ADMIRAL RODNEY’S SUCCESS AGAINST THE SPANIARDS.
The opening of this year added to the naval renown of England. As the Spanish persevered in their siege of Gibraltar, and as their treaty with the Barbary States stopped the supplies of provisions, the garrison began to feel the effects of famine, and it was necessary to send them supplies from England. Admiral Rodney, who had recently been appointed to the chief command in the West Indies, was therefore ordered to relieve Gibraltar on his way thither. He had only been a few days at sea when he fell in with a rich Spanish convoy, going from St. Sebastian to Cadiz, and consisting of fifteen merchantmen, four frigates, and three armed vessels; one being a fine new ship of sixty-four guns. These were all captured, and while he took those with him which were laden with wheat, flour, and other provisions, the rest were sent to England. It was expected by the Bourbon cabinets that Rodney would leave his transports in a certain latitude, to make their own way to Gibraltar, and accordingly they ordered Admiral Don Juan de Langara to proceed, with eleven men of war and two frigates, to intercept the supply. Rodney, however, accompanied the transports, and on the 16th of January he encountered the Spanish admiral near Cape St. Vincent. The Don, when he discovered the superior force of the English, endeavoured to make his escape, but Rodney got between him and the shore, and compelled him to engage. The action commenced in the midst of a rough gale, at four in the afternoon, and in the first hour of the engagement a Spanish ship of the line blew up, and all on board perished. At six in the evening another struck her colours, and by two the next morning the Phoenix of eighty guns, the Spanish admiral’s own ship, and three of seventy guns each were taken and secured. Two more, of seventy guns each, struck their colours, but were driven on shore by the violence of the tempest and lost. The rest of the squadron escaped in a shattered condition to Cadiz. Rodney now proceeded triumphantly to the relief of Gibraltar, and after lying there for some weeks, he proceeded with a part of his fleet to the West Indies, while the remainder, under the command of Admiral Digby, returned to the Channel. On his way home, Digby captured a French ship of the line, and two or three vessels laden with military stores. These successes raised the spirit of the nation, and the name of Rodney especially filled every breast with hope and confidence. The very ministers began to look upon him as the main stay of their power; well knowing that his success would silence the clamours which had so long been raised against them on the ground of incompetency.
GEORGE III. 1780-1781
ARMED NEUTRALITY.
The high hopes entertained by the people of England were soon doomed to be modified by the prospect of new enemies, some of whom were more powerful than those already arrayed against their country. At this time a strong combination was formed against England by several powers constituting what is called in history “The Armed Neutrality.” The Spanish cabinet claimed the merit of this system; but it would rather appear to have originated with the court of Petersburg, which had been regarded by the ministers as their best ally in this momentous crisis. In consequence of the large shipments of ammunition, and other materials of war, made to the colonies of America by neutral states, England had, from the commencement of the war, exercised the right of stopping and searching all neutral vessels wherever they could be found. England also had acted upon another established principle; namely, that a neutral flag could not cover or protect the cargoes and property of a state with which she was at war, and her cruizers had therefore stopped many vessels having French and American property on board. This, however, involved her in many quarrels with neutral powers, and Russia, Prussia, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, etc. entered into a league, pledging themselves to maintain the principle, “that free ships make free goods, with the exception of arms and munitions of war.” About this time, also, the native powers of India entered into a formidable coalition, under French influence, for driving the British from their territories. England had, therefore, almost the whole world arrayed in arms against her, or entertaining hostile intentions towards her, while within her own bosom she was destined to suffer from faction. Never, indeed, was there a period in her history when she so much needed the unanimity and undivided strength of her brave family.
RODNEY ENGAGES THE FRENCH FLEET.
Admiral Rodney arrived at St. Lucie, in the West Indies, on the 27th of March. Here he joined Admiral Hyde Parker, and his fleet then consisted of twenty-two sail of the line and six frigates. Parker had been menaced for several days by the French Admiral de Guichen, who had only quitted that water a few hours before Rodney’s arrival. Admiral de Guichen retired to Fort Royal Bay, Martinique, and on the 2nd of April Rodney appeared off that fort, and offered him battle. Finding that the challenge would not be accepted, Rodney, after two days, returned to St, Lucie, leaving some fast-sailing vessels to watch the motions of the French. On the night of the 15th de Guichen put to sea, and Rodney, warned of the fact, went in search of him with twenty sail of the line. The two fleets came in contact on the 17th, and Rodney threw out his signal for every ship to bear down and attack the rear of the French as closely as they could, in order to break their line, and fight their detached ships. The spirit of political party, however, reigned in the fleet, and his signal was not obeyed as it ought to have been, several ships continuing at a cautious distance from the enemy. In the meantime, Rodney in the Sandwich came to close quarters with the French, and having beaten de Guichen’s own ship fairly out of the line, and compelled two others to bear away, he succeeded in separating his enemy’s fleet into two unequal parts. He was, however, only aided by five or six captains, and the French were allowed time to haul off after their admiral and re-form their line; after which de Guichen stood away with the whole fleet under a press of sail, in order to make his escape. The great distance between the British van and rear, and the crippled state of his own ship, prevented Rodney from following; and he was thus stopped short in the career of victory. One of the delinquent captains—Bateman, of the Yarmouth—whose disobedience was more notorious than the rest, was put under arrest, tried by a court-martial, and dismissed the service. This example had the effect of restoring discipline, and Rodney again sought the enemy. On the 20th he again got sight of the French admiral, whose object was to make Fort Royal Bay in Martinique, in order to repair his ships. Rodney cut him off from this port, and de Guichen took shelter under Guadaloupe; when the British fleet returned to St. Lucie to refit and to land the wounded. The hostile fleets again came in sight of each other on the 10th of May, between St. Lucie and Martinique. But it was in vain that Rodney sought to bring the French admiral to an engagement; and the latter having at length got into the long-desired harbour of Fort Royal, the British fleet ran into Barbadoes. At this time the Spanish fleet was expected to join the French; and though Rodney soon sailed from Barbadoes in order to prevent the junction, the cautious Spanish admiral, Don Joseph Solano, contrived to elude his vigilance, and to unite his fleet, consisting of twelve sail of the line, several frigates, and a swarm of transports, with that of de Guichen. Before their united force Rodney was obliged to retire; and he retreated with the sad conviction that the enemy was strong-enough to capture every British island in those seas. The storm, however, which seemed to threaten these islands blew over without pouring its fury upon one of them. The Spaniards had so over-crowded their transports with men, that a terrible sickness broke out among them, destroying first its scores, and then its hundreds daily. The pestilence extended its ravages to the French fleet; and in order to check it, it was agreed to land the troops and part of the seamen at Martinique. Its ravages were arrested; but while at Martinique, hostilities broke out between the French and the Spaniards, and the two commanders could not agree as to the line of operations to be pursued. Their combined fleets set sail again on the 5th of July, and directed their course to St. Domingo, where they separated; de Guichen returning to Europe with the homeward-bound convoy from the French sugar islands, and Solano proceeding to the Havanah, to assist in the military operations which the Spaniards were carrying on in Florida. All these circumstances saved Jamaica and the other islands in the West Indies; and conscious that they were safe, after detaching a part of his force to Jamaica, Rodney set sail for New York.