after rowing ten miles landed at four o'clock in the 1778. morning, within a mile of the defile, which was fecured. They then pushed forward upon the infantry of Polafki's Legion, cantoned in three different houses: They were almoft entirely put to the fword. Among them, were a Lieutenant Colonel, a Captain, and an adjacent. The enemy endeavoured to harrafs our men in their retreat; but with so much caution and modefty, as to do them little mifchief. It feems, that Polafki, had given orders, that no quarter fhould be given to our troops. In this expedition ten veffels were deftroyed, and a number of what is called craft; a large brig, likewife, laden with lumber was taken. This place having been an neft for privateers, the atacking of it was of confiderable fervice, and faved many of our trading fhips from being feized. Lord Howe having with great honour to himself, LdHowe and advantage to his country, brought the cam- embarks paign with his powerful adverfary to a conclufion, for Eugembarked for England. With an inferiority of land. force, which held out mere preservation as the fummit of hope, he, by a continued rapid fucceffion of the greatest poffible exertions, masterly manoeuvres, and wife meafures, having first counteracted, and at length defeated, all the views and attempts of his enemy, obliged him to fly for refuge to those new allies whom he came to protect, and infulted him under that protection. Leaving him in a condition at parting, which rendered him incapable of any further fervice in thofe feas for the remaider of the year. CHAP. 1778. XIX. CHAP. Admiral Byron arrives off Bofton, is driven off the coaft by a violent form. The Somerset and Cornwall, two of his squadron, driven on fhore and beat to pieces. Arrives at Rhode Inland with the remainder of his fleet. D'Eftaing, taking the advantage of a wefterly wind, fails out of Bofton harbour for the West Indies; is defcried by the Culloden one of Byron's fleet, who takes one of his tranfports. Commodore Hotham, with a fquadron of men of war, and a number of transports, with 4000 land forces under the command of Gen. Grant, fails for the Weft Indies. Arrives at Barbadoes, is joined by Admiral Barrington. Proceeds to Sainte Lucie. D'Eftaing fuddenly appears before that place, and lands 5000 forces, which are totally repulfed by the British forces. Sails from St Lucie, which furrenders to his Britannic Majefty Colonel Campbell, in conjunction with General Prevoft, reduces the province of Georgia, takes Savannah. General Lincoln defeated at Brier Creek. Predatory expedition from New Tork. General Prevoft appears before Charles Town, fummons the garrison to furrender. Retreats to Fort James. D'Eftaing appears off Savannah. Summons General Preveft to furrender to the arms of the French King, which was refufed; forms the fort, but repulfed with great flaughter, and obliged to fail for Europe, &c. &c. HE fquadron under the command of Admiral TByron, which failed from Plymouth the be ginning of June, in order to counteract the defigns of D'Estaing, had the fortune of meeting unufual bad weather for the feafon, and of being feparated in different storms, arrived fcattered, broken, fickly, difmafted, or otherwise damaged, in various degrees of distress, upon different and remote parts of the coafts of America. The Princefs Royal the Admiral's fhip, reached Hallifax, where he found the Culloden one of his fquadron. As foon as is two fhips were repaired in the best manner circumstances would admit of, he failed from Hallifax with the Diamond frigate, Hope and Difpatch floop of war; being joined by his fcattered fhips, and four fhips of the line lately under the command of Lord Howe, he remained of Bofton; and though the winter was was now fetting in with its ufual inclemency on 1778. that formy and dangerous coaft, yet this brave in commander knowing what importance it was to the fervice, that the motions of fo powerful an armament as the fleet under Count D'Estaing fhould be clofely watched, refolved to keep his ftation as long as there was a poflibility of doing it with fafety: to this, he was ftill the more induced, by certain informations, that the French fleet were completely refitted and ready for failing, accompanied by feve ral American florefhips, on a fecret expedition. Admiral Byron's fhips, though the repairs they had re- Byron ceived fince their arrival on the coaft of America driven by a violent were but flight, and the crews much reduced by form the inceffant fatigues they had undergone, were yet from bein tolerable condition; and their number being fore fuperior to the French, there is little doubt but if Boston the enemy had come out of Bofton any time in October, the British flag would have triumphed, and an end have been put to the hoftile operations of D'Eftaing's fleet in this part of the