The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1781-09-04 00:00:00, page 1

Further ADVICES by the Hope, Captain
Darby, from VOrienr.
L ON D 0 N, Jone 9.
From the LONDON GAZETTE EXTRA.
ORDIN AKY. Published this day at noon-
St. James's, June 8, 1781.
ExtrAA of a letter from commodore George Johnflone
to the earl of Hillsborough, one of his majesty's prin
cipal secretary's of slate, dated Roraney, in Port
Praya Road, in the island of St. jago, April go,
1781, brought by captain Lindsey, of the Forto sloop
of war.
My lord,
ON the 16th of April at half partnine o'clock in
the morning, being at anchor in Fort Praya in
the island of St. Jago, with the fquadronof his majes
ty's Ships under my command, which are named in the
margin; * together with the Bart-India Ships, traaf
ports, and victuallers, who failed with us from Eng
land, the Isis (^hich Ship lay the Lrtbefl to leeward)
made the Signal for feeing eleven fail in the offing, to
wards the N. E.
I was then al sent in a boat, giving directions for
moving some drips which had driven too near each other.
As soon as I saw the Signal for so many firange Ships,
I instantly returned on board the Romney, and made
the figrial for all persons to come from the Shore, and
to repair on board their refpedive Ships, having at that
time not less than 1500 persons absent from the fleet,
who were employed in watering, fifhing, and embarking
live cattle, with other occupations necessary to the dis
patch in refifing so many Ships, besides a number of the
officers and troops who were taking the recreation of
the Shore.
As soon as this Signal was made, and enforced by the
repeated firing,of guns, and after a boat had been dis
patched to the Shore, to give more expedition and effeft
to.the embarkation, a Signal was made to unmoor, and
another to prepare for battle.
I went on board the Isis, to make my observations
on the Grange Ships, as they could only be seen from
that Ship, on account of the east point of land which
intervened.
From the Isis I plainly difeovered five large Ships
of the line, andfeveral smaller Ships, handing in for
the land the large Ships being feperated from thecon
voy, and making Signals by Superior and inferior flags,
which plainly denoted that they were French.
Upon this I returned on board the Romney, calling
to the East India Ships, as I paired and repaffed, to
prepare for battle; for most of them were as yet heed
less of the Signals which had been made.
At a quarter before eleven o'clock the firange Ships
appeared, coming round the east point of land, drawn
up in a line, and leading into the bay. His majesty's
Ships of war (excepting as to the people who were ab
sent on Shore) were by this time prepared to receive
the enemy, if they Should offer any insult.
We plainly perceived they intended an attack by
the Springs which were passed to their cables along the
ourfide of the Ships; and we knew the small regard
ifrhicii the French usually pay to the laws of nations,
when they are possessed of a Superior force, or find it
convenient to dispense with fucii obligations, and in
this our expectations were not disappointed; for with
much courage and seeming determination the French
commodore led on within two cables length of the
Monmouth, Jupiter and Hero, parting the Diana, Ter
ror bomb, and Infernal firelhip, who lay without the
rest of the fliips: here he hoirted his broad pendant,
and displayed the French colours; he then hauled up
his courses, and fired two Shot at the Isis f rom his lar--
board bow as he lifted up, and immediately after per
tnitting his Ship to Shoot up in the wind, as for as the
force with which the Ship was failing enabl'd her, he
dropt his anchor abreast of the Mo .couth, and began
to fire away among the Ships as fail as he could dis
charge and load; his fails, however, were bill flying
about in great confufion, so that his Spring on the ca
Lie did not hold when the Ship was checked to bring
up, and he drove abreast of the hero.
After the two guns mentioned above had been dis
charged with Shot, the fire from his majehy's Ships
opened upon the enemy with grea' power and effect
The next French fir, which followed their commo
dore, anchored a-head of him ; the thirl endeavoured
to pass through for the Romney ; but being unable 'o
weather the different Ships, be anchored a stern of his
commodore, and continued there for a Short Space, dri
ving about with his fails loose, until he boarded the
Fortitude and Huchiribrook East India Ships, and then
* Romney 50, Hero 74, Monmouth 64, Jupiter 50,
Isis 50, Terror bomb vessel, Infernal fittfop, Rattle-
Snake cutter.
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER^ 17811
THE
O R, THE
GENERAL ADVERTISER.
