If the foldier finds abundant matter of entertainment and obfervation in the recital of thefe events, the statesman and philofopher will not find less room for ferious contemplation in the causes and confequences of the contention. They have led to the establishment of a new epocha in the hiftory of mankind; they have opened the way to new fyftems of policy; and to new' arrangements of power and of commerce. To the whole British nation, however dispersed in the old or in the new world, every part of the hiftory of this contention, in all its circumstances and confequences, muft at all times be in the highest degree interesting. It would be trefpaffing too far on the indulgence of the public, to trouble them with any detail of the unavoidable and unfortunate interruptions which have occafioned the delay of our prefent publication. We confole ourselves in the hope, that those causes will not appear in any degree to have operated with respect to the attention which we have paid to a faithful difcharge of our duty in the conduct of the Hiftory. The happy return of the public tranquillity will, by leffening our labours, enable us to recover our former station in point of publication. THE THE ANNUAL REGISTER, FOR THE YEAR 1781. THE HISTORY OF EUROPE. С НА Р. І. Retrospective view of affairs in Europe in the year 1780. Admiral Geary appointed to the command of the channel fleet on the death of Sir Charles Hardy. East and West India convoy taken by the combined fleets, and carried into Cadiz. Lofs fustained by the Quebec fleet. Admiral Geary refigns, and is fuccceeded by Admiral Durby. M. de Guichen arrives at Cadiz, and the French fleets return to France. Great gallantry displayed in various engagements between British and French frigutes. Seige of Gibraltar. Spanish firefhips deftroyed. Succefs of General Elliot in deftroying the enemy's works. Queen of Portugal refufes to accede to the armed neutrality. Germany. Election of the Archduke Maximilian to the coadjutorfhip of Cologne and Munfter, oppofed in vain by the King of Pruffia. Correfpondence between the King and the Elector of Cologne on the fubject. Meeting of the Emperor and the Empress of Rufia, at Mohilow in Poland. Proceed together to Peterburgh. King of Sweden vifits Holland. Death of the Empress Queen, and fome account of that great princefs. Question, by torture, abolished for ever by the French king. Great reform of his household. Loans negociated by the court of Madrid. Public and private contributions to relieve the exigencies of the fate. Humanity of the Bishop of Lugo. Duke of Modena abolishes the Inquifition in his dominions. THE HE death of Sir Charles Hardy, about the middle of May 1780, occafioned fome difficulVOL. XXIV. ty with refpect to a proper commander,who would undertaketheimportant charge of the channel fleet, as [4] the the difcontents which had fo long prevailed in the navy, kept feveral of our beft officers from the fervice. To remove this difficulty, Admiral Geary, an experienced officer, but who, like his predeceffor, had for many years retired from actual fervice, was prevailed on to abandon his retreat, and to enter anew into the active duties of his profeffion. He failed from Spithead pretty early in June, with 23 fail of the line, feveral of which were capital fhips, and was joined during his cruize by five or fix more. In the mean time, the French fleet from Breft had, according to a custom now becoming annual, formed a junction with the Spaniards at Cadiz; by which the allied nations acquired fuch a fuperiority, at leaft in point of number (though with respect to real force and condition it might perhaps have admitted of fome doubt), as afforded them the apparent dominion of the European feas. Admiral Geary had the fortune, in the beginning of July, to fall in with a rich convoy from Port au Prince, of which he took twelve merchantmen; but a thick and fudden fog checked his fuccefs, and along with the nearnefs and danger of the enemy's coaft, afforded an opportunity to the reft, as well as to the fhips of war by whom they were guarded, to make their efcape. It happened unfortunately, that the fatisfaction afforded by this fmall fuccefs was foon overwhelmed and loft, in the contemplation of one of the heavieft blows that ever had been fuftained by the British commerce. But before this event took place, the naval commanders having re ceived intelligence, that a detached fquadron of French and Spanish fhips of war, under the conduct of M. de Beauffet, were cruizing on the coafts of Spain and Portugal, the fquadron proceeded to the fouthward, at least to the heightof Cape Finifterre, in the hope of intercepting the enemy. In the mean time, a rich and confiderable convoy for the East and Weft Indies, under the conduct of Capt. Moutray of the