park and other appurtenances, and likewife made him a prefent of one hundred and thirty-five thousand acres of the estates forfeited in Ireland, by their owners adhering to the interefts of king James: but this laft denation was, in 1699, with other grants of the like nature, refumed, as exorbitant and prejudicial to the common-weal. His lordship, in 1696, attended his mafter that fummer during the campaign in Flanders; and in the begining of the next year received the enfigns of a knight of the garter. He likewife that year, 1697, accompanied king William to the field, and from the rank of lieutehant-general; was, on June 6th, in the camp at Promel, promoted to that of general of horse. On the 2d of Auguft following, during the tedious tranfactions of the minifters of the belligerant powers, about effecting a pacification, his lordship and marshal Boufflers, the French general, after having fix fucceffive conferences in fight of the two oppofite armies, adjusted, in a houfe in the fuburbs of Halle, the principal articles of peace between Britain and France, which was, on the 20th of next month, formally concluded at Ryfwick. The earl of Portland was, in January 1697-8, fent ambassador extraordinary to the court of France, and made his public entry into Paris, with a magnificence and pomp that aftonished even the French nation. Upon his return from that embaffy, finding himself fupplanted in his master's affection, by his countryman Arnold Jooft van Keppel, earl of Albemarle, he refigned his places, and could not be prevailed on by his majefty to re accept any of them. However, he accompanied king William to Holland in July that year, where he af fifted in negotiating the first treaty of partition; and likewife figned the fecond treaty of that denomination, concluded at London on the 21ft of February 1700-1, for which he was impeached by the house of commons: but fome difputes arifing between the peers and that houfe, the profecution against his lordship, and the others concerned in that negotiation, was dropt in June following. The earl of Portland was the last person whom king William, a few minutes before his death, on the 8th of March, 1701-2, enquired for, and on his lordship's arrival, his majesty grafp. ed his hand most affectionately, and laid

it on his heart, and seemed very defirous to fpeak to him, but was fo far spent that he could not exprefs any articulate found, though his lips were seen to move, and his lordship applied his ear to his mouth. After that event, lord Portland refided in Holland, until the end of 1708, when he returned to his feat at Bulẞtrode, where he died, on November 23, 1709, in the 61ft year of his age; and was buried in the vault under the eaft window of Henry VII's chapel in Westminster. By his first lady, who was Anne, fifter to Edward Villiers, earl of Jerfey, his lordship had the following children, who lived to the years of maturity, viz. Henry his fon and fucceffor: lady Mary, married first to Algernoon earl of Effex, and afterwards to Sir Conyers d'Arcy, knight of the Bath, and only brother to the late earl of Holdernefs: lady Anna-Margaretta, wife to MynheerDuyvenvorde, a Dutch nobleman : lady Frances-Williamina, married to William lord Byron and lady Ifabella, late dutchefs of Kingston. His lordship, on May 16, 1700, married Jane, fifter to Henry Temple, vifcount Palmerston, and widow of John lord Berkley of Stratton; and by her, had two fons and four daughters, viz. William, one of the nobles of Holland: and Charles-John, an officer in the Dutch fervice: lady Sophia, married to Henry late duke of Kent: lady Elizabeth, the wife of Dr. Henry Egerton, late bishop of Hereford: lady Harriot, married to James vifcount Limerick and lady Barbara, the wife of William Codolphin, Efq.

Henry Bentinck, fecond earl, and firft duke of Portland, on June 9th, 1704, married lady Elizabeth Noel, eldest daughter, and one of the co-heireffes of WriotheslyBaptift, earl of Gainsborough, with whom he had, among other poffeffions, the moiety of the lordship of Titchfield, in Hampshire, and the manfion-houfe of that lordship, where he refided till his father's death. He ferved for the town of Southampton, in the fra British parliament, which met on October 23d, 1707; and at the election of the next parliament, which convened on November 18th, 1708, was returned both for the county and town of Southampton. In 1710, he purchased the command of the first troop of horfe-guards, from the before-mentioned earl of Albemarle : and on July 6th, 1716, was created marquis of X X X 2 Titchfield,

