ferved ftrongly to confirm the public opinion; and fufficiently indicated that he was no lefs diffatiffied at the want of fupport, than they were at its not being given. Thofe who imagine themfelves capable of diving into the my teries of courts, might poffibly attribute, in fome degree, to this public diffatisfaction and complaint, the extraordinary favour hewn to the admiral, by a royal vifit, upon his arrival with his fhattered fquadron at the Nore. It is not, however, to be doubted that the royal vifit was intended to be diftinguifhed by fome fignal and permanent marks of favour and honour to the admiral. But the rough and veteran commander,who was equally incapable of difguife and flattery, as he fcorned to conceal his diffatisfaction, had too much pride and sturdiness in his nature to be foothed out of it; and it was foon underflood that no intended promotion or honour would be accepted. The king went on board the Fortitude, where he had a levee of all the officers of the fquadron, who were received with the most gracious attention; and the admiral had the honour of dining with his Majefty and the Prince of Wales, on board the royal yacht.

It was faid upon that occafion, (the first lord of the admiralty and a number of naval officers being prefent) that the admiral took an opportunity of hinting both his diffatisfaction and intention of retiring, by the following words to his fovereign: That "he wished him younger officers " and better fhips! he was grown 45 too old for the fervice;" and that though he received the moft

flattering compliments, and the greatest acknowledgments of his diftinguished fervices to his country, thefe were not capable of producing any change in his de termination. It was related likewife as an anecdote at the time, that young Macartney being prefented on board the Fortitude, and a royal intention of providing for him, for the fake of his brave father, being declared, the admiral apologized for informing his Majeity, that he had already adopted him as his fon.

The admiral refigned his command immediately after; and it was, notwithstanding, probably intended as a mark of favour and regard to him, that his fon, Sir Hyde Parker, who, for his gallantry in North America and the Weft Indies, had fome time before the honour of being knighted, was now appointed to the command of a fquadron of frigates which were employed in blocking up the Dutch ports during the remainder of the feafon.

The utmost expedition had been used at Breft, after the return of M. de Guichen from his cruize, in refitting and preparing the French fleet for fea, notwithstanding the lateness of the feafon. The objects in view were of fefficient confequence to excite this diligence. It was neceflary to reinforce the Count de Graffe with both troops and fhips of war in the West Indies, and it was determined to fend a confiderable reinforcement of both to fupport M. de Orves and De Suffrein, in the Eaft. But fhips and troops were not fufficient for either fervice. It was well foreseen that M. de Graffe, after the hard fer

vice on the coafts of North America in the preceding campaign, must stand in need of an immenfe fupply of naval and military stores of every fort, both for the land and the fea fervice, and that his ftation in the West India islands would extend the want to almost every article of provifion and neceffary of life. The demand for naval and military stores in the Eaft Indies was no lefs urgent. A numerous convoy of transports, ftore-fhips, and provifion-veffels, were accordingly prepared and provided with the fame diligence as the fleet: and as it was likewife neceffary to guard against the defigns of the English, the preparation was extended to fuch a number of men of war as was thought equal to the protection of the whole, until they had got out of reach. This part of the fervice, as well as the conduct of the whole while he continued in company, was committed to the Count de Guichen; and the command of the fquadron and fleet defined for the West Indies, to M. de Vaudrevil. The former was accompanied by Monf. de la Motte Picquet and M. De Beauffet; and when he separated from the convoy, was to join the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, in order to defeat any attempt that might be made from England for the relief of the ifland of Minorca. M. de Vaudrevil carried out a confiderable body of land-forces, with a full confidence on the fide both of France and Spain, of now carrying into complete execution the fo often laid project of reducing the ifland of Jamaica.

Intelligence of this preparation, and, in a great meafure, of its object, Leing received in England,

dif

Admiral Kempenfeldt was patched in the beginning of December, with twelve fail of the line, one 50 gun fhip, and four frigates, in order to intercept the French fquadron and convoy. The event of the war, at least in the West Indies, and scarcely less so in the Eaft, feemed in a great meafure to hang upon the complete execution of this defign. The blow, in its full weight, must have produced very confiderable and unexpected effects. But, through bad intelligence, or, as fome perhaps may rather think, through a certain marked fatality, which feems to have generally attended our operations through the course of the prefent war, the French fleet was fo much fuperior to what had been conceived, as well as to the Admiral Kempenfeldt's force, that the danger of being intercepted (if fuch had been the object of the enemy) lay entirely on his fide. The Count de Guichen had no lefs than nineteen fail of heavy line of battle fhips under his command, befides two more armed en flute, as the French call it, that is, their lower deck guns placed in the hold, in order to make room for the conveyance of a moderate cargo; and of the former, five were of that vaft fize which we have already defcribed, four carrying 110, and the fifth 112 guns.

1781.

