Such a precaution was certainly prudent, but it ought to have been put in execution with equity. If the ships commissioned to prevent that illicit traffic had only seized upon the vessels really concerned in it, neither the commanders nor the government that appointed them could justly have incurred any blame; but the abuses inseparable from violent measures, the eagerness of gain, and perhaps a spirit of revenge, incited the Spanish officers to stop, under various pretences, many vessels that had a legal destination, and even to treat the seamen with the greatest cruelty.

England, whose power and glory is founded on commerce, and who could not patiently suffer any restraint upon a branch of trade which custom had made her consider as lawful, was highly incensed, when she understood that those restraints were converted into hostilities, and carried to an excess inconsistent with the laws of nations. The body of the people loudly called for vengeance, and the leading members in both houses of parliament directed all the thunder of their eloquence against the minister, who could tamely see his country exposed to such indignities. But sir Robert Walpole, who still governed the councils of Great Britain, and who had an equal contempt for party rage and popular opinion, paid little regard to these violent invectives or seditious clamours. Strongly convinced of the importance of peace to a trading nation, he endeavoured to obtain, by negotiation, satisfaction from the court of Madrid. The preliminaries of a convention were accordingly signed at Pardo, in the beginning of the year 1739. And although the terms of this treaty were neither so honourable nor advantageous to Great Britain as might have been wished, they were the best that could possibly be obtained, without involving the kingdom in a war with Spain, and eventually with France, as was foreseen by that minister.

The chief article of the convention provided, That the king of Spain should pay to the subjects of Great Britain the sum of ninety-five thousand pounds sterling, by way of indemnification for their losses, in consequence of the seizures made by the guarda-costas, This was, in effect, acknowledging the injustice of those seizures: but as no provision was made against future violences, the grand question, "Whether British vessels, navigating the American seas, should be any where, or under any circumstances, subject to SEARCH?" being left to be discussed by a congress, the interests of the country were supposed to be betrayed, and the whole nation was thrown into a ferment. Petitions against the convention were sent from all the principal trading towns in the kingdom, and the universal outcry was "a free sea or a war!" Walpole found himself under the necessity of resigning, or of yielding to the voice of the multitude: and the king of Spain, by neglecting to pay the stipulated sum at the appointed day, furnished him with a decent pretext for declaring war, without abandoning his pacific principles. On the contrary, he affirmed that the convention-treaty would have been attended with all the advantages that could be procured by the most successful war;(1) and that future ages would do justice to the councils that produced it.

But although the pacific disposition of sir Robert Walpole, and his intimate knowledge of the essential interests of his country, made him averse to war, he no sooner resolved upon hostilities than the vigour of his measures was as conspicuous as his former moderation. A powerful fleet, under admiral Haddock, was sent to cruise off the coast of Spain; and admiral Vernon, an officer who stood high in the public favour, was appointed to the command of a squadron in the West Indies. This gentleman had rendered himself conspicuous in the house of commons, by loudly condemning all the measures of the minister, and bluntly speaking his sentiments on every occasion.

(1) It would at least have been productive of more advantages than the war that ensued. And if it should be said, that it was impossible to foresee the subsequent misfortunes, which arose from a variety of causes, it may at least be added in reply, that the interests of a few merchants concerned in a contraband trade, however lucrative, was not a sufficient object to engage two great nations in a war, the success of which must be doubtful, and which, it was evident, must be prosecuted at a vast expense of blood and treasure. It was the unsubmitting pride of the two nations that involved them in hostilities: and that pride, on the part of England, was inflamed by a set of ambitious men in both houses of parliament, who assumed to themselves the deluding name of patriots; but who, since time has elucidated their characters, appear to have been only a desperate faction, struggling for the emoluments of office.

In a debate upon the Spanish depredations, he declared that he would undertake to reduce Porto Bello with six ships. That offer was echoed from the mouths of all the members in opposition, and reverberated from every corner of the kingdom. Vernon became the idol of the people: and the minister, in order to gain their confidence, sent him to fulfil his boast; not perhaps without hopes that he might fail in the attempt, and draw disgrace on himself and his party.

The event, however, justified the admiral's assertion. He sailed from Jamaica with no more than six ships, and two hundred and forty soldiers on board. Yet such was the dastardliness of the Spaniards, and the romantic bravery of the British tars, who mounted the walls of the fortifications in a manner thought impracticable, that Porto Bello was taken almost without bloodshed. Of that place some account must be given.

