of bread. Their quantity of meat was likewife reduced to a pound and a half in the week; and that became latterly fo bad as to be fcarcely eatable. The officers were even forbid the ufe of powder in their hair: a regulation of œconomy, which, though not very effential in itfelf, could not but produce a good effect in reconciling the minds of the common men to the neceflity of their fituation. Of all poffible tefts of the difcipline, attachment, and virtue of an army, a reftriction of food has ever with juftice been deemed the greateft. To the honour of the foldiery in the prefent inftance, they not only fubmitted to it without murmur, but with univerfal cheerfulnefs and good temper.

If fuch were the ftraits of the garrifon under the care and providence of government for their fupport, what will be thought of the diftreffes of the unfortunate inhabitants, who were far too rumerous for fo new and unexpected a fituation, and were much in creafed by the families of the married officers? The former were chained to the place by their houfes, property, and occupations, as well as by habit, connection, and the not knowing whither to remove. From the time of the laft fupply from England, and even earlier, not a fingle vellel had arrived with provifions or neceffaries, either from the neighbouring Barbary flores, or from any of the more diftant coafts of Africa; fc that, along with every other misfortune, they were at once cut off from that great and long eftablifhed fource of a cheap and plentiful market,

for relief on the cafual arrival of a few fmall Minorquin veffels, whofe fupply was infufficient, and prices immoderate.

As it has not been the fortune of the English for many years past to have acted much upon the defenfive in fieges, an account of the market - prices at Gibraltar during that period, may probably be confidered as a matter of fome curiofity; but it is of much more moment, as a means of conveying information to the public of the obligations they are under to thofe brave officers, who fo long fuftained the honour and intereft of their country by their glorious defence of Gibraltar.

Of the most common and indifpenfable neceffaries of life, bad fhip-bifcuit full of worms, was fold at a fhilling a pound; flour in not much better condition, at the fame price; old dried pease at a third more; the worst falt, half dirt, the fweeping of fhips bottoms and ftorehouses, at eightpence; old Irish falt butter at half a crown; the worst sort of brown fugar brought the fame price; and English farthing-candles were fold at fixpence a piece.

But fresh provifions bore ftill more exorbitant prices. Even when the arrival of veffels from the Mediterranean opened a market, turkies fold at 31. 12. a piece; fucking-pigs at two guineas; ducks at half a guinea; and small hens fold at nine fhillings a piece. A guinea was refused for a calf's phick; and 11. 7s. asked for an ox head. To heighten every diftrefs, the firing was fo nearly exhaufted as icarcely to afford a fufficiency for the moft indifpenf

able

able culinary purposes; fo that all the linen of the town and garrifon was washed in cold water, and worn without ironing. This want was feverely felt in the wet feason; which, notwithstanding the general warmth of the climate, is exceedingly cold at Gibraltar.

From this ftate of things fome idea may be formed of the diftreffes of the inhabitants; and it need be little wondered at if fuch officers as were not high in command, and who had families to maintain, fhould have been exceedingly embarraffed and diftreffed in their circumstances. Such men have the faireft claim, not only upon the benevolence but the juftice of their country.

The interefts and honour of Great Britain were deeply engaged in the timely relief of that important fortrefs. It was accordingly one of the first objects of government in the commencement of the year 1781; and the grand fleet under the conduct of the admirals Darby, Digby, and Sir J. Lockhart Rofs, was fitted out early for this fervice. It was divided into three fquadrons, under their refpective commanders; but though France as well as Spain had loudly boafted that they would not only difpute but abfolutely defeat the execution of this defign, yet, fo widely extended was the war, and fo numerous and detached were the fervices of the British navy, that only twentyeight fail of the line could be fpared for fo great an object.

France had at the fame time a fleet little inferior either in number or force nearly ready for the fea at Breft; and Don Lewis de

Cordova, with about thirty Spanish fhips of the line, was continually parading in and out of Cadiz, avowedly to fight the British fleet, and to intercept the fuccours. But to prevent all trouble in the bufinefs, his force was magnified far beyond its real ftate; and it was farther pretended that it was to be joined by ftrong reinforcements as well from Toulon as from the French ports in the ocean. The matter of fact was, that France was too anxious and eager for the completion of her own great fchemes in the West Indies and North America, and for retrieving her affairs in the Eastern world, to be diverted from their purfuit by attending to the views of Spain with refpect to Gibraltar. accordingly directed her whole attention and induftry to the early fitting out and the effectual equipment of the fleet which was to fail from Bref, under the conduct of M. de Graffe, for the West Indies, and to the fquadron under M. de Suffrein, which was to proceed in company on its way to the Eaft Indies. On the other hand, Spain, being diffident of her own ftrength to prevent the fuccour of Gibraltar, boafted loudly of her courage and of the greatnefs of her force, hoping thereby to deter her enemy from the attempt.

She

March 13th,

1781.

