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troops and neighbouring objects; forming altogether a coup d'oeil, impoffible to be defcribed.

The court of Madrid having hitherto found all her attempts, both by fea and land, for the recovery of Gibraltar, totally ineffectual, determined to profecute this favourite object with a vigour which, they flattered themfelves, could not fail of enfuring fuccefs. No expence being fpared, the labour of the nation was exhaufted in preparations for this imFortant enterprise. The command of the Spanish troops was now beflowed on the Duc de Crillon, who had lately returned from the conqueft of Fort St. Philip, in Minorca. In September, 1782, the batteries and works, erected by the enemy on the land-fide, were ftrong and ftupendous, mounting two hundred pieces of heavy ordnance, and protected by an army of near forty thousand men, commanded by a victorious and active general, and animated with the immediate prefence of two princes of the royal blood of France, with a number of other dignified perfonages. The hoftile armament by fea was proportionable to the vall preparations by land. It confifted of forty-feven fail of the line, including three inferior twodeckers; ten battering fhips, deemed invincible, carrying two hundred and twelve guns; innumerable frigates, xebeques, bomb-ketches, cutters, gun and mortar-boats, befides smaller craft for difembarking men. In a word, the fortrefs, which had fo long and fo bravely with ftood all the affaults of the Spanish power, feemed now on the point of being devoted to inevitable deftruction. The following is the author's account of the operations immediately fubfequent to this awful period.

The ten battering-fhips, after leaving the men of war, wore to the north; and a little paft nine o'clock, bore down in admirable order for their feveral ftations; the admiral in a twodecker, mooring about nine hundred yards off the king's baftion; the others fucceffively taking their places to the right and left of the flag-fhip, in a mafterly manner; the most diftant being about eleven or twelve hundred yards from the garrison. Our artillery allowed the enemy every reasonable advantage, in permitting them, without moleftation, to choose their di ftance; but as foon as the firft fhip dropped her anchors, which was about a quarter before ten o'clock, that inftant our firing commenced. The enemy were completely moored in little more than ten minutes. The cannonade then became, in a high degree, tremendous. The showers of fhot and shells which were directed from their land-batteries, the battering-thips; and, on the other hand, from the various works of the garrifon, exhibited a fcene, of which perhaps neither the pen nor the pencil can furnish a competent idea. It is fufficient to say, that four hundred pieces of the heaviest artillery were playing

at

at the fame moment: an inftance which has scarcely occured in any fiege fince the invention of those wonderful engines of deAtruction.

After fome hours cannonade, the battering-fhips were found to be no less formidable than they had been reprefented. Our heaviest fhells often rebounded from their tops, whilft the thirty-two-pound fhot feemed incapable of making any vifible. impreffion upon their hulls. Frequently we flattered ourselves they were on fire; but no fooner did the fmoke appear, than with the moft perfevering intrepidity, men were obferved applying water, from their engines within, to thofe places whence the fmoke ifued. Thefe circumftances, with the prodigious cannonade which they maintained, gave us reafon to imagine that the attack would not be fo foon decided, as, from our recent fuccefs against their land-batteries, we had fondly expected. Even the artillery themfelves, at this period, had their doubts of the effect of red-hot fhot, which began to be used about twelve, but were not general till between one and two o'clock. The enemy's cannon, at the commencement, were too much elevated; but about noon their firing was powerful, and well directed. Our cafuals then became numerous; particularly on those batteries north of the King's baftion, which were warmly annoyed by the enemy's flanking and reverse fire from the land. Though fo vexatiously annoyed from the ifthmus, our artillery totally difregarded their opponents in that quarter, directing their fole attention to the battering-fhips, the furious and fpirited oppofition of which, ferved to excite our people to more animated exertions. A fire, more tremendous if poffible than ever, was therefore directed from the gar rifon. Inceffant fhowers of hot balls, carcaffes, and fhells of every fpecies, fiew from all quarters; and as the mafts of feveral of the fhips were fhot away, and the rigging of all in great confufion, our hopes of a favourable and fpeedy decifion began to revive.