The town of Porto Bello is disposed in the form of a crescent, on the declivity of a mountain which embraces an excellent harbour. This harbour was well defended by forts, all which were taken and blown up by admiral Vernon, who immediately abandoned his conquest. It could only indeed be of importance to the masters of Peru, as its opulence depended entirely upon its situation; and even that opulence could only induce an inconsiderable number of inhabitants constantly to reside on a spot, so unhealthy, that it has been denominated the grave of the Spaniards. But during the annual fair, which lasted forty days, Porto Bello was a theatre of the richest commerce that was ever transacted on the face of the earth. Seated on the northern side of the isthmus which divides the two seas, thither were brought from Panama, on the Pacific Ocean, the gold, silver, and other valuable productions of Chili and Peru, to be exchanged for the manufactures of Europe; and there arrived the galleons from Old Spain, laden with every article of necessity, accommodation, and luxury. The sickly and almost deserted town was quickly filled with people; its port was crowded with ships; and the neighbouring fields were covered with droves of mules, laden with the precious metals. Instead of silence and solitude, nothing was to be seen in the streets and squares but bustling multitudes, bales of goods, and chests of treasure.(1)

But that rich commerce, as well as the contraband trade, has since been ruined by the abolition of the galleons, and by substituting in their place register ships; which, sailing round Cape Horn, pass immediately to the ports of Chili and Peru, with a supply of European goods, and return to Europe with the treasure by the same course. In consequence of this new regulation, which took place in 1748, the trade of Panama and Porto Bello has sunk almost to nothing; and these two towns, formerly called the keys of communication between the North and South Sea, between Spain and her most valuable colonies, now serve only as a passage for the negroes that are carried to Peru, and some other inconsiderable branches of decaying traffic.(2)

The joy of the English nation on the taking of Porto Bello was excessive. The two houses of parliament congratulated his majesty on the success of his arms the people were confirmed in their opinion of Vernon; and his good fortune induced the minister to continue him in the command of the British fleet in the West Indies.

This compliance with the wishes of the people, however, served only to render the popular members in the house of commons more clamorous. They considered it as a partial victory, and resolved to push their advantage: they attempted the entire removal of the minister; and a motion was even made to that purpose. Piqued at this ungenerous return, as he considered it, to his condescensions, sir Robert Walpole concluded a masterly speech (in which he refuted every charge brought against him) with the following keen expressions, that strongly mark the character of those contentious and venal times, "Gentlemen," said he, "have talked a great deal of patriotism; a venerable virtue, when duly practised! But I am sorry to observe, that of

(1) Ulloa's Voyage, vol. i.

(2) Robertson, Hist. Amer book viij.

late it has been so much hackneyed, that it is in danger of falling into disgrace: the very idea of true patriotism is lost, and the term has been prostituted to the worst of purposes. A patriot! why patriots spring up like mushrooms: I could raise fifty of them within the four-and-twenty hours. I have raised many of them in a night. It is but refusing to gratify an unreasonable or an insolent demand, and up starts a patriot. I have long heard of this patriotic motion," added he;" and let gentlemen contradict me, if they can, when I say I could have prevented it. By what means, I leave the house to judge!"(1)

The reduction of Porto Bello was but a prelude to greater enterprises. Nothing less was resolved upon than the utter destruction of the Spanish settlements in the New World. With this view, an English squadron was despatched to the South Sea, under commodore Anson, in order to ravage the coasts of Peru and Chili; while a fleet of twenty-seven sail of the line, commanded by sir Chaloner Ogle, besides frigates, fireships, bomb-ketches, storeships, victuallers, and transports, with upwards of ten thousand landforces on board, was sent to the West Indies to reinforce admiral Vernon, and co-operate with Anson, by means of intelligence to be conveyed across the isthmus of Darien. The land-forces were commanded by lord Cathcart, a nobleman of approved honour, as well as experience in military affairs: and the ardour of both soldiers and sailors to come to action was excessive. This ardour drew from lord Cathcart the following words, in a letter to admiral Vernon: "In the troops I bring you there is spirit, there is good-will; which, when properly conducted, will produce, I hope, what the nation expect from us will make us the glorious instruments of finishing the war, with all the advantages to the public that its happy beginning promises; and with this distinguishing circumstance, that those happy effects have been owing to a perfect harmony between the sea and land-forces."(2)

The want of that harmony proved the ruin of the armament. As lord Cathcart unfortunately died soon after his arrival in the West Indies, the command of the land-forces devolved upon brigadier-general Wentworth, an officer without experience, resolution, or authority. He had nothing in common with Vernon but his obstinacy, and as great a contempt for the sea, as the admiral had for the land-service. These two ill-associated commanders, whose powers were discretionary, after being reinforced with some troops from the English colonies in America, determined to attack Carthagena.

