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fite armies at New York and in its neighbourhood, were fo nearly balanced with refpect to force, and to the ftrength of their respective pofts and defences, that little room for enterprize was left on either

fide. This ftate of inactivity was happily confirmed, by the refolutions of the British parliament against the American war, and the fubfequent negociation for peace.

CHAP.

X.

Pre

Minorca. Siege of Fort St. Philip. Fatal progress of the Scurvy and other diforders in the garrison. Weakness in point of number. Successful attack on the Duke de Crillon's head-quarters at CapeMola. Powder-magazines blown up, bomb-battery deftroyed, and a fhip funk, by the fire from the fortress. Garrison being reduced by fickness, General Murray fubmits to the neceffity of a capitulation. Humanity and tenderness of the enemy to the fick. Coafts of thefe kingdoms threatened by the enemy. Admiral Barrington fails with a fquadron to the Bay, and falls in with a French convoy. Captain Jarvis takes the Pegafé of 74 guns. Most of the convoy taken. L'Actionnaire of 64 guns, taken by Capt. Maitland. Lord Howe fails to the coaft of Holland. Dutch fleet returns to the Texel upon his approach Combined fleets, in their way from Cadiz, fall in with the Newfoundland and Quebec convoy, and take feveral veffels. Combined fleets approach the Channel. Lord Howe fails with a very inferior force to protect the great Jamaica convoy. Enemy return to port, without effecting a junction with the Dutch, or being able to intercept the convoy. harations for the relief of Gibraltar. Royal George man of war loft at Portfmouth; Admiral Kempenfeldt, feveral officers, with a great number of people, unfortunately perish. Lord Howe Jails for the relief of Gibraltar. State of the fortress. Vaft preparations by fea and land for its attack, by the combined fleets and armies of France and Spain. Confidence placed in the new-conftructed battering fhips contrived by the Chevalier de Arcon. Some account of thofe formidable machines. Arrival of the French Princes of the blood in the camp before Gibraltar. Letter between the Duke de Crillon and General Elliot. Unexpected and violent cannonade and bombardment from the garrifon, by which the enemy's works fuffer greatly. Violent fire on the fortress. Combined fleets arrive at Ageziras. Grand attack. Dreadful cannonade and bombardment from the lines, the battering fhips, and the garrison. Admiral's fhip, and another, at length fet on fire, and blow up in the night. General conflagration. Extraordinary exertions of gallantry and humanity difplayed by Captain Curtis and his feamen in

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the

the gun-boats, in faving the enemy from the flames. Battering Ships entirely deftroyed. Storm in the Bay of Gibraltar. Spanish Ship of the line driven under the batteries, and taken by the garrifon. British fleet arrives in the Straits. Moft of the forefhips mifs the Bay, and pafs with the fleet into the Mediterranean. Combined fleets follow, but avoid action. Lord Howe, having landed the troops and fuccessfully relieved Gibraltar, repaffes the Straits. Followed by the combined fleets. Difiant cannonade, and partial action in the Atlantic.

WE

E fhall now return from in fuch a bufinefs. General Murthe new world, to confider ray treated the infult with a mixthe state of the war, and the princi- ture of that haughty difdain inpal military transactions which took cident to the confcioufnefs of an place in the old. Though Minorca ancient line and illuftrious ancefwas, of neceffity, abandoned to its try, and with the generous indigfate by Great Britain, yet the nation and stern refentment of a preparations for the fiege of Fort veteran foldier, who feels himself St. Philip, as well from the dif- wounded in the tenderest part, by tance of the places which were an infidious attempt upon, and to fupply the vast artillery, and confequently fufpicion of that hothe immenfe quantities of military nour, which he had fet up as the ftores and materials deemed ne ef- great object and idol of his life. fary for the reduction of that fortrefs, as from the various difficulties and delays incident to their conveyance by fea, could not but occcafion fome confiderable wafte of time before the operations. of the fiege were effectually commenced.

