rien in two months, with the lofs of only fifteen of their people. At that time it was in their power, most of whom were well born, and all of them hardily bred, and inured to the fatigues and dangers of the late war, to have gone from the northmoft part of Mexico to the fouthmost of Chili, and to have overturned the whole empire of Spain in the South Seas: But modeft, refpecting their own and their country's character, and afraid of being accufed that they had plunder, and not a fettlement in view, they began with purchafing lands from the natives, and fending meffages of amity to the Spanish governors within their reach. And then fixed their station at Acta, calling it New St Andrew, from the name of the tutelar faint of Scotland, and the country itself New Caledonia. One of the fides of the harbour being formed by a long narrow neck of land which ran into the fea, they cut it acrofs, so as to join the ocean and the harbour. Within this defence they erected their fort, planting upon it fifty pieces of cannon. On the other fide of the harbour, there was a mountain a mile high, on which they placed a watch-house, which, in the rarified air within the tropics, fo favourable for vifion, gave them an immenfe range of profpect, to prevent all furprife. To this place, it was obferved, that the Highlanders often repaired, to enjoy a cool air, and to talk of their friends they had left behind in their bills, friends whofe minds were as high as their mountains. The first public act of the colony was to publish a declaration of freedom of trade and religion to all nations. This luminous idea originated with Paterfon. But the Dutch East India Company having preffed the King, in concurrence with his English fubjects, to prevent the fettlement at Darien, or ders had been fent from England to the Governors of the Weft Indian and American colonies, to iffue proclamas tions against giving affistance, or even® to hold correfpondence with the colony; and these were more or less harthly expreffed, according to the tempers of the different Governors. The Scots, trufting to far different treatment, and to the fupplies which they expected from thofe colonies, had not brought provifions enough with them; they fell into difeafes, from bad food, and from want of food. But the more generous Savages, by hunting and fishing for them, gave them that relief which fellow Britons refufed. They lingered eight months, awaiting, but in vain, for affiftance from Scotland, and almost all of them either died out, or quitted the fettlement. Paterson, who had been the first that entered the ship at Leith, was the last who went on board at Darien. During the space of two years, while the establishment of this colony had been in agitation, Spain had made no complaint to England or Scotland against it. The Darien council even averred in their papers (which are în the Advocates Library) that the right of the company was debated before the King, in prefence of the Spanish ambaffador, before the colony left Scotland. But now, on the 3d of May 1696, the Spanish ambaffador at London prefented a memorial to the King, which complained of the fettlement at Darien as an encroachment on the rights of his master. . . The Scots, ignorant of the misfortunes of their colony, but provoked at this memorial, fent out another colony foon after of 1300 men, to fupport an establishment which was now no more. But this laft expedition having been more haftily prepared than the first, was unlucky in its paffage. One of the fhips was loft at fea, many men died on fhip-board, and the reft arriv ed at different times, broken in their health, and difpirited; when they heard the fate of those who had gone before them-Added to the misfor tunes tunes of the firft colony, the fecond and in a fickly feafon. They prefent ed a paper to the council, and made it public, requiring them to fet afide a day for a folemn fafting and humiliation, and containing their reafons for the requifition, in which, under pretence of enumerating the fins of the people, they poured abufe on their rulers. They damped the courage of the people, by continually prefenting hell to them as the termination of life to most men, because most men are finners. Carrying the prefbyterian doctrine of predeftination to extremes, they stopped all exertions, by fhewing that the confequence of them depended not on thofe by whom they were made. They converted the numberlefs accidents to which foldiers and feamen are expofed, into immediate judgments of God againft their fins. And, having refolved to quit the fettlement, they, in excufe for their doing fo, wrote bitter letters to the General Af fembly against the characters of the colonists, and the advantages of the colony itself.. had a misfortune peculiar to itfelf: The General Affembly of the Church of Scotland fent out four minifters, with orders," To take charge of the "fouls of the colony, and to erect a prefbytery, with a moderator, clerk, and record of proceedings; to appoint ruling elders, deacons, over"feers of the manners of the people, "and affiftants in the exercife of "church difcipline and government, "and to hold regular kirk-feffions." When they arrived, the officers and gentlemen were occupied in building houfes for themfelves with their own hands, because there was no help to be got from others; yet the four minifters complained grievously that the council did not order houfes to be immediately built for their accommos dation. They had not had the precaution to bring with them letters of recommendation from the directors at home to the council abroad. On thefe accounts, not meeting with all the attention they expected from the higher, they paid court to the inferior ranks of the colonifts, and by that means threw divifions into the colony. They exhaufted the fpirits of the people, by requiring their attendance at fermon four or five hours at a stretch, relieving each other by preaching alternately, but allowing no relief to their hearers. The employment of one of the days fet afide for religious exercife, which was a Wednesday, they divided into three parts, thankf❝upon them, and in them, before the giving, humiliation, and