whole body before one o'clock, P.M. One man of war, four frigates, two corvettes, a large sail of merchant vessels, all belong. ing to the Caracca Company, thus fell into his hands, and proved very valuable prizes. Having furnished the garrison of Gibraltar with stores out of the proceeds of this little victory, Rodney proceeded to cruise along the coast of Portugal, and on the 16th of January fell with a second Spanish squadron, consisting of fourteen ships of the line, commanded by Don Juan du Langara. The weather i being hazy, and the English fleet much extended, the enemy failed to perceive the whole force opposed to them, and at first took no pains to avoid an encounter. But as the British ap proached nearer, the Spaniards prepared to escape, and Rodney was obliged to press every sail in order to intercept their designs. The ships engaged as they came up, and the resistance of the enemy at the beginning was brisk. About four o'clock the action was general; at five, one of the Spanish ships blew up with a tremendous explosion; two others surrendered soon after; but the contest endured until two in the morning, when the Monarca struck to the Sandwich. The fruits of this victory were the Phoenix of 80 guns, bearing the flag of Admiral Langara, the Monarca, Princessa, and Diligente, each of 70 guns, captured; the St. Domingo, also of 70 guns, blown up; and the San Julian, and San Eugenio, of 70 guns, surrendered The gratification excited by this success was enhanced by the trifling loss with which it was acquired, for the British had only thirty-two men killed, and 120 wounded. The House of Com mons and the House of Lords gave Rodney thanks for his conduct upon the occasion; the City of London presented him with the freedom of their corporation in a gold box, valued at one hundred guineas; the inhabitants of Westminster chose him one of their representatives in Parliament, at the general election which took place during the month of September, in the same year, though he was absent from England at the time, and had not solicited their suffrages; and, in November, the King nominated him a supernumerary Knight of the Bath, there being no stall vacant at the time in Henry the VII's. Chapel. Rodney was now ordered to the West Indies, where he assumed the command of twenty sail of the line, and spent the year in endeavouring to destroy the French fleet under Admiral Guichen No decisive action however occurred; though many a running fight took place, and several manœuvres of considerable skill were made the French behaved with a timed prudence, which baffled every effort to provoke a fair encounter; and in this way left the English no greater honours to gain than the maintenance of national superiority on the station. Early in the year 1781, a war with the Dutch was announced; and Rodney, receiving a reinforcement of seven sail of the line from England, was instructed to commence hostilities against the Dutch settlements in the west. An attack upon the island of St. Eustatia was accordingly determined on a sufficient force appeared before the place on the 3d of February, and an immediate surrender was given without a blow: the booty thus seized was valued at three millions sterling, but much of the public satisfaction was alloyed by the rapacity with which the property of the unfortunate islanders was confiscated. As the autumn approached, Rodney passed over to England to recruit his health, and was made Vice-admiral of Great Britain, in the room of Lord Hawke. But the year had not closed before he resumed his station in the West Indies. The ship in which he now carried his flag was the Formidable, of ninety-eight guns; the force under his command amounted to thirty-six sail of the line; and the French force opposed to him, under the Count de Grasse, consisted of thirty ships of the line, ten frigates, seven armed brigs, two fireships, and a cutter. Between these fleets two brilliant battles were fought the first on the 9th, and the second on the 12th of April, 1782.* Signals for the former battle were made early in the morning, while the French lay in a line of battle to windward and were standing over to Guadaloupe, and while the English were in a degree becalmed under the high lands of Dominica. Some time therefore elapsed before the ships attained their stations, These actions caused the deaths of Lord Robert Manners, aged 24, captain of the Resolution; William Bayne, aged 50, captain of the Alfred; and William Blair, aged 41, captain of the Anson-three officers, who are commemorated together on a costly monument, erected at the public charge, by Nollekins, the sculptor, in the north transept of Westminster Abbey. The effect produced by it is imposing, and a considerable degree of talent is but a fortunate breeze sprung up; the British, led by Sir Samuel Hood, closed with the enemy's centre, and by nine o'clock a cannonade was opened. The conflict had been hotly maintained for upwards of an hour before the leading ships of the British centre caught the wind, and were enabled to render any assist ance. Some ships, however, bore up about eleven, and took a part in the action, which raged with heavy violence, until the rear of the British began to get