The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1780-08-09 00:00:00, page 1

BRIDGE-TOWN, (Barbados) May 27.
Being favoured <oitb the copy of the following extracts
mid minutes of a gentleman on board one of the Jbips
of war in the late actions, cue have taken the earlieji
opportunity of laying them before the public.
no H E body of the fleet lying in Shore-Bay
■taking in water, stores, and provisions, and
refitting the damage received in the late
artion, in order to renew the battle the frit
opportunity, and the Admiral having information the
sth of this month, from one of the frigates cruizing
lor observation, that the French fleet was seen about
ten leagues to windward of Point Saline, he made the
signal for failing, when the fleet immediately got un
der way, having orders to hold themselves in Con
stant readings for fading at the Ihorteft notice. The
afternoon of the ,th the enemy's fleet appeared, bear
ing E. S. E. of our fleet, fix or (even leagues distant,
Handing to the southward, with the wind at ealt,
Point Saline then bore due north of our fleet, five
leagues distant, .upon which the Admiral made the
signal to prepare for battle, and when we had got
considerably nearer the enemy, formed the line, Rill
beating to windward, and endeavouring to get near
enough to the enemy to force them to action, which
they prevented by keeping close hauled to the wind,
endeavouring to avoid an engagement by all means ;
and it is very unfortunate that their superiority in fail
ing in general, in a line, give them too much the op
tion of distance. About fix in the evening of the 15th
the van of our fleet, then upon the larboard tack,
having got pretty close to the enemy, the Admiral
made the signal to prepare for battle.
Capt. Boyer, in the Albion, very gallantly led the
van to action, in a manner that does him much ho
nour and credit, and about 50 minutes past 6, fetch
ed the centre of the enemy's line, and engaged each
of their rear ships as they passed on the other tack,
keeping up a very heavy and uninterrupted tire all the
time. By reason of a violent squall, with a sudden
Ihift of wind, but 8 of our headmoft ships, Admiral
Rowley's division, could fetch any part of the enemy's
line ; the very heavy and constant fire the Albion as
well as the other ships that got into artion, kept up
on the fliips that passed them, deserves great applause,
and they must have done the enemy considerable da
mage. At 37 minutes after 7 the enemy's rear passed
our ships, when the action ceased, and soon after the
fliips that had engaged joined the fleet, when we tack
ed and flood the fame way with the enemy. The
Albion and Magnificent appeared to have fuffered
most at this time, as being firft up, and passed a great
number of the French ships very near, the other ihips
also filtered ; but it is to be hoped, from the very
go<xl fire they continually kept, they have hurt the
enemy considerably more.
Nothing material happened from that time till the
T,th, about one in the afternoon, in lat. 14 d. 18 m.
to windward of Martinico, when we, still in a line of
battle, endeavouring to get near enough to engage
the enemy, and standing N. E. which was the point
they bore from us, with the wind at E.S.E. saw them
tack to the southward, and perceiving they could not
weather the van of our fleet, then on the larboard
tack, the Admiral made the signal to prepare for bat
tle about 15 minutes past two, and a quarter of an
hour afterwards, the signal for the rear to close; 25
minutes after three, the enemy began to fire on our
van, which was led by Commodore Hotham in the
Vengeance, whose conduct and bravery on this as
well as on all former occasions, deserve the utmolt
credit. In a few minutes afterwards the Admiral
threw out the general signal for battle, and our van
and centre ships very smartly engaged the whole of
their line as they passed on the opposite tack, suc
cessively, hauling their wind as they came abreatt of
the Sandwich in the centre, and thereby avoiding the
fire of our rear division ; 50 minutes patt four, the
Admiral made ffie signal for the Admiral in the third
post (Rowley ) just then out of action with the van di
vision to tack and endeavour to gain the wind of the
enemy ; about 15 minutes after five, the van having
palfed our fliips, the firing ceased, when the Admiral
made the signal for the headmoft and weathermolt
ships to tack lirft, and engage successively as they came
up with the enemy, at the fame time hauling down
the signal for the line. But finding it impracticable
to renew the artion upon that plan, as the enemy
kept well to windward, under a press of fail, and the
wind very unfavourable for our purpose, the Admiral
about half past five, threw out the signal for a close
line a-head again, when the fleet tacked together,
Banding on the fame tack with the enemy, and kept
in light of them all night. They certainly mull have
fuffered very considerably this time, as our ships kept
'up a very heavy and constant fire upon them as they
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. lil.]
