ford forme idea of the effect produced by a fimilar or greater fire on the 13th; viz. "The eye is "fatigued and the heart rent with "the fight and groans of the "dying and wounded, whom the "foldiers are this moment carry"ing away; the number makes "a man fhudder; and I am "told, that in other parts of the "lines, which are not within view "of my poft, the numbers are ftill "greater. Fortunately for my "feelings, I have not, at this in"ftant, leiture to reflect much on "the state and condition of man"kind." The lofs on the fide of the garrifon was lefs than could have been conceived; and was nearly confined to the artillery corps, and to the marine brigade. A few brave officers and men loft their lives, and a much greater number were wounded. From the 9th of Auguft to the 17th of October, the whole number of non-commiffioned officers and private men flain, amounted to fixty-five only; but the wounded were no lefs han 388. Of commiffioned officers, twelve were in that time wounded, of whom a captain and a lieutenant died. Nor was the damage done to the works fo confiderable as to afford any room for future apprehenfion; or at all to hold any proportion with the violence of the attacks, and the exceffive weight of fire they fuftained. Such was the fignal and complete defenfive victory,obtained by a comparatively handful of brave men, over the combined efforts and united powers, by fea and by land, of two great, warlike, and potent nations, who fparing no expence, labour, or exertion of art, for the attainment of a favourite object, exceeded all former example, as well in the magnitude as in the formidable nature of their preparation. A victory which has fhed a fignal blaze of glory over the whole garrifon, but which cannot fail particularly to immortalize the name of General Elliot, and to hand down to pofterity with diftinguished honour thofe of Lieutenant-General Boyd and the other principal officers. The enemy refted all their hopes now, at least oftensively, on the defeat of Lord Howe's fleet; or at any rate, on preventing the intended relief, and thereby reducing the unconquered garrison to the neceffity of a furrender, through the mere failure of ammunition and provisions. This afforded the only fubject of confolation; and nothingfeemed to be fo ardently wifhed for as the arrival of the English fleet: an event which, it was held out, would afford an happy opportunity for converting all paft difgrace into an augmentation of prefent glory. In the mean time, Lord Howe met with much delay, through contrary winds and very unfavourable weather, on his way to Gibraltar; which was rendered exceedingly irkfome by the anxiety and apprehenfions that prevailed relative to the fituation of things at that fortrefs, under a knowledge of the menaced attack. It was not until the fleet had arrived near the fcene of action that this doubt and apprehenfion were removed, by intelligence received from the coaft of Portugal of the total discomfiture of the com forces, in their grand affault upon the St. Michael; which was, how ever, done in three or four days without any other damage to the fhip than what the received from the ftorm or the ground; and that, excepting the lofs of a maft, was in no degree essential. 09. 11. On the morning that fucceeded the form, the British fleet (which had felt it, but without lofs or damage) entered the Strait's mouth in a clofe line of battle a-head; and about an hour after night, the van arriving off the Bay of Gibraltar, a moft favourable opportu nity was offered to the store-fhips of reaching their destined anchorage, without any moleftation from the enemy; but, through fome inattention of the captains to the peculiar circumftances of the navigation laid down in their inftructions, only four of the thirtyone fail which accompanied the fleet, effected their purpose. The reft having miffed the bay, were driven through the Straits into the Mediterranean during the night, and were no fmall incumbrance to the fleet in its fubfequent operations. While Lord Howe was collecting his convoy in the Mediterranean, and preparing to escort them back to the rock, the enemy were under no fmall anxiety for the fafety of the two line of battle fhips, which had been driven from Algeziras out of the Straits on the night of the form. To recover thefe, and in the hope of intercepting or preventing the return of the fore-fips, the combined feets failed from Algeziras on the 13th, their force being now lef fened, by three difabled fhips which they were obliged to leave [Q] behind, behind, by the St. Michael taken, and by the abfence of two others. The British fleet was a-breast of Fungarola, a large port-town ly ing between Malaga and Gibral tar, when advice was received of the approach of the enemy. Upon this intelligence, while the fleet was clofing and forming a line of battle, the Buffalo of 60 guns, was detached with thofe fterefhips which had yet been colleged to the Zafarine Islands, which lie upon the coaft of Barbary, about fixty leagues above Gibraltar. The Panther, of the fame force, being left in the bay of Gibraltar for the protection, as they arrived, of the ftore-fips, Lord Howe's force now only amounted to thirty-two fail of the line. About fun-fet, the enemy were defcried in great force, at about fix leagues diftance in line of battle, with a strong wind full in their favour, and bearing directly down upon the English fleet. They amounted in number to fixty-four fail, of which forty-nine were fquare rigged, and about fortytwo feemed to be of the line, including feveral very large threedeckers. About nine o'clock advice was received from the advanced