Granada, in common with all the Spanish cities on the Pacific declivity of the continent, suffered much, at a later period, from the pirates. In 1686 it was attacked by a party from the combined French and English bucaneers then in the South Sea, and sacked. They landed on the seventh of April in that year, on the coast of the Pacific, in number three hundred and forty-five men. They travelled only at night, with a view of surprising the town. De Lussan, who was of the party, records the adventure. He says that on the ninth of the month, two days after their departure from the coast, the fatigue which they had undergone, and the sharp hunger which pressed them, obliged them to halt at a great sugar plantation, about four leagues from Granada, and on the way thither. It belonged to a Knight of St. James, who, however, escaped being taken prisoner, for the excellent reason assigned by the chronicler, viz.: “our leggs at that time being much more disposed to rest than run after him.” Upon coming near to the town, they discovered that their approach was known, and saw what De Lussan calls “two ships upon Lake Nicaragua,” laden with the effects of the retreating inhabitants. They now proceeded with more caution, and upon capturing a prisoner found out that a portion of the inhabitants remained, and had entrenched themselves in the Place of Arms, or Plaza, which was guarded with fourteen pieces of cannon, and “six petereroes.” This information, continues the worthy De Lussan, “would doubtless have terrified any but freebooters, but did not retard our design one minute, nor hinder us. About two in the afternoon of the same day, we came up to the town, where at one entrance into the suburbs we met a strong party lying in ambush for us, whom, after an hour’s engagement, we fell with that fury on, that we made our way over all their bellies, with the loss of but one man on our side, and from thence entered the town, where we made a halt to wait for the answer of several of our company, whom we had detached to go round and take observation of a fort which we saw in a direct line with the street by which we entered.” The reconnoitering over, and the plan of attack laid out with all military precision, the freebooters “exhorted each other to fall on bravely, and advanced at a good round pace to the attack.” When they had got within cannon shot of the works, they were fired on, but at every discharge the pirates “saluted them down to the ground, by which means the shot went harmlessly over.” This excellent practical joke the Spaniards met by false priming, “to the end that the pirates might raise their bodies after the sham was over,” and then receive the real discharge. The pirates then broke into the houses and made their approaches through the walls, from one to the other; and finally came sufficiently near to use their fire-arms and hand grenades, and being superior in numbers, and withal well used to hard fighting, they soon