Wednesday, August 9, 1780.
passed, and several of their fliips appeared greatly
difablcd, three of them being observed not able to
keep the line. Next morning the Admiral made the
signal for weekly accounts, with the Bate and condi
tion of the ships ; at noon, lat. 14, 58, N. formed the
line north and feuth, the French licet then bearing
N. E. by E. of us, a great way off, arid that evening
got quite out of fight, when the signal for the line was
hauled down, and all cruizers called in. Sunday
morning the Conqueror. Boyne and Cornwall, being
very leaky and much difablcd in artion, left the fleet,
with the Fortune and Greyhound frigates, fleering
for St. Lucia, and the rest of the fleet anchored in
Carlifle-Bay about two o'clock on Monday morning.
Naval hn'ory does not afford an instance of two
such fleets maneuvering for to long a time, and so
near each other, nor perhaps of such great and capi
tal strokes of profellional skill and abilities as were
exhibited 011 both tides upon this occasion. The
maßerly and very officer-like manner in which Sir
George brought the fleet to a general action on the
17th of last month, in spite of the cautious and very
artful manoeuvres of the French Admiral, furpafles
all former inflanccs of good conduct and very judici
ous management, and mull gain him immortal honor,
or rather add to that high profcfiional reputation he
has already established, and there is no doubt but such
another opportunity would have enabled him to have
given a very fatisfadory account of the enemy.
Indeed his uniform conduct, during the whole of
this expedition, dcfcrvcdly claims all the credit and
applause that a grateful nation can bestow on so great
and good an officer, who has been so anxioully and
defatigably attentive to the service he is engaged in,
and it is molt ardently to be hoped that an adequate
reinforcement will soon enable him totally to defeat
the enemy's fleet, and eftablilh an indifputed sove
reignty in these seas, and the harmony at present fub
filling between the different commanders, promises
the molt unanimous exertion of every effort.
Admiral Rodney told a Gentleman now here, that
for these fix weeks past he has expected Admiral Ar
buthnot from America with 10,000 troops.
Jul, 7. Since our last an alarm has been fired here,
having received information of an immediate attack
being intended to be made by the enemy; On Wed
nesday evening, on the arrival of an express by the
Greyhound frigate, the alarm was difeharged. The
purport of the express was the announcing the arrival
of Admiral Wallingham at Barbados, with 12 fail of
the line, all coppered. The other line of battle ships
and two frigates being left to take care of the out
ward bound convoy momently expected: There are
two companies of the royal artillery on board, with
some regiments of foot. When the Greyhound left
Barbados, the above men of war were getting under
way to proceed to join Admiral Rodney at St. Lucia.
As this is nowan uncontrovertable fadt, wemay, in our
turn, carry the alarm into the bosom of our enemies.
Since we have been informed that the Admiral will
not fuffer the fleet to remain here longer than the
15th of this month.
Jul, 11. On Saturday last arrived at Nevis from
London, the London Merchant, in whom came pas
sengers Robert Pemberton and James Sadler, Efqrs;
they parted company with the convoy 15 days ago.
Two line of battle ships, and transports u ith four re
giments, parted with the fleet off Madeira, and made
the belt of their way for Barbados; the merchant
ships, with two line of battle ships, flopped at Ma
deira, the men of war are, Thunderer, Commodore
Walfinghain, Egmont, Berwick, and Centaur, with
some frigates. A brig arrived a few days ago at An
tigua, which parted with the convoy off Cape Fini
fterre, and informs as above, but adds, that ihe fell
in with the Culloden man of war, bound for Barba
dos ; the failed singly from England. Admiral Graves,
with 7 fail of the line, parted with the above fleet,
and fleered in search of five fail of French ships ofthe
lire, which have done considerable damage 011 the
banks of Newfoundland.
Saturday forenoon, a fleet of 130 fail, several of
them two deckers, were seen 7 or 8 leagues to the well
ward of Montserrat, fleering close by the wind to the
northward ; one of them, a very large Ihip, carried a
white flag at her fore-topmafl head ; as they have not
as yet appeared in fight of this illand, it is probable
that they are the Spanilh fleet going to their fcttlc
ments to the leewaid.
