314 
DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap.XJX—B.P. 
gible enemy that crossed his path, and captured all 
the forts and earthworks in his way; hut when his 
scanty force of 1800 men had been thinned down to 
380, and he himself was reduced to the verge of the 
grave, there was no alternative but to effect a retreat. 
Mismanagement and entire ignorance of the country 
were the main causes that this really clever project did 
not produce the results expected. As far as gallantry 
could effect anything, each officer and man did more 
than his duty, and Nelson particularly distinguished 
himself by “ boarding ”—as he termed it—and carry¬ 
ing the outlying sixteen-gun battery of San Bartolo, 
which was designed as an outpost to defend the ap¬ 
proach to the formidable works of “ Castillo Yiejo.” 
In 1786, another treaty was concluded with the 
King of Spain, which entailed ruin on hundreds of 
British subjects, who, upon the faith of a British pro¬ 
tectorate, had established themselves in Mosquito. 
By the terms of this treaty, it was agreed that “ the 
Mosquito country should be evacuated by the subjects 
of his Britannic Majesty, and that he should disown 
in the most solemn manner any obstruction to such 
evacuation.” His Catholic Majesty, on his part, 
“prompted solely by motives of humanity, promises 
to the King of England that he will not exercise any 
severity against the Mosquito Indians inhabiting in 
part the countries that are to be evacuated in virtue of 
the present convention, on account of any connection 
which may have subsisted between the said Indians 
and the English.” 
His Catholic Majesty kept his word by making 
