and sixty grenadiers, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Macleod; then came Colonel Daniel, at the head of five hundred men, and sortie small parties, carrying scaling-ladders, pick-axes, &e. to be used if1 necessity should require. They again were sustained by five hundred men, under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Cochrane; and Mr. Blackeney, brigadier of the day, had the direction of the attack.

Three bombs fired from the battery, gave the signal for putting them in motion; upon which a volley of round-shot was poured in upon the breach, and this succeeded by another of grape-shot, which obliged the sentinels upon the walls to put themselves under cover, and contributed to their not perceiving the troops when they first moved to the attack. But before they reached the foot of the walls, they heard the Spanish drums beating to arms: the top of the breach was manned, and the enemy's ships, and Fort St. Joseph, began to fire with grape-shot upon the assailants, though with very little effect; but the commandant, Don Bias, being on board of one of the ships, the garrison were struck with a panic, and fled with precipitation out of the gate as soon as the grenadiers began t6 mount the breach.

Immediately after the troops had taken possession of the fort, the Africa and San Carlos, two of the Spanish men of war, were sunk by the enemy; the San Philip being set on fire, either by the red-hot balls from «he land battery, of by the Spaniards, winch continued burning until the fire reached the magazine, and then blow up with a vast explosion.

Médailles frappées à Londres pour commémorer la prise de Carthagène. Les Anglais avaient vendu la peau de l'ours ibérique avant de l'avoir tué.

During these transactions, the armed boats from the fleet commanded by Captain Knowles, rowed to the Barradera side, while the soldiers and sailors landing, attempted to surprise Fort St. Joseph; but being discovered, they found themselves so much exposed to the artillery of that fortification, that they were fain to retire under cover of the bushes, until it was evacuated by the enemy, who foresaw it would be impossible to maintain this post after Boca Chica was taken. In the mean time, the admiral sent orders to his detachment to attack it in their boats, and they accordingly entered it without opposition; then they boarded the Galicia, commanded by Don Blas, in which they found two officers and sixty men, who had not time to make their escape; and, lastly, demolished a strong boom fixed across the harbour's mouth, the end of which had been already cut down by a party of the hind forces under the command of Mr. Blane, an engineer, and Lieutenant Bennet, who was the first man that entered the breach. By this time, the English had made themselves masters of all the forts and defences at the harbour of Boca Chica, in which the enemy placed their chief confidence; and indeed we must own the success of this afternoon and evening were altogether extraordinary, if we consider the situation of the harbour's mouth, and the manner in which it had been fortified.

This place takes its name of Boca Chica, or narrow mouth, from the narrowness of the channel, and lies in such a manner upon the coast, that the trade-wind blowing from the east, never affords a favourable breeze which would enable a squadron of ships of war to enter by main force. At one side of this narrow channel, close to the shore, the Spaniards had erected the fort of Boca Chica, which was a regular quadrangle, with four bastions, and mounted with eighty-four great guns, hesides a very large mortar and cohorns; on the other side stood Fort San Joseph, in a small island detached by a narrow gut from the continent of the Barradera, mounting thirty-six cannon, mostly level with the surface of the water; between these two castles was fixed a very strong boom, consisting of cables, chains, and beams of wood, stretched across the harbour's mouth; and within this, four ships of war, mounting sixty-four guns each, were moored in a line to defend the passage ; over and above these fortifications, we have already mentioned, the fascine battery on the Barradera shore, which greatly galled the English in their approaches, and the small forts of San Philip and San Jago, which the ships demolished before the troops could be landed.

Immediately after the reduction of Boca Chica, measures were taken for re-embarking the troops, artillery, and stores. Commodore Lestock was appointed to remain with his squadron at the harbour's mouth, and the rest of the fleet entered the outward harbour, as soon as the channel could be cleared of the wrecks sunk there.

