The engagement first began, between the B:illiant and la Malicieufe, that frigate which the evening before had hauled out in the offing. After exchanging a few broadfides, the Frenchman thot ahead, when Captain Logie, perceiving by the difpofition of the French, that he, fhould have both the frigates upon him: at once, obferved to his officers, that in his prefent circumstances, he could not expect to take any one of them, but that all he could propofe to do was to avoid being taken himself and at the fame time to find fufficient employment for both, fo that neither of them might be able to annoy the Bellona, who was no more than a match for her antagonist, With what admirable judgment and prefence of mind he formed this plan, and with what steady conduct and refolution he executed fuch a neceffary, and effential point of duty, fufficiently appears from this, that during all the time the Bellona and Courageux were engaged, and for above half an hour afterwards, he withstood the united attack of both the frigates, each of them of equal force with his own; and at last obliged them to fheer off, greatly damaged in their hull and rigging, while the Brilliant had fuffered much lefs than could have been expected. It most commonly happens, and indeed it is a natural confequence, that thofe who defpife and undervalue the force of their enemies are ruined by its but, in all probability, the fafety of thofe two hips which efcaped was owing to this very circumitance; for if the French had, at any time before it was too late, difcovered the real force of the Bellona, they would have formed a line of battle in which cafe it can hardly remain a doubt, with any one who confiders what really happened, that all three would have fallen no very difficult facrifice to the fuperior conduct and invincible bravery of our countrymen.

But it was between the Courageux and the Bellona, that the great prize of glory, and victory was to be eagerly and decifively contended for. The two fhips were now approaching one another very faft, the first lying to, and the other advancing under her topfails; the fea, though there was a fine working breeze, being at that time as smooth as a pool of Sanding water, fo that the men in both fhips could ftand and work their guns, as

easily and firmly ass at as land battery, and there being no room for accidental fhots between wind and water, orlofs® of masts and yards by stress of weather, it is plain that the victory could only be decided by fuperior refolution and kill. And, indeed, if we compare the twỚC vessels together, a more equal match could not possibly have been picked out from the navies of both nations. They were" equal in burthen, number of guns, and > weight of metal. The Courageux at the beginning of the action had seven hundred and eight men on board, fome few in disposed with the scurvy, but all of them able to stand to their quarters, and from ↑ the time they had left France above ca year before, had been regularly trained to the exercise both of great and small guns by their commander, M. du Gue Lain- » bert, on their skill and dexterity at which ← he greatly depended for the easy atchieve.b ment of his future imagined conquest. The Bellona's crew confisted only of five hundred and fifty-eight men, but then they were all pickt, chofen, and disciplins ed, by Captain Dennis, whofe name alone is fufficient to thew what forts of men? they must have been, when, ħafter having** tried them in feveral engagements under his command in the Dorfetshire, berhad carried them with him out of thatʊ fhip/ into the Bellona ; the officers of the feat and land fervice were all gentlemen fe-1. lected, and most of them promoted, by the fame commander for their approved p bravery and good behaviour, and both were now led on to action by as gallant a fpirit, without exception, aswanys in) the English navy; a man who, impelled by an eager defire to diftinguish himself in the fervice of his country, bad, ong hearing the Achilles and Bouffon were on the coaft of Portugal destroying the English trade, gone in quest of them → without waiting the formality of orders, and was now returning home, when the met with what he had so narrowly missed ~ before, and had been fo long in fearch of; fo that it may be easily conceived with what alacrity and determined refo*** lution, he now entered on the engage

ment.

The French captain did not behave as his countrymen generally do on fuch occa fions; he did not fire at a distance with the cowardly intention of wounding the mafts or rigging of his approaching ene

