JIIVJjV)'- ^OFCAIIFO/?^ JJWJHVbur" OS < o ""jaj/vir(irin> o ■^/WIAINIUVVV UNIVERy/A M§ UNIVFRS//. o ^ 5 ^^^^lUBRARY•a^ ^^•IIBRARY-Gc^ %83AiNn-3\\v^ ^omyi^"^ '^.i/ojiivjjo'^ 1 ^v>:lOSAKCnfj> ^^0FCAIIF0% ^OfCAllfOfi'^v > so 'yn.\ Mwaon-iv:^ in /^iMwuoni^^ A^^ ^vj;^ ^Oc Jill ^^lUBRARY(3r ^•OFCAllFOi?^ "^^OJUVJJO' AWEUNIVERy/A .1 i^' :lOSAIICnfj-;> ^^lUBRARYQr ^vNMIBRARYQ. ^\^Fi AOF-CAlfFOP.f;. 'fv /rfll ««# rf-* -k' , r\t.rhncr\n,. > CI z: ■Si ^i I B 5 y< yoxmrnn"^ AOS-ANCElfj;^ ^>OFfAlIF0% ^0F'CA11F0% \WEUNIVERy/A •5^: ,5WMINlVER5//j % ^'^oxmnmi'^^' ^^OAwami'^ •'^iaaxwi-i^^^ -< NAR RATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ORINOCO AND APURE, IN SOUTH AMERICA; WHICH SAILED FROM ENGLAND IN NOVEMBER 1817, JOINED THE PATRIOTIC FORCES IN VENEZUELA AND CARACCAS. BY G. HIPPISLEY, ESQ. X.ATE COLONEL OF THE FIRST VENEZUELIAK HCSSARS, IN THE SERVICE OP THE EEPUBLIC, AND COLONEL-COMMANDANT OF THE BRITISH BRIGADE IN SOUTH AMERICA. fiy^ LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. 1819. LONDON : miNTJD BY THOMAS liAVJbOK, W llIlXFRIARi. f PREFACE. THE preface to a work, it is well known, is generally the part last written. Since the following pages were composed, every ^ event has conspired to corroborate the au- 2 thor's opinions as to the ultimate issue of 3 the Spanish American contest ; and the les- ^ son which he deemed it rio-ht to offer to his «o countrymen, a lesson which he has himself g been taught by hard experience, has been made more impressive by the legislative ^ enactment against British co-operation with ^ the Independents in South America. But even without that legal barrier to native adventure in this foreign cause, he ventures to think that the example of the first En- aS 401636 IV PKKi'ACi:. glisli colonel, who led a force to the aid of the Patriots, — that the simple narrative of the difficulties, privations, and insults to which he was subjected, — that the suffer- ings of his fellow-soldiers, his own unex- ampled ill-treatment, and the base juggling by which his just claims have been defeated, would suffice as a warning to such of his deluded countrymen as are inspired by feelings similar to those which embarked him in this ungrateful service. If the early portion of his work should be considered to be too minute in its de- tails, he trusts that his motive for entering into them will procure his pardon: he wished that every man espousing the mea- sure of a voyage to the Spanish Main should have his eyes opened to every dan- ger which attends, not merely the last efforts in the field of battle, which a sol- dier knows how to support even in a burn- PREFACE. V ing clime and destitute of tlie necessaries of life, but the apparently smooth and easy progress to tliat region where valour and enterprise may animate the soul to more than mortal endurance. There is no ho- nour to be acquired in the starvation and perils of the tedious voyage, whatever there may be in the after-WcU*; and even in that conflict the author can scarcely imagine the Briton engaged, who would not shrink in disgust and horror, rather than rise in the pride of triumph, at the merciless massacre of unarmed prisoners, and the infernal sporting with hum.an sufferings. The utter want of a commissariat, and the intolerable heat of the climate, involve a complication of miseries which no European constitution can withstand; and the author has to lament the death of the great ma- jority of his companions, who perished, like infected lepers, without sustenance and VI PREFACE. without aid from tlie unfeeling wretches in whose behalf they fell. In his characters of the insurgent leaders, the author has been guided by a sense of truth and justice alone. The barbarities in which some of them indulged were in- credible, did not the chopping off of a wo- man's hands, as in the case of iMrs. Bruton, and the murder of a royalist officer, with circumstances of savage refinement, almost unequalled in the annals of ferocity (see pages 420, 421), too horribly confirm the appalling tale. The Narrative is the j^lain one of a sol- dier ; and, therefore, the author solicits a favourable construction of its defects. If it foreshows to othei-s what they have to expect from embarking in the patriot cause, it ^\ill perform the purpose for which it was written ; and if any number of Britons PREFACE. Vll are thus saved from becoming the victims of jealousy, treachery, falsehood, and op- pression, he will carry to the grave with him the consolation that he has neither suffered nor laboured in vain. If any delay has occurred in giving this work to the world, it has arisen from a wish to afford full time and opportunity to the government of Venezuela to do that justice which would well become so good a cause as that at the head of which it is placed. It now appears, not to prejudice those efforts for emancipation, in which the au- thor was so prompt to join, but to put his countrymen on their guard, and, by turning the public eye to the subject, ensure to them that reception and treatment which their conduct deserves. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. British feelings with regard to the South American contest. — The author determines to offer his services to the pa- triots. — Negotiations Avith the deputies or agents in London, and their final arrangement. — Preparations to equip a regiment. — Officers filled up. — A regiment of lancers also proposed and accepted. — A corps of riflemen forming under other officers. — Difficulties in procuring a vessel of sufficient tonnage for the transport of the troops. — Other corps raising by Lieutenant-Colonels Hewitt and Wilson. — Delays. — Don Mendez's plausible assurances. — New arrangements. — Corps of artillery. — Non-interference of the British government. — The Dowson, Indian, and Prince, ships of large burthen, got afloat for the recep- tion of the expedition. — Anxieties, hopes, and exertions. — The men begin to embark.— Entertainment given to Don Mendez. — His protestations, and concluding bless- ings. ... . . Page 1 CHAPTER H. Preparations for immediately embarking. — Mess formed. — Fresh delays and fortunate disappointments. — The ship Emerald obtained, and hopes of a speedy departure re- vived. — Arrears of payment among some of the officers, owing to the long delay ; provided for by the author. — Three of them behave dishonourably, and withdraw. — The CONTENTS. Emerald is bought for the service of the Venezuelian republic. — Artillery embarked in the Britannia, of four hundred tons. — Manceuvres and little jealousies. — Fare- well dinner at the London coifee-house. — Desertions from the ship, and precautions not to enlist deserters from the king's service. .... Page 34 CHAPTER III. Entertainment on board the Emerald. — Impediments thrown in the way by the contractors. — The caterer neglects to provide the mess. — His shameful conduct. — Arrest for debt, and detention of the necessaries. — Distress and exer- tions to remedy it. — Liberal friends. — On board the Eme- rald. — Gaming prohibited under certain penalties. — The British service assumed as the model on which to form the Anglo-American. — The expedition sails. — Boisterous weather till they reach Madeira, in fifteen days from the river Thames. — Alarming deaths among the pigs and poultry. — Defalcations in the crockery-ware. — Arrival in the Bay of Funchal. — Foiled in an attempt to land. — Fired at, in a second endeavour, and peremptorily refused ad- mission to the island. — Fruits and wine sent on board. — Sail from Madeira. — Fine weather. — Exercises. — In- subordination of the troops. — Measures taken, and oath administered. — Several privates punished, and one officer dismissed, for theft. — Pass Antigua, and make Saint Bar- tholomew. — Land at Gustavia. — Its site and appearance. — Hospitable treatment. — Singular interview and con- versation. — Piracies and spies. . . 63 CHAPTER IV. The officers appear on shore in uniform. — Riotous soldiers. — Visit to the governor. — His liospitidilo reception, — Want COJJTENTS. XI of water in the island : means to supply it: barren soil. — The governor, — Government house. — Breakfast given by the governor. — Mr. Reynolds, a resident : his kindness. — Visit the fort and barracks. — The interior of the island : delightful prospect. — Longevity of the natives and Euro- pean inhabitants. — Kindness of the islanders. — Orders to sail. — A vessel arrives 3 turns out to be the Prince, with Colonel Wilson and his troops on board. — The Britannia also arrives, with Colonel Gilmour and the artillery. — Want of cordiality in the different colonels. — Receive the afflicting news of the loss of the Indian, with all on board. — Sailing delaj'ed. — Mutinous state of the soldiery. — Three of them sent to Saint Kitt's. — Ball and supper in honour of the Crown Prince of Sweden's birth-day. — The com- pany. — French officer. — Military orders of merit, granted or taken. — A ship comes into the harbour. — The Emerald visited by a naval lieutenant from her, in the service of the independents. — His intelligence that she is a royalist prize, of which he is prize-master. — Piratical conduct of the crew. — This ship, the Victory, and the Emerald sail to- gether. ..... Page 101 CHAPTER V. Duel. — Four officers resign. — The Victoria, unable to keep company, is scuttled and left adrift. — Land at Grenada. —State of parties there : the effect of their contradictory assertions upon the expedition.' — Heavy baggage shipped on board the schooner Liberty, for the Orinoco. — The schooner detained by the governor. Rial. — Three of the men claim to be released from the independent service. — The author called to an account for the destruction of theSpanish ship, punishment of men, &c. — His justification. — Various inconveniences. — The schooner sails. — The rest of the expedition embark in the schooner Republican. — Her horrid state 5 her piratical crew and intentions. — Con- CONTENTS. spiracy, and measures in consequence. — Unfortunate duel. — Mr. Braybrooke killed. — Their sailing prevented. — Leave the schooner, and return to the Emerald. Page 135 CHAPTER VL The Emerald seized. — Furilicr desertions. — Forty men aban- don the cause. — The llepuljlican tlies in the night. — The council release the Emerald. — Three officers leave the sersice. — Sail for Cariacou. — The island of Grenada j its beautiful and romantic scenery. — British soldiers offer to desert, and join the independents ; rejected by the author. — Arrive at Cariacou — The Britannia, Prince, and Dow- son, pass for Grenada. — Cariacou and its North-British in- habitants. — The treatment of shives. — Instances of their welfare and happiness. — Tlie Grenadine islands. — Sail from Cariacou. ... , lOy CHAPTER VH. Return off Grenada. — Joined by the Dowson. — Accounts of dissensions in Colonel Wilson's corps, &.c. — Plan of ope- rations suggested. — Arrival of an agent, Mr. Hudson, from the Main. — His appearance and conversation, &c. — Secret project to seize a West India island. — Seizure of the Prince. — Breaking up of the corps of artillery. — IMysteriousness of Mr. Hudson. — The author suspects him. — Resolves on abandoning the object proposed under a secret oath. — Music, and its interruption. — The Britannia joins, with only five officers on board. — Ultimately quit Grenada, leaving the Prince under embargo. — Keach Saint Lucia, and fall in with the V'enezuclian schooner of war tJie Tiger, in which embark for tlie Orinoco. . . 194 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. The Tiger proceeds. — Off Martinique. — Water runs short. — Supplied by an American. — Make the Orinoco. — Mode of entering the river. — Distress for water. — Imprudence in drinking the brackish water of the river, and illness of the men. — Ocular deception resembling the mirage of the desert. — Proceed up the river. — The current. — Accident, and interesting scene which followed. — The river and its banks of forest. — Alligators. — Water serpents. — Wild beasts. — Meet the Liberty schooner returning down the Orinoco. — The river narrows. — Arrive at the Indian vil- laiie of Santa Pans. . . . Page 21 4< CHAPTER IX. Santa Pans. — Supplies. — Missions. — Rapids in the Orinoco. — Illness of officers and men.-^-Town and fort of Old Guyana. — INIeet Admiral Brion's squadron coming down. — Brion visits the Tiger ; his reception and intelligence. — His appearance. — Qualifications. — The commandanta Ro- salis. — The author lands. — Flechera. — Taking of Guyana by the ])atriots ; massacre of three hundred of its defenders — Naval and other stores. — Breakfast with Brion. — Ar- rangements. — Continue to proceed up the river. — First casualty in the expedition j death of Serjeant-major Hig- gins. — Tiger runs aground, is got off, and anchors off An- gustura. ..... 228 CHAPTER X. Angustura. — General Bermudez. — Meet Colonel Wilson and other officers of theRed Hussars. — Casualties, — Melancholy ( ONTKNTS. death uf Culunol INliicilonaltl. — The troops landed, paraded, and Larraeked. — Dinner given by Ilernuule/. — His ap- j)earance and character. — General Montillo ; his character, and propensity to intemperance. — Sudden quarrel. — Dif- ficulty of coming to an understanding through an inter- j)reter. — The author is put under arrest. — Extraordinary proceedings. — Reconciliation. — Death of Lieutenant Plun- kett. — Infringement of Don Mendez's engagements. — De- j)arturc of (iencral Bermude/. — Funeral of Lieutenant riunkett. — Great sickness. — A\'ant of necessaries in the hospitals, .... Page 243 CHAl^TER XI. The author's rank confirmed by Bolivar. — Barren honours. — Utter want of money. — Ways and means ; a diimer or a ball. — The latter determined on. — The ladies. — Marriages Ijiicl aside. — Bolivar's aunt. — The ball ; mixed company. — Cieneral Montillo. — Lieutenants Britt and Lamb wish to resign. — Orders from liolivar to incorporate the British, &.C. — Lieutenant-Colonel English's account of his journey. — State of the expedition. — Loss of the Rabbit. — Embar- rassments of the English — Pay promised ; obliged to sell their clothes, &c. — Bad elfocts of the provisions, of the rum, and of the water of the Orinoco. — Death of Cornet Davies. ■ — Grand parade. — The officers swear allegiance to the re- public. — The men refuse, unless paid their eighty dollars, as stipulated by Don Mendez in London. — Proceedings in /jonsequence. — Final arrangement. . . 275 CHAPTER XII. The governor and council raise money by a forced loan. The troops again disappointed, and the money restored. COXTliNTS. Arrival of ii A'alimble cargo from London. — Celebration of the eiglith anniversary of the republic. — Ceremonies, religious and festive. — Indian dance and dress. — Debility of Europeans, induced by the heat of the climate and augmented by the badness of the provisions. — A country- house procured for the invalids. — Saddler's shop and sale of goods at Angustura. — Mode of catching bullocks in bouth America. ..... Page 304 CHAPTER XIII. Arrival of the Hunter at Angustura. — Valuable supplies. — Masonic-lodge - — Mission to bring on deserters from the VVest Indies. — General Soublett ; his character, &c. — The British convalescent, and reported fit for service. — Orders issued for the payment of bounties; their marvellous effects upon the whole and sick. — ^ Castle-building. — Dis- appointment. — Rations for the passage up the river 3 dried beef or tasso j rum. and cassava-cake. — Further sacrifices of the officers. — Embark for San Fernando. — Flecheras. — Sudden illness and death of Cornet King. — Encroach- ments of the governor. — Fresh differences. — Account of Angustura.— ^Boli var's att achment to_jyyqmgnx his cam- paign mistresses, and mode of providing for them. — Military remarks on the defences of Angustura. — Its cap- ture by General Piar ; account of that Negro commander. — Shot by Bolivar. — The ladies of Angustura. — Compli- ments. — Smoking segars. . . , . 31 9 CHAPTER XIV. Naval characters at Angustura; Dias and Paddillio. — The former a savage ruffian, commander of the gun-boats ; the latter a shade better. — Proceed up the Orinoco 3 land near an Indian village; friendly supplies. — A night on shore in CONTENTS. the Ibrest.— The Orinoco. — 'limber of immense size. — Birds in prodigious numbers and varieties. — Monkeys. — Serpents.— Other animals and reptiles. — The devil-sticker. —Lizards. — Alligators. — Porpoises. — Dog-headed fish. — Other fish of the Orinoco. — Poisonous cray-fish. — Sting- ing fish, and its dangerous effects. — Tentli day of the passage ; hail a canoe, and learn that the royalists are in force above. — Storm on the Orinoco. — Boca inferna, or hell's gate. — Great basin. — A modern and real Charybdis. — Extraordinary scene. — Attempt the Kapids, and bring to for the night. .... Page 342 CHAPTER XV. Morning. — Pass the narrows. — Indian village. — Cuicara. — Cooley, one of the farriers, lost while bathing. — Instance of intrepidity. — Orders to proceed to tlie Apure. — Colonel Wilson's levies on the natives. — Bad accounts of the patriot cause. — Mouth of the y\pure. — Excessive population on its banks. — Crocodiles. — 'Jigers. — Immense flocks of birds. — Curious anecdote of the mocking bird. — Boats of Saint Fernando brought to. — Pass the night within trumpet- sound of the royalists. — Loss of a man, supposed to be carried off by a tiger. — Arrive at San Fernando. — Colonel Wilson's assault on the master tailor. — Flight of the patriots. — Horse swimming the Apure — badly managed. — Murdered prisoners, ... . . 361 CHAPTER XVI. San Fernando. — Received by Ge neral Bolivar. — Description of that celebrated person. — Miserable state o^ affairs. — The hospital. — Murder of prisoners. — Alarm j General Si^deno fly ing from his troops.~-General Paez. — Military anarchy. — Tlic first Venezuelian Hussars paraded before CONTENTS. VVll Bolivar. — Want of discipline in the British. — Cornets Collins and Hodge tender their resignations. — Drunken- ness. — Contradictory orders. — Deceitful proceedings. — Disorders. — Determine to return to Angustura, but find the flechera in the possession of the natives, who refuse to disembark. — Mutiny and desertion of the majority of the officers and men to join Paez, under Colonel Wilson -and Major Trewren. — Embarkation of Bolivar. — Robbery of stores. — Quarrels among the British. — The author sails, with those who remain attached to him, down the river. Page 380 CHAPTER XVH. Morning. — The company in the flechera. — Passage down. — Inconveniences. — Naval bed of Ware. — Overtake Bolivar. — Attack from the royalists apprehended. — Offer of ser- vices to attend the general-in-chief as a guard of honour accepted. — Misconduct of the captain of the flechera.— Increased numbers of alligators and crocodiles. — Recollec- tion and description of the troops at San Fernando. — Sedeno's cavalry. — Paez's cavalry. — His extraordinary cha- racter. — His horrible system of retaliation. — Anecdotes of his barbarity. — Arrival of the flechera at the mouth of the Apur6. — Cuicara. — Changes in consequence of the rise of the river. — Proceed down the Orinoco. — 111 treated by Bolivar. — Dreadful storm. — Arrival at Angustura. 407 CHAPTER XVIII. Continued ill usage. — Missions of Lieutenant-Colonel En- glish and another to recruit in England.r— The author thinks of the same expedient to reimburse his expenditure for the republic. — Arrival of part of the second Hussars. — Nothing but carrion beef furnished in the rations to the British. — The author resists this unworthy treatment. — b ERRATA. Page 12,/or apothecar3', read assistant surgeon. 63, line 3, insert it nfier remedy. 83, line \~,for who, read whom. \3C), note, line A, for by, read in consequence of. 147, iusn-t the bcj'we carinagc. 155, note, dele and regimental order for embarkation. 243, /iir Streluitz, read Slrenuitz. 354, for Godys, read Godoys. 375, line 22, for bathing read rainy. 430, line 4 from bottom, /ur is, read witli a third are. 431, line A, for Champ, read Chomprey.^ 4G7, line 2 from bottom, dele very. A~G.Jor Streluitz, read Strcnuilz. 480, Jbr Powlis, read Powles. Owini; to the loss of some oflicial documents, and other accidents, some of the papers in tlie Appendix arc not introduced exactly in proper order, and one letter being transcribed from the original notes, may not be verbatim correct: but for the^e and such other deficiencies as may have escaped an auilior not of literary habits, Colonel H. solicits the indulgence of his readers. ADDITIONS TO THE ERRATA. Page 537, line 7 from bottom, ybr IMarejor, read Jlargaritta. 5.37, line 4 from bottom.ybr Adjutant, read Admiral. GS8, hne I, for La Guira, read Guiera. C4C, line 10 from bottom, /or Macarco, read IMacareo. NARRATIVE. CHAPTER I. British feelings, with regard to the South American contest. —•The author determines to offer his services to the pa- triots. — Negotiations with their deputies or agents in London, and their final arrangement. — Preparations to equip a regiment. — Officers filled up. — A regiment of lancers also proposed and accepted. — A corps of rifle- men forming under other officers. — Difficulties in pro- curing a vessel of sufficient tonnage for the transport of the troops. — Other corps raising by Lieutenant-Colonels Hewitt and Wilson. — Delays. — Don Mendez' plausible assurances. — New arrangements. — Corps of artillery. — Non-interference of the British government. — The Dow- son, Indian, and Prince, ships of large burthen, got afloat for the reception of the expedition. — Anxieties, hopes » and exertions. — The men begin to embark. — Entertain- ment given to Don Mendez. — His protestations, and con- cluding blessing. Having been invited to London by a friend, to whom several gentlemen in the mercantile world had expressed their full conviction of the ultimate success of the Independents in South America, if aided and assisted by officers and B 2 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS men from Great Britain, together with a promise of coming forward with pecuniary resourses, if old officers could be influenced to embark in the cause of the patriotic government, and exercise their talents in the provinces of Venezuela, Car- racas, and New-Grenada, I hastened to the me- tropolis, in order to have the terms, expectations, and probability of the final event more perfectly explained to me. I soon ascertained that the prospects held out by the agents employed by the republic, then resident in London, were more than ideal, and was inclined to think more seriously of the chance of a fortunate issue to the cause of the patriots, who had been, for the last seven years, fighting hard for freedom and delivery from the galling iron yoke of Ferdinand the Seventh. It was a cause which seemed to me to have gained universal approbation from every Briton, who took time sufficient to search into the views of the contending parties, and to place in the scale of nature and of reason the opposing man- dates of a monarch, treating his once loyal sub- jects like slaves and brutes, " born only for his will,'* and acting, on every occasion, as a de- spotic tyrant towards nine hundred thousand souls, who at length threw off the yoke, and dared to assert their claims to liberty, confidence, mutual friendship, and affection, — the rights of ORINOCO AND APURE. 3 commonwealth, and the prosperity of that coun- try, of which their ancestors were the aborigines, and whose fertile vales and plains were depo- pulated and laid waste by usurpers, whose de- scendants still sought to drench themselves in the blood of their offspring. — The shouts were now for independence : and success to the enter- prize of the Spanish South American patriots, and a glorious triumph to their cause, came from the mouth of nearly every Briton ! It was not sufficient for me to wish them success : I felt I might do more ; and I determined to lend my personal assistance in promoting it. With this resolution, and the approbation of my friend, (whose high rank in the army of Great Britain, and whose experience in military matters, was as distinguished as his name was honoured, loved, and respected), I presented myself at the house once belonging to the deceived and truly unfor- tunate Miranda, where his widow and infant son still reside, and where the agent from the re- public of Venezuela, Luis Lopez Mendez, takes up his permanent abode. On the evening of the 14th of May, I8I7, I was introduced to this great personage by a little personage^ who acts as secretary, interpreter, and compiler of news ; in whom, I since understand, all the fabricated falsehoods and occurrences of the day find a mouth-piece ; and whose various communica- B 2 i EXPEDITIOV TO THE RIVERS tions from the real scene of action on the con- tinent of South America are so constantly dis- played through the channel of the " Morning Chronicle." — I offered the " Deputy from Ve- nezuela" (for by such appellation was he made known to me), in the presence of the deputies from Chili, Peru, Mexico, and Santa Fe, who were then assembled in a kind of congress, W (which was indeed their almost diurnal custom ; y^ choosing, however, the hour of nine o'clock, P. M. for holding their consultations, and receiv- ing the reports of their secretary, relative to the observations and occurrences of the morning), my proposals and plans for raising a regiment of hussars for the service of the Venezuelian republic, properly clothed, and equipped with arms and accoutrements. Having had my proposition fully explained to the Venezuelian deputy, and obtained his consent to all the measures and articles laid be- fore him, I retired to place tlie same in proper form on paper, for his perusal previous to the perfect copy being presented to him for his signature of approbation. In a few days after, I waited on Don Luis Lopez Mendez with the articles drawn out, of which the agreement marked A in the Ap- pendix is a correct copy. Thus armed and prepared for active exertions, ORINOCO AND APURE, I commenced my operations by visiting the shops of the various tradesmen necessary to be em- ployed in the equipment of my officers, and the regiment in general. I began with the saddler, and soon came to an agreement with him, to furnish the whole of the horse appointments, &c. The officers were to be equipped, on their own personal respon- sibility for payment, at a certain estimate agreed upon ; and the non-commissioned officers and privates were to be completed, agreeable to an- other approved estimate, the payment of which, to the different tradesmen, was to be guaranteed by the resident deputy in England, Don Luis Lopez Mendez, by orders on the Venezuelian republic, and other collateral securities, settled and arranged between the above named parties. The clothier came forward in a similar manner, but annexed an additional security to the gua- rantee for payment to himself, by obtaining an auxiliary responsibility in the person of a mo- nied man, who now advanced to support the master saddler in all the contracts he chose to undertake. The consequence was, that Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh became the whole and sole contractors for completing the intended regiment of hussars in clothing, saddlery, horse appointments, arms, &c. Having thus esta- bhshed the means for our full equipment, I di- 6 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS rected patterns of clothing, caps, saddles, ac- coutrements, sabres, pistols of a peculiar con- struction (by which I saved the expense of a second })istol and carbine per man), to be pre- pared ibr my inspection and approval, and caused a button-mould to be engraved, denominative of my regiment, and emblematic of the service on which I was about to lead it. My next exertions were to ])rocure good and efficient officers, and non-commissioned officers, to aid my further proceedings. From the numerous applications which I had received from officers on the half pay and retired lists, previous to my final arrangement with Luis Lopez Mendez, I flattered myself I should have been enabled to have selected, without the smallest difficidty, cavalry officers, whose well known character for discipline and bravery in the field would do honour to my corps ; whose gentlemanly manners and deportment would ensure mutual friendship and esteem from each other, and whose cheerfulness and conviviality, at I he mess-table, would keep us all in mirth and good humour. — As I intended to give each cavalry officer, who did me the honour to enrol himself under the banners of my regiment, otie step of rank in addition to that which he had held, or was still holding, in the British service, and as 1 disdained to accept a bribe for pro- ORINOCO AND APURE. 7 motion in, or for the privilege of joining my corps (though delicately offered on many oc- casions), I contented myself with the receipt of a letter, or certificate from some well known mi- litary person, as to the character and conduct of the applicant, and hoped thus to establish such a corps of officers as to equal my most sanguine wishes. Having filled up my vacant troops, by lieute- nants of cavalry (with many of whom I had the pleasure of a long previous acquaintance), and having closed my list of lieutenants, either by officers who had been cornets in the British service, or lieutenants of infantry, many of w^hom w^ere then on the half-pay, and strongly recommended, I further accepted the service of some discharged sergeants of cavalry, who were vouched for in the highest terms by officers of rank in the army with whom they had served, to fill up the junior ranks in my regiment ; nor did I hesitate in admitting into the corps, as cornets, several young gentlemen who had never before held a regimental military commission. Captains in the service did me the honour to offer themselves to fill up my commissions as field-officers ; and I thought myself most for- tunate when I had accomplished my wishes in that respect, and placed at the head of my regiment, as its lieutenaiit-colonel, a lieutenant- 8 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS colonel well known in the British cavalry service, who had, at that time, but lately retired from the army. An officer of rank, commanding at a depot, had conferred on me the favour of introducing him, in compliance with my determination on that head, *' be the candidate whom he might ;" although I liad, long before his application to me, known liimsclf, and the military character which he bore during the period he was at the head of a military department. — Thus forward in my general equipments, I was one day agreeably surprised to learn, that two or three military men were turning their attentions to a similar | plan with my own, and that one of them had actually presented his proposals to Mr. Mendez, for raising a second regiment of cavalry to be fitted out as lancers ; and in a day or two after, this gentleman paid me a visit to impart his in- tention, and to solicit my assistance. He was an old officer in the British army ; and, although at the moment holding a junior rank, yet he had previously enjoyed a superior one, from which misfortune alone had removed him. He had, however, preserved his honour and reputation as a soldier, and was in general esteem with all who knew liim. He had been aide-de-camp to General Ballisteros, and liad also held a regi- mental commission in the Spanish army. The ORINOCO AND APURE. 9 Venezuelian deputy was much pleased with him, readily accepted his offers of service, and gave him permission to form a corps on the same establishment as mine, granting him, only in this country, and until he joined the inde-, pendent army, the grade of lieutenant-colonel. )(l M*Donald had not been bred a cavalry officer; but, as an officer of infantry, I had heard him spoken of in terms of high approbation by officers who had known him in his regiment, and had served with him in the West Indies and on the Peninsula. Before he thought of placing himself at the head of a regiment, he had obtained a letter from Mr. Mendez to General Bolivar, introducing him to that officer on his landing on the Spanish Main, where he had intended to present himself as an individual volunteering his service in the general cause. His promotion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel by Luis Lopez Mendez, and the authority he re- ceived from the same agent to place himself at the head of a regiment of lancers, made no al- teration in his previous determination to embark for the shores of Columbia. He had secured and paid for his passage thither, in a vessel (the Two Friends), prior to his new appointment; and being only a soldier of fortune, with little or nothing left, save his honour and his sword, 10 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS he felt himself obliged to leave England by the earliest opportunity. He, however, solicited me to attend to tlie equipment of his men together witli my own ; and requested me to accept and nominate the captains and junior ranks of the corps, as they should offer for my approval, and superintend all the other requisites necessary for the due formation of his regiment, which was to be denominated the First Regiment of J Venezuelian Lancers. Having received my pro- mise for the furtherance of all his wishes upon these points, to which I was as much led by the friendship I had, in so short a period of personal acquaintance, in reality imbibed for him, as by the hopes it held out to me, of completing two regiments of cavalry under my own inspection in appointments, officers, and non-commissioned officers, and at length forming them into a brigade, Lieutenant-Co- lonel M 'Donald embarked very shortly after, in the ship (Two Friends), in company with other gentlemen, candidates for promotion in the patriotic army of Venezuela, among whom was Henry Swymmer Esq., a very respect- able gentleman, ap])ointed by me paymaster to the Lst Venezuelian Hussars, and who had en- treated of me to allow him to sail with Lieu- tenant-Colonel M 'Donald, in order that he might ORINOCO AND APURE. 11 acquire some knowledge of the country and climate, previous to the arrival of myself and officers from England. About this time also a corps of riflemen were forming, under the orders of an experienced in- fantry-officer, who had proffered his services to Mr. Mendez for the raising of a regiment of that description, which the agent had most cordially accepted ; and Colonel Campbell was proceeding with alacrity in completing his corps of officers and non-commissioned officers, together with the provision for the necessary arms and appoint- ments. The agent, Don Luis Lopez Mendez, had ar- ranged and concluded the guarantees wdth the general contractor for the supply of the arms, accoutrements, clothing, &c. of the two cavalry regiments, and every thing relative thereto wore the appearance of promptitude and despatch. At this period I found my regiment to consist of Lieut.-Col. Robert Skeene, Lieut. Col. 1st Major. Captain John Rowe - - - 2d Major. J. Dudley Capt. Ed. TuUy - - - - Capt. ' J. T. English - - Capt. Chambers - Capt. Trewren - - Capt. Leach - - - Capt. Henley - - Capt. Dayh - • - Capt- IQ EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS LIEUTENANTS. 1. G. B. Hippisley. 9. Phillip Seybold. 2. Thomas Clubley. 10. D. Campbell. s. W. Mahoney. 11. George Pritt. 4. John Denis. 12. W. B. Lamb. 5. H. Hebden. 13. Jevons. 6. C. J. Hippisley. 14. Michael Plunkett. /• Francis Hole. 15. George Saunderson, 8. William Fordyce. 16. CORNETS. H. Howard. 1. Frederick Monro. 5. Charles Smith. 2. Alexander Holland. 6. Davies 3. A. Braybrooke. 7. Joseph Andrews. 4-. Thomas E. Smith. 8. M'Donald. Adj. Capt. John Dudley. Qt. Master, Marshall. 1st Surgeon, Henry White 2nd Surgeon, - 1st Apothecary, GeorgeBryan. 2nd Assistant, Moore. Vet. Surgeon, James Powis. Jackson. Riding Master, Jevons. All that was required of the officers, previous to tlieir admittance into the regiment, was the certificate of recommendation, before alluded to, and a promise, upon honour, of payment to the different tradesmen for the various articles of equipment in clothing, saddlery, and appoint- ments, before the final embarkation took place. The established uniform of the regiment was a dark green jacket, with scarlet collar, lapels, and cuff; some figured gold lace round the ORINOCO AND APURE. 13 collar and cuff, with an ornamented Austrian knot on the arm above; a laced girdle round the waist, and two small gold scaled epaulettes ; dark green trowsers edged with similar gold lace down the sides, chacco, &c. by way of dress clothing. Undress — dark green jacket, with red cuff and collar, without facings, trimmed with black lacing ; dark green foraging cap, with grey overalls, Wellington boots, &c. crimson sashes, black leather pouch, belts, sabre sash, &c. &c. completed the field or morning uniform. A blue camlet cloak, lined with red baize, was the only addition thought necessary for the officer; the whole expense of whose uniform was under 5^40. Incessant were my exertions to get the full equipment of the officers and non- commissioned officers completed by a certain specific period, so as to enable us all to embark during the early part of the autumnal months; and the saddler and general contractor (Mr. Thompson), had assured me every thing would be ready by the 20th of August ensuing ! Mr. Thompson, and his colleague Mr. James Mack- intosh, had also undertaken to procure a ship, and charter her for the voyage to the Spanish Main ; and consequently to endeavour to find one of sufficient burthen to convey the troops and stores to the shores of Venezuela ! 1 i EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS My lieutenant-colonel (Skeene) had employed himself, since his appointment to the 1st Vene- ziielian Plussars, in ibnvarding the riding-house drill for the junior officers, who had not been cavalry bred; and, for this purpose, horses were provided, and lessons daily given at a neigh- bouring riding-house, under the direction of the lieutenant-colonel himself. As the lieutenant-colonel had enjoyed a similar degree of rank in the British service, I thought it but fair that he should hold the commission of full colonel in the Venezuelian army, to pre- vent junior officers from taking rank above him at a future period ; and I requested Don Mendez to confer that grade upon him, on his stating his pretensions through me. He accordingly wrote me a letter on the subject, which I transmitted to the deputy, and his solicitations were complied with. I felt myself much pleased at serving my lieutenant-colonel, to whom I intended trans- ferring the command of the 1st Venezuelian Hussars, on my arrival at the head quarters of the army in the province of Venezuela, at which time and place Don Mendez assured me I should be appointed to command the British brigade, with the rank of general. Matters a})pearcd to go on most expeditiously, as far as related to the equipment of the re- giment, and some \aluable non-commissioned ORINOCO AND APTJRE. 15 officers and privates, then discharged from va- rious corps of cavalry, were hourly offering their services. But I found tlierc was some delay, for which I could not account, in procuring a ship proper for our voyage to the Main. Colonel Campbell had been more successful for himself and corps: he had, through his mercantile con- nexions, obtained a large roomy vessel, lit for the accommodation of his people, and sufficiently spacious in her hold to receive the whole of his regimental stores, &c. ; and he had managed so well as to charter her himself, and thus place her movements under his own and sole control. On finding me surrounded with obstacles on this point, he proffered his services to me, and assured me that he could and would place me in a similar situation with himself by chartering for me, in his own name, a vessel equal to his own. I would willingly here record the sentiments of friendship and obligation which I expressed for his more than liberal offers, and which I hesitate not again to repeat, even at this distant period. Circumstances, however, prevented me from accepting the colonePs assistance. Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh informed me that everything vv'ould be ready at the time appointed, even to the ship which was to convey us to the Main ; and that, if I engaged any other vessel, they would be material sufferers, as they had 16 KXPEDITIOX TO THE III VERS determined to purchase one for the occasion, and had aheady commenced a treaty with a broker for a sliip of the burthen required, which was for sale. Being one day at the saddler's, examining a quantity of saddles, &c. which were completed and ready for packing, I was told by the elder Mackintosh that two military men had been at his sho}), during the day, to look at my articles of saddlery, and to give orders for a full supply of similar saddles, &c. for the use of two regi- ments of cavalry, which they were about to raise, on similar promises of rank and promotion to those which were made to me ; the only differ- ence being, that they, as commanding officers and proprietors of each corps, were, at their own expense and risque, to furnish the arms, clothing, saddlery, and accoutrements, and receive pay- ment for the same on their arrival at Caraccas. They were to have only the rank of lieutenant- colonels commandant, the nomination of their respective officers and non-commissioned officers, and they were to transport themselves and stores to the shores of the Main, where they were to be indemnified for all their expenditure! As I had not heard of these, or any such proposals, being made to, or accepted by Don Mendez, I was rather staggered in my belief; but, at tlie evening's interview in Grafton-street, ORINOCO AND APURE. 17 where the deputies met nightly, I learned from the Venezuelian agent, that offers had been made to him by two gentlemen, which he had, under his hand, accepted; and therefore, Lieu- tenant-Colonels Hewitt and Wilson w^ere per- mitted to form and equip a corps of cavalry each, on a similar establishment to mine. Both those gentlemen appeared very anxious to use their utmost exertions, in order to be enabled to embark and sail at the same period with Colonel CampbelFs corps and the 1st Ve- nezuelian hussars ; and I foresaw the more than probable detention which I should now be obliged to undergo to accommodate them. I wished they had chosen another saddler ! yet, in a day or two, I was somewhat relieved, by finding that Mr. Mackintosh did not bite at the orders for equipment so readily as I had presumed. He sought some additional guarantees for the pay- ment of his goods, to join those Colonels Hewitt and Wilson had previously given. Wliether these gentlemen did not choose to trouble their friends further, or were fearful of com- mitting them in the penalty of so large a sum of money, I knew not, and can therefore only say a sort of demur took place on the part of Mr. Mackintosh for some days. During this in- terval Lieutenant-Colonels Hewitt and Wilson had repeated audiences of Don Mendez, and at c IS EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS lengtli obtained from him the order for Mr. Mackintosh to proceed on the like guarantee that i was given to Lieutenant-Colonel McDonald and/ nivself; and thus, by throwing the whole of the contract into their hands, afford them reason to hope for the most ample remuneration as soon as tlie troops and stores reached the Spanish Main. So ])lausible did Don Mendez appear in all his statements ; so open and candid were his answers to the various questions put to him, as to the power his government possessed of making good all the guarantees he, as its agent, had given ; and so fully were these authenticated by his shewing his credentials, bearing the sig- nature of the Supreme Chief of the Republic, authorising him to act in its behalf, that he dazzled the eyes and understanding of all the parties concerned; and the various tradesmen, as they left his mansion, hugged themselves on their good fortune in being honoured with his orders — fully satisfied that the Venezuelian re- pul)lic would remunerate them all by cancelling tlie obligations entered into by its deputv, agreeable to the solemn })ledges he had made on its belialf. Don Mendez had also bestowed the grade of Colonel on Messrs. Hewitt and Wilson, and preparations commenced for the equipment of the '2nd icginient of the \Vnezuclian lancers, ORINOCO AND APURE. 19 under command of the former, and the 2nd or red hussars of Venezuela, under the orders of the latter. A general recruiting of officers and non-com- missioned officers took place ; orderly rooms for that purpose were hired, and joy, confusion, hurry and bustle, became most vividly con- spicuous. As I had prognosticated, so it fell out ; this additional strength, so suddenly thrown upon us, retarded my embarkation ; and so perfect was the conviction of Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh that the completion of the whole could not take place by the time pro- posed for that event, as to induce them to ex- press their doubts both to me and Mr. Men- dez. In consequence of this, a meeting took place at M. Mendez's house, between Colonels Hewitt and Wilson, the deputy of Venezuela, and his right hand man, secretary, interpreter, and director (Mr. Walton), at which it was proposed, in order to insure a general accom- modation among the colonels of corps, and pro- mote the more speedy benefit of the republic in whose cause we were all preparing to embark, to equip only, at that period, three cavalry corps, viz. the 1st Venezuelian hussars, the 1st Venezuelian lancers, and a third to be called the 2nd Venezuelian hussars j that my lieu- c 2 i20 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS tenant-colonel, Colonel Skeene, should be ap- pointed to the latter regiment, as its colonel- commandant ; Colonel Hewitt to be his lieute- nant-colonel, and Colonel Wilson to be mine, vice Skeene. I was to be asked if I would accede to this arrangement, required by the exigencies of the moment, and allow my saddles and appoint- ments to be apportioned equally among the three corps, which would complete us all to four hundred men each. On the proposition being made to me, I, after some deliberation, acquiesced ; and was induced the more readily to give my consent, from the sincere wish I had to serve my friend Skeene, and from the promise and solemn assurance given me by the general contractor, that the finishing of the remaining equipments should be persevered in with every degree of promptitude, so as to have the residue of the clothing, saddlery, &c. &c. necessary for the complete establishment of the three regi- ments, sent out to the Main, by a vessel to be taken up for the express purpose, within one month after our departure. My zeal for the cause, and my real anxiety in its behalf, cannot but be acknowledged when it is recollected that I not only submitted to lose the services of the lieutenant-colonel of my regiment, but also to a division of my arms ORINOCO AND APURE. 21 and accoutrements, and, thougli last not least in my consideration of the losses, to the inconve- nience and unpleasantness I sustained, in being obliged to consent to a lieutenant-colonel's being placed on the strength of my regiment, of whose merits, as an officer, I had never known or heard. Nor did my first personal interview with Colonel Wilsoii, after the proposition made me for the exchange, tend to remove my doubts of his want of abilities and experience for the duties of so elevated a station as the lieutenant-colonel of a corps of cavalry, or give me reason to hope that he was one to whom I might resort for information and advice in cases of moment, and at the instant of immediate necessity. Colonel Skeene, I considered, was most fortunate in the disposition made for him, if reports of the abilities, gentlemanly conduct, and deportment of Colonel Hewitt, spoke truth. However, I had given my consent to the exchanges, and division of the various articles intended for the use and equipment of my own and Lieutenant- Colonel Macdonald's corps, and to such ex- tracted acquiescence I was bound to abide. With feelings of pleasure do I now recal to my re- collection the sensations which played round my heart at receiving a letter from Colonel Wilson, a few days after the propositions had been assented to and the arrangements agree- 22 KXPEDITIOX TO THE RIVERS ably thereto had commenced, wherein he in- formed me that his prospects of forming a corps of cavahy, on tlie plan he originally intended, were renewed, viz. the taking on himself the risk of clothing and fully equipping a regiment, without resorting to the aid or guarantee of M. Mendez, and therefore he begged to de- cline the honor of being lieutenant-colonel to the 1st regiment of Venezuelian hussars, and that he had notified the same to Don Mendez, who had transmitted to him his approval. Matters again underwent some little change in favour of the three previously established regiments ; for the clothier and saddler had not been idle, dining the interval : two hundred and fifty horse appointments were added to the number before finished, and Colonel Wilson's intended regiment occasioned no drawback whatever on our equipments, in the saddler's de- partment, as he had issued directions for the whole of his corps to be equipped with hussar saddles, furniture, &c. and, to create a greater distinction in the dress of his officers and men to that of the other three regiments, the junior of which was dark blue, with scarlet facings, similar in make to the 1st Venezuelian hussars, whilst tliat of Lieutenant-Colonel M'Donald's regiment of lancers was dark green, with scarlet collar and cufli', ornamented, and ribbed ORINOCO AXn APURE. 23 with silver lace, lie, Colonel Wilson, chose a scarlet jacket with light blue cufF and collar, most richly and expensively ornamented with gold lace, scarlet pantaloons, &c. as his full dress ; whilst a blue jacket, with broad gold lace, overalls, &c. constituted the morning or field uniform. The non-commissioned officers and private hussars were to have corresponding suits. Colonel Campbell's corps of riflemen were, at this time, in a great state of forwardness ; his officers and non-commissioned officers were enrolled; and the regimental band, composed of some very able and excellent performers, were embodied also, and attached, completely ap- pointed with instruments, &c. &c. His clothing, arms and accoutrements, wTre in a superior state of readiness to any of the other corps, and he expected to be enabled to embark in the en- suing month. A short time previous to this period, an of- ficer, who had commenced his military career in the service of the Royal Artillery, and whose talents in the mechanism and improvement of the musket were above mediocrity, made an offer to Don Mendez of raising a corps of ar- tillery officers, non-commissioned officers, and gunners, under similar engagements as those entered into by the Venezuelian agent with the colonels of other corps, and to superintend the 24 EXPKDITION TO THE RIVERS formation and fitting out a brigade of artillery, of which lie was to have the command, and the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The proposition was accepted, and Lieutenant-Colonel Gilmour _ commenced his operations accordingly. He had the good fortune to fall in with Mr. Gra- J ham, whose wealth, liberality of character,' abi- lities and experience as a founder in the ord- nance department, were too well known to need further panegyric, and the additional more than good fortune, in prevailing on that gentleman to accept of Don Mendez's guarantee for the payment of the artillery on its arrival on the Main, — the expenses attending which amounted to upwards of thirty-five tliousand pounds. Dur- ing the publicity which the formation of the several corps, and the open exposure of the clothing, caps, accoutrements, and horse ap- pointments, for the officers and non-commis- sioned officers, daily and hourly displayed in the windows of the shops of the various tradesmen employed, no interference of, or notice from the British government obtruded itself; and all concerned felt convinced that the ministry did not disapprove of, but tacitly consented to the exertions that were making in the cause of Spanish South American independence ! Even when the question was put to some gentlemen, ^ who held ))laccs of trust and confidence in the \^ ORINOCO AND APURE. 25 higher departments of the state, it was answered, "Be speedy in the preparations and arrange- ments. Avoid, as far as possible, too great no- toriety. Speak Httle on the subject in pubhc. Make no unnecessary bustle in completing the whole of the equipments and in embarking the officers and men. And, above all, hasten your departure from England with all the celerity in your power.'* Thus spake , , and . Colonel Campbell's corps of riflemen, at least the officers composing the regiment, had rendered themselves very conspicuous : go where you would, the Venezuelian riflemen were the subject of observation, and, notwithstanding their colonel's efforts, extreme publicity was given to all their movements. The frequency of their mess-dinners, and other parties, in and near the metropolis ; the appearance of some of the gentlemen at the public places of amusement in uniform ; and last, though not least, the excellence of the regi- mental band, which attended the officers where- ever they dined together, were the themes of general conversation ! Even during the period that the band were stationed at Chelsea, they met every morning (as a common rendez-vous for practice and re- hearsal), at a house near the residence of a ge- 26 r.xPKDri i()\ ro Tin: rivers neral officer, whose ears were, during his break- fast hour, sahited witli repeated shouts of " sue- 1 cess to tlie VenezueHan rifle corps;'* and his anger as repeatedly softened or lulled to a for- getfulness of the toast, by the soft dulcet sound emanating from the enchanting pipe of the flageolet, touched by the master of the band. The latter end of the month of September had now arrived, and sorry Avas I to And that some unexpected difficulties had occurred, of which no previous ideas had presented them- selves. The clothing was nearly finished, in spite of some recent disappointment which had occurred with the clothier and army tailor, Mr. Esdaile, to whom application had been made in the first instance to provide for and complete the same. He had finished the whole of the clothing for Colonel Campbell's rifle corps, but after having promised to undertake the equipment of the 1st VenezueHan hussars, and the 1st Vene- zuelian lancers, had determined to recede, in con- sequence of the fears which the various reports that were floating, respecting the South Ame- rican successes, excited: and judging that the contract and equipment of the regiment which he luul now completed was a sufficient stake for liini to hazard, on so doublful a guarantee as Don Mendez's vouchers and obligations on ORINOCO AND APURE. 27 behalf of the VenezueUan repubhc, he declined the honour of taking the additional contract into his own hands, and^ apparently seemed to feel no jealousy in viewing the burthen placed on the shoulders of another. The fame, fa- vour, and profit likely to arise from an order so extensive, fell to the good fortune of Mr. Doolan, an army clothier, who chose to receive the additional guarantee of Mr. Thompson (the joint partner with Mr. Mackintosh, as the ge- neral contractor before alluded to), whose purse they soon learnt w^as equal to the commission given. I paid frequent visits to Mr. Doolan's work- shop, to expedite the completion of the clothing for the non-commissioned officers and privates of the 1st Venezuelian hussars and 1st re- giment of lancers, and I had the pleasure of viewing the almost daily progress of the con- tract, which consisted of a dress jacket, faced similar to the officers with scarlet, with yellow worsted lace : Russia duck trowsers, and a very handsome chacco, completed the full dress — a plain, dark-green, single-breasted jacket, black forage-cap, and grey overalls, the field day and marching clothing ; black belts, &c. Colonel Campbell had gained so far ahead of me as to get his ship not only afloat, but ab- solutely to complete the embarkation of all his people. 28 KXPEDITION TO THE RIVKKS This alacrity on the colonel's part acted as a stimulus to Mr. Thompson, and what with my incessant clamours at the delay, and the fear that the rifle-corps should precede us, I had the gratification to learn in a few days after the Dowson (the ship Colonel Campbell had taken up for the voyage) had dropt down to her moorings off Blackwall, that the Prince had been purchasedby Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh, and was then actually fitting up for the reception of the 1st Venezuelian hussars. In a day or two more I was authorized to send my 1st sur- geon on board of her, to give directions for the berthing off of the people, and to arrange the cabin, &c. for the mess of the officers, as w^ell as the galleries for their berths and cots. Colonel Skeene had also secured a ship of larger tonnage thaii~~the Prince, to convey the whole of his officers and men. It was further determined that the Indian should carry out the greater part of the saddlery, arms, clothing and appointments for the three cavalry regiments. Colonel Wilson's equipments, it was presumed, could not be got ready in time ; it was therefore agreed, that the vessel to be taken up for the conveyance of the officers and men of the red hussars should follow our little fleet as soon after our departure as possible, bringing with lu r the remainder of the arms and saddlery, that could not be com- pleted prcNious lo our sailing. ORINOCO AND APURE. 29 I had been at vast expense in keeping my people together, having been obUged to allow each man a shilling per diem to purchase food, which M. Mendez assured me most solemnly should be repaid me in South America. The officers, too, from the almost unaccountable delay, and the numerous difficulties, which had occurred in the preparations for embarkation, became tired and uneasy at the expenses at- tending their detention in London: it was a serious matter to many of them, who having procured from their friends, or obtained an ad- vance of cash on their own private funds to meet the cost of equipment, had scarcely any money left to defray the protracted demand on their pocket for the absolute necessaries of life. As to myself, I was worried both in mind and body, and obliged to make incessant calls on the liberality and kindness of some friends who assisted me ; having been also obliged to make many personal sacrifices to obtain the means of meeting this great and unavoidable expenditure. I was, however, wrapped up in the idea of perfect security, that if I lived I should be amply repaid for all my trouble, risks, losses, and anxieties. Happy in the cheering reflection that I had attempted all for the best, and with the most sanguine hopes of all my wishes being fully realized, I even thanked fortune for this 30 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS her first favour shewn me. The perspective appeared clear, and without spot ; I anticipated the pleasure of evincing my gratitude to my liberal and worthy friends, when furnished with the means of repaying them, and the blessings I should heap on my children in sharing with them my prosperity. I struggled hard, therefore, to keep in motion the wheels that were to sup- port my chariot of expectation, and I thought no sacrifice too great, that was bounded by honour and honesty. Mendez still continued to buoy me up with additional prospects of success, and my mind became resigned and tranquil. The intelligence, too, that I might immediately embark twenty-two of the non- commissioned officers was a relief to me; and the additional orders for their being furnished with rations from the day of embarkation (or Is. per diem, per man, in lieu thereof), was as pleasing to my ears as it was convenient to my means. Twenty-two men were therefore em- barked without loss of time, on board the ship Prince, under the orders of a steady and most respectable serjeant-major, who had previously held that rank in the British cavalry service. The remainder of the men were receiving a shilling each per diem, advanced from my pocket, in order to keep them together, and steady to the ^ service in which they had engaged themselves. ORINOCO AND APURE. 31 An orderly officer was directed to sleep on board every night, for the purpose of preserving due regularity and decorum. The officers had never been introduced to the deputy of Venezuela ; and, at a general meeting of the corps, it was therefore de- termined to invite Don Mendez to partake of a cold collation, on an early day, for the purpose of such introduction : and in the course of that week, Don Mendez was invited, and partook of the very elegant dejeun6 which was prepared in compliment to him. After the introduction of all the officers, according to rank, had taken place, M. Mendez, through his interpreter and secretary, renewed his solemn protestations of the reception each and all would receive from his government, and the liberality and gratitude which would be shewn to us; and after expressing the pleasure he felt in being at that moment surrounded by his dear brethren, in the same cause with himself, he, like the pa- triarch of old, ended his rhapsody of gratitude and love, for the zeal we had shewn, by sup- plicating God to preserve us, and blessing us all*. * It may not be thought too ridiculous in me to encroach on the reader's attention, by travelling a little out of the beaten path of this narrative, whilst I relate something of a laughable 3Q EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS occurrence wliich took place previous to tlie introduction of the officers to Don Mendez. Mr. Mackintosh, the saddler, had very obligingly olFered the use of his drawing-room, and eating-parlour, for his reception and that of the officers of the 1st Venezuelian hussars, together with the assistance of the female part of his family for the arrangement of the dejuene. A Mr. White, the 2nd surgeon of the regiment, had undertaken to provide the wines, fruit, &c. at the rate of one guinea per head. The officers had been directed to meet in the drawing-room, a quarter of an hour before Don Mendez's expected attendance, in order that they might be disposed in the circle according to rank and seniority, and thus prevent confusion in their individual and personal introduction. Having thus arranged them, they w^ere at li- berty to seat themselves in similar order so as to be ready to move up in circle when jVI. Mendez made his appearance. Whilst waiting in full expectation of the arrival of the ge- neral (as many of the officers had heard M. Mendez de- nominated, and actually believed him to be), the door was thrown open, and, with apparent state, in walked an elderly black man, with head well powdered, decorated in a rich- looking uniform of drab with scarlet focings, collar and cufF. The whole of the line of officers, with regularity and pre- cision, rose spontaneously, and formed the circle ; and, after a graceful bow from all, in which motion and time combined, the whole remained steady to receive the personage in uniform ; who, all astonished at the reception given him, ad- vanced no further, yet, with two or three very genteel bows in return, complimented the entire circle. How much longer the equivoque would have been kept up I know not, had not I, who at the first was all wonder at the general movement, and afterwards so completely con- vulsed by laughter as not to be able to speak (though in full enjoyment of the scene), relieved the suspense of the whole, by informing the officers that the personage whom ORINOCO AND APURE. 33 they had mistaken for llie (General, or Don Mcndez, was only the black man George, a faithful servant of a gentleman who had obligingly lent him, and his services, for that day's attendance, in the course of which he entered the drawing- room to procure some article from one of the recesses. It was really ludicrous to see each officer endeavouring to gain the seat he had left, and the eagerness of each to raise the laugh against his friend, for giving way to the impulse of the mo- ment on George's entr6. Even General George, himself, smiled with delight, at the mistake which had occasioned him so honourable and so flattering a reception. Fearful, however, of being again deceived, they omitted that regularity of joining the circle when Don Mendez actually made his appearance, notwithstanding which, the introduction took place, and every thing was again ease and regularity. D 34- EXrEDlTION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER II. Preparations for immediately embarking. — Mess formed. — Frcsli delays and fortunate disappointments. — The ship Emerald obtained, and liopes of a speedy departure re- vived. — Arrears of payment among some of the officers, owing to the long delay; provided for by the author. — Three of them behave dishonourably, and withdraw. — The Emerald is bought for the service of the Venezuelian republic. — Artillery embarked in the Britannia, of four hundred tons. — Manoeuvres and little jealousies. — Fare- well dinner at the London coffee-house. — Desertions from the ship, and precautions not to enlist deserters from the king's service. THE prospect of a speedy embarkation ap- peared so nearly ap})roacliing, tliat jirovisions were necessary for the establishment of a mess. For this pinj)ose, I directed a mess committee to be formed, composed of a field officer, as pre- sident; two captains, and two subalterns, as members, who were to choose a treasurer and a caterer for the various articles wanted. It was proposed by the committee, that each officer should pay into their hands the sum of 3£l4f 10s. j towards the expenses attending the laying in of wine, spirits, ])igs, })oultry, kc. and every other ORINOCO AND APURE. 35 requisite wanted for tlie use of the general mess; independent of the ship's provisions, whicli were to consist of every article needed for the men, and to which the officers might have access on similar terms. In short, the troops were to be treated in a way exactly corresponding to those regulations laid down for due observance in the transport service under the British government. An additional 10s. per head was levied on the officer, for the purchase of a large and most excellent hospital tent, to serve as a mess-tent, when we should be disembarked on the shores of Venezuela. The senior surgeon had shewn so much alacrity in his appointed station of caterer ; so much knowledge in what was proper to lay in, and so much judgment in the arrange- ments for obtaining the whole of the articles, both in regard to cheapness and goodness of quality, and possessed also that *' suaviter in moclo," which seduces the heart and sometimes the understanding, and so completely conquered < all doubts and suspicions (if any were previously entertained), that I wondered not at hearing he was unanimously inducted into the double situa- tion of treasurer and caterer. In consequence of this, he received each officer's proportion, amounting to £15 per man, in aid of the ge- D 2 36 expeditVox to the rivers neral mess, and the purchase of tlie regimental mess-tent. All liands were now busily employed in pre- paring for departure. But a delay again oc- cuired, as unexpected as it afterwards proved to be fortunate in the extreme. As I was one day on board the Prince, inspecting the alterations making in the great cabin, and the fitness of the berths for the accommodation of the men, I found there was only room in the latter for the reception of sixty men, and non- commissioned officers, and in the former for twenty officers ; whereas my establishment was forty-four officers, and one hundred and twenty- four non-commissioned and artillerists ; the greater part of whom (and on whom I had been expending for some time the daily pay of one shilling per man) would have been left behind, if this ship had been used. I also found, upon further investigation, that the vessel did not contain sufficient room in her hold to stow away even the necessary stores and packages belong- ing to the corps. I immediately left the ship, and hastened to Mr. Mackintosh's house, and assured him that I would not embark in the Prince, nor would I go in any ship whatever, whose tonnage was not equal to my numerical strength, with a suf- ORINOCO AND APUIIE. .37 ficiency for stowage room. I desired him to report to Mr. Thompson that nothing should induce me to part with my officers and men, or to submit to a division of them amongst the other ships destined for the same service. The consequence of this resolution was that orders were the same day issued to disembark the men who were on board, and to turn them over the ship's side without their breakfast, the following morning. Judging, however, that such a circumstance was possible, if not probable, I had anticipated the result, and given directions for their lodging and diet at a public house in the vicinity, the expenses attending which I determined to advance on the faith of the li- berality and justice of the government, in whose cause and on whose behalf all my exertions were made. — Having reported the transaction to Don Mendez, who expressed himself in the strongest terms against the deception practised by the contractors, in stating to me the tonnage of the ship Prince, so considerably above her actual measurement; and against their ulterior con- duct in turning the men adrift in so illiberal a way, I, to my sorrow, found that Don Mendez could not relieve my disaj^pointment, or give me hopes of obtaining another ship. I left his house with a temper soured with my disappoint- SH EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ments, and at a loss what to do. I, however, ordered a meeting of the officers at the general place of rendezvous, and then stated to them the part I had acted in repelling the alteration attempted to be imposed on us, and my positive refusal to embark in the Prince. The whole of the officers joined in full appro- bation of my decision ; and every one lamented the detention which would probable again occur. The meeting dispersed with a promise of an equally full attendance daily at the same hour and place, until something was definitively settled. My good fortune took me towards the city on that day, and having shewn myself on the Exchange, a gentleman, well known and re- spected there, met me, and gave me joy of my havinii; waived all thouii-ht of embarkation on board the Prince, as she was not only too small for the accommodation of my numbers, but ac- tually not sea- worthy, nor could she be insured under a \ery high })remium. So far, so lucky, thought 1 ; and so indeed I expressed myself. The same gentleman gave me assurances of shortly procuring another ship; yet I left him witli little hope of success. A lew moments after, 1 fell in with Colonel Cam))bell, to whom I related all my difficulties, I'ears, and disap- ORINOCO AND APURE. 39 pointmcnts. He, however, comforted me in an instant, by wishing me joy of my escape from the Prince ; and in the next moment caused me to feel inexpressible pleasure, by declaring that he would obtain for me a ship, equal, if not superior, to the one which he had taken up for himself, and in which all his officers and men had already embarked, and were waiting only for a few articles and a fair wind to drop down the river. He added, that he was so certain of being successful for me, that I might depend on his word; and, as an additional security, solemnly pledged himself to wait for me at a certain point, so that the two ships might proceed to the Main in company. This was indeed news of importance to convey to the officers of the regiment, at their meeting on the following day, when I had the pleasure of telling them that every nerve should be strained in expediting the general embarkation. Two days after. Colonel Campbell introduced me to his brother (who had undertaken to assist in procuring a ship for my accommodation), and likewise to the house of Messrs. Hurry, Powles, and Hurry ; a partnership too well known in the metropolis of England, as well as abroad, to need any eulogium from me. The arrangements decided on were acted 40 EXrEUITION TO THE RIVERS upon instantaneously. The ship Emerald was purchased with equal promptitude, and the ne- cessary alterations and repairs commenced be- fore she was warped from the dock, where she floated. The Emerald had been a French corvette, taken by the British, and sold into the mer- chants service ; she had been built upon, and had made several trips to and from the Me- diterranean; was about four hundred and sixty tons burthen, with eleven ports on each side, besides stern-chasers and bow-ports. The in- telligence of our good fortune, when commu- nicated by me to the officers at our place of rendezvous, was received with every expression of joy ; and the long protracted interval and dis- appointments recently felt were remembered no more. Every one was again on the alert, and our hope of a speedy departure from England was once more tlie topic of conversation. The mess-committee had issued their final order* to the first surgeon of the regiment, our treasurer and caterer; and he having shewn a long list of articles necessary for the use of the mess during the voyage, combined witli numerous dainties, and extra indulgences, to be issued on * See Appendix, B. ORINOCO AND APURE. 41 particular occasions, and which he informed the mess-committee and the officers in general could be procured without any further call upon their pockets than the £^14' per man^ satisfaction, pleasure, and the most agreeable anticipation of our good, nay sumptuous fare, filled every mind. A pint of wine to each officer at dinner, a gill of spirits at supper-time, and a bottle of porter per diem, were to constitute the diurnal beverage : contentment pervaded all parties, and the surgeon was left sole manager of the whole mess-establishment. At this moment several of the officers re- quested an interview with me on the subject of their own private concerns, and without much preface informed me that the long and un- expected detention in town had deprived them of the immediate means of paying for many of the various articles wanted for their equip- ment ; that unless I lent them my assistance they should be obliged to decline the offers of rank, &c. that I liad made them, and withdraw themselves altogether from the service. I had had so many calls for assistance from my own fa- mily, who were embarking with me in the same cause, and with the same flattering hopes of success, that I really possessed not the means of aiding them in the way they wished j yet, as se- 42 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS vcral of them were previously known to me, and as I considered them to be "men of honour," I did not scru])le to make myself liable for the debts or part of the debts they had incurred with the tailor and the saddler, on their assurances of leaving in the hands of the paymaster of the regiment, on its arrival on the shores of Vene- zuela, the whole sum of two hundred dollars promised and guaranteed to each officer on landing on the Main by Don Luis Lopez Mcn- dez, the deputy of that republic. On these terms I consented to become responsible for their clothing and saddlery, and they were each furnished with the articles required. Sorry am . I in being obliged to record, that three of those officers, after having received their clothing and saddlery, withdrew themselves from their engagements with the regiment, and left me to answer for their debts thus dishonestly con- tracted. Should either or all of those persons, on perusing this narrative, which all of them most probably will read, still continue to hide themselves from my view, and hesitate to come forward, for the purpose of cancelling my gua- rantee in their behalf, their names shall be made public through the medium of a news- paper: but I beg to apologize lor this digression; it was the impulse of the moment. ORINOCO AND APURE. 43 Leave was given me to embark all the non- commissioned officers, &c. on board the Eme- rald, and Is. per diem was paid to each man in lieu of rations, which were not to be issued until the ship proceeded down the river. This consideration on the part of Messrs. Hurry, Powles, and Hurry, was of moment to me, who had nearly exhausted all my finances in main- taining and keeping the men together during the interval which had taken place between their disembarkation from the Prince and their re-embarkation on board the Emerald. I had heard that Colonel Wilson, having made up his mind not to await the completion of either his clothing, saddlery, or arms, or even the filling up of his list of officers and non-commis- sioned officers, but to risk their following him in another ship, had determined to accept of Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh's proposal, and embark himself, and the few officers and men who had already enrolled themselves under his banners, on board my late rejected ship the Prince J and I was also informed that the pre- parations were making with all possible speed to receive the officers and men of the red hussars. New arrangements were made with respect to the passengers on board. Mackintosh, the 44 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS co-partner of Thompson, had determined to make the voyage in the station of part owner, and additional supercargo (although there was one regularly appointed on board), and sailing director ; that is, the ship, as to her destination and her delays at the different islands, was to be directed and governed by him. To make his voyage more comfortable and amusing, he had, a few days preceding, taken unto himself a wife, who with a sister of hers, nearly equally juvenile, were to be the companions of his voyage ; and the cabin formerly built and set apart for my accommodation was transferred to this trio. I had determined to oppose any of the officers taking their wives with them, and had therefore publicly expressed my determina- tion on that point ; for I foresaw, and experi- ence had strengthened my suspicions, that if I permitted one female, in the character of an officer's wife, to go on board, others who were married would expect a similar indulgence. A number of inconvenient alterations must have taken place for their accommodation, which would be useless and superfluous to our own wants ; little jealousies would arise, and con- fusion and unpleasantness would ensue. I anti- cipated all these embarrasmcnts, and resolved to avoid lliciu J although by so doing I lost ORINOCO AND APURE. 45 two, and had nearly been deserted by two more officers. I however persevered, and I flatter myself had at least the secret thanks of several of the married men, for so wisely judging in their behalf! Amongst Colonel Wil- son's officers were several very highly respect- able gentlemen and soldiers ; I had the pleasure of knowing some of them, and particularly the major of the regiment (Major Graharn), who had his wife on board the Prince. I had been obliged to make some new ar- rangements in my list of commissioned officers : the second major (Captain Rowe) declined going out. Two captains and some of the junior of- ficers also resigned : to make up for their loss, I received the highest characters from a general officer on the staff, on behalf of three sergeants of dragoons who had obtained their discharges; and although they had all been recommended for com- missions in corps in the British service, they con- sidered that it might be more advantageous to join the first Venezuelian hussars, as England was then at peace with all the world ; and I most gladly accepted their proffered services. Three finer young men in appearance, known reputations as soldiers in the field, and respecta- bility for conduct in their several regiments, w^ere never admitted into the British army, or 46 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS left it with higher encomiums on their past ser- vices*. Tlie sliij) Emerald lay close to the shore in the city canal, lor the purpose of receiving on board her stores, provisions, water, &c. &c. ; and as the day of her dropping down the river was decided upon by her owners, I proposed to the officers of the corps that we should invite Don Mendez, and the gentlemen connected with the ship, to a farewell dinner: a day was ac- cordingly fixed upon, and the invitation given and accepted. Colonel Campbell was most anxious to leave England ; he had been completely ready for sea a month previous, and, as I have stated before, waited only for me. Colonel Skeene had also received such assistance from Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh, and the owners concerned on the ])art of the Indian, that he was not only embarked with tlie whole of his officers and men on board, but had actually dropt down to * One of these officers (for I had given cornctcies to each) had long known Colonel Skeene, having been at various pe- riods under the colonel's command. As Colonel Skeene had neither adjutant nor riding-master to his regiment, he so- licited me in so earnest a manner to spare Jevons to him, OS to induce me to consent ; and he made him adjutant with the rank of captain. He was lost with hh colonel in the Indian. ORINOCO AND APURE. 47 Gravesend, cherishing witliin liimself the idea that he sliould make the first start, and by pre- ceding lis all on our voyage to the Main, gain the priority of command. Colonel Campbell and myself saw through all his movements, and were equally aware of his intentions ; however, as we well knew that with all his anxiety to be foremost he would be obliged to bring up at the island where a general rendezvous of the fleet was to take place previous to their actual sailing for the Spanish Main, we amused ourselves with the hurry, bustle, and almost unceasing alacrity which poor Skeene displayed in accomplishing his, as he thought, private and secret inten- tions. In consequence of the superior tonnage of the Indian, Colonel Skeene^ had promised to accommodate three of the officers belonging to the 1st Venezuelian hussars, together with eight of the men of the same corps, with a passage to the Main ; and as this promise was given before the Emerald was taken up for the voyage, and the officers had, in pursuance of the permission received from me, paid towards and joined the mess of the 2nd Venezuelian hussars, it was determined that the whole should continue on board the Indian, and join their regiment, either at Saint Bartholomew's 48 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS or Oil the Main, as soon as that vessel and the remainder of the ships met: thus Cornets Hodge, Spearman and Stevenson, Veterinary Surgeon Powis, three sergeants, three corporals, and two farriers, remained under the command of Co- lonel Skeene. The artillery under the orders of Colonel Gilmour (who had also, together with my friend M 'Donald, been promoted to the grade of full colonel, by Uon I^uis Lopez Mendez), consisted of five light six-pounders, a five and half inch howitzer, together with an immense quantity of military stores, comprising arms, ammunition, shot, shells, clothing, Sec, and with every requisite for the completion of a train of artillery, ready for immediate service on its arrival on the shores of Venezuela. A no])le ship, called the Britannia, of about four liundred tons burthen, was selected for the conveyance of the artillery, officers, and men belonging to that brigade. Messrs. Graham were truly liberal in all their appointments, and in victualUng the ship thus chartered by them- selves for the comforts of the officers and crew, during the passage. They had much at stake; lor tlie value of tlie artillery, stores, &c. was estimated at 5^3.5,000, all chance of repayment resting, I believe, on the assurances and gua- ORINOCO XyD APUIIE. 1() rantees given by Don Lnis Lojiez Mendez, in London, on behalf of the government or re- pubHc of Veneznela. The Emerald was, as the seamen say, a perfect model ; she looked like what she was — the finest and fastest sailer of her class. She had been purchased first with a view of carrying out the troops and stores, and of bringing back produce from South America ; but on re-consideration, her then owners deemed her a proper vessel for the use of the republic, and worthy of bearing the Venezuelian flag, as a " ship of war," in its service. The deputy from Venezuela most greedily caught at the offer made, and with equal promptitude re- displayed the authority of his government for the purchase of such vessels so tendered j and having subscribed to the conditions of the sale, and given his assurances and guarantees for the purchase of, and payment for the said ship, stores, guns, &;c. and for defraying the expenses of victualling her for the use of the officers and men of the 1st Venezuelian hussars, on their arrival on the Main, the Emerald was publicly announced as a frigate purchased for the service of the Venezuelian government. In the choice of her commander, for the purpose of taking her to one of the V/est Indian islands, or to the Main, if necessary, the owners were most truly E 50 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS fortunate: to Mr. Robert Weatlierly's know- ledge of seamanship and command was joined the most gentlemanly deportment, and the most benevolent heart, which repeated circumstances during the voyage as frequently displayed. As I shall have occasion to mention this gen- tleman's name more than once in the narrative of my passage towards the West India islands, I shall not in this place pass those encomiums on his conduct and behaviour throughout which my heart dictates, and which my pen would most readily record. The chief mate, an old, rough, honest, and acknowledged seaman, to- gether with a second and third mate, and a crew of upwards of thirty men, completed the ship's then establishment, and each succeed- ing day gave fresh assurances of a speedy de- parture. Colonel Campbell's brother, as a joint pur- chaser of the Emerald with Messrs. Hurry, Powlcs, and Hurry, gave a farewell dinner at the London Coffee-house, to which were in- vited the deputy from Venezuela, the deputy from Santa Fe, the deputy from Chili, the de- puty from , and the colonels of the different corps, then about to embark. A kind of shyness seemed to })ervade the minds and actions of three of the gallant colonels towards ORINOCO AND APURE. 51 myself; arising, I presumed to conjecture, from tlie superiority I claimed as the first projector of, as well as the first ofHcer who laid the found- ation for the structure of a regiment of cavalry for the service of Venezuela, and the actual ladder, or stepping-stone, on which my brother colonels had raised themselves to the rank and situation which each now held; with the exception alone of Colonel Campbell, whose exertions and alacrity in organising, equipping, and clothing an infantry corps, equalled, if not surpassed, my own. No jealousy, there- fore existed on his part. He was the first in forming an infantry brigade, as I was the senior in establishing another composed of cavalry. If Colonels Wilson and Gilmour yielded to me the right of the line, it was not in con- sequence of my being a better soldier than themselves, but of being an older one. And if my ci-devant Lieutenant-Colonel (Skeene) be- came a little piqued at my claiming the seniority of rank amongst the cavalry colonels, it was not, as he himself said, that he was a better sol- dier, " but because he was an older, both in the service and in years." In fact, such is the foible of some men, and, with a tincture of red on my countenance, which in reality flashes from my heart to my head, I acknowledge my- self guilty of thinking that I should deserve e2 50. EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS censure, mixed with not a little impeachment against my understanding, if, after an education in my early years at the royal military academy, I was not a better artillerist and field engineer than Colonel Gilmour could have been, who had only served in the subordinate station of a corporal of artillery ; and, after his promotion in one of the West India regiments, could have had a very small field either to increase his know- ledge of gunnery or to exercise his abilities in the engineer department, and particularly that j)art which shows the judgment of an officer in marking out the ground, or taking up a position for the ])lanning or erection of field works either for attack or defence : his mechanical genius was (as I have stated in a former part of this narrative) not only eminent but acknowledged. Colonel Wilson had been a lieutenant in the British cavalry (the 9th light dragoons), and had left the army three or four years previous to his offering himself to the Venezuelian service ; and I felt I might at least enter the lists with liiin, as a cavalry man of so short a standing, having myself been an officer of cavalry from the year I787, — having served as such both at home and on foreign service, for a number of years, — having been during tliat period, aid- de-camp and major of brigade to a general ofliccr of long experience in the service; major ORINOCO AND APURE. 53 Oi ix corps of cavalry; adjutant to a regiment of militia, in which twelve hundred men were formed under my sole management and direc- tion — and in being at that moment, also, on the half pay of the service, with the rank of captain. With Colonel Skeene I only con- tended for seniority on the score of being the first promoter of the corps of cavalry for the Venezuelian service, and the impossibility of allowing my late major, and afterwards my lieutenant-colonel, to gain the seniority of com- mand over me. In rotation, therefore, M 'Donald held the rank next to me, and therefore pre- ceded Colonels Skeene, Wilson, and Gilmour. The harmony and mutual assistance which I wished to inspire and create amongst us, was rendered unavailing by the retiring feelings evinced by those two officers (Colonels Wilson and Gilmour); nor did my old friend Skeene eye me with that openness and generosity he had previously been " wont to do.** Each for himself, independent, and alone, were now, I believe, the feelings of the whole. But to return to the dinner : it so happened that I had particularly pledged myself to dine at a private party of friends on the very day this dinner was arranged, and so situated was I, from certain circumstances, that I could not put off or postpone the engagement. .54< ExriEbiTioN to the rivers I requested therefore the mdulgence of Messrs. Campbell, Sec. to permit me to jom them in the evening, which I felt I covild do with pro- priety, as the difFereii'je of the dining hour would enable me so to divide my time. I was most anxious to present myself before the donors of the feast and their guests on such an occasion ; I therefore left my own private friends early, and introduced myself to their table, shortly after the party had dined, in conse- quence of the permission with which I had been honoured. I was requested to take a seat on the left of Mr. Campbell, who filled the chair as president, having the assistance of Mr. Powles as his vice. Their dinner had been elegant in the extreme ; the dessert was equally so, and most choice and excellent were the claret and burgundy sported on the occasion ; the toasts were very appropriate to the meeting, and harmony, conviviality, sociability, and really interesting conversation on the subject of South America, and on the reception we should all meet on our arrival on its shores, enlivened and at last closed the night. During the evening, the president and my brother colonels flattered and honoured me, by requesting that I would return answers and thanks to the numerous toasts which were given by the deputies, each in his turn, applicable to the support and aid we ORINOCO AND APURE. 55 were about to give their country, and which they previously prefaced by some very compli- mentary speeches. I cannot omit recording in these pages the subject and nearly the words of one toast in particular, given by the deputy from Buenos Aires, the preface to which was deli- vered with much pathos of expression, oratorical ability, and in English, so little clipped by fo- reign accent, as to astonish us all; the more so as it was wholly unexpected, that gentleman having said very little before. " I have," said he, "to congratulate my dear country, and countrymen, my South American brethren, my brother deputies and colleagues in office, for our separate governments, yet united in the same cause, on the acquisition the provinces of Venezuela and Caracas will speedily obtain ; and which our neighbouring territories may ul- timately acquire from the zeal, activity, and perseverance, so determinately shewn by the gallant colonels whom I have now the honour of addressing, and thanking for their exertions in the cause of suffering, yet aroused America. May the name of Britain and her patriotic sons be for ever entwined round the hearts of their brethren in South America ; may they soon be .united as one family, with one heart, one soul, and one force, in conquering and annihilating the enemies of our hei-etofore enslaved country j .50 EXPEDITIOX TO THE RIVERS may tliey be, with us, joint liberators of our brave and oppressed countrymen, and our dear companions in arms, to shield us from the ma- levolence of a bigoted, cruel, and revengeful race of Europeans, with a tyrannical and merciless monarch at their head ! May the names of Hip- pisley, Campbell, M'Donald, Skeene, Wilson, and Gilmour, be soimded through the forests, plains and rivers, of South America, and be heard from its hills, its mountains and its peaks, its towns, its cities, and throughout all its pro- vinces! May their deeds equal Pizarro's, and their conquests, their riches, and their good fortune be as great, and as undivided as his ! In drinking health, happiness, success, and una- nimity to the noble colonels, I express the real sentiments of my heart, as I am well con- vinced I also do those of my countrymen, and the other gentlemen present." Looking at, and bowing to us all, he added, ** May God preserve ye many years !'* Colonel Skeene rose to reply, and to convey his own sentiments, as well as the sentiments of us all, on this unlooked for address, and our assurances that our endeavours should keep pace with our hopes, our wishes, and our pro- spects ; but he commenced evidently embarrassed, Irom the feelings he experienced, which were too great to permit liim to gi\e utterance to ORINOCO AND APURE. 57 more than a cold, simple thanks, for the honour done us by the deputy of Santa Fe, with the hope that we should fully answer the expect- ations he had formed of us (all of which might have been compressed in two short lines), and ended by returning the compliment of wishing him health. At the suggestions of Colonel Campbell, Colonel Wilson, and the president, all of whom by motion urged me to offer something of an answer, more suitable to the preamble with which the deputy had preceded the actual toast . than the common -place return which Colonel Skeene had volunteered to make, I gave way to the wishes so silently conveyed to me, and, with the aid of the burgundy I had drank, arose from my seat, and ventured a reply something analogous to the following words. " I rise, Mr. President and gentlemen, to re- iterate the sentiments of thanks, to which our friend and brother colonel has in our names given utterance, expressive of v/hat we all feel for the very flattering and unexpected com- pliment paid us by the deputy of Santa Fe. My friend Skeene was, I believe, induced to rise, and in our names to return thanks, judging that it became a right in him so to do, as the senior in age, amongst the colonels present ; in age, therefore, I yield to him the superiority, as 58 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS well as the priority which his years demand ; in length of military service in my own country I believe I have the precedence, although he has been my superior in rank in the British army ; in the service, however, of the South American republic, I have now the honour of holding the rank of colonel with himself, and in it I know myself to be his senior by several months. *' Had the worthy colonel, and I trust I may still add our worthy friend, and grand auxiliary in the cause of Spanish South American inde- pendence, been more expressive, and more minute in his reply, not contenting himself with the bare recital of those short senti- ments of common-place thanks to the mover of the toast, so pathetically and so flatter- ingly prefaced, when drinking *' health and ■success to us all," I should have remained silent, and have quietly submitted to Colonel Skeene's taking, on this occasion, the *' right of the line.'* " Yet I know that his liberal mode of thinking and of acting will, on consideration, lead liim to applaud my zeal, in endeavouring to express more fully what we all feel at tliis moment, and tluit he will readily join our brother co- lonels, in approbation for the attempt I now presume to make, in their names as weU as ORINOCO AND APURE. 59 my own, to convey our acknowledgments, our gratitude, and our thanks to the deputy of Buenos Aires, for the manner in which he has held us up to view ; for the honour he has done us, by anticipating what may be the success of our future deeds; for the credit he has so liberally and so generously given us in advance ; and for the good wishes which he conveys to us, collec- tively and individually, for the preservation of our healths, and future prosperity. *' I think I may venture to say that the same sentiments animate us all. Having heard of the oppressions under which the brave, yet nearly heart-broken, South Americans laboured ; and having learnt that, at length aroused to a just sense of their injuries, they were actually employed in fighting for freedom, liberty, and independence, and the blessings of a common- wealth, preferring death to slavery; and under- standing also that, with a very small aid, their efforts in the cause of their country and them- selves would be ultimately effectual, my brother colonels and myself have come forward to as- isist in behalf of so glorious a cause. We are however but the corps in advance to that body of our countrymen, who (if they learn that we are well received, and the promises of rank, pro- motion, pay, and those just remunerations for our services, each and all according to rank and Go EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS condition, duly, honourably, and punctually ful- filled), will most assuredly and speedily follow us. Most heartily do we hope that our recep- tion will be such, — of that description, with which the deputy from Venezuela has previ- ously flattered us, and which the deputy of the government of Buenos Aires has himself so feel- ingly pourtrayed in his late description of what we may anticipate on landing on the shores of the Main. " May we all, I say, be united as brethren not only in the field, but in the state ! may we be successful in aiding our new found brothers in the extermination of the tyrant, his abettors, and his adherents, and in restoring freedom and independence to the sons and daughters of the South American patriots ! It shall be our com- mon endeavour to defend the cause of liberty, and to emancipate from slavery, oppression, and the infamous persecutions of an inquisitorial di- rector, the children of Columbia, and to obtain for the commonwealth those blessings for which they are now fighting. "Deceive us not; and one soul, one heart, and a general and undivided combination amongst us, in defence of your rights as men, and as a nation, shall unite us all. " Tlie deputy has annexed to his expressions of good wishes in our favour a h()j)e that we ORINOCO AND APITRE. Cl may all equal lizarro in liis conquests, his riches, his good fortune, and his name ; may it be so, with the exception that our names may rise superior to his, in the virtues and qualities of mercy ! When the prostrate and conquered foe kneels and sues for mercy and compassion, he shall learn to feel that his conqueror is a Briton; and that the enmity and sanguinary wishes which steeled his heart in the height of the battle, blunts the sword at the moment of victory, and his heart, softening, yields to pity, the instant the enemy surrenders ; in this system of warfare we will be superior to Pizarro, and in that respect outrival him in name and action. " I now, Mr. President and gentlemen, beg to give in return the health of the deputy from Buenos Aires, and the deputies of Venezuela, Chili, and Santa Fe. May they each and all enjoy health and happiness, and live to see their hopes and wishes fulfilled, not only with regard to their country and themselves, but also to- wards us, whom they have honoured with such sentiments and expressions of affectionate friend- ship and regard.'* After an evening thus spent we parted mutually pleased, and my preparations recom- menced the next morning for completing the shipment of the stores and baggage. Several of fy% EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS the men at tliis period deserted from the shipj and numerous otliers, whom I suspected to bQ deserters from the British regiments, ofFerecJ themselves: I however took especial care th^t no man should be received on board without producing positive proofs of his being regularly discharged from tlie service, and with a cha^ racter from some officer under whom he had previously served. By these means, and strict attention, I may venture to say, there was not a man on board who could have been claimed as a deserter on any pretence whatever. ORINOCO AND APURE. 63 CHAPTER III. Entertainment on board the Emerald. — Impediments thrown in the way by the contractors. — The caterer neglects to provide the mess. — His shameful conduct. — Arrest for debt, and detention of the necessaries. — Distress and ex- ertions to remedy. — Liberal friends. — On board the Eme- rald. — Gaming prohibited under certain penalties. — The British service assumed as the model on which to form the Anglo-American. — The expedition sails. — Boisterous weather till they reach Madeira, in fifteen days from the river Thames. — Alarming deaths among the pigs and poultry. — Defalcations in the crockery-ware. — Arrival in the Bay ofFunchal. — Foiled in an attempt to land. — Fired at, in a second endeavour, and peremptorily refused ad- mission to the island. — Fruits and wine sent on board.— Sail from Madeira.— -Fine weather. — Exercises. — Insubor- dination of the troops. — Measures taken, and oath admi- nistered. — Several privates punished, and one officer dis- missed, for theft.— Pass Antigua, and make Saint Bartho- lomew. — Land at Gustavia. — Its site and appearance. — Hospitable treatment. — Singular interview and conversa- tion. — Piracies and spies. THE deputy, Don Mendez, came, according to invitation, to partake of a cold collation on board the Emerald, and to bid the officers fare- well. With him came all the gentlemen who 64 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS were concerned in the equipment of the ship, and many strangers, friends of theirs : we sat down in the great cabin, including the oiScers, sixty-four in number. The regimental standards were, unknown to me, placed over my head, and behind the seat on which I sat as president, which gave rise to many toasts appropriate to the cause in which we were embarking ; some good songs were sung, and the party separated highly pleased and entertained with the recep- tion given to them. The standards were much admired for their beauty and elegance of de- sign. The three regimental standards consisted of a yellow field, ornamented with green, and gold fringe around the edges, with superb large tassels, of the same mixture, pendant from the peak of the pole ; in the centre was a belt or garter, with the motto " Union, Con- stantia, y Valor :" in the centre of the medal- lion was 1° Hus^ de Venezuela; aroiuid this circle, and occupying the field, were seven blue mullets, or stars, emblematic of the provinces annexed to the state. The national standard was similar, with the addition only of the figure of an Indian, seated on a rock, behind which was seen the prickly pear; in his hand he held the pole, surmounted with the cap of liberty ; at his feet the alligator was seen, the anchor, and several bales of cotton piled ready ORINOCO AND APURE. DO for shipping; at a distance, the sea, a ship under way ; and at the extremity the rising sun. The ship Emerald now moved from the canal to Blackwall, and I had the misfortune to find that Messrs. Thompson and Mackintosh sought to throw every impediment in my way that could give me discontent or displeasure. The arms, the clothing, accoutrements, saddlery, &c. were shipped, some on board the Indian, with Colonel Skeene, the remainder on board the Prince, in which ship Mackintosh was him- self going out as agent or supercargo ; and to annoy me (because I would not consent to sign a bond, constituting him my whole and sole private as well as regimental agent, without his advance of a shilling on account to assist me), he had the impudence to refuse to put any of the regimental stores on board the Emerald, or even the clothing and equipments for the men then actually on board, so as to enable them to disembark, regimentally and uniformly dressed, on reaching the shores of the Main: I, foresaw the state of the men, many of whom, if not all, would have very little clothing by the time they reached South America. However, the senior Mr. Mackintosh, who possessed a great deal of liberality and good nature in his com- position, seemed to feel the ungenerous and un- grateful proceeding of his son towards me, ao- F C>6 KXPEDITIO\^ TO THE RIVERS Icmiily assured me I should be at liberty to de- mand clothing, arms, saddlery, &c. at the first place of rendezvous in the West Indies; where, if the Prince arrived during the Emerald's stay, an order should be given to supply me with what I actually wanted. With this promise I found myself obliged to be content. I had raised the money necessary for my wants ; had expended a large sum in the equipment of myself and sons; and all the delay now was, the laying in of the officers' mess stores ; the management of which was left, as I before said, to the senior surgeon, Mr. Henry WTiite. The mess-committee, having met to inspect the list of articles, which were actually on board, found nothing. Neither wine, pigs, poultry, hams, cheese, nor groceries (all of which had been reported to have been sent on board): neither plates nor dishes ; and most probably the caterer and manager of the mess, and its concerns, thought such articles unnecessary, being predetermined there should be little, if any, occasion for them. — The mess committee were all in amaze at the evident neglect of Mr. White, as independent of the situation to which we sliould all be liable, in having no private stock for the officers' mess, they felt the decep- tion ))ractised on their credulity by the surgeon. ORINOCO AND APURE. (^'J who having received from nearly every officer £14!, towards the mess expenses, had made a return of the expenditure, and certified that the various articles were on board, which the committee now found to be utterly false. Captain English, whom I considered as very active and zealous on all occasions, and from whose personal assurance to me, that he had once been senior lieutenant in the eighteenth light dragoons (although it had been stated to me that he never was higher than a senior clerk in the commissariate department), I now promoted to the rank of major in my regiment; and in this place I take leave to add, that I had then no objection to the choice I made, not- withstanding I lost two efficient captains by such promotion. However, I immediately ap- pointed Majar English president to the mess- committee, with directions that he would be prompt in forcing Surgeon White to send the various articles on board, and to account for the balance of cash already received by him from the officers, amounting to upwards of j^450. Major E. went to work immediately, and having found Mr. Wliite, urged him so closely, that twelve dozen of good old port, and ten dozen of white wine, (a mixture of sherry, lisbon, cape, &c.) was sent on board. The pigs had been re- ceived, just as the ship was leaving the canal j F 2 fiS EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS the poultry, consisting of fowls, ducks, and a few geese, came on board, in consequence of the major's exertions, and the articles appeared to be crowding in fast. Thus far it was pleasing to us all. Yet the chief and immediate neces- saries continued to be withheld. None of the groceries, preserved meat, &c. came on board ; although Mr. White had assured the mess com- mittee, and numbers of the officers whom he met in town, that the barge was laden with every thing necessary, and would be alongside the ship by the following tide. As the vessel was to ckop down to Gravesend the next morning, and as the greater number of the officers were already on board, the ut- most anxiety prevailed for the arrival of the barge ; w hen lo ! an officer came on board with the melancholy and distressing information that Mr. White was arrested, and lay at that moment in a spunging-house, with no hope of release ; and had declared, unless his liberty could be obtained, he could furnish no more articles ; and that, in consequence of his arrest, the barge would be delayed, and he obliged to resign the appointment of first surgeon which he held to the regiment. The news was found too true; report had stated that the arrest, and the withholding of the mess money and mess articles, was a ruse de ORINOCO AND APURE. CO guerre of Mr. White's, not only to furnish an excuse for his not embarking, but to prevent him from being called to an account for the money he had so infamously embezzled. At such a moment, too, it was a species of fraud, dishonesty, treachery and cruelty in the extreme. The surgeon was deaf and callous to all feeling, and like the tortoise, when attacked, drew himself under the cover of the impene- trable shell which covered his carcase. Within the walls of the spunging-house, he sheltered himself from attacks of every kind ; and, no doubt, laughed in his sleeve at the dupes he had made, and hugged himself at his good fortune j unmindful and careless of the mise- ries he was entailing on forty-five fellow beings, whom he was permitting to go to sea on at least a two months* voyage, without any prospect of re- lief, with barely sufficient stores to last a fort- night, and purses drained to the last shilling, in aid of the comforts, and even luxuries, which they had all been taught to expect, and of which they were now so completely deprived*. The * Mr. White had been assistant surgeon to the second Surrey militia ; his resignation of which commission, and the absolute necessity for his so doing, is too well known to every officer of that regiment to require further comment : the reasons were never divulged to me until too late for me to reap any benefit from my knowledge. 