o VINdOJIWS JO o li AllSaJAiNn o JO Ajvsd.i i«: va/<;a -*• o THE UNWES'SltV o F CAivomu o V \ / / X I ' ' I- o AllSsaAlNO 3Hi ' ' L / r ?f. o AimiAMo \ « TIT«fT» TINTS o cpr ) nmotm to 9 5ft B AiisaiAiNn )Hi » O Of CAllfORNIA o W OD fite * iO A4TJ8I1 3H1 » O THt UNIVEBSrr s o SANTA eARBAN \ o THt iwiArr or e / TU-4«'^l. ITJ 1. o THE U^NVEISITY 9 o vavBova vind 9 Sft • AilMSAtNO 3H or CAurotNiA • (rjl^!^^ •'■f UNIVtiSITV o n r" « o TmT UESaCY of c O V»VWV« VINV .....(^ln am \ o OF CAll>0•^NA o U\(^ n _^ __. 1 VIN«0*1*3 JO o # iO a .s O SANTA BARBAR * HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. HISTORY OF TRINIDAD (FIRST PERIOD) From 1781 to iSij. LIOXEL MORDAUXT FRASER. VOLUME I. TRINIDAD : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, PORT-OF-SPAIN. PRINTED AT THE COYERN'MENT PRINTING OFFICE, PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD, E.W.I. 2^ I ^ , SANTA BAHBAP-A /. 1 TO THE Hon. ARTHUR HAMILTON GORDON, G.C.M.G., FORMERLY GOVERNOR OF TRINIDAD ; THIS HISTORY OF AN ISLAND, FOR WHICH HE DID SO MUCH, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF UNVARYING KINDNESS. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Trinidail discovered by Columbus — DilJiculties of the early Settlers — Impoverished state of the Colony— Visit of Roume de St. Laurent— His scheme of Colonization accepted by the Cabinet of Madrid — Influx of French Immigrants ; first of Royalists, then of Republicans — Vaughan's affair — Conflict between the French Republicans and British sailors in the streets of Port-of -Spain, CHAPTER II. Connexion between Trinidad and the French Islands — .St. Domingo — Its early His- tory—Effects upon llic Colony of the Frcncli Revolution- Commencement of troubles Ijctwecn the \\ hite planters and tiie free people of colour. CHAPTER III, Action of the National Assembly with regard to St, Domingo — Og(5 — His attempt to establish tlie rights of the free people of colour— His followers dispersed and himself compelled to take refuge ui Spauisli fet. Domingo. CHAPTER IV, The Governor of Spanish St. Domingo gives up Ogd and Chavannes to the French — Their trial and execution— The Republican party set the Government at defiance — Murder of de MauduiL in the Streets of Port-au-Prince— Insurrection of the Skves— Midniglit meeting in the forests of " Morne Rouge"— Burning of the Estates round Cap Fran»,ais— Appeal of the General Assembly to Lord Effingham the Governor of Jamaica— Arrival at Cap Francais of the Blonde and Daphne with provisions and arms, CHAPTER V. Distracted state of the Colony — The National Assembly decide on sending three Commissioners, Sonthonax, Polverel and Aillaud, to enquire into matters — Their presence aggravates the disorder — Second rising of the Slaves and utter des- truction of Cap Frantais — Flight of the rcspcttable inhabitants, many of whom settled in Trinidad, yji«^ CONTENTS. CHRAPTE VI. Martinique-Its early history-Troubles caused by the outbreak of the French Revolution— Capture by the British— Guadeloupe also yields, but is recaptured by Victor Hugues— Atrocities committed by the latter— Emigration of Royalists from Martinique and Guadeloupe to Trinidad. CHAPTER VII. Outbreak of war between England on the one side and France and Spain on the other— Expedition against Trinidad under Harvey and Abercromby— Capitulation signed by the British Commanders and Don Jose Maria Chacon the Spanish Governor. CHAPTER Vni. Arrangements made by Abercromby for the safety of the Colony— Picton left as Governor and Captain-General— His instructions- His early life— Difficulties he had to contend with as Governor of Trmidad. CHAPTER IX. Picton's policy with regard to the Spanish Colonies— His appreciation of the value of Trinidad as a Commercial centre. CHAPTER X. Peace of Amiens — Opposition of the First Consul to the cession of Trinidad to England on account of its commanding position — Royal approbation of Picton's conduct and confirmation of his nomination as Governor — The "British Party" — How composed — Its enmity to Picton — First attempt to introduce English Law into the Colony — How met by Picton — The "British Pai'ty" intrigue against him in England — The Government put into Commission — Colonel FuUarton named First Commissioner. CHAPTER XI. Arrival of the First Connnissioner — Disputes between Picton and himself — Com- modore Hood the Third Commissioner arrives — Scenes in Council — The old Settlers and the Catholic Clergy adhere to Picton — FuUarton supported by the "British Party." CHAPTER XII. FuUarton takes forcible possession of documents in charge of the Criminal Court — The Escribano placed under arrest for allowing this— FuUarton invades the house of ISIr. Black, a Member of theCabildo, in which the Escriliano was under arrest, in order to release him— Mr. Black maintains his rights— FuUarton leaves the Colony without informing his colleagues, who at once issue a Proclamation declaring him to be no longer a Member of the Government. CONTENTS. IX. CHAPTER XIII. Picton's resignation accepted by the King — He leaves the Colony — FuUartou returns — Picton's general conduct re\-iewed — His character cleared from the stigma of cruelty. CHAPTER XIV. Fullarton sole Commissioner — He is relieved by General iHislop and leaves for England to continue his attack upon Picton. CHAPTER XV. Trial of Picton for assault upon Luisa Calderon — Narrative of the case — Part taken in it by Begorrat — Fullarton 's action in regard to the case. CHAPTER XVI. Luisa Calderon — Her age when tortured — Evidence as to the authenticity of the Baptismal Certificate produced in proof thereof— Padr6 Angeles — Opinion of the Vicar-General as to his trustworthiness — His Will andjprotest of his innocence. CHAPTER XVII. Verdict against Picton on the first Trial — Rule for a new Trial granted — Verdict on the second hearing — Subsecjuent career of Picton. CHAPTER XVIII. State of the Colony in 1805 — Military Works erected at Fort George — Threatened insurrection of the Slaves. CHAPTER XIX. Trinidad on the verge of bankruptcy — Effects upon the Colony of the efforts of "the Anti-slavery Society, headed by Wilberforce, Clarkson and others — Mr.' Joseph Marryat, Agent for the Colony. CHAPTER XX. Population of Trinidad from 1797 to 1806 — Imports and Exports — Trade with the Spanish Main — Financial position on December 31st, 1807. CHAPTER XXI. The free people of colour — Their position under the Spanish rule guaranteed by the Capitulation, but seriously affected by the attempt to introducel English Law — They address the Governor and are repulsed — View taken of their position by Jean Baptiste Philip — Contrary opinion entertained by Mr. Marryat. