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The British and Provincial Conquest of Cuba: Albemarle
The Boston Gazette states that one of the captured Spanish ships had five million dollars on board, that almost forty million dollars in specie had already been counted, and that the share of Lord Albemarle would give him an income of twelve thousand pounds per annum, and Admiral Pocock was to have an equal amount; and this was only an exaggeration. Gov. Bernard of Massachusetts, at the request of the assembly, issued a proclamation for a public thanksgiving on the 7th of October. After enumerating various causes for thankfulness that existed, all of which related to victories won in different parts of the world, his excellency proceeded to say: "But above all, with hearts full of gratitude and amazement, we must contemplate the glorious and important conquest of the Havana, which, considering the strength of the place, the resolution of the defendants and the unhealthiness of the climate, seems to have the visible hand of God in it, and to be designed by His Providence to punish the pride and injustice of that prince who has so unnecessarily made himself a party in this war."
The great British officers took the spoil, giving the soldiers and inferior officers but little, and in the division, these figures showing the relations of rank to gold as well as glory, but not in the sense that Burns wrote: "The rank is but the guinea's stamp; the man's the gold," etc. Sir George Pocock was placed on the same footing as Lord Albemarle, and Commodore Keppel with Lieutenant-General Elliot; the shares of the two former having amounted to Pounds 122,697 10S. 6d. each, and of those of each of the two seconds in command Pounds 24,539 10S. Id. The spoil was in fact equally divided between the two services, having amounted altogether to Pounds 736,185 3s., or Pounds 368,092 11S. 6d. each. But although the services and chiefs were placed on an equality, the same rule could not be observed with the officers and privates. The share of a major-general was Pounds 6,816 10S. 6 1/2d., that of a brigadier-general, Pounds 1,947, 11S. 7d.; that of an officer of the staff, Pounds 564 14s. 6d.; that of a captain, Pounds 184 4s. 7 1/4d.; that of a subaltern Pounds 116 3s. 1/4d.; that of a sergeant Pounds 8 18s. 8d; that of a corporal Pounds 6 16s. 6d., and that of a private soldier, Pounds 4 1s. 8 1/2d. The share of a captain in the navy was Pounds 1,600 10s. 10d.; of a lieutenant Pounds 234 13s. 3 3/4d.; of the other commissioned officers, Pounds 118 5s. 11 1/4d.; of warrant officers, Pounds 17 5s. 3d., and of ordinary seamen, Pounds 3 14s. 9 3/4d.