70 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ship, however, dropt down to Gravesend, and as she was positively ordered to proceed to sea on the Monday following, all Sunday was de- dicated to procure such actual supplies as were necessary; and an additional purse was raised by subscription, to aid the means. Here, in- deed, the kindness and liberal feelings of a gen- tleman, whose name it would be ungenerous and ungrateful not to record on the occasion, shone conspicuous. Mr. JafFray, who at that time had been a considerable sufferer by attend- ing to Mr. White's plausibility and importunity, and who had come down to Gravesend to wit- ness the embarkation of his friend. Major Eng- lish, was informed of the situation the mess were in, and, with a nobleness of spirit, liberality and feeling, sent a quantity of various articles of provision on board for its use, together with a crate of crockery-ware for table service, &c. The receipt of those articles was, if possible, made doubly valuable, by the manner in which the donor presented them. The father of one of the officers of the regi- ment assisted towards the mess, and, of course, I added all I could to the general stock. I had also agreed with a provision merchant in the city to send down some articles to the amount of c£;70, wliich were to be despatched on the Tuesday morning ; but the vessel left Graves. ORINOCO AND APURE. 71 end early on Monday, and rendered it impos- sible to receive the provisions in time. I had taken leave of my family and friends on the Saturday night, or rather Sunday morn- ing : the post-chaise, which was to convey me to Gravesend, arrived, according to appointment, at my door about four o'clock, when my son (a lieutenant in the R. N.), and a friend (an officer in the regiment), entered it with me, and we drove off for the port where the ship lay. I found that most of the officers had arrived, and were on board. The captain of the Eme- rald was also come down ; and, as I before stated, the whole of Sunday was obliged to be dedicated in preparations for the necessary ad- ditions to the mess. Although I have trespassed so long on the reader's time and attention, yet I entreat of him still to accompany me in my narrative. I have, at length, brought him to Gravesend, and I solicit him to repair with me on board the Emerald, and to prepare himself to proceed with me through the whole of my voyage. On Sunday night I slept on board my cabin, (opposite the captain's, and of the same size and form, eleven feet by eight, and lit from the after hatchway of the ship ; having given up the starboard side of the great cabin for the accommodation of the officers) which had been 72 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS conveniently furnished for my use ; and as I swang a cot therein for sleeping, it formed, on its re- moval by day, a roomy comfortable cabin, with a fixed table in the centre, around which six persons could sit with perfect ease. Here I could write or read by day, receive those I in- vited, or who came to me on matters of duty : here, also, five of the officers, in rotation, met each evening to pass an hour or two over a segar and a glass of grog in friendly chat, or to cheat time with a rubber at whist; the stakes of which were settled at a very low point, and an order issued, forbidding an advance of them, under certain penalties, in the great cabin, at any game of chance with which the officers might feel disposed to amuse themselves. Thus I prevented animosities or quarrels arising on that head ; and, from setting the example myself, I succeeded as I wished. Upon a more intimate knowledge of Captain Weatherly, I found him most highly deserving of the panegyric I, in a preceding part of this Narrative, bestowed upon him ; and the really strict attention of the officers, and prompt obedience to the orders issued on various occa- sions, seemed to ensure that gentlemanly de- portment, that pleasant conviviality, and those sociabilities of friendship, which should ever exist between officers serving in the same corps. ORINOCO AND APURE. 73 I did not forget that many of the junior officers had yet to learn the duties of their profession, and the practice of that subordination necessary to be established, and which I determined to uphold for the honour of the corps, and for the benefit of the service in which we had now en- gaged. I had resolved to make the rules and regula- tions of the British service the standard around which I should always rally on every occasion ; and I entreated the assistance of my field officers, captains, and those subalterns who had been in the British army, to aid and assist in my en- deavours. The weather, after we had put to sea, was ex- tremely boisterous, and continued so during the whole of the voyage to Madeira ; which island, however, notwithstanding the heavy and adverse gales we had encountered during the passage from England, we made in fifteen days from the period of our leaving the river Thames. Such indeed was the violence of the gale for the first five days, that Captain Weatherly ima- gined he should have been obliged to bear away, in the first instance, either for Falmouth, and, secondly, after w^e had advanced further down Channel, for Cork ; but finding the Eme- rald so fine a sea-boat, and so lively in going through and over the immense head seas which 74 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS assailed her, he made up his mind to persist in beating down Channel, and to continue at sea as lone: as she could bear her canvas. I was myself much pleased with his determi- nation : I had full persuasion of his knowledge and discretion, and I was convinced of the good- ness of our ship. No other dread crossed my mind, but the fear lest an increase of w ind, and a still heavier sea, should force him to alter his intentions. It is true that the whole of our cabin friends were not so perfectly convinced of our safety. Those who had been at sea before were equally easy with myself. There were others whose prayers aloud, during the day as well as night, w^ere heard soliciting the wind to cease, the sea to become calm, and the ship*s head turned to the nearest port she could make. These last blowing days, together with the violent rains and excessively cold weather, had considerably reduced our sea stock. The poultry were taken off nightly by entire ranks, as they stood in the hen-coops ; nor did the pigs discover greater tenacity or strength in keeping alive during the storm. Reports every morning of the losses and disasters of the night amongst the swinish herd were lamentable and alarming. The })igs were llic only fresh stock we could count u])on with any probable ccr- ORINOCO AND APURK. 7'^ tainty, and the news of their daily departure was sincerely felt by all. It was at length resolved upon, by the gen- tlemen who managed the daily mess, not to be cheated or disappointed in future, and hourly reports were ordered to be made, as to the state of health and appearance of the feathered as well as the bristly tribe ; and, in sudden cases, to anticipate the stroke of death by inflicting it, secundum artem, and thus make them useful and palatable after such demise. Great losses we had also sustained in our crockery-ware : the remains of tureens, dishes, soup-plates, &c. in almost untold numbers, were daily committed to the " vasty deep." At last each member of the mess was glad to secure even a mug with- out a handle, a glass without a bottom, and something in the shape of a plate, to keep for his own use. At the island of Madeira, however, we hoped to be furnished with an additional stock of fresh provisions, vegetables, wine, fruits, &;c. and we hailed the appearance of the land as we stood into the bay of Funchal with evi- dent joy. As the Emerald was not to come to anchor, but to stand " off, and on," I had pre- determined that a few only of the steady officers, on whom I thought I could depend, should go on shore. As the ship was a])proaching with a very light wind into the bay of Funchal, and 76 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS as Captain Weatherly feared that she would not be near enough for a boat to land that evening before the hour of sunset, prescribed by the governor, it v/as agreed upon, as it was then nearly five o'clock, to hoist out the captain's gig, and to pull off to the shore, leaving orders for the ship to stand in as near to the land as was prudent, and await our return. Accordingly the gig was manned, and the captain, myself, major Englisli, a French officer, who was going out to South America (and whom I had presented to the mess in consequence of his very high in- troduction to me), two friends of the captain, passengers on board, and two of the officers of the regiment who had volunteered to take spell at the oars, proceeded in the direction of the battery, where the landing-place is, straining every nerve to arrive before sundown. It had been a long pull ; yet, just as we arrived within a little more tlian hail of the battery, v/e per- ceived the health boat coming off to us ; and as we had at last been warned from the battery, we lay on our oars until she came up. A little squeaking fellow, who was the chief in the boat, demanded, in very good English, our ship'sname, destination, &c. and lastly our bills of health. He was answered that they were on board the ship, where also four surgeons could certify as to the state of the passengers and crew since ORINOCO AND APURE. 77 they left England, the only mortality or sick- ness on board having been amongst the live stock originally laid in. We requested there- fore leave to land, to procure a supply, to deliver a few letters with which we were entrusted to gentlemen upon the island, and to place in the office a number of letters for England. The answer was decisive in the negative to all our propositions. If the ship, he said, would come to anchor, an answer would be sent off from the island early the following morning; and the squeaking fellow having ordered us to return to the ship, we put the boat about for that pur- pose, whilst the Portuguese bark regained the shore. We had a very long pull again to make the Emerald : the wind was freshening with some sea on, nor did we get on board until near nine o'clock, exhausted, fatigued, discon- tented, and displeased at our ill success. A comfortable meal at supper, and the etceteras after, soon restored the party to good humour. It was determined, if the boat did not come off to us early on the following morn, that we should attempt a landing again. The breeze had during the night freshened considerably, so that in the morning we found ourselves at some distance from the island, which our captain would not have again approached, had I not solicited him on account of our decreasing stock, 78 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and the necessity we were under to replenish it. It was therefore nearly ten o'clock before we were sufficiently near to hoist out our boat and to embark again, taking care to provide our- selves with the bill of health, properly and fully attested, a list of our wants, and the packages of letters both for the island and for England. We were manned and freighted as the preced- ing evening, and were pulling in lustily for the shore : no boat, however, was perceptible, and we continued our course until hailed from the battery — " Keep off! don't attempt to come on shore: keep off!" We had lain on our oars, that we might the more distinctly hear; and judging that at least the boat of health would come off, we recommenced pulling nearer the shore. Our answers could not, I admit, be heard, for we had no speaking trumpet on board the gig. Having proceeded in the direction of the battery, to avoid displeasure, we were again forced to lie to, being admonished from further advance by a twelve-pound shot over our heads, from the upper part of the fortifications : we therefore remained steady, looking out for the healtli, or some other boat, coming off. At length we put the head of the boat to the offmg, and were beginning to pull off to the shi]), wlicn the villain who commanded at the battery directed a lower tier gun (an eighteen- ORINOCO AND APURE. 79 pounder) to be fired at the boat, which came in so true a direction as to allow the fellow who levelled it to give himself credit for his pro- ficiency in gunnery. The shot passed between the heads of Major English and the French of- ficer, as they sat in the stern of the gig on the starboard side, and fell in the water on the larboard side, not an oar's length from the gig. Had the boat had way at the time, the shot would have done some serious damage, as it must have entered her. We all now broke out with one voice against such inhospitable and cowardly treatment; and I feel that from the state of condition in which the Emerald was in, and we had all been on board with the wind aslant out of the bay, we might have been in- duced to have entered nearer to the town and battery, and have convinced the Portuguese in what manner the Emerald could return the indignity shewn to her passengers and crew. At length the shore boat, with her ensign at the prow, was discovered coming off. We had in- deed hailed a London ship, then at anchor, and requested of her captain to carry our wishes on shore, which he obligingly did; the boat, however, approached fast, and we put about and pulled, in defiance of shot, to meet her. Having met the boat, we ranged up alongside : in her stern sheets sat the same squeaking rascal 80 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS whom we had seen the evening before. Our captain indignantly asked the reason of the fort firing at us, and particularly when we had placed our stern to the shore, and in the act of pulling off to the ship. He replied, that strict orders were given not to suffer us to land. We produced our bill of health, countersigned up to that day by two of our medical men — ^it would not, however, procure us leave to go on shore. We produced our letters for England — they could not be received. One of the pas- sengers, Mr. Cowie, had come out in the Emerald for the purpose of landing at Madeira, where an aunt of his lived, and where he intended passing the winter months. All rhetoric was in vain : not an atom of credit could he gain, even under his aunt's name (who the sitter in the boat knew), w^ien he assured him he came out on purpose to land on the island, and there to remain for some time. After half an hour's waste of time, all we could obtain was the promise of the delivery of a letter to M. Veitch, the agent and consul general, stating our wants, and the list of the necessaries immediately wanting. We gave this Portuguese officer a few hearty execrations to carry to his superior, and threat- ened to answer the shot if we were not treated with more civility. He promised to send us an ORINOCO AND APURE. 81 answer in the evening, and we returned to the ship, which was standing off and on. We regained the Emerald about dinner-time, related our want of success, and found both officers and men ready and willing to stand into the bay for the purpose of saluting the battery. They had seen both shots, and had parti- cularly observed the last, which filled them all with the same feelings of indignation which had touched us in the boat. We however sat down to a most excellent dinner ; our last pig, which had been drowned some days previous, but which had been nicely corned, looked amazingly well on the table, and the whole of the feathered tribe remaining lent their assistance towards filling up the ranks of eatables as they were paraded in line on the dinner-table ; and in the grand attack every officer and man at the board appeared to do his duty. The captain of the ship dined with us that day, as also did the other gentlemen who were usually his guests at his own private table ; our wine was good, and we regaled ourselves with a pint of sherry among three at dinner, and a bottle between two, after, in commemoration of the day. Divine service had been performed in the morning, and for the first time in consequence of the very bad weather we had experienced during our voyage to Madeira; and the non-commissioned 82 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS officers and ship's crewhad, at their dinner-time, half an allowance of rum in addition served out to them. About seven o'clock the officer of the watch upon deck came down to report the appearance of three boats in the bay, making towards the ship : it was soon ascertained that the head- most was the health boat with our squeaking friend, and the two other shore boats laden with pro\isions. Tlie ship w^as hove to, and the boats came alongside, but no temptations could induce the people to come on board the Emerald ; a letter was however handed to me from the consul general, notifying that he had sent off four quarter casks of Madeira wine, a quantity of oranges, lemons, figs, &c. in the fruit way, but neither pigs, poultry, nor sheep, the prin- cipal food of which we stood in need. In the same note the consul general assigned reasons for our not being permitted to land. See Appendix, marked C. Having collected what actual cash remained amongst us, and given bills on England for the remainder, which fell to my lot, in consequence of the expenses the officers had been at previous to oin- embarkation, the same was presented to the squeaking gentleman, with a compliment to himself: he had orders also to brine: all the letters on shore, and I addressed a letter to M. ORINOCO AND APURE. 83 Vcitcli, complaining of the cowardly and in- hospitable manner in which we had been used; thanking him for his kindness in sending off tlie boats, but stating our want of live stock. I felt as I was standing on the main shrouds, and close to the entering port where the wine, &c. was handed in, that I ought to vent my indig- nation against the commandant of the battery which fired on us ; and I contented myself with re- questing the officer to bear a message from me to that person, and inform him that if I commanded the ship as I did the troops on board, I would stand into the bay, and beat the fort about his ears, unless a proper apology were made for his illiberal and offensive conduct. He (the officer in the boat) assured me he would faithfully deliver the message, and he appeared most anxious to leave the ship, and to get clear of the range of our guns : I do firmly believe, that had the wind taken a start from the proper quarter we might have been induced to have shewn the fort the distance our shot would reach, and the expertness of our gunners. We had, however, eagerly inquired after the Indian, the Dowson, the Prince, and the Bri- tannia, — whether such ships had touched there within the few last days? and received for answer, no such ships had been there ! We therefore concluded that the consul had alluded G 2 84 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS to the ship " Two Friends," when speaking of the unpleasant occurrence which had happened. The breeze soon after freshened, and we gUded merrily through the water; and soon after the morning's dawn, the island of Madeira was completely hidden from our view. The weather now assumed a different cast from what we had before experienced ; a plea- sant breeze filled our crowded canvas, and the ship was wafted steadily through smooth water at the rate of eight knots an hour. The con- valescents from sea-sickness turned out on deck enlivened with the genial glow, and all appeared to wear faces of contentment and even happiness : daily parades for drill with small arms, and sword exercise, commenced both for officers and men, and all had their various oc- cupations ; time was not suffered to lie heavy on our hands. Every hour had its employment; it became doubly necessary that it should be so, from a spirit of defiance, almost bordering on mutiny, which was reported to exist amongst some of the men towards their superior non- commissioned officers, as well as the disobe- dience of some orders the junior officers had found it necessary to give in the several duties allotted to them. In tlic first place, a few of the refractory men had formed themselves into a regular meeting every evening after dark. ORINOCO AND APIRE. 85 which they, amongst tliemselves, had the teme- rity to call a *' council of war;'* in which was argued the riglit of command, obedience to of- ficers not regularly appointed, and other matters connected with the orders issued. When this fact was stated to me, I considered it of such moment as to demand immediate attention; which a circumstance that occurred the same evening justified to the utmost. A young man who had entered on board as a marine, but had preferred doing the duty of a sailor, became most refractory and mutinous; openly disobeying all orders, and at length striking one of the officers of the regiment : when seized, he called on the whole of the men to assist and support him, making use of every villanous epithet to degrade and insult us all. Him we were obliged to tie up, and for the preservation of the ship, and all on board, publicly to punish before the men and crew, who seemed to be overawed by the firmness shewn by the officers and by the captain and his mates, in preserving subordi- nation and respectful behaviour. A man who had been a serjeant of horse ar- tillery, and who had ingratiated himself with some of the free thinkers and talkers, in this expedition, had been under sentence of my dis- pleasure for insolence shewai to Major English some days previous ; and I had issued orders for 86 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS him to be deprived of the rank he held, and for his grog to be stopped during my will from the period his conduct had been first reported to me. The behaviour of this man, however, on tlie late business was in every respect proper; and as he, the next morning, presented mc with a letter expressive of a just sense of his misconduct, and an entreaty that I 'should for- give and restore him to the rank and situation he before held under my command, I acceded to his request, and publicly restored him to con- fidence and favour. As however a scandalous writer has, in a pamphlet entitled " A Warning to Britons," stated that this man died from bad usage, I annex the copy of the letter alluded to, which will be found in the Appendix, marked D. In order to prevent furtlier irregularities, to give weight to all orders that might in future be issued, and to ensure a just support of each officer in authority, I issued an order f(3l' the assembling the whole of the officers and men on the quarter- deck ; and having prefaced my intentions witli a suitable appeal to them, read aloud the agree- ment of Don Mendez with myself (as stated in the Appendix A), commented thereon, and then called over the names of the officers whom I had appointed, eacli according to rank, and afterwards the rank and seniority of the whole of the non-commissioned officers, with oniNoro AND APUUE. 87 directions for due obedience to be observed and sliewn to them. I afterwards tliouglit it necessary to issue the regimental order, a coj)y of which will be found in the Appendix, marked E. On the morning appointed, the officers and non- commissioned officers (the former dressed in the uniform of the corps), appeared on the quarter- deck ; the oath as annexed to the order marked E. was taken by myself, and afterwards admi- nistered to each officer and non-commissioned officer, all of whom took the said oath with free- dom, willingness, and pleasure, with the ex- ception of one man only, viz. James Fortune, the person whom a day or two before I liad par- doned for misconduct. The regimental order of that date, and the punishment awarded to the said James Fortune therein, will be found in the Appendix, marked F. The weather continuing to be exceedingly fine, the drills for officers and men went on daily, and the officers themselves became wonderfully expert. As the Emerald was bought with a view to her being purchased for the Venezuelian republic, and the probability was that she would sail for the Main under the Venezuelian flan; as soon as her bonds were properly cancelled and the ship transferred, we dedicated our after- noons to the practice of turning up the officers and men on parade, by bugle, each officer and 88 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS man armed with a musket. The detachments, with theirproperofficers, were divided into squads or divisions. Fifty men and a proportionate number of officers, under the command of Major EngUsh, were selected as boarders. The squads for manning the tops were also appointed, with an officer to command in each top; and it was most gratifying to see the promptness and ala- crity with which the officers and men selected for the mizen, main, and fore-tops, with their carbines slung across their shoulders, dispersed at the sound of the bugle, mounted the rigging on each side, ascended the futtock shrouds, and stationed themselves for firing in their separate tops : a certain number of the men, which com- pleted the whole, were stationed on the quarter- deck with arms, or at the different guns ; nor do I hesitate in saying, that had we been obliged to defend ourselves against any attack of the Spanish Royalists, the Emerald and her crew would have been a difficult conquest to any sliip, which the Dons might have placed in contact with her in those, or any other seas. .Fortunately there were a number of very re- spectable old dragoons on board, wlio had served as non-commissioned officers in the British army. I had selected from these my two regimental sergeant majors, troop sergeant majors, and sergeants; private dragoons I had made cor- ORINOCO AND APURE. 89 porals ; all, however, liable to reduction by sen- tence of court martial. Amongst them were many efficient good soldiers, with several of whom I had myself served on foreign and home sta- tions, and I therefore knew how to appreciate their value, nor was I mistaken in my choice ; yet I had many refractory beings to contend with, nor was the detachment without a mixture of some of the bad classes : thieves and rascals mingled together ; drunkards and madmen, not- withstanding all our circumspection, shewed themselves by turns ; and for those lower orders of crimes a court martial awarded punishment, and the same was inflicted : pardon and forgive- ness were extended to many on other occasions, and to all those who acknowledged the justice of their sentence. The junior part of the officers began to forget the practice of that propriety which had hitherto shone in all their actions with each other, and on points of duty ; but admonitions, both in orders and in the cabin where the officers were as- sembled for that special service, together with persuasions and the at length peremptory orders issued on those points, and the exertions of the seniors in command, soon restored harmony, obedience, and general gentlemanlike conduct to their wonted state. I had so much approved of Major English's 90 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS conduct, as well as that of Captain Trewren (late a captain in the 3d dragoons, British), as well as of the seniors amongst the lieutenants and cornets, that I formed a resolution to sur- prise them agreeably with unexpected pro- motioii ; I in consequence issued the regimental order marked G. in the Appendix, and I had the pleasure of congratulating each officer that day after dinner, at the mess table, on his indi- vidual promotion. I am sorry to add, that some crimes of mag- nitude were brought against one officer in par- ticular, of which I considered it necessary to take special notice, for which piuposc I ordered a court of inquiry to assemble for investigation of the charges; and finding that there were grounds for a court martial, I was most reluct- antly compelled to order one to assemble, com- posed of a field officer as president, and twelve members. An old officer, perfectly capable, as- sisted as the *' amicus curiae" of the prisoner, and most ably defended him. But he was sentenced to be dismissed from the society of his brother officers, and the mess cabin, for the remainder of the voyage, as for ever on their Uuuling on the Main. Tlie crime was theft, and as punishment had been awarded and inflicted on several of the men for that offence, justice demanded an exam])le in the present and most ORINOCO AND APURE. 91 unexpected instance. He was the son of a gen- tleman of family and of fortune: — the young man joined anotlier regiment soon after his arrival at Angostura, in consequence of the president and members of the court having begged, from compassion towards him, that he might not be officially reported to the ge- neral in chief. Things went on smoothly and pleasantly for several days, and on the night of the 15th of January we passedthe island of Antigua, bearing about four leagues distance, and on the l6th we made the island of St. Bartholomew. But as that island is surrounded with sunken rocks and broken ground, which extend two or three miles from shore, the ship was obliged to pro- ceed with caution. The chief mate went up aloft on the fore-top-mast head to look out. A gun from the Emerald, and the signal from the fore-top-gallant-mast head for a pilot, soon brought off a boat from the shore, and on coming alongside, a black man, remarkably well dressed in a dark blue coat, white waistcoat, nankeen trowsers, silk stockings, and well made pumps and shoe-strings, ascended the ship's side, and having advanced in a graceful manner to Cap- tain Weatherly, in good English informed him, that he was the pilot come to take the ship to a proper birth in the harbour of Gustavia. ^2 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS We had indeed taken him for some grandee of rank in the island, both from dress and manner ; it however afforded us a good specimen of what we might expect to see in the white or creole inhabitants, and we became interested in the in- tended visit we were going to pay to the people of an island so little noticed, and so apparently unknown to any of our modern geographers. Watson's gazetteer, when speaking of Saint Bartholomew, says, " the island of Saint Bartho- lomew is a place of little note, barren of almost every necessary of life, even of fresh water; not a drop to be got but that which falls from the heavens.'* I shall, before I leave the island, speak rather more at large of its hospitable inhabitants, its romantic scenery, and its ca- pability of defence ! We arc not, however, come to anchor, and I proceed to my narrative. Whe- ther our captain disliked the dress of our pilot, — whether, from such attention to his personal appearance, he imagined he had been inat- tentive to the duties of his profession, I know not, but he did not seem to place much con- fidence in liis skill as a seaman, whatever opi- nion he might form of his being an able na- vigator through this dangerous and intricate channel. Tlie pilot, therefore, had only to point out the bearings. Weathcrly manoeuvred the ship, and directed the man at the wheel. At ORINOCO AXD APURE. 93 one time the pilot directed the captain to keep so near to a rock, that he shuddered at his sup- posed danger ; yet although we could in passing have jumped from the vessel upon its top, as it appeared above the water, it was found there was sufficient depth in the track we were then in to float the largest ship in the British navy. Having opened the harbour and the picturesque town of Gustavia, the Emerald, at the birth as- signed her by the pilot, let go an anchor in eight fathom water, about half a mile from the shore, and sheltered from a S. E. wind by a large rock which rose to some height above the water, and broke any swell or sea coming in from that quarter. The water was so limpid that we could see the sand at the bottom of the bay, and discern the fishes as they swam by or col- lected round the ship, which having brought to an anchor, we saluted the Swedish flag with fifteen guns, which number was returned from the fort. The Emerald was under English co- lours, and carried a pennant in compliment to the corps, whose full staff, and standards of the regiment, were on board. Captain Weatherly went on shore to wait on the governor, and to report himself at the custom-house, as well as to deliver the letters with which he had been en- trusted from England. Myself and Lieutenant- Colonel English (with the quarter master, to 94« EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS look out for provisions), accompanied him in his gig, and rowed up an arm of tlie sea which separates the town of Gustavia into two parts, until you arrive at the dam head, where any further approach of the sea is prevented by piles driven in, and a thick wall of mason-work which crosses or rather lines the whole. This armlet of the sea, extending from the Bay of Gustavia up to the head of the town, is about half a mile in length, and about a quarter in breadth on each side, for it runs up between a ridge of hills, that rise by an easy ascent from the shore on the right hand side, and with considerable boldness on the other, with ranges of houses in line, either as dwellings or stores, — the sea being banked out by piles and stones, forming nearly a regular line of quay for landing stores, &c. The streets rise one above another, though not in regular buildings ; and the smaller houses, or neat cottages, interspersed about the hills and dales, together with the clumps of trees which surround them, give a most romantic and beautiful appearance to the scene. We eagerly inquired for an hotel, or place of accommo- dation, and were directed to one at the head of the bay, where we that day fixed our head- quarters, with dinners at a Spanish dollar a head, and very good claret and madeira at half a dollar per bottle. The room we sat in was a ORINOCO AND APURE. 95 public one, and in the evening many people came, drawn there by curiosity, and some for the purpose of sounding our intentions. I had determined to admit but few officers at the same time on shore ; yet as this was the place of ren- dezvous, where we expected not only informa- tion, but to meet with the rest of our fleet ; and as the Emerald had to discharge her principal cargo of arms, powder, &;c. here, which of course would retard her sailing for a few days, I found myself, in some measure, obliged to increase the number of shore visitors, under their solemn promise of being obedient to all the orders I might find it necessary to give, and to be care- ful not to commit themselves by any excesses. Orders were then issued, permitting all the officers, with the exception of the captain of the day, orderly officer, and officer on guard, to come on shore every morning, and to return on board at dusk, unless allowed to remain for the niglit, with leave from myself or either of the field officers. I had also given leave for the men to quit the ship in squads, under the orders of a troop-sergeant-major, permitting each squad to be on shore four hours daily. On particular in- quiry, I found that it was not an expected point of etiquette for passengers to call on the go- vernor. The captain of the ship alone paid the compliment, and as I chose not to introduce 96 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS myself in my military character, so I shielded myself from any imputation of the want of good manners by acting as a passenger. In the course of the second day after our arrival, myself, Lieutenant-Colonel English, and Major Trewren, were waited upon by the merchants to whom Captain Weatherly had entrusted the ship's concerns, and asked to dinner on the fol- lowing day. The fourth day, Mr. Vaucrosson's partner begged to see us, and for the fifth day in- vitations were received : Mr. Vaucrosson's table was very elegantly served ; a course of fish and turtle soup; a second course, the callipasch, ham, fowls, some made dishes, &c. ; and a very fine dessert of West India fruits, both fresh and preserved. The strangers were numerous, and many of them were at a loss to know on which side the South American cause was espoused by us. Englishmen they knew we were ; but whether for the Royalists, or Independents, was doubtful. At length one man, in particular, selected me from the rest of my companions, and as I was approaching the virandah, came up and begged some private conversation with me. He told me that if I would advance a little up the hill opposite the hotel, tliere was a level road cut, where he would join me in a few mi- nutes, as he thought he could give me some valuable information. Having turned from me. ORINOCO AND APURE. 97 and re-entered the large sitting-room, I walked up the side of the hill, and by the light of the moon soon discovered the road or pathway the unknown had described. In a few minutes he joined me again: " I suspect, sir,'* said he, "that you are going to aid the Independents in South America : am I right ? If I am, I can assist you with my advice. I saw, a few weeks ago, an English vessel full of officers at Saint Thomas's in the same cause." I answered that as I knew nothing of him, unless he more fully explained himself, and shewed me documents proving to me what part he was really engaged in, I could not open myself to him, a perfect stranger, without seeing some credentials to guide me, previous to admitting him into my con- fidence : — that we were a military body was true, as a part of our habiliments confirmed, but the final destination of the ship and people on board, and the cause in which we were embarked, was known only to myself and a few more. He then told me his name, shewed me some papers re- lative to Commodores Brown and Aury's expe- dition, some letters from Brion, the Venezuelian admiral, and at length said that an independent schooner of some size was lying off the five islands, about two hours sail from Saint Bar- tholomew. That the captain, on seeing the H 98 EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS Emerald approach, and thinking her a frigate, with a complement of troops onboard, had taken to his barge, leaving two trusty officers behind, to sain further intelli^^^ence as to her destination, &c. Having convinced me he was trust-w^orthy, I hesitated not to tell him that he was right in his conjecture of our being friends in the same cause with himself, and that I was desirous to speak to the captain of the schooner, for whom he promised to make a signal at day-break. In the mean while he would, he said, bring up the lieutenant of the schooner, and the other officer left on shore, if I continued to walk on the road lor five minutes more. He shortly returned with one person, who I found was an American, and belonging to the schooner, who corroborated all that the first man (a kind of supercargo on be- half of the ship and captain, for disposing of captured goods, &c.) had previously told me. The former officer, he said, had oj^ened himself to the other gentleman who belonged to the re- giment (Lieutenant-Colonel English) and was holding a private conference with him at some other place. I could not, however, obtain any regular information, so as to satisfy me where the best })oint lay for us to ascertain the real and actual state of the Venezuelian republic, its army or its navy, nor where any regular agent was to be found. ORINOCO AND APURE. 99 It was plain no such person was at Saint Bar- tholomew, and we had been informed by the mercliant, Mr. A'^aiicrosson, and others, since the morning, that the island of Saint Thomas's was not so friendly as latterly to the cause of the Independents. Tliis the two men who had addressed me fully confirmed; and before we parted they suggested the propriety of our meeting, in the public room, as perfect strangers, and cautioned me and the whole of the officers to beware of suffering a " little, dark-looking fellow, who wore specta- cles," to insinuate himself into our good opinion or confidence on the subject of our destination, as he was a spy paid and employed by the Spanish government to give what information he could collect, and that he was constantly on the alert and look out. I had observed this man re- peatedly in the course of the afternoon, and he had more particularly engaged my attention by repeated little offers of courtesy, and by describing the interior of the island. I hastened again to the hotel, at the door of Avhich, waiting for me, I found Lieutenant-Co- Colonel English. He told me that he had been conversing with a person who could give us much intelligence, the lieutenant of an inde- pendent privateer lying off St. Bartholomew. I then stated the conversation which had passed H 2 llH) EXPEUITION TO THE R1\T:RS between myself and two others on the same subject. No doubt of their being the people they described themselves to be crossed the ideas of either Lieutenant-Colonel English or myself. The next day a private meeting took place between the captain (who had returned to Gustavia), Colonel Englisli, and me. No further news, however, transpired; nor would he undertake to carry ns down to the island of Margaritta, or into tlie river Orinoco. We at last fonnd that his schooner and peo- ple had been for some time on a roving com- mission, and that he was nothing more or less tlian iijjirafe nnder the independent flag, taking both friend and foe, as either presented them- selves in view. The warning of caution against the spectacle spy was not disregarded. This fellow's impu- dence became more glaring, and his anxiety to sift out all the information he could drew him into several awkward embarrassments. At length I was obliged to tell him, when making a set at me, that I was aware of his character, and his designs ; that if he presumed to trouble me any more with his ofliciousness, or his in- terrogations, I should be obliged to throw my glove in his face. ORINOCO AND APURE. 101 CHAPTER IV. The officers appear on shore in uniform, — Riotous soldiers. — Visit to the governor. — His hospitable reception. — Want of water in the island : means to supply it : barren soil. — The governor. — Government house. — Breakfast given by the governor. — Mr. Reynolds, a resident : his kindness. — Visit the fort and barracks. — The interior of the island : delightful prospect. — Longevity of the natives and Euro- pean inhabitants. — Kindness of the islanders. — Orders to sail. — A vessel arrives ; turns out to be the Prince, w^ith Colonel Wilson and his troops on board. — The Britannia also arrives, with Colonel Gilmour and the artillery. — Want of cordiality in the different colonels. — Receive the afflicting news of the loss of the Indian, with all on board. — Sailing delayed. — Mutinous state of the soldiery. — Three of them sent to Saint Kit's. — Ball and supper in honour of the Crown Prince of Sweden's birth-day. — The com- pany. — French officer. — Military orders of merit, granted or taken. — A ship comes into the harbour. — The Emerald visited by a naval lieutenant from her, in the service of the Independents. — His intelligence that she is a royalist prize, of which he is prize-masterc — Piratical conduct of the crew. — This ship, the Victory, and the Emerald sail to- gether. IT became known in the course of the second and third day after our arrival, by the informa- tion gained from the officers as well as the 102 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS men who came on shore, in what station we all were, our destination, and object. Silence, there- fore, was no longer necessary, and the officers ftlieir plain clothing being totally worn out) were obliged to appear in certain uniform as stated in regimental orders, consisting of their regimental surt out-coat, with silk sash tied round the waist, w^hite waistcoat, grey overalls, boots, spurs, and foraging cap. No officer to wear his sabre, but the one who might come on shore on duty. I was afraid to trust some of the young men with their sw'ords, and therefore issued a general order for all, which was strictly observed by myself, and even with regard to my own per- manent orderly serjeant, who attended me on shore. I have reason to think that the governor was pleased with this circumspection on my part. On the third day of our arrival, three or four of the men wandered from their squad, and sheltered themselves in a rum-house, where they got drunk. In the evening, just after sun- set, they sallied forth, and commenced a riot with two of their officers, who were endeavour- ing to urge them into a boat. Tliey broke away, and soon after got into a quarrel with some of the towns-people. The governor, who almost nightly goes his rounds through the town, at- tended by his aid-de-camp and a guard, very fortunately came up at the moment, and hear- ORINOCO AND APURE. 103 ing the particulars, liad the men seized, and, instead of confining them in the prison of the town, very poHtely sent them off to the ship as prisoners, under the charge of some soldiers of his own guard, with a request that they might be pardoned, but not suffered to come on shore again. I now found myself compelled to wait on the governor : — our military situations were known to him, and this act of his politeness and attention merited, or rather compelled, such a return. I, in consequence, the next morning, attended by Lieutenant-Colonel English, w^ent in form to pay our compliments. On admittance at the government-house, we were received by his excellency with warmth and kindness. Having explained to him my motives for not offering my compliments on the day of our arrival, he admitted the apology, and fully ac- quiesced in the reasons I gave. He then ex- pressed a hope that the ship would not leave the island until the day after the ball and sup- per, to be given by him in honour of the Crown Prince of Sweden's birth-day, as he should feel a pleasure in seeing me at the government-house, with what number of officers I might be pleased to introduce to him. Lest, however, we might not be able to remain luitil then, his excellency begged of Lieutenant-Colonel English and my- self, accompanied with two or three of the lO-i EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS officers, to breakfast with him on the following morning. Of course this invitation was accepted with the same feeling which occasioned it; and after merely speaking of our destination, with- out adverting to the merits, policy, or success of either of the contending parties, the conversa- tion changed to the romantic appearance of the island, and the neglect of tillage of the greater part of tlie soil, which for want of cultivators produced nothing. The deficiency of water was a great source of evil. The vast tanks, under or near each house, forthe reception of water during the rainy months, conducted by pipes there from the roofs of the houses and out-buildings, is, in a great measure, a substitute, as far as domestic consumption goes. Yet this rain water, so preserved (and the larger the tank the purer the water), and filtered through a dripping-stone, is the clearest and finest tasted beverage tliat can be drank : its coolness too, in that warm climate, renders it, when mixed into the all-fascinating beverage sangaree^ whether with claret or Madeira, and sweetened with syrup, a drink equal to nectar, and " fitting even for the gods to quaff!" His excellency. Colonel Rosensvard, knight of " the Swedish*' order of the sword, governor of this island, is a naval officer in the Swedish service, liiglily respected by his sovereign, and by the ORINOCO AND APURE. 105 islanders over whom he presides. His manners and deportment are very elegant; and he pos- sesses, with the dignity befitting his rank and si- tuation, all thaturbanity which reaches the heart, and compels the people to esteem him. His health, however, from the climate, and having but just recovered from the island fever, appears to be bad, and he evidently still suffers ; but the death-blow to his happiness and all his future prospects and joys seems to have arisen from the loss of an adored wife and child, whom the fever carried off the season preceding. The salary annexed to the governorship is but small ; and I have heard that a degree of economy is neces- sary to make the accounts meet at the end of the year. A certain sum, handsome enough, is allowed for each public entertainment given by the governor in celebration of his sovereign's and others of the royal family of Sweden's birth-days, or to commemmorate any public or national event. The government-house is situated on a rising- part of the chain of hill, just above the armlet of the sea, passing up on the left-hand side, and in a street, the houses of which on the other side prevent that view which most people would choose to have completely open. The entrance is by a door in the centre, into a noble hall, sixty feet by twenty-four, bounded or rather divided in the rear, by a gallery of the lOC) EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS same dimensions in length, and twelve feet in breadth, which can be shut out by Venetian blinds down to the floor, and made to serve as the supper-room on })ublic occasions, or for private use : it is perfectly cool, and the windows look to a parterre and shrubbery of many kinds of beautiful and highly scented flowers and shrubs, fruit-trees, &c. At each end of the hall are folding doors, leading to other reception-rooms ; one a smaller drawing-room, another the library; the third, at the end of the gallery, a ladies' dressing-room, with marble bath and other con- veniences. The upper floor consists of sleeping- rooms, and the governor's dressing-room, which is very complete. We this day dined with Mr. Vaucrosson's partner, who gave us a most excellent dinner, choice wines, and a really hospitable reception. The captain and supercargo partook of this en- tertainment, and the evening ended completely en Anglohe, by those who could sing favouring the company with various songs and airs. — Very few in this island, not excepting boys of ten years of age, but could speak English, and Saint Bartholomew wore more the appearance of an English than a foreign colony. The following morning, Lieutenant-Colonel Englisli, Major Trewren, and two other officers, accompanied me to the go\ crnmerit-house, to ORINOCO AND APURE. 107 partake of the dejune to which we had been invited the preceding day. At half past meridian we presented ourselves to his excellency, who advanced with his aid-de-camp, secretary, &c. into the hall to meet us, and having led the way into the drawing-room, he introduced us to some officers and members of the council, whom he had also invited. Very soon after we were ushered into the gallery, where the breakfast table was elegantly laid out, with the tea, coffee, and chocolate equi|)ages, cold hams, tongues, chickens, &c. ; several kinds of hot French dishes, fruits of all sorts, products of the islands ; jams, jellies, and preserves, as well as dried fruits. A small turtle had been dressed, and the callipash decorated the centre of the table. Madeira, claret, hock ,and champaign, with English bottled porter, were the beverages of this feast. The governor took the head of the table, and placed me at his right, and was well bred in his attentions to all. His aid-de-camp sat at the bottom, the representative of his ex- cellency at that point, and the secretary filled the centre part, so that every guest was served with equal politeness. It was near three o'clock before we left the table, after which we bowed our thanks for the honour done us, and having received from the 108 ExrEDiTiox TO Tin: kiveus governor his best wishes for our success, yet reminding us, that if we remained at the island on the birth-day of the Crown Prince we should be expected at the government-house, we de- parted. As the day had not been so sultry as usual, two or three of us were induced to ascend the road up the hill which led to the fort and artillery barracks, as well as to the northern side of Saint Bartholomew, by a good horse- road, which goes indeed completely round the island, with Mr. Reynolds, a gentleman who had accosted me, by the introduction of himself, with the information that he had favoured me by leaving his name at the hotel where he had gone to pay his compliments, and to tell me that if I had an inclination to view the island, horses would be provided on the following day ; that he would accompany me and my friends, and that he would be happy to see us at breakfast, at his garden-house on the north side of the town. Some very pretty houses are scattered here and there as you ascend, and a very neat and convenient house, with shrubs and fruit- trees around it to keep off the sun, stands nearly on the summit. It had very lately been taken by the American consul, who therein regaled us with some cool wine and water after the warm walk we had had, notwithstanding the sun had been i)art]y obscured. ORINOCO AND APURE. 109 Mr. Reynolds had asked me if I should Hke to see the fort and barracks: I answered cer- tainly, if there was no impropriety in my doing so. It was a favour that, as a military man, I should have thought it indelicate to have asked ; yet if he, Mr. R., would ascertain from the commandant of the fort, for himself, w^hether he might invite me, I should undoubtedly take advantage of such permission. Mr. Reynolds mounted his horse and rode off towards the fort, from whence he soon returned with the commander's invitation, who was himself com- ing up the causeway to meet me. After ex- pressing my thanks for his politeness, and for a favour which military etiquette would have pre- vented me from personally soliciting, and being answered that he should feel it an honour to shew me, as an Englishman, the barracks, &c. he led the way into the fort, and to his own barrack therein. After sitting a quarter of an hour, and partaking of a glass of sangaree, we proceeded to view the men's barrack-hospital, &c.: the respectful and soldier-like appearance of the men, the neatness and cleanliness of the whole barrack, and its arrangements, could not pass unnoticed. The troops were the picture of health, and their allowances, with respect to rations^ were equal to those issued to British soldiers in oiu- own .West India islands. 110 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS The Serjeant's guard, at the fort entrance, had been turned out in compliment to me, and had, unknown to me, been kept under arms during my inspection of the barrack. I, however, now requested it might be dismissed ; yet not without admiring the exact uniform appearance and neatness of the whole guard. — I had, in passing, glanced my eye along the platform of the battery, making no remarks farther than speaking of its commanding view, botli of the sea, the town, and heights on the other side. But Captain (who was a lieutenant in the royal artillery of Sweden, com- mandant of the fort, and first aid-de-camp to his excellency the governor), still led the way to the south-east part, and thus allowed me the full inspection of the whole line. It was a battery, en harhette, for four six-pounders on travelling-carriages, flanked at the south-east point with a semi-circular bastion, with a travi- son twelve-pounder, mounted on a raised bed ; one howitzer (five and a half) was placed at the extremity of the line. Along the rampart, opening towards the bay, and fully commanding the anchoring ground, embrasures were cut, through which miglit be seen the muzzles of eight small pieces, mounted on light garrison carriages ; the exterior talus of the battery was composed of the solid rock, \ery lightly ORINOCO AND APURE. Ill covered with earth, which from the battery (which was a sunken one from one extremity to the other, the earth throughout the whole pUit- form being excavated, so as to form the breast- work of the hues), receded with a very con- siderable slope to the extremity of the rock, which became nearly perpendicular to the mar- gin of the water, forming an height of upwards of two hundred feet. The only space left at its base was a narrow road, which led round the hill, and to the point at the extremity of that part of the island. As a fort, Gustavia could make no defence, nor even support the threats the governor might be induced to make against any ships or ship of war, which chose not to leave the harbour and go to sea, if its commander was inclined to make opposition*. On the follov/ing day, and early in the morn- ing, Mr. Reynolds, agreeably to his appointment, sent horses for our accommodation. Lieute- nant-Colonel English, Major Trewren, and the orderly officer in waiting on myself, mounted, and proceeded up the hill, on the summit of which we were joined by several gentlemen of the island, whom Mr. Reynolds had invited to ac- company us. It was a most delightful and clear * A late writer, speaking of Saint Bartholomew, says, it is by nature and art a place of great strength. 112 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ilay, and we could distinctly see the islands of St. Martin, St. Eustatia, St. Kit's, and Nevis, which terminated our view as we looked behind us. Here Mr. Reynolds joined the cavalcade, having come up the hill on the other side to give us the meeting. The scenery and picturesque view of the leeward-side of tlie island, of which we had now a full prospect, was grand and beau- tiful. An immense rock, which lay on our left, dressed with ever-green bushes and un- derwood to its top, appeared at the first glance like an old castellated fortress gone to decay, and I continued to admire its noble appearance and form, until I had passed nearly along its base, M ithoiit perceiving my mistake. The valley below was interspersed with a few of the planters' houses, one of which belonged to our polite and friendly acquaintance, which we left on our right, and took the road round the head of a A' ery fine bay, formed by the projection of two grand bluff heads, at the distance of a league across. Here the sea is so pellucid, that we could perceive the fish playing on the white sands at the bottom of its waters. The windings of the horse-paths, as ascending or descending tlie tracks cut for such communication along the sides of the hills, and close to the shore, as we rounded the different points of the island, are romantic in the extreme; and although very small part of the island is in ORINOCO AND APURE. 113 regular cultivation, yet nature has not left it de- stitute of natural productions. Many of the West India fruits grow here spontaneously, and most others, brought from the neighbouring islands, are cultivated; the wild shrubs are beautiful, and reach to the summits of the various hills, along the sides and bases of which you alternately pass, in moving around the island; and some of the glens, in several parts of the interior present, beautiful spots for the erection of dwellings. Longevity amongst the natives is not uncom- mon, as appeared from two instances of negroes, one a man, the other a female who was washing linen, w hose ages were ninety-eight and eighty- seven. The European inhabitants were, many of them, advanced in years, and yet strong and healthy. Having rode nearly round the island, within view of Gustavia, from whence we had set out, we struck across a diagonal road, which led round a very high hill, to Mr. Reynolds's house, where we were received by our friend's wife, son, and daughter, with the greatest courtesy and hospitality; and having finished a ride of about twelve miles, sat down with keen appetites to the breakfast, of which we had been bidden to partake. Mr. Reynolds appeared, and was the most perfect gentleman and best informed man of any of the residents on the island. He had been 114 EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS formerly of Saint Eustatia, where he and his family had previously resided. He had received a liberal education, — had been a resident in England and other parts of Europe, — and his manners and conversation shewed the man of the world, born to better expectations, and re- plete with knowledge on all the various subjects coincident to conversation and information. — His youngest daughter, whom he introduced to me as his little West Indian girl, was the fairest of the fair in complexion, and the finest in natural carnation bloom, I had for many years seen in my native land; and without any apparent attention to covering from the heat of the sun, she sported under its beams whenev'er pleasure or occasion induced her. Having remained a considerable time, we bid our hospitable host and family good day, and returned to the hotel in Gustavia. I here found invitations for the two succeeding days, which I accepted, and attended in company with Lieu- tenant-Colonel English. Captain Weatherly had now completed the ne- cessary business relative to the ship and her stores, and gave me notice of his wish to proceed either to St. Thomas's or to the island of Mar- garitta direct, without further loss of time. We had been eight days at St. Bartholomew, and no news of the other expected ships had reached our ORINOCO AND APURK. 115 ears. It was decided, therefore, that we should sail, and for this purpose orders were issued to the officers accordingly, who had here also obtained through my backing their bills, cash to purchase some necessary articles, as well as to procure an addition to the mess stock. Throughout the passage an allowance of ship provisions had been issued, consisting of beef, pork, cheese, bread, salt-fish, rice, &c. and every article good of its kind, together with a daily proportion of excellent rum, distributed as rations amongst the officers as well as m.en ; so that the fare through- out, independent of the want of fresh stock, was by no means indifferent. Having taken leave of the gOA'ernor, and of the different fa- milies, who had treated us with such hospitality and attention ; having expressed to his excellency our sorrow in not being able to attend at the com- memoration of the Crown Prince of Sweden's natal day, and received the most kind wishes for our health and success, we repaired on board, preparatory to sailing that evening; but the w^ind towards land freshened, and Captain W. did not choose to weigh, having in the wake of his stern a large high rock, which he feared the ship might not weather by drifting past, before he could get her properly under sad : it was determined, therefore, to take the next morning for the purpose. An additional reason i2 IIG EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS also was urged for delay, — a ship was reported to be in sight, off the island, which was soon discoverable from the top-most head of the Emerald, and those pretending to most sagacity reported her to be the Prince. Doubts, how- ever, pro and con, succeeded, until Mr. Cowey pronounced that he knew her ; she had once belonged to him, and circumstances occasioned her a})pearance to be imprinted on his memory, which time or distance could not efface. He was confident " it was the rotten old Prince her- self, sailing tub-like as usual, and labouring all on one side, as if in a gale of wind,'* although the then breeze had become very light. TJius assured, signals were made from the Emerald, but not answered by the Prince ; and as it appeared she was running away from Saint Bartholomew, it was proposed, agreed upon, and instantly put into effect, that the gig should be lowered and manned, that Mr. Cowey should go off to her, and that Lieutenant-Colonel English, and a subaltern from me, should pro- ceed to greet the colonel and officers on board, and learn the news from England. After pulling the wliole of the evening and night, tlie gig returned. It was the Prince, with Colonel Wilson on board, after a very hazardous vo;yage. The captain of her (poor Nightingale) liad lost his wits in the Bay of ORINOCO AND APURE. 117 Biscay; and notwithstanding that the wind had been well aft the remainder of the passage, they liad not overtaken him. In fact, he had given up the actual command of the ship to his chief mate, yet when off the island of Saint Bartholomew he chose to resume it; and here, from foul ground and sunken rocks, the navi- gation became difficult, intricate, and danger- ous. The Prince herself seemed to think so too, for she was literally running away from the island with the captain and helmsman, in spite of their united endeavours to the contrary. The Prince seemed anxious to make Saint Kit's, whilst all on board of her wished to pay their first visit to Saint Bartholomew. Her cargo and stores had shifted on the larboard-side ; aud all the press of sail she could carry would not bring her sufficiently down on the starboard to sail on that tack. Mr. Cowey had gone on board, and finding the state she was in, offered himself as her pilot, and to take charge of her. The captain upon this gave her up, and the sailors turned to with increased alacrity, and when they found they had a real seaman on board, orders were promptly obeyed. The ship's hold was trimmed, and matters arranged ; yet, in spite of every exertion, the dirty old washing- tub had run so much to leeward during the night, that it was late before she entered the Bay of 118 K.\ri:uiTioN ro riii-; kivkks Gustavia the next day ; nor would she have made it, had not Mr. Cowey (to whom no thanks were offered for his trouble and attention) vo- lunteered his services. We were, how^ever, \'ery glad to see her safe arrived, and we gave her three cheers, which she did 7iot return. Soon after she came to anchor. Colonel Wilson sent a polite note to me, hoping we were ail well, and to know if any packages or letters were on board the Emerald addressed to him ; — tiie quarter-master having replied No, I returned the answer, with my good wishes in behalf of his ofiicers and men. I found that Major and Mrs. Graham were on board, Messrs. James and John Mackintosh (the newly married wife of the former and her sister, between whom and Mrs. Graham no in- timacy had latterly taken place), and the officers of the corps, rather divided from their colonel: — in fact, two parties existed. The Messrs. Mackintosh and the ladies of their family, with Colonel Wilson, moved to an elegant little house, which they had taken in common, for the period of their stay ; and they left the ship accordingly for the shore accom- modation. Captain Weatherly endeavoured to learn what Mr. Nightingale's or Mr. J. Mackin- tosh's future plans were, but he could obtain no defmitive answer; nor could I from Colonel ORINOCO AND APIKK. 119 Wilson, as to his views. He appeared anxious to keep apart, and I humoured him so far ; al- though the cause in which we had embarked ought to have ensured mutual confidence and unanimity. We, therefore, when we met, only exchanged the passing compliments between gentleman and gentleman. The afternoon of this day announced a sail in the offing, apparently easing down for the bay : we presumed and hoped it was either the Indian or the Dowson, the colonels on board of both or either would, I knew, act more in unison with me, and something might now be decided upon, especially on the part of Colonel Campbell, who was interested particularly in the fate of the Emerald as well as of the Dowson, besides the wish of success for our joint cause» The next morning, the ship, which we had discovered from her appearance to be the Bri- tannia, hoisted the independent flag at her fore- top gallant mast head, as a private signal, by which we knew that Colonel Gilmour, wdth the artillery, was on board. As she entered the bay and passed close alongside of us, we, having manned our rigging, gave her three cheers, which she returned. From the self consequence displayed by this colonel of artillery, and which he would most willingly have manifested previous tohis leavingEngland, hadi permittedit towards 1*20 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS myself, I could not build much on his politeness, cordiality, or wish of union, imtil on the arrival of all in South America, such union would be demanded and enforced., if necessary. I was, therefore, not disappointed when I saw this ci- devant corporal of British artillery carrying him- self with all possible hauteur and self importance as the independent colonel of artillery service, on the island of Saint Bartholomew ; taking due care, however, not personally to offend either his equals or inferiors in rank, by any bombastic or impolite conduct. The colonel here was no stranger to several inhabitants of the island, who knew him when serving in the British army, and stationed at Saint Martin's, both previous to and after he was a commissioned officer; and particularly a good-humoured slave who used to ply with a boat for the conveyance of passengers to the different ships, who amused Lieutenant- Colonel English, myself. Captain Seybold, Den- nis and Smith, by expressing his surprise in seeing " Massa Gilmour great man," whom he had the same morning, he said, personally greeted and congratulated. Notwithstanding the real pleasure Avhich my bosom felt at this ship's arrival, because it increased our strength in going down to tJie Main (the seas of wliich, we were given to understand, were closely invested by royalist ships of war), yet ORINOCO AND APLKK. 121 the news of the loss of the Indian, with every soul on board, was ahnost a thunderbolt to our hopes, and such a damp to our views, expecta- tions, and present feelings of exultation, as hardly to admit of mitigation. Our sailing from the island was again post- poned, for the purpose of Captain Weatherly's learning the sentiments of the master of the Britannia, with respect to his further move- ments. I soon found nothing could be done to form a coalition with either of my two brother colonels ; they both kept aloof, and as the au- thor of " A Narrative of the late Expedition to South America'* states, " this want of harmony amongst the superior officers destroyed all ex- ertions for the general cause." But I contradict that author's assertion, in the strongest and fullest manner ; and affirm that I never at any one period during my passage out, as the whole of my officers and orders can fully prove, assumed to myself, in word, act, or deed, the rank of briga- dier-general ! I now took advantage of the arrival of the Prince, to apply to the supercargo for the fulffiment of the promise made me by Mr. Ewen Mackintosh in London, previous to my sailing ; and with a great deal of difficulty, and much remonstrance, succeeded at length in obtaining one hundred and twenty-four suits of clothing, forage-caps, trowsers, shoes, stocks, and sabres, for the equipment of my people ; V22 EXPKDl'J ION' TO llir. RIVKRS who would otherwise have landed in a most miserable and disgraceful state, having nearly worn out the plain clothing in which they had originally left England*. Thus equipped, the general appearance was highly respectable, and every Sunday at the church parades the whole of the men appeared in uniform. Much insub- ordinate conduct amongst the soldiers had at various times shewn itself; nor were the sailors less riotous and disposed to mutiny than the landsmen. Several of them, although treated with mildness and forbearance, and plentifully supplied w4th every necessary comfort from the ship, murmured at not being allowed to go again on shore ; where, indeed, they had com- mitted every species of excess and riot : yet as the governor set his face against any of them being left on shore, and as no British ship of war hove in sight, it became necessary for the safety of all, that the ringleaders of the mutiny should be singled out and sent away from the island. In consequence of an opportunity pre- senting itself, by a vessel sailing from Saint Bar- tholomew to Saint Kit's, the men were offered * This clothing, these necessaries, and sabres, &:c. Mackin- tosh would not deliver up to me unless I made myself re- sponsible for the payment of their value, which I was obliged to do by giving my guarantee, at the period of eight months, on behalf of myself and the \'cneziiclian tjovcrnmcnt. C)RINO(0 AND API KK. 1^3 a passage thither, upon payment of two dollars per head ; and most fortunately for Captain Weatherly and myself, we got rid of three very desperate characters : James Fortune, of whom mention has been made before, and two sea- men belonging to the Emerald's crew, were thus removed from the ship, and peace in some measure restored. Fortune got an employment on the latter island of some respectability ; and I trust he has had sense enough to retain it. The delay so unexpectedly occasioned en- abled me to avail myself of his excellency the governor's invitation to tlie ball and supper, given in honour of the crown prince's birth- day. At about nine o'clock Lieutenant-Colonel English and myself attended Mrs. Graham to the government-house. I had permitted seven of the officers of the first Venezuelian hussars to be present, and at our meeting I introduced them all to his excellency. I found Colonels Wilson and Gilmour likewise there, with several officers of their respective corps. — We were all dressed in full uniform, in compliment to the governor and in honour to the prince, whose natal day we had now met to commemorate. His excellency was much pleased with our fair countrywoman, who, indeed, looked very lovely and interesting. She was the wife of Major Graham, of Colonel Wilson's corps, who was 124 EXrEDITlON TO THE RIVKUS himself as conspicuous for his gentlemanhke manners and deportment, as he had rendered himself truly so in his various campaigns under the immortal Wellington. To our astonishment, we perceived, seated at the upper end of the dancing-room, Mr. James Mackintosh, his lady, and her sister, who seemed to feel they were out of their element, yet were still anxious to bask, for once in their lives, in the sunshine of a governor's smiles, and to be received as guests at his splendid table. When it was known that they w ere the master-saddler and his wife — for until the interview the governor's aid-de-camp, as w^ell as the secretary, mistook them for other personages — the latter thought it necessary to apologize for their being there. Yet, as the saddler was genteelly dressed and sat quiet, absorbed in his own reflections at the mistake which had occurred, and struck mute in wonder when he perceived his helpmate, the quondam milliner, handed out by the secretary himself to dance, he gave way to his sensations of surprise, which rendered him completely happy, until the moment supper was announced: yet he kept one eye on tlie governor, whilst the other surveyed his dancing wife. The captain of the Prince, too, was lost in wonder; but, like the favoiu'ite bird whose name he bears, he retired, when the glare of light became too ORINOCO AND APURE. 125 strong, to a distant corner; where, perched on high, he snored out the most melodious notes, to the amusement of the kiughing swains below. Country dances, both English and Swedish, to- gether with waltzes, performed with much grace and elegance, filled up the time till supper. His ex- cellency whispered me to hand Mrs. Graham to the supper-room, and to follow him from the ball- room : then, taking the judge of the island's lady by the hand, he led the way ; I followed with Mrs. Graham ; and when his excellency had placed the lady, and seated himself in the centre of the table, I moved Mrs. Graham on his left, and took my seat beside her. The head of the table was taken by the aid-de-camp, the bottom by the secretary; opposite the governor sat the judge, and a lady on each side. The table w^as mag- nificently covered with every possible dainty in flesh and fowl. Confectionery of all kinds, pre... serves, fruits, and every sort of European wines; porter, cyder, and perry: the governor's atten- tion was fascinating and polite throughout ; and when the ladies rose, those gentlemen who had not been able to obtain seats now sat down to partake of the repast. Dancing recommenced, and about three o'clock the company began to retire. As I advanced to make my bow, his excellency was pleased to remind me that the danger of illness lay in the 126 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS exposure of the person to the dews of the night. Rain had also fallen during the late evening, and he had directed a bed to be prepared for me at his secretary's house adjoining, to which he requested me to go. I accepted the offer, with feelings of real obligation ; for I had been several times exces- sively heated by dancing, during the evening. In flict, we had all felt the heat to be most op- pressive. The ladies of the island did not, how- ever, complain, nor did an unattached officer, whom I had permitted to join our mess, from England. The Chevalier Ubaugh (a Frenchman by birth), who had served in the army under Napoleon, and who had latterly been received into the service of Louis of France, William of the Netherlands, and Frederick of Prussia, but who had now volunteered for the South Ame- rican Independents, had danced the whole night, and shone as a waltzer. He had attended the ball en inilitaire, and wore the same uniform, which would have made him comfortably warm even in Russia during the winter. He was the complete hussar in cos- tume and appearance ; dressed in a blue jacket, richly silver-braided and ribbed, fur pelisse, scarlet vest, scarlet trowscrs edged with silver, and a fur cap twelve inches in height with an enormous jelly bag pendent therefrom, and a ORINOCO AND APURE. 1^ feather at least eighteen inches in length ! To this most warlike appearance was really added a very fine intelligent face, a tall and graceful person; and the orders he wore on his breast, both of the Legion of Honour, and another given him by the King of the Netherlands, rendered this hero truly conspicuous. I could not help observing also that my two brother colonels had received distinguishmg orders from some unknown prince or monarch, since their departure from England ; for, as I had never heard of such honour having been conferred on either, my eyes were most unex- pectedly dazzled in seeing both Colonels Wilson and Gilmour with those honourable appendages of distinction hanging on their breasts. Colonel Wilson's appeared to me and the rest of the gentlemen to be the insignia of the Legion of Honour, and that of Colonel Gilmour a Spanish or Portuguese first order of merit ! They were very ostentatiously placed, and looked well in the eyes of all the good company there ! The governor's order of the sword, suspended by the blush-coloured riband, was lost in the midst of those worn by my countrymen. Lieu- tenant-Colonel English hinted, that had we known that the production of a something himg to the button-hole would liave been uniform, the whole of the remaining British officers might 128 EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS have sported a doubloon, suspended at their bosom. If its appearance there would not have added to their rank and dignity, it would how- ever have added to their credit, and have con- vinced the good tavern-keepers in Gustavia that their guests, as far as the doubloon would go, were trust-worthy. His excellency's secretary had asked me what " orders'* Colonels Wilson and Gilmour wore, whether English or foreign ; and I really felt ashamed to acknowledge my ignorance, by answering I did not know, further than that they were not of English extraction ! On the day following a ship appeared in sight, and again were my hopes cheered with the idea that it might be the Dowson with Colonel Campbell, and his officers and men; but as she approached the bay, we discovered that she was a stranger. Her shortening sail, and throwing herself up in the wind, just on her entrance into the harbour, appeared curious, and attracted the eyes of all. At length having hoisted Spanish co- lours, she filled her sails again and stood boldly in for the bay, and came to anchor pretty close in to the shore. Captain AVeatherly thought there was something mysterious about her; and we all pronounced it a curious circumstance that a Spanish ship should come to anchor in the midst of three sJiips filled with troops and stores ORINOCO AND APURE. 129 avowedly for the pui*pose of joining the patriots in South America; and I believe the governor himself was puzzled how to act, in case we, the English ships, or one of us, should attempt to interfere with her, whilst under the protection of the Swedish fort. We were too strong to afford any hope from resistance, if such had been our intention ; and the governor trusted to our honour, rather than to any power he possessed. His excellency did us justice ; the Emerald and her crew, from the captain down to the youngest sailor, from myself to the youngest soldier, never entertained an idea of molesting her, even had she been at sea, much less whilst under the protection of a Swedish port. We had determined to act on the de- fensive only in case of need ; not to attack unless properly empowered so to do, or in the event of being attacked. In the afternoon, an English or an American seaman came on board the Emerald, and bavins: asked to speak to the captain, was, with one of the inhabitants of the island who accompanied him, introduced into Captain Weatherly's cabin. After a little conversation, I was also invited in. Before me, the strang-er repeated to Captain Weatherly, that he was a lieutenant in the service of the Independents, and was serving under Commodore Parker's flag. That in cruising off K 130 KXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Amelia Island the squadron had fallen in with sixteen Spanish merchant-men, and had cap- tured eight, of which the ship Victoria w^as one. That he (the lieutenant) was put on board as prize master, with orders to take her to Amelia Island; and having run for the port, he found it in possession of the Americans, who would have seized the ship had he come to an anchor: that he then determined to stand for the island of Margarita, but the men on board mutinied, and refused to go there; and fearing the con- sequence of falling into the hands of the Royal- ists, he had shaped his course for St. Bartho- lomew. That the appearance of our ships had much alarmed him, not knowing what our in- tentions might be, although he had heard that troops were expected from England to join the Inde^^endents. That as he had neared the land too close to the point of the harbour, before he saw the ships, and it was too late to recede, he had ventured in, and on going ashore had learnt what we were. He had come off, he said, to tell us that all the men had mutinied, and insisted on going ashore, and being paid their share of prize money: that he should con- sequently dispose of hei' lading there, and re- quested a passage down to the Main in the Emerald, for himself and his money. What to do with tlie ship he knew not, as he could not ORINOCO AND APURE. 131 sell her, nor could he procure seamen to take her to Margarita if she remained unsold ; to give her to the Swedes would be ridiculous, and no one would purchase her for want of a register. He also said she had been laden with various articles, sugar, preserves, and logwood ; and had, besides, a large sum in dollars and dou- bloons on board which he had secured, but out of which he had been obliged to pay each man a certain proportion. He thought she would be a vessel fit to take us to the Main, although she was badly provided with sails; and if we could man her from the Emerald's crew, he would freely let us have her for that purpose. The next day, the few people on board were busily employed in emptying her hold, and taking the cargo on shore; which the prize master had disposed of to two or three of the merchants on the island, for a very trifling re- muneration, in order to expedite the sale ; and when she was completely clear, and her late crew landed, some of the rascals came off again during the night to dismantle her of her sails and rigging, part of which they had actually cut away from her yards : they were proceeding also to take her cables and anchors, and let her drift on shore. The prize master came on board the Emerald K 2 132 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS diirino: the night, to solicit assistance by way of a guard ; and Captain Weatherly was in- duced to allow six or eight men, and one of the mates of his ship, to go on board for her pro- tection. Myself and several of the gentlemen also went on board, and found that she had been completely emptied, having nothing but her ground tier of ballast in her hold. She was a very beautiful little ship, about two hundred tons burthen. When the prize master returned, he sent the only articles which remained in her cabin as a present to the captain and pas- sengers in the Emerald. It consisted of a bag of sugar, about two hundred weight, two boxes of Havannah segars, and a jar or two of pre- serves. He soon after came on board the Emerald, and informed us, tiiat having sold the cargo at a very low price, in order to get immediate payment, which had been solemnly promised him, he now found that Messrs. V. and others intended to put him oft", seeming as if they would take advantage of the situation under which he laboured, and absolutely endeavour to cheat him of the money. In such case, he was determined to remain on the island to see the event. This story we ascertained to be really matter of fact. He added, that as soon as the Englisli Ncssels left llic b;i\ , lie was confident ORINOCO AND APURE. ISS the Victoria would be seized by the govern- ment of the island; to prevent which, he said he would go on shore that moment, clear her from the custom-house, if Captain Weatherly would permit some of his men to take her in charge, and carry her down to the island of Grenada, or to the Main. He besought Weatherly to consent ; and he added, that if she did not keep up with the Emerald on the passage, or in any way impeded her progress, or become inconvenient or trou- blesome, he gave full permission to have her scuttled, or otherwise destroyed, to prevent her from falling into other hands than those of the patriots or their friends. Captain Weatherly, though evidently with reluctance, consented; and the prize master hastened again on shore, cleared her at the custom-house, and having recovered the main and fore top sails, and some minor ones, hastened on board, and prepared to leave the bay. I have said that Captain Weatherly had permitted one of his mates and six men to go on board the Victoria, and, with the addition of one of our passengers, they had continued for the purpose of working the ship; which having now hove up her anchor and set her sails, proceeded from the island : it was about two o'clock p. m. when she passed by the Emerald and stood out to sea. Captain Weatherly had also prepared 134 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS for going to sea, and having concluded his bu- siness on shore, and my compliments being paid to the governor and his suite, and my farewell taken, I went on board; and just before sunset, having saluted the fort with thirteen guns, whicli \vere returned, wc took our final departure from Saint Bartholomew, witli agrateful remembrance of the civilities we had received. OIJINOCO AM» ArURE. 13.5 CHAPTER V. Duel. — roLir officers resign. — The Victoria, unable to keep company, is scuttled and left adrift. — Land at Grenada. — State of parties there : the effect of their contradictory assertions upon the expedition. — Heavy baggage shipped on board the schooner Liberty, for the Orinoco. — The schooner detained by the governor. Rial. — Three of the men claim to be released from the Independent service. — The author called on to account for the destruction of the Spanish ship, punishment of men, &c. — His justification. — Various inconveniences. — The schooner sails. — The rest of the expedition embark in the schooner Republican. — Her horrid state ; her piratical crew and intentions. — Con- spiracy, and measures in consequence. — Unfortunate duel. — Mr. Braybrooke killed. — Their sailing prevented. — Leave the schooner, and return to the Emerald. WE left the Prince and Britannia, without having ascertained what the intentions of either were. Had we been enemies instead of friends, in the same cause, more caution could not have been observed in keeping all their intended move- ments a secret from us. Vv^e dealt otherwise ; openly avowed our intentions, and, previous to the departure of the Victoria, Colonel Wilson had been offered that sliip to convey himself and followers down to the Main, in company with us, and under our convoy. He however thought proper to decline the offer thus made. Before I had taken my reader from the 136 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS island of Saint Bartholomew, I should have told him, that in consequence of some unplea- sant expressions which had passed between Cornet Humphries and Mr. Dewey (a medical man on the establishment), during the passage from Madeira to Saint Bartholomew, a meeting took place between the parties, in the presence of their respective seconds. Mr. Humphries having stood Mr. Dewey's shot, very hand- somely admitted the impropriety of the words uttered, by firing his pistol in the air, and shaking hands with his late antagonist. Cornets Humphries, Davies, Yabsley, and Gunnell, having tendered to me their resigna- tions, in consequence of some promotions I had thought proper to make, in wliich they were not included, the same were accepted, and they were struck off the strength of the regiment accordingly*. There was also a division amongst the officers of Colonel AVilson's corps and him, and tliree of them had wished to join me. Yet, as I had agreed and stipulated with Colonel Wilson not to take any officer from tlie red hussars, who had not regularly resigned his service in that * Cornet H Iiaving deviated materially from some orders which I had found it necessary to issue, and for which I had been obliged to censure him, received from me a per- fect restoration to my confidence and friendship, by the apology he made in hi? letter marked * in the Appendix. ORINOCO AND APURE. 137 regiment, and received the like promise from him, I of course did not attend to the offers of those gentlemen. The Emerald, as before stated, left Saint Bar- tholomew on the evening of the twenty-ninth of January, after a stay of fourteen days in the harbour or bay of Gustavia. On the following morning, we saw the Victoria a considerable distance to leeward, and we edged down to speak her. The prize master, we learnt, had left her to return to the island, as soon as she had gained the offing, for which purpose he had attached the jolly boat to her stern. On perceiving she was completely out of sailing trim, with a scanty allowance of canvas, and knowing the imj^ossibility of her keeping com- pany with the Emerald, Captain Weatherly thought of placing a quantity of provisions on board her, and letting her follow with all the speed she could. To this, however, all on board of her objected. The mate and men were all good seamen, and she was a tight shipj but they dreaded a separation, lest they might fall into the hands of the royalist cruizers, of which they had reason hourly to expect a view in those seas, and the consequence we were all aware would be fatal. Captain Weatherly was anxious to pre- serve the ship, and, as the breeze freshened, he consented to take the Victoria in tow, and a coil of large rope was sent on board for that purpose. 138 EXrEDITIOX TO THE RIVERS The Emerald made such way, and the strain became so great, although the Victoria was car- rying all the sail she had, that Mr. Weatherly feared something might give way on board of our own ship, and we again hove to, to com- municate with the other. All hands entreated not to be left behind, and, as they knew she could not keep way with the Emerald, desired to be removed on board their own ship. This was determined on, and Mr. Cowie, of whom I have formerly spoken, volunteered to bring off the people, and to collect what articles he could, before she was left adrift. The afternoon had commenced; it was nearly three o'clock when the arrangement was made, and it was resolved to abandon her that night. I was grieved to see so beautiful a craft for- saken ; one tliat would have taken us all down to our place of destination, had tlie actual point of disembarkation been known. We had no ac- curate information where to go, or where to land in safety ; and I understood the Victoria dared not enter into any other than an Independent port without a register. Several gentlemen vo- lunteered with Mr. Cowie, and accordingly ac- companied him on board. Mr. Cowie thought it but fair to dismantle her before he left her; and the large boat, which had trailed at her stern the whole time, soon came alongside the Emerald laden Mith coils ol' cable, anchors, four ORINOCO AND APURE. 139 six-pounders, painted green colour, and various other articles j a large quantity of running rig- ging, tackle blocks, &c. These being hoisted on board the Emerald, the boat returned again to the Victoria, and again received a loading of various other articles. The people on board were variously employed; some unbending the sails, others collecting whatever might be use- ful; and others in the hold and cabin of the ship, searching for supposed hidden treasure behind her linings, and behind her pannels and lockers in the cabin. If any specie was found, it was a secret wholly among the fortunate finders, excepting in one instance, where a sailor not only found a Spanish dollar, but a bottle of rum. The former he conveyed to his pocket, the other he had placed under his belt, and came off in the last boat, as insensible as any of the various other articles with which the long; boat was again freighted. The report that all was out reached the ears of every soul on board the Emerald. It was about the hour of five p. m. when we saw the people leave the unfortunate Victoria, and they soon regained in safety the deck of the Eme- rald; which, bending to the breeze that filled her crowded sails, and urged with im})etuosity through the water, soon left the dismantled, scut- tled, and burning "^'ictoria, to her sinking fate. 140 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS I had been told at Saint Bartholomew that it was more than probable Ave should fall in with two or three Royalist brigs of war, under the orders of Captain Gabaso, as sworn an enemy to the English adventurers in the patriotic service as he was to the Independent South Americans themselves; and cases had been mentioned of his savage and inhuman barbarity: I therefore thought it necessary to be on the alert, and in consequence issued the regimental order marked F. In five days after, having passed up within view of the island of Saint Lucia, and the smaller Grenadines, we made the island of Grenada ; and about eight o'clock a. m. on the -ith of Fe- bruary, we were standing into Saint George's Bay. Before we came to the anchoring ground, I could not help anticipating that some evil would befall us. I was against entering into a British port; for although convinced we had nothing ultimately to fear, yet, I knew not why or wherefore, I dreaded suspicion and detention ; and, had I possessed the authority, the Emerald should never have anchored in that bay. Captain Weatherly did not anticipate any danger of detention ; and his determination of coming to an anchor in the bay was confirmed by the arrival of a shore boat with three gen- tlemen, who introduced themselves to him ORINOCO AND APURE. 141 and to ine, the one as agent on the island i'ov the kSouth American Independents, the second as a man of rank at the Carracas, and at their seat of government on the river Orinoco, whence he was on a mission ; and the third, as the cap- tain of the port at Angustura, arrived at Gre- nada by order of the repubUc, to point out our destination, and the mode of our conveyance to the river Orinoco. Here it appeared we were all right. The captain of the port at Angustura was by birth a Frenchman, had been some time in the service of the Venezuelian government, and had lost his right hand and arm in one of the late actions in the interior. Captain Chom- prez assured me we should be received with brotherly affection by the army and its chief; and as he could not tempt Captain Weatherly to take the Emerald down to the Orinoco, upon any of the hopes, promises, and persuasions he held out, he gave up the trial ; and informed me that he would hire two small schooners to take us down immediately, and begged me to order the necessary preparations. Mr. Guthrie, the agent, was a merchant of respectability on the island of Grenada, and re- sident at his stores, in the town of Saint George. He had been, and was, he said, considerably in advance for the Venezuelian government. He acknowledged there was a great scarcity of 142 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS money, and that he had been disappointed, in receiving by his last vessel which came from Angustura a cargo of horned cattle instead of mules. He thought, however, that with English assistance, the Independents would carry the point at last. That the late accounts were fa- vourable, as to the success of the army under General Bolivar ; but no money was stirring. At this period, two schooners, which were at times employed in going to and fro from Gre- nada to the river Orinoco, were moored in the carinage, — a natural basin formed from the bay between two hills which it divides, and receding some distance into the island, ending in a cul de sac, and exhibiting a land-locked harbour, with depth of water sufficient for two hundred sail of the largest size. The entrance, though narrow, is perfectly easy of ingress and egress at all periods, and ships ride there with safety during the hurricane monsoons. The smaller schooner was immediately taken up, for con- veyance of a part of the troops and heavy bag- gage. There was some impediment with regard to the other (the larger one), wliich the port cap- tain of Angustura affirmed to be the property of his government, whilst the master or captain refused to admit that she was otherwise than private property, belonging to some merchants resident on tiie Orinoco. Foreseeing some em- ORINOCO AND APURE. 143 barrassment, wliich I could not explain or un- ravel, I eagerly accepted the offer of the smaller schooner ; and finding that she could not carry above twenty of the men and officers, besides the heavy baggage, I determined to despatch Lieutenant Colonel English to the Orinoco with the letters of introduction, &c. and my letter of report of proceedings up to that period, to present to the general in chief of the Independ- ent army ; I therefore issued orders for all the heavy baggage to be transferred on board the schooner which had ranged alongside the Emerald for its reception, according to regi- mental order marked J. The officers, and many of the men, had requested permission to go on shore : to the former Imade little or no objection, but I was afraid to trust several of the latter, being afraid of their getting at the new rum, making themselves drunk, and rioting on the island. I had gone on shore very early on the morning of our arrival, and as I avoided all mi- litary distinction and appearance, I trusted I should escape observation. To my sorrow as well as surprise, I found in the course of that day that the "Grenada gazette," under the head of news, had reported " the arrival in Saint George's Bay of the ship Emerald, with forty-two officers, and one hundred and twenty-four dragoons of the regiment of first hussars de Venezuela, under IM EXPEDITIOX TO THE RIVERS tlie command of Colonel H y, on their way to join the Independents in South America." I had met two or three of the officers be- longing to the 2d or Queen's regiment, who were then doing garrison duty at Grenada, with whom myself and several other officers had got into conversation, and I learnt we had the good wishes of all for our success. An unexpected circumstance, however, occasioned me an intro- duction to the judge of the island, and after- wards to his excellency Major General Rial, the governor. From a communication with the shore, some of the people had been informed, that by ap- pealing to the governor as British subjects they would have liberty to land, and to quit the Independent service, if they wished their discharge ; and, notwithstanding the expenses incurred by their passage, rations during the voyage, clothing and money advanced to them previous to their embarkation in England, as well as subsequently, they would all be received under the protection of the British government at Grenada, and absolved from their promises, and whatever other obligations they had entered into. There were two violent parties at the same time resident in Saint George : one in favour of the Spanish Royalist cause, who assi- duously sought the acquaintance of both officer ORINOCO AND APtJRE. 145 and man in the expedition, and having gained the ear, advanced with rapid strides to the heart and head of each with tales of the dreadfid state of the Independent army, — the miseries and pri- vations they all endured from the want of money, credit, or the means of proceeding, — the inhu- manities of which they were guilty, — the cruel and infamous behaviour of Bolivar even to those who were induced to join him, — and the intel- ligence which had just arrived of the success of the royalist General Morillo. The knowledge of all this induced these royalist reporters to warn the deluded English from advancing fur- ther in support of such a cause. Forsake it, and officers and men would be welcomed: the former would be assisted with the means of return to England ; the latter would be em- ployed in various situations on the island, and with salaries equal to their wants. On the other hand, the well wishers to the South American independence seemed as strong in party, if not stronger than their opponents. Equally zealous to be heard, and to convince, they adopted a more congenial mode of per- suasion, and it had its desired effect. "The ultimate success of the Independents," said they, "is certain. We admit that they are much distressed for money, yet they can command 14G EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS produce to any extent. They only want what they will speedily command, shipping from Eng- land, America, the West India islands, &c. to transport from the rivers of the Orinoco, to- bacco, coffee, cocoa, or chocolate, indigo, co- chineal, cotton, logwood, bark, horses, mules, and horned cattle ; the islands of the West Indies will be always ready purchasers for the live stock, which in general pays the mercliant well ; the run from the Main to tlie various islands being only that of a few days. All that the In- dependents need then is assistance in men, in arms and ammunition. They will receive you with love, gratitude, and friendship ; and with your united forces Caracas will fall into tlie hands of the patriots, and the ports of Cumana, la Guira, Barcelona, and others adjacent, will become an easy conquest, and secure the inde- pendence and freedom of the whole of tlie Co- lumbian territory. It is then that their go- vernment will acknowledge and reward your zeal in their cause ; for the present, personal comforts will not be wanting, and you will find every thing useful at Angustura.'* As I had come out determined to proceed to the Main, in spite of all tliat might be urged to deter me (having risked so much and proceeded so far), the latter reports doubled, if possible, my ORINOCO AND APURK. 147 desire to be there ; and on going on board in tlie afternoon, I attended to the conversation held in the great cabin, amongst the officers. I fairly told them what I had heard, both for and against ns. A few I found shaken in their resolutions either for proceeding or retiring from the service ; and although they did not actually resign, yet I feared the conflicting information they had obtained on shore would operate against the cause : the regimental order, however, which Ihad issued, for the heavy baggage to be shipped on board the schooner taken up for the con- veyance of the same to the Orinoco, would determine the intentions of all. The various articles of that description were now hoisted up from the hold of the Emerald, and conveyed on board the Liberty, which being commanded by a man of colour, and in the service of the Inde- pendents, had come out of carinage and passed the fort, with the patriotic flag flying at her main- top-mast-head. The shipment being completed, and Lieutenant-Colonel English, Lieutenants Plunkett and Smith, and eighteen non-commis- sioned officers, as the baggage guard, being all ready, I determined that they should sail that evening. An order, however, from the go- vernor, at the instance of the collector (who was not only the chief officer of the customs, but also military secretary and aid-de-camp to his ex* L 2 148 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS cellency Major General Rial), came on board, di- recting the detention of the schooner; and she would have been further directed to have hauled into the carinage, or under the guns of the fort, had I not passed my word of lionour for her re- maining at her anchorage until officially re- leased. We could none of us conjecture the occasion of this proceeding ; a second order, however, reached the Emerald, addressed to me, conveyed in a very o;entlemanlike letter from the judge of the island (the Honourable George G. Munro), stating tliat three of the men on board of her had applied for, and claimed the protection of the governor, and solicited his ex- cellency to order their discharge from the ship ; in consequence of which application on their parts, he had to request I would direct their immediate release accordingly. To evince my submission to the mandate of the governor of Grenada, I instantly ordered a parade of the men on the quarter-deck, and pointed out to them the liberality of the treatment they had received, the money and clothing w^hich had been be- stowed upon them, on the faith of the voluntary obligations in which they had bound themselves, the breaking of which rendered them not only defaulters in the actions and principles of ho- nour and honesty, but perjurers in the eyes of heaven. However, as three of them had set so ORINOCO AND APURE. 