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THE

ANNUAL REGISTER,

For the YEAR 1763.

THE

HISTORY

O F

EUROPE.

CHA P. I.

Plan of the year's hiftory. Invafion of the Philippines defigned. Defcription of thofe islands, and of the city of Manila. Preparations at Madrass. Part of the fquadron fent before the reft. The fleet unites at Malacca. They arrive at Manila.

I

N our last volume we were obliged to conclude our account of the peace, before we had fully related all the tranfactions of the war. When Great Britain came to a rupture with Spain, the theatre of hoftility was infinitely enlarged: As that war was in a great measure a war upon commerce, it naturally became as extenfive as its object. And as the vital parts of Spain, contrary to the condition of

moft other nations, lie at a great diftance from the head, expeditions of the utmost moment were to be undertaken in the remotest part of the globe.

The nature of our plan, in which the narrative, perhaps, preffes too close upon the facts, confrains us to relate things, not in the order of time in which they happen, but in that in which we come to the knowledge of them. In this in

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stance,

ftance, that plan has not been attended with any material inconvenience. The fortune of the expeditions, depending during the negotiation of the peace, was not, by the mutual confent of parties, to have any influence on the terms of it. The places taken were to be reciprocally restored. We, therefore, thought it more prudent to present to the reader anarrative of that important transaction, entire and unbroken, rather than poftpone any part of it, until we had gathered in all the scattered events of the war. However, there were events, and fome of them fo confiderable, to the knowledge of which we have arrived fince the conclufion of our last year's labour, that they ought by no means to be omitted. They will furnish fomething to the entertainment we propofe for the public in the prefent; and they are fuch, as not unworthily clofe that great fcene of national glory, which Great Britain had difplayed to the world, during the five laft campaigns. The chief of thefe was the expedition against the Manilas. Its importance will justify that detail, in which we propofe to confider it.

The Manilas, or Philippines, form a principal divifion of that immenfe Indian Archipelago, which confifts of many hundred iflands, fome of them the largest, and many of them by nature the richest in the world; and which lie in the torrid zone, extending from the 19th degree of north latitude, almost in a continued chain, to New Guinea, and to the neighbouring shores of the great fouthern continent.

The Philippines form the northernmost cluster of thefe islands. They were discovered in the year

1521, by the famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan: they were added to the Spanish monarchy by Don Lewis de Velasco, in 1564, in the reign of Philip the fecond, under whom the Spanish dominion was greatly augmented, and its real ftrength, at the fame time, so impaired, that almost two centuries have not restored it to its former vigour. The Philippines are scarce inferior to any of the other iflands of Afia, in all the natural productions of that happy climate; and they are by far the best fituated for an extended and advantageous commerce. By their pofition they form the center of intercourfe with China, Japan, and the Spice Iflands; and whilst they are under the dominion of Spain, they connect the Afiatic and "American commerce, and become the general entrepôt for the rich manufac tures and products of the one, and for the treasures of the othe. Befides, they are well fituated for fupply of European goods, both from the fide of Acapulco, and by the way of the Cape of Good Hope.

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In fact, they formerly enjoyed a traffic in fome degree proportioned to the peculiar felicity of their fituation; but the Spanish dominion is too vaft and unconnected to be improved to the beft advantage. The fpirit of commerce is not powerful in that people. trade of the Philippines is thought to have declined its great branch is now reduced to two fhips, which annually país between these iflands and Acapulco in America, and to a fingle port, that of Manila, in an ifland of the fame name.

The

But though declined, this trade is ftila vait object of protection

to Spain, and of hoftility to whatever nation is engaged in war with her. In the war, which began in 1739, and which was not diftinguished by such a series of won derful fucceffes as the laft, the taking of the galleon, which carries on the trade between Manila and America, was confidered as one of the most brilliant advantages which we obtained; and it has, accordingly, been much infifted upon in all the hiftories of that period. This galleon is generally worth more than 600,000 pounds fterling. The principal island of the Philippines is called Manila, or Luconia; it is in length fomething more than 300 miles; its breadth is extremely unequal; at a medium it may be about 80 or 90. The Spanish inhabitants, who are not numerous, have the government and the best part of the commerce; the Chinese are the artifans; and the foil is chiefly cultivated by the natives. These latter are of various origins, and of different degrees of favageness, according as they have been more or lefs fubdued by religion, or refined by intercourse with strangers. For fo large and fertile an island the number of inhabitants are but fmall; and the whole, perhaps, not amounting to half a million; and of those not a third are in subjection to the Spaniards.

The reft of the Philippine islands, fo far as the Spanish power prevails in them, are under the governor of Luconia; but there are many of them, in which that nation has little authority, or even influence. There are in all about fourteen of them which deferve notice.

all thefe iflands, and, indeed, the only refpectable place in them, is Manila, fituated to the fouth-eaft of the island, and lying upon a very fair and fpacious harbour. The buildings, both public and private, being moftly of wood, have as much magnificence as fuch materials are capable of; and the churches, in particular, are very fplendidly adorned. The Spaniards are difcouraged from building with more durable materials by the terrible earthquakes, to which the island is extremely liable. By them the city has been more than once fhaken to the ground. This calamity is fo frequent and dreadful, as, in a great measure, to counterballance all the advantages of fo rich a foil, and so defirable a climate.

The capital of Luçonia, and of

The Spanish inhabitants, within the city, are about three thoufand. Ten thoufand Chinese occupy a large fuburb called the Parian.

