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A TRUE AND FAITHFUL RELATION

OF THE

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FORCES OF THEIR MAJESTIES, KING WILLIAM AND QUEEN MARY,

IN THEIR EXPEDITION AGAINST THE FRENCH,

IN THE CARIBBEE ISLANDS, IN THE WEST INDIES: Under the Conduct of his Excellency Christopher Codrington, Captain-General and Commander in Chief of the said Forces, in the Years 1689 and 1690. Written by Thomas Spencer, Junior, Secretary to the Honourable Sir Timothy Thornhill, Baronet, to whose Regiment he was Muster-Master, and supplied the Place of Commissary. London, printed in 1691. Quarto, containing fourteen Pages.

To the Right Honourable Edward Russel, Admiral of their Ma. jesties Fleet for the Year 1691, Treasurer of their Majesties Navy, and one of the Lords of their Majesties most Honourable Privy-Council.

Right honourable,

I MIGHT justly imagine myself to be thought rude and impertinent,

And

when I first presumed to tender this account to your honour; and I should never have adventured upon so great a boldness, if I had not thought it really my duty to present it to your honour's view. the reason which moved me to it was, because the most notable actions herein related, as the taking of St. Christophers, and St. Eustace, were the immediate success of part of that royal navy, which your honour now happily commands in chief; I mean that squadron commanded by Admiral Wright in the West Indies, without which it had been utterly impossible for the English to have enterprised any thing in those parts. For their majesties islands there were so depo. pulated by a raging mortality, that the surviving inhabitants were even harrassed with a daily fatigue to defend themselves. Upon this motive, joined with the consideration of the innate generosity, which is generally found in all persons so nobly and honourably descended as yourself; but is so peculiar to the most noble family of Bedford, and with which (as you are a principal branch thereof, so) you are principally adorned; I first assumed the boldness to address your honour with a copy of this relation; and the high favour you were pleased to vouchsafe me, in your perusal and approbation of it, when it was a manuscript, hath encouraged me not only to send it to the press, but hath also emboldened me to implore your patronage

tickets should ever exceed the half of our running cash, though we could have them without interest. A moderate quantity of them will impede our money; but too great a quantity would drive it quite

away.

I must add one thing more to the foregoing part of this discourse; and that is, that when a land-tax is granted, there should a poll-tax go along with it: That so, the whole kingdom being concerned, every man in it may contribute something. The land-tax draws hard from those that have estates, and the poll-tax will draw something (though a general excise would insensibly draw more) from those that have them not. And surely when the men of estates bear the main of the burden, and put their shoulders to it; it is but reasonable, that the common people also should each of them lend a finger. They ought not therefore to complain, if, for every shilling in the pound which the land-tax rises to, there be twelve-pence a head laid upon men, and upon the women six-pence. Thus a great difference is here made, For there is no reason that as it ought, between women and men. women should pay equal, when they do not get half so much. And I have the rather designed them some little ease in this matter; because I think our nation hath been too valiant, in making hard laws against women.

When I speak of so much a head, my meaning is, that it should be upon all alike, both high and low. Or, if any difference be made, it should be only some such difference as this, that gentlemen, and all so reputed, should pay double or treble to common men.

It seems a great mistake, that a poll-tax should run high upon de grees, and titles, and dignities, especially if a land-tax likewise be then on foot; for, generally, they, that have titles, have also estates, which pay to the land-tax. If a land-tax come to two shillings in the pound, and there be a poll-tax proportionable, a common person pays two shillings for his head, and a knight of a thousand a year pays a hundred pounds for his estate; and it seems very hard, that he should pay ten pounds more for his title. Why should we lay more upon those, that have their load already?

And, though there were no land-tax on foot, yet a poll-tax, that runs upon titles and dignities, is of all others the most unjust, because it is the most unequal. It is very unequal and unjust, that an esquire, not worth a hundred pounds, should pay as much as one worth five thousand a year.

All things being in a readiness, they embarked and set sail on Thursday the first of August; and, on Monday following, being the fifth of the said month, they arrived at the island of Antigua, where they received the unwelcome news, that the fort at St. Christopher's was surrendered to the French, on Monday the twenty-ninth of July, upon articles, and the English sent off to the adjacent island of Nevis.

Affairs being thus stated, Sir Timothy Thornhill knowing his strength to be inconsiderable to attack an island so well manned and fortified as St. Christopher's; and the government of Antigua also solliciting him to continue with them till the arrival of the English fleet, which was daily expected; he agreed to their proposals, and landed his regiment there, quartering them in the town of Fal mouth.

After a month's continuance in the said island, Lieutenant-general Codrington sent three sloops, manned with fourscore of Sir Timothy's regiment, under the command of Captain Edward Thorne, to fetch their majesties subjects, with their goods and stock, from the island of Anguilla, where they were miserably abused and destroyed, by some Irish which the French had put on shore amongst them. Before, and during Sir Timothy's stay in Antigua, the Indians of the neighbouring islands, who were in league with the French, landed several times upon the said island, killing those inhabitants that lived near to the sea (to the number of ten) and then making their escape in their swift periaquas, notwithstanding the best sailing sloops were sent in pursuit of them; but, by the diligence of the lieutenant-general, in placing guards at all the bays and landing places, those in. cursions were afterwards prevented.

About the middle of September, a French privateer, landed at Five islands, near Antigua, had taken off some negroes; and, in his going away, met with two English sloops, one of which, after some resistance, he took. The other, making her escape, came in, and gave an account of the action; upon which, Sir Timothy sent out two sloops, manned with a company of grenadiers, under the command of Captain Walter Hamilton, who next day brought her in with her prize. On board the privateer (besides thirty French) were six Irish, who were tried by a court-martial, and four of them deservedly executed.

