192 HISTORY OF THE [BOOK. ir. 



cal occurrences and internal politics, wotild not, I 

 presume, be interesting to the general reader. The 

 following are the only circumstances which appear to 

 me to merit distinct notice, and I have reserved the 

 recital for this place, that the thread of the preceding 

 narrative might continue unbroken. 



In the year 1687, Christopher, Duke of Albe marie, 

 was appointed chief governor of Jamaica. This no- 

 bleman was the only surviving son and heir of Gene- 

 ral Monk, who had restored Charles II. and I men- 

 tion him principally as exhibiting a striking instance 

 of the instability of human greatness. The father had 

 been gratified with the highest rewards that a sove- 

 reign could bestow on a subject; a dukedom, the gar- 

 ter, and a princely fortune; and the son, reduced to 

 beggary by vice and extravagance, was driven to the 

 necessity of imploring bread from James II. The 

 king, to be freed from his importunities, gave him the 

 government of Jamaica; where, dying childless, a 

 short time after his arrival, his honours were extin- 

 guished with his life. The noble duke lived long 

 enough, however, to collect a considerable sum of 

 money for his creditors; for entering into partnership 

 with Sir William Phipps, who had discovered the 

 wreck of a Spanish plate ship, which had been strand- 

 ed in 1659, on a shoal to the north-east of Hispanio- 

 la, they sent out sloops from Jamaica, provided with 

 skilful divers, to search for the hidden treasure, and 

 are said to have actually recovered twenty-six tons of 

 silver. The conduct of this noble governor, on his 

 arrival, affords many curious instances of the arbitrary 



