provifions of the laws, which have been enacted upon this important fubject, I fhall not be inattentive in exercifing thofe powers with which I am entrusted. The vigorous measures you have adopted for the fuppreffion of infurrection and outrage, and the wife provifions you have made for preventing the extenfion of fimilar offences, must have the most falutary effects. The new regulation of licences under the fuperintendence of magistrates, will tend to promote tranquillity and fobriety. The establishment of more frequent feffions of the peace will afford an eafy and expeditious adminiftration of juftice in the different diftricts throughout the kingdom. The liberal increase of the falaries of the Judges, and the alteration of the civil bill jurisdiction, for the convenience of the lower ranks of the people, will enfure the conftant and regular attention of his Majesty's judges to the civil and criminal business that will remain to be done on the circuits. These measures cannot but demonftrate to the people at large the firmness and the temper of Parliament, which, whilft it is determined to reprefs the exceffes of licentioufnefs and outrage, is at the fame time anxious to enfure to the country thofe permanent advantages of fecurity, peace and good order, which are to be derived from a prompt and upright administration of justice. I cannot too ftrongly recommend it to you to give effect to these benefits by your example and presence, and I am confident, that when you are relieved from your duty in Parliament, all ranks and defcriptions of his Majesty's faithful fubjects will feel themselves protected by your exertions and authority in your different counties. Your kind declarations in favour of my adminiftration make the deepest impreffions upon my feelings. If I have any claim to your confidence and good opinion, it arifes from the fidelity with which I have reprefented to his Majesty your loyalty and zeal, and from the fincere defire I feel to conform my conduct to your fentiments. Great Britain and Ireland form one empire; they are infeparably connected; they must stand or fall together; and are all equally engaged, because we are all equally interested in the common cause of defending and upholding our religion, our laws, and our constitution. After which the Lord Chancellor, by his Excellency's com mand, faid, My Lords and Gentlemen, It is his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant's pleasure, that this Parliament be prorogued to Tuesday, the 14th day of June next, to be then here holden: and this Parliament is accordingly prorogued to Tuesday, the 14th day of June next. APPEN HISTORY OF THE WAR. NAVAL EVENT S. From the LONDON GAZETTE, June 27, 1795 Admiralty-Office, June 27, 1795. Difpatches, of which the following are Copies and Extracts, were yefterday received at this Office. Copy of a Letter from the Honourable Vice-admiral Cornwallis, dated on board bis Majefty's fhip Royal Sovereign, at Sea, the 11th of June, 1795, to Evan Nepean, Efq. Secretary of the Admiralty. Sir, REQUEST that you will be pleafed to acquaint the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that, on the 6th inftant, a fhip having been chafed by the fquadron, a fignal was made to me from the Phaeton, that it was an enemy's frigate; but in the evening Captain Stopford made me a fignal that he could not come up with the chace, upon which I called him in, and brought to for the night, being then in latitude 47 deg. 28 min. longitude 5 deg. 57 min. In the morning of the 7th a fail was feen again to the eastward. I made the fignal for the Phaeton, Pallas, and Kingsfifher to chace, and followed them with the line of battle fhips: it was blowing fresh from the north. As we came in with the land feveral large fhips were feen under fail, which proved to be a French fquadron, confifting of three line of battle ships, fix frigates, a brig, a floop and cutter. Some of them were at first ftanding off fhore, but unfortunately the wind was fair for them to get into Belleifle Road, where I faw feveral large fhips at anchor. We had got very near the enemy's fhips, and I had hopes at first we should have got up with them before they would have reached their port; and I made the fignal for the ships to form for their mutual fupport, and engage the enemy as they came up. The Phaeton fired feveral fhot, which the line of battle fhips returned from their fterns. I followed as far as I thought it prudent, and then hauled the wind. Soon after I faw three fail standing in, I made the fignal to chace. There were two French frigates, and a large Dutch built fhip in tow of one of them. They stood round the fouth end of Belleifle. The headmost ships got within gun-fhot, and