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CHAP. XII.

Naval Transactions-Vigilance and Activity of the Board of AdmiraltyGreat Number of marauding Squadrons of the Enemy at Sea-Rochefort Squadron-Brest Squadron-Sir T. Duckworth's Victory-Fate of the Squadron under Admiral Villaume-Capture of Linois by Sir J. B. Warren-Capture of four Frigates by Sir S. Hood-Summary of the Navul Successes of the Present Year-Conquest of the Cape of Good Hope by Sir D. Baird and Sir H. Popham-Unauthorised expedition of Sir H. Popham to the Rio Plata-Capture of Buenos Ayres-Reconquest_of that Place and Capture of the English Garrison by the Inhabitants-Reflections on the Policy of the English Government in regard to South America-Delusions of the English People on that Subject-Expedition of Miranda to the Spanish Main-Revolution in St. Domingo-Conspiracy of the Negroes in Trinidad-Prosperity of the United States of AmericaPacific System of Mr. Jefferson-Differences of the United States with Spain-with England-Impressing of Seamen-Colonial Trade-Maritime Jurisdiction-Negotiations on these Points-Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation signed by Lord Holland and Lord Auckland on the Part of Great Britain, and by Mr. Monroe and Mr. Pinckney on the Part of the United States of America.

THE

HE British navy maintained during the present year its accustomed superiority over the enemy. But, though successful in every action, it could neither achieve the same victories, nor sustain the same calamities as in the preceding campaign. It had neither a Nelson to lose, nor a hostile fleet like that of Trafalgar to vanquish. Its efforts were directed to the humbler but useful service of protecting from insult and depredation the colonies and commerce of the empire, left exposed at the commencement of the year, without adequate means of defence, to the numerous squadrons of the enemy, which during the winter months had eluded the vigilance of

our blockading fleets, and escaped to sea. Much praise is due to the board of Admiralty, which under these circumstances was called to the naval administration of the country, for the sagacity and judgment with which it traced the course of these marauding expeditions, and for the vigilance and promptitude with which it provided against their designs and baffled their plans. So hotly was the enemy pursued and so closely watched in every quarter, that after threatening to lay waste our colonies and interrupt our commerce, he was compelled to renounce these projects and consult his safety by a precipitate and ignominious light. Few of his ships employed

were

in these expeditions returned to France. The greater part of them taken or destroyed by the English, while others perished from storms in search of some friendly har. bour to shelter them from the pur suits of their enemy.

The only squadron of the enemy, that got back to France during the present year without any disaster, was the Rochefort squadron, which had sailed from that port about midsummer 1805, with orders to repair to a certain latitude, and wait there for the arrival of the other squadrons of the combined fleet. After cruizing in vain at the place of rendezVous and taking and destroying a number of vessels, neutral as well as English, and falling in with and cap. turing the Calcutta of 56 guns, this squadron had at length the good fortune to return to Rochefort about the beginning of the year, bringing with it above 800 English prisoners on board.

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The fleet that escaped from Brest harbour in December 1805* was not equally fortunate. This fleet consisted originally of 15 ships of the line, 6 frigates,and 4 corvettes: but after having been ten days at sea, separated into different squadrons, one of which, consisting of 5 ships of the line, 2 frigates, and a corvette, commanded by Admiral Leisseigues, made directly for Saint Domingo and having arrived at that port without any accident,t disembarked a body of troops and supply of ammunition, which it had on board,for the use of the colony. After having performed this service, the French admiral loitered away in the bay of Occa for more than a fortnight, taking in water and repairing the damages sustained by his ships in

* December 13th. + January 20th. Q 3

their voyage; at the end of which period he was fortunately descried by sir John Thomas Duckworth,‡ who was cruizing in these seas with a squadron of 7 ships of the line and 4 frigates, and had received intelligence of the arrival of a French feet at St. Domingo. The French admiral, who was greatly inferior in strength, endeavoured to make his escape on the appearance of the English squadron, but being speedily overtaken, an action com. menced, which lasted with great fu-: ry for near two hours, at the conclu sion of which three of the French line of battle ships remained prizes to the English, and two were driven on shore and burned. The two French frigates and corvette put to sea and made their escape. The loss of the English in this engagement was 64 killed and 294 wounded. No officer above the rank of a midshipman was killed, but several were severely wounded. The French had 760 killed and wounded on board of the three ships that were taken, and they no doubt lost a proportional number in the two others that were destroyed.