By the next packet we are in hopes of hearing of a
general artion at home between the two fleets of Eng
land and France, as they were both out when the last
accounts came away. We have not yet heard who
commands either.
BASSETERRE, (St. Cbrlflopher's ) June 23;
T H E
N E W-Y OR K, July 19.
Europe, off Sand,-Hook, July 16, 1780.
Mr. Rivington,
BY command of the Admiral Ifubjoin for publicatt
on, an extract of a letter lately received from Sir George
Bridges Rodney, the naval commander in chief at the
leeward islands . •He dtfres it may be inserted in your
paper as Joon as pofible.
Sandwich, Cros-Iflet Bay, St. Lucia,
18th June, 1780.
" On the 17th of April we had a general engage
ment with the French fleet, under the Comte de°Gui
chen. His Majesty's squadron consisting of twenty
fail of the line, the enemy's of twenty-three; after
an obstinate and bloody artion the enemy fled on
every fide; but it was full 48 hours before we could
pursue them.
" We followed them until the aid of May, how
ever nothing could tempt them to a second artion ;
though on the 15th and 19th we forced them to two
recountres, in these the enemy had twenty-three fail
of the line, the British fleet consisted of seventeen and
two fifties ; yet they pusillanimously persisted to avoid
a second general artion.
" By all accounts their loss has been great indeed !
All their hospitals at Martinique, at Guadaloupe and
Dominique being moie than full—they own to have
1500 kihed in the firlt battle, and 600 in the two re
countres.
" To Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot."
I am your most obedient humble servant,
WILL. GREEN, Sec'y.
July 14. It is impossible for us to ascertain any thing
with certainty refpetting the fleets in these seas ; we
are frequently betrayed into error by contrasted re
ports, and obliged to contradict what we assert on
supposed good authority. The credibility of the
French and Spanish fleets Ireing gone to leeward, is a
matter of doubt with those who judge of the impru
dence of leaving their windward colonies exposed to
the attacks of a man of Admiral Rodney's active turn
and genius for war. One day we are informed ofthe
arrival of the London trade at Barbados under convoy
of Commodore Walfingham; With 5 fail of the line;
the next day we are told that Admiral Graves has join
ed the Commander in Chief, with 7 fail of the line ;
the third day we are assured that 5 fliips of war are
arrived from America, and that our fleet consists of
35 ships ofthe line, besides frigates. This is all rea
dily believed by those who would wish it true, and
though their hopes are often fruftrated by other intel
ligence of supposed equal authority, we may venture
to assert that St. Kitts is as fafe from any hostile attack
as the tower of London.
For the New-Jersey Gazette.
Mr. COLLINS,
.XI O part of the fyftern for conducing the Quarter
master-General's department, adopted the 15th
of last month, is of more importance, will give more
latisfa&ion, or be attended with more salutary con
fcqucuccs, than that general-regulation, comprehen
sive of all the departments, which difeontinues the
illites of rations from the publick stores after thrfirft
inllaut, to any person whatsoever, except such as are
in camp or attached to and serving with the army.
All reformations are difficult : No person who has
become in the least acquainted with the improper
consumption of the publick provisions, forage, and
other articles, in every quarter of the country, will
be furprized at the artifices we may expert to fee
prartifed to defeat this regulation, and to have a cus
tom continued which is very convenient to many in
dividuals ; no matter what expence it creates to the
community, or what deficiencies it causes in the fub
fillence of the soldiery.
I ever thought the furnifhing of rations to person%
employed at polls and places throughout the country,
and not attached to and moving with the army, the
most deftrurtive policy, and have seen it produce the
most serious milchiefs. It is a little unaccountable
how it was introduced, there being no kind of necef
lity for it, and no example of it in any other country.
Every one knows that an army must be fuoplied by
means of publick stores and magazines; it 'is plainly
impracticable for them to procure their own neceffa
rics. But this is not the case with those employed at
polls, Nations, and places not in camp or the vicinity.
If it is laid that money without rations cannot support.
persons in this predicament ; I answer it is a fhallow'
prejudice taken up without thought. Cannot wages
be so calculated as to include pay and what wouht
procure a ration per day? Do the Commissaries or
others buy these rations of provisions, forage, fuel,
or any thing else without money, and cannot the.
[Numb. 13,.]