14 
VIEWS OF LOUISIANA. 
the other adventurers. Pedro de Menendez, was immediately 
despatched by that monarchy to establish a colony and to drive 
away the French. The armament, might be considered for that 
period, and for the occasion, a formidable one, consisting of ten 
vessels and upwards of two thousand men. Before he could reach 
the place of his destination, a storm arose, which dispersed and 
scattered his ships, so that he only arrived with five. These were 
attacked by some English vessels then at the mouth of the river, 
and compelled to fall down to the Dauphin river, which they 
entered, giving it the name of St. Augustin ; here they commen¬ 
ced an establishment. In the mean while Ribaut, contrary to the. 
advice of his officers, embarked nearly all his force, in order to 
attack and destroy the Spanish fleet, and left but sixty or seventy 
men in his fort.* Ribaut could only come in sight of the Spa¬ 
niards when a dreadful tempest drove him off the coast. The 
Spanish commander, rightly conjecturing that the greater part 
of the garrison had been embarked on this occasion, resolved to 
march over by land and storm the fort. This he did in five days 
after his discovering the English squadron, and succeeded com¬ 
pletely, meetinp; in fact with but little or no resistance : Mons. 
Laudamere and a few soldiers only escaped. This achievment 
honorable in its commencement, was however wound up by one 
of those acts of barbarity, which causes humanity to shudder even 
when related of the most ferocious savages, and which stamps 
infamy and shame on civilized men ; the prisoners who surren¬ 
dered, and the miserable fugitives, who were afterwards caught, 
were hung upon a tree, on which was suspended this sentence, 
worthy of that bigotry, “ whose forces are congregated from the 
abysses of hell uot as frenchmen, but as heretics and 
ENEMIES OF GOD. 
JMenendez, giving the name of St. Matteo, to the fort he had 
taken, left a garrison in it, and returned to St. Augustin. Ribaut at 
the same time paid clearly for his imprudence, being ship-wreck¬ 
ed on the Bahama banks, he attempted with the remainder of his 
forces to regain the fort by land. Having approached it after in¬ 
credible hardships, he learned that it was in the possession of 
the Spaniards. One of his officers was sent with proposals, and 
* It 4ad been called Fort Charles, 
