that could be spared from the neighbouring iflands for that fervice, which, with the affiftance of his Majesty's fhips upon that ftation, were to reduce the Caribbs to a due fubmiffion to government; or if their obstinacy rendered that impracticable, that they might be femoved from the island, to fuch place as fhould be thought most proper for their reception; the ftrictelt orders being given at the fame time, that they fhould be furhifhed with proper veffels for their transportation, plentifully provided with provifions and neceffaries, and treated with all imaginable humanity in their paffage. It was farther directed, that when they arrived at the place of their deftination, they should be liberally fupplied both with every thing neceffary for their prefent fubfiftence, and for their eftablishment as a new colony. But it does not appear, that the place to which they were to be removed was properly adapted to their reception and actommodation, or fo much as clearly afceftained.

The event of this expedition was not known, when the affair of St. Vincent's became agitated in parliament. Soon after Dec. 9th. the opening of the feffion; upon the prefenting of an eftimate from the War-Office in the committee of fupply, of the land fervice for the enfuing year, the number of troops that were ftated to be in the Weft-India islands, gave an opportunity to the gentleinen in oppofition to animadvert upon this expedition, and to give Hotice that they would, on a future day, propofe an enquiry into its hature, justice, and propriety, together with the motives that led to

fo extraordinary a meafure. This enquiry being agreed to by adminiftration, the matter was afterwards frequently brought up; but ftill deferred, in hopes of obtaining new information, and to give an opportunity of procuring and confidering the neceflary papers.

It was accordingly a confiderable time after the Chriftinas recefs, before this affair was taken finaily into confideration; when, at length, two general officers were examined, as to the latest accounts they had received of the fate of their regiments, which were then employed on the fervice against the Caribbs. One of these gentlemen read part of a letter, which he had received upon the fubject from St. Vincent's, in which the expedition was greatly complained of, not only in refpect of its having been undertaken in the rainy feafon, which had occafioned a great mortality among the troops; but also with regard to its injuftice and cruelty, with both of which it was ftrongly charged by the writer; who emphatically complained, that the poor Caribbs had been very ill ufed; and wifhed, with the energy characteristic of an officer, that the contrivers and promoters of the expedition might be brought to a fpeedy and fevere account. By the fame authority it was reprefented, that the woods were fo thick that the Caribbs killed our men, with the greateft fecurity to themselves, and without their being able even to fee the enemy that destroyed them; and that at the time of writing the letter, which was on the 14th of November, the troops had not been able to penetrate above four miles into their coun try.

It was then enquired of adminifiration, whether they had received any late accounts from that ifland; when, to the furprife of every body, it appeared that their latest intelligente from thence was above a month prior in date to the letter which had been read by the general. A gentleman, who had been lieutenant-governor of the New Islands, was examined as to the temper, behaviour, and difpofition of the Caribbs, of all which he gave a very favourable account, and reprefented them as a quiet, inoffenfive people; he was farther afked, if he had heard that the planters were envious of them for their lands, to which he answered in the affirmative; and being preffed as to particular names, mentioned one, of confiderable rank and confequence in the island, and who had a principal share in all the measures that had been purfued for ftripping them of their poffetlions.

Some officers were examined, who had ferved, or borne command at different times in St. Vincent's; thefe gentlemen, in general, gave favourable accounts of the Caribbs, and attributed entirely, their late turbulent and fufpicious temper, to the attempts that had been made to deprive them of their lands; they all concurred in their accounts of the unhealthiness of the island, and particularly in the rainy feafon, when they declared it must prove fatal to any troops that were under a neceffity of acting in it, and that the conftitutions of fuch as escaped with life, would be totally ruined.

On the other fide, one of the principal planters in the ifland, and of confiderable rank by his

office, with fome others, were examined. They, in general, defcribed the Caribbs as a faithless, cruel, and treacherous race, who were abandoned to all manner of exceffes, particularly with respect to liquor, in which itate they were capable of the most barbarous actions. That while they continued on the island, there could be no fecurity for the persons or property of the inhabitants; they were charged with murders, robberies, with enticing the negro flaves from their matters, and deftroying others whom they caught in the fields; no particular proofs were, however, brought in fupport of these charges. The connexions and intelligence which the Caribbs held with the French, and their application to the Governor of Martinique for protection and affiftance, were fhewn in a very dangerous light; and no care was neglected to defcribe the fatal confequences that must attend the ifland, whenever a war broke out with France, with fuch a deadly enemy lying in its botom. Their mortal enmity to our government and people was alfo much infifted on; and it was concluded upon the whole, that there was no other alternative, but that either his Majefly's natural fubjects, or the Caribbs, muft quit the island, if the latter are permitted to continue in their prefent ftate of independence.

