66 
HISTORY OF THE [book. iii. 
thrown up round the summit of the Hospital-hill. 
This intrenchment the count D’Estaing invested 
the next day, at the head of 3000 of his best forces, 
which he led up in three columns, and after a hard 
conflict and the loss of 300 men, carried the lines. 
Nevef did so small a body of men make a nobler 
defence against such inequality of numbers. The 
governor (lord Macartney) and the remains of his 
little garrison, immediately retired into the old fort, 
at the mouth of the harbour; which however was 
wholly untenable, being commanded by the Hospi¬ 
tal-hill battery, the guns of which having been most 
unfortunately left unspiked, were now turned against 
them. At day-break, the French opened a battery 
of two twenty-four pounders against the walls of the 
old fort. In this situation.* the governor and inhabi¬ 
tants had no resource but in the hopes of obtaining 
favourable terms of capitulation; and herein they 
were disappointed. Their proposals were scorn¬ 
fully rejected, and such hard and extraordinary 
terms offered and insisted on by count D’Estaing, 
as left them no alternative but the sacrifice of their 
honour, or an unconditional surrender. They em¬ 
braced the latter; and it must be acknowledged, 
that the protection which was afforded to the help¬ 
less inhabitants of the town, and their property, 
not only while the treaty was depending, but also 
after the surrender of the island at discretion, re¬ 
flected the highest lustre on the discipline as well 
as humanity of the conquerors. Protection and 
safe-guards were granted on every application, and 
