engagement between the Arethufa, and the Belle Poule, frigates. French fchooner, bravely taken by the Alert cutter. Another French frigate falls in with the fleet; and is, with the Licorne and schooner, brought to England. Fleet returns to Portsmouth for a reinforcement. Rewards and bounty of the French King, to the officers and crew of the Belle Poule. Admiral Keppel fails again from Portsmouth. Falls in with the French fleet under the Count d'Orvilliers; and after a chace of five days, brings them at length to action. Account of the engagement on the 27th of July. View of those circumstances which were fuppofed to have prevented that action from being decifive. French fleet efcape in the night, and return to Breft. Prudent and temperate conduct obferved by the Admiral. Returns to Plymouth to refit. Proceeds again to fea, but cannot meet the French fleet. [50 CHAP. V. Speech from the throne. Amendment moved to the addrefs in the Houfe of Commons. Great Debates. Amendment rejected upon a divifion. Oppofition to the addrefs in general, in the Houfe of Lords, but no amendment propofed. Addrefs carried upon a divifion. Motion to address the Crown, in the House of Commons, for a difavowal of certain paffages in the late manifefto iffued by the Commiffioners at New York. The motion, after long debates, rejected upon a divifion. Similar motion by the Marquis of Rockingham, likewife caufes much debate, and is rejected upon a divifion. Proteft. Circumstances, which tended to the rendering the late action off Breft, a fubject of parliamentary difcuffion. Admiral Keppel, being called upon, gives fome account of that business in the Houfe of Commons. Anfwered by Sir Hugh Pallifer. Reply. Court martial ordered for the trial of Admiral Keppel. Conduct of the admiralty cenfured and Supported: Queftion, relative to the difcrecretionary powers of that board, much agitated. Bill brought in and paffed, for the holding of the trial of Admiral Keppel on shore, (in confideration of his ill fate of health) instead of its being held a board ship, as before prefcribed by the law. Recefs. 175 Debates arifing on questions of supply, previous to the recefs. Augmentation of 14,000 men, to the land fervice. Trial at Portfmouth. Admiral Keppel honourably acquitted. Receives the thanks of both Houfes. Vice-admiral of the blue refigns his employments, and vacates his feat in the Houfe of Commons. Memorial, figned by twelve admirals, prefented. Great difcontents in the navy. Rejolution of cenfure moved by Mr. Fox, on the conduct of the admiralty. Motion, after long debates, rejected upon a divifion. Second motion, of a fimilar nature, by Mr. Fox, rejected upon a divifion. Two great naval commanders, declare against acting under the prefent fyftem. Refignation of naval officers officers. Sir P. J. Clerke, brings in a bill against the contractors; first question carried upon a divifion; but the bill rejected upon another. Bill in favour of Diffenters brought in and paffed. Affairs of Ireland. Various attempts and proposals for affording commercial relief to that country, prove at length ineffectual. [105 CHAP. VII. Debates on the army extraordinaries. Motion for printing the estimates rejected upon a divifion. Committee on Eaft India affairs. Refolutions moved for and carried, relative to the violence committed on the late Lord Pigot in his government. Motion for profecuting certain members of the late council at Madras, agreed to. Mr. Fox's motion, for the removal of the first lord of the admiralty from that department, is, after long debates, rejected upon a divifion. Committee of enquiry, into the conduct of the American war. Amendment moved to the motion for the examination of Earl Cornwallis, by the minifter, and carried upon a divifion in the committee. Amended motion then put, and rejected upon a divifion. Third motion rejected. Tranfactions in the committee, difcuffed in the Houfe, and refcinded. Committee revived. Earl Cornwallis, and other witneffes examined, in behalf of Lord and Sir William Howe. Counter evidence propofed, and agreed to. In the interim, General Burgoyne's evidence brought forward and examined. Counter evidence examined. Committee fuddenly diffolved. [129 CHA P. VIII. Two enquiries in the Houfe of Lords, tending to the fame object, and carried on through the greater part of the feffion. Enquiry into the state of the navy, and the conduct of the admiralty, inftituted by the Earl of Bristol. Motions for naval papers, bring out much debate, and are rejected upon a divifion. Motion by the Earl of Bristol, for the removal of the first lord of the admiralty from his employment. Great debates. Motion rejected upon a divifion. Protefts. Enquiry into the government and management of Greenwich hofpital, conducted by the Duke of Richmond. Moves for a compenfation to Captain Baillie, late lieutenant-governor of Greenwich hofpital. Motion rejected upon a divifion. Minority lords quit the Houje. Refolutions in vindication of the Earl of Sandwich. Hard cafe of Captain Baillie. Marquis of Rockingham endeavours to bring forward an enquiry into the affairs of Ireland. After feveral ineffectual attempts, a kind of compromife takes place, referring the bufinefs of that country to the enfuing feffion Mr. Townshend's mo tion to defer the prorogation of parliament, rejected upon a divifion. Spanish manifeflo. Address from the Commons. Second addrefs moved by Lord John Cavendish. Motion of adjournment carried upon a divifion. Amendment to the addrefs of the Lords, moved by the Earl of Abingdon, Abingdon, and rejetted