On Friday the 27th, the Griffin and Orford were ordered to advance, and post themselves across the mouth of the inner harbour called Surgidero: while the Weymouth and Cruiser sloop were detached to the other side of the harbour, to demolish two small batteries on each side of the Passo Cavallos, or Horse Ferry, a creek through which provisions were conveyed into the Laguna, and from thence to the city. This piece of service was performed without opposition, under the direction of Captain Knowles, who at . the same time took some hulks and small craft, that were serviceable in watering the fleet, at a very convenient wharf which they found by the side of an excellent spring.

This was a very welcome discovery to the people on board of the fleet, who had been hitherto restricted to a very scanty allowance of that element, namely a purser's quart (about three half pints) per diem to every individual, in a climate where there is such a continual expense of the animal fluid, that as many gallons might have been necessary to repair the waste of four and twenty hours, in a hard working man, sweating under the Sub, which was vertical, and fed with putrid beef, rusty pork, and bread swarming with maggots,. Nor could this restriction be owing to the fears of scarcity; for over and above, all the water-casks, which were filled at Hispaniola, there was not an old empty pipe, puncheon, pork-tub, or beef barnel, that was not converted to this use; and in some ships, so little pains had been taken to cleanse these vessels, that the water was corrupted, and stunk so abominably, that a man was fain to stop his nose with one hand, while with the other he conveyed the can to his head.

Nay, if every cask of water had been started overboard, it is well known that it might have been easily supplied by an expedient which is often practised, and was actually adopted by the troops on shore; I mean that of sinking half-tubs bored in the beach, which are filled with potable water, strained through the pores of the sand.

With respect to the allowance of brandy granted to every individual, the admiral, in his great sagacity, ordered it to be mixed in a proportion of the water, without sweetening or souring, so as to compose a most unpalatable drench, which no man could swallow without reluctance.

March the 30th, at a general council of war held on board of the admiral's ship, it was resolved that the soldiers, artillery, and stores, should be landed with all expedition, at a place called La Quinta, on the land side of Carthagena, within the Surgidero, or inner mouth of the anchoring place, which was defended hy Castle Grande, a strong castle, on one side, and a small fort, called Manzanillo,on the other, between which the enemy had sunk seven galleons and two large men of war, in order to block up the channel. At the same time, it was agreed that the army on shore should be reinforced by those detachments of the regiments which still remained on board of the ships of war.

The intention of this second landing was to cut off all communication between the town and country, and besiege the fort of Lazar, which stood on the top of a hill, and commanded the city of Carthagena. Nor was it was doubted that the admiral would co-operate with the army, by sending some of his largest ships to batter the town.

Meanwhile, Captain Knowles was ordered to bring; his guns to bear upon Castle Grande; which as well as the fort on the opposite side, was abandoned ; so that he took immediate possession, and was appointed governor of the castle, which mounted sixty-four pieces of cannon. During these transactions, Captain Renton of the Experiment, having reconnoitred the channel in which the galleons and men of war had been sunk, found the stern of the Conquistador still afloat; so that they found means to heave it round, and open a passage into the Surgidero for two bomb- vessels, which being covered by as many twenty-gun ships, began to play upon the town, though they were moored at too great a distance to do much execution: nevertheless, some shells took place, and even set some houses on fire, and the enemy seemed now to be in despair; for they themselves burned a French »hip of war lying at anchor near the walls of the town, which they could never imagine would fall into the hands of the English, unless they had thought themselves on the eve of surrendering the city.

The admiral and his squadron having come to anchor near Castle Grande, no time was lost in pursuing the design of the second landing at La Quinta: the transports with the troops, stores, and artillery, sailed up the harbour from Boca Chica, and a disposition being made for disembarking, on the morning of the 5th, the Weymouth, the Cruiser sloop, and two or three fire-ships, which had passed through the channel, were ordered to fire with grape-shot all the preceding night, in order to scour the woods and shore adjoining to the landing-place.