fupplication, in which three minifters followed each other. And as the fervice of the Church of Scotland consists of a lecture with a comment, a fermon, two prayers, three pfalms, and a bleffing, the work of that day, upon an average of the length of the fervice of that age, could not take up lefs than twelve hours: during which space of time the colony was collected, and kept close together in the guard-room, which was ufed as a church, in a tropical climate, One of them, in a kind of history of the colony which he published, with a favage triumph exulted over the misfortunes of his countrymen in the following words:" They were fuch "a rude company, that I believe So"dom never declared fuch impu "dence in finning as they. Any "obfervant eye might fee, that they "were running the way they went! "hell and judgement was to be feen "time: Their cup was full; it could "hold no more: They were ripe; "they must be cut down with the " fickle of the wrath of God." .. The laft party that joined the fecond colony at Darien, after it had been three months fettled, was Captain Campbell, father to the prefent Colo nel Campbell of Finab, with a company of the people of his own eltate, whom he had commanded in Flanders, and whom he carried to Darien in his own fhip. On their arrival at New St Andrew, Andrew, they found intelligence had been lately received, that a Spanih force of 1600 men, which had been brought from the coaft of the South Sea, lay incamped at Tubucantce, waiting there till a Spanish fquadron of eleven fhips which was expected fhould arrive, when they were jointly to attack the fort. The military command was offered to Captain Campbell, in compliment to his reputation, and to his birth, who was defcended from the families of Bredalbane and Athole. In order to prevent a joint attack, he refolved to attack first; and therefore on the fecond day after his arrival, he marched with 200 men to Tubucantce, before his arrival was known to the enemy, stormed the camp in the night time, diffipated the Spanish force with much flaughter, and returned to the fort the fifth day: But he found the Spanish fhips before the harbour, their troops landed, and almost all hopes of help or provifion cut off; yet he ftood a fiege near fix weeks, till almost all the officers were dead, the enemy by their approaches had cut off his wells, and his balls were fo far expended, that he was obliged to melt the pewter dishes of the garrifon into balls. The garrifon then capitulated, and obtained not only the common honours of war, and fecurity for the property of the company, but, as if they had been conquerors, exacted hoftages for performance of the conditions. Captain Campbell alone defired to be excepted from the capitulation, faying, he was fure the Spaniards could not forgive him the mischief which he fo lately had done them. The brave by their courage often efcape that death which they feem to provoke: Captain Campbell made his efcape in his veffel, and, ftopping nowhere, arrived fafely at New-York, and from thence to Scotland, where the company prefented him with a gold medal, in which his virtue was commemorated, to inflame his family with the love of heroic actions. And the Lord Lyon King at Arms, whofe office it is in Scotland (and fuch offices fhould be every where) to confer badges of diftinction according to the rules of heraldry upon honourable actions, gave him a Highlander and an Indian for fupporters to his coat of arms. A harder fate attended those whom Captain Campbell left at Darien. They were fo weak in their health as not to be able to weigh up the anchors of the Rifing Sun, one of their ships, which carried fixty guns: But the generous Spaniards affifted them. In going out of the harbour, the ran a ground: The prey was tempting; and to obtain it, the Spaniards had only to stand by, and look on: But fhewed that mercy to the Scots in diftrefs, which one of the countrymen of thofe Scots, General Eliott, returned to the pofterity of the Spaniards, at the end of the late conflagration at the fiege of Gibraltar. The Darien fhips being leaky, and weakly manned, were obliged in their voyage to take shelter in different ports belonging to Spain and England. The Spaniards, in the new world, fhewed them kindness ; the English governments fhewed them none; and in one place one of their fhips was feized and detained. Of thefe only Captain Campbell's fhip, and another fmall one were faved: The Royal Sun was loft on the bar of Charlestown; and of the colony not more than thirty faved from war, fhipwreck, or difeafe, ever faw their own country again.. Paterfon, who had stood the blow, could not ftand the reflection of misfortune. He was feized with a lunacy in his paffage home, after the ruin of the firit colony; but he recovered in his own country, where his fpirit, ftill ardent and unbroke, prefented a new plan to the company, founded on the idea of King Wil liam, that England fhould have the joint dominion of the fettlement with Scotland. He farvived many years in Scotland, land, pitied, refpected, but neglected. fea. Spain and England would have After the union of the two kingdoms, been bound together as Portugal and he claimed reparation of his loffes England have long been; and the from the equivalent-money given by Spanish treafures have failed, under England to the Darien Company, but the wings of English navies, from the got nothing; becaufe a grant to him Spanish main to Cadiz, in the fame from a public fund would have been manner as the treasures of Portugal only an act of humanity, not a Politi- have failed under the fame protec cal job. tion, facred, and untouched, from thẹ Brazilles to Lifbon. Thus ended the colony of Darien. Men look into the works of poets for It has been made a question, Whefubjects of fatire; but they are more ther King William behaved with his often to be found in the records of ordinary fincerity and fteadiness, in hiftory. The application of the Dutch the affurances of favour which he gave to King William against the Darien more than once to the company during Company, affords the fureft of all their diftreffes. The following anec proofs, that it was the interest