TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



43 



good and peaceable subjects of His Britannic 



Majesty. 



u Article 13. — The sailors and soldiers of His 

 Catholic Majesty's are, from the time of their laying 

 down their arms, to be fed by the British Government, 

 leaving the expense to be regulated by the cartel 

 between the two nations. 



M Article 14. — The sick of the Spanish troops 

 will be taken care of, but to be attended and to be 

 under the inspection of their own surgeons. 



" Article 15. — All the inhabitants of Trinidad 

 shall, within thirty days from the date hereof, take 

 the oath of allegiance to His Britannic Majesty to 

 demean themselves quietly and faithfully to his Go- 

 vernment, upon pain in case of non-compliance of 

 being sent away from the Island. 



" Done at Port d'Espagne, in the Island of 

 Trinidad, the 18th day of February, 1797. 



" RALPH ABERCROMBY. 



" HENRY HARVEY. 



" JOSE MARIA CHACON." 

 Here I will leave Trinidad at the time it became a 

 British colony ; only adding that it was not inhabited 

 by the Spaniards until ninety years after it became a 

 Spanish possession, and to this fact may be attribu- 

 ted its present fertility ; it has not become worn out, 

 as has been the case with many other West Indian 

 colonies. It was, however, used by the Spaniards as 

 " the happy hunting ground " for kidnapping the 

 unfortunate natives and selling them into slavery. 

 The chapter on Don Chacon as former Governor will 

 furnish further details. 



