the fouth and weft was fo prevalent, that, had the enemy landed, their hope of affiftance from the inhabitants would have been totally difappointed. From the armed yeomanry, government derived the moft honourable affiftance. Noblemen and gentlemen of the firft property vied in exerting themfelves at the head of their corps. Much of the exprefs and efcort duty was performed by them. In Cork, Limerick, and Galway, they took the duty of the garrifon. Lord Shannon informs me, that men of three and four thousand pounds a year were employed in efcorting baggage and carrying expreffes. Mr. John Latouche, who was a private in his fon's corps, rode twenty-five miles in one of the fevereft nights, with an exprefs, it being his turn for duty. The merchants of Dublin, many of them of the first eminence, marched fixteen high miles with a convoy of arms to the north, whither it was conducted by reliefs of yeomanry. The appearance in this metropolis has been highly meritorious. The corps have been formed of the moft refpectable barrifters, attorneys, merchants, gentlemen, and citizens; and their number is fo confiderable, and their zeal in mounting guard fo ufeful, that I was enabled greatly to reduce the garrifon with perfect fafety to the town. The numbers of yeomanry fully appointed and difciplined, in Dublin, exceed 2000, above 400 of whom are horfe. The whole number of corps approved by government amount to 440, exclufive of the Dublin corps. The grofs number is nearly 25,000. There are alfo ninety-one offers of fervice under confideration, and 125 pro pofals have been declined; and, in reply to a circular letter written to the commandants of the refpective corps, their answers almoft univerfally contained a general offer of fervice in any part of the kingdom. Many prominent examples of. individual loyalty and fpirit have appeared. An ufeful impreflion was made upon the minds of the lower catholics by a judicious addrefs from Dr. Moyian, the titular Bishop of Cork. I cannot but notice the exertions of Lord Kenmare, who fpared no expence in giving afliftance to the commanding officer in his neighbourhood, and who took to his own demefne a great quantity of cattle which had been driven from the coaft. Nor could any thing exceed the ardour of the Earl of Ormonde, who, when his regiment of militia were returned as part of the garrifon of Dublin, folicited with fo much zeal a command in the flank companies, that I thought it a measure due to his Majefty's fervice, to encourage his Lordihip's request. London Gazette Extrawdinary. Whitehall, Feb. 27. A letter, of which the following is a copy, has been this day receiv ed from the Right Honourable Lord Cawdor by his Grace the Duke of Portland, his Majefty's principal Secretary of State for the home department. Filguard, Friday, Feb. 24. My Lord, In confequence of hav ing received information, on Wed, ncfday night at eleven o'clock, that three large fhips of war and a lug ger had anchored in a small roadfied upon upon the coaft, in the neighbourhood of this town, I proceeded immediately, with a detachment of the Cardigan militia and all the provincial force I could collect, to the place. I foon gained pofitive intelligence they had disembarked about 1200 men, but no cannon. Upon the night's fetting in, a French of ficer, whom I found the fecond in command, came in with a letter, a copy of which I have the honour to inclose to your Grace, together with my anfwer: in confequence of which they determined to furrender themfelves prifoners of war, and accordingly laid down their arms this day at two o'clock. I cannot at this moment inform your Grace of the exact number of prifoners, but I believe it to be their whole force. It is my intention to march them this night to Haverfordweft, where I fhall make the best distribution in my power. The frigates, corvette, and lugger got under weigh yefterday evening, and were this morning entirely out of fight. The fatigue we have experienced will, I truft, excufe me to your Grace for not giving a more particular detail: but my anxiety to do juftice to the officers and men I had the honour to command, will induce me to attend your Grace, with as little delay as poffible, to state their merits, and at the fame time to give you every information in my power upon this fubject. The fpirit of loyalty which has pervaded all ranks throughout this country, is infinitely beyond what I can exprefs. I am, &c. CAwDOR. Cardigan-Bay, 5th of Ventofe, 5th year of the Republic. Sir, The circumftances under which the body of the French troops un 73 der my command were landed at To the Officer commanding his TATE, Chef de Brigade, Fishguard, Feb. 23. under my command, which is Sir, The fuperiority of the force hourly increafing, muft prevent my treating upon any terms fhort of prifoners of war. I enter fully inyour furrendering your whole force to your wifh of preventing an unneceflary effufion of blood, which your fpeedy