The cagerness of Spain to gain poffeflion of this island was fo exceffive, that the court feems to have departed, in fome degree, from that dignity of character which fhould ever be infeparably united with royalty, by an infidious endeavour, through the medium of an immente bribe, to corrupt the fidelity of the governor. Nor did the Duke de Crillon feem entirely to pay a proper attention to his own rank and reputation, nor to preferve a due recollection of the honour and diftinction entailed upon his family by the peculiar virtue of an illuftrious ancestor, when he defcended to become the inftrument

The fortress had been closely invefted, and its communications with the country entirely cut off, from the immediate landing of the enemy, which took place about the middle of Auguft. By this means the garrifon were deprived of all fupplies of vegetables; and that want alone, has not often produced more unfortunate effects. In all other refpects they were admirably provided; for the fores and magazines were amply furnifhed with every kind of excellent falted provifions; with good bread, peafe, rice, wine, and other fuitable neceffaries, as well for the fick as for thofe who were in health; and all these in such abundance, as would have fupported double the number of men for a longer time than the fiege continued. But the fingle want of vegetables was fufficient to deftroy all the benefits that were reasonably to be hoped from the general

plenty

plenty in other refpects, and to to 16,000 regular troops; and produce a distemper, as we have they brought a prodigious artilformerly obferved, that feemed lery, confiiting of 109 pieces of little to be apprehended in that the heaviest cannon, and 36 great climate and foil. The fcurvy raged mortars, to act upon the place. among the troops in fuch a de- The garrifon confifted only of gree, as has not often been ex- 2692 men of all forts: of these, ceeded in the moft foggy and hu- 2016 were English and Hanovemid northern climates, and even rian regular troops; including, under the worst circumstances of however, in this number 400 inwater and provifions; while this valids, who had been fent thiinveterate enemy was aided in its ther from England fo long be course, as ufual, by its deftructive fore as the year 1775. A marine concomitants, a putrid peftilential corps, who had been formed on fever, and a mortal dyfentery. the prefent occafion, and who, preferving their health much bet ter than the regular troops, were of excellent fervice in the fiege, compofed the greater part of the remainder. A handful of Greeks and Corficans likewife behaved with great bravery.

It is however to be obferved, that other caufes concurred to the ill effects produced by the immediate want of vegetables. Much the greater part of the British troops had been eleven years on the island; and the foldiers had lived conftantly upon falted meats during the whole of that time. So long a courfe of living upon falt provifions, although the baneful effects were greatly qualified by the liberal ufe of thofe alimentary or fanative vegetables, of which the ifland produces fuch an exuberance, could not but induce a general fcorbutic taint among the troops, and predifpofe even the beft conftitutions to the reception of that fatal diforder, whenever they were deprived of the only corrective to fuch an unwholefome diet. Its progrefs was likewife much furthered by the clofe confinement of the troops within the narrow limits of the fortrefs; and ftill more by the tainted air of the cafemates and fouterrains, which the intolerable cannonade and bombardment of the enemy rendered their only habitations, and which neceffarily became every day more infectious by occupancy.

The combined forces amounted

The fortrefs was, in fome refpects, exceedingly ftrong; the ditch and all the fubterraneous defences being cut out of the living rock; the great arches which covered the calemates were bombproof; and the defences everywhere undermined. But the upper works by no means correfponded in ftrength with the under; and by fome things which have fince come out, from those who had a right to be the best informed on the fubject, it would feem as if, through fome negligence (whether abroad or at home) they had likewife grown out of condition. The works were befides fo numerous and extenfive, that the prefent garrifon, even in full health, did not amount to half the number which would have been neceffary to their effectual defence.

The knowledge of this weakness probably led the Duke de Crillon to lie more unguardedly in his head quarters at Cape Mola than he

might

the garrifon. Nor could the differences that unfortunately took place between the governor and lieutenant-governor, tend in any degree to the leffening of evil, or to the removal of difficulty.

Though the enemy kept a moft cautious diftance in the conftruction and progreis of their works, and that their troops were fo extremely careful not to expofe themfelves, as to be laughed at by our fick and dying foldiers, who faid that they fhould be sent to school to learn to ftand fire,—yet, their vaft and numerous artillery were

might perhaps otherwife have done: while the obfervation of this neg ligence induced a vigorous and fuccefsful fally from the garrifon, who furprizing and routing the enemy, chaced the duke from his poft, and fecured themselves for the prefent fo effectually in it, that though he brought up his whole army to diflodge them, he, after much befitation, at length defitted from the attack. The fuccessful party returned fafe to the garrison on the following night, bringing with them about an hundred prisoners, among whom were a heutenant-colonel, three cap- fo weighty, powerful, and inceftains, and four or five fubaltern officers. This brifk action was probably intended by General Murray, as a perfonal military rebuke to the Duke de Crillon; and which the latter had no opportunity of returning, at least in the fame manner.

