Page images
PDF
EPUB

rest of the fleet. Other ships came up in the heel of the ac tion, with the Canada; but he still held out. At length Hood, in the Barfleur, approached him just at sun-set, and poured in a most destructive fire. The count however, wishing to signalize as much as possible, the loss of so fine and favorite a ship, endured the repetition of it for about a quarter of an hour longer, when he struck his flag to the Barfleur, and surrendered himself to Sir Samuel Hood. It is said that at the time, there were but three men left alive and unhurt on the upper deck, and that the count was one of the three.

[ocr errors]

The Cæsar was unfortunately set on fire, and blew up in the night of the action. A lieutenant and 50 British seamen perished, with about 400 prisoners. The Ardent, of 64 guns, taken from the British by D'Orvilliers, in the channel, was now retaken.

The advantage of close fighting with British ships and seamen was never more happily exemplified. The number of the French slain in this engagement and that of the ninth, is computed at 3000; of the wounded at near double. The computation is the more probable as upward of 400 were killed on board the Ville de Paris, and between 2 and 300 in several French ships singly. The French ficet in general, was little less than ruined. The small superiority of British ships in point of number, contributed nothing to the success of the day, as more of Hood's division than that difference amounted to, were prevented coming into action, through the want of wind. The whole loss of the British killed and wounded in the two actions, is stated only 1050, of which 253 were killed on the spot. Capt. Blair, of the Anson, who had the year before distinguished himself in the action under admirał Hyde Parker, was slain. The less of lord Robert Manners, son of the late marquis of Granby, and brother to the duke of Rutland, was universally lamented. He had performed many brilliant actions during the war, in the Resolution, of 74 guns. He was grievously wounded; and was carried off by a locked jaw a few days after the action, on his passage to Great-Britain.

Thirty-six chests of money, destined to the pay and subsistence of the troops in the designed attack on Jamaica, were found in the Ville de Paris. This ship had been a present from the city of Paris to Lewis XV. in that fallen state of the French marine, which prevailed toward the close of the former war. No pains or expence were spared to render the gift worthy of that city, and of the monarch to whom it was presented. Her building and fitting for sea is said to have cost £.176,000 sterling. It was singularly providential, that the whole train of artillery, with the battering cannon and travelling carriages meant for the expedition against Jamaica, were on board the ships now taken.

Sir

[ocr errors]

- Sir George Rodney brought too for the night; while the French ships which escaped, made off to leeward with the utmost dispatch, and were out of sight in the morning. Some ran down to the Dutch island of Curacoa. But the greater part under Messrs. de Bougainville and de Vaudreuil, kept together and made the best of their way to Cape Francois. Sir George attempted to pursue them the next morning; but the fleet was becalmed under Guadaloupe forthree days successively after the battle, which gave the French the most favorable opportunity of escaping.After Sir George was satisfied, that they were gone to leeward, he dispatched Sir Samuel Hood, whose division had suffered little, to the west end of Hispaniola, in hope that he might pick up some of their disabled ships. He himself followed with the rest of the feet, to rejoin Sir Salnuel off Cape Tiberoon.

Sir Samuel proceeded with such dispatch, that on the day after his departure, April 19.] he descried five sail of French vessels between Porto Rico and Hispaniola. A general chase immediately ensued, and continued several hours, when the Valiant and the Magnificent of 74 guns each, came up with, and after a shortengagement took the Jason and Caton of 64 guns each, with two Frigates a third escaped by a sudden shift of wind.

Thus the French lost eight ships of the line: six were in the possession of the British, one had been sunk, and the Cesar blow a up after her capture. Four others got into Curacoa, and the French commanders were for weeks totally ignorant of their fate: so that no less than twelve sail of the line were missing. Count de Grasse considering the extreme importance of the service in which he was employed, should have hazarded a temporary censure rather than have ventured the most distant risk of the whole expedition. Had he submitted to the loss of the ship which fell roleeward, instead of bearing down to her assistance, the British could not have prevented his joining Don Solano; and the re"duction of Jamaica would have been next to inevitable. That event must have exalted his prudence, and have stifled every reSection that had been pointed against his character.

The British having joined off Cape Tiberoon, and the French Having no force to the windward, Sir George Rodney proceeded with the disabled ships and the prizes to Jamaica, as well for their tepait, as the greater security of the island, should the combined feet still venture upon the prosecution of their former design. Sir Samuel Hood was left with about 25 ships of the line, to keep the sea and watch the motions of the enenty..

When the news of adm. Rodney's victory reached Great Bri-. tain; the joy it occasioned was excessivo, and not without reason.

p

Before

Before there was much despondency. It produced a sudden and unexpected change in the situation of the British; and at an instant when they seemed to be nearly overwhelmed as well as surrounded by numerous and powerful enemies, gave them an additional weight as a nation, either for the accomplishment of peace or the further prosecution of the war. The admiral was created an English peer on the 19th of June, by the title of lord Rodney.

Upon the return of admiral Barrington's squadron, admiral Kempenfelt sailed [May 6.] with 8 or 9 ships of the line, to supply their place in the bay; and upon intelligence being received that the Dutch were preparing to come out of the Texel, lord Howe proceeded with a squadron of about a dozen ships of the line, to the coasts of Holland. The Dutch fleet had sailed, but information of Howe's movement induced them to return to the Texel. After cruising near a month on the Dutch coast, Howe's squadron growing very sickly, and the Dutch showing no disposition to venture out, his lordship returned to Portsmouth, where being joined by the ships from the bay, every dispatch was used in preparing the fleet to oppose the designs of the combined enemy, who were soon expected at the mouth of the channel.

