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till a quarter before eight, no visible impreffan was made and yet that the fhips of the fquadron were much damaged; and therefore, upon the joint opini on of five British captains that there was no profpect of fuccefs, the fignal was made for discontinuing the attack. In the prefent regenerated fpirit of the British Constitution, credulity on one fide of the queftioned feems not to have been confined within this illand. "The Alcide is not materially damaged in ber "mafts or rigging, but the Ardent and Courageux have fuffered very confiderably in both from being expofed "to the raking fire of the town of Florenze, though every information had affured me, the distance of that place was too great for guns to have any effect.". Pity it was, that there were not fome friends of the people at Toulon to have questioned the truth of this information, as they had that of an intended attack upon the Tower of London in December 1792. The fquadron had been lying in the gulph of Florenze from the 21ft to the 30th of the month, during which time it is prefumed by the ignorant, which is ever the greatest part of mankind, that the diftances could have been afcertained, at which the fleet could either annoy the enemy or be annoyed by them. The mighty force of artillery which did so much damage to our fleet confifted of two mortars, four twentyfour pounders, two eight pounders and one four pounder in the redoubt of Fornilli; and four mortars and nine twenty-four pounders in the town of Florenze.

The powers of Lord Hood appear to have exceeded whatever had been before delegated to any British Admiral: every act of his from this Proclamation to the Toulonefe to his failing from their port, muft be looked upon as the acts of those, from whom he received his orders. It was an improvement upon the old fyftem of war, for a British squadron to enter a neutral port and capture their enemy's veffels lying

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under the protection of a neutral power. Eight fhips of the line and fix frigates from Toulon entered the port of Genoa. The Scipio of 74 guns ranged alongfide the Modefte a French frigate at anchor in the port, and fummoned her to strike. The French anfwered with a broadfide. The Scipio returned two broadfides and boarded the frigate. Part of the crew were cut to pieces in attempting to defend her, the rest escaped by swimming to the fhore. Two French cruizers fhared the fate of the Modefte. In any former war this would have been the most direct and flagrant violation of the laws of nations. It was a fingular example fet by that Government which lately upbraided the French for having expofed all their neighbouring nations to the repeated attacks of ferocious anarchy, the natural and public enemy of all public order.

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Providence feemed at length to have afforded Lord Howe a favourable opportunity of reviving the worn-down fpirits of his fleet, and regaining the declining confidence of his friends and patrons. extract was fent up to the Admiralty from the logbook of the Montague, the laft fhip come into port from Lord Howe's fleet; that on the 18th inft. in the morning, a French fquadron confifting of feventeen fail, nine of the line and the reft frigates, was feen bearing down on the British fleet; that at ten o'clock they hauled their wind, on which Lord Howe made fignal for a general chafe. At fix in the evening the Montague sprung her top-masts and was obliged to bring to, being then according to according to computation three leagues aftern of the French fquadron, and five miles a-head of Lord Howe's fleet. Incredible was the exultation of the nation at the receipt of this news: the failures at Dunkirk, Maubeuge and Corfica were forgotten; every paft misfortune, every pending hazard were fwallowed up in the anticipated furety of annihilating by this capture the remaining maritime force of France. Lord

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Howe after three weeks absence emerged from the mist that had enveloped both fleets, and brought back all his own fhips fafe into port. He received the well-earned laurels for having prevented any of them from falling into the hands of the ferocious republicans. The British fleet was confoled in the affurance, that the French were ftill quicker in running away, than we could be in pursuing them.

The year was drawing towards a conclufion, and the Minister was not a little anxious to improve the balance of the yearly accounts, which he muft foon lay before Parliament. No very large profits had arifen out of any of his ventures immenfe fums had been advanced and loft in Flanders: the whole equipment for the Channel fervice had returned no gain: the profits of the Mediterranean treaty were still doubtful and still costly: the advances made in foreign engagements could not yet make any return: confidence and credit began to decline, and the approaching hour of accounting to the Nation made him refolve upon hazarding what he had been long preffed and urged in vain to attempt. The Earl of Moira had in the course of the month of June expreffed his opinion that the only effectual measure for reftoring monarchy and peace to France, would be to give fubftantial fuccour to the Royalifts within the Kingdom. Innumerable applications and offers upon this fubject had been made to the Minister in the courfe of the year. The original objection against this plan muft have been, that it did not exactly fall in with our lately avowed fyftem of indemnification. Cities that might fall into the hands of the Royalifts, even with our affiftance, could not be taken and holden either in the name of the Emperor as Valenciennes, nor in that of the King of Great Britain as Dunkirk was fummoned, nor in truft for Louis XVII like Toulon.

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Toulon. The Earl of Moira not being initiated in all the political fecrets and private alliances of the Minister, had expreffed the opinion of a judicious and brave officer, and of an upright and fincere patriot; and he then expreffed his readinefs to attempt the execution of the plan which his judgment directed him to propofe for the good -and honour of his country. His fervices were then accepted; and were to be called for when the better judgment of the Minister should point out the favourable moment of fuccefs. Difpatch in execution favoured too much of republican energy; cautious progreffion was the true mode of ensuring effect to prudent measures: the Fabian fyftem could alone counteract that of anarchy and confufion. Unus homo nobis cunctando reftituit rem. However, after much confultation, infinite reluctance and fome preparation, it was publickly refolved upon to fend out an expedition under Lord Moira to the interior of France by the avenue of St. Maloe's, which was to be immediately attacked and taken; he was to have with him 10,000 British and 6000 Heflian troops.

The accounts which were in this month published by the National Convention were very unfavourable to the caufe of the Royalifts. But as no credit was to be given to this horde of liars and affaffins, it might have been an additional inducement to their enemies, to act upon the contrary fuppofition of their fuccefs. Although fome of their accounts have certainly been exaggerated, yet unfortunately for this country, too much truth of our fufferings and difgraces and of their own fuccefs has been first announced from their Affembly. From hence we learnt the condemnation by the Revolutionary Tribunal, and the execution of Briffot and his whole party in thirty-feven minutes, which fufficed to ftrike off the heads of these criminals, and to dig a Nn 2

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grave for fœderalism; this was the crime for which they were condemned; and that the infamous monfter of baseness and iniquity Egalité fuffered fome days after for the fame caufe; that the Republicans had discovered and defeated a plot for delivering up Strasburg to the combined forces; and that after having executed feveral hundreds for being concerned in it, they had raised the fiege of Landau, and gained very fignal advantages over the combined armies of the Rhine.

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