wrong landing point was chosen for the main body; the men fell ill and mutinied; the Spaniards, who might have been surprised at first by a direct assault on St. Domingo, resisted bravely, and poured shot among the troops from ambuscade.  Two attempts to get into St. Domingo were both foiled with heavy loss, including the death of Major-General Heane and others of the best officers.  The mortality from climate and bad food being also great, the enterprise on Hispaniola was then abandoned; but, dreading a return to England with nothing accomplished, Penn and Venables bethought themselves of Jamaica.  Here, where they arrived May 10, they were rather more fortunate.  The Spaniards, utterly unforewarned, deserted the coast, and fled inland.  There was no difficulty, therefore, in taking nominal possession of the chief town, though even that was done in a bungling manner.  Then, leaving the Island in charge of a portion of the troops, under Major-General Fortescue, with Vice-Admiral Goodson to sail about it with a protecting squadron, Penn hastened back to England, Venables quickly following him.  They arrived in London, within a few days of each other, early in September, and were at once committed to the Tower for having returned without orders.  The news of the failure of their enterprise had preceded them, and Cromwell was profoundly angry.  A bilious illness which he had about this time was attributed by the French ambassador Bordeaux to his brooding over the West-Indian mischance.  He was soon himself again, however, and Penn and Venables had nothing to fear.  They were released after a few weeks.  After all, Jamaica was better than nothing.[1]

[Footnote 1:  Godwin, IV. 195-203; Carlyle, III. 122-123; Guizot, II. 226-231; Letters of Cromwell to Vice-Admiral Goodson and Major-General Fortescue (Carlyle, III. 126-132).]

One result of the West Indian expedition was that the long-delayed alliance with France was now a settled affair.  Cardenas had his pass-ports sent him, and on the 22nd of October, 1655, he left England.  The Court of Madrid had already recalled him, laid an embargo on all English property in Spain, and conferred a Marquisate and pension on the Governor of Hispaniola.  On the 24th of October the Treaty of Peace and Commerce between Cromwell and Louis XIV. was finally signed; and within a few days afterwards there was out in London an elaborate document entitled “Scriptum Domini Protectoris, ex consensu atque sententia Concilii sui editum, in quo hujus Reipublica causa contra Hispanos justa esse demonstratur” ("The Lord-Protector’s Manifesto, published with the consent and advice of his Council, in which the justice of the Cause of this Commonwealth against the Spaniards is demonstrated").  Now, accordingly, the Commonwealth entered on a new era of her history.  Cromwell and Mazarin were to be fast friends, and the Stuarts were to have no help or countenance any more from the French crown; while, on the other hand, there was to be war to the