infulted the honour and invaded the rights of the crown. With refpect to Spain, whatever colour might be attempted to be put upon the unjuft proceeding of that court, his Majefty was confcious that he had nothing to reproach himself with; the warmest acknowledgments were made, for thofe clear demonftrations of loyalty and affection to his perfon and government, which parliament had fhewn upon that occafion; and it was confidered as a happy omen to the fuccefs of his arms, that the increafe of difficulties, ferved only to augment the courage and conftancy of the nation. The additional burthens on the people were fincerely regretted. And it was faid, that fufficient thanks could not be paid to the Commons for the confidence they had repofed in him, and for the chearfulness and public fpirit, with which the large fupplies for the current year had been granted. It was impoffible to fpeak of the continuance of the rebellion in North America without the deepest concern; but they had given (the Crown and Parliament) fuch unqueftionable proofs of their fincere difpofition to put an end to those troubles, that it was ftill hoped, that the malignant defigns of the enemies of Great Britain, could not long prevail against the evident intereft of those unhappy provinces. СНАР. CHA P. IX. Hoftilities in the Eaft Indies. Sea-fight between Sir Edward Vernon and M. de Tronjolly. French Squadron abandon the coast of Coromandel. Siege of Pondicherry. Gallant defence by M. de Bellecombe. Capitulation. State of affairs in Georgia and the Carolina's. Loyalifts defeated in North Carolina. American General, Lincoln, arrives in South Carolina to oppoje Major General Prevoft. Rebels defeated at Briar Creek, General Prevoft paffes the Savannah, and penetrates into South Carolina; advances to Charles Town; retires. Action at Stono Ferry. General Prevot takes poffeffion of the island of Port Royal. Expedition from New York to Chejapeak Bay, under the conduct of Sir George Collier and Major General Matthew. Great damage done to the Americans in the neighbourhood of Hampton and Norfolk. Expedition up the North River; Stoney Point and Verplanks taken. Expedition to Connecticut, under Sir George Collier, and Governor Tryon. Surprize of Stoney Point by General Wayne. Recovery of that poft. Attack upon Paulus Hook. Lieutenant Colonel Maclane befieged by an armed force from Bofton. Relieved by Sir George Collier, who deftroys the whole rebel marine in the Penobscot. T has happened unfortunately for the repofe of a great part of mankind, that while the active and enterprizing fpirit of the Europeans has extended their commerce and intercourfe to the moft diftant parts of the world, their contentions have kept an equal pace with their difcoveries, and have been either diffeminated a mongft, or in fome degree affected the remoteft nations; experience thereby overthrowing all that fystem of general benefit, which a' fpeculative philofophy might other wife have hoped, from a free and eafy communication between all the different communities of men. Such indeed is the nature of man, that it may be a queftion of no fmall doubt, whether the profcriptive laws or policy of China and Japan against the admiffion of foreigners, are not founded in true wildom; and however fatal they may be to the progrefs of science, Whilft the effects of the conteft between France and England, were gradually spreading thro' different parts of the old and of the new western world, its rage was fpeedily communicated, and unexpectedly broke out, in the remote regions of the eaft; in a quarter of the globe, naturally and originally appertaining to the moft peaceable, as well as to the most unmixed and primitive race of mankind; a race more ab horrent horrent of blood and cruelty than any other. It feems that the English Eaft India company, well feeing the confequences which the French treaties with America, and the delivery of the refcript at the court of London, muft neceffarily produce, did not think it fitting to regulate their policy, by that temporizing fyftem of conduct, which apparently took place between the principals. They faw that femblance of peace could not long be preferved; and that no intermediate ftate, however coloured or difguifed, could be kept long free from all the confequences of war; and they well judged, that long before any account of their proceedings in the east could be received in Europe, thefe confequences would take fuch effect, as to afford a fufficient cover and tanction to their measures. The company had not forgotten, the imminent danger to which her fettlements, and indeed her existence in India, had only a few years ago been expofed; when, in a feafon of profound peace, France had clandefinely conveyed fo great a military force to the islands of Mauritius and Bourbon, that the feemed to owe her deliverance more to fortune or accident, than to any timely knowledge he had of the defign. Such a force might foon again be formed in thofe iflands, with the fame privacy as before; and from the fhortness of the paffage to Pondicherry, might drop fo fuddenly and unexpectedly upon the ground of action, that nothing could be hoped to refift its progrefs. Under fome or all of thefe con fiderations, the company deter mined not to hazard the fecurity of their invaluable poffeffions, by paying too great an attention to formalities, which carry no farther value, than what their immediate intereft induces the refpective parties to affix upon them. A bold and decifive measure, for the final reduction of the French power in India, was accordingly refolved immediately upon, or very foon after the delivery of the French refcript; and the bufiness was conducted with fuch laudable, but, for fuch a body, unufuat fecrecy, that the smallest idea of the defign, until the effect was publicly difclofed by the accounts from India, did not tranfpire, even in this country. The company had alfo the fortune, that the inftructions were conveyed with unufual expedition to Madrafs; and preparations were accordingly immediately made for undertaking the fiege of Pondicherry. Major General Monroe, who now commanded the company's troops on the coaft of Coromandel, had affembled part of the force destined for the fiege, on a spot of Aug. 8th. ground called the Red 1778. Hill, within four miles of that city, pretty early in the month of Auguit. It was not, however, until the 21ft of that month, that they were in fufficient ftrength to inveft that fortrefs