The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1782-07-02 00:00:00, page 1

From Rivington's ROYAL GAZETTE.
N E V/ - Y O R K, June I.
Ey his Majeiiy's sloop of war the Fury, Capt. W. Sidney
Smith, we have received the following particular detail
of the engagements between the French and English fleets
in the Welt-Indies.—The following will be found to
agree with the official account dilpatched to England af
ter the actions, on the ,ch and on the 12th of April.
From on board the Formidable, April 16, 1782.
An account of the the two engagements between the British
fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Brydges Rod
ney, and that of France, under the command of the
Compte de Graffe, off th'c islands of Gaudaloupe and Do
minique. , .
THE French fleet, confiding of 34 fail of the line, hav
ing 011 board all the troops (nearly 6oao) that could be
spared from the ganif6ns ofcheir windward islands, with
about 30 fail of their trade and ftoreships, under the com
mand of the Compte de Grafle, stole out of Fort Royal bay,
Martinique, at day break of the Bth infant, which being
communicated to us at Gross-Islet, St, Lucia, by our cruizers
that were Rationed on the look-out, Sir George Rodney put
to sea immediately thereon, with 36 fail of the line, leaving
the Shrewsbury and Intrioed, who were considered as crip
ples, behind; and in a few hours after we got fight of the
rear of the enemy's fleet. A general chace occasioned our
ships to gain on them fall, but night coming on, it was
judged belt to colled our fleet, and proceed in greater
order,
We fetched under Dominique about 10 P. M. when we
difeovered our near approach on the main body of the
French ships; and at 3 in the morning brought too for day
light, which opened to out view (he whole efthc enc my, who
unfortunately focus, by their carying fail had got through
the calms and eddy-winds, that always prevail under the
high lands—but we having Rill the true breeze, our line
a-head was soon formed, which however became broken as
the van ships reached to the spot abovementioned. During
this period the French made several tacks in the pafftge be
tween Guadeloupe and Dominique, thereby clfi&ing the
escape of their convoy, which made off under the let of
Guadeloupe. .
As our ships freed themselves of the eddies, they again
formed the line as before, but the van, Sir Samuel Hood's
division, had not all taken their Ration ere the French Ad
miral, who was an the opposite (i. e. larboard) rack, bore
up with his whole force, began the a&ion at the ulual dis
tance, and pretfed hard upon our headmoft ships, making it
a most vexatious business to our Commander jn Chief, who
was still becalmed in the Formidable, as were the fternmoft
of the center, and every one of the rear division.
\ The firing on the van, whole commander Sir Samuel
Hood, fußained it with the uunoft bravery, and made an
excellent return to every shot the enemy dired&d at his ships,
lasted for three hours and forty minutes.'
In this action only part of the center division (to the fe
conda-ftern of the Formidable),vere engage d,anath<fe not
longer than twenty minutes; at the expiration of which,
by the Royal Oak, Capt, Burnett, the leader, and the Mon
tague having been much disabled, fell out of the line, and
the rear of our fleet, with part of the center, making in all
16 fail, remaining becalmed, without the lead p< ffibility of
bringing them into adion, as the enemy were cautious in
preserving their weather-gage, our Admiral thought it ne
cessary to difeontinue so unequal a combat; upon which
the enemy hauled their wind, and continued plyingtowind
ward the next and the following day, whilh we could make
but little progress towards them; but having tolerably
repaired our damages on the iith,a gencralchaie wasgiven
to two of their leewardmoft ships, which h^d its desired
idea, by bringing the whole of the French fleet down to
their prote&ion.
Sir George Rodney now made the signal for the order of
failing, keeping the fleet under their three top-fails and
fore-fails that night, and by landing towards Dominique
we caughtthe S. E. trade, and at day-break had the very
great fatisfa&ion of finding ourlelvcs.ro windward of molt
of the French ships.
The line a-hcad, at two cables length afuidcr, on the
Larboard tack, was presently 4 formed, and Rear Admiral
Drake's division being put in the Ration of Sir Samuel
Hood's, Ly reason of the galls it had received in the late
action, the Marlborough became the leader, looking up for
the second ship a-head of the French Admiral, and com
menced the attack on the enemy (who had formed their
line to receive us to leeward) on the opposite or larboard
sack, at three quarters past seven, in the morning of the 12th
®f April.
There being a pretty brisk breeze, the ships soon elofed
with each other, and the conflift was furious on both sides,
our commanders and men anting their parts to admiration ;
there was no refilling the tremendous and well dirc^cd fire
WFFKIV IV^TT TGF™MCFR
Il A RfFO RD: Printed by H UDSON AND G OODW I N, wear the Great Bridge.
TUESDAY, Juyl 2, 1782.