world. But on the fecond of November, the wind which at this feafon ufually blows from the North-Weft, fuddenly fhifted to a violent and heavy gale from the Eaft, blowing directly on the coaft. Seamen alone can conceive the horror of fuch a fituation, and the difficulty the bet fhips and most experienced failors have to escape, when a ruthlefs tempeft added to the mountainous fwell of the vast Atlantic, urges their deftruction: the Somerset of 64 guns, the Cornwall of 74 and Zebra floop, were fo entangled with the coalt, that they could not clear it, and were in confequence driven on fhore and beat to pieces; great part of the crews perished, the remainder got on land, where it is faid, they were treated by the Americans with humanity. The form continued with unremitting fury all the next day, but on the following, which was the Ffff 4th Nov. 4 D'Ef taing fails for Indies CHAP. XIX. 1778. 4th the wind without abating much of its violence, after veering round the compals fettled at the west; of which circumitance the French Admiral availing himielf, failed out of Bofton, and was defcried on the 7th by the Culloden of 74 guns, one of Byron's feet, fteering to the outhealt; but the wind was fillfo tempeftuous that they paffed clofe by the English thip without taking any notice of her; one the Weft of the American ftorefhips however which lagged behind the fleet was fired upon by the Culloden, made a prize of and fent into New-York: After which, this fhip of war for several days vainly attempted to regain the American coaft, but the captain finding the veffel had fuffered greatly in her rigging, and that her crew were fickly and difpirited; called his officers to confult with him, when it was unanimously refolved to bear away before the gale for Europe, which they did, and anchored the 13th of December in Milford Haven, at which time there were two hundred of the crew fick in their hammocks, and the remainder in a condition little better, from the variety of hardships they had undergone. Admiral Byron with the refidue of his fleet got into Rhode Island. Commo dore Indies There is great reafon to believe that the British miniftry had been early apprized of D'Eftaing's further plan of operations, and the defigns of the French against the English Weft-India Iflands; for Hotham early in October, and long before any difpatches fails for from London, confequential to the taking of Domithe Weft nica could have reached New-York, Sir Henry Clinton, on whom the command devolved after the return of the Howe's to Europe, prepared upwards of eighty transport veffels and furnishing them with every neceffary accommodation the 24th of the fame month, the 4th. 5th. 15th. 27th. 28th, 35th. 40th. 46th. 49th. 55th. regiments and a corps of Heffians went on board them; in four days after they fell down to Sandy Hook, from whence they failed for the Weft Indies the 1ft of November, 1778. under the convoy of a fmall fquadron of men of in war, commanded by Commodore Hothom; being just three days before the departure of D'Estaing from Bolton. This force was defigned to ftrengthen the garrilons of the Well India Iflands, thefe important places having been fhamefully neg lected. tham ar rives at On the 10th of December Commodore Hotham's Comofleet arrived at Barbadoes, where they were joined dore Hoby a small squadron under the command of Admiral Barrington. At this ifland they ftayed only two Barbadays, and proceeded to execute one of the intents does, fails of their expedition, which was, a defcent on the for Sainte ifland of Sainte Lucie, where by favour of the Lucie, monfoon, they arrived the day following and imme- takesafter diately landed the troops near the Carenage, while repulfing which he the fleet came to anchor in the Grand Cul de Sac. D'Ef General Grant who commanded the land forces taing. made the beft difpofition, and having poffeffed himfelf of the Carenage, invefted the principal fort. While thefe operations were going forward, D'Eftaing with a corps of 5000 land forces on board failed from Martinique, at which place he had arrived from Bofton, on an expedition against the Eritish ifands of St Vincents and Grenada, but he was scarcely under way when pofitive intelligence was brought him, that Sainte Lucie was attacked. A place of fuch importance from its proximity to Martinique was not to be loft without making every attempt for its deliverance; there was reason to expect Byron would foon arrive in these feas; a coup de main was therefore a measure of neceffity, which if it fucceeded muft inevitably be a decifive ftroke against the English, as from the deftruction of their army and flect at Sainte Lucie, all their Weft India poffeflions if not taken by the French,. must be reduced to fuch diftrefs that its effects would be felt for many years. D'Eftaing D'Estaing fuddenly ap peared |