moored in a little more than ten minutes. The cannonade then became in a high degree tremendous. The fhowers of thot and fhells which were directed from their land batteries, the battering-thips; and, on the other hand, from the various works of the garrifon exhibited a scene, of which perhaps, neither the pen nor the pencil can furnith a competent idea. It is fufficient to fay, that four hundred pieces of the heaviest artillery were playing at the fame moment: an infance which has fcarcely occurred in any fiege fince the invention of those wonderful engines of deftruction."

"After fome hours cannonade, the battering-hips were found to be no lefs formidable than they had been reprefented. Our heavieft fhells often rebounded from their tops, whilft the thirty-two-pound fhot feemed incapable of making any visible impreffion upon their hulls. Frequently we flattered ourselves they were on fire; but no fooner did the smoke appear, than with the most perfevering intrepidity, men were observed applying water from their engines, to thofe places whence the fmoke iffued. The fe circumftances, with the prodigious cannonade which they maintained, gave us reafon to imagine that the attack would not be fo foon decided, as from our recent fuccefs against their land-batteries, we had fondly expected. Even the artillery themfelves, at this period, had their doubts of the effect of the red-hot thot, which began to be used about twelve, but were not general till between one and two o'clock. The enemy's

cannon at the commencement were too much elevated; but about noon their firing was powerful and well directed. Our cafuals then became numerous; particulariy on those batteries north of the king's bastion, which were warmly annoyed by the enemy's flanking and reverfe fire from the land. Though fo vexatioully annoyed from the isthmus, our artillery totally difregarded their opponents in that quarter directing their fole attention to the battering fhips, the furious and spirited oppofition of which ferved to excite our people to more animated exertions. A fire, more tremendous ifpoffible than ever, was therefore directed from the garrifon. Inceffant hovers of hot-balls, carcaffes, and thells of every defcription flew from the quarters; and as the mafts of feveral of the hips were thot away, and the rigging of all in great confufio, our hopes of a favourable and Ipeedy decifion began to revive."

"About noor, the mortar-boats and bombketches attempted to fecond the attack from the hips; but the wind having changed to the four-weft, and blowing a smart breeze with a heavy fwell, they were prevented taking a part in the action. The fame reafon alio hinder-d our gun boats from flanking the battering this from the fouthward.”

"For fome hours, the attack and defence were fo equally well fupported, as fcarcely to adn't any appearance of fuperiority in the cannonade on either fide. The wonderful con

Auction of the thips feemed to bid defiance to

the powers of the heaviest ordnance. In the afternoon, however, the face of things began to change confiderably. The fmoke which had been obferved to iffue from the upper part of the flag-fhip appeared to prevail, notwithftanding the conftant application of water; and the admiral's fecond was perceived to be in the fame condition. Confufion was now apparent on board feveral of the vetfels; and by the evening their cannonade was confiderably abated. About feven or eight it almoft totally ceafed, excepting from one or two ships to the northward, which, from their distance had fuffered little injury."

"When their firing began to flacken various fignals were made from the fouthermoft fhips; and, as the evening advanced, many rockets were thrown up, to inform thei friends (as we afterwards learned) of their extreme danger and diftrefs. Thefe fignals were immediately anfwered, and feveral boats were feen to row round the difabled fhips. Our artillery, at this period, muft have caufed dreadful havock amongst them. An indiftin&t clamour, with lamentable cries and groans, proceeded (during the thort intervals of ceffation) from all quarters; and a little before. midnight a wreck floated in, upon which were twelve men, who only, out of three-score, which were on board their launch, had escaped. Thefe circumftances convinced us that we had gained an advantage over the enemy; yet we did not conceive that the victory was fo complete as the fucceeding morning evinced. Our firing was therefore continued though with lefs vivacity: but as the artillery, from fuch a hard-fought day, expofed to the intense heat of a warm fun, in addition to the haraffing duties of the preceding night, were much fatigued, and as it was impoffible to forefee what new objects might demand their fervice the following day, the governor, when the enemy's fire abated, permitted about fix in the evening, the majority of the officers and men to be relieved by a picquet of a hundred men from the marine brigade, under the command of Lieut. Trentham; and officers, and noncommittioned officers of the artillery, were itationed on the different batteries, to direct the failors in the mode of firing the hot -fhot."

