ried by the viciffitudes of the year, and imparts to us fo much of his own enthufiafm, that our thoughts expand with his imagery, and kindle with his fentiments. Nor is the naturalift without his part in the entertainment; for he is affifted to recollect and to combine, to arrange his difcoveries, and to amplify the sphere of his contemplation. The great defect of the Seafons is want of method; but for this I know not that there was any remedy. Of many appearances fubfifting all at once, no rule can be given why one should be mentioned before another; yet the memory wants the help of order, and the curiofity is not exerted by suspense or expecta tion. His diction is in the highest degree florid and luxuriant, fuch as may be faid to be to his images and thoughts both their luftre and their fhade; fuch as in vefts them with fplendour, through which perhaps they are not always eafily dif cerned. It is too exuberant, and fometimes may be charged with filling the ear more than the mind. Thefe poems, with which I was acquainted at their firft appearance, I have fince found altered and enlarged by fubfequent revifals, as the author fuppofed his judgement to grow more exact, and as books or conversation extended his knowledge and opened his profpects. They are, I think, improved in general; yet I know not whether they have not Íoft part of what Temple calls their race; a word which, applied to wines, in its primitive sense, means the flavour of the foil. THE DEER and FAWN. whilft the large tear streamed from he eyes. He humanely returned the arrow bac into the quiver, faying, "Thou shalt no drink of the blood of the deer; I will re ftore its young to fo affectionate a crea ture." However, he had the curiofity to wai and fee how near the would venture. Th poor animal, who was cafting the tender eft looks towards its fawn, having now better opportunity both of feeing and hearing it, approached with timid fteps and after a little pause, in which, from the motion of its ears, he thought the he fitated whether or not to abandon it to its fate; natural affection overcoming al fenfe of danger, fhe came close up to the horfe, and raifing herself on her hinder legs, licked the little captive in the mof affectionate manner, and mixed her own tears with thofe which rolled in greater abundance from its eyes. He was greatly moved at the fight, and untying the cords, fet it at liberty. Away the happy pair trotted, often looking be hind, as if they bleffed their kind deli verer. When he was going to refume his jour ney, a venerable old man, who had fome. thing very majeftic in his appearance, thus addreffed him:-"Abel Haffen! becaufe thou haft had compaffion on the fawn, neither haft fhed the blood of its mother, ALLA, who in the third heaven was wit nefs to the benevolent emotions of thy mind, has granted thee thy petition: be fore croffing the threshold of thy door this morning thou earneftly prayed for fon; a fon fhall be born to thee, who one day will owe his life to the little creature which thou haft just now restored to li AS Abel Haffan, who fo greatly diftin. berty and to happiness." guished himself in the first incurfions which the Turks made into Indoftan, was one day riding through an extenfive foreft, he faw a wild deer and her fawn at play. He alighted, and gliding cautiouf. ly along, feized the little creature; and laying its legs together, he mounted a gain with his prize. He had not advanced far, when he faw the deer, who had fled at firft in great terror, courfing round and round him, and always approaching nearer and nearer. When he found her within his distance, he took an arrow from his quiver, and applied it to his foe; but as he took his aim, there was fomething in her ap. pearance that ftruck him. She ftood gaing at him, as if the implored his pity, When he had faid this, he vanished from his fight. Abel Haffen turned his face towards Mecca, and worshipped. It happened as had been foretold. A bout twenty years afterwards his fon was hunting in the fame wood; but having lamed his horfe, he was left by his com panions. He faw a tyger making to wards him from a little thicket at no great diftance; but although he was greatly terrified, he had the prefence mind to fpring towards fome bushes which were near him. The fierce animal was inftantly up at him, when, fortunately for him, a deer, which was the one his father had spared, started from the cover which the tyger followed. Lond. Chron. HI HISTORY 1780 continued. [7.] Retrofpective view continued. With regard to other powers, Spain, in conformity to the new, and, to us, dangerous fyftem, adopted by the house of Bourbon, directed her whole attention to her navy; whilft her land force continued in its ufual form. As her refcript to the court of London, on the 16th of June, avowed the part the would take; fo the fiege of Gibraltar, which fpeedily followed, pointed out the firft and immediate object of her defigns. and must prove a fource of strength which that great monarchy never poffeffed before. The virtues of a repu blican state were professed, and in fome measure practised.' France opened the year by a fucceffful expedition to the coaft of Africa. The fquadron employed upon this fervice was commanded by the Marquis de Vaudreuil; and a land-force, much greater than was neceffary, (but both taking Africa only in their way to reinforce D'Eftaign in the Weft Indies), was com. manded by the Duke de Lauzun. As the garrifons in that quarter were totally incapable of making any refiftance, the British forts, fettlements, factories, and property, at Senegal, in the river Gambia, and other parts of that coaft, fell without trouble into