149 infamous an example of fraud and treachery to their comrades, I thought myself fortunate in getting rid of such contemptible, villanous and cowardly rascals, and in obedience to the general and governor's orders, discharged them, giving them at the same time to understand that I should proceed against them by law, for the recovery of the expenses attending their passage from England, and for the money advanced to them. At this moment also, information was brought to me that the large schooner belonging to the Venezuelian republic was in readiness to take the remainder of the officers and people on board, as all differences had been arranged between the agents and her captain : the Republican, there- fore, came out of the carinage, and anchored close to the Emerald; and that no detention might arise from my embarking on board her without permission from the governor, I waited on Mr. Munro, and stated my intentions, and asked if any further application became neces- sary. He answered, none; yet he acquainted me that he should be obliged to trouble me to call in the morning at his house, to answer the com- plaints of some men against me, to order the dis- charge of others on board, and to oblige him, by a statement before the governor of the reasons for the destruction of a Spanish ship in our pass- 150 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS age from Saint Bartholomew to Grenada, which two sailors had reported to have taken place, and which was corroborated by several of the soldiers whose informations had been that day taken. Here the reason of our detention w^as un- ravelled, and the veil of secrecy thrown aside. Mr. Munro was pleased to express his sorrow for our detention. He admitted the hardship of surrendering the men ; he lamented the losses I must necessarily sustain ; and he granted that I might proceed against every one of those who left the ship for the money alleged to be due from each, for passage and cash advanced. On changing the subject to the immediate and intended destination of myself and fol- lowers, and s})eaking of the probability of the ultimate success of the Independent cause, the judge condescended to tell me that such was the situation of the government at the island, from the silence of the secretary of state for the department at home, on the subject of South American affairs, that they were completely puzzled to know what to do. That, as matters now stood, it was not his excellency's intention to detain or throw any impediment in the way of the officers and men proceeding to the Main; but he was afraid the ship Emerald might be subject to detention, if satisfactory answers ORINOCO AND A PURE. 151 were not given to questions which would be put to tlie captain and supercargo. Mr. Munro was also so obliging as to inform me that he had seen Lieutenant-Colonel M'Donald, during the period he was there ; that Lieutenant-Co- lonel Wilson, the governor's aid-de-camp, and present acting collector, had been a brother sol- dier with M'Donald in the Royal Scots, and that they had renewed their intimacy when they met on the island. M'Donald, Mr. Munro said, had written to Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson since his arrival at Angustura, and that I might learn the treatment he had received, he would obtain for me a sight of the letter itself: I expressed my thanks, and stated at the meeting of the officers that evening the intelligence lately received from Colonel M'Donald*. Early on the following morning, the people were busily employed in removing the remaining * It was a letter from Colonel M'Donald to Lieutenant- Colonel Wilson at Grenada. After thanking him for his hospitality and kindness, he adds, he had safely arrived at Angustura, where he had been received with much friend- ship by the governor, and had been lodged in the palace, and treated with every attention. That a boat was ordered to convey him and his officers to the head-quarters of Ge- neral Bolivar, six hundred miles further up the river Orinoco, and that he was to embark the following day. Every at- tention liad been paid to his comforts on the passage. 15^ EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS baggage and stores necessary for the passage to the river Orinoco, on board the Republican schooner; during which time, I attended agree- able to appointment on shore. Lieutenant-Co- lonel EngHsh accompanied me to the judge's house, who told me that some of the men com- plained of being punished, by my orders, with confinement in irons, and one of them of having received corporal punishment, for nothing, dur- ing the passage out. I in vindication shewed my authority for the punishment of crimes, &c. committed by tlie men who had voluntarily taken an oath of submission to the just laws of the service in which they had enrolled them- selves ; I stated the nature of their several crimes and misdemeanors, and produced the original minutes of the courts martial which I had been obliged to assemble, wherein every form agreeable to British military custom and usage had been most scrupulously attended to, as the basis of that code on which I had de- termined to act towards my countrymen over whom I was to have command. The men who complained of having been put in irons had been guilty of drunkenness and insubordination nearly approaching to mutiny. Tlie lives and general safety of all on board had been at one interval at stake, and it was by ORINOCO AND APURE. 153 a prompt and decided act that peace, obedience and unanimity were restored. The fellow who was flogged was sentenced by a court martial, and also punished in tliat way for repeated acts of theft ; nor was there a man in the ship who did not, at the execution of his sentence, admit the justice of it. The complaint also, that I had administered an unlawful oath to the men, and had attempted to absolve them from their allegiance to our own beloved king and country, I denied, and produced the form of that which was taken. No further proceeding was deemed necessary on these points, and I was asked to state the par- ticular reasons, as far as I knew, for sinking the Spanish ship, which the informers had reported we had taken, ransacked and destroyed, under the flag of the Venezuelian republic, which the Emerald had hoisted. The captain of the shi]) (Weatherly), was also present ; he had, I pre- sumed, made his statement, together with Mr. Cowie, before my entrance : I gave as minute an account as I possibly could (the detail I have given in the preceding pages in this narrative, being the principal and leading features of the recapitulation of that event). His excellency joined his honour the judge in pronouncing that they saw no actual crime in what had been done, on the part of the captain of the Emerald; 154 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS although they considered him guilty of an error, which it might be dangerous for him to repeat*. Having thus baffled the villanous intentions of certain conspirators, I repaired on board the Emerald. As I before stated, the heavy baggage had been removed on board the Liberty. The light and remaining articles had also, in the course of the morning, been shipped on board the Republican : the all-prying collector too had not been idle ; he had made two visits in the course of the morning, one to the Liberty to search for arms, imagining the captain of the Emerald had broken bulk for the purpose of furnishing the people on board of that vessel with arms and ammunition. The collector well knew the destination of the people on board of her, and the certain fatality which would attend them all, in the event of their falling in with any of the royalist vessels, or gun-boats, which swarmed along the shores of the Main. This consideration, however, had no weight with him ; and this little party of gallant souls, in charge of every thing valuable belonging to both of- ficers and men, were left to risk all, without any means of defence, except the sabres, and a few * Tlie restrictions with respect to the Emerald pursuing her course from the island were not, however, taken off. The collector hoped he should touch a little cash by a further de- tention and ultimate seizure of sliip and freight. ORINOCO AND APUllE. 155 cases of pistols, and fowling pieces, belonging to the officers. However, he found nothing on board that could empower him to seize or fur- ther detain her, and the embargo was taken offi and she was pronounced at liberty to depart. Having got ready the despatches*, the port captain of Angustura, Mr. Dixon, the super- cargo of the Emerald, accompanied Lieutenant- Colonel English on board the schooner, and having given our advanced guard three sincere and cordial cheers (which were as cordially re- turned), she hoisted her canvas to the breeze, and soon left us " far behind." I considered myself thus fortunate, in having sent off the heavy baggage. Smaller vessels would now convey us to the Main, and the Republican, al- though nearly one hundred and twenty tons, would have been insufficient to have held us all with the stores. The remainder of the officers and men, with the exception of myself and the orderly officer attached to me, went on board the Republican, which was in a most crowded state, — many of the portmanteaus, &c. being left on deck, for want of stowage room in the hold of the vessel, the cabin (if it might be so called) admitting only four persons at a time, — there being no awning or shelter from a tropical sun by day, or • Sec letter to General Bolivar, and regimental order for embarkation, as marked in the Appendix. 15G EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS from rain or the dews of the night ; — and last, though not least, the filthy and disgusting state of the vessel itself, from vermin of every sort and kind, insects of every species, from the moscheto to the centipede, — made the whole appearance disgusting in the extreme. To add to the misery of the scene, several of my own people were lying on the deck, ill from the effects of the new rum which they had pro- cured and drank, in spite of every warning of mine and of the medical men, to which I had added other precautions, though they had proved abortive. Many of them were now suffering from the effect of drinking it. Another matter of moment engaged my most serious attention, and claimed immediate action, to prevent some very dangerous consequences. On my going on board very early in the morning (for I had slept on board the Emerald the night before), I found every thing in dis- order ; it had rained during the night, and the officers and men were miserably oflf^", wet and dirty, without the means of changing their clothing, and anxious for the full blaze of the sun to dry their dripping cloaks and bedding. I found also, to my sorrow, that during the night they had all, with only two exceptions (of officers), drank freely ; and that a quarrel had arisen between two of the officers, who had pre- viously been very intimate with each other. ORINOCO AND APURE. 157 The cause of disagreement, I learnt, had ori- ginated in the one taking the cloak of the other, which produced altercation : from the irritation of the moment, and the effects of the liquor they Jiad drank, words of scandal and reproach passed between the parties, while the senior officers in rank (amongst them Major Trewren), had rather augmented the dispute than lessened it. He however was himself too much addicted to nightly potations, and particularly on the last evening, to be enabled to give the explanation I demanded of him, for indeed he had hardly recovered himself at that hour, six o'clock a. m. Having had the whole matter faithfully detailed to me by the two gentlemen who had not for- gotten the charge entrusted to their care, I im- mediately sent for the one who had commenced the disagreement by taking the other's cloak from him during the night ; he anticipated my wish and intentions, by informing me that he deeply regretted what had passed, and so sin- cerely did he feel it, that just as I was coming on board he had made an apology to his brother officer, and received his willingly extended hand, in token of renewed friendship, and total forgetfulness of what had passed between them. This candor and good conduct disarmed me ; I sent for the other gentleman, and had the pleasure of hearing him say, he was '* perfectly l.OS EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS satisfied that it was a difference which the taking of too much liquor had occasioned," and, before me, they shook hands again. I had now to turn myself to another complaint also of a very serious nature. The Repub- lican, if she had not been taken up for the con- veyance of myself and followers to the Main, would have gone upon a cruise, and from what I afterwards learnt, on a complete piratical one. She had a complement of sailors on board, amounting to forty-one, amongst w^hom were some daring fellows, in fact complete privateer's men, English and Americans, and a few South Americans. And I perceived that many of the Emerald's refractory crew had joined them, par- ticidarly a strapping, insolent fellow, who had been boatswain, but had left the Emerald a few hours before, and who on all occasions headed any riot on board. He had seen me, my officers, and about twenty of the non-commissioned of- ficers, determined to oppose every sort of dis- respect or disobedience, as advances towards mutiny. He therefore, knowing the sentiments of his new shipmates, cursed the moment of our coming on board ; as it was in hopes of a for- tunate cruise that so many had entered, and not with the smallest intention of going to the river Orinoco. But to my story : the quarter-master ser- ORINOCO AND APURE. 159 geaiit (a man witli whose conduct and fidelity T had been acquainted many years, twelve of which he had served in the same regiment with me, both on home and foreign stations), came to me, and reported, that he had listened to some conversation amongst the seamen, during the night, which it was necessary for me to know. He said they had determined to seize all the sabres of the officers and men, and to collect all the pistols and fire-arms, as soon as they got to sea. It was not their intention to proceed im- mediately to the Orinoco : besides, said the quarter-master sergeant (who had also been our store-keeper, *' they are the most dreadful thieves m the world. They have, in the course of the night, after the light was out, broke into the middle hold, and stolen a quantity of cheese, and a jar of rum, and have besides taken your box of liquors." I immediately took possession of a long brass three-pounder which was on board, and had it run aft so that its muzzle, which could be elevated or depressed at pleasure,pointed to the bow of the schooner ; I directed the of- ficers to collect their sabres and pistols, and to have the latter in perfect order. The men were likewise warned to parade in squads on deck, with each his sabre. On preparing to obey the orders, many of the officers missed their sabres U)() EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and their regimental holster pistols, and some of them found their portmanteaus had been cut open, and several smaller pistols which they had in them stolen. The men were searching for their sabres, and when a return of " wanting'* was taken, it was discovered that forty-six sabres, and ten brace of pistols, were not to be found. Tlie captain of the schooner came on board at this moment. I stated to him what had occurred, and claimed his instant assistance in recovering the arms, &c. He took part with his men ; said he was certain there was not a thief on board, and I must wait until we got to sea be- fore we could attempt to search his ship. It was now time for me to speak : I told him that my rank in the Independent service of V^enezuela authorized me to compel him to obedience ; that I would take the command of the schooner, if necessary; that I knew well his infamous character, his intentions when he got to sea, and his fears, in consequence of the atrocities he had committed, of returning to Angustura ; that, for the present, I should turn up all his hands on deck, and search the holds of the vessel for the arms and other things missing. If the smallest demur was made by himself or men, I would repel it by force (j)ointing to the pistols and sabres we still retained, and to the ORINOCO AND APURE. l6l brass gun which I had ready aft, and which I declared should never be again in his possession until I and my friends quitted the schooner). This pirate blustered a little, but the officers and men being on the alert, all the seamen were ordered upon the deck, and not to attempt coming further aft than the main-mast, where sentries were placed. The hussars, with some of the officers, went below and pricked up the unwilling rascals, who were lingering in the holds, whilst the sentries and officers with sabres kept them from returning. At length, by ripping up some part of the linings, stripping off some boards at the bottom, and opening a few chests, I had the good fortune to recover from the va- rious hiding-places forty sabres, and seven brace of pistols, leaving only six sabres and three brace of pistols still unrecovered. I was afraid that the villains had thrown the whole slyly over- board, to prevent detection. I considered that the strength of the schooner's crew would tend, even during the few days pass- age to the river Orinoco, to harass all my of- ficers and men, in watching their movements ; and to make some of them quit quietly, whilst the vessel lay off the fort, I harangued them before their captain. I first d — d them heartily as rogues and rascals. I told them, that as soon as we got to sea, if they interfered in the 31 l6^ EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS slightest degree with my people, or committed any act of mutiny or disobedience, or varied the course of the schooner one league out of the way (which information I should learn from one of my own officers who would take daily obser- vations), I would tie Captain Tatem to his mast, and carry him a prisoner to the admiral, or go- vernment at Angustura : and if the black pilot on board did not take the vessel when ordered to the Orinoco, I would hang him to the yard- arm. That I was aware that they all intended going on a piratical cruise, and to make the hussars their accessaries, by an attempt at com- pulsion, in which case I w'ould turn the muzzle of the brass three-pounder to the forecastle, and give them its contents. After restoring a de- gree of peace, and putting the whole of my men on their guard, I went on shore to state to an officer of rank and trust in the British gar- rison what I had been obliged to do, and to pre- pare for putting to sea that evening. I had not been two hours on shore, when on going down the main street, I met Tatem, the captain of the schooner, who informed me, that he could not proceed to sea that night. On my telling him that the governor had issued his orders for that purpose, and that I was not tied to sail before sunset (the general regulation of the gar- rison), as I had got permission to take what ORINOCO AND APURE. l63 time might be necessary, provided I caused a private signal, of which I had been put in pos- session by the fort major, to be hoisted, he, Tatem, answered that he could not sail, for a circumstance had occurred which he knew would prevent me, and he was going to report it to the judge of the island. He then informed me a duel had just taken place between two of- ficers, one of whom was killed: I demanded the names. Mr. Braybrook, he said, was killed, and I was struck with astonishment, and with sorrow unspeakable, at learning the name of the survivor : with astonishment, at hearing that a difference so handsomely and so satisfactorily made up, three hours before, should have been renewed so fatally; and with sorrow, accompa- nied with a degree of horror, equal, I believe, to what the young man felt who was thus ren- dered so truly miserable and unfortunate. I could have cursed the words as w^ell as the lips which uttered this tale of woe to all but to himself; this savage pirate grinned whilst he re- lated the story, as if glad that any circumstance should occur to disappoint or prevent me from sailing. He had been peremptorily ordered to quit the bay that evening: he dreaded being sent to sea, because he knew I should force him to the Orinoco, where he had an account to M 2 164 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS settle for fraud and malpractices, which might cost him his head ; and that my statement alone, of his proper conduct on the passage, could keep it uninjured on its shoulders. On the evening previous, he had got himself arrested for a false debt, to prevent his going to sea ; but when he found that the vessel would probably go without him, the same good friend obtained his liberation. He was aware that a coroner's inquest would now supersede the late positive order for leaving the island, and he thought the final detention of all might follow; yet no matter by what means, so that his schooner, thus restored to himself, might again be left to pursue the piratical views of himself and rascally crew. The coroner's in- quest was officially announced, and took place accordingly; the result of which was tlie find- ing of the parties guilty, who, by leaving that part of the island, had evaded the imprison- ment which would have followed; yet so much matter came out on the examination of various witnesses on that lamentable occasion, in favour of the surviving party, and as the jury declared so much feeling and anxiety for an amicable adjustment had been evinced on the part of the immediate aggressor, that they regretted that the law and their duty compelled them to re- turn a verdict against him. In the midst of ORINOCO AND APURE. l6.5 my real grief, I received information that I might sail whenever I pleased, and that no further search would be made for the parties proscribed. I again prepared to get to sea on that evening*. I could not, however, get the captain on board, nor would the sailors get the schooner under way ; they told me they did not wish to go to the Orinoco immediately, nor would they on any account sail without their captain. The collector too had again made himself busy in searching for arms, and with great difficulty did I obtain permission for the officers and men to retain their swords, and the former their pistols also. This person would willingly have suffered us to have gone to sea, with a rebellious and infamous crew, without arms to have checked any insult or villanous attempt they might make against us, or even to defend ourselves against the blood-seeking enemy we were probably doomed to encounter on our passage to the Orinoco. But a senior in rank and authority, whose heart led him to feel as a soldier and as a man, put an end to all ideas * A letter which I had never seen until I perused it in the " St. George's Gazette," and afterwards in the " Morning Chronicle," of the 29th March, 1818, relative to that melan- choly subject, is now copied, and will be found in the Ap- pendix, marked I. It is to be regretted that the latter part of Mr. Hatchet's information was not more correct. 166 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS of such a proceeding, and we were allowed to retain some means of preservation. The collector had, however, succeeded in depriving the schooner of some four-pounders, which a friend had placed on board of us, fear- ing that we should want them. Situated as we were, the seamen refusing to get the schooner under way, the captain lurking on shore, with a second friendly arrest in his pocket, if attempted to be forced on board, the misery of my own people in the crowded state we were, and evi- dently an approach of sickness, I determined to return again to the Emerald, as ournatural home, and to await our proceeding to sea. I dared not longer risk the health of my people, and I knew if Lieutenant-Colonel English arrived safe on the Main, the admiral of the Venezuelian fleet would take care to despatch vessels for us. I received besides assurance from the prin- cipal agent, a South American of rank and power, that if I would remain on board the Emerald, he would hire a small schooner, and run down to Saint Lucia, where an independ- ent schooner of eighteen guns was refitting, commanded by an English officer, and direct her to come to Grenada, with all possible de- spatch, for the purpose of conveying us to the Orinoco. To this plan I now readily agreed, and issued orders for the general rendezvous in ORINOCO AND APUllE. idj the Emerald. This movement was, I believe, as unexpected as it was disagreeable to our friend Weatherly. It was, however, necessary, and the suddenness of our re- embarkation, I am very well convinced, prevented the negative being given to my wishes, had I waited to ask per- mission, — and this I had foreseen. We were therefore snug in our old quarters, and I de- termined to stick by the Emerald, the owners of which I knew to be under engagements to land us at Margarita, or some other port on the Spanish Main. However anxious my wish (and such in reality it was) to expedite our disembarkation on the Main, yet the health, safety, and necessary care and accommodation of my followers, were secondary considerations with me ; and hav- ing seen possession taken of our old quarters, I went on shore to report to the governor and council what I had been obliged to do. My reasons had their weight ; and I am in- clined also to think that the permission for the Emerald to leave the island, after her actual seizure and detention, owed its origin to me. I had accidentally, in the first instance, and pre- meditatively in the second, been the means of preserving that ship and her valuable stores from ultimate detention at the island of Grenada ; and, of course, of securing her final acquisition to 168 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS the navy of the Venezuelian republic. The oriirinal owners of her have therefore reason to thank me, and to feel that I deserve their grati- tude. On the score of actual possession, too, the republic of Venezuela have also reason to feel themselves obliged ; and even the collector of Grenada, although he bit his lips, and silently cursed my advocacy against the cause of the Emerald's seizure and detention, must now ad- mit that I saved him from many bitter pangs, and, perhaps, pecuniary penalties of the law, when the legality of his proceedings came to be fairly argued and finally adjudged. ORINOCO AND APURE. lC9 CHAPTER VI. The Emerald seized. — Further desertions. — Forty men aban- don the cause. — The RepubUcan flies in the night. — The council release the Emerald. — Three officers leave the service. — Sail for Cariacou. — The island of Grenada; its beautiful and romantic scenery. — British soldiers offer to desert and join the independents ; rejected by the author. — Arrive at Cariacou. — The Britannia, Prince, and Dowson, pass for Grenada. — Cariacou and its North-British inha- bitants.— The treatment of slaves. — Instances of their welfare and happiness. — The Grenadine islands. — Sail from Cariacou. THE Marquis Tovar* set off' very early the next morning in a light-decked boat for the island of St. Lucia, to order the Tiger up to Grenada; * This gentleman is the lineal descendant of the family of that rank and name, and a grandee of old Spain ; by birth a Caracasian, in which province he possessed estates of con- siderable magnitude and value. The palaces of Tovar, in and near the city of Caracas, were, before the revolution, su- perbly grand, and the establishment of their owners princely. The Marquis, however, took a leading part with the In- dependents, and his ample resources were distributed in the cause of liberty. He was therefore una voce requested to retain a rank and title which he had shielded from any lyO EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and that same morning the Emerald was seized on tlie part of the British government, by the collector of the customs. The alleged pre- tence was the quantity of arms and ammunition on board ; the omission in some of the forms of transfer received from the custom-house at Saint Bartholomew j the having broken bulk, either on her passage to Grenada or since her arrival there ; some errors in the ship's papers from England; and by way of a clincher ^ the probability of the report being true, that a Spanish ship, under the national flag of Spain, had been taken, boarded, plundered, and finally destroyed by the captain of the Emerald in the West India seas, and that a great part of her stores, &c. were actually on board the Eme- rald ; that the very cables of the ship thus de- stroyed were under the bottom of the Emerald as she then lay at anchor in Saint George's Bay. — Orders were issued to warp her into the ca- rinage. I went on shore to remonstrate with the judge, in the presence of the collector ; to assure rude attacks of the Patriots, by the display of so much virtue, heroism, fidehty, and friendship towards the general cause. Having placed his wife and two lovely daughters at the island of Saint Thomas's, and left his only son with Bolivar, as one of that general's aid-dc-camps (lately shot by Bolivar's side, at the action of Villa del Cura), he contri- butes to the cause, as an agent to the different islands, in behalf of the republic. ORINOCO AND ATURE. 171 him that myself, and thirty other respectable witnesses, were ready to make oath in contradic- tion to the falsehoods sworn against the captain of the Emerald : that the charge originated in the vindictive malice of some of the seamen and others, who had left the ship ; men of infa- mous characters. I was asked if I could swear that an unloadment of the arms, &c. and re- shipment of them at Saint Bartholomew, had literally taken place; I answered "certainly: as can also every other man on board." Again, were any arms, &c. carried away by the Liberty (in which Lieutenant-Colonel English had left the island), after being taken out of the Emerald for that purpose. In answering this, I expressed my fears at the danger my friends might en- counter from the want of arms and ammunition. The business of the Spanish vessel was then re- verted to, and I expressed my hope that affida- vits would be received from all the gentlemen and other credible characters on board, relative to that transaction, and so fully contradictory of the evidence given by others ; yet, not con- tent, the collector himself came on board the Emerald, ordered the arm-chests to be paraded on deck, and having selected one or two from the numbers, directed them to be opened, and the arms, as they lay packed in them, to be taken out and the numbers counted, to ascertain whether 172 EXPEDITION TO THE UIVERS they corresponded with the invoice produced. Having found all correct, and perused other documents, he said I had no right to re-embark on board the Emerald from the schooner with- out permission. I answered that my reasons had been admitted by the governor, to whom alone I thought myself accountable. The col- lector then retired to his boat along-side, saying the ship should be warped nearer to the fort, and that as the chief mate, in the absence of the captain on shore, refused to unbend the sails from the yards, he would send people to do so. I soon followed on shore : I entreated an audience of the governor, who was pleased to allow me an interview, in the presence of the judge. I again detailed every particular I knew, and his excellency condescended to express his sorrow at the seizure of the ship, nor did he he- sitate to add that he was inclined to think the collector not only premature in his conduct, but that circumstances did not appear to autho- rise such severe measures. He, however, had stated his opinion to the collector, who thought otherwise, and, as such, it was his duty to sup- port him. In that case he should be obliged to order the whole of the people on shore, bring the ship into the carinagc, and place proper officers of the customs on board. I, with defer- ORINOCO AND APURE. 173 ence to his orders and opinions, and to which I protested, on my honour, I should yield im- plicit obedience, begged of his excellency to consider what was to be done with the men. It would be impossible for me to be accountable for their conduct, if separated from them, or if they were allowed to be at large in the streets. They would require lodgings and subsistence, for the captain could not be made to issue rations from the ship, thus taken from his com- mand. That the gentlemen in the character of officers had no means of providing for them- selves, and must evidently also be thrown on the government-stores, for daily subsistence or rations. I assured the general and governor, that the owners of the ship were too respectable, too high in public estimation at home, too inde- pendent in principle and means, to suffer the Emerald to leave England without the pos- session of every document necessary for her safety and their honour and character, as men in the mercantile world. That the captain of the ship was long known to the owners; himself a man of large independent property, and one worthy of his employers' best opinion: that I was confident from what I had seen, known, and felt, that Weatherly was too proud, too up- right in spirit, and too wise, to commit himself by any venal transaction. 174 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS The place of security for the people was a dilemma for which the general had not provided, and it came before him unexpectedly. It was, however, of sufficient consequence to claim a moment's attention before a final order was issued. It was thus determined, then, that I should go immediately on board, with leave to visit the shore daily, and to permit a few of the young men, under my charge, to accompany me: that I should give my solemn word of honour to preserve obedience amongst the re- maining people, and that they should not op- pose any orders that might be issued : that on such terms, they might also keep their arms, I, without any hesitation, instantly complied, and went on board. In the interim, the sails of the ship had been unbent from the yards, and were taken on shore. The collector had informed the men that the cause in wliich they had engaged themselves was a bad one, and that all who wished to leave it might follow. Men to whom I had advanced various sums of money for the use of themselves and family now left me, and several of them, thus sup- ported, bid me stop what they owed me from the money each was to receive, and went laughing over the sides of the ship. Others, in whom I had placed confidence, and imagined I could depend upon, lured by tlic promises of place ORINOCO AND APURE. 175 and preferment offered to their view, left me with apologies for withdrawing themselves, ex- pressed their sorrow in leaving me, and hoped they should one day or another he enabled to pay me what I had advanced. Others, who swore that nothing should make them swerve from the cause, and that they would stick by me to the last, borrowed money to go on shore to buy some little comforts, but never returned. In this manner I lost forty men, many of whom died in their new employments of clerks, overseers, bailiffs, and bailiffs-followers. Two or three of the most abandoned on board the ship turned methodist preachers, and soon ga- thered congregations of sinners around them, and got on well. Others, who could not turn their heads or hearts to prayers, and whose hands could rise no higher than the lip, soon, very soon lost all hope of earthly comforts, and soon ceased to want them. My surprise was once more augmented by the arrival of an officer and forty men belonging to the second, or Queen's regiment, coming on board the Emerald, to do duty as a guard, and to prevent any articles from going on shore. Report on shore said that a light vessel had been despatched to the British admiral at Barbadoes, detailing all the events, and requesting of him to look out for the three remaining ships. 176 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS A council, however, met, and deliberated on the seizure of the Emerald : all was quiet the next day. Late in the afternoon, the officer's guard was relieved by another subaltern, and an equal number of men : but, during the last night, the schooner Republican, taking advan- tage of the darkness, the absence of the wor- thy captain Tatcm, and of some of the worst part of the crew, and to obviate her probable de- tainer, put to sea in a thick mist, and ran off undiscovered. When day-light appeared, she was completely out of sight. Mr. Tatem li- berated himself from his convenient arrest, and was soon running about the street declaiming like a madman ; I believe, to the amusement of all not concerned. The sentiments of the council were, in the course of the following morning, declared in favour of the Emerald. There was a risk in her detention, which none but the collector would run ; and he, after being fully persuaded he would irrecoverably burn his toes, as well as fingers, if he per- sisted, agreed to let go the hold he had so long retained. Besides, what were the govern- ment to do with the landsmen on board? how were they to account for the expenses which would unavoidably accrue? In short, after the captain had paid two or three hundred pounds for fees, kc. the restriction was taken off, the ORINOCO AND APURE. 177 sails were restored, the guard dismissed, and the ship was permitted to leave the island as soon as the articles taken out of the Spanish ship had been removed to the custom-house on shore. We had been detained in Saint George's bay ten days ; it was a most serious ten days to all engaged. Hope and fear had alternately op- pressed us. Weatherly and myself suffered most from anxiety. But I was doomed not to boast of even partial happiness without a mixture of dis- appointment. Some of the officers expressed their fears of going further, until some real information was obtained : I had come out, with a determina- tion to give my engagements fair trial, — to see, at least, the capital of the province of Venezuela, and other parts of the Carracas; I am sorry, there- fore, to record the resignation of three officers flying from the voluntary engagements they had entered into, and withdrawing themselves from the ship, of two of whom I more than regretted the loss as companions and friends. One of those seceders, for there Avere fourin all, did, like the immortal Bunyan in his Pilgrim's Progress, sit himself down to dream ; so, like him, he has dreamt, and published too, a Rhapsody, not of heavenly hopes, ideas, and assured prospects of eventual happiness, but of the basest fabrica- tions, the most barefaced falsehoods, and the N 178 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS most villaiious acts of infamy and deception : his progTess, therefore, must lead him to risk at least tlie detestation of mankind, and in the end, (if he seeks not the " valley of repentance,'*) to the gates and inner apartments of hell. But what of that ? you and I have free souls ; it touches us not. — " Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung.'* As the reasons as- signed for tliree of the gentlemen leaving the service and the ship have been so falsely de- tailed, I feel it necessary to annex to my Ap- pendix the letter of resignation from Captain Hebden, which is copied from the original, now in my possession, and a second from a Mr. Batchelor, who had been appointed paymaster to the first Venezuelian regiment of lancers then under the command of Colonel M 'Donald (see letters marked J. and K). Captain Hebden, Lieutenants M'Donald and Simons, Cornet Gunnel, and paymaster Batchelor, were struck oft the strength of the regiment accordingly. We now prepared to get under way: Captain Weatherly went on shore to obtain repossession of the ship's papers, which had been detained, leaving orders for the Emerald to salute the fort as slie passed, and to stand off" and on from the mouth of the bay to a certain point out of the reach of the battery, until he returned on board. Mr. Cowie took charge of the ship j we saluted ORINOCO AND APURE. 179 the fort (more a compliment to the governor, for his excellency's impartial and gentlemanly con- duct in the discharge of the Emerald) with fifteen guns, which, however, he did not con- descend to return, and we proceeded to the offing. Early on the morning of Sunday, Captain Weatherly, and Mr. Guthrie the merchant, and the agent for the Venezuelians at Grenada, and to whose liberality, hospitality, and friendship, I feel a pleasure in paying this tribute of grati- tude and perfect recollection, came on board. Our destination was now to the little island of Cariacou. The island of Grenada has been so often spoken of by various writers, and its romantic hills, valleys, and dales so frequently described, that I shall not trespass on the reader's time or attention by attempting a recapitulation. Suffice it, that every description I have read or heard does no more than justice to the beauties of its scenery. The grandeur and magnificence of its heights and mountains, the noble appearance of the citadel, fort, and barracks at Richmond hill, the fertility of the soil, the extent of its numerous plantations, its fruits, and some of its public and private edifices (amongst which the governor's house, from its elegance without, and its accommodation, convenience, and real comforts within, suited to the climate where it n2 180 EXPEDITIUX TO THE RIVERS stands, tlie view from the rear to the exten- sive srlen behind, and that from the front to the waters of the Carinage, where the shipping appear floating in the great basin, which the hand of nature has so dcHghtfully formed), are truly worthy of celebration, and my pen could willingly dwell longer on all its other natural beauties and artificial improvements. Of the hospitality of the natives or its settlers I have only two instances to record ; — the kindness of the officers of the second regiment of foot, who honoured me with an invitation to their mess, and the attentions of Mr. Guthrie, before mentioned. An opportunity, however, occurred of shew- ing my sense of duty, propriety, and strict determination not to sully the character of a British officer, even to aid the cause in which I had latterly embarked myself. I have before said that the deficit of forty men pressed hard upon me, and their loss, bad as some of them were in character and conduct, was an event I had not prepared myself to encounter, or even to expect. On the night of our leaving St. George's bay, whilst I was sitting in my own cabin, with two of the officers in company, one of our own sergeants entered to tell me that a young man, who had just come on board, in what manner he could not tell, wished to speak with me in / ORINOCO AND APl'KK. 181 j)rivate. The occurrence was so strange, that I inquired if any other stranger was with him, and learnt there was not. I did not then he- sitate to admit him, when a very fine young man, in the undress jacket of the second regi- ment of Britisli infantry, presented himself be- fore me. He told me he had been one of the first batch of the guard, wiio had been doing duty on board the Emerald the preceding day; that many of the men were desirous of leaving the island, and of entering with me, into the in- dependent service; that a party belonging to the regiment had met, after their evening pa- rade, andliad appointed him to endeavour to get a secret conveyance to the ship, and to hand me a list of names of those who were ready to accompany me. On the piece of paper which he then gave me was wTitten twenty-seven names of men belonging to the second or Queen's regiment, all of whom, he told me, would be ready at twelve o'clock that night to come off, if the boat was sent to bring them, from a point of land which he described, about four miles below the town of Saint George's, and where a sugar-house light was discernible. I asked him how he came on board ; he said he had prevailed on a negro to bring him off in a small boat, and that one of my men to whom he had spoken, and who was the sentry at the gang-way, had let him come quietly on board. 182 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Having heard him thus far, I called in the officers, who were previously in my cabin, and in their presence, and before the serjeant, who was listening, I expressed my sorrow that he should have subjected himself to the punish- ment he so justly merited ; that I did not come there to seduce British soldiers from their duty and allegiance, or to encourage desertion from British regiments. To convince him of the indignation I felt at his conduct, I should send him on shore in irons, and in charge of an officer, who should deliver him up to the fort, as the nearest point to where the Emerald then was. The young soldier then fell at my feet, and upon his knees craved my mercy : he said he knew he should be flogged, or " shot to death," if I gave him up. He implored my pity and cansideration in the most moving terms ; he re- gretted what he had done. Some of the hussars, he said, had prevailed on himself and comrades to consent. If I would pardon him, he would swim on shore ; he could get to the barracks without being missed, and he could be in time to prevent his comrades from leaving their quarters, before they were suspected. At first I thought it was a trap to seduce me, baited by the hand of one who was anxious to catch me tripping, and with that idea, I determined to put my threat into immediate execution, and warned an officer for the occasion. ORINOCO AND ArUKE. 183 The condition of the young delegate ; tlie fear of punishment with which his whole frame was convulsed j the imploring attitudes for mercy, for pity, and forgiveness, which he in all the characteristics of nature displayed, con- vinced me he was not the tool of one high in authority, but the actual messenger he pro- claimed himself. I then possessed the power of granting the mercy he implored, and, with an admonition intended for all to hear, had him conveyed on shore. I did hear some time afterwards that the garrison had some suspicion that a few of its men would desert. If the commanding officer of the regiment suspected that I would for a moment countenance such an act, he did me the greatest injustice. No known deserter was ever enrolled on the strength of the first Venezuelian hussars, and the minuteness of my inspection of those who offered their service, previous to my leaving England, prevented the possibility of the recep- tion of such characters. We made the island of Cariacou on the morning of the fourth day after leaving th;it of Grenada : to this island, where we could re- main free from detention, we had resorted, not only for the above security, but to await the arrival of the other vessels, and as they passed I84f EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS in view from our ship on their way to Grenada, to warn them, by signal or otherwise, of the dilemma, in which we had been, and to prevent, if possible, their similar detention. At this island also we expected to hear some news respecting the republic brig of war " the Tiger," which the Marquis Tovar had gone to St. Lucia to order to Grenada. We found here the marquis waiting for us. He told me that Captain Hill would come off in a day or two ; that he was waiting only for the hnish of some carpenter's work, and should not be detained above two days. After lying at anchor off the island for thirteen days, we perceived first the Britannia pass, which either did not see or refused to acknowledge the private signal displayed from our mast- head. The day following the Prince and Dowson followed, but no communication, even by signal, passed between us. They were standing for Grenada, and were distinctly perceived, and as- certained to be the ships I have named by the captain of the Emerakl. We hoped they would only stand off and on, and that Mr. Guthrie (who had gone back to Grenada several days before in an island schooner), woidd board them before they came to anchor, and report the detention we had met, and the loss of our men. In such case, we trusted ORINOCO AND APURE. 185 we should all soon assemble at Cariacou ; but there being no appearance of them for the three succeeding days, and reports having reached us, by a boat from Grenada, that one if not all of the ships were seized. Captain Weatherly de- termined to look into Saint George's bay once more, to ascertain, if possible, the actual state of matters there, — intending to return to Ca- riacou, if an interview with Colonel Campbell in the Dowson could not be obtained. We had been waiting, in daily expectation of the arrival of the Tiger, in which I had determined to embark, and not remain buffeting about off the various islands in the West Indies. Captain Weatherly w^as looking out, too, for the return of Mr. Dixon, the supercargo, whose safe ar- rival in the Orinoco, and the perfect health of all our friends on board, we had ascertained from a small schooner belonging to Mr. Guthrie, just come from Angustura. She had fallen in with the Liberty going up, as she was coming down the river. This news was pleasing ; yet it gave no im- mediate hope of Dixon's speedy return, and Captain Weatherly seemed determined not to risk the Emerald over the bar at the mouth of the Orinoco, or to run down to the island of Margaritta, without certain information that 186 EXrEDITION TO THE RIVERS the Veneziielian republic were not only able but willing to purchase the siiip, and to pay for her on delivery. We had been abreast of the island of Cariacou fifteen days ; during the whole of which period the treatment we received from its hospitable inhabitants w^as liberal and friendly in the extreme. In me, it would be ungenerous and ungrateful, unworthy the character of a man, were I to pass over in silence the civilities and personal friend- ship I received from the worthy and liberal- hearted North Britons who inhabit its soil. The marked and attentive acts of polite, friendly, and generous reception and kindness, shewn me, by a Robinson, a M'Lean, a Wilson, and a M'Kenzie, are never to be obliterated from my recollection. The first-mentioned gentleman honoured me by assigning over an apartment in his house, as my sleeping chamber, during the whole period of my stay upon the island, as well as giving me a general invitation to his table ; of the food, wine, and fruits which covered it every day, he obliged me to partake, excepting only on such days as, through his introduction, I was favoured with invitations to the neiirhbourins: plantation houses on the island, where the re- sident agents and overseers of the estates seemed ORINOCO AND APURE. 187 to vie with each other in shewing their hospi- tality. As horses were in daily attendance, both for myself and the officer whom I chose to ac- company me in my rides, I made the tour of the island, which is in several parts beautifully pic- turesque and romantic. The sites chosen for the erection of the various dwelling-houses belong- ing to the planters are well adapted for the cli- mate and situation ; and the soil around is fer- tile, both in corn, grass, cotton, and sugar-canes. If I remember right, there are not more than four sugar estates on the island of Cariacou. Having paid a just eulogium to the hospi- tahty of the inhabitants of this island, it would be unjust not to speak of their treatment of their slaves. I was myself an eye-witness to the order, re* gularity, and daily occupation of the slaves, both on the island of Saint Bartholomew and at Cariacou: in the former island, I had an oppor- tunity of seeing as well as hearing the manner of their treatment, both as to work and diet, and further as to the nature and extent of punishment allowed and practised, under the island laws of Sweden upon that head. At the various planta- tion estates I visited whilst at St. Bartholomew, I had no reason to deprecate kindness, in any one instance, from the master in behalf of his 188 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS slave. He was treated with christian-like kind- ness, and lie appeared to obey every order he received with alacrity and pleasure. I, who had resided several years at the colony of Good Hope in South Africa, coidd indeed have related acts of infamous persecution, and the most atrocious scenes of cruelty and inhumanity practised there towards the unfortunate slaves under the Dutcli laws, and continued unabated even when the British government bore sway, until the mild, benign, and humane Macartney abrogated their merciless system of punishment, and forced them into acts of humanity. Witli the most heartfelt pleasure did I draw the line from what I had witnessed in South Africa to what I witnessed at Saint Bartholomew, — to what I partially observed at Grenada, and to what I now saAv at the island of Cariacou : during the diurnal work of the negro and ne- gress, commencing at the first blush of tlie morn, I have followed and remarked the labour of each : I have travelled home with him to his cabin or cottage (the buildings forming either being erected with wood, mud, or stone, on a spot of ground selected by tlie overseer in the absence of the owner of the estate, where shel- tered from the winds, lines of cabins are raised forming streets, each house having its piece of ORINOCO AND APURE. 189 garden ground), to see him enjoy his meal; and I have witnessed him at sun-down partaking of and sharing the allowance of nun granted to Jiim, with liis wife and family. In the morning, too, I have seen the female slave, witli others, preparing the raw cotton for the various processes it goes through in cleansing from its seeds and dirt, &c. before it is packed for sliipment : I have noticed tlie different avo- cations of all, and the general treatment, the manner in which they are lodged, fed, clothed, comforted, and succoured in sickness and dis- ease, by the resident surgeon on the estate, who is also lodged, fed, and paid, at so much per head, for his care of their complaints, and for his medical attendance. See the negro at work for himself, on Sa- turday from mid-day ; see him digging in his garden, whistling or singing as he works. View the inside of his cabin ; see the ecsrs he has to sell, the fruit he has raised, plucked ready for a similar purpose. Cast your eyes round the door of his cabin, and you will also see the stock of poultry which he has reared for sale at the Sunday's general market — ar- ticles which by the island laws the master dare not deprive him of, without due purchase. On Sunday view him in his decent clothing at- tending the market; selling his vegetables, fruit. 190 EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS or poultry, and joining, at evening, in the merry dance : Is he not happy and contented ? I have often thought ; and said, whilst looking at the cheerful group, what would not our poor coun- trymen give to exchange their poverty and misery at home for such a state? When old age creeps on, when sickness, disease, or acci- dents have occurred to render him no longer use- ful to his owner, still is he fed, clothed, lodged, and compassionately treated. On large planta- tions, such as the one over which my friend Robinson has control, and which consists of one hundred and twenty slaves ; and the other where Mr. M'Lean resides, consisting of at least one hundred and seventy, the negroes are divided into gangs or squads, for the purposes of their various works. Amongst such a number, a set of stubborn, idle, and refractory characters are naturally to be found. These the negro drivers, in the presence of the overseer, are obliged to punish with the whip. Is it, however, likely, does it stand good in the eyes of reason, of common sense, independent of personal and pe- cuniary interest, that this slave should be pu- nished with such merciless cruelty, as to de- prive his owner of his services, or prevent his return to the daily work on the estate, by bruises, wounds, and sickness, which such pu- nishment had inflicted upon him ; not to insist ORINOCO AND APURE. 191 upon the danger of his death in such a climate, whereby the owner would incur a loss of at least j^lOO? It is not likely such severity would occur ; yet lest a circumstance of such a na- ture should happen (giving full scope for the different feelings of different men), the legis- lature has mercifully placed a bar against such an act of inhumanity on the part of the owner of the slave, by directing and restraining even the numerical amount of the stripes the negro shall receive at one period of time ; and it has also given notice to the slave where to obtain redress, should any inhumanity or injustice be shewn towards him by his master. I remember well, that, at a conversation which passed at Mr. Robinson's table, in consequence of a want of boiled eggs at supper, I observed, that as I went through the line of negro huts in the morning, I saw a large collection of eggs in the different cabins. Mr. Robinson answered that he had heard so, and had sent for some, but the answer returned was, "the negroes had been collecting and saving them for the passengers belonging to the large ship, and could not spare them.'* I was astonished at hearing such a message, and I expressed my wonder that he, Robinson, did not order the slaves to send up to the house what quantity he wanted, paying them the market price. 192 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS He told me that such an order would be deemed impro})er and tyrannical by the law of the island; the various articles reared by the slave were his whole and sole property, to vend where -he pleased, and to whom he chose. What would an English gentleman say to the farmer on his estate who would refuse to sell butter, eggs, poultry, or any other article he had for sale to him, his landlord, for ready money, at the market price ? He could not flog or punish him, any more than Mr. Robinson could the negro, but he could warn him from the land, raise his rent, if he found it difficidt to eject him, harass and distress him, and at length drive him from the home where it was possible his sire had long before resided, and where he himself first drew breath. The village of Cariacou consists of about twenty houses, built irregularly on a flat spot of ground in a line with the shore, from which the main road or street is about sixty paces distant. The principal and best-built houses belong to the merchants who have stores there, con- taining European goods, and articles of various kinds, for the immediate use of the settlers on the island, which, being one of the Grenadines, is tributary to the government of the island of Grenada, and under its authority. ' ORINOCO AND APURi:. 193 The island of Union is another of the Gre- nadines ; it has also its romantic spots ; and its hills, its valleys, and its plains. By nature it is almost every thing — by art, nothing : very few houses are built upon it, very little of its soil cultivated, and the property on it, in general, belongs to Mr. Span, a merchant of Bristol. It is about three leagues S. W. of Cariacou. 194 EXPEDITION TO THE IlIVEHS CHAPTER VII. Return off Grenada. — Joined by the Dowson. — Accounts of dissensions in Colonel Wilson's corps, &c.— Plan of ope- rations suggested. — Arrival of an agent, Mr. Hudson, from the Main.— His appearance and conversation, &c. — Secret project to seize a West India island. — Seizure of the Prince. — Breaking up of the corps of artillery. — Mysteriousness of Mr. Hudson. — The author suspects him. — Resolves on abandoning the object proposed under a secret oath. — Music, and its interruption. — TheBritannia joins, with only five officers on board. — Ultimately quit Grenada, leaving the Prince under embargo. — Reach Saint Lucia, and fall in with the Venezuelian schooner of war the Tiger, in which embark for the Orinoco. ON the fifteenth day after our first appearance off Cariacoii, we lioisted "blue Peter'* at our fore-top gallant mast head, and fired a gun as notice of our intention to proceed to sea. Three or four of our gentlemen had strayed into the interior of the island, but soon hastened to the beach, on hearing the signal. The boat having been ordered on shore to bring them off to the ship, they were all soon on board, and the Eme- rald once more got under way, with her head to the island of Grenada. In six hours after our leaving Cariacou bay we were off the bay of OHINOCO AND APURK. 10'> Saint George's at Grenada, and on our standing in perceived the Dowson, Britannia, and Prince lying at anchor in the roadsted. Having made our private signal, it was answered by the Dowson, and shortly after we perceived that ship get under way, and stand towards the Emerald. As our captain did not choose to place himself again under the guns of the fort, or within the range of their shot, we continued to stand off and on until the Dow- son neared us, and Captain Weatherly having lowered his gig, went on board and soon re- turned, bringing with him Colonel Campbell and Major Graham of the red hussars : I greeted Campbell with real sincerity and friendship. As I had not seen him since my departure from home, I had many inquiries to make, and he was enabled to give me much information on several points, as he had left England twenty days later than myself. He confirmed the me- lancholy news of the total loss of the Indian, with the whole of her ill-fated passengers and crew. Colonel C. told me also that he had fallen in with the Britannia and the Prince at Saint Bartholomew, and that they had sailed from that island in company to Grenada. That since their arrival there they had experienced a good deal of difficulty and embarrassment, from the desertion of the men, and the strict- o 2 196 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ness with which the government had attended to various complaints of several of the people who had left him ; but that he had got over it all, and should now keep aloof whilst theDowson remained in those seas. He had, he said, se- veral officers of Colonel Wilson's regiment at- tached to him, as well as others belonging to Colonel Gilmour's artillery, who had volunteered to join his rifle corps. Some dissensions had arisen between Colonel Wilson and several of the officers of the red hussars ; and they had in consequence left him : Colonel Gilmour, too, was on the eve of breaking up the brigade, and returning to England. Colonel Campbell having private business to transact wdth Captain Weatherly on behalf of his brother, who was part owner of the Emerald, I took Major Graham into 1113^ cabin, and from him learnt that the disputes in Colonel Wilson's corps had been numerous ; that several of the officers, himself at the head, had determined to liire a schooner at Saint Bartholomew^ and to come down to Grenada in hopes of falling in with me, and to offer their services in the regi- ment under my command ; but not being able to procure a vessel for that purpose, they had embarked on board the Dowson, under an en- gagement with Colonel Campbell, if he would give them a passage to Grenada, to enrol them- ORINOCO AXn APURE. 1^7 selves under liis banners, in case I should have left Grenada previous to their arrival. On these terms, Colonel Campbell agreed to receive them on board, and on the Dowson's ar- riving off Grenada, and linding that the Emerald had actually sailed from thence (not knowiiig of her being at the neighbouring island of Ca- riacou), he and his friends had joined the rifle corps. I was more than vexed at tlie misfortune of losing sucli men ; and it was now too late to repair the loss of them by any accommodation on that head between Colonel Campbell and myself. When we all met again in my cabin, I inquired what was to be done ? where were we to go ? how were we to act ? For my own part, as he (Colonel Campbell) had joined, I con- ceived that a meeting of the colonels should take place, and some plan be adopted for pre- sent and future proceedings. A jealousy I knew existed on the part of Colonels Wilson and Gil- mour towards me, and that it would be impos- sible to draw with them, unless I gave up mv own pretensions. Yet the good success of the cause in which we had originally started, and with such apparent unanimity on all sides, seemed to demand some sacrifices, and I determined in my own mind to commence the undertaking. 198 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS For this purpose I seriously addressed Colonel Campbell (after having submitted my plan to the officers of the regiment under my orders, and received their entire approbation), and thus proposed to him, viz. that the three ships should unite their forces, and go immediately down to the Main, touch at Margarita, for our authority from the council there, and commence an attack on Cumana. We could then muster a force of nearly four hundred and fifty officers and non- commissioned officers ; we had every kind of ar- tillery, small arms and ammunition, and every prospect of success awaited us. We should next open a passage for Bolivar's army to enter the Caraccas, with whom we could communicate in four days after our landing. That I would with pleasure act second in command to himself on that occasion, andbecome completely an infantry man, without relinquishing the claims I had for priority on joining the independent army under General Bolivar. Colonel Campbell said it would be impossible to get the captains and supercargos of the ships to consent. The master of the Bri- tannia, with the artillery on board, would not suffer Colonel Gilmour to mount a gun, nor would the supercargo of the Prince, provided she was not detained, agree to any proposition of that kind from Colonel Wilson. It was true ORINOCO AND APURE. 199 that he himself could order and direct the Dowson where he pleased, and he had some au- thority over the Emerald. However, he should, he said, go on shore : he would learn what the sentiments of Colonels AVilson and Gilmour were, and see me the next morning. Next morning he came on board, agreeably to his promise, bringing with him a stranger whom he introduced by the name of Hudson, and as one just arrived from the Main, where he had held responsible situations under the republican go- vernment. This fellow's appearance surprised me as much as his conversation, and he struck me as being a renegado from one side to the other. I jumbled him in my mind's eye at the moment, as a spy ready to turn again to the highest bidder. In short, he begat in me a dis- like, almost amounting to a positive detestation. However, very shortly after Colonel C came on board, he requested a private conver- sation with me. We repaired into my cabin, and after a short preface he told me, he had a plan to suggest for my consideration, wliich would put me in possession of superior rank to that which I then held in the independent army, and one wliich would insure to me a most splendid addition to my income in the course of three months from that period. I was all attention ; not a word he uttered escaped my ears. The whole of the 200 EXPEDITIOX TO THE RIVERS officers and non-commissioned would each re- ceive a proportionate share ; the success of the enterprise was certain, and the victory easily gained. There was one thing, however, for him still to add, that although I should receive the rank of general with himself, yet I must act junior to him, and under his command. On condition of having none of the other officers put over my head, I accepted the proposals made. My next inquiry was, where was the point at which we were to act ? Under whose im- mediate command, for I did not presume to think we were to be self-created generals, fighting for the possession of castles in the air. The co- lonel told me, that he was himself tied down to secrecy by the solemnity of an oath not to divulge the nature of the plan, or give a hint respecting the situation of the place, unless to one bound down in a similar way to himself. He had, he said, leave to intrust the secret to me, leaving me a free agent (after I had been sworn, and had the plan revealed to me) to act as I chose— to accept or refuse ; silence was all that was required of me on the occasion, if I resolved not to proceed in the affair. We here parted — he to go on shore, with a promise of seeing me early the next morning, after I had imparted the matter to my officers, who were to rely on my discretion and honour ORINOCO AND APUKE. 201 not to accede to any scheme or plan, which would injure our future characters and pre- tensions. The next day Colonel Campbell came early on board. He told me, Colonel Gilmour had broken up the brigade of artillery, and that Co- lonel Wilson had collected the few officers and men he had left into a body, and was about hiring a schooner to take them all down to the Orinoco, without further delay; that the Prince was seized under some pretence or another ; some said by the imprudence of Mr. James Mackintosh, wlio had attempted to dispose of some bread, purchased at St. Bartholomew for the ship, for some other articles at Grenada. True it was that the Prince was seized and detained. Mr. James Mackintosh and the ladies came to England shortly after, leaving a brother on the island, to watch the result. But to return to my narrative. Colonel Campbell then asked me, if I had considered of the proposition. He had himself been bound under a similar tie of secrecy, and it was necessary it should be so, to prevent the smallest intelligence of the affair getting wind ; as the success depended on a strict adherence to concealment. Having weighed the matter well, and finding that 1 was only bound to secrecy until after the result of the business, or in failure thereof. 202 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS until the nature of it had attained general pub- licity ; and likewise,' that in case of my disap- proval of part or of the whole scheme, I was still at liberty to advance or to retire, I agreed to learn this secret, on the terms offered. In con- sequence Colonel Campbell administered to me the oath of secrecy, and having called for a chart, whereon M^as delineated a certain island in the West Indian sea, he informed me, that it was proposed to take the ships there, and at the spot he pointed out, a reinforcement of two thousand men with arms, &c. would be ready to co-operate with us, in the furtherance of the general plan. From the point of rendezvous in the island of he led me to the Main, and having surmounted some trifling difficulties and impediments, easily subdued and passed over in theoretical persuasion and idea, the co- lonel advanced, with his finger as his guide, to a spot on terra firma, wdiere he lialted, to place before my delighted imagination heaps of gold and jewels, as a reward for our labour and our risks. He told me that tlie person whom I had seen yesterday (who he should now particularly introduce to me) was authorized to confer rank on the officers, and empowered to manage the whole affiiir, and by thus making an unexpected movement towards tlie phicc pointed out, insure complete success to the cause of the South Ame- ORINOCO AND APURE. 203 rican Patriots, in their attempt at freedom and independence in that quarter. The information as to the authority given to Mr. Hudson, by whom, to what extent, and other particulars I deemed it necessary for myself to possess, I could not obtain even in the private interview between Mr. Hudson and myself. I was, however, assured by this self-created ambassador that he would be open and candid with me, and that he w ould convince me of the whole plan having met with the approbation of the independent Republic, and that he was fully empowered to manage and control the affair, in the capacity of their principal agent : all that he wanted was intelligent officers to conduct the military part of the business, and to establish a footing on the spot to be first attacked. The officers of my own regiment did me the favour of giving their unanimous consent to placing themselves under my guidance, and Co- lonel Campbell came into the great cabin where all were assembled, to recapitulate before them the advantages which would arise to each, the success which must necessarily attend them, and the certainty of the gains, on the accomplish- ment of the object in view. All his own of- ficers, he said, had agreed in toto to the mea- sure, without seeking further information on the subject than the knowledge that they were 201' EXPEDITION TO THE RIVn:RS to ])e supported by a force equal to their ut- most wishes, and for tJie insurance of ultimate success. The whole of the 1st Venezuelian hussars agreed to the same terms. Soon after, a conversation took place again between Mr. Hudson and myself. There was sometliing so mysterious in his expressions on the matter, something so hidden and concealed in liis at- tempts at further explanation, and so little con- Hdence shewn on liis part, thatlbecame doubtful, and equally suspicious respecting his character and himself. Where were the credentials au- thorizing him to head and manage such in- tended attack, whicli from tlie force to be em- ployed was not deemed despicable in its probable and possible meansof defence and o])position? I again, when alone, revolved the whole subject in my mind. Difficulties presented themselves to my view, far more enlarged than ever — doubts, too, reflecting no credit on Mr. Hud- son, came across my imagination, and as I was giving way to them, sucli fresh ideas arose so replete with distrust that I determined to forego all connexion with the affair, and to follow my original intentions. I liad embarked myself, of- ficers, and men, for the furtherance of one par- ticular object. I possessed the necessary do- cuments which would reahze ihe promises made me, and of which I liad accepted. Should I not ORINOCO AXD A PURE. 205 forfeit ill! claim on the Venezuclian Republic, both for myself and friends, if I swerved from the original agreement ? had I not sent away the whole of the heavy baggage, and some of my best men and officers as its guard ; could I then desert them, who had placed such con- fidence in me? Honour, honesty, gratitude and faith, forbade such a return. I consigned Hudson and his schemes to their fate, and I was anxious again to see Colonel Campbell, in order to try to- make him a proselyte to those new opinions I had formed. The captain of the Emerald had gone on shore in his gig: Colonel Campbell had also left his ship for a like purpose ; and both vessels had re- ceived orders to stand off and on, awaiting their boats' return. The evening was beautifully se- rene. The moon arose with splendour. The sea breeze was just sufficient to give the ships steerage way. The band on board the Dowson struck up some loyal and martial airs, which were succeeded by others of a softer and more melodious nature. These were attempted to be answered by some of my trumpeters, who had been practising on the pandean pipes with some success, and by some of the gentlemen who condescended to join tlie flute, the flageolet. '206 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVEKS and the clarionet, on which several of them played, to promote harmony and pleasantry. The Emerald, however, in attempting to head the Dowson, each on the same tack, and finding herself becalmed from the sails of the latter, as she was passing, lost her steerage-way and fell aboard the Dowson, and for a few seconds we feared the result. The band stopped short, the Dowson fell oif to leeward, and by the shouts of the men, and the recommencement of our national air, which had for a few seconds only been impeded, we were happily convinced that no serious accident had been sustained. The next morning I was anxious to see Co- lonel Campbell ; I learnt he had been taken ill after his return on board, the preceding night, and had been let blood, &c. ; that he was too un- well to converse with me, but he would write to me, or see me in the course of the next day. Captain Weatherly and myself had some serious conversation on what was best to be done, nor did he scruple to join me in his suspicions re- specting Hudson. He said he should proceed according to agreement with Colonel Campbell, but he would keep Saint Lucia in view, that in the event of our falling in with the Tiger, I might be at liberty to act as I chose : he thought of returning to Saint Bartholomew, there to ORINOCO AND APURE. 207 await news from Mr. Dixon, the supercargo, who had gone to the Orinoco, as before stated, and whose return was daily expected. We now perceived the Britannia under way : she passed us on her passage to Saint Bartho- lomew, having the powerful Mr. Hudson on board. Out of the complement of officers and men she had brought from England, she could only now boast of five officers, including their late colonel, and three artillerists; the remainder being left at Grenada, others dispersed in the two corps, and others endeavouring to work back their passage towards England, t^ia the United States. Colonel Campbell sent me word that he w^ould keep company with the Emerald, and would see me the first day the weather permitted. After having taken a distinct view of the unfortunate Prince lying at anchor, under the fort at Grenada, we shewed her our stern, and with a fine breeze put finally off to sea. During the day, the Dowson kept close in our wake, and as we were in the latitude of Saint Lucia in the course of a few hours after, I re- quested Captain Weatherly to go on board, and inform Colonel Campbell that I had begged of him to look into its harbour. He returned, sajring that the Dowson would also make to- wards that island, and that we should fall in ^08 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS again with her, after we had accompUshed our intentions, as she would await our return along the range of the contiguous islands. We then stood away for Saint Lucia, leaving the Dowson far astern. On the 12th of March, we were in view of Saint Lucia, but owing to baffling winds we did not arrive off the harbour of the island until the morning of the 13th. On approaching it, we perceived a large armed schooner, under way, and standing towards us, carrying the Venezuelian jack at her main top- mast-head (a yellowish flag with seven black or blue five-pointed stars on its field). On sending our boat on board, we found it to be the Vene- zuelian schooner of war, the Tiger, Captain Hill, then on her intended passage to Grenada, to transport the 1st Venezuelian hussars to An- gustura in the Orinoco, in obedience to the orders of the Marquis Tovar, wlio was still on board the Emerald with us. When the schooner had come up alongside of us, the Emerald's gig brought the captain on board to pay his com- pliments to me and my officers, and to learn my determination with respect to our embarkation on board the Tiger. He had left the harbour of Saint Lucia before many of tlie schooner's repairs were completed, for the purpose of coming off to fetch me ; and he had that morn- ing lost his only boat, which had by some means ORINOCO AND APURE. 209 gone adrift. I now expressed my determination of embarking on board the schooner, and all the officers and men cheered the idea. The ne- cessary orders for the baggage, stores, provi- sions, &c. which were to be supplied from the Emerald, for the support of us soldiers to the city of Angustura were issued, and every one Mas busied in the necessary preparations for getting them on board the Tiger. It however came on to blow fresh, and the communica- tions between the ship and the schooner were thereby considerably impeded. The schooner, too, had in tacking just under our stern carried aw^ay her main boom, and we were obliged to wait the splicing of it by our ship's carpenter. It w^as impossible not to be prepossessed in favour of the commander of the independent schooner of war. His coun- tenance bore evident marks of the British sailor, and his actions and language were charac- teristic of his profession, which did not however want that courtesy necessary to secure friend- ship and esteem. Captain Hill did not ap- pear (as Mr. Hackett ventures to state in his late publication, from the information given him by his friend Mr. W ), ''literally in rags," nor were his officers in the poor and destitute condition described by the same nar- rator. Captain Hill appeared on the quarter- p 210 FA'PEDITION TO THE RIVERS deck of the Emerald in a well-made blue imifoi'm coat, epaulettes, white trowsers, cocked hat, and naval hanger at his side ; and the only marks to distinguish him from a British naval commander were the mustachios wliich he sported on his upper lip, and the Venezuelian navy buttons he displayed on his coat. His first lieutenant, who was styled second captain, appeared also in a blue uniform jacket, and so did the second lieutenant ; and in outward appearance no po- verty, rags, or wretchedness were visible. Cap- tain Hill is at present in England, and can voucli for the truth of this my counter assertion, as indeed can every officer and gentleman who was on board at the time. Towards the afternoon the gale moderated, and the baggage, stores, &c. being shipped, the officers and men took their final departure from the Emerald, and were con- veyed on board the Tiger. I went in the last boat, attended by Captain Hill, who had partaken of our farewell dinner on board the Emerald. Captain AVeatherly had is- sued to the quarter-master sufficient provisions for the men and officers, consisting of beef, pork, biscuit, and rum, &c. to last ten days, which he considered would be the utmost of our passage. Water w^as put sparingly on board the schooner for our use, not more than four days' allowance, at one gallon j)cr man per day. The Marquis ORINOCO AND APURE. 211 Tovar had made such aiTangemeiits, also, tliat on my joining Captain Hill in the guarantee for payment, ten barrels of powder were delivered over to the schooner, with forty muskets and one barrel of ball cartridge for the use of my people. The Emerald gave us three cheers, which having returned, we separated, and stood for the island of Martinique, which was then in full view. Many of the Emerald's seamen would willingly have joined us: one of the mates, the carpenter, and five of the seamen, were particularly anxious to do so ; and nothing stopped the latter but the established and proper custom that prevents sea- men from leaving their ship whilst at sea. Had the Emerald been in port, many of her best hands would have come on board the schooner, nor could I have interfered with her captain in his reception of them. There were some extraordinary reports in cir- culation at Grenada, of an attempt made by some officers of the "red hussars" to seize a Spanish vessel that had come from Cadiz, bound to the Havannah, but which had gone into a small bay in the island of Saint Martin (Marygott) jfor refreshment, and to pick up what news she could respecting the possibility of evading the numerous independent privateers which infested those seas. As I wished to learn the real story of the matter, I sought information from one of the officers engaged in the affair, and thus he p 2 Ql'2 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS recounted the circumstance to me. " A small schooner had arrived at Saint Bartholomew two days before the Emerald sailed, with two or three people from Saint Martin's, and brought the intelligence that a vessel from old Spain had arrived in Marygott bay laden with specie to pay the royalist troops. The prize master who had come to the island in the Mctoria, as before stated, and who bore a commission under Com- modores Parker and Brown, considered the schooner as lawful prize if he could possess him- self of her ; for which purpose he communicated with Colonel Wilson and some of his confidential officers, and it was agreed that they should join in the attempt at taking her from under the guns of the fort in Marygott Bay. This island is held jointly between the French and the Dutch, the district, in wliich Marygott is, belonging to the former nation. The independent lieutenant was to lead, and to avoid suspicion and a pre- mature discovery none but officers were to be intrusted in tlie exploit ; some of those who had left the first ^^cnczuelian liussars were en- gaged in it. They had disguised themselves by blacking their faces with burnt cork, sticking on mustachios, and dressing in coarse and com- mon articles of clothing ; and having procured the boat, embarked for the purpose, all being well armed. The patriotic naval lieutenant had the evening before, in one of his drunken and ORINOCO AND APURE. '21-3 convivial moments, let a hint of the design drop at the French hotel, and the information was conveyed to the governor of Saint Bartholomew, who gave secret orders for the seizure of the boat and the Englishmen concerned; and having met Major Graham, then of the red hussar?, his excellency asked whether he approved of the measure his countrymen were about to adopt? The major replied, "certainly not,'* and volunteered his services to aid and assist in bringing them back, which the governor (Ro- sensvard) accepted with confidence and thanks. The whole of the officers concerned with Co- lonel Wilson were seized, and were for a short time prisoners to the Swedes. His excellency the governor, however, released them all, and having ordered the ship to quit the island, sent notice of the late intention to Colonel Elliot, the commandant at Marygott." I understood from Cornets Yabsley and Hum- phries of the red hussars, that even allowing that they had succeeded in getting to the island of Saint Martin's, the magnet of attraction had escaped, by sailing in the forenoon of the same day, towards her place of destination, and thus the whole of that party escaped a punishment which the laws of our own country would cer- tainly have entailed on those adventurers, for their temerity and unjustifiable conduct. 214 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER VIII. The Tiger proceeds. — Off Martinique. — Water runs short. — Supplied by an American. — Make the Orinoco. — Mode of entering the river. — Distress for water. — Imprudence in drinking the brackish water of the river, and illness of the men. — Ocular deception resembling the mirage of the desert. — Proceed up the river. — The current. — Accident, and interesting scene which followed. — The river and its banks of forest. — AUigators. — Water serpents. — ^Wild beasts. — Meet the Liberty schooner returning doTiTn the Orinoco. — The river narrows. — Arrive at the Indian village of Santa Pans. HAVING tried for nearly fourteen hours to weather the N.N.W. point of Martinique without success, (for the schooner was indeed wretchedly off for want of canvas,) we were obliged to range along the island, and were off the town of Saint Pierre and Port Royal harbour for the fur- ther space of two days. Our water began to run very short, — the allowance was reduced to a quart per man per diem, which curtailment would not enable it to last out longer than two days more, and a melancholy accident which occurred in the leakage of the only half barrel left was a misfortune which scarcely any of us had fortitude to withstand. We intended to ORINOCO AND APURE. 215 try for water at the head of a small bay, near the extremity of the island, not choosing to risk the schooner by running into Port Royal harbour. Fortunately, howe\ cr, we discovered two American scliooners standing in, and having headed one of them, we brought her to. When her captain came alongside of us, he was in terror at the appearance of our force, and gave up his vessel as lost. But when he found him- self civilly saluted, and the only request made for a supply of water, he cheered up, and pro- mised immediate compliance. As we had amongst us some few dollars remaining, we inquired if he had any article for sale in the eatable or drinking way. He looked on the deck of the schooner with surprise ; and per- ceived (to make use of a seaman's phraseology), a wicked-looking craft, with nine ports of a side, large stern chasers, with bulwark grape-shot proof, and in height sufficient to cover the men, and crow ded with troops and seamen. Jonathan could not, nor did he, feel himself perfectly at ease ; he had been brought to under the Vene- zuelian flag; yet, in the account which the Ame- rican papers gave of this interview, they did us all the justice we wished, as wc afterwards found, by the perusal of a paragraph stating the cir- cumstances. We sent two officers with our American friend in his boat, and alter a short 216 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS period they returned, bringing with them water, and some miserable-looking pigs, which we re- turned, and after giving the boat's crew a glass of grog each, and a dollar which I presented to the mate for his trouble, we bore aw^ay, and left Jonathan blessing his stars at his lucky escape. The two casks of water which we had thus obtained would scarcely last us, with the strictest economy, to the river Orinoco; our allowance, therefore, could not be augmented, and we endured all the miseries arising from thirst, increased by the warmth of the climate. The vessel was dirty, but there was good stowage for all. Her state, indeed, was not the fault of her officers and crew j for the Tiger had been taken by her former commander (an English- man) from the Orinoco to Saint Lucia, with mules, to pay the expenses of her repairs, who, after carrying her there, had run up a bill to a large amount, and the schooner was detained for debt. Captain Hill was ordered by Ad- miral Brion to go to Saint Lucia for her, with money to redeem, and orders to bring her back to the Orinoco. It was thus that Captain Hill was placed in the command of the Tiger in her filtliy condition. He had given up his cabin and berth to me, as he seldom quitted the deck, and we were now fast approaching the track of the Spanish vessels of war, and gun-boats. We Iiad ORINOCO AND APURE. 217 been well informed of their mode of warfare, and the treatment which all prisoners received at their hands. We had, however, a captain on whom we could depend, and men and arms suf- ficient to remove all doubt of success, should we fall in with any of the Dons, — the only one of notoriety among whose commanders was Don Gabaso, who was captain of a brig of war, and commodore of the gun-boats : he was renowned, also, for the threats he had uttered of wreaking his vengeance on the throats of our countrymen, whenever he caught them ; and for boasting of the number who had already fallen victims to his sanguinary acts of cruelty. We knew that he was hovering near the mouth of the Orinoco, and we were prepared to meet him. The island of Barbadoes appeared in view, distant about five leagues, and we passed it with a fine breeze. In the night we met with a very heavy gale of wind, which lasted about four hours, and then sank into a steady breeze, which wafted us merrily along. We had now been eight days on board the schooner. The want of a sufficient quantity of water was sorely felt, and with longing eyes did we look a-head, in the hope of discovering the mouth of the Orinoco, where alone we could now get a supply. On the ninth day, at night-fall, our pilot (an Indian from the banks of the Ori- 218 EXPEDITION TO THE lllVERS noco, who had come t'roni the river to Saint Lucia ill the Tiger when under the command of her former captain) sang out " soundings," and in the course of two hours more, w^e shoaled from tw^euty to five fathoms in muddy water; the schooner stood in with the wind right aft, until she decreased her water to three fathoms, and the pilot then ordered the topsails to be chied up and furled, the mainsail and foresail to be brailed, and every thing to be made snug, — after which the anchor was let go, and the vessel brought up in three fathoms water. Tlie wind had lulled, and the sea had in a great measure subsided ; the undulating motion, w^hich the vessel now felt, proceeded from the long ground sw^ell, which came rolling in without breaking, and was certainly most sickening and disagree- able j but water, fresh water! was the general cry, yet not a drop could be obtained, and as- surances of l)eing amply supplied in the course of the coming day made little impression in relieving present wants. When day-light did appear, and the schooner was again under way, every eye was strained to catch a glim})se ol' Land. No land presented itself to view, and tlie fever of thirst and disa})pointment triumphed over us all. About ten o'clock, land was at last perceptible, and as the schooner continued to near it, immense forests of wood appeared, ORINOCO AND APURE. 219 which ran from right to left uniiitermittingly, and seemed to extend themselves on a vast plain without termination. The water shoaled from three fathom to two and half and two, again to one and a half, when we found the vessel ploughing through a thick oozy mud, which blackened the water as we went through it. The mid-day observation was taken, and we discovered that we had made land upwards of twelve leagues to the 8. E. of the Grande Boca, or principal mouth of the Orinoco. We had then to run down the land, keeping it on our larboard side, and having a fine breeze, though close hauled, we made the mouth of the Orinoco about two o'clock, which was well known, from the perfect view we now had of Cape Barinas, which forms the southern promon- tory of the bar of the river. The soft mud bank which extends so far into the ocean lies to the left of the grand mouth, and forms one line of the channel to the entrance of the river. The mud is so light and flexible that any weight would be buried in it for a considerable depth. Thus it is, that the pilots of the various vessels passing up this channel take as their guide for the mouth of the Orinoco, the soft black oozy ground on the larboard side, and without fear or risk allow the vessel to bury herself two or three feet in the same, and give credit for it in the sound- 220 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ings. On tlie starboard side of this channel is hard ground, covered with shells and shingles, and the water deepens and shoals continually thereon. When the lead is going, the pilot is very attentive to keep the vessel well to the larboard, the moment he touches the shingle ground, and until he dips again into the mud, when all is right. The Grande Boca is ascertained by Cape Ba- rinas on the left; and at some distance within this mouth of the river is an island very thickly wooded, as is indeed every spot of land as far as eye can reach, making the segment of an immense circle. As soon as the bar is passed, the water gradually deepens, and assumes a light brackish taste. I had attempted to reason with the people on the impropriety, nay, certain dan- ger, of taking too copious draughts of this liquid ; but on that point all orders were disobeyed, the officers setting the example to the men. The consequence was, that their stomachs became filled by those incessant potations, and nausea and vomiting succeeded, most fortunately for their health and constitution : they how ever felt the imprudence of which they had been guilty for two or three successive days. Some of the men, too, were seenfilling their canteens andiron pots with this beverage, lest, as they said, " the tide might turn, and they should be floating on salt water again." ORINOCO AND APURE. 221 Just as the Tiger was entering the mouth of the river, the appearance of a large schooner, lying at anchor, under the land on the side of Cape Barinas, attracted general attention. We had sounded to quarters, and were pre- paring for shotting the guns, and loading the small arms, when Captain Hill and the pilot ascertained the deception, and discovered that what we had all taken for a schooner was no- thing more or less than two tall pines brought down by the current of the river, and having met resistance from a sand-bank, had yielded to the rapidity of the stream, and taken, for a short period, a perpendicular position. We had now got fairly into the grand stream, with a leading wind, which I should observe blows nearly N. E. continually. When perfectly calm, or even light airs prevail, vessels are obliged to anchor, not being able to stem, without at least a gentle breeze, the force of the current, which runs during the rainy months at four, five, and six miles per hour. We had, however, the breeze we re- quired, and having passed the Crab island and in view of Pilot island right a-head, one of the trumpeters fell from off the port-lid on which he was incautiously sitting. Shouts of " Spears is overboard" were heard on every side. The schooner had made great way a-head, and the cur- rent was carrying the lad rapidly down. Fortu- 222 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS nately he was an excellent swimmer, and pos- sessed strong resolution ; and finding that he could not stem the current, he had given way to it, and was obliquing towards the land on the right : at the time the accident occurred the vessel was nearly mid-channel, and the river about three miles broad. The schooner was therefore thrown up in the wdnd, put about, and her captain, after the iirst board, hoped he should in a tack or two more fetch the poor struggler ; and in fact we had neared him so well, that one of my cabin- chairs was thrown overboard, and we had the pleasure of seeing that the boy soon perceived and turned himself to meet it ; further, that he had caught hold of it, and that it was suffici- ently buoyant to ease him of the fatigue of swimming. The next tack we approached within hailing, told him to keep up his spirits, and that we should fetch him on the following board ; to which he answered, with the utmost coolness, "Very well! I am a little tired, but not afraid;" and we noticed him deliberately heave up his foot on a part of the chair, attempting to fasten his shoe- tie. All the danger we now thought of was lest he should be carried to the mouth of the river, and over a part of the bar where the Tiger could not float ; and we had no boat of any kind, as ORINOCO AND ArURE. 223 the only one wliich belonged to the vessel had been lost off Siiiiit Lucia. But a fear of a dif- ferent nature assailed Captain Hill, who, how- ever, communicated it only to me; this was, the risk of being attacked by an alligator, with shoals of which amphibious animal tlie river abounds. One of the men and another boy trumpeter were preparing to carry a line to the chair : I laid hold of the man, to prevent his going over- board, and before I could express my positive orders that none should attempt it, an officer (Cornet Collins) and the trumpet boy had both gone over the side, the former with the end of a small line, which was veered out to him, but which before he reached the chair he was obliged to relinquish, on its becoming too heavy for him to support. I had now the melancholy sight of seeing three souls overboard, without the actual certainty of saving any of them ; for the chair would not buoy up the whole. However I might admire the firmness and humanity displayed by the parties, I condemned their imprudence, and I lamented their possible fate. Cornet Collins soon proclaimed his losing strength, but the boy was equal in swimming and in re- solution to his brother trumpeter, Spears, who had now been nearly one hour in the water. All hope of catching and saving them depended QQ4< EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS on the next tack; — all was silence; hope and fear alternately prevailing; — the moment came; ropes with nooses were prepared, and every man was ready to assist. — At a second moment, too, all three were firmly noosed, and the next minute safe (though nearly exhausted) on deck. A glass of old rum was given to each, and Spears told me, with apparent joy, more predominant than his feelings at his fortunate escape, that he was sorry at having fallen overboard, and humbly begged my pardon ; " but,'* said he, *' I hope your honour will forgive me, as I have saved my new shoes !" The entrance into and the voyage thus far up the Orinoco is beautiful; from the margin of the water, as far as the low land permits you to survey the shores, on either side is one immense forest ; as is, indeed, tlie whole extent of the land from the first moment it appears in view, as you approach from sea. The Orinoco divides itself into so many rivers, forms so many branches, (which flow into the ocean all separate and distinct from each other, from the first point of separation,) and so many islands com- pletely wooded, that it is a difficult matter, (except to those well acquainted with the real channel,) to keep its course, and particularly so within the distance of twenty or thirty miles from the Pilot island, so called from a i)ilot (an I ORINOCO AND APURE. 225 Indian) being stationed in a hut there, for the purpose of affording assistance. Here, too, a flechera, or gun-boat, carrying a small three pounder in her bow, is generally stationed. We had been considerably delayed by the accident I have described, and found it im- possible to get further up than this island. We had on board the schooner one of the best pilots in the river, and were not disappointed at finding no other come off to meet us. Captain Hill, however, gave a token of some vessel having passed, during the absence of the Indian, by firing a four-pounder shot through the side of his hut as we sailed along. Dusk was coming on, and w^e let go an anchor for the night. The hissing of the water-serpent, an immense snake, the howling of beasts, the splashing in the water from the alligators, and the uncommon noises of various sorts which incessantly assail the ears during the dark, and the bites of the mus- quito, render sleep impossible. It is a second confusion of Babel, where numerous unknown tongues are heard. Even the smoke from fifty pipes of tobacco had no effect in clearing us from the hordes of musquitoes which oppressed and overpowered us. During the night we perceived a vessel coming down the river, which also brought to. She had only observed us as she let go her anchor, for we lay close ^26 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS iilongside the land. We hailed her ; yet she would not answer, until compelled by a shot from the Tiger ; she then sent a boat on board, and we found she was the Liberty, which had taken up our officers and heavy baggage, and learnt that all were well, and safe arrived at Angustura. At daybreak the next morning we weighed anchor, and with a light breeze proceeded up the river. The Orinoco meanders, and at its various points presents the most beautiful land- scapes. The scenery now becomes magnificently grand and romantic; wooded from the very margin of the water to the top of the nearest hills, alternately breaking into glens and rising again by gradual slopes to the summit of the hills above, the most picturesque views are offered to the delighted sight, and the voyager up this river regrets the moment he is obliged by other avocations to take his eyes from the charms which surround him, or to be awakened from the reflections to which his imagination gives birth. As the Tiger rounded the different points, and passed the various islands interspersed, many ideas of English scenery crossed the mind. Recollections arose of the lakes of Cum- berland and Westmorland, — even the scenery of the Wye, and last, though not least, the ORINOCO AND A PURE. 227 Lake of Killarney, in our sister kingdom ; nor were the romantic beauties of the great hikes near Athlone, Longford, andLoughrea forgotten in this wonderful simiHtude. At one moment it appeared as if the termination was at hand, and that a short space further the vessel must come to a narrow pass, formed by two islands, nearly meeting, or joining into one: this, how- ever, only leads you again into another lake, where the breadth across from wood to wood is not less than ten or twelve miles. The richness of the scenery, too, is beyond description. In the course of the afternoon, the stream which our pilot took became narrower by de- grees, till it was not more than one mile in breadth, still decreasing until we arrived at the Indian village of Santa Pans, where an officer belonging to the Patriots resides, as a kind of commandant, having under his orders a tribe of Indians, between whom and the commandant they have their own chiefs to give them orders; ■—here the Tiger came to for the night. Q ViJ 228 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER IX. Santa Pans. — Supplies. — Missions. — Rapids in the Orinoco. — Illness of officers and men. — Town and fort of Old Guyana • Meet Admiral Brion's squadron coming down. — Brion visits the Tiger; his reception and intelligence. — His appear- ance. — Qualifications. — The comraandanta llosalis. — The author lands. — Flechera. — Taking of Guj^ana by the pa- triots ; massacre of three hundred of its defenders. — Naval and other stores. — Breakfast with Brion. — Arrange- ments. — Continue to proceed up the river. — First casualty in the expedition ; death of Serjeant-Major Higgins. — Tiger runs aground, is got off, and anchors off Angustura. A PADREE or priest resides at Santa Pans, and from him and the commandant we were sup- phed with eggs, poultry, and some Indian fruits : not far from thence is one of the Spanish mis- sions, a plantation surrounded with all the pro- duce of South America, and which the ecclesias- tics, during the period that Old Spain predo- minated, had formed, built upon, and planted with every necessary which the soil, climate, and art could mature : there were several of these mis- sions in various parts of this province, to w^hich the present government now resort for supplies, ORINOCO AND APUUE. ' 229 as they arc almost the only spots in any degree of cultivation. The patriots have, however, sub- dued the haughty spirit of all the ecclesiastics re- sident in their republic, and made them tributary to theirwill. They were, previously, almost above control : no European Spaniard dared, without permission, to approach their sacred inclosures, which were stored with every luxury ; and the Indians who had been reared under the auspices of the Fathers were taught no other doctrine but that of dying in defence of their patrons and priests. The charm being at length broken, those who escaped death and the horrors of a civil war, and were suffered to remain in their possessions, became tributary in turn to their new masters, who soon convinced them they were no longer to be deluded by monastic in- stitutions, or governed by ecclesiastical sway. At day-light we again got under way : the scenery continuedto bebeautiful and diversified; the only drawback was the tract of sands, which now projected far into the river, left uncovered by the water, which had shoaled so much as to leave even in the central parts hardly sufficient depth to float our vessel. In many places we this day ran aground, and lost much time in extricat- ing ourselves, and regaining the proper channel. The river was, however, rising; and its increase is as rapid as its descent. Conceive so vast a bcdy 230 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS of water rising and falling in the course of twelve lunar months ninety feet perpendicular! it is six months swelling to its height, and six months ebbing ; commencing and ending at one parti- cular period of time, and always running in the same direction, until it disgorges itself into the sea by its numerous mouths. When we got again into the main channel, we continued our course until nightfall, having on the passage and during the afternoon of this day ascended sev-eral narrow rapids, which ran between immense rocks, and up which it is necessary to have a stiff breeze, or squall of wind, to force the vessel through. The weather had been intensely w^arm during the whole day, and many of the officers and men were much oppressed by the heat. I felt my- self unwell, from head-ache and much lassitude ; an emetic and medicine of a cathartic nature removed these complaints ; but I was sorry to find that two or three of the officers and several of the men, who were also ill, w^ere not relieved by administering the same remedies. Having spent a night more free than tlic preceding from the musquito, we weighed anchor, and stood again up the river with a fine stiff breeze. This was the fourth morning of our passage up the Orinoco. About twelve o'clock we were nearly in view of Old Guvana, a small town, Mith a ORINOCO AND APURE. 