April the 5th, the first division of the soldiers, amounting to one thousand four hundred men, commanded by Brigadier Blakeney, rendezvoused alongside of the Weymouth; at five in the morning, Colonel Grant, at the head of the grenadiers, landed without opposition, and being followed by the rest, formed the whole in order of battle, to march against the enemy. These being joined by two hundred Americans as pioneers, the negroes, and a party of matrosses, with eight pattereroes, began to move forwards into the wood, and having reached the end of the defilée, with the loss of one man killed by the fire of a straggling party, they perceived the Spaniards, to the number of seven hundred, drawn up on the strand, in such a manner as to cover the road leading to the city. There they stood with a good countenance, seemingly determined to dispute the ground, from which the general ordered the grenadiers to dislodge them; but as they were obliged to march through a narrow pass, bounded on the left by the lagoon, and on the right by a thick copse, a party of American soldiers were detached into this last, in order to fall upon the rear of any small parties which might have been posted among the bushes to flank the English as they advanced.

The grenadiers marched up with great alacrity, suit! very little loss, notwithstanding two finis from the enemy; then the front platoon poured in their fire at the distance of half a musket shot, and immediately wheeled to right and left, as in street firing, to make room for the next to advance; a circumstance from which the Spaniards supposing the whole body gave way, they expressed their joy in a loud huzza; but they were soon convinced of their mistake, by the close fire of the following platoons ; in consequence of which they soon fell into confusion, and fled towards the city, whither it was not thought proper to pursue them, because this party was justly supposed to be 110 other than a decoy to draw the English into an ambuscade, or within cannon-shot of the town and Fort Lazaro.

The proper guards being posted, and the troops put under cover in some houses and sheds adjoining to La Quinta, a party was detached to bike possession of a convent situated on the top of a hill, called La Popa, where they found some prisoners, and left an officer's guard; from hence the general, accompanied by Brigadier Guise, next day reconnoitred the city ; and it was debated in a council of war, whether or not the fort should be attacked the following night, before the enemy should have finished some works upon the hill, on which they were seen employed with great diligence : but this attempt was postponed, because no stores were as yet landed from the ordnance ships. That very evening, however, five pieces of cannon, with powder and ball, were put ashore, and a number of Americans and negroes being landed, with working tools, they began to clear the ground for tin encampment; though in the mean lime the Europeans suffered severely from the excessive heat; so that the work was greatly retarded.

April 7th, the council of war being re-assembled, the report of the principle engineer considered, and the intelligence given by deserters taken into consideration, the members were unanimously of opinion, that the fort ought not to be attempted without having first raised a battery, the scheme of which the engineer was ordered to lay before the council with all possible expedition. Meanwhile this resolution was immediately communicated to the admiral, together with the opinion of the members, importing that the success of such an enter- prize would be much facilitated by the admiral's giving directions to the bomb-ketches to play upon Fort San Lazaro, which might also be battered by one of the large ships of war, at that time lying altogether inactive.

The admiral treated the design of a battery with great contempt, alleging that cannon were not at all necessary for the taking of such a paltry fort, which would certainly be abandoned as soon as the English should appear in earnest to give the assault; but with respect to the bombarding and battering San Lazaro, he sent no determinate answer.

It is a melancholy truth, which, however, ought to be told, that a low, ridiculous, and pernicious jealousy subsisted between the land and sea officers during this whole expedition; and that the chiefs of those were so weak or wicked as to take all opportunities of thwarting and manifesting their contempt for each other, at a time when the lives of so many brave fellow-subjects were at stake, and when the interest and honour of their country required the utmost zeal and unanimity. Instead of conferring; personally, and co-operating with vigour arid cordiality, they began to hold separate councils, drew up acrimonious remonstrances, and sent irritating messages to each other; and while each of them piqued himself upon doing barely as much as would screen him from the censure of a court-martial, neither seemed displeased at the neglect of his colleague ; but, on the contrary, both were in appearance glad of the miscarriage of the expedition, in hope of seeing one another stigmatized with infamy and disgrace. In a word, the admiral was a man of a weak understanding, strong prejudices, boundless arrogance, and over-boiling passions ; and the general, though he had some parts, was wholly defective in point of experience, confidence, and resolution.

The Spaniards, judging from the spirit with which the attack had been hitherto carried on, that they could not be too alert in making preparations for the reception of such an enterprising enemy, employed all their endeavours and attention in strengthening the defences of San Lazaro, by mounting an extraordinary number of cannon upon the walls, and making new works upon the hill, in order to retard the operations of the siege: at the same time they brought some pieces of artillery to bear upon the English advanced guard, and the general's quarters, which, however, received little damage.