off and on till next day, when, in the afternoon, three fail were difcovered in the offing standing in for the land, and were eafily perceived to be fhips of war, one being very large, and the other two much Imaller. They bore down upon the English veffels with their top-gallant fails clewed up, till they came within about feven miles of them, when all of a fudden they wore round, let fall their topgallant fails, fet their ftudding fails, and crowded away before the wind, with all the canvass they could carry. Upon their making this motion, Captain Faulkner immediately declared they were enemies, and that the large fhip was either the St. Anne or the Courageux, but most probably the latter. No time was loft by both ships in making all the fail that was poffible after them, and the chace continued without any alteration in the difpofition, the English only nearing their enemies, though fcarcely perceptibly, till fun-fet, when one of the frigates was obferved to haul out a little in the offing; upon which Captain Faulkner hove out the Brilliant's fignal to chace in the fame direction, viz. to windward, which was immediately obeyed. It being moonlight, and clear weather, both parties kept fight of each other during the whole night, and at fun-rife the French fhips were perceived to be near five miles ahead, the Bellona, though undoubtedly one of the best going fhips of her rate in the world, having in a long chace of fourteen or fifteen hours gained little more than two miles on her enemies. Notwithstanding the French commodore must now have been fenfible, that it would be ftill in his power to avoid an engagement for the whole day, and that he might have the advantage of the enfuing night, which might prove dark and cloudy, for escaping altogether, yet he no fooner had a view of the veffels in purfuit of him by clear day-light, than he hoisted a red enfign in the mizen fhrouds, which was a tignal for the two frigates under his command to clofe with and engage the Brilliant, hauled down his ftudding-fails, wore round and flood for the Bellona. In order to understand the reafon of this feemingly inconfiftent conduct in the French, it will be neceffary to take notice of what paffed on board the Courageux from the time the chase began till now. When they

one

first discovered our fhips, being at a great diftance, and feen in the haze of the horizon, they took them both for line of battle fhips or two deckers; for all objects feen in that fituation appear much larger than they really are. But afterwards, when it came to be day-light, and both parties had approached reater to another, they plainly difcovered the Brilliant to have only one tier of guns, and confequently to be a frigate, and they miftook the Bellona for a fifty gun fhip. Some English prifoners on board the Courageux were under the fame deception; and the Bellona has I know been frequently taken for a trigate, when feen at any distance, which I imagine is owing to the admirable conftruction and proportion of all the parts in that ship, reckoned, and perhaps juftly, to be one of the compleateft pieces of naval architecture in the world; for I think it has been obferved, that thofe animals which are perfectly well-shaped and proportioned, appear conftantly to be fmaller, though they really are not fo, than other animals whofe conftruction is not fo exquifite. It is no place here to enquire into the phyfical reafon of this phenomenon; but I fancy the fame holds with refpe&t to all other machines whatsoever.

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an op

The French commodore affembled his men and officers on the quarterdeck, and made a fpeech to them, representing that they had now portunity of diftinguishing themselves in the fervice of their country; that they would foon make their haughty enemies repent the rashness of their purfuit; that the English friste would fall a certain and easy facrifice to their fuperior force; and that the largeft fhip being far overmatched by themfelves in number and weight of guns, as well as of men, would give them but very little trouble. This fpeech was received with univerfal applaufe, only one of the French officers obferved, that they could be in no error concerning the frigate; but that if the other ship was not both larger and stronger than they imagined her, or the indeed appeared to be, fhe would not have continued fo long and fo refolutely in purfuit. No regard was payed to this obfervation, but after twice hearing prayers; all hands went to their quarters, and with impatience waited for the approach of their enemies,

The

The engagement first began between the Billiant and la Malicieufe, that frigate which the evening before had hauled out in the offing. After exchanging a few broadfides, the Frenchman shot ahead, when Captain Logie, perceiving by the difpofition of the French, that he fhould have both the frigates upon him at once, obferved to his omncers, that in his prefent circumstances, he could not expect to take any one of them, but that all he could propofe to do was to avoid being taken himself; and at the fame time to find fufficient employment for both, fo that neither of them might be able to annoy the Bellona, who was no more than a match for her antagonist. With what admirable judgment and prefence of mind he formed this plan, and with what steady conduct and refolution he executed fuch a neceffary and eilential point of duty, fufficiently appears from this, that during all the time the Bellona and Courageux were engaged, and for above half an hour afterwards, he withflood the united attack of both the frigates, each of them of equal force with his own; and at last obliged them to fheer off, greatly damaged in their hull and rigging, while the Brilliant had fuffered much less than could have been expected. It most commonly happens, and indeed it is a natural confequence, that thofe who defpife and undervalue the force of their enemies are ruined by it: but, in all probability, the fafety of thofe two fhips which efcaped was owing to this very circumitance; for if the French had, at any time before it was too late, difcovered the real force of the Bellona, they would have formed a line of battle: in which cafe it can hardly remain doubt, with any one who confiders what really happened, that all three would have fallen no very difficult facrifice to the fuperior conduct and invincible bravery of our countrymen.

