136] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
almost exterminated. The recesses, 
to which they fled for shelter, were 
s0 intricately situated, and so diffi- 
cult of access and discovery, that 
blood-hounds were procured from 
the Spanish island of Cuba, in order 
to pursue and trace them by their 
scent. The exaét number of the 
fugitives that escaped,’ was never 
clearly ascertained in England, and, 
it is probable, that from the inyete- 
rate rancour of the colonists, against 
a tribe of men who had so frequent- 
ly withstood their efforts, they were 
little disposed to shew them any 
mercy. But the circumstance, 
which gave most offence ta the pub- 
lic, was the employing of the same 
means for their destruction, as had 
formerly been used by the Spaniards, 
when they first discovered and in- 
vaded this new world. The cruel- 
ties exercised upon the Indians, by 
those blood-thirsty and inhumancon- 
querors, rendered them universally 
odious to all the Europeans; but 
that horrid practice of hunting and 
destroying human beings with dogs, 
trained up for that purpose, had 
particularly contributed to make 
them detested. 
». The checks received by the Bri- 
tish forces, in the West Indies, were 
chiefly due to the immense superi- 
ority.of numbers with which they 
were attatked. » Notwithstanding 
the many difficulties the convention 
was incessantly struggling with at 
home, they were!too conscious of 
the value of the French transmarine 
possessions, not to exert themselves 
to the utmost for, their retention. 
No opportunities, therefore, were 
omittea of sending reinforcements 
” to protect them from the attacks of 
the Engiish, or to retake those that 
had falien into their hands. 
The conquest of Martinico, St. 
Lucia, and Guadaloupe, by the 
forces under the command of gene. 
ral sir Charles Grey, and admiral 
sir John Jervis, had been attended 
with circumstances peculiarly bril- 
liant. The difficulty of access to 
the places and positions occupied 
by the enemy, was such, that the 
French entertained 2 sanguine hope, 
that the English would be repulsed 
every where, especially as every 
post had been fortified with the ut- 
most skill, and was in the strongest 
posture of defence, both with respect 
to number of men, and quantity of 
ammunition and artillery. The va- 
lour, conduct, and knowledge in 
tactics, displayed by the Britishcom- 
manders and officers on these various 
expeditions had been: remarkable, 
and the courage of the soldiers had 
been no less striking. They en. 
countered every obstacle with an 
intrepidity and perseverance which 
the French had not expeéted ; and 
what was particularly deserving of 
notice, they obtained most of their 
advantages by means of the bayonet, 
a weapon with which the French 
had, in their European battles, 
gained signal successes; and in the 
use of which they considered them. 
selves as decidedly superior to their 
enemies. Gi ea 
The skill and bravery of the offi. 
cers and seamen of the squadron, 
emplayed in this service, had been 
eminently conspicuous, Soestablish. 
ed was their reputation at this junc. 
ture, that no intention of even meet- 
ing them. in combat was entertain. 
ed by the French, whose principal 
aim was to elude their vigilance, 
and to throw what succours they 
were able into’ their islands by 
stealth, not daring to try the chance 
of fight with British cruizers, when 
these were on a parity of strength. 
They 