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII. Fire in Port-of -Spain— The town almost totally destroyed— Threatened famine averted by the energetic measures of the Governor and Admiral Cochrane — Picton desires that the £i,000 subscribed in Trinidad to defray the expenses of his trial should be given to the sufferers by the fire— £50,000 voted by the Imperial Parliament for the relief of Trmidad— Appointment of Mr. George Smith to be "Chief Judge, Alcalde del Crimen and Fiscal" — Conflicts between him and the Execu- tive — Case of Gallagher. CHAPTER XXIII. Despatch from Lord Liverpool upon the question of the change of Laws — Further conflicts between the Executive and the Chief Judge — Case of Sanderson — The Cabildo decide to suspend the Chief Judge — That decision partially confirmed by the Governor — The Chief Judge leaves the Colony without permission — Departure of General Hislop. CHAPTER XXIV. Arrival of General Munro — Character of his predecessor — Close connexion between Trinidad and Venezuela — Revolution of Gual and Espaua — Santiago Mariiao — His daring expedition from Chacachacare — Arrival of Sir Ralph Woodford — A new era opens for Trinidad. PREFACE. >LTHOUGH nearly a century has elapsed since Don Jose Maria Chacon, the last Spanish Governor of Trinidad, capitulated to the British Naval and Military Forces under Harvey and Abercromby, but little was known until a comparatively recent date of an Island which should have had some interest for Englishmen in con- nexion with those rough sea dogs Avho were the Fathers of that magni- ficent Navy whjch, in these very days, has been admitted even by its rivals to be the first in the world. That Trinidad should have so sunk into oblivion — except, perhaps, in mercantile circles— is due to many causes, Avhich the reader of this work will have no difficulty in discovering ; fortunately it was not always to be so. In 1868, under the firm and able government of Sir Arthur Gordon, a new era commenced for the Colony ; old prejudices and antiquated ideas were dispelled, and a totally new policy was given room for development. Not only did wise and comprehensive measures promote this most welcome change from within, but an incident occurred in 1869 which considerably affected the Island from without. The late lamented Charles Kingsley spent the Christmas of that year in Trinidad, and it is to his charming, gossippy ''At Last" that the Island is mainly indebted for that constant stream of visitors Avho yearly visit its shores. Kingsley has been accused of exaggeration in his description of what he saw, and that the charge is someAvhat true can hardly be denied. But Avhat of that ? It was eminently characteristic of that genial, buoyant soul to admire always rather than to contemn, and to find " Tongues in ti-ees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything." xii. PREFACE. In tliis lie happily was tar different from another literary celebrity ■svho, a good many years later paid a flying visit to Trinidad, and gave to the public Ms view of what he had seen. Here again was exaggeration, but of what a kind ? Every fault, and every failing, incidental to a Colony not long emerged from the dark night of slavery magnified and dragged into observation ; every thing, and every one, that could recall the bygone days of class legislation deplored when non-existent and admired and glorified whenever a trace of them could be found ! There can be no doubt that the kindly exaggerations in "At Last" have done more good to Trinidad than the sneers and mis-statements in "The English in the West Indies; or. The Bow of Ulysses" have done harm. Neither of these two works, however, can be called a ''History of Trinidad," and that is what, perhaps somewhat too boldly, the present writer has undertaken to produce. Joseph's history, interesting as it is, does not extend beyond 1830, and besides is almost out of print. The valuable work of the Hon. Dr. de Verteuil is scientific rather than historical, and the " Histoire de la Trinidad" by M. G. Borde deals entirely with the two centuries ante- cedent to the British conquest. The object of this work is to bring into a connected narrative the story of the fortunes of Trinidad from the period when the foresight and energy of Eoume de St. Laurent converted it from a mere settlement into a Colony ; to show the great natural advantages the Island possesses for both agricu.lture and commerce, and how those advantages have been made available or lost sight of since it has belonged to Great Britain. The collection of the necessary materials, esj^ecially for the earlier chapters, has been laborious work ; but it has been a labour of love, and the author will be well repaid if he succeeds in creating a little more interest in a Colony with Avhich he has been connected by the closest ties for the last five and thirty years. L. M. F. Port-of-Spaii;, November, 1891. CHAPTER I. iT was on the 31st Jiily, 1498, when on his third voyage of discovery, that Columbus first sighted the Island to which, in pursuance of a vow, he gave the name of Trinidad. In his letters to Ferdinand and Isabella the great discoverer speaks of " the stately groves of palm trees and luxuriant forests which swept down to the sea side, with fountains and running streams beneath the shade ;" he dwells upon " the softness and purity of the climate, and the verdure, freshness, and sweetness of the coimtry," and as it was then, so is it in many respects now, after a lapse of four hundred years. The same rivers run down to the sea and gladden the weary traveller, but where Columbus saw nothing but dense forests and uncultivated savannahs, there are now groves of cacao and wide- spreading fields of sugar-cane, intersected by roads leading from prosperous towns to busy villages, with churches and schools springing up on every side. There are still, however, large tracts of forest as little explored except by the hunter, as they were in the days of the Great Admiral. Whilst the hills and the forests remain but little altered, save where the march of civilization is gradually changing the aspect of the former, and slowly clearing the latter, there are few traces left of those to whom those hills and forests once belonged. As, in North America the Red Indians have gradually disappeared before the encroaching white races, so in Trinidad the Aruacas and the Chaymas, the Tamanacos and the Cumanagotes have little by little faded away out of the community, and are now barely represented by a few families of mixed descent. It is, however, only just to observe, that although in the early days of the Spanish occupation there was a continual conflict between the Spaniards and the natives, yet when B HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. finally the former established their supremacy, the greatest care was taken that the Indians should be humanely and fairly treated under special laws enacted for their benefit by the Kings of Spain, and which for many years after the cession of the Island, were scrupulously observed by the English Government. According to the most trustworthy authorities, no Governor was appointed to the Island by the Spanish Crown until 1530,* when Don Antonio Cedeiio, having obtained a Royal Patent, attempted to assert his authority by force of arms. He did not find it an easy task to subdue the Indian population, for, during the whole of his nominal government, he was engaged in perpetual conflicts with warlike and by no means despicable enemies, who finally compelled him to retreat to the Mainland. Cedeiio died in the year 1540, whilst on an expedition to exploit the Rio Meta, a confluent of the Orinoco, and, for many years after his death Trinidad was scarcely visited, save by vessels engaged in the nefarious trade of carrying off" the Indians for the purpose of selling them as slaves. The existence of the El Dorado of the early discoverers was still believed in, and as many expeditions were made in the hope of finding the fabled city, the very streets of which were said to be paved Avith gold, Trinidad gradually became a place at which vessels going up the Orinoco very frequently touched. In 1584, or thereabouts, Don Antonio Berrio y Oruna established himself in the Island and founded the city of San Jose de Oruiia.f This town, which until a few years previous to its capture by the British was the capital of the Island, was burnt by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595. From the date of Raleigh's raid (for it can scarcely be caUed by any other name) until 1783, the history of Trinidad has no great interest for the general reader, yet some interesting facts iUustrating the social condition of the Colony during the hundred years preceding its conquest by the British, and which have been collected from authentic documents, are worthy of record. In 1G87 the King of Spain confided to the Capuchins of the I ^.