220 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S05. 



month, the Toulon fleet, of t'lercn 

 ships of the line, and two frigates, 

 which had been long in a state of com- 

 plete equipment, also pushed out of 

 the harbour, without being perceiv- 

 ed by the squadron under lord Nel- 

 son, then cruizing at some distance, 

 agreeably to the system of thatgrcat 

 man, who, more than a twelvemonth 

 in those seas, nerer strictly block- 

 aded the port, but gave the French 

 fleet every fair opportunity of put- 

 ting to sea. 



It may easily be supposed that 

 much alarm prevailed at home when 

 it was known that two such formi- 

 dable fleets of the enemy were ac- 

 tually at sea, and whrch was aggra- 

 Tated by reports of strong detach- 

 ments of the Brest fleet having also 

 escaped, with a view to some grand 

 combined exertion of the enemy. 

 Where the blow was to fall, occu- 

 pied the public miud. Malta, Bra- 

 juil, the British West Indies — a ge- 

 neral junction of the whole of the 

 combined force of the enemy in or- 

 der to cover a descent upon Ire- 

 land. In short, every possible 

 point of annoyance or attack was 

 warmly agitated in the public mind. 

 At length intelligence was received, 

 upon the 6th of May, from the 

 British commander in chief of the 

 forces in the windward and leeward 

 islands, that Dominica had been at- 

 tacked on the 2'id of the February 

 preceding, by a French armament, 

 of one three-decker, and four other 

 line of battle ships, three fr gates, 

 two brigs of war, and a schooner, 

 with about four thousand land men 

 on board. Brigadier general Pre- 

 Tost, the governor of the island, 

 immediattly made the best disposi- 

 tions for its defence, and opposed, 

 with the small force under his com- 

 mand, the lauding ol the French, 

 inch by inch. At length lh« whole 



of the enemy's force, consisting of 

 four thousand men, under cover of 

 the tremendous fire of the Majes- 

 tueux of 120 guns, four seventy- 

 fours, and the frigates, having land- 

 ed, and tiaving made such a disposi- 

 tion as threatened to cut oft" the re- 

 treat of the governor, and his few 

 remaining troops, from the town and 

 fort of Prince Rupert, and therebj 

 reduce the whole island ; general 

 Prevost, with the utmost prompti- 

 tude and presence of mind, directed 

 the regular force, under captain 

 O'Connel, to make a forced march 

 across the island, and join him at 

 Prince Rupert's; to which place 

 he himself, attended only by his 

 staflf, repaired, and arrived in twen- 

 tv-four hours : the troops also ar- 

 riving there with their wounded, 

 after four days continued march 

 through the most dillicult country 

 existing. The governor immedi- 

 ately took the necessary precau- 

 tions to place the fort in the best 

 state of defence, and his ap- 

 pearance was so formidable, that 

 the French commander in chief, 

 alter having in vain summoned 

 him to surrender, thought proper, 

 after levying a contribution upon 

 the inhabitants of Roseau, which 

 town had been set on tire, in the 

 moment of attack, and had suffer- 

 ed severely by the conflagration, 

 on the 27th, to reimbark his 

 whole force, and, after hovering a 

 day or two in the bay, and about 

 the port of Prince Rupert, made 

 easy sail towards Guadaloupe. 

 Throughout the whole of this trans- 

 action the highest praise is due to 

 the conduct of the governor, and 

 the British troops under his com- 

 mand. At one period 200 of the 

 latter were opposed to more than 

 two thousand of the enemy, and 



under 