VOL. XJ
Published EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY and SATURDAY.-Price Six-Pence.
went to sea. The fourth Ship run on different lines,
luffing and bearing up as he passed among the Skirt of
our Ships, and firing and receiving fire as he failed
along, but seemingly in great confufion also; and at
last, with much difficulty, he wore clear of the reef on
the Weft Point without us.
The fifth Ship run among the merchant ve'els also,
firing at all, and attempting to board two or three as
he passed along, without success.
In a qu rt-r of an hour after the firft gun, Several of
our East India fliips had recovered the alarm, nd were
firing at the enemy, and some of them in well directed
lines ; two or three however had struck their colours,
and thrown the. company's packets over board, and
others prudently put to sea.
The Romney could only fire in two openings, and
this under a pr^cifion which was cautiously observed ;
neither could She veer any cable to open a larger space,
as the Jason lay right aflern of her. Seeing the Rom
ney was like to have little Share in the action, after
the fourth Ship had passed her, I ordered the barge to
be manned, to go on boerd the Hero. General Mea
dows and captain Saltern infifed they Should accom
pany me, with a degree of generosity and good humour
-which I could not refifl. It is pleafan! to be near the
general at all times, but on the day of battle that fatis
fadion is felt in a peculiar degree. We were receiv
ed by captain Hawker with as cheafrful and affable ci
vility as if we had come to dinner, while the Hero
kept up a constant, awful, heavy discharge of artillery.
The action bordered upon a furprize, and the ,a
ture of the Service in which we were engaged rendered
us liable to much confufion ; yet upon the whole, un
til the enemy were beat off, I saw nothing on our part
but fleady, cool, determined valour.
Captain Aims, of the Monmouth, kept up a well
directed fire.
Captain Pafley had worked hard from the beginning
of the business, and had got a Spring on his cable, by
which effort every (hot told from the Jupiter.
The French commodore now found n^ fixation too
hot, and he cut his cable in three quarters of an hour,
and went away through the Ships, as ids second astern
had done before him ; the other ahead was now left
behind, an objed to be fired at by all the Ships in our
fleet, who could get guns to bear upon him In this
Situation he remained f^r 15 minutes, hardly irn^ a
gun during the whole time : such a fpedacle of chiefs
I never before beheld.
I am Satisfied myfeif he Struck his colours, and that
they were not merely Shot away, as some diedge /and
this I believe, becauSe diderentjhips thought he Struck
at the fame time ; but it was importable to get all tne
Ships to cease firing at once ; and one gun being after
wards difeharged from the enemy's Ship, the firrhg be
gan again, even from such of our Ships as had left off.
Whether his cable was foot away, or he cut the ca
ble, I cannot fay, but off the Ship went round upon
the heel, her stern falling dose to the broad fide of the
Isis ; her masts were tottering; her yards were hang
ing different ways ; her fails were flying about in rags,
and full of holes. Firff fell the mizen mast, next went
the main mast, and la ftly the fore mast and outer end
of the bowsprit tumbled in the water.
I instantly returned to the Romney, and made the
Signal for all captains, and after hearing the conditi
on of every Ship, I directed the men of war to cut and
flip as faft as they could get to sea, to follow up the
victory, with orders to make any India fliips who lay
in their way to cut their cables also, that they might
not b. # impeded.
I ordered the merchant Ships to lie faft and repair
their damages, until we joined them again.
As soon as the Jason was out of the way, the Rom
ney was call by a spring on the cable, and she went
out to sea under the acclamations of the whole fleet.
The Jupiter inhantly followed, and we run between
our scattered Ships and the enemy. Perceiving neither
the Isis nor Diana making any signs to follow, though
both of them lay in clear births for so doing, their
several signals were made. Tie Diana answered, and
soon after followed; but although gun after gun was
fired to enforce the Signal to call out the Isis, she still
remained without any Signs of obedience to my Signal
tie'll abroad. At lift the Hero came under our stern,
with a message from captain Sutton, faying that his
mails and yards and fails and rigging, were so wound
ed that he could not come out without repairing them,
but that he would follow as fart as he could
My answer was, all this is no excuse for disobeying
my positive orders : besides, I think his damages im
material to a man of any resources.
Captain Sutton's Signal was therefore again enforc
ed by another gun ; lie then hoirted his answering flag,
and came out, after three hours delay.
All the Ships being now come out, the Signal was
made to form the line a head on the larboard tack.
