ply fo with regard to the advantage of a naval flation, and in point of honour, by the double defeat both by fea and land, which, with forces fo greatly unequal, D'Estaing received from the gallantry and conduct of Admiral Barrington and General Meadows. At the fame time, the advantages obtained in the Eaft Indies were of the first importance; and the reduction of Georgia, opened the way for goading and wounding the Ame ricans in their moft tender and fenfible part, by that war which has been ever fince carried on in the fouthern colonies.

In this year, the appearance of things was by no means fo favourable. The flags of our enemies, were now for the first time, or at leaft after a very long interval, feen flying triumphant in our feas, and their fleets braving the Britufh fhores with impunity. The mighty acceffion of the whole weight of the Spanish monarchy, to that dangerous confederacy which was already formed againit us, could not but deeply fick a fcale, which, without that acceffion, was apparently to a level with our own. Such a combination of real power, and of actual effective force, has feldom been known in Europe upon any occafon, much less against any fingle ftate; excepting, perhaps, only that, which was lately united, but without any application of ftrength, in the partition of Poland. The great and formidable confederacy against the king of Pruffia in the late war, will not hold in this comparifon. For befides that he was ably fupported by a most potent ally, various

impediments arofe in the way, which prevented the accumulation, and the actual exertion of feveral of the parts, of that vast force which was defined to his deftruction. The operations of one of the most formidable of his enemies, were greatly impeded by diftance, and still more by internal circumftances. A fecond, not lefs dangerous, was, excepting a very short period, taken wholly off his hands by Great Britain. A third, was deprived of power by furprize; and a fourth, was ineffective by nature. Similar exceptions might be found with respect to the grand alliance formed again ft Lewis the XIVth, at the opening of the prefent centary; and it thould be remembered that Spain, though it was, in fome refpects, rather a burthen, than an acceffion of force to that monarch, yet was more conveniently fituated for him than for his enemies; and that the treafures and commerce of the Indies were in a great meature in his hands during the war.

It was not even against a state, fingle, but whole, that the prefent mighty combination of power was directed. It was against a ftate, already weakened by a ruinous civil war, and now difparted by defection; whilft the fevered parts operated against it in the duplicate ratio, of a privation of native ftrength, and a communication of actual force to the combination.

The refiftance of Great Britain to that mighty combination, filled all thofe parts of Europe which looked on with aftonishment and respect. At home, her refources feemed to grow with her

necef

neceffities.

In no part of the world was her naval or military glory obfcured, where it was thought proper to exert, either her naval or her military power. The combined force of the enemy was incumbered with thofe difficulties which ever attend combined operations: and this was probably the caufe of their lofs of feveral opportunities, the right ufe of which might have proved fatal to us. It was not, as in the war against Louis the fourteenth, in the power of the allies to bring on thofe great battles which decide the fate of empires. The war was at fea; and the fea is a wide field. The naval mode of war is perhaps in its nature not fo decifive as that which is carried on by land. It was become every day more and more difficult to bring on a decifion by land. The alarm of the preceding time had caufed a great exertion in England, which, from a ftate very much unprepared, became at length to be powerfully armed. It must be obferved, however, that this ftand, which was made fometimes by bold pushes, and fometimes by prudent retreats, has had no tendency to bring the war to a termination. The heterogeneous parts of the alliance obtained time to coalefce. The great fubject of alarm to all thinking men was the regular progreffive growth of the enemy's naval force; and that not only in number of fhips, but alfo in naval fkill. This had been too much overlooked in the beginning, from our confined at tention to the American war.

Against this no fufficient precau tion feems to have been taken, VOL. XXII.

Whether afterwards it was in our power to recover our fuperiority, it is not eafy to determine.

Thus, we not only had to encounter the ancient fpirit and gallantry of our neighbour rivals, but likewife that artificial and dangerous courage, arifing from a confcioufness of profeffiona! knowledge and ability; and our feamen could not but be amazed, to fee fome of their own peculiar characteristics, with respect to maritime fkill and dexterity, as it were, fuddenly transferred to the enemy.

The hoftile maniJune 16th. fefto prefented by the Marquis D'Almodo- 1779. var, the Spanish ambaffador, befides the recal of Lord Grantham from Madrid, drew out from the court of London, on the third day after it was prefented, a proclamation for reprizals on Spain, along with another, containing regulations for the diftribution of prizes taken during the continuance of hoftilities with that country. These were followed, foon after the July 9th. rifing of parliament, by another proclamation, which announced to the public the receiving intel-ligence of an intended invafion of this kingdom by our enemies; and which likewife iffued orders to the proper officers, for carefully watching the coafts; and, upon the firft approach of the enemy, for the immediate removal of horfes, oxen, cattle, and provifions, to places of fecurity, and at a proper (but undefined) distance.

These were followed, at due

intervals, and according to all the eftablished rules of form, by [B]

mea

an unusual precision, in giving the fum of fuppofed injuries or grievances, in round and definite numbers, which fo much diftinguished that prefented by the Marquis D'Almodovar. As a juftification of the charge of one bundred injuries laid in that piece, and a proof of the cautious dread of offending the truth, which prevailed in the making of that fate. ment, (which is likewife particularly noticed) eleven charges are laid here, (as the lawyers exprefs it) in one count, twelve in another, and eighty-fix in a third. We are at the fame time affured, that they have abftained from leffer and more diftant matters of complaint, as being too multitudinous for fpecification.

Thefe charges may be arranged under the five following heads; violations of territorial rights; infults, or injuries, to the Spanih flag, navy, or commerce; injuftice of the English admiralty courts, particularly, or entirely, in the West Indies; numberless wrongs, of various kinds, in the Bay of Honduras; and perfonal contempt, infult, and attempt at injury, to the Spanish monarch, during the late negociations for peace, in which he affumed the character of mediator.

With refpect to the first of thefe heads, confidering it diftinctly from what related to the Bay of Honduras, the only charge fpecified, is directed to the redrefs of a notorious act of violence committed by the Spaniards themfeives, who in open defiance of the British flag, had unwarrantably feized, and were beginning to plunder, befides exceeding ill ufage to the captain and crew, a imall

veffel in the Bay of Gibraltar, which happened to be becalmed, or croffed by the current, as fhe was going in with provifions or neceffaries for the ufe of that fortrefs. This outrage was committed in open day-light, in the fight of the garrilon, and under the view of three British frigates of war, which were then riding in the harbour. As the want of wind did not admit the direct interference of the frigates, they dispatched their long-boats for the redemption of the veffel; the officers and crews of which bravely performed the fervice, by cutting out and bringing her off, from under the fire of the Spanish batteries. As the fuccefs in this bufinefs was attended by thofe ufual circumftances of triumph, which are in fome degree peculiar to that intrepid order of men who were the actors in it, thefe now conftituted no fmall part of the prefent charge.

The charges claffed under the fecond and third heads, are of a nature which admit of no opinion, much less decifion, without a dué courfe of enquiry, including a full examination of the evidence on both fides; and are matters which could afford no difficulty in the fettling, if the parties were amicably difpofed. It may, however, be obferved on the whole, that it was not very probable, if any fuch violations did exit, that they were countenanced by the British minifers, whose policy with regard to their favourite points in America, would natu rally make them cautious of giving particular caufe of quarrel to the houfe of Bourbon.

The charges relative to imputed [B] 2

or