the hands of the enemy, between the latter end of January, and that of February 1779. The French upon that success abandoned the island of Goree, which they had recovered by the late peace, and transported the artillery and garrifon to ftrengthen Senegal. Sir Edward Hughes foon afterwards, on his paffage to the Eaft Indies, feized and garrifoned the island of Goree; and as he had a body of troops on board the fquadron, it was eagerly expected and hoped by the public at home, that he would have recovered thofe fettlements which we had fo newly loft; but as no attempt of that fort was made, it must be concluded that officer's orders did not extend so far. It was perhaps an object not fo important as to risk upon it the much greater objects which were then in view. France, under a new king, and who was not originally suspected of great defigns, experienced a wonderful change in her circumstances. That prince very foon appeared to follow better maxims than thofe of his predeceffors. His firft ftep was to reconcile all differences between the crown and the body of the law. He drew from neglect and obfcurity men without intrigue, who were rendered refpectable to the public by a general opinion of their probity. Maurepas was a perfon long laid afide, and now much advanced in years; but he preferved in that great age confiderable vigour of mind. He is at prefent, with out any office, the moft prevalent in the French councils. St Germain, whofe conduct in the late war had intitled him to univerfal esteem, was in a like manner drawn from the bottom of his province, and placed in the office of secretary of ftate; in which, if he had lived, there is no doubt he would have done great fervices. M. De Sartine was not a man of rank; but he had the merit of following up, with extraordinary spirit and diligence, the plan of increafing the marine which bad been adopted in the late reign; but more languidly pursued on account of the ill ftate of the revenue. But the prefent King took a still stronger ftep in the reguition of that important object. Louis XVI. had the magnanimity to place M. Neckar, a foreign gentleman, and a Proteftant, at the head of his finances. The fuccefs and reward. The defign was laid by a prince, or were equal to the liberality and wisdom of the measure. France recovered her public credit: the people of France, for the first time, had the fatisfaction of feeing a war carried on by facrifices on the part of the King, and with an attention to the ease and relief of the people. This measure could not fail to encourage and promote their confidence in government, VOL. XLIV. As the fummer advanced, it was thought neceffary in France to attempt fomething which might fhew an early alacrity in fome fort correfpondent to their great military preparations. The first was an attempt on the ifle of Jersey, part of the ancient duchy of Normandy; this, with Guernsey and the leffer iflands, being the fole remains of our vast poffeffions on the continent of Europe. count of Naffu, whose ancestor, if we are not misinformed, had rendered a very difputed claim, of being in fome manner defcended from a defunct branch of that illuftrious family, the means of much furthering his fortunes in France. The force employed upon this fervice has been eftimated, by different accounts, from three to five or fix thousand men. They They appeared in fight of the island, May 1. 1779, in about fifty flat-bottom ed boats, under the convoy of five frigates and fome armed cutters, early in the morning, and attempted a debarka tion in St Owen's bay; but they were fo warmly and vigorously received by the 78th regiment, and by the militia of the ifland, that after a faint, fpiritlefs, and ill-fupported attempt, they relinquifhed the enterprife, with very little lofs on either fide. Trifling and ineffective as this diver fion was, it had the fortune of being productive of fome confequences with refpect to the American war: for it hap. pened that Adm. Arbuthnot, with a fquadron of men of war, and a prodigious convoy, amounting to about 400 merchantmen and transports, was then on the outfet of his voyage to New York. He happened to fall in with the veffel which was fent exprefs from Jersey to England, with the first account of the attack upon, and the apparent imminent danger of the ifland. That commander had spirit and refolution enough, rather to hazard any perfonal confequence that might attend his venturing upon a breach of orders, than to fuffer the loss of fo valuable an ifland, whilft he commanded a force in the Channel: He accordingly ordered the convoy to wait for him at Torbay, and proceeded himfelf, with the fquadron, to the relief of Jerfey. Although the delay immediately occafioned by this measure was in the firft inftance but trifling, yet through the fucceeding cafualties of wind and weather, the fleet was not able to get clear of the land of England until the beginning of the enfuing month, and did not arrive at New York till near the end of Auguft. As that fleet conveyed the reinforcements, camp equipage, ftores, and other neceffaries, which were to enable Sir Henry Clinton to open the campaign with any vigour, the confequences of fo late an arrival are fufficiently obvious. Notwithstanding the repulfe and difappointment which attended the late at tempt upon Jersey, the defign did not, however, feem to be relinquished. The French troops were landed and retained for feveral days on the fmall iflands which lie between it and the continent; while the armed veffels paraded on the oppofite coafts of Normandy. The fpirit, activity, and gallantry of Sir James Wallace, in the Experiment of 50 guns, being feconded