is not with a defign to influence the judgment of the court, but only to lay before them the reafons upon which they appeared to me, and still appear confused and contradictory, even where they are leaft liable to be mifunderstood, even there most certainly difcretionary. From hence, thefe conclufions, I humbly apprehend, do clearly and unavoidably follow; if the orders are confused, it must be difficult and uncertain to determine their meaning; if contradictory, it was impoffible to obey them; if allowing any difcretionary power, if not abfolutely pofitive, I cannot, I hope, be thought guilty of wilful and direct difobedience. But whatever fhall be the judgment of this court, the confciencioufnefs of my own integrity and good intention, will enable me to fupport it; afflicted only by his Majefty's difpleafure, and the grief of feeing my profeffion branded in my perfon; this being perhaps the first inftance (at leaft that I know of) of any general officer's being charged with a direct and wilful disobedience of orders. Let me now beg the recollection and attention of the court, to three letters, which have been read in the courfe of their proceedings; and I here willingly fubmit to the candour of the fy at w-r, and defire he may be asked, Whether he did not intend, when he wrote the fecond, that the first letter fhould be recalled and not delivered? If he anfwers, No, I would afk, Whether is it not the custom of his, and every office, when orders are meant to be repealed, to recite and contradict them in the fubfequent or ders. If these letters had been received at different times, as it was fuppofed they would be, when they were written, I must have taken the fuziliers into garrifon, and given Mr. Byng the detachment which the first letter demands. By the fecond, without alledging the following difcretionary fentence, "In this cafe the island of "Minorca fhould be in any likeli"hood of being attacked." I was obliged to give a detachment; yet it is plain, this was by no means the intention of the f -y at w-r, which was to order the fuziliers, altho' never once mentioned in this fecond letter, to reimbark; for he must now have fuppofed them "actually in garrifon, in obedience to his firft orders. This remark only means to fhew, that the fy at wr, did not clearly exprefs his own intention, whether it was, from hence at leaft a poffibility may be inferr'd, that thefe letters are liable to error and mistake; but in this letter, even the expediency of the meafure is admitted as doubtful, fince it is to be carried into execution according to the judgment and consent " of Admiral Byng, or as the Admi"of "ral commanding in chief, fhall "think expedient, and will carry to "the relief of the faid ifland." But pofitive commands and difcretionary powers in execution, will, I prefume, be acknowledged to be contradictions in terms; allowing a judgment of the expediency, and a will to execute a pofitive command, is a military language, till this inftance unknown; yet fuch is the language of thofe letters upon which I am accufed of disobedience. But that there was a difcretionary power fuppofed to be conveyed to me in those orders, at the time of their being written and confequently, that it was the intention of the fy of wr himself, his letter to me dated May 12, 1756, will abundantly evince; permit me here to infert an extract of it; "I am now "commanded to acquaint you, that if the detachment has not been made "and put on board for the Mediter"ranean, &c. and again, "In cafe "the detachment directed in my let"ter of the 20th of March last, "has been made and put on board, then a detachment, &c." Thefe fuppofitions, authority with regard to me, as the fy at wr's letters, but as an affiftance to explain them. I there clearly faw a discretionary power placed in the governor of Minorca to receive the fuziliers," and in cafe "a further reinforcement thould be fuppofitions, not of difobedience, but a discretionary power of acting, muft in conteftibly prove fuch power was intended to be given to me, or the officer commanding the garrifon of Gibraltar, to whom this letter is addressed. By the third letter, which orders" neceffary at Minorca," to require the governor of Gibraltar to receive the wives and child ren of the fuziliers into his garrison, I am told, I fhould have concluded that the regiment was to be fent to Minorca; this manner of drawing conclufions without premifes, is not yet customary in military orders, which turely fhould be clearly expreffed, that they may be punctually obeyed. a detachment, which, as a governor of Gibraltar, I had orders to fend. This appeared to me plainly to refer to the order in the fy at w-r's letter of the 28th of March, and to make that order conditional and difcretionary. These inftructions mention the landing the fuziliers at Minorca, and certainly would have mentioned the But as thefe letters were delivered landing the detachment, if at that to me at the fame time, and by the time supposed to be on board. "You fame hand, they should be confidered," are not to confine yourfelf to landas they really were by me, under "ing that regiment only, but alfo one view: they will then appear not "to aflift with as many gunners, men, only liable to doubt and error, but contradictory in themselves; confequently, they cannot either convey a certain