- ^- ^ri'o' ^t'*''"^ ^^ ^* ^"^"^^ Aiidalucia-quoted by M. B^i^ t Isow called St. Joseph. HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 3 Province of Catalonia the spiritual charge of the Indians of the Island of Trinidad and of the Province of Guayana, and betAveen that date and 1702, 5,000 of both sexes were baptized and eight "Missions"* were formed, five in Trinidad and three in Guayana. It does not seem that the Indians in Trinidad submitted very willingly to either the spiritual or temporal government of their new rulers, as from a very interesting Report sent from Caracas to the Spanish Government in 1745, it appears that " twelve years after the arrival of these Mis- sionaries, "\iz., in December, 1699, when they opened a new Mission in the Island of Trinidad under the name of San Francisco de los Arenales,t the Indians, prompted by the devil, put to a cruel death the three Missionaries Avho had undertaken the charge of it." The Report goes on to say, that " a year and-a-half later the inhabitants of the town (la ciudadjl wishing to bring to the Church the remains of these priests, found their bodies free from corruption and their wounds presenting every a^-peavsmce of having been recently inflicted." According to a tradition which still exists amongst the old Spaniards of the Island, it would appear that the Governor and the principal authorities were also present at the banquet given on the occasion of this inauguration of the Mission of San Francisco, and that on a pre- concerted signal being made, they were all massacred by the Indians. From this Report § it is clear that the Indians were not at that time a conquered race. But many years did not elapse before the sviperior skill and discipline of the Spaniards reduced them to complete subjection, and when the English became masters of the Island, the few Indians who remained were little better than " hewers of wood and drawers of water." To a great extent this was due to the laws enacted for their protection, which by treating them as children who never came of age, crushed out of them all feelings of independence. * Indian Settlements under the joint charge of a Priest and of a Corregidor or Civil Magistrate. t The Mission of San Francisco was situated on the bauka of the Arena, a tributary of the Tumpuna river, in the District ot Arima. X " La Ciudad" in those days could only mean to San Jose de Oruna. § The Report alluded to in the test is to be found in the valuable collection of "Docu- mentos para la Historia de la vida publica del Libertador de Colombia, Peru y Bolivia- Caracas : Imprenta de "La Opinion Nacional, 1875." B 2 4 HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. As the Indians gradually became less and less formidable, the Spanish Settlement increased in importance, but the few records which yet exist show that Spain never attached any great value to Trinidad as a Colony. It is a matter of history how singularly unfortmiate in colonization was that country to which the New World is indebted for its discovery,— a ride to which Trinidad certainly formed no exception, — and it woidd seem that the Island was retained by Spain rather because she was already possessed of it, than from any idea of its value. It must not, however, be supposed that it was left entirely to govern itself. Under the Spanish rule there existed in the Colony, (as throughout the Spanish Empire), a body called the " Cabildo," a Corporation which has been by some writers erroneously likened to the Municipal Councils of English Boroughs, mth which it had no resemblance whatsoever. The Cabildos owed their creation to a desire on the part of the Spanish Monarchs to check the growing power of the Nobles, who on the one hand threatened the dignity and pre- rogatives of the Cro"\vn, and on the other the liberties of the people ; and if an illustration be required in order more fuUy to explain their nature, it must be looked for in the Italian Republics of the Middle Ages rather than in the Municipal Institutions of England. The Cabildo played so prominent a part in the history of Trini- dad, not only under the former Rulers of the Colony but even long after it had become a British possession, that some account of its con- stitution is absolutely necessary. According' to Escriche, the term "Cabildo" signifies a "Congress or Assembly composed of the Chief Magistrates, Aldermen, and others, charged with the administration and internal government of a toAvn." From the same authority it appears that the Cabildos date from a period in the history of Spain, when the Grandees, taking advantage of the great judicial powers which had been conferred upon them at the foundation of the Monarchy, began to tyrannize over the middle and lower classes, and not content with their already enormous privi- leges, aspired to entire independence and even sought to usurp the rights of the Sovereign himself. In order to put a stop to the many and serious evils resulting from this state of things, the Spanish HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 5 Kings, ill the eleventh and twelfth centuries, established the Cabildos, or Comicils of the people, confiding to them civil and criminal jurisdiction, as well as all matters of Municipal government, but reserving to themselves the right of hearing appeals and complaints from such persons as were not satisfied with the decision of these Tribunals. To places of importance, the King appointed Governors whose duty it was to ensure the due observance of the Laws, to collect the Royal revenues, and to keep in good order the forts and walls of the toAvns. In each to^vn the Cabildo was composed of the Heads of Families, or Notables, — persons who either from social standing or wealth, "wielded a certain influence, — and in it were discussed and regulated all questions affecting the public weal. The Alcaldes or Magistrates for the year, as also the other Officers of Civil and Criminal Justice, and all the functionaries charged with the internal adminis- tration of the to"\vn, were also elected from, or appointed by, the Cabildo. This peculiar system of Municipal Government seems to have intended that the Cabildo should rej^resent the People, and have the power to make and enforce Laws provided that these were approved by the Sovereign. At the same time, it was meant to be a barrier to protect the lower classes from the oppression of the Nobles, and even from tyranny on the part of the Crown itself. Such was the Municipal organization in Spain until about the middle of the fourteenth century when some important alterations were introduced. Each to-wii being as it were a small Republic, its Cabildo frequently became a theatre for the display of violent dissen- sions caused by family jealousies or personal enmities. The CroAvn, from this cause, limited the number of Regidors (Aldermen) in each Cabildo, and enacted that in future the government of the Municij)ality should be carried on under the direction of a Corregidor or President. Before long a further innovation was made, salaried officers being sent to the cities and towns as Corregidors or Alcaldes Mayor to administer justice in the Royal name. Cabildos existed in all the Spanish Colonies, but of course had to undergo certain modifications, rendered necessary by circumstances. South America, for instance, was governed by Viceroys having under 6 HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. them Pro\dnces ruled by Captains-General, whilst Colonies like Trini- dad were placed under Governors, supreme in all military matters, but who, for the purposes of Civil Government, were only the Corregi- dors of their Cabildos. In those days, when communication with Old Spain, or even with the Viceroy, was difficult and tedious, it was imdoubtedly possible for the Governor of a distant Province to abuse the authority with which he Avas invested; but against this the Spanish Law provided a very substantial guarantee. Whenever the term of office of a Governor expired, another officer of rank equal to his own was sent to the seat of his Government to hold for a certain fixed period what was called a Court of Residencia, during which time all persons having cause of complaint against the outgoing Governor or those who had acted under his orders had an ample opportunity of stating their grievances.