231 fortress and citadel, and the key to the further entrance up the river. As the Tiger was making head fast, and the wind blowing fresh, we discovered four schooners, a brig, and a smaller schooner, carrying an ad- miral's flag at her main, beating down the river. Captain Hill pronounced them to be the Vene- zuelian squadron, under the command of Brion, who was himself on board the smaller schooner, which was also the admiral's private yacht. As soon as the Tiger had got up abreast of the town, and had neared the admiral's flag, she fired a salute of 13 guns, which, however, was neither returned by the admiral nor by the fort *. The yacht ran under the stern of the Tiger, and com- pliments and expressions of kindness passed be- tween the admiral and Captain Hill, whom the admiral informed he should come on board the Tiger to see the troops, at the same time giv- ing orders for us to anchor. The squadron also brought up, and the scene was exceedingly pretty ; at the first moment, it reminded me of the review, and preparatory manoeuvres for bringing the Lilliputian squadrons to action, which I had seen displayed a few years previous, at the memorable battle fought on the Serpentine river in Hyde-park. * The great searcit y of povder prevented the compliment being returned. 232 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS I, however, issued the necessary orders for the general parade, which was to take place along the deck of the Tiger; and the officers and men were accordingly ready to receive the admiral wlien he came on board, which he did in about an hour after his intention had been known to me ; (see Appendix, marked P.) All the vessels of the squadron had hoisted their colours ; a flechera, with a small gun in her bow% and rowed with fifty paddles, came towards the Tiger, and in a few seconds was alongside. Captain Ilill and his officers were at the gang- way to receive Brion ; myself, officers, and men, being prepared for the same purpose, on the deck, with standards displayed, to welcome him as a commander-in-chief and captain-general. After taking tlie salute, he advanced towards me, and with expressions of the most flattering nature complimented me on my safe arrival, and the appearance of the reinforcement. He regretted the delays we had encountered, and informed me tliat he w^as then going to sea ; that Colonel Wilson, with a few officers and men, had passed up two days before; that he shoidd not detain the Tiger longer than the fol- lowing morning, and tliat she should convey us all up to the city and port of Angustura. Hav- ing invited me to breakfast on board his yacht the next morning, and having been introduced ORIXOCO AND APURE. ^33 to tlie officers individually, bis excellency re- turned to the flechera, and pulled towards shore. The admiral might more readily have been taken for an officer of the light dragoons than for the naval commander of the Venezuelian fleet: he wore a dark blue jacket, red cuffs and collar, yellow plain ball buttons, and ribbed with gold lace, (the exact liglit dragoon jacket as lately worn by the British dragoons in make and shape), white trowsers, and shoes, and a plain round hat, ornamented with only the tri-coloured cockade. Attached to one of the button-holes of his jacket was a riband, deno- minative of the " Order of Liberators,'* which is conferred on those officers, who have been distinguished in action against the enemies of the republic. His excellency, Luis Brion, admiral of the Venezuelian navy, and of the coast between the river Amazon and the Gulf of Florida, captain- general and commander-in-chief of the naval re- public, is a native of the island of Curagao j in stature about five feet five inches ; thin make; his limbs firm, and well put together; rather a round face, much sun-burnt, and pitted with a few marks of small-pox; short black hair, dark penetrating eyes, and good teeth; a Jewish cast of counte- nance, which, however, is rendered more ex- pressive of his real situation by the full mus- 234 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS tachio whicli he wears on his upper hp. In person and manner lie displays a good deal of ease, and on a first appearance he is even rather prepossessing; he speaks English, and under- stands it well ; he is as good a Frenchman as he is a Spaniard, and speaks the latter tongue with true Castilian pronunciation. A personage had accompanied the admiral on board at our first interview, whose appearance would have attracted notice anywhere. He again came alongside the Tiger, to issue some orders, in his flechera, Vvhich was indeed the one in which the admiral had recently paid his visit. This was the commandanta of the port of Old Guyana; — the naval store-keeper and head of all that appertained to those concerns; — the great Rosalis ; a man of about 40 years of age, whose stature was commanding, whose smile was all that w^as gentle and friendly: one, whom Lavater would have said, bore evident marks of honesty, kindness, feeling, andabcnevolent heart strongly impressed on his physiognomy. His countenance was truly English ; so was also his size, for he was at least five feet ten high, and not less than twenty-five stone weight. I went on shore in tlie commandanta's fle- chera. The rapidity witli which fifty paddles propelled her through the waterwas astonisliing. Being landed at Old Guyana, and lun ing par- ORINOCO AND APURE. 235 taken of the miserable fare at Rosalis's table, at w hich also the admiral sat for a short time, I proceeded with two of the officers to view the fort and citadel. Old Guyana is, by natural strength, and very little art, rendered almost impervious to the attacks of an enemy; but the royalist army, when it was taken from them by tlie patriots, under the command of Bermudez, with the assistance of Brion, shewed neither skill, conduct, nor courage, in defending it : even those who retired to the citadel chose to submit to an unconditional surrender, (although with a full assurance that no mercy would be shewn tow^ards them by the conquerors,) rather than to die like men at their posts. A strange and unaccountable fatality threw them at the feet of the victors, and three hundred of them fell, to rise no more. The view from the bat- tery at the X. W. side of the town, which is built on the summit of a swell of land, almost o\erhanging the bank of the river on one side, is beautiful. Towards the S. W. it commands the town, the barracks, the parade, and the line along the shore; and towards the rear, the pass, or road, which leads into the interior of the country, the soil of which is fitted for the growth of every species of South American produce. The fort and battery are in a state of weak- ness and dilapidation ; a few old iron eight 286 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and nine pounders were visible, some com- pletely dismounted, and others upon carriages hardly strong enough to bear the weight of metal. Looking over the parapet, in front of the river, the eye is carried, not only across, but for a considerable distance both up and down the Orinoco. At this spot the whole navy of Venezuela, with the exception of four vessels, was now lying at anchor : they looked like large pleasure yachts, in an extensive piece of natural or artificial water, forming a considerable basin opposite Old Guyana, and without any inlet or outlet to pass to the waters above or below. The immense pieces of rock, interspersed in various parts of the river, assuming a variety of forms, and in the then state of the Orinoco being completely in view, formed additional objects to admire. When the river is full all these rocks are surrounded with a depth of water sufficient for the largest vessels to pass over without danger, and ships of all burthens can come close along- side the shore of the old town, the houses of which are wretched; no repairs having been made since the place was last takeii by the pa- triots. The naval commandant's house is situ- ated in that line of building opposite the river, and to the S. W. of the fort, between which and this street a narrow pass leads across another street, consisting of a few miserable houses, in ORINOCO AND APURE. 237 two or three of which are stores, where trifling articles are sold, consisting of rum, poor claret, bad Madeira, chocolate, coffee, tobacco, &c. A little further on is a square of about half an acre in the area; one side appropriated as barracks, for the soldiery off duty, a guard room and prison ; and opposite, the dwelling house for the commandant of the garrison and officers of his suite. On the left are the houses for some of the senior and junior officers, and on the right, a large building where is dried the beeves flesh, called in that state tassO) which being cut, or torn into strips, or short pieces, and dried in the sun, (having been previously sprinkled with lime juice), is distributed to the navy and soldiery. On a very high mound on the S. W. end of the town rises a hill assuming a conical form, on the top of which is built the citadel. It is composed of mason's work, and, there being only one pathway up to its entrance, and the sides very steep and difficult of access, it ought to be impossible to surprise it, or take it by a co?ip-de-mam, if the fort, even on being surrounded, was determined to make resistance. On its battery are mounted fours and eighteen pounders, and one five and a half-inch howitzer. It commands the other and lower forts, the square, the town, and the neighbouring heights, and passes to the interior. There M^as a strong garrison there at the period of the Tiger's 238 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS lying before it, and horses, mules, and beeves in numbers, were collected in the environs of the town, for the use of the troops going to join the army of Cumana under the orders of General Bermudez, who was daily expected from Angustura. I slept at the house of Rosalis, in a Spanish hammock w^hich had been sus- pended under the verandah for my use. The next morning I arose, and prepared to go on board the admiral to partake of the break- fast to which Captain Hill and I had been invited, accompanied by Lieutenant Pritt, as the orderly officer in waiting on myself, a pri- vilege in point of etiquette assumed by and allowed to all colonels in the patriotic service, which also permits to colonels-commandants (one remove from the rank of a general officer) an officer in the station of aide-de-camj). The admiral received us in due form, and having advanced under the awning which was carried from the main-mast entirely aft, I was seated at a table, where he had been previously sit- ting looking over some papers. Brion again renewed his assurances of the pleasure it gave him to see me. He shewed me confidentially the means with which he was furnished to pur- chase the Emerald, and on lookhig around me, I discovered Mr. Dixon, the supercargo of that ship, who was attending the admiral back to Saint Bartholomew, wliere I reported the Emerald to ORINOCO AND APURE. Q39 have gone to await his return. Dixon said he was perfectly satisfied with the terms of payment, and spoke highly of the treatment he had received at Angustura, and particularly from the admiral himself, as fully calculated to establish the good impression I had previously formed of him. The confidential conversation, too, into wdiich he had gone with me, and the openness of his manner on every subject, gratified me much. Had I not entered the Orinoco, he should, he said, have changed my destination, agreeable to the orders he had received from the supreme chief Bolivar, from whom also he now gave me a letter in answer to the one of whicli I had made Lieu- tenant-Colonel English the bearer. For a copy of this letter, which will contradict Mr. Hackett*s assertion upon that head, seethe appendix, marked Q. Captain Hill, whohad been entrusted with three thousand dollars by the ad- miral to go from Angustura to Saint Lucia, where the Tiger w^as then detainedfor expenses incurred by her late commander, Stewart, as well as for money advanced to him on other accounts, having now^ returned with the schooner, pro- duced a statement of his expenses to Brion, with as much coolness as Count Piper did his list of expenditure to Charles XIL of Sweden, for re- pairs ; — cash expended for self, officers, and crew at Saint Lucia, — so nnicli ; total — so much; \ 240 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Brioii seemed perfectly easy and well satisfied, and with pleasure passed those accounts, so that the matter was completely adjusted. Before I left the breakfast table, (the fare on which had consisted of several dainties; meats hot and cold, chocolate, coffee, and some good French wines), the admiral gave me an unsealed letter, requesting I would deliver it to his secretary at Angustura; it di- rected Lieutenant-Colonel Richards to prepare an apartment for me in the admiralty house, to afford me every comfort that could be procured, and to assist me with boats, &c. for my con- veyance up the river to Saint Fernando. He moreover gave me a lieutenancy for my son, who had been five years before in the royal navy of Great Britain, and placed him under the orders of Captain Hill. Having taken leave of the admiral, with whom I was much pleased, we repaired on board the Tiger, and as I w^as leaving the yacht, Brion told me, that lie did not return the salute, or suffer the fort to do so, in consequence of the scarcity of powder. The ten barrels which Captain Hill had on board were, by the admiral's order, transferred to the yacht, whilst I retained the barrel of ball cartridge wholly for myself and my j)eople. We again made sail, and proceeded up the river. At sun down, the Tiger came to for the ORINOCO AND APURE. 241 night, during which I had the misfortune to lose one of my troop serjeant-majors, who had not been ill above a few days. He was the first man I had lost since I left England, and I re- gretted him the more as I had long been ac- quainted with his merits as a soldier. His ge- neral conduct throughout the voyage had gained him the respect of all the officers, and the friend- ship and attachment of the men. I issued the regimental order, marked R, in the Appendix, and it was duly observed. Just after we had committed Higgins's body to the deep, with a considerable weight attached to his remains, the Tiger again struck on the sands, nor could any effort remove her. Two Indians with their canoe being alongside. Captain Hill determined to proceed up the river in their boat, and to re- port the circumstance, in order to procure as- sistance. I therefore ordered Captain Mahoney to attend him on my behalf, and to carry a return of my people to the general and governor ; and to receive for my information what orders the general might be pleased to issue. The river is through its whole course serpentine, every point offering some aditional beauties, — ro- mantic scenes, — and all the grand display of nature, from the boundless forest to the hill and lofty mountain, whose summits, clothed with timber, seemed to reach the clouds. Having R 24^ KXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS seen Captain Hill and Captain Mahoney off, the second captain of the schooner, Dwyer, proceeded to use his endeavours to float the schooner; and after lightening her of a greater part of her stone ballast, and getting out a warp upon her, the Tiger was hauled astern, and soon floated into the proper channel. We thus got into deep water for the night, and early the next morning w^ere again under way; and at half past eleven o'clock anchored opposite the city of Angustura. Captain Denis had sickened, so had Cornet Cooke, and Assistant-surgeon Moore; and although unable to do duty, yet they were not considered to be in a dangerous state. ORINOCO AND APURE. 243 CHAPTER X. Angustura. — General Bermudez. — Meet Colonel Wilson and other officers of the red hussars. — Casualties. — Melancholy death of Colonel Macdonald. — The troops landed, paraded, and barracked. — Dinner given by Bermudez. — His ap- pearance and character. — General Montillo ; his character, and propensity to intemperance. — Sudden quarrel. — Dif- ficulty of coming to an understanding through an inter- preter. — The author is put under arrest. — Extraordinary proceedings. — Reconciliation. — Death of Lieutenant Plun- kett. — Infringement of Don Mendez's engagements. — De- parture of General Bermudez. — Funeral of Lieutenant Plunkett. — Great sickness. — Want of necessaries in the hospitals. AT Angustura I was met on the beach by the one-armed Frenchman, of whom I have before spoken; Captain Clubley, who had preceded me in the Gladwin ; Captain Mahoney, and General Bermudez's aide-de-camp, who, from surgeon to a German corps raised at Brussels by Colonel Streluitz, and brought out under the order of its Lieutenant-Colonel Needham, had been made major, and, on account of his knowledge of Spanish, appointed to General Bermudez*s staff: he was likewise secretary and interpreter. I attended this gentleman up R 2 214 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVEKS to the palace, the quarters of General B. ; and having reported myself, received his orders to disembark the detachment, and to parade them opposite the palace: the general at the same time requested me to dine with him. Coming from his residence, I met Colonel Wilson, who expressed himself glad to see me, and several of the officers of the red hussars did the same, with, as I flattered myself, real sincerity. I also met the general and governor of Angustura, on whom I was going to call, and was introduced to him in the street. He was, however, junior in rank to General Bermudez. Having ordered a parade of the baggage guard which I had sent off from Grenada, as before stated, I had the inexpressible grief to learn that Lieutenant Plunkett was then lying dangerously ill of the fever, and that two men had died since their arrival at Angustura. Lieutenant-Colonel En- glish and Lieutenant Thomas Smith had gone up to the head-quarters of the army, and had taken an orderly serjeant and a corporal with them. The remainder of the men I found per- fectly well, with the exception of one serjeant, who had a few days before broken his leg by a fall. Captain Clubley had arrived a few days before, from the head-quarters of General Bolivar, which he left on account of the sickness with which he had been assailed, but from which he was then ORINOCO AND APURE. 245 recovered. The chief of the army had bestowed the grade of captain upon him, as a mark of distinction, previous to my arrival. I was also deeply affected at hearing the death of Colonel M'Donald fully confirmed. He had left An- gustura, attended by five of his officers, in the flechera prepared for his conveyance. Tlie head-quarters of the independent army was then at Calabozo. Previous to his embarking, he had left a very valuable watch, and some ne- cessaries, in charge of Messrs. Forsyth and Smith, making his travelling baggage as light as possible. Colonel M 'Donald had also a very handsome field sabre, which had been made in England, and was intended as a present from him to General Bolivar. When he arrived at the junction of the Apure with the Orinoco, the boatmen having unfortunately said that a branch of that river was a two days shorter route to the army than by w^ay of the Orinoco, M'Donald cliose to order the people to take the former channel, although he had been par- ticularly warned of its danger previous to lea\dng Angustura. Having gone on shore, to get pro- visions cooked, he fell in with an Indian village, and having displayed some of the regimental clothing, &c. the female part of this com- munity were very desirous of examining the re- mainder of the baggage. The boat had pre- 2l6 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ceded the officers for about half a mile, and M'Donald intended to walk through the wood to come up with her. On a sudden he turned back to the spot where the meat had been cooked, and there, in some fit of jealousy, the cacique of the village commenced a quarrel and attack upon him. M 'Donald had de- fended himself well ; two shots were heard, and it was stated that four men fell. The sabres were never recovered J the undress jacket was. Bolivar, it was reported, ordered six of the Indians to be put to death, and removed the commandant: though by w^ay of convincing him that the unfortunate accident occurred through mistake, it was mentioned by the Indians in ex- tenuation, that the officers having no distin- guishing white feather in their caps (which all the patriots wear), they believed tliem to be Spanish royalists. M 'Donald had been warned not to appear without wearing such badge about his person; but fell a sacrifice to an amour rather than to the want of this distinction. Having left orders with Major Trewren to parade the men on the beach, and to march them up to the palace in a regular order, I awaited their approach at one of the corners of the great square, placed myself at their head, and formed the line opposite General Bermudez*s quarters, who appeared at the windows with the ORINOCO AiND API UE. 247 whole of his staff. After he had bowed to the sa- lute, which was given by the men with presented arms, the officers saluting with their sabres, the aide-de-camp, Major Perkins, came and informed me that the men might be marched to the barrack prepared for their reception ; and after I had issued the necessary orders, I found the dinner had been served in the great hall of the palace, and that the general only staid for my coming. I was accordingly, attended by Lieutenant Pritt as the orderly officer, ushered into the dining- room, and being met half way by the general, he presented me with his hand, and placed me on his right at the head of the table ; Colonel Wilson on his left, next to whom the general and governor Montillo seated himself. The guests consisted of the intendant general of the- province, the colonel of artillery, the commodore of the flecheras or gun-boats, several other of. iicers of rank, aide-de-camp, &c. to the number of twenty-five, ourselves included. The dinner was given as a farewell feast by General Bermudez to the heads of departments, &c. previous to his leaving Angustura on the succeeding day, to take the command of the army before Cumana. The general was very attentive to all, and appeared particularly so both to myself and to Colonel Wilson, who vo- lunteered to translate the toasts that were given 248 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS during the repast, as well as several parts of the conversation addressed to me, and my answers. The general drank " The king of Great Britain," and other toasts expressive of thanks for the part our countrymen seemed inclined to take in their exertions for independ- ence and freedom ; and requested some toast or sentiment from me. I had given, when ap- plied to before, " Success to the independent patriots of South America;" Ithengave, *'Love, friendship, and perfect unanimity with our brave brethren in arms, and complete success to our joint undertakings," with three times three. The whole table felt pleased as soon as the translation of the sentiment was made known, if I may judge from the eagerness with which all stood up, and joined me in the cheers. A bottle of light claret per man was the ut- most of the quantity drank during the whole sitting ; when the general arose from the table apparently in the highest good humour. Ber- mudez is one of the oldest, as well as the best, generals the patriot army possess. He is about thirty years of age, nearly six feet higli, rather thin, but strong and muscular in his limbs. He is stated to have been born in the district of Barcelona, of a brown complexion, round face, dark eyes, and hair so dark as to be almost black: at certain times a dctrrce of fe- / ORINOCO AND APURE. 249 rocity is visil)le in his looks, wliich is augmented by his very long and dark mustachios, which remind the observer that he can act as well as look savagely, especially when his mode of reta- liation at the siege of Barcelona, and at Old Guyana, is remembered. General Bermudez can also assume the ap- pearance of humanity, kindness, and polite- ness ; and I was pleased with him when he got up from table, which I understood he did so early, to give time for the large hall in which we had dined to be prepared for a ball. The governor of Angustura (general of brigade Montillo) has one of the most prepossessing countenances ever seen. In stature he is about five feet seven inches, stout and well made, clear brown complexion, and dark hair j his eyes, al- though rather small, are black, and the most brilliant, and perhaps the most soft and play- ful that ever were seen in the head of man. Montillo is brave to a fault ; by birth he is a Caracarian; he possesses humanity, and harbours not the smallest tincture of jealousy or resent- ment. He is a great favourite with the general in chief, Bolivar, and is about twenty-seven years of age, excessively neat in his person and appearance ; but, unfortunately, so addicted to drinking, that he is scarcely known to go to his hammock sober at night, and he too frequently commences his potations soon after mid-day. 250 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS \Vhen he appeared at General Bermudez*s, al- though I had only seen him for a few minutes previously in the street, yet he struck me as being drunk when he came to the table. When we rose from dinner, and the different of- ficers had formed themselves into various groups, the trumpet major of my regiment, who had been sent for by the aide-de-camp, appeared with one of Colonel Wilson's, ready to sound the bugle ; on which General Bermudez had expressed a wish to hear the various calls. I had turned round to order him to bring up all the boys, that they might not only join in the sounds, but play some pieces of music on the pandean pipes in order to amuse the ladies. AVhilst giving these directions. Colonel Wilson came up to me, and said, "you have exceedingly offended General Montillo, and he has desired me to ex- press his disi)leasure against you." I looked back, and saw the governor at a short distance from me, surrounded by several officers, and talking very loud in Spanish. I desired Colonel Wilson to inform me if he knew of what I had been guilty, and if not to ask the governor from me. Colonel Wilson replied, that " he believed I had turned my back on him whilst he was speaking." I requested of the colonel to inform the governor, that I was not conscious of having given offence ; that, as I did not siiffic'ioiitl\- iiiKlorstnnd Spanish, T could not be ORINOCO AND APURE. 251 aware that he was addressing me, and that I was sorry he had so mistaken my intentions. Colonel Wilson went up to him, and in a few moments after, Montillo again broke out, as if something offensive from me had been stated to him. For the moment I entertained a suspicion that Colonel Wilson was not dealing fairly by me, and I told him that it appeared to me he was not a faithful interpreter: with this conviction on my mind, at the moment, I said in a louder strain, " I am confident. Colonel Wilson, you are not doing me justice: if the governor con- tinues to misunderstand me, you shall be an- swerable to me.'* From the manner in which I spoke. General Montillo thought I was bidding him defiance, and, drunk as he was, no one could persuade him otherwise. I had, however, determined to retire early after the ball had commenced, but this extraordinary and unexpected rupture hastened my departure, and I advanced to the bottom of the hall where General Bermudez was standing, surrounded by Major Perkins and se- veral others of his suite. I had, previous to dining, taken off my sabre and belt, and they lay on a chair near the door. I was in the act of taking up the sword to gird round my waist, when the sabre nearly fell from 252 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS its steel scabbard, but I recovered it before it came wholly out: Lieutenant Pritt was standing by, and was preparing to follow me. After I had put on my sabre, I walked up to make my bow to General Bermudez ; and seeing Major Perkins, I requested him to inform the general of my sorrow at the mistake which had occurred, and that I begged to wash him good night. I had advanced into the gallery leading to the steps of the entrance, and through a line of al- most naked blacks with muskets, who were sta- tioned there as a kind of guard at the palace, when a dark-looking fellow in uniform came up to me, and in French demanded my sword. I refused to give it to him, but told him, if the general had ordered it to be taken from me, I should deliver it up to himself only, or to his aide- de-camp. Major Perkins then came out of the room, informed me that I was to consider my- self in arrest, and requested my sword; which I immediately took off the swivels, and handed to him. I then begged that he would go back with me to General Bermudez (for Governor Montillo was too drunk to hear or understand reason), and to ask the general what was the occasion of this treatment. He, witli all the af- fectation of a Frenchman, answered by a shrug of his shoulders, and replied not to-night. I then appealed to the little blackguard Frenchman ORINOCO AND APUKE. 25S who was the port captain of Angustura, as well as sworn interpreter, and the man of whom I made mention when relating the iirst occurrences at Grenada. This Captain Chomprey also refused to present my address to Bermudez ; when, on a sudden, I found myself hauled round and pushed with violence to the door, attended by Mr. Perkins. I could not help saying, aloud, that if that was the cowardly and infamous manner in which they treated, or intended to treat, the English officers, they had given a complete specimen in their behaviour to me. Still however unmindful of myself, as soon as I got into the square, I requested the circumstance might be kept from the knowledge of the hussars, for I dreaded the result, . if they came to learn what had hap- pened to me ; as there were not eighty men in the garrison amongst the natives, and all the rest were the British. On inquiring where I was to be confined (as I saw I was not led to the admiral's house, where an apartment was prepared for me), I learnt that I was ordered over to the governor's house ; and having been ushered into a room opposite to his chamber, I was left with Major Perkins. I had begged Lieutenant Pritt to leave me, and see that the dragoons were kept quiet. Major Perkins said he was extremely sorry for the occurrence; he 2.54 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS was not near the governor when it happened, and that he understood I had used very im- proper language to General Montillo, who was, however, a very good man (though a very drunken one), and that he would forget all that had happened by the morning. He added, that Bermudez was a most savage and despotic fel- low, and that he dared not speak to him ; that he was so tyrannical, and so jealous of having any British officers in the service, except me- dical men (Major Perkins was himself a physi- cian and surgeon by profession, though, by good fortune, now also major,' aide-de-camp, inter- preter, and private secretary to General Bermu- dez), *' I was afraid," continued he, *' that he would have gone greater lengths with you. The general wants the men, but not the officers j and I w^ould advise you to ask for leave to return, otherwise, you will, if not put imme- diately to death, be made completely miserable." In saying so much, he spoke his mind to me as a friend and countryman. I replied, that all these things might be true, but all I now \vanted was justice, and a court martial; that I was not afraid of any undue treatment more inju- rious than what I had already experienced. I only begged that he would order me in a pillow and some cold water. When he left my room, I surveyed it round : a candle had been brought / ORINOCO AND APUKE. 255 into it, and an officer came and brought me a mug of water, a bottle of claret, some rum, and a pillow : it was about half past eight o'clock ; the doors were closed on me. I could see from this window into the great room of the palace, and the females arriving, together with many of the officers, both of the first and red hussars; for all had been invited. Presently Lieutenant Pritt came to me, and brought me the intelli- gence that Lieutenant Plunkett was then per- fectly sensible, and prayed hard to see me as soon as possible. At the second visit Major Perkins made me, I requested I might be per- mitted to see the dying man ; but he told me he dared not ask the general. Colonel Wilson too came oyer to see me : he assured me I had mistaken him, that he had literally translated what I had said to General Montillo, and that he could not account for what had happened : that he had done every thing in his power to restore friendship and confidence, and that he was hurt at my suspicions. The apparent openness and candour of his expressions removed my doubts, and he accepted my extended hand. He had not left me long, when the folding doors of my room were thrown open, and in walked, or I should rather say staggered, the Governor Mon- tillo, his two aides-de-camp, and Major Perkins; who told me that the General Montillo had 256 KXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS come to release me, if I would only apologize for what had happened. This was, indeed, adding insult to tyranny ; and I desired him to inform the general that I should never conde- scend to such a meanness ; that if there was any honour or justice in their military code of laws, I trusted I should receive the benefit of them. The governor and the whole suite hurried out, the doors were closed, and I was again left to myself. On attempting to call for a cup or glass (for I was oppressed with thirst, and the night un- commonly hot), I perceived two black sentries at my door on the outside ; who, with a very quick motion, crossed their muskets as a barrier against my leaving the chamber. I retired into the room to convince them I had no intention of forcing them, and closed the doors, which in a moment were locked on the outside. On going to the window, I saw about twenty men of the guard lying before it sleeping on their arms. I soon after threw myself on the couch placed in the room, when an uproar roused me from it ; I heard a voice, loud and angry in the extreme, both in French and Spanish demand- ing admission to me. In a second moment the doors were burst open, and I perceived one of the officers of the regiment with his drawn ORINOCO AND AruiiE. 257 sabre in liis hand, liaving forced his way. He apologized for his intrusion; but said that he had only a few minutes before heard of the generaPs infamous proceeding against me : that some of the general's officers had talked of the probability of my being shot the next morning, and that he had therefore run down to the barracks to warn the dragoons to be in readi- ness, and had then come up to report to me. He had been stopped, he said, at the bottom of the stairs, but had cleared his way up, and besought me to put myself at the head of the dragoons, re-embark from so inhospitable a place, and leave such ungenerous and ungrateful rascals to themselves. Having heard him vent all his rage, I thanked him for his good in- tentions, but assured him, that if he was se- rious in his desire of serving me, it was to be done by a strict obedience to my wishes : orders I had none to give, for my then situation pre- vented me from issuing any, and it was lucky for himself that it was so. My wishes then were that he would quietly retire ; go down to the men, and as he valued my safety and my honour, keep them to their barracks, and let them understand that all was right. He left me rather disappointed, and I perceived him pass through the poor, half-starved, miserable negro-guard, without the smallest impediment s 258 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS from them. The officer of the guard came up soon after, and having looked in to see if I was safe, cast a glance on the broken bolts of the door, closed it to, and left me. About midnight I was again interrupted by the governor and his attendants ; but as I chose to remain on my couch, and appeared to be asleep, he left me: I had a few hours sleep, and awoke about five o'clock. When I got to the window, I per- ceived Major Perkins coming across the square from the palace : he knocked at my door, and being admitted, he again began the subject of my resignation, advising me to request my pass- ports, which he said he was sure would be deli- vered to me. I told him with some haughtiness, that I considered myself the best judge how to act 5 and should apjieal to General Bolivar for redress. He then spoke of the officer who had the night before forced the guard ; I stated my disapprobation, and the advice I had given. The general, he said, had taken no notice of it, althougli the same officer had acted most violently and daringly at the ball j and all that was done was to issue an order to the whole of the English troops through him, (see Appendix, marked T.) Finding that I was determined, he, on a sudden, changed his tone, by begging of me not to repeat what he had told me re- specting their hatred to the British officers, and ORINOCO A\D APURE. Q59 once more left me. In half an hour he returned again, and informed me that the governor had ordered me to be released, and to have my sword restored to me. I refused the proffered boon : I desired Major Perkins to go back, and tell the governor and General Bermudez that a British officer never compromised his honour. If either had aught to allege against my con- duct, I demanded an inquiry; and could not suffer the indignity which had been shewn to- wards me to pass by without a public investi- gation, and a public acquittal if I was proved to be guiltless of a charge or crime utterly un- known to me. Major Perkins retired, and in ten minutes came back to say that General Bermudez had nothing to do in the matter: it rested with the general of brigade Montillo the governor, with whom he had also been, and who expressed to him his sorrow at the mistake which had oc- curred; a mistake occasioned by the governor's misconception of what had been reported to him by some of his own suite, who had ima- gined that my loud and vehement expressions to Colonel Wilson had been intended towards him, and in defiance of his authority. That Ge- neral Montillo wanted no apology : he wished to take me out of arrest, and to meet me in the large hall which separated our different apart- ' s 2 260 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS merits, to take me by the hand, and express his sorrow at what had happened: "besides," added the major, " the governor was so drunk he does not remember what passed. He is con- vinced that he has himself been in the wrong ; and he is that noble, generous, and candid fellow, that he will tell you so when you meet — I beg of you to see him, sir, and I will faith- fully interpret what he says to you at your in- terview. Another point is, that it will keep every thing quiet in the garrison, and render you and your officers much respected amongst all the military here." The idea of my having just arrived at Angus- tura — astranger ; thegeneral-in-chief, from whom I had a letter, expressive of liis wish to be known to me, being at the head-quarters of tlie army several hundred miles off; the probability of my detention at Angustura, and the more than pro- bable conjecture that this business would be un- fairly interpreted to him, — came fully home to my mind, and I therefore attended Major Per- kins into the hall, where General Montillo w^as walking, WTapped in liis morning gown. As soon as he saw me, he advanced with haste, and addressed me in French, *' I beg of you to be released from arrest. I have been miserable the whole night." He then presented me his hand, which I took, and he immediately put his arms ORINOCO AND APURE. 26l round my shoulders, and turning hastily round to Major Perkins, said in Spanish, *' Tell the colonel, that the apartment where he was is his own as long as he remains. I am going away for twelve or fourteen days : until I return I beg he will command every thing in the house; and I shall leave orders for his being obeyed in all his wishes." I requested Major Perkins to thank the governor for his politeness, and to tell him I had apartments at the admiral's house : he did so, but Montillo would not hear of my withdrawing from the government house, and he determined my stay, by adding, that he should not believe I was reconciled in my heart, if I did not remain under his roof. I bowed my compliance, and gave directions for my baggage to be removed accordingly from the admiral's, where it had been deposited. I issued instant orders for a parade of my officers and men ; and was setting out for the quarters w^here poor Plunkett was, when I received the intelligence that he had died during the night. This was a severe loss to me : I could ill spare so good a soldier and so good a man. As I deter- mined to bury him agreeably to our own cus- toms, although he was a catholic, I issued the necessary orders on the occasion, which will be found in the Appendix, marked U. It will, at least, prove that Lieutenant Plunkett's burial 262 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS was not the " smothered concern" which some villains have attempted to insinuate, and is a jus- tice due to myself, and a duty I owe even to the governor of Angustura. The officers and men appeared glad to see me out of arrest; andl took that opportunity of enforcing on their minds a strict attention to subordination, and never, in any case, to attempt to judge for themselves. If, on a recent occasion, their exertions and as- sistance had been wanted or necessary, I felt convinced that every man would have aided me : but in that event they would have received orders from proper authority, and through their then commanding officer. The aide-de-camp, Major Perkins, waited on me soon after the parade, to inform me that it was a point of etiquette in me to wait on General Bermudez, and the general wondered I had not done so. On inquiring if he came ** officially" to order me, he answered. No ; although he had heard the general so express himself, who expected that I should make my bow, for having consented to my being released from arrest. " If," I replied, "General Bermudez should speak again on the subject, you may tell him, from me, that althougli I have for- given the Governor Moutillo's conduct to me, in consequence of the interview of the morn- ing, and because, as }'ou informed me, he was I ORINOCO AND APURE. 263 drunk when it occurred, yet I never shall forget the indignity offered me. General Bermudez was not drunk, but he was consenting to all that Montillo did : had he chosen, as the senior officer, to interfere, as it was his duty to have done, Montillo would not have disgraced him- self, by insulting me, a stranger, a colonel in their service, and an Englishman, who has done so much in their cause as I have done. General Bermudez suffered me, after I was in arrest, to be actually shuffled out of his presence by some of the fellows who surrounded him. I would therefore never wait on General Ber- mudez, except by order, or on points of duty." Major Perkins left me, and I was anxious to see every thing prepared for poor Plunkett*s funeral. A general order was issued from the Governor Montillo, that the directions for the firing party would proceed from himself. When things were so far arranged for attendance on this solemnity, a verbal order was sent me from General Bermudez to direct the parade of the first Venezuelian hus- sars to take place in half an hour, opposite the palace. The red hussars were also ordered to fall in on parade. Indeed the two detachments looked like one corps, as the non-commis- sioned officers of Colonel Wilson's regimentwere dressed in my clothing, with which M'Intosh 264 EXrEBITION TO THE RIVERS had supplied him from the Prince. I had taken the right of the parade for the first Venezuehan hussars from seniority; but General Bermudez, through Major Perkins, sent me word to fall to the left, and give the right to Colonel Wilson on all occasions, until further orders ; I, of course, obeyed, leaving the future arrangement on that point to the general-in-chief, Bolivar. I had some reason, a few moments after, as well as subsequently to General Bermudez's actual departure, to suspect that several of the orders conveyed to me emanated from the aide-de- camp himself, and unknown to his general; when he approached again, and told me that the general was going to embark on board the flechera that afternoon ; that, as soon as he came from the palace, each colonel was to re- ceive him with military honours ; and as he went down the main street to the water, we were to file off on each side, so as to escort him to the boats. Perkins then added, The general desires also that you will pick out two good artillery- men, an orderly serjeant, and two trumpeters, to be attached to his body guard; and com- plete them in necessaries, as they must join im- mediately. I now thought it high time for me to exert my authority, and to produce my engage- ments with Don Mcndez ; I, therefore, com- ORINOCO AND APUIIE. 265 menced, by telling Major Perkins before the whole corps, that I should, in future, take no verbal orders from him, particularly where such orders militated against the positive agreements entered into between M. Mendez, on behalf of the independent government of Venezuela, and myself. My engagements were, that not an officer nor man should be taken from me, without my consent, and the consent of the individual; that I had gone to great expense and trouble with my trumpeters, and that the instruments they used were mine, until the republic pur- chased them. If the general ordered the whole detachment of the first Venezuelian hussars to join him, we should be ready; but I could not allow myself to be deprived of a single man, or any part of the men. If my people were thus to be taken from me, it must be by a positive order from the general; in which case I should de- mand my passports for myself, officers, and re- maining people, to leave the country. Perkins returned into the palace, and from the window beckoned one of the trumpet boys (Spears, who had fallen over-board, on our entrance into the Orinoco), who instantly quitted the ranks, and ran off to the palace. There I determined to present myself also ; and having encountered Q66 expedition to the rivers the one-armed port captain, I directed him to tell the general that I could not submit quietly to such infringements of the engagements made with me in England, on the faith of which I had come out, as those now attempted to be practised by the aide-de-camp ; that I could not spare the bugle boy. Spears, who was one of my best trumpeters, and I begged he might be returned to my regiment. The answer brought out to me was, that the boy had expressed a wish to attend the general; who requested that I would permit him to do so, and that he would return him to me as soon as the regiment was completed in men. As I foresaw that if I held out he would be taken from me, I gave up the point, making a virtue of necessity ; but de- sired that the price of the trumpet and bugle he took with him might be handed over to the paymaster of the regiment, which was promised; and as no further demand was made for the ar- tdlery-men, or the orderly serjeant, I retired. In a few moments after, down came General Bermudcz in his Jield dress, and attended by Major Perkins and two other aides-de-camp and others of his suite, as well as some of the coun- cil, who came to witness his embarkation. The dress in which his excellency[now appeared was a dirty pair of long trowsers, and an old pair of ORINOCO AND APURE. 267 shoes, an old hat, with a long white feather at its side, a short piece of dirty blanketing thrown over his shoulders, with a hole cut in the centre, through which his head had been protruded. The general had come out in so hurried a man- ner, and to me so disguised, that I had hardly time to recognize him, and to drop my sword to him, as he hurried by : and when the corps received orders to face to the left, for the pur- pose of extending their ranks on each side, so as to place him between them, and to get up with him, the velocity with which he proceeded down the town kept the whole of us in a complete run ; and so far from looking like an escort to a general, and in compliment to his rank and person, to all the English spectators it must have appeared like an escort of soldiers running after a convict, who was endeavouring to escape from their hands. And the general himself, from dress, appearance, and haste, presented to the imagination the actual figure of the convict in his endeavours to escape. On arrival at the high bank which forms a kind of breast-work towards the river, a narrow passage led down to the water side, where the flecheras were in waiting ; and through tliis passage he and his suite nimbly glided, whilst myself, officers, and people, halted at the entrance, and formed up in line to take breath and to cool ourselves. We 268 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS were not long suffered to remain thus stationary ; orders came to march down to the shore, and to extend the files, so as to make the line form a circle round the flecheras, which on this oc- casion were decorated with flags, streamers, and pennants J and one of them carried the com- modore of the squadron of flecheras flag. I di- rected Major Trewren to march the corps to the sands, intending tohave gone no further myself; but reflecting that my remaining on the rise of the bank alone might appear singular, and being certainly at that moment under the or- ders of a superior, I, although I felt exceedingly indisposed, joined the corps at the water side ; and having directed the extension of their files in a more military order than that in which it had been commenced, placed myself in the centre. The general, surrounded by his staff and the council of government, then came for- ward, and with much pathos of expression ad- dressed the British soldiery in Spanish : as soon as he had finished his harangue, the aide-de- camp (Perkins) came forward and translated the speech. He said the general rejoiced to see the British troops safe at Angustura. He hoped that they would escape all sickness, and that against the enemies of his country they would prove themselves every way victorious. He regretted that he could not attach them all ORINOCO AND APURE. SGQ to his body guard, and take them with him, to assist the army whicli he was going to command. But as lie liad not the sanction of tlie supreme chief on the occasion, he reluctantly bade them, for the present, farewell. He was sure that, wherever they went, they would immortalize their names, and gain the love and admiration of their brethren, the patriots of South America. He could not embrace them all individually, but he should fold to his heart some of their officers, as an adieu to the whole. Having thus translated the sentiments as expressed by Ge- neral Bermudez, he retreated into the throng which hid the general from our view, from which he returned again, and addressing me, asked if I would not bid the general farewell. I replied, Certainly; and begged of him to convey to General Bermudez *' my most cordial wishes for his health, and complete success." On his delivering my message, I perceived Bermudez advancing hastily towards me : I had dropt the point of my sabre, thinking he was going to address me ; he, however, advanced closer, and in an instant threw his arms over my shoulders, and pressed me alternately to his bosom, saying repeatedly, *' Adieu, my friend and brother !" The "amende honorable'* being thus publicly made, I that moment forgave all that was past, andtaking off my glove, gave him in token of my 270 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS feelings that hand, which a few moments before I thought nothing could extract from me : with it, I exclaimed, "God bless you, general!" which salute he returned by pressing my hand between his, and repeating my words in English. The next moment, up came Montillo the governor, who embracing me also, begged of me in French to make use of his house as my own during his absence ; and I now for the first time learnt that he was going as far as Old Guyana with Bermudez. When the general and his suite had embarked in their different flecheras, I directed the men to give three cheers, taking the time from my- self; and they were cordially returned. A salute of nine guns was fired from the commodore's fle- chera, when the whole hauled off to the stream, and I marched back the officers and men to perform the melancholy office of attending Lieu- tenant Plunkett's remains to the grave, which the late business had retarded uj^wards of three hours. It was night-fall by the time we had gotten to the house where his corpse lay. There, however, we found the j)ricst in waiting; and having fallen into military funeral procession, I had the satisfaction of seeing that many of the officers of Colonel Wilson's corps had joined us. We proceeded, with each a taper in our hands, to the chapel in the upper square of the city, ORINOCO AND APURE. 271 into which the body was taken, wliilst the priest muttered his unintelHgible jargon with sucJi ve- locity as to oblige him to stop now and then to fetch breath. We had been kept so long on parade in attending Bermudez, that no horse could be procured (a cavalry distinction) to join the procession, and in the general confusion no blank cartridges had been distributed to the firing party, nor liad the general order been is- sued on that head. The peremptory one of the funeral taking place that night, for fear of in- fection, was the only one issued. The place of burial, too, was without the walls of the upper fort, and leading to the country. Thither, then, w^e followed the remains of poor Plunkett, whose grave was found not to have been sunk deep enough by the blacks who were ordered to prepare it. For that night he was left with a few large stones placed upon the coffin, and the next afternoon a party of our own men went to the spot, deepened the hole, and re-interred the coffin. During this day, I had the melancholy report made me that four of the officers, ten of the non-commissioned of- ficers, and three of the women, had sickened. Two large rooms had been set apart in a house, near the river, for the better and easier accom- modation of water, and these I now converted into an hospital. The quarter-master. Captain 272 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Denis, was delirious in the fever j Cornet Cooke, Surgeon Blair, Assistant Surgeons Moore and Ashbury, were ill at the same time. Lieutenant Charles Smith had been accidentally shot by one of the officers of the red hussars, whilst playing with some old muskets in a storehouse. The shot, slugs, and wadding had entered the fleshy part of his hip, and nearly blown away the half of it, on his right side. It was a most severe wound, and at first was thought to have been mortal. Captain Dudley too, the adjutant, had rendered himself useless, by his constant ad- herence to an excess of spirit drinking, and had become debilitated, and lost to himself and the service. How he saved himself from the effects of fever I know not. A large room in the officers' barracks was made an hospital for the com- missioned officers above named, and the lower one for the non-commissioned was at that mo- ment filled with eighteen men and three women. The quarter-master-serjeant's wife and daugh- ter had attended him out from England, and the latter, a fine girl of nineteen years of age, fell also sick, and disease seemed to threaten the whole. Most fortunately I kept my health, as did the second surgeon Bryan, to whose con- stant steadiness, assistance, and medical know- ledge, evinced by night and by day, I owe the return to convalescence and established health ORINOCO AND APURE. ^73 at that time of all but one man. To the asto- nishment of every one, Captain Denis recovered ; and First Surgeon Blair, v/ho had been three times pronounced beyond all hope, also got better. By the greatest exertions, the govern- ment contractor, or if I may so call him, the purveyor, furnished for the sick, at Surgeon Bryan's requisition, and my daily certificate vouching for the accuracy of the same, a certain quantity of bread, bottled porter, wine, rice, and arroAv root, in addition to the other rations al- lowed the officers and men in health, which for a short time consisted of rations of beef, three pounds per man, one small loaf, a small piece of soap, a table-spoonful of salt, and a bottle of in- famous new rum, among six. There w^ere no bedding or hammocks even for the sick, who w^ere obliged to stretch themselves on the ground, or any thing they could get to place under them to keep them oif the stone or brick floor. The rations were distributed to the quarter-master twice a week, and in the proportion of six to a colonel, four to a field officer, three to a captain, and two to subaltern officers, with the addition to the officers of sugar, rice, candles, and to my- self chocolate. The pull on the stores for the sick was great, and soon porter, wine, soap, and candles became scarce, and at last unat- tainable. The men too began to droop from T 274 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS the excessive heat of the weather, and the fa- tigue of fetching water from the river to their barrack. Many of them became so debiUtated that I was obHged to remove them from all duties of guards, &c. and attend solely to their health. ORINOCO AND APURE. ^l'^5 CHAPTER XL The author's rank confirmed by Bolivar. — Barren honours. — Utter want of money. — Ways and means ; a dinner or a ball.— The latter determined on. — The ladies. — Marriages laid aside. — Bolivar's aunt. — The ball ; mixed company. — General Montillo. — Lieutenants Pritt and Lamb wish to resign. — Orders from Bolivar to incorporate the British, &c. — Lieutenant-Colonel English's account of his journey. — State of the expedition. — Loss of the Rabbit. — Embar- rassments of the English. — Pay promised ; obliged to sell their clothes, &c. — Bad effects of the provisions, of the rum, and of the water of the Orinoco. — Death of Cornet Davies. — Grand parade. — The officers swear allegiance to the re- public. — The men refuse, unless paid their eighty dollars, as stipulated by Don Mendez in London. — Proceedings in consequence. — Final arrangement. AT this period arrived orders from General Bolivar to acknowledge my rank in the army of Venezuela, from the first date, as guaranteed by Don Mendez; and I consequently appeared in the general orders of the day (see Appendix, marked W), as colonel-commandant. A letter from Colonel English accbmpiinied this no- tification, which gave me the right in the gar- rison. In fact, as the general and governor Montillo was absent, it placed me above the co- lonel of artillery, who was to carry on the duties T 2 276 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS amongst his own countrymen, and who had been promoted, pro tempore, to the rank of brigadier general, in order to supersede me in command. This measure was effected with a great deal of delicacy, and in a manner perfectly corresponding to my own sentiments on the occasion. The paroles and countersigns were daily sent me by the Deputy Adjutant General Montebrune, and I was received v»'ith all the honours of my rank : I was even saluted with the high sounding titles of your excellency and your lordship in the va- rious letters I received. But with all these obser- vances, my excellency and my lordsliip, and my colonel commandantsliip, would willingly have bartered a part of them to have procured a few dollars for the little extra comforts which were w^anting in the station. A few bottles of claret, a little porter, a fowl, a turkey, eggs, ham, cheese, miglit all have been s])orted on my table, could I have procured a dollar ; but the beef I could not eat, and I possessed not the means of purchasing the other articles : the rum I could not drink, tliat is, the ration rum; and I would v/illingly have debarred my companions from the use of it, as it was killing them all. The officers and men, particularly the latter, were grumbling for their pay, or a part of the eighty dollars which they expected to be allowed on arriving at Angustura. The officers ORINOCO AND APURE. 277 too hoped to receive a part of the two hundred dollars promised to them individually on reach- ing that destination. I used my endeavours, I remonstrated, I memorialized the council, but not a dollar could I obtain on account. The men ceased to grumble, because they saw me and the officers in a similar condition : and our condition needs no further elucidation than my stating that I could not even get the money for the bugles I had left with General Bermudez on his order for payment. I had promised the officers of the regiment a dinner, and found I could get credit for the ne- cessaries; but having computed the expense, and turned my serious thoughts to the circum- stances in which we stood, the economical idea suggested itself, whether I had not better give a ball instead of a dinner. To the latter the ladies of the city could be invited. The grand council of the republic ; the native officers and civilians in the garrison ; and our brother coun- trymen of Colonel Wilson's corps; all, all might partake of such an entertainment ; and besides the cost, the risk of a drunken party at a dinner be thus avoided. Some of the young men undertook to prepare every thing for the occasion, provided I opened the stores at the different merchants' houses. 278 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS In this I succeeded ; cards of invitation to the hidies were distributed and accepted. The large room in the palace was obtained for dancing, and the adjoining ones for refreshments. The evening appointed happily arrived, and the great apartment was decorated in the best pos- sible style. Two of the officers I appointed to assist me in doing the honours, and I se- lected an English merchant in the city to be my interpreter, as well as my informant as to the rank and condition of each lady as she ap- peared, that I might pay the necessary atten- tions to them, and observe the etiquette of South America. I found that since the revolution, and the taking of the city of Angustura, the good and independent Padrees had not been called upon to perform the solemnization of the marriage ceremony. The loving and happy couples whom fancy, choice, or persuasion, had joined together, were perfectly contented in their unceremonious union with each other ; and if matrimony ever entered their heads, it was merely momentary, and as a matter that could be either dispensed with wholly, or postponed to another more fit and propitious opportunity. After a few ladies had entered the room, and had been conducted to their seats, one pre- sented herself, who, from appearance, dress, ORINOCO AND APURE. 279 ease and manners, I should have pronounced to be one of my own countrywomen. She was Bo- livar's aunt, and a resident in Angustura, waiting only for the restoration of peace and quietness to return to New Grenada. She had visited England, France, and Spain ; had been at se- veral of the English and French West Indian islands; and her society was rendered more agreeable by the conversation being carried on chiefly without the interpreter. I opened the ball with a lady whom she introduced to me, as she herself declined dancing ; but liberty, inde- pendence, and equality were the order of the night. The refreshment rooms were broken into sa7is ceremo7iie, in order to attack the porter, wine, and spirits, and the whole was drunk off, without rule or decorum. In this instance their independence was conspicuous. On the score of equality, the same system was adopted; every lady of a certain class in the city, every mistress, and every wife, mixed together with the greatest pleasantry and complaisance ; and every man, from the brigadier down to the ship's carpenter, joined in the joke, the chat, the merry dance, and quaffing the good liquor. There were about three hundred people at the ball, and it was nearly three in the morning before the delighted company retired. The only ladies who did not attend were the wife of 280 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, and two French i^irls of respectability: the former, in consequence of her husband's absence ; the latter from not having been in public since the taking of the city, and the escape of their father from assas- sination. The return of the governor Montillo, and the arrival of General Soublett (the adjutant general to the army of Venezuela), made some little change in tlie appearance, and even in the actual state of the troops. Tlie governor's authority caused a re-issuing from the various stores ofmanyof the comforts necessary for the sick ; and although the officers and men were recovering, yet they stood in need of these auxiliaries to strengthen them, and expedite their restoration to perfect health. In the interim, some of the officers and others had behaved themselves most unwarrantably; no- tice was obliged to be taken of their conduct, and Montillo shewed that he possessed great good nature and feeling, which I observed the more as I was an inhabitant of the same house with him. Yet drunkenness was his foible, and I believe he never went to bed without his full dose. At night wlien he came home (for he was generally on one visit or another) a large tub, containing as much water as would take him above liis middle, was in readiness for him, into wliich he ORINOCO AND APURE. 281 would jump, and remain for a quarter of an hour, on coming out be wiped dry, and wrapped in his dressing-gown go to his hammociv, where he swang until sunrise. The bath was again resorted to, and he dressed and rode out, and transacted what business was required of him. He is a great favourite with Bohvar, who knows him to be brave and trust- worthy, but laments the attachment which he unfortunately has to liquor of any kind that he can get. I was much astonished about this period at receiving a letter from Messrs. Pritt and Lamb, lieutenants in the regiment, requesting leave to resign, and return to the islands. Their con- duct had latterly been very unaccountable on points of duty, and they had each been reported to me for inattention and neglect by the captain of the day. They had in the first instance re- sorted to the governor, who referred them to me, adding that such application on their parts must come through me. When they came to me, I candidly told them both, that as I had reported them as lieutenants in the regiment, and as their names were gone up to the general in chief, they would be obliged to wait his excellency's answer. They wanted to go immediately, and I really felt more than hurt that two Englishmen should be seeking their discharge from the ser- vice, at the moment the regiment expected to be ordered up to the head-quarters of tlie army. 282 ExrEDiTiox to the rivers I therefore refused to ask for their leave to re- tire, until we all got up to our destination. In this state they were, wlien Lieutenant-Co- lonel English arrived with despatches from Ge- neral Bolivar, containing the commissions of the officers, and a request from the supreme chief tliat I would incorporate into the British brigade those officers who should join at Angustura, some of whom had belonged to Colonel McDo- nald's corps, and others to Lieutenant-Colonel Needham. In fact, his excellency wished that all the British should be brigaded together. The regimental order marked V, in the Appendix, was then issued. General Bolivar was liberal enough to say, that the fatigues and perseverance of the English officers astonished him. Their bravery in the field was everywhere conspicuous. He lamented that his own men did not support them as they ought, and he grieved for their loss at the last battles of Villa del Cura and Ortiz. He was consequently determined to order them to return to Angustura, and there join the Bri- tish brigade. On my first interview with Colonel EngHsh, he proceeded to relate the circumstances that had happened to him since he left me at Grenada, and he continued his detail up to the moment of our then re-union at Angustura: I will therefore relate the whole, and nearly in his own words. *' lla\ ing ascended tlic Orinoco as far as ORINOCO AND APURE. 283 Cuicara, where we took in additional comforts, consisting of fresh beef, some poidtry, and some eggs, we re-embarked on board of our Hechera, and entered the river de Apure, which branches off to the right, and leads, after a distance of about sixty miles, to the city of San Fernando. In the passage up this river, we were as often terrified by the growling of the tiger, and the prowling of other wild beasts, whilst we were surrounded by a very large fire which we caused to be lit during the nights we slept on shore, as we were by day amused with the hissing of the water-serpent, the numerous body of alligators which were continually floating within an oar's length of our flechera, and the whole tribe of testaceous and amphibious animals, which con- stantly appeared. We at length reached San Fernando in safety, and having reported myself and attendants to the commandant, he was pleased to order us to be provided with horses to carry us on to Calaboza. At San Fernando I saw and left General Sedeno, and about six hundred cavalry which he commanded; and myself, Smith, and the two orderly Serjeants, proceeded on as rapidly as possible. Our guide led us through passes and over plains where we saw only a few native Indians or stragglers; but on arriving at Calaboza we were astonished to find that General Sedeno had actually arrived 284 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS there before us with the whole of his troops, and had gone on in order to halt upon the plains on the other side of the city, w^here he could procure forage for his horses, in the savannahs which extend to the mountains of Villa Cura. The ra- pidity of this movement of Sedeno more than astonished me : I learnt that the chief Bolivar was near the town of Ortiz, with his army, and that the result of a general engagement with Morillo, the royalist chief, w^as hourly expected at Calaboza. After refreshing ourselves by halting at Calaboza for eight hours, we pro- ceeded in the direction of Ortiz, having been supplied with fresh horses by the command- ant of the garrison, which, in consequence of the whole of the troops having gone off to join Bolivar, did not consist of twenty men ca- pable of bearing arms. Many of the wounded in the late actions with Morillo w'cre in the hos- pital at that city, in the most wretched state possible to conceive, from the want of surgical attendance, and necessary food to support them in their nearly exhausted and dying state. *' Calaboza has been, and is now, a fine city, large, and well built; but evidently shews the ravages of war and desolation — chanp;es to be expected, when the royalist and the independ- ent armies become its conquerors in succession, accordino' to the chances of war, which so fre- ORINOCO AND APURE. 285 quently oblige its occupiers to abandon its weak lines of defence, andtlie place itself to surrender on the approach of the attacking enemy. " Having travelled over the vast plains and savannahs, on our route towards Villa de Cura, and suffered nuich from the want of water, either for ourselves or horses, our march be- came considerably impeded ; yet, as I was better mounted than the others, with the exception of our guide, who rode a mule, I determined to persevere in my journey, though the horses on which Lieutenant Smith and the two or- derlies were riding were too exhausted to push on further without rest; I, accordingly, con- tinued my progress, halting occasionally for re- freshment and rest, as the means presented them- selves. On the third morning, whilst ascend- ing a track, which winds round the sides of a hill in the neighbourhood of Ortiz, I could distinctly hear the firing of the adverse army, and on my arrival near its summit, and over- looking the plain below, I could as distinctly view the opposing armies closely engaged. I also perceived a small body of the royalist ca- valry, and a few of their infantry, endeavouring to steal round a hill, to the right of the inde- pendent army, so as to cross a ravine which ran through the centre of the \alley, between two hills, and apparently with the design of out- 286 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS flanking a divison of Bolivar's army, commanded by himself in person, which was in column, in the right of his line. I instantly pushed on, and arrived at the position which the patriotic chief had taken, after having galloped along his line to animate and cheer his men. On approaching the spot where Bolivar was, I found him with a few of his staff around him, amongst whom I recognized my old acquaint- ance. Major Rooke, who now held the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the independent army, and was one of the commander's aides-de-camp. Being in the undi'ess of the first Venezuelian hussars, I attracted some notice, and having presented the chief with the despatches with which you had entrusted me, with others from the council, of whom I was also the bearer, he received me most graciously; and told me, having been surprised and beaten two days be- fore, in the action of Villa de Cura, and lost the whole of his baggage, despatches, &c. he was endeavouring to beat the enemy in return, that day, before Ortiz. After some other inquiries respecting the news, and the numerical force of the British troops expected, the general pro- ceeded to take up a new position, in con- sequence of the royalist army under Morillo having, at the instant, fallen back, and the firing on both sides ha\ing ceased. It was at ORINOCO AND APURE. 287 this moment that BoHvar wanted the assistance of Paez's cavahy, whicli were hourly expected; yet I will venture to affirm that one hundred and fifty British troops would have turned the fortune of the day, and completely opened the passage through the defile to the city of Caraccas. I took the earliest opportunity to inform Ge- neral Bolivar of what I had seen on the part of the enemy, as I was coming round the opposite hill, and I told him my suspicions : he, however, seemed to attach but little weight upon my information or opinion, nor did he, imtil he perceived a movement of the royalist divisions towards the left of their line, feel that I might be right : in a few minutes afterwards, I re- ceived his orders to repair to the valley, and to ascend as far as I could for the purpose of reconnoitring, and ascertaining whether the ravine was passable for the enemy's cavalry, or sharp-shooters. A Captain Grant begged to vo- lunteer his services to attend me, and we set off. *' Having fallen into the track, we perceived the enemy, who appeared to have found it im- practicable to pass their cavalry across the ravine, as they had drawn up and halted on the oppo- site side. A few of their riflemen had got over, but being too few to attempt to descend into the plain, they contented themselves with firing at 288 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS US during our approach. Captain Grant begged me to return, as we were then completely within range of their rifles, and could oppose no fire against them. I was, however, most anxious to obtain a view of the ravine, so as to be en- abled to report, with confidence, the possibility or impossibility of its passage for the cavalry. *' Captain Grant having declared his deter- mination of following me to the hist, we galloped on, and reached the opening of the ravine, whicli was of considerable depth and breadth, and ap- parently without any passage across for cavalry. ** Here a shot from one of the sharp-shooters struck me on the left shoulder, but the chain- strap, whicli shielded it, turned the ball, leaving only a slight contusion, which, though it gave me momentary pain, was of no consequence, and hardly felt a few hours after. Having returned to the general, and made my report, I learnt that both armies had suffered considerably during the period from the first onset, and seemed to suspend hostilities by mutual consent ; each, however, claimed the victory. ** The independent army began to fall back, and some of the royalist European cavalry, to the number of one hundred and fifty or two hundred, were distinctly viewed, manoeuvring on the heights, and ready to charge down upon ORINOCO AND APURE. 289 any of the patriotic troops who presented them- selves on the adjoining plain. " By the returns of the day, the Venezuelian army had suffered much : eight EngUsh officers, whose names I shall give you, were killed, not immediately in the action, but after having been wounded and taken prisoners ; one alone escaped, Captain Noble M'Mullen, who, when wounded slightly and taken prisoner, saved his life, by informing the enemy that he was simply a medical man, and had nothing to do with fighting against the royalists, — that he was, by chance, wounded 5 and from the same ill-luck taken prisoner. M'Mullen was then conducted to the rear of the royalist divisions, and directed to examine and dress the wound of an officer, who had received a shot or the thrust from a lance, through the fleshy part of one thigh, high enough up in the limb to make it ex- tremely dangerous. M*Mullen had, fortunately for himself, at this period, been in reality medically bred ; he could therefore act well the part assigned him, and he had reason to conjecture that it was the royalist chief Mo- rillo whom he was attending, as report said he had received a similar wound in the late action. Having performed the necessary ope- rations of probing, dressing, and bandaging the wound, and given directions to some na- u 290 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS tive medical person, who also attended, how to proceed in future (for M 'Mullen understood and spoke Spanish tolerably well), he was suf- fered to depart, and having come up with Bo- livar's army, related these occurrences. The ge- neral in chief asked him if he could judge of the force of the royalist cavalry: he answered, certainly fifteen hundred men at least. This intimidated Bolivar, and caused him to issue orders to retreat, until reinforced by Paez*s and Sedino's cavalry. The independent chief, how- ever, soon ascertained the actual force of the royalist army not to consist of more than sixteen hundred men, one hundred and fifty cavalry in- cluded: Bolivar was irritated, and almost di'iven to madness, at this correct information which he now received of the enemy's strength. The knowledge came too late for him to retrieve the opportunity lost. Had he been aware that the royalist cavalry amounted to two hundred men only, he would have pushed the fortune of the day, and with more than hopes of success. *' When he sent for M'Mullen to abuse and question him, he was barely pacified by the as- surance made him that the mistake was occa- sioned solely by the belief that the general had questioned him as to the apparent strength of the royalist army, not with respect to the divi- sion of cavalry alone." ORINOCO AND APURE. 291 After the action of Ortiz, General Bolivar had ordered him to return to Angustura with all speed, to take the whole of the British officers left with him, with directions to me that they should be incorporated in the British brigade, according to their respective ranks, and await the arrival of the British troops at Angustura. " On my return," continued Colonel English, " I fell in with General Paez, and his legion of cavalry and infantry, nearly four thousand strong, and I had the opportunity of becoming inti- mately known to that gallant chief, and receiving several marks of his friendship and approbation. Among other presents, he gave me four horses from his own stud, one of which he had some days previously taken from a division of Morillo's army with which he had accidentally fallen in. It was a very beautiful little mare, was shod, and had belonged to a Spanish officer of rank. All those horses I have left under the generaPs care until my return ; he has written by me to you, and I am desired to tell you that he has set apart, as a compliment to you, six of his own favourite horses, to complete your establish- ment as soon as you join him. "He presented me also with the lance belong- ing to himself, with which in the last action he killed forty of the enemy in the course of four hours. The native officers," added Colonel En- u 2 292 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS glish, *' are naturally brave ; I have only heard of one exception, to a jiroof of which indeed I was a witness. The Adjutant-General Soublett is as cowardly a rascal as ever followed an army : I was myself obliged to express my astonishment and disgust to him personally, v/lien I saw him in the height of the action, as I was returning from reconnoitring the movements of the royalists at the ravine, seeking shelter from the shots which were passing behind the body of a large tree.'* Lieut. Charles Smith began to gain strength, and his wound to heal : the men were fast reco- vering ; one only had died. Captain Denis was also getting better. As information was received confirming the news of Mr. Swymmer the pay- master's death*, I appointed Captain Denis to that situation in the regiment ; the quarter-mas- ter Serjeant Dodson to be quarter master, with the rank of cornet ; and as Captain Dudley had rendered himself completely incapable of duty by his devotion to the bottle, I was obliged to remove him from the adjutancy, and appoint my senior serjeant-major, John King, to be adju- tant, with the rank of cornet. Lieutenants Pritt and Lamb re-urged their petition to be suffered to resign, and manifested such despair at being kept, that Colonel English spoke to me in their * This gentleman is now known to be alive and well, and practising as a barrister in one of the North American states. ORINOCO AND APURE. S93 behalf, as he conceived they would do no good, but probably injure the service, if forced to con- tinue in it: they had, as was stated by one of the merchants, come out with the design of settling here as store-keepers, if they found it answer, and the governor had no objection to their immediate departure, if I chose to ask for their passports: I then consented, and leave was given them to quit the country for Saint Vincent's, in a small vessel, called the Rabbit, in the service of the republic, commanded by Captain Dwyer, who had been first of the Tiger. In this vessel several English- men were going on business, particularly an old gentleman, a Captain Smart, whom I had known in South Africa, in the year 1800, and to whom the Venezuelian republic was deeply indebted. The sick women, officers, and men, had found in him a most bountiful and liberal-hearted friend. All the rarities they had eaten came from his liberal heart, and private stores; — eggs, cheese, butter, and French brandy, were fur- nished gratuitously by him to the weak and wanting. He had embarked onboard the Rabbit, as had Cornet Yabsley, of the red hussars, who was also on a mission to the different islands; where many of the deserters were actually starv- ing from want of money or employment, and had transmitted notice of their wishes to be again received into the service. Cornet Yabsley was also furnished with the means of paying 294 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS their debts at Grenada, Saint Kitt*s, Saint Tho- mas's, and Trinidad, and ofbringing them down to the Main. An Englishman, who had been turbulent in the garrison, and insulted several of the officers, was likewise ordered on board, together with Messrs Pritt and Lamb. The morning on which the Iiabbit was to sail, an officer of the red hussars came to me, and expressed a doubt of the propriety of letting either Messrs. Pritt or Lamb embark, until news of the purchase of the Emerald arrived; for, by the conversation he had heard between these young men, he was confident that they would injure the cause excessively by their reports. On his leaving me alone, I began to think there was some justice in the remark, and as I knew a very fine schooner was to proceed in a few days after for Trinidad, I determined to have them detained until she sailed. Having had an inter- view with the governor on the business, he begged of me to use my own discretion. I, therefore, sent the port captain to the general, who issued an order to prevent Messrs. Pritt and Lamb from sailing in the Rabbit; but, w^henhe got to the place where the vessel had lain, he found she had proceeded down the river. The governor's orders were positive; he, therefore, maimed a double canoe, and went after them, and in two hours time boarded the Rabbit, and brought them back. What their I ORINOCO AND APURE. 295 feelings were two days after, when the news ar- rived that the Rabbit had upset in a squall of wind on the morning after leaving Angustura, and that out of fourteen people two only were saved, I know not: but surely they had cause to be grateful to God for such an escape. In a few days after, they embarked in the Halifax packet for Trinidad, where they arrived in safety, and forgetting the obligation they owed both the governor Montillo and myself, they tried, by every kind of defamation concerning the unfortunate republic, and the personal cruelty they had ex- perienced, to heighten the general grievances. I again made application for money, and urged it with every possible exertion, particularly when I found that the officers were selling even their clothing, to obtain it for absolutely necessary expenses. I was assured by the intendant ge- neral that every endeavour to obtain a supply should be made, and he undertook to promise that some pay should be forthcoming before we left Angustura. I had been obliged to part with many of my own articles, some of which were indeed superfluous, in order to meet my imme- diate wants. All my blankets, save one, my cot, cabin-lamps, some plain clothing, and other articles, my master tailor's wife disposed of for me, and I obtained in cash about one hundred dollars. I was now able to procure some pro- 296 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS visions more nutricious and congenial to my taste J for although I was not so ill as to pre- vent me from riding and going my daily rounds, yet I was feeble and debilitated from the abso- lute want of proper food, nor could I ever esta^ blish a regular and general mess for tlie officers with every exertion for that purpose. Beef soup, and stewed beef, without vegetables, rice, pepper, and salt, were in reality so bad, and un- wholesome for continual diet, that both of- fiers and men felt the ill effects; and as the al- lowance of rum, bad and pernicious as it evi- dently was, w^as indispensable to mix with the water of the Orinoco to soften its quality, kill the animalculae, and take off the effects of the mineral poison with v/hich it was impregnated, we suffered much from our beverage as well as from our meat. The water itself is a strong purgative ; and, if used without passing it through a filtering stone, will cause violent spasms in the bowels, and bring on dysentery and all its concomitant miseries. At this period Cornet Davies, who had left the first Venezue- lian hussars, to accept the same rank in the red hussars, fell sick ; but his illness was not at first considered dangerous. He had, a few days be- fore, behaved very unbecomingly on the parade to me, and I was obliged to place him in arrest. He had, however, been released without resort- I ORINOCO AND APURE. ^^97 ing to a court martial, which might Ivdvc been fatal to him : he had returned to his duty, and was seized with sudden head-aclie, which he bore, until forced to lay himself up. When I heard that he was getting worse, and dangerously ill, I hastened to him, having previously sent to know if he wished to see me : his answer was, that he requested I would come to him. I found him lying on his mattrass upon the ground, and although he had discharged a great quantity of blood from his mouth, yet he was perfectly sen- sible, and had not the smallest apprehension of his speedy dissolution ; nor, indeed, had I, at that moment. He held out his hand, and begged of me to forgive his past conduct, and be friends with him, and expressed his sorrow at having left my regiment : he wished, also, that I would write to his family in England, and teU them he was very unwell, and intended to return. All this I promised ; but as his linen and bedding w^ere in a shocking state from the discharge of blood, he begged me to come back in an hour, and in the interim he would get himself changed and cleaned. I gave direc- tions for his removal into another room less ex- posed to the sun and heat, and left him in charge of the surgeon of his regiment, who appeared to be very attentive to him. I further left my own orderly serjeant to wait upon him, and to come ?98 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS for me the moment he was ready to receive me. In less than an hour the orderly came to tell me that Cornet Davies was worse ; and in my way, whilst hurrying to his quarters, I despatched a message to Surgeon Bryant of the first hussars, and to Doctor Barton, the physician. On enter- ing the chamber, I found it filled with the officers, and two or three medical men, and having pro- cured all, but those actually wanted, to retire, I approached poor Davies, now lying sensible, but speechless. He had, the surgeons informed me, been looking at every one who came near; but expressed disappointment, and shewed great irritability until he saw me. I then took his hand, and asked him if he knew me : he opened his eyes, and pressed my hand, and muttered something unintelligible. When the other me- dical men came, they pronounced him to be hopeless: strong medicines were resorted to, to keep him from fainting. His head was blis- tered, and when the hair was cutting off, he recovered his speech, and refused to permit it. It was persevered in, and he said no more ; but for upwards of an hour retained my hand, which he would not suffer me to remove, until he was too weak to hold it. He died a few minutes after, and early the next morning was buried with military honours, the whole of the English attending, and myself joining the procession, as ORINOCO AND APURE. 299 chief mourner, in compliment to his family, who had formerly entrusted him to my care. The Governor Montillo had ordered a pa- rade of all the British in the garrison, at least those who composed Colonel Wilson's, and the first Venezuelian hussars. It was for the pur- pose of swearing in the officers and men of each regiment, and receiving their oath of fidelity and attachment to the republic of Venezuela. The standards of the first Venezuelian hussars were displayed, but those belonging to, or intended for the red hussars, had not arrived from England. Each officer then came forward, and having sworn allegiance to the republic, so long as he was employed in its service, and to defend its cause against Ferdinand of Spain, as officers in the pay of the independent and patriotic army of Venezuela; and having kissed the colours in solemn remembrance of the oath thus taken, the non-commissioned officers were called upon to do the same. All the men of the red hussars refused to take the oath, or in any other way to bind themselves, unless they received at least a part of the eighty dollars per man, guaran- teed to them by Don Mcndez, in London, and which was to be paid to them on their arrival on the shores of the Main. A few of the first Venezuelian hussars came forward to be re- 300 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVETIS sworn, but having previously taken the oath whilst at sea, I deemed it unnecessary to re- administer it. The governor, however, thought otherwise, and when they were called upon to advance and kiss the colours, all but six re- fused j giving the same reason as the non-com- missioned officers of the other corps. With my own people, I admitted the justice of their claim, and I gave them my solemn promise that I would support it with all the energy in my power, but in a way that should reflect no dishonour on our conduct as men and soldiers ; that I would remonstrate in their names, and in the names of their officers, on the hardship of our situation, and on our distresses and wants ; and I also assured them, that if the means of the republic were so scanty, and the actual de- ficiency of money so certain and acknowledged, provided the governor coidd only order the officer two hundred dollars to be issued for the present, that I and the others would freely share a certain portion with the non-commissioned of- ficers, until they each received payment of their own. General Montillo was puzzled what to do at the moment; he therefore commanded the main- guard to be augmented, and privately directed some of the native artillery-men to take pos- ORINOCO AND APURE. 301 session of a brass nine-pounder, which stood nearly opposite the government-house ; for I believe he thought the men of both corps were inclined to be mutinous. This was not, however, my impression, and whether such was even their momentary intention, it was completely removed when the regiment of the first Vene- zuelian hussars were told, by order of the go- vernor, that as they refused to repeat the oath or to renew it, they should not appear in the uniform of the republic : they were accordingly ordered to deliver up their sabres (of which and of the trumpeters' bugles the quarter-master took jDOssession), and to march, for the purpose of being stripped of their regimental clothing, into the main guard-room. They were, in con- sequence, marched into the large inner yard, which was also the military prison of the garri- son, and the orders were about to be enforced. I began to fear that Montillo would do more, from some secret orders that he had sent to the commandant of artillery, and the commodore of the flecheras, who had returned to Angus- tura, after conveying general Bermudez to Old Guyana. I had, together with several of the of- ficers, assisted by the few men m^Iio had " stuck by their colours," gone amongst them, and rea- soned with them, and succeeded in hearing the 302 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS whole of the first Venezuelian hussars, with the exception of one man, exclaim, " we will stick to our officers, and our regiment.** General Montillo was wonderfully pleased w^hen he saw them coming from the guard-room, and falling in again on parade : they each man kissed the colours of the regiment, and we all shouted. Viva la republica ! Viva, viva el supremo xefe de la republica ! Vivan los patriotas ! — the sabres were returned to the men, and the governor promised to procure them a part of their guaran- teed allowance. The man who refused to join his comrades was drunk ; yet, had he not afterwards requested to be pardoned and let out, I am confident Montillo would have ordered him to have been shot, or sent down to the prison of Old Guyana the next morning. The former would have been the punishment of a moment*s duration only ; the latter the miserable one of dying by inches, — incessant labour without the necessary subsistence to preserve life. Colonel Wilson's men had agreed to take the oath, on the terms of receiving part of the money due to them. Montillo was aware of the difi'erence between the two corps : to the one he had given his promise willingly, be- cause they had previously come forward; but as ORINOCO AND APURE. 303 far as regarded the red hussars, he was compelled to allow them to participate in the monies to be advanced. He therefore expressed his con- fidence in the first Venezuelian hussars, on whose conduct he promised to make a minute report to General Bolivar. 304 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER XII. The governor and council raise money by a forced loan. — The troops again disappointed, and the money restored. — Arrival of a valuable cargo from London. — Celebration of the eighth anniversary of the republic. — Ceremonies reli- gious and festive. — Indian dance and dress. — Debility of Europeans, induced by the heat of the climate and aug- mented by the badness of the provisions. — A country-house procuredfor the invalids. — Saddler's shop and sale of goods at Angustura. — Mode of catching bullocks in South Ame- rica. NOTHING particular occurred for a day or two after this business, except the preparations for raising the money. This was done by the governor and council issuing their mandate to all the civilians in Angustura,* of every descrip- tion and of e\'ery country (even to the English merchants, who had already advanced large loans to the republic), to bring to the goveniment house, on tlie succeeding day, a certain sum in hard cash, agreeable to a rating on'each, as pre- viously fixed upon by the council, under the pe- nalty of imprisonment, and the seizure of their stores, goods, articles of every kind, household ORINOCO AND APURE. 305 furniture, kc. This order was as sudden as un- expected: some in the first instance resisted; but the seizure of their persons, and their im- prisonment in the main guard-room of the city, convinced the tardy or hesitating contributor that the government of Angustura was not to be put off or its orders disobeyed. Although the subscribers to this new loan might grumble, yet it was useless to rebel; and the great table in the hall at the government house, when I passed through on my way to my chamber in the afternoon, groaned under the extorted weight of heavy metal, extracted, without the aid of chemistry, from the iron chests where it had been long concealed. Yet all was hope and expectation amongst the British military: no thoughts of the misery which the people endured crossed their imagina- tion : the money was looked for with more than avaricious longing, and the source from whence it came was a matter of no moment. The following day was to be that of payment; and the morning was joyfully ushered in. But still all was silent on the w^ork of expected dis- tribution. The paymaster of the regiment had been at his post for two or three hours, and at length received intelligence that the allotment of the money was postponed to a future day, and previous to the embarkation of the troops X 306 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS for the river Apure. The disappointment was severely felt, and the matter seemed past recall when the governor and council issued orders for the subscribers to this forced loan to repair to the government house, and each to receive back wluit he had lately advanced. One of the English merchants (Mr. Smith, of the house of Forsyth and Smith) had chosen to be committed, and to remain in the guard- room rather than be compelled to disburse the sum demanded of him. He was now released, and the lenders were seen repairing to the go- vernor's, and returning smiling with each his canvas bag of dollars. I was informed that the governor and council had re-considered their orders. Montillo probably w^as drunk when he issued them, and the council afraid of contradicting his excellency's peremptory man- date at the moment. However, the morning produced the restoration of the money to the hands of its lawful owners, and we were left to rely on the promises again most profusely given. Other means less arbitrary would be resorted to, to enable all the pecuniary engagements to be made good. Yet I could divine the real cause, from the hints given me by a native ofHcer, to whom I had shewn some attention and kindness. I had completed him with two changes of every article necessary for wear, from my own private ORINOCO AND APURK. 307 stock, and I found him useful to me, and faith- ful. The approach of a British vessel with a few officers in the river Orinoco had been reported, and lier lading consisted of every article of clothing, equipments, and necessaries for ten thousand men. The clothing for Colonel Wilson's corps had also been brought out in the Hunter, a speculative concern, from London, and en- trusted to the charge of Messrs. Princeps and Hamilton, as supercargoes. Her arrival in the river, and the information that she was on her passage up to Angustura, produced the change which had taken place ; and to prevent bad im- pressions, and to subdue the angry feelings of the resident merchants in the city, the money had been thus so speedily refunded. Governor Montillo (witli wliom I had conti- nued on the best footing imaginable, and who, at heart, was really humane, honourable, and considerate) had issued orders to commemorate the anniversary of their eighth year of independ- ence. Early on the morning of that day, a fatigue party was ordered to sweep and clear away the rubbish collected before the front of the government house (which, I should observe, had been the palace of the bishop, previous to the surrender of Angustura to the independent forces), and a large cocoa-nut tree was cut, and brought from the woods, and planted on the X 2 308 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS esplanade before the windows. This was for the purpose of representing the tree of liberty ; and a nine brass pounder was stationed in front, to thunder out, by its successive explosions, the number of years which the Venezuelian re- public had to boast of its freedom and inde- pendence, and its emancipation from the in- thralment previously imposed on the patriots by the tyrants of Spain. A parade of the troops was ordered about mid-day, and the men were directed to form two lines, by extending their files from the government house to the cathedral, through the centre of which his excellency the general, and his suite, attended by all the colonels and field officers in the garrison, promenaded, until they reached the great doors of the church, through which his excellency passed, and halted before the altar, where he was received by the of- ficiating priests in their sacerdotal robes. Having taken his seat on the left of the altar, on the outside of the railing, with the colonel of the regiment de Valerosa on his right, I was placed next; and Colonel English, and the colonel of artillery, the colonel of marine, and Colonel Wilson, of the red hussars, took their appropriate stations. High mass was performed in the pre- sence of all tlie officers of the garrison, civilians, and a great number of females. I was requested ORINOCO AND APURE. 309 to approach the altar, and so was Colonel English, where, having a cushion placed to kneel upon, we were prayed over by the patriot bishop, and received a sprinkling of the holy water. I per- ceived the general Montillo's arch look and smile at both during a part of the ceremony : probably my countenance depicted the doubts I entertained of being made a catholic, ** nolens volens." I acknowledge I began to think the joke was going too far, and inwardly determined, should the wafer be presented to me, to decline the offering, and leave the clergy in the lurch. The blessing and the sprinkling I concluded would do me no harm ; and I consented to re- ceive those heavenly dews, from an earthly hand, with composure and resignation. I soon, how- ever, discovered it was only the prelude to high honours. I was cleared of all my sins, my errors, and transgressions, and, being thus purified and white-washed, I was deputed as one of the six bearers to support the canopy of silk carried over the head of the bishop w hilst he supported the host in his arms. The procession down the centre of the church, and back through the aisles to the altar, was conducted by four attendants, who carried the silver vases of incense and cha- lices of holy water: next followed the four priests, then the bishop, with the host under the silken canopy of state, supported by short 310 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS poles, which were held in the hands of the co- lonels present, whose order of march was in- verted, the junior colonels, in pairs, leading the W8.y. The general and governor followed next, and officers in files according to rank closed the procession. Having returned and seen the host safely deposited in the *' sanctum sanctorum," we retired to our former seats, where a most impressive sermon, if I might judge so by its pathos and manner of delivery, was preached by a young priest, who had a few days previously arrived from Bolivar's army. I know not how- it was, but his affectionate manners, his prepos- sessing appearance, his ease, and good natured freedom, had completely won my esteem. He spoke French fluently, and I became intimately acquainted with him. He refused several little articles, of which I had begged his acceptance, and only took a small trifle by way of remem- brance. His sermon, delivered in Spanish, contained an exhortation to all, to sup})ort tlie cause of in- dependence and brotherly love ; called on Hea- ven to pour its blessings on their heads, and par- ticularly to bless the English for the assistance they were about to give his country. After an hour's oration, we were dismissed from the church, and repaired to the general })arade, where the officers and men were regularly dismissed. / ORINOCO AND APURE. 