This happened pretty early in the month of November; about which time the enemy having opened their bomb batteries, a fhell from the castle had the forinne to fall upon a powder magazine, which by its explofion detroyed one of them entirely; a number of men were blown up, and a large quantity of loaded hells either spent their force in the air, or burit more destructively among the troops. The artillery of the fortress was likewife fo well ferved, as foon after to fink a hip in the harbour, which was newly coine in loaded with ammunition and stores for the fupply of the enemy's batteries. But thefe fmall fucceffes, however pleafing and encouraging at the time, could in no degree counterbalance the increasing ravages of thofe difeafes which fo unhappily prevailed in

fant in their battery, and such fhowers of great hells were continually poured into the place, that they foon produced an extraordinary effect in ruining the upper defences of the fortrefs, and difmounted or rendered uteless a greater number of cannon than had been known in any fimilar circumliances.

Nothing ever exceeded the zeal, valour, and conftancy difplayed by the garrison. The behaviour of the private men (who were the marked victims to the reigning distempers) through the courfe, and particularly towards the clofe of this fiege, was indeed beyond example. Numbers of foldiers died on guard, whofe generous eagerness to defend the place, made them conceal their illness to the laft, in order to prevent their be. ing fent away to the hofpitals from a fervice which held fo firm a poffeffion of their hearts. Such not blent fs of mind and conduct deferved a better fortune. The artillery corps, as in every service, whether of the former or the prefent war, were in the higheit des gree diftinguifhed; fo that it has

been

been a question with military men, whether all the other countries in Europe could produce a fet of bombardiers and cannoneers equal to those who were employed in the defence of Fort St. Philip? It is almost needlefs to obferve, that the feamen, who compofed the marine corps, did every thing that could have been expected, even from that hardy and intrepid or der of men.

In the beginning of February the garrifon was fo much reduced by fickness, that there were only' 660 men left who were in any degree fit for duty; and of thefe, all but one hundred were fo far tainted with the feurvy, that the phyficians and furgeons declared, they could hold out only a very few days, before they muft of neceffity be fent to the hofpital; and as a corroboration of this opinion, no lefs than 106 had been fent thither in the three preceding days. They likewife declared, that a few days longer obftinacy in defence, must prove the inevitable deftruction of the remains of that brave garrifon; as there was no poffible remedy for the fick, nor means even of keeping the greater part of them much longer alive, but by a speedy relief of wholefome air, aided by an abundant fupply of vegetables. The neceffary guards on the last night of the defence, required 415 men upon duty, fo that there were only 245 left, which was 170 less than the ne- | ceffary number for the next relief; and no picket could at all be formed. It was likewife much to be apprehended, that the enemy, fenfible of their weakness, would carry the place by a coup de main, as had been actually done in the former fiege, when the for

trefs was defended by General Blakeney, and the garrifon was many degrees ftronger than the prefent. Feb. 5th,

Under all these circumftances, the governor found himself re- 1782. duced to the neceffity of a capitulation, by which he obtained all the honours of war, and every thing elfe he required, excepting that article only, of freeing the garrifon from the condition of prifoners of war; which the Duke de Crillon affured him, his master, the Spanish King, had particularly tied him down in his inftructions from granting: the troops were however to be tranfmitted to England, but fubject to the cultomary conditions, until they were either exchanged, or difcharged by a peace. The Corficans and other foreigners were fecured in their perfons, effects, and in the liberty of going where they pleafed; and four natives of the ifland, who were all that had abided the fortune of the garrifon, in the poffeffion of their property, and of their rights as citizens.

So tragical a fpectacle, and at the fame time fo glorious to the fufferers, has not often been beheld, as the poor remains of the garrifon exhibited in their march through the Spanish and French armies, which were drawn up in oppofite lines for their paffage. 600 old, emaciated, worn-down, and decrepit foldiers, were followed by 120 of the royal artillery, and by 200 feamen; about 20 Corficans, and a fomewhat greater number of Greeks, Moors, and Turks, clofed the proceffion. The fcene became ftill more melancho ly and interefting when the battalions arrived at the place ap

pointed

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