ter. This was commanded by admiral Rodney; and, after a junction with sir Samuel Hood's squadron, and the arrival of three ships from Great Britain, amounted to thirty-six sail of the line.

It was the design of Count de Grasse, who commanded the French fleet at Martinique, amounting to thirty-four sail of the line, to proceed to Hispaniola, and join the Spanish admiral Don Solano, who, with sixteen ships of the line, and a considerable land force, was waiting for his arrival; and to make, in concert with him, an attack on Jamaica.

The British admiral wished to prevent this junction, or at least to force an engagement, before it was effected. Admiral Rodney came up with Count de Grasse soon after he had set out to join the Spanish fleet at Hispaniola. Partial engagements took place, on the three first days, after they came near to each other. In these, two of the French ships were so badly damaged, that they were obliged to quit the fleet. On the 18th of April, 1782, a general engagement took place. This began at seven in the morning, and continued till six in the evening. There was no apparent superiority on either side, till between twelve and one o'clock, when admiral Rodney brake the French line of battle, by bearing down upon their centre, and penetrating through it. The land forces, destined for the expedition against Jamaica, amounting to 5500 men, were distributed on board the French fleet. Their ships were therefore so crowded, that the slaughter on board was immense. The battle was fought on both sides with equal spirit; but with a very unequal issue. The French, for near a century, had not, in any naval engagement, been so completely worsted. Their fleet was little less than ruined. Upwards of four hundred men were killed on board one of their ships. The whole number of their killed and wounded amounted to several thousands, while the loss of the British did not much exceed 1100 men. The French lost, in this action, and the subsequent pursuit, eight ships of the line. On board the captured ships, was the whole train of artillery, with the battering cannon, and travelling carriages, intended for the expedition against Jamaica. One of them

was the Ville de Paris, so called from the city of Paris having built her, at its own expense, and made a present of her to the King. She had cost four millions of livres, and was esteemed the most magnificent ship in France. She carried one hundred and ten guns, and had on board 1500 men. This was truly an unfortunate day to count de Grasse. Though his behaviour, throughout the whole action, was firm and intrepid, and his resistance continued, till he and two more were the only men left standing upon the upper deck, he was at last obliged to strike. It was no small addition to his misfortunes, that he was on the point of forming a junction, which would have set him above all danger. Had this taken place, the whole British naval power in the WestIndies, on principles of ordinary calculation, would have been insufficient to have prevented him from carrying into effect, schemes of the most extensive consequence.

The ships of the defeated fleet fled in a variety of directions. Twenty-three sail made the best of their way to Cape François. This was all that remained in a body of that fleet, which was lately so formidable. By this signal victory, the designs of France and Spain were frustrated. No farther enterprises were undertaken against the fleets or possessions of Great Britain, in the West-Indies; and such measures only were embraced, as seemed requisite for the purposes of safety. When the news of admiral Rodney's victory reached Great Britain, a general joy was diffused over the nation. Before there had been much despondency. Their losses in the Chesapeake, and in the West Indies, together with the increasing number of their enemies, had depressed the spirits of the great body of the people; but the advantages now gained placed them on high ground, either for ending or prosecuting the war. It was fortunate for the Americans, that this success of the British was posterior to their loss in Virginia. It so elevated the spirits of Britain, and so depressed the hopes of France, that, had it taken place prior to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, that event would have been less influential, in disposing the nation to peace. As the catastrophe of York-town closed the national war, in North America, so

the defeat of de Grasse, in a great measure, put a period to hostilities in the West-Indies.

Other decisive events soon followed, which disposed another of the belligerent powers to a pacification. Gibraltar, though successively relieved, still continued to be besieged. The reduction of Minorca inspired the Spanish nation with fresh motives to perseverance. The duke de Crillon, who had been recently successful in the siege of Minorca, was appointed to conduct the siege of Gibraltar, and it was resolved to employ the whole strength of the Spanish monarchy in seconding his operations. No means were neglected, nor expense spared, that promised to forward the views of the besiegers. From the failure of all plans, hitherto adopted for effecting the reduction of Gibraltar, it was resolved to adopt new ones. Among the various projects for this purpose, one which had been formed by the chevalier D'Arcon, was deemed the most worthy of trial. This was to construct such floating batteries, as could neither be sunk nor fired. With this view their bottoms were made of the thickest timber, and their sides of wood and cork long soaked in water, with a large layer of wet sand between.