311 In the afternoon we all assembled at tlie go- vernor's, in front of whose residence we danced round the tree of liberty. A band of Indians exhibited their mock heroics*, and performed * The Indian dance is not only amusing, but scientific: it would create wonder and applause on any stage in Europe. The leader is styled their chief, or Indian king, to whom the others pay implicit obedience. The chief, and twelve Indian lads, from twelve to fifteen years of age, dressed in the cos- tume of the country, viz. a short petticoat tied round the waist, and decorated with various coloured feathers, compose the whole of the body dress : the petticoat extends almost to the knees, and is very tastefully ornamented: round the head a coronet of coloured paper^ decorated with plumes of feathers, is displayed, and the long twisted black hair gives a finished appearance to the whole. The chief alone wears a mantle, adorned with pieces of scarlet cloth, gracefully thrown over his shoulders, and, with a sort of sceptre in his hand, commands the whole. He wears a large coronet on his head. The boys are all armed with bows and arrows, and having formed themselves into two lines, their king walks down the middle and seats himself in the chair of state. He is sup- posed to personate Montezuma, who, on receiving a letter from Cortez, demanding unconditional surrender of his person and treasures, is so irritated and displeased, as to cause him to tear the letter in pieces, before his body guard, and having imparted to them its contents, demands of them if they are willing to die in their Inca's defence. Their answer is an instantaneous prostration of themselves at the feet of their monarch, in token of their firm resolution to defend him to the last extremity, and to die in his cause. They then on a sudden arise, and having strung their bows, shew their readiness for immediate defence. The piece then concludes, 812 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS their dancing for the amusement of the whole of the spectators assembled. The cannon proclaimed the commencement of the rites to be performed, at the shrine of freedom, liberty, and independence; and porter, claret, rum, gin, and shrub, distributed to those and dancing recommences. The pole dance in general closes the diversion of the afternoon; a dance so called from the production of a pole about ten feet high, and about four or five inches in circumference. At the head is a round ball or truck, immediately under which is fastened twelve different coloured and various striped pieces of French tape, about half an inch broad, and about twelve feet each piece in length. The pole being kept perpendicularly supported, each Indian lad lays hold of a line of tape, which is drawn to its full length, the whole forming a large circle around the pole, one regularly covering his companion in front. At a signal from the chief, the music strikes up a favourite tune, and the circle becomes in motion, half of the performers facing to the right about : on the second signal each step off, and meeting each other, pass on in succession right andleft, and so continue until the twelve lines of tape are entwined in checked order from the top to the bottom of the pole ; and so regular is the appearance, that it would be difficult to find a flaw or a mis- take. A halt for the moment takes place, and the same process is again renewed to unwind the tape, which is as re- gularly completed as before, by inverting the dance and leading from left to right. It is not only graceful, but the movements of the whole are in step and time to the various cadences which the instrument produces. At the various periods I saw this performance, the instrument was a violin, and the tune a favourite French waltz. ORINOCO AND APURE. 313 admitted to surround the governor on this oc- casion, were copiously served until his excel- lency, finding that he could not stand so steady as he wished, and that the major of the first Ve- nezuelian hussars, and several others, sympa- thized with him, was pleased to seat himself upon the bare ground, and to invite us all to do the same. It was a well-timed proposition for many; others complied from the novelty of the thing, and others from compliment to the governor himself, who now, that he could keep the ne- cessary equilibrium upon a broader basis than his feet, gave way to mirth and joviality: songs, toasts, sentiments, and repeated application to the bottle, concluded the festivities of the even- ing, and Montillo retired to his apartments with some degree of order, but with little regularity. I had to lament, two days after, the relapse of several of the men, and of two or three of the officers, who, though not entirely laid up, were by slight fever and loss of appetite reduced in strength, and losing ground daily. I was myself much weakened by heat, and want of proper food. I could not partake of the beef, which, as I have already noticed, from want of being properly blooded when killed, and being instantly after cut, or rather pulled to pieces, and thrown quivering into the boiler, looked 314 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS horrible. The feeders in a dog kennel in England would have been ashamed to take horse flesh so mangled to their brute charge. Those men who had preserved their health hitherto were at- tacked slightly, and this proceeded from the fa- tigue of fetching water from the river, and ex- posure to the extreme heat of the sun. I was there- fore obliged to get them all struck off garrison duty, and even to discontinue the daily drills. On application to the governor, I obtained leave to send the whole of the invalids, both officers and men, to a small house and plantation within a mile of the city, where the air was more cool, where the shade of various trees sheltered them from the sun, and where a spring of the finest and 2)urest water flowed through the gardens that surrounded the house. There were four large apartments, a liall and a good kitchen ; a veran- dah, the whole length in front, was sufficiently spacious for tlie daily promenade, when the sun was too powerful ; and some out-buildings, and two large tents pitched under the trees, af- forded ample room for the men. At tliis place I determined also to take up my abode until we were in sufficient health to embark for the Apure, and I fixed on one of the rooms for that purpose. I had ap})ointed those officers who came down from the army, and who had expressed a pre- ORINOCO AND APURE. 315 ference for the first Venezuelian hussars, to their different ranks in that regiment. Colonel Wil- son had done the same ; and by this means the first hussars was augmented one major, two captains, six lieutenants, and one surgeon. Two of the lieutenants had received the grade of captain from the supreme chief, after the action at Ortiz ; and although none of them were ca- valry men, yet I hoped they would, ere long, be in the way of receiving instruction. Not a man or a horse could the republic provide us with whilst remaining at Angustura; and those I made use of belonged to the admiral, who had been pleased to direct his secretary, Lieu- 1 tenant-Colonel Richards (an Englishman), tc^^ Wurnish me with horses from his own stablest during my stay. The master saddler of the re- giment, who was permitted to precede me from Grenada to Angustura, had been most kindly received by the admiral, who had ordered an apartment to be given him on the ground floor under the admiralty house, where he had opened a handsome shop, and displayed all his Euro- pean articles in the saddlery line to the greatest advantage : he had full employment, and a con- stant succession of customers, from the highest to the lowest ranks : his books, too, were equally crowded with his shop 5 all were eager to order 316 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS various articles of saddlery, none thought of pay- ing him: the admiral himself was the onlyperson who dealt honourably. Serjeant Falconer was a worthy young man, and merited every indul- gence and consideration from me: I therefore gave him his discharge previous to my leaving Angustura, and he was considered not as a sol- dier, but as an English merchant, and left a free agent, with' respect to his choice of remaining or quitting the country. During the first three or four da}'s of our removal to the country, a change in the health and appearance of the men was very perceptible. I had procured leave to kill the beeves for our own consumption, and having a most excellent butcher, the bul- locks were trailed up each morning to the new quarters, killed after the English manner, and the look of the several joints and pieces afterwards, made the meat itself more pa- latable. A description of the mode of catching the beeves may not be uninteresting to the British reader. The numerous herds of black cattle which run wild in the interior are so completely in a state of nature, and so savage in disposition, that it is dangerous to approach them unarmed and on foot. The South American employed to catch them is attended by a companion, each ORINOCO AND APURE. 317 mounted on horseback, with a coil of rope held in the right hand, having a running noose at one end, and the other either made fast to a ring under the cantle of the saddle, or fastened close to the dock of the horse's tail. Thus pre- pared, the pursuer rides up to the herd of cattle, and having singled out the animal he intends to take, he, in a most ready and dexterous manner, throws the noose of the rope over its head, and then turns his horse in the direction he wishes to go. The superior strength of the horse forces the bullock after him ; yet if the man finds him vicious, and too untractable to follow, so lightly trammelled, he rides up to the nearest tree, and taking a circle round the trunk once or twice, draw\s the unwilling and savage beast close up to it. His assistant then comes up, and whilst the other, by a turn or two more, compels the head of the bullock to the foot of the tree, the second thrusts a piece of hard wood through the cartilage of the nose, to the ends of which he affixes a smaller piece of rope, and making a knot where it forms a triangle, by holding the ends together, ties the remaining part to the coil above the head ; then, undoing the coil from the trunk of the tree, proceeds with his horse the road he M'ishes to go. The beast is easily dragged along, smarting with pain, and nearly in a state of madness; 318 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and should it, which is very often tlie case, run at the horse, the rider makes a sudden turn, and with the jerk throws it on its side. It afterwards follows, roaring with pain, and furiously attack- ing either man or dog, passing by within the limits of the coil. ORINOCO AND AFURE. 319 CHAPTER XIII. Arrival of the Hunter at Angustura. — Valuable supplies.— » Masonic lodge. — Mission to Ijring on deserters from the West Indies. — General Soublett ; his character, &c. — The British convalescent, and reported fit for service. — Orders issued for thepayment of bounties; their marvellotis effects upon the whole and sick. — Castle-building. — Disappoint- ment. — Rations for the passage up the river ; dried beef or tasso, rum, and Cassava-cake. — Further sacrifices of the officers. — Embark for San Fernando. — Flecheras. — ■ Sudden illness and death of Cornet King. — Encroach- ments of the governor. — Fresh differences. — Account of Angustura. — Bolivar's attachment to women ; his campaign mistresses, and mode of providing for them. — ^Military remarks on the defences of Angustura. — Its capture by General Piar ; account of that Negro commander. — Shot by Bolivar. — The ladies of Angustura. — Compliments. — Smoking segars. WHILST the men and officers were all gain- ing health and strength at the *' Mareshal," as our new quarters were called, the arrival of the Hunter, at Angustura, was announced. The supercargoes, Messrs. Hamilton and Princeps, came on shore, and were lodged in the admiral's house ; and their appearance with such a cargo, 320 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS as well as the reception given them, created some jealousy amongst their brother merchants. The whole of the articles, consisting of every necessary for the use of the general army, were ordered to be landed and stored. The Hunter had also brought out the clothing for Colonel Wilson's corps, corresponding with that worn by the officers, and consisting of two complete sets of uniform : blue, with yellow lace, as the field dress, and scarlet, handsomely trimmed, for the full or review dress: it was very showy, and would have done no discredit to the appearance of the corps, could they have marched up Pall-mall on one of the state days, during the levee of his royal highness, our prince regent, even when the British court was graced with the presence of an Alexander, a Frederick, a Wellington, and a Blucher. Mr. Hamilton, immediately after his arrival, chose to open a masonic lodge in the garrison; and, indeed, without giving due notice to the bre- thren of the craft resident in the city. Colonel English knew my rank in masonry, though the hurry of my departure from England pre- vented me from taking up my credentials as a D. G. M. Brother H., however, filled the chair, and, on my presenting myself, would have re- signed it to me. I declined it, and on that oc- ORINOCO AND APURE. 321 casion acted as S. W. and assisted at the initiation into the mysteries of masonry of the governor Montillo, three merchants, EngUshmen, and the commodore of the flecheras of war. Colonel English about this period informed me, that the governor and council had deter- mined to send a British officer of rank, on a visit to the West Indies, for the purpose of re- ceiving all those men who were desirous of quitting the islands, and rejoining the British corps in South America. He also informed me, that by the different trading schooners, just ar- rived from Grenada, St. Thomas's, St. Kitt's, and Trinidad, the governor had heard there were many Englishmen, who had originally come out to join the patriots, but having de- serted at these colonies, were now solicitous to come on. In consequence of this news, a vessel was to touch at all those parts, to bring off the men; and the officer was to be furnished with dollars sufficient to clear them of any debts they might have contracted whilst on shore. Colonel E. likewise added, that they wished to employ him on this duty; and, if I had no ob- jection, he would undertake it. It struck me as a curious circumstance, that the lieutenant- colonel of a regiment, which was going imme- diately on service, should willingly accept of Y / 322 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS such a mission; yet, as I could not, for a mo- ment, suppose there could be any thing what- ever to induce him to leave the Main at that period, but the real interest and good of his regiment, and the service in general, I only observed to him, that I could spare a captain for that duty better. I told him, however, that I should consider it as a necessary point of etiquette in the governor and council to impart their wishes to me on the subject, before they ordered any of my officers on duty from their regiment; and that I should expect the same compliment to be paid to me by himself, before he accepted the commission. The council did apply accordingly, and Colonel English received my approbation for him to attend to the go- vernor's orders on that service *. Colonel En- * The council had received an addition by the presence of the adjutant-general of the army, just arrived from head-- quarters, general of division, Charles Soublett. Of this man, Colonel English, and the British officers, who had been at the last actions at Villa del Cura and Ortiz, spoke most degrad- ingly; the former officer, Colonel E— , had seen him seeking shelter behind a tree, during the action at Ortiz, and had re- proached him with his cowardice. This Soublett is, however, an exception to the general conduct of the patriot officers, who certainly are not destitute of courage, and is, I beheve, the only instance of such weakness in the land service. General Soublett is a very handsome figure of a man ; about twenty- ORINOCO AND APURE. 323 glish then requested that I would permit a subal- tern officer, and an orderly serjeant, to attend him, to which I most readily subscribed, and selected Cornet Dewey, who had been bred a medical man ; and whose character, conduct, humanity, and gentlemanly deportment, during our voyage out from England, had won the esteem of all. Cornet Dewey promised to act in the double capacity of cornet and surgeon, whilst on that duty; and Colonel English expressed much plea- sure in the choice I had made, [see R. O. in the Appendix.] I was now anxious to get them off as speedily as possible ; I considered that as soon as the men were collected they would be forwarded with all despatch to Angustura, and that they might even join me at the head- quarters of the army in six weeks, at the latest period. The men too, and the officers, who had been sick with the fever, were all getting health five years of age; tall, thin, and well proportioned; remark- ably neat in his dress and appearance : half-cast by birth and \ complexion : he is about five feet ten inches in heigEt ; ra- ther a handsome and European "tyle of countenance ; black hair, and large mustachios ; a smile more than prepossessing ; a general lover, amongst the female part of the province, by whom he is well received, and has no disappointment in affairs , of gallantry to complain of: he has, however, been a martyr \ to his pleasures, and makes an infamous boast of retaliation I in this respect. ' Y 2 324 EXPEmTION TO THE RIVERS and strength. The air of the Mareshal was salu- brious, and free from that intense heat which op- pressed all those resident in the city. In fact, the whole, with the exception of Captain Dudley, who was debilitated from incessant intoxication; Lieutenant Charles Smith, suffering from the effects of his wound; Cornet Cooke, labouring under a diseased liver, which, together with the effects of fever, rendered him unfit to pro- ceed to the army; one corporal and one far- rier ; were in so forward a state, that I reported myself, officers, and people, ready to embark for the river Apure. The governor appeared pleased, and Colonel Wilson having also re- ported himself ready, the flecheras were or- dered to be prepared accordingly. The intend- ant general had received his excellency's or- ders to provide money for the troops, and the paymaster of the first Venezuelian hussars was ordered to attend to receive it : this order had such an effect on the feelings of every one of us, that even the sick arose from their beds to hail the pleasing information ! The period of pay- ment arrived; the officers thought of laying in a store of necessaries for the passage up tlie river, and for futui'e comforts on arriving at San Fer- nando. The non-commissioned officers looked all life, pleasure, and expectation. In idea, the officers had each expended one hundred dollars I ORINOCO AND APUUE. 325 of their allowance. The men (especially those who were married) had laid out at least fifty of the eighty they were to have received on landing. All, alUvere happy, and resigned to whatever fate might resolve upon. The paymaster, at length, appeared in view 5 the money was known to be in the bags, which the Serjeants, who attended him, were conveying to his office; and, when Captain Denis proclaimed to me the specific sum each officer and non-commissioned officer was to receive, with the governor's intimation that it was the most that could, at that time, be collected, I issued the necessary brigade order on the occasion. Ten dollars was the sum each officer was to receive, from the colonel ^ commandant to the junior cornet and second assistant surgeon : three dollars per man to the non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, and far- riers! I cannot express the miserable disap- pointment of the expectants, or the curses they bestowed on the illiberal, and, I might have added, ungenerous and dishonest conduct of the council towards us ! I, however, produced my claim upon their treasury. It was an order from General Bermudez for the payment of seventy-five dollars, on account of the trumpets and bugles he had forcibly detained from me. A consultation took place, on tendering this demand ; a demur ensued, but on my going to 826 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS the admiral's secretary, and declaring that I could not nor woidd not suffer such an im- position; a cheque was given me, on a French merchant in the city of Angustura, payment of which, the paymaster of the first Venezuelian hussars, after much difficulty, obtained. This sum was an indispensable reinforcement to my finances, to aid me in the means of laying in such articles for my passage up the river as were absolutely wanting for common necessa- ries, independent of the rations of dried beef (tasso), new rum, and cassava, a kind of cake (similar to the Scotch oat-cake, only composed of the root of the cassava-tree dried and pounded, and mixed with a small portion of flour), as a substitute for bread, which was laid in by the republic for the use of the troops. The officers found that ten dollars would go but a little way in procuring them the comforts they required, and a general discontent prevailed: we had all, however, embarked too far to recede, and we determined to persevere. Most of them, therefore, in order to procure the articles which were now wanted, sold tlie necessaries remain- ing from former sacrifices, to procure extra food. Except for those on tlie sick list, the rations had been materially curtailed; rum, bread, and even salt, being at last omitted in the daily dis- tributions. At length the day arrived for the ORINOCO AND APURE. 327 embarkation of the troops, and the }3roper orders were issued. (See Appendix, marked 7> 8.) Two flecheras were appointed for each corps, and the conveyance of tlie troops, baggage, and stores, to San Fernando. Tliese flecheras are large open boats or barges, with a standing mast, carrying a spacious square sail, hoisted by a yard to wliich it is bent. The barge can also be rowed, when there is but little or no wind, and in places where the stream does not run with great rapidity; but in some cases the flecheras, even with these helps, cannot stem the current, and are obliged to draw near the shore, and anchor until a breeze comes on. The disposition of the first Venezuelian hus- sars in the two flecheras provided for their use was a matter of some difficulty, in consequence of their numbers, and the smallness of the boats. Officers and non-commissioned officers, men, women, and children, baggage and stores for the passage, were to occupy these two ves- sels, exposed to the intense heat and vertical sun by day, and the dews and rain which might prevail at night. No awning, no shelter what* ever was prepared for the British volunteers, nor even the accommodation which the native officers experienced, when they embark on a like passage. In the boat with me were, be- sides my aide-de-camp, Captains Clubley, Denis, 328 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and Seybold ; Lieutenant Holland, Cornet and Quarter-master Dodson, Surgeon Bryan, four- teen non-commissioned officers, nine trum- peters, and four women, exclusive of the cap- tain of the boat, and eight black boatmen. The quarter-master had his wife on board, and their daughter (a girl of eighteen years of age, lying dangerously ill of the fever), whom I allowed to accompany us, as her distressed parents had no place to leav^e her at in Angustura. Her si- tuation was dreadful, from the crowded state of the boat, and the exposure to which she was unavoidably subjected ; but she was iu such a state of debility, that, whilst we pitied her me- lancholy condition, we almost rejoiced that she was herself unconscious of it. The officers and men were to embark in the afternoon of the first of May, 1818. They were regularly marched from the barracks for the in- spection of the general and governor, and thence to the shore for embarkation. The conduct of several of the officers, which brought down even General Montillo*s animadversion, was above all things most distressing to me, and produced the regimental order marked 7 in the Ap- pendix. It is noticed liere more particularly, because the young men for whom it was in- tended chose to [take umbrage at its severity, and conducted themselves very improperly af- ORINOCO AND APURE. 3^9 terwards. However, as I was determined that no reflection should be passed on me, by any of my superior ofiicers inthe Venezuelian army, for any thing which in reahty deserved censure, I resolutely enforced that proper discipline which alone could prevent so unpleasant a result. On returning to the apartment I had occupied the preceding night, I found that the adjutant of the regiment (Cornet John King) had been taken ill during the afternoon, and had lain down in one corner of it. This was a severe stroke to me, both from the personal esteem I had for him, and from the loss I should sustain in being deprived of his services at that period. At his own request, I resolved to have him conveyed the next morning early to the boat; but at nine o'clock that evening he became delirious, and^ although four medical men were in attendance, and the measure of opening the temporal artery, which in all the other cases had the desired effect, was resorted to, he expired about eleven o'clock that night, and the regimental order marked 9 in the A|)pendix was consequently issued. The following morning we embarked all the remaining stores and baggage, and having placed on board the flechera I had selected for myself a quantity of private stores for the use of our mess, and having seen the remainder of the of- 330 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS ficers and men, consisting of fifteen officers, sixty non-commissioned officers, four farriers, three women, and one child, on board the second fle- chera, under the command of Major Trewren, the boats moved off, and conmienced their passage up the Orinoco. We halted at an island in the middle of the river, about two miles above the city of Angustura. Whilst arranging with Major Trewren the various necessary orders for the union of the flecheras at night, in case of one out- sailing the other, and various matters to be observed during the passage, I received an order from the governor to remain where we then were, until further directions should be forwarded to me. His excellency, al- though I had acceded to his request of allowing him. to retain Corporal Denning, as his perma- nent orderly, until the return of Colonel English or the remount from the West India islands, thought proper to demand another non-com- missioned officer from me, and two of my trum- peters, and tlieir bugles, to be incorporated with the native troops doing duty in the garrison of Angustura. In answer, I begged to assure the governor that it was impossible for me to comply with his wishes : that tlie appearance of my regiment, and the duties connected with it, would thereby sus- tain irreparable injury: that they were in express ORINOCO AND APURE. 331 contradiction to the solemn engagements I had made with all the men of the corps, guaranteed by the general deputy in London, not to have any of my people taken from me ; and that, in the present instance, the non-commissioned of- ficers, trumpeters, and farriers, objected to a man against any removal from the regiment, either for a short or longer period. In my written reply I likewise added, that the boats were in such a crowded state, that I hoped his excel- lency would direct a light flechera to attend for the conveyance of myself and a few officers, in order to aflbrd more room to those who oc- cupied the two barges in which we were now jumbled together. The governor made no re- turn to this letter, but early the next morning repeated his order for the trumpeters to be sent him ; to which I remonstrated that, if my people were thus forced from me, I should myself re- turn to Angustura and wait the orders of the general in chief (Bolivar) on the subject. I heard no more from the governor, and the breeze springing up, the whole of the flecheras (Co- lonel Wilson's having joined) proceeded in company together. I shall take this opportunity of introducing a topographical sketch of the city and garrison of Angustura, originally called St. Thome or New Guyana, latterly Angostura or Angustura. It 332 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS is situated on the side of a hill, receding from the banks of the river Orinoco to its summit, about half a mile from the shore. It consists of one line of houses extending for nearly a mile, and about one hundred paces from the highest water mark, when the Orinoco is full. Although the fronts of the houses, which are all built of stone, form a regular line from one extremity of the town to the other, yet the buildings them- selves are irregular in size and appearance. In this line, however, are some very excellent man- sions of large dimensions, and in general with stuccoed fronts; some with verandahs or bal- conies to the first floor windows, as it is in these apartments that the inhabitants chiefly reside, tlie lower parts being appropriated to stores and other places for depositing goods, &c. Here are the dwellings of the principal merchants, Englisli and American, several of whom have been residents since Angiistura was taken from the royalists. The city gaol, or prison for civil delinquents, is a large fronted building next the water, and adjoining are smaller houses of decent appearance. A roomy house, where the commandant of artillery resides, some spacious store-rooms, belonging to the government, the admiral's house, the abode of the intendant ge- neral of the province, the custom-house and its store-rooms, some houses occupied by the mem- ORINOCO AND APUIIE. 333 bers of the council, are also situated in this row of edifices, which, as I have before said, runs parallel with the river. Nearly opposite the admiral's house is a small natural basin, formed by a semicircular line of rocks, which serves as a floating dock for the rendezvous of the flecheras or gun-boats. In describing the admiral's house, and the one where General Soublett's family reside, I shall convey to the reader an idea of the plan on which nearly the whole street is constructed. On entering the great doors from the pave- ment, there is a wide passage leading to a flight of steps, which convey you into the upper apart- ments. At the top you are received into an- other long passage or terrace, open in front, but facing to the rear of the house, and extending its entire length. In the centre is a noble hall, neatly floored, at the end of which are two well-sized apartments, either as drawing-rooms or sleeping chambers ; hooks being driven in at proper places to receive the lines of the ham- mocks, on which men and women most gene- rally repose. The court-yard behind consists of a large open square, with various apartments on each side for kitchens, &c., and with a ve- randah along the whole front of the square, con- nected with the verandah of the principal build- ing. In the area of the square are tubs con- 334 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS taining orange, lemon, and fig trees, in full bearing. The admiral, to give additional cool- ness to this area, has caused an immense sail- cloth awning to be suspended from side to side, which completely shades the whole of the yard from the piercing rays of the sun. In fact, his house is in the best order of any in the town, with the exception only of two, — the house where Soublett's people live, and another at the further end of Angustura, where a French family take up their abode, and with a far greater right of possession, as their father bought the ground and built upon it. Sou- blett's quarters are extensive, and in most ex- cellent repair. They belong, as an appendage of his own sister, to his brother-in-law, who is a merchant, and keeps a large store on the ground floor underneath. The general in chief, Bolivar, is, in common with the rest of his countrymen, much attached to vvomen; and one, two, or three generally accompany him on his various marches. Among his favourites was \ Soublett's sister ; and when his short season of \ love was expired, the lady, being not only \ young, but tolerably pretty, with a head of flaxen hair, upon which she could tread with her feet, became an object of chaste love to the enamoured swain, who considered it an ho- nour to be married to the mistress of the *' su- ORINOCO AND APURE. 335 preme chief of the repubUc of Venezuela and New Grenada," and tlie sister of the adjutant- general Soublett. And doubly was he re- warded ; for, on the second visit which Bolivar made to Angustura, he presented his quondam chere amie with this house as her marriage por- tion ; the original owners not being in a situa- tion ever to claim it again, as their bones still remain unburied among the heaps lying in the interior of the new, yet unfinished, cathedral. I know not whether this happy couple do not possess the only ornamented four-post bed- stead in the whole city. I never saw a second in any house I was in during my sojourn in the garrison. It was fitted up for the wedded pair on the day of their marriage, a circumstance novel in that part of Venezuela since the pa- triots had possession. The bedstead stands in the chamber, at the right-hand side on en- tering the grand hall and place of general reception; and the folding doors are thrown open, that its hangings and drapery, elegantly displayed with bunches of artificial flowers, " for ever green and beautiful," may be dis- tinctly seen and admired, whilst two gilded Cupids are busily employed in entwining the branches and stems of myrtle within each other. The counterpane is worthy of admiration, and the pillows might be noticed by our fairest En- 336 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS glish dames, for the riclmess of the lace wliich adorns them. The line of street, from the description of which Madame's fine bed has caused me to di- gress, reaches from the Almeda, where the ma- rine store-house stands, to the curve of the river; but is intersected by seven lines of streets, run- ning upwards to the great square at the top of the town, on tlie summit of the hill on which it is built. These streets are crossed again at right angles by otlier wider streets, running parallel to each other, and the houses are all w^ell built of stone, and generally one story in height. The square forms an area of about two English acres. At one end stands the main guard-room, where a captain's guard is daily mounted, and in its rear the military prison. Next to that is the bishop's palace, but now the residence of the governor. A street, whicli completes this side, leads thence to the fort, and upper road into the interior of the country. On the left hand, the palace where the royal governor formerly resided, and the offices belonging to it, complete that side, whence tlie main street leading to the water runs in a direct line. Opposite the pa- lace is the grand cathedral, the outward walls of which are finished, and the inside divided in the usual forms ; but the insurrection broke out ORINOCO AND APURE. 337 before the roof could be put on, and the build- ing, which is handsome and after the Gothic model, is falling rapidly into decay. The royalists must have been in the midst of these works when the tumult commenced, as the area of the square is not levelled, but filled with rubbish of every kind. The side fronting the bishop's palace, or present governor's house, and forming the fourth side of the square, con- tains the chapel and house offices of the ge- neral of police, or civil magistrate, and three private houses. In various parts of the town are stores, be- longing to natives as well as foreigners ; where rum, English porter, wine, tobacco, cheese^ &c. can be procured. The European articles are sold at an enormous price : I have paid a Spa- nish dollar per bottle for porter. There was a French merchant there who had a carg-o from Martinique, consisting of good claret, liqueurs, &c. which he sold, the former at about four shillings per bottle, the latter at a Spanish dol- lar* The south side of the city slopes down towards a lake, the stagnation of whose waters, during the dry season, causes disease and fe- vers to those who occupy that quarter. The fort is on the highest part of the upper town, commanding the town itself, the river in front, the left of the town, and the road which leads 338 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS from the interior, and which passes by a build- ing of some extent, very properly set apart for the general hospital, both for officers and men. The ditch was dug by the royalist party during the attack of the patriots, and completed, it is asserted, in forty-eight hours, by their general. So far it did him credit ; but it is unnecessarily extended, so as to require at least 1500 men to defend it. Towards the lower part, inclining inwards to the country, instead of throwing up the earth from the gripe to the side on the left, in order to form a parapet, the rubbish has been scattered about in the way most conve- nient to the working party ; and Angustura is by no means tenable, if opposed to a determined enemy. From the hills on the opposite side of the river, and just above a small Indian village, shot and shells may be thrown across to the town, so as completely to destroy it ; and by a circuitous route, within the distance of a mile, and the period of a dark night, from sun-down to sun-rise, the very hill which commands the fort might be taken possession of, and the re- sult of the operation only known to those at the fort by the play of the new-raised battery at the break of day. If the royalist party were to succeed in beat- ing the patriotic force from St. Fernando, and follow down the river Apur^ and Orinoco, ORINOCO AND APURE. 339 until they could make good their landing, about five miles above Angustura on the opposite side of the river, and by dividing their forces, place a strong division of their army on the Angustura side, at the same distance from the city, the approach of the former party to take possession of the heights opposite would be as sudden as unexpected ; whilst that of the di- vision threatening the rear of the town might so completely harass the fort and garrison as to drive them to every extremity. Yet, though the conquest would be inevitable, it could be gained only by the total destruction of the city. Whilst residing at Angustura, I heard the par- ticulars of its capture, and learned that it was taken by the independent general, Piar ; to whose exertions General Bolivar was indebted for the present possession of the whole province of Guy- ana. Piar , who w^s^black^_anatiy^_ofSt^ mingo, and had come over from thence to join the patriot cause, had conquered the country and its capital, whilst Bolivar was a wanderer, and without an army to command. The position of Old Guyana (the key to the Orinoco), of which Bermudez had obtained possession, and the surrender of New Guyana, or Angustura, to Piar, completed the chain of good fortune on this part of the peninsula. Yet, when z2 340 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Bolivar arrived, it was suggested to him that / Piar was influenced only for the success of the i black natives, and their immediate descendants \ in colour, and that he wished to hold the terri- \ tory for that cast alone. Bolivar gave him the form of a court-martial, by which he was tried, and condemned to be shot; and the sentence was carried into execution two months previous to our arrival. The chair on which the unfor- tunate general sat, when shot, is left as a me- mento for public inspection. The bones, too, of many of the unfortunate royalists who fell in the contest, and from starvation, remain still unburied, not only at one end of the cathedral, but in the wells at the upper part of the city near the fort, which are rendered nauseous and unwholesome by the putrid human carcases thrown into them at the time the city was be- sieged. The ladies of Angustura are in general to- lerably handsome : their figures airy, light, and rather elegant; their dresses are rich, and they have abundance of fine lace, of which they wear a profusion. They are, with very few excep- tions, prodigal of their favours, and so fond of smoking segars, that the usual compliment of the morning, when they are visited, is to hand one. If an additional compliment is intended, the lady will li^ht that which she means to I ORINOCO AND APUKE. 341 offer, by putting the end in her own mouth, and inflaming it from the one she had herself been smoking. Another way still more affectionate presents itself. When the lady has given you a segar, she places her own in her mouth, and having by two or three good whiffs thoroughly lighted her own, the gentleman approaches, and placing the end of his segar on the blazing end of hers, they both whiff until each has a segar in full flame, when the parties separate with a smile and a bow, or sit and continue their chat. H 342 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER XIV. Naval characters at Angustura ; Dias and Paddillio.— The former a savage ruffian, commander of the gun-boats ; the latter a shade better. — Proceed up the Orinoco ; land near an Indian village ; friendly supplies. — A night on shore in the forest. — The Orinoco. — Timber of immense size. — Birds in prodigious numbers and varieties. — Monkeys. — Serpents. — Other animals and reptiles. — The devil sticker. — Lizards. — Alligators. — Porpoises.— Dog-headed fish. — Other fish of the Orinoco. — Poisonous cray-fish. — Sting- ing fish and its dangerous effects. — Tenth day of the pass- age ; hail a canoe, and learn that the royalists are in force above. — Storm on the Orinoco. — Boca inferna, or hell's gate. — Great basin. — A modern and real Charybdis. — Extraordinary scene. — Attempt the Rapids, and bring to for the night. BEFORE taking leave of Angustura, Iwish to introduce two naval characters whom I met there : Dias, commodore of the gun-boats, and Paddillio, commodore of the armed flecheras. The former is a little sturdy fellow, about five feet five inches in height, strong built, and fleshy. When drunk he has the appearance of good humour, and if not displeased can be vidgarly talk- ative, rude, and assuming ; if ruffled, he im- ORINOCO AND APURE. 343 mediately displays what by nature he is — a bloodthirsty inhuman savage, who could with pleasure eat the being wlioni he sacrificed to his hatred or revenge. He boasts of the num- ber he has slaughtered in cold blood, and re- lates without horror that he has fed on human flesh. He has shewn a degree of ferocious courage and professional abilities which have been peculiarly serviceable to the independent cause, on more than one occasion. I was twice in company with him ; and the second time placed my pistol in my bosom, to protect my- self from any brutal attack he might have been induced to commit ; and I acknowledge that I felt happy when I found myself freed from his society, nor did I ever again seek it, or by accident fall into his company a third time. Commodore Paddillio would, if he wore a shade over his eye, be a more agreeable look- ing man ; having received a cut down his cheek, extending to his eye on the right side, which seems as if starting from its socket, and gives to his countenance a horrid and terrific appear- ance J yet he is fond of dress, and cleanly in his habits. There is also a great deal of generosity and sociable conduct in this man, and he is as firm a friend as he is an implacable enemy. He never forgives an injury ; but he has honour 344 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and courage sufficient to meet liis adversary on a fair and equal footing ; and although much used to scenes of bloodshed and murder, and ready to perform such tasks, too, when ordered by his superior, yet there is no instance on record where he has suffered the victim to be tortured, or butchered with any additional in- humanity. Not so his brother commodore, who enjoys the sight of the victim of his cruelty or revenge dying by inches. The two commodores are, however, sworn foes to each other. Whilst on actual duty they meet, and will act in concert ; but should they cross each other off duty, Paddillio has vowed that one of them shall die before they separate, in retalia- tion for a blow formerly given him by Dias. We now return to the Orinoco. In the morn- ing of the second day after our departure, we found we ]iad preceded the boats conveying the red hussars ; and liaving drawn close to the bank, in order to land to boil soup, and let the men have breakfast, I discovered that we were near an Indian village. Little, however, could be obtained from it ; but I soon saw the affec- tionate padre, for whom I had imbibed a kind of friendship, coming down to my flechera, with an Indian carrying a basket of eggs, a coujjle of fowls, some pine-apples, and a few melons, as presents to me. He had gone for- ORINOCO AND APURE. 345 ward to this village, and awaited my coming ; and his offering was most acceptable, although the stock of good things laid in for the mess was by no means contemptible : cheese, sugar, coffee, rice, chocolate, biscuits, two English hams, a keg of rum, a jar of shrub, and a demi-john, containing five gallons of good French brandy, which had cost us altogether nearly thirty pounds. The money from General Bermudez, and some articles which I had sold, enabled me to take the largest share ; and Captain Smith and Lieutenant Holland had drawn bills on England, and got the English merchants to let them have food on these securities. Having taken leave of the benevolent priest, we pro- ceeded on our passage. At sunset the flecheras again approached the shore, and we landed to cook our suppers, and fix our hammocks for sleep. For this purpose a spot was selected, fires lighted, and the sentries posted. One immense fire was kindled around a large tree, which was kept burning the whole night. In this manner we held off the wild beasts, with which these immense forests abound, and even the musquitos, a less for- midable, but equally annoying, enemy, were put hors de combat. After supper, and the sen- tries being relieved, the rest of the men and women assembled around the fire, and the early 346 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS part of the night was spent in chat, songs, and tales, to which the officers frequently listened, and were as frequently amused. In the morning at daybreak we again em- barked, and continued our voyage with a fair wind up the river, which continued to present its meanderings, and its noble views of hills, valleys, mountains, and forests. There was no decrease of woodland ; but the trees assumed more the appearance of timber. Some were of immense height and magnitude. The feathered tribe were numerous, and of various kinds, from the carrion crow to the grand vulture. Amongst them was the black bustard, or coun- try scavenger : these fly, hop, walk, or perch, in groups from iive^to a hundred, and probably four or five of these groups will assemble near each other. They are as tame as barn-door fowls, and never having been shot at or mo- lested, they are impudent, bold, and fearless. They are about the size of a hen turkey, and fly or take wing with much gravity and appear- ance of leisure. As they feed on every kind of offal, dead carcases of animals, &c. they are considered as very useful in preventing the va- rious maladies which would inevitably ensue from putrid flesh and otlier noxious matters lying about unburnt or unburied. Wild ducks and geese are seen flying in flocks above your ORINOCO AND A PURE. 347 head, and all tlie parrot tribe din you with screeching their wonder at the approach of man. Every kind of bird appears in view, and the plumage of the greater number is beyond description beautiful. The nightingale salutes you with her song at night, and a sort of thrush hails the morn. The mocking bird, too, di- verts and astonishes the traveller, nor does the woodlark less contribute to the melody around. The water-fowl are in prodigious multitudes. The pelican, flamingo, and several species of the crane, are always in sight, busily employed in catching fish on the margin of the rivers. I should not forget to mention another kind of carrion bustard, nearly as numerous as the black sort, equally familiar, and equally bold, that from this spot attend the boats in flocks, waiting the moment of landing, and the spread- ing of the food, to pick up the bones of meat, and scraps which are left behind. They are remarkable for the beauty and richness of their plumage. They are not unlike the cock phea- sants of Europe and of China, in size and va- riegated colouring of their feathers. The male bird has a very long and brilliant tail of three feathers; and a top-knot or tuft upon the head, equally variegated, is common to both genders. The parrot kind consisting chiefly of flocks of the small green, or parroquet, the larger green and 348 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS grey parrot, and the great and lesser macaw, are in great abundance, and find ready pur- chasers in various islands of the West Indies. They are brought down to Angustura, sold there to the sailors for a trifle, and by them at the various islands at from two to five dollars each. The monkey tribes are very numerous : those which I in general saw, sporting on the branches of the trees, were the small ring-tail monkey, who can with his tail swing himself from a bough, and make it his support when sleeping, or basking under the morning or evening's sun. This species of monkey has a shrill shriek when frightened, but a soft plaintive whistle when fondled and domesticated. Some of these are very small, not larger than a two-months' kitten, and full of })lay, tricks, and merriment. Of the land serpent kind I saw but few : only one particularly large met my view. It was about ten feet long, as large round the body as a man's arm, with a prodigiously wide moutli, which it opened to an extent which would, I think, easily have taken between its jaws the head of a shee}) divested of its horns. This monstrous reptile removed slowly from my sight, occasionally halting to see if I pur- sued it, extending its jaws, and hissing, while it coiled along the ground, til) lost to my view. / ORINOCO AND APURE. 349 by entering the bushes. I had no fire-arms with me at the moment, and I did not choose to follow it, or impede its way, without being able to defend myself against its probable attack, had I attempted to molest it. I never did see any of those large snakes or serpents, which, I have heard, infest the woods and plains of that part of South America. Nor did I ever meet one person who could confidently assert that he ever witnessed, or saw the large serpent, or "boa constrictor," of which South American travellers give so marvellous an account. Very large water-snakes I have however seen, swim- ming across the Orinoco at various points ; and I can readily believe they were as long, though not so large in circumference, as the serpent I have before mentioned. The land-crabs, the tortoise, the scorpion, both brown and black, are numerous, and very large. The centipede, from three to eight inches in length, I have repeatedly met with and destroyed; and also other stinging and poisonous reptiles of smaller dimensions and various kinds, all enemies to man if injured or provoked. The large black spider is one of these of a poisonous nature ; and in many of the huts or habitations, in the different Indian villages as you pass up the river, is to be found the devil sticker. It is of a spungy soft nature and smooth skin, not unlike the large 350 EXPEDITION TO THK RIVERS slug of England. It is brought into the hut with the fire-wood, or it may creep in from the outside unperceived. It however crawls up the side wall, and getting on the edge of the rafters of the ceiling to which it adheres, it looks like a small ball, or more properly like the slug coiled up; it is frequently known to drop from its hold without being molested, and wherever it falls it throws out from its body five or six fangs, which are barbed like a fish-hook, and into whatever softer material than stone or brick it chances to fall, these fangs enter; nor can it be removed unless by cutting the animal off) and picking the prongs out of the substance into which they are so firmly fastened. When they fall on the persons of those who happen to sit or stand underneath, the consequence is dread- ful. I saw one man, who an hour or two before had one of those devils aliglit on his hand, and he was obliged to have it cut off, and the claws and fangs removed by picking them out of his flesh with the point of a large needle. His hand was immoderately swelled, and very painful; but an immersion in warm oil, or fat, removed the pain, and restored the hand to its usual ap- pearance. There are great multitudes of the lizard tribe, from the small black to the large green; some of them very beautifully marked and spotted: they are perfectly harmless. The ORINOCO AND APURE. 351 green Guana, which is also of the Hzard kind, is in bulk as large as a rabbit, about twelve or eighteen inches in length, and killed for eating; their flesh being considered as a dainty. Of the marine animals I have next to speak, and I shall commence with those of the amphibious cast. The alligator, and the larger sort of cro- codile, most justly merit, and take the lead on this occasion. I had heard of swarms of al- ligators which I should find, on my passage up the Orinoco; yet I was astonished when I actually saw them, floating with the stream on the water as the flechera passed, apparently without life or motion, resembling pieces of decayed branches of trees, stripped of their leaves, and about seven or eight feet long; nor, on first perceiving it, should I have been con- vinced it was otherwise, had I not seen their motion when the boat neared them, and they gradually descended towards the bottom of the water. My eyes soon, however, grew familiar to them from the number we encountered, and Iw^as not long in being gratified by seeing others, as they lay either sleeping among the sedges by the water-side, or basking in the sun on the sands, as we advanced in the channel of the river. We soon ascertained that they were not so cou- rageous on land as in the water. Most terrific they certainly were ; yet many of the men would ad- 35^2 EXPEDITION TO THE lilVERS vance towards them and attack them with their sabres, while they appeared immoveable ; with their months open actnally receiving the cut, and then plunging into the water with great velocity. Some of these creatures were at least ten feet long from tail to snout, and in circum- ference as large as the body of a grown lad, if not larger. In some places, where the wind headed the flechera from the twisting of the river, and the boatmen were obliged to track or pole it past a certain point, we very often met with a nest or swarm of young alligators from eight or nine inches to a foot long, and ten, twelve, or fifteen in a cluster or group, which were generally killed before the men left the spot. They were found in hollows under the bank of the river, and their cries were loud and piercing. The parents of these families were in general not far off, and they never attempted to interfere for the preservation of tlieir brood. I have seen several times eighteen or twenty young fry playing around the old one, as it lay in the sedges. The officers frequently attempted to kill the alligator with bail ; but although four or five shots were discharged at them at the same moment, none seemed to penetrate. I only saw one, which the men caught sleeping some distance from the water, where it was sur- ORINOCO AND APURE. 353 prised, antl which tliey killed by thrusting their sabres into its eyes and mouth. It was some time before they could overpower it, which for- tunately they did before any of them were wounded or injured. It measured from the end of the tail to the point of its mouth ten feet two inches. It was two feet in the girth, and had forty-eight teeth in the upper and under jaw. The next objectworthy of remark is the porpoise, of which there are immense shoals. They are very sportive, and as large as any I ever saw in the ocean. There is also a species of river mon- ster, something resembling the sea calf on the coast of South Africa. Of the finny tribe there are numerous sorts, and some of them most de- licious eating. We caught, with a sea hook and line, the large dog-headed fish, weighing from thirty to sixty pounds, the flesh of which was well tasted; rock fish, red mullets, large roach from four to eight pounds, and fish resembling carp weighing five and six pounds, but of far more delicate flavour. In short, every kind of fish was taken, and many of excellent quality of the smaller size, like herrings and sprats. Turtle from one to ten, twenty-five and thirty pounds weight ; very fine prawns were to be had, as also fine fresh-water crayfish, as delicious as those found in our Southampton river. There A A 354 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS are, however, three sorts which are poisonous, one of whicli may be eaten if properly prepared by cutting out the injurious part. There is also a stinging fish, which is a great nuisance to tlie bathers in the river. It entwines round the foot and leg, and stings with its tail. The swelling caused by the venom thus injected is of too serious a matter to be trifled with : many having lost the limb, or died in consequence of not being properly attended. Bathing is also a source of danger, from tlie attack of the alli- gator, who in water is a most formidable enemy, as I once experienced from having very nearly become a prey to this merciless animal. We had now been ten days on our passage, going on shore each night to prepare the food and to sleep. Colonel Wilson had passed me two or three days before, but the large flechera con- taining the greater number of his people had never regained the distance she lost in the early part of the voyage, and we had seen nothing; of her. The boats under the orders of Major Trewrcn were very far behind, and, on our arrival at the place where we intended to halt for the night, we discovered a large canoe comi^.ig down the river. A musket shot brought her to; and we were informed that the Godys, as the independents style the royalists, were in some ORINOCO AND APURE. 355 force at the junction of the river Apur^ with the Orinoco. I therefore deemed it necessary to issue the orders marked 10 in the Appendix. Having halted for the night, we proceeded on our passage the next morning, and towards the afternoon encountered a very heavy gale of wind, which repeatedly laid our gunnel under water. Our fresh water seamen were by no means calculated to manage a vessel under sail in so violent a storm. The waters of the Orinoco soon became an agitated sea, and as the flechera was running through it, we were several times in imminent danger of being pooped, or upset. I had crossed the vast Atlantic too often not to know our danger; and I felt that I was more competent to steer the vessel, and give orders for the occasional easing off of the sheet, and hauling it aft again, as circumstances required, than the fellows on board, whose acquaintance with the bearing points, and channel of the river, constituted the whole of their nautical knowledge. I should indeed have thought my fate hard, to have lived through so many perils only to be drowned in the Orinoco. Even those who could swim would in all probability have been lost and eaten by the cayman or alligator ; or, in the event of that animal's absence, by the large fish, of which I have before spoken, or another creature of the cetaceous family called A A 2 356 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Manaties, weighing from three to seven or eight hundred pounds; and were escape from these dangers probable, the jaguar, or tiger of South America, woukl be waiting the moment of emerging from the river, and seize you, on your gaining the shore. The flechera luckily proved to be a better sea-boat than she obtained credit for, and we came to until the wind had lulled; when we again got under way in hopes of being able to pass the Boca Inferna, or Hell's Gates, before night. The Orinoco was rising fast, the current downward became more rapid, and the large trees, branches, and wrack, which the stream was forcing down, sometimes im- peded our passage. This afternoon, however, we had avoided them with less difficulty, hav- ing a fine steady breeze right aft. On arriving at, and getting fairly into the great basin, wliich the hand of nature has here most beautifully formed, in narrowing the main channel of the river, by a gradual inclination of the lands on either side, where the bluff heads are planted like two immense abutments of rock, assuming similar sliapes ; from thence, on either side, the Orinoco forms the larger segment, or I might say the half of a circle ; as the boat enters into this basin, the indraught, or eddy stream, draws her rapidly in, until arriving at a certain part, the water becomes nearly quiescent, and ORINOCO AND APURE. 357 he opportunity is afforded of admiring the grandeur of the scenery, the subHmity of the rocks, hills, and mountains around, the romantic beauties and picturesque views which present themselves on every side. There is a grand and awful appearance of the large body of water, which comes rushing down between two im- mense pillars of rock, erected by nature in the middle of the channel, through which are per- ceived trees of immense size precipitated by the current above, which having approached the centre of the basin, meets the indraught, by which it is forced back into an eddy of the stream, and then drawn again into a vortex, or whirlpool, powerfully realizing the idea of the ancient Charybdis. Even the largest trees were sucked under water as soon as they entered the whirling gulf, and when the eye met them again, they were seen in the centre of the outlet stream, passing rapidly down with the current. Do boats come dow^n the same channel? I eagerly inquired, and was answered in the affirmative, excepting when the fulness of the Orinoco permits them to take another rapid to the left, between rocks in a range from an island in front, to the main land. Those rocks, the captain said, would in a few days more be nearly if not entirely covered with water: they broke the force of the stream coming 358 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS down, and it was then satier for the crall to descend. I could not avoid asking if our boat was to at- tempt going up the rapid before us? the answer was, ** yes, immediately ; as the breeze is coming on.'* We were all alive to the scene; and our flechera was nearing the land, which I now perceived to be two islands in the centre of the river, separated on the right and left by the rapids, and not more than a gun-shot distance from side to side. The two pillars of stone were fixed nearly mid-way, and at equal distance from the land, and threatened de- struction to every thing which touched them on its descent. When the eye was willing to leave the contemplation of such majestic scenery, it had only to turn to the waters of the basin in which our bark was floating ; there were sporting all the demons of the Orinoco, as if to give greater eclat to the scene below Hell's-gates. A fancy might have crossed the imagination, that these monsters of the deep were some of the infernal spirits, assuming the shape of the ce- taceous animals of this river, or of its more wily inhabitant, the cayman or alligator; and, being gifted with divination, had foreseen that we should all be lost in attempting the passage of the Boca inferna, and in that event fall a certain prey to them; for every species had ORINOCO AND APURE. 359 met at this moment there, to perform their gambols. Alligators, and the more immense size, worthy the appellation of crocodile, were seen in every direction. The porpoise in shoals of hundreds, tumbling about in contorsive dal- liance ; the manaties of much larger size seeming to join in the sportive dance. The chiquire, or water hog, was also there in shoals ; while fish of every kind approached our boat, many of which were caught with hook and line, and many speared by the Indian boatmen. To render the scene complete, one of the largest water serpents I had ever seen swam past us, attended by five others of considerably less dimensions. They did not appear desirous of entering the greater circle of the basin, but turned off to the nearest of the two islands, and I presume got safe on shore. Having got the wind, and hoisted our large mainsail to catch every blast, the flechera's head was turned to the rapid, and we gradually stemmed the cur- rent, keeping the island on our left nearly close aboard. When a little more than abreast of those immense pillars, the squall of wind died away, and the boat was yielding to the stream, when one of the hussars suddenly threw ashore the grapnel, which having caught strong hold, the barge was brought alongside, and made fast for the night. A moment more would 360 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS have brought her head to the stream, and she must have descended the rapid. We should then have felt the sensation of passing between the pillars of the Boca, have been twisted and twirled in the whirlpool, and placed again in the spot, or near it, where we had been floating three hours before. Being however safe moored, the kettles, &c. were carried on shore, fires were lighted, hammocks slung, and wc prepared for supper and repose. The roaring of the water, as it tumbled down the rapid, and the noise of the bats which were so completely disturbed by our fires and smoke, and the swarms of mos- quitoes which surrounded us, prevented that slumber, however, which many of us required. ORINOCO AND APURE. 36 1 CHAPTER XV. Morning. — Pass the narrows. — Indian village. — Cuicara. — Cooley, one of the farriers, lost while bathing. — Instance of intrepidity. — Orders to proceed to the Apure. — Colo- nel Wilson's levies on the natives. — Bad accounts of the patriot cause. — Mouth of the Apure. — Excessive popula- tion on its banks. — Crocodiles. — Tigers. — Immense flocks of birds. — Curious anecdote of the mocking bird. — Boats of St. Fernando brought to. — Pass the night within trum- pet-sound of the Royalists. — Loss of a man, supposed to be carried off by a tiger. — Arrive at San Fernando. — Colo- nel Wilson's assault on the master tailor. — Flight of the Patriots. — Horses swimming the Apure — badly managed. — Murdered prisoners. THE morning came, but with it not a breeze of wind, nor any appearance of the flecheras astern ; neither of the one in which Major Trewren was with the remainder of the 1st Ve- nezueUan hussars, nor of that with the officers and men of the red hussars. We had not suf- ficient wind until near eight o'clock in the morning to enable us to venture into the stream. It came, however, at length, and we pushed oft'; and, after two hours passage, with a stiff breeze, succeeded in passing the Narrows, and 362 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS entering into the upper part of the river, where it again widened, and resumed the appearance of the scenery and views with which we had been presented in the early part of our passage. An Indian village upon the banks furnished the passengers and boat's crew with a few tri- fling articles. It is under a commandant, who, lolling in his hammock, and smoking his segar, under a shed, which formerly might have passed for a dwelling-house, or hut, but whose sides were now completely open and exposed, seemed very indifferent whether he supplied us or not. Fowls were one dollar each ; so that the only articles we purchased were a few melons and a few dried fish for breakfast, which are very sa- voury, and not unlike the Scotch haddock or dried whiting. Here we were joined by Major Trewren ; and as the account given of the cause of delay was by no means satisfactory to me, I determined to enforce a constant union of the two boats at night, by issuing the order marked 11 in the Appendix. We now continued oiu' passage in com- pany. From the cramped state in which we w^ere obliged either to sit or lie, I had caught such pains in my limbs and joints, that I could scarcely bear to move them for a change of po- sition, although I had taken up a larger space in the boat, for the purpose ot more conve- ORINOCO AND APURE. 363 niently placing my writing desk before me, than I had allotted for my friends and com- panions. We had been much delighted with the scenery of the last two days of our route, and on the afternoon of the 14th of May we arrived at the mission of Cuicara, where we hoped to obtain some fresh beef for the troops, and some other fresh provisions for ourselves. From the com- mandant we learnt that Colonel Wilson had sailed the evening before, and proceeded for the Apur^, all well — and were promised a supply of beef, by the following morning. Co- lonel Wilson had taken all the eggs and poultry which he could collect ; and the few that had been brought from the country since the pre- ceding day were not attainable, at least at the price demanded. And as I did not choose to follow the example of the colonel and his party, who had just preceded me, by laying the people under contribution, giving them orders for payment on the government at Angustura, I, therefore, refused not only to purchase, but to take them on credit. The afternoon afforded me the opportunity of parading the whole of the party, officers and men, to inspect the state of their arms, &c. A flechera arriving from San Fernando excited my curiosity respecting some particulars, of which two of the independent 364 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS officers had secretly informed the command- ant, and more than hinted at to several of my people, who spoke the Spanish language. Hav- ing passed a tolerable night (for the officers, preferring to sleep on shore, had left me sole master of the stern of our flechera) I awoke early the next morning considerably refreshed. The women had taken advantage of the morn- ing, and the delay, and busily employed them- selves in washing their own, the officers' and the men's linen. We had all, during the passage, taken the re- freshment of bathing, either by break of day, or in the cool of the evening ; and a general w^ash- ing was the order of this morning, as the rocks, and snug hiding-places amongst them, seemed most convenient for the purpose. While thus occupied, a general alarm was given about six o'clock, that one of the farriers (George Cooley) had been seized by an alligator close to the fle- chera, and sunk to the bottom. Upon this one of the black trumpeters, whom I had brought from England, a most active, courageous fellow, had the temerity to plunge in after him, and dive to the bottom. He was so many seconds under water, that I dreaded the same fate had be- fallen him. He, however, rose again, and hav- ing taken breath, would ha\ e again struck down to the bottom, a dt'i)tli of twelve feet, had I not ORINOCO AND APURE. 365 peremptorily ordered liim to desist from a further attempt, and come on shore ; for the alligators were seen to the number of six or eight, floating close alongside the rocks. The men tried with hooks, &c. to grope for the body, but without success. The bullocks hav- ing arrived were killed and distributed, and orders were issued for proceeding up the river Apur6, which forms a junction with the Ori- noco, about two miles further up on the right. I was, however, detained some hours longer than I intended, by the arrival of two small canoes from the Apure, and a larger one from the city of Angustura. In the latter was the son of the commissary-general, going up with every kind of refreshment for the use of Bolivar and his suite, who, we now learnt, were at San Fernando. Citizen Penalver*s family had shewn me some civility whilst at Angustura, and here again that gentleman evinced his hospitality, by sending me a few bottles of very excellent Vin de Grave. He informed me that he had met several boats on his passage up, the owners of which had complained bitterly of the Senior-Colonel Wil- son having brought them to, and compelled them to surrender a portion of the various ar- ticles they were conveying to Angustura ; and instead of paying them, giving them orders 366 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS upon the government. He begged of me to be careful, and not let my officers and men be guilty of the like compulsion on the natives who resorted to the market. My informant hurried off before me in the light canoe, which contained all his stores, packed under the cover of an awning of hides. The principal factotum to the commandant of this mission, which, like all the rest on the banks of the Orinoco, had undergone every species of plun- der and destruction, had little to boast of in ap- pearance or utility. We got, it is true, some excellent cow's milk, and some finer cassava to eat, in lieu of bread or biscuits ; but nothing else could I obtain, except four or five chickens, at a dollar each, and which I did not choose to purchase at such a price ; yet some of the officers in the other boat could afford it, and therefore the few fowls were distributed to their mess. The factotum alluded to was a Frenchman. He told me that matters were very bad at San Fernando — the independent army beaten, the greater part destroyed, and the royalists following up close. He stated fur- ther, that the two officers just arrived thought the general in chief had fled to Angustura, and that several of the generals were com- ing down the river. General Sedeno's lady was on her way down the Apurc', and every thing ORINOCO AND APURE. S6j was ill confusion. He desired me also to be on the look-out at niglit, as 1 went up the Apur6, for fear of being surprised by tlie royalist troops, which were lurking about in that direction, in the hope of meeting small parties of the inde- pendents. He was surprised, he added, that orders did not arrive to stay my proceeding further up, and hinted that the reason the commandant would not direct me to be sup- plied with the articles I wanted, was in con- sequence of the expected visit of the differ- ent generals of the army descending from San Fernando. I hesitated for half an hour what to do ; whether to proceed, wait where I was, or to return. I determined at last to pro- ceed, as I had been ordered to San Fernando, and it was my duty to make the best of my way thither. If the reports were true, I should meet them all in full retreat, and the head of my flechera was readily put about. Before we got under way, I issued the regi- mental order, marked 12 in the Appendix ; and I had also the melancholy satisfaction of burying the body of George Cooley, which had been just found by one of the Indians, near the rock where he had sunk, perfect and uninjured. It must, therefore, have been some sudden fit or cramp with which the poor fellow had been seized, and whicli haxl occasioned him to sink. 368 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS We were at tliis time much distressed for a ten-gallon cask of shrub, and two line English hams, which had been sent by mistake on board the flechera where Major Trewren was. When claimed, none of the articles could be found ; yet it was proved that they were kept back by the officers. Being all in readiners, we took our departure from Cuicara, and in less than two hours came to the boca of the Apur6 ; which, at its junc- tion with the Orinoco, has the appearance of entering into a river or armlet, after a pass- age across an extensive lake. The mouth of the Apure at this point is, by observations taken by travellers to the missions in these parts some few years ago, found to be in the latitude of 7° ^6' 23", and the longitude 69° 7' 29", or 1" 12' 41" east of the meridian of San Fernando. The Apure was rising, and had risen consi- derably, since our pilot had come down, three weeks before, and for want of wind, we were obliged to pole the flechera up, or haul her with ropes sent on shore, to which the whole of the crew were attached. On entering the Apur6 the eye was delighted with the distant views of the hills of Cornato, to the east the rocks of Curiguima, the celebrated sugar-loaf hill of Cuicara, wooded to the summit, and the ORINOCO AND APURE. 369 Tyrant Mountain, all which wc lost sight of on entering the Apur^'. A very marked dis- tinction is evident between the appearance of this river and the great one which we had just left, not less from its difference in width than from the taste of the water, which has some- thing of a sickening quality, for which no one could account. On landing for the night, we commenced by making enormous fires, plant- ing our sentries, and consolidating the whole of our party into one mass, around a burning pile. We had our various kettles at work, and when all was ready, partook of our repast with glee, and reposed in confidence during the remainder of the night, although the howling of the South American panther would fre- quently vibrate in our ears. One of my own or- derly Serjeants, a Brunswicker, from the Duke of Brunswick's hussars, was a most excellent cook, as was also the black trumpeter, W. Williams , so that, by the good management of those two, we had every article in a cleanly state, and well served up. If we were surprised, de- lighted, and sometimes intimidated by our near approach to the various creatures botli by land and water ; if we gazed with admiration on the beautiful plumage of the birds, as we passed up the Orinoco, how much wonder, astonish- ment, and even terror, joined with a certain B B 370 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS degree of pleasure, did we experience, at see- ing the inhabitants on the Apur^ increasing, as it were, a hundred-fold in numerical propor- tion to wliat we had before seen or imagined ! I shoidd dread to describe what I saw and heard, were it not tliat all my companions could vouch for my accuracy. Crocodiles, fourteen and sixteen feet long, were basking on the sedges near the banks of the river, in groups -of six or eight y every minute others were seen sw^imming or floating dov\'n the stream, many of which the men struck with the oars of the boat, and others w^ere apparently wounded wdth ball fired from pistols or muskets ; but none materially injured. Tigers of a very large size were visi- ble on the sands ; and a larger animal once, which the men conceived to be a lion, but which was probably a variety of the leopard, as the king of the forest is unknown to this clime. The numerous flocks of birds, flying from side to side of the river, and passing over our head, were almost too many to count, and some of the flocks so prodigious as absolutely to shade, during the interval of their passage, the rays of the sun from our flechera. The shores of the river were lined with every sort of marine and tropical bird, all of wliich, as if unconscious of the approach or power of man, suffered us to look at and pass them unheeded, from the large ORINOCO AND APURE. 371 pelican down to tlie smallest genus of the crane. Here the flamingo was seen in all its stateliness and grandeur. The crown crane was also perceptible, and a bird of the same genus as the crane, although far more elegant and beautiful in symmetry and appearance, and which I had frequently seen in South Africa, where it is called the Secretary. What with birds, beasts, amphibious animals, fish, and rep- tiles, the eye was at length tired with the ever- lasting succession, and the mind could wonder no longer. The mocking bird, a native of these immense forests, gave me a most decisive proof of its powers of utterance, and its capability of articulating two or more syllables v/ith such clearness of sound and expression as to asto- nish all who heard it. To none of the parrot tribe do I yield a preference ; nor did I ever hear (and I have heard many of the best and clearest talking birds) one of them repeat words, and pronounce them so distinctly, as to create a doubt whether or not they were ut- tered by the voice of man. On ascending the Apur6 our people had, as usual, landed to cook their suppers, and to prepare food for the consumption of the following day. The night had been wholly spent on shore by both officers and men. The hammock in which I slept was suspended be- B B 2 37^ EXPEDITION TO THE RnrRRS tween two large trees, at some height from the ground, and to windward of the fires. At day- break, when I awoke, having occasion to speak to one of the officers, and not seeing him near me, I called aloud his name. I called a second time, when I was told that he was gone down to our boat. In a few seconds after, I heard a voice similar to my own, repeating equally loud, *' Denis ! Denis ! Denis !" with the usual pause between. This call Captain Denis himself distinctly heard, thought it mine, and an- swered, that he would be with me directly; and from the constant repetition, he ima- gined that the nature of my business must be urgent, and hurried himself accordingly. Se- veral of the non-commissioned officers, who also heard the call, directed others to " pass the word for Captain Denis, as the colonel wanted him." Our eyes and ears being at length directed to the spot, we discovered that my obliging, attentive, and repeating friend was sitting in the form of a bird on the upper branch of a tall tree near me, from whence he soon took his flight, making the very woods re-echo with the name of Denis. We met this day (the 17th May) two boats coming down the river. They endeavoured to avoid us ; but I ordered a shot to be fired, and J ORINOCO AND APURE. 373 brought them to. They had come from San Fernando. Four of the patriot officers were in them J yet all we could learn was, that General Bolivar was at that place. Those gentlemen were rather annoyed at being made to come along-side my flechera ; but that unpleasant- ness to them gave no concern to me. I was anxious to gain information, and I determined to gain it by every fair means in my power. Soon after, the flechera, with Madame Sedeno (the general of cavalry's wife) on board, came in view. It was lying at anchor : the ca])tain came on board my bark, and informed me that she was going to Angustura ; that all the officers were coming down, but that the chief remained at San Fernando. I returned my compliments, but did not visit her, and we proceeded. We halted at the first pleasant spot we came to, to spend the night; our fires, as usual, and our guard regularly placed. As all the trumpeters sounded their various calls each day on board, to keep them in practice, so did they sound the w^atch setting, &c. on shore at night : we passed this with the same quietness and freedom from alarm as heretofore. We however learnt that the royalists had heard our bugles on that night, and conceived our numbers to be too great for them to attack us. By break of day the 374" EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS next morning we departed, and being thus enabled to spend two hours on shore for pro- curing our breakfast, we hauled in, and, under shelter of the trees from the intense heat of the sun, enjoyed our repast. When breakfast was over, and the bugles had sounded for the parade, as usual, for re-embarkation, one man (Cookson) was missing. The bugles were again sounded, and people went in different directions to look for him. He liad been seen by some of the married men and their wives to go into the wood about five minutes before the warn- ing bugle had sounded off: every search was made for him, but without efltect. He had left his jacket by tlie side of the bank, but was otherwise dressed. After waiting above an hour longer, and shouting his name in various parts of the wood, sounding the bugles, and using every means likely to reclaim him, we left the place. On joining the other boat, the officers and men begged to go back, and unite all together in another search. They did so, taking arms and ammunition Avith them ; yet, after entering the wood in divided parties, and having proceeded more tlian two miles inward, and nearly the same to right ;and left, sounding bugles, firing pistols, and shouting, they were obhged to give up the pursuit, and leave the ORINOCO AND APURE. SJ5 poor fellow to his fate. Our captain and pilot said, '* it was a panther or tiger that had caught him, and carried him off to his den in the jungle." A\niilst lying to for the night, close to the bank-side, two boats passed whilst I was asleep, and they were not reported to me until morning, I should otherwise have brought them to j but the reason the orderly officer assigned was, that the pilot had told him that it was two of the generals going down the river, who, although they saw my flecheras, passed rapidly by with- out making any inquiry, I was fearful it miglit have been the general in chief; but I was given to understand tliat it was General Anshuaitique, of Bolivar's guard of honour, and General Saraza, of the cavalry. The river Apur^ is as serpentine in its meanderings as the Orinoco, only on a much smaller scale : there is scarcely any part where a musket- shot would not range from side to side. It is far more beautiful and picturesque in the bath- ing season, when nearly full, than at any other time, as all the sands are covered with water, and the inundation flows to the very skirting of tlie woods. We were now approaching the town of San Fernando ; and as we expected to arrive thereat 376 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS on the morrow, I issued tlie regimental order marked 1'2 in the Appendix. Nothing ma- terial occurred ; but we were left still to won- der at the continued absence of the boat with the remainder of Colonel Wilson*s detachment of the red hussars. Having passed the night as before, that is, with every circumspection neces- sary in posting the sentries, going grand and visiting rounds, to keep the whole on the alert, we prepared the next morning for landing, and having halted within two miles of the town, the officers and men proceeded to dress themselves preparatory to final disembarkation. This bu- siness being accomplished, we stood over to the other side of the river, and were presently met by Colonel Wilson on horseback, who, on coming near the bank-side, bade me welcome to San Fernando. We had not spoken for three days before leaving Angustura, in consequence of his having cut open the head and otherwise dreadfully disfigured the face of the master tailor of the 1st Venezuelian hussars, with a large stick or cane, in consequence of the man having applied to him for the payment of a small bill due for work. The blow was so severe that he was considered in a dangerous way for two days J and under those circumstances I judged it necessary to have the matter officially re- ORINOCO AND APURE. 377 ported to the general and governor, who took it into such serious consideration, that the ad- jutant-general, had we remained at Angustura, instead of being on the eve of departure, would have received orders for placing Colonel Wilson in arrest J for no officer in the Venezuelian service is allowed to strike any inferior with impunity, and a blow from a cane or the hand is degrad- ing in the extreme. However, as the whole of the detachments were going to San Fernando, the circumstance was detailed in a letter to Ge- neral Bolivar, and I was directed to seek re- dress for the master tailor from the hands of the general in chief. The Serjeant having recovered the effects of his cuts and bruises, although considerably marked, and some time having intervened since the assault was committed, the interview now, and the probabiHty of our being all caDed into immediate action, induced me to return Co- lonel Wilson's salute. He then informed me that the whole place was in disorder, and that Bolivar had fled before the royalists. Mho were in rapid pursuit. The river alone prevented them from entering into San Fernando ; and pointing to the other side of the water, which was at this place nearly half a mile across, " Look," said he, " General Sedeno is 378 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS now swimming the whole of his cavahy across to this side j for his out-posts have kept the enemy's advance from coming up. We are all ordered to return to Angustura, and I advise you to keep possession of your boats, otherwise they will be taken from you the moment you quit them/' I perceived great numbers of horsemen on the other side, mixed confusedly together, with- out any order of formation. I also perceived a long string of horses swimming one after the other ; the first two or three leaders being towed after a small canoe, which was paddling across j and I likewise saw eight or ten of the horses go down, from fatigue and the strength of the current. Our people (most of whom had served on the continent, and on the peninsula, as well as in South Africa) laughed at the ig- norance displayed on this occasion, though we coald not help lamenting the fate of the animals. We were rather startled at seeing the numerous carcases of dead horses and mules floating down the stream, intermixed with the bodies of men : some were floating past our flechera with the head nearly severed from the slioulders ; others with a large gash across tlic neck, which caused the head to fall forward, and the shoulders were only perceptible. These Mere some of tlic un- ORINOCO AND APURE. ^ 379 fortunate prisoners whom the general had or- dered to be put to death. In half an hour more we were abreast of the town of San Fernando, and having stepped on shore, attended by my aide-de-camp, &c. I proceeded to the head-quar- ters of the general in chief. 380 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER XVI. San Fernando. — Received by General Bolivar. — Description of that celebrated person. — Miserable state of affairs. — The hospital. — Murder of prisoners. — Alarm; General Sedeno flying from his troops. — General Paez. — Military anarchy. — The 1st Venezuelian hussars paraded before Bolivar. — Want of discipline in the British. — Cornets Col- lins and Hodge tender their resignations. — Drunkenness. — Contradictory orders. — Deceitful proceedings. — Disor- ders. — Determine to return to Angustura, but find the flechera in the possession of the natives, who refuse to disembark. — Mutiny and desertion of the majority of the officers and men to join Paez, under Colonel Wilson and Major Trewren. — Embarkation of Bolivar. — Robbery of stores. — Quarrels among the British. — The author sails, with those who remain attached to him, down the river. THE town of San Fernando appeared to be full of people of colour, none of whom resembled soldiers of any description, except a few who held spears in their hands, and others who had sabres, swords, and daggers, without scabbard or sheath, dangling by their sides. They all, however, seemed busy. On approaching tlie old building where the general was stationed, and before which stood several Britiiih officers, who had arrived from ORINOCO AND APURE. 381 England some months before, and were now mingled in the retreat, my countrymen favoured me with a greeting, and directed me to the rear of the house for an entrance. Having gone round, I proceeded, through a line of sen- tries, to the hall door, where there were se- veral officers, the eldest of whom advanced to- wards me, and, taking me by the hand, ex- pressed himself, in French, happy to see me. I asked to be conducted to General Bolivar, and experienced a momentary surprise, when told, " that it was the general himself who had the honour to receive me." He then led me into a small room off the hall, and having em- braced me with some degree of warmth, de- sired me to be seated. I had taken with me an officer who had joined my regiment at An- gustura, and who spoke Spanish, and I now called him in as an interpreter between the ge- neral and myself. '* In the first place, he la- mented my arrival : the issue of the last battle had been materially against him : most of his infantry had been destroyed, and the enemy were close at his heels. But he should return to Angustura, and recruit at the missions as he went down the river. The army should consolidate at that city, where he would establish his head- quarters until the opening of the next campaign. He said the British officers had behaved like 382 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS soldiers, and he regretted the loss of those who had fallen in the late actions. He desired to be introduced to the officers of my regiment, and directed me to issue orders for the men to keep possession of the flecheras which had brought them up the river, and to be prepared to return towards Angustura tlie next day. I had a full opportunity of surveying the general whilst he was conversing with Captain Beise. From what I had heard of him, I w^as led to expect in appearance a very different man than I now saw before me. General Bolivar is a mean looking person, seemingly (though but ! thirty-eight) about fifty years of age. He is about , five Jeet six inches in height ; thin, sallow com- plexion, lengthened visage, marked with every I symptom of anxiety, care, and, I could almost add, despondency. He seemed also to have un- dergone great fatigue. His dark, and, accord- ing to report, brilliant eyes, were now dull and heavy, although I could give them credit for possessing more fire and animation wh.en his w frame was less harassed. Black hair, loosely ^tied behind with a piece of riband, large mus- /tachios, l^ck handkerchief round his neck, blue great coat, and blue trowsers, boots and spurs, completed his costume. In my eyes he might have passed for any thing but the thing he really was. Across the chamber was sus- ORINOCO AND APURE. 383 pended one of the Sjjanish hammocks, on which he occasionally sat, lolled, and swang, whilst conversing, and seldom remained in the same posture for two minutes together. After an interview of nearly an hour, I left the apart- ment, and his excellency did me the honour of attending me to the hall door, and bidding me adieu. The hall was filled wilh officers of his suite, and three of his secretaries were writing at a table. I inquired for places where we could get refreshment, but there were none of the kind. Every house was open, but no symp- toms of meat or drink, and the supreme chief kept no table. Affairs all around appeared, indeed, like a flight where neither order nor regularity were preserved : every one seemed anxious for himself alone, some running one wa,y, some another : all was confusion, terror, and dismay. The miserable hovels, under the name of houses, afforded scarcely any covering for man or beast : they were all open in front, and the old and almost Vv^orn-out inmates were wretchedly suffering under the various evils of poverty, distress, and disease. So miserable a scene I had never before witnessed ; and the horror I experienced on visiting the building set apart for an hospital, whither my poor countrymen must go if sick or wounded, was beyond expression. The unfortunate pa- 38i EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS triots who were inmates of this place sat or lay along the benches or flooring, waiting patiently the approach of the medical attendants. Some held up the stump of an arm, shattered by a ball, or lopped off with a sword ; others lifted np a thigh, the leg belonging to which had suf- fered amputation by a similar process ; others lay bleeding to death, with shots through se- veral parts of their limbs or bodies : and my soul was sickened by beholding some, who, having lost the scalp or upper part of the skull, ex- posed the action of the bare brain to view. Yet hardly a groan escaped from the poor miserable sufferers, some of whom seemed to endure the agony they were undergoing with all the stoical indifference and resolution ascribed to their North American brethren, when put to the torture by their conquerors. The only cry that I heard was for water : their moans were so low and inaudible in other cases, that nothing could be distinguished. The hos- pital at this time contained about a hundred and fil'ty people. Colonel Wilson, in conse- quence of his arrival two days before me, was settled in quarters at the further extremity of the town ; and to shew me, I presume, that he wished to be on friendly terms with me, he in- vited me to dine with him, which invitation I accepted, in order that no difference existing ORINOCO AND APURE. 385 between us should appear to the native officer. At five o'clock we sat down to table, at which I also perceived five of my officers, who had been invited; it was a mess dinner, and some light claret and some rum were produced. Here we witnessed a guard taking some of the unfortunate prisoners to the spot for execution near the river, but my heart revolted at the idea of being a witness to the manner in which it was performed; some of the younger men of my regiment and some of the non-commissioned officers were there as spectators^ Very soon after dinner, I retired to my fie- chera, and issued such orders as I deemed ne- cessary to be observed during the remainder of the evening and night. I had likewise a second interview with General Bolivar. He received me alone in his chamber ; whither I introduced as my interpreter one of my trumpeters, a very fine boy, whom I had brought from England, and who spoke the Spanish language. Bolivar was much pleased with him while he translated the little anecdotes I told of different circum- stances that had occurred since I left England, exceedingly well, and to tb& amusement of his auditor. Some of the generals having arrived, we parted for the night, somewhat better satis- fied with each other, if I may be permitted to judge from the manner in which the chief c c :386 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS bade me good night, and expressed a wish to see the men on parade the next morning at twelve. Early in the morning of the following day a most extraordinary bustle seemed to prevail; people running and riding in all directions. Some thought it was occasioned by the advance of the royalists having entered the town at the south-east extremity. If this were the case, I considered that all would fall an easy prey to the invaders ; for of such a set of mixed rabble no other country could boast. Some with spears or lances pointed, galloping violently along the road; others with drawn swords in their hands, racing up and down: the whole accom- panied by a confusion of tongues, noises, and shoutings. The first hussars had been drawn up opposite our boats, by my order, to await further directions, wlien we perceived, approaching the flechera with the remainder of Colonel Wilson's hussars, a person on horseback passing in full speed, with this motley group at his heels : and one of the native officers coming up to me, told I me that he who rode by was General Sedeno, J whom his soldiers were going to kill, for not doing his duty at the last battle fought near Calaboza. Concluding, therefore, that none but General Sedeno*s enemies were near, our people were dismissed, and I, with several of tlie of- ORINOCO AND APURE. 387 ficers, followed the crowd, to see what had ac- tually befallen the general, who I was convmced, if he continued to ride at the same rate, would not easily be overtaken by the tired and nearly knocked- up cavalry which followed him. Having followed the stream of idlers to the upper part of the town, we came to the prison, where some of his friends met the fugitive, and enabled him for the present to escape the fury of the soldiery, though an immense crowd had surrounded the house, and report said that they were cutting oif the general's spurs pre- vious to his being executed. In a few minutes after, he was led out by an officer holding him by the left hand, as a gentleman would hand a lady, and I perceived that the highest respect was paid to this personage, who fre- quently placed his own left hand on his breast, and uttered some words vehemently in Spanish: the spectators and soldiery bowed their at- tention and forbearance. Sedeno is a tall, thin man, and looked at that moment nothing like a general, but a thief, or some other rascal, just :aken in the act. His companion and guardian ►vas a man of about five feet seven inches high, •ather fleshy; plump, round face, fair com- plexion, and most prepossessing countenance. He appeared in a dark blue jacket, sabre, c c2 388 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS cocked hat, with a large silver cockade in front, as he wore his hat, as the sailors say, fore and aft. The native officer who had before addressed me, and who had joined tlie throng, now in- formed me that he who conducted Sedeno was the gallant Paez, who had most fortunately ar- rived to save him from the hands of his own men. No one, said my new acquaintance, could have sheltered him but Paez: it was not in the power of the supreme chief; the men would not have attended to him. I inquired what General Paez spoke when he was leading Sedeno along: he said, "that the man who attempted to molest or slay Sedeno must first pierce his heart; that he would answer for his inno- cence.** *' Pray, of what is he accused?" " It has ori- ginated,'* answered my companion, " from a drunken quarrel between two of Sedeno's of- ficers, one of whom Sedeno cut in the arm, an hour ago, witli liis sabre. Tliis officer has charged him witli cowardice and flight, leaving his division to be cut up by the royalists ; as- serting that he was so sure of being beaten by the enemy, that he sent off his wife and trea- sure the day before the action, and himself deserted his people, for which they ought to kill him.*' ORINOCO AND APURE. 389 Again I asked, "Does the supreme chief suffer the men to become judges of their officers' con- duct, with liberty to put them to death, as they may think fit?" "Oh! yes," was the reply: "the general-in-chief does not interfere ; if he was to behave in a cowardly or treacherous manner, they would very soon take off his head, without giving any trouble for further inquiries. But look, colonel," saidhe, "they are now dispersing: Paez has saved him ; and yonder is part of Paez's cavalry marching into town." I afterwards saw Sedeno going unattended into General Bolivar's quarters. The time now approached for the inspection of the officers and men of the first Venezuelian hussars. I had placed myself at their head on the private parade, marched them in front of the general-in-chief's quarters, and wheeled them into line to receive their commander, who soon came out mounted, and having bowed very gracefully to the salute given him, rode down the ranks, gave orders for their being re-marched to the flecheras, and having paid me a handsome compliment, returned to his residence. His secretary conveyed to me, directly after, the general's approbation, of which he desired me to inform the officers and men. See Appendix, marked 13. I found that Colonel Wilson's troops were 390 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS busily employed in preparing for a like inspec- tion. They were ordered to put on the red hussars' clothing, and to parade at three o'clock, p. ni. the same day. I now turned my attention to General Paez. I had received a letter from him, whilst at An- gustura, a copy of which will be found in the Appendix, marked 14. Having sent him a handsome cap and feather, a full regimental bridle, a pair of strong brass spurs, &c. and begged his acceptance of them, I received the most kind and friendly assurances in return. I consequently waited upon him, taking with me my trumpet boy as an interpreter, the general speaking no other language than Spanish. His re- ception of me, in the midst of his suite, was most cordial: he told me that he hoped we should be like brothers together, although he regretted the separation which must for that campaign take place between us. He begged that I would write to him every three weeks, to in- form him how matters were going on, and pro- mised that he would be equally punctual with me. I asked him if he wished me to stay? to which he answered, that the chief would not permit it, as he wanted the English for a rein- forcement to the army before Cumana. After declaring that when we met again he would set a])art for me and my oflicers a hundred horses, ORINOCO AND APURE. 391 which should be in fine order and well broke, we separated. It was impossible not to be im- pressed in favour of this man. Next to the padre before mentioned, he was the only man I had seen who could inspire me with feelings of friendship at a first interview. There had been an unusual stir amongst my own men for the last two hours, and the inter- mixing of Colonel Wilson's officers with them occasioned some curiosity to learn the cause. Observing, too, that a number of the men were drunk, I became more tluin displeased, and finding one of Colonel Wilson's officers and one or two of my own in a hut on the bank-side drinking, and giving liquor to the men, I ex- pressed myself on the occasion with the warmth I felt, when two of the officers (Cornet Collins and Cornet Hodge) came up to me, and tendered their resignations. These young men had been clerks in some office at home, and it was much to be regretted that they altered their late si- tuation for one for which nature or disposition never intended them. I had been frequently troubled with reports concerning them, and they were really a nuisance to me. Strictness and determined conduct on my part alone made them passable. I however told them that I should not receive their resignations until our return to Angustura; there I should 392 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS with pleasure accept of them ; yet, if I found any impropriety of behaviour whilst on the passage down, I would place them in arrest, and try them by a court martial. Even now their conduct with the men was such that I had a mind to report them instantly to General Bo- livar. They then left me: soon after four of the men came up, and told me they were going to join- General Paez's army, and hoped I had no objection. It was necessary for me to put an immediate stop to such desertion from one corps to another, and I waited on Bolivar, taking Don Mendez's agreement with me. The general, I found, understood English, as he pointed out the articles to his secretary, and I was informed that none of the officers or men should leave the regiment without my permission. General Bolivar then asked me if I wished to join Ge- neral Paez. I answered I should obey his orders; but he rejoined, " return to the flechera, and sail this evening." I was sorry to see the men so drunk, and ^[ajor Trewrcn and several of the officers nearly in a similar state; but I ordered tlie wliole to repair on board. Captains Chibley, Denis, Seybold, Beise, Lieutenant Smith, Cornet Dod- son, the quarter-master, and 2d Surgeon Bryan, behaved like officers and gentlemen; all was riot and confusion amongst the rest. General Bo- ORINOCO AND APURE. 393 livar had sent me a demi-john of white wine, the same quantity of mm, some rice, and some segars, as a present to myself. I had besides more than half of my demi-john of brandy left. A few minutes before six o'clock p. m. on the evening of the 23d May, one of the native officers, who told me he was aide-de-camp to General Bolivar, delivered me a verbal order to disembark the whole of my officers and men from the flecheras, and to have every article out in an hour, as the general had commanded the British troops to remain at San Fernando. He was proceeding to order some of the black troops to assist in taking out the baggage. This I peremptorily resisted, and through my in- terpreter told him that if one of his people dared to touch any article whatever belonging to mine, I w^ould have him severely punished. Several attempts had been previously made to steal the liquor, the arms, and ammunition. I therefore considered this volunteer offer of the aide-de-camp to be a kind of ruse de guerre to get at some of those articles. I hardly believed that it was the order of General Bolivar, for all seemed hurry and bustle at his quarters; and my former acquaintance, the communicative native officer, had told me that none but the general's suite would know the moment of his 394 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS departure, and that it would be dark before he went. In obedience to the orders I had received, however, I issued the regimental order marked 15 ; and having gone to view the place appointed for the reception of myself, officers, men, and stores, I took possession, and directed the stand- ards of my regiment to be lodged there. A fatigue party were also conveying up tlie bag- gage, when it was reported to me that Colonel Wilson^s men had got into my apartments, and refused entrance to the rest of the baggage. Judging that some mistake had arisen, I went myself to Colonel Wilson's quarters: he was sitting under his tent. I explained to him what had happened: he expressed his surprise and sorrow at the mistake; assured me he would send directions to rectify it immediately, and re- quested me to sit down and partake of a tumbler of light wine, whilst I waited the return of his orderly officer. During this period, he asked me how I came to volunteer remaining in the cursed place, where nothing was to be done, and where nothing was to be had for love or money. He was, he said, certain that as soon as the rainy season came on (which it would in a very few days), we should all be obliged to retreat to an island ten miles further up, and ORINOCO AND APURE. 