in Spanish ports; for British ships of
war were never allowed inside them, even when sent with a message from
him. The French permitted them indeed to enter, but surrounded them
throughout their visits with flattering attentions which wholly
prevented the making of observations.

Under these conditions of mutual jealousy between the governments and
officials, with the subjects on either side straining continually at the
leashes which withheld them from traffic mutually beneficial, causes of
offence were quick to arise. Rodney, like Sandwich, was a pronounced
Tory, in full sympathy with traditional British policy, as well as an
officer naturally of haughty temper and sharing all the prepossessions
of his service; but he found himself almost at once involved in a
difference with his superiors in his political party, which throws a
good deal of side light on personal as well as political relations. The
British man-of-war schooner _Hawke_ was overhauled off the Venezuelan
coast by two Spanish guarda-costas and compelled to enter the harbor of
Cartagena, under alleged orders from the Governor of the colony. After a
brief detention, she was let go with the admonition that, if any British
ships of war were found again within twelve leagues of the coast, they
would be taken and their crews imprisoned.

Rodney's course was unimpeachable, as far as appears. He wrote a civil
letter to the Governor, and sent it by a ship of war, the captain of
which was directed to deliver it in person. He was confident, he wrote,
that the Governor would disavow the action by calling to strict account
the officers concerned, and would also confirm his own belief that it
was impossible such a menace could have proceeded from any adequate
authority. A sufficient intimation of what would follow an attempt to
carry out the threat was conveyed by the words: "The British officer who
has dishonoured his King's colours by a tame submission to this insult
has been already dismissed the service."

It is difficult to see what less could have been done; but the British
government was at the moment extremely reluctant to war, and sensitive
to any step that seemed to make towards it. Spain was thought to be
seeking a quarrel. She had entered the Seven Years War so near its
termination as not to feel exhaustive effects; and the capture of Havana
and Manila, with the pecuniary losses involved, had left her merely
embittered by humiliation, prone rather to renew