An equal force of the enemy lay over against us at Martinico, the two powers of Britain and France being to make this distant quarter of the world the theatre for trying their strength, and deciding the sovereignty of the seas. In the view of this great event, our commander forwarded the necessary duties of the fleet with such zeal and diligence, and watched the motions of the enemy with such vigilance, that he overtook their grand squadron a few hours after they left their own port, and engaged them two several days, with a success, glorious and complete.
Nothing had been wanting to equip this fleet for the great and decisive exertion it was to make. Every ship, except two, might be said to be healthy, most of them were complete in men, well appointed with officers, and well found in stores and provisions.—Conformable to this was the eagerness, the confidence, and resolution, which led them to success and victory.
After this battle, the whole fleet, with the prizes, bore away for Jamaica, where part of it arrived on the last days of April, but the greater part of it kept the sea, till after the middle of May.
As this month is more than usually interesting, the tables are given at full length, and a column is added for the wounded.
The sum total, of the numbers of the men on board of the thirty-six ships that composed the line of battle on the 12th of April, was 21,608, and the mortality during the month, exclusive of those who were killed or died of wounds, was one in 862.
There was less sickness, and less death, from disease in this month, than any of the former twenty-three months, in which I kept records of the fleet, and less than in any subsequent month, till the fleet got to the coast of America.
To account for this, it is to be observed, that the men had not been exposed to the noxious air of the shore in watering, as in the preceding month: they had received from England a fresh supply of provisions, among which was sour krout, melasses, and essence of malt, all in addition to the ordinary articles of victualling: many of the ships were supplied with wine, in place of rum, and as the weather was all along dry and fine, the men suffered the less from the exposure and want of sleep, which are the necessary consequences of keeping ships clear for battle for several days and nights together.
TABLE V.
ABSTRACT of the RETURNS for APRIL, 1782.
Transcriber's Keys:
F Sick on board on the 1st of the Month.
M Put on the List during the Month.
D Dead.
H Sent to the Hospital.
| SHIPS’ NAMES | FEVER. | FLUX. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | M | D | H | F | M | D | H | |
| * Formidable | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Barfleur | 6 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| Prince George | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| * Duke | 57 | 78 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| * Namur | 5 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Royal Oak | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| Alfred | 8 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Montagu | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| * Valiant | § | 10 | 1 | 0 | § | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Monarch | 5 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| * Warrior | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Centaur | 12 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| * Magnificent | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Bedford | 11 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Ajax | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 70 | 2 | 0 |
| Resolution | 19 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| * Hercules | 2 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Russel | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| * Fame | 36 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Torbay | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Princessa | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| * Conqueror | 30 | § | 1 | 11 | 0 | § | 0 | 0 |
| * Arrogant | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| * Marlborough | 7 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| * Yarmouth | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Belliqueux | 43 | 118 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Prince William | 4 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| * Repulse | 20 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Albans | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| * Agamemnon | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| * Prothée | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| America | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| * Anson | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| * Nonsuch | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Alcide | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramillies | § | 26 | 1 | 4 | § | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Nymph | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Flora | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 312 | 743 | 15 | 65 | 195 | 516 | 7 | 19 |