a

But it was between the Courageux and he Bellona, that the great prize of glory and victory was to be eagert, and decifively contended for. The two thips were now approaching one another very fat, the first lying to, and the other advancing under her topfails; the fea, though there was a fine working breeze, being at that time as fmooth as a pool of standing water, so that the men in both hips could ftand and work their guns, as

easily and firmly as at a land battery, and there being no room for accidental fhots between wind and water, or lofs of mafts and yards by ftrefs of weather, it is plain that the victory could only be decided by fuperior resolution and skill. And, indeed, if we compare the two vefiels together, a more equal match could not poffibly have been picked out from the navies of both nations. They were equal in burthen, number of guns, and weight of metal. The Courageux at the beginning of the action had feven hundred and eight men on board, fome few indifpofed with the fcurvy, but all of them able to ftand to their quarters, and from the time they had left France above a year before, had been regularly trained to the exercife both of great and small guns by their commander, M. du Guè Lambert, on their skill and dexterity at which he greatly depended for the eafy atchievement of his future imagined conqueft. The Bellona's crew confifted only of five hundred and fifty-eight men, but then they were all pickt, chofen, and difciplined, by Captain Dennis, whose name alone is fufficient to fhew what fort of men they must have been, when, after having tried them in feveral engagements under his command in the Dorfetfhire, he had carried them with him out of that ship into the Bellona; the officers of the fea and land fervice were all gentlemen felefted, and most of them promoted, by the fame commander for their approved bravery and good behaviour, and both were now led on to action by as gallant a fpirit, without exception, as any in the English navy; a man who, impelled by an eager defire to diftinguish himself in the fervice of his country, had, on hearing the Achilles and Bouffon were on the coaft of Portugal destroying the English trade, gone in queft of them without waiting the formality of orders, and was now returning home, when he met with what he had fo narrowly miffed before, and had been fo long in fearch of; fo that it may be easily conceived with what alacrity and determined refolution, he now entered on the engage

my, fo that if he could not avoid an action, he might be fure of escaping afterwards he waited till the Bellona was within less than musquet-shot, and then he poured in his first broad-fide, and had given more than half his fecond before the Bellona made any return. Her first broadfide ftruck the water, but almost every shot rofe from thence, and took place. The French still kept up a very brisk fire, and, in a moment the Bellona's fhrouds, braces, bowlines, and every other rope belonging to her rigging were almost all cut to pieces, and flying about the ears of the combatants; in nine minutes her mizen went away, and fell over the stern with all the men in the top, who however got in at the gunroom ports. Upon this Captain Faulkner, fearing the enemy might make their efeape, in confequence of that determined refolution he had carried with him into action, to conquer or to die, gave immediate orders for boarding. The pofition of the two ships foon rendered this impracticable; the Courageux was now like to fall athwart the Bellona's forefoot, and left the might take advantage of that fituation to rake her fore and aft, by the prefence of mind and united efforts of the captain and mafter, the only two officers on the quarter-deck, the Bellona was made to ware round by means of her ftudding-fails; the halliards, and all the other ropes that could be ferviceable in that manœuvre being already shot away, and to fall upon the oppofite quarter of the Courageux, which proved to be her starboard-fide. This was the decifive movement. The officers and seamen, with a promptitude and regularity which men thoroughly disciplined are alone capable of, flew each to their refpective oppofite guns, and carried on from the larboard fide a fire more terrible than before. Every thot took place, and bore deftruction along with it, and at every broadfide, dust and splinters were feen to fly in great quantities from the torn fides of the Courageux. It was impoffible for Frenchman, or indeed any mortal beings, to withstand a battery fo inceffantly repeated, and so fatally directed. In about twenty minutes, they hauled down their colours, and orders were immediately given in the Bellona to cease firing, which were as foon obeyed. The men had

left their quarters, and all the officers were on the quarter deck congratulating one another on the victory, when unexpectedly a round of hot came from the lower tier of the Courageux. It is impoffible to defcribe the rage that animated the Bellona's crew on this occasion; without waiting for orders, they flew again to their guns, and, in a moment poured in two broadfides more upon the enemy, who now calling out for quarters, firing at last ceased on both fides. On board the Bellona fix men were killed outright, and about twenty-five wounded, few of them dangerously; the Courageux loft at least two hundred and twenty, and one hundred and ten were put afhore wounded at Lisbon. Had it not been for the lofs of her mizen, and the tattered condition of her fails and rigging, you would hardly have known the Bellona had been in an action, there not being above five or fix fhot in her hull; whereas the Courageux was a meer wreck, having nothing but ker foremaft and bowfprit standing, feveral of her ports knocked into one, her guns difmounted, her decks torn up in a hundred places, and, when boarded by the English officers, covered with the mangled bodies and limbs, of dead, dying, and wounded men. Sail was made for Lifbon as foon as poffible, that being the only port the veffels could reach in their prefent condition. The night before they got in, an accident happened in the Courageux,, which had it not been for Mr. Male the first lieutenant, would have proved immediately fatal; one of the centinels in the hold getting drunk, fet fire to fome rum, very near one of the magazines, when Mr. Male happening to be walking that way, on obferving the flames which had already feized on fome shavings and lumber near there, with an intrepidity and presence of mind poffeffed by few, but which on fuch emergencies is every thing, jumped down the hatchway amongst the midst of them, and happily' extinguished them. The man who oc cafioned it was burnt in such a manner, that he afterwards died, and twenty of the French prifoners, on hearing the alarm, threw themselves overboard and were never more heard of. I fhail conclude with obferving that the two captains, after their arrival acquired as much. he