* The following extracts from the Archives of the Cabildo will explain the mode of action of these Courts of Residencia : — " City of San Jose d'Oruna, "1776, Aug. 28th. " Appeared before the Board Don Pedro Joseph Marquez, who produced a Royal Despatch, Avhereby he is commissioned to hold a Court of Residencia on Colonel Don Joseph de Flores, late Governor of this Island, and all concerned, which, on being read, was resolved to be carried into execution. " Sept. 6. — Read a Decree of the Judge of Residencia, declaring the two Alcaldes and the Senior Regidor subject to his Court, and praying the Board to confer their offices on other persons during the duration of the same. " Nov. 2. — Read a letter from His Excellency the Governor, ordering the Alcaldes and Regidor, who had been suspended by motion of the Court of Residencia, to be re-instated in their offices, no charges having been brought against them."f The above sketch will give the reader some notion of the form of * Diccionario razonado de Legislacion y Jurisprudencia — (Paris : Eugene Maillefer et Cie. ; Caracas, Almacen de Kojas Hermanos, 1859.) t The extracts from the Archives of the Cabildo are taken from a translation made by order ot Sir R. Woodford in 1814. Two copies of this were made, but both disappeared, and it was commonly believed that the old records bad been destroyed in the fire of 1808. Fortunately one duplicate was found amongst the papers of the late John Stone, for many years Police Magistrate of Port-of-Spain, and given to the Borough Council by his son Mr. H. Stone. HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 7 internal Government under which Trinidad was ruled previous to its conquest by the British in 1797 ; that form of Government continued to exist, with certain necessary modifications, for many years afterwards, and it will be for those who have seen both the old system and the new, — and there are some of these still living, — to say whether any real good was effected when the Cabildo was swept away to make room for Municipal Institutions on English models. In spite of the high-sounding titles of its leading officials, the Colony itself was of but little importance, and the following extract from the Minutes of the Cabildo shews the poverty of the colonists in the middle of the last century : — " April 28th, 1757. " Eead a letter from His Excellency the Governor, directing the Board to proceed immediately to arrange and put in proper order the papers of the Cabildo, Avhich are in a very confused state ; to take an inventory of the same and to order a press to be made with two keys to keep the papers in safety ; to huj a decent book, properly bound, to enter the Minutes of the Board ; to proceed without delay to bviild a Town Hall which had been begun and abandoned ; to cause the vacant lots and the streets of St. Joseph to be cleared of the bush which covers them, and to have the holes and ditches in the streets filled up ; to give proper orders to have the roads, and principally the avenues, of the town cleared of woods and thickets ; to regulate the prices of the articles of provisions which are produced in the Island, by making a proper tariff. . ." &c. In reply to this communication the Cabildo represented to the Governor : — " The impossibility of carrying these orders into execution, consi- dering the very small number of inhabitants, and their extreme poverty : the total want of money ; the want of cattle and of all sorts of provisions ; that the inhabitants feed themselves and their families with what little they can personally get in the woods and in the sea, and that many days they return to their homes without anything to eat, which has induced many to leave the Island ; that their occupation of weeding their little plantations takes up all their time ; that they are constantly employed in mounting guard at the mouth of the Caroni (there being but ten soldiers in the Island) and doing other public services, to the detriment and often to the total loss of their gardens ; that if forced to perform other works they would leave the Island, and that if all the inhabitants together were put to work at repairing the holes and ditches of the town they could not finish the work in one year ; and lastly, that they have no tools, nor are there any to be had in the Island, and that even if there were they have S HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. not the means to purchase them. Notwithstanding all these obstacles, orders will be given to oblige Pedro Bontur, the only carpenter in the Island, to make the press for the Archives, and to receive payment in provisions, as they can be collected from the inhabitants, on whom a con- tribution will be laid to that effect ; but His Excellency the Governor must provide the boards (the Cabildo knowing no one in the Island who has them, or can make them) and procure from the Main, when an oppor- tunity offers, the locks and hinges for the same, nothing of the kind being to be found here ; that orders will be given to arrange the papers of the Cabildo in proper order, and that the book will be made when they can get the paper, there not being a single sheet amongst all the members of the Cabildo," &c. From this extract it is evident that the resources of the Island were at that time either utterly unknown or entirely undeveloped. Bad as matters undoubtedly were, it is, however, probable that the members of the Cabildo somewhat exaggerated the difficulties under which they laboured. They feared that ths Government might compel them to exert themselves to better a condition with which they were perfectly contented, which they therefore depicted as being hopelessly desperate. Before proceeding to describe how Trinidad was transformed from a useless and unproductive possession of the Spanish Crown into a flourishing and prosperous Colony which the King of Spain was destined to lose almost immediately that it became worth keeping, it will be well to state the little which is known of the Population and Revenue of the Island in the last century. In 1733 a census of the inhabitants was taken, and the name of every free colonist was entered in the Books of the Cabildo. According to this Return there were but 162 male adults in the Island, and of these only 28 were white. No account was taken of either the Indians or the slaves, and the total Revenue of the Colony for the same year was ^231, or not quite £48 sterling. In 1735 the Revenue amounted to ^780, and in 1746 it had increased to $9,735, being four times what it had been only thirteen years before. In September, 1777, the provinces of Guayana, Cumana, and Mara caibo, with the islands of Margarita and Trinidad, which had hitherto formed part of the Vice-Royalty of New Grenada, were placed under the authority of the Captain-General of Caracas. It was shortly after HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 