The city of Carthagena is seated on a peninsula, or sandy island, which is joined to the continent by two artificial necks of land, the broadest of which is not above seventy yards wide. Its fortifications are regular, and after the modern manner. The houses are mostly of stone, and the streets are broad, straight, and well-paved. It is supposed to contain about twenty-five thousand inhabitants. Nature has placed at a little distance a hill of a middling height, on which is built the citadel of St. Lazarus. This fort commands the town, and, in some measure, the harbour, which is the safest in the American dominions of Spain, and one of the best any where known. It is two leagues in extent, and has a safe and excellent bottom.(3) At the time the trade of the Spanish settlements in South America was carried on by the galleons, those ships sailed to Carthagena before they went to Porto Bello, and visited it again on their return. Its trade has declined since their abolition; but the excellence of its harbour, and its vicinity to the rich provinces of Santa Fé, Popayan, and Choco, must ever make it a place of great importance.

In consequence of the resolution of the English commanders to attack this opulent and strong city, a descent was made on the island of Tierra Bomba, near the entrance of the harbour, which is known by the name of Bocca Chica, or Little Mouth, from its narrowness, and which was fortified in a surprising manner with castles, batteries, booms, chains, cables, and ships of Several of the smaller castles were almost instantly reduced by sir

war.

(1) Parliamentary Debates, 1740.
(3) Ulloa, lib. i. cap. 3.

(2) Modern Universal Hist. vol. xv. fol. edit.

Chaloner Ogle, to whom that service was committed; and batteries being erected against the principal fortifications, the Boradera battery and fort St. Joseph were successively taken by storm. A breach was made in Castillo Grande, and the British troops, supported by the seamen, advanced to the assault. Contrary to all expectation, they found the works abandoned. The Spanish ships, which lay across the mouth of the harbour, were either taken or destroyed; the passage was opened; the fleet entered without farther opposition, and the troops were disembarked within a mile of the city.

After surmounting so many difficulties with such facility, the besiegers thought that little remained but to take possession of Carthagena. A ship was accordingly sent express to London with intelligence to that effect; and public rejoicings were held at Jamaica, and over all the English islands in the West Indies. But the animosities which broke out between Vernon and Wentworth disappointed the hopes of the nation, as well as the sanguine expectations of those concerned in the expedition. Each seemed more eager for the disgrace of his rival than zealous for the honour of his country. The admiral was always putting the general in mind of the necessity of cutting off the communication between the town and the country, and of attacking the citadel of St. Lazarus, by which it was defended. Resolutions, in a council of war, were taken for that purpose, but nothing was done in consequence of them. A shameful inactivity, which might partly proceed from the climate, seems to have possessed the troops. (1)

The general, by way of recrimination, threw the blame of the delay upon the admiral, in not landing the tents, stores, and artillery. And it must be admitted that both were in fault. If Wentworth had attacked the citadel before the enemy had recovered from the panic occasioned by the reduction of the forts that defended the harbour, the English would certainly have become masters of the place; whereas the inaction of the land-forces, besides the diseases to which it exposed them, gave the Spaniards time to recover their spirits, and to take every precaution for their defence. Nor was Vernon less remiss in his duty, in not sending his ships to batter and bombard the town by sea; for it is beyond dispute, notwithstanding some surmises to the contrary, that great execution might have been done by such a mode of attack. The largest ships could have lain near enough to have damaged the buildings without being exposed to much harm; and the bombs would have been attended with great effect, as the houses in that country are chiefly covered with shingles, or small thin boards, instead of slate or tiles.

