however, fired from the neighbouring hills, it was thought 
^proper to retaliate ; and an attack was meditated upon the 
pafs of Muyfenberg. While a fele£t body advanced with 
that view, the well-direCted fire of fonre velfels occafioned 
an evacuation of the poll; and a fpirited affault foon dif- 
lodged the enemy from a rocky eminence which might 
have been long defended. After fome weeks of inaction, 
■an attempt to furprife the mod conilderable of the out- 
pofls failed; and, though the Englifh repelled a fierce 
attack, their efforts did not deter their adverfaries from 
preparing for a general engagement. At this crifis, the 
appearance of a Britifh reinforcement at fea checked the 
eagernefs of the enemy. This force was commanded by 
major-general Clarke, who, as foon as lie had made pro¬ 
per arrangements, marched toward Cape-town. At Wyn- 
berg, the Dutch made a fnow of refifiar.ee; but they were 
foon driven from the port ; and, when the vice-admiral 
had detached four velfels to bombard that fide of the 
town, the governor propofed a ceffation of hoftilities, and 
terms of capitulation were adjufted. It was agreed, Sep¬ 
tember 16, that the troops in gart ifon fhonld be prifoners 
of war, and that the property of the Dutch Eaft-India 
company fhonld be delivered up to the captors of the fet- 
tlement; but private poffefiions and civil rights were left 
■inviolate. Some of the Afiatic fettlements of the Hol¬ 
landers were alfo feized by the Englifh. Trincomale, in 
the ifie of Ceylon, was taken by a fmall armament; and 
the fort of'Ooftenborg was foon after reduced, with JafF- 
napatam, and other towns. To thefe acquifitions were 
.added the colonial diftrids of the Malay peninfula; and, 
on the coaft of Malabar, Cochin was feized by a detach¬ 
ment from Bombay. 
The Dutch territories in the Weft Indies were not re¬ 
duced in this year, as the Englifh found greater difficulty 
•than they expected in defending the illands which they 
had taken from the French, and in fecuring thofe which 
they pofTefFed at the beginning of the war. In Grenada, 
an infurredtion was excited by the arts of the enemy. 
Many of the French inhabitants and negroes were encou¬ 
raged to revolt by promifes of aid ; and, on the arrival of 
a fmall body of foldiers from Guadaloupe, they perpe¬ 
trated many aits of violence. Their camp was alFaulted 
without eftedt; but they were not fo fuccefsful on other 
occafions as to be induced to prolong offenfive hoftilities. 
In Dominique, likewife, an infurredtion took place, and 
a party of French landed; but the rebels were reduced to 
fubmiffion, and the invaders were either killed or made 
prifoners. In the ifiand of St. Vincent the Caribs rofe 
In arms, and committed many brutal ravages; and, being 
joined by the majority of the French colonifts, they boldly 
vvithftood the efforts of the Englifh. In St. Lucia fimilar 
difturbances arofe; and the new pofTeffors were at length 
conftrained to relinquifh the ifland to the French. Even 
Jamaica was not free from commotion; for the Maroons 
were guilty of many cruel depredations, and were not fub- 
dued till they were hunted down with blood-hounds. 
Among the negociations of the year 1795, were an 
agreement with Spain, and treaties with RufTia and Auf- 
tria. His catholic majefty, before he concluded peace 
with France, ordered the furrender of the lands which 
^in repugnance to the former convention) he had retained 
at Nootka. With the court of Peterfburg the king of 
Great Britain entered into new ftipulations of alliance ; 
but the only fruit was the appearance of a Ruffian fleet 
in the channel. The emperor of Germany was more ear- 
neft than the czarina-in the caufe of the confederacy; and 
on his engagements the Britilh court more confidently re¬ 
lied. The Germanic body, wiffiing for the termination 
of a calamitous war, defired the emperor to treat with 
France, under the mediation of the king of Pruffia. He 
promifed to forward the objed of this requifition; but, 
in reality, he rather checked than promoted it; and the 
-French executive direftory refufed to agree to an armiftice 
which was propofed by the mediator, as a preliminary 
ftep to a congrefs. 
