A SINGULAR VICTORY.

315 of English failors while in Denmark; and it appeared, indeed, by the mufter-roll, that there were upwards of 400 men on board of her when the first gun was fired. Her fuperiority was ftill more confiderable in refpect to guns, without mentioning her greater weight of metal, which furpaffed Jones's beyond all comparison.

This

Next morning the weather was hazy, and not a single fail was to be seen. They then examined the Richard, to fee if it were poffible to carry her into any port. This proving wholly impracticable, all the boats were employed in carrying the wounded on board the other veffels. occupied much of their time; and on the fucceeding day, notwithstanding all their pumps had been at work, the hold was entirely full of water, and the veffel foon after funk. On this occafion, the Commodore could only fave the fignal-flags, and he loft all his property, amounting to more than 25,000 livres,

After this victory, the Commodore inftantly affumed the command of the Serapis, on which he erected jury-mafts; but the fea was so tempeftuous that it was ten days before they reached the Texel.

No fooner was his arrival known, than forty-two veffels, · forming different squadrons of frigates, were fitted out from the various ports of Great Britain against him, and two of these were stationed during three months at the mouths of the Texel and the Fly.

At length, the wind becoming favourable, on the 27th of February, 1779, the Alliance fet fail, after having loft all her anchors, one only excepted. He, however, had the good fortune to escape, although the Alliance paffed the Straits of Dover within fight of the English fquadron in the Downs. After getting clear of the Channel, he foon reached the latitude of Cape Finisterre, and entered the port of Corunna, January 16, 1780.

On his return to France, he found that the French commiffary had made a private sale of his prizes to the king, without confulting him. On this, he repaired to Verfailles, along with Dr. Franklin, but was received with great coolnefs by the Minifter of the Marine. On this account, he declined asking him to prefent him to his Majefty. This honour was conferred on him, however, next day by the Prince de Beauveau, Captain of the Guards. The public received him at the opera, and all the public places where he appeared, with the most lively enthufiafm; this, added to the very favourable reception he received from his Ma jesty, afforded him fingular fatisfaction; and the Minister of the Marine from that moment paid him the most marked

attention.

The Minifter of the Marine, a fhort time after this, lent him the Ariel, a king's ship, carrying twenty guns, with which he failed, October 8th, 1780, for America. The wind was at first favourable; but he was foon after in danger of foundering on the Penmarks, and escaped only by cutting away his main and mizen mafts. As foon as the ftorm abated, they erected jury-mafts, and returned to refit. In fhort, it was the 18th of December before he could proceed for Philadelphia. During the voyage, he fell in with an English twenty-gun fhip, called the Triumph, and, partly by ftratagem, and partly by hard fighting, forced her to strike her flag; but, while they were about to take pof feffion of her, the Captain, taking advantage of her fuperior failing, made off, and efcaped. On his arrival in America, the Congrefs, on the reprefentation of the Chevalier de la Luzerne, paffed a law to enable him to accept the Military Order of France. The French Minifter, on this occafion, gave an entertainment, to which all the Members of Congrefs, and the principal inhabitants of Philadelphia, were invited; after which he was invefted, in their prefence, with the decorations of the Order.

After

HIS DEATH AT KENTUCKY.

317

After this he repaired to St. Domingo, where the governor, M. de Bellecombe, fhewed him many marks of favour and esteem. From hence he went to Philadelphia, where the marks of the French efteem was only encreased by the additional confideration of the Americans' gratitude. His health being impaired, he remained here till the latter end of 1783, when, by an act of Congress, dated at Prince Town, Nov. 1, of that year, he obtained permiffion to come to Europe, to receive his fhare of the prize-money due to him, and to his officers, for their captures from the belligerent powers at war with France and America. This took him two years to fettle, and he returned back in March, 1785. After this, he purchafed and refided upon an estate near Kentucky; but his reftlefs difpofition again. led him out from his retirement, when he heard of the differences between the Ruffians and Turks. With them he feemed to have loft his ufual fuccefs; for though his equipment from Cronstadt confifted principally of Russian sailors educated in the British Navy, having no officers to organize them, his operations in the Black Sea were not remarkable enough to be recounted. It was the end of that war before he came into any action. Upon peace he retired again to America, where he died at Kentucky in the fummer of 1801, aged 53 years.

