At the period I am describing, the island was in the hey--day of its
prosperity, and the harbour of Kingston was full of shipping. I had never
before seen so superb a mercantile haven; it is completely landlocked, and
the whole navy of England might ride in it commodiously.
On the sea face it is almost impregnable, for it would be little short of
a miracle for an invading squadron to wind its way through the labyrinth
of shoals and reefs lying off the mouth of it, amongst which the channels
are so narrow and intricate, that at three or four points the sinking of a
sand barge would effectually block up all ingress; but, independently of
this, the entrance at Port Royal is defended by very strong works, the
guns ranging the whole way across, while, a little farther on, the
attacking ships would be exposed to a cross fire from the heavy metal of
the Apostles' Battery; and even assuming all these obstacles to be
overcome, and the passage into the harbour forced, before they could pass
the narrows to get up to the anchorage at Kingston, they would be blown
out of the water by a raking fire from sixty pieces of large cannon on
Fort Augusta, which is so situated that they would have to turn to
windward for at least half an hour, in a strait which, at the widest,
would not allow them to reach beyond musket--shot of the walls.
Fortunately, as yet Mr Canning had not called his New World into
existence, and the whole of the trade of Terra Firma, from Porto Cavello
down to Chagres, the greater part of the trade of the islands of Cuba and
San Domingo, and even that of Lima and San Blas, and the other ports of
the Pacific, carried on across the Isthmus of Darien, centred in Kingston,
the usual supplies through Cadiz being stopped by the advance of the
French in the Peninsula.
Pages:
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209