or a pofitive command. " &c. I therefore thought myself obliged to wait for fuch requifition, and not without a truly pofitive order, hazard a measure which would certainly weaken, and perhaps endanger my own gariifon; that it was not thought wholly out of danger by the got, the before-mentioned letter of the 12th of May is an indifputable proof: an indifputable proof: "And other "affiftance in your power for the re"lief of Minorca, taking care not to endangdr the fafety of your gar The first orders the fuziliers into the garrison; the fecond fuppofes them on board; the third commands the governoa to receive the wives and children, who by the firft muft have difembarked with the regiment: Did the fy at wr really defign to annual his first letter by his order in the second? If he did, how eafy and how neceffary would it." have been to declare explicitly fuch intention, and how cuftomary too? In general upon thefe orders permit me to afk, Does it clearly appear, that I was to fend a detachment together with the fuziliers, to Minorca; or that I was to fend a detachment from the garrifon, detaining the regiment of fuziliers at Gibraltar. Finding it impoffible therefore, amidst directions thus perplexed, thus apparently contradictory, to determine even in my own judgment, I thus confidered the a y's inBructions to Mr. Byng, not of equal "rifon. Yet this letter was writtten when the government knew that Minorca was invaded; but without giving the court the trouble of hearing my apprehenfions for the fafety of Gibraltar, tho' certainly neither imaginary nor ill-founded, the very itate of the garrifon hereunto annexed, will fhew how much it must have been weakened, and confequently endangered by fending the detachment, which yet I was not authorifed until demanded. and I fhall here conclude my defence, reft it on the impartial view and and confideration of the orders I received, hoping, that as the firft letter was not recalled, nor even mentioned in the fecond, but delivered with it, these orders will be at least efteemed fo dubious and difcretionaTy, as to be thought incapable of convicting me of disobedience to his Majesty's commands. I have made no profeffions of duty and affection to my King and Country; fuch poffeffions I think are unneceffary after fo many years fervice. I have not afked, but hope this court will ask themselves, with regard to me, certainly a very material queftion, viz. from what difhoneft motives it can be imagined I difobeyed thefe fuppofed pofitive orders? Such queftion did not regularly enter into my defence; I have made no appeal to the integrity of my own intentions, yet may I not be permitted here at least to give one proof of that integrity which at this hour fupports me? In my zeal for the publick service, and looking on myfelf authorized, tho' never commanded to leave lefs than four batallions in my garrison, I ventured to give Mr. Byng 275 men (almost half the detachment mentioned) for compleating Commodore Edgecumbe's fquadron; and in the prefence of the whole council of war, offered upon my own authority, and notwithstanding the opinion they had given a detachment equal to a batallion, which he declined receiving, as thinking it unneceffary. I now rely with confidence upon the honour and impartiality of the court, and hope their fentence will reftore me to the favour of his Majefty, the affection of my country, and the esteem of my brother of ficers. The Court was of opinion, that he was guilty of the charge, and adjudged that he fhould be fufpended for the space of one year; fince which his majefty has thought fit to him from his fervice. dilmifs State of the GARRISON of GIBRALTAR. On duty daily Artificers, labourers, and real tien employed in the King's works Strength of the garrifon from the 24th of April to the 24th of May 582 257 2531 275 A Letter from a Committee of Sailors to The Product of the Caribbee, or, as they us much cheer; but to hear that you are jamm'd in the bilboes, feems as if a ftorm was coming; if your honour had but grappled with are fometimes called. Leeward I flands, being the great Source of the French Commerce, and a very valuable Branch of our own, we have thought a Defcription of thofe Settlements would not be an unacceptable Prefent to our Readers, as they will in all Probability, be much the Subjeṛ of Converfation during the present war, if they are not actually attacked. Gallifoniere, we think you might their common name Don't weather this hurricane. be run aground by landmen, fooner ftave your cargoe, lighten your veffel (heart) pump out the bulge, weigh anchor, ftand to fea, and let fly your enfign (orders) that we may defcry them, and if fo be, that we find you have obeyed them, why we will ftand by you as long as a plank is left to fwim on. Zoons, let thofe founder who have rotten bottoms. If the fair weather fparks fparks of Whitehall have anchored on foul ground, haul the wind fheer off with St. George's colours, and leave them to be brought to the jeers that deferve it. -Take out the tomkin of your mouth, and fire away as loud as thunder, that by the report, all folks may hear that you have done your duty, executed your orders bravely, and behaved gallantly. Stand the deck till the clouds break, and let your honour and courage stick together like pitch, and fo may hap thefe fweet-fcented