134] 
Indies by sir Charles Grey, and sir 
John Jervis. Martinico, St, Lucia, 
and Guadaloupe, had been taken 
from -the French; but. before the 
conclusion of the year, the last was 
recaptured; and early in the year 
ensuing, the French compelled St. 
Eustatius, the great magazine of all 
the Dutch islands, to surrender; and 
put it into so strong a posture of de. 
fence as to frustrate ail expectations 
of retaking it without the greatest 
difficulty. Encouragedby thesead- 
vantages, they formed a plan for the 
reduction of the other islands seized 
by the English inthe preceding year. 
The French forces were under the 
command of the noted Vi¢tor 
Hughes, aman of a ferocious dispo- 
sition, but uncommon activity and 
courage, and remarkable for his 
hatred of the English, Hehad been 
sent from France, as commissioner 
from the convention, with particular 
orders to execuie the famous decree 
by which the negroes were to be 
declared free. He carried it ac. 
cordingly into the fullest execution, 
and furnished with arms and uni- 
forms all the blacks and mulattoes 
that were willing to enter into the 
French service. It was at the head 
of this desperate multitude, aided 
by three or four thousand regular 
troops, that he had retaken Guada- 
loupe, and now projected to recover 
the other French islands, Asa pre- 
paratory step to this undertaking, 
a secret correspondence was set on 
foot with the disaife¢ted French in- 
habitants of those islands, and emis- 
saries were sent among the negroes 
and people of colour to excite 
them against the English govern- 
ment. The result was, that, in the 
spring of this year, a concerted re- 
volt took place at the same time in 
_ all these islands, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
In that of St. Lucia it broke out 
so suddenly, and the insurgents were 
so numerous, that they overpowered 
the British garrison, most of which 
was obliged, after a gallant but in, 
effectual resistance, to retire into 
the fort. Collecting their scattered 
force, they attacked the principal 
post of the insurgents, Pe i after a 
severe dispute, threw them into dis. 
order, But they rallied, and after 
a second confliét, wherein the Bri- 
tish forces were repulsed with great 
loss, the insurgents remained masters 
of the field, and the garrison re- 
treated to the fort; and, after suf- 
fering a three months bidckade, eva. 
cuated the island. Grenada being 
a place of more importance than 
the former, the Frenchcommissioner 
dispatched a body of chosen men ; 
assisted by whom, the blacks, and 
their associates of all colours, furi- 
ously attacked the British troops, 
and defeated them in several en. 
gagements. As soon, however, as 
these had been reinforced, they fell 
with so much vigour on the insur- 
gents, that they drove them from 
the open country, and forced them 
to take shelter in the mountainous 
partsofthe island. Here they were 
reduced ‘to the greatest distress for” 
provisions; though such was their 
obstinacy, that they refused to sur. 
rendcr,and chose rather to encoun- 
ter all hardships, in those wretched 
but inaccessible fortresses, than re- 
turn to theirformersubjection. The 
island of Dominica was attacked in 
like manner by a body of troops sent 
from Guadaloupe by the French 
commissioner, and who were joined 
by a multitude of negroes and many 
of the old French inhabitants. The 
number of British regulars was very 
small; but the Bricish settlers them- 
selves supplied that ae nee 
their 