After feveral strictures upon the nature of this evidence, and on the interested views by which it was faid to be apparently directed, the following motions were Feb. 15th. made, ft. That the expedition against the Caribbs in the island of St. Vincent, was undertakea

dertaken without fufficient provocation on the part of those unhappy people, and at the infligation of perfons interested in their deftruction, and appears to be intended to end in their total extirpation; 2dly. That the fending the troops, part of which were totally unprovided with camp equipage, and neceffaries, on that fervice, in the unhealthy feafon of the year, is not juftified by any neceffity of immediately increafing the military force in that island, was contrary to the advice of the governor, and muft prove unneceffarily deftructive to fome of the belt troops in the fervice, probably defeat the purpofe for which they were fent, and bring difgrace on his Majelly's arms; and, 3dly. That an humble addreis be prefented, defiring that his Majefty will be gracioufly pleafed to acquaint the Houfe, by whofe advice the measure was undertaken, of attacking the Caribbs in the ifland of St. Vincent, and of fending the troops for that purpose in the most unhealthy feafon of the year; a measure equally repugnant to the known humanity of his Majefty's temper, difgraceful to his arms, and difhonourable to the character of the British nation.

Thefe motions were principally supported upon the injustice of the meafure, and the dishonour it brought upon our national character, as being equally a violation of the natural rights of mankind, and contrary to his Majesty's proclamation of the year 1764, in favour of the Caribbs; on the extreme cruelty of attempting to tranfport a whole people from their native foil, and to land them defenceless on the coaft of Africa, where they had no right, no pro

perty, no connexion, and where they must be liable to all the dangers and enmities to which Europeans, or any others, who were turned adrift in a strange country, would be fubject; that they had been guilty of no act of forfeiture, even fuppofing them to be natural subjects to Great Britain, unleis an oppofition to a violent invasion of their rights and properties, was to be confidered as fuch; that the only evidence of any weight against them, was him elf the deviler of the projects that had been formed for their extirpation, and was deeply interested in their deftruction; that, on the contrary, the united teftimony on the other fide, where there was not a poffibility of fuppofing the fmalleft bias or partiality, was uniformly in favour of the Caribbs, and reprefented them to have been a quiet, peaceable, and inoffenfive people, and, to all appearance, well affected to our government, until they were urged by violence and injustice to a different conduct. These arguments, with fuch others, as the ftate which we have already represented of the affair afforded, were concluded with fevere ftrictures on the weaknefs of those counfels, which had blindly adopted the views of avaricious, rapacious, and merciless planters, and thereby rendering government the inftrument of their iniquitous defigns, engaged it in cruel, unjust, and dishonourable measures, which were not more injurious to the Caribbs than deftructive to ourselves, by wantonly fporting with the conftitutions and lives of fome of our braveft troops, whofe former fervices merited another return, and who were now facrificed upon an inglorious fer

vice, in which they were afhamed to draw their fwords.

On the other fide it was obferved, that an amazing fund of tendernets and humanity had been difplayed in favour of the Caribbs, while the fmallest degree of either was refufed to our natural-born fubjects and countrymen, who had purchased eftates at high prices from the crown, under the fanction of its protection and fecurity, and whofe lives and fortunes were at flake in the event of the prefent expedition. That the charge of injustice was ill founded, as the yellow Caribbs, who were the aborigines, and real proprietors of the ifland, were in no degree affected by the prefent measures, except only fo far as they would obtain fecurity by the reduction or removal of a cruel and perfidious race of favages, by whom they had been nearly exterminated, that it could not be pretended that the black Caribbs had any legal or natural rights in the island, but thofe which they had obtained through the kindness and hofpitality of the natives; and that thofe rights would, in the eye of the ftricteft justice, have been fully cancelled by their fubfequent conduct and ingratitude.

