one had been sunk; one, the Cæsar, blew up after she was taken. By this accident a lieutenant and fifty English seamen perished with about four hundred prisoners, and six ships remained in the possession of the conquerors. On board the Ville de Paris were found thirty-six chests of money, with which the troops that were intended for the invasion were to have been paid; and the whole train of artillery, with the battering cannon that were to have been employed on the same enterprise, were captured in the prizes.

The loss of the French in killed and wounded, was very great; the amount of the former is supposed to have been three thousand; and of the latter at least double that number. The Ville de Paris was fought so long and so gallantly, that on board of her alone four hundred perished.

On board of the British fleet, the loss was also great, but not nearly in the same proportion, nor so great as might have been anticipated, when the length and the obstinacy of the contest are taken into consideration. Including the loss of both actions, on the 9th and 12th, the number of the killed amounted to two hundred and thirty-seven, and of wounded to seven hundred and sixty-six. Several officers of great repute for skill and bravery were among both. Captain Blair of the Anson, who had distinguished himself the preceding year, in the action off the Dogger Bank with the Dutch, was slain; and lord Robert Manners, son of the great marquis of Granby, was so dangerously wounded, that he died on his passage to England.

Thus closed the professional career of this distinguished officer, who, on June 19, 1782, after receiving the thanks of both houses, was advanced to the rank of a peer of Great Britain, by the title of baron Rodney, of Rodney Stoke, in the county of Somerset; and, on the first of July following, received a pension of £2000 per annum, to descend to his heirs. These rewards his long services and merit certainly claimed, nor was his country slow in proffering

them.

One who knew him well has declared, “That as an officer of nautical abilities, none were his superiors, and but few his equals," and he possessed a bold original genius, which always carried him directly to the object he had in view. In private life he displayed the manners of an accomplished gentleman; and he, who when called by his country, could hurl its thunders against the foe, and lead its navies unto victory, was, in peace, the ornament of domes

tic society, and a pattern of that elegant and polished behaviour which distinguishes the higher orders among us.

Lord Rodney died in London on the 24th of May, 1792.

ADMIRAL KEMPENFELT.—Richard Kempenfelt, of Swedish lineage, was born at Westminster, in 1718. Having risen, by his bravery and good conduct, to the rank of admiral, he terminated his life by the following accident, long and well remembered in British naval story.

His ship, the Royal George being leaky, he was ordered to Spithead to get her repaired; and, with a view to get that done expeditiously, it was directed that the ship should be careened, and have her seams caulked as she lay at anchor, without going into harbour. On the 29th of August, at six in the morning, the weather being fine, and the wind moderate, it was thought a favourable opportunity to heel her, and orders for that purpose were accordingly given. By ten o'clock she was heeled sufficiently to enable the workmen to get to the part that leaked; but, in order to repair it as effectually as possible, the ship was healed another streak, or about two feet more. After this was done, the ship's crew were allowed go to dinner, but the carpenters and caulkers continued at their work, and had almost finished it, when a sudden squall took the ship on the raised side, and the lower-deck ports to leeward having been unaccountably left open, the water rushed in: in less than eight minutes the ship filled, and sunk so rapidly, that the officers in their confusion made no signal of distress: nor, indeed, if they had, could any assistance have availed, for, after her lower ports were in the water, no power nor any exertion could have prevented her from going to the bottom. When the Royal George went down, there were upwards of one thousand two hundred persons on board, including three hundred women.

to

The watch on deck, to the number of two hundred and upwards, were saved by going out on the top-sail yards, which remained above water after the ship reached the bottom. About seventy more were picked up by the boats from the other ships at Spithead. Among these were four lieutenants and eleven women. Admiral Kempenfelt, the rest of the officers, and nine hundred people were drowned, The masts of the Royal George remained standing for a considerable time afterwards; and, until she was covered with sand, parts of the hull were visible at low water. Repeated attempts were made to weigh her, but in vain. Very

recently considerable portions of the wreck have been removed, by means of blasting with gunpowder, and the operations are not yet abandoned.

