ENGL 
receiving certain intelligence of the habitual negligence_ 
of the garrifon, landed by night about four hundred 
troops, part of a much larger force, which the tempeftu- 
oufnefs of the weather had feparated, in a cove at the 
back of the ifiand. This fpirited officer, confiding in his 
fortune, advanced with his troops, as foon as day-light 
appeared, to the citadel, which they immediately ftormed, 
and carried with little difficulty ; and the furprife being 
very complete, near feven hundred men, with colonel 
Cockbourne, their commander, were, by a mod humi¬ 
liating neceffity, conftrained to furrender themfelves pri- 
foners of war. 
While the war was going on with various fuccefs in 
America, governor Johnftone, late one of the comtnif- 
fioners to America, was inverted with a naval command, 
and with a confiderable fquadron was detached on an ex¬ 
pedition to the Cape of Good Hope. The court of Ver- 
failles, knowing the inability of the ftates-general to pro- 
ted their foreign dominions, fent a fuperior fquadron 
under M. Suffrein to counterad the defigns of the Eng- 
liffi ; and coming up with them at Port Praya, in the illand 
of St. Jago, the French admiral fcrupled not to violate 
the neutrality of the Portuguefe flag, by attacking the 
fquadron of commodore Johnftone while it lay'difperfed 
and fcattered, unfufpicious of danger, in the harbour. 
Happily the French, rather by extraordinary efforts of 
valour on the part of the Britifh feamen, than of liei 11 on 
that of their commander, were beaten oft’; but immedi¬ 
ately proceeding to the Cape, they effectually fecured 
that important fettlement from any hoftile attempt. Com¬ 
modore Johnftone, on his fubfequent arrival, was obliged 
to content himfelf with the capture of feveral Dutch Eaft 
Indiamen in Saldanha bay ; and thofe of his (hips which 
were deftined for the Eaft Indies profecuting their voyage 
thither, the commodore returned home with his prizes 
from his lucrative expedition. 
In the courfe of the fummer of 1781, an engagement 
took place off the Dogger Bank, between an Englifti 
fquadron commanded by admiral Hyde Parker, and a 
Dutch fquadron of equal force under admiral Zoutman, 
who had under convoy the Baltic trade bound to the 
Texel. On perceiving the Englifti fleet bearing down, 
the Dutch admiral, who was to leeward, lay-to, and the 
Englifh were fuffered to approach within half muiket 
lhot without firing a gun, when a dreadful cannonade 
commenced, which was kept up without interruption for 
three hours and forty minutes; and the adion then ceafed 
only becanfe the fhips on both (ides, from the damages 
they had refpedively fuftained, were no longer found ma¬ 
nageable. The Dutch, after fome time, bore aw'ay with 
their convoy for the Texel, which they reached with 
great difficulty, one of their largeft (hips finking before 
they could make the harbour. Admiral Parker, who 
had unavailingly applied to the admiralty for a reinforce¬ 
ment, returned in great difeontent and in a ftiattered con¬ 
dition to the Nore, where he received the (ignal honour 
of a vifit from his majefty on-board his own (hip, and 
was offered knighthood as the reward of his valour. 
But his haughty refufal fliewed how little he was flat¬ 
tered by thefe puerile diftindions. 
About this time the emperor of Germany, then refident 
in the Netherlands, ifl’ued a placart, by which Offend was 
declared to be a free port ; and in the month of Otlober, 
1781, he acceded in form to the armed neutrality, as the 
kings of Pruffia and Portugal had alfo previoufly done. 
All the continental powers feemed fully fenfible that Eng¬ 
land was rapidly exhaufting her ftrength inafruitlefs and 
unnatural war with her colonies ; and they were all equally 
fedulous to be prepared to take advantage of her weaknefs. 
But the bulk of the people of England were not fo blind 
to their own affairs as not to be fully fenfible that the po¬ 
licy of lord North’s adminiftration was tending rapidly to 
the ruin and difgrace of the country ; and therefore a firing 
of motions for the difcontinuance of the American war, 
2nd for the difmiffion of his majelty’s minifters, had been 
1 
A N D. 767 
ftrenuoufly followed up by the members in oppofition. 
