than the rules actually prescribed to the French navy, and that folid advantages must refult from this measure, not only to the subjects of Ruffia, but to all nations." The reply of England was cold, and civilly evafive; but this meafure in reality excited so deep a refentment, that the conduct of England refpecting Ruffia, for several years fucceeding this period, may be afcribed chiefly, or folely, to the alienation and hatred originating in the present obnoxious procedure.

The war between Great Britain and Spain had fcarcely commenced when the blockade of Gibraltar was formed by fea and land, and the hope of recovering that fortrefs probably operated as no inconfiderable inducement with Spain to engage in the present war.

Early in the year 1780, fir George Rodney, an officer diftinguished by his gallant exertions in the late war, was appointed to the command of a powerful fleet, deftined for the relief of that place, having on board prince William Henry, the third fon of his majefty. On the northern coaft of Spain he fell in with a convoy of twenty-two merchant fhips, richly laden, under the protection of a fquadron of feven fhips of war, to which he immediately gave chace, and in a few hours the whole were taken. This fuccefs was, however, only the prelude to another and much greater.

On

On the 16th of January, off Cape St. Vincent, he defcried a Spanish fquadron, confifting of fourteen fail of the line, which he directly bore down upon, and, notwithstanding the ftorminess incident to the feafon, taking the lee-gage, in order to prevent the enemy from retreating into their own ports; at four in the afternoon the action began, and in little more than half an hour one of the Spanifh fhips blew up with a dreadful explosion. The engagement neverthelefs continued with unabating fury in the midst of darknefs and confufion, and before morning the Phoenix of 80 guns, Don Juan de Langara, the Spanish admiral's own ship; the Monarca, the Princeffa, the Diligenti, of 70 guns each, ftruck their colors; the St. Julien and St. Eugenio were also captured, but through the violence of the tempeft were afterwards driven on shore and loft. The others escaped in a very shattered condition; and the whole fquadron, as to any immediate capability of fervice, might be confidered as annihilated. Though the force of admiral Rodney was greatly fuperior, his fkill and courage were fully apparent in the mode of conducting the attack, which the violence of the ftorm, the darkness of the night, and the vicinity of a lee-shore every where encircled with fhoals and breakers, rendered very dangerous. The admiral's own fhip, the Sandwich,

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and feveral others, were in extreme hazard of being loft on the shoals of St. Lucar, and did not get into deep water till the next day.

After effecting the primary object of his commiffion, the relief of Gibraltar, fir George Rodney proceeded to the Weft Indies, fending home his prizes under the care of admiral Digby, who on his paffage captured the Prothée, a French ship of 64 guns, and part of her convoy of merchant ships.

No fooner had admiral Rodney taken upon him the command in the Weft Indies, than every poffible exertion was made to bring on a general action, which count de Guichen, who commanded the French fleet, cautiously avoided; but intelligence being received that in the night of the 15th of April, 1780, they had put to fea with their whole force, admiral Rodney, who was stationed at St. Lucie, immediately followed, and early on the morning of the 17th came in fight of the enemy; at noon the admiral made the fignal for a general and close engagement, fetting himself a noble example of courage to the fleet by bearing down upon the French admiral, whom he fought with unremitting fury till the enemy bore away, leaving the Sandwich, which, from caufes not eafily or clearly afcertainable, was very ill fupported in this action, a mere wreck upon the water. Other partial and

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indecifive encounters alfo took place, in which little inferiority of fkill or courage was difcernible on the part of the French officers or feamen.

During thefe tranfactions in the Weft Indies, Don Galvez, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, reduced the British fettlements on the Miffifippi, and had made great progrefs in the conqueft of the province of Weft Florida, though Penfacola held out to the next year.

As a very inadequate counterbalance to these fucceffes, an expedition had been undertaken from Jamaica to the Spanish main; and the fortress of Omoa, which contained a confiderable booty in fpecie and merchandise, was taken by ftorm, but foon afterwards evacuated. A very heavy misfortune in the autumn of this year took place, in the entire capture of the outwardbound Eaft and Weft India fleets, in the Bay of Biscay, by the Spaniards-a lofs which had no parallel in the naval and commercial hiftory of Great Britain, fince the famous capture of the Smyrna fleet in the reign of king WILLIAM.

The war in the northern provinces of America feemed throughout the whole of the fummer of 1780 to be almoft at a stand. On the 10th of July, a large body of French troops commanded by the comte de Rochambeau, under convoy of a confiderable fleet, arrived at Rhode Island. This the comte affured the States was only the van, guard

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guard of a much greater force defined by the king, his fovereign, to their aid. A scheme was foon after formed by fir Henry Clinton and admiral Arbuthnot, of a combined attack against the French and Americans at Rhode Island; and a large proportion of the forces ftationed at New York were embarked for that purpose: but general Washington, by a rapid movement paffing the North River, and advancing to New York, compelled them to defift from their purpose.

It affords a grateful relief from the sensations which opprefs the mind in liftening to the tale of human folly and wretchedness, to revert to an act of the moft exalted philanthropy paffed about this period by the legislature of Pennsylvania to the following purport: "When we contemplate our abhorrence of the condition to which the arms and tyranny of Great Britain were exerted to reduce us-when we look back on the variety of dangers to which we have been expofed, and the deliverances wrought when hope and fortitude have become unequal to the contest,-we conceive it to be our duty, and rejoice that it is in our power, to extend a portion of that freedom to others which hath been extended to us,-to add one more ftep to univerfal civilization, by removing, as much as poffible, the forrows of those who have lived in undeserved bondage. Weaned by a long course of experi

ence