The French Ships had before this collected and taken
the disabled Ship in tpw, and they had railed a slump
forward, and fixed a fail upon it, with which they had
wore the hulk, and put before the wind in a line of bate
tie abreast, and sent off their convoy under all' the
fail they could fet#
When the.lfis joined us She run under our stern, and
repeated an account of her dirtrefs and her damagei,
particularly the want of a mizen top fail yard, which.
I told the captain was nothing at all.
The Signal was now made to bear up in a line of bafe'
tie a breast. At that infant the Ills loft her fore top
mart above the topsail yard, which yard was not in
jured by the fall, nor was the fail hurt or any other
damage fufhined, to prevent the Ship from working,
the fore topsail being clok reefed and I'et.
I immediately Shortiied fail to give time to the Ills to
clear the wreck, which was done in half an hour or for
ty minutes.
This increased out distance from the enemy. As
soon as I saw the Isis could make fail, ( bore up slud
set the fore fail, and m de the signal for the line a
breast. Wnen we came near the enemy, I found the
Isis and Monmouth hrid dropt afterri between two and
three miles; though both of them f ail much better
than the Romney : Their signals were therefore mad©
to call them to their Rations; 'he Monmouth immedi- #
ately answered, and made fail accordingly, but the Isis
full kept behind.
By these various obftruaions and delays, added to
a Strong lee current, the enemy had drawn us far to
leeward of St. Jago. The fun was set; the sea had in
crewed I could no,t propose a deerfive action in the
night. If I bad followed until day- light my prof efts
were .great and tempting : bur I muff the . de termfc e
to leave my convoy in dirtrtfs, and fenarate from the
troops; without any fixed determination concerning
them nr their deftinatiori : and I mu'?a ; fb have relin
quithed the obje& of the prefect expedition ; because,
after getting so far to leeward that ^e could not fetch
the inlands of Bravo or Fogo, it is a well known faft
tb.t no Ship can beat up gainft the N B. winds and
the S. W. currents which always pre til here, much
less after such an adion as must be expelled.
On the other hand, if the principal force of the e
nemy Should arrive before us at the place of our derti
nation, it might prove equally fatal to the object of
the expedition.
The ilemma was great indeed, and I felt the cruel
Situation with an anguish which I never before expe
rienced ; but sifter maturely weighing the fubjeft in all
its consequences with those persons bn whose judgment
I have mb- confidence; I thought myfeif bound to re
turn to join the ihips under my protection, and to pur
sue the bbiea of the expedition; it, being most proba
ble that the enemy mast either fend, off two of their
disabled Ships of war to the Weft Indies, 'in which
case I Shall have a faperior n'a\,l force, or they must
touch at the Brazils for water and repairs ; And per?
haps they will be obliged to do both; in either of
which cases we Shall have a great advantage by the
preceding adion.
Next day we retook the Hinchenbrgok East India Ship,
with 25 Frencri men on board ; and I earn from them
that the Squadron who attacked us was composed of
Le Heros, 74, M. de Suffrein, Brigadier des armes,
grand commander de Malte.
L'Annibai, 74, M. de Tremigon, capitaine de Vaif
feau.
L'Artefien, .64, M. de Cardaillac, chevalier de Mal
the.
Le Fhynx, 64, M. de Duchillou, capitaine de Vaif*
seen.
Le Veogeur,^, M. le chevalier de Forbin, capitain&.°
de Vaiffe: u.
La Fortune, 16, Corvette.
M. de Carries, commandant de l'Armee de Terre.
Regiment de Pondicherry, deux bathione.
Detachment du regiment d'Auftrafie.
4 Vaiffeaux des fades;,viz.
:^"T^ l et ci "9 Vdiffe A u * defyport
8. L'lrte de France, f 2r "^ en ^e ; -all doubled
4. Pon /cherry, J wrth C °PP^
The Hannibal was the Ship which was difmafted•
the Hrros led in, and fuffered damages next in pro
portion to the Hannibal; the Arttfen, Sphynx, and
Vengeur came in according as they a r h named, but the
last three did not receive much 'injury. The captain
of the Artefien, to which Ship the prisoners belong,
was ki led by a grape Shot on the Shoulder.
They informed me that they failed from Brest the
22d of March, with Mont, le Graffe, and 20 fail of
the line, tnree of which are of three decks, bound to Mar
tinique, besides the Sagittaiie frigate of 50 guns bound
, to North-America.
[NUMB. 777