My this time the rainy season had begun with such violence, that it was hardly practicable to keep . the field, for it poured down in a deluge incessantly, from the rising to the setting of the sun ; and then the lightning began to play in such a continued flashing, that one might have read a small print all night long by the illumination. Such a change of the atmosphere is always attended with an epidemical distemper, in consequence of which, the men dropped down so fast, that there was scarce a sufficiency to relieve the proper guards of the Camp, much less to cut down the wood and raise a battery, so as to attack San Lazaro in form.

On these considerations it was resolved, in a council of war, to make an attempt for surprising the fort; and scaling-ladders, and other implements for this purpose, were provided accordingly. A Strange resolution! which seems to have been the result of a" report made by some engineers, who having reconnoitred the place, affirmed that the walls were not high, nor secured by any ditch on the other side; but that there was an ample road, Of an easy ascent, leading up the hill, and a wooden door on the left, which might be forced without much difficulty. Though this representation, backed by a deserter, who offered himself as a guide, might have had some weight with the general, his chief incitement to hazard the lives of so many brave Britons, in the execution of such a rash enterprise, seems to have been the importunity of the admiral, who, in repeated letters, and taunting messages, vehemently pressed him to the attack, saying that it was scarce possible to miscarry. In all likelihood, Mr. Wentworth was afraid it would be alleged, and possibly credited at home, that the city must have been reduced had this experiment been tried.

Instead of sacrificing his own understanding, and his gallant soldiers, to such an idle punctilio or suspicion, he ought to have acted up to the dictates of His own judgment, and proposed in his turn, that, as the land army could not proceed in their operations with any prospect of success, the admiral should attack the town with his great ships, which lay inactive, though the men longed for such an opportunity to signalize their courage. A report, indeed, was industriously circulated, that there was not water sufficient for the ships to lie near enough to batter in breach; and that the admiral was laudably averse to hazard his majesty's ships upon an uncertainty. But it now plainly appears, from the attestation of the best pilots, and the soundings of the harbour, that four or five of the eighty-gun ships might have been moored in a line close by the walls of Carthagena; and if this expedient had been practised, in all probability, the town would have surrendered immediately; for it is well known that the inhabitants expected no other fate, and had by this time sent their wives and children, together with their most valuable effects into the country. With respect to Mr. Vernon's being averse to risk his majesty's ships upon an uncertainty, I shall only observe, that this maxim, since adopted by other commanders, is a very ill- judged and suspicious tenderness ; inasmuch as his majesty's ships were made for service, and that they can hardly ever act at all, if they do not engage, upon some sort of uncertainty. But to return to the land forces.

A disposition being made for the attack of San Lazaro, and the necessary implements prepared; on the 8th of April, the troops appointed for this service were ordered to parade at two next morning on the strand, where being formed, they advanced towards the fort, and a little before day break, began to mount the hill, ; he grenadiers being commanded by Colonel Grant, though Brigadier Guise had the command of the attack. The division which was ordered to take the open accessible road upon the right of the fort, was in the dark, by the mistake of the guide, conducted to the centre, where the ascent is very steep, and the ground broken; yet, notwithstanding these obstructions, a number of the soldiers gained the top, and pushed on to the enemy's entrenchments, where the greatest part of them was slaughtered, because they could not be immediately sustained by the rest of the platoons, which advanced but slowly with street-firing, on account of the unevenness of the ground. Colonel Grant mounted on the left with great gallantry, but received a mortal wound before any advantage could be taken of his success; at the same time the guide was killed, and the men dropped very fast; so that the officer next in command made no further, progress, but remained on the side of the hill, exposed, to a severe fire from the. castle and the town, which did great execution.

Nor could the scaling ladders, wool-packs, or hand grenades, be of any service in this emergency ; for the Americans, who carried them in the rear, seeing the troops falling by whole platoons, refused to advance with their burdens; but though they would not advance as pioneers, many of them took up the firelocks which they found on the field, and mixing among the troops, behaved very bravely.

