H The GAZETTE de FRANCE AS given no account of the engagemens of the Comie de Graffe with Actural Rodney on the 9th and 12th of Apl; but in the fupplement to that paper of Friday June 7th, there is an account of the of ficers killed and wounded on board De Graffe's feet. It is evidently a very mutilated and dingenuous fate of their lofs; but fuch as it is, we give it for the fatisfaction of our readers. SUPPLEMENT a la GAZETTE du Vendredi 7Juin, 1782. On board the thips of the fleet, commanded by the Count de Graffe, actually at the Cape, under the Marquis de Vaudreuil. Le Triomphant, the Chevalier du Pavillon, captain commandant. Le Diademe, the Chevalier de Brochereuil, Auxiliary officer. Le Conquerant, the Sieur de la Forgerie, Sub-Lieutenant in the regiment of Agenois. Le Magnanime, the Sieur de Trogoff, SubLieutenant in the regiment of Foix. La Bourgogne, the Sicur de Kerolain, Garde Marine. Le Palmier, the Sieur de Karuel, Lieute nant. Le Northumberland, the Sieurs de St. Cefaire, Captain, and de le Siege de la Metterie, Lieu tenant. Officers Wounded. Le Duc de Bourgogne, the Sieurs de Champmartin, Captain of the fhip, a contufion in the left arm; Barton de Montbas, Enfign of the thip, flightly wounded; de Vitaelon du Lifcover, fecond Captain of the thip, the left leg amputated; De Queteville, Lieutenant of the regiment of Champagne, badly wounded. Le Sceptre, the Sieurs de Mallet, Lieutemant of the hip, flightly wounded; de Lau. lanie, Enfign of the thip, a bad contufion; de Montezun, Licut. Colonel of the regiment of Touraine, a bad contufion; de Montalembert, fecond Lieut. in the regiment of Touraine, flightly wounded; the Count de Vaudreuil, Commodort, flightly wounded. Le Souver air, the Sieur Durouret, flightly wounded in the throat. Le Deftin, the Sieur de Troll, a Swedish Lieutenant, flightly wounded and a contufion in the left thigh. Le Languedoc, the Sieurs Vieuxbourg de Roz ly, Lieutenant of the fhip, badly wounded; Charron da Portelie, auxiliary officer, a contufion in the right leg; de Genillard, ad The French now admit that this ship was funk; the Marquis de Montecler the Captain who was faved, has arrived in France. Captain in the regiment of Monfieur, a flight wound in the lett leg; de la Broife, Lieut. in the regiment of Armagnac, burned in the face; Dumarché, Enfign of the regiment of Armagnac, a contufion in the right eye. La Couronne, the Sicurs de Champagny, Lieut. of the fhip, badly wounded; de Marnieres, Ensign of the thip, fightly wounded; de Jean, Lieut. of the regiment of Beauce, face burned; Tennegoy, Sub-Lieut. of the reg of Armagnac, a splinter in the left hand. Le Diademe, the Sieus de Clerimbert, Licut. of the thip, a contufion in the right hand; Roland, auxiliary officer, flightly wounded; de Villé, 2d Capt. in the regiment of Armagnac, badly wounded. Le Conquerant, the Sieurs Dupuy, Lieut. of the hip, a bad contufion in the right thigh; de Bleffinga, Lieut, of the thip, a bad contufion in the left thigh and arm; de Lirec, Garde Marine, wounded in the right leg. Le Magnanime, the Sieurs Comte de le Begue, Capt. commandant; le Chevalier de Carcaradec, Lieut. of the ship; le Villain, auxiliary officer; du Froffey, auxiliary othcer; Delhayes, Lieat, in the regiment of Foix. Le Scipion, the Sieurs d'Affas de Mondar dier, Lieut. of the thip, a contufion in the left knee; Dumontel, Capt. in the regiment of Agenois; d'Hadhemard, Sub-Licut. in the regiment of Viennois. Le Neptune, the Sieur de Renoard, Enfigy of the thip, badly wounded. Le Citoyen, the Sieur d'Ethy, Capt. com. mandant, four contufions; Bicher, auxiliary officer, three contufions. Le Reflechi, the Sieurs de Medine, Capt. commandant, a wound in the left eye; Def piés, Lieut. of the thip, flightly wounded; de Coquet, Lieut. in the regiment of Agenois, a bad contufion; Martin, auxiliary officer, a bad wound in the right eye; de Chataufor, Garde Marine, bad contufion in the right thigh. Le Magnifique, the Sieurs Montel, a Swedith officer, burned in the face; de Trouront, Capt. in the regiment of Agencis, arm broke. On board the Triomphant the 27th of April, 1782. (Signed) LE CHEVALIER DE L'EGUILLE. Major charged with the General deran." Officers killed and twounded, on board the Ville de Paris, in the battle of April 12. The Sieurs de Villeneuve Flayofe, Lreat. of the thip, ́killed; de Beaucoute, Enfign of the ftip, leg fhot away. The Comte Henry de St. Simon, and the Sieur de Kerle u, flightly wounded; Accounts of Admiral Rodney's Victory over the French Fleet in the Weft Indies. Admiral Rodney having sent off his dispatches fo recently after the battle of the 12th of April, that he had not time to enter into a detail of it, but only mentioned the time it began, when it finished, and the names of the hips taken; it has been thought proper to collect the private decounts that hasse been fent home, in order to preferve the particulars of a Victory jo very memorable and glorious. TH Le Caton NEUVIEME DIVISION. 