9 this that an event occurred which brought about important changes in Trinidad, and which was to some extent the cause of the Colony- becoming a British possession. In 1778, M.Rome, or Roume, de St. Laurent, a Erench planter from the neighbouring Island of Grenada, paid a visit to Trinidad which was destined to have an extraordinary effect in every Avay upon the future of the Island. Struck by the remarkable contrast it presented with the older Islands with which he had hitherto been famihar, St. Laurent perceived that population was aU that was needed to ensure the development of its latent riches. The imprisonment by the Govern- nor of a French gentleman named Dert, affording him a pretext for visiting Caracas to plead the cause of his countryman before the Court of Royal Audience in that city, St. Laurent seized the opportunity to submit to the Spanish authorities a scheme for the colonization of Trinidad. His plan met with approval, and in April, 1780, Don Martin de Salavaria, then Governor of the Colony, acting under orders from Caracas, authorised the Chief Magistrate of the Island to proceed to the neighbouring Colonies in order to induce persons to emigrate from them and to settle in Trinidad. In 1783 St, Laurent went to Madrid to urge in person his pro- posed scheme of colonization. The war between England and Spain had just come to an end, and the Cabinet of Madrid Avas at leisure to attend to his project. So well did he plead his cause that three months after the signing of the Peace of Paris, the King of Spain issued a Royal Cedula, dated from San Lorenzo, in which he offered such great advantages to persons desirous of settling in Trinidad that in a very short time the original colonists were largely outnimibered by the new comers, who were chiefly French. This Cedula, which was dated 24th November, 1783, was brought to Trinidad by Don Jose Maria Chacon, the last of the Spanish Governors of the Colony. He was a man of ability and education, honourable, philanthropic, and intelligent, but wanting in decision and strength of mind. He arrived in Trinidad in September, 1784, and the Royal Cedula, translated into French and English, was published by him immediately after his arrival. It is a very remarkable monument of the extreme minuteness with which the Spanish Government regidated the affairs of its Colonies. 10 HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. Experience has taught the lesson that it is far better to allow settlers in new countries to fight their way, through no matter what amount of hardshiiJ and privation, rather than to fence them round with such precautions as are manifest in every line of this curious document. The effect of over-solicitude can only be to weaken, if not utterly to destroy, that energy and spirit of self-reliance without which the pioneers of civilization in a new land cannot hope for success. But at the same time it is impossible to read the Cedula of 1783 without feeling, that although it ultimately failed to secure all the results to ensure which it was framed, it Avas dictated by a spirit of Christianity deserving a success, that from causes against the effect of which it was impossible to contend, it did not obtain. Avowedly projected for the purpose of encouraging immigration, everything which might tend to aid the new settlers during the first and most trying years of their residence in the Colony was carefully provided for in the different clauses of the Cedula. Articles of first necessity, such as food and implements of Agriculture, Avere to be supplied to the new colonists at prime cost ; clergy " of known literature and exemplary virtue, and skilled and versed in for- eign tongues, " were especially appointed to take the spiritual charge of the new settlers, and were to be paid " the necessary stipend to enable them to live in the decent manner which their character required without being any charge to their parishion- ers ;" and various other regulations were made to ensure to the new settlers something like comfort and security. Doubtless, if such precautions had been taken by the English Government Avhen the first emigrants embarked for Australia or New Zealand, much individual misery would have been avoided ; but it can scarcely be a question Avhether, had such been the case, those Colonies would have become what they are to-day. After the promidgation of this Cedida, there was a great influx of foreigners, and in 1786, Trinidad, although still a Spanish posses- sion, had become almost entirely French in population.* The French inhabitants were di\ided into two very distinct * In that year (1786) the Cabildo of Port-of-Spain was composed of seven Frenchmen, two Spaniards, and one Irishman. HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 11 classes ; a number of families belonging to the old noblesse, tempted by St. Laurent's glowing description of Trinidad, had left the other French Colonies in the hope of redeeming fortunes squandered in the salons of Paris and Versailles, and these formed the nucleus of that refined society for which the Island has always been celebrated, and which still constitutes one of its most distinctive features. A few years later, when the first mutterings were heard of that tempest, which was to sweep away the old landmarks and change the map of Europe, many who had friends and relatives in Trinidad threw in their lot %vith them rather than risk the guillotine in France, or the torch of the incendiary in St. Domingo. When, a little later still, during the war between France and England, the Carribbean archipelago became a theatre for some of the most heroic deeds recorded in the annals of war, another and a very difterent class of French immigrants found their way to Trinidad, a class chiefly characterized by an intense hatred of Monarchical Government, and composed of turbulent, intriguing men, who in a short time began to act as though the Island belonged to France rather than to Spain. It has been urged by some writers that the Republican French residing in Trinidad in 1796-7 have been much maligned. The following extract from a paper, evidently prepared by an eye witness, speaks for itself: — " En 1797, epoque ou File de la Trinite passa sous la domination Anglaise, loutes les Colonies des Antilles etaient meuacees de violentes revolutions; St. Domingue, La Martiniqvie, La Guadeloixpe, Ste. Lucie avaient ete ensanglantees par la revolte ; La Grenade, St, Vincent, I'avaient ete a leur tour et venaieut d'eprouver les phis grands desastres ; toutes ces contrees etaient mena^ees. L'avenir etait partoixt effroyable. La Trinite etait plus qu'aucune autre dans uue agitation dont-il est impossible aujourd'hui de se faire une juste idee si on n'en a pas ete temoin."