90*] dertaken without fuflicient provo- cation on the part of thole unhappy people, and at the mitigation of perfons intcreﬁed in their ueitruc- tion,and appears to be intended to end in their total extirpation;

‘ zdly. That the fending the troops,

part of which were totally unpro- vided with camp equipage, and neceffaries, on that fervice, in the unhealthy lealon ofthe year, is not jultiﬁed by any neceﬁity ofimme- diately increafing the military force in that ifland, was contrary to the advice of the governor, and mull prove unneceffarily dellruétive to fome of the belt troops in the fer- vice, probably defeat the purpofe for which they were fent, and bring difgrace on his h/lajellyk arms; and, 3dly. That an humble addrefs be prefented, deﬁring that his Ma- jelly will be gracioufly pleafed to acquaint the Houfe, by whofe ad- vice the meafure was undertaken, of attacking the Caribbs in the ifland of St. Vincent; and of fend- ing the troops for that purpofe in the molt unhealthy feafon of the year; a meafure equally repugnant to the known humanity of his Maielly’s temper, difgraceful to his arms, and dilhonourable to the character of the Britilh nation. Thefe motions were principally fupported upon the injullice of the meafure, and the dilhonour it brought upon our national cha- raéter, as being equally a violation of the natural rights of mankind, and contrary to his Majeﬁyk pro- clamation of the year 1764, in fa- vour of the Caribbs; on the ex- treme cruelty of attempting to tran- fport a whole people from their native foil, and to land them de- fencelefs on the coaﬁ of Africa, where they had no right, no pro-

ANNUAL REGISTER, 1773.

perty, no connexion, and where‘ they mull be liable to all. the dan- gers and enmities to which Euro- peans, or any others, who were turned adrift in a ftrange country, would be (object; that they had been guilty or no aft of forfeiture, even luppoﬁng them to be natural fubjefts to Great Britain, unlefs an oppoiition to a violent invaiion of their rights and properties, was to be coniidercd as fuch; that the only evidence of any weight againlt them, was himfelf the devifer of the projects that had been formed for their extirpation, and was deeply interefted in their dellruc- tion; that, on the contrary, the united tellirnony on the other fade, where there was not a polfibility of fuppoﬁng the fmallelt bias or par- tiality, was uniformly in favour of the Caribbs, and reprefented them to have been a quiet, peaceable, and inoffenﬁve people, and, to all appearance, well affected to our government, until they were urged by violence and injultice to a dif- ferent conduct. Thefe arguments, with fuch others, as the ﬁate which we have already reprefented of the affair afforded, were concluded with fevere ﬂrictures on the weak- nefs of thofe counfels, which had blindly adopted the views of ava- ricious, rapacious, and mercilefs planters, and thereby rendering government the inllrument of their iniquitous deﬁgns, engaged it in cruel, unjult, and difhonourable meafures, which were not more injurious to the Caribbs than de- ﬁruélive to ourfelves, by wantonly fporting with the conftitutions and lives of fome of our bravell troops, whofe former fervices merited an- other return, and who were now facriﬁced upon an inglorious fer-

9 vice,