of the dote makes it probable, that there was British islands to fupport it. Eng- a ftruggle in his breaft, between the land, by the imprudence of ruining part which he was obliged to act to that fettlement, loft the opportunity pleafe his English and Dutch at the of gaining and continuing to herself expence of his Scots fubjects, and his the greatest commercial empire that own feelings. A provifion fhip of the probably ever will be upon earth. first colony, in which were thirty genHad the treated with Scotland, in tlemen paffengers, and fome of them the hour of the diftrefs of the com- of noble birth, having been shipwreckpany, for a joint poffeffion of the ed at Carthagena, the Spaniards beliefettlement, or adopted the union of ving, or pretending to believe, that the kingdoms, which the fovereign of they were fmugglers, caft them into a both propofed to them, that poffeffion dungeon, and threatened them with could certainly have been obtained. death. The company deputed Lord Had fhe treated with Spain to relin- Bafil Hamilton from Scotland, to imquish an imaginary right, o at leaft plore King William's protection for to give a paffage acrofs the ifthmus, the prifoners. The King at firft reapon receiving duties fo high as to fufed to fee him, because he had not overbalance all the chance of lofs by appeared at court when he was laft in a contraband trade, she had probably London. But when that difficulty obtained either the one or the other. was removed by explanation, an exHad fe broke with Spain, for the preffion fell from the King,, which fake of gaining by force one of thofe fhowed his fenfe of the generous confavours, fhe would have loft far lefs duct of another, although influenced than the afterwards did, by carrying a by the English and Dutch Eaft India war into that country for many years, Companies, he could not refolve to to force a King upon the Spaniards imitate it in his own. For Lord against their will. Even a rupture Bafil's audience having been put off with Spain for Darien, if it had pro- from time to time, but at laff fixed ved fuccefsful, would have knit the to be in the Council-chamber after a two nations together by the most folid council was over, the King, who had of ties, their mutual intereft: for the forgot the appointment, was paffing. English muft then have depended upon into another room, when Lord Batil Spain for the fafety of their caravans placed himself in the paffage, and said, by land, and the Spaniards upon Eng-That he came commiffioned by a land for the fafety of their fleets by "great body of his Majefty's fubjects * to that he had right to be heard, and would be heard:" The King returned, liftened with patience, gave inftant orders to apply to Spain for redrefs, and then turning to thofe near him, faid, "This young man is "too bold, if any man can be too bold in his country's caufe." I had this anecdote from the prefent Earl of Selkirk, grandfon to Lord Bafil. to lay their misfortunes at his feet, he could put on the great man and the great style of living; for he was fond of adorning a fine perfon with graceful drefs; and two French horns and a French cook had refused to quit his fervice when he retired. When the meffenger brought the late King's letter for him to take the command of the army, he had only ten pounds in the houfe. He fent expreffes for the gentlemen of his own family, fhewed the King's letter, and defired them to find money to carry him to London. They afked how much he wanted, and when they should bring it ? his anfwer was, "The more the better, and "the fooner the better." They brought him three thoufand guineas. This circumftance came to the late King's ears, who expreffed to his minifters the uneafinefs he felt at Lord Stair's dif ficulties in money-matters. One propofed that the King fhould make him a prefent of a fum of money when he arrived. Another faid, Lord Stair was fo high fpirited, that if he was offered money, he would run back to his own country, and they fhould lofe their General. A third fuggefted, that to fave his delicacy, the King fhould give him fix commiflions of cornets to dif pofe of, which, at that time, fold for a thoufand pounds a-piece. The King liked this idea beft, and gave the commillions blank to Lord Stair, faying, they were intended to pay for his journey and equipage. But in going from court to his own houfe, he gave all the fix away. Kings and nations should confider well before they commit wrongs. King William's defertion of a company, erected upon the faith of his own charter, and the English opprefGions of it, were the reafons why so many of the Scots, during four fucceffive reigns, difliked the caufe of the Revolution and of the Union. And that diflike, joined to English difcontents, brought upon both countries two rebellions, the expenditure of ma ny millions of money, and (which is a far greater lofs) the downfal of ma ny of their noblest and most ancient families. The following ANECDOTES of LORD STAIR, who certainly was one of the firft characters of the age, because he joined all the fine accomplishments of a French Nobleman to the great qualities of a Roman and a Briton, may not be unacceptable to the Public. WHEN all his offices and honours weretaken from him by Sir Robert Walpole, for voting in Parliament against the excife-fcheme, he retired to Scotland, and put his eftate into the hands of trustees, to pay bills drawn by him in his magnificent embaffy at Paris, which administration had refused to accept, referving only a hundred pounds amonth for himself. During this period, he was often feen holding the plough three or four hours at a time. Yet on receiving vifits of ceremony, VOL. VII. No 38. Lord Stair's judgement of men appeared in his choice of the three friends whom he carried in his coach to Lon don to provide for; the late Sir John Pringle, afterwards Prefident of the Royal Society; Mr Keith, afterwards ambaffador at Berlin and Vienna; and Sir Laurence Dundas; men of fuperior talents in their different lines, and of good birth, but at that time no favourites of fortune. He was well repaid. I have feen the two firft, at fourfcore years of age, cry when the nam |
