NAVAL HISTORY, &c. BRITISH AND FRENCH FLEETS. In the number of line-of-battle cruisers, the abstract 1797. of the british navy for this year agrees precisely Jan. with that of the last; but, in commissioned ships of the line, the former shows a trifling superiority.* There is also, in the whole number of vessels, an increase of 51; but the total of commissioned cruisers, the best criterion of improvement, is not proportionably affected. The number of ships and vessels, the result of captures from the French, Dutch, and Spaniards, appears considerable.+ On the other hand, the loss sustained by the british navy during the year 1796, and which, with the exception of one vessel, and that of a very small class, captured, and three accidentally burnt, happened through bad weather, far exceeds the loss of any similar period since that memorable year for hurricanes, 1780. The loss of life too, as will appear by the proper list, was afflictingly severe. Among the acquired line-of-battle ships, are four that were purchased, while building, of the East India company; and the whole of the seven new frigates, two of which averaged 1000 tons each, were built of fir. By an admiralty order, dated on the 20th of June, * See Appendix, Annual Abstract No. 5. + See Appendix, Nos. 1, 2, 3. See Appendix, No. 4. 1797. 1796, the complements of the different classes of Jan. frigates in the british navy were fixed on a new scale as follows: The number of commissioned officers and masters, belonging to the british navy at the commencement 1796. and the number of seamen and marines, voted for the service of the year, was 120000.+ As soon as the royalists in La Vendée were subdued, and Spain was on the eve of becoming an ally in the war, France bent her serious thoughts upon the invasion of England; in which attempt she was to be assisted by the fleets of Holland and Spain. A close intimacy subsisted between viceadmiral Truguet, the french minister of marine, and general Hoche, who was to command the army destined to be employed in the expedition; and, as is not invariably the case in combined operations, both the admiral and the general entered alike heartily * Deducting the widows' men. † See Appendix, No. 5. into the cause, and concurred in all the principal 1796. details of the gigantic plan which their united labours had prepared. Before, however, the plan was finally settled, a secret committee was summoned to meet at the house of the director Carnot. Here it was discovered, that the state of the treasury would not admit of the plan's being adopted to its full extent. It was therefore resolved to confine the expedition, "for the present," to a descent upon Ireland; a country whose disaffected inhabitants would, it was known, greet the invaders with joy, and yet whose capture by France would be inflicting a blow upon England, of which she might never recover. In the summer of 1796 two agents, from the secret executive directory of the society of United Irishmen, repaired to Paris, and held several conferences with the members of the french directory; from whom the former received renewed assurances of the most prompt succour in men, arms, and munitions of war. The republican government offered to send 25000 men; but the irish directory expressed themselves satisfied with 15000. As soon as matters were nearly ripe, lord Edward Fitzgerald and Mr. Arthur O'Connor feigned a journey to Germany, and, having traversed that country, had an interview, by appointment, with general Hoche, at Bâle in Switzerland. Here the traitors and the french general finally arranged their plan of proceedings. According to vice-admiral Truguet's plan, the Brest fleet was to have a double destination. The 15 twodeckers, of which, with the Océan (late Peuple) and Invincible three-deckers, and two others repairing in the harbour, it was then composed, were first to escort to the coast of Ireland a strong division of Hoche's troops, distributed on board the fleet, consisting, besides those 15 line-of-battle ships, of 12 frigates and several transports. The debarkation effected, vice-admiral VillaretJoyeuse, to whom the naval command of the expe 1796. dition had been intrusted, was to detach himself, without loss of time, with the eight best sailing lineof-battle ships of the fleet, and hasten to the Isles of France and Bourbon. There he was to embark the black troops, which the agents of the directory, who had gone out in rear-admiral Sercey's frigatesquadron, had, after enfranchising all the slaves in the colony, been directed to organize. These troops admiral Villaret was to carry to the succour of Tippoo-Saib; and, having landed the men, was to cooperate with rear-admiral Sercey in doing all possible mischief to the british factories and commerce on the coasts of Malabar and Coromandel. After this M. Villaret and his eight sail of the line and five or six frigates would probably pass to the aid of the Dutch, who had already paid over to the hands of the french minister of marine the sum of 1200000 francs, as the estimated cost of equipping the squadron which France had promised should, in conjunction with a dutch squadron, attempt the recapture of their late eastern possessions. The seven sail of the line expected at Brest under Richery, and the five which M. Villeneuve was bringing from Toulon, would amply replace the eight carried off by M. Villaret, and were to transport to Ireland the remainder of the troops attached to the expedition. As, however, M. Villaret saw nothing but India, and general Hoche nothing but Ireland, there was a want of harmony between the two chiefs; and Hoche, as possessing the greatest interest with the government, got M. Villaret removed from the naval command, and vice-admiral Morard-de-Galles appointed in his stead. It was the intention of M. Truguet, that the expedition should leave Brest before the end of October, or the beginning of November at the latest; but general Hoche, being desirous to transport the whole of his troops in one trip, preferred waiting the arrival of the two daily-expected squadrons. On the 5th of November M. Richery, having |