Morocco; who, contrary to all former example, and in contravention of that mortal enmity, which, through a courfe of ages, had been established and hereditary between the two nations, has taken little lefs than an open and direct part on the fide of Spain. By this means Gibraltar, in the moft critical feafon of danger which it has ever experienced, has been cut off from its domestic market; and has looked over in vain to the oppofite fhore, for that ample fupply of provifions, with which it had hitherto been furnished from Barbary.

Fortune seemed attached to the new commander's flag, in a fignal manner on the outfet. He had only been a few days at fea, when he fell in with a very confiderable convoy, bound from St. Sebaftian to Cadiz, confifting of 15 fail of merchantmen, under the guard of a fine new 64 gun fhip, Jan. 8th. of + frigates, from 32 1780. to 26 guns, and of two fmaller armed veffels. The whole fleet was taken; and the whole, fhips of war, as well as others, belonged to the royal company of the Carraccas. The capture was exceedingly fortunate; much the greater part of the veffels being loaded with wheat, flour, and other fpecies of provifion; and the remainder with bale goods and naval ftores. The former, the admiral judiciously conveyed to Gibraltar, where their cargoes were fo much wanted, and the latter he fent back to England, where the naval ftores were no less welcome.

But this was only the prelude to greater and more brilliant fuccefs.

In about a week the admi- 16th. ral fell in, off' Cape St. Vincent, with a Spanith fquadron of eleven fhips of the line, under the command of Don Juan Langara. The enemy, being much inferior in force, endeavoured all they could to avoid an engagement; a defign, to which the different circumitances, of a rough gale, high fea, fhort day, and dangerous coaft, were tremely favourable. In order to counteract this defign, Sir George Rodney changed the fignal for a line of battle a breaft, to that for a general chace, with orders to engage as the fhips came up by rotation; taking at the fame time the lee gage, to prevent the enemy's retreat into their own ports.

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The headmoft fhips began to engage about four o'clock in the evening; and their fire was returned with great spirit and refolution by the Spaniards. Thè night was dark, tempeftuous and difmal, and the fleet being nearly involved among the fhoals of St. Lucar, rendered the afpect more terrible. Early in the action, the Spanish fhip San Domingo, of 70 guns and 600 men, blew up, and all on board perished; the English man of war with which he was engaged, narrowly efcaping a fimilar fate. The action and purfuit continued, with a conftant fire, until two o'clock in the morning, when the head most of the enemy's line ftruck to the admiral.

The Spanish admiral's fhip the Phenix, of 80 guns, with three of 70, were taken, and carried fafely into port. The San Julian of

70 guns, commanded by the Marquis de Medina, was taken, the officers fhifted, and a lieutenant with 70 British feamen put on board; but by her afterwards running on fhore, the victors experienced the caprice of war, in becoming themselves prifoners. Another fhip of the fame force, was likewife taken, and her officers fhifted; but the afterwards run upon the breakers, and was totally loft. Two more efcaped greatly damaged, and two lefs fo, into Cadiz. Such was the final difpofal of the whole Spanish fquadron.

Such were the peculiar circumAtances attending this engagement, that notwithstanding the inferiority of the enemy in point of force, few actions have required a higher degree of intrepidity, more confummate naval fkill, or greater dexterity of feamanship. Even the light of the enfuing day, was fcarcely fufficient to extricate feveral British capital fhips from the most imminent danger; and it was not until the fecond morning after the action, that they had entirely cleared the fhoals, and recovered deep water. It feems upon the whole fcarcely to admit of a doubt, not only that the whole Spanish fleet would have efcaped from a more cautious commander; but that the apparent circumstances of the cafe would have afforded a full juftification of his conduct upon any retrospect,

The Spanish admiral, Don Juan de Langara, behaved with the greatest gallantry; was himfelf forely wounded, and his fhip nearly a wreck, before he ftruck. The humanity and generofity difplayed

by Capt. Macbride of the Bienfaifant, with refpect to that gentleman and his fhip, along with the ftrict attention to honour shewn by the Spanish commander, both deferve to be remembered, as laying down a rule of conduct worthy the imitation of other officers in fimilar fituations.

A bad and malignant kind of fmall pox, prevailing on board Capt. Macbride's fhip, that gallant officer, difdaining to convey infection even to an enemy, and perhaps confidering the peculiar terror with which it is regarded by the Spaniards, and the general ill afpect it bears to that people, acquainted Don Langara with the circumftance, and with bis own feelings upon the subject; at the fame time offering to prevent the inevitable danger and mifchief which muft attend fhifting the prifoners, by fending an officer with an hundred men on board the Phenix, and trufting to the admiral's honour, that neither his officers or men, (amounting to above 700) fhould, in any cafe, of feparation or otherwife, in any degree interrupt the British feamen, whether with refpect to navigating the fhip, or of defending her, against whatever enemy. The propofal was thankfully embraced, and the conditions ftrictly adhered to by the Spanish admiral; for though there was no other fhip but the Bienfaifant in fight, and that the fea and weather were exceedingly rough, his people gave every affiftance in refitting the Phenix, and in navigating her to the bay of Gib

raltar.

