ombat, retired into a trench
which was sufficiently fortified to offer some resistance. On the
twenty-fifth of the month an engagement took place, which forced the
pirates to take to their ships and hurriedly to leave for the open sea.
They had not only accomplished nothing, but suffered the loss of seventy
dead and many wounded.

Notwithstanding the two countries being at peace, the feeling between
Great Britain and Spain was gradually becoming more and more hostile.
During the pirate raids and other expeditions of British vessels off the
Spanish-American coasts, British soldiers and sailors had been taken
prisoners and were held in what was equivalent to bondage. The British
government had repeatedly remonstrated against this procedure, but the
Cuban authorities had not forgotten Jamaica and other operations of the
British in Spanish America and were not inclined to parley. Ships had
been sent to Havana to demand the release of the men, but even then the
emissaries of the British government failed to obtain any satisfaction.
Their demands were flatly refused. Finally the Earl of Clarence, who was
then governor of Jamaica, dispatched the British ship _Hunter_ under
command of Captain John Tosier to Havana. A full account of this
expedition is given in "A Letter from Captain John Tosier, Commander of
His Majesty's ship the _Hunter_ at Jamaica. With a narrative of his
embassy to the governor of Havana to demand His Majesty's of Great
Britain's Subjects kept prisoners there." The letter is dated Port
Royal, Jamaica, March 28th, 1679, and was published in London in the
same year.

Captain Tosier tells of previous efforts made to obtain the deliverance
of these British prisoners, saying that even messengers backed by
frigates of fifty guns had so far failed in their purpose. He sailed
from Port Royal on the twenty-fifth of January and on the eleventh of
February arrived off the coast of Havana. There he waited for two days
for more settled weather before he approached within two miles of Morro
castle, "top-sails a-Trip, Jack, Ancient and Pendant flying." He sent a
boat with Mr. Richard Bere, Governor Carlisle's "Gentleman of the Horse"
as messenger and interpreter, and bearer of the list of British subjects
kept prisoners in Havana. The guard of Morro castle ordered the boat
ashore, put a sergeant and soldiers on board and escorted the messenger
to Governor Ledesma. Another guard remained on the boat. Governor
Ledesma rea