but they were foon obviated. Nothing was demanded but a light frigate to carry colonel Draper to Madrafs, where alone fuitable preparations could be made for this important enterprife.

The colonel arrived at Madrafs the latter end of June, 1762, and on his arrival was appoint. ed brigadier general and commander in chief of the expedition, which was to be undertaken folely by the troops and fquadron then in India. No doubt, as we were become arbiters of the great peninfula of India, by the total expulfion of the French, and by the humiliation of the Dutch, this attempt became more feafible. However, as this dominion was new, and rather entered upon, than firmly established, fomething was to be dreaded even from the natives; and, therefore, from this peninfula (the only place from which fuch an attempt could be made with any profpect of fuccefs) fo great a force could not be employed, as the difficulty and importance of the enterprife feemed to require. But the fpirit of the troops, and the celerity and judgment with which the preparations were made, compenfated every deficiency.

The 79th regiment was the only regular corps that could be fpared, But this corps was, by reputation, by fervice, and by being long inared to the climate, almoft equal to an army. By this regiment the progrefs of the French in India had been firft ftopped. They had contributed not a little to the happy turn and decifion of that war, under colonel Coote; and they were now chofen to extend the glory of the English arms to the utmoft verge of Afia. A company of ar..

tillery, and a body of feamen and marines, were appointed to act with them. Some companies of feapoys (Indian foldiers who ferve after the European manner) were added. In the whole, the force for the land operations amounted to two thoufand three hundred men. The naval force confifted of nine men of war and frigates, befides fome ftore-fhips.

The command of the land forces in this expedition was given, as before mentioned, to brigadier general Draper. Nobody was more perfectly acquainted with the fervice in that part of the world; and nobody had fhewn greater zeal to forward it. It was impoffible to forger the merit he had in the prefervation of Madrass, and in giving the East India war, against Mr. Lally, the firft turn in our favour. Admiral Cornish com manded the marine; a brave and able officer, and worthy to cooperate with fuch a general, în fuch an important fervice. three weeks the preparations for forming this body, and getting ready all the fores, were begun, compleated, and the whole fhipped through a raging and perpetual furf, which in thofe climates is one of the greatest difficulties in any expedition, extremely embarraffing the embarkation, and rendering ftill more hazardous the debarka tion, of troops, efpecially in the face of an enemy, who knows how to profit of this advantage.

In

The celerity of thofe preparations was neceffary. In the Eaft Indies, they are obliged to regulate all their motions by the courfe of the monfoons. The feafon for the expedition was far advanced, when the plan and orders arrived; and, if the north

weft

this time, fo great was the revolution in this part of Afia, and the fuperiority of the English was fuch, that it was of no great moment to them, in whofe hands Malacca was. The Dutch, who could look with no very favourable eye upon our progrefs in thofe eaftern regions, were neither in fpirit nor condition to give any check to it. The English fleet ufed Malacca as a port of their own, and there they fupplied themselves, not only with refreshments, but with every ne

ceflary not already provided for the fiege they meditated.

The weather favoured them very much. Without the leaft dif trefs to the fquadron, or the dif perfion of any of the hips' which compofed it, in thirty-one days from Malacca they came in fight of Lu- 19th of Sep conia. At that time, ember.or indeed, the fquadron was feparated, and driven out to fea, but they foon recovered the fhore, and again completed their junction.

HEN the British armament arrived upon the coaft of Luconia, they found the Spaniards abfolutely unacquainted with the breaking out of the war, confequently unprepared, and in all that confufion, which neceflarily attends a fudden and precipitate difpofition against an attack. That they might have as little time as poffible to recover from this confufion, fo favourable to our enterprize, it was determined that the forces fhould be landed, and the operations commenced immediately.,

A fmall fort and town lay upon the harbour of Cavite, which was conveniently fituated to ftrengthen Manila, and might afford an ufeful station for fhips during the fiege. The firft idea was to begin with the attack of this fort; but on confultation between Mr. Draper and the admiral, it was concluded more advifeable to pro

2

ceed directly to the grand object, judging very properly, that a conqueft there would of courfe occafion, and draw after it the fall of Cavite. The delay naturally attendant on the firft plan would have given time to the Spaniards to recover their fpirits, difmayed by the fudden appearance of an enemy on their coafts, which had been long unaccustomed to the alarms of the war, they would have had leifure to clear away the buildings which obftructed their fortifications, to put their works in repair, and to take every step towards an orderly, and therefore, probably, an effectual defence. Befides, the fhifting of the monfoons began to display itself by veryevident and alarming figns. The weather grew uncertain and menacing; the rain began to pour down in torrents; the winds became boilerous; and it was greatly to

[B] 4

1.be

be feared, that, if the operations fhould be drawn into any confider, able length, the overflowing of the country of the country would have made all approaches to the place by land impracticable, whilft the tempeftuous weather would have rendered the affiftance of the fquadron precarious in the fiege, and even its fafety very doubtful.

The difpofitions for landing were made a little to the fouth of the town. The boats were ranged in three divifions, under the protection of the men of war. Frigates were ordered to the right a and left, by a brifk fire to cover their flanks, and to difperfe the enemy, who began to affemble in great numbers, both horfe and foot, to oppofe the defcent. Measures were fo well taken, that the enemy retired from the fire of the fquadron, and left the coaft clear. The English with an even front made towards the fhore,, and thro' a violent furf, which dafhed many of their boats

tember.

to

24th of Sep- pieces, (but fortunately without any lofs of lives) gained the coaft, and formed upon the beach.

The days which immediately fucceeded their landing were fpent in feizing the most advantageous pofts, in fecuring the communication with the navy, and in reconnoitring the roads and approaches to the town. They found it regularly fortified, and defended by fome good works, a number of excellent cannon, garrifoned by about 800 regular troops, and incapable by its extent of being compleatly invested by fuch an army as ours, and in a condition, therefore, of being conftantly fupplied from the .country, and reinforced by the na

tives, a fierce and daring people, who in a fhort time came to the affiftance of the place with a body of ten thousand men, armed in their barbarous fashion.

The governor was, indeed, a churchman, the archbishop of the Manilas, by a policy not wholly without precedent in the Spanish colonies, in which they have been known more than once to unite not only the civil government, but the command of the forces, with the ecclefiaftical dignity. But however unqualified by his character, for the defence of a city attacked, the archbishop feemed not unfit for it by his fpirit and refolution. Thefe, together with the obftructions which arofe from the feafon, (which grew daily more embarraffing) were the difficulties our army had to contend with. On the other hand they had many circumftances in their favour. The ditch of the town, in fome important parts, had never been compleated; the covered way was out

of repair; the glacis was too low; fome of the out-works were not armed; and the fuburbs, which they had not time to burn, afforded thelter to our troops, and covered them in their approaches.

The ability of the commanders, and the fpirit of the troops, made ufe of all thefe advantages, and overcame all thefe difficulties. The country being almost wholly flooded, they were obliged to throw themfelves into the houses, which were under the fire of the baftions, and the Spaniards cannonaded their quarters, which were nearer to the walls than the ordináry rules of war prefcribed. Neceffity fuperfeded thefe rules; and even the precipitation with which

they