under weigh; and then the Count de Grasse, having the advantage of the wind, betook himself to flight. It was on this day that Captain Bayne of the Alfred fell. The British lay to for the purpose of repairing their damages during the night, and gave chase to the still retreating ene my for two successive days. On the morning of the 12th, a French man-of-war, disabled in the recent fight, and towed by a frigate, fell to leeward, and a general engagement was hazarded by De Grasse, in order to prevent her capture. The firing began at half-past seven, and was kept up with much sharpness until noon, when the wind shifted, and Captain, since Lord Gardner, made a bold but unsuccessful attempt to force the French line. Rodney, however, soon after undertook a similar movement, and enjoyed the fortune of success. Being quickly followed by other ships, he wore without delay, and doubled upon the enemy with a destructive fire. A general confusion soon ensued; the French van bore away, and endeavoured to form to leeward, but were baffled in the design by the perseverance the British, who now hailed the division under Sir Samuel Hood, which had been becalmed all the forenoon, and saw the victory complete. At length the enemy, after a resistance of marked bravery, began to strike; one of their seventy-fours was sunk; and their admiral, on board of the Ville de Paris, being sur rounded on all sides, struck down his flag with the setting sun. manifested in various parts of the workmanship, but unfortunately the design is allegorical. The background is composed of a lofty pyramid of dark variegated marble, before which is placed a rostral column, surmounted by a statue of Fame, who elevates a wreath of laurel for the purpose of crowning three medallions, which a winged boy is attaching to the front of the column. In the foreground, Neptune, reposing on a sea-horse, addresses himself to Britannia, who appears guarded by a lion. An engraving from this monument has been given in the plate which faces the life of Newton. of A received in England with en Signals to bring to, and collect the prizes were then hung out; the night set in, and the enemy were completely dispersed. The Ville de Paris, of 110 guns, carrying the French Admiral and a considerable sum of money, the Glorieux, Cæsar, and Hector, of 74 guns each, and the Ardent, of 64 guns, were captured, and another ship of 74 guns was sunk. Intelligence of this victory was thusiastic demonstrations of joy. The admiral, his officers, and men, were honoured with votes of thanks from the two Houses of Parliament, and Rodney was raised to the peerage, and enriched, with a pension of 2000l. a year. All these triumphs, however, had an unexpected issue. Just before the defeat of the French became known in England, the ministers, dissatisfied that no decisive action had taken place, despatched Admiral Pigot to the West Indies with a commission to supersede Rodney in his command. Pigot accordingly sailed to Port Royal, and actually displaced the victor from his fleet--a circumstance so mortifying to his feelings, that he immediately struck his flag, and vowed never again to accept of authority. He kept the resolution, and after leading a retired life for ten more years, expired in London, aged 74. NICHOLAS ROWE. ADJOINING the tomb of Shakspeare, in the south transept of Westminster Abbey, is a large monument, commemorative of Rowe the poet, and Charlotte, his only daughter, wife of Henry Fane, Esq. The Poet's bust is deposited upon an elevated altar, and is wept over by a female figure, large as life: the background is relieved by a pyramid, from which hangs a medallion of Mrs. Fane. Altogether it is a heavy performance, with little that is either original in the design, or delicate in the execution of it. The bust is sufficiently expressive, though without any fine work manship; but the figure of Sorrow looks more like a caricature than any thing else. The artist's name does not appear. Upon the front of the monument is inscribed this epitaph: Thy relics, Rowe, to this sad shrine we trust, Nicholas Rowe was an author who enjoyed a very calm share of public praise while he lived, and has received a quiet meed of reputation since his death. He was descended from an estated family at Lambertown, or Lamerton, in Devonshire, who acquired their coat of arms for the bravery shown by an ancestor during the war of the Crusades. Nicholas was born at Little Beckford, in Bedford. shire, during the year 1673. His father, John, is said to be the first of the family who abandoned the easy circumstances of a country life to bustle with the world, and make money by a profession. He entered himself a student-at-law, rose to the dignity of a sergeant's coif, and distinguished himself by the publication of some vo lumes of Reports, in which he fearlessly pointed out the meagre authority there existed in favour of that dispensing power which James the II. so vainly wished to enforce, and his subjects s spiritedly overcame. Sergeant Rowe lies buried in the Round Church of the Inner Temple. His son, the subject of this sketch, was first sent to an academy at Highgate, and afterwards entered at Westminster School, where the quickness of his talents |