frigates, that the enemy had hauled their wind, and bore up; and at two in the morning, that they had tacked.. By daylight they were perceived clofe in with the land, and at fuch a distance as not to be visible from the deck. It would feem, that during that time they had recovered the two miffing fhips. It was difcovered in the morning, that several of the tranfports had not gone with the Buffalo on the preceding evening, and that fe veral others had joined the fleet in the night. Upon this account, the wind happening to become favourable, the fleet proceeded in order of battle towards the mouth of the Straits, and paffed eighteen of the convoy fafe to Gibraltar Bay. By the 18th the veffels under the convoy of the Buffalo having rejoined the fleet, were fent into Gibraltar; two regiments, which were on board the ships of war and frigates, were likewise landed; and a fcarcity of ammunition in the garrifon, which feems not to have been provided for, was remedied by Lord Howe's fending in a fupply of 1500 barrels of powder from the fleet. During the performance of thefe effential fervices, the combined fleets of the enemy never once came in fight; but at the break of day, on the 19th, the British fleet being then in the entrance of the Gut, and inclofed between the oppofite points of Europa and Ceuta, they appeared at no great dif tance to the north; caft. The British commander faw that it would be the highest imprudence and rafhnefs to hazard an action in the Gut. There was not sufficient room for forming the line of battle; much less for the evolutions which might be neceflary in the courfe of an engagement. The danger arifing in fuch circumfiances, from the vicinity of the enemy's coafts, was not an object of lefs confideration than their fuperiority in number and force. The wind blew full from the Mediterranean, and was of courfe entirely in their favour; and, befides all the advantages to be derived from friendly fhores, and fuch a perfect knowledge of them and and of the currents, as to be able to evade, or to convert into bene. fits all the dangers of the Straits, they had, in cafe of particular damage or general misfortune, excellent ports at hand on all fides, for their relief or protection; while the English fhips, in cafe of any confiderable damage, which was a confequence to be confidered as unavoidable with refpeft to fome or other, had no friendly port to retire to for relief or fhelter. In thefe circumOct. 20th. ftances, Lord Howe repaffed the Straits into the Atlantic, and was followed by the enemy. On the following morning, they were perceived, at about five leagues diftance to windward. The English fleet formed in order of battle to leeward to receive them; and the enemy had it in their power during the greater part of the day to have chofen their time of action as well as their distance. At fun-fet they began a cannonade on the van and rear of the British fleet; but generally at fuch a diftance as to produce little effect; the fire being occafionally returned by different fhips as they at times approached within reach. This firing was held in fuch contempt by Lord Howe, that he did not return a tingle fhot from his own fhip, the Victory, although she was fired at by feveral, and at one time by three fhips. The enemy, however, perceiving a part of the rear a good deal feparated from the reft, made a bolder attempt upon that divifion. The French and Spanish admirals, M. de Guichen and Don Cordova, led the attack upon the feparated fhips, which, referving themfelves till they were within a near diftance, threw in fo well-timed, fo heavy, and fo admirably directed a fire upon them, and this was fupported with fuch spirit and effeet, that the enemy were foon thrown into evident confufion, and their leading fhips fuffered fome confiderable apparent damage. Don Cordova in particular, was thrown all a-back; and the enemy hauling their wind, gave up the object entirely; the cannonade ended about ten o'clock, and the combined fleets being at a confiderable distance in the morning, and to appearance on their return to Cadiz, Lord Howe proceeded on his way to England. This distant fire, as ufual, and as all that was intended by it, excepting merely to fave appearances, did a good deal of damage to the yards and rigging of feveral of the Englifh fhips, fo that if Lord Howe, had even been difpofed to pursue the enemy on the following morning, he could not have fo done; but that, undoubtedly, neither was nor ought to have been any part of his object. The measure of mere fighting, without any adequate object in view, can never be adopted by any wife commander, either by fea or by land. The great fervice of relieving Gibraltar was, in the face of all Europe, moft happily and glorioufly performed, under fuch circumftances of inferiority in force, as not only fully to fupport but highly to exalt our naval renown, and the honour of the British flag. It was evident, through the whole courfe of the proceed proceedings, that the combined enemy, with fo great a fuperiority as they poflefled, had not at any time the smalleft intention of hazarding a general action; however willing they might be to riik fome lots in order to mainthin that appearance, and however watchful they were to profit of any advantage that might be afforded. The British comman der, befides, had other important fervices ftill to provide for. He detached eight fhips of the line to the West Indies, and fix to the coafts of Ireland, on his way home; neither of which, or at leaft the former, could probably have been done if a forced action (and which from its nature could not be decifive) had taken place. CHRONICHT. |