dition. At one period, the troops were more than usually annoyed by the enemy, who came down in the night, and, by firing at the out-sentinels, gave frequent alarm, and disturbed the rest of the soldiers. Anxious to put a stop to this teazing kind of annoyance, and to discover the post or camp whence those nightly parties came, I obtained leave from the general to select a party, consisting of a serjeant and twelve men, and entered the woods at nine o'clock at night, guiding myself by the compass, and the natural formation of the country, which consisted principally of parallel ridges, divided by deep ravines formed by the mountain torrents. The men were provided with strong short cutlasses, to cut their way through the underwood, without which it would have been impossible to penetrate, unless we should accidentally have fallen in with a foot-path frequented by the Caribbs. In this slow progress, nothing occurred till soon after sun-rise, when traces were discovered of people having lately passed through the woods; and the undergrowth being thinner, the men could move on with less noise in clearing an opening. More evident indications appearing that this place had been frequented, I directed the serjeant to follow me, leaving the men to rest, and crept to a little distance, in the hope of finding some opening in the woods. We had not gone five hundred paces, when on a sudden we came to an open spot, on which stood a man with a musquet, apparently as a sentinel. The instant he saw us he presented his piece, when a small spaniel, which followed me, sprung forward and seized him by the foot. In the agitation of pain

When the enemy had been driven from the third redoubt, I was standing giving some directions to the men, and preparing to push on to the fourth and last redoubt, when I found myself tapped on the shoulder, and turning round, I saw my Amazonian friend standing with her clothes tucked up to her knees, and seizing my hand, "Well done, iny Highland lads," she exclaimed," see how the Brigands scamper like so many deer.""Come," added she," let us drive them from yonder hill." On inquiry, I found that she had been in the hottest fire cheering and animating the men; and, when the action was over, she was as active as any of the surgeons in assisting the wounded.

or alarm, the man discharged his musquet at the dog, and, plunging into the woods, was out of sight in an instant, and before the serjeant, who attempted to cut him down with his sword, could get near him. We were now on an elevated spot, with a few feet of clear ground, and on the edge of a perpendicular precipice of great depth, at the bottom of which was seen a small valley, with a crowd of huts, from which swarms of people sprung out when they heard the report of the musquet.

Satisfied that this was the place which we were in search of, I immediately retraced my steps; but we had not marched half way, when we were attacked on both flanks and rear by the enemy, who followed the party. Being excellent climbers, they seemed in an instant to have manned the trees. The wood was in a blaze, but not a man was to be seen, all being perfectly covered by the luxuriant foliage. I directed the men to keep themselves as much as possible under cover, and to retreat from tree to tree, firing at the spot where they perceived the fire of the enemy, who followed with as much rapidity as if they had sprung like monkies from tree to tree. In this manner we continued retiring till we got clear of the woods. This was considerably delayed by the difficulty of assisting the wounded. Six men were killed, and Lieutenant Towes of the 2d West Indian regiment, (who, with a party, was ordered up to the woods by General Hunter, when he heard the firing,) and eight men wounded, though not any enemy had been seen, so completely were they concealed by the thickness of the woods. *

• In the preceding year an attack was made on the enemy in the strong position of the Vizie; but, from some cause, it was not followed up with vigour. The troops suffered considerably. The grenadiers of the 59th were advanced in a wood, on the side of a steep hill, from which they kept up a fire on the enemy, who returned it, and, to the great surprise of the troops, with a great and unexpected loss on their part, considering that the enemy from whom, as they imagined, the fire proceeded, was at a considerable distance. In this manner the men continued to drop, till at length it was discovered that the fire came from the tops of the trees immediately

This kind of petty warfare, equally irksome and inglori ous, affording none of those incentives, which, in an active campaign, against a powerful enemy, encourage brave soldiers to despise all privations and difficulties, continued for four months. But such was the force of the example shown by Sir Ralph Abercromby, and by the officers who accompanied him, that this unpleasant service was performed with the utmost alacrity. Although the duty was nearly of the same nature in St Lucia and St Vincent, the climate in the latter was so much more favourable, that the deaths among the troops did not exceed one-third of their number; while, of the four regiments in St Lucia, which consisted of 3890 men, there were only 470 fit for duty at the end of thirteen months. This service was rendered more destructive by the total want of every comfort. A pound of saltpork or beef, a pound of flour, (till after some time that bread could be procured,) and a glass of rum, formed the daily allowance. There were no tents or covering, except such huts as the soldiers erected to screen themselves from the rain.

