it irrefiftible. Never, therefore, it was faid, fhould the powers of Europe permit thefe countries to be annexed to France, whether it continued a republic, or refumed the form of a monarchy. Its neigh bours efpecially, if they valued their independence, fhould think no coft too exceffive in reducing France to its former limits. Unlefs this were done, not only the balance of Europe, but the national exiftence of every people around would be continually expofed to the hoftile enterprizes of this ambitious and reft lefs nation.

The great victory obtained by lord Howe, on the 1ft of June, 1794, had fo completely ruined the marine of France, and extinguished all expectation of its being able, during a long time, to meet that of Great Britain in battle, that the French government abandoned all defigns of this nature, and determined henceforth to confine its naval exertions to depredations on the British trade and navigation: a fyftem to which the politics of France had conftantly reforted, under the monarchy, after experiencing fuch difafters at fea, as had difabled her marine from encountering that of Britain in open fight. In this fpecious of maritime warfare they proved more fuccessful than the other. The lift of captures, by the French, at the clofe of 1795, amounted, it has been reported, to more than two-thirds of their own loffes: they had taken three thoufand veffels, and had loft only eight hundred. How far fuch estimates may ascertain the respective damages of either party, it may be difficult to decide, without a specific return of the tonnage and cargoes of the shipping thus taken. But the

detriment to this country must certainly have been very confiderable, adverting only to the number of feamen that muft have fallen into the enemy's hands, and allowing the other damages to have been equally balanced.

One material caufe of debility, that befel the French marine, was the inexpertnefs of those multitudes that crowded their fhips. The neceflity of fupplying without delay their armies on the Frontiers, which were daily lofing fuch numbers, compelled government to collect able-bodied men as foon as they could be procured, and wherever they could be found Hence their fhipping of all defcriptions was ftripped of failors, who were fent to fight the battles of the republie at land. The French administration was feverely cenfured for facrificing their feamen, inftead of the many others that might have been furnished out of thofe claffes that had little or no employment in the general fcarcity of trade and bufinefs: but neceffity and expedition was their plea, and appeared unanfwerable during the dangerous crifis to which the republic continued repofed, while preffed on the frontiers by the numerous armies of the coalefced powers.

Great complaints were made at the fame time in England, that with a fleet fuperior in point of real ftrength, confidering the fkill of the officers and men, to that of all Europe combined, ftill the tranfmarine poffeffions of France were able to refift the exertions of the naval ftrength of this country, and to maintain the conteft in fome of thofe parts on more than equal ground. The year 1794 had been marked by the fucceffes obtained in the Weft [K 3]

Indies

Indies by fir Charles Grey, and fir John Jervis. Martinico, St. Lucia, and Guadeloupe, had been taken from the French; but before the -conclufion of the year, the last was recaptured; and early in the year enfuing, the French compelled St. Euftatius, the great magazine of all the Dutch islands, to furrender; and put it into fo ftrong a posture of defence, as to fruftrate all expectations of retaking it without the greatest difficulty. Encouraged by thefe advantages, they formed a plan for the reduction of the other iflands feized by the English in the preceding year. The French forces were under the command of the noted Victor Hughes, a man of a ferocious difpofition, but uncommon activity and courage, and remarkable for his hatred of the English. He had been fent from France, as commiffioner from the convention, with particular orders to execute the famous decree by which the Negroes were to be declared free. He carried it accordingly into the fulleft execution, and furnished with arms and uniforms all the blacks and mulattoes that were willing to enter into the French fervice. It was at the head of this defperate multitude, aided by three or four thoufand regular troops, that he had retaken Guadeloupe, and now projected to recover the other French illands. As a preparatory step to this undertaking, a fecret correfpondence was fet on foot with the difaffected French inhabitants of thofe iflands, and emiffaries were fent among the negroes and people of colour to excite them against the English govern

ment.

The refult was, that, in the fpring of this year, a concerted revolt took place at the fame time in all these islands,

In that of St. Lucia it broke out fo fuddenly, and the infurgents were fo numerous, that they overpowered the British garrifon, moft of which was obliged, after a gallant but ineffectual refiftance, to retire into the fort. Collecting their scattered force, they attacked the principal poft of the infurgents, and after a fevere difpute, threw them into diforder. But they rallied, and after a fecond conflict, wherein the Britifh forces were repulfed with great lofs, the infurgents remained mafters of the field, and the garrifon retreated to the fort; and, after fuffering a three months blockade, evacuated the island. Granada being a place of more importance than the former, the French commiffioner dispatched a body of chofen men ; affifted by whom, the blacks, and their affociates of all colours, furioufly attacked the British troops, and defeated them in feveral engagements. As foon, however, as thefe had been reinforced, they fell with fo much vigour on the infur gents, that they drove them from the open country, and forced them to take fhelter in the mountainous parts of the island. Here they were reduced to the greateft diftrefs for provifions: though fuch was their obftinacy, that they refufed to furrender, and chofe rather to encounter all hardships, in those wretched but inacceflible fortreffes, than return to their former fubjection. The ifland of Dominico was attacked in like manner by a body of troops fent from Guadeloupe by the French commiflioner, and who were joined by a multitude of negroes and many of the old French inhabitants. The number of British regulars was very fmall; but the British fettlers themfelves fupplied that deficiency by

their valour. They engaged the enemy with fo much refolution, that the rebellion was entirely fuppreffed. The French who had revolted were punifhed with great feverity, and numbers of them expelled the ifland on account of fufpicion. The Indians inhabiting St. Vincent had alfo, at the infligation of Victor Hughes, taken up arms against the English; but they were not without fome pretence: they had been wrongfully deprived of fome of their lands, and though years had elapled fince that deprivation, they were prompted, by that revengeful difpofition common to the Caribbs, to feek for occafions to gratify it. They encountered the British troops with great courage, and difcomfited them in fome very bloody engagements; and though they were finally repreffed, and confined within their own limits, they ftill continued to maintain their ground there, and remained unfubdued.

