Page "James Stirling (Royal Navy officer)" Paragraph 15

The Treaty of Paris, signed by France, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia on 20 Nov 1815, ended the Napoleonic Wars and a large fleet was no longer needed.

The Admiralty set about decommissioning ships and retiring officers.

However, Stirling and the Brazen received a stay of execution, as they were needed again in the West Indies.

Spain was losing its grip on the north of South America and rival factions were struggling for power.

So close to the West Indies, Britain had an interest in the establishment of secure government on the mainland, but needed to be careful to avoid offending Spain, now an ally.

The Brazen arrived at Barbados in June 1816 and on 20 July Stirling and the Barbados Harbourmaster were sent to survey the coast of Venezuela and gain intelligence regarding the attitudes of the population and the disposition of the various revolutionary factions.