confifting of 450 feamen and marines, under their proper officers, covered on each flank by a company of pioneers, with 20 feamen armed with cutlaffes, who carried the fcaling-ladders, and fupported by three companies of feamen, as many marines, with two field pieces, who formed the referve, advanced at day-break, on the eleventh of January, to the affault. A fmall advanced party, under a ferjeant, who might be cnfidered as the forlorn hope, having made their way through the embrafures without difcovery, were inftantly followed by the whole ftorming party; who foon driving the enemy from their works, poffeffed themfelves of the fort, and procured the immediate furrender of the hips and veffels in the harbour. The humanity of the victors equalled, and was ftill more praifeworthy than even their gallantry. Notwithstanding the fall of a brave and favourite officer with 20 of their fellows, befides two officers, and double that number wounded; and notwithftanding the heat and fury of a form, when difcipline, refpect, and command are at an end, yet, under these circumstances, the feamen and marines difdained to ftain their fwords in the blood of a flying or proftrate enemy.Through this unexampled magnanimity and clemency, very few of the garrifon loft their lives. A numerous artillery, a confiderable number of fmall arms, a valuable stock of gun-powder, with a great quantity of fhot, and of various ordnance and military ftores, were found in the place. In the harbour, two fhips richly laden, with a number of fmaller veffels, were taken. The number of European military prifoners amounted to fomething near four hundred; a few Malay officers were likewife taken; but we do not hear of any native troops they commanded. The admiral greatly regretted the lofs of Mr. Long, a young gentleman of the greatest worth, and his own fecond lieutenant in the Superbe, who fell at the head of his company which he was gallantly leading to the affault. He fays that too much praife could not be bestowed on the conduct of the naval and marine officers; but he particularly acknowledges the eminent fervices performed, and the great abilities difplayed, both here and at Negapatam, by Major Geils, an engineer in the Company's fervice. CHAP CHA P. V. Retrospective view of affairs in Europe to the clofe of the year 1781. Second attempt of France upon the island of Jersey. Baron de Rullecourt lands his troops in the night, and Jurprifes St. Helier the capital. Compels the lieutenant governor to figu a capitulation. Summons Elizabeth Cafile Is gallantly attacked in the town by Major Pierfon. French commander falls, and his remaining troops furrender prifoners of war. Major Pierfon unfortunately flain in the inftant of victory. Neceffities of the inhabitants and garrison of Gibraltar. Extraordinary prices of provifions and neceffaries. Admiral Darby fails with the grand fleet and a large convoy to its relief. Spanish fleet retires into Cadiz at the approach. Gun-boats. Dreadful cannonade and bombardment of the town and garrifon from the Spanish camp. Town defiroyed, and many of the inhabitants perish. Convoy from St. Euftatius taken by M. de la Motte Piquet. Secret expedition, under Commodore Johnstone and Gen. Meadowes. Fleet attacked in Port Praya Bay by M. de Suffrein. French repulfed. M. de Suffrein's timely arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, fruftrates the defign upon that place. Dutch Jhips taken by Mr. Johnfone in Saldanha Bay. General Elliot's grand fally from Gibraltar, by which be deftroys the enemy's batteries and works. Invafion of the island of Minorca. Combined fleets return from that fervice, to cruize at the mouth of the Channel. Propofal for attacking Admiral Darby at Torbay, overruled in a council of war. Enemy, frußrated in all their views, retire to their respective ports. State of the war with Holland, in Europe. Admiral Hyde Parker fails with a small squadron for the protection of the Baltic trade. Upon his return, falls in with Admiral Zoutman, with a great Dutch convoy, and a fuperior force. Desperate Dutch Fleet and convoy return in engagement on the Dogger-Bank. great diforder to their own coafts. Hollandia of 68 guns funk. Confequences of the action. Royal wifit to Admiral Parker at the Nore. Admiral Kempenfeldt fails to intercept a great convoy fitted out at Bref, with troops, flores, and fupplies for the French fleets and armies in the Eaft and West Indies. Falls in with and takes feveral of the convoy ; but difcovers the enemy to be fo greatly fuperior in force, that he could not profecute the defign farther. AFTER we have taken through the tranfactions, wars, and intricate politics of the Eastern world, it is now time to return to our own quarter of the globe. We shall in the first place take a retrofpective view of fuch matters of moment as, from