144 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



October, captain Moore, who had 

 been detached from the channel 

 fleet for the purpose, fell in with 

 four large Spanish frigates, which, 

 upon being hailed (to induce them 

 to shorten sail) without eficft, were 

 fired upon by the English force. A 

 parley then ensued, when captain 

 Moore informed the Spanish rear- 

 admiral, that he had orders to de- 

 tain his squadron, and earnestly 

 wished to cxeeute them without 

 blood-shed, but that his determina- 

 tion must be immediate. The offi- 

 cer dispatched on this message, re- 

 turning with an unsatisfa6tory an- 

 swer, an engagement immediately 

 ensued, each of the English frigates 

 taking an antagoni^. In less than 

 ten minutes, one of the enemy's 

 frigates blew up with a tremendous 

 explosion. In half an hour more, 

 two more of the Spaniards surren- 

 dered, and tlie fourth, after an at- 

 tempt to cscai)e, was captured long 

 before sun-set. The loss, on the 

 part of the English squadron, was 

 Tery trilling ; that of the Spaniards 

 ■was (independently of 240 Htcs lost 

 by the ex\)losion of the frigate) 

 nearly 100 in killed and woimdcd. 

 The ships thus captured, were con- 

 voyed to England in perfcft safety, 

 and their lading was found to be of 

 immense raluo, in coined and un- 

 coined gold and silver, and precious 

 merchandize, the ' produce of Spa- 

 nish America*. 



As no parliamentary enquiry took 

 place into the causes of this infrac- 

 tion of the peace Avith Spain with- 

 out any previous declaration of war, 

 we arc precluded in our present vo- 

 lume, from taking further notice of 

 the transacTtion, reserving to the 

 following year our discussion (upon 

 a most important point to our na- 

 tional chara6ter) whether it were 

 excusable, upon the spirit and 

 principle of the public law of Eu- 

 rope, or whether that law was, in 

 the present instance, grossly vio- 

 lated. In every event, as men, we 

 must deeply regret, that such a 

 force was not employed upon this 

 occasion, as the Spanish admiral 

 might have submitted to, without an 

 imputed stain on his own honour, 

 or that of his country. 



A\'c shall here terminate our do- 

 mestic history for the year ; in the 

 transactions of which, with the soli- 

 tary exception of the capture of 

 Surinam, we have little cause to 

 glory, and proceed (after bestowing 

 a few pages on the affairs of Ireland) 

 to consider those of France during 

 the same period, in which the spirit 

 of enterprise and vigorous councils 

 of her ruler, formed a striking con- 

 trast to the apparent supineness 

 and want of resource of the Englrsli 

 government. 



* For captain Moore's dispatch, vide Appendix, pa£:e .i.'iT', and for a most affect- 

 ing and niclancholr incident, allend;nit un tliis calamitous event, vide Chronicle, p. 

 424. 



CHAP 



