Canterbury,
Captain Brodie, 60-guns
Plymouth, Captain
Dent, 60 guns
Stafford, Captain
Rentone, 60 guns
Warwick, Captain
Innes, 60 guns
Elizabeth,
Captain Taylor, 64 guns
Cornwall, Captain
Chadwick, 80 guns
Worchester, Captain
Anderson, 60 guns
Oxford, Captain
Tole, 50 guns
Ships in reserve: Sloop Weasel
and Merlin
It was agreed to make an attempt on Port
Louis, on the south side of
Hispaniola; the Admiral thereupon made a
disposition of his ships for that purpose,
and began the attack the 8th of March, about
one o'clock, within almost pistol-shot of the
walls;
and after a war cannonading for about
three hours, the Admiral finding the enemy
were drove from their guns, and silenced, he
summoned the Governor to surrender; who soon
sent an officer off with propositions, which
the Admiral rejected and sent back the
officer with a copy of the articles which he
would allow, and gave the Governor but an
hour to determine on the, within which time
they were accepted, and are as follow:
-
That on those conditions the
Admiral consents that the
garrison march out with their
arms, colours flying and drums
beating, but cannon or mortars,
or any ammunition whatsoever.
-
That all the officers shall be
allowed to carry such baggage as
upon honour is their own, but
subject to be inspected if
demanded; and that all the
Negroes and Mulattoes, that are
absolutely their servants or
property, the Admiral will
compliment them with; but all
other Negroes and Mulattoes, that
are in the fort, shall be
delivered up as right of capture,
together with the fort, and all
the cannon, munitions, and
appurtenances thereunto belonging
shall be delivered up.
Dated on board his
Britannick majesty's ship Canterbury
in Port Louis, this 8 March 1747-48.
In consequence of which, Major Scott, of
general Fuller's regiment ( who had been
desired by the Admiral and Governor Trelawney
to command the detachment of the governor's
regiment, and the marines) was sent on shore
to take possession of the fort in his
majesty's name, and the troops were landed
directly.
There were 78 guns mounted in the fort,
mostly 42, 36, and 28 pounders, and five
mortars, with great quantities of all kinds
of ammunition and stores, most of the guns
and carriages new, and many of the guns
weighed from 69 to 84 hundred weight, and
every thing in very good order in the
fortress.
The Admiral found three ships, a snow, and
three privateer sloops in the Harbour, which
he took possession of.
M. Chateaunoye, the general,
arrived in town the night before the attack,
with a reinforcement of three companies of
soldiers, so that he had the mortification to
see the fort taken.
During the attack the enemy set fire to a
ship, and endeavoured to drop her on board
the Admiral, or the Elizabeth,
but boats were sent off which towed her
clear, and took possession of two more
designed for the same purpose, thought the
enemy's musquetry played very smartly on the
boats all the time; and though the fire from
the fort was as bright as it could possibly
be, yet our loss in the whole action was only
19 men killed and 60 wounded.
Among the slain was Captain
Rentone, of the Stafford,
and Captain Cust, a
volunteer in the expedition, who was killed
on board the Elizabeth,
and Lieutenant Alexander
Brebner in the Cornwall.
The enemy acknowledge to have had 160 men
killed and wounded, (four of whom are
captains) and they say that 128 were killed
outright. The Admiral was making what
dispatch he could in blowing up the fort, and
then intended to proceed to put in execution
his design against St. Iago.
After St. Iago de Cuba, Captain Taylor was
transferred to the Cornwall, Knowles's
own flagship. Taylor, as a flag-captain,
took part in an engagement with the Spanish
squadron, under Region, near Havana, on 1
Oct 1748. Fifth Lieutenant, Wittewronge
Taylor was also
assigned to the Cornwall for this engagement.
Policarpus Taylor and Wittewronge
Taylor both served under Commander
Knowles.
Knowles squadron returned to England in
1748 after peace was declared. Taylor was the
put in command of the Ripon,
as senior officer on the station. In the
following autumn he was recalled, and arrived
at Spithead early in January 1749-50.