• About noon, the mortar-boats and bomb-ketches attempted to fecond the attack from the fhips; but the wind having changed to the fouth-weft, and blowing a fmart breeze, with a heavy fwell, they were prevented taking a part in the action. The fame reafon also hindered our gun-boats from flanking the battering fhips from the fouthward.

For fome hours, the attack and defence were fo equally well fupplied, as fcarcely to admit any appearance of fuperiority in the cannonade on either fide. The wonderful construction of the fhips feemed to bid defiance to the powers of the heaviest ordnance. In the afternoon, however, the face of things began to change confiderably. The fmoke which had been obferved to iffue from the upper part of the flag-fhip appeared to prevail, notwithstanding the conflant application of water; and the admiral's fecond was perceived to be in the fame condition. Confufion was now apparent on board feveral of the veffels; A a 4

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and by the evening their cannonade was confiderably abated. About feven or eight it almost totally ceafed, excepting from one or two fhips to the northward, which, from their distance, had fuffered little injury.

When their firing began to flacken, various fignals were made from the fouthernmost fhips; and, as the evening advanced, many rockets were thrown up, to inform their friends (as we afterwards learned) of their extreme danger and distress. Thefe fignals were immediately anfwered, and feveral boats were feen to row round the difabled fhips. Our artillery, at this period, must have caufed dreadful havock amongst them. An indiftin&t clamour, with lamentable cries and groans, proceeded (during the fhort intervals of ceffation) from all quarters; and a little before midnight, a wreck floated in, upon which were twelve men, who only, out of three-score which were on board their launch, had escaped. These circumstances convinced us that we had gained an advantage over the enemy; yet we did not conceive that the victory was fo complete as the fucceeding morning evinced. Our firing was, therefore, continued, though with lefs vivacity: but as the artillery, from fuch a hard-fought day, expofed to the intense heat of a warm fun, in addition to the haraffing duties of the preceding night, were much fatigued, and as it was impoffible to foresee what new objects might demand their fervice the following day, the governor, when the enemy's fire abated, permitted, about fix in the evening, the majority of the officers and men to be relieved by a picquet of a hundred men from the marine-brigade, under the command of lieutenant Trentham; and officers, and non-commiffioned officers of the artillery, were flationed on the different batteries, to direct the failors in the mode of firing the hot fhot.

About an hour after midnight the battering-fhip which had fuffered the greateft injury, and which had been frequently on fire the preceding day, was completely in flames; and by two o'clock, the appeared as one continued blaze from stem to ftern. The ship to the fouthward was alfo on fire, but did not burn with fo much rapidity. The light thrown out on all fides by the flames, enabled the artillery to point the guns with the ut moft precifion, whilst the rock, and neighbouring objects, were highly illuminated; forming, with the conftant flashes of our cannon, a mingled fcene of fublimity and terror. Between three and four o'clock, fix other of the battering-fhips indicated the efficacy of red-hot fhot; and the approaching day now promifed us one of the completeft defenfive victories on record.'

We are informed that the enemy, in this action, had more than three hundred pieces of heavy ordnance in play, whilst the garrifon had only eighty cannon, seven mortars, and nine howitzers. Upwards of eight thoufand three hundred rounds, (more than half of which were hot fhot) and feven hundred

and

and fixteen barrels of powder, were expended by our artillery. What quantity of ammunition was used by the enemy, could never be ascertained.

The length to which this article has already extended, prevents us from continuing an account of the operations to the end of the fiege. We must, however, acknowlege, that the history of this memorable enterprise is related by the author with great perfpicuity and minutenefs. It is a fubject well fuited to the habits of a military gentleman; and the prefent hiftorian may have the peculiar fatisfaction to reflect, that the fubject of his narrative is, perhaps, the most honourable to the valour of this country, of all the glorious atchievements in war that have immortalized the British name.