clofely. On that day the troops advanced fo near as to take poffeffion of the bound hedge, (a planted fence, which at fome diftance furrounded all the works) within cannot fhot of the fortifications, by which all communication with the country was entirely cut off. Some farther + impe impediments, poffibly arifing from the climate, and from the difficulty of finding means for the conveyance of the artillery and ftores, ftill retarded the progrefs of the works, until the 6th and 7th of September, on which days the befiegers were enabled to break ground both on the north and the fouth fides of the town, under a determination of carrying on both attacks at the fame time. Previous to thefe operations by land, Sir Edward Vernon, who commanded the fmall British naval force in thofe feas, failed from Madrass at the end of July to block up Pondicherry. His fquadron confifted of the Rippon of 60 guns, the Coventry of 28, the Sea Horfe of 20, the Cormorant floop, and the Valentine Eaft Indiaman. He had fcarcely arrived on his station, when he obtained fight of the French fquadron under M. de Tronjolly, confilling of the Brillante of 64 guns, the Pourvoyeuse of 36 cigh teen pounders, the Sartine of 32 guns, and two French India fhips armed for war. A very close and Aug. 10th. warm engagement enfaed, which laited above two hours, when the French thought fit to quit the action. The Englifh fhips had fuffered alfo tr much, to continue long after in the fame fituation; but were preparing during the night, for the fervice which they expected in the morning. The French had, how ever, fo much the worst in this action, that they were in no difpofi tion at all for its renewal, and were accordingly, at day-break, totally out of fight. It appeared after, that they had got into Pondicherry that night to refit; whilft, from the contrary winds, and a northern current, Sir Edward was not able to recover his ftation until the 20th of the month, at midnight. In this time he had been joined by the Besborough Indiaman, which fupplied the place of the Valentine, then on her way to Europe. Early in the morning, a French veffel from Europe and the Mauritius, fell in among the Britifh fhips, and was taken. At the fame time, they could perceive the French fquadron, under an easy fail, ftanding out of Pondicherry road. An immediate engagement was now expected and prepared for, and nothing was left undone by the commodore, in order to clofe, as fpeedily as poffible, with the enemy; but the alternate failure, and contrary direction of the winds, rendered all his efforts ineffectual. As the French commander had, however, as great and interefting an object in view, in keeping the town free by fea, as · Sir Edward could have in fhutting up the port, he made no doubt that the action would take place on the following morning as a matter of course, and on the fide of the enemy, in a great measure of neceffity. Under this perfuafion, he stood in for Pondicherry road at the approach of night, where he caft anchor, expecting the enemy would have done the fame; more especially, as their motions during the day, had not indicated any defign of avoiding an engagement. The French commander, however, feems to have confulted more the prefervation of his fhips, than that of the town. He accordingly, taking advantage of the night, abandoned Pondicherry, and a gar tifon which deferved better fortune, to their fate; and was fo expeditious in his means of efcape, that the French fquadron were totally out of fight in the morning; nor were they at any time after feen or heard of on the coaft. In three days after, the Sartine frigate, which had loft company with the fquadron on the night of the late action, being ignorant of the prefent change of circumftances, had advanced fo far in her way to get into Pondicherry, that when The discovered her mistake it was too late to be remedied, and the was accordingly taken by the Britifh frigates. Thus was Pondicherry as closely blocked up by fea as by land. This fuccefs of Sir Edward Vernon ferved greatly to facilitate the operations of the befiegers, and might have feemed fufficient, to have fpread univerfal difmay and defpondency among the besieged. The batteries were Sept. 18th. opened under the powopened under the powerful fire of 28 pieces of heavy artillery, and 27 mortars. Notwithstanding the difmantled ftate in which Pondicherry had been reftored to the French at the conclufion of the late war, the fortifications feem to have been in no contemptible condition at this time; or if they were otherwife, the deficiency of ftrength was amply fupplied by the gallantry of M. de Bellecombe, (who was both governor of the town, and general commandant of all the French fettlements in the Indies) and the refolation of his brave garrifon; who, nearly cut off as they were from every hope of fuccour, perfevered to the laft extremity in a determined and noble defence. VOL. XXII. The artillery of the befiegers, however, foon gained an evident fuperiority, and they were indefatigable in carrying on their approaches; but the alertnefs and obftinate defence of the garrison, rendered caution a matter of neceffity; and together with the violent rains that then frequently fell, could not fail of confiderably retarding their works. Notwithftanding these impediments, matters were fo far advanced towards the middle of October, as to render an attack on the body of the place practicable. By that time, the befiegers had, on the fouth fide, pufhed a gallery into the ditch of the town, made a practicable breach in the bastion, called L'Hofpital, deftroyed the faces of the adjacent bastions, and prepared a bridge of boats for paffing the ditch. Nor was the attack on the north fide of the town in much lefs forwardnefs. The befiegers had there alfo deftroyed the face of the oppofite baftion, and had conftructed a float for paffing the ditch, which they were to bring into ufe, at the fame time that their fellows were paffing it to the fouthward. These two attacks were to be accompanied by a third, which was to take place by the fea fide to the northward, where the enemy had a stockade running into the water: And when the general affault was refolved on, Sir Edward Vernon landed all his marines, and 200 feamen, to fupport and invigorate the attacks. An exceeding heavy rain, which occafioned a great and fudden fwell in the water of the ditch, on the very day preceding the intended ftorm, checked the defign for the [M] prefent, |