reduce the castle at Cape-coast, of which, had he gained possession,
the other subordinate forts would have submitted without opposition.
When Mr. Bell, the governor of this castle, received intelligence that
M. de Kersin was a few leagues to windward, and certainly intended to
attack Cape-coast, his whole garrison did not exceed thirty white men,
exclusive of a few mulatto soldiers: his stock of ammunition was reduced
to half a barrel of gunpowder; and his fortifications were so crazy and
inconsiderable, that, in the opinion of the best engineers, they could
not have sustained for twenty minutes the fire of one great ship, had
it been properly directed and maintained. In these circumstances, few
people would have dreamed of making any preparation for defence; but
Mr. Bell entertained other sentiments, and acquitted himself with equal
courage and discretion. He forthwith procured a supply of gunpowder, and
a reinforcement of about fifty men, from certain trading vessels that
happened to be upon that part of the coast. He mounted some spare cannon
upon an occasional battery, and assembling a body of twelve hundred
negroes, well armed, under the command of their chief, on whose
attachment he could depend, and ordered them to take post at the
place where he apprehended the enemy would attempt a landing. These
precautions were hardly taken, when the French squadron, consisting of
two ships of the line and a large frigate, appeared, and in a little
time their attack began; but they met with such a warm reception, that
in less than two hours they desisted, leaving the castle very little
damaged, and immediately made sail for the West Indies, very much to the
disappointment and mortification of the Dutch officers belonging to
the fort of Elmina, in the same neighbourhood, who made no scruple of
expressing their wishes publicly in favour of the French commodore, and
at a distance viewed the engagement with the most partial eagerness and
impatience. M. de Kersin was generally blamed for his want of conduct
and resolution in this attempt; but he is said to have been deceived in
his opinion of the real state of Capecoast castle, by the vigorous and
resolute exertions of the governor, and was apprehensive of losing a
mast in the engagement; a loss which he could not have repaired on the
whole coast of Africa. Had the fort of Cape-coast been reduced on
this occasion, in all probability every petty republic of the negroes,
settled und