395 there remain prisoners for three or four months. I frankly told him he was mistaken; that I had not volunteered : I had suddenly received orders to disembark, and had obeyed them. Co- lonel Wilson doubted whether the general-in- chief had issued these orders, and added, " your men and mine are mad to remain, in hopes of plunder under Paez's command." At this mo- ment, Captain Denis and the quarter-master came to report the refusal of Colonel Wilson's men to give up the barrack or house appro- priated to me. Colonel Wilson seemed indig- nant at the disobedience to his orders, and called for another officer to repeat them. It struck me that there was something very deceitful in this business, and I followed Captain Denis and the quarter-master, who told me they were sure Colonel Wilson was at the bottom of the whole plot; that the men were mostly drunk, as well as many of the officers, and if I did not ar- range something before General Bolivar took his departure, that confusion must inevitably follow. In consequence of this, I hastened to the chief's quarters. He was still there, in the midst of his aides-de-camp, as I could perceive through the gratings of the windows. I had turned into a room adjoining the same house, and I saw Colonel Wilson hurrying from the apartment to another. I was not surprised, 39f) EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS although he had previously told me he should not go further than his tent that night. When I entered the room, I saw Colonel Needham of the Brussels lancer corps (which had left Brussels the September preceding, and had found their way to South America via the United States, where they had been long detained, yet afterwards released by order of congress), two or three other British officers, and three of my own corps, sitting or swinging in their ham- mocks. I begged Colonel Needham to be my interpreter to General Bolivar, and as I was saying I could not get quarters, a fellow of my regiment (who had previously been broke from troop serjeant-major, and flogged for theft and threatening to slioot one of the officers) jumped out of one of the hammocks in which he had been reposing in the presence of the officers, and with all the impudence ima- ginable assured me that he was the only En- glishman who could procure me a bed or a room. I was at the moment too much surprised to reply; but having asked him how he dared to mix in company with the officers, or presume to address me in that familiar manner, he boldly answered that he was himself an officer now, and that he hoped to be a colonel soon. I how- ever seized him, and telling liim that I should confine him unlii his promotion was officially ORINOCO AND APURE. 397 announced to me, I gave him in charge to my orderly, and two other men passing by; but they instantly released him, and he walked off. Colonel Needham attended me to the ge- neral's, where I stated these occurrences ; and the shouts on the outside of the street of " General Wilson forever!" from two or three of his own people, made me ask General Bolivar what my rank was to be, assuring him that I never w^ould serve under Colonel Wilson. Bolivar replied, "you are the senior colonel," but appeared so occupied with other matters, and attending so little to my questions of whom I was in future to receive orders, that I begged Colonel Need- ham to repeat that I would not serve under Co- lonel W^ilson, and to express my desire to return to Angustura. To this Bolivar immediately answered, " Certainly," and bid me hasten to secure my boats. Having gone to the beach, I issued the regimental order marked 16; but I found that the flechera I had come up in had been emptied, and taken possession of by a number of the natives, who positively refused to disembark. I had ordered a party to fetch back the pro- visions and private baggage that had been taken to the house first appointed for my reception ; and the quarter-master and an officer (Captain Beise) to bring back the standards of my re- 398 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS giment. In the mean while, Major Trewren and several of the officers, with the 2d major, whom I had recently appointed (Major Ferrier), had paraded the whole of the detachment, and by the light of a large fire on the beach were ha- ranguing the men. I found the greater part, as I before stated, drunk, to which offence tliey now added open and daring mutiny. I insisted upon silence, and an explanation from Major Trewren for presuming to order a parade without my leave and for such a purpose. Quietness was restored, and Major Trewren publicly informed me that it was to take the sense of the officers and men for joining General Paez; that himself and Major Ferrier, and most of the officers, had determined to do so; upon which some of the men shouted and cried, " Colonel Trewren and General Paez for ever !" I determined to check this business, if pos- sible ; as such open defiance could not be per- mitted. I drew a pistol from my belt, and threatened to shoot the first man who dared to name any officer to their command but myself, even on that parade, wliere they had assembled without my orders. I then addressed the whole of them, stated or rather re-capitulated what I had done for them, the money I had advanced tliem, the tenderness I had shewn for them in their illness, and the benefit that would accrue ORINOCO AND APURE. 399 to them all by returning to Angustura, where the whole regiment was to be completely filled up. Some of the drunken officers then called on the men to join them, whilst Major Ferrier recalled their attention by telling them, if they joined General Paez they would soon have rank and money at command. " The most of the men," said he, "have served under Wellington in the Peninsula, who hung or shot any of them for plundering; here the brave Paez will give you leave to plunder, and to do every thing to obtain riches from the enemies of the republic.'* At this moment, I perceived Colonel Wilson ; he was amongst my people : as I was advancing towards him, he called out, "Follow me, my boys; bring your arms with you ;" and having led the w^ay, the greater part of the officers and. men followed, shouting out, as soon as they gained the bank, "General Paez for ever! — Ge- neral Wilson for ever ! — Colonel Trewren for ever 1" I now turned round to rally the few men who appeared dubious what to do, and with the assistance of the officers who stuck to their colours, I confirmed them in the determination of supporting me : some of the people arrived with the stores for which they had been sent, and lastly came the quarter-master (Cornet Dodson), an old, intrepid, and long tried soldier. too EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS He, and the other officer, had been assaulted, for the purpose of obtaining the colours of the regiment. Some cowardly scoundrels, who dared not personally attack them, had fired two shots at them as they were bringing the flags down the street, but luckily without wounding them. The quarter-master had walked along the side of the water, sometimes above liis hips, to conceal himself, and protect tlie standards. Colonel Needham had just come down to the beach. He reprobated, in the strongest terms, what had occurred, although he politely re- fused to be the bearer of a message I, in the moment of irritation, was anxious for him to convey; alleging, in excuse, the then feelings of the people towards me. The fire not having been renewed, had nearly gone out, and the night was dark ; yet by the shouts which for a few moments filled tlie air, I learnt that the chief Bolivar had embarked, and that his flechera had dropt down below the town. He must, however, have heard the uproar, and learnt the state of affairs with me, though he chose not to notice them. Whether he was too anxious for his own safety I know not, but the manner of his stealing off from San Fer- nando was extraordinary. At this time the town and environs were crowded with troops ; ORINOCO AND APURE. 401 Paez's cavalry, Sedeno's cavalry, and a few of the infantry, amounting together to nearly two thousand men. The remainder were occupying the out-posts, and forming a cordon round the land-side of San Fernando. The boat in which I liad come up had been taken possession of the moment the baggage was out, and filled with nati\^e officers, wounded men, women, and children. I had therefore to fight stoutly for the second, from which those officers and men who had deserted me were busily emptying their "baggage. With some difficulty I succeeded in keeping the native people from crowding into her. I did not wish to compel those who had jumped on board to quit the flechera by force, yet necessity obliged me. The rascals who had so shamefully quitted me were now excited by the officers to en- deavour to seize the spare clothing, the barrel of rum which had been put on board for the use of the people during the passage down the rivers, the cask of ball cartridges, and a few spare carbines. They had succeeded in taking the clothing and about two hundred ball car- tridges before they M'ere discovered, for the darkness of the night prevented us from dis- cerning friend from foe. They had employed the trumpet major, who had been very active in the mutiny, to seize the bugles; for which pur- D D 40'2 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS pose he had crept to the water's edge, and passed unperceived one of the sentries whom I had caused to be planted round the boat for the preservation of our stores. He was a German, and had belonged to the German legion ; and being a tall man, in passing under a table too low for him, he made a noise, and was detected. I fortunately, accompanied by Mr. Bryan the surgeon, caught him and one of the boys retreating with the bugles under their arms, and only succeeded in regaining possession by knocking him down. Some of the men came to his assistance, but seeing me with a pistol in one hand and my sabie in the other, they de- sisted from any attempt to interfere. This fellow, however, by some stratagem, obtained possession of the bugles again, and got safely off, not being discovered until too late to lay hold of him. Seeing seven or eight of the officers, with Major Trcwren at their head, stand- ing on the bank, I walked towards them, tohl them their conduct was infamously bad ; that they were abetting tlie men to plunder their late comrades, and that they (the officers) should no longer disgi-ace the regiment, as from that moment I dismissed them from the corps, and their names should be expunged from the books of the regiment. Soon after two or three of tiiem, attended by a dozen of ORINOCO AND APURE. 403 the men, attempted to board the vessel, and to seize the remaming arms, under the shouts and hallooing of all the rest drawn up on the beach. In this state it became necessary for me to do more than act on the defensive. The few officers and men around me were firm and steady. We prepared for an attack, and a few cuts with the sabre were exchanged, which only drew down a reinforcement. Thus pressed, I was obliged to call aloud, that if the scoun- drelly deserters and mutineers did not retire from the boat and cease to molest my people, I would fire a volley of musketry amongst them. I believe they were fearful I should do so, as they all drew back. I then informed the whole, as far as my voice would admit, that those who were formerly my officers did not, from the mo- ment they left me and disobeyed my orders, belong to the regiment, or hold any rank to which I had appointed them ; but with respect to those base mutineers, the men, I would demand them all as soon as I got down to head- quarters, and make an example of those I con- sidered most active and daring in the revolt. We were obliged to be on our guard against the secret plunderers that surrounded us. Al- though continued shouts assailed us, and Cap- tain Clubley (who had acted as adjutant at my request since the death of poor King) was D D 2 4U4 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS saluted with every epithet of contempt; and though hisses and groans from the men were profusely directed against those who had re- mained firm to me, yet the seceders never at- tempted to name me in their reproaches. Had they done so, I must have endured them in common with others. It was near eleven o'clock at night when all was ready, and I found that upwards of fifty of the natives were still amongst us ; but as we had put off from the shore, I could not in mercy force them overboard. I had to lament the desertion also of my personal orderly Serjeant (the Brunswicker). Great hopes, threats, and persuasions, must have been made to seduce him. A few minutes before we pushed off, he had brought me the muske- toon (my private property), which he, as my orderly, always carried slung by his side. He placed it in my hand, and told me it was loaded, and tlien went forward, as I supposed, for some more of my baggage : yet when got nearly into the mid channel, I missed him, by his not answer- ing to my call, and one of the Serjeants told me he had gone away ; that he had delivered my keys up to him, and desired him to tell me that my money and some other small articles were in the portmanteau, and that he wished me well ; that all the men were to be placed on an equal footing as to rank, and the non-commis- ORINOCO AVD APURE. 405 sioned officers were to have their bars taken off their arms, and to be promoted to officers. The Serjeant added, that the confusion in the boat, from the crowding in of the people, had pre- vented him from getting up to me, to inform me of what Serjeant-major Buff had communicated to him. It is but justice to remark, that I did not miss an article, or lose, to my knowledge, a dollar of the money which he had in constant charge. The shouts of " General Paez for ever ! — Ge- neral Wilson and Colonel Trewren for ever!'* followed us to the centre of the river. But having been obliged by the current to stand over to the San Fernando side again, several voices hailed the boat, to which we gave no answer. My name was called, and the quarter-master was heard, beseeching us to come towards land and take them in, which I should have been in- clined to have done, had we not discovered in one or two of the voices those of the principal mutineers. I then suspected some treachery, and the night was too dark to distinguish num- bers. They had, as I before stated, possessed themselves of about two hundred ball car- tridges, which we did not find out until we came to load our own arms. Each man had taken away wdth him his carbine, and one of those now on board with me said he had seen those 406 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS on shore loading their arms. I therefore most heartUy execrated the traitors, and told them that not one should be taken on board, although they should be speedily brought down the river. A few still implored — others shouted defiance. ORINOCO AND APURE. 407 CHAPTER XVII. Morning. — The company in the flechera. — Passage down. — Inconveniences. — Naval bed of Ware. — Overtake Bolivar. — Attack from the royalists apprehended. — Offer of ser- vices to attend the general-in~chief as a guard of honour accepted. — Misconduct of the captain of the flechera. — Increased nmnbers of alligators and crocodiles. — Recollec- tion and description of the troops at San Fernando. — Se- deno's cavalry. — Paez's cavalry. — His extraordinary cha- racter. — His horrible system of retaliation. — Anecdotes of his barbarity. — Arrival of the flechera at the mouth of the Apure. — Cuicara. — Changes in consequence of the rise of the river. — Proceed down the Orinoco. — 111 treated by Bohvar. — Dreadful storm. — Arrival at Angustura. AFTER a miserable night, wet through with the incessant rain that poured down for the last three hours, we hailed the morn, which brought the sun to dry our clothes, and enable us to look around amongst the various faces which now inhabited the same craft. Besides my own officers and men, consisting of nine officers, twenty-two non-commissioned officers, and one trumpeter, there were a native lieu- tenant-colonel, as black as an African negro, but with European features (he had lost an eye in the service, and received several wounds, 408 EXrEDITION TO TlIK RIVEKS but was still an , active fellow of about thirty years of age) ; a bouncing half-cast girl of six- teen, who had lost her husband or favourite in the last action ; six other black women and three children, six wounded men, and about forty native soldiers ; the quarter-master's wife and sick daughter, still unable to rise from her mattress ; one of the troop scrjeant-majors* wives (a very pretty little woman, w ho had been a milliner in London, and from whose petite make we had not expected strength to en- counter the fatigues, yet she had been the fore- most to turn out to assist in washing early in the morning, and equally the first to be seen standing up to her knees in water cleaning the meat for breakfast), and the master tailor and his wife. I had the large top of the mess tent on board, with which a canopy over the after- part of the boat was formed; and after the two first nights of our passage, we placed a barrier, to prevent any one from coming to the division which we occupied, but the officers and the two non-commissioned officers' wives, and the other lady, on whom the black lieutenant-colonel ap- peared to cast looks of love from the one eye left, which I acknowledge, and so indeed did the lady, was literally a piercer. At night, the space allotted to us became a bed of Ware. All the officers and tlic ladies reposed there. ORINOCO AND APURE. 409 There was no sleeping on shore, and the cap- tain of our flechera took great care not to land on the left of the river Apure, for fear of en- countering the enemy. On the third evening after we left San Fernando, viz. on the 26th of May, we came up with the general-in-chief, and the remainder of the flecheras which had accompanied him. He had gone on shore at a mission, which is on the right bank of the river, situated just above that part where the Apurito branches off from the Apure ; and, I think, although the name appears defaced in my jour- nal, that it takes its name from the former river. I found there were five flecheras in attend- ance, although very few could keep up with that in which Bolivar went. He always took the lead, and frequently visited the Indian vil- lages on the various streams which branched off from the Apure, and returned to rendezvous at the anchoring-places at night-fall. Here I learnt that great danger of an attack from the royalists was apprehended at the spot where the river Apur6 falls into the Orinoco. The mouth is narrow, and, in the state the river was, even at that moment, there was not suf- ficient water over a large bank of sand to let the flecheras pass it. Consequently the boats were obliged to hug the left shore, which was 410 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS wooded, and well screened from observation. There, if not before, the royalists woidd proba- bly make their attempt. I thought it a duty, and a compliment which I trusted would not be forgotten, to offer my services to Bolivar, to convoy his flechera through the remainder of the Apure as his escort. Accordingly I sent Captain Beise with my respectful inquiries, and to inform his excellency that, being well provided with arms and ammunition, I would be happy in being honoured with permission to attend him with my flechera, as his guard of honour, through the passage of the Apure. He returned for answer, that he was aware of my motives, and should issue directions accord- ingly ; in the mean time, I was to consider my offer as accepted. I therefore prepared my arms, and ordered my distinguisliing pennant to be ready for hoisting at sunrise the next morning. The morning having arrived, we got under way, and when Bolivar embarked on board his own flechera (which had an awning over its stern, like a stage waggon, formed with bent hoops, and covered with dried hides of bullocks), we pro- ceeded with him, and having exchanged bows, as his boat took the lead, I could perceive the ladies of his family sitting underneath the awn- ing, with others of his suite. ORINOCO AND APURE. 411 All that I could do, either by persuasion, threats, coaxing, anger, bribery, could not in- duce our captain to keep up. It is true, the flechera was heavily loaded and crowded ; but still she might have proceeded faster. I caused the oars to be put out, had them manned by my own people, and when the boat began to get up, the fellow run her on shore, and thus pre- meditatedly delayed us. At night-fall we arrived at the place of rendezvous, where the general, and nearly the whole of the flecheras, had been anchored two hours before. I therefore wrote a note to the chief, in which I stated the conduct of the captain, and likewise the heaviness of the boat in sailing or rowing ; that unless his excellency issued orders to make the captain do his duty, or gave me a lighter boat, I feared that, from the rapidity with which his own flechera moved, I should not be able to fill the station to which I had aspired, and to which he had acquiesced in appointing me. I received no answer, but in the morning saw the general embark in apparent haste, and proceed before any of the other boats were ready to fol- low him. I was going to haul down my pennant, and which I should have done, had I not seen that the captain of the boat was desirous of it J I therefore, in spite of him, kept it flying, hoping that he did not know of my having re- 'il'2 EXPEDITTON TO THE RIVERS ported him, and the faihire of my intentions respecting him. We now again pushed off, and I determined, when we next went ashore for the purpose of cooking, &c. to make him place the flechera on the left bank of the river; which I compelled him to do by force, making some of my own people take tlie oars. On these occasions he appeared most dread- fully afraid of the Godoys. Wc English, how- ever, kept a good look-out for our own per- sonal safety ; and I gave the captain to un- derstand, through several of our interpreters, that I would always land on that side, unless he would promise to keep up with the other flecheras. The native lieutenant-colonel had nothing but tasso (dried slips of beef) to eat ; not even cassava, or bread ; no rum nor wine ; nothing but the water of the Apure, whicli has a taste of putridity in it, nauseous in the ex- treme. 1 could not, nor could my brother officers, sit down to partake of our meals, and drink wine, brandy, or rum, without making him a sharer ; and, in very excellent French, he expressed his thanks and obligation. The ladies, too, had each a share ; the poor native black soldiers looked most wistfully at the hussars, when they were taking tlieir rations of rum, and a few by turns had a little given them, by my orders, when the rain had OKINOCO AND APURE. 41^ drenched them, and they were shivering with cold. We were unuised, in coming down the river Apure, with the creatures on shore, in the water, and in the air, as much as we had been dehghted and surprised in going up. If any thing appeared new to the eye, it was the evident increase in the numbers of the alHgator and crocodile. The rise of the river had overflowed the sands and banks under which thousands of these crea- tures lay, in a torpid or lethargic state, during the greater part of the dry season ; and hun- dreds, thousands, I may say, of the smaller kind, were swimming in every direction, and basking on the sides of the river. These sights I en- joyed, though the desertion of the men, and the conduct of the officers, had preyed greatly upon my mind. It had required the whole strength of which I was master to bear me up : the cramped state in which I had been obliged to lie, and severe rheumatic attacks in my back and right knee, prevented me from taking necessary exercise, by walking and stretching my limbs during the periods the people were cooking on shore. We had now been nine days from San Fer- nando, and had met no interruption, although we had seen several small bodies of cavalry on the left shore as we passed. The (•aj)tain said 414 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS tliey were royalists ; but I doubted the fact. However, be tliey whom they might, they did not molest us ; not even a word was exchanged between us. I had commenced, by way of employing myself, a description of the troops I had seen whilst at San Fernando, and I retrace this sketch, in the hope that it may be accept- able to my readers. Sedeno's cavalry were composed of all sorts and sizes, from the man to the boy ; from the horse to the mule. Some of the troopers with saddles, very many of them without ; some with bits, leather head-stalls and reins ; others with rope-lines, with a bight of the rope placed over tlie tongue of the horse as a bit ; some with old pistols hung over the saddle-bow, I cannot call it the pommel, either incased in tiger-skin or ox-hide holster pipes, or hanging by a thong of hide on each side. As for the troopers themselves, they were from thirteen to thirty-six or forty years of age — black, brown, sallow complexion, according to the casts of their parents. The adults wore large mustachios, and short hair, either woolly or black, according to climate or descent. They had a ferocious, savage look, which the regimentals they appeared in did not tend to humanize or improve. Mounted on mi- serable, half-starved, jaded beasts, whether horse or mule, some without trowsers, small-clothes. ORINOCO AND APURE. 415 or any covering except a bandage of blue clotli or cotton round their loins, the end of which passing between their legs, fastened to the girth round the waist ; others with trowsers, but without stockings, boots, or shoes, and a spur generally gracing the heel on one side j and some wearing a kind of sandal made of hide, with the hairy side outward. In their left hand they hold the reins, and in their right a pole from eight to ten feet in length, with an iron spear, very sharp at the point and sides, and rather flat ; in shape like our Serjeant's halbert. A blanket of about a yard square, with a hole, or rather slit, cut in the centre, through which the wearer thrusts his head, falls on each side of his shoulders, thus covering his body, and leaving his bare arms at perfect liberty to ma- nage his horse, or mule, and lance. Sometimes an old musket (the barrel of which has been shortened twelve inches) forms his carbine ; and with a large sabre, or hanger, or cut-and- thrust, or even a small sword, hanging by a lea- ther thong to his side, together with either a felt hat, a tiger skin or hide cap, on his head, with a white feather, or even a piece of white rag, stuck into it, these troopers of the legion of Sedeno appear complete, and ready for action. My picture is a perfect transcript from tlie original, and by no means too higlijy coloured ; 416 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS but let it not be supposed that I would attempt to detract one iota from their courage as men against an enemy in the field. They are brave to a fault: tliey want only judgment and dis- cretion, and officers of information and expe- rience to lead them. Paez's cavalry are much superior in point of dress, appearance, and good conditio;, of their horses ; yet I do not wish it to be understood that they are uniformly clothed. There are none of them so naked as many of Sedeno's le- gion ; but they consist of some without boots, shoes, or any body covering, except their blanket, which is the necessary appendage to the general uniform. They all wear trowsers, or something in the shape of breeclies or loose drawers, and their arms are similar to the other corps of cavalry. Many of Paez's men are clothed in the spoils taken from the enemy ; and thus are seen men in helmets bound with brass and plated metal ; large sabres with silver hilts ; saddles and bridles ornamented with silver tips and buckles. I actually saw one horseman wliose stirrups were made of the same precious metal. Many anecdotes are told relative to Paez, and vouched for as being authentic. In- deed several of our countrymen were witnesses to his ex])loits. Tiiough almost a general of his own authority, yet he is too })Owerful lor even ORINOCO AND APUIIE. 417' Bolivar to dispute his rank, which he has there- fore fully acknowledged. Paez is self-taught, and sprang up all of a sudden, from nothing, during the revolution, before which he was hardly heard of. When it broke out, he was soon found at the head of a numerous body, avowedly for the piupose of aiding the cause of the republic. His courage, intrepidity, repeated successes, and the numbers of his followers, speedily gained him a name. The quickness of his movements, the rapidity wdth which he pursued the Hying enemy, the personal conflicts in which he had been engaged, and the conquests he had made, both collec- tively and individually, rendered him the ad- miration of his adherents, and the dread of the enemies, into whom his very name struck ter- ror as they advanced to the plains and savan- nahs to encounter him. His followers, too, were all so many Paezes, looking up to their ge- neral as a superior being, to whose mandate up- wards of four thousand brave men paid im- plicit obedience. On the parade, or in the field, Paez was their general and supreme. In the hours of rest from the fatigues of a long and rapid march, or from conquest over the adversary, and the retaliation rigidly executed, Paez would be seen dancing with his people, in the ring formed for that purpose, smoking with E E 418 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS them, drinking from the same cup, and light- ing the fresh segar froin the one in the mouth of his brother soldier. On intelligence (for he kept his videttes on the alert, and never was sur})rised on his post) of the approach of the enemy, the words, "Come away, my brave boys !'* uttered in Spanish, was sufficient : in a few minutes all were ready, and, with this hero at their head, they were invin- cible ; and it is asserted that Paez never lost a battle wherein he commanded, though under the orders of Bolivar he had been beaten. General Paez is inicommonly active. He will, for amusement, as he did before some En- glisli officers, single out a wild bull from the herd of cattle, and ride him down, pass his lance through, and thus slay him ; or gallop up to the animal's rear, and grasping the tail firmly in his hand, twist it so suddenly and so strongly as to throw the beast on his side, when, if some of his followers do not come up at the moment to })ierce him, he will, by a cut of his sabre, ham-string and leave him, until the arrival of his ])eople puts the finishing stroke to life, and the flesh is prepared for cooking. At the action of Ortiz, in April, 1818, Paez, with his cavalry, were engaged, and had made several successful charges against the enemy, who, though inferior in numbers, was far su- ORINOCO AND APURE. 419 perior to Bolivar in discipline and gcncraisliip ; but the gencral-in-cliief iiad so puzzled matters, and so confounded the line, that the infantry were beaten, and nearly destroyed, before Bo- livar could collect himself, which extorted some sharp rebukes from Paez to the chief in person. Paez covered the retreat, at Bolivar's request, and one or two charges secured the remnant of the infantry from annihilation. After the last of these charges, which he led himself, he re- tired on one side, and having dismounted, v/as seized with a fit (something of the hysterical kind), and lay on the ground foaming at the month. Colonel English, who related the cir- cumstance to me, was present. He went up to Paez, though some of his people warned him by no means to disturb the general : " he will soon be well," said they ; " he is often so, and none of us dare to touch him until perfectly recovered." Colonel English, however, ap- proached, and having sprinkled some water in his face, and forced a little down his throat, he speedily recovered; and coming to his recollec- tion, thanked him cordially, saying he was a little overcome by the day's fatigue, having with his own lance, and with his own arm, killed thirty-nine of the enemy, and been taken ill whilst running the fortieth through the body. The bloody lance lay by his side, E E 2 420 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and he presented it to Colonel English, as a memento of his friendship and affection. Paez soon recovered, and joined his legion ; and when Colonel English departed, he presented him with three very fine horses from Jiis own stud. I shall trespass on my reader's attention a few minutes more, whilst I relate another anec- dote of this man. Since the refusal of General Morillo to give quarter, he has never been know^n to spare the life of a prisoner. Yet, at the battle of Calaboza, having been successful in one or two charges, by which he forced the royalists to retreat, he was in the height of good humour, and an officer who had been taken by his men w^as brought to him — he was mounted. The general asked him a few ques- tions, and then directed his man of business to do his duty. The Spanish officer begged hard for life. " Well," says Paez, " ride to yon- der tree," pointing to one some distance oft', ** and when you get there, escape as fast as you can, and take care I do not come up with you !" The officer obeyed, and when he ar- rived at the tree, casting one glance behind him, commenced his race. Paez pursued, and soon overtook him, and was in the act of putting his lance through his body. The royalist, with some presence of mind, said, " General Paez is too noble to take an advantage. My horse was ORrNOCO AND APIJRE. 421 tired, and could not gallop ; but if you, general, will give me your horse, and the same liberty, I think I could save my life." "Done!" answered Paez, and immediately the Spaniard was mounted on his horse. The distance was again pointed out ; the officer rode to the spot, and started afresh. Paez, in the meantime, had mounted the jaded royalist charger. He started also, and gained ground, and in about two miles actually came up with the unfortunate Spaniard, who fell beneath the point of the insurgent ge- neral's spear. The race was witnessed by hun- dreds, and the air was soon filled with the shouts of applause bestowed on the intrepid and sanguinary Paez. I now return to my narrative, from which I have made so considerable a digression. On the tenth day we arrived at the mouth of the Apure, and having passed unmolested the narrows, where the enemy might have been posted to annoy us, we entered the Orinoco once more, and in the afternoon arrived at Cuicara. The waters had risen so considerably, even during the short period of my absence from this place, that the rocks were wholly covered. The one on which the poor farrier had undressed himself, and by the side of which he had been drowned, was completely hidden from view, 422 EXPEDITION TO THE lllVEUS and the place itself seemed to have undergone a change. Certain spots ofv/ooded land had now become islands, and our boats approached so near as to give us a view of the Indian huts and village. All the flecheras had assembled here, and every thing was motion. Bolivar and his suite were stationed in the old hut at the top of the lawn, in which the commandant resided. This was the district for cattle, and a herd of wild cattle were driven up for slaughter, each pinned by the nose, and the fore legs tied with leather thongs. After much difficulty tliey were killed and distributed. I was now so ill from rheumatism that I could not walk, nor could I eat the beef served out, either dried or fresh. I sent to the vil- lage for a few eggs, or milk, or a fowl : but the general had laid an embargo on the various articles ; beef alone constituted the whole of the provisions. To such extremity was I driven at last, for something that I could eat, that I condescended, although General Bolivar had neither answered my last letters of complaint against the captain of the flechera, nor those of compliment I sent every morning, when too ill to make personal inquiries — I was obliged, I say, to request he would direct the command- ant to send me a few eggs for purchase. The ORINOCO AND APURE. 1''23 answer came — there were none to spare. Having received every article that the commandant would part witli, we proceeded down the river Orinoco, every boat taking the lead of us. We did not, however, pass down the rapid we had come up, but took the other passage, which, during the interval, had been so deepened by water, that very few of those large rocks which I had then seen were now perceptible. We entered the stream, which was exces- sively rapid, and in descending one of the falls, came so close in contact with a large piece of rock, that even the captain of the ilechera grew pale, and trembled. The boat was then sucked into a whirlpool, which roared with a most ter- rific noise, and having performed three or four very quick circular motions, she was thrown forth again to run with the stream. This was the only circumstance worth stating which occurred until we arrived within one day's sail of Angustura. In the afternoon we arrived at another mission, which I had not seen in my passage up the river. It appeared to be beau- tifully situated. The Orinoco here branched off into a little armlet, which seemed to sur- round a piece of land. It was at least a peninsula, if not absolutely an island. I was too lame and ill to reconnoitre the position ; but here, above the spot where my 424 EXPEDITION TO THE lUVEKS flechera lay, the chief and all his train had re-assembled. The commodore of the flecheras had also joined with his squadron of boats, and as they kept moving about with their streamers and colours flying, and a nice breeze of wind, they looked remarkably well. There was so much bustle and apparent attempt at secrecy, that I had an idea something was wrong at An- gustura. The troops were served out with fresh meat ; every boat was discharged before six o'clock except mine, and my people had to wait until eight before they could get even the raw beef. An hour more was lost in cooking, and when all was ready, the captain of the flechera was not to be found. The crew hear- ing me say I would order the boat oflf without him, ran away and hid themselves in the bushes. I was therefore obliged to remain ; fearful of venturing into the stream without some one on board who coidd pilot us down. This night, as we lay at anchor, the most tremendous storm of thimder and lightning I had ever witnessed came on. The lightning continued visible for seven seconds from the commencement to the ending of the flash, sometimes traversing the whole horizon, and forming an immense circle of liquid fire. The very rain that fell was hot. The master o*'*4he flechera did not come on ORINOCO AND ATUUK. 1^25 board until daybreak. He would not account for his absence or delay, and I was obliged to lie and " grin, and bear it all.'* Our wine, rum, rice, and cassa\'a were gone, and we were all heartily sick and tired of our voyage. On the evening of the 7th we arrived off An- gustura. All the other flecheras had got in early in the morning. I sent my aide-de-camp on shore to announce my arrival to the adjutant- general, and to receive directions for the disem- barkation of the troops. As no orders were sent me, although promised, we all remained on board, and early the next morning the town- major came to inform me that the officers and men might take up their former quarters. I asked if it was customary to keep their officers of rank in open boats for a whole night without offering any apology, or stating the necessity for so doing ; and 1 requested him to tell the ad- jutant-general that I should report his conduct to the general-in-chief. His only reply was shrugging up his shoulders, over which I could most willingly have laid my sabre. The regi- mental order in the Appendix marked 16 was then issued, and I soon after crawled up, with the support of two of the officers, to the house appointed for our reception. 426 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER XVIII. Continued ill usage. — Missions of Lieutenant-Colonel En- glish and another to recruit in England. — The author thinks of the same expedient to reimburse his expenditure for the republic. — Arrival of part of the second hussars. — Nothing but carrion beef furnished in the rations to the British. — The author resists this unworthy treatment. — Unsatisfactory interview with Bolivar. — Disposal of the officers. — French captain.— Straits to which the British are reduced. — Second audience of Bolivar. — Its angry con- clusion.— Colonel Rooke put in command of the British at Angustura. — Retmui of Colonel Wilson announced ; charge against him of tampering with Paez to recede from Bo- livar, — Colonel Wilson placed in arrest.' — His aides-de- camp arrested, but released soon after. — Adjutant-Ge- neral Montebrune suspended and broken. — The autlior prepares for his departure. — Sells his equipments, &c. to enable him to take his passage. NO apartment was provided for us : officers, non-commissioned officers, and their wives, were all huddled into one room — a very large one, it is true, but still it was one room only. The serjeant-major had placed my table and chair in the upper part of it for me. The room adjoining was occupied by seven officers newly ORINOCO AND APIIRE. 427 arrived from England. The deputy adjutant- general came to see me : he appeared hurt, at least he professed to be so, at my being there, and said he would immediately get an order for a chamber for me, and another for my officers. Next came the adjutant-ge- neral, General Soublett. I asked him if it was usual for their colonels of cavalry to be packed in the same room with the men. He replied, sometimes ; and the city was so much crowded with native officers and men, that they had scarcely room. The men had risen when General Soublett entered : he asked why they did not sit ? I answered that a British soldier in any service would not presume to sit in the presence of an officer, without being directed to do so. Soublett smiled, and I told him that if myself and officers were not immediately placed in other rooms, that I should complain to General Bolivar. He left me with a promise that I should be removed, which I was in the course of the evening, to occupy two other rooms on the same floor, and a third for the use of my officers. Captain Dudley, my late adjutant, being too ill for any kind of duty, had received his pass- port to return to England ; and during my absence embarked with Captain Hill, command- ing the brig of war Columbia, and had gone 428 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS down the Orinoco. Cornet Cooke was recover- ing fast, although at first nearly starved by being deprived of his rations ; but the female of the house took compassion on and supported him. A few liours' rest recovered me a little, and I sat down to address General Bolivar. Having had a letter from Colonel English delivered to me, I inquired more strictly into the nature of its contents (see letter marked 17 in the Appendix), and learnt that he was gone to England to recruit. For every man he landed in South America he was to be paid ^50 sterling. He was at liberty to raise what number he chose without limita- tion, and to have the rank of general of bri- gade and one of the regiments on his return. Another person, just arrived, who had never been in the army, but spent the early part of his life in mercantile concerns, obtained the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and had permission to return to England for a like purpose. He was also to rank as general of brigade on his return to South America. On hearing this news, I determined, as I had gone so far, and involved myself so deeply, to seek, by similar means, to reimburse the expenses I had already incurred, besides having advanced a large amount on bclialf of the republic, and become security for still larger sums. This I conceived ORINOCO AND APLRE. 4^9 should iirst be paid. No person had gone so far as 1 liad done, except Colonel Skeenc and Colonel Campbell. The former had unfor- tunately lost all his venture, together with his life, when the ill-fated Indian went down ; and Colonel Campbell, although not yet arrived, I felt assured, must, with his friends, have suffered materiallv. I therefore addressed the sreneral- in-chief, and the copy of my letter will be found in the Appendix, marked 18. I began to get rid of my rheumatism, but became more debilitated ; when General Mon- tillo called on me, and solicited me to take up my old quarters in his house. I felt the com- pliment, but declined it, as I preferred being amongst my own officers, and near my men. About this period a vessel arrived with a rein- forcement, some officers of the second Venezue- lian hussars, who were in daily expectation of being joined by their colonel (Monro) on the shores of Venezuela. They had got as far as Trinidad in the Sarah, but had preceded her to the Orinoco in a small hired schooner. An officer of the first Venezuelian hussars, bringing his wife with him, had come out in the same ship. There were also five other officers; and a few days after several officers of the late German legion came in. We had now been three days in Angustura. 430 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Nothing but carrion beef could be obtained for cither officer or man. No bread or cassava ; no vegetables ; no rice ; no salt or pepper ; no sugar, candles, or soap ; no rum or wine. Were there any of these articles in the stores — in the merchants' houses — in the common grog-shops ? Yes ; plenty for money. Why then did the republic, with Bolivar pre- sent, omit to order such necessaries to be served out to the British troops? Was it to starve them into a compliance with the orders he in- tended to issue respecting them, or was it to disgust them by ungrateful treatment, and by getting them to murmur, have an excuse for drafting them, or putting them to death ? He did attempt to draft them, but I held firm to my text, and his excellency found he could neither frighten, nor bend me to his will. See letter marked 19 in the Appendix. I had written to Governor Montillo, stating the absolute want of necessaries both for my officers and men. See letter marked ^0, and the subsequent reply, 21. An answer to my first letter arrived from Bolivar, and likewise a second on the after passages of my first, which is now annexed and marked 22 in the Appendix. The next day, in consequence of a note re- questing an audience, I had an interview with ORINOCO AND APURE. 431 the general. A countiyman of mine, a merciiant ill the town (Mr. Winton from Somersetsliire), did me the favour of being present, together with the sworn interpreter, Captain Champ, and an aide-de-camp of the general's. Bolivar rose to receive me, and presented his hand, which I took. He looked better than when we last met, and after inquiring about my health, to which I bowed, we sat on the same sofa, and proceeded to business. I produced my accounts with my signature, and vouched for, under the hands of the paymaster and the quarter-master of the regiment. The items were perfectly explained to him, the cause which occasioned such expenditure, and the amount of the sum total. His reply was worthy of himself — full of subtility, evasion, deceit, dishonour, and base ingratitude. The account might be perfectly correct — he did not doubt its accuracy on any point ; but where was Mr. Mendez's signature ? Could I produce his order for the payment? Why did not Mr. Mendez advance the money in England, or obtain credit for it amongst the regular merchants there ? Having then twirled up his mustachios, and looking fierce, he re- peated these questions. I turned up and twisted my mustacliios (which were as large as his own, though not so black), and having desired the in- terpreter to inform the general, and called on 432 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Mr. Winton to correct him if necessary, T ex- pressed my astoiiisliment at the refusal to settle my account. I told him that I had advanced the sum there specified on the faith and in- tegrity of the republic, and on the solemn as- surances from Mr. Mendez that every shilling I so advanced would be paid me, even with interest ; that Mr. Mendez stated the supreme chief of the republic to be possessed of too much honour to dispute the payment of any sums expended in their service, and so authen- ticated. " Tell the general," I added, *' that it is true I have not Mr. Mendez's signature an- nexed to this account, because we both thought it unnecessary, as I bore about me an instru- ment signed by him, and witnessed by his se- cretary and confidential friend in England, gua- ranteeing to me the repayment of all my ex- penditure on behalf of the republic, and I hold the same now in my hand for the general's perusal. It contains also a guarantee that I should be paid two hundred dollars on landing. I should be glad to receive that sum now^, and so would my half-starved officers and men the sums respectively and in like manner gua- ranteed to them. With regard to the general's second question, I should answer with equal truth, that Mr. Mendez could not get credit in England for ^10 in cash. Neither banker ORINOCO AND APURE. 433 nor merchant there would advance him any money, until they heard that the goods already furnislied on the credit of the republic were paid for, and I sliould take care, whether I lived or died, that the history of my wrongs should find its way home. Independent of my own two hundred dollars, I had advanced to many of the officers money on account of their equipments to be paid out of their promised pay on arriving in Soutli America. I had guaranteed the payment of several of the tradesmen's bills for them, and made myself liable. The eighty dollars per man had been in part mortgaged for these ex- penses and risks ; and was I to lose my name and character for honour and honesty at home, in consequence of not making the promised remit- tances ? I trusted, therefore, that the general would not suffer me to sustain so severe an injury. It would be a species of such cruelty and fraud, that I felt convinced he would only require my statement to be made clear to him, to induce him to grant me immediate redress. I fiu'ther expressed that I would be satisfied if he would order me to be furnished with a certain number of mules on account, and release me and my friends from the guarantees we had given in England on behalf of the government. I did not then ask the general for the arrears of F F 484 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS pay J I asked him only for an allowance to keep my officers and men from starving, and an order for the mules, that their produce might be transmitted to England to my agent there, to be distributed amongst my creditors. This, my answer, was fully interpreted. Bolivar bounced two or three times whilst I was address- ing the interpreter. Probably my motions in speaking were too energetic : but, as lie reads English very well, it is more than probable tliat he understood it when spoken. He asked, where was all the clothing I al- luded to with respect to the soldiers ? I referred him to the then dress of the men, even to their sabres. I begged then to be informed if Admi- ral Brion had purchased the Emerald ? It was not from impertinent curiosity, but from a real interest in the knowledge of that event, being under guarantee to a large amount, in case she was not purchased. He said he had received no official accounts ; and went on to negative all my propositions for the raising of men, and seemed to treat them coolly, which extorted from me the remark, " that probably his re- fusal had saved myself and friends from total ruin, as it was likely we sliould never receive payment." The interpreter looked aghast. My country- man glanced at the general and me by turns. ORINOCO AND APURE. 435 and tlie supreme cliief's butcher, who stood at the door, kept his eye on his master, to see if he was disposed to give him the signal for my decapitation. Before I rose, he said, if Mr. Mendez would sign my statement, he would order immediate payment. To which I replied, I would take it to England myself. He answered. Cer- tainly ; he would give me leave for four or five months. To which I rejoined, that if he or- dered me the payment of my account, and gave me the immediate rank of general of brigade, I would accept the permission, and would speedily return, provided my own government threw no obstacles in the way. If he did not pay me my fair and equitable claims, I begged to de- mand my passports as a British subject. He bowed, and rose from his seat, and tendered liis hand j but I felt hurt at his mean evasions, and could not give him mine in return. At that moment, I dare to think, certain wishes sprang to each of our hearts. He wished he had me in front of his army, on the plains of Calaboza, or elsewhere : I wished that I had him in any part of England. In consequence of the approval of General Bolivar for Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke to be appointed to the first Venezuelian hussars, the regimental orders marked 23 were issued. F F 2 436 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS We were now at the height of distress. The men were literally starving, and naturally dis- contented. The newly-arrived officers were also expressing themselves most freely. Some demanding their passports, or the pay they had been promised on arrival. A few had still a little of tlie money which they had brought with them, and Bolivar was anxious to remove some of them from Angustiu'a. He accordingly ex- alted them by appointing them to his guard of honour, and issued directions for their imme- diate procedure to Old Guyana, there to await his coining. Three were ordered to San Fer- nando. Amongst the last batch of arrivals, with the German officers, came also three French officers, one of them, a very fine fellow, hold- ing the rank of captain, and decorated with the order of the legion of honour. He accom- panied the other officers in tlieir introduction to Bolivar. All shewed their credentials, and were " most graciously" received. Bolivar had turned his eyes on the French officer, who, gracefully bowing, presented his letters of ser- vice and introduction. He was also welcomed with marks of approbation. But Bolivar looked with astonishment, when the same officer pre- sented him a letter, which he had ready, re- questing his passport to leave the country. ♦* What does tliis mean ?" asked the chief; ORINOCO AND APURE. 437 '' Do you wish for your passport the moment you enter my country ? Why ? tor what rea- son ?'* The French officer, shrugging up his shoulders, very coolly replied, that he had per- ceived so many native colonels walking about the garrison bare-footed, with only j)ieces of blanket to cover them, that he dreaded what his fate must soon be, who would, of course, serve under such rank at first : he therefore re- quested his passport, and was promised it. I sent a message by Captain Montebrune, the late deputy adjutant-general (an Italian by birth, and although a most consummate rascal, yet the only person capable of performing the duties annexed to that department), to General Montillo, desiring tliat he would issue orders for proper rations to be served out to the of- ficers and men. With respect to myself, I had been obliged to give public notice to all the garrison, both civil and military, of a sale of my clothing, linen, arms, saddlery, &c. which was to take place the following morning, in order to raise a supply sufficient to procure the com- forts, and even medicine, which I now wanted, and to supply me with the means of procur- ing a passage to one of the West India islands. My intentions soon gained general publicity. Whether the governor, or the general-in-chief, thought it might lessen their credit and conse- 438 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS quence amongst the British, to suffer a colonel of cavalry in their service to be obliged to ex- pose his wearing apparel for sale, to procure those necessaries whicli the republic were in duty and gratitude bound to provide, I know not ; but I received a request to postpone my purpose, and money should be sent me. The money, however, did not come, and I disposed of some articles at one-half their value ; but it was for food, and to keep me alive ! Once more I had an audience of Bolivar. Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, who spoke Spanish, attended me, together with the interpreter (the port captain) : Governor Montillo was also pre- sent. Bolivar was again asked by me whether he would give orders for any arrangement to be made, as, if he did not, I could not think of continuing in the country ; and if the officers and men were not supplied with proper rations, I should request passports for all. I could not suppose, I said, that I had made myself intelligible through the in- terpreter, otherwise the general would not for a moment hesitate to attend to my wishes. The passport for myself, he answered, I might have; but he could not grant it for the men, who had been paid for so dearly by his government. I again asked if the Emerald was purchased by the republic ? I was answered, he believed so. In that case, I rejoined, I am released from the ORINOCO AND ArURE. 439 guarantees I gave for powder and arms ; like- wise the additional promise of seeing the owners })aid, in the event of the Emerald's not being purchased, £ 25 for every officer brought out, and £10 per man. Bolivar asked whether I chose to return to England on leave, as an of- ficer in the Venezuelian service, or as a British subject? That circumstance, I answered, de- pended wholly upon himself. If he was pleased to order me repayment of what I had actually expended for the use of his government, and exonerated me from all the guarantees I had given on behalf of the republic, under the firm reliance of being repaid, I should request leave to return ; but it must be with the rank of ge- neral of brigade : I could not serve junior to Ge- neral Wilson. He is no general, said he, vehe- mently ; nor is he a colonel. I did not then comprehend Bolivar's meaning. If, on the other hand, I continued, the general refuses to acknow- ledge the justice of my demand, and still with- holds any settlement with me, I have only to express my deep regret that I should have been so weak, and so misled, as to place any confidence in the solemn protestations made to me by the republican agent, Mr. Mendez, in England ; and that, in justice to my countrymen, I should inform them, as speedily as possible, of the error 440 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS they had committed, and the little confidence to be reposed in Mr. Mendez's promises. The chief rose up in a passion, and exclaimed, I was at liberty to act as I pleased ; neither himself nor the government of Venezuela were to be intimidated by my threats. I answ ered as sharply, and with equal warmth, that the first measure I would take on my arrival in Eng- land would be to arrest the person of his agent for the debt contracted ; and, I added, I now resign the appointment I have held under your republic, and I regret I ever accepted it. He waved his hand, and I retired. When in the street, Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke said he w^as afraid the chief would have put me in ar- rest, and was still of opinion that he would not let me go to the islands, for fear that I might injure the recruiting when I got to England. From knowing the man, he rather imagined that he would order me into the interior, or down to Old Guyana, in the event of which it would be all over with me. I do not fear him, said I ; I will always hold myself prepared for him. The same evening Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke was put in orders to take the command of all the British in the garrison, who were to be removed to the barrack appropriated for their use at the extremity of the town. A mes- ORINOCO AND APURE. 441 sage was sent to me by the adjutant-general, that I should have two hundred dollars paid me ; that if I pleased to remain in the house where I then was, I might command it, and requesting me to state whether I chose a sentry at my door from the main-guard, or one of my own people J that his excellency could not know me in any other rank than Colonel Hippisley of Venezuela, whilst I remained in the country ; and that all the honours due to my rank should be paid me in the garrison. I answered, that I should requii'e no sentry at my door, nor should I keep my orderly serjeant in his military capa- city, but as my private attendant. When I cut off my mustachios, said I, pointing to my upper lip (which I had previously close shaved), I be- came a civilian only, whilst in this country. I had issued my last order to the officers and men, in consequence of Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke having asked me to advise the latter to stay quietly, and not murmur ; for the general had been told that I had issued an order to ex- cite them to discontent, and to endeavour to remove them from the service : in consequence of which, the regimental order had been trans- lated into Spanish for his perusal. When Bolivar read my order, and found it to be so different from what some of his whis- 442 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS perers had stated, he said to his chief secretary, who liad been very friendly with nie from my first arrival at Angustura, " I have mistaken this Englishman very much ; I have been de- ceived ; something must be arranged with him." News now arrived by a courier that Colonel Wilson was coming down from San Fernando, with his two aides-de-camp, Captain Smith and Lieutenant Holland. It was stated, also, that Bolivar had received some extraordinary ac- counts resjiecting that olHcer. Little thinking wliat the cause of Colonel Wilson's return really was, I considered that it related to the business of the revolt and mutiny of my men, and I knew that Bolivar had issued orders for their return to Angustura. But having gone to Mr. Hamilton in tlie morning, to ask his opinion on some personal matters, I learnt from him that General Paez had sent a letter to the chief, stating that Colonel Wilson had been tampering with him to shake off his alle- giance to the republic under the direction of Bolivar, and to induce him (Paez) to assume the command of the army. Mr. Hamilton had heard from Bolivar's con- fidant, and indeed from Bolivar himself, that the charges against Colonel Wilson were very ORINOCO AND APURE. 443 strong, and that Majors Trewren and Ferrier, and the two aides-de-camp, were implicated in the attempt. This authority was good, as Mr. Hamilton had already become a very intimate friend of Bolivar's. The general had stated that he possessed only one shirt, the whole of his linen having been taken in the last attack at Cala- boza. Mr. Hamilton had a few fine new Holland shirts in his trunks, and, with six under his arm, he proceeded to the palace, Bolivar's head-quarters, and presented them to his ex- cellency. Other changes were sent, and ac- cepted with every expression of grateful senti- ment, on the part of Bolivar, that our country- man could wish ; and the general considered Hamilton to be a great man in England, since he was so in South America, and particularly at Angustura. He most undoubtedly had the ear of Bolivar, and when he displayed the cameo of one of our royal dukes, and the private let- ters of friendship and affection with which two of these personages had been pleased to honour him, under their own signature, the chief was proud of having such a friend, although him- self an open enemy to royalty, and Mr. Ha- milton had been " commanded'* to communi- cate all intelligence concerning South American > 444 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS affairs to the royal personages at every oppor- tuii^ity. Next day Colonel Wilson arrived at Angiistura. He came unattended, except by his orderly Serjeant, having preceded his aides-de-camp, whom he had left a couple of days behind in charge of his baggage, whilst he came on in a lighter flechera. The news of his having ar- rived was announced by his orderly, who, upon going to the admiralty to secure the late apart- ments of his colonel, was told they were en- gaged. He had therefore to seek for quarters, and got them near the great square. Bolivar had been confined, for the last two days, with an illness to which he was subject, the hemorrhoids, and no one out of his own imme- diate family had access to him but Mr. Hamil- ton. To him, then, Bolivar expressed his asto- nishment at what he had heard of Colonel Wil- son's attempt ; and I think Hamilton mentioned that the chief had shewn him General Paez's let- ter, stating the occurrence. I do most candidly and readily acknowledge I had my doubts of the fact. I fancied there must have been some- thing deeper and more determined on the part of Colonel Wilson than had as yet been com- municated. I could have no particular friend- ship for that person j but 1 did not believe him ORINOCO AND APURE. 445 either insane or a fool : indeed I knew him to be neitlier. How then could I reconcile to my ideas of common sense that he should attempt to make such an offer to General Paez ? Had Co- lonel Wilson been at the head of two thousand British troops, with a proportion of officers, fully equipped for the field, such a proposal might have carried weight, and have been taken into consideration ; for two thousand British could have marched without impedi- ment from one corner of the province to the other, even unattended. Paez, I say, might, in such a situation, have thought the offer worthy of his attention. But Colonel Wilson at the head only of a hundred men, and half of them deserters and mutineers from another corps ; a drunken, debauched lieutenant-colonel, who could not dismiss a common parade ; a still more drunken major, but yet, when sober, a good soldier ; a set of captains and subalterns, who, with the exception of two, had never served in any regiment before, the whole of whom, in point ofhorsemanship,hadbeen laughed at by all Paez's cavalry, either as horsemen or swordsmen : — was it probable, I ask, that Paez would have deemed the proposition worthy of a moment's consider- ation, or that Colonel Wilson, so circumstanced, would have risked the offer ? Yet the day after his arrival he was ordered into arrest, and Mr. 44<6 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Hamilton, for whom he sent, and some friends, mercliants in the town, went to see him. Cap- tain Smith and Lieutenant Holland arrived, and they also were placed in arrest ; but in a few hours, and after a short examination, they were released. Colonel Wilson had two native sentries from the main guard placed at his door, and his confinement became more strict, no one being admitted to see him without special leave. The report current at that period was, that the late order was issued in consequence of the ci- ^^t'«?z^ Adjutant-General Montebrune, and some person with him, having gone to Colonel Wil- son secretly, to give him some private advice or intelligence, as Montebrune had the day before fallen into disgrace with the general-in- chief, who first suspended him from office, and then broke him. I3e the matter how it may, or the cause assigned true or unfounded, Monte- brune was himself placed in close arrest the same night that the sentries were placed over Colonel Wilson. It was then reported tluit Colonel Wilson had demanded a court martial. The difficulty on this point was how to assemble a sufficient num- ber of British field officers to form half the court, as none under that rank can sit as members for the trial of a colonel. This was still un- decided when a schooner, under the command of ORINOCO AND APURE. 447 Captain Cant, a master in the Britisli navy, was ordered to tlie island of Tobago, with mules. I agreed for my passage to tliat island, and she was to sail in two days, during which tlie letters marked 24*, 25, in the Aj)pendix, passed between Bolivar and me. In the last, with my passport, lie returned me my commission, and the written agreement with Mendez, uncancelled and un- defaced. I had sold every thing I could dispose of, and made several presents to a few of the na- tive officers whom I respected. Bolivar himself had bQii£'ht my cockedLh at and feather, and my cap ; my aiguillette he lost : although he wished to purchase it, yet he did not like to express such a desire to me. The two hundred dollars I never received, and it was galling to behold the generals and native officers of rank living uncommonly well, and the British officers and men, to whom the government owed such con- siderable arrears, starving, or stripping them- selves naked to purchase the absolute neces- saries of life. It was true that I had several times received the solemn promise, both verbally and in writing, that the rations should be com- pleted to rum, salt, and bread, and be issued daily j that the officers should have an allowance of three dollars, and the non-commissioned of- ficers and men the sum of one dollar per week. 448 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS eacli, to enable the latter to purchase tobacco, and other extras: yet none of these assurances were fulfilled up to the day of my departure ; and in the same manner I found that no per- suasion or entreaty could bring Bolivar to dis- charge the pecuniary part of my agreement with Don Mendez. Although his letters in answer to mine were filled with assurances, that if I would produce my accounts they should be ho- nourably and fairly investigated and cancelled ; that " all Don Luis Lopez Mendez's contracts with me should be most religiously fulfilled.** ** Present them to the government,'* he added, *' and they shall be fulfilled : the government of Venezuela has never deceived any one.'* I had three times presented my accounts, properly vouched, and duly authenticated; yet the mean, dishonest, and contemptible subter- fuge for non-payment of them, in consequence of their wanting Don Mendez's signature, was resorted to, while General Bolivar was in possession of every evidence, both ocular and demonstrative, that law, equity, and justice de- manded, for the purpose of an honourable dis- charge. Why were not orders issued for the payment of the money due to the officers and men, as promised to every one of them upon landing on the Main ? Why did not the council of the republic, if deficient in funds, make over ORINOCO AND APURE. 449 to me, for that purpose, a certain number of mules? Most gladly would I have risked, in behalf of the officers and men, their sliipment and passage to one of the West India islands on account of the arrears due to us, and to have reimbiu-sed my countrymen at home, even in part, for the various articles they had confided to my honour for repayment; but necessity, disappointment, and disgust, urged me to de- part from the shores of the Spanish Main. I had left England, and staked all the pecuniary re- sources I could command, and nearly all my future hopes and expectations, together with all the various aids from friends and others, under the full conviction that I should have ample means for repayment. I had involved myself by guarantees to a large amount, under similar hopes of success, and when too late, I found that I had been the dupe of two artful, designing crimps at home, and had ventured my all upon the hazard of a die, with the odds so consi- derably against me, as to render it next to an impossibility for me ever to retrieve myself. It was impracticable therefore to remain in such a service, and under such a republic, with such an illiberal and ungrateful character as Bolivar at its head, without pay, without allowance, without the necessary supplies for the exi- gencies of nature, subjected to all the Iiorrors. G G 450 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS of famine and distress, and exposed to misery, disease, and assassination j without the hope of ever being able to transmit the smallest portion of the hard-earned emoluments (so solemnly en- gaged for) to creditors or relatives at home, together with the distress and anxiety of mind occasioned by the recollection that the bills I had negotiated in England were becoming due, and that my liberal friends, who had gua- ranteed the payment of others for my use, would be called upon to perform such obligations, I determined to return to England, leaving it however in the power of Bolivar to recall me, or even then to retain me in the service of the republic, a willing volunteer, by discharging the obligations I held against the government, and by affording to my unfortunate companions in arms the means of procuring the actual ne- cessaries of life. I wrote to Bolivar a kind of farewell letter, expressing wishes for the good success of the Independents, with which I was informed he felt flattered. He had, however, (through Lieu- tenant-Colonel Rooke) informed the non-com- missioned officers of the regiment of his deter- mination that none of them should be suffered to quit the service of the republic, and that those who attempted it would experience his high displeasure. OniNOCO AND APURE. 451 CHAPTER XIX. Objects of a last interview with the chief. — Bolivar's con- cluding sentiments. — Embark without the two hundred dollars ordered to be paid by him, in the William, Captain Cant.— Former ^vi-eck of that officer. — Miserable accom- modations. — Kind and acceptable present. — Fraudulent conduct of the republic with regard to its currency. — The ship anchors: superstitious reason for~tEat measure. — Fu- neral of a sailor. — Farewell view of the republic of Ve- nezuela and its leading characters. — Bolivar. — The native troops. — Retahation. — Anecdote of Captain Chamberlain : his tragical death.— General Marino. — General Arismendi. — General Saraza. — General Anashuartique. — General Valdez. — General Soublette. — General Martin. — Colonel Rooke. — Native women. — Productions: vegetable co- chineal. THE sudden and unexpected news of the sailing of the schooner Tiger, on the afternoon of the Thursday following, gave me only five or six hours time for preparation. I had much to do, yet I deemed it necessary I should take a personal leave of Bolivar. I wished to impress upon his mind how much it would tend to the interest of the republic to be kind and liberal to the British, and to direct that they should be furnished with such comforts as the city then G G 2 452 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS produced : to tell him also, that the officers had agreed to remain in the service of the re- public, with the hope of seeing better times, on condition that they were to receive daily ra- tions sufficient for their sustenance, and an al- lowance of a certain sum per week, for the pur- chase of extraordinaries. These sentiments, as expressed by the officers, together with my own, I was obliged to convey to the chief, through the medium of Lieutenant- Colonel Rooke, accompanied by the aide-de- camp in waiting, and the general's private se- cretary, with whom I had been on the most amicable footing. Bolivar was subject to the hemorrhoids, and was then too ill to admit a personal interview between us, and he probably thought that it might not be one of perfect placidity on either side. " He begged, however, that I would receive, through his secretary, his most friendly embrace, and best wishes for my safe and speedy return to England.*' The se- cretary added, " that he was directed to tell me, in the presence of Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, that the supreme chief was sorry I had resolved to leave the country; tliat he hoped I would re- turn and join him again ; that on the day of my return he would nominate me general of the British brigade, and that no other officer should ijupersede me in the date of my commission, as ORINOCO AND APURE. 453 colonel-commandant ; that if I brought back, or sent back to Angustura, or wherever the seat of government might be, Don Mendez*s sig- nature to my demands against the republic, tliey should be paid to the uttermost fraction ; that he would give immediate orders for full rations to be served out both to officers and men, and a weekly allowance of three dollars to each officer, and one to each non-commissioned officer, to pay for the various additional articles they might want; that the general had further ordered the sum of two hundred dollars to be paid to me at the office of the intendant-general of the province, on my authorized application, previous to departure. Having taken leave of Governor Montillo, and some other of the native officers, with whom I had been on friendly terms, and having despatched Captain Denis, the paymaster, to the intendant-general's house, to get the two hundred dollars, I proceeded to bid adieu to the poor fellows whom I was now on the point of quitting. Having received their good wishes, Iw^as presentedby them with a letter, containing the sentiments of the non-commissioned officers, then present with the regiment, of which the letter marked ^6 in the Appendix is a copy. Captain Denis soon returned. The intendant- general was not at home : the two hundred 454 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS dollars were therefore unattainable, and I was obliged to make preparations for my departure with the sum I had obtained by the sale of va- rious articles of apparel which had been pur- chased by the officers and merchants resident in the town. The officers came to my quarters to bid me farewell, and to express their hopes that I should be induced to return to them : they had, they told me, determined to memorial General Bolivar, and to solicit him, for the sake of the British troops, as they were pleased to express themselves, to comply v/itli my terms, so as to induce me either to remain in the country, or to insure my coming back to them, even should I proceed to England. All my supplications for leave to take my permanent orderly serjeant (Hugh M'Intire) away with me were unat- tended to in the first instance, and denied upon my pressing them. He was an old and faithful soldier, whose character and conduct for at- tention to his duty, courage, and fidelity, I had been a witness to during the eight years that we had served in the same regiment together, at home and abroad. Captain Denis, and Captain Seybold (my late aide-de-camp), attended me on board the schooner, and remained with me until the last moment of her getting under way; when we parted with mutual feelings of affectionate ORINOCO AND APURE. 455 friendship and respect, and with a promise of a regular correspondence during my absence. Mr. Cant, the master and part owner of the schooner (formerly the Tiger, but purchased from the Venezuelian government by some merchants at Angustura, and now re-named the William, of Angustura, under the Venezuelian flag), is a master in the royal navy of Great Britain, and reckoned a most excellent seaman. He had lately left England as the master of a small brig, or schooner, called the Morgan Rattler, bound to Trinidad with passengers. Sec. but in his passage from that island to the Orinoco, having mistaken the grand mouth of the river, had, in attempting to enter one of the other inlets which lead to the principal stream, struck on a sand-bank, and lost his vessel. He was at the time bound to Angustura, and most providentially for him, his wife, children, and crew on board, the accident occurred within a very short distance of a small wooded island, which lay at the entrance of one of the numerous mouths which discharge the great Orinoco into the ocean at that point. Thitlier Mr. Cant conveyed his family and crew, and there also he deposited whatever could be saved of the vessel's cargo before she was completely buried in the sands. Having erected a hut, and col- lected together the immediate necessaries for 456 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS those to be left behind, he, with his wife and children and one man, embarked in the ship's boat to explore a passage up to the main branch of the Orinoco, and after much difficulty, much distress, and great perseverance, they at length arrived in safety at Old Guyana, from whence having procured a pilot, and a supply of provisions, (leaving his wife and flimily to the care of the good-humoured and friendly Rosalis, the commandant of the port), he returned to the island, to bring off those he had left behind, and what trifles remained of the wreck ; and had the good fortune to convey them all in safety to Guyana, and afterwards to Angustura. The William being now actually under way, I had time to examine the accommodations which she afforded. The upper cabin, whicli opened into tlie lower or after cabin, was a small place allotted to Mr. Hamilton, the supercargo and part owner of the mules which were on board, and bound for the island of Tobago. The after cabin, without any bulk head or partition what- ever, and completely open from stern to stem, with a view of all the mules on the ground tier, was appropriated for the acconnnodation of Doc- tor Perkins, and a lively little Brussels girl, under the denomination of his wife. Captain Elsam, myself, the captain of the schooner, liis wife, and two dirty brats, their children, and the chief ORINOCO AND APURE. 4.57 mate, — all to be inmates occasionally of one miserable, filthy, offensive hole. The wet season had commenced, yet we hoped for some favour- able intervals of dry weather, to enable us, at least, to take our meals on deck during the passage down the river. Intermixed with some of my baggage, I found a large box, which I was told had been put on board for my use. It was a present from the late master saddler of the regiment (Faulkner), to whom I had a few days before given a dis- charge from the 1st hussars of Venezuela. The present consisted of a gallon of fine old Jamaica rum, twelve bottles of good claret, two of ca- pital shrub, and four of excellent porter; ar- ticles which I could not myself have purchased, or otherwise procured, for '* love or money." It was the offering of a man, whose conduct had been most exemplary, from the time of my first seeing him in England, to the latest moment of our parting at Angustura; but his too easy faith, notwithstanding my remonstrances and indeed my almost positive orders to the contrary, in giving credit to the native officers, as well as to the newly arrived English and German officers, had almost ruined him. He had taken out nearly seven hundred pounds worth of sad- dlery for a venture; and his health also ap- peared to decline, from the anxieties he had un- 458 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS dergone in consequence of not being able to make his promised remittances. I have how- ever since understood that he obtained leave to quit the country, and arrived in safety at the island of Jamaica. Before taking my final leave of Angustura, I may relate a most unwarrantable circumstance, which tended to impeach the honour, justice, honesty, and gratitude of the council of the re- public. Bolivar sat, of course, as president of the meeting, and it was resolved to call in the silver coin known and received as Paez's money, consisting of silver bits of one, two, three, and four bits value, or sixpence each bit currency. I had myself received some dollars, amounting to twenty pounds, for the sale of the various ar- ticles which necessity had obliged me to part with; and after my receipt of this money, the republic called it in, forbidding it to pass cur- rent, or to be received by individuals unless under a depreciation from nearly one-third to one-half of its original value. This was a hard- ship, and an act of fraud felt by every one. It was submitted to with grumblings and dis- content. Yet, when the council had pos- sessed themselv^es of tlie whole circulation, this very money was sent to the missions for the purchase of the various articles wanted for the garrison at Angustura, and re-issued, by order, ORINOCO AND ArURE. 459 at the originar standard of valuation. I, my- self, lost by the exchange seven pounds out of twenty. We had not left our late moorings above half an hour, when the captain gave orders to bring the vessel again to an anchor, about four miles down the river, and in view of Angustura. On inquiring the cause, I w^as informed that the vessel was not ready to proceed to sea, nor could she finally depart before mid-day on the morrow. The reason for her leaving her late anchorage off the city was, that she might be considered as having taken her departure on the Thursday afternoon, so as to counteract any fatality which might arise from her having commenced her voyage on the Friday; a day ominous in the eyes of her principal owner, the merchant resident at Angustura, and into which superstitious feeling her present captain most religiously entered: besides, too, one of the sailors had died during the interval from our leaving the shore, and Mr. Cant was de- termined to give the body decent interment in a grave to be dug on the side of the river op- posite where the vessel was now moored. The ceremony was therefore performed on shore, and the poor fellow's corpse deposited as near the water side as possible, so that no animal might have power to disturb it previous to the na- 460 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS tiiral rise of the river at that season, which in a few hours would cover the spot. I had determined to take advantage of any dehiy whicli might occur, and of tlie time spent in the passage down the river, to speak more at hu'ge, and to give my opinion upon the men and manners of the country I was now abandon- ing, strictly conforming myself to truth, jus- tice, and liberality ; and to detail such hearsay evidence on the subject as had reached me from the lii)s of those in whose veracity I thought I might place implicit confidence. I shall therefore draw the reader's attention from the little matters and occurrences which hap- pened on board the William during licr passage down tlie Orinoco, and to the island of To- bago, till I have placed before him a view of the characters and conduct of the principal of- ficers of the Venezuelian army, relating also such anecdotes respecting them as may tend, if not to amuse, at least to change the immediate sub- ject of this narrative to interesting matters less personal to myself. Etiquette demands that Bolivar should take the lead even on this occasion, and I therefore yield to him the precedence, both from inclina- tion and the view of his deserts, whether arising from great and good qualities, or from base, ungenerous, or inhuman actions. The detail ORINOCO AND APURE. 46l which follows may probably point out to the reader liow and where to draw the line, and to stamp that leader with the character which he best deserves. I have before said that Bolivar's personal appearance is neither striking nor prepossess- ing. There is nothing about him, or belong- ing to him, either in manners, figure, or con- duct, to command attention. The authorities which first placed him at the head of the re- public, and made him "supreme director of the provinces of Venezuela and New Grenada, and captain-general of its armies," also gave him'} power to enforce obedience to his mandates ; \ and, from the constant exercise of that autho- \ jrity, he has learned not only to order, but to (enforce submission to his will upon all occa- sions. Those who planted him in the situa- tion he now holds were by turns] his slaves and his victims, even under the mask of libertv, freedom, and independence. The smallness of his stature, and the mean- ness of his figure and physiognomy, would ra- ther create contempt than respect ; nor would he seem entitled to com.mand obedience to his orders, if the fire of his eyes, in sudden gusts .of passion, and moments of displeasure, did not Itell you, that Bolivar liimself knew, and felt, that he could not onlv threaten but execute 462 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS vengeance. He possesses neither gratitude, ho- nour, Hberality, sympathy, nor humanity j yet he pretends that his heart and disposition are i:ongenial to all those sentiments, and constantly act in unison. Personal courage he is gifted with, even to a fault. He has, however, never yet achieved any - action worthy of renown, or equal to the real \intrepidity with which he is endowed ; because :beason, judgment, and even necessary discretion, iiave been wanting. He has neither talent nor abilities for a ge- neral, and especially for a commander-in-chief. The numerous mistakes he has made through- out the whole of his campaigns for the last eight years have nearly desolated the provinces, and annihilated the j:)opulation. The repeated surprises he has experienced from the enemy (already seven), prove my assertion, and bear me out in declaring, that any one of them would have disgraced a corporal's guard. Tactic, movements, and manoeuvre, are as unknown to him as to the lowest of his troops. All idea of regularity, system, or tlie common routine of an army, or even a regiment, he is totally unacquainted with. Hence arise all the disasters he meets, the defeats he suffers, and his constant obligations to retreat whenever opposed to the foe. The victory which he ORINOCO AND APURE. 463 gains to-day, however dearly purchased (of which his Hst of killed and missing, if he calls for or keeps such details, must evidently con- vince him) is lost to-morrow, by some failure or palpable neglect on his part. Thus it is that / Paez was heard to tell Bolivar, after the action (^ at Villa del Cura, that he would move off his \ own troops, and act no more with him in com- mand ; adding, " I never lost a battle wherein \ I acted by myself, or in a separate command ; and I have always been defeated when acting in concert with you, and under your orders.'* The native and black troops (freed slaves) can, and do, dash on with madness, which they call bravery, the result of revenge, hatred, and an abhorrence against the royalist party. The feelings of retaliation for their brethren and fellow soldiers taken prisoners in the various actions or skirmishes with the enemy keep alive all those passions of inhumanity, cruelty, and blood-thirstiness ; and they are more savage in nature than the brutes that inhabit the woods and mountains of their country. Yet, under the name of courage, they will rush, without order, regularity, or discretion, upon the enemy, re- solved at that moment to conquer or to die ; and if in this onset they are beaten or repulsed, and find themselves able to <* go about," and to re^ treat, " the devil take the hindermost" appears 464 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS to be the general cry ; for they all contmue to run until they reach a place of safety : and it is allowed by the royalist troops themselves, that the patriotic army, with Bolivar at their head, was never beaten in this respect. The final slaughter of the prisoners, after the battle, or during the retreat, is completely ac- quiesced in by Bolivar, who has himself con- descended to witness this scene of butchery and infamy : yet it must be admitted that Morillo more than keejis pace in the sanguinary spe- cies of warfare, the example of which was first set by the royalist troops, and became to the latest moment a measure of retaliation, and, without doubt, w^ill continue so, until mutual ideas of humanity invest the minds of the con- tending parties. Bolivar would willingly ape the great man. He aspires to be a second Buonaparte in Soutli America, without possessing a single talent for the duties of the field or the cabinet. He would be king of New Grenada and Vene- zuela, without genius to command, consequence to secure, or abilities to support the elevated station to which his ambition most assuredly aspires. In victory — in transient prosperity — he is a tyrant, and displays the feelings and little- ness of an upstart. He gives way to sudden gusts of resentment, and becomes, in a moment. ORINOCO AND APURE. 465 a madman and (pardon the expression) a black- guard ; throws himself into his hammock (which is constantly slung for his use), and utters curses and imprecations upon all around him, of the most disgusting and diabolical nature. In defeat, in danger, in retreat, he is per- plexed, harassed, and contemptible even to himself — weighed down by disasters, which he has neither skill nor strength of mind to en- counter, to lighten, or to remove. In this state he appeared to me at the retreat to and from San Fernando, when he looked the image of misery and despair. Bolivar has shewn, in some instances, a prone- ness to retaliation, refined beyond every species of cruelty attributed to the royalist chief. Wit- ness the eight hundred men he put to death in the early part of his campaigns at Ocumare. Hence it was that the most noble the governor of Jamaica is said to have ordered him, when he touched there for a short period during his flight from the Main, to quit that island, in the following words : " Tell that butcher of human flesh to quit the island in three days from this notice." At the time Bolivar left Jamaica he prevailed on a very fine young man, then an officer in one of the West India regiments, to resign his commission in the British service, and to follow his fortunes in South America. II II 4(>0 EXPEDITION- TO THE RIVERS At the taking of Barcelona, Captain Chamber- lain was with him, in the rank of lientenant- colonel, with a regiment. He was also his aide- \ de-camp. When the general-in.chief fled from the place, he directed his friend to continue in / the command, with an assurance, that if it held/ out for three days, he would order a strong re-/ inforcement up to its relief. Chamberlain with difficulty retained it for the period; no rein- forcement arrived, and knowing the cruelties , which the royalists would inflict on him, he \ retired to his quarters, and the firing of a pistol was to be the signal for opening the barriers. The pistol was fired, and a second— the barrier was opened, the enemy rushed in, and, running to his residence, found that the same shots, the sound of which gave the token for opening the gates, had also given the signal of death to the ill-fated Chamberlain himself, and to the (rirl of his heart ; who, to save from miseries of the worst extreme, from violation and public ex- posure, he had first shot, before he placed the second pistol to his own head. Deprived of the satisfaction of putting a period to the existence of the Englishman and his wife (for a priest had previously united them), the royalist com- mander glutted his disappointment and revenge by severing the bodies into quarters, and i)ub- licly exposing them on the walls of the fort. ORINOCO AND APURE. 467 General Marino is the second chief of the republic. It is only lately that Bolivar and he have renewed their intimacy. He commands the army before Cumana, and displays considerable talents as an officer. He is brave and generous, and possesses some share of gentlemanlike feel- ing and christian humanity. Although his acts of retaliation, in the massacre of all prisoners, are as atrocious as they are openly committed, yet I understand, from an English officer, who is his chief and confidential aide-de-camp, that the ge- neral would willingly acquiesce in a fair and amicable exchange, if Morillo would consent. General Arismendi commands at the island of Margaritta. He is ferocious and blood- thirsty ; one of the most inhuman of the pa- triotic tribe. His ruling traits are, cunning, treachery, vindictiveness of disposition, cruelty, and revenge. He has courage sufficient to at- tempt any sanguinary deed, and a heart steeled against any feeling of mercy. In fine, he is the general butcher to the army, and the terror of all, who know, from past events, that a threatened visit to the governor of Margaritta, for any crime, or supposed crime, is the passport from life to death. General Jslarazais a cavalry man, and rather very well looking. I never heard of any par- ticular act of his injurious to his reputation. H II 9. 468 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS General Anashu artique commands Bolivar's guard of honour, of which he is colonel, and a perfect tool of the supreme chief's. General Valdez belongs to the infantry ser- vice, and has distinguished himself. He is a stout little fellow, with a laughing, good-hu- moured countenance. General Soublette, the adjutant-general, I have previously had to notice. He is too well known, even by the British, for his timidity and cowardice on all occasions. He is a native of Caraccas ; and Bolivar, when he made him a general, did him, as I before mentioned, the additional favour of making his sister his fa- vourite mistress : an honour of which two of the parties felt proud. General of Brigade Martin_{for he was pro- moted the day I left Angustura) is, I am told, a German , a very g entlemanlike man in cha- racter and conduct, and a gallant and good of- ficer in the field. He commands a regiment of cavalry, or rather a brigade, consisting of nearly nine hundred men, and had been very success- ful, having accumulated money in specie to the amount of several thousand pounds sterling, which he was endeavouring to bring towards Angustura, when, in the last battle near Cala- boza, the six mules laden with the spoils were taken during a sally in the night, by the royalist ORINOCO AND APURE. 469 troops. Martin had notice of their approach, and saw them halt for the night ; and as there was a fresh breeze, and his own people were encamped to windward of the enemy, it struck him, that by causing various parts of the long dry grass to be lighted at the same moment, it would so envelop them in smoke, that if it failed to confuse them, he might himself be enabled to take advantage of that circumstance, and move off unperceived and unmolested. His orders were executed with promptitude and exactness. The enemy was annoyed ; and, to get clear of the smoke, changed his front to the right, and took up a position immediately on the ground over which Martin intended to retreat. The left wing of the division took up a second position, also in front of the spot where Martin's brigade had halted, thus placing him between three fires, through which he had to cut his way, though supported in rear by the centre, which had moved up in the interim, to cover the right wing, and he escaped with the loss of only fifty men. His mules and his treasures, however, fell into the hands of the royalists, who were one thousand five hundred strong. The general has a farm, or a mission, near Angustura, given him by Bolivar, which the natives cultivate for him, and which, I un- derstand, yields sugar, indigo, cotton, cocoa, 470 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and tobacco. He is the only foreigner who has in any way profited by his services to the government, and it is admitted by all that he is truly deserving of it. Lieutenant-ColonQlRooke was left in com- mand of the first Veneznelian hussars, to which 1 had appointed him, as before stated. He had been in the country some months, and had at- tended Bolivar from Angustura to the interior, as his aide-de-camp ; but no money could he obtain. Mrs. Rooke had a house at Angustura, and but for the remittances she received from her father, at St. Kitt's, she would have wanted common nourishment. I had known him both in England and abroad. He was son to the late Lieutenant-General Rooke, who for a long time commanded a dis- trict in the w^cstern part of England, and had himself retired from the British service, in which he reached the rank of major. He had latterly held the situation of deputy chamber- lain to the Prince of Orange. At the island of St. Thomas he married a very fascinating and elegant girl, a native of St. Kitt's, who had been educated in England, and Avho was now the sharer of his rations and quarters in the city of Angustura. The Indians and the Creoles are a very fine race of people. The former are beautifully ORINOCO AND APURE. 471 formed in person ; have, almost without excep- tion, wliite and even teeth ; and are very expert either with the lance or bow and arrow. The females, like the males, wear only a piece of blue cloth round their waist. Their hair is as black as jet, and worn either loose and hanging down their backs, or twisted and fastened to the head by an ebony skewer. Their flesh is remarkably firm, and the bust, even of women who have ])orne children, retains its shape and firmness. The vegetable cochineal is to be found in the woods and forests of Venezuela. It is, how- ever, known only to a few. It has succeeded in every experiment that has hitherto been made, and the intendant-general himself told me that he should soon be enabled to send specimens to England, and, when the country was conquered, to make it a principal part of the produce for exportation. I have heard that this important berry has been shewn to Mr. Hamilton, and some other En- glishmen who are fond of botanical researches. 47^-^ EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER XX, The cargo of the William. — The passengers. — Captain EI- sam and his plans. — Major Perkins : his death. — His fe- male companion. — The schooner leaves Old Guyana.— Arrives at Santa Pans. — Loss of mules. — American vessel with arms for the patriots. — Brion's squadron. — Visit him on board the Emerald. — ^.\ccount of that vessel. — An American agent on his way to open negotiations between the United States and Venezuelian republic. — Danger of being blown up. I NOW beg to reconvey my reader on board the William. I had an order on Captain Cant for forty-eight Spanish dollars, and on Mr. Hamilton for thirty-two pounds sterling, to be paid me on arriving at the island of To- bago ; and the officers liad given me bills on their friends in England, for various articles which I had spared them. Our cargo, as I said before, consisted of mules, of w^hich there were two hundred and forty, as wild and as vicious as " untamed colts :" to these the captain had added, as a kind of venture for his wife, a like number of ORINOCO AND APURE. 473 land-tortoises, which make excellent soup, and of which the epicures of the various islands are great admirers. The passengers, independent of the captain, his very pretty but very dirty wife, and children, were, Mr. Hamilton, the supercargo, and part- owner of the mules ; and a Captain Elsam, of the second hussars of Venezuela, returning to England on the *' general recruiting service,** after a week's sojourn at Angustura — general, I say ; because he was authorised, not only to re- cruit men in England for the service of the Inde- pendents, but to procure arms and clothing, both old and new, and, I understand, has up to this day been very successful on all points. He had come out from England in the brig Sarah, as a captain in the second hussars, of which a Colonel Monroe was announced as colonel-command- ant. This was a corps raised on the skeleton of the regiment, which had once been intended to complete that so numbered, under the com- mand of the unfortunate Skeene. Its present colonel was said to have been its first major ; but, from a most fortunate circumstance, had been left on shore at the Isle of Wight, when the Indian put to sea, and thus escaped the la- mentable disaster which befel all on board. Captain Elsam had safely landed a few officers and non-commissioned officers at Angustura, 474- EXPEDITION TO THE RIVEUS having quitted the brig at Trinidad, and, for expedition sake, procured at that island a small schooner to bring them to the Orinoco. One of those officers was a valuable acquisition to the service, having been a "crack" adjutant to a British regiment of light dragoons for many years preceding. Nor was it Captain Elsam's first debut as a military character. He had been, previous to his acceptance of his present rank, although not cavalry bred, an ensign in a distinguished corps of volunteers, and is said to have served with honour and fidelity. He had never displayed great military knowledge in the various evolutions performed by his corps, when embodied and on duty in London and its vicinity ; yet the captain did gain credit for possessing a little warlike science, and even foresight, in viewing his positions in the gar- rison of Angustura. The bare name of a corps, without men and without equipments, he found would pass for nothing ; and ocular demonstration soon convinced him of the fact, that he and his small division, though introduced as the vanguard of the second hussars of Venezuela, could scarcely receive acknowledgment or a reception from the mighty chief, Bolivar. He therefore sub- mitted proposals for tiie general's considera- tion, flattering and feasible — the outline of ORINOCO AND APURE. 47-5 which was, that if allowed to return to Eng- land, even at his own expense, with authority and proper guarantees from the general and council, equal to those granted to Colonel En- glish, he would engage to raise a thousand men, put their stable or fatigue jackets on their backs, arm, and land them on any part of the province of Venezuela which the republican government might point out, upon the positive payment of fifty pounds per head to the contractor on arrival. To this the general-in-chief assented, and the necessary documents being drawn out and presented, Mr. Elsam took his departure for England, for the purpose of carrying them into effect. Other passengers, besides myself, partook of the miserable cabin ; namely. M ajor John de Perkins, late of the Venczuelian service, ci- devant aide-de-camp, interpreter, secretary, and body-physician to General Bermudez. This gentleman has been introduced to my reader in a former part of this narrative ; and I shall now add, that he was accompanied on board the schooner by a petite chereamie,whohad followed his fortunes, and had attended him through all his difficulties and dangers, from Brussels to Ame- rica, from thence to Angustura on the Spanish Main, and again to the camp of the independ- ent army before Cumana. He had secured her 4-76 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS society at Brussels, previous to his embarkation to join the Independents in South America, as first surgeon to a corps of lancers, the officers and non-commissioned officers of which, com- posed of Germans, were raised by an officer of well-known gallantry and abilities, who had served with eclat, whilst with the German le- gion, acting under the orders of our immortal Wellington. What prevented Colonel Stretnitz from em- barking with his staff, I know not ; but the few who landed at Angustura, under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Needham, were soon dis- persed ; several were killed, and three of those who remained were received into the first hus- sars of Venezuela by my orders, whilst the remainder were taken into the red hussars by Colonel Wilson. The female above mentioned was now on her return with the major, or doctor, to the island of Tobago, for the purpose of proceeding to Europe. They were both brooding over the folly of their late undertakings, and lamenting the fatality which had led them to " quit the substance, and grasp at a shadow." Doctor Perkins, not De Perkins, as he signed his name, for reasons known only to himself, was the eldest son of the late w^ealthy brewer of that name in London. He had been regularly ORINOCO AND APURE. 