74 HE following is an authentic lift of the French squadron in the actions of the Idem, au mat d' artimon. Dito at the mizen. 9th and 12th of April, with its feveral divi64 La Bourgogne tions, as found on board the Ville de Paris, 74 Le Pluton after Sir George Brydges Rodney had tranf mitted his dispatches to England.. Duc de Bourgogne 80 Le Marfellois 74 74 Idem, aut mat d'artimon. Ditto at the mizen. 74 Le Diademe Frigate. L'Engagrant. QUATRIEME DIVISION. ESCADRE BLANCHE. 74 Le Brave Frigate. L'Amazone. 74 As no officer ever fought the enemy with more gallantry and fuccefs than the brave Rodney, fo no hero ever related his victory with more pointed brevity than he has done" in a letter to Paul Ourry, Efq. Commiffioner at Plymouth dock, of which the following is an exact copy. "Dear Paul, "It is done! the French fleet is entirely defeated, and Britain's flag flies victorious! "I am &c. G. B. RODNEY." The following is an authentic copy of a letter, written by Sir George Bridges Rodney to a gentleman, a particular friend. Formidable, at Sea, April 15, 1782. "Dear Sir, "I can just fnatch a moment to congra tulate you on the important victory gained by his Majesty's arms over De Graffe and his fleet: but 1 muft own the enemy fought well, and difputed it with fuch fpirit, as if the fate of both nations depended upon the event. Never was fleet fo mauled, or so much deftruction made among them, The Formidable White fired 80 broadfides, and all near; no French thip could stand her fire as the paffed, for the 74 fired three broadfides for one. You may be fure our fleet has not fuffered a little in their mafts, fails, and rigging; but as you fent fuch a quantity of ftores, they will foon be refitted at Jamaica, where we are going, as falt as our fhattered condition will allow; Jamaica had certainly gone, had it not been for this lucky event. May we live to see our Monarch triumph over all his enemies! Adieu, and be affured I am, with truthand fincerity, Dear Sir, Idem, au grand mat. Ditto at the main mat. Frigates. La Medee, Le Clairvoyant, L'Iris. weather, for that time fruftated their views, only two of the thips having been able to perform their voyage. The next reinforcement intended for him failed the 11th of February. As foon as intelligence of this reinforcement arrived at St. Lucia, meafures were taken for intercepting t; but it would appear that the French hips had made Defeada to the northward, and hawled in to leeward of our Cruizers, getting in by the Pearl, or Dom: nica chaunel, into Martinico. They anchored there March 21, whilst our fleet was all to windward; and we had intelligence of their having got in on March 28. Our Iquadrons and cruizers were then called in, and every poffible expedi ion was used to equip and fore the fleet, to be ready to attend De Graffe in his voyage to leeward, Admiral Drake's fquadron being kept longest out cruizing, had met with confiderable damage in a fudden fquall; but fo well provided was our fleet with flores, and fo much alertnefs was used in reitting, that the whole in a few days was compleatly fitted and stored ready for fervice. Our force at St. Lucia was 36 fail of the line, fit for fea, befides feveral others leaky, and not in a condition for fervice. De Graffe had only 33 fail of the line, that he could take to fea with him, and many of thefe in a very poor condition to go into fervice. It may therefore be asked, how he could think of failing, incumbered with tranfports, on an expedition in the face of a fuperior force, and had he been fo fuccefsful as to have got off fafe, it would have appeared to every one a most unaccountable tranf action. Officers that have long acted against each other can give a threwd guefs at what their antagonist will do in every poffible emergency. He had been fuccessful last year in completing the conqueft of Tobago, in fight of our feet; and had obferved, that it was the conftant view of our commanders to act with their whole force, and how difficult it was for one large fleet to bring another to action, that wished to decline it. With this View he refolved to keep clofe under the inlands, inftead of puthing, as his courfe was, directly to leeward. By having a few hours tart of our hips, and being able to keep more clofe in with their own iflands than we could venture, and keeping his convoy be. tween him and the thore, he was in hopes to throw his purfuers to leeward, and effect his purpofe and had he not indifcretly begun the action on the 9th, when he thought he had an advantage over our van, which ended in difabling two of his thips, and was the caufe of the decifive action of the twelfth, he certainly might have got off. For as it was, he had got fo far to windward