“ 
being at thew quarters. 
~ 
1804. ] 
from thofe veflels who volunteered their 
fervice in the action. The.commodore 
lay to all night in line of battle, the men 
At day-break, 
on the 15th he jaw the enemy lying to, 
about three miles to windward; and hoitt- 
ed his colours, offering battle if they 
chofe to bear down. Four of the enemy’s 
fhips then hoifted French colours, the line 
of battle fhip carrying a rear-admirai’s 
flac; and the brig hoifted Batavian co- 
lours. At 9 A.M. finding the fquadren 
did not bear down, Captain Dance formed 
order of failing, and fteered his courie un- 
der anealy fail; on which, the enemy fil- 
Jed their fails, and edged towards him 
At 1 P.M. the commodore, fearing they 
would attempt to cut off fome of the rear 
of his fleet, inftantly made fignal to tack, 
and bear down on them, and engage in 
fuccefion. The Royal George was the 
headmoft of the Englifh fhips; the Ganges 
ollowed next; and the third was the 
commodore’s fhip, the Earl Camden. The 
Freach admiral formed in a very clofe line, 
and opened a heavy fire; but our brave 
and experienced failors referved their fire 
til they had approached nearer to the ene- 
my, when they commenced the aétion on 
their part, with the molt perfect coolnefs 
and intrepidity. “Fhe three veffels we have 
jut named bore the brunt of the action; 
for before the others could come up, the 
enemy hauled their wind, and ftood away 
to the ea(t, with all the fail they could fet. 
At 2 P.M. the commodore made fignal for 
a general chafe, and his victorious mer- 
chantmen purfued for two hours tie de- 
feated {quadron of the enemy’s men of 
war, &c. Captain Dance in the whole 
of this affair united the utmoft prudence 
with that undaanted temper which diltin- 
guifhes his profefiion, perceiving that the 
chale might carry him too far from his 
courle, and juftly calcujating the unnecef- 
fary hazard to which a further purfuit 
might expofe the immenfe property (not 
Jefs than eight millions fterling) under his 
protection, he now defifted from the chafe. 
As long as he could fe the enemy, they 
ftvod to the eaftward under a prefs of fail. 
In this aétion, the Royal George received 
fixty-fix fhot in her hull and fails. Of her 
crew, one only was killed, and one much 
wounded ; nor were there any killed or 
wounded befide in the whole fleet. The 
Ganges and Earl Camden received fome 
thot ; none of the other fhips were touched. 
The commodore, in the letter he wrote 
on this occafion to the court of directors, 
(which is worthy of notice for its modelty 
and good fenfe) obferves that, during the 
State of Public Affairs in Auguf?, 1804. 
161 
two days in which he was in fight of the 
enemy, hehad an opportunity of commu- 
nicating with the captains of the different 
veflels, and that he found them one and al, 
determined todef:ad the property confided 
to their care to the latt extremity ; and 
this fine tribute of his efteem is equally 
henourable to him and to them. 
After the aétion, Captain Dance put 
into Pizang for water ; where he found 
the Albion and Sceptre men of war, who 
convoyed him to St. Helena, which he_ 
gained on the gth of June. He failed 
toence on the 18:h of the fame month, 
under convoy of his Majefty’s fhip, the 
Plantagenet. 
The country faips had parted from bim 
on the 28th of March, to proceed on their 
vovage to the different ports of India. The 
French fquadron is tated to have arrived 
at Batavia on the 25th of Feoruary. 
On the 7th inftant, the China fleet ar- 
rived off the Ifle of Wight. The news 
was received by the nation with an enthu- 
fiafm excited rather by the merit of the 
officers and crews, than the fatety of an 
immenfe property. The court of direc. 
tors of the Eaft India Company eagerly ex. 
prefled their high fenfe of the gallant be- 
haviour of the feet. To Captain Danc®, 
they voted the fum of z0co guineas, and a 
piece of plate of the value of 200 guineas 
—‘o Captain Timins, of the Royal George, 
1000 guineas, and a piece of plate of 100 
cuineas—to Captains J.C. Lock ver, of 
the Ocean, J, KinKPaTrick of the Hen- 
ry Addington, ARCHIBALD HAMILTON 
of the Bombay Cajfile, WitLiam Warp 
Farror of the Cumberland, WILLIAM 
STANLEY CLaRKE of the Wexford, HEN- 
RY MERITON of the Exeter, THOMasS 
Larkins of the Warren Haftiags, JaMes 
PenDERGRASS of the Hope, RoperT 
Hunter Brown ct the Dorfet/hire, 
Henry Witson of the Wafley, James 
FaRQUHARSON of the Alfred, RoBert 
Fortin of the Coutis, WiLLiamM Mor- 
FATT of the Gazges, and Joun WorDs- 
WORTH, junior, of the Earl of Abergav- 
enny, 500 guineas each, and a piece of 
place ot the value oft100 guineas each—to 
the other chief officers, the petty cfficers, 
and ‘he feamen, fums in proportion; and 
to Lieutenant Fowver of the royal navy, 
(whole honourable fervices they did not 
forget) 300 guineas for a piece of plate; 
the whole amount being not leis than 
50,000]. 
The committee of fubfcribers to the 
national fuad, at Lloyd's, followed this 
worthy example, and voted to Captain 
Dance, a {ward of tool. value, anda 
ZI. vale 
