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patch fhall be used to put his Majefty's further commands into execution.

Extract of a Letter from Sir George Brydges Rodney to Mr. Stephens, dated Gibraltar Bay, 4th of February, 1780.

AS the wind continued to blow hard wefterly, I thought it forwarding his Majefty's fervice to make fure of the convoy's arriving fafe at Minorca, by fending three copper-bottom fhips of the line to fee them in fafety off that island, where I am fure they must have arrived before this time, as the wind has continued to blow hard westerly ever since they failed.

Sandwich, Gibraltar Bay, Feb. 7, 1780. SIR,

I must defire you will please to acquaint their Lordships, that every attention poffible has been paid to the Spanish Admiral and his Officers; they are all extremely defirous of returning to Spain upon their parole of honour; but as I am informed that a great number of his Majefty's fubjects are now prifoners in Spain, I have declined giving them any affurances till the British fubjects are released; and having received yesterday by the Shrewfbury from Lisbon a letter from his Majefty's Conful General in Portugal, acquainting me, that he had releafed 626 Spanish prifoners; and though frequent promises had been made, he had not as yet received one in return. This letter from Sir John Hort has confirmed me in the refolution I had before taken, viz. not to release any prifoners, but upon the Spaniards delivering up all the British subjects at prefent in Spain, and then only man for man.

However gratifying or convenient it may prove to individuals, the great and general line of hoftility is never to be forgot: in vain we may conquer, if unconditional promiffory notes can forthwith put new arms into the enemy's hands, and they openly avail themselves of the British generofity, without making a juft return, and detain the British feamen in their prifons.

The great anxiety of the Spanish Admiral and his Officers to return is fuch, and their affurances that my Officers and feamen, that had boarded their fhips, and were forced on fhore near Cadiz, fhould be forthwith restored, as likewise all other British fubjects having been delayed upon frivolous pretences, I fent this morning the pote I have the honour to inclofe for their

Lordships perufal to the Spanish Admiral, and have not a doubt but it will touch their feeling, and convince them that no delay must be made.

I flatter myself that I fhall have their Lordhips approbation in my endeavours to release a thousand good feamen, who may do confiderable fervice to their King and country. I am, Sir, with great regard, your most obedient and most humble fervant, G. B. RODNEY.

Philip Stephens, Efq.

Gibraltar, February 6, 1780. Admiral Rodney prefents his compliments to Sr. Don Juan de Langara, and will have greet pleasure in complying with his defire relative to the release of the three Friars belonging to Capuchin's Miffion, for the province of Cumana, if those Friars are in the fteet.

The Admiral, whofe inclination is ever to alleviate the misfortunes of war, by fhewing every refpect and attention to thofe brave men who have done their duty to their King and country, is under the neceffity of informing Sr. Don Juan de Langara, that the release of himself and the Spanish Officers entirely depends upon Spain's immediately releasing all the British prifoners now in her power. An equal number of prisoners will be returned for thofe fent by Spain.

Humanity obliges the Admiral to offer thofe prifoners who are now fick, if they may be received by the Spanish General; but this fhall be the laft time, unless an exchange takes place.

DON JUAN DE LANGARA prefents his refpects to his Excellency Adiniral Rodney, and returns thanks for his offer of releafing the three Ecclefiaftics, whofe Prefident's Memorial was tranfmitted to him.

He obferves what his Excellency fays refpecting the Spanish Officers release: alfo what relates to the fick, on which fubject he can only inform his Excellency (as he has done before through Admiral Digby) that he has written to Spain, communicating what was imparted to him by that Gentleman, and believes he will very fhortly have an answer, of which he will give notice to his Excellency.

The Spanish General again repeats his refpects to his Excellency Admiral Rodney.

Gibraltar, Feb. 6, 1780.
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Extract

Extract of a Letter from Sir George Brydges Rodney to the Earl of Sandwich, dated Gibraltar Bay, Feb. 7, 1780.

I HAVE the fincere fatisfaction to af fuse your Lordship, that the five Spanish men of war are as fine fhips as ever fwam; they are now completely refitted, manned, and put in the line of battle; and, I will anfwer for them, will do aeir duty as English men of war, fhould the enemy give them an opportunity.

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St. James's, February 28.
THE Right Hon. General Elliot, Go-

vernor of Gibraltar, in a letter to the Earl of Hillsborough, dated January 28, 1780, and received early this morning, gives an account, that the additional regiment, together with the feveral ftores of provifions, ammunition, and money, convoyed by the fleet under the command of Admirał Sir George Brydges Rodney, were then landing with all expedition; by which the garrifon will be compleatly relieved, and that fortress put in a state of perfect fecurity from the enemy.

Authentic Anecdote of Sir GEORGE RODNEY. URING Sir George Rodney's late indigence,, that he frequently knew not where to apply for a dinner. Monf. de Sartine, no tranger to his profeffional abilities, thought this a proper time to wean his affections from his country, and there. fore employed the Duke de Biron to make him an offer of the command of the French Weft India fleet, with a fum of money that should restore him to independence. The Duke, in confequence of this, invited Sir George to spend a month at his houfe, and in the courfe of that time frequently founded him with great delicacy on the fuhject; but not being able to make himself properly understood, at laft openly declared to him, that as his Royal Mafter meant the Weit-Indies to be the theatre of the prefent war, he was commiffioned to make the handfomett offers to Sir George, if he would quit the English fervice, and take upon him the command of a French fquadron.'-Sir George, after hearing him with great

temper, fpiritedly made him this anfwer; me from the bofom of my country, but no temptation whatever can eftrange me from her fervice; had this offer been a voluntary one of your own, I should have deemed it an infult ;- -but I am glad to learn that it proceeds from a quarter that can do no wrong!" The Duke de Biron was fo ftruck with the public virtue of the old British Tar, that he inftantly exclaimed,It is a pity fo gallant an Officer fhould be loft to his country: will a thoufand Louis d'ors enable you to re-vifit it, and to tender your fervices to your Sovereign? The other replied they would; the Duke immediately advanced him the fum, with which Sir George fet out the next day for England, where he had not arrived a week, before he returned the Duke's loan, accompanied with the most grateful letter, for the fingular obligation he had fo politely conferred upon him.This man may be trufted by his country!"

