Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 03 (of 15), Spanish AmericanMorris, Charles
History
Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 03 (of 15), Spanish American
Morris, Charles
Latin America -- History
From this time Morgan withdrew from his career of robbery, content to
enjoy the wealth which he had so cruelly and treacherously obtained. He
settled in Jamaica, where he was permitted to enjoy in security his
ill-gotten wealth. In fact, the British government showed its real
sentiment concerning his career by promoting him to high offices and
giving him the honor of knighthood. As a result this faithless and cruel
pirate bore during the remainder of his life the distinction of being
addressed as Sir Henry Morgan.
A DRAMA OF PLUNDER, MURDER, AND REVENGE
A famous story of American history is that which tells of the massacre of
the French settlers in Florida by the Spaniards of St. Augustine, and of
the signal revenge taken on the murderers by the French chevalier
Dominique de Gourgues. There is a parallel tale to tell about Brazil, not
so full of the element of romance, yet for all that an interesting story
and well worth the telling.
The great Portuguese colony of Brazil, like many of the Spanish colonies,
was open to the attacks of buccaneers and of free lances of the seas
bearing the flags of various countries of Europe. There was not an
important port of the country, except its capital, Rio Janeiro, that
escaped attack by hostile fleets, eager for spoil, during the seventeenth
century, and early in the eighteenth Rio itself was made the victim of
assault. A city of over twelve thousand people, and the gateway to a rich
gold-mining country in the rear, its wealth invited a visit from the
prize-seekers, though the strength of its population and garrison long
kept these away. Its turn for assault came in 1710.
In that year a squadron appeared in the waters outside the harbor on which
the people looked with doubt. It flew the French flag, and that standard
had not been a welcome visitor in the past. In fact, it was commanded by a
daring Frenchman named Duclerc, who was on the seas for spoil. But a look
at the strong defences of the harbor entrance, and some exchange of shots,
warned him of the perils that would attend an attempt to pass them by
force, and he sailed on to a point some forty miles down the coast, where
he landed a party of a thousand marines.
His design to attack the city with this small party seemed folly. The
governor, Francisco de Castro, had a force of eight thousand Portuguese
troops, besides five thousand armed negroes and several hundred Indian
bowmen. But he lacked the heart of a soldier, and Duclerc’s marines
marched like so many buccaneers through the forest for seven days without
meeting a foeman. Even when near the city the only enemies in sight were a
handful of men led by a friar, who attacked them boldly in defence of his
church. After capturing this, the daring French charged into the city in
the face of the fire from the forts on the surrounding hills, to which the
governor’s troops had been withdrawn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account