It must be owned, for the honour of the army in general, that no officers or soldiers could act with more courage, alacrity and perseverance, than that which was manifested on this unhappy occasion, although very few of them had ever seen the face of an enemy before this trial.

As soon as day-light enabled the general to view the posture of the troops, he sent to inform Brigadier Guise, that, if he could push forward, he should be sustained by five hundred men, who were ordered to advance accordingly; but by this time the soldiers were disheartened, and the number of the enemy was every instant increased by reinforcements of fresh men from the city, until they equalled, if not exceeded the assailants, for whom they waited on the* hill without flinching.

It was therefore found necessary to effect a retreat; which was secured by means of those five hundred men who Drought up the rear, but not before the loss of the English amounted to two hundred killed, and twice that number wounded, of which last the majority did not recover. Sixteen of these were taken prisoners by the Spaniards, who treated them with great humanity, and loudly extolled the valour of the assailants; and a cessation of arms was immediately agreed upon for a few hours, during which time the dead were buried. Meanwhile a breast-work was raised at the advanced guard, to put the men under cover, and the entrenchment enlarged for the reception of two mortars, which in two days began to fire upon San Lazaro with good effect.

Un des joyaux de Carthagène, l'ancien palais de l'Inquisition.

As for the sick and wounded, they were next day sent on board the transports and vessels called hospital-ships, where they languished in want of every necessary comfort and accommodation. They were destitute of surgeons, nurses, cooks, and proper provision ; they were pent up between decks in small vessels, where they had not room to sit upright; they wallowed in filth, myriads of maggots were hatched in the putrefaction of their sores, which had no other dressing than that of being washed by themselves with their own allowance of brandy; and. nothing was heard but groans, lamentations, and the language of despair, invoking death to deliver them from their miseries. What served to encourage this despondence, was the prospect of those poor wretches who had strength and opportunity to look around them; for there they beheld the naked bodies of their fellow-soldiers and comrades floating up and down the harbour, affording prey to tho carrion crows and sharks, which tore them in pieces without interruption, and contributing by their stench to the mortality that prevailed.

This picture cannot fail to be shocking to the humane reader, especially when he is informed that, while those miserable objects cried in vain for assistance, and actually perished for want of proper attendance, every ship of war in the fleet could have spared a couple of surgeons for their relief1, and many young gentlemen of that profession solicited their captains in vain for leave to go and administer help to the sick and wounded. The necessities of the poor people were well known ; the remedy was easy and apparent; but the discord between the chiefs was inflamed to such a degree of diabolical rancour, that the one chose rather to see his men perish than ask help of the other, who disdained to offer his assistance unasked, though it might have saved the lives of his fellow subjects.

Had the admiral, when the troops moved to the attack of San Lazaro, sent in a few ships against the town to make a diversion in their favour, the enemy would have been distracted, and their fire so divided, that neither the land forces nor the men of war could have suffered much damage, and in all probability, the city would have been surrendered at discretion. Or, even without this diversion, had the soldiers been joined by a body of sailors when they marched to the assault, the attempt might have succeeded ; for while the troops, by regular discharges, could have cleared the parapet of the enemy, the sailors being more accustomed to climbing and boarding, might have applied the ladders, scaled the walls, and forced the gate, so as to afford admission to the soldiers.

The sickness still increasing among the troops, and the admiral declining to land a reinforcement for supplying the loss by which the army was diminished, it was resolved,in a council of war, to desire the admiral to give directions for re-embarking the cannon, since his silence, with regard to the demanded reinforcement, seemed to imply a denial.

Some acrimonious messages having passed between the chiefs on this subject, the land officers demanded a general council of war, which was accordingly held on board the admiral's own ship, on the 14th day of April, when, after the condition of the army and the posture of affairs were taken into consideration, it was agreed, that as the troops were greatly diminished, weakened, and fatigued, and as their supplies of water were almost exhausted, the siege of such a strong place as Carthagena could not be attempted with any probability of success ; and therefore the artillery and forces should be reembarked with all convenient expedition.

