Chap.XXXIV. from the I. of James I. to the Revolution,

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determined to go on with the Design ornot (Tho’ it was puhlickly discoursedof, and the Spaniards had thereby notonly the Knowledge thereof, but Op-portunities of providing for their De-fence) he was sometime after sent to,and directed to hold himself in a Readi-ness to proceed. And tho’ he then re-quested, that the Draughts, which wereto be made out of the Regiments,might be Men in all Respects sitting forthe intended Service ; Yet the Colonelswere permitted to pick and cull them,as they pleased; Insomuch that most ofthem were raw, and altogether undis-ciplined, and amongst them many IrijhPapists; Nor had the half of themArms in any Degree serviceable. Andso far was the Council from permittinghim to stay, ’till better could be fur-nish’d, in their Room, that they senthim positive Orders to leave the Town,the next Day, upon Pain of Imprison-ment.

.Before he came to Portsmouth, ma-ny of the Troops were embarked, andthe Rest Shipping off, with utmost

Haste ; So that he had no Opportunityof viewing,much less of exercising them,on Shoar, and thereby informing him-'self of their Condition, with Respect totheir Abilities, or otherwise, And tho’he was promised, that the Store-ships,with Arms and other Necessaries, shouldjoin him at Spit-head, he was at last told,that no Delay must be made in stayingfor them, but that he might expecttheir coming to him at Barbadoes,

He was likewise assured, that sheshould carry out with him ten Month’sProvisions for ten Thousand Men; Butthe most Part thereof was sent back toLondon, to be shipped off there, underPretence, that there was not fufficieptRoom, for them, in the Ships at Ports-mouth ; Tho’ the Officers of the Fleetfound Passage in them for no inconsider-able Quantities of Goods, which theydesigned to traffick with, when they ar-rived at the Islands.

The Forces being embarked, and theWind presenting fair, the Squadronsailed from Portsmouth, the four andtwentieth of December , and arrived at7 C Barbadoes ,

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The Troopsjhipd off be-fore the ge-neral couldvievj them.

GreatestPart of theProvisionsleft behind.

The Squa-dron arrivesat Barba*does.

(2.) " They will be sure Retreats upon all“ Occasions.

(q.) “ They ly much to Windward of the“ Rest of the King of Spain’s Dominions, and,“ being in the Hands of the Spaniards , will ena-“ ble him to supply any Part which is distressed" on the Mam, and, being in our Hands, will be" of the fame Use to us.

(4.) “ From thence you may possibly, .after“ your Landing there, fend Forces for the taking“ of th e Havanna, on the Island of Cuba , which“ is the Back-door of the West-lndies, and will“ obstruct the Passing of the Spaniards Plate-“ Fleet into Europe and the taking of the Ha-“ vanna is so considerable, that we have had“ Thoughts of beginning the first Attempt upon" that Fort, and the Island of Cuba , and do still" judge it worthy of Consideration.

2. “ Another Way we have had Considera-“ tion of, is, for the present, to leave the Islandsl- and to make the first Attempt upon the main“ Land, in one or more Places between the Ri-ll ver Oroncque and Porto Bel lo , aiming therein" chiefly at Carthagena, which we would make“ the Seat of the intended Design, securing some“ Places by the Way thereto, that the Spaniards" might not be to the Windward of us, upon the“ main Land; Wherein, if you have Success, you“ will probably,

(1.) “ Be Masters of all the Spanish Treasure,“ which comes from Peru , by tneWay of Pana-“ ma, in th eSouth-Sea, to Porto Bello, or Nom-“ bre de Dios, in the Ncrth-Sea.

(2.) You will have Houses ready built, a" Country ready planted, and most pf the People“ Indians, who will submit to you, there being“ but few Spaniards there, as is informed.

(3.) " You will be ably to put the Country“ round about under Contribution, for the Main*u tenance of the Army, and therewith, by the" Spoil and otherwise, probably, make 3 great

" present Return of Profit to the Common*" wealth.

3- “ There is a third Consideration, and that“ is mixed, relating both to the Islands, and also" to the Main Land, which is, to make the first“ Attempt upon St. Domingo, or Puerto Ricco ," one or both, and having secured them, to go“ immediately to Carthagena, leaving that which" is to the Windward of it to a farther Opportu-" nity, after you have secured and fettled that<- c City, with what does relate thereto, if God" doth please to give that Place into your Hands.

“ These are the Things which have been in" Debate here, and having let you know them,“ we leave it to yon, and the Commissioners ap-" pointed, to be weighed upon the Place, that" after due Consideration had among yourselves," and such others as you shall think fit to advise" with, who have a particular Knowledge of" those Parts, you may take such Resolutions," concerning the making the Attempts, in the" managing and carrying on the whole Design,

- ‘ as to you, and the said Commissioners, or any“ two of them, shall seem most effectual, either" by the Ways aforesaid, or such others as shall

be judged more reasonable- And for the bet-" ter enabling 50U to execute such Resolutions as" shall be taken in the Premises, you are hereby" authorized and required, to use your best En*“ deavours, wherein General Penne, Coiyman-" der in Chief of the Fleet, is by us required to" join with, and assist you, with the Fleet and" Sea-Forces, as often as there shall be Occasion," to land your Men upon any of theTerritories," Dominions, andPlaces belonging unto, or in the" Possession of the Spaniards in America-, and to

surprize their Forts, take, or beat down their« Castles, and Places of Strength, apd to pursue,« kill and destroy, by all Means whatsoever, all“ those who shall oppose or resist you therein,h and slse to seize upon all Ships and Vessels

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