Duchilleau was no less memorable for its violence and inhumanity. He countenanced the unbridled licentiousness of his troops, and thus abandoned, as it were, the vanquished to the discretion of the victors. Such are the deplorable effects of national hatred! The inhabitants of Dominica were not delivered from the rigorous domination of Duchilleau until peace was reestablished between the two states.

As soon as he was informed of the attack upon Dominica, admiral Barrington, deeming the importance of the occurrence as paramount to his instructions, sailed with all possible speed to its assistance, in order, if not too late, to frustrate the attempt of the enemy. But he did not arrive until the marquis de Bouille was already in safety under the cannon of Martinico. His presence, however, contributed much to reassure the inhabitants of the neighboring English islands, whom the fate of Dominica and their own defenceless condition, had filled with consternation.

But this expedition was only the prelude to more important events, which succeeded soon after. The count d' Estaing and commodore Hotham had taken their departure for the West Indies, as we have related, on the same day; the first for Martinico, the second for Barbadoes. The two fleets sailed in a parallel direction during great part of the voyage, and very near each other, but without knowing any thing of their proximity; the English, however, suspecting the danger, were extremely careful to keep their squadron as close and collected as possible. If it consisted of smaller vessels than those of the French, it was also much more numerous. The count d'Estaing, if he had been at all aware of the real state of things, might have profited of his great superiority to overwhelm the British fleet, and especially its numerous vessels of transport, which carried out the land forces, wherein consisted the only means of preserving to the British crown its rich possessions in those seas. A violent storm, however, having dispersed the two fleets, three English vessels fell in with those of the French, and were taken. This incident apprised d'Estaing of what had fallen out; but from the dispersion of his squadron he was unable to give chase. He determined, nevertheless, to change his course; and, instead of continuing to stand for Martinico, he steered in the direction of Antigua, under the persuasion that the British were bound for that island, and not to Barbadoes. He hoped to be able to arrive there before they were landed, or even anchored in the ports, and consequently to prostrate at a single blow their whole force by sea and land. This stroke would have been almost without remedy for England; so complete a victory would have enabled the count d'Estaing to annihilate her domination in the West Indies. But fortune had decided otherwise. The English shaped their course directly for Barbadoes, and reached it safely the tenth of December. Hotham there made his junction with Barrington, who was already returned.

The French admiral, having arrived very promptly in the waters of Antigua, remained cruising there for several days; but at length, not seeing the enemy appear, and concluding that they had taken another direction, he changed his own, and stood for Martinico.

The English generals having no suspicion of the vicinity of so formidable an enemy, determined without delay to attack St. Lucia. Its position in the front of Martinico, its natural strength, and its works rendered this post of extreme importance for the operations of the war. Admiral Barrington having taken on board his squadron a corps of four thousand selected troops, sailed for St. Lucia, and arrived there the thirteenth of December. General Meadows landed at the head of a strong detachment, and advanced with celerity to gain the heights which command the north shore of the bay of Grand Cul de Sac. They were occupied by the chevalier de Micou, the commandant of the island, with some few regulars, and the militia of the country. He made the most of a few pieces of artillery to annoy the debarkation of the English, and their march towards the hills. But unable with so small a force to prolong the valiant resistance he opposed at first, he fell back upon the capital, called Morne Fortune. The English took possession of the heights. At the same time, general Prescott had landed with five regiments, and had occupied all the positions contiguous to the bay. The next morning, Meadows forming the van and Prescott the rear, the English marched against the town of Morne Fortune. Overpowered by number, the chevalier Micou was forced to abandon it to the enemy. He retired into the more rough and difficult parts of the island, where he was also protected by his artillery. As fast as he fell back, Prescott took care to occupy the posts with troops and artillery. But general Meadows thought it essential to make himself master of Careenage harbor, situated three miles to the north of Grand Cul de Sac bay; the French might, in fact, have landed succours there, and attacked the British in flank. In defiance of the difficulty of the places, and the heat of a burning sun, he pressed forward to seize the height called de la Vierge, which rises on the north side of Careenage harbor, and completely commands its entrance. Another detachment occupied the south point of the harbor, and erected a battery upon it. General Calder, with the rest of the troops, took position on the south side of Grand Cul de Sac bay, so that from this point to the northern shore of the Careenage, all the posts fell into the power of the English. The squadron of Barrington lay at anchor in Grand Cul de Sac bay, his vessels of war at the entrance, and those of transport within. The chevalier de Micou continued still to occupy a very strong fort upon the crest of the mountains. The English might already consider themselves as sure of success, and the French had no hope left but in the immediate succour of the count d'Estaing, when this admiral all at once appeared in view of

