blocking up that inland with eighteen or nineteen ships of the line; but not choofing to hazard a battle with these againft 23 or 24 fhips of the like force, he fled upon the enemy's approach, and was pursued by them for three days fucceffively. In Auguft, M. De Graffe failed with all his force for the Chefapeak, although our Naval Commanders in the W. Indies had imagined he would only go with or fend there a part of it; and under this notion, Sir Samuel Hood, on one fide, came to the relief of N. America with no more than fourteen fail, and in indifferent plight. No previous notice of the ap. proach of either of these squadrons had come to Mr. Graves. In fact, the two fleets arrived upon the coaft within a few days of each other. Upon this fudden crifis of things, Mr. Graves loft no time in getting over the bar at New York, with his five fhips of the line and one of fifty guns, joined the Leeward Ifland fquadron of fourteen, affumed the command of the whole, delivered out his line of battle on the 30th of Auguft, and directly pushed with a preffure of fail for the Chesapeak in queft of the enemy. On the 5th of September, as the mouth of that bay began to open, the frigate a-head defcried M. De Graffe, and about one o'clock the fignal being made for our leading fhips (of Sir Samuel Hood's divifion) to lead more towards the enemy, our whole fleet preffed forward as faft as poffible in a line a-head. About two o'clock the adverfe fleet difclofed itself fully to view, and fhewed twentyfour heavy fhips of the line against our nineteen, and our fleet being foon after obliged, by the hoal on the middle ground, to wear, its vanguard fell to Admiral Drake, and the rear to Sir Samuel Hood, the divifion of the latter being at that time full two miles nearer than our centre to the enemy. Mr. Graves continued to push upon the enemy as hard as he could, frequently repeating the fignal to his van to lead more towards them, and at a quarter after four o'clock he flung out the fignal for forming at a cable's length one fhip from the other. His own line feeming to be well, formed, and the five headmoft fhips of the enemy very particularly extended, many of their rear being clofe in with Cape Henry, he thought it a favourable mo ment for attacking them, and made the fignal accordingly for each fhip to bear down, and clofe with her opponent; he himself having borne away much more, for he had never kept his own fhip nigher to the wind than fo as to bring it on the beam. The van and centre divifions of our fleet bore down accordingly, and engaged the enemy very near, but the rear divifion, by keeping the wind, kept out of gun fhot. Within a few minutes therefore Mr. Graves repeated the fignal for clofing with the enemy, and at eleven minutes paft four o'clock hauled down the fignal for the line a-head, that nothing might interfere with that for close action. However, at twenty-two minutes paft four he hoifted again the fignal for the line a-head, feeing his van not to be quite enough extended; but within five minutes afterwards he took in that fignal, and never made it again during the day, immediately repeating with all the fignals for clofe action, which be alfo flung out again, and difplayed to the utmoit at a quarter after five o'clock. Maugre all this, feven of his rear or fternmost fhips never came into action, although M. de Graffe in his relation to his own court fpeaks of no more than five, faying, les cinque de l'arriere-garde Anglie ayant refusé de fe metre à porièe; by which fatality alone Mr. Graves failed of obtaining a complete victory over fo fuperior a fleet, and the confequence was, that his van and centre fuffered greatly, and one fhip fo much as to make it neceffary to fink her, whilft the feven of his rearmoft ships had not rope fhot nor a man killed or wounded. Had thefe fhips come up, as the French van was broken, it would in all probability have been cut off and taken, and the remainder of their ships have been prevented from coming up to its affiftance, and many of them perhaps been forced afhore; fo that M. de Graffe, who had been fo triumphant in the Weft Indies, would have been compelled to quit the coaft of America with difgrace, difgrace, and the army of lord Cornwallis been relieved or brought off. The fired ceafed on each fide with the light. The beginning of this day had been a moment of great ambition with Mr. Graves, as he has often faid, and he flattered himself, when the action began, that by the judiciousness of the time of his onfet, and the fcattered ftate of the enemy, he should have totally defeated M. de Graffe in fpite of his fuperiority, and have fully repaid his triumph off Martinico. He knew, however, that his own fuccefs must entirely depend upon the whole of his fleet bearing down together with alertnefs at the critical moment, and doing their utmoft; but he could not forefee that more than one third of his fhips would take no fhare at all in the engagement. He bore, however, this difappointment with magnanimity, and fuppreffed his feelings againft the caufes of it for the fake of the public, to which confideration he facrificed every other, being confcious that he himself had done all that depended upon a commander in chief. With this ftate of mind he returned to New York to repair the fhattered fhips of his van and centre. Their re-equipment was expedited by the utmoft affiduity and exertion on his part, and, when accomplish ed, he failed again for the Chefa peak, after taking on board Sir Henry Clinton and his army. But this was all in vain; for lord Cornwallis had furrendered before they could arrive; and nobody, in truth, could then have entertained any ferious hope of fuccefs, as the French naval force under M. de Graffe had been augmented by the junction of the fquadron under De Barras, and now formed all together a fleet of thirty fix fail of the line. The only perfons who talked confidently of the matter were those who had done no thing upon the former occafion. But as a proof of Mr. Graves's merit individually, it may not be improper to take notice, that prior to this fecond failing, admiral Digby had arrived from England with a commiffion for commanding in chief in thofe feas. Soon after which a general council of war of fea and land officers was holden at the general's defire; where, after the meaTyres had been refolved upon, admiral