176 HISTORY OF THE [BOOK. n. 



length of the ability and merit of this brave man, con- 

 firmed him in his command. To the exertions of 

 D'Oyley, seconded and supported by the affection 

 which his soldiers, under all their difficulties and dis- 

 tresses, manifested on every occasion towards him, 

 we owe at this day the possession of Jamaica; the 

 recapture whereof by the Spaniards, towards the end 

 of the year 1657, became to them an object of great 

 national concern. Its defenceless state, the dissatis- 

 faction of the English troops, and the exertions ma- 

 king by Cromwell to afford them relief, as well as to 

 augment their numbers, led the governor of Cuba to 

 believe, that the juncture was then arrived for retrie- 

 ving the honour of his country, by the restoration of 

 this island to its dominion. Having communicated to 

 the vice-roy of Mexico, a scheme built on this idea, 

 and received the sanction and support of that officer, 

 he made preparations for a formidable invasion, and 

 appointed Don Christopher Sasi Arnoldo, who had 

 been governor of Jamaica at the time of its capture, 

 to take the conduct and command of the enterprize. 



On the eighth of May 1658, thirty companies of 

 Spanish infantry landed at *RIo Nuevo, a small harbour 

 on the north side of the island. They were provided 

 with provisions for eight months, with ordnance and 

 ammunition of all kinds, and they brought engineers 

 and artificers for erecting extensive fortifications. 



o 



Twelve days had elapsed before D'Oyley knew of 

 their landing, and six weeks more intervened by the 

 time that he was able to approach them by sea. Du- 

 ring this interval, the Spaniards had established them- 



