1806.] 
eorn, whe brought her here, told me he had 
left our fhips in chafe of three fail, fuppofed 
to be enemies. ; 
‘< Their lordfhips will now have the fa- 
tisfaction of being informed that thofe three 
fail were French frigates, viz. La Tribune, 
of goguns, La Tamife, of 36 guns, formerly 
the Thames, and La Legere, of 24 guns, 
under the command of Commodore Moulfton. 
Notwithf@anding that fuperiority, his Ma- 
jefty’stwo frigates, immediately on afcertain- 
ing what they were, crowded fail after them 5 
upon which the enemy formed ina line of 
battle, but fhortly after declining to come to 
ation, they feparated, and endeavoured to 
efcape. Captain Williams, in the Unicorn, 
purfued the largeft, La ‘Tribune, and I have 
no doubt wili give a good account of her, 
while Captain Martin chafed and came up 
with La Tamife, which ftruck to him after 
a fmart attion, wherein 33 of the enemy 
were killed, and 19 wounded 5 and only two 
men were killed and three wounded, on board 
the Santa Margarita. Unluckily, as the Le- 
gere could not be attended to during this chafe 
‘ and engagement, fhe got off. 
*¢ Their lordfhips will find more particulars 
on this fubjeé&t in the inclofed letter to me 
from Captain Martin, who is fafely arrived 
here with his prize; which capture is the 
moft active and fuccefsful of all the enemy's 
¢ruifers againft our trade. 
‘© The credit of the Britifh name has been 
fo eminently well fupported on this occafion 
by the zeal, fpirit, and judgment with which. 
his majefty’s fhips were condu@ted, that it be- 
comes wholly unneceflary for me farther to 
exprefs my fenfe of the merits of their cap- 
tains, officers, and crews. Iam, Sir, &c. 
‘© R, KincsmMiii.” 
To render this fuccefs complete in every re= 
fpect, the Legere was captured ina few days 
afterwards. ‘* lhave the fatisfaCtion,” fays 
the admiral, in his official difpatch, ‘of ac- 
quainting you, for the information of my 
lords commiffioners of the admiralty, that 
the whole of the fquadron which had failed 
from Breft, under the orders of commodore 
Mouliton, is in our pofleffion ; La Legere, a 
fine coppered corvette, of 22 guns, being 
now bhreught in here by his Majefty’s fhips 
Apolle and Doris, Separated as thofe thips 
were, the capturing of them is a rare in- 
ftance of fucce{s, and a proof of the adtivity 
of his Majefty’s cruifers on that ftation.”— 
“¢ Separated as they were,” was a term pe- 
culiarly appofite and modeft, in respect to the 
fituation of this lucklefs fquadron, and the 
circumftances under which it pafled into the 
hands of the Britith.. The Proferpine, of a4 
guns, which, according to the letter of Cap- 
‘tain Williams, who at that time commanded 
the Unicorn, and captured the Tribune, had 
parted from her companions on the evening 
preceding the firft action, in a fog, was cap- 
tured four days afterwards off Cape Clear, by 
Lord Amelius. Beauclerk, who commanded 
the Dryad, To pafs over a variety of inferior 
Account of the late Admiral Kingfmill. " BS 
fuccefles which took place during the re- 
mainder of the year, and which were of them- 
felves fufficient to have acquired Admiral 
Kingf{mill the higheft credit, even had the fu- 
perior fucceftes of the officers and.men acting 
under his orders been wanting ; the conclufion 
of the laf year was preductive of an event and 
plan of operations ict on foot by the enemy, 
which had in its intention nothing lefs than 
the reduétion of all Ireland. A very formi- 
dable armament, confitting of 17 fhips oi the 
line, with 27 frigates, cutters, or other vef- 
fels, having 25,000 troops on board, failed 
from Breft, in the hopes of effeéting an im- 
mediate defcent on the fouth of that ifland. 
Their firft outfet was not very propitious =z 
two thips of the line (Le Neftor and Pegafe) 
having run foul of each other, received fo 
much damage, that it was neceflary for the 
fleet to anchor inthe ruad of Berthaume, ia 
order to have them repaired. On the next 
day the fleet again got under fail, when a 
difafter ftill! more ferious happened ; Le Se- 
duifant, of 74 guns, was driven upon the 
rocks, and entirely loft; the crew, which 
confifted of 1800 rea, including foldiers, pee 
rithed, excepting about 60. On the 22d the 
French ficet was difcovered off the S. W. 
coaft of Ireland, and the next day was dif- 
perfed ina heavy gale: on the 24tha part of 
it, anchored in Bantry Bay, near Bear Haven. 
The inftant Vice-Admiral Kingfmill was in- 
formed of their arrival, he difpatched Captain 
Pulling of the navy, overland, to reconnoitre 
their force and fituation; who reported that 
it cordifted of fix fhips of the line, three 
rafeés, four frigates, two brigs, andtwo luge 
gers; the remainder of the fleet and trani- 
ports were not in fight. The wind at this 
time blowing avery ftrong gale, and a heavy 
fea, he confidered the fhips to be in imminent 
danger. A boat which was paffing from one 
fhip to another, was driven on thore with a 
French lieutenant and feven men, who were 
made prifoners by the natives. On the 27th 
the French fhips in Bantry Bay were driven 
to fea in a violent gale of wind from the 
5.5. E. On the 29th a large fhip was feen 
to go down off Cape Clear, fuppofed to be 
one of the French fhips armé en fixte. On the 
3oth, L’Impatiente French trigate of 44 
guns, 320 feamen, and 250 foldiers, was 
wrecked near Mizen Head, Crookhaven 3 the 
pilot ani five or fix men only were faved. On 
the 31 two French fhips‘of 74 guns each, 
one of which was difmafted, two large fri- 
gates, and a lugger, were drivea into Bantry 
Bay as tar up as Whiddy Ifland, and obliged 
to anchor ; here they refitted in the beft man - 
ner.they were abje, and put to fea the frit 
favourable opportunity. Nine fail more or 
French thips appeared off the Shannon, where 
they detained a pilot-boat with a revenue 
officer, who had been fent ont to reconnoitre. 
After having been expofed to moft tempettu- 
ous weather, and encountered~a variety of 
difficulties, thofe of the French fleet which 
had efcaped the aGtivity of our cruizeys and 
Lz fhipwreck, 
