ENGLAND. 7 SI 
- ' i 
the French admiral, Villaret-Joyeufe, had failed from the 
harbour of Breft. Having approached the enemy to the 
weftward of Ulhant, rear-admiral Pafley attacked the rear 
with fpirit ; and a brifk engagement enfued on the fol¬ 
lowing day, when the nautical (kill of the veteran Howe 
enabled him to obtain the weather-gage. Three days af¬ 
terwards, June :, he brought the French to a clofe aition, 
having twenty-five fail of the line oppofed to twenty-fix. 
In the Queen Charlotte he broke their line, and evinced 
an admirable union of fkill and intrepidity. Captain 
Berkeley, in the Marlborough, had a dangerous conflict 
with two (hips; but he difabled one, and repelled the 
other. The Brunfwick, commanded by Hervey, engaged 
feveral fhips with great gallantry, and had a long conteft 
with Le Vengeur, whole crew implored mercy; but the 
Britifh captain could not prevent her from finking. Though 
many of the French were faved on this occafion by the 
humanity of their adverfaries, above three hundred went 
to the bottom. The fame fate attended the fine fliip Le 
Jacobin, out of whofe crew fcarcely a man was faved ; but 
the undaunted republicans, when finking on the wreck 
of their (hip, exultingly cried out with their lalt breath, 
Vive la libcrte'l Vive la republique / The French line was 
broken in three places; and at length the Britifh fleet 
obtained a memorable triumph. When the firing ceafed, 
the admiral found that fix (hips of the line had been 
taken, in which 690 men were killed, and 580 wounded ; 
a number far exceeding the official lift of fufferers (904) 
in the whole Britifh fleet. 
An expedition to the Weft Indies alfo proved, in a 
great degree, fuccefsful. Sir Charles Grey landed, with 
a refpeitable but not numerous force, on the ifland of 
Martinique, while fir John Jervis fuperintended the na¬ 
val operations. Several ftrong ports wrnre feized ; and 
the reduction of Pigeon-ifle opened the bay and harbour 
of Fort Royal to the (hipping. Of the works near St. 
Pierre the invaders gained pofleflion with fmall lofs; and 
that town was then evacuated by the enemy. To com¬ 
plete the inveftment of Fort Bourbon, it was neceffary that 
the heights of Sourier fhould be gained. Bellegarde, a 
bold leader of the mulattoes and negroes, might have de¬ 
fended this port for a confiderable time, if he had not 
been prompted by the impettiofity of his fpirit to ruffi 
from the heights with a part of his force, and attack the 
left divifion of the Britifh army. Pleafed at the oppor¬ 
tunity, the general fent three battalions from his right to 
florm the weakened camp, which was eafily forced by 
the valour of this detachment, while Bellegarde was foon 
repelled by the firmhefs of the corps which he engaged. 
Preparations were now made for affaulting Fort Royal; 
and a detachment of grenadiers and light infantry, under 
the conduct of colonel Symes, marched to the back of it, 
while commodore Thompfon, directed the exertions of a 
feleit naval force. Captain .Faulknor particularly diftin- 
guilhed himfelf on this occafion. He puflied forward at 
the head of the crew of the (loop which he commanded, 
and fcaled the walls in defiance of repeated volleys of 
grape-fhot. This daring ait concurred with the approach 
of the foldiery, to intimidate the garrifon into a furrender, 
which took place on the 20th of March, 1794. The 
commandant of Fort Bourbon, no longer inclined to refift, 
propofed a capitulation; and the acquifition of this for- 
trefs completed the reduction of the ifland. Major-ge¬ 
neral Dundas and prince Edward, who diftinguiffied him¬ 
felf in thefe exploits, afterwards landed in St. Lucia, and 
proceeded to the inveftment of la Morne Fortunee. Lieu¬ 
tenant-colonel Coote (formed a redoubt and two batteries; 
and the dread of an allault of the fort produced its fpeedv 
furrender. The ifles called the Saints were then reduced ; 
and a difembarkation was effected at Gofier-bay, in Gua- 
daloupe. Fort Fleur d’Epee was quickly ftormed ; and 
the impetuous fire of the affailants had fpared only a 
fmall part of the garrifon. Fort Louis, and other ports 
of Grande Terre, were abandoned with great precipita¬ 
tion ; and the Englifh proceeded to the conqueft of Baffe 
Vol. VI, No. 391. 
