38 



TRINIDAD I THEN AND NOW. 



appropriately quoted when I come to deal with 

 Don Chacon as Governor of Trinidad. That not 

 only were the people of Grenada, but also those of 

 other islands, justified in this apparently high-handed 

 action will also appear in the chapter on Picton. 



As I like to give variety, I will now quote from 

 Mr. H. B. Robinson's " Life of Sir Thomas Picton " 

 (pages 34-35). 



" An expedition against Trinidad had for some 

 time been determined on ; and shortly after the re- 

 turn of the Commander-in-Chief (Sir Ralph Aber- 

 cromby) to the West Indies, he made the necessary 

 arrangements with Admiral Harvey to proceed at 

 once to capture that valuable island. The Spaniards 

 had long been in expectation of an attack, and had 

 collected four ships of the line and several frigates 

 for the defence, which were moored in Chaguaramas 

 bay under protection of batteries of considerable 

 strength on the island of Gasparee. # 



" On the evening of the 16th February, 1797 the 

 English squadron arrived off this bay ; when the 

 Admiral had observed the position of the Spanish 

 fleet he ordered preparation to be made for the at- 

 tack on the following morning. During the night, 

 however, flames were perceived bursting from one of 

 their ships, which spread with so much rapidity, 

 that in a short time the whole were consumed, with 

 the exception of one line-of-battle ship, which con- 

 trived to escape the conflagration but was captured 

 by the boats of the British fleet. After this disaster, 



* See Casual Wanderings No. 1. 



