272

BISTORT OP ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XXIV.

hot.

zeal for the Covenant he had forgotten the Gospel. Toanother, John Borland, we owe the host account of thevoyage which is now extant. The General Assembly hadcharged the chaplains to divide the colonists into congre-gations, to appoint ruling elders, to constitute a pres-bytery, and to labour for the propagation of divine truthamong the Pagan inhabitants of Darien. The second ex-pedition sailed as the first had sailed, amidst the acclama-tions and blessings of all Scotland. During the earlierpart of September the whole nation was dreaming adelightful dream of prosperity and glory; and triumphing,somewhat maliciously, in the vexation of the English.But, before the close of that month, it began to berumoured about Lombard Street and Cheapside that lettershad arrived from Jamaica with strange news. The colonyfrom which so much had been hoped and dreaded was nomore. It had disappeared from the face of the earth. Thereport spread to Edinburgh, but was received there withscornful incredulity. It was an impudent lie devised bysome Englishmen who could not bear to see that, in spiteof the votes of the English Parliament, in spite of the pro-clamations of the governors of the English colonies, Cale-donia was waxing great and opulent. Nay, the inventorof the fable was named. It was declared to be quite certainthat Secretary Vernon was the man. On the fourth of Oc-tober was put forth a vehement contradiction of the story.On the fifth the whole truth was known. Letters werereceived from New York announcing that a few miserable