Spain might complain of fince the conclufion of the treaty of peace in 1763; for that reason we shall reftrain ourselves to the greater ones, and those most recent, left we fhould be accufed of reviving old injuries already forgotten. By the fixteenth article of the preliminaries of that treaty, England acknowledged the Bay of Honduras as making part of the Spanish dominions, and bound itself to caufe every fortification that had been erected by its fubjects in that part of the world, to be demolished within four months after the ratification of the treaty; without preferving to the court of London any other right than that of being permitted to cut log-wood, without any moleftation or hindrance; and for which purpofe, its workmen were to be allowed only the houses and barracks essentially neceffary

to them. None of these stipula tions have been performed by the English: they have introduced themfelves more and more into the ancient fettlements, beyond the limits allotted them, and have excited a rebellion among the native Indians, providing them with arms, and giving them every fuccour and affittance under the protection of Great Britain.

Not fatisfied with these violences, they have established themfelves in many other ports, rivers, and coafts of the Spanish territory in the faid Bay of Honduras; in which places they could not even alledge the fpecious pretence of cutting log-wood, but manifeftly with a defign of ufurping foreign dominion, and of fmuggling va. rious merchandizes without any

places wherein they went are, El Pincho, Rio Tinto, Rio Matina, and many others: they have there trained up bodies of militia to arms, and have given the King of England's brevet, or commiffion, of Captain-general of all these settlements or establishments to Jacob Loury; which brevet, or passport, together with many other patents or

commiffions to fubaltern officers, was folemnly read to the whole colony on the 21ft of September, 1776, before the troops and people.

All these proceedings of the English were discovered by the Spaniards, at a time when the British miniftry had declared that thofe encroachments and fettlements had been made without their approbation, or the fanction of their authority.

The English fettlers found out artifices and various perfidious

means

means to prevail on the chief or leader to revolt against Spain, and to ftyle himself King of the Mofquito Indians, and perfuaded him to take the title of Captain in Chief of the other Indians, whofe leaders have fent commiffions to the Vice-Roy of the Spanish government, acknowledging themfelves as vaffals of his Catholic Majefty: befides which, the Englifh fupplied them with arms, and gave them all kind of affiftance to prevent their feeking the protection of Spain, who has an immediate right upon the dominion of those territories. Moreover, though foreigners of all denominations, let their religion be what it will, be well received in all the English fettlements of America, the Spaniards only have been refufed admittance, they being either imprifoned or driven away.

The better to prove the uniform defign England had always harboured of becoming mafters of thefe extenfive territories; to lay there the foundation of its fettlements; and to augment every day the immenfe prohibited commerce carried on by its fubjects in the interior parts of the Spanish provinces, we need but relate what happened in the year 1775. That a certain phyfician, famous for his voyage round the world, known by the name of Doctor Irwin, left England, having with him all kinds of tools for agriculture, feveral artists, and many other fuccours found by the British ministry, to the end and purpose of making a lafting fettlement in the province of Nacha, wherein he landed feveral families, and feveral more were foon to follow them. With

that intention, the faid doctor had brought up and educated in his own houfe a fon of an Indian King, and two Indians of note in thefe countries. The Spanish Guarda Coftas were foon apprifed of the doctor's embarkation, and the British miniftry, inftead of giving redrefs to remonftrances for that breach of the treaty, threatened Spain with a war.

Laft year, in the month of November, fome Spaniards happened to fettle themselves on the river Saint Johne, on the fame coast of Mofquito, whereupon they built ome houfes; and, when they leaft expected it, they were attacked by a party of English, and another party of Indians; in that conflict, the captain of the fhip was wounded, moft of his people were put to prifon, and many other violences were offered. While that was tranfacting, the negociation of peace, then on the carpet, was carried on with the greatest anxiety by his Majefty, for the bene fit of England; and he was ftrain. ing every nerve to make it fucceed. No other proof is required to establish the effential difference extant between the proceedings of the court of London, its ministers and fubjects, and the generous and magnanimous conduct of his Catholic Majefty.

Wherever they fet their feet for the purposes of fettlement, the English behave in the fame manner: for example, on the coast of St. Blas, a province of the Darien, they engaged the Indians that inhabit the frontiers of the Spanish fettlements to raise a revolt; and, after giving them all fuccours, enticed and drew them on their

fide, by decorating them with pompous patents and brevets, or commiffions of command under the protection of Great Britain. A like commiffion was granted to one chief of the Indians, named Bernard, to whom the governor of Jamaica fent a formal patent or commiflion, and in which he was ftyled captain-general of that coaft. That proceeding was alfo difcovered at the beginning of the prefent year, and complained of the 8th of March to the English miniftry, who, pretending to be unacquaint ed with it, anfwered it in their ufual manner.