The English admiral, totally ignorant of the fuperiority of the enemy, and expecting that he had only an equal force at Dec. 12th, the most to encounter, had the fortune to fall in with them in a hard gale of wind, when both the fleet and convoy were a good deal difperfed, and the latter had fallen confiderably aftern. Mr. Kempenfeldt, with that pro

feffional

feffional judgment and dexterity. by which he was eminently di ftinguished, determined to profit of the prefent fituation, by endeavouring to cut off the convoy, in the first instance, and to fight the enemy after. In the move ment for this purpofe, the Triumphant of 84 guns, which had flayed back to collect the convoy, in her way now to rejoin the fleet, came across the Edgar of 74 guns, which led the Englifh van: a fharp though fhort fire enfued, in which the former futained fome confiderable apparent lofs. The defign in part took place; and if there had been a fufficient number of frigates (which are particularly neceffary in all attacks upon convoys) the effect would have been till much more confiderable. About twenty of the prizes arrived fafe in England, two or three were faid to be funk, and feveral that truck efcaped in the night. A great difperfion of the convoy neceffarily took place, and a number of the fhips were reafonably supposed to have lost their

voyage.

1

The French commanders were, in the mean time, collecting their feet, and forming the line of battle. Admiral Kempenfeldt likewife, having collected his fhips in the evening, and being ftill ignorant of their force, got upon the fame tack with the enemy, under a full determination of engaging them in the morning. At dayHight, perceiving them to leeward, he immediately formed the line; but difcovering their force upon a nearer approach, he found the neceffity of changing his refolution; and the adverfe fleets, after a full view of each other, feemed to part with equal content on both fides.

Near 1100 land-forces, and between 6 and 700 feamen, were taken in the prizes. They were moftly freighted on the French king's account, and were chiefly laden with the following articles, which will fufficiently fhew of what importance their capture was in the prefent feafon, viz. brais and iron ordnance; gunpowder; finall arms; flints; bomb-fhells; cannon balls and grenades in a prodigious quantity; iron bars and theet lead; travelling magazines and forges; all kinds of ordnanceftores; tents, camp equipage, and utenfils of all forts; foldiers clothing, and accoutrements; with woollen and linen goods for the land and fea fervice, in great quantities; bricks; great cables; failcloth and cordage, with every fupply for fhipping, to a great amount; wine, oil, brandy, rum, flour, bifcuit, and falted provifions, all in great, and the moft neceffary in prodigious quantities.

The value or importance of the capture ferved, however, only to excite the diffatisfaction of the public. It was faid, that, when fortune had thrown fo fair an opportunity in our way, of retriev ing our affairs, and recovering our former rank and fituation, the golden moment was loft, through the negligence of those who had not fupplied Admiral Kempenfeldt with fuch a force as would have enabled him to take or deftroy the whole French fleet and convoy. A great clamour was accordingly raised, which undoubtedly was not leffened by the attempts which were made in both houfes of parliament, to render this bufinefs a ground of complaint and charge against the first lord of the admiralty.

CHAP.

efforts of those who wished to rouze the nation to a fenfe of its real fituation. The only hope, therefore, that remained of refcuing it from the effects of a falfe fyftem of politics, under which its ruin feemed no longer problematical, was from the vigour and independence of parliament.

It was evident, from the numbers which divided on the fide of oppofition during the first feffion of the new parliament, that, notwithstanding the advantage the court-party had derived from a fudden diffolution, the strength of the minister had declined in the Houfe of Commons. The calamitous event of the campaign in Virginia, the news of which arrived in England but a few days before their fecond meeting, was likely to increase this defection, and threatened him with confequences not less fatal to his power at home than it was decifive on the object in difpute abroad.

The conteft in America had hitherto operated as an infuperable obitacle to the free exercise of parliamentary deliberation and control. The patient acquiefcence of fo large a majority in both houses, under the repeated difgraces, in which the purfuance of that object had involved the country, could be attributed to no other caufe than the neceffity they found themselves under of fupporting the minifter at all events, or of abandoning a favourite war, connected in fome measure with their political prejudices, and in which their paffions had been artfully and fuccefsfully inflamed. But the event, alluded to above, having cut up from the Toot all hope of fubjugating the

revolted colonies, in the minds even of the most fanguine adherers to that fyftem, it was not to be expected they would fo readily overlook the errors, or connive at the misconduct of thofe under whofe mifmanagement they had reaped nothing but mortification and dif

grace.

What effect an event of fuch magnitude would produce in the councils of government, was looked for with an uncommon degree of anxious expectation. The ground on which minifters ftood, was known to be extremely flippery and dangerous. The profecution of the American war was generally understood to be the tenure by which they held their offices from the court. To abandon the war, was at once inevitably to forfeit the fupport of that fecret infiuence, of which they had too long experienced the effects to be ignorant of its power. To venture to look that power in the face, to bring a full expofure of the state of affairs before the public, and to stand on their own merits, was an experiment which more fortunate minifters might have thought too hazardous to be lightly rifked.

It was this view of affairs which appears to have directed admini ftration in the first step that was neceffary to be taken at the opening of the feffions, on the 27th day of November, 1781. The fpeech from the throne continued to hold the fame determined language with which both houfes had been laft difmiffed. The con. tinuance of the war was afcribed to that restless ambition which first excited our enemies to commence it; and his Majefty was

made