upon the extremities of the English line, which were already in clofe action with an equal enemy. By this means the Worcester, which was the laft fhip of their rear, was moft furiously attacked by two of the enemy, who seemed confident of entirely ruining, if not of taking her, as all her fellows in that divifion were fully engaged. But the made fo noble a refiftance, and the Monmouth, which was her fecond, throwing all her fails a-back, came up fo timely, and threw in fo clofe and powerful a fire upon the enemy, that the attack on that fide entirely failed of its expected effect. At the fame time, five of the enemy's hips came down in a cluster, and fell with equal fury and greater powers upon the Exeter and Ifis, which were the headmoft of the English van. It feemed peculiarly deftined to the Exeter to be expofed to the encounter of great odds. In fo unequal a combat as the prefent, it could be no wonder that the was fo much difabled, as to be at length obliged to retire from the line; while the weak and forlorn Ifis was left, it might be faid, to run the gauntlet, under the fuccellive paff ing fire of the 5 French fhips before the could be fupported.

During these fierce attacks on the points of the English line, the centre divifions on both fides were fairly and clofely, fhip to fhip, engaged; the rival commanders, in the Superbe and Heros, dealing out their rage with unremitting fury upon each other. At half past three o'clock the French admiral's fecond a-ftern had his mizen-maft fhot away; and his fecond a-head loft his fore and mizen top-mafts. The battle was,

however, ftill defperately maintained at half past five. At that time, the wind fhifting fuddenly from the fouth-west to the east-foutheaft, Sir Edward Hughes made the fignal for wearing, which was inftantly obeyed; and the evolution was performed by the whole fquadron with fuch alertnefs, and in fuch admirable order, that it feemed to be rather a naval exercife of parade, than a movement in the height of action and danger.

The enemy were engaged, during this time, in the operations of either wearing or ftaying their fhips, until the English renewed the engagement on the other tack with fresh violence. At 20 minutes past fix the French admiral's main-mast was thot away close by the board; and foon after his mizen-maft met the fame fate, On the English fide, the Worcester about the fame time loft her main top-mast. At seven o'clock, the body of the French fquadron hauled their wind to the fouthward, but were exposed to and received a moft fevere fire from the fhips in the English rear for about 20 minutes after, when getting clear off, the action entirely ceafed.

Thus ended one of the best fought actions perhaps recorded in naval hiftory; and it terminated a naval campaign (if the word may be admitted) unequalled as to the number, the variety, the nature, and the obftinacy of the actions by which it was diftinguithed. Certainly we have no memorial of the fame men, and the fame fhips, meeting and fighting, fo of ⚫n and fo defperately, in fo thort a space of time.

It cannot be fuppofed, after fo long

long and fo fevere an engagement, that the English fquadron could be in any condition for purfuing the enemy; but the darkness of the night, and the nearness of Trincomale, would not have admitted the attempt, under any poflibility of ef fect, if things had even been otherwife. No part of the French fquadron was to be seen at day-light.

The lofs of men on the fide of the English, was, in point of number, fo fmall, as to be almoft below credibility; amounting to only 51 flain, and 283 wounded; but if confidered with refpect to the brave officers who fell, though included in that small number, the lofs to their country, and to the naval fervice, was beyond eftimate. Among those who glori oufly dedicated their lives on that day, to the fervice of their coun. try, were the three brave and diftinguithed captains, Wood, of the Worcester, Watt, of the Sultan, and Lumley, of the Ifis. The latt, on account of his youth and noble family, as well as of his be ing an officer of the greatest hope and gallantry, was deeply and peculiarly regretted. Such a laughter of captains, in fo fmall a number of fhips, and where the general lofs was to moderate, was fingularly unfortunate. Indeed, officers in general feemed peculiarly deftined to fuffer in this day's action; feveral other brave men, as well of the 78th and 98th regiments, as of the naval department, having fallen, and a very confiderable number being wound d. Too much could not be id in praife of Colonel Fullarton, and of the other officers, as well as of the private men of

these two corps, who had, at their own defire, and at the liberal expence of their blood, continued, during fo many months, to encoun ter all the hardships and incommodities of fo exceedingly fevere and trying a fervice; and which was in fo many respects contrary to their profeflional habits and du

ties.