by two frigates, and as many armed brigs, by which he was accompanied, put an end to this appearance of threat, and state of alarm. That officer having, on the 13th of May, purlued feveral large frigates, with fome fmaller craft, into the bay of Concalle, in Normandy, until they had run athore under cover of a battery, and his pilots not venturing to take any farther charge of his ship, he directly took that charge and rifk upon himself, and boldly carried her up the bay, and laid her ashore abreast of the battery. Ja that fituation he continued to engage, until he had filenced the guns of the battery, and compelled the French crews to abandon their fhips; which being then boarded by the armed boats from the Experiment and Cabot brig, the La Danae, of 34 guns, and rated at 250 men, with two fmall loaded prizes, were brought fafely off; but the country people, with fome troops and militia, now keeping up a constant fire, with cannon and howitzers, as well as small arms, from the thore, they were obliged to be contented with burning, or otherwife deftroying, two other ftout frigates, an armed cutter of 16 guns, with a number of small craft. The attempt upon Jerfey appeared, however, to be only a prelude, or intended as a preparatory exercife, to that grand invafion of Great Britain, Ireland, or both, which feemed at that time, and during the greater part of the fummer, to be in the immediate contemplation of France. Whether that defign was really adopted, was with fome a matter of doubt; but it was certainly strongly indicated by appearances: the northern provinces of France were every where in motion; as well on the coafts, as in the interior country. Armies were marched down to the fea-coafts of Normandy and Brittanny; the ports is the Bay and on the Channel which were the beft calcuJated for the purpose were crowded with fhipping; and the King named the generals and principal officers who were to command or to act in a grand intended expedition. The military power of Eng land was not at that time fully called forth; and the defencelefs ftate of Ireland in the beginning of the year might well have given birth to fuch a defign. Whatever the defigns of the enemy were, Great Britain feemed to have one great object of policy with refpect to the direction direction and difpofition of her naval force in Europe. This was, to prevent the junction of the French and Spanish fleets, by blocking the former up in the port of Breft, until the season of enterprise was over. Although this measure was undoubt, edly in contemplation; yet, whether the naval preparation of Great Britain was was not fo forward as was imagined and given out, or from whatever caufe, the fea was left open, and the French fleet at Breft was permitted to join the Spanish at Cadiz. This neglect or neceflity was the more felt, as it ferved in its confequences to govern all the enfuing naval events of the campaign, and to give a new caft and colour to the state of public affairs between the house of Bourbon and Great Britain. The murmur and diffatisfaction were likewife much increased, from a general report and opinion, not only that the French fleet was more backward in point of preparation and condition than the British, but that the latter had been dilatory in its motions after it had failed, as well as flack in its endeavours to prepare for failing. However thefe charges or opinions might have been founded, they could not but derive great strength from the fubfequent infult on our coatts, which appeared to be the direct confequence of that junction of the enemies united force. The French feet, confifting of about 28 fail of the line, under the command of M. D'Orvilliers, failed from Breft on the 4th of June, and by directing its courfe to the fouthward, indicated its deftination to the coaft of Spain. It has been fince faid, that it was very defective in point of preparation; but that it hurried to fea in that condition, from an apprehenfion of its being intercepted by the British fleet under Sir Charles Hardy, which was then daily expected in the Bay of Biscay. It spent fome confiderable time on the Spanish coafts; and it was reported, that fome misunderstanding or difference between fome of the commanders on both fides, prevented an enterprife of the utmost importance from taking place. It would feem that this muft allude to an attack upon Gibraltar, a defign which does not, however, feem very confiftent with their fubfequent conduct. It does not feem improbable, that the delay proceeded from the defect of preparation on both fides. However that may be, the whole force being at length joined, the combined fleets made a tremendous appearance, amounting to between fixty and feventy line-of-battle fhips, befides a cloud of frigates, fire fhips, and all those fmaller kinds and denominations of veffels which in any manner appertain to war. This formidable force, having turned its face to the northward, continued to direct its course to the coafts of Great Bri tain. It was rather fingular, that the British home fleet, under Sir Charles Hardy, amounting to about 35, or from thence to 38 fhips of the line, was then cruising in fome part of the Bay, or fomewhere near the chops of the Channel, and was paffed by this great armament, which covered fo great an extent of ocean, without their having any knowledge of each other. The enemy entered the British Channel about the middle of August, and paraded two or three days before Plymouth, to the great alarm of the people, but without making any attempt on the place. The Ardent man of war, of 64 guns, which was on her way from Portsmouth to join Sir Charles Hardy, miftaking them for