fort; which, we learnt from our prisoners, had eight pieces of
cannon, but neither ditch nor outwork, being merely surrounded by a
plain brick wall; and that the garrison consisted of one weak company,
though the town might possibly be able to arm three hundred men.
Having informed himself of the strength of the place, the commodore
determined upon making an attempt for its capture that very night,
the 12th November. We were then about twelve leagues from shore; a
sufficient distance to prevent being discovered, yet not so far but
that, by making all the sail we could carry; we might arrive in the
bay long before day-break. The commodore considered, however, that
this would be an improper manner of proceeding, as our ships, being
large bodies, might easily be seen at a distance, even in the night,
and might alarm the inhabitants, so as to give them an opportunity of
removing their most valuable effects. He resolved therefore, as the
strength of the place did not require the employment of our whole
force, to make the attempt with the boats only, ordering our
eighteen-oared barge, with our own and the Tryal's pinnaces, on this
service. Fifty-eight men, well furnished with arms and ammunition,
were picked out to man them, and the command of the expedition
was entrusted to Lieutenant Brett, to whom the commodore gave the
necessary orders and instructions.

The better to prevent the disappointment and confusion which might
arise in the darkness of the night, and from the ignorance of our
people of the streets and passages of the place, two of the Spanish
pilots were appointed to attend Mr Brett, to conduct him to the most
convenient landing-place, and afterwards to be his guides on shore.
Likewise, that we might have the greater security for their fidelity
on this occasion, the commodore publicly assured all our prisoners,
that they should be set on shore and released at this place, provided
the pilots acted faithfully: But, in case of any misconduct or
treachery, the pilots were threatened with being instantly shot, and
all the rest were assured of being carried prisoners to England. Thus
the prisoners were themselves interested in our success, and we had no
reason to suspect our guides of negligence or perfidy. It is worthy
of remark, on this occasion, as a singular circumstance, that one
of these pilots, as we afterwards learnt, had been taken by Captain
Clipperton above twenty years before, and had then been obliged to