of our fleet as to be only difcernible with the body of his fleet from our maft heads, and it had become matter of deliberation on our fide, whether to continue an ineffectual chace, or push to leeward, and wait for them at their VOL. III. 1782. rendezvous: De Graffe was alfo pinched in point of time, the feafon for expeditions in the West Indies being well advanced; and the caution with which he had ufed his mafter's fleet had given him, with his officers, the character of patroon and coward; to that he was in terms with very few under his command, and was the efore probably itimulated to venture more than he otherwife fhould in prudence have done. On Monday, April 8, fignal was made from our cruizers off Fort Royal, that the French were then under way in great force, attended with a fleet of tranfports. Our ileet inftantly weighed, and flood to the northward under Martinico, after them, and foon got fight of part of their men of war. The purfuit was continued during night, under every poffible fail, and was directed by the enemy's night fignals; the wind a freth gale at N. E. by E. Ar two in the morning, the Valiant, Capt. Goodall, being to windward of the Formidable, difcovered the enemy under the north end of Dominica, and foon after their fhips were vifible from the Formidable. At three the fleet brought to by fignal, the enemy, then nearly bearing N. Tuefday, April 9th, half past five in the moniing, a fignal was thrown out to prepare for battle, and a line to be formed at two cables length afunder, and the fleet to fill, and fland on. At this time one of the encmy's fhips had got fo far to leeward, detached from their line, that the must have immediately fallen, had not the wind failed us, while it ferved her to regain her flation. The French kept working to windward in the channel between Dominica and Gaudaloupe, where they had a steady breeze. At length our van got the breeze, and fetched up with the enemy's centre about nine o'clock, and were foon fired on. For the space of an hour, they fuftained the attack of the whole enemy's force; our centre and rear lying then becalmed under Dominica. The Álfred loft her commander, Capt. Bayne, the Royal Oak, Capt. Burnet, was difabled, and feveral other thips fuffered damage. The Barfleur, Admiral Hood, had at one time feven hips, generally three firing on her, which killed eight, and wounded twenty-two men. About noon part of our centre got the breeze, and joined the van; the action was then renewed, but the Duke, the Formidable's fecond, was the laft fhip engaged, the fixteen aftern of her, not being able to get up. The French having the command of the wind, and being connected, kept at a cautious diftance, as if meaning only to difable. This firing continued an hour and three quarters, till our rear received the breeze, and began to close the line, and only ferved to shew the enemy's want of enterprife in not daring to feize the opportunity, that the partial breeze afforded them to clofe with our van when feparated from the rear. The enemy had not received much vifible damage; but one 3 E of of them foon after loft her format, and we found that two had received fo much hurt, that they were obliged to bear away to Baffe terre, Gaudaloupe, to refit before the fecond action, fo that they were not in it, and they appear to have been the fhips fince captured by Sir Samuel Hood. The 10th was spent in refitting, and keeping the wind, and tranfpofing the van and rear divifions, as the van bad Tuffered in the action of the 9th. On the 11th, in the 1 morning, one of the enemy's difabled thips was difcovered at Baffeterre, and the fecond was feen fteering for it. She was chaced, but got in. Two other thips were difcovered far to windward, the one getting up a foreyard, the other a main-top-malt. On this a general chace was ordered. In the afternoon the Agamemnon, Capt. Caldwell, and fome others, got near thefe two fhips, which in confequence made fignals for afiflance; at this time, only three or four of the body of the French fleet were vifible from the Formidable's maft-head. De Graffe bore down to protect his difabled fhips, which our headmost thips continued to threaten, till the van of the French fleet got near up. They then bore down into their ftations, and our line was formed in clofe order. In the West Indies, the wind generally hawls to the northward, towards evening; to make the most of this circumftance, our fleet food to the fouthward till two, next morning, and then tacked with their heads to the northward. In the morning of the 12th, the enemy was difcovered broad on the lee bow, and one of their fhips directly to Jeeward, with her bowfprit gone, and foremaft across her forecale towed by a frigate, the wind E. S. E. The Valiant, Capt. Goodall, and Monarch, Capt. Reynolds, were or dered down to engage her; this obliged