* In the Minutes of the Cabildo there is also ample evidence of how * " Relation abregee des services que M. St. H. Begorrat a rendue a la Colonio." Note by Author. — The above document, the perusal of which I owe to the kindness of a descendant of M. Begorrat, is very interesting. TJae writer takes the view, that with the assistance of the French inhabitants, Chacon could have resisted the English, but this does not affect the value of the admission that in 1797 Trinidad was threatened with disorders similar to those which had already desolated St, Domingo and the other French Colonies, and which proceeded from the same cause, — the spread of Revolutionary ideas. c 2 12 HISTORY OP TRINIDAD. much, and •with what good reason, Chacon dreaded the addition to the population of men over whom he had no influence, and to control whom he had not a sufficient military force at his command. The following speech of his to the Cabildo in April, 1794, clearly proves this : — " The Government, whose attention is constantly occupied by a multiplicity of business of importance, cannot attend to the execution of every particular affair, and it is necessary that those persons who, by their character and the offices they hold, are in positions of respecta- bility should aid the Government and the nation. The recent conqiiest of the French Islands by the British has ensured to Trinidad a tranquillity which it has not enjoyed during the last three years, Martinique being no longer the centre from which were inspired a number of wicked men scattered about the Islands and possessed with the daring idea of revolu- tionising the West Indies. " Should the British Government persist in following the plan it has adopted, of sending all suspected persons prisoners to Europe, peace and tranquillity Avill soon be re-established in the Colonies, and the Planter and the Merchant, being enabled to look exclusively after their business, will enjoy the fruit of their labours. " At the same time I cannot lose sight of the many obstacles and difficulties which may prevent or delay so desirable a result. " Despite the vigilance of the English, several persons of wicked and pernicious dispositions have hidden themselves, and, escaping obser- vation, have sought an asylum amongst their comrades in the otlier Islands ; some took refuge in Trinidad, but, as soon as they were discovered the Government caused them to be shipped off, and took every measure dictated by prudence to prevent the recurrence of such an event. " As, however, it is impossible for the Government, unaided, to suc- ceed in this, I ask the Board to assist the Executive and to name a Com- mittee to enquire into and scrupulously examine the circumstances atten- dant upon the arrival of all strangers in the Island ; to take cognizance of their passports, papers and documents, (to be transmitted by the Executive to the said Committee), and to report fully iipon the same to the Government, in order that it may be decided whether or not the said persons shall be admitted into the Colony." There is but one way of interpreting this address, which shews clearly the kind of immigration which was then flowing into the Island. In another extract from the Minutes of the Cabildo there is even stronger proof of the sentiments with which these immigrants were regarded : — '' March 14th, 1796. Read a communication from II. E. the Governor covering a letter from the Captain-General of the Havanuah, on the HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 13 subject of the admission of a number of black and coloured auxiliary troops of the Chief Jean Fran9ois, a black of the Island of San Domingo, and soliciting the opinion of the Board as to the admission or rejection of these people. '' Resolved : That II. E. the Governor be prayed not to permit on any account the landing of these men in the Colony where the seeds of revolutionary principles have not only taken root but in several instances have been seen to send forth shoots." Subsequent events shewed that the Governor and the Cabildo were not mistaken in the view they took of the character of these recent arrivals. That long and bloody struggle which with brief intervals of delusive peace, was only to terminate on the field of Waterloo, had already commenced, although England as yet kept aloof from the war which the continental powers were waging against the French Government. As soon, however, as the news of the massacre of the Swiss Guards on the 10th August, 1792, and the imprisonment in the Temple of Louis XVI. and his family became known in England, Lord Gower the British Ambassador was recalled, on the ground that the captivity of the King of France rendered his mission null. Chauvelin, the French Envoy in London, was ignored by the Cabinet of St. James, and when he protested against this slight was informed by Lord Granville in a diplomatic note that he was " not otherwise accredited to the King of England than in the name of His Most Christian Majesty." Events in the French Capital followed rapidly one upon the other. On the 21st January, 1793, Louis XVI. was beheaded, and the news must have been at once transmitted to London, for, on the 24'th, Chauvelin was notified to leave England within eight days, and on the 28th a Royal Message informed both Houses of Parliament that the military and naval forces of the Kingdom had been augmented " in consequence of the atrocious act recently perpetrated at Paris."* Even previous to the death of Louis XVI. the party which had seized the reins of power in France had taken decided measures to convince the world that they were terribly in earnest, and that not content with subverting their own Monarchy, they intended to impose their doctrines upon other nations under monarchical rule. * Annual Registerj 1793, 14 HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. By a decree of the Convention of the 19th November, 1792, the following Gospel of Revolution was announced to the world : — " The National Convention declares in the name of the French nation that it will grant fraternity and assistance to all peoples who wish to recover their liberty, and it charges the Executive PoAver to send the necessary orders to the Generals to give succour to such peoples and to defend those citizens who have suffered, or who may suffer, in the cause of liberty." A month later the following Resolutions were adopted by the same Body : — " The National Convention, faithful to the principles of tlie Sover- eignty of the people which will not permit that any Institutions mili- tating against it should be acknowledged, dacrees as follows : — " In all those countries Avhich are, or shall be, occupied by the armies of the French Republic, the Generals shall immediately proclaim in the name of the French People the abolition of all existing imposts and con- tributions, of tithes, feudal and manorial rights, all real and personal servitude, and, generally, of all privileges. " They shall proclaim the Sovereignty of the people and the sup pression of all existing authorities ; they shall convoke the people to name a Provisional Government, and shall cause this Decree to be translated into the language of the country. " All agents or officers of the former Government, military or civil, and all individuals reputed noble shall be ineligible to any place in such provisional Government on the first election. *' The Generals shall forthwith place under the safeguard of the French Republic all property, moveable or immoveable, belonging to the Treasury, the Prince, his adherents and attendants, and to all public bodies and communities, both Civil and Religious. " The Provisional Government shall cease as soon as the inhabitants, having declared the Sovereignty of the people, shall have organized a free and popular form of Government. " The French nation declares that it will treat as enemies the peoples who, refusing or renouncing liberty and equality, are desirous of pre- serving their Princes and privileged castes, or entering into accommoda- tion Avith them. " The nation promises and engages not to lay doAvn its arms until the Sovereignty and Liberty of the people, on Avhose territory the French army shall have entered, shall be established, and not to consent to any HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 15 arrangement or treaty -with the Princes and privileged persons so dis- possessed with whom the Republic is at war.