750 'FRA 
i 
aroufed from the neutrality five had hitherto obferved, 
refolved to fulfil the conditions of the celebrated family 
compact; and to efface the unfortunate and difgraceful 
events of the lath war, by uniting to this the ftrength of 
the houfe of Bourbon, while vigorous and yet unim¬ 
paired. France immediately prepared to avail herfelf of 
the favourable difpofition of the court of Madrid. Count 
d’Orvilliers failed with the grand fleet from Breft, and 
joined that of Spain ; and the combined fleets of the 
houfe of Bourbon prefented to their enemies the formida¬ 
ble fight of fixty-fix fiiips of the line ; with this prodigi¬ 
ous force they entered in triumph the Britifh channel. 
Admiral Hardy, who commanded the Englifh fleet, was 
glad to find refuge in the harbours of Great Britain; 
Plymouth trembled for her lafety ; and that people who 
had fo long atferted their dominion over the (has, in their 
turn were taught to dread the calamities of a menaced in- 
vafion. The dread of the approaching equinoctial (forms, 
after the capture of the Ardent, an Englifh (hip of the 
line, induced the fleets of France and Spain to feparate, 
and return to their refpeftive ports. To increafe the em. 
barraffments of the Englith, Spain, with a coniiderable 
army, formed the fiege of Gibraltar. The land forces were 
entrufted to the command of don Alvarez ; don Barcello 
blocked up the harbour with a number of xebecques and 
frigates; while don Louis de Cordova, with twelve (hips 
of the line, was ftationed in a pofition to afford fupport to 
all his operations ; but thefe formidable arrangements 
were foon broken by the fuperior prowefs of the Englifh. 
Trance in the mean while, fecured the friendfhip of the 
northern powers, by what was called the armed neutrality , 
at thehead of which was the emprefs Catherine II. of 
Rufila. But Louis fuffered a deep and galling wound by 
the deftrufticn of the fleet of his kindred ally. A'Spa- 
nifli fquadron of eleven 111i ps of the line and two frigates, 
•cruifing near Cape St. Vincent under the command of 
don Juan de Langara, was furrounded by the Englifh 
fleet under admiral Rodney, then proceeding to the relief 
of Gibraltar. The Spaniards for a long time maintained 
the conflict with great gallantry ; but they were at 
length forced to yield to the fuperior gallantry of Rod¬ 
ney. The San Domingo, a S.panifh (hip of 70 guns and 
6 00 men, was blown up in the aCtion. The admiral’s 
fhip, the Phcenix, of 80 gurfs, with four more (hips of 
the line, were taken ; another of the fame rate was driven 
on fhore and deftroyed ; and the fluttered remnant efcaped 
with difficulty the purfuit of the victors. The Englifh 
admiral immediately purfued his courfe to Gibraltar, re¬ 
lieved the garrifon, repaired the Streights, and Iteered in 
triumph to the Weft Indies ; after detaching admiral 
Digby with his prizes and part of his fquadron to Great 
Britain ; and who on his patfage captured the Prothee, a 
Frenchman of war of 64 guns. Soon after which the 
Artois, the Capricieufe, the Nymphe, and the Belle 
Poule, were fuccellively taken by the Britifli cruifers. 
The French fleet was now fent out from Breft in fmall 
divifions, to rendezvous at Cadiz. There they joined the 
fleet of Spain, and once more united, were occupied in 
cruizing off Cape St. Vincent, when fortune feemed in¬ 
clined to compenfate fully their former Ioffes. A rich 
convoy for the Eaft and Weft Indies, under the protection 
of one fhip of the line and two frigates, had failed from 
England ; and don Louis de Cordova, who commanded 
the combined fquadrons, was agreeably furprifed with 
the fight of this invaluable and defencelefs fleet. A fignai 
was made for a general chace ; the men of war efcaped by 
their fuperior failing; but five rich Eaft India men, and 
fifty velfels bound to the Weft Indies, were taken and 
carried into Cadiz ; the former, betides arms and ammu¬ 
nition, v\ith a noble train of artillery, conveyed naval 
(lores for the fupply of the Britifli fquadron in that quar¬ 
ter ; and the latter contained camp equipage for the troops 
defigned for aCtivc fervice in the Leeward {(lands. But 
notwithftanding thefe valuable captures, the events of the 
campaign had by no means^tnfwered the fanguine expec- 
N C E. 
