BOOK ment arrived at the mouth of the Savannah. XVIII. 1778, The force which that weak and infant colony was able to oppose to the invaders was soon dispersed, and the town of Savannah fell of course into the hands of the victors. General Prevost soon after arriving with a large reinforcement, took upon him the command of the whole. From this sketch of the campaign of 1778 in America, it is now expedient to advert to the situation of affairs in Europe. When a war with France appeared inevitable, admiral Keppel, an officer of distinguished merit and reputation, but wholly unconnected with the present ministers, was, on the personal and urgent solicitation of the king, prevailed on to accept the command of the Channel fleet, though, as he himself observed, "his forty years' services were not marked by any favor from the crown, except that of it's confidence in the time of danger." The admiral, at parting, might with propriety have said to his sovereign, as marechal Villars to LOUIS XIV. "I go to fight your majesty's enemies, and leave mine in your closet." On the 13th of June the admiral sailed from St. Helen's with twenty ships of the line, and at the entrance of the Bay of Biscay he fell in with the Licorne and the Belle Poule, two French frigates. Through that feebleness and indecision ها XVIII. 1778. of counsels which prevailed at this period in the BOOK British cabinet, the admiral had no positive orders as to the commission or avoidance of actual hostilities, but was invested with an unmeaning and, as to himself, dangerous discretion of acting according to circumstances. Perceiving the frigates intent on taking an accurate survey of his fleet, he thought it expedient to fire a gun in order to compel them to bring to; and on their refusal to obey the signal, a chace ensued, when the Licorne, after wantonly discharging a whole broadside, struck to the America of seventy-four guns. The Belle Poule, after a warm engagement with the Arethusa, escaped by running on shore. The Pallas also, another French frigate, was in the mean time captured and detained. From the papers found on board these frigates the admiral discovered, to his inexpressible astonishment, that the French fleet lying in Brest water amounted to no less than thirty-two sail of the line: he was therefore under the immediate necessity of returning to port for a reinforcement; and, on transmitting accounts of his proceedings to government, he received no intimation of approbation or disapprobation. On the 9th of July, however, he was enabled again to sail with twenty-four ships, and was soon afterwards joined by six more. In a few days BOOK he came in sight of the French fleet off Ushant, XVIIL 1778. conimanded by M. d'Orvilliers, who seemed, on perceiving the English fleet nearly equal in force, inclined to avoid an engagement; but the wind changing some points in favour of the English, they gained so much upon the enemy that an engagement became inevitable, and the French ranging in order of battle, but on the opposite tack, the fleets passed each other about noon in a diagonal direction. The action, though very warm, was consequently partial; but the English admiral having in a short time sufficiently repaired his damages, made the proper signals for the van and rear divisions to take their respective stations. This order was instantly obeyed by sir Robert Harland, of the van; but admiral sir Hugh Palliser, of the rear or blue division, who had fallen a great way to leeward, took no notice whatever of the signals. Admiral Keppel, after waiting perhaps too long, sent the Fox frigate at five o'clock with peremptory directions to sir Hugh Palliser, to bear down. into his wake in order to renew the engagement. Sir Hugh answered, "that he was knotting and splicing, but would obey the order as soon as possible." At six o'clock the commander threw out another signal for ALL SHIPS to come into their stations; and at seven o'clock, wearied with XVIIL 1778. expectation, he threw out a third signal, for each BOOK particular ship of the blue division to come into her station in the line-but all to no purpose; and the day finally closed before sir Hugh Palliser rejoined his commander. In the night the French made sail for their own coast, and in the morning scarcely were the rearmost ships discernible from the topmast heads of the English fleet. Admiral Keppel therefore returned to Portsmouth to refit; but his public letter, containing an account of this transaction, occasioned great speculation-his desire to screen the misconduct of the admiral of the blue inducing him to give such a relation of this engagement as seemed to imply great impropriety of behaviour in the commander himself: for no reason whatever was assigned for not renewing the engagement in the afternoon, except the expectation of the admiral that the French would fight it out handsomely the next day. It was impossible that the truth should not in some degree transpire; and a well-written letter appearing some time afterwards in the public prints, severely reflecting on the conduct of sir Hugh Palliser, that officer thought proper to require from the commander in chief a formal disavowal of the charges it contained, and a public justification of his character. This the com XVIIL 1778. BOOK mander absolutely and indignantly declining, the vice-admiral immediately exhibited articles of accusation against admiral Keppel, for miscon duct and neglect of duty on the 27th of July (1778), although he had in the month of October a second time sailed with admiral Keppel, and had never before this so much as whispered a word to his prejudice. The lords of the admiralty, to the astonishment of the nation, without the least hesitation, and even with apparent alacrity and satisfaction, fixed a day (January 7, 1779,) for the trial of the commander in chief; the result of which was in the highest degree honorable to that brave and injured officer, who was not only unanimously acquitted by the court-martial, but received the thanks of both houses of parliament for his services. Sir Hugh Palliser afterwards demanded a court-martial upon himself, which terminated in a slight censure only; but the resentment of the public was so great, that it was deemed expedient by the ministers to accept his successive resignations of his place at the board of Admiralty, his lieutenant-generalship of marines, his government of Scarborough Castle, and to permit him to vacate his seat in the house of commons. acquittal of admiral Keppel was celebrated with illuminations and rejoicings in all parts of the The |