Terre. Palmifte, the ftrongeft port of this divifion, was 
foon taken; and, after other exploits, the whole ifland 
furrendered, with its dependencies. 
The Englifh did not long retain the laft of thefe con- 
quefts. The yellow fever began to diffufe its ravages, 
which diminifhed the number of the armed, and weakened 
the furvivors. From hence, expeiting to find the works 
inadequately manned, a French force approached the coaft, 
attacked Fleur d’Epee and other ports, and recovered them 
with little difficulty. The Englifh foon regained the port: 
of St. Anne, where they put to death about four hundred 
of the enemy, without lofting an individual of their own 
party. After various aitions, brigadier Symes and colo¬ 
nel Fiffier, with a body of foldiers and feamen, endea¬ 
voured to furprife the enemy in the night on the heights 
near Point-a-Petre; but they were faluted in their march 
with fo fevere a cannonade, that great confufion arofe. 
A retreat was now ordered ; and, for fome time, from the 
prevalence of difeafe, the troops were almoft inactive. 
When the camp at Berville was at length attacked by 
the French, it was fo bravely defended that the republi¬ 
can army fuffered confiderable lofs; but their repeated 
exertions conftrained the Englifh to capitulate. 
After further hoftilities, I'ort Matilda was the only 
place of ftrength which the Englifh retained in Guada, 
loupe. Here they were befieged by Viitor Hugues for 
eight weeks; and, as the fort was no longer tenable, they 
found it expedient to retire in the night. Not long after 
the lofs of the ifland, the brave Captain Faulknor, who 
had fo eminently contributed to the reduction of Marti¬ 
nique, loft his life in an engagement with a frigate near 
Marie-galante. More than feventy men are faid to have 
been killed in the French veffel, and above one hundred 
wounded ; while only twenty-nine fuffered in the victo¬ 
rious fliip. 
In the fanguinary ifland of St. Domingo, the Englifh 
had fo far profited as to acquire fome territorial poffef- 
fions. That ifland, in a remarkable degree, had fuffered 
the mifchievous effeits of the F'rench revolution. When 
the people in the mother country afferted their right to 
freedom, the claims of the colonial fubjeits of France 
were alfo recognifed ; and a fociety called les Amis des Noirs, 
(Friends of the Negroes,) warmly fupported the preten- 
lions of the (laves to emancipation, and of the mulattoes 
to all the privileges enjoyed by the white inhabitants. 
The declaration of rights promulgated by the national 
affembly increafed the ferment which the firft intelligence 
of the revolution had produced in the iflands ; and violent 
difturbances and contefts were apprehended. Deputies 
from the different diftriits of the F'rench part of St. Do¬ 
mingo met by the king’s order, to prevent tumults and 
reform abufes by feafonable regulations : but their endea¬ 
vours were oppofed by the partifans of the old regime ; 
and the governor diffolved the affembly. Many of the 
reprefentatives failed to France to juftify their conduit; 
and, during their abfence, Oge, an enterprifing mulatto, 
returned to the ifland from Europe for the execution of 
a fcheme which had been fuggefted to him by Brifl'ot and 
Gregoire, who wiffied that the people of colour, (as the 
mulattoes were ftyled,) might be ftimulated to rife in 
arms, and redrefs their own grievances. He found means 
to excite an infurreition; but it was quickly fuppreffed, 
and his life was facrificed to public jufticc. The claims, 
of his brethren, however, were confirmed by a decree of 
the ruling affembly of the parent (fate, which admitted 
them to all the privileges of French citizens, on the 15th 
of May, 1791. Before the death of Oge, the negroes had 
been inftigated to join the mulattoes in a general rebellion; 
and the recent decree gave vigour to their intentions. 
While a new colonial affembly deliberated on the con¬ 
duit which prudence required at this crifis, the (laves in 
the neighbourhood of Cape Francois attacked the whites, 
murdered a great number of them, and deftroyed the 
plantations. The infurreition foon fpread to other dif¬ 
triits; and, though many hundreds of the negroes and 
9 N their 