Many have been the attempts made by the English, within thefe few years, to drive into rebellion against Spain those nations of India, their allies, and friends, who inhabit the lands contiguous to Louifiana; one while they regularly provided them with arms; at other times they bribed them with prefents, and honoured them with patents and English medals, &c. &c.; and, finally, inftigated them to join the English troops to commit hoftilities against the fubjects of his Catholic Majesty.

Applications have been regularly made to the court of London, on different occafions, for the redrefs of various offences of that nature; and, though its answers have been made in general terms, fuch as thefe" We fhall take notice of "that, and fend the necessary or "ders," Spain has not yet feen the alteration which the expected in all reafon and juftice.

On the contrary, the court of London, under pretence of its war with the American ftates, and forgetting fo well the exact impartiality obferved by the Spanish coVOL. XXII.

lonies, as to the good reception the English have always met with therein, they have committed, both by land and sea, the most grievous infults; having even threatened with deftruction a frigate of war in the very capital town of New Orleans.

Soon after this, and in the months of June and July of the year 1778, the English prompted the Characas, Miraquies, and Micathas Indians to raise a rebellion, paying to each Indian the value of a kin of venifon a day, and inducing them to fall upon, with the natural and brutal cruelty of those barbarous nations, and destroy the Spanish fettlements; notwithstanding the treaty of peace then in force between Spain and England, and the pacific difpofition of the King, and his impartial and upright conduct in regard to the dif turbances of America, and the hoftilities commenced againit France. To the purpofe aforefaid, the Indians were to have repaired to, and affembled in, a place called the Natches, with a body of English well armed; but a happy circumftance prevented this barbarous project from taking place: two of thofe nations, convinced, without doubt, of the injuftice they were going to commit, every way re pugnant to the rights of men, and to the good treatment they had always received from the Spaniards, they withdrew, and thus difcountenanced the reft.

.

Some inhabitants of the Spanish dominions were carried away, others were offered all fort of vio lence, and many compelled to car ry arms and war against the Ame ricans: particularly in one, among many other inftances of our fub[A a]

jects,

jects, a young man, named Livois, the fon of a captain of one of our Spanish colonies.

By the laft news we have received the original letters of the English commander Hamilton, in which he threatened to enter the Spanish territories, as has been related in the Gazette of Madrid of the 20th of July, at the article of la Havannah: it appeared, moreover, by those letters, that the British government had given orders to build many fortreffes, and, in particular, a folid and permanent one at the mouth of the Mifippi, near the lake of Iberville; which proceeding alone would be fufficient to bring to light the defigns of the court of London against the Spanish dominions, fince the faid fortrefs could by no means moleft the Americans, but would be highly prejudicial to the Spanish

nation.

To the above purpose we must not omit, that, in the month of May, in the year 1778, Don Francifco Efcarano, the Spanish Chargé des Affaires, came to London to complain, that the English had inftigated the Indians called Pafeagulas, whofe habitations are contiguous to Louifiana, to shake off the obedience they owe to the King; by giving them commiffions of captains in the fervice of his Britannic Majefty, and decorating them with orders and medals. We fhould never have done, if we would relate, with their circum ftances, thefe, and many more infringements of the treaties, violences, and ufurpations, executed thefe late years by the English government against the Spaunth

dominions.

2. Spain gave, in regard to prizes, orders fimilar to thofe of France; and it caufed them to be put in excution with fo much ri gour and exactness, that several American privateers, and, among others, the famous Cunningham, exafperated against Spain, retaliated, by ufing the Spaniards very ill, and making upon them reprisals, which have not as yet been delivered back, though often asked for.

3. Neither ought motives of jealoufy, or the thirft of difcord, to have prevailed upon the English fo much, as to make them lose any fenfe of juftice, gratitude, or refpect, in regard to Spain, confidering that this last could carry on but little or no trade with the English Americans, having already enough of that it carries on with its own poffeffions of America; and being amply provided with every neceffary by the fame. Neverthelefs, the court of London, with an intention of keeping at hand a fpecious pretence for a rupture, whenever its projects fhould be in maturity, affected a great uneafinefs on account of the mercantile correfpondence carried on between fome merchants of Bilboa and others of the English colonies, though that correfpondence had begun feveral years before their rupture with the mother country. The English miniftry discovered the fame uneafinefs for a like mercantile correspondence carried on by fome French merchants of Louisiana with the Americans; and pretended to call the Spanish government to an account for that contravention to its own laws in that part of the world: at the fame period, wherein the subjects

of