The fleet failed from St. Helen's with the great East and West India convoys before the middle of March, but met with fome delay on the coaft of Ireland, in waiting for the victuallers from Corke, which were to proceed with them to Gibraltar. It was probably owing to this de[G] 3

lay

lay that they miffed falling in with M. de Graffe's fleet of twenty-fix fhips of the line, which failed from Breft on the 22d of March. This circumstance has occafioned a quef tion, which has fince been not a little agitated both in parliament and out, whether the intercepting of De Graffe fhould not have been the firft object of our fleet, inftead of lofing time in going to Ireland, and thereby miffing the opportunity?

On the affirmative fide of the queftion it was faid, that the meafure would have been the means of totally overthrowing the great defigns formed by France both in the eastern and the western world; that our West India iflands would have been preserved, Lord Cornwallis's army faved from the fatal catastrophe at York Town, and our hopes and claims not only kept alive, but with great probability of fuccefs in North America. To this it was answered, that no certain knowledge could be obtained of the time that the Breft fleet would fail;that the measure of intercepting it would be a matter of great uncertainty, and the attempt attended with much delay; and that the confequent detention of the great outward-bound convoys which were under the care of Admiral Darby, would have been highly deftructive to our commerce, and ruinous to the merchants ;-that in cafe of fuccefs, the lofs of Gibraltar must be the certain confequence; as it could not be fuppofed that after the rough encounter of two fleets fo nearly equal in force, Admiral Darby should be in condition to proceed to a fresh engagement with the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, which was fuperior at

leaft in number to either; and that the relief of Gibraltar, as it was executed, was highly honourable to this country; and, besides the importance of the object in it felf, was abfolutely neceflary for the fupport of our character and confequence with the other powers of Europe.

The Eaft and West India convoys, amounting to about 300 fail, having proceeded on their refpec tive voyages, the British fleet, with ninety-feven tranfports, ftorefhips, and victuallers, kept on its courfe for Gibraltar; and meeting no enemy, which they expected to have done in the latitude of Cape Saint Vincent, arrived off Cadiz before the middle of April, and looking into the harbour, faw the Spanifh fleet lying peaceably at anchor, without the fmallest appearance of any intention to disturb their purpofe. It has fince appeared, that Don Cordova with his feet had kept the fea for about a month before, and had narrowly efcaped an unwilling encounter with the English; but having the fortune to receive notice from a neutral fhip of their near approach, all the vaunts which had been fo long thrown out of his determination and eagerness to fight them, were at once given up, and he made the best of his way into Cadiz. On the fame day, after exploring the fituation of the April 12th. Spanish fleet, Admiral Darby for warded the convoy, with fome men of war and frigates to cover them to Gibraltar, as well as thirteen fail into the Mediterranean on their way to Minorca, whilft he cruized with the main body of

the

difgrace, after fo much boafting, which her navy now fuffered in the eyes of all Europe. She had fet her heart fo entirely on the recovery of Gibraltar, that The fcarcely feemed to have another object in the war: - fhe lavished her treasures with an unfparing hand in that purfuit. The labour of the nation was exhaufted in the ftupendous works which the raised before the place, and they were now covered with the most tremendous artillery that has perhaps been known in any fiege. Indeed the whole naval and military force of the state, and its refources of every fort, feemed directed to that fingle object.

All these powers were now called into action, and the unfortunate town, with its miferable inhabitants, were the victims to her indignation. One hundred and feventy pieces of cannon, of the heaviest metal, and fourfcore mortars, difgorged their tremendous torrents of fire all at once upon that narrow spot. It feemed as if not only the works, but the rock itself must have been overwhelmed. This dreadful cannonade and bombardment was continued night and day, for a confiderable time, without intermiffion. It is faid, and may well be fuppofed, that nothing could be more fplendidly magnificent, or dreadfully fublime, than the view and the report of this tremendous fcene, to thofe who ob ferved them from the neighbouring hills of Barbary and Spain during the night; efpecially in the beginning, when the cannonade of the enemy being returned with ftill fuperior power and greater ferceness by General Elliot, the whole rock feemed to vomit out

fire, and all diftinction of parts was loft in flame and smoke.

It was computed by the art illery officers and engineers in the garrifon, that during more than three weeks from the first attack, the enemy continued regularly to expend at leaft a thoufand barrels of gunpowder, of an hundred pounds weight each, and to fire from four to five thousand fhot and fhells in every twenty-four hours upon the fortress. No powers of fupply could long fupport this expenditure. After difcharging 75,000 fhot and 25,000 fhells in this courfe of firing, it was then lowered to about 600 of both in the twenty-four hours; at which reduced scale it was continued for feveral weeks longer.

a

While the fleet continued in the bay, General Elliot retorted the enemy's attack with a prodigious fhower of fire; but as it was ftanding maxim with that experienced commander never to waste his ammunition, and that the great and evidently increafing difficulty of fupply rendered that caution ftill more effentially neceffary, he foon retrenched in that refpect, and feemed to behold unconcerned the fury and violence of the enemy. The lofs of men on the fide of the garrifon, during this unexampled cannonade and bombardment, was much lefs than could have been poffibly imagined, even without confidering the narrowness of the ground which they defended, its high fituation above the works, and the great proportion of their number which were continually expofed in the duty and relief of their numerous guards. The whole lofs from the 12th of April to the end

of