At this time, a dreadful mortality raging in the island of Nevis, especially among the men, which had reduced that sex to a moiety of its usual number, forced the inhabitants to make their addresses to Sir Timothy, who now had received a commission for major-general, to bring his regiment down thither for their defence, their island lying within two leagues of St. Christopher's, and in daily expectation of being attacked. The major-general weighing their necessity, after the violence of the distemper was abated, in the month of November, removed his regiment thither, incamping them upon a commodious plain, close adjoining to a river.

In the beginning of December, the lieutenant-general, coming down to Nevis, called a general council of war, in which it was de

termined, that the major-general, with three-hundred of his own regiment, and two-hundred Nevisians, should go down and attack St. Martin's and St. Bartholomew's, two islands belonging to the enemy, in which they reared considerable quantities of stock, for the support and maintenance of other their sugar islands. In order to which expedition, the major-general, on Sunday the fifteenth of the said month, put his forces on board the vessels provided for them, being one brigantine, and nine sloops; and, on Monday the sixteenth, he himself embarked, and the fleet set sail for the said islands. On Wednesday the eighteenth, in the morning, we passed by St. Bartholomew's, and, about four in the afternoon, being within four or five leagues of St. Martin's, we espied a small sloop standing up towards us; but, upon sight of us, she tacked, and put into one of the bays. When we came up with the bay where she lay, the major-general sent one Lieutenant Dowden, with three files of men in a boat, to go up to her and board her, and, if she were floating, to bring her out. When the boat was got near on board, the enemy, who lay hid in the bushes on each side, the bay being land-locked, fired very thick upon them, forcing them to retreat, two of them being wounded. The major-general, being very desirous to have the sloop, after it was dark, sent thirty men in four boats and canoes, under the command of Captain Walter Hamilton, again to attempt the bringing her out; but the enemy discovered them, and fired hotly upon them. The canoe, which Captain Hamilton was in, rowed close up to the sloop, and found her run on ground, the men, being all gone out of her; so were forced to leave her, and return to their vessels. Captain Hamilton received two shots in one of his legs, about four persons more being wounded, but none killed; that night we stood off and on, as though we designed to land in the morning.

The next day being the nineteenth, there was a council of war held by the officers on board the brigantine, wherein it was determined, first to attack St. Bartholomew's, and accordingly the sloops stood up in the night to the said island. The next morning before day, Major John Stanley landed with fourscore men, notwithstanding the opposition of the enemy, and beat them out of their breastworks; and by break of day he had planted his colours upon a battery they had, consisting of two great guns. All the forces being landed, the major-general ordered them to take three several ways; himself leading his own guard of gentlemen reformadoes, with two companies more, through the body of the island. After a mile's march, we discovered a large fortification, which appeared to be well manned; but the major-general, running down bravely with his men, so disheartened the enemy, that, after they had given us two or three vollies, they quitted it, and fled into the woods. The for tification was quadrangular, consisting of about two acres of land, encompassed with double rows of stakes, six feet high, and four feet distant; the intervals being filled with earth, and a wide deep trench without it. On each corner there was a flanker, in one of which were planted four great guns; the entrance into it was a lock, ad.

All things being in a readiness, they embarked and set sail on Thursday the first of August; and, on Monday following, being the fifth of the said month, they arrived at the island of Antigua, where they received the unwelcome news, that the fort at St. Christopher's was surrendered to the French, on Monday the twenty-ninth of July, upon articles, and the English sent off to the adjacent island of Nevis.

Affairs being thus stated, Sir Timothy Thornhill knowing his strength to be inconsiderable to attack an island so well manned and fortified as St. Christopher's; and the government of Antigua also solliciting him to continue with them till the arrival of the English fleet, which was daily expected; he agreed to their proposals, and landed his regiment there, quartering them in the town of Fal mouth.

After a month's continuance in the said island, Lieutenant-general Codrington sent three sloops, manned with fourscore of Sir Timothy's regiment, under the command of Captain Edward Thorne, to fetch their majesties subjects, with their goods and stock, from the island of Anguilla, where they were miserably abused and destroyed, by some Irish which the French had put on shore amongst them. Before, and during Sir Timothy's stay in Antigua, the Indians of the neighbouring islands, who were in league with the French, landed several times upon the said island, killing those inhabitants that lived near to the sea (to the number of ten) and then making their escape in their swift periaquas, notwithstanding the best sailing sloops were sent in pursuit of them; but, by the diligence of the lieutenant-general, in placing guards at all the bays and landing places, those in. cursions were afterwards prevented.

About the middle of September, a French privateer, landed at Five islands, near Antigua, had taken off some negroes; and, in his going away, met with two English sloops, one of which, after some resistance, he took. The other, making her escape, came in, and gave an account of the action; upon which, Sir Timothy sent out two sloops, manned with a company of grenadiers, under the com mand of Captain Walter Hamilton, who next day brought her in with her prize. On board the privateer (besides thirty French) were six Irish, who were tried by a court-martial, and four of them deservedly executed.

At this time, a dreadful mortality raging in the island of Nevis, especially among the men, which had reduced that sex to a moiety of its usual number, forced the inhabitants to make their addresses to Sir Timothy, who now had received a commission for major-general, to bring his regiment down thither for their defence, their island lying within two leagues of St. Christopher's, and in daily expectation of being attacked. The major-general weighing their necessity, after the violence of the distemper was abated, in the month of November, removed his regiment thither, incamping them upon a commodious plain, close adjoining to a river,

In the beginning of December, the lieutenant-general, coming down to Nevis, called a general council of war, in which it was de

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