tude of St. Vincent, with a line of frigates to windward, which their lordships may perceive, by the difpofition of the fleet I have the honour to inclofe, and which difpofition was thought by every officer of the fleet to be fuch as to render it impoffible for any convoy bound to the French iflands efcape; yet, notwithflanding the vigilance of every captain and officer, the enemy found means to efcape by making the island of Defiada, and creeping clofe in under Guadaloupe and Dominique: they arrived fafe in the bay of Fort Royal on the 20th and 21ft of

March.

Information having been given me of this unlucky event,I thought it my duty to return to the bay of Gros Iflet, St. Lucia, where I had ordered the store-fhips, victuallers, and trade bound to Jamaica, to rendezvous.

On my arrival in that bay, every difpatch pofiible was made in refitting the fleet, and taking in flores and provifions for five months of all fpecies for the whole fleet: a watchful eye being kept the whole time on the French fleet in the bay of Port Royal, as I knew that Count de Graffe would haften the refitting his fleet, and take the first opportunity of proceeding to the place of his deftination.

On the 5th of April I received intelligence that the enemy were embarking their troops on board the flips of war, and concluded they intended to fail in a very few days.

Capt. Byron of the Andromache, an active, brik, and diligent officer, watched their motions with fuch attention, that on the 8th inftant at day-light, he made

a

the fignal of the enemy's coming out, and ftanding to the northweft. I inftantiy made the fignal to weigh and having looked into the bays of Fort Royal and St. Pierre, where no enemy's fhips remained, I made the fignal for general chace, and before daylight of the 9th, came up with the enemy under Dominique, where both fleets were becalmed, and continued fo for fome time. The enemy first got the wind, and stood towards Guadaloupe; my van divifion under that gallant officer Sir Samuel Hood, received it next and flood after them. At nipe the enemy began to cannonade my van; which was returned with the greateft brifknefs.

The baffling winds under Dominique did not permit part of the centre divifion to get into ction with the enemy's rear till half past eleven, and then only the fhip next to me in the line of battle.

Their lordships may easily ima gine the mortification it must have been to the fixteen gallant officers commanding the fhips of the rear, who could only be spectators of an action in which it was not in their power to join, being detained by the calms under Dominique.

The enemy's cannonade ceafed upon my rear's approach, but not before they had done confiderable damage to the flips of the van, and difabled the Royal Oak and Montagu; and his Majefty had loft a gallant officer, viz. Capt. Bavne of the Alfred, and a number of officers and feamen, as mentioned in the account tranfmitted to their lordthips; but fuch was the fteady behaviour of Sir Samuel Hood and the fhips of the van, that the ene-, my received more damage than they occafioned.

The

The night of the 9th inftant the fleet lay to, to repair their damages; the 10th they continued to turn to windward, under an eafy fail, the enemy's fleet continuing to do the fame, and always had it in their power to come to action, which they moft cautioufly avoided; and rendered it impoffible for me to force them in the fituation they were in, between the Saints and the island of Dominique. On the 11th of April, the enemy having gained confiderably to windward, and the wind blowing a fresh and steady gale, I made, the fignal for a general chace to windward, which continued the whole day. Towards fun-fet, fome of the headmoft fhips of the Яeet had approached near to one of the enemy's fhips that had received damage in the late action, and had certainly taken her, if Count de Graffe had not bore down with his whole fleet for her protection; which brought him fo near, that I flattered myself he would give me an opportunity of engaging him the next day. With that view I threw out the fignal for the form of failing, and flood with the whole fleet to the fouthward till two o'clock in the morning; then tacked, and had the happiness at day-light to find my mott fanguine defire was near being accomplished, by my having it in my power to force the enemy to battle. Not one moment was loft in putting it into execution: the confequences have been fuch as I have had the honour to reprefent in my former letter of this day; and can fay no more, than that too much praife, cannot be given to the gallant officers and men of VOL. XXV.

I

HAVE the honour to inform you that the combined fleet has had very little wind fince its departure from Cadiz, which, however, would not have retarded us much, had it not become quite contrary at the entrance of the bay. We were a little recompenfed afterwards by meeting with a fleet of the enemy's fhips, which we defcribed the 25th of June, in lat. 47. 36. N. and 15. 20. W. from the meridian of Paris.

This ficet, compofed of 18 fail, was escorted by the Portland, of 50 guns; the Oifeau, of 32; the Danaë, of 24; and the Merlin floop: it was destined for Canada and Newfoundland. Our frigates have taken the 18 fhips, but could not come up with the fhips that convoyed them. At the departure of the courier from Breft, the prizes appeared off Ushant. Lift of Ships taken.. The Jenny, 250 tons, Captain [R] John