Count de Guichen had been for some time at Cadiz, from whence he and Don Cordova, with about 25 French and Spanish ships of the line, sailed in the beginning of June. In their progress to the northward, and while expecting to be joined by the squadron from Brest and other ports, they fell in [June 25.} with the British outward bound Newfoundland and Quebec fleets, under convoy of a 50 gun ship and some frigates. Eighteen of the convoy, laden chiefly with provisions, were taken; the ships of war, with the remainder, escaped.

'The combined fleets being entire masters of the sea, from the mouth of the straits to Ushant, were able to dispatch their outward bound convoys and to receive their homeward with the utmost safety; while the British were under no small apprehension for a rich and great convoy from Jamaica, under Sir Peter Parker, with only three ships of the line for his protection. Lord Howe sailed from Portsmouth early in July, accompanied with admirals Barrington, Sir J. L. Ross, and Kempenfelt. These distinguished commanders had however only 22 ships of the line to support their designs, while the combined fleets were cruising about the chops of the channel, with more than double their force. Lord Howe kept to the westward of the enemy, in order to protect and receive the Jamaica fleet, and at the same time to avoid being forced into an engagement. By the end of July Sir Peter Par

ker

ker arrived safe with his convoy, bringing count de Grasse with him in the Sandwich, of 90 guns. The count landed at Ports mouth on the 31st, amid the acclamations of a great concourse of people, who in that way expressed their approbation of his bravery. On the 14th of August lord Howe, with part of the feet, arrived at the same port.

[ocr errors]

The protection of the homeward bound Baltic fleet, the preventing of the Dutch from sailing to the southward, and the relief of Gibraltar, were the grand naval objects that the British administration had still in view; each was of high importance.. Several of those ships that were in the best condition for sea, proceeded to the Downs, to attend the motions of the Dutch; while the rest of the fleet were in a hasty state of equipment at Portsmouth, and were replenishing their stores for the designed expedition to Gibraltar. It was found necessary that the Royal George, of 108 guns, commanded by admiral Kempenfelt, should receive a kind of slight careen, and be laid in a certain degree upon her side, while the defects under water occasioning the ex amination, were rectified. This operation, in still weather and smooth water, is attended with so little difficulty or danger, that the admiral, captains, officers and crew continued on board; and neither guns, stores, water or provisions were removed...

The business was undertaken [Aug. 29th.] early in the mornng, a gang of carpenters from the dock attending for the pur pose. The ship, while on her side, was crowded with people From the shore, particularly women, thought to be not fewer than 1300, among whom are many of the wives and children of the seamen and petty officers, who were come to see their husbands. and fathers. The greatest part of the crew were also on board... In this situation, about ten in the morning, the admiral being writing in his cabin, and most of the people happening then to be between decks, a sudden and unexpected squall of wind threw the ship on her side, and the gun-ports being open, she filled with water almost instantly, and went to the bottom. A victualler along side of her was swallowed up in the whirlpooloccasioned by the plunge of so yast a body in the water..

The admiral, with a number of officers, and most of those batween decks perished. The guard, and those who happened to be along with them on the upper deck, were in general saved by the beats of the fleet. About 70 more were likewise saved. It is thought that from 900 to 1000 persons were lost. About 300, mostly of the ship's company, were saved. Capt.. Waghorne, whose bravery in the North Sea, under admiral Parker, procured him the command of the ship, was saved, though severely bruised.

The

The loss of the ship, though the period is critical, is not to compare with the loss of the brave men who perished in her. Admiral Kempenfelt, though near 70 years of age, is peculiarly and universally lamented by the British. In point of professional knowledge and judgment, he was deemed one of the first naval officers in the world; and in the art of manoeuvring a fleet, he was considered by their greatest commanders as unrivalled.

A letter from Sir Eyre Coote, dated Fort George, January 28 1782, was received at lord Shelburne's office, June the 4th. It relates, that after the action on the 1st of July, 1781, Sir Eyre marched to the northward, to form a junction with the Bengal detachment. It was effected on the 3d of August. On the 27th Sir Eyre attacked Hyder Ally, posted with his army in a formida ble situation. The conflict lasted from nine in the morning till: near sun-set, when Sir Eyre was left in full possession of the field: of battle. His loss on this occasion, was heavier than on the first of July, and that of the enemy less. On the 27th of September: the two armies engaged again before four o'clock in the after noon, and by the evening Hyder was completely routed. When Sir Eyre was upon his return from relieving the garrison at Vel lore, Hyder appeared in full force on the 13th of January, and by a distant cannonade attacked his army while crossing a marshy ground. The whole having passed the swamp, the line was.et formed and advanced upon the enemy, on whieh Hyder gave way, and retreated with precipitation. The London Gazette of July 13th, confirmed the account before received of the surren> der of the Bahama islands to the arms of Spain, on the 8th of.... May, by capitulation. The same day advices were received. from captain Shirley, of the Leander, of his having destroyed a French store-ship off Senegal, valued at £.30,000 and of his taking five Dutch forts, mounting together 124 guns, on the coast of Africa, without any other assistance than the men belonging to his own ship. Toward the close of July the English East-India Company received from Bombay, advice of Tippoo Saib's having attacked colonel Braithwaite on the 16th of Febru→ ary, and obliged him to surrender with all his force two days af ter; and of the French fleet consisting of 22 sail, large and small, on the 19th of February, in Pondicherry road. Tippoo Saib's success has occasioned to the English in that quarter, the loss of 2000 infantry and 300 cavairy.

i

The precarious state of affairs in the East-Indies, must be a motive with the British ministry to aim at a speedy establishment of peace. As the negociations for it are carrying on, and likely to be continued, my next letter will be from Paris. LETTER.

N

« PreviousContinue »