138] 
they described the famous victory 
gained by lord Howe, .on the 1st of 
June, as an aétion that terminated 
to their advantage, notwithstanding 
the capture of seven of their capital 
ships, and aloss of men that amount- 
ed by the clearest calculation, to 
upwards of ten thousand, in killed, 
wounded, and taken; while of the 
British fleet, not one ship was lost, 
and not one thousand men killed -or 
wounded. 
This great and decisive viétory 
proved a prelude to their subsequent 
defeats, in some general attions, in 
the course of 1795. On the 14th 
of March, a British squadron, of 
fourteen ships of the line, engaged a 
‘French squadron, of fifteen, that was 
carrying a large bedy of troops to 
Corsica, in order to retake it from 
the English, who had wrested it from 
the French in the preceding year. 
So averse were the French to risk an 
engagement, that no other motive 
would have compelled them, but 
the necessity of rescuing two of their 
ships, which, by falling to leeward, 
had afforded an opportunity to the 
British squadron of attacking them 
‘with advantage. By the skilful ma- 
“nagement of admiral Hotham, who 
commanded it, they were accord- 
ingly cut off and taken, with up- 
wards of two thousand of the troops 
destined against Corsica: the re- 
mainder of the French squadron was 
obliged to take refuge at Toulon. 
Though the success obtained on 
this occasion was not signal, yet it 
defeated the expedition, as‘imtended 
for the recovery of Corsica; the 
importance of which, in the opinion 
of the French, may be estimated 
from the force embarked on this 
squadron, which consisted of eight. 
‘teen thousand regulars, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
Tn June following, another aétion 
took place between a British squa- 
dron of five ships of the line, and 
two frigates, and a French squadron 
of thirteen ships of the line, besides 
frigates. They surrounded the Bri- 
tish squadron, which, unable to cope 
with so superior a force, engaged it 
however in a running fight, which 
Jasted a whole day. Through dint 
of extraordinary skill and bravery, 
the English fought their way through 
the French, who were not able to 
take a single ship of the squadron. 
This aftion; which happened on the 
seventeenth of June, did great ho- 
nour to the naval talents of admiral 
Cornwallis, : 
Six days after, admiral lord Brid- 
pot fell in with twelve French ships 
of the line, and nine frigates : they 
were the same from which admiral 
Cornwallis had effected so bold and 
masterly aretreat. The Britishships 
of the line were fourteen, and the 
frigates eight ; the French endea- 
voured to avoid an engagement, 
and stood close in with the shore, 
in order to receive the assistance of 
some batteries that greatly annoyed 
the Britith ships ; but this did not 
prevent them from taking three 
French ships of the line, and se- 
verely damaging the others, which 
‘e-caped, with difficulty, into the 
harbour of 1’Orient. ; 
But the event which principally 
signalized the British arms at sea, in 
the course of this year, was the re. 
duction of the famous Dutch colo- 
ny, at the Cape of Good Hope, found- 
ed in the preceding century, with so 
much labour, expence, and industry, 
and which was now become one of 
the most valuable and important set- 
tlements of that commercial people. 
It was taken by admiral iat a 
ant 
