1804.] 
volving the honour of the nation, which 
we were not then preffed by public cir- 
cumftances to examine, unhappily, that no 
Jonger exifts. Our government has not 
only fubmitted to the whole world the 
policy of a war with Spain, but has en- 
cumbered it with a new queftion, certain- 
ly not of more difficulty, but more fenfi- 
bly and more nearly affecting the honour 
of the Englifh name. 
About a month fince, Capt. Moore, 
commanding the Indefatigable frigate, of 
44 guns, was: detached frorh the Channel 
ficet, with orders to intercept and detain a 
fquadron of Spanifh frigates daily expect- 
ed to arrive at Cadiz, with treafure, from 
- South America. The Medufa, Captain 
Gore, of so guns, the Amphicn, Capt. 
Sutton, of 40, and the Lively, Capt. Ham- 
mend, of 36 guns, joined Capt. Moore on 
this fervice, by the orders of the Admiralty. 
Capt. Moore, learning that Sir Robert 
Barlow, commanding the Triumph, in- 
tended to go into Cadiz for the trade, on 
his way to England, fent the Medufa to 
apprife him of his orders, that he might 
judge of the propriety of his going into 
Cadiz under thefe circumftances. This 
commiffion executed, and the Englifh 
fguadron under Capt. Moore being on its 
ftation off Cadiz, on the sth inftant, Cape 
St. Mary bearing N. E. the Medufa made 
the fignal for four fail, W. by S. and 
Capt. Moore ordered a general chafe. At 
eight A M. he difcovered four large Spa- 
nifh frigates, who formed the line of battle 
a-head, and continued to fteer for Cadiz ; 
the van fhip carrying a broad pendant, 
and the fhip next to her a rear-admiral’s 
flag. Capt. Gore, being the head-moft 
fhip, placed the Medufa on the weather- 
beam of the Spanifh Commodore. The 
Indefatigable took a fimilar pofition with 
the Admiral; and the Amphion and Live- 
Jy each took an adverfary in the fame 
manner, as they came up. After hailing 
the Spanifh frigates, to make them fhorten 
fail, Capt. Moore fired a fhot acrofs the 
Admiral, on which he fhortened fail. Capt. 
Moore then fent Lieut. Afcott, of the In- 
defatigable, to inform the Spanifh admiral 
that his orders were to detain his fqua- 
dron, and that it was his earneft wifh to 
execute them without bloodfhed ; obferv- 
ing, however, that the admiral’s determi- 
nation muft be made inftantly. After 
waiting fome time for an anfwer, Capt. 
Moore made a fignal for his boat to re- 
turn, and fired a fhot a-head of the Admi- 
ral. His officer returning with an un- 
fatisfa&tory anfwer, Capt. Moore fired 
another fhot a-head of the Admiral, and 
State of Public Affairs in OGober, 1804. 
849 
bore down clofe on his weather bow. At 
that very moment, the fhip a-ftern of the 
Admiral fired into’ the Amphion, and the 
Admiral into the Indefatigable. Capt. 
Moore now made the fignal for clofe ac- 
tion, which was inftantly commenced. 
In lefs than ten minutes the Spanith fri- 
gate, La Mercedes, the Amphion’s adver- 
fary, blew up with a moft tremendous ex- 
plofion, In Jefs than half an hour the ad- 
miral’s fhip ftruck, and alfo the frigate 
oppofed to the Liveiy; but the Commo. 
dore endeavoured to make off, and Capt. 
Moore, perceiving that his hip out-failed 
the Medufa which purfued her, made 
fignal for the Lively to join in the chafe, 
and fhortly after the Commodore ftruck 
his colours, 
Meantime the Amphion’s boats haften- 
ed to the floating fragments of the fhip 
that had blown up, and, by their aétive 
exertions, faved forty. five of the mcn and 
the fecond captain. The reft of the crew 
perifhed ; and it is ftated, that along with 
them perifhed a great number of paflenyers 
returning to Old Spain from South Ame- 
rica, among whom were the captain's 
wife with her feven children, and eighteen 
other ladies, with a number of children. 
‘Thefe Spanith frigates were from Mente 
Video, Rio de la Plata, and were com- 
manded by Don Jofeph Battamente, Knight 
of the Order of St. James, and a rear-ad- 
miral, They were richly laden; contain. 
ing, on account of the king, 75 facks of 
Vicuna wool, 60 chefts and facks of caf. 
carilla, 4732 bars of tin, 1735 pigs of 
copper, 28 planks of wood, and 1,307,634 
dollars in filver—on account of the mer- 
chants, 32 chelts of ratavia, 1,859,216 
dollars in filver, 1,119,658 gold, reduced 
into dollars, and 150,011 ingots of gold 
reduced into dollars—and, on account of 
the Marine Company, 26,925 feal fkins, 
and ten pipes of feal-oil. 
TheSpaniards fought with great bravery. 
Our lofs, however, was very fmalil. The 
Indefatigable had not one either killed or 
wounded; the Amphion had one lieute- 
nant, three feamen, and one marine wound. 
ed; and the Lively two men killed, and 
four wounded. The return of the Me- 
dufa has not yet been received. Tine Spa- 
niards fuffered more, independant of the 
dreadful fate of the Mercedes, 280 of 
whofe crew perifhed by the explofion. 
The following is the return of the force, 
and lofs, of the three frigates brought into | 
our ports—La Medee, flag fhip, 42 guns, 
18-pounders on the mam-deck, and 300 
men, taken; two men killed and ten 
wounded—La Fama, Cemmodore’s fhip, 
36 guns, 
