It was not until the 15th of January, 1742, that nearly three
thousand men, including two thousand Marines, arrived at Jamaica.
Another expedition was now meditated, which put to sea early in
March, but adverse winds, the separation of transports having on
board the working negroes, and the expectation of the periodical
rains now nearly setting in, suggested to a Council of War held
at Porto Bello, at the close of that month, the immediate return
of the whole armament, to the port they had left. This afforded
another instance of unfortunate discord. The fleet arrived at
Jamaica upon the 15th of May.
In order to give a specious appearance to things, and to compensate
for the national expenditures and past miscarriages, it was now
judged proper to detach a force to take possession of Rattan, an
island in the Bay of Honduras, and a situation highly proper for
maintaining a commercial intercourse with South America, as well as
the trade in logwood.
An establishment there having been formed early in the year, it was
determined in a Council of War to send a force of fifty Marines and
two hundred Americans, under Major Caulfield, in order to place the
island in a state of military defence.
On the 23d of August, they reached Port Royal, on the south side
of it, where they formed a camp and erected Fort George to defend
the harbour, as well Fort Frederick, on the western part of it.
A great proportion of the American soldiers being papists, they
formed a plot to render the settlement abortive, and to rise upon
the Marines and the well-affected of their countrymen.
His Majesty's ship, Litchfield, then in the harbour, hearing the
alarm guns, instantly landed her party of Marines, who with those
on shore soon checked this daring mutiny, secured the delinquents,
and preserved the settlement to his Majesty.
Nothing farther was done during the inauspicious commands of
Admiral Vernon or General Wentworth, who both soon afterwards
returned to Great Britain, excepting the detaching five hundred
men of different descriptions to the aid of General Oglethorpe, in
South Carolina, and repelling the menaces of the Spaniards against
the infant colony of Georgia.
Orders of recall for both arrived at Jamaica upon the 23d of
September, and the General was directed to provide the fleet with
a number of commissioned Officers, and men, from the Marines,
sufficient to supply its wants; also to fill up the vacancies in
the eight Independent Companies raised for the defence of Jamaica.
For the former purpose, eleven hundred were required, which were
nearly all that were now left and fit for duty. The supernumerary
Officers and sick were sent home, and the American troops were
invited to become volunteers for both.
Government, under the experience of past disasters, now vested
the controul of the Marines in Sir Chaloner Ogle, upon whom the
naval command devolved after the departure of Admiral Vernon.
Notwithstanding the personal animosities that had existed, this
Officer bore his testimony to the zeal and distinguished bravery of
the Soldiery, whose gallant efforts and patient endurance under the
greatest privations, were uniformly conspicuous throughout a series
of misfortunes.
Upwards of seven thousand Marines and nearly four thousand of other
troops were the lamentable victims to pestilence and disunion,
but not to defeat. The objects which were accomplished, although
not adequate to their country's hopes, were still distressing to
the enemy. Their principal harbours were in a manner rendered
defenceless, and the Spanish government experienced much
embarrassment from nearly a total suspension of these pecuniary
supplies, which could alone enable it to maintain the war with
vigour and effect, while the distress pervaded every class of its
subjects.
Our forces were ever after too feeble to undertake any enterprize
of importance against the enemy in that quarter of the
world.--Self-defence was now the system adopted by Sir Chaloner
Ogle, as the Spanish squadron at the Havannah was superior to his
own, since the departure of Admiral Vernon.
The supplies which were voted for the year 1743 provided for a
large levy of Marines to fill up their casualties--eleven thousand
five hundred and fifty being the number decreed, and forty thousand
seamen.
Nothing further, consistent with my subject, appears on the face of
the public transactions of the year 1742.