De Graffe to edge down to protect her. Admiral Drake led with the flarboard tacks, making the most of the wind to fecure the weather gage. When it was judged that De Graffe had got far enough to leeward to put it in our power to make the action decifive, the Valiant and Monarch were ordered to refume their flations. The French were now forming their line on the oppofite tack, and the wind coming about to the eastward, they had hopes of regaining their ufual fighting dtance, as their van pointed to windward of ours. Our flet difpofed in a line a-head, at one cable's distance, continued ftanding on, led by Admiral Drake. A little before eight o'clock, the Marlborough, Capt. Penny, was fired on, having fetched the feventh thip of the enemy's lige The fignal for clofe action was thrown out, and our hips ranged flowly and clotely along the enemy's line, clofe under their lee, giving and receiving a moft tremenduous fire. The Formidable gave her first fire to the cne-. my's tenth thip, and kept edging in on their line with a full fail. The impreffion made by Admiral Drake's divifion, the un emitting fire of the Duke, Capt. Gardaër, and her own unfupportable, quick, and weli-d rected fire, enabled the Form Jable, after paiting the Ville de Paris, and her feconds, almost in contact, to cut the enemy line between the fecond and third fhip adorn of the Ville de Paris. This bold mancavie of the Formida ble, gave the decifive turn to this im, ortant day; it brought the four enemy's fhips next a-tern into one group, which the Formidable, Namur, and Duke played on, as if a fingle object, fo that a fhot could not poffibly mifs. The Formidable then wore round on her heel, and a signal was made for our van to tack, which brought our fleet to windward of enemy on the fame tack. the tion. It was half paft nine before Sir Samuel Hood's divifion, now the rear, got into acThe breeze was fo fmall, that the Barfteur took an hour and half to pass the enemy's line only fo far as the opening made by the Formidable, giving a moft tremendous well-connected fire. From the calmness of the day, the Monarch fell on board of her, but the hips feparated without damage. After paffing the French fhips, the Barfleur was towed round by her boats, and a breeze fringing up about a quarter after two, made fail to cut off the difabled fhips. At this time the French fleet appeared difabled, routed, and in diforder. The Centaur, Capt. Inglefield, in the rear, firft came up with the Cæfar, which he attacked in a maiterly manner, but the would not yield, till cut up by three different fhips. Her captain fought nobly, and fell in the action. At a quarter after three, the truck, and foon after her fore matt fell over her fide: nor had the a foot of canvas without a thot hole. The Hector ftruck to the Canada, which did not ftop to take poffefion of her, but pulled on to the Ville de Paris. About a quarter before fix, the Ardent truck to the Belliqueux. The Barfleur then flood on to the Ville de Paris, then engaged by the Canada. Count de Graffe feemed only to wait to have the honour of yield ng to a flag fhip, and after receiving a mott tremendous clofe cannonade of about ten minutes, ftruck his flag, and was conducted on board the Barfleur. The Glorieux, after lofing every maft, her boltfprit, and enfign fiaff, did not yield, till Yurrounded by our fhips. It fell dark, as the Ville de Paris ftruck, and to keep the fleet collected, and fecure the prizes, it was thought proper to bring to. The enemy made off, and were out of light to leeward before morning. The French troops on board confified of five regiments, amounting to 5400 men. The Cæfar caught fire, by drawing off fome spirits. A lieutenant, and ten off the Centaur's people were blown up in her, and about 200 Frenchmen. The Ville de Paris had a large fum of money on board. This action, befides its immediate political confequences, has decided a point anew, that never never was doubted of till the prefent war. Every honest Englishman believed firmly, that Frenchmen never could fand a firm, clofe fire; but all our men of fentiment, and all who affected to know more than others, as firmly maintained, that we had no advantage either in thins, feamanthip, or cou-" rage, and that nothing but numbers would ever decide the question, and they were not in our power. Now it appears, that fingle thips in the French fine, loft as many men, as our whole 36 hips; that the Mar:borough, which futtained the fir fire of 23 French thips, had only three men killed, and fixteen wounde. And as by the care of the Admiralty, our fhips now have the advantage in point of failing, and it appears, that the way to receive leaft damage from the enemy, is to engage near, it is to be hoped that every othice will take advantage of the native intrepidity of the feamen, to fave the men and thips, and