tations of the court of Verfailles, neither from the high 
advantages which the mini tiers of France expeCted to derive 
from the united courage and intrepidity of the marquis de 
la Fayette and other experienced French generals then co¬ 
operating with Wafhington ; nor from the united force of 
the houfe of Bourbon. But that confederacy now ac¬ 
quired new ftrength from the lofty fpirit of their enemy : 
Great Britain having, by the capture of an American 
packet, obtained pofleflion of a treaty of amity and com¬ 
merce between the republic of Holland and the United 
States of America, gave loofe to her indignation, and at 
the clofe of the year 1780, commenced .hoflilities againft 
the Dutch; a meafure which was received at Paris with 
open exultation ; and which neceflarily threw that re¬ 
public into the arms of France. 
It was, hoVever, by the mod rigid economy that Louis 
was able to lupport the immenfe demands for the diftant 
and various warfare in which he was engaged. The 
councils of Spain were (till marked by that imbecility 
which for near a century had characterifed them ; and 
Holland, naturally flow in her deliberations, longdifufed 
to war, and furprifed into hoflilities, at firft required very 
confiderable afliftance from her allies ; in Europe, in Ame¬ 
rica, the Weft Indies, and the Eaft, the burthen was en¬ 
tirely borne by France ; and though (he could not but fe~ 
verely feel the inceffant weight, yet her preparations (till 
kept pace with the importance of the fervice. 
In the commencement of the campaign of i7Sr, the 
baron de Rullecourt, with a fmall band of adventurers,, 
meditated an attack on the ifland of Jerfey ; he embraced 
the opportunity of a favourable wind, and in the night 
traverled the fea which feparates that ifland from France 5 
he landed his men at dawn of day, and his firft fuccefs 
feemed to fandlion the temerity of the enterprife. The 
lieutenant-governor, with the principal inhabitants, were 
furprifed, and in the moment of aftonifhment fignecl a ca¬ 
pitulation ; but the major part of the garrifon refilled to 
accede to the conditions ; their numbers were lwelled by 
the natives who had recovered from their firft panic ; and 
the detachment of de Rullecourt was encompaffed and 
aflailed on every fide. The baron himfelf fell gallantly 
fighting at the head of his troops, the greater part of which 
were either cut to pieces or taken prifoners, and a few only 
regained their velfels, and efcaped to the coaft of Nor¬ 
mandy with the melancholy intelligence of the fate of 
their companions. 
Towards the end of June the fleet of France, confiding 
of eighteen (hips of the line, under the command of the 
count de Guichen, quitted Breft and joined the Spanifti 
fleet at Cadiz. The united fquadrons, which prefented 
to view fifty fhips of the line, fleered fouth-eaft, and de¬ 
tached two large fhips and feveral frigates, to effort the 
duke'de Crillon and a confiderable body of land forces to 
Minorca ; the invafion of which ifland had been deter¬ 
mined on by the courts of Verfailles and Madrid. After 
performing this fervice, the combined naval ftrength of 
the houfe of Bourbon directed their courfe towards the 
Englifh coafts ; admiral Darby, with the Britifh fleet of 
twenty-three fhips of the line, haftily retired before them 
into Torbay ; but the elements warred in favour of the 
Englifh ; a violent temped dilperfed the united fleets, 
and compelled each of them to feek fhelter in their own 
ports. The French now availed themfelves of their fu¬ 
perior fleet to reinforce the duke de Crillon in his attack 
on Minorca, with feveral veteran regiments, under the 
command of the baron de Falkenheyn ; but it was in the 
Weft Indiesand America that their principal efforts were 
directed. Towards the end of March monfieurde Grade, 
with twenty fiiips of the line, one of fifty-four guns, and 
feveral frigates, with fix thoufand land forces, failed from 
Breft for Martinico. Off Fort Royal he difcerned the 
Britifh fleet of feventeen fail of the line commanded by 
admiral Hood. The convoy with which de Graffe was 
encumbered compelled him at firft to prepare for action 
with caution j but four fhips of the line having eluded the 
endeavours 
