Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p2.djvu/373

Rh land forces employed in the West Indies. The General concluded his observations by stating, that he would discuss the matter with the naval Commander-in-Chief, immediately on his arrival at Port Royal. This conversation took place in the Arethusa’s cabin, in the presence of the present Earl of Hopetoun, and others of the gallant Abercrombie’s staff, among whom, we believe, was Colonel Frederick Maitland, now a Lieutenant-General.

On the very next day Captain Wood received instructions from Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey, to inspect the defences of Trinidad, of which he made the following report:–

“Sir. – In pursuance of your secret orders of the 6th inst., I arrived with his Majesty’s ship under my command off Trinidad at 7 o’clock on Sunday evening, the 8th inst., where I spoke an American who had left the Gulph of Paria that morning. After receiving all the information that I could from him, I proceeded on to enter the first Boca; hoisted out a small, but very fast sailing boat, which had been blacked like a canoe for this express purpose, and sent an intelligent officer in, with directions to post himself on a small island covered with a thick wood, and to haul the boat up into a small cove, where it would be impossible to see her either from the Spanish ships or the shore. The officer remained on the island until 8 o’clock next morning.

“There are three two-decked ships lying in Shagaramus Bay, not moored, no sails bent, nor top-gallant-yards across. The Spanish Admiral, bearing a flag at the mizen, lies the inside ship. In fact they are in their old position.

“The Favorite’s boat rowed round them several times during the night; and it is my opinion that these ships might be boarded and carried by boats in the night, without the loss of a man, as they keep but a very indifferent look out.

“On the East point of Parsang’s Island, or Gaspar Grande, which forms the West entrance of Shagaramus Bay, there is a small battery of masonry, about twenty feet above the water’s edge, where the enemy have 4 guns; and on the summit of the same island there is a look-out house, and some huts, with a flag-staff lately erected, but no works yet thrown up; nor is there the least appearance of any encampment about the bay; nor any fortification erected on the peninsula of Point Gourd, or the island of Shagaramus, which completely commands it, and also Trimbladaire Bay, and the Carénage to the eastward of it, where there is a most capital landing place for troops.

“There is also a two-decked ship, of 80 guns, and a frigate, that now lie seven or eight miles higher up the gulph, abreast of Port d’Espagne; but at