the island, with his original squadron of twelve sail of the line, accompanied by a numerous fleet of frigates, privateers and transports, which brought a land force of nine thousand men. He had received early intelligence of the attack on St. Lucia; an event which he considered as the most fortunate that could have happened, it seeming to afford the means of destroying at a single blow, and from his great superiority almost without risk, the British power in the West Indies. Accordingly, he had not delayed a moment to embark in order to pounce upon an enemy that did not expect him. And in truth, if he had arrived twenty-four hours sooner, his hopes must have been realised. But the English were already in possession of the principal posts, and had fortified themselves therein; moreover, the day was far advanced, when the French armament appeared; it was necessary to defer the attack until the ensuing morning. Admiral Barrington profited of the night, to make his dispositions for sustaining it. He caused the transports to be removed into the bottom of the Grand Cul de Sac, to be as remote from danger as possible; the ships of war he placed in their respective stations, so as to form a line across its entrance, and repel the efforts of the enemy to the most advantage. His force consisted only of his own ship, the Prince of Wales, of seventy-four guns, the Boyne of seventy, St. Albans and Nonesuch of sixty-four, the Centurion and Isis, of fifty each, and three frigates.

The count d'Estaing, not mistrusting that Careenage harbor was already occupied by the enemy, stood in for it with his whole fleet, on the morning of the fifteenth. His purpose was to take land there and hasten to attack the right flank of the English, who, as he had observed himself, occupied the Grand Cul de Sac. But no sooner had he presented himself before the entrance of the Careenage than the English batteries erected upon the two points opened a heavy fire, which damaged several of his vessels, and particularly his own ship the Languedoc. Convinced of the impossibility of operating a descent in this part, he bore down with ten sail of the line on the British admiral, with intent to force the passage, and penetrate into the bay, which must have proved the utter ruin of the English. A warm engagement ensued; but, supported by the batteries from the shore, the British valiantly sustained the attack of an enemy so superior. D' Estaing drew off a little; but, towards evening, he renewed the battle with twelve ships. His efforts were still more impetuous; he directed the fire of his artillery principally against the left of the British line. But neither the reenforcement he had received, nor the singular firmness and gallantry displayed by all his people, were capable of rendering this attack more successful than the former. The English made so vigorous and so well supported a defence, that d'Estaing was again compelled to retire, with his ships severely damaged, and in no little confusion. Admiral Barrington