Graves propofed refigning his com mand, in conformity to the orders of the admiralty; but the general and the officers of the two fervices were unanimous in declaring againft it; faying they could do nothing without him, and that he muft continue to act until the expedition was over: admiral Digby concurring with the reft, Mr. Graves acquiefced upon this their united requeft. At their return, however, to Sandyhook, off the bar of New York, in purfuance of the orders brought to him by Mr. Digby, he departed for Jamaica, as did the Leeward Ifland fleet for its former ftation in the Weft Indies. When Mr. Graves arrived at Port Royal, he was for a fhort time employed by the directions of fir Peter Parker in the making of proper arrangements there for a ftate of the beft defence it was capable of, in concert with governor Campbell; but finding it was not intended by the admiralty that he fhould have the command in chief on that ftation, he wrote very preffingly and frequently to the board for leave to return to England. This was at length complied with, and he failed from Bluefields on the 25th of July 1782, having with him the Ramilies, in which was his flag, the Canada and Centaur, all of 74 guns, and the Pallas, of 36 guns, thefe being Englifh fhips of war; together with La Ville de Paris, of 110 guns, Le Glorieux and L'Hector, of 74 guns, and L'Ardent, Le Caton, and Le Jafon, of 64 guns each, which were prize-fhips of war, and with more than 100 merchantmen in convoy. The king's fhips were generally in bad condition, and very thort of men; but the French prizefhips of war were in a much worse ftate, and wholly unfit for a voyage to Europe in fo tempeftuous a feafon of the year as the autumnal equinox, when hurricanes might be expected. The detail of circumftances attending this fleet is here given, because the subfequent fate and dreadful catastrophe befalling it was fuch, as to call for fome particular memorial; for the magnitude and extent of the fhipwreck on this occafion by far exceeds that of Sir Cloudesly Shovel, or any other in the hiftory of mankind, and at the same time the sto will bear perpetual teftimony to that extraordinary firmnefs of mind, coolnefs of temper, and poffeffion of himfelf, for which the commander in chief has ever been fo remarkable in all try ing moments of furprize difficulty and danger. To refume therefore this narrative: The officers of the Ardent foon united in figning fuch a reprefentation of her miferable plight, as induced Mr. Graves to order her back forthwith to Port Royal; and the Fafon, by not putting to fea with the convoy, from want of water, never joined him at all. The reft proceeded, but the Hector loft company about the 26th of Auguft in the Gulph ftream, in the latitude of 34 N. and the whole convoy, after thofe for New-York had feparated, became now reduced to ninety-two or ninety-three fail. Upon the eighth of September the Caton fpringing a lak, made fuch alarming complaints, that the admiral directed her, and the Pallus, which was alfo become leaky, to bear away immediately together, and keep company and anake for Halifax, which then bore N. N. W. and was but 87 leagues diffant. The afternoon of the 16th of September wearing indications of a gale and foul weather from the Southcaftern quarter, every preparation was made on board the flag thip for fuch an event, not only on account of her own fafety, but alfo by way of example to the reft of the fleet. The admiral collected the fhips about fix o'clock, and Jay-to under his mainfail upon the larboard tack, with all his other fails furled, and the top gallant yards and mafts lowered down. The wind foon increafing, blew ftrongly from the E. S. E. with a very heavy fea; and about three o'clock in the morning of the 17th flew fuddenly about to the contrary point, blowing moft tremendously, accompanied with rain, thunder and lighting, and taking the Ramilies by the lee threw her maintail aback; her mainmalt came away by the board, ..and the mizenmaft half-way up the fore-topmaft fell over the farboard bow, the fore yard broke in the flings, the tiller Snapped in two, and the rudder was nearly torn off. Thus was this capital flip, on being perfectly tight before, reduced within fome few minutes to a mere wreck, by the outrage oufnefs of the blaft and the furioufnefs of the beat of the fea, both acting in oppofition to each other. She was pooped, the cabin where the admiral lay was flooded, and his cot-bed jerked down by the violence of the shock and the inftantaneous revulfion, fo that he was fain to pull on his boots half deep in water, without any stockings, to huddle on wet clothes, and get inltantly on deck. On his firft coming there, be ordered two of the lieutenants to examine into the ftate of things below, and to keep a fufficient number of the people at the pumps, whilft himself and the captain kept the deck to encourage the men to clear away the wreck, which, by its conftant furging and refurging with every wave against the body of the hip, had beaten off much of the copper from the ftarboard fide, and expofed the feams fo much to the fea, that the decayed oakum washed out, and her whole frame became at once exceedingly porous and leaky. Upon the dawning of light they perceived a large hip under their lee lying upon her fide waterlogged; her hands attempting to wear her by first cuting away the mizenmaft, and then her mainmaft, and hoifting withall her enign with the Union downwards, in order to draw the attention of the fleet, but to no avail, for no fuccour could be given, and the very foon went down head foremost, with the fly of her enfign the last thing vifible. This was the Dutton, formerly an Eaft Indiaman, and then a ftore-fhip commanded by a lieutenant of the navy, who in his agitation leaped from her deck into the fea, but, as might be expected, was very fhortly overwhelmed by its billows: and yet twelve or thir teen of the crew contrived to flide off one of her boats, and, running with the wind, firft endeavoured to reach a large fhip before them; which not being able to fetch, and afraid of filling if they attempted to haul up for the purpofe, they made for another hip more to leeward, who fortunately defcrying them, flung over a number of ropes, by the help of which thefe defperate fellows fcrambled up her fide, and at laft faved their lives. (To be continued) NEW |