great fervices. Mr. De Sartine was not a man of rank; but he had the merit of following up, with extraordinary fpirit and diligence, the plan of increafing the marine, which had been adopted in the late reign; but more languidly purfued on account of the ill ftate of the revenue. But the prefent king took a fill ftrenger ftep in the regulation of that important object. Louis the XVI. had the magnanimity to place Mr. Necker, a foreign gentleman, and a proteftant, at the head of his finances. The fuccefs and reward were equal to the liberality and wifdom of the measure. France recovered her public credit. The people of France, for the first time, had the fatisfaction of feeing a war carried on by facrifices on the part of the king, and with an attention to the eafe and relief of the people. This measure could not fail to encourage and promote their confidence in government; and must prove a fource of ftrength, which that great monarchy never poffeffed before. The virtues of a republican fate were profeffed, and in fome measure practifed.

France opened the year by a fuccefsful expedition to the coaft of Africa. The fquadron employed upon this fervice was commanded by the Marquis de Vaudrevil, and a land force, much greater than was neceffary (but both taking Africa only in their way to reinforce D'Estaing in the Weft Indies), was commanded by the Duke de Lauzun. As the garrifons in that quarter were totally incapable of making any refiftance, the British forts, fettlements, factories, and property, at Senegal, in the river Gambia, and other parts

of that coaft, fell without trouble into the hands of the enemy, between the latter end of January, and that of February, 1779. The French upon that fuccefs, abandoned the island of Goree, which they had recovered by the late peace; and transported the artillery and garrifon to ftrengthen Senegal. Sir Edward Hughes foon afterwards, on his paffage to the Eaft Indies, feized and garrifoned the island of Goree; and as he had a body of troops on board the fquadron, it was eagerly expected and hoped by the public at home, that he would have recovered those fettlements which we had fo newly loft. But as no attempt of that fort was made, it must be concluded that officer's orders did not extend fo far. It was perhaps an object not to important as to rifque upon it the much greater objects which were then in view.

As the fummer advanced it was thought neceffary in France to attempt fomething, which might fhew an early alacrity in fome fort correfpondent to their great military preparations. The firft was an attempt on the ifle of Jerfey, part of the ancient dutchy of Normandy. This, with Guernfey and the leffer iflands, being the fole remains of our vaft poffeffions on the continent of Europe.

The defign was laid by a prince, or count of Naffau; whofe anceftor, if we are not misinformed, had rendered a very difputed claim, of being in fome manner defcended from a defunct branch of that illuftrious family, the means of much furthering his fortunes in France. The force employed upon this fervice has been estimated, by different accounts, from three,

to

to five or fix thoufand men. They May ift, appeared in fight of the ifland, in about fifty flat1779. bottomed boats, under the convoy of five frigates and fome armed cutters, early in the morning, and attempted a debarkation in St. Ouen's Bay. But they were fo warmly and vigorously received, by the 78th regiment, and by the militia of the island, that after a faint, fpiritlefs, and ill-fupported attempt, they relinquished the enterprife, with very little lofs on either fide.

Trifling and ineffective as this diverfion was, it had the fortune of being productive of fome confequences, with refpect to the American war. For it happened that Admiral Arbuthnot, with a fquadron of men of war, and a prodigious convoy, amounting to about four hundred merchantmen and transports, was then on the outfet of his voyage to New York. He happened to fall in with the veffel which was fent exprefs from Jerfey to England, with the first account of the attack upon, and the apparent imminent danger of the island. That commander had fpirit and refolution enough, rather to hazard any perfonal confequence that might attend his venturing upon a breach of orders, than to fuffer the lofs of fo valuable an island, whilft he commanded a force in the channel. He accordingly ordered the convoy to wait for him at Torbay, and proceeded himfelf with the fquadron, to the relief of Jerfey. Although the delay immediately occafioned by this meafure, was in the first inftance but trifling, yet through the fucceeding cafualties of wind and weather, the fleet was not able to get

clear of the land of England, until the beginning of the enfuing month, and did not arrive at New York till near the end of Auguft. As that fleet conveyed the reinforcements, camp equipage, ftores, and other neceflaries, which were to enable Sir Henry Clinton to open the campaign with any vigour, the confequences of fo late an arrival are fufficiently obvious.

Notwithstanding the repulfe and difappointment which attended the late attempt upon Jerfey, the defign did not, however, feem to be relinquished. The French troops were landed and retained for feveral days on the fmall islands which lie between it and the continent; while the armed veffels paraded on the oppofite coafts of Normandy. The fpirit, activity, and gallantry of Sir James Wallace, in the Experiment of 50 guns, being feconded by two frigates, and as many armed brigs, by which he was accompanied, put an end to this appearance of threat, and state of alarm. That officer having purfued feveral large frigates, with fome fmaller craft, into the bay of Concalle in Normandy, until they had run afhore under the cover of a battery, and his pilots not venturing to take any farther charge of his hip, he directly took that charge and rifque upon himself, and boldly carried her May 13th. up the bay, and layed her afhore abreast of the battery. In that fituation he continued to engage, until he had filenced the guns of the battery, and compelled the French crews to abandon their fhips; which being then boarded by the armed boats from the Experiment and Cabot brig, the La Danae, of 34 guns, and rated at

tive in point of preparation; but that it hurried to fea in that condition, from an apprehenfion of its being intercepted by the British fleet under Sir Charles Hardy, which was then daily expected in the Bay of Bifcay. It ipent fome confiderable time on the Spanish coafts; and it was reported, that fome misunderstand ing, or difference,, between fome of the commanders. on both fides, prevented an enterprize of the utmost importance from taking place. It would feem that this mult allude to attack upon Gibraltar, a defign which does not, however, feem very confiftent with their fubfequent conduct. It does not feem improbable that the delay proceeded from the defect of preparation on both fides.

a

However that may be, the whole force being at length joined,, the combined fleets made a tremendous appearance; amounting to between fixty and feventy line of battle fhips, befides cloud of frigates, firehips, and all thofe fmaller kinds and denominations of veffels which in any manner appertain to war. This formidable force, having turned its face to the northward, continued to direct its courfe to the coafts of Great Britain.

It was rather fingular, that the British home fleet, under Sir Charles Hardy, amounting to about 35, or from thence to 38 hips of the line, was then cruizing in fome part of the bay, or fomewhere near the chops of the channel, and was paffed by this great armament, which covered o great an extent of ocean, with

out their having any knowledge of each other.

The enemy entered the British channel about the middle of Auguft, and paraded two or three days before Plymouth, to the great alarm of the people, but without making any attempt on the place. The Ardent man of war, of 64 guns, which was on her way from Portsmouth to join Sir Charles Hardy, mistaking them for the British fleet, had, however, the misfortune of being taken in fight of Plymouth. A ftrong eafterly wind, which continued for feveral days, feems to have driven them out of the channel. They however pretended, that they went in fearch of the British fleet; and they continued to range about the Land's End, the Scilly Islands, and the chops of the channel, until the end of the month. On the last of Auguft, the wind being in his favour, Sir Charles Hardy gained the entrance of the channel, in fight of the combined fleets, without their being able to prevent him. The great object of that commander, was to draw them up to the narrow part of the channel, where, if he fhould be obliged to an engagement, he could engage upon lefs difadvantageous terms; and where, either a defeat, or certain changes of the wind, might have been productive of the most ruinous confequences to the enemy.

The enemy pursued him as high up as Plymouth; but being fenfible of the danger, particularly at that feafon of the year, they did not adventure much farther. And as the combined fleets were now become fickly in the moft

extreme