It was highly to the honour of the British commanders, that thro' the whole courfe of this fevere naval conteft, and thro' fo many days of hard, bloody, and doubtful trial, conftantly fighting too againft a. fuperiority of force, yet, that under all thefe circumstances, the breath of flander had not been able to leave the fmalleft foil on the character, or to cenfure the behaviour of any one of them; but that, in every action, each was acknowledged to have done every thing in the power of a brave and experienced officer; whilft, on the other fide, the French admiral was continually breaking or fufpending his officers, and actually fent feveral of them home prifoners to France for trial. Perhaps, in no feafon of the highest naval fuccefs and glory in any country, could another inftance be produced of an equal number of commanders going thro' such a course of action, and being founiformly great in their conduct, as not to admit of any dif tinction in the claim of honour at the conclufion.

The French returned to Trincomale on the very night of the action, and feem to have been fo much hurried on that occafion, that the L'Orient, of 74 guns, one of their best fhips, was loft in the dark, in the act of getting in. M. de Suffrein gives no account,

as

nor the alluring hopes of permanent conqueft, and the attainment of great territorial revenue on the fide of Bombay, any longer with ftand the operative effect of thofe powerful caufes.

On the other fide, the free and generous release of the Bombay army at Worgaum, by Madajee Scindia, had early marked the favourable difpofition of that eminent chief to the English; nor did the hameful breach of faith which his country experienced upon that occafion, and by which he was himfelf fo deeply and perfonally affected, feem at all to render him, in his fubfequent conduct, either a bitter or an implacable enemy.We have accordingly feen, that a feparate treaty of peace was negociated and concluded with Madajee Scindia, by Colonel Muir, about the time that the war of Benares hid been brought to a conclufion. This was the prelude to Madajee's becoming the fuccefsful mediator to reftore peace and harmony between the English and the court of Poonah. Indeed the placability of the Mahrattas through the whole courfe of thefe late wars, and the moderation of their refentments, under great loffes, and the moft grievous provocations, muft ever appear unaccountable to Europeans. In fact, they never feemed to be truly angry, much lefs to harbour any appearance of malice or fixed revenge; and they appeared to be equally difpofed to litten to terms of accommodation, under the impreffions of fuccefs or defeat.

Nor will the conftitution of the

Mahratta government, as developed by the prefent tranfaction, (unless indeed that this proceed

ed merely from the difordered state of their affairs) appear lefs fingular. Madajee Scindia, already a fubject in a certain degree, as holding large territories by a loofe feudal tenure, ftraitens the bands much more clofely, and renders himself entirely amenable to goverument, by holding the first offices, and confequently becoming the immediate fervant of the state. He is the leader of their armies in a dangerous war against a powerful enemy, and in the midst of that war, not only concludes a feparate peace for himself, and his own territories, without the participation or confent of his mafters, but enters into a treaty of close friendthip and alliance with this declared and dangerous enemy to the ftate. This might be confidered as defertion and treachery; but he continues ftill in the fame command, without any attempt to deprive him of it, or any charge of having debauched the army; and then, ftill continuing in the capacity of general, he affumes at ence the character of a neutral fovereign power, by mediating and concluding a peace in his camp, of which he becomes the guarantee to both parties for the faithful discharge of its conditions.

Mr. Anderfon, being furnished with full powers by the governor general and counc.1 of Bengal, had the fortune to bring this bufinefs to a happy conclufion, and feems to have difplayed great ability through the whole tranfaction. This treaty, as ufual, takes its name from the place where it was concluded; being a village or town called Salbey, where Madajee Scindia had his head-quarters;

and