the nature of our arrangement, or the limits of our work, were neceffarily poftponed in the last volume. Our nearest and most active, as well as most formidable enemy, began the year 1781 by a fecond attempt upon the ifland of Jersey. The Baron de Rullecourt, who had been next in command to Count Naffau in the former attack upon that island, was the undertaker, and and probably the framer of this enterprize. The personal objects he had in view were fufficiently encouraging, while his military ardour and natural ambition were in themselves capable of urging him to the most hazardous attempts. The rank of general, the order of St. Louis, and the government of Jerfey, were to be the fplendid rewards of his fuccefs. Such powerful ftimulants operating upon a temper naturally fiery and bold, were liable to generate precipitation. The Chevalier de Luxemburgh, who was his partner in the defign, and intended to be his fecond in the execution, was, through fickness or fome other caufe, detained from taking any part in the enterprize. Rullecourt's force for this expedition amounted to about 2000 inen, and was compofed of the volunteers of Luxemburgh, and of detachments from other neigh bouring corps. Having collected a fufficient number of veffels for their conveyance, and fome privateers for their protection at Granville on the coaft of Normandy, his impatience was fo great, that without regard to the bad weather which then prevailed, he embarked the troops and put to fea. The immediate confequence of this precipitation, was the difperfion of his fleet of small veffels in a ftorm, by which ten of them, with about half the troops, were driven back to France, and never after joined him; whilft he, totally ignorant of their fate, with the remainder put in for fhelter to a dufter of fmall islands and rocks called Chaufey or Choze, which lie between the French coaft and Jerfey. He was still too eager in VOL. XXV. the purfuit of the high rewards in view to be deterred by this misfortune; and forgetting the rough enemy he had to encounter, entertained no other apprehenfion than that of being driven back to his own coaft. He accordingly feized the first opening of fair weather for paffing over to Jersey ; and having made his way with difficulty, but with very good information, through the rocks of La Roque-Platte, arrived in the night in Grouville Bay, where he landed his troops in the dark at a place called the Violet Bank, about three miles from St. Helier, the capital of the island. The coaft was, however, fo dangerous, that a privateer with four other fmall vettels were loft among the rocks, and about 200 of his men perifhed. A fmall party of militia who guarded a redoubt at this place, thought themfelves fo fecure, and were fo fhamefully remifs in their duty as to be feized, afleep by the enemy, who were thus for several hours upon the island without the fmalleft alarm being given. 1781. M. de Rullecourt leaving about 120 men in the redoubt at Grouville, marched with the rest of his troops to St. Helier, where (having feized Jan. 6th, the avenues of the town, furprised the guard in the dark, and poffeffed the marketplace without noife) the inhabit ants were astonished at break of day on finding themselves in the hands of an enemy. Major Corbet, the deputy-governor, with the magiftracy and principal inhabitants, being brought prifoners to the court- houfe, the French commander wrote terms of capitulation, which he proposed to the [G] former former to fign, by which the ifland was to be furrendered to the arms of France, and the troops to lay down their arms and be tranfmitted to England. To urge an acquiefcence in this measure on which all his hopes depended, he greatly magnified his force, pretending that about 5000 of his troops were landed and difperfed in different parts of the ifland, fo that all refiftance was at an end; and at the fame time held out the barbarous threat of inftant deftruction to the town and inhabitants in cafe of refufal. It was in vain remonstrated that no act of the lieutenant-governor's could have the smallest validity in his prefent fituation, and that the officers and troops were too well informed of their duty to pay any regard to his acts while a prifoner. Rullecourt was peremptory in his demand; and the lieutenant-governor, under the impreffions of the moment, too inadvertently figned the capitulation. exprefs warning to the contrary; but they were fired at with fuch vigour from the caftle, that they foon found it neceffary to make the beft of their way back for shelter to the town. In the mean time, as the alarm extended the neareft troops and the militia of the ifland advanced with the utmost expedition towards the point of danger, and began immediately to form on the heights near the town, under the conduct of Major Pierfon of the 95th