That the charge of cruelty was equally ill founded; the removal of the black Caribbs being the last refort; and only to be put in execution in cafe of their proving fo incorrigible, that all means would be found ineffectual for reducing them to fuch a ftate of fubmiffion to government, as was abfolutely neceffary, not only for the fecurity but the prefervation of the island; that even in that laft extremity, the measure of transportation was

guarded from being accompanied with any circumftances of cruelty, or even of hardship, except those which might be fuppofed to arise from their feelings, on quitting a country in which they had hitherto lived, and going to another equally fit for them, but with which they were not yet acquainted; that whether they were removed to the coaft of Africa, or to the island of St. Matthew, care had been taken that they were to have fufficient lands affigned for their fupport, and were to be laid down in nearly the fame degrees of latitude and climate, and in a country furnished with much the fame advantages as to fishing and hunting, which they had enjoyed at St. Vincent's.

It was faid, that government had neither adopted the views, nor been misled by the fchemes of interested planters; that it had duly weighed as well the circumftances of the island as the reprefentations of the governor, council, and affembly, together with thofe of the commilioners for the fale of lands; that, as the Caribbs were poffeffed of near two-thirds of the profitable lands, and the French inhabitants of a great part of the remainder, it was evident, that we we never could in that ftate have a natural intereft or ftrength in the island fufficient for its fecurity; that as these lands were of no particular value to the Caribbs, who had neither means nor inclination to cultivate them, equitable terms had been repeatedly propofed to them for an exchange, all of which they not only contumaciously rejected, but daringly disclaimed all allegiance to the King, and refused al! obedience to government. As to the strictures that had been paffed

with refpect to the employment of the troops in an unhealthy climate and feafon, they were anfwered by the neceffity of the occafion; and the measure juftified, upon that principle, by the practice of all ages.

Upon a divifion on the feparate queitions, after long debates, the first motion was rejected by a majority of 206, against 88, who fupported it; the majority was lefs upon the others; as the houfe grew thinner.

About the fame time, the expedition which gave birth to this enquiry, was alfo terminated. The Caribbs, notwithflanding the ftrength of their faitneffes, their courage, in which they were not at all deficient, and their expertnefs in the use of fire-arms, were under many difadvantages in this war. They were furrounded by fea and land, their quarters becoming every day more contracted, were cut off from their great fource of fubfiftence by fishing, and their bodies worn down by continual watching and fatigue. Our troops Our troops alfo fuffered infinitely in the fervice. Without a confiderable reinforcement, it was probable, the reduction of the enemy could not be effected. The object, either for advantage or glory, was not worthy of fo much toil and treafure, even if the juftice of fuch a war could be clearly defended.

These mutual fufferings, and the difpofitions they gave rife to, brought on a treaty, between the Caribbs and Major Feb. 17th. General Dalrymple, who commanded the forces, by which the former obtained better conditions than they had reafon to expect. The original object of the

war, the transplantation to Africa, was wholly abandoned. The Ca ribbs, on their part, acknowledged his Majelly's fovereignty without referve, agreed to take an oath of fidelity and allegiance, and to fubmit to the laws and government of the inland, fo far as relates to their intercourfe, and to all tranfactions with the white inhabitants; but in their own districts, and in all matters that relate to their intercourfe with each other, they are to retain their ancient polity, and fill to be governed by thofe cuftems and usages, to which they have given the force of laws. They have alfo ceded a large tract of very valuable land to the crown; but the diftricts which they fill retain, are fecured in perpetuity to them and their pofterity. There are a number of other articles, which relate to domeftic regulation, or tend to the future tranquillity, and fecurity of the island.

The lofs upon this expedition, though confiderable, was not altogether fo great as was apprehended from the nature, length, and feverity of the fervice. The killed and wounded did not much exceed 150, among the former of which, was a lieutenant-colonel, and fome other officers; the lives loft by the climate amounted to 110; but there remained 428 fick, at the time of concluding the treaty.

A petition from the captains of the navy for a fmall addition to their half pay, prefented about this time, was attended with fome parliamentary circumstances, which occafioned its being the more particularly noticed. It would be needlefs to fay much as to the`matter of this petition. The merits and fervices of thefe brave officers

required