On the 19th of March, 1782, the earl of Suirey had pro- 
pofed to move arefolution of a (imitar import ; but when 
his lordftiip was about to rife, lord North addreffed him¬ 
felf to the fpeaker, and faid, “that as he underftood 
the objed of the noble lord’s motion to be the removal 
of minifters, he wiflied to prevent the neceffity of giving 
the houfe further trouble by an explicit declaration, that 
his majefty had come to a determination to make an entire 
change of adminiftration : and he and his colleagues only 
retained their official fituation till other minifters were 
appointed to occupy their places.” Thus was this fa¬ 
mous adminiftration under lord North, which had exifted 
for twelve years, fuddenly and totally dilfolvcd. The 
marquis of Rockingham, to the univerfal fatisfadion of 
the kingdom, was now a fecond time placed at the head 
of the treafury; under whom lord John Cavendifli aded 
as chancellor of the exchequer; the earl of Shelburne 
and Mr. Fox were nominated fecretaries of date ; lord 
Camden was appointed prefident of the council; the duke 
of Grafton reinftated as lord privy feal ; admiral Kep- 
pel, now created lord Keppel, placed at the head of 
the admiralty ; general Conway, of the army ; the duke 
of Richmond, of the ordnance. The duke of Portland 
fucceeded lord Carlifle as lord-lieutenant of Ireland ; 
Mr. Burke was conftituted paymafter of the forces ; and 
colonel Barre, treafurer of the navy. Lord Thurlow, 
by the unanimous confent of the new minifters, conti¬ 
nued in poffeftion of the great feal. 
The firft ad of the new adminiftration was to fignify 
its abhorrence of the war, and by every honourable 
means to flop the further effufion of human blood. 
Negociations for a general peace were almoft immediately 
commenced between France and Great Britain, and 
Mr. Grenville was fent to Paris, inverted with full powers 
to treat for that purpofe with all the belligerent powers. 
Previous to the change of adminiftration, fir Henry 
Clinton had refigned to fir Guy Carleton his command 
in America, which he had held lince the refignation of 
fir William Howe in the fpring of 1778. Inftrudions 
were now fent to the new commander, and admiral 
Digby, to acquaint the congrefs of the pacific view's of 
the Englifh court, and of their readinefs to treat on the 
bafts of American independence ; for the event of which 
fee the article America, vol. i. p.463. 
On the 15th of April, a meffage was delivered to the 
houfe by Mr. Fox from the king, dating, “ That his 
majefty, taking into confideration the fupplies which have 
been'given with fo much liberality, and fupported by 
fttch uncommon finnnefs and fortitude by his people in 
the prefent extenftve war, recommended to his faithful 
commons the confideration of an effedual plan of eco¬ 
nomy throughout all the branches of the public expen¬ 
diture.” An addrels ot thanks was then moved for, and 
immediately agreed to by the houfe ; and in confequence 
of this meffage, Mr. Burke’s reform bill vvas a third time 
brought forward, and finally palled. By this biil the 
board of trade, and the board of works, with the great 
wardrobe, were abolifhed ; together with the'office of 
American fecretary of ftate, the offices of treafurer of the 
chamber, cofferer of the houfehold, the lords of police 
in Scotland, the paymafter of the penfions, the mafter of 
the harriers, the mafter of the flag-hounds, and fix clerks 
of the board of green doth. Provifion alio was made to 
enable his majefty to borrow a fura for the liquidation of 
a new arrear of three hundred thoufand pounds, by a tax 
on falaries and penfions; a debt to this amount having 
been contracted by the prodigality of the late minillersg 
notwithftanding the addition of one hundred thoufand 
pounds per annum, recently made to the civil lift. 
On the 3d of May, 1782, after a debate of fome length, 
it was refolved by the houfe of commons, “ That all 
the declarations, orders, and refolutions, of that houl'e, 
refpeding the eledion of John Wilkes, efq. be expunged 
from the journals of the houfe, as fubverfive of the rights 
of 