Many ofour ships yards and top-mafls were shot away,
and others had their fails stripped from them by the horrid
and unfair implements thq French made use of in the&&ion,
such as bars ©f iron, pieces of broken shells, and every
other species of laugerage.
However the van ships, and these of the center and rear
again fetched up with the enemy, and renewed their fire
on them ; one of their ships, the Glorieux of 74 guns, that
had been difmafted in the aQion, was taken roffeffion of
soon after; a second, the Cziar of 74 guns, wruck to the
Centaur ; a third, the Heftor, a 74 gun ship, to the Canada
and Alcide : and a fourth, was the Ardent (formerly our
own) who hauled down her colours to the Bclliqueux and
Prince William Henry, asihey icfpc&ively came up with
them, making little or no opposition.
The Ville de Paris, Count de Grade's ship, a firft-rate of
110 guns, being also overtaken, just as the fun had quitted
the horrizon, she gave up the conreft in like manner,
The remaining ships of the vanquished foe were at a dif
tance —those of cur fleet were much intermingled or greatly
extended or removed from each other—so that any further
pursuit would certainly h^ve been precarious, and would
have been such, perhaps, every thing considered, as might
not have been productive of any good consequence. An
action in the nfoht time, with ships which must irregularly
come up withthe enen^, who had gathered together in a
body of co heavy line of battle ships, might have proved
fatal to themselves, and it muff inevitably have occafiuned
the difpe.fion ofour fleet, which, for the melt important
reasons, ought at this juncture to be collected and kept toge
ther as much as peffibic, which our illustrious Commander
in Chief most wifely forefaw. and accordingly put an end
to the battle, feon after the French Admiral ihuck to the
British fag.
FRENCH LINE.
First Division, Le Ville de Paris,* lio
Le Soveraigne, 74 Le Cou onne, 84
Le Hercule, -4 Le Kefleche, 64
Le A.iguUe, 80 Sixth Division.
Le Northumberland 74 Le Scipion, 74
Second Division. Le Palmier, 74
Le Zele, 74 Seventh Division.
Le Conquerant 74 .Lejifon, * 64
Le due de Burgoyne 84 ; Le Citoyne, 74
Le Marfellois, 74 j J.e Deftin, 7,
Third Division. I Le Dauphin Royal, 74
Le He&or,* 74 Eighth Division.
Le Magnanime, 74 1° Ardent, 64
leCzixr,* 74 lc Neptune, 90
Le Diademe, * 74 Le Triumphant, 84
Fourth Division. Le Magtyfique , 74
Le Glorieux,* 74 Ninth Division.
Le Sceptre, 74 [ e Caton,*
Le Eville, 64 Le Buigoync, 741
Fifth Division. Le Brave, 74
Le Languedoc, 90 Le Pluton. 74
Those with this mark * were either taken 01 deiboyed by
es the center of the Admiral's division, composed of three
90 gun ships : The French a&ualy seemed panic ftiuck at
it; some of their ships } affirg so near as ahnell to lockout
yards, without the power of hing a gun at us, or if they
did, it was so poorly dire&d as fcarccly to do„ny mifehief
One of these having received the Formidable and Namur's
broadfidcs, upon what she had got before, took her leave of
the water's furface, without a foul being laved, to^ive the
hiltory of her deplorable fate.
Our Commander in Chief, to whose undaunted courage
and resolution his country mist be forever indebted, as well
as to his meritorious and nioft judicious affidaut Sir Charles
Doug.afs, feeing of how much coniequente it would be to
toicc the F ench line, w- himself the fi/ft to perform the
gallant undertaking, in the Formidable, which he carried
into effect about five minutes after nine o'clock, and this
afforded an opportunity, not only to himfe If, but to the
ships that followed, of doing incredible execution, on that
part of the French line which was broker., which was thrown
into the greatest confu fion to leeward of us, each ship mak
ing off before the wind, with every rag of fail she could let.
Our ships were also pretty severely handled, in their masts,
rigging ard fails ; and it therefore took much time to put
them into the proper state, in order to secure the advan
tages they had so gioriotfly obtained.
The signal for the line being now hauled down, it was
the Qty of each ship to purfuc the enemy as she belt could ;
but as the wind had greatly abated, and in many fpors fal
len to a stark calm, it confequcntly took some time to over
take the flying enemy, who was completely routed on all
sides.
gave them. In the afternoon the fleet all joined, though
not in compaft body, occasioned by a part of the fleet's be
ing much difabicd. The 10th and 11,th the enemy evaded
us by turning to windward between Dominique and the
Saints. On the in portant and fortunate 12th, at day-break
we discovered a ship with her foremaft gone, attended by
a frigate, immediately the fleet was in a general chafe af
ter her, but the Count de G:affe, happily for Great-Britain^
preferred risking a general cugagehrent to the facrificing *
single ship, and accordingly fore downto cover her,ft etch
ing his line an the larboard tick : Sir George immediately
made tl.r figl al for a compad line, ore cable's length dis
tant. The rear division, under Admiral D-ke, was raw
become the van, from their norbeing,in a&ion on the 9th.
and confequcntly Left able to sustain the £ ft of the .d.^n.