Vol, VI, No. 391. 
The probability of fubduing the French now became 
very remote and imperfed. They were much more pow¬ 
erful at this time than they had been at the commence¬ 
ment of the conteft. They were complete mailers of the 
Netherlands, had a controuling influence over the United 
Provinces, and had acquired valuable territories in Ger¬ 
many and in Italy. They had alfo ftrengthened them- 
felve-s, in the way of negative fuccefs, by detaching two 
powerful princes from the hoftile confederacy. Yet all 
thefe confiderations did not prevent his Britannic majefty 
from affirming, in his fpeech to tIre two houfes of parlia¬ 
ment, October 29, that the profped refulting from the 
general ftate of affairs had in fome important refpeds been 
materially improved in the courfe of the year. He was 
of opinion, that the fuccefs of the French on particular 
occafions, and the advantages which they had derived 
from the conclufion of feparate treaties with fome of the 
belligerent powers, were far from compenfating the evils 
which they experienced from the continuance of the war. 
He fpoke of “ the definition of their commerce, the di¬ 
minution of their maritime power, and the unparalleled 
embarralFment and diftrefs of their internal fit nation 
yet he did not think that their rulers were fo humbled by 
the increafing prefFure of difficulties, as to be difpofed to 
“negociate fora general peace on juftand fuitable terms:” 
it therefore feemed necefFary to profecute the war with 
the utmoft energy and vigour. 
Great Britain, in the campaign of 1796, furnifiied few 
troops for the continental war, but overwhelmed the em¬ 
peror with freffi fuppliesof money. In the Weft: Indies, 
the exertions of the Engliffi were produdive of great 
benefit. They recovered Port-Royal, in Grenada, from 
the infurgents, whom they reduced to uncontrolled fub¬ 
miffion. An armament under fir Ralph Abercrombie and 
fir Hugh Chriftian failed to St. Lucia; and, though the 
troops failed in an attack of fome batteries, they carried 
on their operations againft the principal fortrefs, which 
furrendered May 15; but not without the lofs of many 
brave men. In the following month, the poll of the 
Vigie, in St. Vincent’s, was reduced, and the whole 
ifland replaced under the Britifh government. 
In South America fome territorial advantages accrued 
to this country; for Demerara and Effequibo were wrefted 
from the hands of the Dutch, as was alfo the colony of 
Berbice. On the other hand, a French fquadron, failing 
to North America, captured or deftroyed a confiderable 
portion of mercantile property in Newfoundland. Li 
Afia likewife, new conquefis gratified both the defire of 
power and the fpirit of commerce. Colombo, the capital 
of the Dutch government in Ceylon, was eafily reduced ; 
and tile valuable illands of Atnboyna and Banda were 
likewife furrendered to Great Britain. 
The Dutch alfo fuffered another lofs not inconfiderable. 
For the recovery of the Cape of Good Hope, they fent 
out a fquadron with troops on board, which reached Sal- 
danha bay unmolefted. Sir George Elphinfton failed with 
as great hafte as the ftormy weather would allow, and, 
having anchored within ffiot of the enemy, demanded a 
furrender of the fiiips. As his fleet was far fuperior to 
that of the Hollanders, and major-general Craig had 
made proper difpofitions for co-operating by land, the 
demand was not refilled by rear-admiral Lucas, who, 
Auguft 17, delivered up his own Ibip of lixty fix guns, 
two other (hips of the line, four frigates, a (loop, and 
a (tore-veil'd. 
The Englifh were lefs fuccefsful in the Mediterranean, 
being reduced to the neceflity of evacuating' Corfica, 
which, from the intrigues of the French, the viceroy 
found great difficulty in retaining. After the retreat of 
the Engliffi from Leghorn, where the French exercifed a 
confiderable influence, fir Gilbert Eliot quitted Baftia, 
and pafl'ed over to the ille of Elba, where Porto-Ferraio 
had been lately feized and garrifoned by his order. Cor 
(ica was immediately re-occupied by a body of Freno 
republicans, to whom the natives readily fubmitted. 
9 O Militaiy 
