Note 119. Lift of the Squadron under Vice-Admiral Lord Shuldham, and Commodore Rowley, and their order of failing, December 1778. Lord Shuldham's Line of Battle on his return home. Note 120. Supplies voted by Parliament, for the year 1779. (See the end of the Appendix.) Note 121. Manifefto which the Marquis d'Almodovar, the Spanish Ambaffador, delivered to Lord Viscount Weymouth. "The world can bear witness to the noble impartiality of the King during the whole courfe of the contest between the court of London, her American colonies, and France. His Majefty moreover having learned that his powerful mediation was much wished for, generously made a tender of it ;-and the belligerent powers accepted it ;-and for this fole purpose, his Britannic Majefty dispatched a man of war to one of the Spanish ports. The King has taken the most effectual steps to bring the contending powers to an accommodation equally honourable to all parties, and propofed fuch wife means as might remove every difficulty, and prevent the calamities of war. But though his Majesty's propofals, and particularly those contained in his ultimatum, were conformable to those which the court of London itself at other times feemed to think proper for an accommodation; and though they were to the full as moderate; yet they were rejected, in a manner expreffive of the little inclination the British cabinet feels to restore peace to Europe, and to preserve the friendfhip of his Majefty. And indeed the conduct of that cabinet towards his Majefty during the courfe of the negociation, was calculated merely to prolong it more than eight months, fometimes under vain pretexts, fometimes by the most inconclufive answers; whilft in that interval the British council were carrying to an incredible length their infults to the Spanish flag, and trefpaffing upon the King's territories: the property of his subjects has been feized; their ships have been fearched and plundered; many of them have been fired upon, and obliged to defend themselves: even the registers and letters belonging to the court, found on board his Majefty's packets, have been opened, and torn to pieces; the dominions of his crown in America have been threatened; and the British court has had recourfe to the dreadful extremity of raifing up the Indian nations called Chatcas, Cherokees, and Chicachas, against the innocent inhabitants of Louisiana, who would have been victims to the barbarity of these favages, if the Chatcas themselves had not felt remorse, and revealed all the attempts of English seduction. The English have ufurped his Majefty's fovereignty over the province of Darien, and over the coaft of St Blas, the Governor of Jamaica having given to an Indian rebel, a commiffion of Captain-General of these provinces. His Majefty's rights have been lately violated in the Bay of Honduras, where the English have committed acts of hoftility against the Spa niards, time collected, as much as the nature of a purfuit would admit of, and which became neceffary from the cautious manner the French proceeded in, and the difinclination that appeared in them to allow of my bringing the King's fhips clofe up to a regular engagement : This left but little other chance of getting in with them, than by feizing the opportunity that offered, the morning of the 27th, by the wind's admitting of the van of the King's fleet under my command, leading up with, and clofing with, their centre and rear. The French began firing upon the headmost of Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Harland's divifion, and the ships with him, as they led up; which cannonade the leading ships and the Vice-Admiral foon returned, as did every fhip as they could clofe up: The chace had occafioned their being extended, nevertheless they were all foon in battle. The fleets, being upon different tacks, paffed each other very close the object of the French feemed to be the difabling the King's fhips in their mafts and fails, in which they so far fucceeded as to prevent many of the fhips of my fleet being able to follow me when I wore to stand after the French fleet; this obliged me to wear again, to join those fhips, and thereby allowed of the French forming their fleet again, and range it in a line to leeward of the King's fleet, towards the clofe of the day; which I did not difcourage, but allowed of their doing it, without firing upon them, thinking they meant handfomely to try their force with us the next morning; but they had been fo beaten in the day, that they took the advantage of the night to go off. The wind and weather being fuch that they could reach their own fhores before there was any chance of the King's fleet getting up with them, in the state the ships were in, in their mafts, yards, and fails, left me no choice of what was proper and adviseable to do. The fpirited conduct of Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Harland, ViceAdmiral Sir Hugh Pallifer, and the captains of the fleet, fupported by their officers and men, deferves much commendotion. A lift of the killed and wounded is herewith inclofed. I fend Captain Faulknor, captain of the Victory, with this account to their Lordships; and am, Sir, your moft obedient and ve. ry humble fervant, A, KEPPEL. Note Note 114. Lift of the Fleet under Admiral Keppel, which failed from St. Helens, September 28th, on a cruize, and their Line of Battle. Bradby. Pluto, Vulcan, firefhips Hon. G. Berkley. Pr. George, 90 Foudroyant, 80 Five Cutters. 64 Terrible, 64 Hon. Ld. Mulgrave. Rd. Edwards. Hon. G. L. Gower. (Hon. A. Keppel, Adm. of the Blue, Commander in Chief. Capt. R-A.Campbell. Faulkner. J. Jervis. Sir J. Lindsay, K.B, Sir Rd. Bickerton. Note 115. Charges of Misconduct against Admiral Keppel. 1. THAT on the morning of the 17th of July 1778, having a fleet of thirty fhips of the line, under his command, and being then in the prefence of a French fleet, of the like number of ships of the line, the faid Admiral Keppel did not make the neceffary preparations for fight; did not put his fleet into a line of battle, or into any order, proper either for receiving or attacking an enemy of fuch force; but, on the contrary, although his fleet was already difperfed and in diforder, he, by making the fignal for several ships of the Vice-Admiral of the Blue's divifion to chace to windward, increased the disorder, of that part of his fleet, and the ships were in confequence more scattered than they had been before; and whilst in this disorder, he advanced to the enemy, and made the signal for battle. That the above conduct was the more unaccountable, as the enemy's fleet was not then in disorder, nor beaten, nor flying, but found in a regular line of battle on that tack which approached the British fleet, all their motions indicating plainly a defign to give battle, and they edged down and attacked it whilst in disorder. By this unoffi cer-like conduct, a general engagement was not brought on; but the other flag-officers and captains were left to engage, without order or regularity; from whence great confufion enfued; fome of his fhips were prevented getting into action at all, others were not near enough to the enemy, and fome from the confusion fired into others of the King's fhips, and did them confiderable damage, and the Vice-Admiral of the Blue was left alone to engage fingly, and unfupported. In these instances, the faid Admiral Keppel negligently performed the duty imposed on him. 2. That after the van and centre divifions of the British fleet paffed the rear of the enemy, the Admiral did not immediately tack and double upon the enemy with those two divifions, and continue the battle; nor did he collect them together at that time, and keep fo near the enemy, as to be in readiness to renew the battle as soon as it might be proper: but, on the contrary, he ftood away beyond the enemy to a great distance, before he wore to ftand towards them again, leaving the Vice-Admiral of the Blue engaged with the enemy, and expofed to be cut off. 3. That, after the Vice-Admiral of the Blue had paffed the last of the enemy's fhips, and immediately wore, and laid his own ship's head towards the enemy again, being then in their wake, and at a little diftance only, and expecting the Admiral to advance with all the fhips to renew the fight, the Admiral did not advance for that purpose, but shortened fail, and hauled down the fignal for battle: nor did he at that time, or at any other time whilst standing towards the enemy, call the fhips together in order to renew the attack, as he might have done; particularly the Vice-Admiral of the Red and his divifion, |