docks and shipping in the harbor might have been destroyed without difficulty. Fortunately this was not known to the confederate commanders; and on the approach of the equinox Count d'Orvilliers fteered his courfe back to Breft, without effecting any thing farther than the capture of the Ardent man of war, which had accidentally fallen in with the combined fleets. But the most remarkable confequence refulting from the appearance of this vaft armament in the British feas, was the extraordinary vigor and refolution with which it fuddenly inspired the inhabitants of the kingdom of Ireland, who had hitherto contented themselves with feeble lamentations and unavailing complaints. Seeing themselves in a manner abandoned by England, their troops withdrawn, their commerce unprotected, their grievances unredressed, military and mercantile affociations began every where to be formed; and in a fhort time, to the astonishment of the world, an army of fifty thousand volunteers, as if by magic, was created, difciplined, and equipped; and refolutions almost universally paffed against the use of British manufactures.

The English Minifters, whofe fears and apprehenfions on this occafion happily fupplied their deficiency in juftice and liberality, instead of oppofing this national rage, furnished the new raised army with arms from the royal magazines; and thus gave a fanction to a meafure which had been

adopted

adopted without any regard to their confent or approbation, The Irish Parliament met on the 12th of October; and to the usual address brought forward by the courtiers, an amendment was moved, and adopted by a great majority, to infert in the body of the addrefs the following words—" We beg leave humbly to reprefent to your Majefty, that it is not by temporary expedients, but by a FREE TRADE, that this nation is now to be faved from impending ruin." In this the Lords concurred, and the addreffes were carried up to the Lord Lieutenant with great parade amidst the acclamations of the people-the Duke of Leinster, who commanded the Dublin volunteers, escorting the Speaker in perfon, while the ftreets were lined with the different military companies on both fides from the Parliament Houfe to the Caftle,

The thanks of both Houfes were unanimously voted to the volunteer corps throughout the kingdom, for their patriotic exertions; and a fix months Money Bill paffed the Commons, in order to prevent a fudden prorogation.

Before we investigate the confequences of this new and alarming fpirit, it may be proper to notice a farther occafion of misunderstanding between the Courts of London and the Hague, from an encounter which took place in the courfe of the prefent fummer between Sir Richard Pearson of the Serapis man of war, accompanied by the Scar

borough

borough frigate, having under their convoy the trade from the Baltic, and Captain Paul Jones, an adventurer of defperate fortune and desperate courage, who was commander of a fmall American fquadron, which had for some time paft infefted the British feas. After a very fierce and bloody action, both the Serapis and Scarborough, the convoy being firft fecured, were compelled to ftrike their colors, and were carried by the captors to the Texel. On this a very strong memorial was prefented to the States General by Sir Jofeph Yorke, who urged in the most preffing terms, "that those ships and their crews may be stopped and delivered up, which the pirate Paul Jones, who is a rebel fubject, and a criminal of the ftate, has taken." But their High Mightineffes answered, " that they. will in no refpect whatever pretend to judge of the legality or illegality of the actions of those who have on the open feas taken any veffels which do not belong to this country, and bring them into any ports of the Republic; and that they are not authorized to pafs judgment either on thofe prizes, or on the person of Paul Jones." This was an anfwer hard of digeftion to the English Court, and which indeed clearly indicated the partiality of the Republic to the cause of America; but the quarrel between the two countries, though evidently growing more and more ferious, was not yet fufficiently matured for an actual rupture.

Very early intelligence of the war with France having been fent by exprefs over land to India, the city of Pondicherry was invefted by the troops of the Company and of the Government, in the autumn of the prefent year; and, after a gallant refiftance by M. de Bellecombe, the Governor, it furrendered to the arms of his Britannic Majefty. On the other hand, the fettlement of Senegal, and the British forts on the river Gambia, were captured by a French fquadron under M. de Lauzun.

END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.