But the most melancholy event that happened this year, in the British West Indies, was the fatal difpute that took place in Jamaica, between the colonifts and the ancient inhabitants of that lofty ridge of mountains which interfects the ifland. When it was conquered from the Spaniards, in the laft century, during the government of Oliver Cromwell, these people refufed to fubmit to the conquerors; and, withdrawing to their mountainous receffes, infifted that the lands they inhabited fhould be their own, and themselves remain free, and retain their former cufioms and privileges, This being agreed to, and folemnly ratified, they had lived ever fince independent of the British government in Jamaica. In this fituation they had now continued one hun

dred and forty years; during which, though altercations had happened between them and the colonifts, they had ftill preferved their privileges. Among thefe was a remarkable ftipulation, by which they were not to be punished by the courts of judicature in that ifland, for any offence or crime, but were to be delivered up to their own people, to be tried, and fuffer punishment ac cording to their own laws. Such, it has been reprefented, was the right and claim of the Maroons, the appellation by which they were diftinguished from the other inhabi'ants of the island. It happened, unfortunately, that one of them, being detected in a theft, inftend of being put into the hands of his countrymen, to receive due chaftifement, was, by the authority of a magiftrate, fentenced to be whipped. This being executed upon him, he applied to his countrymen for their interference, in order to procure him redrefs for a punishment which, of all others, was to them the most odious and difgraceful, and had at the fame time been inflicted upon him contrarily to eftablifhed ufages. The Maroons conplained to the government, that their privileges had been violated, and required fatisfaction; but as none was obtained, they determined to procure it by force, and had recourfe to arms. Whether it proceeded from contempt, or a refolution to punish their temerity, no endeavours were ufed to bring about any conciliation, and they were proceeded against with unrelenting feverity. They made a defperate defence, but were accufed of having exercised horrible barba rities upon the prifoners they took.. They were at length fubdued, and [K 4]

almoft

almost exterminated. The receffes, to which they fled for fhelter, were fo intricately fituated, and fo difficult of accefs and difcovery, that blood-hounds were procured from the Spanish island of Cuba, in order to purfue and trace them by their fcent. The exact number of the fugitives that efcaped, was never clearly afcertained in England, and, it is probable, that from the inveterat rancour of the colonifts, against a tribe of men who had fo frequently withstood their efforts, they were little difpofed to fhew them any mercy. But the circumftance, which gave moft offence to the public, was the employing of the fame means for their deftruction, as had formerly been used by the Spaniards, when they firft difcovered and invaded this new world. The cruelties exercifed upon the Indians, by those blood-thirsty and inhuman conquerors, rendered them univerfally odious to all the Europeans: but that horrid practice of hunting and deftroying human beings with dogs, trained up for that purpofe, had particula ly contributed to make

them detefted.

The checks received by the British forces, in the Weft Indies, were chiefly due to the immenfe fuperiority of numbers with which they. were attacked. Notwithstanding the many difficulties the convention was inceffantly ftruggling with at home, they were too confcious of the value of the French tranfmarine poffeffions, not to exert themselves to the utmoft for their retention. No opportunities, therefore, were omitted of fending reinforcements to protect them from the attacks of the English, or to retake those that had fallen into their hands.

The conqueft of Martinico, St.

Lucia, and Guadeloupe, by the forces under the command of general fir Charles Grey, and admiral fir John Jervis, had been attended with circumftances peculiarly brilliant. The difficulty of accels to the places and pofitions, occupied by the enemy, was fuch, that the French entertained a fanguine hope, that the English would be repulfed every where, especially as every poft had been fortified with the utmoft fkill, and was in the ftrongest pofture of defence, both with respect to number of men, and quantity of ammunition and artillery. The valour, conduct, and knowledge in tactics, difplayed by the British commanders and officers on these various expeditions had been remarkable, and the courage of the foldiers had been no lefs ftriking. They encountered every obitacle with an intrepidity and perfeverance which the French had not expected; and what was particularly deferving of notice, they obtained most of their advantages by means of the bayonet,. a weapon with which the French had, in their European battles, gained fignal fucceffes; and in the ufe of which they confidered themfelves as decidedly fuperior to their enemies.

The skill and bravery of the offi, cers and feamen of the fquadron, employed in this fervice, had been eminently confpicuous. So eftablifhed was their reputation at this juncture, that no intention of even meet, ing them in combat was entertained by the French, whofe principal aim was to elude their vigilance, and to throw what fuccours they were able into their islands by ftealth, not daring to try the chance of fight with British cruizers, when these were on a parity of strength,

They