During these disputes, the army was employed in erecting batteries, in order to make a breach in fort St. Lazarus. But the heavy cannon not being yet arrived, nor the batteries near completed, the chief engineer gave it as his opinion, that the place might be rendered so much stronger before the batteries could be opened, as to over-balance the advantage to be expected from them. This absurd opinion, seconded by the importunities of Vernon, determined Wentworth to hazard an assault, after all rational prospect of success from such a mode of attack had ceased, until a breach should be made in the walls. So firm, however, was the courage of the British troops, that, if other instances of misconduct had not accompanied that unsoldier-like attempt, there is reason to believe Carthagena would have been taken. The assault, instead of being made in the night, was delayed till morning; the soldiers were conducted, by mistake, against the strongest part of the citadel; the scaling ladders were found too short; the woolpacks and grenadoshells were left in the rear; and the admiral neglected to divert the attention of the enemy by battering the town by sea, or even making use of his

(1) The heat is excessive and continual at Carthagena; and the torrents of water that are incessantly pouring down, from May to November, have this singularity, that they never cool the air, which is some times a little moderated during the dry season by the north-east winds. The night is as hot as the day. Hence, the inhabitants, wasted by profuse perspiration, have the pale and livid appearance of sick persons; all their motions are languid and sluggish; their speech is soft and slow, and their words are generally broken and interrupted. Every thing relative to them indicates a relaxed habit of body. Ulloa, Voy. lib. i. cap. v.

bomb-ketches.(1) In consequence of these several blunders, and others connected with them, the brave assailants were exposed to the whole fire of the fort, and partly to that of the city, without the least power of defending themselves, or of annoying the Spaniards. A mere carnage ensued; and although a retreat was soon judged necessary, colonel Grant, who commanded the grenadiers, and six hundred of the flower of the English army, were left dead on the field.

The besiegers were so much discouraged by this unpropitious and illdirected effort, that they gave up all hopes of being able to reduce the place. And the rainy season set in with such violence, as rendered it impossible for the troops to live on shore. They were therefore re-embarked, and the enterprise was relinquished, after the admiral had made a feeble attempt to bombard the town, in order to convince the general of its impracticability; though that consequence was by no means the result of this impertinent experiment. On the contrary, it was affirmed, that the continuance of such a mode of attack, properly conducted, would have reduced the city to heaps of ruins; that a floating battery, which had been prepared, did not lie in the proper place for annoying the enemy; that the water was there indeed too shallow, to admit large ships near enough to batter the town with any prospect of success, but that a little towards the left, the harbour was sufficiently deep, and that four or five ships of the line might have been moored within pistol-shot of the walls.(2)

After the re-embarkation of the troops, the distempers peculiar to the climate and season began to rage with redoubled fury. Nothing was heard from ship to ship, but complaints and execrations; the groans of the dying, and the service for the dead! Nothing was seen, but objects of wo or images of dejection; and the commanders, who had agreed in nothing else, were unanimous in pleading the expediency of a retreat from this scene of misery and disgrace. The fortifications of the harbour of Carthagena were accordingly demolished, and the English fleet sailed for Jamaica, to the astonishment and confusion of the mother-country, as well as of the colonies. The people were depressed in proportion to that exuberant joy with which they had been elevated; nor was any thing afterward done by the conduct. ors of this unfortunate enterprise, to retrieve the honour of the British arms. Though Vernon was reinforced with several ships of the line, and Wentworth with three thousand soldiers from England; and, although they successively threatened St. Jago de Cuba and Panama, they returned home without effecting any thing of consequence, notwithstanding the loss of near twenty thousand men.(3)

The expedition under Anson was not more fortunate in the beginning; and, but for accident, it would have terminated in equal disgrace. Being attacked by a furious storm in passing Cape Horn, two of his ships were obliged to return in distress; one was lost; another was so much damaged as to be abandoned soon after; and the greater part of his people died of the sea-scurvy, before he reached the island of Juan Fernandez, which had been appointed as the place of rendezvous. In this delightful abode the remainder of his crew recovered their health and spirits; and the Centurion, his own ship, being still in pretty good repair, he soon put to sea, took several prizes off the coast of Chili, and plundered the town of Paita, on the coast of Peru, where he found a booty of silver to the amount of about thirty thousand pounds sterling. From his prisoners he learned, that notwithstanding his reduced force, he had nothing to fear in those latitudes; as Don Joseph Pizarro, who commanded a Spanish squadron destined to oppose him, had been obliged to return to Rio de la Plata, after having lost two ships and two thousand men, in attempting to double Cape Horn.

But that consolatory intelligence was balanced by information of a less agreeable kind. Anson also learned, from some papers found on board his

(1) Univ. Hist. ubi sup. Smollett's Hist. Eng. vol. xl. (3) Smollett's Hist. Eng. vol. xi. Univ. Hist. ubi sup.

(2) Univ. Hist. vol. xv. fol. edit.