my,

my, fo that if he could not avoid an action, he might be fure of escaping afterwards he waited till the Bellona was within less than musquet-shot, and then he poured in his first broad-fide, and had given more than half his fecond before the Bellona made any return: Her first broadfide struck the water, but almost every shot rose from thence, and took place. The French still kept up a very brisk fire, and, in a moment the Bellona's fhrouds, braces, bowlines, and every other rope belonging to her rigging were almost all cut to pieces, and flying about the ears of the combatants; in hine minutes, her mizen went away, and fell over the stern with all the men in the top, who however got in at the gunroom ports. Upon this Captain Faulkner, fearing the enemy might make their efcape, in confequence of that determined refolution he had carried with him into action, to conquer or to die, gave immediate orders for boarding. The pofition of the two ships foon rendered this im practicable; the Courageux was now like to fall athwart the Bellona's forefoot, and left: she might take advantage of that fi tuation to rake her fore and aft, by the prefence of mind and sunited efforts of the captain and mafter, the only two officers one the quarter-deck, the Bellona was made to ware round by means of her ftudding fails; the halliards, and all the other rpes that could be ferviceable in-that ~ manœuvre being already shot away, and to fall upon the oppofite quarter of the Courageux, which proved to be her starboard-fide. This was the decifive movement. The officers and feamen, with a promptitude and regularify which men thoroughly difciplined are alone capable of, flew each to their refpective oppofite guns, and carried on from the larboard fide a fire more terrible than before. Every hot took place, and bore deftruction along with it, and at every broadfide, duft and splinters were feen to fly in great quantities from the torn fides of the Courageux. It was impossible for Frenchman, or indeed any mortal beings, to withstand a battery fo inceffantly repeated, and fo fatally directed. In about twenty minutes, they hauled down their colours, and orders were immediately given in the Bellona to cease firing, which were as foon obeyed. The men had

3.

On

left their quarters, and all the officers were on the quarter deck congratulating one another on the victory, when unexpectedly a round of fhot came from the lower tier of the Courageux. It is impoffible to defcribe the rage that animated the Bellona's crew on this occafion; without waiting for orders, they flew again to their guns, and, in a moment poured in two broadfides more upon the enemy, who now calling out for quarters, firing at last ceased on both fides. board the Bellona fix men were killed outright, and about twenty-five wounded, few of them dangerously; the Courageux loft at least two hundred and twenty, and one hundred and ten were put afhore wounded at Lisbon. Had it not been for the lofs of her mizen, and the tattered condition of her fails and rigging, you would hardly have known the Bellona" had been in an action, there not being above five or fix fhot in her hull; whereas the Courageux was a meer wreck, having nothing but her foremaft and bowfprit ftanding, feveral of her ports knocked into one, her guns difimounted, her decks torn up in a hundred places, and, when boarded by the English officers, covered with the mangled bodies and limbs, of dead, dying, and wounded men. Sail was made for Lifbon as "foon as poffible, that being the only port the veffels could reach in their prefent condition. The night before they got in, an accident happened in the Courageux, which had it not been for Mr. Male the first lieutenant, would have proved immediately fatal; one of the centinels in the hold getting drunk, fet fire to fome rum, very near one of the magazines, when Mr. Male happening to be walking that way, on obferving the flames which had already feized on fome fhavings and lumber near there, with an intrepidity and prefence of mind poffelfed by few, but which on fuch emergencies is every thing, jumped down the hatchway amongst the midst of them, and happily extinguished them. The man who o3cafioned it was burnt in fuch a manner, that he afterwards died, and twenty of the French prifoners, on hearing the alarm, threw themselves overboard and were never more heard of. I shall conclude with obferving that the two captains, after their arrival acquired as much ho

hour

nour by their humanity to their vanquifhed enemies, as they had done by their gallantry in conquering them. They were the first and most liberal contributors to a fubfcription, fet on foot and promoted chiefly by the British factory, for the cure and maintenance of the wounded Frenchmen, who muft otherwife have

miferably perifhed; for there is no provition made by the French king for the relief of his fubjects, who may be carried in wounded, fick, or prisoners, to any port of Europe, as is every where pro vided for our feamen, by the orders of our most gracious fovereign.

10

H

AD the late bad news been true, that our army fuffered greatly by the bloody-flux in Flanders; what pity was it, that a furer remedy for that difeafe, than can, perhaps, be found for any other, happened to lie out of the physician's track of thinking; and that, for certain narrow reafons, it could hardly hope good fortune, were it recommended to their notice. Your lordship will remember it were hinted first (if I mistake not in a piece of Mr. Boyle's.) It met, however, but the common fate of every cheap and speedy regimen, to merit the neglect of the shops and shop fupporters, in proportion to the little they could get by countenancing it.