get poffeffion of their enemies, and that we thall have no more fuch cold-hearted opinions circulated among our people, that can answer no purpose, bet to thelter the unmanly coward, or the man who to please a faction, would facrifice his country. In actions with fingle fhips, our brave captains always have ofed this advantage. It would be right to reduce general actions as much as pofible to fingle actions, by every fhips feizing hold of the enemy opposed to her, and engaging till the yield. Extract of a letter from an officer on board a frigate in Admiral Rodney' fleet, April 13. next morning. They got fo far to leeward that night, they could not recover their ground in the night; impoffible as it was to avoid being brought to action next day, (the 12th) they very handfomely brought it on themfelves in the morning. It begun at half paft feven, and did not clofe till that time at night; they were to windward, and the lines pait each other till it came to the center, when our Admiral broke their line to windwardward, doubled on them, feconded by the Namur, and thips aftern of him in his divihon, and inftantly decided the f te of the day; broke their line a fecond time, and the day ended with the capture of the Comte de Galle, who behaved nobly in the Ville de Paris, and has had the generofity to own, that he thought himfelf, with the advantage of men and metal, and largenets of their hips, fully equal to our fuperiority of numbers, which was in fact ufelefs to us, any further than having fome fresh fhips after the action; for the battie and manoeuvring was between the two lands of Dominique and Guadalupe, not ten leagues acro. Our lofs you will fee in the account published, which in the whole line will not exceed that on board the Ville de Paris, as I have just now had it from an officer on board her. "We in general futtered much in our maits, yards, and rigging, and with affonishment it was that the Formidable came through the line, and doubled back again without once being hurt. I have not time to enlarge upon the matter. But it must be owned that Sir George's behaviour was great indeed! I have the pleasure to acquaint you, that we came up with the French fleet on the 9th "His own thip, his two feconds, the Canain the morning, off Prince Rupert's Bay, da, with a few others, chiefly in the center, Dominique. They failed the 8th by-day were irrefiftible: half the number of fuch break; we had intelligence of it, and were thips, fo fought, would have brat the French, all under way by twelve the fame day; they many of whom, as well as De Graffe, behad 33 fail of the line, we 36; had not a haved nobly; the reft hoified all the fail cruel calm intervened, we had feparated, and they could, and, for want of a few more poffibly deftroyed all, or most of them. A hours day light, efcaped. Juit as the day gale fprung up, they joined their fleet, and clofed (except a few totally disabled) we were after the action began, the 16 fternmost of refitted and fit for a freth engagement. Unour line were becalmed, and the remainder fortunately too, Sir Samuel Hood, with five engaged the whole French line; the rear at of his hips, were becalmed, till within an 1all got the wind, and would have engaged, hour of dark; at half paft fix or feven it was but night coming on, the Admiral left off quite fo, there being no moon. A few hours the defign of puthing the action farther that would have fofficed totally to have destroyed night, being fure as he was got to leeward, that the French fleet. They are, we fuppofe,, they could not escape him in the night; how- gone towards their rendezvous for the attack ever, they worked fo far to windward, that, of Jamaica; but, as we are following them, with all we could do, we could not reach their fport may probably be fpoiled." them; the next morning the roth, they Extracts from two original and genuine letters were fill to windward, and we flood after from on brand the fleet, under the command of them all day, turning to windward in line of Admiral Lord Rodney, fubfequent to his action battle; the next morning (Thursday the with De Graffe, in which the bonour of the 11th,) a general chace was made, and feveral British flag was gloriously retrieved. of our fafteft failing fhips got fo far to wind- Prothee, off Montferat, at Sea, April 14, 1782. ward, that they might have cut off two of their fhips, had not their whole fleet borne down to their affiftance; had the Admiral perfifted, it must have brought on a general action, the night intervening, put a period to the bufinefs, but effectually brought it on the "This hip having been down to Antigua for ftores for the fleet, we fortunately, on our return to St. Lucia, joined 'Admiral Rodney, under weigh coming out; w in ftantly proceeded in a line of battle a-breast off Prince Rupert's Bay, Dominica, where, 3 Ea |