Thus prematurely perished this experienced officer, whose knowledge, abilities, and bravery, did much honour to the British navy, and promised to contribute largely to its improvement and its glory.

Many others were highly distinguished, most of whose exploits have found a place in our pages. Of these are Sir John Moore, a name rendered of still greater fame in after times; Maurice Suckling, the uncle and tutor of the immortal Nelson; Sir Charles Hardy, a name of hereditary renown; Sir Edward Hughes; and Sir Hyde Parker.

Paul Jones, whom we have had occasion already to mention, performed several daring exploits in the service of America. His original name was John Paul, and he was a native of Scotland, having been born, in 1747, in the parish of Arbegland, Kirkcudbrightshire, where his father was a gardener. His enterprising and courageous spirit are undeniable; and, in more favourable circumstances, he might have made a gallant admiral. He died in 1792, at Paris.

GEORGE III. 1783 TO THE PEACE OF AMIENS, 1802-FIRST WAR OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION-SIDNEY SMITH AT TOULON-PELLEW -SAUMAREZ-COURTNEY-HOWE'S VICTORY OF THE 1ST OF JUNE -LORD HOOD AT CORSICA-HORATIO NELSON-LORD BRIDPORT AT L'ORIENT-THE BLANCHE AND LA PIQUE-SIDNEY SMITH TAKEN PRISONER-NELSON AT ELBA-KEITH ELPHINSTONE AT THE CAPE -MUTINY AT SPITHEAD AND THE NORE-ST. VINCENT-CAMPERDOWN-CADIZ-SANTA CRUZ-THE NILE-ACRE-THE BALTICLORD HOWE-LORD ST. VINCENT-SIR SIDNEY SMITH-LORD DUNCAN.

THE period embraced in this chapter extends from the year 1783 to the peace of Amiens in 1802, a period of nearly twenty years. During the first ten years of this, however, Great Britain enjoyed peace, and consequently no maritime exploits occurred deserving our notice. Of the French revolution, and the causes which armed against that country England and nearly all Europe, the memory is yet too recent, and men's opinions regarding them too much under the influence of party spirit, to permit us, in a work of this kind, to enter into detail. Nor indeed, although we were so inlined, would our limits permit us to do justice to the dis

cussion of a subject so extensive and complicated. Our brave sailors defended their native shores, and supported the honour of England's flag, without troubling themselves as to the minute grounds of quarrel; and in recording a history of their exploits, we shall in that respect follow their example. Suffice it to state, that in February, 1793, war was formally declared between Great Britain and France. The other two great maritime powers, Spain and Holland, were, at the beginning of the contest, also opposed to France; but the land forces of the young and vigorous republic having overrun the territories or intimidated the rulers of these countries, the whole of their power, we shall find, was in the course of the war, wielded against England: not willingly, indeed, either by the rulers or the people; but the effect was the same, and we shall shortly find that our navy had to contend against the combined fleets of all Europe. The French king, Louis XVI., had been put to death, and that country was now under a republican government, fluctuating, however, in its form. The government of Great Britain was guided by William Pitt, who had at his command a large majority in both houses of parliament. As soon as war was declared, the following supplies were granted for the sea-service:-For forty-five thousand men, including five thousand marines, £2,340,000; for the ordinary, including half-pay, £669,205; extraordinaries, £387,710; ordnance, not provided for in 1791, £32,068 ; towards paying off the navy debt, £575,000, making a total of £4,003,984. The total supplies granted for the £16,698,553. The number of flag-officers was sixty-four; of post-captains, four hundred and thirty-one; of masters and commanders, one hundred and sixty-three; and of lieutenants, one thousand four hundred and twenty-nine. Twenty-one sail of the line, and several frigates, besides those which were already in commission, were ordered to be got ready for sea with the utmost expedition.

year were

At the same period the navy of France is stated to have consisted of 246 vessels; of which 86, including 27 in commission, and 13 building, were of the line.

The first employment of the English fleet was to take possession of Toulon, in order to afford protection and assistance to the French royalists, who were in arms in that neighbourhood. This service was successfully performed under the command of lord Hood: but the royalist party not proving so strong as had been anticipated, and the repub