162 



TRINIDAD: THEN AND NOW. 



privateers which were doing a considerable amount 

 of damage to English trade in these waters ; they 

 were dispersed and chased into the Gulf of Paria. 

 Some of the officers from the Alarm who came on 

 shore and visited a lady named Griffith, then living 

 in what is now known as Frederick Street, were at- 

 tacked by some of the privateers who had landed in 

 Port-of-Spain. Vaughan hearing of this came on 

 shore with a large body of men, and instead of report- 

 ing the attack upon his men to Governor Chacon, 

 took the law into his own hand and severely handled 

 every one whom he suspected of being concerned in 

 the attack upon his officers. This nearly embroiled 

 the English government in a war with Spain which 

 was then at peace with England ; it was, however, 

 for the moment happily avoided and this street was 

 thus called Des Anglais. 



The streets running from east to west were 

 named after the King, Queen, a Prince and a 

 Duke ; Marine Square was so called on account of 

 its having been recently reclaimed from the sea. 

 Chacon Street, is the only one which has retained its 

 original name ; it was a well-deserved compli- 

 ment paid to the last Spanish Governor, as Picton 

 Fort remains as a monument to the first English one. 



As the town was extended from time to time, we 

 find the streets named after other celebrated men of 

 that time beginning with Abercromby. I have thus, 

 to a certain extent, brought Port-of-Spain down to 

 my time and I will begin to describe it as it Then was 

 and Now is. 