* " This and other incendiary Proclamations, followed by the irre- trievable step taken by the Convention in bringing Louis XVI. to the scaffold, compelled England in self defence to aid in putting an end to, " The anarchy which had broken all the most sacred bonds of society, dissolved all the relations of civil life, violated every right, confounded every duty ; which used the name of Liberty to exercise the most cruel tyranny, to annihilate all property, seize on all possessions ; which founded its power on the pretended consent of the people, and itself carried fire and sword through extensive provinces for having defended their Laws, their Religion, and their lawful Sovereign," Such was the language in which the Commanders of the British Land and Sea Forces announced in October, 1793, that England was at length about to put forth her strength against Republican France. In the course of the Avar which ensued a large number of pri- vateers had been equipped by the belligerents, and owing to its innumerable islands, bays, and inlets, the Carribbean Sea was a favourite cruizing ground not only for them, but also for other vessels of a more doubtful character, -which, were commanded and manned by men to whom every part of the coast was familiar, who had long been outlawed from society for their crimes, and whose " hands were against every man and every man's hand against them," The Gulf of Paria afforded shelter and a place of rendezvous to many vessels of both of these classes, and the British and other ships trading to Trinidad and the Islands in the neighbourhood were greatly harrassed by them.f * Annual Register, Vol. 34, p. 155. t The Moniteitr of the 29th April, 1797, contains a notice of which the following is a translation : — "Victor Hngues, Commissary of the French Executive in the West Indies, has issued a Proclamation authorizing the vessels of the Republic and the French privateers to seize and carry into any port of the Republic every neutral vessel bound for the Windward and Leeward Islands which are in the occupation of the English or occupied and defended by emigrds." The latter part of this notice evidently refers to the troops raised under the Act of Parliament of 1795, by which French subjects were enabled to " enlist as soldiers in regi- ments to serve on the Continent of Europe and in certain other places, and to enable His Majesty to grant Commissions to subjects of France to serve and receive pay as Officers in such Regiments." Under this Act eight Regiments were raised, known as : — D'Aiitichamps, Be Viomenil, De Bethisy, De Mortimart, Be Castries, Be BremoAj, B'Hervilly ; and those Regiments, some of which served in the West Indies, were looked upon with peculiar disfavour by the French Republicans. 16 HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. In May 1796, an English squadron, under the orders of Captain Vaiighan of the Alarm, was cruizing oif the Grenadines* when information reached the Commodore that some British vessels were unable to leave Port-of-Spain in consequence of the presence in the Gulf of a number of these privateers. He immediately made sail for Trinidad, and on arriving in the Spanish waters, anchored outside of the Bocasf and despatched Captain Skinner with the sloop Zehra to Port-of-Spain, charged with a message to the Governor. Skinner arrived off the Town after nightfall and at once pro- ceeded to pay his respects to the Governor, to whom he made the most forcible representations as to the mischief done to the commerce of the Island by the privateers who were allowed to remain in the Gulf. He urged that they were nothing but pirates who respected the flag of no nation, but outraged all indiscriminately, and concluded by askino- permission to attack these vessels which, it was notorious, were manned by rimaway slaves and miscreants of the very worst character, who had fled from Martinique, Guadeloupe and the other French Islands to escape the penalties due to their crimes. Chacon very properly refused his consent, and insisted that the neutrality of the Spanish waters should be respected, Spain being then at peace with both France and England ; it is, however, difhcidt not to believe that he allowed Skinner to perceive the satisfaction it would be to him if the Gidf could be freed from the privateers who were utterly destroying the trade of the Island and against whose outrages and insults he was powerless. After his interview with Chacon, Skinner returned on board of his vessel, and at daybreak the next morning weighed anchor to rejoin Yaughan outside of the Bocas. The privateers, it is said, mis- took the Zehra in the grey early da-\\ai for an English merchant vessel called the MavT/ Avhich had lain in the port for some days, the Captain not daring to put to sea knowing that the French were on the watch, for him, and under this mistake, which was at once detected by * A chain of small Islands between Grenada and St. Vincent. t The entrances into tlie Gulf of Paria fi-om tlie Caribbean Sea are called " Boca de Monos" or " The Apes," " Boca de Huevos" or " The Eggs," " Boca de Navios" or " Passage of the Ships," and " Boca Grande" — " The Great Passage." HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 17 Skinner, they chased the Zehra as she sailed slowly down the Gulf before the morning breeze. Their light vessels soon overtook what they believed to be an almost helpless prey, but, just as the crews of the leading privateers were about to board, the Zebra opened both her broadsides upon the bewildered Frenchmen who found out, too late, how grave a mistake they had made. Their vessels were either burnt, sunk, or driven ashore ; several of their men were killed, but the majority succeeded in landing and made their way to Port-of-Spain, vowing vengeance against the English, On the day following this affair, Vaughan sailed up to Port-of- Spain as if on a friendly visit to the Island, and was well received by the Governor and the principal inhabitants. As may be supposed, the French Republicans were greatly disgusted at seeing so cordial a reception given to him, and they eagerly sought an opportunity to avenge the destruction of their vessels, and, unfortunately for the peace of the Island, one was but too soon fomid. A few evenings after Vaughan's arrival in the Gulf a number of the seamen of the Alarm were on shore amusing themselves after the manner of their class. Whilst doing so they were accosted by the remnants of the crews of the Privateers destroyed by the Zebra ; hot words and mutual insults were exchanged, and in an instant a hand to-hand fight commenced in the very centre of the town The men of the Alarm, being on leave, were unarmed, but they made the best fight they could with sticks or any other weapons that came within their reach. The Frenchmen raised the cry *•' aux armes ! Vive la Repuhlique ! a has les Anglais,^' and a general melee soon took place. It so happened that several of the English ofiicers were spending the evening at the house of a lady named Grifiiths, situated at the north-west corner of what are now kno^\Ti as Frederick, and Queen Streets ; recognizing the angry voices of their men and hearing at the same time the ominous cries of the French, they at once rushed to the assistance of the former. The British seamen were by this time in a rather critical position ; retreat to their boats was cut off" by a yeUing crowd which far outnumbered them, and they were momently in danger of being overpowered ; they at last succeeded in forcing their way through the mob and took refuge in a house on the Place J) is HISTORY OP TRINIDAD. d'Armes,* in which they barricaded themselves against the French, who unable to effect an entrance, fired at random into the house and severely wounded an officer,— the surgeon of the Alarm. As the French were noAV mustering in force and were proceeding to break open the house, matters