feveral were exchanged. The Kingsfifher fired feveral broad fides at the frigates. They were obliged to caft off the ship in tow; and rounding the point of the ifland we came upon a conVOL. III. PART ii, voy, voy, chiefly brigs. Eight of them were taken; but the frigates running in fhore among fhoals, the Triumph and Phaeton having made fignals to me of danger, were obliged to give over the pursuit. By what I can learn the convoy came from Bourdeaux, laden with wine, and under the charge of the three line of battle fhips and eight frigates. A brig corvette had anchored clofe in with the fouth end of the ifland in the evening, whilft the frigates were chaced. At night I directed Captain Stopford, in the Phaeton, to work in fhore, and if he did not perceive any works to protect the corvette, to endeavour to bring her out. He attempted it in the morning, but they opened a battery upon the fhip which he had not feen; and the brig having been hauled very clofe in fhore during the night, Captain Stopford very properly thought it was not an object of confequence enough to balance the lofs the fhip was likely to fuftain, and therefore returned, having had one man killed, feven wounded, and two of his guns difmounted. I find the veffels have naval ftores as well as wine. The fhip has cannon, and I understand is laden with naval and ordnance stores. Two American veffels, laden with provifions of different kinds, have been detained by the fquadron; I fend them in by the Kingsfifher. I have ordered Captain Goffelin to join me again immediately. Copy of a Letter from Captain Goffelin, of his Majefty's Sloop Kingsfiber, dated Falmouth, June 24, 1795, to Evan Nepean, Efq. Secretary of the Admiralty. Sir, YOU will be pleased to inform my Lords Commiffioners of the Ad. miralty of the arrival of his Majefty's floop under my command, off this port, and of having feen the large fhip (captured by Vice-admiral Cornwallis's fquadron on the 7th inft.) in fafety; all the rest of the convoy parted company with me on the 19th in a fevere gale of wind. T. L. M. GOSSELIN. (Signed) Extract of a Letter from Vice-admiral Cornwallis to Evan Nepean, Ejq. Secretary to the Admiralty. Royal Sovereign, at Sea, June 19, 1795. I HAVE the honour of acquainting you, for the information of the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that on the 16th in the morn ing, ftanding in with the land, near the Penmarks, I fent the Phaeton a-head to look out for any of the enemy's fhips upon the coaft. I ftood after her with the reft of the fhips.* At ten the made a fignal for feeing a fleet a-head, and afterwards that they were of fuperior force. Upon her bringing to, I made the fignal to haul to the wind upon the star board tack. At this time I could not fee the hulls of the ftrange fails. Thirty were counted, and fome of them had all their fail out upon a wind, being directly to leeward of us. I ftood upon the starboard tack * Mars, Triumph, Brunfwick, Bellerophon, Phaeton, and Pallas. with all our fail, keeping the fhips collected. Upon inquiring by fignal the enemy's force, Captain Stopford anfwered thirteen line of battleThips, fourteen frigates, two brigs, and a cutter; in all thirty fail. Near half of them tacked in fhore in the afternoon; the wind fell very much, and came round to the northward, off the land, and of courfe brought thofe fhips of the enemy, (which had tacked) to windward, and the others laid up for us. They were seen in the morning before it was daylight, upon both quarters of the fquadron. At nine in the morning one of the front line of battle fhips began to fire upon the Mars. Their frigates were ranged up abreast of us to windward, except one, which kept to leeward, and ran up upon the larboard quarter of the Mars, then yawed and fired, which was fre quently repeated. This was the only frigate that attempted any thing. The line of battle fhips came up in fucceffion, and a teazing fire, with intervals, was kept up during the whole day. In the evening they made a fhew of a more ferious attack upon the Mars, (which had gotten a little to leeward) and obliged me to bear up for her fupport. This was their laft effort, if any thing they did can deferve that appellation. Several fhot were fired for two hours after, but they appeared to be drawing off, and before fun-fet their whole fleet had tacked and were ftanding from us. The Mars and Triumph being the fternmoft fhips were of courfe more expofed to the enemy's fire; and I cannot too much commend the spirited conduct of Sir Charles Cotton and Sir Erafmus Gower, the captains of thofe thips. Lord Charles Fitzgerald alfo in the Brunfwick kept up a very good fire from the after guns, but that fhip was the whole time