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Another division of the Brest squadron, commanded by admiral Villaumez, was originally destined for the Cape of Good Hope; but having touched at the isle of Noronha, the admiral was there informed of the capture of that settlement by the English; upon which he proceeded to San Salvador in Brazil, and after remaining there for some time to refresh his seamen, among whom symptoms of scurvy had be gan to appear, he set sail for the West Indies.§ and arrived without accident at Martinique in the end of June. The squadron which Villau

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mez conducted to Martinique consisted of six ships of the line and one frigate, to oppose which sir Alexander Cochrane, the English admiral upon the station, had at that moment only four ships of the line and three frigates; but with this inferior force he gallantly pursued the enemy, in order to watch his motions and check any enter prizes he might meditate. No sooner had the French admiral collected the whole of his squadron at Martinique, than he put again to sea, and steered to the north, followed at a distance by Cochrane, who, though he avoided an engagement, hovered in sight of the enemy's squadron, to prevent him making any attempt on the ports or shipping of the English islands. In passing St. Thomas's* the French slackened sail for the English, as if desirous of coming to action, but Cochrane, considering the inferiority of his force, the French having been joined by ano. ther ship of the line and three frigates after they left Martinique, declined fighting, and satisfied with having traced the course of the enemy to Porto Rico, returned to Tortola, leaving two frigates to watch their motions. + It was fortunate for the French admiral that he lost so little time at Martinique: for on the 12th of July sir John Borlase Warren arrived at Barbadoes with six sail of the line, which had been dispatched from England with unexampled promptitude, on the first surmise of the French having repassed the line and directed their course to the West Indies. Ano,

* July 6th.

.

ther squadron under sir Richard Strachan had been previously sent out to cruise for them; and when news arrived of their escape from the West Indies, a third squadron under sir Thomas Louis put to sea to intercept their return ;§ besides which, blockading squadrons watched all the principal ports of the continent, into which they could at tempt to enter.

So many provident and well combined precautions must have been followed by the capture of the French squadron, if it had ventured on returning to Europe, or had the ships of which it was composed, continued cruizing together at sea. But the French admiral seeing all his plans frustrated by the vigilance and activity of his enemies, determined on consulting the individual safety of his ships by dispersing them in different directions. The Veteran of 74 guns, commanded by Jerome Bonaparte, seems to have been the first that separated from the rest of the squadron, and to have been the most fortunate in its voyage home. On the 16th of August as this vessel was about three hundred leagues west of Brest, to the northward of the Azores, it fell in with the homeward bound Que bec fleet, under the convoy of the Champion frigate, and took and de stroyed six vessels laden with timber and other valuable articles; and on the 26th of the same month after having been chaced by an English man of war, it reached, in safety the coast of Brittany, and got into the small harbour of Concarneau,

† July 8th.

Sir J. B. Warren sailed from Spithead on the 4th of June, where he had lost several days from contrary winds, after he had got orders to saii.

Villaumez owed the escape of his squadron.

To this delay

§ August 28th.

under

under the protection of batteries, where, though the vessel was stranded, the stores and guns were saved, and the captain and crew got on shore.

After the separation of Jerome from the admiral, which took place in the gulph of Florida, the rest of the squadron encountered a tremendous gale of wind, in which they suffered most severely. The admiral's ship, the Foudroyant, of 84 guns, reached the Havannah under jury masts, after an action with the Anson frigate of 40 guns, which drove her for protection under the batteries of the Moro Castle. The Impeteux, after having lost her masts, bowsprit, and rudder in the storm, and being otherwise damaged, was standing in for the Chesapeak under jury masts, when she was descried by three of the vessels of sir Richard Strachan's squadron, and having taken ground as she attempted to escape, was there burned by the boats of the Melampus, and her crew made prisoners. Two other seventy-fours, which got into the Chesapeak, after having been greatly damaged in the storm, were eventually destroyed by the English on the American coast, while the Cassant, which was supposed to have foundered at sea, arrived at Brest in the middle of October.

