historical cbromde. xiu 



French navy and its officers, dated Paris 22 July ; In which he points our, 

 with much apparant justice, the dangerous tendency of a want of confidence in 

 officers, and the necefsity of enforcing discipline at sea, and of choosing 

 able officers for command ; complaining that some of the best sea officers 

 had been unjustly degraded and thrown into dungeons, and requesting 

 their enlargement and restoration to their lormer rank. Does not this man 

 seem to be in the direct road for the Abbave\ 

 Naval affairs. 



Whether the administration of Britain are themselves well informed at 

 present respecting the naval armaments of France, it is difficult to say ; but 

 if tuey be, they have taken very effectual care not to allow any intelligence 

 respecting it to transpire in the nation. A great fleet of Britifn and Spanifli 

 fliips of war arc afsembled in the Bay of Gibralter ; probably intended 

 for the Mediterranean, where Truguet's fleer, from his own account of it, 

 seems to be in no condition to cope with tliem. 



Lord Howe has been cruising lor some weeks in the chops of the channel, 

 afraid, as some allege, to put to sea, lest he rtiould fall in with a superior 

 squadion of French fliips which lately sailed from Brest, though no intima- 

 tion ever reached the public that such a fleet was even equipping there. 

 Others allege Lord Howe has it in view to intercept a large convoy of 

 French West India men, and tbat the account of a French squadron beinf 

 in the channel is unfounded. 



For some time past, we have been matle to believe, that admiral Garden- 

 er's squadron in the West Indies was superior to anything the French could 

 attempt to bring into those seas ; and it is only of late, that he is represented 

 as having summoned Martinico to surrentlerto the Britifh arms. Ytt we are 

 now afsured with great confidence that a French fleet of superior force is 

 at present hovering before Jam.^cia, whose ports arebiocked up by it, and a 

 great fleet of victuallers from Ireland is expected to fall into their hands, 

 the Britifli admiral having no sufficient force to protect them. Yet this 

 French fleet must have left Europe without the smallest intimation of it? 

 movements ever having reached this island. Such things used seldom to 

 happen on former occasions. 



A Portuguese fleet of ten fliips of war are at present in the harbour 

 pf Portsmouth, one would think they might be much better employed in 

 reinforcing the squadron of Lord Howe, if it be in danger of being neatly 

 equalled by the French fleet. 



A squadron of Rufsian fhips sailed from Crcnstadt above a month ago; 

 but have not yet pafscd the sound. And where the Dutch navy is no one 

 can tell. Many Dutch nicrcbantinen h^-'e teen captured in the ncnhern 

 m:^> wit'.:ot'tcoavoy. 