John Stewart, laden with fpirits, falt, &c. 12 men; the Commerce, 250 tons, Capt. Edward Pritchard, laden with provifions, 10 men; the Eagle, 300 tons, Capt. William Crones, laden with provifions, 36 men; the John, 70 tons, provifions, 22 men; the Fogo, 40 tons, Capt. Jofeph Bickguen, provifions, 7 men; the Canada, Capt. John Karokins, 250 tons, laden with provifions; the Maria, three mafts, laden with provifions; the Jenny, three mafts, Capt. Williams, provifions, 24 men: the Kingston, 16 men, provifions; the Garland, Capt. Robert Plout, 120 tons, laden with provifions; the Lively, provifions and wine, 9 men; the Charak, Capt. James Wallarche, 150 tons, laden with provifions; the Providence, Capt. John Ebiter, provifions; the Nancy, Capt. Thomas Cawley, laden with provifions, 12 men; the Magdalen, Capt. Boukay, provifions, 12 men; the St. George, 100 tons, provifions, 12 men; the Admiral Campbell, 70 tons and 8 men, laden with provifions; the Hermit, Capt. David Nunny, I men, laden with provifions and wine.

Whitehall, Nov. 16. The letters, of which the following are copies and extract, from the Right Hon. General Elliot, Governor of Gibraltar, were received on Thursday last at the office of the Right Hon. Thomas Townfhend, his Majefty's Principal Secretary of State for the home department.

(COPY.)
Gibraltar, Sept. 15, 1782.

MY LORD,

land; 44 fail of the line, befides 3 inferior two-deckers; 10 batter. ing fhips, 5 bomb-ketches, feveral frigates and xebecques, a great number of gun and mortar-boats, a large floating battery, many armed veffels, and near 300 boats, purposely constructed for carrying troops;

Their land batteries mounted with above 100 pieces of cannon, and an equal number of mortars and howitzers;

An army of near forty thousand

men;

On the 13th inftant, at eight in the morning, all the battering hips, commanded by Don Buenventura Moreno, rear-admiral, were put into motion, and came forward to the several stations previously determined they fhould take up. The admiral being placed upon the capital of the King's Baftion, the other fhips extending three to the fouthward of the flag, as far as the Church Battery; five to the northward, about the height of the Old Mole; and one a very little to the weftward of the admiral, by a quarter before ten they were anchored in line at the distance of 1000 to 1200 yards: immediately an heavy can. nonade began from all the hips, fupported by the cannon and mortars in the enemy's lines and approaches. At the fame inftant our batteries opened with hot and cold hot from the guns; and fhells from the howitzers and mortars. This firing continued, without intermiffion, on both fides, until noon, when that of the enemy, from their fhips, feemed to flacken, although but little. About two o'clock the admiral's fhip was obferved to fmoke, as if on fire, and

a few

a few men bufy upon the roof, fearching for the caufe. Our batteries never difcontinued; the enemy's fire from the fhips gradually decreased. About leven in the evening they fired from a few guns, and that only at intervals. At midnight the admiral's fhip was plainly difcovered beginning to burn; an hour after, it was completely in flames; eight more of the hips took fire in fucceffion. Signals of diftrefs being now made, the launches, feluccas, and boats of the whole fleet began to take out the men from on board the burning hips. Many hot were ftill fired from thofe in which the flames had yet made no confide rable progrefs; and the fire from the enemy's batteries on fhore did not in the leaft diminifh. Brigadier Curtis, who with his fquadron of gun-boats, lay ready to take advantage of any favourable circumftance, left. the New Mole, at two o'clock, and about three formed a line upon the enemy's flank, advancing and firing with great order and expedition; which fo aftonished and difconcerted the enemy, that they fled precipitately with all their boats, abandoning the fhips, in which fome officers and numbers of their men, including many wounded, were left to perifh. This unavoidably must have been their wretched fate, had they not been dragged from amidst the flames by the perfonal intrepidity of Brigadier Curtis, at the utmost hazard of his own life: a life invaluable to his Majesty's fervice. For fome time I felt the utmost anguish, feeing his pinnace clofe to one of the largest fhips at the inftant he blew up, and fpread her wreck to a vast extent all

round. The black cloud of smoke being difperfed, I was again revived by the fight of his pinnace; little apprehending that the brigadier was in the utmost danger of finking, fome pieces of timber having fallen into and pierced the boat (killing the cockfwain, and others of the men) leaving scarce any hope of reaching the fhore. Providentially he was faved by ftopping the hole with the feamens jackets, until boats arrived to their relief. One of our gunboats was funk at the fame moment.

In the courfe of the day the remaining eight fhips feverally blew up, with violent explofions; one only efcaped the effects of our fire, which it was thought proper to burn, there being no poffibility of preferving her.

The admiral's flag remained fly. ing on board his hip till he was totally confumed.

Your lordship will be pleased to inform his Majefty, that the royal artillery additional gunners and marine brigade only could be employed on this fervice, which they executed with the deliberate coolnets and precifion of schoolpractice; but their exertion was infinitely fuperior. The fire was inceffant, and the batteries abundantly fupplied with ammunition; every foldier in the garrifon, not on duty, eagerly preffing to share in the honourable labours of the day. The enemy's daring attempt by fea was effectually defeated by the conftant and well supported fire from our batteries; but the well-timed, judicious, and fpirited attack made by Brigadier Curtis, rendered this fuccefs a complete victory. [R] 2

The