477 educated for the medical profession, in which he had practised as a physician of some eminence in one of the northern counties of England. He was a man of science and literature, and, had he lived, much useful knowledge and informa- tion, both in botanical and mineral researches during the period of his sojourn in South Ame- rica, might have been expected from him ; but he died of a fever, occasioned by the incessant fatigues he had undergone whilst with the army before Cumana, and the privations and difficulties he had sustained on his return from thence to Angustura. To this bodily fatigue was added some feelings of a mental nature, aggravated by the ungrateful conduct of Bolivar, from whom he could obtain neither pay nor thanks for his services in the Ve- nezuelian cause ; even the confirmation of that rank which General Bermudez had, four months before, thought proper to bestow upon him, was withheld, and he was permitted to depart without a dollar in his pocket, from the city of Angustura, that he might die in poverty and distress on his passage down the Orinoco. When, on the fifth day, the schooner reached Old Guyana, he determined to go on shore, as we came to, for the purpose of procuring fresh grass for the mules, and getting our passports countersigned by the governor. There Doctor 478 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Perkins debarked, and having been well known to the commandant of the troops, and several of the military stationed in the garrison, he was soon provided with an apartment, and a couch to repose on. Two English surgeons, who ac- companied me from England, were at Guyana on duty, and they also gave him their attendance ; but though all that skill, experience, and pro- fessional knowledge could devise, was resorted to, to save him, the fever baffled the united exertions of his friends, and he died three days after our departure. Dr. Perkins had, from the moment of his de- parture from Brussels, until the day of our ar- rival at Old Guyana, kept a daily journal of oc- currences, with observations thereon. He in- tended giving it to the public on his return home, and had cautiously guarded it from the eyes of the South Americans, though written in cypher, and kept it about his person, as he had spoken most freely of his treatment, and of the deceptions practised on him, to which he added comments of great force. What became of the journal after his death I never could learn, al- though it was conjectured, and hoped, that the little Fleming who lived with him had secured it, notwithstanding her being attacked with the fever, and nearly delirious at the time of his de- cease. She, however, did recover, and received ORINOCO AND APURE. 479 offers of marriage from a youthful cornet of the first VenezueUan hussars, who preferred her to any of the Angusturian ladies. But the fair and gentle Eugenia declined the honour of his hand, and departed, 1 have since heard, to the island of Martinique, where she still remains. This female had, during the last two days of her march from the army of Cumana to Angus- tura, forded, or swam, in company with Dr. Perkins, his muleteer, and his guides, twenty- five armlets of the river Orinoco, which were not only difficult, but dangerous in the extreme ; the first from the depth and rapidity of the waters, and the second from the attacks of the alligators. She had a large flannel bathing-dress made for the occasion. On arriving at the river side, she would undress, and her clothing being placed in an oil-skin velice, which, with the rest of the doctor's baggage, was fixed on the shoulders of the muleteer, who swam one of the mules across the river, whilst the doctor, at the tail of one horse, and the intrepid Eugenia holding fast by the tail of another, were con- veyed in safety across such branches as were too deep to permit them to wade. The Sarah of London had arrived at Old Guyana, last from Trinidad, and was now on her way, laden with stores, to the city of An- 480 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS gustura. Mr. Oddy, who had come from England in her, dehvered me a letter of in- troduction and recommendation from Messrs. Hurry, Powlis, and Hurry. I honestly gave my opinion of the state of finance at the seat of the republican government, and the difficulties that would arise in procuring payment for the cargo. The poor captain was chop-fallen at the information. He was, however, too far up the river to recede, and on the wrong side of the fort of Old Guyana to attempt a retreat down again without leave. The republican brig of war, the Columbia (Captain Hill), on board of which I had a son, who had been appointed a lieutenant in their navy, w^as undergoing a repair at Old Guyana, having received some damage in attempting the passage of the bar of tiie Orinoco, on which she had struck. The accident had obliged Co- lonel English, and a Mr. Princep, to seek a passage to the island of Tobago, on board a French brig, which was proceeding down the Orinoco at the time, and they were safely con- veyed to that island : but the intention of col- lecting the men who wished to get on to An- gustura, at the islands of Grenada, St. Tho- mas, St. Kitt's, and Trinidad, was completely frustrated, and many of those poor fellows ORINOCO AN'D APURE. 481 fell a sacrifice to the climate before they could procure means to return to their native country. After taking a supply of grass for the mules on board our schooner, we left our friends, and proceeded down the river ; and, on the after- noon of the third day, came to anchor before the Indian village of Santa Pans. Here a fresh supply of grass was obtained, and some fruits and vegetables for the use of the passengers. The seamen also procured a number of very beautiful birds of the parrot kind, in exchange for mere trifles, and for the purpose of sale at the island to which we were bound, where they produce three, four, and five dollars each. From Santa Pans we pursued our passage down the river, having lost, during the eleven days since we left Angustura, seventy mules of our original number, owing to the want of provision, and a mortality occasioned by spasmodic attacks in the intestines, to which the newly-taken animals are very subject. A Jittle further down we fell in with an American schooner, under the flag of the United States, and having boarded her, learnt that she had ten thousand stand of arms on board, for the use of the independents, and that she was the advance boat of Admiral Brion's squadron, with 1 1 48^ EXPEDITIOX TO THE RIVERS which we should meet near the mouth of the river. On the morning of the 7th of July we discovered the Venezuelian fleet at anchor, just below Pilot Island ; and I was grati- fied with a view of the admiral's flag flying at the main, on board my old ship, the Emerald, surrounded by four other armed brigs and schooners, belonging to his squadron. The sight relieved my mind, as it cancelled all tlie obligations I had entailed on myself, in case the Venezuelian republic should not be- come purchasers of t^hc Emerald, and other guarantees I had entered into for the payment of arms and ammunition, to a considerable amount. I may therefore truly say I felt happy in seeing her under the charge of the admiral of Venezuela. On nearing the flag-ship our schooner lowered her boat, to convey Captain Elsam, Mr. Ha- milton, and me, to the Emerald, in order to pay our respects to the admiral. Having intro- duced those gentlemen to Brion, by whom I was most graciously received, I learned that the Emerald Iiad been purchased for the re- public, and having undergone the necessary alterations, and taken in her additional guns and stores, had been re-manned, and was now the Victoria, carrying twenty-two nines and eighteen pounders, two thirty-two pounders ORINOCO AND APURE. 483 a midships, and bearing the flag of the Vene- zueUan admiral. On looking around me, I dis- covered some old acquaintances amongst her officers and crew. Mj\_Co\vie, one of our pas- sengers from England, was Brion's first cap- tain ; me^latH^chlef-mate (^Stoneliouse) was sail- ing-master ; the carpenter (Booth), ship's car- penter ; and several of her crew now filled situations on board. With real sorrow did I learn, that the fever had found its way among them, and had swept off forty of her crew, and that it still prevailed, although in a lesser de- gree. My friend, Major Graham, who had left Colonel Wilson's corps at St. Bartholomew, had, the day preceding, fallen a victim to its malig- nancy, and his body had been thrown over- board in crossing the bar of the Orinoco. Cap- tain Ridley, late of the same corps, was then lying ill on the deck ; and when I shook him by the hand, and expressed my hopes of his re- covery, he told me that he thought the dan- gerous crisis was past. But I afterwards learned that a second attack carried him off a few days after. The supercargo, Mr. Dixon, was likewise on board. He had been seized with the fever, but was then a convalescent, returning to An- gustura, for the purpose of receiving produce* &c. in payment for the ship, stores, and cargo. II 2 1'84 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS I had some private conversation with Brion, relative to the reasons for my leaving South America ; nor did I hesitate to speak my senti- ments most freely of the ungrateful treatment I had received : and the admiral assured me he sliould use his best endeavours and influence to induce the general to recal me. In the squa- dron were several officers of Colonel Campbell's corps, proceeding to Angustura ; and Colonel Gilmour, of tlie artillery, was also amongst the number, having been taken on board when Ad- miral Brion touched at St. Thomas's, where he was induced to try his fortune in the Venezue- lian service, althougli completely unattended by any of his followers who had accompanied him from England. The admiral was anxious to inform me that a delegate, o r commissioner, from the Unitcc PStates of Ain crica, w^as like- wise on bo ard one of t he_sc hoQn ers,^ charged to open an amicable correspondence between the Venezuelian republic and the United States. Brion further told me that he had given the com- missioner a grand dinner on board the Victoria* whilst at anchor off the ishnid of Margaritta, at which the governor, Arismendi, and all the Britisli officers, were present. He was also much delighted to place before my view some envelopes of letters, where the address to him, from tlie BritTslT admiral on the station, had - ORINOCO AND APURE. 485 styled liiiii " His Excellency Admirul Brioii," &c. kc. Having taken leave of the admiral. Captain Elsam, Mr. Hamilton, and myself, were recon- \eyed to the schooner, v^hicli had dropped so considerably down the river, during our visit, that it was nearly twelve o'clock before we could get alongside. It now occurred to my recollection that the admiral had said there were some royalist gun-boats hovering about the mouth of the river, and that the preceding day some of the boats of his squadron had chased them into the creeks of the various islands, where they had evaded further pursuit. The attention I had paid to other matters of conversation made me forget this intelligence ; but when I got on board the schooner, it ap- peared a circumstance worthy of some considera- tion. On inquiry, I found we could muster four four-pounders, two swivels, and four brace of pis- tols, a fowling-piece, and two musketoons j but not a grain of powder on board, save a flask or two of fine Battle powder, belonging to Mr. Hamilton and me. I therefore solicited Cap- tain Cant to allow the boat to go back to the admirals ship with a letter, requesting the sup- ply of at least half a barrel. Captain Elsam, seeing the actual necessity for some preparation being made, volunteered to go back, and the boat was again lowered for the purpose, and manned 486 EXPEDITION' TO THE RIVERS with four of our best hands. Mr. Hamilton, the supercargo, was against the detention which would necessarily occur. He was losing eight or ten mules daily. The cap- tain was grumbling at the delay ; and had Elsam not pushed off the boat when he did, the leave so lately given M'^ould have been re- called. I own I was most heartily glad when I saw the boat pulling off to the shore, and on her way to the Victoria, whilst we were drop- ping down with the ciurent, and opening the bar of the Orinoco. At the mouth of the river we came to anchor. Evening commenced with a strong sea breeze, and a heavy sea : — no ap- pearance of the boat ; and, as the night was setting in, we w^ere fearful that Captain Elsam, despairing of overtaking tlie vessel, had put back to the Victoria. Mr. Cant appeared sorry that he had not sooner brought to ; and I have no doubt but in reality he w^as so, dreading the probability that he would be obliged to pro- ceed on his passage to Tobago without his boat (the only one he had) and four of his best men. Mr. Hamilton was miserable at the hourly loss he was sustaining, and I prognosticated the seizure of the schooner, and the murder of all on board, if we proceeded over the bar without ammunition. We weighed, and stood up the river again, OUlNOrO AND APITRK. 487 just far enough to enable us to weather a pro- jecting point of the main land on the larboard side, whence a view of the river upward could be gained, and we had the felicity to jierceive the schooner's boat, and her people labouring hard to come up with us. Having stood to- wards her, we soon got alongside, and received on board her tired and almost despairing crew j they were nearly worn out with having pulled upwards of thirty miles to overtake us. Their labours however w^ere recompensed by having obtained the powder, and their fatigues were soon forgotten, when having partaken of the comfortable meal prepared for them, they were suffered to refresh themselves with a four hours sleep. Captain Elsam described the hand- some reception given to him by Admiral Brion, and the more than polite manner in which he acceded to my request. The vessel was now put about, and we stood for the bar. A calm coming on, we were obliged to let go an anchor, below the grand mouth of the river, in four fathom water, and await the morning's dawn. As soon as the barrel of pow- der came on board, it was found that the head of the cask had been stove in, wliich the mate of the schooner endeavoured to replace previous to conveying it into the ciabin. As he had been a gunner on board a British man of war, as well 488 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS as a boatswain's mate, I deemed him careful, and equal to the task of depositing the powder in some place of safety, and therefore made no inquiry concerning it, intending at the dawn of the morning to commence filling tlie bags, and preparing the cartridges. I had however asked w^iere it was deposited, and the mate having answered — under tlie cloak at the head of my mattrass, I felt satisfied. Captain Cant had thought it necessary to knock away the bulk head of the cabin which separated it from the hold of the vessel, in order to afford a draught of air to the mules which were stow^ed below deck, as well as to give the muleteers light at night, in their attendance to remove those mules which died, or raise up those which w^ere compelled from pressure to lie down. For that purpose, a patent oil-burning lamp (the glass of which had been destroyed) was fixed against the after part of the cabin, and gave light through the liole from stern to stem. The cabin-boy had, as usual, gone down repeat- edly to the cabin to cut off the burnt wick and to trim the lamj). About eleven o'clock at night, the rain having driven me below into the dirt, filth, and stench of the cabin, at the risk of being bit or stung by mosquitoes, cock-roaches, cen- tipedes, and scorpions, which were swarming there, I attempted to lie down on my mattrass. ORINOCO AND APURE. 489 The boy came again to trim the lamp, and I ob- served him brush off the burnt wick, and let it drop under the arm of the burner. I cursed his carelessness, lest he might set the cabin on fire, little supposing that the cask of powder was the receptacle of the falling, nay lighted pieces of the wick. I rose in a hurry to box his ears, when to my horror I discovered that the cask he had been standing upon, and which had been removed under the lamp by some unknown means, was the barrel which contained the loose powder received two hours before. The super- cargo, Mr. Hamilton, had, from the cot in which he was swinging above the cabin, perceived the threatened danger, and so enervated was he as to be deprived of the power of utterance. Most fortunately and providentially I was col- lected, and equal to the task of attempting to prevent the ignition of the powder, and with trembling, yet determined confidence in the goodness of Providence, I separated the powder, and in a moment felt myself and all around me safe; upon seeing which, Mr. Hamilton recovered his speech and serenity, and joined me in most fervently offering up thanks to Heaven for the preservation of ourselves and companions. Upon further inquiry, I found that Mrs. Cant had removed the cask of powder from the place where the mate had deposited it to that under 490 EXPEDITION TO THK UIVEKS the lamp, in order to make it a kind of stepping- stool to a locker above, where some articles she had wanted were deposited, not recollecting that it was the barrel of powder, although she remembered that the head of the cask had given way a second time, whilst she was standing upon it. ORINOCO AND AFURE. 491 CHAPTER XXI. Tlie schooner pursued by Spanish gun-boats. — Means by which they arc frightened off. — Privations during the voyage. — Arrive at Tobago. — Imposition practised by Mr. Cant. — Agree for a passage home. — Difficulties. — Ar- rangement. — Cross the island to Sandy Bay. — Embark in the George, a vessel infected with the fever. — Accommo- dations. — Sail. — Misfortunes at sea, as if to conclude the whole of this luckless expedition in the same distress. — Arrival in London. THE next morning, about five o'clock, we attempted to get under way, and if possible to drift the schooner over the bar with the ebb tide. I was endeavouring to cheat time, by reading the copy of a letter on the subject of my leaving the Main to Mr. Hamilton, who was sitting beside me on the gunwale of the schooner. Mr. Cant, the master, came aft, and with some dryness of manner said, *' You seem to be per- fectly at ease, gentlemen; you will however be called into more active service presently: if you look under the land of the island, you will perceive seven gun-boats striving to pull up with us, and apparently full of men; and our pilot says he knows them to be Spaniards." We 49'i EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS had now been drifting for two hours with the ebb-tide over the bar, and not a zepliyr of wind to aid us. We were all s})eedily in motion, and with our glasses plainly and clearly ascertained them to be Spanish gmi-boats in pursuit of us. The headmost boat carried a long gun in her bows on a moveable pivot, and was manned with thirty people, including rowers. She worked nine oars or paddles on each side, and was coming up with us fast. The second boat, a little further astern, carried twenty -five people; she had also a mounted gun in her bows : the third, fourth, and fifth boats, still further astern, also appeared to be well manned. There were two canoes with people in the train, but their numbers could not be ascertained. No doubt remained; we prepared to make the best fight we could, determined to perish rather than yield to an enemy, however numerous, from whom we knew no quarter could be expected. We con- gratulated eacli other that we had not only a few arms on board, but ammunition to supply them : and having mustered our people, and as- signed to them their posts, we began to examine our means of defence. The schooner had on board two four-pounders on the deck, abaft the binnacle, and two half pound swivels placed on thr taff-rail ; two six- pounders on ihc i'orccasth', one ol" wliich was ORINOCO A\D APURE. 493 then useless from having received a shot at a prior period into its muzzle, too big to be either forced down to the chamber of the gun, or ex- tracted in the usual way. All the fire-arms were produced, consisting of two fowling-pieces, and four pair of pistols, belonging to the captain, Messrs. Hamilton and Elsam; a brace of double- barrelled pistols and a musketoon belonging to myself; all of which were instantly loaded with split musket-balls. As it was unknown when our old guns had been fired off^, and as neither tompion nor vent stoppers were used to prevent water and damj)- ness from entering their muzzles or chambers, it became necessary to scale them all before they were loaded ; in doing which our enemies were convinced we were at least preparing for their reception, and possessed the means of making some defence. The guns were then loaded up to the muzzle with shot, pieces of old chain, nails, and bottoms of porter bottles ; the swivels were equally well supplied with musket and pistol balls, of which I most luckily had a bag-full. In half an hour from the commencement of our preparations, we were ready to receive our adversaries, who were straining every nerve to get up with us. We were in all sixteen Englishmen. The pilot and four Indian muleteers, who were armed with 494- EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS pikes, added to our strength ; and from the ap- parent steadiness of all, we more than hoped that we should give the first and second boat such a warm reception, as to daunt the courage of their companions ; yet during the interval of suspense the old gunner and myself tried to make the six-pounder on the forecastle ser- viceable. Having introduced upwards of a pound of fine powder from the flask into the chamber, through the vent, we trusted by that means to expel the shot lodged half way down,^ notwithstanding the danger which might accrue from the gun's bursting. The old boy, how- ever, determined to risk it, and the match was placed to the priming. The gun was dis- charged without regard to its elevation, and the shot took a direction towards the leading gun-boat, and after having performed its para- bola in the air, fell within a short distance of it. This circumstance occasioned her crew to lie on their oars, and evidently to give over the pursuit, as soon as they were sufficiently satis- fied of our determination and ability to de- fend the vessel. A breeze, too, springing 'up at the moment, we stood over the bar, and soon lost sight of the land and of our disap- pointed, and I think I may add, fortunate enemy. The passage to the island of Tobago was OKINOCO AND APURE. 495 most tedious aud unpleasant. The second day after leaving the Orinoco all the liquor was out ; the bread, coffee, tea, sugar, and salt, were expended ; and there was nothing left for food but the cured strings of beef (tasso) brought from Angustura. The filth and stench of the cabin was not only disgusting but pestilential. What with the dirt arising from the mules, whose stalls or floorings had never once been cleaned ; the complaints of the two dirty children, and equally disagreeable attacks of a similar nature attend- ant on the captain's lady, and the supercargo (who swang in his cot over our heads in the cabin), Captain Elsam and myself had nearly suffered a double death from abominable suffo- cation and the want of food. Our liberal and generous supercargo had pre- pared for such events. Preserved and potted meats, with the best of cheeses, from England, tea, coffee, and highly-flavoured Madeira wine, graced his private table at the usual hours of repast ; and his feeling heart was deaf to the miseries of famine, which shewed itself on the pallid cheeks of the mother and lier almost famished children. To remove the fetid smell, to which indeed he so largely contributed. Dr. C. Smith's " fumigating powder" was copiously used in the environs of his own birth. 1-9(3 EXPEDITION TO THE ItlVERS On viewing the island of Tobago, about two leagues ahead, at six o'clock, on the fourtli morning after our leaving the Orinoco, we were all happy beyond expression. At seven o'clock we were safe at anchor in the beautiful bay op- posite the town of Scarborough, on the wind- ward side of the island of Tobago. An imme- diate supply of good bread, milk, butter, tea, coffee, &c. and a hearty breakfast in conse- quence, made us forget past wanta, and the brutality of our shipmate. Tobago looks most beautifully romantic from the bay J the houses, irregularly built, and scat- tered here and there, amid the hills, dales, trees, and bushes, with which the island abounds, produce a most picturesque and delightful effect. The battery and citadel, together with the artillery and infantry barracks, have a very noble appearance. On a very high hill to the north- ward of the town of Scarborough, from the summit of which there is a commanding view of the whole island and surrounding sea, a telegraph, raised at the upper battery, conveys intelligence to the government-house, and to the town, of the approach of any vessels, from whatever point they may be steering. The code of signals is hung up publicly, in various parts of the town, and at private houses, so that all who wish it may immediately learn whether ORINOCO AND APURE. 497 llie sail off the island, be a vessel of war, mer- chant-ship, or brig, small Craft, &c. and from what point slie comes. I took up my quarters at the hotel, kept by an Englishman, a native of Bristol, of the name of Rochford, who had been a resident on the island upwards of thirty years: with him I re- mained fifteen days, at the rate, for lodging and boarding, of three Spanish dollars per diem; for which he gave me, at my own hour, a good breakfast and a very comfortable dinner. I im- mediately waited on his excellency the governor, to whom I introduced myself as a traveller, last from the Spanisli Main, and then on my w^ay to Eno;land. Mr. Elsam accompanied me to the govern- ment house, where I answered fully to such questions as the general* in our hour's conversa- tion, felt disposed to put to me,' touching, the posture of the royalist and patriotic affairs on the continent of that part of South America from which we had so recently come. The captain of the schooner and the supercargo were busily employed in bartering their cargo of mules with the merchants : the profits arising from the sale of these animals must have been trifling, not less from the loss of more than half of them on the passage, but from the scarcity of money for the purchase of those actually landed. K K 498 EXPEDITION" TO THE RIVERS Some goods were offered, and accepted in exchange and in lieu of money, which could not be procured until after the ensuing crops off the sugar plantations were stored, and ready for sale* I, however, procured payment of the £S^ due to me from Lieutenant-Colonel Ilooke on the guarantee of Mr. Hamilton ; which sum I had to add to the forty-five Spanish dollars in the hands- of Mr. Cant. This man, on coining on board, and during the passage to the island, had refused any pay- ment for the accommodation afforded to me; and I therefore felt it my duty as well as in- clination to make him some recompense for his civility. I consequently requested him to accept a large handsome boat cloak, half a dozen pair of new socks, some black silk hand- kerchiefs, three shirts, &c. for himself, and a few other trifles for his w^ife and children, which he received with pleasure. On the Sunday morning, finding that he was going to sea, I sent for the money which had been entrusted to him for my use by Mr. Taylor of Angustura, whose draft on Cant I had very freely taken in ex- change for some of the republican coin, which would not pass current in the West India islands. It would be difficult to express what my feelings were, on being informed that Cant, so far from consideringhimself indebted to me,hada demand ORINOCO AND APURE. 499 on my purse for twenty Spanish dollars ; and in a few moments after this intimation he came into the long room where I was sitting with a bundle containing most of the articles I had previously presented to him, saying he had returned my pre- sents, and expected the balance of his account, which he handed at the same time. In it I found myself charged with twenty dollars for passage, twenty dollars for conveyance of my baggage, and tw^enty more which he declared he had lent to my son. I could not help telling him he was a disgrace to the rank he held in the British navy, and as complete a robber as any I had met with on the Spanish Main. I could ill spare the money thus unjustly WTung from me. I was left a stranger in To- bago, and although there were several ships nearly ready for sea, and bound for various parts in England, yet I could get none to receive me on board, unless I previously laid in my own sea-stock for the voyage. The expenses or living for the eighteen days I remained on the island had broken considerably into the money I had been paid by Mr. Hamilton, and I found that my sea-stock, at the nearest calculation, would cost me £25. I fortunately, how^ever, procured on my own credit sufficient to dis- charge my bill at the hotel, and to provide stock for the v^oyage ; and having agreed with Captain K K ^ 1500 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS Lamb, master of the ship Princess Charlotte, of London, for my passage, at twenty-five pounds more, I prepared for departure. Some fresh difficulties occurred, which it is not necessary to detail, but which compelled me to use very threatening language to my new captain. This language altered his tone, and he once more became a Lamb in manners as well as in name. He assured me, that he would procure me a passage, if not in a ship then lying in Scarborough Bay, most certainly in another, which lay in Sandy-Bay, on the lee- ward side of the island, and in which would be no other passenger than myself, so that I should have every comfort and accommodation. The next morning (Saturday) he brought to my hotel a person whom he introduced to me as the master of the sliip George, of London^ then taking in her rum, &c. in Sandy-Bay, who^ having agreed to the same terms as those pro- posed by Lamb, and told me he should cer- tainly sail on or before the 29th of July (three days after), I closed with him, and exonerated Mr. Lamb from further claims on my account. At the next day's market I Completed my sea-stock, agreeable to the usual list of neces- saries proper for the voyage, and which (al- though profusion and unnecessary articles were omitted) amounted fully to the sum I had set ORINOCO AND APURE. 501 apart for the purpose. The long-boat of the ship was ordered round to Scarborough Bay, and there received my baggage, stores, &c. to convey on board the George. On Sunday afternoon, being politely and gra- tuitously supplied with an excellent horse by Mr. Cunningham, a resident merchant in Scar- borough, and attended by the master of the George (Samuel Moore), and a Mr. Clarke of Tobago, who also accompanied me, I proceeded to cross the island on my way to Sandy-Bay j nor was I less delighted with the picturesque scenery of the nearer views I had of various parts, the boldness of some of its lofty hills and romantic glens, its fruitful plains and val- leys, its plantations and handsome dwellings, than gratified at the hospitality I received from several of the inhabitants during the four days I remained on that side of the country, previous to my embarkation. I now learned that the George had been very sickly since her last arrival from England ; that her late captain, as well as three of the erew, had recently died of the fever; and that her present master, who had been chief mate, was appointed to take her to London. This intelligence brought to my recollection a report I had heard, but to which I paid li^ttle 502 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS attention at the time, of a sliip on the other side of the island having the fever on board, and it accounted (as I found it was the ship al- luded to) for her want of passengers. On the afternoon of the Monday, I saw the Princess Charlotte passing to leeward, with all her canvas hoisted to the breeze, nor did I perceive any chance of changing my ship again. I therefore, on the assurances of Samuel Moore, that the vessel had been fumigated, &c., and that the only invalid in the ship was a sailor, far ad- vanced in the dropsy, without any symptom of fever, repaired on board; but found all entrance into the cabin impossible, from its being filled, even up to the door-way, with rum puncheons, and nothing but the small space left between the bottom of the companion ladder and the chief mate's birth for a small table and three chairs, on which we could take our repast, or sit down. Moore, however, gave me up his own state-room, six feet square, and lit from a " bull's eye" above, and promised every com- fort he could command. He himself took the chief mate's birth, who was removed elsewhere. The George weighed anchor from Sandy-Bay on the afternoon of the 29th of July, and pro- ceeding with a light breeze, was off the Grena- dines on the 3 1st. It was Mr. Moore's first voyage ORINOCO AND APUllE. ,D()3 to the West Indies, and the George, under the command of her late master, had run from the Downs to Tobago in thirty days. Her present captain, therefore, was a perfect stranger to the various islands in those seas we were obliged to pass in our homeward passage, and he could only guess even by reference at his charts at the name of those which appeared in view. He, however, on seeing and ascertaining that the islands off which we were then abreast were those of Ca- riacou and Union, and hearing me declare that whilst I was on the windward side of the for- mer I had seen a large vessel pass between them, determined to attempt the passage. As the islands appeared closer to view, I soon discovered the features of the land, and houses not unknown to me, and not long after the hospitable dwellings of my friends, Ro- binson and Wilson, where I had experienced so much pleasure in my late sojourn amongst them. With real feelings of obligation, friend- ship, and xespect, did I waft my thanks and good wishes on the breeze which now played on the surface of the sea ; and which remem- brance of the kindnesses I had received ren- dered me doubly anxious should reach their shores, though unheeded, as being unheard and unexpected by those for whom they were in- tended. 504 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS On the afternoon of the Slst we were oiFSt. Lucia, and on the 1st of August were abreast of Dominica, and in sight of Guadaloupe. Off this last island we were becalmed three days, as were also three other merchant ships, and a large French frigate. The weather was intensely hot; the mosquitoes and sugar-flies most trou- blesome and annoying ; the smell of the rum and sugars, the closeness of the cabin-^-all, all together oppressive in the extreme. I could make no use of my cabin, and was obliged to keep continually on deck. Most luckily we had an awning, which afforded a protection from the scorching sun. On the night of the third day on which we were off Guadaloupe, the lightning was most vivid, with scarcely an interval of three seconds between each flash. The chief mate was on the deck, and wliilst crossing from the starboard to the larboard side, felt hunself struck, or rather dinned and confused by the sudden and extra- ordinary glare of light. He complained of vio- lent lieadache and sickness, and was soon obliged to quit the deck. The next morning early the breeze came on, and we soon lost sight of our companions, who far outsailed us ; although we found ourselves shut out from a view of Guadaloupe early in the afternoon. The chief mate continued ill. His appetite was ORINOCO AND APURE. 505 gone, debility and fever came on, and dissolu- tion was apparently near. No surgeon on board, and the box denominated the " medicine chest," which, it was said, once contained every thing necessary for a West Indian climate, was now found to produce nothing above the com- mon articles of a farrier's dispensary, and a book of instructions how to apply the drugs it once held. Experience had taught me the value of some kinds of medicines and the nature of some complaints, and in some cases I had been successful in the use of the former. I knew that bleeding was absolutely neces- sary in the case now before me, and I was de- termined to try the experiment. Having sum- moned the ship's carpenter to my aid, and made him my coadjutor in this my new profession, I commenced by bleeding, and administering to the mate as copious draughts of barley and rice water as he could bear, together with opening medicine, and again all the nourish- ment I could pour down his throat, in the shape of fowl broth, tapioca, and arrow root. I had given up all hopes of him, when, to complete the train of misfortunes, Moore the captain was taken ill, lost his appetite, and became deli- rious. Sometimes melancholy, desponding, and bereaved of sense and recollection, a child in action and behaviour; at other times almost 506 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVEllS raving mad. The carpenter (an intelligent Swede) and I had now full employment : we were surgeons alternately ; I was sole physician and apothecary. He was obliged to take his turn of duty at the wheel, and, with two other of the men, act occasionally as attendants and nurses on the captain and his mate, the former of whom required to be constantly watched, as circum- stances occurred. Out of the crew there were only four seamen who knew their duty. The ship at times ran steadily through the water ; but during the night-watches we had experienced heavy squalls of wind : the rum puncheons had broken from their wedges, and confusion below ensued, in the midst of which an unexpected addition to our evils arose. The seamen held a consultation together on tlie forecastle, and haying come to an agreement, one of them was deputed to inform me, that in consequence of the state of the captain and his mate, and the uncertainty of the observations we had taken with respect to the latitude we were in, they were determined to endeavour to get to Halifax the moment we made the banks of Newfoundland, as one of the men knew the track, and they were sure they should all be lost if we continued our present course. In a few moments I had determined what to do. I went down to my cabin, and having ORINOCO AND APL'RE. 507 loaded my musketoon, and brace of double- barrelled pistols, I placed them where I could reach them at a moment's notice. I sounded the sentiments of two of the men, for whom I had imbibed a kind of regard, from their respectful attention, and found them determined to pro- ceed. The captain was in one of his melan- choly moods, and incapable of answering the most simple question ; the mate completely lethargic, and to all appearance dying, taking no food but what was almost forced into his mouth. I resolved therefore to act from my own feelings, as circumstances might occur. Having returned to the deck, I desired the men to come aft. I pointed out to them, in the most mild terms, but with a determination of being obeyed, the difficulties we might en- counter by changing the course of the ship, and attempting a shore with which we were all unacquainted, and particularly at that season of the year ; the then scantiness of our bread and water, and the probability of our want of both before we could reach land ; the ruin that would ensue to the ship's owners ; and though last, not least, the appearance of running away with the ship during the temporary illness of the captain ; and, again, my own resolution not to agree to any alteration which would delay our passage home. I besought them to recol- 508 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS lect the great probability of our falling in with some vessel which would enable us to cor- rect our latitude, if we were essentially wrong, and from which we might hire a skilful seaman, who would undertake to carry the George to her destined port. I promised to stick by the ship till we arrived in England, even if an oppor- tunity offered for me to leave them. My reason- ing and my determination overpowered them. They assured me that they would be guided by me, and I was hailed as their captain pro tempore, I now proceeded to overhaul the casks of water, and the quantity of bread left; and hav- ing directed that no more than one pound of biscuit, and two quarts of water per man, should be served out daily, with the allowance of beef and pork ; upon ascertaining what would actually carry us home, I caused the remainder of the stock to be properly secured. 1 kept the log of the ship, and duly entered the proceed- ings and occurrences of the day. When the weather permitted, I joined three of the men in taking the sun's altitude at mid-day, and, by comparing our observations, endeavoured to be correct. Only one man and a boy besides my^ self could write or work the latitude, and I every day inserted our supposed bearings in the ship's book. Meanwhile the carpenter and ORINOCO AND APURE. 509 I copiously bled the captain, physicked him, and fed him ; and twice I saved his life in attempt- ing to jvunp overboard. At intervals he would have apparently sane moments ; he would then raise himself, damn the men, order sail to be set, and direct a change of course ; but we never heeded him, and when he became too violent he was carried to his berth. These were truly distressing moments for me. The men, however, were steady, civil, and obe- dient. It was extraordinary that we fell in with no vessel, although we had now been thir- teen days in this state. Early on the ensuing morning we saw a ship to windward. It blew very fresh, and we stood towards her, and as she perceived our wish of speaking her, she bore down upon us. Having hove up in the wind, I hailed her as she passed under our stern, and having asked the usual questions on such occasions, and told the situation we were in, I requested her surgeon would come on board. The gig was then lowered from our stern, and we sent her off for the surgeon, who soon came tc» us, bringing wath him medi- cines, &c. and the observations of the preced- ing day, both with regard to longitude and lati*- tude. This was a comfort ; and I ascertained that we were not out twenty miles in our rec- koning, and the observations of the two ships 510 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS that day clearly gave us our longitude, to which we were strangers until the meeting with this ship, which was from Greenock to New York, out thirty days. In this respect we were so far off what the oldest and best seaman supposed, that had we not fallen in with our Greenock friend, but continued to persevere in the same course without meeting any other vessel, it was conjectured that we might have made some new discovery, some dangerous rock, some un- known land, from which, indeed, no benefit could have arisen to the rising generation in their maritime affairs, as none of us could again have ascertained the spot, even had our good fortune preserved us in the danger. The surgeon approved of all that had been done, andhaving again taken blood from the cap- tain, he pronounced the chief mate to be a dying man, replenished some of the empty bottles in the medicine chest with what was immediately necessary for the invalids, and left directions with me how to administer them. With renewed spirits we now took what might be called a " fresh departure." The chief mate continued nearly in tlie same state ; the captain, however, had longer intervals of reason and re- collection than usual since his illness, but con- tinued to grow weaker and more helpless. Every night about sunset his melancholy would ORINOCO AND APUUE. 511 return, and with it a total forgetfulness of every thing about him. With persevering attention I continued to discharge the duties I had taken upon myself, and I had the happiness to find, after an inter- val of fourteen hours undisturbed sleep, pro- cured by the quantity of opium I had admi- nistered the night previous, that Moore awoke with perfect sense and memory. He spoke of the interval he had been incapable of acting, and appeared most anxious to learn what had occurred. Having given him some strong coffee, and, a short period after, some nourishing food, I proceeded to tell him, as far as I judged neces- sary, the state of the ship, &c. His weakened and debilitated frame required the strictest care, and, for the first time, I began to hope that by proper nourishment he might yet be spared. Our joint stock of poultry was de- creasing fast. They were used for the purpose of making rich broth for the invalids, and the carcasses went to those who would be at the trouble of picking the bones, till the last fowl was at length killed. The chief mate had been supplied with some wine and water to moisten his mouth, and he was placed in an easy posi- tion, that he might die in quietness j for, ex- cept from the knowledge that lie did breathe, no appearance testified that there was life 512 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS within him. Yet, wonderful to tell, it was the crisis of his fever, and proved most favour- able ; both the captain and himself soon began to regain health and strength, and when we fell in with a schooner a few days afterwards, her master bartered some good biscuits, and some other necessaries wanted, for a little sugar and coffee in exchange ; and from him also we ob- tained two puncheons of water. We had now some strong blowing weather t the captain be- gan to resume the actual command of the ship. At length we made soundings. In the even- ing we encountered a very heavy gale from the N. E. ; but it having moderated about mid- night, and veered round to the westward, we stood our course, and before day-break the Li- zard liglits were in view. After encountering a heavy gale for many hours, Berry Head was clearly seen, and we stood boldly in. Towards evening the gale moderated, and the ship changed her berth nearer to Brixton bay, and more under the lee of the surrounding land. Having gone on shore, we refreshed ourselves with some better living and various sorts offish; and ffood beef and mutton both for ourselves and ship's company made us soon forget the dangers we had passed. Here I took advantage of having the poor fellow we had brought from ORINOCO AND APURE. 513 Tobago tapped for the dropsy. Four gallons and a half were taken from him ; but on the day after we proceeded on our voyage he died, and the captain ordered his body to be committed to the deep, as soon as the ship liad passed the trawling ground where the boats lie to for the purpose of fishing, whilst I performed the burial service on the occasion. In theDowns we took in a pilot, and proceeded for the mouth of the Thames, having a fine breeze and clear weather; and on the 29th, when off Blackw^all, I left the ship, and having proceeded in a carriage to town, I had the hap- piness of meeting my second son (a lieutenant in the royal navy) in health and safety, and of hearing that others of my family and friends were equally the care of that Providence, which had so kindly preserved me throughout the whole of my expedition. L I. 514 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS CHAPTER XXII. Visit to Don Mendez. — He and Mr. Walton assert the trea- chery of Colonel Wilson, — Mendez evades the fulfilment of his engagements. — The author has him arrested. — He surrenders to the King's Bench prison. — Further pro- ceedings. — Concluding reflections, and view of the pre- sent state of the contest in Venezuela. I LEARNED also that Colonel English had preceded me in his arrival in London, and that Captain Elsam had also gotten the start of me by several days. My first visit was to the house of Mr. Luis Lopez Mendez, who was not at home when I called, but I accidentally met in the street. His surprise at meeting me (although he had notice of my being on my passage from Captain Elsam*s report) was great j nor was he altogether with- out suspicion of the manner in which I should encounter him. Had I, then, in reality thought him the artful and designing person I have now too much reason to think him, my greeting would have left an impression on him not easily effaced. But again did his protestations and assurances impose upon me ; and having expressed a wish that I should write to him, stating my reasons for ORINOCO AND APURE. 515 quitting the Spanish Main, and explaining what my wishes were, with respect to any proceeding of his in my behalf, I left him with a deter- mination to accede to this arrangement. I, however, called upon and saw him the next day, and had at least an hour's conversation with him on South American deception, in the presence of MUft^Walton. From both these agents did.^ I hear the most dreadful accounts of the con-)\ duct of Colonel Wilson ; instances were detailed! | of such acts of bad faith having been committed, and so circumstantially did they designate the various points of deception and intrigue, as barely to leave even sufficient hope that the intelligence they conveyed might be wholly false, or even exaggerated. So positive were they as to the actual truth of their detail, that Mr. Walton declared to me he had traced bt^ correspondence between the ci-devant Colonel Wilson and the secretary of the Spanish am- bassador, now resident at the court of London, and had incontestable proofs of money having been advanced through that channel, to aid Mr. Wilson, in support of the royalist cause. " Colonel Wilson," they added^ " is now under an arrest by order of Bolivar, as you yourself must be aware ; and should the Venezuelian go- vernment receive the letters which have already been despatched, and they arrive there before L L 2 516 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS he is liberated, we are well convinced what the result will be ; he will never again return to England : for we can prove the payment of two bills drawn by him, even on his passage out, which were accepted and paid by the secretary of the Spanish ambassador." I was ever of opinion that Colonel AYilson was more tlian anxious to attain the first pre- eminence in the command of the British legion ; I had heard that he even sought to be second in command of the Venezuelian army as soon as he arrived upon the shores of the Main; and I knew that I left him at Angustura, the reported victim of an ill-judged moment, and a too fatal reliance on the views and designs of another : but I had never harboured the most distant idea that he was a traitor to the cause of South American independence ; or that he would have bartered his honour, and sold the brave fellows who accompanied him, both officers and men, for Spanisli gold or aggrandizement. Most fortunately for him, he is now in England. His escape from the fortress at Old Guyana, whether with Bolivar's leave or without it, is a strong presumption that he was not suspected of such treachery there, previous to his departure; nor had the letters, which the General Deputy Mendez assured me had been transmitted to Angustura, reached the head-quarters of the re- ORINOCO AND APURE. 517 publican chief. This fact is certain, and admits of no dispute, for Colonel Wilson is now in London; his head remains on his shoulders, and he is v.holly unfettered — free, free to hurl the falsehood, as his countryman trusts it is, in the face of the Venezuelian deputy, and thus force him and his satellites to acknowledge the injury and the injustice they have done him, and to make what atonement they can for the epithets with which they have dared to brand his name. On the 4th of October, I wrote to the Vene- zuelian deputy, agreeably to my promise : (see Appendix, marked 27-) This letter was accom- panied, under the same envelope, v/ith a regular statement of my accounts, both against himself and the independent government. I wished to exonerate myself and friends from our re- spective guarantees ; and as the merchants and tradesmen behaved most liberally towards me, I was doubly anxious to see them reimbursed. This Mr. Mendez could have done, with per- fect convenience to himself. Bolivar had as- sured me that the subscription of Mendez's name to my private, as well as general account with the Venezuelian government, should pass current with him; and immediate payment, either in mules or produce of the province, should follow its receipt. Having waited a day longer than that upon which I had fixed 518 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS for an interview and ultimate decision on the points I had proposed, a decision which would have determined my further pursuits in the South American cause, I began to feel more than surprise at the silence observed ; and hav- ing, by a second short note, demanded an ex- planation of such extraordinary and ungentle- man-like conduct (which met a similar fate with my first communications), I determined to treat Mcndez as a dishonest debtor, devoid of the sentiments of a gentleman ; and I there- fore caused him to be arrested for the money he owed me, having previously taken the advice of counsel upon that process. Two or three days* efforts made by the bailiffs failed, and as the general deputy's face was not familiar to the sheriff's officers, there arose some difficulty in ascertaining his person. In one attempt, at niglit-fall, the deputy of Venezuela was surrounded by some of the other deputies, and they were holding their private nightly in- terview, when the bailiffs intruded themselv^es into the drawing-room. These were not pre- pared to meet five or six strangers, and not knowing ** which was their man," they were obliged to decamp with some speed, being fairly beaten from the ground, and not entirely free from suspicion that one of them, at least, might carry the mark of a stiletto, received in his back during the iTioment of flight. ORINOCO AND APURE. 519 It was difficult, therefore, to get bailiffs to do their duty. The deputy, to use their phraseology, **was a shy cockj" a constant housekeeper during six days of the week, and upon the seventh a church devotee. His doors, too, were barricaded, and none could pass the portcullis without hav- ing been first sufficiently reconnoitred through a loophole by a faithful and vigilant domestic, to ascertain whether the inquiring stranger was friend or foe. Had the deputy's master (the Supreme Chief Bolivar) been so wary, and so alert on his various posts, he would have been saved many perilous moments j and a very dif- ferent fortune would, at this instant, have at- tended him. In love, in war, and even in the execution of a sheriff's writ, stratagem is allowable. The battery now to be opened against the general deputy was worthy of the engineer who planned it, as well as of him who served the artillery. It was a masked battery J its strength and power were unknown, until the moment it became too late to counteract the design. The barrier was opened by stratagem, and the garrison was car- ried by a coup de mairiy whilst the governor was taken alive, and unhurt. Did the general de- puty wish to retaliate by stratagem on his part? O, yes ; but it failed ! He assured the sheriff's officers that he had taken a very strong dose of physic early in the evening, and that its effects 520 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS might be alarming; but backed as they were by a strong reinforcement, they were too fully masters of their profession to fear the discharge of such artillery; and the general-deputy surren- dered at discretion. A lock-up house received his person for the night, and guarantees were offered and accepted for his temporary libera- tion. The securities he intended to offer, when special bail was demanded, were objected to, and Mr. Mendez surrendered to the King's Bench prison, where, I firmly believe, it was his intention to have remained until discharged by the insolvent act, had he not justly feared the total ruin of the Venezuelian cause from such a measure on his part. To ruin me, to cheat me of the sums I had advanced for the use of his republic, to deprive me of my hard-earned pay, and the allowances promised for my exertions and services, and to involve me in every pecu- niary embarrassment, which malice, revenge, and cowardly hostility could inflict, seemed to be his secret and ultimate wish. I am now but too well informed of the cha- racter of this man, with whom I have had the misfortune to treat, and upon whom I had re- posed so much confidence. The correspondence which took place through the channel of the Courier and the Morning Chronicle, in which this person and myself ORINOCO AND APURE. 6^1 bore a conspicuous part, will, I trust, prove to my readers, that, as I therein took up the glove of defiance on one part, and threw down my own in another, I have not sullied my honour, nor hesitated to redeem my pledge so solemnly given. In the Appendix will be found extracts from that correspondence, taken from the para- graphs inserted in the papers above named. Ingratitude and perfidy have attended me even to the present moment. In the metropolis of my own country, in the bosom of that asylum, where I had been taught to believe that Justice rears her head — in whose right hand the sword is wielded for the punishment of those w^ho sink in the balance of her well-poised scale, I have found the miscreant playing without fear or distrust. One draft only of the many I brought with me from the Spanish Main has been paid by the parties on whom they were drawn, and out of ^500 I had advanced for the officers of the re- giment, in cash, and otherwise, not sixty have I received in return. CONCLUSION. All that I required of Mr. Mendez was to inspect and sign my accounts. They were the same which I had presented to General Bolivar, dQ^ EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS and included the guarantees I had given on be- half of the Venezuelian government. Had the general deputy, as he styles himself, acted but fairly and honestly by me, he would instantly have acknowledged the justice of my claims, and having annexed his signature, I should have been satisfied, and might have been prevailed upon to assist the future cause of South Ame- rican independence. But when I found that he had the temerity to add insolence to deception, it was high time for me to draw aside the veil behind which he had so long and so successfully sheltered himself, and to expose him to public view. I could scarcely keep my hands from inflicting upon him the punishment he deserved, when, completing the juggle begun by Bolivar, he had the effiontery to tell me that *' he owed me nothing, that he had never made himself responsible to me, and that I must look to his government for payment and redress." I trust, however, that a jury of my countrymen will soon do me the justice which my case deserves. I shall now conclude these pages, and trespass no longer on the attention of my readers than to express my opinion of what the issue of the contest between the royalist and independent forces may be. The war has hitherto been tedious and san- guinary. It has been one, as the patriotic troops ORINOCO AND APURE. 523 acknowledge, " of death," la guerra muerte; the example being first set by the royalist com- mander-in-chief Monteverde, and too closely fol- lowed up by the chiefs of the republican army upon every occasion. Many of the forts and garrisons upon the Spanish Main, and along the shores of the several departments of the pro- vince of Venezuela, have been repeatedly taken by one party and lost by the other, and those reverses of fortune owe their origin to the want of that unanimity, confidence, indispensable at- tention to discipline, and strictness of command, which should have been preserved throughout the whole war. The want of that cordiality amongst the republican generals, and a feeling of jealousy closely allied to suspicion, has been the means of prolonging a war, which would have been speedily terminated had '* union and constancy'' attended the valour so conspicu- ously shewn by their generals, on many oc- casions ; and had prudence and watchfulness against any attempts of the enemy to regain lost ground been employed in those moments of exultation, and presumed conquest, all would now have been peace, with the fair presumption of permanent establishments. Slavery and des- potism would have been banished for ever, and freedom, independence, and prosperity, would have reigned in these regions. 524 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS The time, however, has not yet arrived ; the opportunity, not once or twice offered, but which was repeatedly available, is for the pre- sent lost ; and without strong reinforcements of European soldiery, with confidence on one part, unanimity and discretion on the other, it will never be regained. Bolivar cannot enter the lists with the royalist guerilla chief as a general, or as an opponent in any military character whatever; and the only point on which they can be compared is on the spirit of revenge which each displays in the manner of butchering the unfortunate beings whom the vicissitudes of war put into their power. Morillo's army is in some mea- sure organised and disciplined, and he brings his men into the field with the appearance of soldiers, properly under command ; and the positions he takes up previously to leading them into action show that he is not de- stitute of military knowledge. Were his force equal to his skill, the game had long since been won, in favour of the cause which he espouses. Bolivar opposes to him a greater body of men, but undisciplined, raw, and even disobedient to orders — natives, fighting for liberty and the independence he has promised them in the event of success, a promise which for the last nine years has been continually repeated to the ORINOCO AND APURE. 525 remnants of his former legions ; but of which not one half of his then followers and friends, if he is triumphant at last, will ever reap the benefit: the majority are already no more — they have fallen sacrifices to their general's want of military knowledge — to an ambition to be that which neither nature nor acquirements ever intended he should be. Peace, therefore, to their manes! they have escaped dangers and privations to which they are now inaccessible j and had they survived, they must have execrated the man who led them into such a labyrinth of misery and hopelessness, without the power or ability to extricate them. The battles of Barcelona, — of Cumana, — of Calaboza, — of Ortiz, — of Villa del Cura, — of San Carlos, and on the plains of Cojeda, &c. must have convinced Bolivar how unable he is either to plan, to command, to defend, or to retreat. Seven times has he been surprised in his own camp, by small reconnoitring parties of the enemy ; and twice so narrow^ly did he escape, that his confessor, and an aide-de-camp slum- bering near him, were killed on the spot. His despatches, papers, &c. w^re all taken, and the very mules which carried the ammunition for his army capturedby the scouts of the royalist troops. And the manner in which his retreat was conducted after the actions of Ortiz and Cala- boza, to the town of San Fernando, must sink 5^6 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS him in the eyes even of his own troops below the level of a corporal. With a Marino to command the native in- fantry ; a Paez to command the cavalry of the country, and with a reinforcement of British, (say two thousand effective men, having a British officer of experience to command the whole) Ve- nezuela and all its departments would yield to the independent forces, and the royalists be for ever estranged from the Spanish Main. Could a Sir R W , a Major-General L , a Major-General B , or any officer of similar talents, be induced and permitted to give their abilities in support of the patriotic cause, Venezuela would soon be free. Matters would, indeed, assume a new shape ; fresh hopes of ultimate success would again spring up, and the day of retribution would ere long arrive. With Bolivar to command, it never will, or it will be dearly bought by the blood and destruction of his followers, the ruin of its cities and towns, its population, its produce, and its strength. At the present moment (with the exception of one man, bred in the British service, who, by his merit, attention, and real abilities, had risen to the command of a troop in one of our crack regiments of cavalry, and who now, indeed, and most deservedly, is a colonel in the in- dependent service) there is no person in com- ORINOCO AND APURE. 527 mand who can claim the appellation of sol- dier; yet there are many of the non-commis- sioned officers who would shine, were they ex- alted even to small commands. The defiles, leading to the heights of Caraccas from the plains of Ortiz, would have been passed on the 27th of March, 1818, the royalist troops would have been beaten, and the city of Caraccas once more in possession of the patriots, had there been only two hundred British to have led the way. Much, however, may even yet be expected from the energy and military experience of Colonel Urslar, if his merits are duly appreciated, and confidence reposed in him. With British troops, as I have before said, and a good and experienced officer to command them, conquest must be theirs j and when ultimate success follows, the royalist troops beaten from their possessions — ^the forts, the cities, and the whole province in the hands of the independents — the aspiring Bolivar, if he lives, will look up for monarchical honours, and for a diadem to crown his brow. He would be king of Venezuela and New Grenada, and thus again enslave his country under a kingly despotism. The gallant Britons, who aided him in the patriotic cause, would be viewed with the utmost suspicion, disgust, and jealousy. They would, I am afraid, be or- dered from the shores of the Main; deprived 528 EXPEDITION TO THE RIVERS of even a participation in their hard earnings, and sent adrift, witli little more than the bare semblance of thanks for all that they had done. I have not entered into the utter falsehoods which serve to gild a falling cause, which paint defeat into victory, and disaster into triumj^h. Having the full proofs of this weak and wicked system of deception in my hands, ready to pro- duce if my assertion be questioned, I conclude by assuring my countrymen that there is little truth in the bulletins of Bolivar, which to my own knowledge are boastful, exaggerated, and utterly fallacious. May, however, my augury prove untrue ! May you, my countrymen, whom fate has led to take a part in the South American contest, be rewarded for your zeal — may you enjoy your hard-fought earnings in peace, happiness, and security at home ! May you conquer, — may the continent of South America soon be freed from the oppression and tyranny of a Ferdinand ; and may the government of Venezuela and its dependent provinces shew that gratitude which is due to the British, for their zeal and exertions in their cause, as soon as it possesses the power ! APPENDIX. A. {Page 4^.) Copy of Agreement entered into with Colonels Hippisley, M'Donald, and Skeene, by Don Luis Lopez Mendez, and signed by him, on behalf of himself and the republican government of Venezuela, as a guarantee to the said colonels for the due performance of all the obligations contained therein, as relative to themselves, and the officers, non- commissioned officers, &c. &c. under their respective com- mands. Agreement "with Gus. Hippisley, Esq. (Copy). By and in virtue of the authority vested in me by the supreme legislative and executive power, exercising the functions of the state and government for the united pro- vinces of Venezuela, on the Columbian continent, I Luis Lopez Mendez, Esq. of Grafton -street, Fitzroy-square, in the county of Middlesex, do hereby nominate and appoint, and by these presents under my hand and seal, guarantee and finally approve of Gus. Hippisley, Esq. whom 1 now con- stitute and declare to be a colonel, from the first day of June last past, in the army of the united states of Venezuela, and to take rank from such date ; and I confirm unto him the pay and all other emoluments appertaining thereunto as colonel commandant of the first regiment of Venezuelian 530 APPENDIX. Hussars, the private men of whicli regiment are to be selected from the natives of Spanish South America, and to be disciplined by the said Colonel G. Hippisley, his officers and non-commissioned officers, on his and their arrival at the Caraccas ; and the said regiment, when completed, shall be employed in the support and defence of the government and constitution of the independent and united provinces of Venezuela in South America. And, in consequence of this my approval and nomination of him the said Colonel G. Hippisley previous to his embarkation for the shores of Columbia, I hereby most full}"^ and freely subscribe to the following articles. First, I guarantee unto the said colonel, the full ap- pointment of all the officers, non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, farriers, artillery-men and gunners, who are to compose the said regiment of Hussars, under his own imme- diate command, both at the present, and at any future period when necessary, and that the same rank shall be fully confirmed to them individually and collectively, on their arrival at the Caraccas, and that the following shall be the establishment of the said regiment — Of Commissiotied Officers. One Colonel Commandant. One Lieutenant Colonel. Two Majors. Eight Captains. Sixteen Lieutenants. Eight Cornets. Non-Commissioned Officers. Two Regimental Serjeant Majors. Eight Troop Serjeant Majors. One Paymaster Serjeant. One Quarter Master Serjeant. APPENDIX. 531 One Hospital Serjeant. Thirty-two Serjeants. Thirty-two Corporals. One Trumpet Major. One Farrier Major. One Master Saddler. One Master Armourer. One Master Tailor. Fifteen Trumpeters. Fifteen Farriers. Staff. One Paymaster. One Adjutant. One Quarter Master. Two Surgeons. Two Assistant Surgeons. One Veterinary Surgeon. One Riding Master. Privatts. Six hundred HussarSj Natives. Fifty-six non-efFectives, in aid of contingent expenses. Artillery attached. Two Serjeants. Two Corporals. Eight Gunners. Two five-and-a-half-inch howitzers. Secondly, I hereby confirm the rank and appointment of all he officers of the said regiment of Hussars^ in the station to M M 2 53-2 APPENDIX. which each officer has been appointed by the said Colonel G. Hippisley. The following are the names and ranks of the several officers and date of appointments, subject however to such alterations and exchanges as the said colonel may deem proper. A. B. Colonel Command. D. E. Lieutenant. C. H. Lieutenant-Colonel. J, O. Lieutenant. H. R. First Major. H. M. Lieutenant. G. H. Second Major. L. P. Lieutenant. C. A. Captain. M. 0. Lieutenant. D. E. Captain. L. Y. Cornet. F. G. Captain. M. A. Cornet. H, T. Captain. G. R. Cornet, H. T. Captain. L, U. Cornet. P. O. Captain. N. B. Cornet. L. M. Captain. I. T. Cornet, X. Y, Captain. H. T. Cornet. T/. 0. Lieutenant. L. M. Cornet. M. P. Lieutenant. J. D. Adjutant, A. B. Lieutenant. L. M. Quarter Master. C. E. Lieutenant. H. F, Paymaster, D. A. Lieutenant. L. M. First Surgeon, A. B. Lieutenant. X, Y. Second Surgeon. C. D. Lieutenant. L. 0. 1st Assistant Surgeon E. H. Lieutenant. M. N, 2d Assistant Surgeon, L. M. Lieutenant. A, B, Veterinary Surgeon. G. H. Lieutenant. H. O. Riding Master, Thirdly, I guarantee to the said Colonel G. Ilippisley for himselfj his officers, non-commissioned officers, an( artillerymen, pay and allowances, equal at least to the sun or sums which are actually allowed by the British govern ment to officers in their respective ranks. The said pa] Ari>p:xDix. 533 and allowances to commence from, and including the day of their arrival at the Caraccas, island of INIargarita, or any part of the Spanish Main ; and that the pay for the non- commissioned officers and artillerymen shall commence from the day of their embarkation on board the vessel which is to conve}' them from England ; and I further guarantee to the said Colonel G. Hippisley, his officers, non-com- missioned officers, &c. the allowance and immediate pay- ment of a sum of money, upon his and their arrival in the Caraccas, in aid of the expenses attending the passage, &c. from England to the Spanish INIain : the said allowance to be issued according to the following proportions — Colonel commandant, two hundred dollars ; field officers, each, two hundred dollars ; captains, each, two hundred dollars ; subal- terns, each, two hundred dollars ; non-commissioned of- ficers, &c. each, eighty dollars, in addition to their regular pay and allowances. Stationery of all sorts, or a sum of money in lieu thereof, to be also allowed to the colonel for the use of his regiment. Fourthly, I guarantee on the part of the independent and united states of Venezuela, that in the event of the said Colonel G. Hippisley, or any of his officers, non-com- missioned officers, trumpeters, farriers or artillerymen, being disabled by wounds, and rendered unfit for active service, the Venezuelian government shall remunerate any and every officer, non-commissioned officer, trumpeter, farrier, and artilleryman, who shall have been so disabled in the service of that republic. And lastly, I engage on the part of the said government, that no officer shall be at any time removed from the said regiment of Hussars to any other regiment, corps, or de- tachment, without the permission of the said colonel, and concurrence of the commissioned, or non-commissioned officer, himself. And, in guarantee of the due and honourable performance of each and all of the above recited articles, 1 534f APPENDIX. wholly pledge myself: and, in confirmation thereof, annex my hand and seal, at London, this fifteenth day of October, I ^ I •-] in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen. '^' (Signed) LUIS LOPEZ MENDEZ, Deput. de Venez, Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of (Signed) WILLIAM WALTON. B. (Page 4^0.) Regimental Order by the Colonel Commandant. Nov. 1, I8I7. The mess committee will have the goodness to assemble on board the Emerald, on Tuesday next, at ten o'clock, to arrange the concerns of the same, and to report to the com- manding officer on the quantity and quality of the different articles for consumption already laid in, and to adopt such measures for expediting the delivery of the remaining pro- visions and stores as may appear to them most necessarj' and desirable. Surgeon White will be good enough to prepare his list for the occasion, and the colonel begs the favour of the committee, and also of the managers, to use their best exer- tions in completing the officers' mess stores, as the Emerald is ordered to drop down to Blackwall on Wednesday next. They will also give Surgeon White credit for the disburse- ments already made, and tiie president will place his signa- ture to Mr, White's accounts so produced, as an acquittal to him for such expenditure. (Signed by order) J. DUDLEY, Adjutant, &c. APPEND IX. ,535 Rank and Names of the Officers xjoho actually embarked and sailed from England, belonging to the \st Venezuelian Hussars, and 1st Venezuelian Lancers. Gustavus Hippisley, Colonel Commandant. James T. English, Lieutenant-Colonel. John Trewren, 1st Major. 2nd Major. 1 James Dudley, Captain, 2 Edward Tulley, Captain. 3 Thomas Clubley, Captain, sailed in the Gladwin 4 William Mahoney, Captain. 5 Henry Hebden, Captain. 6 John Denis, Captain. 7 Philip Seybold, Captain, " 8 Gustavus B, Hippisley, Captain. — 1 Charles J. Hippisley, Lieutenant. 2 Michael Plunkett, Lieutenant, died at Angustura. 3 Field, Lieutenant, sailed in the Sarah. 4 Thomas E. Smith, Lieutenant. 5 Charles Smith, Lieutenant. 6 Duncan Campbell, Lieutenant, sailed in the Dowaon, died in the West Indies, 7 George Pritt, Lieutenant. 8 William B. Lamb, Lieutenant. 9 William Braybrooke, Lieutenant, killed in a duel at Grenada. 10 John Edward M'Donald, Lieutenant. 1 John Cooke, Cornet. 2 Richard Davis, Cornet, died at Angustura, 3 George G, Stevenson, Cornet, 1st Venezuelian Lancers. 4 John King, Cornet and Adjutant. 5 John Humphries, Cornet. 6 John Gunnell, Cornet, 536 APPENDIX. 7 John L. Yabsley, Cornet, drowned in the river Orinoco. 8 Daniel Simons, Cornet, 9 Samuel Foster, Cornet, 1st Venezuelian Lancers. 10 Samuel Collins, Cornet. 11 Denis O'lleily, Cornet. ' 12 Herman Conway Hodge, Cornet, 1st Venezuelian Lancers. 13 Thomas Garner, Cornet, lost in the Indian. 14 William R. Spearman, Cornet, 1st Venezuelian Lancers, lost in the Indian. 15 John Dodson, Cornet, and Quarter-Master. 16 John Dewey, Cornet, killed off La Guira, 1 Henry Swymmer, Paymaster, sailed in Two Friends. 2 Thomas Batchellor^ Paymaster, 1st Venezuelian Lancers. 1 John King, Adjutant, died at Angustura. 2 William R. Spearman, Adjutant, 1st Venezuelian Lan- cers, lost in the Indian. 1 John D. Dodson, Quarter-Master, 1 Hugh Blair, Surgeon. 2 George Brj'an, Surgeon. 1 Townshend, Surgeon, 1st Venezuelian Lancers. 1 Benjamin Moore, Assistant Surgeon, 2 Jacob Ashbur^f, Assistant Surgeon, 1 James Powis, Veterinary Surgeon, lost in the Indian. Michael Plunket, Riding Master, Captain the Chevalier Ubaugh. 7 Supernumeraries on Lieutenant William Hughes, j board the Emerald, APPENDIX. 537 Staff of the Venezuelian Army, Simon Bolivar, Supreme Chief of the Republic of New Grenada and Venezuela. S. Marino, Second Chief of the Republic. J. B. Arismendi, Major-General, Margaretta. Bermudez, Major-General. Gregor M'Gregor, Major-General, on furlough, Sedeno, Major-General of Cavalrj% and Governor of the Province. Saraza, Brigadier-General of Cavalry. Monagas, Brigadier-General of Cavalry, C. Soublett, Adjutant-General of Infantry. Anzoategni, Brigadier-General, commanding guard of honour. Paez, General of Cavalr}\ Valdes, Brigadier-General of Infantry. Torres, Infantry. J. Montillo, Brigadier-General, and Governor of Angus- tura. Gomez, civil Governor at Marejor. Martin, Brigadier-General of Cavalry. Colonel English, on furlough. Luis Brion, Adjutant and Captain General. Dias, Commodore of the Gun-boats. De Bouie. Paddillo, Commander of the Flecheras. .538 APPENDIX. (See Page 7^.) Standing Orders for the Voyage hy the Colonel Commandant. Reveille to sound at daybreak, when the men will imme- diately turn out, the hammocks are to be taken down, folded and prepared for bringing on deck, and those men who sleep in berths must have the bedding properly folded and made up. All the men and women will be turned up on deck, ex- cepting those employed in sweeping and cleaning below. The quartermaster and his assistants will take care to have the orlop perfectly clear before eight o'clock, when he will report to the orderly officer, who will then visit between decks himself, and afterwards report their perfect cleanli- ness to the captain of the day. The quartermaster-serjeant will see that the boxes be- longing to the men are moved morning and evening, and be responsible that no dirt or filth is concealed under or behind them. The places allotted for the married people are to be kept clean by themselves, and they arc to be accountable for their cleanliness, under forfeiture of being turned into the galleries, if any of their berths are found dirty. The non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, farriers, and those men attached as marines, will be divided into three watches for the present, and until they get into a warmer climate, when they will be divided into two only. The relief of each watch to be called over in the presence of the orderly officer, and none of the men belonging to it to be permitted to go between decks without leave from the captain of the day, and then only for an absence of a ievr minutes. An orderly serjcant and corporal will be daily warned as assistants to the quartermaster in keeping the decks clean. APPENDIX. 539 The men's breakfast to be ready at eight o'clock ; their dining hour to be at twelve precisely. No person to be between decks at any inspection made by an officer, except the orderlies on duty. None of the men or women to re- main below under pretence of sickness who arc not in the surgeon's report, which the senior surgeon must make daily to the commanding officer through IMajor English, who will receive all reports in future, and communicate what may be necessary to the colonel-commandant. A guard to mount daily, at the hour of ten, consisting of one Serjeant, one corporal, and six privates, under the in- spection of the orderly officer. A sentry to be placed at each caboose, with orders not to allow fire of any description to be taken therefrom without permission from the officer on duty. The quartermaster will see the provisions regu- larly served out at the hour of nine each morning. All lights in the men's berths to be extinguished at eight o'clock at night, at which hour the trumpet-major, with the whole of his squad, will sound the watch setting. The only light suffered will be the one at the hatchway where the night sentry is placed. The orderly officer will pay particular at- tention to this order, and report to the captain of the day, who will again make his report to Major English, as soon as he has ascertained that all lights are out. No smoking to be allowed between decks, under any pre- tence whatever. The men are to wash their feet regularly twice a week, during the present weather ; for which pur- pose tubs will be filled in readiness on the forecastle on those mornings appointed, previous to the breakfast hour. Great attention must be paid to the cleanliness of the privies, and buckets of water frequently thrown down them by the fatigue party, during each day. The senior Serjeant of the watch will be made responsible for the strict attention to this order. The mess coppers to be regularly cleaned both before and after cooking. 540 APPENDIX. The commanding officer reminds the men of those orders which he verbally gave them yesterday on parade, relative to their having any intercourse with the ship's crew, and to be careful to avoid all disputes with them. The watch on deck is to obey any orders the captain of the ship may find it necessary to give, when he requires their assistance in hauling or coiling the ropes. No washing to be permitted in any part of the ship except on the forecastle. No officer to carrj^ lights about the ship without having the same secured in a lantern. And those officers who sleep in the berths along the side galleries are to have their lights extinguished at eleven o'clock each night. The officers are desired to appear each day at dinner, perfectly clean and neat: it is a compliment each individual owes to his brother officer, and it is respectful to all. The officers belonging to Colonel M*Donald*s corps of lancers will assist in the orderly duties on board, and be obedient to all orders that may be issued by the colonel- commandant respecting them. The decks below are not to be washed or wetted on any pretence whatever. The flooring is to be scraped only, and afterwards swept with brooms. The surgeons will attend as often as is necessary to the proper fumigating and venti- lation of the decks, and other parts of the ship. Divine service will be performed every Sunday morning at eleven o'clock, during the passage, weather permitting, at which all the officers, non-commissioned officers, women, and children, will attend. Those of the Roman Catholic persuasion will have another part of the ship allotted to them for the like purpose, and assistant-surgeon Moore will have the goodness to officiate as their reader on that occasion. APPENDIX. 541 C. {Page 82.) Copy of a Letter from the English Consul at Madeira. Mr. Veltch, his majesty's agent and consul-general, pre- sents his compliments to the gentlemen who inquired after him, and regrets that, on account of the vessel having brought no bill of health, it will not be possible to obtain permission for any of the passengers to come on shore. The typhus fever, which exists in London and Ireland, has caused some stricter I'egulations than usual on the part of the Health-Board ; yet Mr. Veitch must add, that the principal cause of embarrassment on the present occasion arises from the dreadful disturbances that took place here when the last vessel that carried ofBcers to St, Thomas's called at this island ; and this circumstance justly renders the government very anxious to avail itself of any fair excuse or reason to prevent a communication with the present ship, so large in size, and apparently so full of military officers and soldiers. The wine and refreshments, however, have been sent off". Funchal, December, 1817- D. {Page 86.) Copy of Serjeant Fortune''s Letter to Colonel Hippidey. Ship Emerald, at Sea, Dec. I8I7. Sir, Being aware of the subordination necessary in a military life, proved to me, after upwards of twenty years being spent in the service of my sovereign and country, during which I have filled the situation of a non-commissioned officer, I beg .542 APPENDIX. leave most respectfully to solicit your pardon, as well as that of Major English, whom I have unfortunately offended : in doing which I still trust that you will be kind enough to restore me to the rank I have hitherto held, from which I am truly sorry that my late conduct so justly merited my being reduced, assuring you, sir, that my future conduct shall be such as to merit my again holding a place in your considera- tion. With sentiments of contrition and respect, I have the honour to remain. Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) JAMES FORTUNE, First V. Hussars. E. {Pages'!.) Regimental Order by the Colonel Commandant. Lat, 28° 37'. Ship Emerald, at Sea, Jan. 1S18. At the hour of twelve, on Monday next, wind and weather permitting, the regimental standards of the first reg. of Hussars, in the service of the Venezuelian republic, will be unfurled and publicly displayed to the officers and men be- longing to that corps, who at the same time will take the oath of obedience and fidelity to that republic, as well as for the strict and due performance of, and attention to, all orders and duties prescribed by superior officers to the juniors, either as coming from the colonel-commandant of the above corps, and issued by him, or in his name through or by other officers, or non-commissioned officers, to which it maybe found necessary to give publicity for immediate duties, conformable to the rules of military service, and corresponding to the British APPENDIX. 543 and its articles of war, under like pains and penalties as therein prescribed. The colonel-commandant will himself first take the oath publicly, and under the standard; and he will then admi- nister the same to the major, and to the officers of the regiment, as well as to those belonging to the first regiment of Venezuelian Lancers ; and afterwards to the serjeant- majors, both regimental and troop ; and, lastly, to the re- mainder of the non-commissioned officers, &c. and of the corps, who will have the same administered unto them, under the like form as that taken by the officers, and agreeable to the following copy. Fonn of Oath to be administered. I, wL B., having enrolled myself to serve as a in the first regiment of Hussars of Venezuela, for the defence of, and under the government of, the Venezuelian republic, in Spanish South America, the said regiment being now under the command of as colonel in chief thereof, do now most solemnly swear, that I will bear strict and true obedience and fidelity to the government of that countr3'^, and that I will, as in duty bound, protect and defend it against all its enemies, as long as I shall remain in the service thereof; and that I will from henceforth strictly and duly ob- serve, as well as obey, all orders coming from the said government, as well as all other orders from the generals and officers set over me, by the authorities duly appointed and composing the same, agreeable to the usage? of war in like cases. So help me, God. When the oath has been duly administered to, and taken 544 APPENDIX. by all the officers and men, they will give three cheers (by signal), and Captain Wcathcrly will be pleased to direct the Venezuelian flag to be hoisted on board the ship under his command, and a salute of fifteen guns to be fired in comme- moration of the oath of fidelity and obedience, then taken, and in compliment to the flag and standards thus displayed. The officers on that occasion will, for the first time, appear in regimentals, wearing their undress clothing and forage caps, grey overalls, boots and spurs, with all their appoint- ments properly fitted, &c. The non-commissioned officers and men to make themselves as cleanly as possible. The quartermaster will serve out to each man one check and one white shirt, in addition to the white calico shirt already issued. After dinner on that day the whole of the non-commis- sioned officers, «&c, shall be served out with an additional allowance of rum, which, previous to its being issued, will be made into good punch for their use. F. (Page 870 Regimental Order hy the Colonel Cormnandant. Lat. 25° 10'. Jan. I SI 8. The standards of the first regiment of Hussars of Vene- zuela having this day been displayed, and the oath of fide- lity and obedience having also been duly administered to each officer, non-commissioned officer, and private belonging to the regiment, and also to the detachment of officers be- longing to Colonel M'Donald's corps of lancers, and taken by all (with the exception only of Serjeant J. Fortune, who, in refusing to take the oath, has committed a fraud and APPENDIX. -545 deception, not only against tlie colonel-commandant of the regiment, but against the republic in whose service he had voluntarily entered), Colonel H. is proud, in the first place, to hail from henceforth the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the regiment, as his friends and dear brethren in arms, and he feels he can take upon himself to promise, in his own name, as well as theirs, that the banners under whose wave they all this morning swore to protect and defend the cause in which they have so voluntarily bound themselves, shall never be disgraced or sullied by any act or deed detrimental to the good of the country they are about to serve, or dishonourable to that which gave them birth. The allegiance and fidelity they owe to Great Britain is not by this new contract withdrawn, or for a moment set aside, and England and its gracious and beloved monarch, by a de- claration of war, or even any other declaration, inimical to the success of the independent cause, or against the re- public we have now sworn to fight for and protect, claims us again as her sons, and absolves us from all the vows we may previously have taken, as does also any other order the British government may be pleased to issue for our return. Till then, however, we are soldiers of the Venezuelian re- public, and must continue so until properly discharged therefrom, as circumstances or necessity may require. Yet the colonel-commandant has to express his real sor- row, that any man of the first Venezuelian Hussars should be found so callous to the feelings of honour and com- mon justice, as James Fortune has this day proved himself to be. And that he should add, if possible, to his infamy, by publicly declaring, "he only sought the means of getting out to the West Indies free of expense, and not with an intention of enrolling himself in the regiment in a military capacity." In consequence, however, of such dishonest and disgraceful conduct on his part, the colonel is pleased to direct, that the N N 546 APPENDIX. said James Fortune be struck off the strength of the regi- ment as a non-commissioned ofiicer, and that he forfeits all pay, which would otherwise have been due to him up to the present date. And also, that he be struck off all duties of the regiment, or of the ship, except that of the fatigue, and from all allowance of grog, until the ship arrive at one of the islands, where he may be set on shore, and finally dis- charged. James Fortune is, however, recommended to be very careful in his conduct, during his stay on board the ship ; for, if he attempts to excite or aid the smallest dis- turbance amongst the people on board, he shall be made an immediate example of, and means taken to prevent any future communi(;ation between the crew and him. G. {Page 90.) General Orders Inj the Colonel Commandant. Ship Emerald, at sea, January, 1818. In consequence of the authority vested in Colonel Hip- pisley, as colonel in chief of the first Hus?ars of Venezuela, by Don Luis Lopez Mendez, deputy for the provinces of Venezuela in South America, and now resident in London, on behalf of that republic, the colonel is pleased to make the following promotions in the regiment under his com- mand, which are to take place from the date of this order. Major James T. English to be first Lieutenant-Colonel, vice Skeene. Captain John Trewren to be second Major, vice English. Lieutenant Clubley to be Captain of a Troop, vice Chambers. Lieutenant W. Mahoncy to be Captain of a Troop, xice Day. Cornet J. M'Donald to be Lieutenant, me Clubley. Cornet Braybrooke to be Lieutenant, vice Mahoney. APPENDIX. 547 Second Surgeon Hugh Blair to be first Surgeon, vice White. First Assistant Surgeon G. Bryan to be second Surgeon, vice Blair. The above officers are to be therefore acknowledged as such, and obeyed accordingly. Signed by order of the Colonel Commandant. J, DUDLEY, Captain and Adjutant. (See no ley Page 136.) Gustavia, January/ 2/, 1818. At Airs. Harvey^ s Hotel. SiH, I beg leave to enclose you a letter I have the honour of addressing to Colonel Hippisley, containing sentiments and expressions of regret for any conduct of mine, that could for one moment lose me the confidence I flattered myself I had hitherto possessed from the colonel and yourself. If the prayer of my letter is attended to in the manner I trust, on every circumstance being considered, I may hope to expect my future conduct will compensate for any uneasiness I may have given, both to him and yourself. May I therefore solicit of you to present the enclosed, with such opinion of my general conduct as may secure me the former confidence I was proud of possessing. I remain, sir, with respect. Your obedient humble servant, (Signed) J. HUMPHRIES, Cornet, First Venezuela Hussars, To Lieutenant-Colonel English, 1st V. Huss". On board the Emerald. N N 2 54S APPENDIX. Cofy of Am-wcr. January 37, 1818. Deak Humphriks, I have felt a real pleasure at the receipt of your letter of apology for the late unmilitary conduct of which you had been guilty, and the acknowledgement it also contained of the justice of my measures in consequence. 1 have there- fore directed Lieutenant-Colonel English to be the bearer of this my answer, which conveys to you the assurances that you are from this moment restored to the same con- fidence and friendship which I have ever shewn you, aug- mented, if possible, by the manly and candid manner in which you have atoned for late errors, and the gentlemanlike way in which you have expressed your wishes of reconcilia- tion. Hasten, then, to receive the willing and extended hand of your friend, and the promises, which, as your commanding officer, it will be necessary for me to give you, of a total forgetfulness on my part of the occurrence which caused the late unpleasantness between us. Yours, as usual, G. HIPPISLEY, Colonel. To C'ornct Humphries. H. (^Page 1 10, 'printed E. /;; mistake.) General Orders by tlie Colonel Commandant. Ship Emerald, at sea, February, 1818. From the information received of the Spanish squadron being on the look-out in these seas, for certain reinforce- ments expected to join the South American independents, it becomes a matter of moment that every officer and man APPENDIX. 549 ehould be on the alert: should a strange sail be discerned, during the period of any of the different watches, the man, or men, who first perceives it, is to make a quiet and secret report of the same to the captain of the watch on deck, who will immediately communicate the same to the field officer of the day, who will make the like report to the commanding officer, from whom all further orders on the occasion will emanate. Colonel Hippisley takes this opportunity of entreating in the mildest way (although with the most determined serious- ness and firmness), that the officers will refrain from every excess, which would for a moment incapacitate them, or deprive him of their services, should occasion, during either the night or day, call for their assistance. The colonel commandant further directs, that, during the hours of watch, no man be permitted to sleep or lie down ; they must every one be on the constant look out, and attentive to obey, and enforce every duty that may be required ; and the whole of the officers must be on the alert, to see that all is done in a quiet and eoldierlike manner. J. {Page 143.) Orders by the Colonel Commandant, Emerald, St. George's, Grenada, February, 161S. A baggage guard, consisting of, 1 Subaltern, 1 Troop Serjeant Major, 6 Serjeants, 6 Corporals, 1 Trumpeter, to hold themselves in readiness to embark on board the patriotic schooner, appointed for the conveyance of them- 350 APPENDIX. selves, and the heavy baggage of the regiment, to the river Orinoco. The schooner will be moored alongside of the Emerald, at three o'clock this afternoon, and the whole of the heavy baggage belonging to the officers and men will also be packed, and in readiness to be taken on board, at that hour. When the remaining officers and men leave the Emerald and embark on board the brlgantine appointed to convey them, no more baggage than each can convenientl}' carry in a small portmanteau, or velisse, will be permitted on board ; and that the vessel and the men themselves may not be too crowded, or incommoded, especially in these warm latitudes, and in going down to the Main, the colonel has directed the heavy baggage to be conveyed by itself, and sent off without delay. The whole will be placed under the charge of the officer appointed to the baggage guard, who will, on his and their arrival at Angustura, j)rocure a pro})er store as a depot, and attach a daily guard over it for its security, until the remainder of the officers, non-commissioned officers, &c.. composing the regiment shall arrive at these quarters. Lieutenant-Colonel English (with a subaltern oflicer, acting until further orders, as permanent orderly officer in waiting attached to the lieutenant-colonel, and one Serjeant as per- manent orderly), will proceed in the same schooner, which carries the heavy baggage, to its place of destination. The lieutenant-colonel will be the bearer of the colonel com- mandant's despatches to the gcneral-in-chief, Bolivar ; and orders for the future guidance of the lieutenant-colonel, until he arrives at head-quarters, will be delivered to him this evening. Lieutenant Plunkett having expressed a wish to proceed with the heavy baggage, and in command of the baggage guard, is therefore appointed to that duty, with liberty to select the remaining non-commissioned officers, &c. to be APPENDIX. 551 attached thereto. Lieutenant Plunkctt will also lay before the officers a blank list prepared with columns, for specifying the baggage belonging to themselves, which each will fill up, and sign with his name, descriptive of the nature and quan- tity of such baggage delivered to his charge, and he is further directed to receive no article on board the schooner that is not entered upon such list. Lieutenant Thomas Smith having requested permission to attend Lieutenant-Colonel English, as the orderly officer in waiting, and the lieutenant-colonel having ex- pressed his wishes that he might be so permitted, the com- manding officer feels a pleasure in acquiescing thereto. The master saddler (Sergeant Faulkener) is permitted also to accompany the baggage guard, and to take charge of the stores belonging to his department, on arrival at the city of Angustura. As soon as the men of the guard are selected, the adjutant will furnish the colonel commandant with a list of the whole, and the quarter master will deliver the necessary clothing, &c. to the non-commissioned officers and men appointed for that duty. The commanding officer is truly sorry in being obliged thus publicly to notice the irregular and unofficerlike con- duct of several of the officers of the regiment, some of whom not only absented themselves without leave from the ship, whilst others, regardless of their promise to be on board at watch setting, remained on shore the whole night. Yet, in consequence of the several apologies made, he is willing to refrain from entering these officers' names in the orders of the day. But he feels obliged to issue this, his positive order, that no officer whatever, in future, shall leave the ship without permission first asked for and obtained from the colonel commanding. ^•^'^ AFPEXDIX. (See Page 155*.) On board the ship Emerald^ Grenada Bay, February 9, 1818. Sir, Permit me to announce to your excellency the safe arrival of myself and 36 officers in their respective regi- mental ranksj and 124 Serjeants, corporals, trumpeters, and farriers belonging to the first Venezuelian Hussars under my immediate command, at the island of Grenada. The lieu- tenant-colonel of the regiment (attended by an orderly officer, and orderly sergeant of hussars) will have the honour of presenting you with this letter, which, after con- veying to your excellency the homage of my best respects, and fervent wishes for your health and success in the grand cause in which you are engaged, requests you to favour me with 3'our orders, as to my movements, on entering the river Orinoco. I should, however, premise to your excellency, that I am endeavouring to procure two or three small schooners at this island, for the purpose of expediting the conveyance of my officers and non-commissioned officers to the Main, and I trust I shall tread so fast on the heels of my lieutenant- colonel, and his suite, as to allow him to gain only a few days in advance. All orders that your excellency may be pleased to issue to Lieutenant-Colonel English will be re- ceived by him with pleasure, and they will be obeyed with alacrity : he is most fully in my confidence, and worthy of every notice which you, sir, may choose to bestow upon him. It may be deemed necessary, also, that I should report to • In order not to cnUrgr this Appendix, thp ^utlmr has omitted the rfgimental order. APPENDIX. 533 your excellency the arrival of two ships from England at the island of St. Bartholomew : the Britannia, containing a complete park of artillery, under the command of Colonel Gilmour, 10 officers and 80 gunners, &c.; the other the ship Prince, having on board Colonel Wilson, 18 officers, and 50 dragoons belonging to the red hussars under his command. The ship Dowson, with the rifle corps under the command of Colonel Campbell, completed with officers, stores, ne- cessaries and arms for one thousand men, was daily expected, and will, no doubt, hasten to the Main. I have also the superlative happiness of being enabled to add, that although a strong report had been made of the total loss of the ship Indian, with Colonel Skeene, officers and non- commissioned officers, to the number of nearly 200 men, off the coast of France; on the night of the 8th of De- cember last ; yet later intelligence gives me more than hope of her safety, and I look forward with full expectation to hear of her safe arrival to aid us in the general cause. I have now only to encroach on your excellency's time for a few moments more, whilst I inform you that I have given in charge to Lieutenant-Colonel English the letter with which I was entrusted by Don Luis Lopez Mendez for your excellency, stating circumstances immediately con- nected with myself, and shewing my pretensions to any favours with which you might be pleased to honour me. Trusting that I shall soon be favoured with your com- mands, I take to myself the additional honour of subscribing myself, Sir, Your excellency's most obedient servant, G. HIPPISLEY, Colonel. His excellency the general in chief, Bolivar. 554 APPENDIX. J I. {Page 165.) To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle. Grenada, 1 5th Feb. 1818. Sir, A most unfortunate event occurred here on Thursday the 10th instant, the circumstances of which I feel it requisite to detail, in order that those individuals whom the relation may more immediately concern, as also the public at large, may be enabled to form a just estimate of the case, and so pre- vent their yielding implicit credence to the garbled and mu- tilated statements usually circulated through the medium of a provincial press. The information that I am about to present to you may be relied upon jjs authentic j and I anticipate, from its inser- tion in 3'our valuable and impartial journal, a full and perfect acquittal from all and every im[)utation any other channel may convey to the injurjr or detriment of either my cha- racter or honour. The conduct of the other parties impli- cated will, 1 am convinced, to an unprejudiced eye, appear free from stain, and as undeserving of censure. You are, doubtless, not entirely ignorant of the existence of a regiment raised by Colonel Hippislc}', and destined for the service of the South American patriots. I am son to that gentleman, and left England with him in the ship Emerald, the latter end of November, I817. We arrived at Grenada on our way to the Spanish Main early in the pre- sent month ; and, but for the numerous interruptions we met here to the further progress of our voyage, I should have been spared the recital of the melanchol}' catastrophe of which this letter is the record. On the night of the Qth instant, an altercation aroie be- APPENDIX. 55.5 tween myself and an officer of Colonel Hippisley's regiment. Tlie origin of the dispute was trifling ; but my temper being inflamed by an imaginary offence, I overleaped the bounds of moderation, and vented my anger in terms of severity, which a moment's reflection would have shewn me the im- propriety of exercising. On the ensuing morning, how- ever, I plainly perceived my fault, and convinced that true courage does not so much consist in the punishment of an insult as in the acknowledgment of an error, I resolved to make all the atonement in my power : accordingly, in the presence of several officers, I apologized to Lieutenant Bray- brooke for the expressions which passion had elicited, and entreated that he would consider it as merely the irritation of the moment, and for which I was truly sorry. He ac- cepted my extended hand, and I regarded the affair as finally and amicably adjusted. Judge then, sir, my sur- prise at receiving, after an hour had elapsed, a message from Mr. Braybrooke, demanding satisfaction for the offence which had been so lately compromised ! My rank as an officer, my reputation as a gentleman, nay, more, my feel- ings as a man, all, all, combined to assure me that a second attempt at conciliation would be derogatory to the dignity of the one, disgraceful to the character of the other, and unworthy the appellation of either. I therefore felt myself obliged to concede to his demand, and we proceeded to the ground, accompanied by our respective seconds, and two surgeons as medical attendants. The distance was mea- sured, we took our stations, and at the second fire my an- tagonist fell ! To shew you the rash principles by which the deceased was actuated, I must acquaint you that, in opposition to the wish of my friend, Mr, Braybrooke insisted on meeting me at the short distance of nine paces. Humanity, not fear, prompted me to con.sult my friend on the propriety of our standing so close : informed by him that such, however, was 556 APPENDIX. Mr. Braybrooke's decision, I considered further remon- strance as useless as unbecoming ; and although I foresaw a fatal issue to the proceeding, honour compelled me to abide the '* hazard of the die !" The result too fully justified the prediction. The deceased has been decently interred. Many may regret his untimely fate — none more sincerely than myself — and, unhappy as I feel, and ever shall, at having been the instrument of his death, my conscience is not troubled by the stings which a premeditated act of homicide could not fail of producing. I trust, sir, that you will consider the authenticity of the above statement perfectly established, corroborated as it is by the signatures of those present; and, with an entreaty that you will be pleased to give it all the publicity possible, I beg leave to subscribe myself, Sir, Your obedient humble servant, G. B. HIPPISLEY, Captain 1st Regiment of Venezuelian Lancers. We certify the truth of the above statement, and subscribe our names — SAMUEL COLLINS, Cornet IstV. Hussars, •) DENNIS O'REILY, Cornet 1st V. Hussars, j ^^^°^^^' GEORGE BRYAN, Surgeon 1st V. Hussars. C. WEBBER TOWNSEND, Surgeon 1st V. Lancers. A copy of the above was inserted in the St. George's Ga- zette, island of Grenada, on or about the 28th of February. APPENDIX. 