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ANECDOTES of Sir CHARLES WAGER; with an elegant View of his Monument in Westminster-Abbey.

WHEN Commodore Wager was

fent to Jamaica in 1707, he made fuch difpofitions, that all the attempts of the enemy were rendered abortive; the feveral English fettlements were fafely protected, and fuch convoys granted to the merchants as placed the trade in that part of the world in a much better condition, than had been before fince the breaking out of the war: all which was very honourably acknowledged by the planters and merchants. In the beginning of the year 1708, that part of the world was much alarmed with the news of M. Du Cafie's arrival with a French squadron of

great force, which was fuppofed to be intended for some attempt against Jamaica. This apprehention was however dispelled upon certain intelligence that Du Caffe had failed for the Havannah to convoy the galleons home. Thefe galleons had all the probability of being fate under his protection, as his ftrength was double that of the English in those feas: fo that we may well admire that Commodore Wager fhould have formed a delign on these treafure-fips, and fill more that he would fucceed against the vigilance of the moft able Officer in the French fervice.

The late Sir Charles Wager valued his reputa

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Monument to the memory of S. Charles Wager, in Westminster Abbey

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reputation as much, and his fortune as little as any man that ever engaged in the naval fervice. Avarice therefore had no fhare in this enterprize, which was founded only in a defire to do his duty in reftoring the reputation of the British arms, which had been tarnished in that part of the world by the mifbehaviour of fome of the preceding Commanders. The Commodore knew perfectly the rout of the galleons; he knew they were to fail from Porto Bello to Carthagena, and from thence to the Havannah: and being fenfible it was to no purpose to attempt them after they had joined Du Caffe, he determined to intercept them in their paffage from Porto Bello to Carthagena. With this view he fent Captain Pudner in the Severn to watch the enemy's motions in Porto Bello; from whom he received advice, May 23, that on the 19th the galleons had failed. The Commodore had then with him the Expedition, Kingston, Portland, and Vulture fire-fhip; with which he cruized to the 27th, when he began to fear they had intelligence of his being on the coat, and had escaped him.

This was an affair of prodigious confequence, for the galleons had not returned to Europe for feveral years, and were of courfe extremely rich this fquadron had on board 48,000,000 of pieces of eight. The Spaniards and French depended intirely on this fupply, their cath and credit being abfolutely exhaufied: fo that their mint bills were at 30 and 40 per cent. difcount. On the 28th at noon, however, the galleons, in all 17 fail, were difcovered from his top-maft head; but they, defpifing his fmall force, determined to proceed. He chaced them till the evening, when finding they could not weather the Baru, a fmall ifland that lay in their paffage to Carthagena, they refolved to difpute the matter there: therefore ftretching to the northward under an eafy fail, they drew up as well as they could, in a line of battle. Of the feventeen, two were floops, and one a brigantine, which stood in for the land; two others of them were French fhips, which running away had no fhare in the action; the reft were Spaniards.

The Commodore inftantly made his difpofition, refolving to attack the Admiral himself and as there was no immediate occafion for the fire-fhip, the plied to the windward. The fun was jutt fetting, when Commodore Wager came up with and engaged the Admiral, which in about an hour and half's time, in the dark, blew up; not without great danger to the

Expedition, from the burning planks that fell on board her, and the heat of the blaft. Hereupon the Commodore put a broad his fignal lights for keeping company, and endeavoured to keep fight of the enemy's fhips. About ten o'clock he discovered one, which was the Rear-Admiral; this he engaged, without being able to judge, which way her head lay but finding he had difabled her from making fail, he tacked, and got to windward of her. The Kingston and Portland, following his lights foon after, affifted in taking this fhip, which called for quarter about two in the morning. Before the rifing of the fun, he faw one large fhip on his weather bow, and three fail on the weather quarter, three or four leagues diftant. These he ordered the Kington and Portland to chace, being difabled himfelf; and as great part of his men were in the prize, fo he had no less than 300 Spanish prisoners on board his own fhip. These ships, from fome misconduct, for which the Commodore afterwards called the Captains to account, joined him a gain without fucceeding; when he fent them to take or deftroy a galleon of 40 guns, which had taken fhelter in the island of Baru: the crew of this veffel ran her afhore, and blew her up, fo that nothing was got out of her. He put his prisoners afhore, at their request, on the inland of Baru, as his provifions and water fhort; and conducted his prize to Port Royal in Jamaica.

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According to the account given by these prifoners of the strength and value of the fquadron, the Admiral, called the St. Jofeph, carried 64 guns and 600 men, and had on board about 7,000,000 in gold and filver: feventeen only of her men were faved; the Vice-admiral mounted 64 guns, and had between 4 and 500 men, with about 6,000,000: the Rear-admiral mounted 44 gons, but carried 11 more in her hold; she had only 13 chefts of pieces of eight, and 14 fous of filver: the reit of the galleys were loaded, for the most part, with cocoa. It is very remarkable, that the Commodore had but two men killed and nine wounded in this action. took care to difpatch proper intelligence to England, that hips might be fent out to cruile for the galleons that escaped.

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A few days after this exploit the Commodore received a commiffion appointing him Rear-admiral of the Blue, the date of which was prior to the taking of the galleon. Nothing more particular occurs relating to him, until the year 1726;

when

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