regiment, who inftantly fecured a hill of great advantage, the poffeffion of which had been overlooked by the enemy. The French commander then fent a meffage to Major Pierfon, to require his compliance with the terms of capitulation; but was peremp torily anfwered by that fpirited officer, that if he and his troops did not within twenty minutes lay down their arms, and furrender themselves prifoners of war, they were at the expiration of that time to be certain of his immediate attack. The French commander then fummoned Elizabeth Caftle under the terms of the capitulation, which Pierfonas punctual to his was preferved by the inftant recol- word, and made a very matterly lection and the unfhaken forti- difpofition of his forces. As he tude of the Captains Aylward was informed that the enemy had and Mulcafter, who had fortu. applied the town artillery to their nately efcaped thither on the first defence, the two columns deftined alarm; and being now in fome de- to the principal attacks were each gree prepared against a fudden at- preceded by a howitzer. The af tack, rejected the fummons with faults were made in all acceffible great fpirit, and peremptorily re- parts with fuch impetuofity, that fufed to pay the fmalleft regard to notwithstanding the advantage the capitulation, or to any orders which the enemy derived from the whatever extorted from or ifued poffeffion of the streets and houses, by the lieutenant-governor in his they were everywhere driven raprefent circumstances. The French pidly in upon the center of their placing Major Corbet in their force in the market-place. There front, ftill continued to advance the action was foon decided; for towards the gate, notwithstanding the French general being mortally wounded, ་ wounded, the next in command not of life; fo that he had the misfortune to live until he had feen the ruin and furrender of his party. feeing the hopeleffnefs of their fituation, requested the lieutenantgovernor to refume his authority, and to accept of their furrender as prifoners of war. The fatisfaction arifing from fo fudden a deliverance and fo brave an exertion, was unfortunately damped by the fall of the gallant Maj. Pierfon, who was fhot through the heart in the inftant of victory. The extraordinary military abilities difplayed by fo young an officer (he being under five-andtwenty years of age) in what was probably his firft effay ir arms, as they would have held out the highest expectations to his country if he had furvived, could not but render his death an object of much general regret, By the ifland of Jerfey he was lamented as a hero, who had generously facrificed his life to their prefervation. The death of his uncle, Sir Richard Pierfon (an ancient general officer of repute) which happened immediately after, and was attributed only to that cause, served to render the misfortune the more ftriking and melancholy. The unfortunate Baron de Rullecourt perfevered in the fame extravagance of conduct to the laft, which had fo ftrongly marked his character. When the attack was commenced in the market-place, he feized the lieutenant-governor by the arm, and declaring that he hould fhare his own fate, led him out of the court - houfe under a fhower of fire, where he was obliged to ftand clote by him, until he had himfelf dropped under the preffure of three or four mortal wounds, which deprived Lim of the power of speech, though During the engagement at the town, the redoubt at Grouville was gallantly retaken with fixed bayonets and without firing a fhot, by the grenadiers of the 83d regiment, who were on their way to join the main body. Thus the whole of the French party that landed, amounting to fomething about 800 men, were either killed or taken prifoners, The British troops were new raised, and nothing could exceed the valour and good conduct difplayed both by them and the militia through the whole affair. The island decreed monuments with fuitable infcriptions to the fallen enemy, as well as to their gallant deliverer; but the former no lefs intended to perpetuate the memory of the furprife, as a warning to future times against fimilar negligence. Such was the issue of the second attempt made by France in this war upon the island of Jersey. The neceffity of the times had occafioned much too long a delay in the relief or supply of the important fortrefs of Gibraltar. The unconfumed part of the provifion which had been conveyed to that place by Admiral Rodney's fleet in the beginning of the preceding year, had by this paffed its proper time of keeping, and befides its being generally bad in quality, was fo much reduced in quantity, as to afford room for the most serious apprehenfions. So early as the preceding month of October, their wary and provident governor found it neceflary to make a reduction of a quarter of a pound [0] 2 from |