The battle commenced about eight, with g^cac fury, but
ill judgment on the enemy's fide. The Marlborough led
the dfteet, and fetched about the sixth ship from rhe van; we
wentdo&n the line under the top-fails. What puffed in
the center and rear could not be oifccrned until m. fro eke
cleared away, when we saw diftind y Sir George Rodnep
to windward efthe French line, whryh was broke, in tha
utmeft confufion, and running away. The signal for the.
line was now hauled down, and the one for clofc a&ion left
Hying. An ample field was now open for gallantry and
exertion, and it is a particular happiness that no public cen
fuic was thrown cqt, but Captain Cornwallis's behaviour
was very confpicaous and truly heroic. The crerry, now
mere wrecks, surrendered their shipswitheut much opposi
tion, and soon after sun-set, the Namur, Formidable, and
Barfieur; being near up with the Ville de Paris, the Count
de GraS'c iuriordered her, after being deferred by his se
conds and the rest of the fleet, though as ire has said fincc,
the signal for rallying was flying, and several shot fred at
them. Nothing, my dear fir, was wanting but day-light:
to have totally annih^cd tire marine as France, -with a
part pf a fleet cifabled ahd much Scattered. I de , ot think
the Admiral could do mere that night, and the ffgr.al tor
battle was hauled down. The \ihe de Paris, Glorieux,
H< for, Ardent and Carar fell, tut tire latter unfoitunarcly
blew up in the nights ihac arc itrong pcfemfCCLa that a
Conclusion ofa letter from on boardthe Barfteur, Sir Samuel
Hood's ship, May 10, <ff Cape-Francois.
" Early on the 19th five fail of French ships were seen
going down the Mona, viz. The Caton and Jason, each
64 guns, I'Amiable frigate of 32 guns, the Ceres (formerly
British of 16 guns) were taken, but the l'Aftiea of 40 guns
efcap.d ; four fail of shattered French ships got into Cur
racoa, the rest of their beaten and dying ficet are arrived at
Cape-Francois, where Sir Samuel Hood is cruizing in three
dis ifions, to secure, if poflible, the abovementioned ships,
which may attempt to join at the Cape, and fixty-tkrcc fail
of Dutchmen, convoyed by two fail of the lire for Europe.
The lots in French ships taken, exch five of these deft ey
ed in action, cor fids as follows—French ships taken, viz.
Ville de Paris, iio guns, 1460 men—Glory, 74 gu s, 900
men—Caton, 64 guns, Bzo men—Ji for 64 gru s. 80men.
Ardent, 64 guns, 820 men-- Amiable, 32 gu ^ 300 n en.
Ceres, 18 guns, 160 men.—Destroyed, D, acn 74 a u s,
900 men—C^far, 74 guns, 900 men.—T^kcu, 7980 men,
with the troops on board.
Sir Samuel Hood is eff C^pe Tiberor, with two r.h< • di
visions, under Admiral Drake and ( < huvodor' f ffleci the
latter off Cape-Nichola. A iquadiun hum Jamaica was
icen to join Sir Samuel Hood.
T heic were in Cape-Francois, 16 fail of Spat i h and 26
fail of French line of battle ships, the latrcrtn m th. Carri-
bean seas; also, 32,000 troops, which tad been cod &d
atthree of the.principal ports of the tfl. nd, all rrtended
against Jamaica, but the whole dif,erfed dn<aiy after that
catastrophe of the Count de GiafTe was known there.
Captain Smith left Sir Samuel Hoed off Hifpanicla the 17th
of May.
Extract of another letter from an officer, prefint in the ; &i
---ons of the 9th and 12th of April, in the Weft-ladies,dat
ed May 7.
“ On the 7th of April we had intelligence of the French
fleet's being in motion, on which our whole fleet put to sea,
confining of 35 fail of the line, and some Ligates. Or the
morning of the 9th we rincovered their whole fit et, consist
ing of 34 fail of the line, and a number of transports, under
the lee of Dominique. The partial winds, prevalent under
the islands, permitted the enemy to form the line, and cover
the retreat of their transports, white ve lay becalmed and
ina&ive. However, the van. ,commanded by Su Samuel
Hood, and a part of the center division, soon got a betze,
led on and engaged tbcir.wl ole line; you niuft emenber
all this tync the whole rear division, at d-i< me of the cen
ter were becalmed, and fpe&ators of a voy unequal fight.
Here I think the enemy neither shewed judgmental gallan
try, convinced that they might have totally cut up the van,
ifthey hadembraced the advantage the situation of ou flecc
(No. 910.)