After this fignal fuccefs, Sir George Rodney having executed

his commiffion at Gibraltar, and waited the return of fome men of war, which he had fent with a convoy of ftore-fhips and victuallers to the island of Minorca, that commander, animated with fuccefs and covered with glory, proceeded, about the middle of February, to the West Indies, leaving, the bulk of the fleet, under the conduct of Rear Admiral Digby, together with the Spanish prizes, on their way to England. They were not many days parted, before the returning fleet fell in with, or rather perceived at a great diftance, a confiderable French convoy bound to the Mauritius, under the protection of two fhips of the line. Although a general chace enfued, most of the convoy escaped; only the Prothee of 64 guns, and two or three veffels laden with military ftores, being taken.

Thus far, fortune feemed again to fmile on the British Flag. This expedition was in all its parts prof perous. Befides the great damage done to the enemy, fix fhips of the line were added to the royal navy of England; and the value of the other prizes, in a public view, was greatly enhanced, by the nature of their cargoes, the critical feafon in which they were taken, and the effential fervices to which they were applied. We have already feen, that the highest honour which he could receive, the public thanks of his country, through both houses of parliament, was bestowed on Sir George Rodney. Nor was the nation at large lefs gratified. The long abfence of good news, rendered this the more highly pleating. It was befides a triumph over our old and natural enemies, the Houfe of Bourbon.

During this expedition, government having received intelligence, that a number of Dutch hips, laden with timber and naval ftores for the French fervice, not being abfolutely allowed protection by the States on their voyage, intended to escape the danger which they apprehended from the British Cruizers, by accompanying Count Byland, who, with a fmall fquadron of men of war and frigates, was to efcort a convoy to the Mediterranean, Captain Fielding was, in confequence of this notice fent out with a proper force, in order to examine the convoy, and to feize any veffels containing those articles which we deemed contraband.

Upon the meeting of the fleets, and permiffion to vifit the merchant fhips being refufed to Captain Fielding, he notwithstanding difpatched his boats for that purpofe, which were fired at, and prevented from executing their orders by the Dutch. Upon this, the captain having fired a hot ahead of the Dutch Admiral, it was answered by a broadfide; and Count Byland having received his in return, and being in no condition of force to purfue the contest farther, then immediately ftruck his colours. Most of the Dutch fhips that were in the predicament which occafioned the conteft, had already, through the length and darkness of the nights, and by keeping clofe to the fhore, efcaped the danger, and proceeded without interruption to the French ports. The few that remained, with naval ftores on board, were stopt; and the Dutch Admiral then informed, that he was at liberty to hoift his colours and profecute his voyage.

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That commander, however, chofe only to accept of the former part of the condition. He hoifted his colours; but he refufed to feparate from any part of his convoy; and he accordingly, with the whole of the fleet which remained with him, accompanied the British fquadron to Spithead; where he continued, until he received fresh instructions from his mafters.

This, along with many other, both preceding and fubfequent matters, led to that unhappy rup. ture, which has fince afforded fo much caufe of joy and triumph to the enemies of both, between thofe antient, natural, and Proteftant Allies, the kingdom of Great Britain, and the States of Holland. Nor had it a lefs fhare probably in other fucceeding events, which were equally pernicious to the interefts, and fubverfive of the power of this country. The apparent vigour, however, of this meafure, and the femblance it from thence bore to the great and decided maxims of happier times, rendered it in fome degree a favourite with many people; who from thence augured a renovation of our antient fpirit in council and fortune in war.

But the event which fingularly marked the opening of the prefent year, and which was probably, at least, accelerated by that we have related, was the extraordinary meafure adopted in the north of Europe; where a power, which, however great in other refpects, was of inferior note in a maritime view, was now feen dictating a new code of maritime laws to mankind, in many respects effentially differing from thofe which had for feveral hundred years been

eftablished among commercial nations, and going directly to the overthrow of that fovereignty, or pre-eminence on the ocean, which had been fo long claimed and maintained by this country.

Feb. 26th.

This was the manifefto or declaration iffued by the court of Petersburg, which has been the means of forming, under the name of an armed neutrality, that formidable naval and military alliance and confederacy, between the northern powers, to which most of the neutral ftates in Europe have fince acceded; and which, Great Britain not being in a fituation directly to contravene, feems now to be fettled as a part of the law of nations. The great principle of this piece, and of that confederacy to which it gave birth, is, that free bottoms make free goods; and this is car. ried to the degree of fuppofing, that neutral states are entitled to carry on their commerce with the belligerant parties in a state of war, with the fame degree of convenience, eafe, and fafety, which they might have practifed in time of peace. Nor is this all; it is farther laid down, that the neutral bottom has a right to convey, and to render free, all things, from any one part of a belligerant ftate, and even coaftwife, to another, without let or impediment; faving only fuch matters as might be deemed contraband, in confequence of the ftipulations of former treaties.

This extraordinary meafüre (which in other times would have been confidered and refented as a declaration of war) was rendered the more grievous, from its originating with a power, which not

only