acquired imperishable glory; he secured to his country the possession of an island which, only twenty-four hours after its conquest, had been upon the point of falling anew under the dominion of its ancient masters. But d'Estaing, finding that fortune was disposed to frown on his maritime attacks, resorted to his land forces, which were very considerable. Accordingly, in the night of the sixteenth and the following morning, he landed his troops in Choc Bay, which lies between Gros Islet and the Careenage. His intention was to attack general Meadows, who, with a corps of thirteen hundred men, was encamped in the little peninsula de la Vierge, situated between the Careenage and the above named Choc Bay. He had great hopes of being able to surprise and cut him off entirely, as well by reason of the difficulty of the places which separated this corps from all the others, as from the diversion which he purposed to make by threatening several points at once. In pursuance of this plan, he advanced from Choc Bay towards the peninsula, with five thousand of his best troops, in order to attack the lines of Meadows, which were drawn across the isthmus that joins it to the main land. He had formed three columns; the right was commanded by himself, the centre by the count de Leowendal, and the left by the marquis de Bouille. The French moved at first with admirable order, but as they approached, their position became extremely critical. They found themselves severely enfiladed by the artillery of Morne Fortune, which the chevalier de Micou, on evacuating that fort, had neglected to spike. But notwithstanding this impediment, they rushed on to the charge with incredible impetuosity. The English expected their approach with equal coolness; they suffered them to advance to the intrenchments without opposition; when, after firing once, they received them on the bayonet. That fire had, of course, a dreadful effect; but the French, notwithstanding, supported the conflict with undaunted resolution. Already seventy of them had leapt within the intrenchment, where they acquitted themselves strenuously; but the English enveloped them, and soon they were all victims of their temerity. Nevertheless, the assailants recovered their breath, and returned to the charge with no less eagerness and fury than at first. The English encountered them with the same intrepidity, and a second time compelled them to withdraw. But d' Estaing, in the transport of his ardor, unable to endure that so feeble a detachment should baffle the efforts of his numerous veterans, ordered a third attack. He was promptly obeyed. But the soldiers being much exhausted by their exertions in the two first, no longer displayed the same vigor. They were totally broken and obliged to retreat, leaving their dead and wounded in the power of the victors. It was, however, agreed soon after, that the French should be permitted to bury the one, and to carry off the other; d'Estaing having rendered himself accountable for the wounded as prisoners of war. General

Meadows manifested in this affair, equal ability and valor; though wounded in the very commencement of the action, no persuasions could induce him to quit the field until it was decided. The loss of the French was serious. Four hundred were killed on the spot; five hundred were so severely wounded as to be rendered incapable of service; five hundred others were wounded slightly. The loss of the English, in consequence of the advantage of their position, was inconsiderable. The count d' Estaing left his troops on shore still, for several days after the battle; during this time he continued standing off and on with his fleet, in sight of the island, hoping that some occasion might present itself of operating more effectively. But at length he embarked his troops, in the night of the twenty-eighth, and sailed to Martinico the following day, having abandoned the enterprise of St. Vincent and Grenada, which islands he had purposed to attack. The day after his departure, the chevalier de Micou capitulated; his garrison consisted of only an hundred men. He obtained the most favorable conditions. He marched out with all the honors of war; his soldiers retained their baggage, but not their arms. The inhabitants, and especially the curates, were protected in their persons, property, and religion. They were to pay to the king of Great Britain the same taxes only, that they were accustomed to pay to the king of France; finally, they were not to be compelled to bear arms against their late sovereign.

The English found in the forts fifty-nine pieces of cannon, a great number of muskets, and an immense quantity of military stores. Thus fell into the power of the English the island of St. Lucia; it was an acquisition of extreme importance to them. They made of it a place of arms for all their forces in the West Indies, and the repository of all their munitions. From its proximity to Martinico, they were enabled, without risk, to watch all the movements of the French in the bay of Fort Royal, and to intercept the reenforcements and convoys that might approach it by the channel of St. Lucia. They strengthened it with many new works, and constantly maintained in it a numerous garrison, notwithstanding the great loss of men it cost them from the insalubrity of the climate.

A few days after the retreat of the count d' Estaing, admiral Byron arrived in that part with nine sail of the line, and came to anchor at St. Lucia.

There resulted from it a sort of tacit truce between the two parties; the English having too decided a superiority of naval, and the French of land forces. This armistice, which lasted five months, was not interrupted until the squadron of commodore Rawley had joined the fleet of Byron, and the count d' Estaing had been reenforced by that of the chevalier de la Motte Piquet and of the count de Grasse. These several reenforcements were despatched from Europe to the West Indies about the close of the year; the two