Although the enemy were, as I have noticed, weak in every thing but the natural strength of their country, their desperation at the thought of being driven from their native homes made them hold out till the month of September, when they surrendered. The French, including the Brigands, under Marin Pedre, a negro of St Lucia, were sent prisoners to England. The Caribbs, upwards of 5000 in number, were transported to Ratan, an island in the Gulf of Mexico, where they were landed, with six months' provisions, besides seeds, plants, and all sorts of implements for building houses and cultivating the land. They were afterwards removed to South America by the Spaniards,

above them. A small party of the Caribbs, who were in the habit of climbing, had run up the trees, and, covering themselves with the thick foliage, commenced a fire, which, for a time, was unperceived amidst the noise and constant firing kept up by our troops. As soon as it was discovered, a volley fired at the tops of the trees brought down seven men. The rest soon followed.

who would not allow a permanent settlement to this wretched people, who it is said were sent to the mines where they soon perished.

Here I must again remark, in regard to the West India climate, that the health of the troops is always best while in front of an enemy, however constant and harassing the service; whereas, in the less active duties of a common nature, such as a change of stations, either from one island to another, or from one quarter to another in the same island, they seldom failed to be attacked by the diseases incident to the climate. Hence, when the troops remain healthy, the prudence of a change of quarters, without necessity, may be questioned. It sometimes happens, that injurious effects ensue even although the movement has been from an unhealthy to a healthy station, as from St Lucia to Barbadoes. Troops became so accustomed to the unhealthy climate of the former island, that, in twelve months, the deaths did not exceed 50 out of 600 men. Of the same number of men, when removed to Barbadoes, 12 officers and upwards of 200 men have died in a few months, without any apparent alteration in the climate, or any material change in the health of those who were previously in the island. But when troops become unhealthy, no time should be lost in removing them to another station.

The mortality this year among the troops in the West Indies was lamentably great. From May 1796 to June 1797, the deaths amounted to 264 officers and 12,387 soldiers. But of those whose strength of constitution, or mode of life, enabled them to resist the evil effects of the climate, no one enjoyed a more vigorous state of health than the venerable commander, who, although in the sixty-fourth year

• Examples of this have been seen even in the same Island. The Highlanders were removed from the woods in St Vincent, to the barracks near Kingston, a situation considered remarkably healthy. Before a week passed 59 men were in hospital, who left the woods in perfect health, and in ten days 21 men died. The distance they marched was only twenty-two miles; they were two days on the march, consequently the fatigue was moderate.

of his age, generally slept in his body-clothes; indeed, alHe was on horseback every day ways when in the field. an hour before day-light, and was ever found where his presence was necessary. He returned to England in September, when the temporary command of the army devolved upon Major-General Charles Graham,* who was this year promoted from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 42d to be colonel of the 5th West India regiment. Major James Stewart succeeded to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and Captain Stirling as major. Some time previously, Captain Alexander Stewart succeeded Major Christie, who died of the fever, and Lieutenant David Stewart was promoted to be captain-lieutenant.

The Commander-in-Chief returned from England early in February 1797, and immediately collected a force for an attack on Trinidad, which surrendered without opposition. Encouraged by this success, and having received intelligence of the favourable disposition of the inhabitants of Porto Rico, he determined to make an attempt on that island. Accordingly, he ordered the 26th light dragoons, dismounted, the 14th, 42d, 53d, a battalion of the 60th regiment, a detachment of Lowenstein's corps, and the Tobago Rangers, to be assembled at St Christopher's, whence they sailed on the 15th of April, and anchored off Congregus's Point on the 17th. A landing was effected, with slight opposition from the enemy, who retreated when the men disembarked.

General Graham was son of Colonel Graham of Drainie, one of the original officers of the Black Watch, and was for many years the commanding officer. General Graham had the benefit of a good example from his father. Born in the regiment in which he had all his life served, he intimately understood the character and peculiar dispositions of the men. An excellent disciplinarian, strict, but judicious, just and humane, with a fine voice, and a clear distinct manner of communicating his orders, and explaining his directions, he was admirably fitted for his situation as commander of the Highland regiment. The promotion to the rank of general officer, which removed him from the command, was a severe loss to the corps. He went out second in command to Sir Ralph Abercromby to the West Indies in 1795, and died at Cork, where he commanded, in 1800.