began to assume a serious aspect ; Don Diego Meany, the Governor's Secretary, hurried to the spot with as many soldiers as he could muster, and aided by the Assessor of the Governor, Don Juan Jurado, succeeded in diverting the attention of the mob for a short time, thus enabling the sailors to effect their escape by the back of the house and so find their way to their boats. Early the next morning Vaughan disembarked a number of seamen and marines, and drew them up in military array on the beach. When about to march into the Town he was accosted by the Officer on duty at the Fort, who asked him what were his intentions in thus violating the law of Nations and the neutrality of the Spanish territory. Vaughan, who was an impetuous, hotheaded Welshman, at once replied, that he had landed to " chastise the rascally Frenchmen who, on the previous evening, had insulted and maltreated his officers and men."t The Spanish Officer remonstrated with him in vain, and Vaughan marched into the Town. By this time the alarm had been given, and the Republican French, mustering in strength and confident in their numbers, prepared to meet the English invaders. The Governor was placed in a most embarrassing position. He had but eighty effective soldiers under his command, and he knew that their sympathies (like his o"\vn), were with the English ; still it was his duty to use every effort to induce both parties to respect the neutrality of the Island, and this duty he was prepared to perform at no matter what risk to himself, or to those acting under his orders. As soon as he heard of Vaughan's landing, he put himself at the head of all the troops he could collect, and hurrying through the cross streets of the To-\vn, succeeded in placing his little force between the English and French before a shot had been fired or a blow struck on either side. Having thus prevented actual collision he did not * An open space in front of what was then the Arsenal and where the Catholic Cathedral now stands. f Local tradition. HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. 19 content himself with mere remonstrances ; although the force he com- manded was greatly inferior to the English in numbers, he declared that the latter should advance no further into the Town except by forcing a passage through his troops, and he emphatically warned Vaughan, that the immediate result of his mad act woidd be a rising en masse of the French Republicans, who, from their numerical supe- riority, would overwhelm both Spaniards and English in one common destruction. Vaughan at first refused to listen to these arguments and persisted in his purpose, but some of his officers, more calm and collected than their commander, joined their expostulations to those of the Spanish Governor, feeling that he had both law and reason on his side. On this Vaughan yielded, though somewhat reluctantly, and retired to his boats, followed at a respectful distance by a hooting and jeering crowd. As soon as the English vessels had left the harbour, which they did almost immediately, a wild riot broke out in Port-of-Spain. The Arsenal was pillaged and the Republicans became masters of the town, from which every Englishman (and indeed every one who did not sympathise with the mob), was driven, some barely escaping with their lives.* * Allowance must be made for political animus, but the evidence is strong against the then French population of Trinidad. Begorrat, a Frenchman himself and no friend of Chacon, admits the troubled state of the Colony in the last days of his administration, [ Vide ante, p. 11] and when, in 1806, evidence was taken on behalf of General Picton, under a Manda- mus from the Court of King's Bench, some very curious facts were elicited from the following witnesses : — Nicholas St. Pe, a gentleman who had resided in the Colony since 1777, and who had held important offices under the Spanish Government, deposed as follows : — " The political state of the Colony at the time of the conquest was very afHicting ; the police was very inefficient, though it had been good sometime before. It was very dangerous to do any act of severity in police, because the GovernmoDt did not think they had sufficient force to repress disorders, and when complaints were made of any aggravated nature, the Government persuaded them (the persons convplaining) to patience." " The cause of this was a numerous population, consisting of various characters of different opinions, and the bad doctrines of whom had been adopted among the free and enslaved, and by some whites also." The Hon. John Nihell, a Member of Council, deposed : — " For several months, and even years, immediately preceding the conquest, the English and other good people of the Colony considered themselves in constant danger of assassina- tion, or of being guillotined. I was shot at myself on the 18th of May, 1796, (Vaughan's affair) in company of several respectable inhabitants while in the actual exercise of magisterial duties, being then Alcalde of the Second Election. A negro was mortally shot near me, another was wounded, and a relation who stood close to me received a ball in the skirts of his coj^t. The perpetrators of these outrages were not arrested, owing to their immense numbers in the Colony, and the trifling force which the Spanish Government had for its protection. There existed in the Colony a considerable faction which overawed it. . . . . The French were very numerous, and the then revolutionary principles of France were very strong among all classes and colours." D 2 20 HISTORY OF TRINIDAD. The fate of Vaiighan, whose rashness and passion were the cause of all this disorder, was a sad one. No sooner had calm reflection taken the place of anger than he perceived that he had committed a most improper and unjustifiable act, which might lead to very- serious consequences, and so deeply did he feel the weight of the responsibility he had incurred, that his mind became affected and he shortly afterAvards committed suicide. When, a few months later, Spain, under French influence, declared ^val• against Great Britain, many reasons were put forward by the Court of Madrid for the step ; amongst them were the following : " that Captain-General Vaughan had behaved in a manner equally insolent and scandalous in the Island of Trinidad where he landed with drums beating and flags flying, to attack the French and to avenge the injuries he pretended to have received."* That this was not the first visit of the kind which Vaughan had paid to Trinidad, is shewn by the following extract from a letter, written by Sir John Laforey, commanding the Naval Forces in the West Indies, to Evan Nepean, Esquire, Secretary to the Admiralty:! " Martinique, " 19th March, 1796. " *■•' '■' ^'"^ The La Pique and the Charon have sent here a privateer brig of 14 guns and 90 men, taken to the windward of Barbados ; and I have intelligence that Captain Vaughan in the Alarm, with one of the sloops of war, has taken and destroyed three privateers in the Gulf of Paria and re-taken four of their captures. Since my letter of the 17th January, a fourth ship, under Danish colours, has been taken, attempting to take French people from Havre de Grace into Guadeloupe." * No detailed official account of tlie episode of the Ala/rm exists in the records of the Colony, although there are frequent allusions to it in the Minutes of the Cabildo and of the Council. The above narrative is chiefly takea from a " History of Trinidad by E. L. Joseph, published in 1837, in which it is stated that the details were furnished by Don Diego Meany himself. The Main Street of Port-of-Spain (Frederick Street) in which took place the fight between the crew of the Al