obliged to carry every fail. The Bellero phon being nearly under the fame circumftances, I was glad to keep in fome measure as a referve, having every reafon at firft to fuppofe there would be full occafion for the utmost exertion of us all, and being ra ther a-head of me, was not able to fire much. I confidered that ship as a treasure in fhore, having heard of her former achievements, and obferving the spirit manifefting by all on board when the paffed me, joined to the activity and zeal fhewed by Lord Cranstoun during the whole cruize. I am alfo much indebted to Captain Whitby for his activity and unremitted diligence on board the Royal Sovereign. The frigates fhewed the greatest attention and alertnefs. I kept the Pallas near me to repeat fignals, which Captain Curzon performed very much to my fatisfaction. Indeed, I fhall ever feel the impreffion which the good conduct of the captains, officers, feamen, marines, and foldiers in the fquadron has made on my mind; and it was the greatest pleasure I ever received to see the spirit manifefted by the men, who, inftead of being caft down at feeing thirty fail of the enemy's fhips attacking our little fquadron, were in the higheft fpirits imaginable. I do not mean the Royal Sovereign alone, the fame fpirit was fhewn in all the fhips as they came near me; and although (circumftanced as we were) we had no great reafon to complain of the conduct of the enemy, yet our men could not help repeatedly expreffing their contempt of them. Could common prudence have allowed me to let loose their valour, I hardly know what might not have been accomplished by fuch men. Little damage has been received by the fhips in general, except the fterns having been very much fhook by firing the guns. The Mars reports twelve men wounded, but none killed; the main-maft, fore and B 2 fore fore-top-fail-yard wounded, and her rigging and fails cut a good deal. The Triumph has fhifted and repaired fome of her fails, but any damage fhe has received is fo trifling, at leaft in her Captain's eye, that Sir Erafmus Gower has not thought it worth reporting; indeed, the cool and firm conduct of that fhip was fuch, that it appeared to me the enemy's fhips dared not to come near her. It has blown hard from the north-east fince I parted from the French fleet. I take the first opportunity of fending this by the Phaeton, left, upon hearing that the French fleet are at fea, their Lordships may be under apprehenfions for the fafety of thefe fhips. I have the honour, &c. Copy of a Letter from the Honourable Capt. Cochrane, of his Majefty's Ship Thetis, to Evan Nepean, Efq. Secretary of the Admiralty, dated Halifax Harbour, May 28, 1795. Sir, On board his Majefty's fhip Thetis, BE pleased to acquaint the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that in confequence of orders from Rear-admiral Murray to cruize off the Chesapeak, to intercept the three French ftore-fhips then laying in Hampton Roads, and ready for fea, I proceeded, on the 2d inftant, with his Majefty's fhip Huffar, and on the 17th inftant, at day-break, Cape Henry, bearing E. by S. diftant twenty leagues, we difcovered five fail of fhips ftanding to the N. W. with their larboard tacks on board. We foon perceived that they were fhips of force; two of them appeared to carry from 28 to 30 guns on their main decks, one of which had lower deck ports; the three others from 20 to 24 guns. On obferving us ftanding towards them, they formed a line of battle a-head, and waited to receive us. At nine, A. M. I made the Huffar's fignal to prepare to engage the fecond fhip of the enemy's van, intending, in the Thetis, to attack the centre fhip, which appeared the largeft, with the two others that formed their rear. At half paft ten, the five French fhips hoifted their colours, the second fhip from the van carrying a broad pendant. By this time we had got within half mufket fhot, when the firing commenced on the fide of the enemy, which was foon afterwards returned by his Majesty's fhips. Before eleven we had clofed with the enemy, and the Huffar had compelled the Commodore and his fecond a-head to quit the line, and make fail to the E. S. E. rear. The fire of both fhips then fell on the centre fhip and those in the At a quarter before twelve the three fhips ftruck their colours; the two in the rear, attempted, notwithstanding, to make off, one of which was foon brought to by the Huffar. Within an hour after the largest ship ftruck, her main and fore-mafts went over her fide. On taking poffeffion, we found her to be La Prevoyante, pierced for 26 guns on the main deck, with four other ports, which can be cut out at pleasure, and ten ports below; fhe had only 24 mounted, part of which |