The French admiral Linois, who had so long wandered about the In. dian seas, unmolested and unat. tacked, and carried on with success a predatory and most destructive war against our commerce in the east, was this year intercepted, in his return to France with his plunder, by

Aug. 18th. + Sept. 15.

sir John Borlase Warren,§ and brought to England, with the Marengo of 80 guns, and the Belle Poule of 40 guns, being the only two ships under his command.

Five large frigates and two corvettes, with troops on board for the West Indies, having escaped from Rochefort, were next day met at sea by a British squadron under commodore sir Samuel Hood, and after a running fight of several hours, four of the five frigates were compelled to strike. The loss of the English in this action amounted to 9 killed and 52 wounded; but their gallant commander received a severe wound in the right arm, which rendered the amputation of the limb necessary.

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It would be in vain to recapitulate all the individual instances of courage, enterprise and skill exerted by the British navy in the various actions in which it was engaged during the present year. The capture of the Pomona frigate on the coast of Cuba, I though defended by a strong castle and a formidable line of gun boats, all of which were destroyed by the two English fri. gates, the Arethusa and Anson, engaged in this enterprise; the action between the French frigate the Salamander of 44 guns, supported by batteries and troops provided with musketry and field pieces on shore, and the English ship the Cons tance, of 24 guns, assisted by a sloop of war and a gun brig, in which both vessels were stranded and lost, though not till after the Frenchman had been compelled to strike his colours, and been taken possession of by the English; and the boldness

‡ Sept. 14. f March 13th t
August 23rd.

Sept. 25th.

and intrepidity displayed in numerous actions, in which vessels were cut out from under the protection of batteries, or in other circumstances unfavourable for attack; reflect honour on those who succeeded in such hazardous enterprises, and add, if possible, to the glory of the body, by the individuals of which they were atchieved. The enemy, whose enfeebled squadrons were reduced to marauding expeditions, in which, when detected, they had recourse rarely to resistance, more frequently to flight, saw with rage and disappointment his ports blockaded by our triumphant squadrons, and the ocean covered with our vessels, armed and unarmed. Mortified, with the failure of his hopes, and despairing of success in his maritime schemes, he had recourse, as we have already mentioned, to the wild and furious project of destroying commerce and navigation, since he could not participate in their fruits, But occupied as he was with the continental war, he had not leisure to prosecute his purposes, which terminated for the present year in empty threats and idle declamations, or led at most to some partial and unjust confiscations. The commerce of England went on, unconscious of the Berlin decree, and flourished the more, the greater the efforts of Buonaparte to wither and destroy it. Founded in the wants and necessities of the continent, his fruitless exertions to extinguish it shewed, that however great his power, it was still limited; that however submissive his subjects, it was still possible for them to act against his will.

from the enemy during the present year, and seven destroyed or rendered useless. Thirteen frigates. were taken and one destroyed; and from 30 to 40 schooners, corvettes and national brigs, besides a greatnumber of privateers. were taken or destroyed To counterbalance these successes, the only loss sustained by his majesty's navy was that of the Athenienne, of 64 guns, which, with its captain and 300 of the crew, perished unhappily in its way to Sicily, by striking on some hidden rocks in the Mediterranean; and that of the Constance already mentioned, stranded on the coast of France, with its prize the Salamander. Two transports with troops on board for Gibraltar were taken early in the year by the French squadron under admiral Villaumez ; but the troops were afterwards retaken by sir Home Popham,* with the frigate into which they had been put.

The most valuable prize taken by the enemy was the Warren Hastings East Indiaman, which,after a long and well-contested action, was compelled to strike + to the Piedmontiese, a French frigate of 44 guns, and was afterwards carried into Mauritius. Some damage was done early in the year, by a French squadron, on the coast of Africa, to the vessels engaged in the slave trade; and several ships, employed in the Greenland and Newfoundland fisheries, were taken and destroyed by the Guerriere, French frigate of 50 guns, which, however, was afterwards taken in its way homet by the Blanche, after a sharp action, near the Ferroe islands.

Four ships of the line were taken † June 21st

* March 4th.

An expedition against the Cape

July 19th.

of

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