OLIVER CROMWELL'S GHOST.

To H—R— the D—o— C—. To the Right Hon. the L— A—. To the Right Hon. Mr. H—F—, &c.

“**D**ISPUTES * have arisen in “America and in the West-“ Indies,” though we, both “on the Continent itself,” “and in the Islands, have an equal, “nay, a better Right to our Possessions,” “than the French have to what they have “been long suffered to enjoy without “Molestation from us: And yet, with- “out any Reafon, or any Damage “fuftained, and that when there was “not the least Dispute about Commerce, they have been continually “invading our Colonies in a hoftile “Manner, killing our Men, robbing “us of our Goods, pretending a Right “to Territories moft indifputably ours,” “captivating and murdering our People, for endeavouring to frufrate their “lawles Attempts; and by various “other Inflances of the fame Kind of “Conduct, too tedious to be particu- “larly enumerated, rendering it evi- “dently manifest, That the King of “France and bis Subjects think they are “no way bound, by any Condition of “Peace to be performed to us on their “Part, in thefe Places; since they have “exercifed all Sorts of Hoftilities againſt “us; nay, have even done ſuch Things “as are more unreasonable, grievous, “and unnatural than open Aſts of Hoc- “ſtility, by exciting the Savage In- “dians to perpetrate the moſt ſhocking “Cruelties,—Cruelties that cannot be “warranted by the Laws of the moſt “bloody War.

“So convinced does the King of France “appear to be, that the ſacred Bonds of “Friendſhip have been firſt broken on “his Side: So clear and manifeft does “the Cafe appear to be, that our Ad- “verfaries in the Controverſy are a- “flamed to deny the Faſt, and chufe “rather to diſpute with us concerning “the Right of Possessions.

“Let therefore ſome gallant Com- “mander be ſent out, with his Hands “at Liberty to imitate my brave BLAKE: “let him have no Orders, but what all “his valiant Countrymen would ap- “prove of; and for the Conſequences “to be expeſted, remember the follow- “lowing Particulars.”—

BLAKE failed with a Fleet to ſcour the Mediterranean of the Turkisſh Pires: They flew before him but Britisb

Bravery was not to be evaded. He came before Algiers; demanded SatisfaCTION; received it amply. Next, the like Submission was required of the State of Tunis, but this Anſwer being returned, “That there were their Caſtles “of Goletta, and their Ships and Caſtles “of Porto Ferino; he might do his “worſt, and not think to frighten them:” In reply, he poured forth all the Fury of his Britisb Thunder upon their Caſtles, whileſt his Long Boats reduced every Ship they had to Aſhes. Then he failed to Leghorn, upon the glorious Errand of demanding SatisfaCTION of every State and People that had injured England, during the Time of her intellineT Troubles. As many Engliſh Ships had been fold, by Perfons who had no Right to ſell them, to the Grand Duke of Tuf-cany’s Subjeſts, as amounted to the Value of 6c,000l. Sterling; Blake would ſuffer no parlying, but received the Money. From other States, where Money could not be had, he accepted Goods, and ſent home SIXTEEN SHIPS thus laden with Eſfects he had received for SatisfaCTION and Damages; and they failed up the Thames together; a glorious Sight for the People.

Spain having declared War againſt England, Blake blocked up Cadiz, and Captain Stayner, under his Command, with ſeven Ships only, attacked the Spaniſh Plate-Fleet, and burnt one Man of War, funk another, forced two on Ground, and brought two to Portsmouth; the Money in which, to the amount of TWO MILLIONS, was ſentin Carts to London as a Trophy of this great Victory.

The Year following Blake had In- telligence, that a Spaniſh Plate-Fleet, much richer than the laſt, was coming Home, but, in order to be ſafe from him, had put into Santa-Cruz in the Canaries. Blake prefently came before the Port, and ſaw in it the Galleons, to the Number of fixteen Men of War. The Bay was extremely ſtrong by Caſtles and Forts: And Don Diego Diagues the Spaniſh Admiral, by being unacquainted with Blake, thought him- ſelf in perfect Security. But a Dutch Merchant, upon Sight of the Engliſh, begged Don Diego’s Leave to depart: “For, ſays he, I am very ſure Blake “will prefently be among us.” To which the Don anſwered, “Get you “gone if you will, and let Blake come

“if he dares.” Accordingly Blake, in Defiance of all the Enemy’s Advan- tages, refolutely entered, filenced the Caſtles and Forts, and burnt and ut- terly deftroyed the whole Fleet of in- eſtimable Value, without the Loſs of a single Ship. Blake regarded neither Caſtles on Shore, nor Ships in his own Element; taught his Sailors to fight in Fire, as well as on the Water, and firſt proved what Atchievements naval Courage was capable of.

How high Blake carried the Honour of the Engliſh Name, learn by the fol- lowing Inſtance. “Some of his Sea- “men going aſhore at Malaga, before “the Spaniſh War, they met the Hoſt, “and not only reſuſed to go down upon “their Knees and worſhip it, but laughed “moſt heartily at that who did: Where- “upon the People fell upon them with “ſuperſtitious Fury, and uſed them very “ſeverely, thro’ the Inſtigation of one “of the Prieſts. The Sailors return- “ing on board and making their Com- “plaints, Blake ſent a Trumpet to “demand the Prieſt. The Viceroy re- “turned for Anſwer, He had no Au- “thority over Prieſts, and ſo could not “difpofe of him. Blake ſent again, He “would not enquire who had Authority “over Prieſts; but if that he had de- “manded was not ſent to him in three “Hours, he would lay their Town in “Aſhes. Upon this the Prieſt was ſoon “ſent to him; who juſtifying himſelf “upon the rude Behaviour of the Sai- “lors, Blake told him, That bad he “complained to him he would have pu- “nifhed them ſeverely, ſince he would not “ſuffer his Men to aſfront the eſtabliſhed “Religion of any Place; but he took it “ill that he ſat on Spaniards to do it: FOR “HE WOULD HAVE ALL THE WORLD “KNOW, THAT AN ENGLISHMAN WAS “ONLY TO BE PUNISHED BY AN EN- “LISHMAN, and ſo civilly diſmiffed “the Prieſt, being ſatisfied with having “had him at his Mercy.”

Like Plants may ſtill be ſuppoſed to grow in the fame Soil and Climate: If the Spirit of Cromwell appear in our Councils, we have now Blakes ready to vindicate the Nation’s Rights, humbly the proudeſt of England’s Enemies, and make the Name of Briton as univerſally formidable as ever was that of Roman,

* See his Manifeſto with which he began his War againſt the Invaders of our Nation’s Rights in America.