"About an hour after mid-night the battering-thip which had fuffered the greatest injury, and which had been frequently on fire the preceding day, was completely in flames: and by two o'clock the appeared as one cons tinued blaze from fem to ftern. The ship to the fouthward was alfo on fire, but did nor burn with fo much rapidity. The light thrown out on all fides by the flames, enabled the artillery to point the guns with the utmoft precifion, whilst the rock and neighbouring ob jects were highly illuminated; forming with the conflant lathes of our cannon, a mingled fcene of fublimity and terror. Between three and four o,clock, fix other of the batterin thips indicated the ethcacy of red-hot thes and the approaching day now promited us one of the completeft defenfive viétories on record."

tic

athong whom are fome characters that in the late war did not certainly advance the military renown of their country. When the fortunes of Great Britain fell in the new world, they were loftained and even prom t d in the old. In the centre, where thefe appear to unite, at the junction of the Mediterranean and Atlanoceans, *Nature hert. If had raised a fublime theatre for the display of military virtue: and on that theatre this was d played with great glory and fuccefs by the British officers and foldiers, under the direction of GENERAL ELLIOT. In Afia, amidst the fluctuating councils, and varying orders from England, and the forms which were excited by the French, the Dutch, the jealoufy and the perfidy of the native princes, and perhaps too by the factious difpofition of fome of his collea gues in office; amidst these forms, HASTINGS fleadily held the helm, fteered the ship into port, and preferved to his country, as if in fpite of herself, the richest and faireft dependency that was ever poffeffed by any kingdom. The fuccefs of his meafures juftified the fagacity and the vigour of the means: the event and confummation of his plans illuftrated what ever had appeared dark or doubtful in his conduct brought forth the purity of his intentions, and manifefted the largnets of his mind. Yet this man, unsuspected of avarice, and whofe only fault, is the lofty ambition of having dared to incur a hazardous refponfibility in order to fave his country; this man, of all the great officers, whether in military or civil departments during the late war, is the only one whofe conduct is publicly arraigned and called in question.

The accufer of Mr. Haftings is univerfally allowed to be a man of genius learning, and great fenfibility of temper. It is the nature of all paffions to magnify their objects: extrême irritability of nerves, which is fometimes carried even to the length of madness, not only exaggerates facts, but creates phantoms: and to these circumftances, united very probably with an early refolution of Mr. Burke to diffinguith himself, in imitation of the ancient orators in the Grecian and Roman republics, by calling to judgment fome plunderer of the provinces, we are probably to afcribe the extraordiniary phenomenon of an ingenious and good, purfying a great and jott man, with all the fury of indignation against injustice and oppreffion.

A true StoryWhile Dr Franklin was at Paris laft war, he happened to mention at his table that he had but I ttle Madeira wine, upon which an American guest sent him three dozen. A few days afterwards this gentleman was thrown into the Baftile, and contine ed there feveral weeks, without the last intimation of what he was accuied of only on his

*The Mediterranean Sea was the great me dium of communication between antient nations, as the Atlantis and Pacific oceans are now beracen the oppofite hemifpheres,

earnest enquiry, one of the officers told him he was afraid it would go hard with him, and asked hu whether he was a catholic, and would be attended by a priest, which he, being a protestant, refufed. After fome time a bottle of wine was brought, and he was afked whether he knew what wine it was, and wa ordered to drink its he complied, and answered that he believed it was fome of his own Madeira. At length he was released, and then he difcovered that Dr. Franklin had. been taken ili foon after he received his prefent, and the mean and fufpicious French emiffaries imagined that this injured gentleman had been hired by the English court to pofon the Doctor. Such are the intamous and arbitrary proceedings of a country which fo many of our men of fortune prefer to Old England.

Anecdote. Mr. P, a Member of the Irith House of Commons, obferving some time fince a miniature picture hanging among feveral trinkets to the watch of a widow lady, 'with whofe hufband he was extremely intimate, afked her, "Whether it was not the reprefentation of his old friend?" He was anfwered in the athirmative, and told, that to him it must be an agreeable object "By no means, replied Mr. P. I am, on the contrary, much concerned to fee my friend hanging in chains fa near the place of bis execution."

inecdote, of VILLIERS Duke of BUCKINGHAM.-Mr Pope was mifinformed when he was told that Villiers, Duke of Buckingham ended his days at an ale-houfe in York-thire, because he undoubtedly spent the latter part of his life, and died, at the White Horfe at Empingham, in the country of Rutland, within a few miles of his noble mansion of Burleigh on the Hill+: an amazing inflance this, of that abjectnefs of temper pecu❤ liar to fpendthrifts! who certainly have not the feelings of other men; fince a man of true fpirit would have concealed his infamy, and deplorable reverfe of fortune, in any remote corner of the kingdom, rather than have fubjected himself to infult, and the most complicated mife y and wretchedneis, almoft within fight of the fcene of his late fplendour and diffipation.

When I was young (forty years ago,) Į used to vifit for months, at the next village to Empingham, where, amorg the old people, I picked up fome anecdotes refpecting the abovementioned unhappy peer, which were then freth in the minds of men. One of thefe was, that, when he was riding one day in his

See Mr. Pope's celebrated character of the Ducke of Buckingham, in one of his epiftles on the use and abuse of riches:

“In the worst kvin's worst room," &c.