The process (fhould your memory, by chance, not recollect it) is no more, than to take new churned butter, without falt, and fkimming off the curdy part when melted over a clear fire, to give two spoonfuls of the clarified remainder, twice or thrice within the day. And this hath never failed to make an almost instant cure in many (I am fure at leaft a hundred) cafes. I have had myself the pleasure to relieve officiously by its effects; and who were perfons, for the most part, at the point of death, and folemnly refigned to that last cure of every malady, by their phyficians farewell sentence.

A long time after Mr. Boyle had publifhed his experience of this noble medicine, from his frequent proofs of it in Ire. land, where dyfenteries were too common accidents, there happened, at the fiege of Londonderry, fuch a general demonstration of its efficacy, as leaves a subsequent neglect of it no way to be accounted for, but from the reason I have juft affigned it to. For when by the fatigues and wants of that brave garrison, they found themselves

in greater danger, from the havock of the terrible disease, than from the effects of the enemy, we are informed, by the defcribers of that memorable fiege, that the diftem, per ftopt at once, upon the foldiers finding a concealed referve of casks of tallow in a merchant's warehouse, and dividing it among the companies, to melt with, and lengthen out their short remainder of bad oat-meal.

An acquaintance of my own, a gentle. man of the prescribing faculty, complained to me, fome years ago, of the mortality of this diftemper, then an epidemic one, in London, I advised him to make trial of the mentioned help : to which he first ob. jected, that he could not fee upon what theory to ground a likelihood of such suc cefs in using it. For answer, I referred him to a known experiment in fermentas tion, where, on barely throwing in a little melted grease (or a small quantity of ani. mal oil) upon the furface of a working liquor, when in highest foam, the curbed inteftine motion finks to flatness in an inftant; nor can it be recovered into a new head by any art our brewers or diftillers are acquainted with. The added oleaginous particles obtunding the now check. ed faline ones in a manner little differing from the operation of the recommended procefs in the human ftomach, when the vitiated hot ferment having had beginning, the incifive acrid falts are fheathed and made inactive by this oppofite balsamic foftener; and thence paffing on corrected through the gradual digestions, furnish a fit chyle for blunting the too ftimulative acrimony. And hence arifes not a tem porary, not a palliative relief---but a com plete eradication of the peccant principle. For when the falts above described have loft their points, in the absorbing sheather,

thofe

thofe united contraries (commixing oily with lixivious particles) compofe together a new foluble, and faponaceous body, which diffolving readily into the ferum and lymphatic humours, is prepared to pafs by sweat, or even perspire insensibly, thro' ftrainers, which (while separate) neither oils, nor falts, could have been small enough to have pervaded; and which must therefore (though the blood could have been helped to throw them off upon the glands or joints) have bred fuch obstinate concretion and obstruction there, as bring on gout, fciatica, or rheumatifm. But (thus) unlefs in cafes of veffels, too much lacerated already, the cause being radically removed, it is no wonder the effect is answerable.

The doctor, after weighing this, and more, to the fame purpose, smiled inftructively, and gave me for reply, a pleasant, short, and honeft declaration "That if ever he should have occafion to make trial of it on himfelf, or his own family, he would not only do it, but expect good confequence.---But, with regard to his out-patients, as long as he must hang his bills upon apothecary's files, he might as prudently be hanged himself, as venture to prefcribe short remedies."

I fear there is but too much probability of thefe prudential fentiments in camp, as

well as in town, doctors and if fo, unless the general of an army, making first fufficient trial to convince himself, would afterwards compel the practice; there feems little profpect of relieving fuch a fleet or field calamity, as though it should not have been now fo fatal, as pretended in the papers, may, too probably, become fo, in a wet and winter progrefs of this war; or of fome future one, when I, perhaps, fhall be paft feeling any of the confequences of it. I have, therefore, not let flip this opportunity, with view to give occafion, from his recollecting it, to the most kely hand in Europe, to make generous ufe of its remembrance.

I dont't know, whether I fhould add, (and yet it is not too remote from the immediate point in view, confidering how liable an army is, especially, where long entrenched in marshy fituations, to defluxions on the eyes or breaft) that, in whatever other cafe, of falts too fharp and active, none of the trite remedies, however tedious all of them, and fome extremely mortifying, will be found of any ufe, comparatively with this plain and pleasant one, which need, be taken, in the laft-named intentions, only to half the quantity, perfifting night and morning for fome length of time, uninterruptedly.

