and Spain, no good understanding subsisted between those two different
courts, neither with respect to the privileges of navigation on the
Mexican seas, nor to the limits between the provinces of Georgia and
Florida. On one hand, the Spaniards pretended that they had an exclusive
right to some latitudes in the bay of Mexico; and, on the other, though
the matter had never been clearly ascertained by treaty, the British
merchants claimed the privilege of cutting logwood on the bay of
Campeachy. This liberty indeed had been tolerated on the part of Spain
for several years, and the British merchants, from avaricious motives,
had begun a traffic with the Spaniards, and supplied them with goods of
English manufacture. To prevent this illicit trade, the Spaniards
doubled the number of ships stationed in Mexico for guarding the coast,
giving them orders to board and search every English vessel found in
those seas, to seize on all that carried contraband commodities, and
confine the sailors. At length not only smugglers, but fair traders were
searched and detained, so that all commerce in those seas was entirely
obstructed. The British merchants again and again complained to the
ministry of depredations committed, and damages sustained; which indeed
produced one remonstrance after another to the Spanish court; all which
were answered only by evasive promises and delays. The Spaniards
flattered the British minister, by telling him, they would enquire into
the occasion of such grievances, and settle all differences by way of
negotiation. Sir Robert Walpole, fond of pacific measures, and trusting
to such proposals of accommodation, for several years suffered the
grievances of the merchants to remain unredressed, and the trade of the
nation to suffer great losses.

[Sidenote] William Bull Lieut.-governor.

In the year 1738, Samuel Horsley was appointed Governor of South