bufinefs has been queftioned, and probably without due confideration, on two grounds: firft, for putting to fea at all; and again, for encumbering himself with the convoy. With refpect to the firft, the great object he had in view not only warranted fome hazard, but perhaps any thing fhort of decifion; nor could his inactivity at that time, when fo great a force was waiting for him to leeward, and the hopes of both nations were fo highly railed, ever be juftified either to his country or to the world. The arduous fituation of a commander in chief, obliges him to look to his own character and to the public opinion, as well as to the public fervice. Those who know danger only in theory, and who are little informed as to circumftances, are feldom merciful in their cenfure or opinion of a commander who is fuppofed to mifs any favourite object through the want of fighting. Neither was he without reafons or hoping, that if an action fhould take place, it might have been rendered partial and indecifive. As to the convoy, it does not feem that the French commander could have been at all warranted in leaving it locked up in Fort-Royal Bay. The movements of the enemy, and their departure from that bay, were fo fpeedily communicated by fignals from the frigates upon the watch, and the English fleet were in fuch excellent preparation, that the whole were clear of Grofs-Iflet Bay by noon, and purfued them with the utmoft expedition; fo that the French gained only a few hours by being mafters of the time of departure. This unequaled diligence, and the general ardour, which it might be faid added wings to the fleet, brought them within fight of the enemy under Dominique, on that very night; and they afterwards regulated the pursuit by their fignals. So fudden a preffure could not have been expected by M. de Graffe. He, however, like a prepared and accomplished commander, immediately fuited himself to the emergency, and though fighting was by no means his object, he formed the line of battle to windward betimes in the morning, thereby affording an opportunity to his convoy to proceed on their courfe, whilst he stood to abide the confequences. On the other fide, Sir George Rodney had thrown out fignals foon after five in the morning to prepare for battle, to form the line at two cable lengths diftance afunder, and for the ships to fill and stand on. But the English fleet lay becalmed for a confiderable time under the high lands of Dominique, while the enemy, who were farther advanced towards Guadaloupe, had wind enough to enable them to make the movements we have stated. The breeze at length reached the van of the English fleet, and they began to clofe with the French center, whilft their own center and rear were still becalmed. It is faid that the Count de Graffe might ftill have avoided an engagement; but the temptation held out of falling with his whole weight upon and entirely crufhing one-third of his enemy's force while thus feparated, was too ftrong to be well refifted. The action commenced about nine o'clock. The attack Apr. 9. was was led by the Royal Oak, Captain Burnet, and feconded by the Alfred and the Montague, with the moft impetuous bravery. The whole divifion were in a few minutes clofely engaged, and for more than an hour were exceedingly pressed by the great fuperiority of the enemy. The Barfleur, Sir Samuel Hood's own fhip, had at one time feven, and generally three fhips firing upon her; and none of the divifion efcaped the encounter of a very difproportionate force. Nothing could be more glorious than the firm and effective refiftance with which, and without once fhrinking, they fuftained all the efforts of fo great a fuperiority. At length, and by degrees, the leading fhips of the center were enabled to come up to the affiftance of the van. Thefe were foon followed by Sir George Rodney in the Formidable, with his two feconds the Namur and Duke, all of 90 guns; who made and fupported a moft tremendous fire. The gallantry of a French captain of a 74 gun fhip in the rear, who, oppofite to Prince Rupert's Bay, having backed his main-top-fail, fteadily received and bravely returned the fire of thefe three great fhips in fucceffion without in the leaft flinching from his ftation, excited the higheft applaufe and admiration of his enemies; and one of our officers could not refrain, under the immediate impulfe of his enthufiam, from calling him "a Godlike Frenchman," in a letter which he wrote home upon the occafion. 66 The coming up of the admiral with a part of the centre divifion, rendered the fight leis unequal; and M. de Graffe, notwithstanding his ftill great fuperiority, finding that his purpofe had failed while the van was engaged fingly, determined, by changing the nature of the action, to prevent its now becoming decifive. The command of the wind, and the connected state of his fleet, enabled him to execute this defign, and to keep fuch a cautious distance during the remainder of the engagement, as was evidently intended to difable our fhips as much as it could be done, without any confiderable hazard on his own fide. This fort of firing, which was extremely well fupported on both fides, and produced as much effect as the diftance would admit, was continued for an hour and three quarters longer; during all which time, the reft of the fleet was held back by the calms and baffling winds under Dominique. Several of our officers have condemned the failure of the enterprize which appeared on the fide of the enemy, in not exerting their fuperiority with greater effect during this interval; but it is poffible that the motives which operated with the French commander did not come within their confideration. The mortification of the fixteen brave officers who commanded the fhips in the rear, and who were doomed to be the fpectators of fo unequal a combat, without having it in their power to fupport their admiral and fellows, is much more eafily to be conceived than defcribed. About twelve o'clock the remaining hips of the center came up, and the rear was clofing the line, upon which M. de Graffe withdrew his fleet from the action, and evaded all the efforts of the English HISTORY OF EUROPE. English commanders for its renew The fleet lay to on the night 1207 for the English admiral to force On the 11th the enemy had got our In this critical state of things, fo highly interefting to both sides, two of the French fhips, which had received damage in the late action, were perceived about noon to fall off confiderably from the reft of their fleet to leeward. This welcome fight immediately produced figuals for a general chace from the British admiral, and again