Ramilies, and two or three frigates, failed from Portsmouth in the latter end of July, and were intercepted, on the 9th of Auguft, by the combined fleets, under Don Louis de Cordova. The convoy included, befides the merchantmen, eighteen victuallers, ftorefhips, and transports, deftined for the fervice in the Weft Indes; one of thefe was of particular importance, being laden with tents, and camp equipage, for the troops defigned for active fervice in the Leeward Inlands. The five EaftIndiamen, likewife, befides arms, ammunition, and a train of artillery, conveyed a large quantity of naval ftores, for the fupply of the British fquadron in that quarter. The five Eaft-India fhips, and above fifty Weft-Indiamen, including thofe upon government account, were taken. The Ramilies, with the frigates, and a few Weft-India ships, had the fortune to escape. Such a prize had never before entered the harbour of Cadiz. An English fleet of near fixty fhips, led captive by a Spanish fquadron, was extremely flattering to a people, to whoin naval captures, from fuch an enemy, were an unusual fpectacle. All their ancient loffes, all all the infults which their coafts, and that city and port in particular, had formerly endured, feemed now, at one ftroke, to be done away. The appearance of the numerous prifoners, confifting of all orders and denominations, and refembling more the various inhabitants of a facked city, than the ordinary crews of a fleet, feemed to render even the triumph more complete, and made the fight fill more fingular. They confifted of 1520 feamen, including their proper officers; of 1255 foldiers, part in the fervice of the crown, and part in that of the Eaft-India company; of 74 land officers; of 149 women; and of 137 passengers, of both fexes, among whom were fome married and unmarried ladies of condition. The whole amounting to 2865 perfons. The value of the faleable commodities was great; but the lofs of the military and naval fupplies, both to government and the Eaft-India company, was much more confiderable, as they could not be replaced in time: and it was rendered the more particularly unfortunate to the latter, by the then very critical (though in Europe yet unknown) ftate of their affairs in the Eaft. About the fame time an accomt was received of the lofs of a great part of the valuable outward-bound Quebec fleet, which was intercepted off the banks of Newfoundland, in the beginning of July, by fome American privateers. Some of thefe veffels were retaken; but about fourteen rich thips were carried entirely off. Thefe heavy loffes, which, in their nearer or more remote confe quences, affected all orders of people, fpread a general gloom throughout the nation. That diffatisfaction which had long prevailed among many, with refpect to the conduct and government of the navy, now became general, and was loudly vented in clamour and reproach. As the combined fleets were known to be at Cadiz, and their putting to fea anxiously apprehended, it was afked, why the convoy was thrown into their mouths, by fending it fo close to the coaft of Spain? Or if there had been any neceflity for fending it that courfe (which was however denied), why was it not better guarded? Why truft fo immenfe a property, and of fuch peculiar importance, to a fingle man-of-war and two frigates? Could the weitern, or grand fleet, as it was called, have been better employed, than in guarding fo valuable a convoy till it was out of danger? When to thefe queftions it was anfwered, that the caufe of the convoy's taking that course, was in order to accommodate the merchants, and the Eaft-India company, who wanted to take in wines at Madeira; it was, in the first place, replied, that it was by no means necellary to fleer fo close to the continent of Europe, in order. to touch at Madeira; as there was not a force fufficient for the protection of the convoy, the courfe fhould have been varied, and fuited to the emergency and danger. But it was infifted, that the accommodation of the merchants, in fo very trilling a particular, was by no means to be admitted as a reafon for touching at all at Madeira, when fo great a prize was at ftake, and its fafety thereby in any [4]. 2 degree 4] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1781. degree hazarded. The merchants The grand fleet failed again, a Indies to America, as had been After being driven back into port, by a ftorm which threw them into the greateft diforder, and which rendered their condition ftill worfe, the French took their final departure from Cadiz, on the 7th of November. What would in other times and circumftances have been fatal, now produced no effect; this was no less than their falling in, after the feparation of the Spanish fleet, with Admiral Darby. But his force amounted only |