ble which for a fhort time there took place, the falling of the officer who held them, threw the colours of the 24th regiment of Bengal fepoys into their hands, which they immediately fent off in triumph to the town; but that brave battalion convinced them before they parted, that they were well entitled to their colours, and that they muft have been dearly purchafed by thofe who had attempted to gain them in open day-light.

As foon as the troops had time to feize their arms, the affailants were oppofed with the greateft refolution and firmness, and as the light opened, the troops in the trenches, not contented to maintain their defences, attacked the enemy in turn, and pushed them fo hard on every fide, that a complete rout took place. The Chevalier de Damas, with fome other officers, and about 150 of his foldiers, were taken prifoners; and the whole lofs of the French in every way, was faid to amount to about 400 men. Nothing could exceed the admirable behaviour of the troops, both Europeans and fe poys, in this action. It was held as equally fingular and extraordinary, that the 24th battalion of Bengal fepoys, with another belonging to Madras, fought fome of the oldeft and beft troops of France with the bayonet, and foiled them at that favourite European weapon, which is fuppofed to be the most trying teft of the firmnefs and excellency of foldiers. It will

probably then afford no fmall fatisfaction to many who read this narrative, to be informed; that the general, in his addrefs of thanks to the army, gave an affurance to thofe brave fepoys, that he would recommend their diftinguished fervices fo effectually to the governments of Bengal and Madras, that they, and their families, fhould be ever fupported and rewarded according to their merit.

Colonel Gordon, Lieut. Col. Cathcart, and Major Cotgrove, were the three officers who commanded on that morning in the trenches. They all gained the greatest honour by the prefence of mind and firmnefs with which they withftood the furprize, and the gallantry with which they avenged the infult. The brave major, who led the Madras fepoys, was killed at the clofe of the action. Colonel Cathcart, who had been fo highly diftinguished in the action of the 13th, feemed as if he had rested his military reputation entirely upon his conduct in the prefent. The lofs was wonderfully fmail; and the little there was fell principally upon the fepoys.

In two or three days after this fally, the Medea frigate arrived under a flag from Madras at Cuddalore, bringing information from Lord Macartney and the admiral, of the conclufion of peace between the two nations; in confequence of which, a mutual ceffation of hoftilities, and reftoration of prisoners, immediately took place.

defencelefs Bahama iflands. Col. Maxwell, the governor of Providence, had only about 170 invalids, to oppofe to an armament, amounting by fea and land to above 5,000 men; and the native ftrength of the iflands were mostly difperfed at fea; the bold and adventurous part of the inhabitants purfuing their favou rite occupation of privateering. In fuch circumstances a capitulation was all that could be hoped for, and every pretence or appearance of refiftance, any farther than as it tended to that object, would feem futile and dangerous.

The governor, however, endeavoured to defer the evil as long as poffible, hefitating for two days before he agreed to a furrender; perhaps refting upon the folitary hope, that the enemy not being ftrong at fea, fome unforeseen chance or accident might bring a few Britifh fhips or frigates of war to his rescue. Though the Spanifh commander's fummons peremptorily required the capitulations to be figned within fix hours, and that he was fully acquainted with the weakness of the garrifon and defence, yet he bore this delay with great moderation and temper; and the conditions were, May 8th, notwithstanding, as fa

vourable, both to the

1782. garrifon and inhabitants,

as they could have been asked for or wifhed. Indeed it would feem as if the humanized and polifhed conduct of Don Galvez upon former occafions, (which we have heretofore had much fatisfaction in acknowledging and applauding) had been confidered by Don Juan de Cagigal as the model by which to regulate his own through the whole of this tranfaction, were it'

not that fimilar minds will purfue fimilar lines of action without the aid of example.

The capture of thefe iflands, whatever their value might be, was not to be estimated as a real lofs, as, from their nature and fituation, they could not be long retained from their former poffeffors.

The Dutch, who were deftined to pay heavy and ruinous fines in every quarter of the world, for the ill-judged, and unnatural part which they took in this war, were about the fame time ftripped of most of their fettlements on the coaft of Africa, by Capt. Shirley, in the Leander of 50 guns; who, without any land forces, and the affiftance only of the Alligator floop of war, took Acra, with four other of their forts, mounting 124 pieces of cannon. And to compleat their ruin on that coaft, Lieut. Cartwright of the Argo frigate, having landed with a detachment of feamen, to fupport fome land forces which were under the direction of the African company, he moft gallantly attacked, and had a principal fhare in taking, the strong and well-garrifoned Dutch fort of Commenda; which, befides mortars and as many howitzers, had 32 pieces of cannon mounted for its defence.

two

the North, and approachable only through obfcure, ftraits and gulphs, which were little known, excepting to thofe peculiarly concerned in that trade, and only for a small part of the year navigable even by them.