To prevent the effects of red hot balls, a number of pipes were contrived to carry water through every part of them; and pumps were provided to keep these constantly supplied with water. The people on board were to be sheltered from the fall of bombs, by a cover of rope netting, which was made. sloping, and overlaid with wet hides.

These floating batteries, ten in number, were made out of the hulls of large vessels, cut down for the purpose, and carried from twenty-eight to ten guns each; and were seconded by eighty large boats, mounted with guns of heavy metal, and also by a multitude of frigates, ships of force, and some hundreds of small craft.

General Elliott, the intrepid defender of Gibraltar, was not ignorant that inventions of a peculiar kind were prepared against him; but knew nothing of their construction. He nevertheless provided for every circumstance of danger, that could be foreseen or imagined. The 13th day of September,

1782, was fixed upon, by the besiegers, for making a grand attack; when the new invented machines, with all the united powers of gunpowder and artillery, in their highest state of improvement, were to be called into action. The combined fleets of France and Spain, in the bay of Gibraltar, amounted to forty-eight sail of the line. Their batteries were covered with one hundred and fifty-four pieces of heavy brass cannon. The numbers employed by land and sea against the fortress were estimated at one hundred thousand men. With this force, and by the fire of three hundred cannon, mortars, and howitzers, from the adjacent isthmus, it was intended to at tack every part of the British works, at one and the same in stant. The surrounding hills were covered with spectators. The cannonade and bombardment were tremendous. The showers of shot and shells, from the land batteries, the ships of the besiegers, and from the various works of the garrison, exhibited a most dreadful scene. Four hundred pieces of the heaviest artillery were playing at the same moment. The whole peninsula seemed to be overwhelmed in the torrents of fire, which were incessantly poured upon it. The Spanish floating batteries, for some time, answered the expectations of their framers. The heaviest shells often rebounded from their tops, while thirty-two pound shot made no visible impression upon their hulls. For some hours, the attack and defence were so equally supported, as scarcely to admit any appearance of superiority on either side. The construction of the battering ships was so well calculated, for with standing the combined force of fire and artillery, that they seemed, for sometime, to bid defiance to the powers of the heaviest ordnance. In the afternoon the effects of hot shot became visible. At first there was only an appearance of smoke, but, in the course of the night, after the fire of the garrison had continued about fifteen hours, two of the floating batteries were in flames, and several more were visibly beginning to kindle. The endeavours of the besiegers were now exclusively directed to bring off the men, from the burning vessels; but in this they were interrupted. Captain Curtis, who lay ready with twelve gunboats, advanced and fired

upon them with such order and expedition, as to throw them. into confusion, before they had finished their business. They filed with their boats, and abandoned to their fate great numbers of their people. The opening of daylight disclosed a most dreadful spectacle. Many were seen in the midst of the flames crying out for help, while others were floating upon pieces of timber, exposed to equal danger from the opposite element. The generous humanity of the victors equalled their valour, and was the more honourable, as the exertions of it exposed them to great danger. In endeavouring to save the lives of his enemies, captain Curtis nearly lost his own. While, for the most benevolent purpose, he was along side the floating batteries, one of them blew up, and some heavy pieces of timber fell into his boat, and pierced through its bottom. By similar perilous exertions, nearly four hundred men were saved from destruction. The exercise of humanity to an enemy, under such circumstances of immediate action, and impending danger, conferred more true honour than could be acquired by the most splendid series of victories. It in some degree obscured the impression made to the disadvantage of human nature, by the madness of mankind, in destroying each other by wasteful wars. The floating batteries were all consumed. The violence of their explosion was such, as to burst open doors, and windows, at a great distance. Soon after the destruction of the floating batteries, lord Howe, with thirty-five ships of the line, brought to the brave garrison an ample supply of every thing wanted, either for their support or their defence. This complete relief of Gibraltar was the third decisive event, in the course of a twelve month, which favoured the re-establishment of a general peace.

The capture of the British army in Virginia, the defeat of count de Grasse, and the destruction of the Spanish floating batteries, inculcated on Great Britain, France, and Spain, the policy of sheathing the sword, and stopping the effusion of human blood. Each nation found on a review of past events, that though their losses were great, their gains were little or VOL III. [2]