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62

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Charles II. Naval Expeditions, 6c c. 0 ) the Engiisli, Book iA*

submit to this, yetrefused to sign to it;SoJdierspublickly d<return to England,strike Stroke, where

the CommissionersInsomuch that thedared, they wouldand never morethere were Com-

Venables

hour of St.Domingo.

miffioners who should have Power tocontroul the Army.

The Fleet being now in a Readinessproposes to go to Sail, (y) General Venables, with someto the Har- Q f t h e Commissioners, and the Officersof the Army, proposed, that theymight proceed directly into the Har-bour of St. Domingo-, But (for whatReason it doth not appear, unless it wasfor Want of experienced Pilots) thatwas refused, and a Resolution taken toland the Troops at the River Mine, thatso they might endeavour to force theFort and Trench.

Fatigue and Extremity of Heat, fell r6§§'down with Thirst, and were miserablyafflicted with the Flux, by their eatingOranges, and other green Fruit, havingno Water to moisten their Mouths with;

So that many of them died outright, andthe Rest were so faint and fatigued, thatthey were not in a Condition to resist,much less to attack the Enemy.

After four Day’s March, the Army ^ ^ r00 jscame to the Place, where they might mUC }, (have at first been landed ; But, by that fedfirfifTime, the Enemy had summoned in °^p r E-the whole Country, to their Assistance, ottS>and even now many of the Soldiers hadno more than one Day’s bare Provisionsof the three that had been promisedthem from the Ships.

Colonel RrP/er being sent with his

T11 e y ffexYdfromBarbadoes, the thirty Regiment to a particular Station, near Colonelsfirst of March, and, the thirteenth of A- Dine- River, and ordered not to ^^Jstctti 6 *pril, the Fleet made the Land of His- from thence, ’till the Rest of the Army qffigneipaniola, and discovered the Town of St. joined him, he was so far from comply- ^Domingo, upon which a Council of War ing with those Commands from the Ge

was held. (Jf)

Lots having]been cast, pursuant tothe Resolution there taken, it fell toCol. Puller ' 1 s Regiment to land first; (J)and there was one Cox, who had lived inthose Parts many Years, was to havebeen their Guide; But he had been senton some Errand by Penne, so that hewas, at this Time, absent; And Vice-Admiral Goodjon declaring, that he nei-ther had Orders to go into Hine-BJcvex,nor Pilots to conduct the Ships into it,the Army was constrained to land at

neral, that he marched away under theGuidance of Cox, who was now arrivedfrom the Fleet; Insomuch that forWant of the said Guide, the General,mistaking the Way, marched ten ortwelve Miles about, and Puller havingsuffered his Men to straggle, they fellinto, and suffered much by Ambus-cades, laid by the Enemy.

The Hardships the Forces had un- MEdergone, for Want of Provisions, andtheir being deny’d what Plunder theymight happen to take at St. Domingo ,

the West Point (which Venables protest- so exasperated them, that the Seamened against) and by that Means were ex- first, who had been set on Shoar, andposed to a tedious March of forty Miles, soon after those of the Land, were in athro’ a thick woody Country, and deep general Mutiny. However, in thisSand, without any Guide ; Insomuch Condition, they forced the River Hine,that both Horse and Men, by the with a Resolution to march to the Har-bour,

Pr Vm* ' (D The Author of the Britijh Empire inAmirs' 1n America says, that while they were at Barba-1C3 ' does, two Men of War were sent to St. Christo-pher’s and Mevis , to raise VolunteersAnd thatthey were supplied with several Necessaries atBarbadoes , where some Hundreds of Volunteersjoined them, and no less than thirteen Hundred atthe Leeward Islands.

Venables formed a new Regiment of Sea-men, to serve upon Occasion on Land, these wereput under the Conduct of Vice-Admiral Goodfon ,the Rest of the Regiments brought out of Eng-land were easily compieated-to a full Number, aTroop of gallant Horse was raised.

(h) AT that Council it was resolved,among theLand-Olficers.

1. " That the Regiments should cast Lots" which of them should go on Shoar first.

2. " That two or three Regiments ihould be" landed at once.

3. " That the Seconds to each Regiment Ihould“ be appointed.

4. “ That the Ships, wherein the Regiments“ were, should Keep near each other, for their“ more regular Landing.

“ And it was farther determined, that if the“ Surge of the Sea ran high, and that the Enemy“ were prepared to defend the Fort and Trench,“ the Army should be landed behind the Second" * 01n L to Leeward, and that, when on Shoar," one Regiment should be ordered to march East-" wart k of the City, provided General Penne“ F t ou] ! engage to furniih the Armies with all“ Necessaries.

(i) The Author of the Britijh Empire in J-menca,i ays, that the Day after their makingLand, General Venables (who had uxoriouily ear-ned his Wife with him) landed seven ThousandFoot, a Troop of Horse, 3nd three Days Provi-sions.

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