An Analysis of the Political Hiftory of India. By Richard Jofeph Sulivan, Efq. The Second Edition, confiderably enlarged. 8vo. 4s. 6d. in Boards. Becket.

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S all rational polity must be founded on circumftances, an exact knowledge of these is the only certain means by which the government of any country can be conducted with ability and fuccefs. To obtain this knowledge, and especially to discover the remote, as well as the immediate causes of public tranfactions, demands the minuteft enquiry, and the most attentive obfervation. Researches of fuch a nature will often prove difficult, even when the objects of enquiry lie near us; but if they be fituated at a great diftance, and we can judge of them only from information, the attainment of truth and certainty must become in proportion more arduous. In the late war with her colonies, Great Britain, we believe, experienced the fatal confequences arifing from this fallacious refource; and we ought, therefore, to guard, with all poffible care, against the mifreprefentations both of ignorance and deceit, in what relates to our affairs in the Eaft Indies. Mr. Sulivan, if we are not mistaken, lived several years in that country, with the hiftory and state of which, he appears to be extremely well acquainted; and from the amiable, as well as refpectable character he bears among all who know him, we have the strongest reafon to confide in the fidelity of his obfervations.

The work commences with the hiftory of the European settlements in India, of all which the author delivers a distinct and accurate account; not omitting previously to inform his readers of the channels through which Indian commodities were imported into Europe, before the discovery of a passage into thofe feas by the celebrated Vafco de Gama. The fol

lowing extract from this part of the volume will place the author's abilities, as a writer, in a very favourable light.

The Eaft, for many centuries before our Chriftian æra, poured forth its riches to the uttermoft extent of the then known civilized parts of the creation; but to no country in fuch profufe abundance as to that of Egypt. How this traffic was carried on in those days, when maritime knowlege was ftill but in its infancy, is at this moment a matter more worthy of the inveftigation of the antiquary than the hiftorian. Suffice it, that their commerce appears to have been founded upon the broadeft bafis of mutual and general utility, and that their exports and imports were nearly what they are at this day. Happily fituated for an intercourfe of that nature, the industry of the Egyptians led them to partake of all its benefits. By the conveniency of their harbours in the Red Sea, they engrossed the exclufive privilege of purchafing the commodities of India; and by their ports on the Mediterranean, they were enabled to diffuse them among the Greeks and the Romans at an exorbitant degree of profit.

In this manner the trade with Afia was long carried on. At length, upon the deftruction of the Roman empire, that mighty fabric of ambition, and the fubfequent establishment of its warlike but uncivilized invaders, a top was put to the continuance of fo flourishing a commerce; nor did it again rear its head, until the Venetians, fituated on the Adriatic gulph, boldly ventured upon an enterprize, which, however difficult in the beginning, promifed them, with perfeverance, an ample return for the dangers and rifques which they should run. • The Venetians accordingly encouraged a revival of the trade with India by means of the Red Sea, and by their contracts with the Egyptians fo effectually fecured a monopoly of it to themselves, that Venice foon became the emporium of Afiatic manufactures. Its citizens grew wealthy; and this little republic, from being of no confequence, fuddenly became a nation of power and confideration.

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Another channel, however, had for fome time opened itfelf for the introduction of Indian manufactures into Europe. This was by means of the Perfian gulph, from whence, by caravans paffing over the deferts of Arabia, and fometimes along the borders of that country, the articles of Afiatic commerce, more generally in demand, had been brought by tedious journeys to the borders of the geian fea, and thence tranfported by fhipping to the mercantile dealers at Conftantinople.

Thus confined within boundaries which afforded advantage to a few, at the fame time that it impoverished the other countries of Europe, the traffic of the Eaft became a fubject of discuffion amongst men, who, from study and reflection, were enabled to reafon upon its importance. Rome, enfeebled in all its parts, fhewed but the remnants of its former greatness. Bigotry and fuperftition had reared to themselves a power more

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