The Central American Question [pp. 550-661]

THE CENTRAL AMERICAN QUESTION.
In the year 1642, Ruatan and Quanaja were taken possession of by a party of English freebooters, who were not
resisted by the Indians. The seizure of so important a position
as thyse islands, was calculated to excite the fears of the Spanish settlers in Central America. The English, from their
facility of position, might at any time easily invade the neighboring ports, or might cut off their communication with Spain.
The governor of Havana, and the captain-general of Guatemala, with the president of the Audiencia of San Domingo,
excited by these apprehensions, and the complaints of the priests
that the neophites of the country were in danger of being perverted to the heresies of their invaders, made common cause in
expelling the enemy. The expedition prepared by the Spanish
authorities sailed early in the year 1650, and disembarked in
one of the harbors of Ruatan, which had been fortified by the
English. The Spanish met with a gallant resistance, but,
after a bloody contest within the lines, the garrison was totally
routed, and the victors immiediately began to advance on the
English settlement or town in the interior. They were detained, however, in travelling over the land without guides,
for several days; and when they arrived at the town they
were in search of, they found that it had been abandoned by
the English, who had escaped from the island in their vessels.
The town was given to the flames. General Vallalva, the
leader of the expedition, next proceeded to collect on board
of his ships the entire Indian population of the island, and he
settled them at the fort of San Tomas de Castilla, where he
disembarked in triumph.
The island of Ruatan remained uninhabited until near a
century later. In 1742, it was again seized by the English,
who immediately proceeded to fortify its harbor with materials
brought from the ruins of the city of Truxillo. They remained
in possession until 1780, when they were expelled by an expedition from Guatemala; and, in 1786, a treaty was finally concluded by Spain with England, requiring her to " evacuate the
country of the Mosquitos, as well as the continent in general,
and the islands adjacent, without exception." But, with unwearied rapacity, the English made a third attempt on the
island; and, having seized it, in the year 1796, they left a gang
of two thousand negroes and Caribs, brought from St. Vincent,
to retain possession of it. As soon as intelligence of the invasion was communicated to the captain-general of Guatemala,
a small expedition was sent out, under command of Don Jos6
Rossi y Rubi, who was instructed to obtain information of
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