upon a divifion. Second amendment proposed by CHA P. IX. Hoftilities in the Eaft Indies. Sea-fight between Sir Edward Vernon and CHA P. X. Admiral Byron takes the command in the West-Indies. Endeavours to fuccour fuccour that ifland. Different views and conduct of the hoftile commanders. Engagement. Extraordinary acts of gallantry. Vice-Admiral Barrington wounded. French perfevere in their refolution of not coming to a clofe action. Views of the British commanders totally changed, upon difcovering that the island was already loft, as they had no force capable of attempting its recovery. Tranfports and difabled ships fent off to St. Chriftopher's in the evening. Followed next day by the fleet; the enemy having returned to Granada in the night. Prodigious lofs of men on the French fide accounted for. Claim a victory; and upon what ground. M. D'Estaing directs his operations to the northward. First object, the reduction of Georgia.-Second, an attack upon NewYork, in conjunction with General Washington. Arrives upon the Coast of Carolina; takes the Experiment man of war, and fome frigates. Anchors off Tybee. Lands his troops, and invefts the town of Savannah. Summons General Prevoft. Is joined by General Lincoln, and Count Polafki. Attacks the British lines, and is repulfed with great flaughter. French retire to their ships, and totally abandon the coafts of America. [* 199 APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. Abftract of the late Act for altering the duty on houses and fervants. of an Act for extending the provifions of the 12th of Geo. I. in 251 251 252 titled, an Act to prevent frivolous and vexatious arrefts. 253 254 254 Proceedings at the trial of Admiral Keppel. Charge against him for misconduct and neglect of duty. 257 His fpeech before the court-martial, on opening his defence. 258 Copies of letters between the Hon. Admiral Keppel, the Secretary to the Admiralty, the Fudge Advocate, and Sir Hugh Pallifer. Votes of thanks of the two Houses of Parliament, and of the City of London, to the Hon. Admiral Auguftus Keppel. 285 294 his 297 Extract of a letter from Lieut. Gen. Burgoyne to his conftituents, upon late refignation; with the correspondence between him and the Secretaries at War, relative to his return to America. Copy of a letter from Capt. Pearfon, of his Majesty's fhip Serapis, to Mr. Stephens, containing an account of his engagement with, and being captured by, Captain Paul Jones. 309 Copy either of which could not fail of proving detrimental to the company, confidering that the Bengal trade, notwithstanding the various restraints impofed by the Nabob, was ftill very lucrative. For forty years therefore the English company attempted no military refiftance. But the peaceable acquiefcence of the English rather increased than diminished the exactions impofed by the governors of the province; befides, that the acts of oppreflion exercised by thofe inferior defpots were abetted by the Emperor at Delhi. Determined therefore to try the effect of arms, the company in the year 1685, with the approbation of King James II. fitted out two fleets, one of which was ordered to cruife at the bar of Surat, on all veffels belonging to the Mogul's fubjects, and the other defigned not only to commit hoftilities by fea at the mouth of the Ganges, but likewife carried fix hundred regular troops, in order to attack the Nabob of Bengal by land. The conduct of this war was entrufted to Job Charnock, the company's principal agent at Hughley, a man of courage, but void of military experience. He defeated the forces of the Nabob in two different actions; but pitching his camp in an unhealthy part of the province, in the fpace of three months he loft by ficknefs three hundred Europeans, which was two thirds of his whole force. The misfortune attending the army was compenfated by the fuccefs of the fleet that had been fent out to Surat, which greatly diftreffed the trade of the Mcgul's fubjects, and took from them prizes to the amount of a million fterling money. The clamour raised by the merchants in confequence of this difafter, induced the Emperor to fend one of his officers from Delhi, with orders to hear the complaints of the English, and to mitigate the oppreffions which they had fuffered. Hoftilities foon after ceafed; and by a treaty figned in Auguft, 1687, it was ftipulated that the English fhould not only be permitted to return to all their factories in the province, but might likewife erect docks and magazines at Ulabarca, a village fituated on the western bank, about fifty miles from the mouth of the river. This treaty was no fooner ratified than the war at Surat broke out afresh, and the Nabob of Bengal not only gave up the English trade to the rapine of his officers, but demanded a very large fum, as an indemnification for the lofs which the country had fuftained by the late hoftilities. In confequence of fome unexpected events, however, an accommodation again took place between the contending parties without this requifition being granted; and the company received a patent from the Emperor, allowing them to trade free of cuftoms, on condition of paying annually the fum of three thoufand roupees. In 1696, an infurrection was commenced by the rajahs on the western fide of the river Hughley, within whofe jurifdiction were fituated the principal fettlements of the English, French, and Dutch, all which immediately augmenting their refpective forces, declared for the Nabob; of whom they at the fame time requested permiffion to put their factories into a state of de fence. |