furrender can alone prevent, and which will entitle you wifh of British troops to fhew an to that confideration it is ever the My major will deliver you this letenemy whofe numbers are inferior. ter, and I fhall expect your determination by ten o'clock, by your officer, whom I have furnished with an escort that will conduct him to me without molestation. I am, &c. CAWDOR. To the Officer commanding London Gazette Extraordinary. Admiralty-Office, March 3. to Admiral Sir John Jervis, K. B. Robert Calder, Efq. firft captain arrived this morning with difpatches from from him to Mr. Nepean, of which and men I had the happiness to the following are copies: Sir, Victory, in Lagos Bag, Feb. 16. The hopes of falling in with the Spanish fleet, exprelled in my letter to you of the 13th inftant, were confirmed that night, by our diftinctly hearing the report of their fignal guns, and by intelligence received from Captain Foote, of his Majefty's fhip Niger, who had, with equal judgment and perfeverance, kept company with them for feveral days, on my prefcribed rendezvous (which, from the strong fouth-eaft winds, I had never been able to reach), and that they were not more than three or four leagues from us. I anxiously awaited the dawn of day, when, being on the tarboard tack, Cape St. Vincent bearing eaft by north eight leagues, I had the fatisfaction of feeing a number of fhips extending from fouth-weft to fouth, the wind then at weft by fouth. At forty minutes paft ten, the weather being extremely hazy, La Bonne Citoyenne made the fignal that the fhips were of the line, twenty-five in number. His Majefty's fquadron under my command, confifting of the fifteen fhips of the line named in the margin, happily formed in the moft compact order of failing, in two lines. By carrying a prefs of fail, I was fortunate in getting in with the enemy's fleet at half paft eleven o'clock, before it had time to connect and form a regular order of battle. Such a moment was not to be loft; and, confident in the skill, valour, and difcipline of the officers command, and judging that the honour of his Majefty's arms, and the circumftances of the war in thefe feas, required a confiderable degree of enterprize, I felt myfelf juftified in departing from the regular fyftem, and pafting through their fleet, in a line formed with the utmost celerity; tacked, and thereby feparated one third from the main body, after a partial cannonade, which prevented their rejunction in the evening; and, by the very great exertions of the fhips which had the good fortune to arrive up with the enemy on the larboard tack, the ships named in the margin + were captured, and the action ceafed about five o'clock in the evening. I inclose the most correct lift I have been able to obtain of the Spanish fleet oppofed to me, amounting to twenty-leven fail of the line, and an account of the killed and wounded in his Majefty's fhips, as well as in thofe taken from the enemy. The moment the latter (almost totally difinated) and his Majefty's fhips the Captain and Culloden, are in a state to put to fea, I fhall avail myself of the first favourable winds to proceed off Cape St. Vincent, in my way to Lisbon. Captain Calder, whofe able affiftance has great ly contributed to the public fer. vice during my command, is the bearer of this, and will more particularly defcribe to the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty the movements of the fquadron on the 14th, and the present state of it. I am, &c. J. JERVIS. Victory, Britannia, Barfleur, Prince George, Blenheim, Namur, Captain, Goliah, Excellent, Orion, Coloilus, Egmont, Culloden, Irresistible, Diadem. † Salvador del Mundo 112 guns, San Josef 112, San Nicolas 80 [84], San Ifidro 74 guns. Lift of the Spanish fleet oppofed to the Brith, the 14th of February, 1797. Santifuma Trinidada, 130 guns; Mexicana, 112; Principe d'Afturias, 112; Concepcion, 12; Conde de Regla, 112; Salvador del Mundo, (taken) 112; San Jofef, (taken) 112; San Nicholas, (taken) 84; Oriente, 74; Gloriofo, 74; Atlante, 74; Conqueftador, 74; Sobera o, 74; Firme, 74; Pelayo, 74; sun Genaro, 74; San Idelphonfo, 74; San Juan Nepomuceno, 74; San Francifco de Paula, 74; San Ifidro, (taken) 74; San Antonio, 74; San Pablo, 74; San Firmio, 74; Neptuna, 74; Banama, 74; Name unknown, 74; Name unknown, 74. [Then follows a return of the killed and wounded in the fquadron under the command of Sir John Jervis, in the action with the Spanish fleet, on Feb. 14, 1797-Total killed 73, wounded 227. Total 300.] London Gazette Extraordinary. Monday, October 16. Admiralty-Office, O&. 