Moft Renowned Emperor,

was not the defire of feeing the celebrated cities of the German empire, or the most potent republics of the universe, that made me leave my throne in a diftant country, and my victorious arms; but the vehement passion alone, of feeing the most brave and most generous hero of the age. I have my wish, and am fufficiently recompenfed for my travel, in being admitted into your prefence. Your kind embraces have given me more fatisfaction than the taking of Afoph, and triumphing over the Tartars ;. but the conqueft is your's, your martial genius directed my fword, and the generous emulation of your exploits inftilled into my breaft the first thoughts I had of enlarging my dominions. I cannot exprefs in words October, 1761,

the veneration I have for your facred perfon; my unparalelled journey is a proof of it. The feason is fo far advanced, and I hope the peace too, that I fhall not have the opportunity (as Maximilian had) of fighting under the banner of England, against France the common enemy. If the war continue, I and my armies will readily obferve your orders; and if either in war or peace, your industrious fubjects will trade to the most northern parts of the world, the ports of Ruffia fhall be free for them, and I will grant them greater immunities than ever they yet had, and have them enrolled among the most precious records of my empire, to be a perpetual memorial of the efteem I have for the worthieft of kings.

papers,

that I have no occafion to comment further upon them; but refer you to Kolt's

perfon to in the city, I could not help epochaing at that part, where he fays, "And this founded on what Spain had already done, not on what that court may farther intend to do." I make no doubt, that a certain perfon has a long time fmothered his refentment against that court, for reafons best known to himself; but now, to ufe his own emphatic expreffion on another occafion, "The Spanish meafure being full," that just refentment has been fhewn by him in a manner becoming the minifter of the people. That juft refentment only wanted to be as firmly fupported, as it was feafonably exerted, to have accomplished all the ends of the prefent war, by punishing all our enemies; and that Spain long has been, is, and still may be, an infidious enemy to us, admits of no doubt: or if it faculd, let the following facts, among many others, as naked and plain as they are inconteftibly true, and can be authenticated, give a full proof to the enemies of our late minifter, of the conduct of the Spaniards towards, Great Britain, even from the very commencement of the prefent war against

France.

I. I fhall first mention the affair of St. Lucar, a Spanish port, about seven leagues from Cadiz. There were eleven fail of English vessels in that harbour, who failed out with Spanish pilots on board, and at the mouth of that river, between the two necks of land, and in fhoal water, they were followed by a French privateer, and brought back. Great application was made by the late Sir Benjamin Keene to the court of Madrid, but to no purpose ; shey were deemed good prizes, altho'

taken within the land.

II. The next was the affair of the Antigallican, and her prize the Penthievre; and the treatment the late Sir Benj. Keene, our then ambassador at Madrid, received on that occafion, are facts fo well known, and fo recent in the minds of every one,

III. His majesty's fhip the Experiment was chafed off the coaft of Spain, by the Telemachus privateer, of near double her force: but by the gallant behaviour of captain Strachan and his crew, the French were almost all cut to pieces when the Telemachus ftruck, and captain Strachan ftood afterwards for the Spanish coaft, when he fent his boat with his mafter and four men afhore to land fome of the prifoners, and bring him off fome neceffaries. The boat was immediately detained, and the officer and crew thrown into prifon; the governor alledging, that the French hip was an illegal capture, though the came off from the land where the lay at an anchor, and purfued, and first engaged the Experiment. The malter is but a few weeks ago returned here from his long imprisonment. Thus the Spaniards have dealt with a British man of war, as well as with a British privateer, Is this infult to the British flag to be borne, when that flag awes the whole world?

IV. About June, 1760, the Saltafh floop of war chafed on shore a French row-boat a few leagues to the eastward of Almeria bay, and fome time after the took a French row-boat off Mahon, and put a midshipman and fourteen men on board, and fome time in the following month came to anchor in that bay. The Spaniards detained her, and made the men prifoners: upon which the captain of the Salrath, finding his prize not come out, fent his boat with the mafter and five men, to know the reafon; who, on coming on fhore, were threatened by the Spanish foldiers to be fired at, unless they hauled their boat afhore to a port a quarter of a mile from thence, which they refused to do; infifting, as British fubjects, they had a right to Spanish protection: whereupon they feized the boat's crew, (as well as the prize) and put them in the common prifon, where the mafter was ftruck and

abused