have effected, had the country been fated to the continuance of a whig administration. To prevent these plans from being neglected or forgotten, should any change of circumstances occur; and to mark at least their good intentions, should they be unable to realize them; a series of resolutions were moved in a committee of the whole house, importing the determined views of the ministry to proceed with their plan of financial economy at an early period of the ensuing session. These resolutions principally respected the collection and consolidation of taxes, the abolition of useless offices, and the prevention of suspicious influence in official appointments. On the 11th of July the parliament was prorogued.

From these patriotic efforts at home, we now come to take a view of the national energies abroad; and though these are mingled with some adverse circumstances, it will present to us the brightest period of the war. Sir Henry Clinton, who resigned the command of the American army, before the end of the year was succeeded by sir Guy Carleton. The fate of lord Cornwallis, and the news of the state of parties at home, kept the hostile armies in America without a motive for attacking each other, from the obvious expectation that peace was not distant. The Spaniards, embarked from Cuba, invaded and seized from Great Britain the Bahama islands, which had been left defenceless, having not more than two hundred persons in them capable of making resistance. Nevis and Montserrat had followed the fate of St. Christophers; so that of all her West India possessions, only Jamaica, Barbadoes, and Antigua, remained to England at the end of lord North's administration.

The possession of Jamaica had long been the object of Spanish cupidity; and a bold attempt to capture it was now made by the count de Grasse, who was to be joined by a Spanish fleet and army for that purpose.

At Cuba and Hispaniola, the

Spaniards had already mustered twenty-six ships of the line, and a strong military force. The fleets, by forming a junction, would have amounted to sixty ships of the line, and twenty thousand land-forces, independent of De Guichen's expected reinforcement of ships and soldiers from Europe. The British force in Jamaica, consisting of a faithful militia, and six battalions of the line, amounted in all to six or seven thousand men. From a fleet so very inferior to that of the enemy, they had little to expect in the way of succour or defence. Their main confi. dence was in the strength of many posts in the island, and the zeal of the inhabitants, who, apprehending that the conquest of the country would be followed by a transfer of property and a change of proprietors, were resolved on a desperate defence. In this anxious state of matters, the pleasing intelligence arrived, that de Guichen's fleet and convoy, after their encounter with admiral Kempenfeldt, had been obliged to return to France, and that only two of their whole number could join de Grasse.

By the arrival of admiral Rodney, who had sailed from England with twelve ships of the line, and his junction with sir Samuel Hood at Barbadoes on the 19th of February, the number of the British grand fleet under the command of the former now amounted to thirty-three ships, and these were soon after joined by three others, thus making a total of thirtysix line-of-battle ships. De Grasse, with thirty-four sail of the line, ardently wished to join the Spaniards; while Rodney's success, and the safety of our West India possessions, depended on preventing that junction. On the 8th of April, de Grasse weighed anchor, and proceeded from Fort Royal in Martinico for Hispaniola. The British were all upon the alert; and so rapid was the communication of intelligence, that about noon of the same day Rodney pursued the French admiral from Gros-islet in St. Lucia,

and by daylight the following morning both fleets were ready for action off Dominica. It was nine o'clock, however, before the breeze could bring the van of our fleet into action, while the centre and rear lay becalmed. This circumstance stimulated the French admiral to hasten to action. The van of the British, commanded by sir Samuel Hood, was assailed for more than an hour by the superior force of the enemy; but the centre and rear, under Rodney and sir Francis Drake, at last coming up, and the French admiral perceiving the line fairly closed, the latter lost all hopes of advantage from that source; and having the command of the wind, easily withdrew from action, though severely disabled in many of his ships. Several days were now spent in refitting; and, on the 11th, the French had got so far to the windward as to weather Guadaloupe, and were scarcely seen from the topmasts of the English centre. About noon, however, the falling to leeward of two of their disabled vessels, occasioned so vigorous a pursuit by the British, that, to save them, de Grasse was reluctantly brought to action.

The night, which prevented an immediate engage ment, was passed in anxious preparation on both sides; and at half past seven in the morning the action commenced. The scene of battle is described as a moderately large basin of water, lying between the islands of Guadaloupe, Dominica, the Saints, and Marigalante. The fleets met on opposite tacks, but the wind was rather faint. The British ships, as they came up, ranged slowly along the line, exchanging a close and terrible fire, which was chiefly formidable to the French from the unerring precision of the British guns, and the number of men crowded in the enemy's ships. About noon, sir George Rodney, on board the Formidable, with his seconds, the Duke and the Namur, broke through the enemy's line, and throwing out signals for the van to tack,

wore round, so that the British gained the wind, and stood on the same tack with the enemy. This intrepid and dexterous manœuvre threw the French into confusion, and decided the fate of the day. The French van bore away to leeward, wishing to reform their broken line, but were unable to accomplish it. Sir Samuel Hood's division, which had been long becalmed, now came up with their leading ships, and completed the preponderance of our advantage. Yet the contest was continued with persevering obstinacy through the whole of the day. The French, though broken in their line, resisted in single encounters, and some of their ships fought for a while even against double antagonists. The captain of the Cæsar, a French seventy-four, nailed his colours to the mast; but his death, and the total wreck of his vessel, terminated the contest of that ship with the Centaur, captain Inglefield. The Diadem, another French seventy-four, went down by a single broadside poured in upon it from a British vessel. Towards evening, captain Cornwallis of the Canada, having compelled the Hector, an enemy's ship of equal force, to surrender, attacked in the most gallant style the French admiral's ship, the Ville de Paris, which in two hours he reduced to a wreck. Still admiral de Grasse refused to surrender, till sir Samuel Hood arriving in the Barfleur, the fire of the French admiral ceased, only three men, it is said, being left on the upper deck, of whom de Grasse himself was one. When the firing of the Ville de Paris had discontinued, the English called out to her, demanding to know why she did not strike her colours. The answer returned from the ship was, The admiral of France does not strike to any enemy; but you may come on board;" which was accordingly done.

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The Ville de Paris was the largest ship then known, either in the French or any other service.

She mounted a hundred and twenty guns, and was built at the expense of a hundred and seventy-six thousand pounds sterling. When captured, no less than thirty-six chests of treasure were found on board her. As it grew dark, the British admiral thought it necessary to collect the fleet, and secure the prizes. The enemy made off to leeward in the greatest confusion, and were totally out of sight in the morning. The superiority of British ships and seamen was so strikingly exemplified on this occasion, that it has rarely been disputed since that memorable period. The enemy's loss in men was prodigious; upwards of three thousand were either drowned or killed, and six thousand wounded, independent of about two thousand taken prisoners. On the part of the British the loss was a thousand and fifty, including two distinguished officers, captain Blair of the Anson, and lord Robert Manners, the amiable and gallant son of the late marquis of Granby. When the darkness of night prevented all further pursuit, some of the enemy's ships escaped to the Dutch island of Curaçoa; but the major part of them, under the vice-admirals de Bougainville and de Vaudrevil, keeping in a body, made their way to Cape François. In a few days afterwards, sir Samuel Hood, proceeding in pursuit of the fugitives, came up with five sail of French vessels in, the Mona passage, between Porto Rico and St. Domingo; and, after several hours' chase, the Valiant and Magnificent, of seventy-four guns each, took the Jason and Caton each of sixty-five guns, with two attendant frigates, a third frigate effecting its escape. Thus, by one decisive blow, eight ships of the line were taken from the navy of France, together with all the stores, money, and artillery, which had been treasured up for the projected assault of the combined fleets on the island of Jamaica. To that island admiral Rodney now repaired, displaying to

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