16. Captain Fairfax, of the Venerable, arrived early this morning with difpatches from Adam Duncan, Efq. Admiral of the Blue, Commander in Chief of his Majefty's fhips, &c. employed in the North Sea, to Evan Nepean, Efq. Secretary of the Admiralty, of which the following are copies : Venerable, at fea, 13th Od. 1797, off the coaft of Holland. Sir, Be pleafed to acquaint the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that, judging it of confequence their Lordfhips fhould have as early information as poffible of the defeat of the Dutch fleet under the command of Admiral de Winter, I difpatched the Rofe cutter at three P. M. on the 12th (11th) inftant, with a fhort letter to you immediately after the action was ended. I have now farther to acquaint you, for their Lordfhips information, that in the night of the 10th inftant, after I had fent away my letter to you, of that date, I placed my fquadron in fuch a fituation as to prevent the enemy from returning to the Texel without my At nine falling in with them. o'clock in the morning of the 11th, I got fight of Captain Trollope's fquadron, with fignals flying for an enemy to leeward; I immediately bore up, and made the fignal for a general chace, and foon got fight of them, forming in a line on the larboard tack to receive us, the wind at north-weft. As we approached near, I made the fignal for the fquadron to fhorten fail, in order to connect them; foon after I faw the land between Camperdown and Egmont, about nine miles to leeward of the enemy, and finding there was no time to be loft in making the attack, I made the fignal to bear up, break the enemy's line, and engage them to leeward, each fhip her opponent, by which I got between them and the land, whither they were faft approaching. My fignals were obeyed with great promptitude, and Vice-Admiral Onflow, in the Monarch, bore down on the enemy's rear in the moft gallant manner, his divifion following his example; and the action commenced about forty minutes past twelve o'clock. The Venerable foon got through the enemy's line, and I began a clofe action, with my divifion on their van, which lafted near two hours and and a half, when I obferved all the mafts of the Dutch Admiral's fhip to go by the board. She was, however, defended for fome time in a moft gallant manner; but being overpreffed by numbers, her colours were ftruck, and Admiral de Winter was foon brought on board the Venerable. On looking around me, I obferved the fhip bearing the Vice-Admiral's flag was alfo difmafted, and had furrendered to Vice-Admiral Onflow; and that many others had likewife ftruck. Finding we were in nine fathoms water, and not farther than five miles from the land, my attention was fo much taken up in getting the heads of the difabled fhips off fhore, that I was not able to diftinguifh the number of fhips captured; and the wind having been conftantly on the land fince, we have unavoidably been much dispersed, fo that I have not been able to gain an exact account of them, but we have taken poffeffion of eight or nine: more of them had ftruck, but taking advantage of the night, and being fo near their own coaft, they fucceeded in getting off; and fome of them were feen going into the Texel the next morning. It is with the greatest pleasure and fatiffaction I make known to their Lordships the very gallant behaviour of Vice-Admiral Onflow, the captains, officers, feamen, and marines of the fquadron, who all appeared actuated by the truly British fpirit, at leaft thofe that I had an opportunity of feeing. One of the enemy's fhips caught fire in the action, and drove very near the Venerable; but I have the pleafure to fay it was extinguished, and fhe is one of the fhips in our poffeffion. The fquadron has fuffered much in their mafts, yards, and rigging, and many of them have loft a number of men; however, in no proportion to that of the enemy. The carnage on board the two fhips that bore the Admirals flags has been beyond all defcription; they have had no lefs than two hundred and fifty men killed and wounded on board of each fhip. And here I have to lament the death of Captain Burgefs, of his Majefty's fhip Ardent, who brought that flip into action in the moft gallant and mafterly manner, but was unfortunately killed foon after. However, the fhip continued the action close, until quite difabled. The public have loft a good and gallant officer in Captain Burgefs; and I, with others, a fincere friend. Captain Trollope's exertions and active good conduct in keeping fight of the enemy's fleet until I came up, have been truly meritorious, and, I truft, will meet a juft reward. I fend this by Captain Fairfax, by whofe able advice I profited much during the action, and who will give their Lordships any further particulars they may with to know. As moft of the flips of the fquadron are much difabled, and feveral of the prizes difmafted, I fhall make the beft of my way with them to the Nore. Therewith transmit you a lift of killed and wounded on board fuch of the fquadron as I have been able to collect, a lift of the enemy's fleet oppofed to my fquadron, and my line of battle on the day of action. I am, Sir, your most obedient humble Servant, ADAM DUNCAN. [Then follows a lift of killed and wounded on board the ships of Admiral Duncan's fquadron.]. |