jeffamy folks may run their leaky veffels aground and founder on dry land Tack about, and leave them to be expofed to the climate, that they may be condemned as unfit for future fervice.If you find the ftorm fo great as to difable you from carrying fail any longer, and obliged to quit the helm, why faften down your hatches, fay a fhort prayer, and die like a man. I am for the committee, your flave, T. BOATSWAIN, VOL. XII. HE Caribbee or Canibal Islands derive from certain favage people who formerly inhabited them, and were faid to eat human flefh, though there is not fufficient reafon to believe, that either thofe people, or any other, were guilty of that inhuman practice, except on particular and extraordinary occafions. Of fuch of thefe islands as are in our poffeffion, Barbadoes is the chief. It is fuppofed to have been named by the Spanish or Portuguese, from the barbarous people which were found upon it, but by whom it was difcovered is not certainly known; neither indeed is it certainly known that when it was firft discovered it had inhabitants. It is 25 miles from S. to N. and 15 from E. to W. in the broadeft part. The country is almoft deftitute of wood, and in general plain and level, tho' there are a few small hills of an easy afcent. In this island nothing is cultivated but fugar, of the molaffes or drofs of which are made great quantities of rum. Corn, flesh, and fith, are imported from our northern colonies. There is fcarce an harbour in the ifland; the beft is that of BridgeTown in Carlifle bay. It is on the fouth-weft part of the island, open to the west, and fecure from the N. E. wind, which is the constant trade wind in this place, except during the latter part of June, all July and Auguft, when there are dreadful hur. ticanes ricanes that blow from every quarter, and certainly wreck every thip that cannot get out to fea. The coaft is defended on the Eaft by rocks and fhoals, and on the Weft by breatworks and redoubts, which, however, have been fuffered to go much out of repair. There are in this ifland only two fmall ftreams, called Scotland river, and Jofeph's river, but there are fprings of good water all over the ifland, for which it is never neceffary to dig deep. There are alfo large ponds and refervoirs, in which rain water is prefer ved. The weather is generally ferene; the rains fall when the fun is vertical; the heat is not fo great as in the fame latitude on the continent, for in the morning a cool breeze fprings up from the fea, which increafes as the fun advances, and abates as it declines; but they have not the advantage of land winds at night, as they have in Jamaica, becaufe in Barbadoes there are no mountains, The only town of any confequence is Bridge-Town, already mentioned, fometimes called St. Michael, and faid to contain 1200 houfes of brick or ftone. It was formerly furrounded with a morafs, which made it unhealthy, but it has been long fince drained; yet, as the fituation is low, it is ftill fubject to inundations. There are a commodious wharf and keys, and three forts, which, if they were kept in repair, would render the town very difficult to be tak en. But tho' nothing is cultivated but fugar, yet the island produces cotton, indico, and piemento; oranges, limes, citrons, pomegranates, guavas, plentius, cocoa-nuts, Indian figs, prickle pears, melons, and almoft all manner of roots and garden stuff, but very few flowers. They have a flight breed of horfes of their own, alfo fome affes, cows, and theep, but the theep do not thrive. There is, however, great plenty of hogs, which afford their best flesh meat; there are also good fea-fish and poultry, but no fresh water fish. Provifions in general are fo dear, that there is no dining at an ordinary for lefs than a crown a head; and all, but people of condition, are glad of falt beef and falt pork, imported from the northern colonies. The negroes are fed with root and fruits. The gentry drink. Madeira wine, and ftrong beer imported from England; the middle clafs content themselves with punch. The government confifts of a governor and council appointed by the king, and a houfe of reprefentatives chofen by the people. The number of white people amounts to 30,000, and of negroes, molattoes, and meftize flaves, 100,000. The militia confifts of 1500 horfe, and 3000 foot. to It is faid that fome feamen belonging to Sir Wm. Curtien, who Cruized in thofe feas at the latter end of the reign of K. James I. were the firft Englishmen that landed in Barbadoes. Thefe men reporting, at their return to England, that the country was fertile, feveral adventurers went thither with a view to fettle; but finding the ifland covered with impenetrable woods, and no living creature upon it but hogs, fuppofed to have been left by the Portuguefe or Spaniards, that they might be furnished, when they touched there, with fresh provifions, the project of planting it was laid afide. The property of this ifland, however acquired, was granted by Charles I. to James, Earl of Carlisle, and another attempt to fettle it was foon afterwards made, tho' without much fuccefs. But in the year 1647, during Cromwell's ufurpation, the Colonels Modiford, Drax, and Walrond, with feveral other cavaliers, turned their eftates into money, and went over to Barbadoes with fuch machines and implements as were proper |