as he signs himself, on the one part, and the commanding officers of the British sea and land forces on the other.

West Indies

On the 29th of November, 1806, Captain Charles Brisbane of the 38-gun frigate Arethusa, accompanied by the Latona, of the same force, Captain James Athol Wood, and the 44-gun frigate Anson, Captain Charles Lydiard, sailed from Port-Royal, Jamaica, with orders from Vice-admiral Dacres, the commander-in-chief on that station, to reconnoitre the island of Curaçoa, and sound the minds of the inhabitants respecting the sincerity of their alleged inclination to ally themselves to Great Britain. Owing to the continued violence of the trade-wind and the strength of the north-westerly current, it was not until the 22d of December, in the evening, that the squadron reached the west end of Aruba, a small island situated about a degree to the westward of ; and a dependency upon, Curaçao. There the three frigates anchored, and on the following evening were joined by the 38-gun frigate Fisgard, Captain William Bolton, then on his way to Jamaica, but whom Captain Brisbane had received permission from the admiral to take under his orders.

Having more taste, as well as more talent, for fighting than for diplomatizing, Captain Brisbane naturally conceived that he could effect less by the latter mode than by the former. He was fully sensible, too, that the way to get possession of a place so strongly fortified, both by nature and art, as Curaçoa, with only four frigates and their crews, was not to lie to off the port, there to make a display of his weakness, and wait while the Dutch governor and his council slumbered through the forms of a negotiation, and the Dutch forts and soldiers got ready more effectually to resist an attack, but to dash right into the harbour, and, pointing the muzzles of his guns into the windows and doors of the burghers, carry every thing by a vigorous storm.

This was the plan which Captain Brisbane resolved to adopt, and every preparative arrangement was soon made for facilitating its execution. Each frigate had her allotted station. The bulk of her crew was divided into storming companies, commanded by lieutenants and by the captain as their leader. The boatswain was placed at the head of a party with ladders and crow-bars and the master, with the necessary number of hands, was to have charge of the ship, while the boarders and stormers were performing their part of the enterprise. To prevent any confusion from the different crews casually mixing together when on shore, each ship's company, with the officers attached to them, wore some peculiarity of dress, or some badge or mark that could be readily distinguished. On the 24th, at 8 A.M., Captain Brisbane, with his four frigates, weighed and made sail, intending to strike the blow at daybreak on new year's day, the previous eve being that on which every loyal Dutchman makes it a point to

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