On the conqueft of China by the Tartars, in the last century, great numbers fled their country, filling all the confiderable towns, not only of the Philippines, but of the Moluccas and Sunda iflands, with an ingenious and industrious people, who brought with them, and diffufed into all these countries, the skill of manufacture and the fpirit of commerce. The conquest of China had nearly the fame effect in this part of the world, which the revocation of the edict of Nantes produced in ours. Befides the Parian, there are several other fuburbs of great extent contiguous to this city, inhabited by forty thousand of the native Indians, or by that mixed breed fo common in all the Spanish colonies, refulting from that great variety of races of men, who originally

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ginally inhabited, or came as adVenturers, or were brought as flaves, itno their extenfive dominions.

From this fhort account it is vifible, that the acquifition of fuch a place must have proved of very great advantage towards carrying on the war with Spain effectually, and could not, therefore, fail of having an advantageous influence on the terms of pacification. Accord ingly it was refolved to make an attempt upon the Manilas, from a plan of operations delivered to the miniftry by colonel Draper; and, perhaps, the reader will be glad to know how this plan came to be formed.

After the memorable defence of Madrafs in 1759, colonel Draper's bad ftate of health obliged him to leave that country. He embarked, in company with the honourable capt. Howe, then commander of the Winchelfea, for Canton in China, a city with which the inhabitants of Manila carry on a confiderable trade. Here they wifely spent that time of relaxation from military operations, in attaining fuch knowledge of the Philippine islands, as might afterwards be ferviceable to their country, giving a leffon to all men in public employment, that, at times when they cannot perform an active fervice, they may ftill do a material one by wife attention and fenfible obfervation. They difcovered, that the Spaniards of the Philippine islands, confiding in their remote diftance from Europe, fuppofed an attack upon them impracticable, and were by that fatal fecurity, which is always the confequence of an ill-founded confidence, lulled into a total inattenion to a regular military frength.

Upon the firft rumour of a war

with Spain, lord Anfon and lord Egremont were made acquainted with thefe obfervations concerning the ftate of the Philippine islands; they gave that attention to the information, which the importance of it juftly merited. They ordered colonel Draper to give his ideas in writing; afluring him, that, if the war fhould become unavoidable by the Spaniards joining with France, they would recommend the undertaking to his majefty. The memorial upon the fubject was greatly improved by the naval experience and judgment of capt. Howe, who poffeffes all the noble qualities of his illuftrious family.

The motives for the undertaking (exclufive of the popular and dazzling notions of booty and plunder) were very ferious and interefting, both in a commercial and political light. For Manila, in the poffeffion of an enterprifing people, is capable of ruining the whole China trade of any other, as the port of Cavite can build, fit out, and man very large ships of war, which, if properly ftationed, no veffels could poffibly escape, unlefs protected by a fquadron. Befides, with Manila in our hands, we might at all times depend on the proper refpect being fhewn to our flag in the ports of that extenfive empire. On the other hand, the objections to the enterprize were not inconfiderable. It was impoffible to fpare either fhips or troops from England for the conqueft, as the additional weight of Spain in the scale of France demanded the utmost exertion of our power nearer home. The vast distance of the object, and the uncertainty of the time, in which the expedition could be undertaken, were, befides, no fmall difficulties:

but

but they were foon obviated. Nothing was demanded but a light frigate to carry colonel Draper to Madrafs, where alone fuitable preparations could be made for this important enterprise.

tillery, and a body of feamen and marines, were appointed to act with them. Some companies of feapoys (Indian foldiers who ferve after the European manner) were added. In the whole, the force for the land operations amounted to two thoufand three hundred men. The naval force confifted of nine men of war and frigates, befides fome ftore-ships.

The colonel arrived at Madrafs the latter end of June, 1762, and on his arrival was appoint. ed brigadier general and commander in chief of the expedition, which was to be undertaken The command of the land folely by the troops and fquadron then in India. No doubt, as we were become arbiters of the great peninfula of India, by the total expulfion of the French, and by the humiliation of the Dutch, this attempt became more feafible. However, as this dominion was new, and rather entered upon, than firmly established, fomething was to be dreaded even from the natives; and, therefore, from this peninfula (the only place from which fuch an attempt could be made with any profpect of fuccefs) fo great a force could not be employed, as the difficulty and importance of the enterprife feemed to require. But the fpirit of the troops, and the celerity and judgment with which the preparations were made, compenfated every deficiency.

The 79th regiment was the only regular corps that could be fpared. But this corps was, by reputation, by fervice, and by being long inured to the climate, almoft equal to an army. By this regiment the progrefs of the French in India had been first flopped. They had contributed not a little to the happy turn and decifion of that war, under colonel Coote; and they were now chofen to extend the glory of the English arms to the utmost verge of Afia. A company of ar

forces in this expedition was given,
as before mentioned, to brigadier
general Draper. Nobody was
more perfectly acquainted with
the fervice in that part of the
world; and nobody had shewn
greater zeal to forward it. It was
impoffible to forget the merit he
had in the prefervation of Madrafs,
and in giving the Eaft India war,
against Mr. Lally, the firft turn in
our favour. Admiral Cornish com-
manded the marine; a brave and
able officer, and worthy to co-
operate with fuch a general, in
fuch an important fervice.
three weeks the preparations for
forming this body, and getting
ready all the ftores, were begun,
compleated, and the whole shipped
through a raging and perpetual
furf, which in thofe climates is one
of the greatest difficulties in any
expedition, extremely embarrafling
the embarkation, and rendering
ftill more hazardous the debarka
tion, of troops, efpecially in the
face of an enemy, who knows
how to profit of this advantage.

In

The celerity of thofe preparations was neceffary. In the East Indics, they are obliged to regulate all their motions by the courfe of the monfoons. The feafon for the expedition was far advanced, when the plan and orders arrived; and, if the north

weft

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