55S K. (Page 178.) (Copy.) 5/. George's, Island of Grenada, Feb. 16, 1818. MY DEAR COLONEL, Being disappointed in the pleasure of this morning meet- ing you on shore, I am extremely sorry, after the very par- ticular kindness I have experienced from you, to be (from motives I trust you will allow me the opportunity to state personally) under the necessity of sending in my resignation. Were my reasons not supported by real and undeniable truth, I am sure I shall not be doubted when I declare I would never have separated from yourself, for whom I shall ever feel the strongest sentiments of attachment. In begging the acceptance of my best wishes and un- feigned regards, believe me ever to remain, most faithfully and sincerely. Yours, (Signed) H. HEBDEN. To Colonel Hippisley, commanding the IstV, Hussars, &c. &c. L. Note. — Mr. Bachelor's note is not given, for the reason assignedJor similar omissions in the Appendix. M. (See Page 178.) Regimental Orders. Ship Emerald, off Grenada, Feb. 1818. The colonel-commandant has been pleased to accept the resignation of Captain Hebden, Lieutenant M'Donald, Cor- 558 APPENDIX. nets Simons and Gunnell, together with that of Paymaster Batchelor of the 1st Venezuelian Lancers, and directs that their names be struck off the strength of the regiment accordingly. It is rather curious that the above persons should choose the moment of the ship's departure from the island to tender their resignation, which, however, the colonel-com- mandant is far from regretting, with the exception alone of Captain Hebden, whose secession has not been more un- expected than lamented. {See Page 209.) Regimental Order. Ship Emerald, of St. Lucia. The whole of the 1st Venezuelian Hussars will prepare themselves for removal on board the patriotic schooner of war the Tiger, which is destined to convoy them to Angus- tura, the general depot of the Venezuelian army. The re-shipment from the Emerald to the Tiger will take place at seven o'clock to-morrow morning, wind and weather permitting. Thus sufficient time is allowed for packing up the baggage of the officers and men, as well as to enable the quarter-master to collect, for removal also, the necessary stores, for which purpose he will communicate with Mr. Weatherly (the captain of the Emerald), and settle the quantity of rations that may be necessary for the consump- tion of all for the few days passage to the river Orinoco j and Captain Hill of the Tiger will have the goodness to give his advice as to the quantity of provisions and water necessary for the occasion. APPENDIX. 5oy (Page 216.) Regimental Order. Schooner Tiger, off St. Pierre, Martinique. Quarters will be appointed for the officers and men of the two watches, to which they will repair in case of attack, A sufficient number of muskets will be issued immediately, of which the men will take charge and have ready for use at a moment's notice. A like number of cartouch-boxes filled with ball cartridges will be served out, and the whole hung up regularly in the place appointed to receive them when not wanted. The signal for a general turn out on deck will be made, by the trumpet major sounding the charge, should it be necessary to call the men to quarters. In con- sequence of the quantity of powder stowed under and about the cabin where the officers and some of the women are, it is the colonel's positive order that no officer, or any other person whatsoever, smoke a pipe or a segar below deck. Any non-commissioned officer, soldier, or seaman, found guilty of a disobedience to this order, will be punished with the utmost severity. The men to parade for divine service to-morrow, as usual on such occasions. P. (Page ^32.) Regimental Orders. Patriotic Schooner Tiger, Off" Old Guyana, river Orinoco, 1818. The officers, non-commissioned officers, &c. will hold themselves in readiness to parade at a moment's notice re- gimentally dressed. Officers to wear their pouchbelts, &c. 560 A1'1'E\1>1X. and the whole are to be dressed in white trowsers. The colonel expects that the patriotic admiral will visit the Tiger, and he will therefore be received with military honours, and as a captain-general and commander-in-chief. An orderly officer, in the attendance of the colonel com- mandant, will be warned for the occasion, and Lieutenant Pritt is appointed as such for the time it may be judged ne- cessary to retain him on that duty. Q. {PageT69.) (Translation.) Head Quarters, Caliibozo, March 22, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Chief of the Republic, Captain Ge- neral of the army of Venezuela and New Granada, &c. &c. &c. To Colonel Gustavus Hippisley, commanding the 1st regiment of Venezuelian Hussars, oft" the island of Grenada. I have the honour to reply to your esteemed letter de- livered to me by Lieut. -Colonel English. I congratulate your lordship upon your safe arrival, and offer you my sincere thanks for the generous services you so gratuitously offer to my country. Only the glory and satisfaction of combating for the great and noble cause of the liberty of America, and her eternal gratitude to our benefactors, can recompense the troubles and sacrifices of you and your generous companions. Your lordship has rivetted the alliance which America, and most of all, Venezuela, wished to form with Great Britain. The admiral Brion ought, ere this, to have sailed for your APPENDIX. 561 island, to facilitate the means of transport for yourself, as well as the other officers and men. He is also ordered to effect the movement which I con- sider the most important at this moment, whilst 1 have the pleasure of seeing you incorporated with the army. I remain, with the greatest respect and consideration, your lordship's faithful and devoted servant, ( Signed) BOLIVAR. To the Colonel G. Hippisley, oft' the island of Grenada. R. (Page^U.) Morning Orders by the Colonel Commandant. Patriotic Schooner of war Tiger ^ River Orinoco, April, 1818. A firing party, consisting of one troop serjeant-major, six Serjeants and six corporals, to parade at half past eleven o'clock this morning with carbines, in order to attend the funeral of the late Serjeant-major Thomas Higgins, who died last night. They will be drawn up upon deck in funeral military order, and be provided with three rounds of blank cartridge per man, to fire over the corpse, as is usual in like cases. Surgeon Blair will read the burial service on this occasion. All the officers and men will attend, dressed in regimentals ; the former in great coats, forage caps, sash, overalls and boots, and the whole with sabres, as a mark of respect to the memory of a meritorious and good old soldier, whose loss the colonel most seriously deplores, having known him many years ago, when on foreign service together and in the same regiment of light dragoons. o o 56^ APPENDIX. The commanding officer, liowever, cannot help ex- pressing his gratitude and thanks to that Providence, which has preserved the remainder of his officers and men to the present moment, in health and safety. S. (See same page. ) Afternoon Orders, Same dale. Captain Mahoney will accompany Captain Hill, the com- mander of the schooner of war, in the canoe which he has ordered to convey him up the river to Angustura, in con- sequence of the Tiger's being aground on the sandbank, and without a prospect of removal therefrom, until a further rise of the river. Captain Mahoney will wait on the general commanding, and report the arrival of the colonel, and the non-com- missioned officers, &c. of the first Venezuelian Hussars, thus far, and the cause of their present detention, together with his hope that proper boats may be immediately sent down from the garrison, to convey the officers and men up the river, with as little delay as possible, lest the heat from the sun and sands may cause illness and disease to the whole. Should, however, the Tiger, by repeated exertions, be got afloat, Captain Mahoney will be in readiness to re- ceive the colonel commandant, with the whole of the baggage guard off duty, on the arrival of the schooner before An- gustura, and to convey any information with which the general and governor may have honoured him, relative to the disembarkation of the colonel, and the conduct to be pursued with respect to the quartering of the troops. APPENDIX. 5GS (See page SIS.) Regimental Orders. Schooner of war Tiger, off Angustura, April, one o'clock, P. M. The officers, non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, far- riers, and artillerymen belonging to the first Venezuelian Hussars, will prepare themselves for debarkation. A baggage guard, under the command of one subaltern, one serjeant, and two corporals, will secure its safety, until the whole is deposited in tlie stores appointed for its reception. The remainder of the detachment will hold themselves in readiness to come on shore at a moment's notice, properly equipped and dressed, agreeable to the verbal orders given this morning. Lieutenant Pritt will attend the colonel as his orderly officer in waiting ; and Serjeant Flinn as permanent orderly Serjeant until further orders. The colonel most deeply regrets the sudden illness of Captain Denis. Surgeon Blair will direct one of the medical officers to attend him to the place appointed to receive him, and the garrison physician shall be directed to visit him forthwith. AJ'ter Orders. The stores, baggage, &c. to be immediately deposited in the spare rooms of the house appointed for the officers and men, and the adjutant will see that the officers are allotted to the rooms according to rank, and agreeable to the established usage of the British service. The whole of the detachment must do the best they can for themselves to- night, with respect to sleeping ; to-morrow every thing for their convenience shall be attended to. The commanding officer hopes that the men will not get drunk, and riot in o o 2 564 APPENDIX. the streets, because they will not only disgrace themselves and the regiment, but entail a personal punishment on those found guilty, which would more than distress the com- manding officer's feelings to inflict, and which would also tend to degrade them, even in the eyes of the native officers and soldiers of the garrison. The colonel's quarters are, for the present, at the admiral's house, and the adjutant will apply to the main guard for the sentries which are to be posted on himself and the standards of the regiment, and which that guard is to furnish until further orders, for the purpose of giving the British troops time to recruit their healthj and to keep them for a while from night duty. T. {See page ^5^.) After General Orders. ( Translation ) . San Thomas of New Guyana. April, 8 o'clock, P. M. No orders whatever are to be obeyed, whether issued in English or Spanish, but those which are given in the latter tongue, from General Bermudez, or General Montillo'a officers. (Signed) JOHN DE PERKINS, A. D. C. By order of General Montillo. APPENDIX. 565 U. (See page ^61.) Regimental Orders by the Colonel Commandant. Angusliira, April, 1818. The unfortunate circumstance of the last night prevented ■the commanding officer from seeing and taking leave of Lieutenant Plunkett, before he died. Yet Colonel Hippisley, in the midst of the sorrow he feels for the loss of so good an officer, cannot help expressing his entire satisfaction at the peaceable and proper behaviour of the con-corami,ssioned officers and men, when reminded that it was necessary they should be obedient to the orders of their then commanding officer, and conduct themselves with propriety and steadi- ness. The death of Lieutenant Plunkett (which the colonel in conjunction with the whole of his officers, and men of the regiment, most sincerely laments), demands that the usual cavalry funeral obsequies should be duly observed, in com- mitting his remains to the earth. Captain and Adjutant Dudley, with the Serjeant major and quarter-master serjeant, will see that every thing be properly arranged, and ready to fall in, in procession, at half past three o'clock p. m. The colonel will direct that a horse be sent to the adjutant's quarters, for the necessary purpose. Tiie whole of the officers and men will parade on this occasion, and fall in, in military funeral order, at the same period, and in front of the house where the body lies. It is hoped that Colonel Wilson will order the whole of the Red Hussars to attend on this melancholy occasion. Orders for the firing party, &c. Sec. the colonel com- mandant understands, will be given in general orders, by •his excellency the governor, at mid-day. The niorniiig parades for drill will take place at six 566 APPENDIX. o'clock, and tlie dress one in the afternoon at the same hour, until further orders. No man of the detachment to appear in the streets after watch setting, without special leave first asked for and obtained from the officer command- ing his troop, and the colonel begs of the captains to grant this indulgence sparingly. V. (See page 292.) Regimentid Orders. Angusturo^ April, 1818. Regimental Serjeant-major John King is appointed adju- tant to the first Hussars of Venezuela, with the rank of cornet in the regiment, vice Captain Dudley, who resigns the adjutancy. Quarter-master Serjeant Dodson is appointed regimental quarter-master to the first Hussars of Venezuela, with the rank of cornet in the regiment, vice Denis, who resigns the quartermastership only. Captain John Denis is appointed paymaster to the regi- ment, until further particulars respecting the fate of Captain and Paymaster Swymmer be known. AV. {Sec page 275.) General Orders. (Translation). 228. His excellency the supreme chief has been pleased to direct that Captain J. Murcna, of the infantry, be APPENDIX. 567 in future acknowledged and received as adjutant of the staff major of this province, and to direct that the same be notified through the governor general of the united pro- vinces. 229. And also, that the commission bearing the seniority of Colonel Commandant G. Hippisley, commanding the British brigade, will take date from the first of June 1817» being the seventh year of our independence. 232. To-morrow the whole of the troops will be reviewed at the Almada, 234. The corps will pass in review order, according to their respective seniority : viz. 1. The Marine. 2. The Artillery. 3. The regiment of Valerosos. 4. 1st regiment of Venezuelian Hussars. 1 „ . . , r,,, . /. T> 1 TT S British. 5. The regiment of Red Hussars. 5 (Signed) MONTEBRUNE, Deputy Adjutant General. X. (^See same page.) From Colonel English to Contmandant Hippisley. (Copy). Rastro, March 24, 181 7. MY DEAR COLONEL, Accident has procured me this little bit of paper and ink, for after our defeat I sent Smith with every thing to the rear ; I have but the one shirt, which I have now worn eight days : the rapidity of their movements exceeds any thing I ever witnessed. We have now got a large rein- forcement, and are determined to die, or reach Caraccas this time. My last letter gave you a full account of every 56s APPENDIX. thing: the three remaining officers of poor M'Donald's corps I liave taken into our regiment, which liberty I trust you will approve of, as we shall have a squadron of lancers attached to your regiment. Cai)tain M'Mullen and Cornet Browne, both severely wounded, will join you very soon. The chief keeps me in constant employ ; he has even sent me to reconnoitre the enemy : the rapidity with which I reached him with the despatches pleased him much. Our commissions are made out — yourself a comman- 4ante, the next step to a brigadier. It gives you the present command of the British brigade : myself, a full colonel. It is his intention, he told me, to preserve the British for his expedition next campaign to Santa Fe, get them round to Caraccas, and fill up their ranks : the conduct of the British in the last action has immortalised them. Out of twelve in action, seven killed and three wounded. The next battle will certainly decide the fate of Venezuela. Every one is con- fident, as General Paez with his brave lancers are all up. Had we had him in the late action, they (the enemy) would have been annihilated ; however, I trust every thing will be recovered now. INIorillo has been severely wounded in the last action, in the upper part of the thigh. My friends at home will I know be anxious to hear of my fate : will you, my dear sir, be kind enough to write to them r &c, &c. Believe me to be, my dear colonel, ever faithfully yours, Sec. &c. (Signed) J. T. ENGLISH, Colonel. Lieutenant-Colonul, 1st Venezuelian Hussars. To Commandant Ilippisley, &c. APPENDIX. .569 Y. (^See same lia^e.) (Copy.) ( Translation.') Head-quarters, St. Paul's, 2Q'.h 3Iarcli, 1818, Simon Bolivar^ Supreme Chief of the Republic, Captain General of the Armies of Venezuela and New Grenada, &c. &c. &c. To Colonel James T. English. I enclose j'our despatch, and the commission of Colonel Hippisley, and Major Trewren : circumstances do not per- mit me to send those of all the officers of the regiment. Also I approve the proposal that you have made to me : as soon as the regiments arrive on the Main, they will receive their commissions according to the list you presented to me, in your colonel's name. I am, sir, your humble servant, BOLIVAR. To Colonel James T. English, 79 Nos. G. (md \). (Page 32o a?td 329, ftco orders being included in one.) After Regiinental Orders same date. Ten o'clock, P. M. The sudden death of Cornet and Adjutant King, and at a moment too when the whole of the officers and non-commis- sioned officers have embarked on board the flecheras, de- prives the colonel of the opportunity of paying his remains that military attention and respect which the service and the acknowledged worth and merit of that officer so justly demanded. Colonel Hippisley laments the circumstance most deeply,and regrets,with real heart-felt emotions, the necessity he is under of directing the corpse to be interred to-mor- row at four o'clock, A. M. unattended, except by Colonel English (whose presence he entreats) and the four non- commissioned officers who are on shore, and without the usual etiquette of a firing party, which it is impossible to ob- tain under the present state of the garrison. Colonel English is appointed to a particular service^ with the consent of Commandant Hippisley, at the request of the supreme council of Angustura; and the commandant has been pleased to appoint Cornet Dewey to attend Colonel English on that duty, and to allow Serjeant Harrison to act as the colonel's permanent orderly serjeant until further orders. The General and Governor Montillo has requested to be allowed to retain Corporal Denning as his permanent orderly, until the return of Colonel English to Angustura. As the corporal himself wishes to remain with the general, the commandant feels a pleasure in acquiescing. Captain Dudley having been officially reported by the medical staff of the regiment as totally unfit for service, the commandant has obtained the permission of his excellency the general and governor that Captain D. should be struck off the p p 2 580 APPENDIX. stiengtli of the regiment, and allowed Iiis passport to return to Europe. Cornet Cook, in consequence of the surgeon's report on the alarming state of his health, has leave to remove himself to either of the West India islands he may choose, for the recovery of his health; or to proceed for England, if such are his wishes, by the earliest conveyance, the general and governor having ordered his passports to be made out. Captain Clubley has been so obliging and considerate as to make an offer of his services in doing the duty of adjutant to the regiments until the arrival of the officers expected shortly from England. Those services are therefore accepted by the colonel commandant, who, in giving publicity to Cap- tain Clubley's appointment to the adjutancy for the interim, also directs that he be obeyed accordingly. Captain G. B. Hippisley of the 1st Hussars of Venezuela, having asked for and obtained permission to volunteer his services in that division of the patriotic army which is now under the command of General Marino, and before Cumana, will in consequence be immediately struck off the duty strength of this regiment, and be accounted for in the re- turns, until further orders, ''Absent with leave, and doing duty with the army of Cumana.'' His excellency the General and Governor Montillo having being pleased to direct the necessary passports to be made out, Captain Hippisley will receive the same, together witii his final orders upon that subject, by applying at the office of the deputy adjutant general. .\imm;ndix. 581 No. 10. (Page 355.) Regimental Order by the Colonel Commandant. On board thejlechera ascending the Orinoco, near Cuicara, l-iihBIay, 1818. The personal protection of all, as well as the individual safety of each officer, non-commissioned officer, and others of the detachment, renders it necessary that the following order ghould be considered as a standing one during the passage up the Orinoco and A pure, and be strictly re- membered, and most fully obeyed. On landing each night for the purpose of refreshment or sleeping on shore, the whole of the detachment will be re- gularly divided into two squads or divisions. The first di- vision will be placed by the orderly captain or subaltern of the day on immediate duty ; the whole forming a cordon at 70 paces distance between their files, and round the centre where the fires are, and where the remainder of the officers and detachment are stationed, allowing a like number of paces, viz. 70, from such centre to where the sentries are placed, who, every five minutes, are to pass the word from right to left, in a loud and steady voice, " All's well;" taking care to give the alarm should any stranger advance, or any animal approach. This guard will mount with arms and ammunition, for which purpose four rounds of ball cartridges for each man will be served out for their use. No man placed as sentry will be pardoned for the least disobedience or error committed ; and the guard will be regularly relieved by the second division every two hours, by order of, and in the presence of the captain or subaltern of the day, who will be answerable to the commanding officer for the regularity of the whole, until the general relief, when the detachment embark in the niorninL% 58*2 APPENDIX. No. 11. (PagcSi)Q,) Regitucntal Orders by the Colonel Commandant. Parole — London. Countersign — Gordon. Cziicara, on the river Orinoco, May I5tk, 181 9. Major Trevvren will give orders for the barge conveying the detachment under his command up the river Apure, on their way to San Fernando, to leave its present station to- morrow morning at four o'clock precisely, and to proceed on her passage ; for which purpose the signal warning bugle will be ordered to sound immediately after the reveille, at daybreak, from the commandant's flechera, and the signal for departure at five minutes before four. Major Trewren will be particular in giving orders, and in seeing them fully executed, that the carbines are in a per- fect state for service, as well as the sabres belonging to both officers and men, A guard, consisting of at least half the strength of his detachment, will be put upon duty every night they go on shore during the passage up the Apure, to prevent the possibility of a surprise from the enemy. The men to be served out with ball cartridges, at six rounds per man, at the parade this afternoon. These cartridges the men will be held accountable for to the colonel of the regi- ment, at the first general parade after landing at San Fer- nando ; and every man who cannot account for any de- ficiency or loss that may have occurred will be punished in an exemplary manner, as the ammunition thus given out is wholly intended for the general preservation of the 1st Venezuelian Hussars until their arrival at liead-(|uarters, and must not be wantonly shot away under any pretence what- ever. APPENDIX. 583 yljtcr llegimental Orders. Page 364. The body of farrier George Cooley, wlio was unfor- tunately drowned whilst bathing in the river last evening, having been found, the colonel directs that the same be de- cently interred in a grave to be dug on the spot where the commandant's tent was pitched this morning ; and that one of the surgeons read the burial ceremony over the body, according to similar orders. The intelligence received this morning, and other circum- stances which have been communicated to the colonel (even treating the former reports as doubtful), render it necessary for Colonel Hippisley to direct a strict and implicit obedience to the orders recently issued to the detachment under the command of Major Trewrenj and in addition, it is now peremptorily ordered^ that the flecheras conveying that divi- sion do keep company with the commandant's barge during the whole of the passage up the Apure, and most particularly to rendezvous each night at the same spot, where a general assembly of the officers and men will take place, and the guards for the night will be equally divided between the two detachments. To ensure this union, Major Trewren will (should his vessels be astern) continue his passage, even during the night, until he joins at the general place of rendezvous. The moon, at the present period, will afford the captain of the flecheras sufficient light to regain any distance the boats may have lost during the day, and, of course, enable the major strictly to obey this order. 584 APPENDIX. No. V2. (Page SyO.) Regimental Orders hj the Culmel Commandant. Parole — Dublin. Countersign — Kerry. On board tlicjtecliera, river Apure, '2\st May, 1818. The divisions on board the flechera, under the command of Major Trewren, are to wait the further orders of the colonel commandant before they proceed up the Apure to- morrow morning. A general assembl}' of the whole detachment will take place this evening. At that parade orders will be issued re- specting the dress of both officers and men, when they dis- embark at the town of San Fernando to-morrow. The flecheras will bring to, by signal from the colonel's barge, at six o'clock this afternoon, at which time the men will be landed, for the purpose of cleaning their accoutre- ments, ^c. and for passing the night as usual. When any junior officer finds it necessary to confine either of the non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, &c. of the de- tachment for irregularity or other unsoldierlike conduct, Buch officer will not in future attempt to release the prisoner without first reporting the crime, and his wish to pardon him, to the captain of the troop to which the man belongs. Ajtcr Orders, same date. The officers and non-commissioned officers. Sec. of the de- tachment will parade to-morrow morning at seven o'clock, regimentally dressed, with boots, spurs, 88 APPENDIX. No. Ik (.SVe;;^/^-e390.) Letter from Gctieral Paez to Colo7iel Hippislcy, brought by Colonel English. (Translation). Head-guarters, St. Paul's, 28th March, 1818. ESTEEMED SIR, If" the occurrences of the campaign would have permitted me to manifest to you the esteem and consideration in which I hold )'0Uj I should undoubtedly have done it exactly ; but this feeling will, I hope, be gratified wlien you join us, and I may have the pleasure of embracing and knowing you : then I shall see my wishes fulfilled, and the desire I have to serve you in every thing in my power shall be manifest. The republic, on your arrival, will acquire a greater de- gree of brilliancy than it possesses, and our glory at your side will be immortal. Have the goodness to reckon upon me from this moment, and admit amongst your best friends he who remains, with the greatest respect, your faithful and affectionate friend, (Signed) JOSE ANTONIO PAEZ, General of Cavalry. Col. Gustavus Hippisley, &c. APPENDIX. 589 No. 15. {Page 39'i.) After Regimental Orders by the Colonel Commandant. Same date as above, six d'duck, P. M. Verbal orders having this moment arrived by an aide-de- camp, belonging to the suite of the general-in-chief, for dis- embarkation of the 1st Hussars of Venezuela, the colonel commandant directs that the baggage and stores shall be immediately landed, and a guard placed over the same, con- sisting of one captain, one subaltern, and twelve non-com- missioned officers, until the whole be safely lodged in the storehouse appointed for its reception. The officers must themselves attend to the removal of their private baggage, which may also, at this period of confusion, be secured in the regimental store, and until quarters are assigned for the officers' reception. No. 16. {Page 3970 After Regimental Orders. Date as above, half-past eight o'clock, P. M. The baggage just landed to be re-shipped, as speedily as possible, on board the flccheras, and the officers and non- commissioned officers will again re-embark immediately after the whole of the stores, &c. are reported to be on board. All hurry and confusion to be avoided as much as possible. The articles (the private property of those who have so shamefully and so mutinously abandoned their colours, and who from this moment cease to be officers in the 1st Hussars of Venezuela) shall be left on shore for themselves to take away: the quarter-master may therefore allow these people to carry off their own baggage, if it interferes not with the shipment of his own stores, and does not create confusion. 590 APPENDIX. This order to be immediately read to the oflicers and men by the adjutant. The regimental order referred to at page 425 is omitted, for reasons previously assigned. No. 17. {Page 428.) Jvgustura, May lAth, 1818. MY DEAR COLONEL, Very unexpectedly, the supreme council here have de- termined, after I have executed their commands in the islands, that I proceed immediately to England on business of great import! I hope, if there is no interference on the part of the British government, to bring out a number of men. A week since I wrote you a long letter, with par- ticulars. You know my direction, to the care of J y. There is not any news here. We embark for St. Vincent's in half an hour. I beg ray aft'ectionate regard to all the lads. For God's sake do not lose any op[)ortunity of letting me know how things go on. Ever faithfully yours, J. T. ENGLISH. P. S. You had better write to me on receipt of this, saying every thing you wish and want from England. I am not at liberty at present to communicate my mission to England, or, be assured, you should know it. The men I may get at the islands I will send under the charge of Cornet Dewey, who, I have no doubt, will take every care of them. Recollect they are to be joined to our own regiment ; such are my stipulations. Yours again, J. T. E. To Commandant Hippisley, British brigade, San Fernando, or elsewhere. APPENDIX. 591 No. 18. (Page 429.) Copy of Letter to the Supreme Chief of the Venczuelian Army. Angustura, Slli June, 1818. GENERAL, It becomes a duty in me to lay before your excellency a detail of circumstances which took place on the afternoon and evening of the 23d May, which^ I presume, has only to be made known to you, as the general-in-chief of the Venc- zuelian army, to excite similar sensations in your breast, and fully equal to those I feel, attended with no less surprise than just indignation. You will, sir, give me credit for the real regret I now profess to feel, whilst reporting to you that the officers and non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, &c. of the 1st Hussars of Venezuela, who were lately solemnly enrolled, and sworn under my immediate command as their colonel (with the exception of only seven officers, twelve non-commissioned officers, and three trumpeters), have dared to mutiny and rebel against me and my authority, and to place themselves under the command of another. Fully to accomplish this act of rebellion, they had the te- merity also to seize the arm-chest, the clothing, and other articles, the property of myself, as well as the private bag- gage of the remaining officers and men, and by force of arms compel the surrender of most of the regimental stores from the custody of the quarter-master, who, in bringing back the standards of my regiment to the boat, escaped by good fortune the probable effect of two musket or pistol shots which were infamously fired at him, and the non-com- missioned officer who attended him, by some dastardly coward, at present unknown to us. Under the shouts and exclamations of " Viva General Paez, supreme chief of the cavalry!" every act of insolence. 592 APPENDIX. mutiny, and rebellion, \vas committed, doubtless unknown at tbe moment to tbat gallant officer; and witb difficulty did I secure tbe few arms and stores now remaining in my possession. Your excellency will permit me to remind you, that when first honoured with a personal interview, on my reaching San Fernando, you expressed your regret at the arrival of the British troops, in consequence of the retreat of your army; and you were pleased to order my return to An- gostura with the whole of the detachment of the first Vene- zuelian hussars. At half past five o'clock, p. m. on the following day, I unexpectedly received orders to disembark the corps, with the intimation that I might consider myself at liberty to join General Paez, if I chose so to do. Again verbal orders reached me to embark for Angustura, and before I could issue them to the detachment, once more I was ordered by an aide-de-camp to land the men and baggage. The suddenness of tkese various orders, and the subsequent one, that all the flecheras were to sail at six o'clock that afternoon, left me but few moments to determine; and as your excellency was to quit San Fernando at that period also, it became a matter of justice as well as of necessity, due to myself individually, that some preliminary matters should be canvassed, adjusted, and arranged between your ex- cellency and myself, relative not only to my own personal and pecuniary demands against the republic over which you, sir, preside, but on behalf of the numerous merchants and tradesmen in England, who had entrusted their property to the honour of the Venezuelian government, and who abso- lutely look up to me to present a due statement of their liberality and confidence, and their expectations of a just and equitable return. It was necessary, also, that some orders should have been issued by your excellency, previous to your embarkation for the Orinoco, with respect to my AmiNDix. .593 personal and individual rank and command in the army under General Paez, sanctioned and arranged by your ex- cellency's authority. It was impossible for me, sir, to sub- mit to the orders of a junior oliicer in the person of Colonel Wilson — ^junior I say, even in the Venezuclian service, by at least four months to myself, and whose army rank in the British service, during the period he bore a commission therein, never exceeded that of a lieutenant. Colonel Wilson had never advanced a guinea in the cause of South American independence, either before or during the passage from England ; and it would therefore have been most unjust that he should have taken rank of myself, who first drew the plan, and laid the foundation, for forming and enrolling a corps of cavalry in England, for the use of the Venezuelian republic, and whose personal exertions, from the early part of May, I8I7, procured the equipment of arms, clothing, saddlery, &c. &c. not for one regiment alone, but for two more, of which Colonels M'Donald and Skeene were to have been commandants. The stepping-stone for the raising even of Colonel Wilson's Red Hussars was placed by me. I feel obliged to recal your excellency's recollection to the melancholy event which deprived your country of the talents and assistance which those officers would have ren- dered, had their lives been spared : the fate of the former is more immediately within your own knowledge, whilst that of the latter, together with all his followers^, stores, appoint- ments, &c. the saddlery and appointments of the 1st Vene- zuelian Lancers, as well as those belonging to the 1st Vene- zuelian Hussars under my command, is equally ascertained in being totally lost and destroyed, when the unfortunate ship Indian foundered off the coast of France in December last. Yet, when your excellency's verbal order reached me that I should disembark, I endeavoured to show ipy obe- dience, by the promptitude with which I issued my orders on that occasion ; and situated as I was, without my accounts 594 APPENDIX. being settled, or any memorandum obtained from either you or your secretary, for or in behalf of myself or country- men in England, I had wholly disembarked my officers and people, and baggage, by eight o'clock ; and the whole were paraded on the beach, ready for conveyance to the store-room which one of your excellency's staff had selected for the purpose. I had cheered myself with the reflection, from what I had heard of your honour, justice, liberality, and avowed sentiments of gratitude, that all pecuniary de- mands, as well as all other just accounts, might be arranged through the medium of a letter, of which my confidential aide-de-camp should be the bearer. On arrival at the house appointed for my reception, which was also appointed for my regimental depot, I, to my surprise, found that a party of the Red Hussars had, by Colonel Wilson's orders, a few moments before taken possession ; and that admittance was peremptorily denied to my quarter- master, and personally to myself, by the orders of Colonel Wilson, whom report, from the mouths of his own men, now stj'led general of the British brigade in General Paez's army. The major of my regiment had, I was also informed, been promoted lieutenant-colonel. This information was indeed no less sudden than unexpected, and so completely at variance with the rules of military etiquette, to which I had been accustomed, and absolutely so degrading to my own feelings and situation, and so opposite to the solemn assurances and promises made me by your excellency's letter, a few moments before received, that I presented myself before you, to report the extraordinary occurrence, and to gain some information less dubious. At the moment, too, your excellency was on the point of entering your flechera, and hurried as you were, I had only time to ask for, and receive, your orders to proceed in my boats for Angustura, nor could I attain any information on the matter at issue. I therefore hastened to the boats, but was pre- APPENDIX. 595 vented from re-occupying tliem by the native troops and women, who had taken possession of them during the period of my absence. The greater part of my officers and men were in a state of riotous drunkenness, wilfully and pre- meditatedly made so by the two majors of the regiment, &c. for the secret and express purpose of seducing them into acts of insubordination and mutiny against me ; and separation from those officers and men whom they well knew could not be tampered with to forsake their colours and re- giment. At that moment too a most disgraceful scene took place ; the men were paraded in defiance of my orders, by the two majors and some of the other officers, and were solicited to join General Paez's army. They were publicly promised to be allowed plunder in its fullest extent, and the committal of every act, for the procuring of riches ; the bars were to be struck off the arm of each non-commissioned officer, who were individually to have promotion ; and the name of Paez was as publicly announced as the protector of them all, through every act of rapine, plunder, and infamy they might commit. Thus, General Bolivar, were British soldiers, in the service of your republic, seduced from their colours, and made to desert their immediate regiment and its colonel ; for, from the drunken state the men were in, they were easily pre- vailed upon, under such promises, to withdraw themselves from the regiment they had sworn never to desert, until legally discharged. They were then ordered by their self- created commanding officer, and encouraged, to seize upon the arms, ammunition, and clothing; and your excellency must, as a soldier of rank, and accustomed to command and be obeyed, feel more than indignant when I tell you (which in the most solemn manner I do) that these mutineers were repelled from plundering and taking away the remaining baggage by the swords of their legitimate colonel, and the brave and steady officers and men who joined him, to v.hose Q Q 2 596 APPENDIX. firmness also he was indebted for tlic preservation of tlu- few remaining articles of arms, and even rations, for per- forming the passage down the river. The continuation of this infamous and scandalous scene reached even beyond the period when I heard that your excellency had actually embarked ; nor could you have left the shore many minutes before 1 feared that I must have resorted to the use of my fire-arms for pi'otection and self- preservation. The result and its consequences would have been dreadful, I admit : fortunately our sabres alone pro- tected us from further insult, and 1 escaped the melancholy necessity of resorting to that alternative, of being obliged to order the few Britons who rallied around my person to treat their mad and misguided countrymen as enemies, by firing upon them. This unhappy occurrence so far detailed to your ex- cellency, I proceed to state further, that having with dif- ficulty secured another flechera, and having also, at the risk of more than one life, preserved the colours of my regiment, and protected them from the hands of the mutineers, I do, in the most solemn and energetic manner, yet with all due deference and respect for your excellency and the govern- ment, declare my determination against any or either of those officers lately belonging to the first Venezuelian Hussars ever again serving as such in that corps. " Lately" I say, because I took upon myself to dismiss them from my regiment at the moment, trusting that your excellency would give your final approbation on such a solemn occasion, as soon as the matter had been regularly reported to you. I therefore now solicit from the hands of your excellency the full per- mission, as an act of military justice to myself, and to those officers who now compose the first Venezuelian Hussars, as well as to others who may be induced to enrol themselves under the banners of my regiment in future, that you, sir, will be pleased to allow me to erase from its strength the APPENDIX. 59 names of those officers whom I have left at San Fernando; and whose places in the first Venezuclian Hussars I trust I shall very shortly fill up, by the appointment of others more worthy and deserving of my confidence and friendship. With respect to the deluded non-commissioned officers of the regiment, the trumpeters, farriers, &c. I must be per- mitted to claim them when opportunity occurs, and the sooner they are taught obedience by your excellency's mandate, and to learn no equality distinct from their rank and duty as soldiers, the better. I urge the request of their restoration to my regiment as an act of justice to my- self, and as a lesson of due subordination in them, for an example must be made ; the service demands it, and permit me to state, sir, that it is an obligation on the part of your government due also to me. By M. Mendez's agreement and engagement with me, you will perceive that the non- commissioned officers, trumpeters, farriers and artillerymen, cannot be removed from the regiment, or attempt to re- move themselves to any other corps, detachment, &c. without my previous consent. And under perfect con- fidence of this contract being fully enforced, I was induced to advance the men a certain sum of money, in cash, clothing, or provisions for the voyage out ; the repayment of which, from the money due to them from the republic, they trust they shall now avoid, by leaving the regiment under my command. But I am aware — I feel, that your excellency will not suffisr an English officer and gentleman, who came out to the assistance of the independent patriots of South America, to sustain a loss of any kind ; and therefore I cannot but declai'e my full conviction of being perfectly secure upon that point. A regular statement of my accompts with your government, and of the monies I have advanced for its service, I shall have the honour of laying be'ore your ex- •598 APPENDIX. cellency, aiul I Hatter myself tliey will receive your sanction and approbation. You will permit me, sir, still to trespass on your attention. Your excellency is aware how distressing it must be to a man of delicacy and feeling to be compelled to speak of himself, and egotist-like to record his own actions, and to assume praise and approbation which, in case even of actual merit, ought to come from the lips or pen of another. Yet, sir, in this predicament I stand, nor can I find the means of pro- curing a faithful friend, and interpreter of the necessary details of which it is indispensable for your excellency to be in the full possession, before I can lay before you my wishes, or qualify even the demands I make against your govern- ment, in behalf of my numerous tradesmen in England, who have equipped us all for the service of the Venezuelian republic. I shall begin, sir, by briefly and honestly stating wliat I have done for the patriotic cause, and I leave your ex- cellency to judge if any merit attaches itself to me. By the letter which Don Mendez gave me in England to present to your excellency (and of which my lieutenant- colonel was the bearer previous to my arrival on the Main), the deputy from Venezuela, as he assured me, had fully stated my pretensions to the rank I now hold in the service of the republic, and in the army under your command ; a rank guaranteed to me by M. iAIendez, because he could not then confer upon me that of general of brigade, and which he flattered me would be granted by your excellency, upon my joining at head-quarters. M. Mendez also assured me that he had stated ray personal and unwearied exertions in the cause of the independents ; the advances of money which I had made, the guarantees I had entailed on myself, and the difficulties I had experienced and overcome, whilst accomplishing my undertakings. To this he added my APPENDIX. 599 knowledge of the cavalry service, the military rank and stations I have held in my own country, &c. I shall not therefore trouble your excellency with a recapitulation of these facts, but proceed to state that I acknowledge M. Mendez's guarantee, as far as relates to my reception as colonel, to have been honourably cancelled. I therefore, at this monitnt, proudly admit myself as having the honour of being enrolled as a citizen of the republic, and I have the equal honour of holding the rank of commandant of ca- valry in the service of the state. High and flattering as is the distinction, yet is it the only one, save that of the in« dividual rank of my officers, where Don Mendez's guaran- tees have been fulfilled. The real and alleged cause of dissatisfaction and discontent both amongst officers and men was, that the stipulated sums of tnoney were not paid to them : the officers were to have received 200 dollars each, and the non-commissioned officers 80 dollars each on their arrival on the Spanish Main. The latter, pay from the day of their embarkation in England, the former from the day of their arrival on j'our shores, each according to rank. I will not tell your excellency, at this moment, all the inconveniences and privations we went through from the want of money on our arrival at Angustura; nor will I distress your feelings by stating what mine were, in not being able to make good the promises of remittances which I made to the various tradesmen with whom I had dealt in England. I however hoped for speed)^ payment, and I reasoned with, explained, and pacified the minds of others, when I learnt that the republic wanted not the inclination but the ability to perform Don Mendez's engagements. The General and Governor Montillo, and the Deputy Ad- jutant General Montebrune, can tell you, sir, of my exertions in temporizing with and pacifying the officers and men, pre- vious to our embarkation for San Fernando, and the determina- tion I shewed to allow every fair opportunity of acquitting itself to the republic. 600 APPENDIX. From the zeal I felt in the cause, and IVom the firm idea and persuasion that all my exertions, both bodily and pecuniary, would be liberally and promptly repaid, I left my native home, where I had the means of enjoying all the necessaries of life, and sought in your country an ample recompense for the toils and hardships I might undergo, I came, sir, therefore no needy adventurer into your service ; no beggar for alms ; no banished man from my native land, but as an independent soldier and gentleman, whose name and family yielded to none in my own country for honour and respectability. I ask for no pay until the finances of the republic can spare it, or I should quit the service ; but I ask for repayment of the monies I have advanced, and I solicit in the strongest manner that I may be enabled to make remittances home to England, to dis- charge my own and the debts of the republic, and by so doing give confidence to our creditors, and induce them to trust us again. I brought with me into the patriotic service two sons to share in my glory and good success : the eldest, who had previously served under the immortal Wellington in the junior ranks, is a captain in the first Venezuelian Hussars, and at present serving in the army, under General Marino. The second, bred to the British navy, is now serving under the orders of the Admiral Brion, as a lieutenant on board the Columbia. I have a third son who has held rank in the British service, ready to obey any orders for joining the cause, if leave can be obtained from that country. Judge therefore. General Bolivar, whether I am, or have been, merely a passive well wisher to the cause and interest of Spanish American independence. With such credentials as those above recited, in favour of my zeal, my exertions, and my feeling for the ultimate success of the cause, and [)iuticularly of the army under the control of your excellency, I think I may with safety APPENDIX. 601 presume to offer some propositions for your serious con- sideration ; and I now take tiie lionour of submitting them to you, and with a hope of immediate attention on the part of your excellenc3\ In the first place, I ask of your excellency to banish, or, in more delicate terms, to remove the officers lately be- longing to the first Hussars of Venezuela to another re- giment, bearing another denomination. Secondly, I entreat from your excellency the rank of general of the British Brigade : I am a colonel and com- mandant of one year's standing in the Venezuelian service; have exerted myself in equipping three regiments of cavalry ; and I trust I shall be found honest to the cause, and not undeserving of such, at present, nominal rank. Thirdly, that your excellency will be pleased to direct the repayment of all monies which I have actually advanced and expended for the use of the Venezuelian government, on a due inspection into the merits and justice of my accompts, and with the authority of any auditor that may be appointed to review them. Fourthly, that your excellency will direct that I shall be furnished with guarantees from the republic to cancel those I have myself given on its behalf, to various merchants and tradesmen in England. Fifthly, that all the English troops coming from the various West India islands shall be enrolled for the first Venezuelian Hussars, and placed under my command for drilling, &c. as well as those daily expected from England, which shall be unattached previous to their arrival. Sixthly, that a certain sum, or rations in lieu thereof, be daily allowed me and my officers according to rank, to enable us to live with decency, respectability, and comfort. Seventhly, that your excellency will be pleased to order a certain proportion of the allowance of 200 dollars to be paid to each officer for necessary and unavoidable daily 602 APPENDIX. expenses, as well as a certain proportion of the 80 dollars due to each man for like purposes, during their stay in the garrison of Angustura, viz. for those officers and men only who are now actually present. With the hope of your excellency's according to these propositions now most respectfully tendered, 1 proceed to make offers of what I will endeavour to do, if the govern- ment of England are not disposed to prevent me. First, as the next campaign will not in all probability commence before the end of December, I offer, that on receiving an order to return to England on duty, accom- panied by an aide-de-camp, and being supplied with a suf- ficient sum to defray the expenses of the passage thereto, to raise 350 men ; fully to equip them in clothing, arms, &c. and to bring them out to South America, under the guarantee from the Venezuelian republic to repay all ex- penses upon the arrival of such an aid on their shores, or at their then place of government. Secondly, I engage to have the vessel furnished with rations, &c. for the men during the voyage from England, on the Venezuelian republic previously guaranteeing the pay- ment of the same on its and their arrival on the Main. Thirdly, I engage to provide a vessel sufficiently large to contain, at least, the number of men agreed for, and whose draught shall allow her to pass the bar of the Orinoco, with a certain complement of guns, stores, and ammunition, &c. provided the republic undei'take to purchase her at a fair valuation, and to repay all the just and necessary expenses which may have been incurred previous to her arrival in the Orinoco. Fourthly, that a positive guarantee shall be given to me in behalf of that he shall receive the full rank and pay' of captain in the Venezuelian navy, and be appointed to the command of the said vessel, on her arrival at the scat of government. APPENDIX. 605 Fifthly, that a guarantee be given to me, to repay all expenses which may occur for any number of men above the number already mentioned, at the rate of thirty-five pounds per man, clothing and side-arms included. Sixthly, that I be furnished with proper credentials, authorizing me to support the guarantees I give on behalf of the republic of Venezuela to my countrymen in Eng- land. Seventhly, that I be allowed, at my own option, to convert the first Venezuelian Hussars, or a part thereof, into a corps of lancers, and mounted riflemen. Eighthly, that the Englishmen daily expected be placed under the command of an officer whom I shall select, yet under my inspection, who shall drill them for that service. And I here beg to recommend Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke (aide-de-camp to your excellency), as my second lieutenant- colonel. The power originally granted to me, by Don Luis Mendez, to remain equally in force. Ninthly, in case these propositions are accepted, I expect no army or regimental pay until my return to South America. Tenthly, that the above guarantees on the part of the Venezuelian republic be signed by your excellency, as supreme chief of the provinces of Venezuela -and New Grenada. I have the honour to be. Your excellency's most obedient servant, HIPPISLEY, Colonel Commandant first Venezuelian Hussars, and Commandant of the British Brigade. To His Excellency the Supreme Chief of the Republic, &c. 604 APPENDIX. No. 19. {Page 430.) Orders from the Staff-Office. (Translation.) Staffi-OJfice, Angustura, June 10, 1818. (No. 4g.) COLONEL, Please to send immediately, to this office, a return of the forces under your command, with the explanation, or list of your bugles and trumpeters. The general governor of the province wishes to have a full knowledge of the officers, Serjeants, privates, &c. Please also to order all your regimental officers to come up immediately to my office, together with the surgeons. They must all be under way as quickly as possible, and pro- ceed to such places as I shall communicate to them by the general governor's orders. Equally be pleased to order that one of your trumpeters, with his bugle, must be at the disposition and orders of the commandant of the battalion of Angustura, and another one under the orders of the commandant of the guard of honour. The first will be so placed for some time, and the second effectively for the "guard of honour." I communicate to you, colonel, these orders for your in- telligence, and for the purpose of being immediately accom- plished. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) MONTEBRUNE, I'or the major de place. To Col. Command. Ilippisley, Chief of the first Ven. Hussars. APPENDIX. 605 (^Ansxvcr.) (Copy.) Angustnra, June 10, 1818, Half past eleven o'clock, A. M. SIR, You will inform the general and governor of the province that I have, in consequence of his excellency's orders through you, issued directions for an immediate return of the forces under my command to be made out, and the same shall be forwarded to your office, as soon as possible, for the inspection and information of the general and governor, Sedeno. The officers of the first Hussars of Venezuela shall be directed to parade immediately, for the purpose of a general assembly of them, at the general and governor's quarters, precisely at one o'clock. You will be pleased to inform the General Sedeno, that with respect to the partial removal of the officers and trumpeters belonging to the first Hussars of Venezuela, or the final sepa- ration of the non-commissioned officers from their own imme- diate officers and the regiment in general; I should feel myself guilty of a breach of promise, and solemn assurance made by me to both officers and men, were I silently to submit to such an innovation on the articles of my agreement with the Vene- zuelian deputy in England ; and, as such, I must take leave, yet with all due deference to his excellency 'the supreme chief of the republic of Venezuela, to enter my protest against any such proceeding, as connected with the first regiment of Venezuelian Hussars; nor can I, or do I, consent to the de- termination of the General and Governor Sedeno, in sepa- rating my officers and men. The officers, non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, farriers, and artillery-men, were en- rolled wholly and solely for my regiment, denominated the 60G APPENDIX. " First Hussars of Venezuela.'' — If the general-in-chief should deem their acting collectively necessary for the ser- vice, myself, and (the second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh, of my lately submitted propositions being conceded to me), my officers, non-commissioned officers, &c. are not only ready but willing to obey every wish of General Bolivar, and to join any detachment of his army — but we must not be separated. My agreement with the deputy in London is absolute on this point, nor can I accede to the smallest mfringement on its solemn guarantee. The obliga- tions I owe my officers and men will not suffer me (without the strongest remonstrance on my part) tacitly to submit to the removal of my officers from their regiment; my medical staff to be drafted to a native, or any other corps ; or my trumpeters (whose instruments are my private property) to be taken from their troops, even to be transplanted to the corps of the " guard of honour," or the battalion of Angus- tura. Until Mr. Mendez's agreements are completed, and the regiment effective in numbers, my officers, non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, &c. must act collectively, and cannot be separated ; yet freely admitting to our ranks, and acting with such reinforcements as the general-in-chief, in the interim, may be pleased to attach to us, or to aid us in any general or particular movement that his excellency may deem necessary. 1 am, sir, yours, &c. (Signed) HIPPISLEY, Commandant and Colonel, First Huss. of Venezu. To the General and Governor Sedeno's Aide-de-Camp, or Town-major of the garrison, N. B. — A verbal reply, through the town-major, was sent to the above letter, " that his excellency, the general and governor of the province, had countermanded the orders APPENDIX. ()07 lately sent to Colonel Hippisley ; and that further directions had been issued by General Sedeno to remove the officers and non-commissioned officers, &c. belonging to the first Hussars of Venezuela to barracks appointed for them at the north part of the city.'' No. 20. (Same page.) From Colotiel Hippisley to General Montillo. (Copy.) Angiistura, June 9, 1818. DEAR GENEKAL, I entreat of you to give immediate directions for the sup- plying of myself, officers, non-commissioned officers, &c. with necessary provisions for our sustenance. We are with- out rations of any kind, except beef: neither bread, cassava, rice, salt, pepper, vegetables, rum, or tobacco ; no soap, sugar, or candles, or any allowance of pay to procure them from the merchants' stores, where all the above articles may be obtained for money. There are no lodging rooms set apart for the officers ; and, therefore, they can command no place to deposit their baggage or repose in at night, I solicit immediate attention, and I feel that you are dis- posed to grant every proper comfort to my officers and men, and have only to be told of our situation to grant instant redress. I have the honour to be, Dear General, Your obliged and obedient servant, HIPPISLEY, Colonel-Commandant. To his Excellency the General and Governor Montillo. 608 APPENDIX. No. 21. {Same jKtge.) From General Montillo to Colonel Hippisley. (Translation.) Government House, June g, 1818. DEAR SIR, I have the honour to reply to your letter of this date, concerning the want of the articles necessary for the officers of the ^ist Venezuelian Hussars, under your orders and command. I will give the necessary order this day, on purpose for you to receive the articles, and the lodgings also ; and your officers shall receive that which the city affords. I request a return of the officers and forces under your command ; and I remain, Dear Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, The General and Governor, (Signed) J. MONTILLO. To Colonel' Commandant Hippisley, of the 1st V. Hussars. APPENDIX. 609 No. 22. {Same page.) (Translation.) Uetid-ijuarters, ylngustura, Qtk June, 1818. Simon Jjolivar, Supreme Chief of the ilepubh'c, Captain- General of the Armies of Venezuela and New Grenada, &c. To Colonel Hippisley, of the 1st Regiment of Hussars of Venezuela. Last nfght I received your letter of yesterday. It being written in a foreign language, and in a character difficult to be deciphered, I have ordered it to be translated, by the go ■ vernment interpreter, and when aware of its meaning, I will answer it. May God preserve you many years. (Signed) , BOLIVAR. Second Letter. (Translation.) Head-quarters, Angustura^ June II, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain- General of the Armies of Venezuela, New Granada, &c. To Colonel Hippisley. What has taken place with the English troops under your command, as also with yourself and Colonel Wilson, in the city of Saint Ferdinand, as communicated to me by 30U in your letter of the 7th instant, I regret extremely; not only on account of the benefit that would have resulted to the republic by your remaining in that place, and a good under- standing amongst the English officers, but also the disgust R R 610 APPENDIX. you have received ; you, who so generously came to bear a part in our struggle with Spain, and to contribute to the liberty of our country. I will reply separately to the demands and propositions made by you in your above-mentioned official letter of the 7th. God preserve you many years. (Signed) BOLIVAR. (Translation.) Head-quarters, Jngttstura, June 11, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain- General of the Armies of Venezuelaand New Granada, &c. To Colonel Gustavus Hippisley. In reply to the articles contained in your official letter of the 7th instant, I say to the first, tiiat the officers who formed partof the regiment of the Hussars of Venezuela shall pass to another regiment. To the second, in which you request the rank of brigadier,— denied. To the third, tlie government of Venezuela is ready to fulfil the contracts entered into by their agents in London, after examination of the accounts and contracts that you must present; this answer serving equally for the fourth article. To the fifth, the English troops that may continue to arrive at Venezuela shall be disposed of according to the agreements made with our agent in London. To the sixth, the funds of the government are applied, and do not admit of any innovation ; and the rations are distributed according to the rank in the army. To the seventh, upon your presentation of the documents for examination, whatever may appear due will be paid. /APPENDIX. 611 In regard to the proposal you make me to return to Kngland, &:c. I say that you have my permission to do it; but as the campaign is not to be suspended as you think, and the government has not funds to defray the expenses of your going to reeruit, and transport three hundred and fifty- men, tlie government does not accept it, nor either the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and tenth; acceding to the seventh, and ninth, without restriction, and to the eighth conformably to the fifth article of the demand. God preserve you many years. (Signed) BOLIVAR. No. 23. {Page 435.) R, 0. by tite Colonel- Commandant. Angustura, Junt lO, 181S. Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, aide-de-camp to his excellency the general-in-chief of the army, is appointed by Colonel Hippisley lieutenant-colonel to the first Venezuelian Hussars, and is to be considered as such, and obeyed accordingly, until the supreme chief's final approbation is obtained. A. R. 0. of the same date. The daring and mutinous conduct of the greater part of the officers and men of the first Venezuelian Hussars, on the evening and night of the 23d ultimo, was of too shameful a nature for Colonel Hij)pisley to pass it over, without animad- verting upon it in his regimental orders, the moment op- portunity presented itself. Would to God that the colonel could forget the trans- action, or that it never had occurred ! A transaction dis- graceful to them all as men, and unworthy the characteristic of British soldiers. H K 2 61*2 APPENDIX. But a too fatal recollection of the event recalls all the occurrences of that night and reminds him that the behaviour of both officers and men was too openly displayed, and the reality too glaring, to admit of doubt on any point. Too true it is that the officers and men disgraced them- selves and their regiment, and forfeited their honour on that occasion. Situated, however, as he felt himself, and jealous of the honour of those brave officers and soldiers who rallied round his person on that truly unfortunate night, and who accom- panied the colonel-commandant on his return to the garrison of Angustura (the present head-quarters of his excellency the general-in-chief). Colonel Hippisley determined to make an example of those officers who were engaged in the mutiny, and who so shamefully deserted their colours. To accomplish this determination, the colonel addressed a letter to General Bolivar, from which the following article therein contained is now extracted. <' In the first place, I ask of your excellency to banUh, '< or, in more delicate terms, to transfer the officers lately " belonging to the first Venezuelian Hussars to another re- " giment, bearing another denomination." And, in a former part of the same letter, the colonel wrote thus : «' I do, in the most solemn and energetic manner, yet " with all due deference and respect for your excellency •' and the government, declare my determination against " any or either of those officers lately belonging to tlie first *' Venezuelian Hussars ever again serving as such in that " corps; lately, I say, because I took upon myself to dismiss *' them from the regiment, trusting that your excellency *• would give your final approbation, as soon as the matter " had been regularly reported to you: I, therefore, now so- " licit from the hands of your excellency the full permission, ♦* as an act of military justice to myself, and to those officers APPENDIX. 61 S *' who now Lom[)Ose the first \'cnezuelian Hussars, as well as " to ot-hers who may be induced to enrol themselves under " the banners of my regiment in future, that you, sir, will '* be pleased to allow me to erase from its strength the names ** of those officers whom I have left at San Fernando, and " whose places, in the first Venezuelian Hussars, I trust, 1 " shall very shortly fill up, by the appointment of others " more worthy and deserving of my confidence and friend- " ship." By the answer received from his excellency the general- in-cliief, dated the 1 1th of June, he is pleased to announce — ♦' Answering to the articles contained in your lordship's " letter of the 7th instant, I say, first, that the officers, for- *' raerly belonging to the first Venezuelian Hussars, shall pass " to another regiment." The names of those officers thus removed from the first Venezuelian Hussars are now inserted in the regimental orderly book. Majors Trewren, Cornet Webster. Ferrier. O'Rcily. Captain ^ilahony. Hodge. Lieuts.J. Smith. Surgeon Blair. Sherwood. A. Surg. Moore. Holland. Asbury. Lee. Ex. Sur. Fry. Cornet Collins. To those officers who remained firm and attached the colonel directs that his sentiments of approbation for their conduct, and his thanks for their steadiness, be recorded. Were he to give way to tlie personal and private feelings which possess his heart, he should trespass on the limits of his paper, and overstep the bounds which military etiquette prescribes; and this order would then cease to be a military conveyance of approbation for military conduct, and become literally a letter, conveying his sentiments of affectionate regard to the officers themselves. 6hl APPENDIX. Yet the colonel-commandant feels a pleasure in registering this mark of his esteem and friendship for the officers now belonging to the first Venezuelian Hussars in the regimental orderly book, and thus recording his thanks and obligations to them all, for their public and private conduct, throughout the whole affair ; nor are the non-commissioned officers, for their fidelity and steadiness, less objects of their colonel's approbation and esteem. (By order) THOMAS CLUBLEY, Capt.and Adjt. Page 437. (Translation.) To Colonel C.Hippisley, of the first regiment of Venezuelian Hussars. COLONEL, The exceeding number of troops now in this place do not permit nic to grant, although 1 wished, all that you re- quire, as we have scarcely enough for the rations of meat, salt, fire, and bread, which is scanty, as we have no flour : it is true, there is some in the stores; but it is the property of individuals, which the state cannot dispose of on account of the excessive debt contracted by her of more than 500,000 dollars : nevertheless I will present your petition to his excellency, and with his orders I will communicate to the ministers, that as a very particular and extraordinary favour they will deliver to you cxclubively one hundred dollars; where you will present yourself as soon as 1 give the order to you. I remain with respect, Your att'ectionate servant, (Signed) T. MONTI LLO, 1 uh June, 18 IS. General and governor APPr.NDlX. 615 Anguxtura, nth June, IBIS. GENERAL, I have to acknowledge tlie receipt of your excellency's letter of tin's day's date, with which I am this moment honoured; and I shall be happy in being allowed to wait upon you to-morrow, with my accounts against your government, and at such time as your excellency may be pleased to appoint for our personal interview, and arrangement of the same. I have the honour to remain, general. Your excellency's obedient servant, HIPPISLEY, Colonel Commandant. His excellency the General-in-chief, Bolivar. Head-quarters J Angustura, \ \th June, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Chief of the Republic, Captain- General of the Army of Venezuela and New Granada, &c. To Colonel Hippisley. To-morrow, at twelve, you may come to speak with me, as you request. May G od preserve you many years. (Signed) BOLIVAR. 6l6 APPENDIX. (Copy.) Colonel IJippis/cij to General Bolivar. Angustura, lllk June, 1818. GENERAL, I cannot but feel myself more than astonished at the re- sult of the conversation with which 1 had the honour to en- gage your excellency's attention this morning; nor can I omit trespassing for a few minutes on your time and atten- tion, whilst I entreat of you to reconsider the propositions made to you, through the channel of my letter of the 8th instant, with the exceptions only of tlie second and fifth article. In the letter with which you honoured me in answer thereto, I read, if my translation be correct, and in refer- ence to the third article, '' that the government of Venezuela is ready to fultil all the contracts entered into by their de- puty in London, after previous examination of the accounts and contracts, &c." and again, as far as relates to the seventh article, "On presentation of the necessary documents on this subject for examination, they will be paid agreeable to the result." Why, then, general, are you pleased to deny the accuracy of the accounts I this morning tendered for your perusal, or why refuse to fulfil the contracts, which your agent, Mr. Mendez, so solcmly guaranteed to me in behalf of myself, my officers, and men, and which, under the deputy's signature, I laid before your view, at our morning's conference ? The accounts, which I also presented to you, are vouched for, with respect to their veracity, on my own sacred honour; on the honour and oalh, if necesbary, of the ArPKNIMX. 617 pay-master and quarter-iuaster of t!ie regiment, whose signatnres, added to my own, they also bear. The settle- ment ol" those accounts, and the exoneration ol' myself and guarantees from the liabih'ty we at present lie under, on behalf of your government, demands from your excellency, as an act of justice, honour, and gratitude, that the whole should be cancelled ; and I again urge and entreat you, general, to a reconsideration of my claims on your republic, and on yourself as its head, which will alone prevent me from feeling that myself and followers in arms have not only been duped, but betrayed by your excellency's emis- sary in England ; nor will you, yourself, general, be free from a suspicion of reproach, as a " particeps criminis,'' in the transaction, which I would, most willingly, from my soul, be empowei'ed, by your excellency's ordering an im- mediate settlement of the accounts, to deny. Yet should you, sir, still refuse payment, under the ex- cuse, " that Mr. Mendez's signature is not annexed to the accounts," I must entreat permission to leave the service of a republic, in which I have been dishonoured by doubts of my veracity, with other marks of ingratitude and injustice imposed upon me, derogatory to the character of an English- man and a soldier silently to bear. I have the honovir to remain, general. Your excellency's humble servant, HIPPISLEY, Commandant and Colonel, istHuss. Venezuela. His excellency, the General-in-chief, Bolivar. 618 APPENDIX. Colonel Hipptsle^ to General Montillo. Angustura, June 13, 1818. GENERAL, I have to report to you, that the British officers and men are falhng into disease and sickness, for the want of proper food, or money to procure it. My quarter-master has had no rations given out for the use of the troops, beyond the daily issue of bad beef; nor have either myself or the pay- master been furnished with the order promised, for the hun- dred dollars, on the intendant general. I am selling my clothes to buy food, and to give a little rum to the men. Pray, sir, obtain an order upon Messrs. Forsyth and Smith's stores. We shall all die of absolute want; an ungenerous return, I presume to say, for the exertions of the British in the cause of Venezuela. I, however, know your heart, and I am satisfied the re- moval of this difficulty rests not with you. However, such is our fate and misery, at the present moment. Your faithful friend, HiPriSLEY. To the General and Governor, Montillo. APPENDIX. 619 A. II. 0. hy the Colonel-Commandant. June 14, 1818. TheGeneral-in-chief Bolivar has been pleased to confirm the appointment made by Colonel-Commandant Hippisley of Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, of the Venezuelian army, being placed as lieutenant-colonel of the first Hussars of Venezuela, in the room of Colonel English, transferred to and promoted in another corps. Cornet and Quarter-master John Dodson is promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the regiment, which he will hold (although without any additional pay) with his commission of quarter-master. The said rank of lieutenant being only by brevet. Cornet Simpson is appointed a lieutenant in the same corps. The above promotions will be forwarded to the general- in-chief, for his excellency's approbation and signature to each commission. Corporal Denning, for his good conduct during the time he has been permanent orderly with the General and Governor Montillo, is promoted to the rank of Serjeant in the regiment, and has leave to continue on such duty, with the general, until further orders. Trumpeter Robert Dodson, son of Lieutenant and Quarter-master Dodson, is promoted to the rank of Serjeant in the regiment. He is to be considered as a cadei for fu- ture promotion, when his age, abilities, and good conduct shall have rendered him qualified and deserving of such a distinction. As a mark, however, of his present rank and uture hopes, the colonel-commandant is pleased to order 620 APPENDIX. that he wears a ' gilt sun' over the clievrons on his right arm, and in addition to the usual stripes uorn by Serjeants of cavalry, as their distinguishing badge. All prisoners to be released, and all irregularities com- mitted by the men of the regiment, who are now in the garrison, and up to this day, inclusive, to be forgiven ; — all suspensions from rank to cease, and each non-commissioned officer to be restored to his former rank and station. This is at least a proof of Commandant Hippisley's friendship for the men, and which he now feels inclined to shew them, not only from the hope that all irregularities will, in future, be carefully avoided, but in consideration of tlie more than pro- bability of the colonel's immediate return to England. (Signed by order) THOMAS CLUBLEY, Capt. and Adj, Culoncl Ilippisley to General Bolivar Avgustura^ June 1(5. GENERAL, As I find I can obtain no redress by a repayment of the various sums I have expended on account of the Venezuelian republic, or even an exoneration from the guarantees I have imposed on myself in England, on its behalf, 1 request per- mission to leave the Spanish Main, for the purpose of my return to Europe. Myself, officers^ and men, cannot exist without some kind of pay, or allowances to procure the ne- APPENDIX. 621 cessary food for our subsistence and licalth, nor can I con- sent to remain in your service, unless tlie conditions I lately submitted to 30ur excellency are acceded to. I, therefore, request to be furnislied with the necessary passports for my- self^ and those who choose to accompany me to England. 1 have the honour to remain, Your excellency's humble servant, HIPPISLEY. The General-in-chief, Bolivar. R. O.by the Colonel- Commandant. Angiistiira, June \Q, 1818. Colonel Hippisley directs, that until further orders all regimental reports be made to Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, by whom the orders connected with the duties of the regi- ment will be issued, and through whom all reports, returns, &c. will proceed. Colonel Hipi)isley announces to the officers and non- commissioned officers of the first Hussars of Venezuela, that he has obtained the sanction of his excellency the general- in-chief to quit this country ; and that in the course of the present week lie will, probably, take his departure for England, The circumstances which occasion the colonel to leave the regiment are as unavoidable as unexpected ; yet there even still remains the pleasing hope (which the colonel cherishes with the most heartfelt ardour) that his absence may be only for a few months, and at the expiration of that period he may again be enabled personally to greet 62^ APPENDIX. the officers nnd non-commissionetl officers; — to find tliem all in liealtli, prosperity, and comfort ; and ready, with those brave fellows, who in the interval may have joined the regi- ment, to assist him in the glorious cause for which they all originally embarked for the shores of Venezuela. Should it, however, be the fate of Colonel Hippisley, and his ill fortune, not to obtain the consent of the General-in- chief, Bolivar, to the propositions submitted to his excel- lency's consideration, by the colonel, and in consequence of such refusal. Colonel Hippisley is obliged to resign his com- mission, and to quit the command of the first Hussars of Venezuela ' for everj' he in the most fervent and solemn manner entreats the officers of the corps (many of whom are endeared to him by the ties of friendship and atlection) to believe the assurances he now makes them of his unceas- ing good wishes for their health and success : — that all their wishes may be realized, and all their expectations fulfilled to the utmost extent, shall be his constant prayer. To the non-commissioned officers who now compose the regiment the colonel begs his best wishes to be given, and which he sincerely tenders for their acceptance; not more for their health, prosperity, and success, than from a hope that, by a constant and strict obedience to their duty, they will not only merit but obtain applause: their success will then most assuredly follow. The commandant, therefore, entreats of them to let their conduct be such as to gain the approbation of their present commanding officer j who will, on taking upon him the command of the regiment at this evening's parade, most solemnly assure the men, that (as the General-in-chief Bolivar has peremptorily refused to allow any of the non- commissioned officers to quit the inde[jendent service until it is his pleasure so to do, which determination he has directed the lieutenant-colonel to impart to them;, he, Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, will never be unmindful of their interest, nor backward in proving to them, that, as often as APPENDIX, 6'23 time and circumstances permit, tlieir merit shall not pass by unrewarded. Colonel Hippisley takes this mode of conveying his wishes and feelings upon the occasion, and of bidding the officers and non-commissioned officers, &c, farewell: yet he still trusts circumstances may turn up, previous to his departure, to prevent him even from anticipating that sucli farewell may be a farewell for ever, Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke will direct this order to be read to the officers and non-commissioned officers, when they parade this afternoon. (By order) THOMAS CLUBLEY, Capt, and Adj. No. 34. General Bolivar to Colonel Hippisley. Head-quarters, Aiigustura, June 1 8th, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain- General of the Armies of Venezuela and New Granada, &c. To Colonel Gustavus Hippisley, Your admission to the service of the republic, according to your contract entered into with Mr. Lopez Meudez, which has been approved and confirmed by me, does not permit me to grant you the passport you request until you give in a formal resignation of your commission, and re- nounce the facts and agreements made with Mr. Lopez Mendez, declaring them null and void on your part. With these conditions, I have no objection to grant you the pass- (j^4 ArPEN'DIX. ports y^u requiro, and permanent leave from the service, tf you insist upon returning to England. God preserve you many years. (Signed) BOLIVAK. No. S5. Leller from Colonel Hippisley to General Bolivar. (Copy.) Angustura, June 18. GENERA!-, Your excellency will allow me to recal to your re- collection, that on the morning of Monday last, in the presence of Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, the General and Governor Montillo, and Captain Choniprey, the harbour- master, and sworn interpreter, I fully resigned my com- mission as colonel in chief of the first Hussars of Venezuela, in the service of your republic ; and that )'our excellency did then and there accept it, giving me at the same time leave to quit the territory of this part of South America, for the purpose of returning to England. That your excellency considered such resignation com- plete you must candidly admit, for by the general orders of the 15th instant you were pleased to appoint Lieutenant- Colonel Rooke to the command of the regiment, and of all the British officers and men lately arrived in the garrison of Angustura. Judging, therefore, that you would not in honour or justice recal such permission, I engaged for a passage to the island of St. Lucia, and have already sold many articles APPENDIX. (325 belonging to me to pay for my passage, and to procure the necessary comforts for the voyage. Your letter, general, of this day's date, has, 1 acknowledge, more than surprised me ; for from the moment your ex- cellency acceded to my resignation, I became B. Major Hippisley, late of his Britannic Majesty's service, and in such character requested, or rather demanded, my passport for self and servant. A sworn copy of all 'SI. Mender's engagements with me are with my friends in London, who, even allowing I should never return to my native country, either by death or deten- tion, would see ample justice done to those relatives I leave behind. Nor can I, nor will I, general, in justice to my family, attempt to exonerate INI. Mendez from those engage- ments which he voluntarily entered into with me ; nor would I willingly, even for a moment, suppose it was the real intention of General Bolivar, or the independent government of Venezuela over which he presides, pre- meditated ly to attempt the ruin of a gentleman and a Briton, whose only fault has been the too implicit con- fidence he placed in the powers granted by the Venezuelian republic to M. Mendez. My prospects on return to England are by no means flattering ; for if the Venezuelian government in reality deceive me, I must suffer the incarceration of my person, on my appearance in London, to save my friends and guarantees from a similar fate. I still think, I sincerely hope, that you, sir, are too just, both to yourself and your country, to drive me to despair. My wishes as proposed in the articles already tendered, or even in part acceded to, and you bind me to your cause for ever. Deny me the common justice I demand, or attempt unfair means of detention, and you will find, that ere s s CM APPENDIX . long 1 will make application to the British government to claim me as its soldier and subject. I take leave to add, that no compulsory act of yourself or government, to make invalid any agreement of M. Mendez's with me, can or will be suffered or admitted to be efficient by the government of my own countr}^ or in any of its courts of law; and unless M. Mendez withdraws himself from England before I can transmit a just statement of his conduct towards me, he will be made to fulfil his contracts, or suffer the penalties of the British law upon that head. I have the honour to be Your excellency's humble servant, G. HIPPISLEY. His excellency the General-in-chief, Bolivar. No. 36. - Letter from General Bolivar to Colonel Hippislei/. (Copy.) ( Translation.) Head-quarters, Angnstnra, June igih, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain General of the Armies of Venezuela and New Grenada, &c. &c. &c. To Colonel Hippisley, of the first regiment of Venezuelian Hussars. I remember very well that, in the presence of Lieutenant- Colonel Rooke and Captain Chomprey, you asked my APPENDIX. C)27 permission to resign and return to England ; and I re- member extremely well that I granted you permission to resign, and demand your passport. If Lieutenant-Colonel Kooke has taken charge of the first regiment of Hussars of Venezuela, it is because you pro- posed him as commandant of the first squadron, and 1 acceded to your request in order to oblige you : and in consequence, the lieutenant-colonel has not taken charge of the first squadron, or of the first company, but of some officers and detached soldiers. You judge very right when you suppose that I would not retract my word; but the surprise you express at my letter of yesterday's date is very strange, and it is still more strange that you should have supposed that I could have accepted your resignation com- pletely and absolutely, without any other formality than a simple conversation. You may be well acquainted with the English service, in which I am ignorant whether a simple verbal resignation is sufficient to quit the service. You ought to know that with us it is not so, and if you do not know it you must learn it. B. Major Hippisley in his Britannic Majesty's service has no connexion here with the concerns of Colonel Hippisley of Venezuela, whom alone I know, and with whom I have to treat. You have not understood my letter of yesterday's date, if you suppose that I pretend to exonerate Don Lopez Mendez from the contracts made with you. You do well also in supposing that the government of Venezuela cannot attempt the ruin of an English gentleman, whose only fault has been to place an entire faith in the powers granted by the government of Venezuela to Don Lopez Mendez. You know, for I have repeated it a thousand times, that the contracts between Don Lopez Mendez and you will be most religiously fulfilled; I again repeat to you, present them to the government, and they shall be fulfilled. The s s 2 6^8 APPENDIX. government of Venezuela has never deceived any one, but it has known how to punish the insolence of those who offend it. You do right to hope that I shall do nothing to drive you to despair: if you despair, it must proceed from other causes of which I am ignorant, or perhaps not. I shall not deny the justice you deserve, because I possess sufficient dignity for that purpose, but not on account of your ridiculous threats, which I despise. If the acts .of the government of Venezuela have no force in England, I believe it is reciprocal in Venezuela- God preserve you many years, (Signed) BOLIVAR. Lettei\from Colonel Hippisley to Getieral Bolivar. A)7gustnra, June igtii, 1818. GENERAL, I acknowledge that I stand corrected in not having in a more official manner tendered my resignation of the com- mission which I hold in the army of the Venezuelian republic, as a colonel commandant, and colonel in chief of the first Hussars of Venezuela. I beg also to express my sorrow that I should so far have mistaken your excellency's sentiments with respect to tlie guarantees I held under the signature of your deputy, Don Luis Mendez, in London, as to convey a suspicion or doubt of your excellency's honourable intentions in the due performance of them ; and most happy shall 1 be in acknowledging the extent of my error as soon as I am honoured and gratified in finding your present determinations realized. APPENDIX. 629 The misinlerpretation, or rather tlie erroneous translation, of the letter which gave rise to such a perversion of" your excellency's just and honourable sentiments, I shall ever lament, even in the midst of the satisfaction I shall feel in being reimbursed in the various sums I have expended on behalf of the government. I have the honour to remain, general, Your excellency's humble servant, (Signed) HIPPISLEY. His excellency the General-in-chief, Bolivar, &c. Letter from General Bolivar to Colonel Hippisle^. Head-quarters, Angustura, June 20th, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain General of the Armies of Venezuela and New Grenada, &c. &c. &c. To Colonel G. Hippisley, of the first regi- ment of Venezuelian Hussars. Notwithstanding your letter of the 19th formally an- nounces your resignation of colonel in the service of the republic, I cannot accept it until you send me the com- mission you hold from the government, and finally re- nounce the right which your engagements with Mr. Lopez Mendez give you of commanding the first regiment of Venezuelian Hussars. I shall be happy to learn that you are undeceived in regard to the meaning of my note of the 18th, imperfectly understood or ill explained, as the conditions it contained for the delivery of the passport you require were the same 630 APPENDIX. as this : had it not been for this unfortunate occurrence, you would have been satisfactorily despatched ere this, and have avoided the disgusts you assure me you have suffered. God preserve you many years, (Signed) BOLIVAR. Letter Jrom Colonel Hippisley to General Bolivar. (Copy.) Angustura, list June, 1818. SIR, I have tlie pleasure to enclose to your excellency the commission I received from you as a colonel commandant in the army of the Venezuelian republic, and which from having been mislaid amongst my papers could not be found until this moment. I likewise accompany the same with the document, or deed, which 1 received from M. Luis Lopez Mendez in London, fully subscribing to the cancelling of that part which relates to my appointment of colonel-commandant of the first regiment of Hussars of Venezuela, and contained in the prelude to that agreement, previous to the insertion of the various articles in the same instrument, from the 2lst of the present month inclusive; reserving to myself the full and absolute power of claiming the due performance of all the engagements entered into by your deputy in London, as contained in the additional articles with respect to their full and proper meaning as such guarantees therein intended to secure to me. I trust, general, you will restore the said agreement to me again, even should you think it necessary oi just io APPENDIX. 631 mutilate or erase the signatures, previous to the same being returned. Having now therefore fully acquiesced in the conditions, as prescribed by your excellency for the obtainment of my passport, I hope I may, without fear of further detention, be furniiihed with it, so as to enable me to depart in the schooner which leaves the river for St, Lucia, on Monday next. Your excellency will, before I take leave, suifer me, which I now do, to repeat my sorrow at the more than misunder- standing which has taken place between us ; accompanied with my sincere regret that all my just applications to you, in behalf of myself and others, have failed in their success, and that I have not been thought deserving of holding the rank to which I aspired (from the promises made mc in England) in the service of a republic in whose cause, for upwards of fourteen months, I had shown so much zeal, risked so much property, and devoted so much time and unwearied attention, without receiving the smallest re- compense. I have only to add that my best wishes for the ultimate and speedy success of the South American patriots will ever attend them, and I have the honour to be Your excellency's humble servant, (Signed) HIPPISLEY. His excellency the General-in-chief, Dolivar, &c. 6SQ Al'l'KN'DIX. Letter from General Bolivar to Colonel Hippisley. Head-quarters, A?igustura , June 22d, 1818. Simon Bolivar, Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain General of the Armies of Venezuela and New Grenada, &c. t)!Miry rcpiiiix wIikIi tlic :< Iiooium' liad wwiU'H.'imo. in llitil. iiliiiid : tlic govi'mitiiMil liail ciilrutiled rtii* idKf) vvilli .UKK) doll.ii'ii Id dcl'i.iy llic (•x|)C'tiH(!M, Having «rriv(;i'uction cil conveying yourself itnil corpK to the place uppoinled : ihc adiniral wan pleattcd with tny <'x:r <^nd uihich appeared in that paper on the ISthfolhiving. The insertion of an article relative to Venezuela, which appeared in the Courier of the 12th instant, together with his reflections thereon, compels the deputy to give due satisfaction to the public on this subject, as well as to defend his honour and character, highly aspersed by the horrible calumnies with which they have not only attempted to defame him, but surprise and impose on the candour and liberality of some editors, without any other motive for so unjust a proceeding than the self-interest and low passions by which the authors have been led away. The deputy is persuaded that the principles of justice, combined with the interests of the public and of truth, will induce the editor of the IMorning Chronicle to insert in his journal the pre- sent communication, which the deputy has the honour to submit to him relative to the same article, and which he assures him is wholly incontestable, unless faith is given to vague words and indefinite complaints devoid of all evidences. For the present the sole object of the deputy is re- spectfully to place before the public the following as- sertions : — 64'8 APPENDIX. That the deputy has never directly or indirectly, or in any manner whutcvcr , seduced, or attempted to seduce, any English officer or soldier, or any individual of any other profession, to go and serve the government of Venezuela. That it has been most distant from his ideas and principles to use any deceit, artifice, or false promises, to induce any person in this country, whatever might be his rank or profession, to go and serve in Venezuela. That the deputy has never himself, nor has any other person authorized b)' him, or with his knowledge or consent, ever received anj/ sunt of money from any individual for his admission into the service of Venezuela, or by promise of greater rank, or by any recommendation to the government for that purpose. That the deputy has never entered into any kind of contract in his private capacity, or under his own individual .re- sponsibility, with any person in this country, for the con- veyance of officers to Venezuela. That in all transactions relative to Venezuela, the deputy has acted in the name and on the behalf of his government, and by virtue of the full powers with which he has been honoured. That the officers who have gone to Venezuela have been of two classes: the first of which have been the bearers of a letter of recommendation from the deputy to the govern- ment there; they have themselves made their arrangements, and agreed for their passage in different vessels. The other class of officers Mcnt out with non-com- missioned officers, under the orders of a commandant. On this point, the dopnty conceives it his duty to give the public the following information. First, That the commandant of these corps voluntarily offered their services to the deputy, by making their pro- posals in writing, which arc now in his possession, and which he accepted, not in his own name, nor under his own individual responsibility, but in the name and on behalf of the supreme government of Venezuela, these APPENDIX. 049 transactions not being considered by the deputy of a per- sonal nature. Secondly, The commandants did not fulfil their engage- ments made with the deputy, inasmuch as they never pro- duced to him the commissions under which they held rank in the British service, although repeatedly requested by the deputy so to do ; they also, in violation of their engage- ments, appointed officers to the corps, who had never been in the English service, or had ever served in a military capa- city ; and, further, they left this country without the com- plement of men engaged to be found, or even sufficient to form a corps, and very few of those ever arrived at Ve- nezuela. Among the persons who have made claims on the deputy is Colonel Hippisley, who had some misunderstandings with the government of Venezuela : the answers of the supreme chief. General Bolivar, to Colonel Hippisley, on that occa- sion, were published in the Morning Chronicle of the IJth instant, and the deputy reserves to himself a future opportunity for publishing other documents relative to that business. Here the deputy begs to observe, that Colonel Hippisley, after a conversation in which he manifested his wish to return to Venezuela, if he was assured of the appointment of general of brigade, subsequently wrote to the deputy, without any date, claiming an indemnification of more than 300/. sterling, concluding in the following words : — " The propositions, the acceptance of which by Mr. Mendez will induce me to embark again in the service of the Venezuelian government, shall be submitted to that gentleman as soon as my demands are liquidated, or placed in a way for settlement ; it being unnecessary for me to state them, until such arrangements be first made. G. H.'* The only charge that could be made against the deputy, would have been in case he had acted without any autho- 650 APPENDIX. rity, or witli false. Invalid, or insufficient powers, as would be tliose given by tlie first Junta of Venezuela, with which, in the year 1810, he came to this country as deputy, conjointly with Colonel Bolivar (now supreme chief), or those transmitted to him by the supreme executive power established after the general congress and declaration of independence in the year 1811 — they having both become void by the occupation of the Spanish troops under General Monteverde ; or, lastly, if they consisted of private letters from individuals of Venezuela, residing in the West India islands : but being, as they are, full powers emanating from the present supreme independent government of Venezuela established at Angustura, the deputy is undoubtedly free from all liabillity, without being in anj' way responsible for the acts of his government, as he has no authority to take cognizance, or judge of the causes or motives which may have produced those acts. To conclude, the deputy feels himself called upon, in support of his country, its government, his fellow citizens, and himself, in contradiction to the false and atrocious calumnies and libels with which they are so unjustly branded, to state with confidence that they will ever be found proud to acknowledge, with sincere gratitude, the interest that may be felt by this nation, and the efforts and assistance which they have or may in future receive from the British subjects in furtherance of the cause of their independence, the importance of which services will be indelibly engraven ou the hearts of their present and future generations. LUIS LOPEZ MENDEZ. General Deputy from the Supreme Government of Venezuela. Grafton-street, January 15, I819. APPENDIX. 651 The Answer, To the Editor of the Courier. January 21, 181 p. SIR, Whilst I repeat my thanks for your more than polite attention to my wishes, in giving publicity to those letters of mine addressed to yourself, through the channel of your widely circulated paper, allow me once more to request the favour of you to give the following reply to Mr, Mendez's verbose and truly mis-stated representation of circumstances, as inserted in your paper of the 1 8th instant. The Geyieral Deputy, as he now styles himself, " from the supreme government of Venezuela," commences his state- ment of explanation on certain charges against himself, and which he has the effrontery to " assure the public" are wholly incontestable, unless faith is given to vague words, and indefinite complaints devoid of all evidence. I, Mr. Editor, in ray turn, most solemnly assure you, and the public, that the " General Deputy's" statement has a very small proportion of truth in it. If the Narrative about to be published, and of which public notice has been given, brings to the reader's view an attested instrument by Don Luis Lopez Mendez, signed, signed, sealed, and witnessed, and delivered over to the colonels of regiments, wherein it will be proved, that he, Don Mendez, pledges himself to the different colonels individually, and guarantees the payment of certain stipu- lated sums of money, under the head of allowances and pay to each officer and non-commissioned officer, according to rank, together with the actual responsibility he attaches to himself for the due performance of the above agreement, what will the public then say, or think of the General Deputy's veracity ? 652 APPENDIX. What will they 7ioiv say, or think, of the *' assurances*' so violated, when told, that by and with the advice and opinion of" Counsel learned in the laio,'' the Venezuelian Deputy has been arrested and held to bail, for the non- performance of those engagements for which he had himself become bound ? The public, too, will soon find, as the captain of the ship (to which Mr. Mendez has alluded) has long since foufid and felt, that the remuneration which the General Deputy has the assurance to assert was made h'm for his voyage to the Main, together with the money due to him, on behalf of the passengers whom he carried out, is an additional mis-statement. I shall trespass, sir, no longer on your kindness, or the limits of your paper, than to beg of you to add, that I merely withhold the copy of the original letter to Mr. Mendez, dated the 4lh of October, 1818, from a wish of not further trespassing on your liberality by an encroach- ment on your pages, and from my intention of reserving it for a place in the Appendix annexed to the Narrative already promised for public inspection. Yet, as my friends and the public may deem it more than singular that I should pro^r to embark again in the service of the Venezuelian republic, whilst lopenly and avowedly de- claimed against the said "General Deputy," who, to aid his assertions, ventures to produce a garbled extract from a letter addressed to him, by me, for public inspection ; I, Mr. Editor, entreat of you to receive the real extract from that letter, containing the passage to which the deputy alludes. " Yes, Mr. Mendez, I determined to return to my native country, in order to redeem the honour I had so solemnl}^ pledged, by offering up my person at least to either or all of my numerous creditors, and thus by exonerating my guarantees by my personal appearance amongst them, become myself the victim of my own imjirudencc and credulity. APPENDIX. 653 " You, sir, will, I trust, by an immediate arrangement with me, prevent so fatal an alternative falling upon my shoulders. The mode is easy, and completely within your own power, and 1 feel sure you will therefore endeavour to remove the difficulties which press around me. I must, in consequence, desire a personal interview, between this and Thursday next, at which time I hope you will be ready to give me final answers to the propositions annexed hereto ; the result of which will determine my future plans with respect to my return to South America, or my withdrawing myself and family from the situations we have held in the provinces over which General Bolivar at present presides." To this letter no answer, nor even an acknowledgment of its receipt, was ever returned. I have the honour to subscribe myself, Mr. Editor, your obliged humble servant, G. HIPPISLEY. THE END. LONDON: PRINTED BY XUOMAS DAVISON, WXIIXEFRIAIIS. 0f)7^ ^OF-CALIFOfitl^ •5; ^mJ I W § ^\WMJNlVERy/4 ^VOSANCflfT^ ^iinwan^^ '^/.^HiMNrtivw^ Q A /T^ c: OS so University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from whicii it was borrowed. HAr a . 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