renewed, throughout the fleet, the hope of coming up with the enemy. The purfait was fo vigorous, that the Agamemnon, and fome others of the headmoft of the British line, were coming up fo faft with thefe fhips, that they would have been affuredly cut off before evening, if their fignals for afliftance and evident danger had not induced M. de Graffe to bear down with his whole fleet to their affiftance. This fpirited movement brought things precifely to that fituation which our commanders had fo arpected. dently fought, and fo little ex pected. It was now impoffible for the enemy to avoid fighting; but the evening being too far advanced, that final decifion was poftponed to the morning. The purfuing fhips fell back into their flations; a clofe line was immediately formed, and a most masterly difpofition of the British fleet exhibited; while fuch manoeuvres was practifed in the night as were neceflary, at leaft, to preferve things in their prefent ftate, and might poffibly produce cafual advantage. The wind generally hawls to the northward towards evening in the Weft India iflands; and to make the most of this circumftance, our fleet food to the fouthward until two in the morning, and then tacked with their heads to the northward. On the other fide, the enemy being fenfible that the die was now caft, prepared with the greateft refolution for battle, and only confidered how to abide the iflue with the best grace and countenance poffible. The fcene of action may be confidered as a moderately large bafon of water lying between the islands of Guadaloupe, Dominique, the Saints, and Marigalante; and bounded both to windward and leeward by very dangerous fhores. The hoftile fleets met upon oppofite tacks. The battle commenced about feven o'clock in the morning, and was continued with unremitting fury until near the fame hour in the evening. Admiral Drake, whofe divifion led to action, gained the greatest applaufe and the highest honour, by the gallantry with which he received, and the effect with which he returned the fire of the whole French line. His leading fhip, the Marlborough, Captain Penny, was peculiarly diftinguifhed. She received and returned at the neareft diftances, the first fire of twentythree French fhips of war; and had the fortune to have only three men killed, and fixteen wounded. The fignal for clofe fighting had from the first been thrown out, and was, without a fingle exception, punctually obferved. The line was formed at only a cable length diftance. Our fhips as they came up, ranged flowly and clofely along the enemy's line, and clofe under their lee, where they gave and received a most tremendous fire. They were fo near that every fhot-took place; and the French fhips being fo full of men, the carnage in them was prodigious. We may form fome opinion of the havock that was made, from the Formidable, Sir George Rodney's fhip, firing near fourfcore broadfides; and we may well believe that he was not fingular. The French stood and returned this dreadful fire with the utmoft gallantry; and both fides fought as if the fate and the honour of their refpective countries were flaked upon the iffue of that fingle day. About noon, or not long after, Sir George Rodney in the Formidable, with his feconds, the Namur and Duke, and immediately fupported by the Canada, bore directly, with full fail, athwart the enemy's line, and fuccefsfully broke through it, about three fhips fhort of the center, where M. de Graffe commanded in the Ville de Paris. Being followed and nobly fupported by the fhips a-ftern of his divifion, he wore round round upon his heel, and thus doubling upon the enemy, and clofing up with their centre, completed the feparation of their line, and threw them into inexpreffible confufion. This bold pufh decided the fortune of the day. The French, however, continued ftill to fight with the utmoft bravery, and the battle lafted till funfet; which in thofe latitudes is almoft immediately fucceeded by darknefs. The inftant that the admiral wore, after breaking through the enemy's line, he threw out a fignal for the van to tack; and this being as immediately complied with by Admiral Drake, our fleet thereby got to windward of the enemy, and completed the general confufion. The French van bore away to leeward, in an endeavour to reform their broken line; but this they were never able to accomplish; the difmay and diforder in that part of their line aftern, was irretrievable. Sir Samuel Hood's divifion had been long becalmed, and thereby kept out of action; the coming up now of his leading fhips, and a part of his centre, as far at least as the Barfleur, which he commanded himself, ferved to render the victory more decifive on the one fide, and the ruin greater on the other. The broken state of the French fleet neceffarily expofed, in fome inftances, a few fhips to the attacks of a greater number; and the extent of the action, with the darknefs and uncertainty occafioned by the fmoke, afforded even opportunities, which might have been lefs expected, for fingle combat. The Canada of 74 guns, Capt. Cornwallis, took the French VOL. XXV. Hector, of the fame force, fingle hand. Captain Inglefield, in the Centaur of guns, came up from the rear to the attack of the Cefar, of 74 likewife. Both fhips were yet fresh and unhurt, and a moft gallant action took place; but though the French captain had evidently much the worst of the combat, he still difdained to yield. Three other fhips came up fucceffively, and he bore to be torn almost to pieces by their fire. His courage was inflexible; he is faid to have nailed his colours to the maft, and his death only could put an end to the contest. When the ftruck, her maft went over. board, and fhe had not a foot of canvas without a fhot-hole. The Glorieux likewife fought nobly; and did not strike until her masts, bowfprit, and enfign were fhot away. The English Ardent, of 64 guns, which had been taken by the enemy in the beginning of the war, near Plymouth, was now retaken, either by the Belliqueux or the Bedford. The Diadem, a French 74 gun fhip, went down by a fingle broadfide, which fome accounts attribute to the Formida ble; it has also been faid, that fhe was loft in a generous exertion to fave her admiral. M. de Graffe was nobly fupported, even after the line was broken, and until the diforder and confufion became irremediable towards evening, by the ships that were near him. His two feconds, the Languedoc and Couronne, were particularly diftinguifhed; and the former narrowly escaped being taken, in her laft efforts to extricate the admiral. The Ville de Paris, after being already much battered, was clofely laid along [*0] fide |