M. de la Peroufe, in the Sceptre of 74 guns, with two 36 gun frigates, was appointed to conduct this expedition; having on board about 300 foldiers and artillery men, with fome mortars and cannon for the fuppofed fieges they were to undertake. This fmall fquadron failed from Cape Francois on the 31st of May, 1782, and did not arrive at the islands of Refolution, which mark the entrance of Hudfon's traits, until the 17th of July. From thence they began to experience the difficulties and dangers of the voyage. Every thing was new to them; and they had no chart for their guidance, through the unknown perils they were to encounter. Notwithstanding the power of the fun at that feafon, they had fcarcely proceeded 20 leagues up the ftraits, when the fhips were fo faft locked up in the ice, that the feamen went on foot from one to the other. They were detained in this ftate for feveral days, and feverely felt, as they afterwards continued to do, the want of ice anchors. The fhips fuffered much damage, particularly the frigates, which were more than once in an alarming state of danger; and even the Sceptre was near lofing her rudder.

Through thefe impediments, the month of July was elapfed before they got clear of the ftraights; and that feafon was faft approaching, which was not only likely to forbid the profecution of their defign, but might poffibly fhut them up

for the winter in those inhospitable regions. Having at length wea thered Cape Walfingham, the weftern point of the traits, they not only had then fome more perfect knowledge of their fituation, but being got into the open bay, they hoped their difficulties were at an end. Thefe hopes were foon overthrown; for on the 3d of August, being fuddenly enveloped by a fog, they found themfelves immediately furrounded by fuch large iflands of ice, that they were under a neceffity of bringing to; and upon the difperfion of the fog, they perceived that the three fhips were faft wedged in a vaft field of ice, which extended farther than the eye could reach. Things then appeared fo hopeless, that M. de, la Peroufe had formed a determination, as foon as they got clear of the prefent difficulty, to fend the Sceptre, with one of the frigates, back to the Weft-Indies, and of wintering himfelf, with the other frigate, and a part of the troops, in the bay; in order to be at hand to deftroy the English fettlements, as foon as the opening of the feafon in the enfu ing year would admit of their operations. It happened fortunately for M. de la Peroufe and his people, that fo fevere a trial of their conftancy was prevented, by the appearance of a fmall opening in the ice two days after, through which, with a prefs of fail, and no fmall danger to the fhips, they forced their way; and on the 8th of Auguft were happy in difcovering the Eng lifh colours flying on the Fort Prince of Wales, upon the Churchill River, which was their firft and principal object; hoping now to obtain fome ceffation of their toils and dangers.

The

The Company poffefs fix of thofe buildings, which are called forts, in Hudson's Bay; being in reality factories, erected at the mouths of the principal rivers; the buildings being neceffarily ftrong, as well to guard against the climate as againft other dangers, and furnished with artillery to command refpect with the various nations of favages, who come from the remoteft parts to difpofe of their furs and peltry; but they had not a fingle foldier in all thefe forts; and the whole number of ftorekeepers, clerks, and fervants of every denomination, which they maintain at fo many ftations, does not exceed Izo, at the utmoft.

The French, incapable of imagining the defencelefs ftate of thefe forts, took a wonderful deal of unneceffary trouble, in landing their troops and artillery at guarded diftances, and proceeding with the utmost caution in their approaches, under a full perfuafion of meeting with that formidable refiftance, which was fo well to be expected in an attack upon Englifh fortreffes and garrifons. When they had proceeded in this manner within cannon fhot of Fort Prince of Wales, aftonished at the filence and folitude which prevailed, not a fingle man appearing in any direction, they made a halt, and fent an officer to fummon the fortrefs to furrender; in answer to which the gates were immediately thrown open, and, M. de la Pe roufe gravely informs us, that the governor and garrifon furrendered at difcretion. The fort, he obferves, was built of free ftone, the artillery in excellent condition, and the magazines were covered with lead, They found here a great

quantity of different kinds of merchandize; but the feafon admitting of no delay, they were under a neceffity of burning and destroying every thing, excepting fome of the most valuable furs, which, with the garrison, they carried on board.

Having fpent about two days at this place, they failed on the 11th for York Fort, which lies farther down the bay, and on the fame weftern fhore with the former, being fituated at the point of a long ifland, which, dividing a vaft river into two great branches, that in the front of the fort is called Hayes's, and that on the back of the island Nelfon River. In this part of the enterprize they encountered natural difficulties, which feemed pretty well to fupply the place of human refiftance. The coaft was full of rocky fhoals; the depth of water not above fix or feven fathoms, at beft; and the bottom every where foul and bad. In this dangerous navigation they were, as before, without any chart for their guidance, and the prisoners obftinately refufed to give them the fmalleft information or direction whatever. Through these circumftances, befides great and continual danger to the fhips, they fpent nine days in a navigation of not many leagues; nor could they probably have at all fucceeded, if it had not been for the useful af fiftance of fome large, decked boats, which they had found at Fort Prince of Wales, and which, leading the way, under the direction of fome of their most able officers and feamen, with great caution and difficulty traced out a paffage through the numberlefs rocks and fhoals with which they were environed. Nor

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