The Heroic Sayings of CHARLES XII. King of Sweden. WHEN the Ruffians, in league with the Polanders, were

preparing to attack Sweden, a council was called in Sweden, to debate of their affairs, when fome propofed negociations; Charles, then but very young, rifing up faid"Gentlemen, I have refolved never to make an unjust war, nor put an end to a just one, but by the deftruction of my enemies. My refolution is fixed; I will attack the first who declares himfelf: and when I have overcome him,

I hope

I hope to make others fear me." And, from that hour, the king renounced the innocent amusements of his youth, and put on the foldier.

In the first expedition Charles was in, which was the fiege of Copenhagen, in the year 1700, when the troops were to be launched, he jumped into the first boat; and being impatient to land, threw himself, fword in hand, into the fea, being up to his middle in water, his officers and foldiers followed his example, and marched to fhore, in fpight of a flower of musket-balls, difcharged by the Danes.

Charles, who had never before seen any thing of an engagement, afked Major Stuart, who was next him, "What that whiftling was, which he heard?" "It is the noise of the musket-balls, which they fire at you," replied the major. "Very good," faid the king; "for the future, that fhall be my mufic."

At the battle of Narva, where Charles commanded in perfon, having only 8000 Swedes against 100,000 Ruffians, he received a wound in his left shoulder by a musket-ball; and after having had two horfes fhot under him, the fecond having his head carried away by a cannon-ball, he nimbly mounted the third, faying, to those who stood by him, "Thefe fellows oblige me to exercise.".

To the EDITOR of the WONDERFUL MUSEUM. Sir,

W. C.

If the following Account of the Royal Oak, in which King Charles II. was preferved, after the fatal battle at Worcft, September 3, 1651, will deferve a place in your Museum, I here fend it, as viewed by an eye-witness.

IN

I am Yours, &c.-T. K. travelling towards Chefter, a few years fince, I lodged at an inn, called Jeefay-Bank, on the borders between Shropshire and Staffordshire.

About

ACCOUNT OF THE ROYAL OAK.

319

About a mile from which, in a large wood, ftands Bofcobel-Houfe, or White-Ladies, as fome call it, where the loyal family of the Pendrils lived, who preferved king Charles, after the battle of Worcefter, and famous for the Royal Oak.

The grand-daughter of that William Pendril fill lived, though very ancient, in the houfe when I was there. The floor of the garret, which is a popish chapel, (formerly a nunnery in the poffeffion of the family of Cookfey,) being matted, prevents any fufpicion of a little cavity with a flapdoor over the flair-cafe, where the king was hid. His bed was artfully placed behind fome wainscot, that shut up very clofe.

A defcendant of the Cookfeys ftill keeps the gloves and garters which his majefty left behind him.

A bow-fhot from the house, juft by a horfe-track, paffing through the wood, ftood the royal oak, into which the King and Colonel Carlos climbed, by means of the benroost ladder, when they thought it no longer fafe to stay in the house, the family reaching them provifions with the nut-hook.

It happened, as the people informed me, that while the king and the colonel were in the tree, a part of the enemy's horfe, fent to search the houfe, came whiftling and talking along the road; and when they were just under the tree, an owl flew out of a neighbouring tree, and hovered along the ground, as if her wings were broken, which the foldiers merrily purfued.

This tree is now inclofed with a brick wall, the infide whereof is covered with laurel, of which we may fay, as Ovid did of the Auguftine palace, Madiamque tuebore quercum. For the oak is in the middle almoft cut away by travellers, whofe curiofity leads them to fee it. Clofe by its fide grows a young thriving plant from one of its acorns.

After