+ Burleigh on the Hill fland, on a Super bemy inence, overlooking the town of Okébām and vale of Catmole; and is now the feat of the Earl of Winchelfen.

‡ The Duke died in the year, 1627.

park with his feward, he asked whofe sheep (a large flock feeding before them) thole were? On the fteward's antwering "your Grace's;" with fome quickness he replied, "I with to God they were all foxes." Another was, that, when the Dyke on a time was calling with repeated vehemence for a pot of ale, the landlord at the White Horfe was hard to mutter in reply from a back room, "Your Grace is in a plaguy hurry; I'll come as foon as I have ferved my hogs." This circum ftance the poet, had he heard of it, would have expreffed in a strong and forcible manner, very different from the following.

Some ale fome ale th' impetuous Villiers

cries:

To whom the furly landlord thus replies: Plague on your Grace! you treat me like a dog!

I'll ferve your Lordship when I've ferv'd my hog.

Some Account of Mr. A&on, Prime Minister to the Two Sicilies,The important figure which a Mr. Acton makes now at the Court of Naples, both on account of the partial favour he enjoys with the King, and the pointed antipathy his Moft Catholic Majefty has thewn against the Minifter, induces us to lay before our readers what we have been able to collect of that gentleman's birth, and progress in the political world,

His father, an Englishman by birth, fettled at Befancon, where he practifed phyfie with great fuccefs and reputation; There he married a woman of exquifite beauty, who bore him feveral children, the eldest of whom is the object of our enquiry. Though born a fubject of France, he carly enbibed a preju dice against his own countrymen, which neither time or circumstances have been able to conquer. Difappointment, it feems, gave rife, or at leaft new fuel to his animofity. He had offered his fervices to the Court of France, and had Monf. de Sartine then

minifter of the navy, broke for Mr. Afton fake, through the established rules, by making him commodore in the French fleet, before he had gone through the ufual grada. tion, he would in all likely hood have remained in that fervice. Having never held any poft in the fea forces of importance, yet he thought his abilities greatly under rated bythe French miniftry, when the rank of Poft Čaptain only was offered, when in fact he had never been appointed to any higher command than that of a couple of fmall Tufcan frigates.. He therefore returned to Naples, where fortune waited to crown him with her choiceft favours. How long the fickle dame will land by him cannot be foreseen, but he will find it a difficult tak to keep his ground, having to fight against the King of Spain, the father of his foveregn, and the Court of France, who will no doubt try every poffible means to bring back the King of Naples to those fentiments which nature will perhaps enforce in time, though the ties of blood are but a weak rampart against political intere. On the other hand, Mr. Acton, whofe greatest offence in the eyes of the Spanith Monarch is to have perfuaded his royal mater to de ore of the harbours in his dominions to the Czarina, will meet with great fupport from that quarter, as well as from her Imperial ally, whofe joint efforts are directed to aleniate the King from the family compact, and induce him perhaps in time to act in an hottle manner against his father of Spain, and his kinfman the King of France. Thus fituated, we may fay of Mr. Acton, that he flands between two rapid currents, one of which may carry him upwards, the other (wallow him down in a vortex. If nature, and relations of confanguinity, cannot outweigh the power of perfuafion, he will rife to an immense pitch of favour; if the contrary happens, nothing can fave him from deftruction.

EAST INDIA.

Y the laft accounts from Bombay we mo

nopolized the falt works at Tutocaryn, Java, Ceylon, Malaca, &c. They have lately erected forts round moft part of the coaft of Ceylon. The company has eftablished many fences and out-pofts in the interior part of the ifland, which, fince the conclufion of the laft peace, are much increafed, and the limits of their poffeffions were then greatly extendHowever improbable it may appear, our correfpondent declares, their works in the month of June laft formed a circuit of a hundred and fixty miles, which has occafioned a Intention between them and the Emperor of India, not likely to be determined for fome

me.

Extract of a letter from Lisbon, Feb. 26. "The Magdalene Triumpha, lately arrived in the Tagus on account of the Oriental the 2d of October from Goa, on the Malabar Company of Portugal, brings letters as far as coaft, (the had not been on the other fide of the peninsula Gince June) where all was quiet when the failed; the Portuguese Governor of Goa having found means to make up the dif ferences which fubfifted with the Rajah of Gicke, a neighbour of the Mahrattas, but a feparate and powerful Prince. The Magda. lene was at Pondicherry in July, where the French are making complete reports of their fortifications, and erecting new ones, extending their lines and circumvallations much beyond the former boundaries. The Galle intereft is reported to be increasing very fat in