696 A. D. 1781. 



fupreme couft between the 1" of January 1779:01(1 the 1" of November 

 1780. [21 Geo. Ill, c. 70.] 



Commodore Johndone was fent out with a fquadron of fhips to attack 

 the Dutch fettlement at the Cape of Good Hope, and alfo to convoy the 

 outward-bound India fhips. When lying in harbour at the Cape de 

 Verd iflands, where he had put in for refrefhments, he was attacked by 

 a French fleet under Mr. de SuiTrcin, whom he beat off. But, as they 

 j;ot before him to the Cape, the obje6t of his expedition was thereby 

 fruftrated. However, in Saldanha bay (July 21") he furprifed five 

 homeward-bound Dutch India ihips of about 1,100 tuns, and carrying 

 from 20 to 24. guns, w^hich were immediately fet on fire by the Dutch : 

 but four were faved from the flames, and brought off. Whereupon he 

 direded his courfe homeward with his prizes, the number of which was 

 augmented by an outward-bound Dutch India fliip, taken by one of 

 his fquadron ; and the fliips of his convoy proceeded on their voyage 

 for India. 



Augufl: 5"' — The firft general engagement between a Britifli and a 

 Dutch fleet, which was maintained with great bravery on both fides, 

 and without a decifive vidtory on either, was attended with a circum- 

 flance very advantageous to the commercial interefts, as well as the war- 

 like operations, of this country ; the fafe arrival of above a hundred 

 fail of merchant fliips from the Baltic with naval flores and other goods, 

 under the convoy of Admiral Hyde Parker, which he, having the ad- 

 vantage of the wind, detached from his fleet before the engagement. 

 The Dutch Admiral Zoutman had alfo a fleet of merchant fliips under 

 his prote6lion, which likeways got fafe into port. But there was this 

 important difference in the circumftances of the two fleets. The Britifli 

 fliips had completed their voyages, and brought their cargoes fafe into 

 port : the Dutch by putting into port were dilappointed of their 

 voyages ; and their country was difappointed of the naval flores, they 

 were deftined to bring home. 



The loffes fuftained by the Dutch in confequence of the capture of 

 S'. Euftathius were feverely felt, not only by thofe who were fettled on 

 the iflaiid, whofe moft extenfive and lucrative trade, confifting moftly of 

 confignraents, was thereby aboliflied, but alfo by almoft every perfon in 

 the mother country : for the Dutch being a nation confifling almofl en- 

 tirely of people engaged in trade and manufactures, or dependent upon 

 them, there can fcarcely be an individual in fuch a community unaffect- 

 ed by a fevere blow upon any particular branch of their commerce. 

 Hence arofe a great clamour againft the partizans of the French intereft, 

 who w'ere charged with having unneceflarily involved the nation in a 

 war with their antient and natural allies and beft cuftomers. The pro- 

 vince of Zeland even went fo far as to prefent, in a corporate capacity, 

 a memorial to the States general, earneftly requefting that a negotiation 