Blas de Lezo au pied du château de San  Felipe.

A disposition was immediately formed for a retreat; and next day the cannon, stores, and heavy baggage, were put on board. Meanwhile, Captain Knowles began to throw shells at fort San Lazaro from two small mortars, in a battery which he had judiciously raised on the shore under cover of his ship, at the distance of two thousand six hundred yards from the castle, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Colonel Lewis of the train, who gave him to understand that this was the utmost distance a mortar can carry when the chamber is quite filled with powder; an expedient never practised but upon proof. But the captain piqued himself upon being an able engineer, and, in the confidence of his own capacity, expended a good number of shells to the amusement of the enemy.

April the 16th, the Galicia, one of the Spanish ships of war taken at Boca Chica, having been, by the admiral's directions, fitted up as a floating battery, mounting sixteen guns only, manned by detachments from the navy, and commanded by Captain Hoare, was warped up the harbour before day, and moored at some distance from the town, which she began to cannonade with great vigour and some success. After having lain above five hours exposed to the whole fire of Carthagena and fort Lazaro, the captain was ordered to cut her cables, and let her drive out broadside before the sea-breeze ; but running aground on a shoal, the men and ammunition were removed in boats, and she was set on fire by order of the admiral.

This very extraordinary experiment of sanding in a battery of sixteen guns against the whole fire of Carthagena, seems to have been calculated by Mr. Vernon, to shew the impracticability of attacking that city with ships only; but, unfortunately for him, it had a quite different effect; for if that vessel with sixteen guns, could sustain such a fire for five hours, what might have been expected from five or six large men of war, moored in a line, within point-blank shot of the walls ? If the partisans of Vernon insinuate that there is no water for such vessels, they must be referred again to the soundings of the harbour; they must be desired to take notice that the galleons lie in a basin close up to the walls; that the Spaniards have very lately erected a battery of forty large pieces of cannon for the defence of the town on the side of the harbour; a very unnecessary expense, if the water is so shoal as to prevent the approach of large ships ; and that Monsieur de Pointis, among other large ships, sent in the Sceptre of eighty-four guns to batter the place, which surrendered accordingly. At seven in the evening of that same day on which the Galicia cannonaded the town, the tents were struck; at eight the troops marched from their ground, and embarked in three divisions in the boats prepared for their reception.

The general in person brought up the rear; and perceiving that five tents belonging to the Americans were left standing, and some tools lying on the ground, he ordered them to be fetched off by a serjeant's guard, reinforced with some sailors, by Lieutenant Forrest; so that there was nothing left as a trophy to the enemy, who did not think fit to molest them in the retreat.

The sickness still continued to increase among the troops*, and even infected the sailors to such a degree, that they died in great numbers, and universal dejection prevailed. In order, therefore, to prevent the total ruin of the army and fleet, preparations were made to quit this inhospitable climate. The Spanish forts in the possession of the English were all dismantled and blown up ; and the whole fleet being wooded and watered for the voyage, fell down to Boca Chica, from whence they set sail for Jamaica.

* The distemper which then raged among the English was the bilious fever, attended with such a putrefaction of the juices, that the colour of the skin, which at first is yellow, adopts a sooty hue in the progress of the disease, and the patient generally dies about the third day, with violent atrabilious discharges upwards and downwards. Nothing so effectually prevents or corrects this putrefaction as plenty of sweet water, fresh provision, and a liberal use of vegetable acids, such limes, lemons, oranges, ananas, and other fruits natural to the West Indies. Of all these refreshments the people were in the utmost want, though both army and fleet might have been plentifully supplied by employing some of the transports, which lay inactive, to fetch turtle, live stock, and fruit from the neighbouring islands.

Cette médaille illustre bien l'arrogance anglaise, on y voit la flotte britannique faisant son entrée dans Carthagène des Indes.

Thus ended, in damage and disgrace, the ever memorable expedition to Carthagena, undertaken with an armament, which, if properly conducted, might have not only ruined the Spanish settlements in America, but even reduced the whole West Indies under the dominion of Great Britain.