332 XXL 1782. BOOK captain, and being almost torn to pieces by her enemy's fire. Soon afterwards, by some unfortu nate accident, she blew up, and every soul on board perished. The Glorieux, the Hector, the Ardent, now followed the example of the Cæsar, and the Diadem went down by a single broadside. The count de Grasse in the Ville de Paris, beset on all sides, still held out with heroic bravery, and, though reduced to a wreck, seemed to prefer sinking ra ther than strike to any thing under a flag. At length admiral Hood, in the Barfleur, approached him just at sun-set, and poured in a most destructive fire, which the count yet sustained for some time, till having three men only left alive and unhurt on the upper deck, he at length struck to his gallant antagonist. Night only closed the action: the shattered remains of the French fleet crowded all the sail they could make for Cape François, and in the morning they were out of sight. Sir Samuel Hood being detached to pursue the flying enemy, came up with five sail off Porto Rico, and captured the Jason and Caton ships of the line, and two frigates, the third with difficulty clearing the Mona passage. Unfortunately the fleet was becalmed for three days after the action, and sir George Rodney did not escape censure for the previous dilatoriness of his pursuit. Whether more might have been done, XXI. 1782. if more had been attempted, it is difficult, perhaps BOOK impossible, to determine." What had been is unknown, what is appears ;"--and certain it is, that this was one of the most glorious and decisive naval victories ever obtained by the arms of Britain. The number of men slain in this action, and in that of the 9th, on the part of the French, is estimated at 3000 men, and the wounded were nearly double; so that, taking the prisoners on board the captured ships also into the computation, the French must have sustained a loss of ten or twelve thousand men. Their fleet had on board the land forces intended for the Jamaica expedition; and the whole train of artillery, with thirty-six chests of money destined for the use and subsistence of the troops, were found on board the Ville de Paris and the other ships now taken. The designs of the confederated powers were thus most completely frustrated, while the loss of men, including both killed and wounded, on the part of the British did not exceed 1100. For this great victory sir George Bridges Rodney was created a peer of Great Britain, by the title of Baron Rodney, of Rodney-Stoke in the county of Somerset, and a perpetual annuity of 2000l. annexed to the title. A motion made and over-ruled in the preceding session of parliament, and intended to have been revived by the present ministry, for an 1782. BOOK inquiry into the conduct of the naval and military XXI. commanders at St. Eustatius, was now no more thought of; and the adiniral received, as he well deserved, the unanimous thanks of both houses for his eminent services. In the month of June the Ville de Paris of 120 guns, the Centaur, Glorieux, Hector, Ramilies, and Canada, of 74 guns each, being dispatched from Jamaica, in order to convoy the homeward bound fleet, were exposed to one of the most tremendous storms ever remembered.-Dreadful it is to relate, that the latter ship alone, commanded by the brave captain Cornwallis, reached the English shores.The merchant vessels sustained proportionate damage. In the month of August the Royal George of 110 guns, with a thousand men on board, admiral Kempenfelt, an excellent veteran officer, being himself of the number, foundered in Portsmouth harbour; being overset by a sudden gust of wind when placed in an inclined position, for the purpose of undergoing a slight careen: a sloop which lay at a small distance was swallowed up in the vortexand the far greater part of the crews of both vessels miserably perished. From these fatal mischances the public were glad to avert their eyes, and to fix them on other and happier scenes. The campaign of the present year was destined to be for ever signalized in the annals of history by another event not less glorious to the arms of Bri XXI. 1782. tain than the victory of sir George Rodney. The BOOK favorite object of Spain, during the whole of this war, was the recovery of the important fortress of Gibraltar; and after the reduction of Minorca the whole strength of the Spanish monarchy seemed to be directed to this purpose. The duc de Crillon, conqueror of Minorca, was appointed to conduct the siege; and, from the failure of former plans, it was resolved to adopt an entire new mode of ope ration. A project was formed by the chevalier D'Arçon, and approved by the Spanish court, to construct a number of floating batteries on a model which it was imagined would secure them from being either sunk or fired. With this view their keels and bottoms were made of an extraordinary thickness, and their sides defended by a kind of rampart, composed of wood and cork long soaked in water, and including between them a large layer of wet sand. The roof was made of a strong rope-work netting, covered with wet hides, and calculated by its sloping position to prevent the shells and bombs from lodging, and to throw them off into the sea before they could produce any effect. The batteries, ten in number, were made of the hulls of large vessels cut down for the purpose, and mounted with heavy brass cannon; and by a most ingenious mechanism, a great variety of pipes and BOOK ous to the public welfare. 1782. the system on which the administration of lord Rockingham had been formed was to be abandoned, and a new system was to be substituted, or rather the old one revived, with the assistance of the old men, or indeed of any men that could be found. Nor should he wonder if in a short time they were joined by those very persons whom that house had precipitated from their seats. He therefore chose to resign, voluntarily relinquishing the pomps, the profits, and the patronage of office, as he could no longer continue in place with honor to himself, or benefit to the public." General Conway, in reply, "lamented the defec tion of the distinguished characters who had recently withdrawn themselves from office, at a time when their country so much needed their support. He protested that he knew of no defalcation in the present ministers from those principles which they had originally professed; nor any diversities of opinion in the cabinet, beyond those shades of difference which must always arise amongst men of strong and independent minds." On the following day the duke of Richmond expressed in the house of lords similar regret at the late resignations. "So long, and so long only, as the noble lord who now presided at the board of trea |