the British fleet, had, however, the misfortune of being taken in fight of Plymouth. A ftrong easterly wind, which continued for several days, seems to have driven them out of the Channel. They however pretended, that they went in fearch of the British fleet; and they continued to range about the Land's End, the Scilly iñands, and the chops of the Channel, until the end of the month. On the laft of Auguft, the wind being in his favour, Sir Charles Hardy gained the entrance of the Channel, in fight of the combined fleets, without their being able to prevent him. The great object of that commander, was to draw them up to the narrow part of the Channel, where, if he fhould be obliged to an engagement, he could engage up. on lefs difadvantageous terms; and where, either a defeat, or certain changes of the wind, might have been productive of the most ruinous confequences to the enemy. The enemy pursued him as high up as Plymouth; but being fenfible of the danger, particularly at that feason of the year, they did not adventure much farther: and as the combined fleets were now become fickly in the most extreme degree, fo as almoft wholly to difable some of the fhips; that their fhips were other 1 2 wife wife much out of condition, and the equinox fast approaching; their commanders thought it neceffary, pretty early in September, totally to abandon the Britifh coafts, and repair to Breft for the affiftances which they wanted. Thus ended the expectations of the enemy, and the apprehenfions of Great Britain. Never had perhaps fo great a naval force been affembled on the feas: never any by which lefs was done, or, except by ficknefs, lefs fuffered. Nothing could have been more fortunate in thefe circumftances, than the arrival in England, a few days before the appearance of the enemy, of a great Jamaica fleet, amounting to about 200 fhips; and that eight homeward-bound Eaft-Indiamen, having timely notice of the danger, had thereby an opportunity of putting into Limerick in Ireland. GREAT Britain. val, feen flying triumphant in our feas, and their fleets braving the British fhores with impunity [vol. 41. p. 450.]. The mighty acceffion of the whole weight of the Spanish monarchy, to that dan gerous confederacy which was alrea dy formed against us, could not but deeply fink a fcale which, without that accofion, was apparently to a level with our own. Such a combination of real power, and of actual effective force, has feldom been known in Europe upon any occafion, much lefs against any fingle itate; excepting perhaps only that which was lately united, but without any application of ftrength, in the partition of Poland. The great and formidable confederacy against the King of Pruffia in the late war, will not hold in this comparison: For befides that he was ably fupported by a moft potent ally, various impediments arofe in the way, which prevented the accumulation, and the actual exertion of several of the parts, of that vaft force which was deftined to his deftruction. The operations of one of the moft formidable of his enemies were greatly impeded by distance, and ftill more by internal circumstances. A fecond, not lefs dangerous, was, ex off his hands by Great Britain. A third, was deprived of power by furprise; and a fourth, was ineffective by nature. Similar exceptions might be found with refpect to the grand alliance formed a gainft Lewis XIV. at the opening of the prefent century; and it fhould be remembered that Spain, though it was, in fome refpects, rather a burden, than an acceffion of force to that monarch, yet was more conveniently fituated for him than for his enemies; and that the trea fures and commerce of the Indies were in a great measure in his hands during the war, THE recefs of parliament, in the year 1779, opened a period of great danger, and prefented a new and unufual face of public affairs, with refpect to this country. Our fituation in the preceding year had been deemed fufficiently alarming and perilous, We had, however, the fortune to fuftain our ancient naval recepting a very short period, taken wholly putation; to maintain our fovereignty perfect in the European feas; to afford the fulleft protection to our own com merce, whilft we nearly ruined that of the enemy, and to fuffer no difgrace any where. It is true, that abroad we loft the valuable island of Dominica; but if this was not compenfated for in point of commercial value by the reduction of St Lucia, it was amply fo with regard to the advantage of a naval station, and in point of honour, by the double defeat both by fea and land, which, with forces fo greatly unequal, D'Estaing received from the gallantry and conduct of Adm. Barring ton and Gen. Meadows [vol. 41. p. 85.], At the same time, the advantages obtained in the East Indies were of the first importance; and the reduction of Georgia, opened the way for goading and wounding the Americans in their most tender and fenfible part, by that war which has been ever fince carried on in the fouthern colonies. In this year, the appearance of things was by no means fo favourable. The flags of our enemies were now, for the first time, or at least after a very long inter It was not even against a state, fingle,. but whole, that the present mighty com. bination of power was directed. It was against a ftate, already weakened by a ruinous civil war, and now difparted by defection; whilst the fevered parts operated againft it in the duplicate ratio, of a privation of native ftrength, and a communication of actual force to the combi nation. The refiftance of Great Britain to that mighty combination, filled all thofe parts of Europe which looked on with afto nishment |