Extract of a Letter from Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bart. to the Right Hon. Hen. Dundas, his Majefty's principal Secretary of State for the Home Department.

"Toulon, Dec. 1, 1793,

"Knowing that General Dundas has fent you an official account of the unfortunate action of yefterday, and that Lord Hood has alfo written on the fame fubject, you will not expect a relation of it from me. I cannot, however, lofe the opportunity which the meffenger affords, of faying, that by the unanimous teftimony of those who either witneffed the action, or were acquainted with the plan, there never was an occafion on which the difpofitions were inade with greater ability and judgement, or executed, as long as the orders were complied with, in a more gallant or fpirited manner by the troops. It is a real confolation to know that the courage of the British was confpicuous from the beginning of the action to the end, and that an excess in that good quality was the true and only caufe of the mifcarriage. It is much to be regretted that General O'Hara was, on every occafion, fo prodigal of his perfon; but the misfortune which has befallen him, and the fevere lofs which the fervice fuftains by his capture, cannot be afcribed even to this honourable fault; for he did not himfelf afcend the battery till it was poffefled by our troops, and there was reafon to fuppofe the object of the day had been obtained. The reverse was so fudden, and his prefence must have appeared fo material towards reftoring order, and retrieving the error which had been committed by the troops, that it is not to be wondered at if, with his spirit, he became expofed to perfonal hazard. His wound, though not dangerous or serious, had bled much, and, added to the exertion he had before made, weakened him fo much, that he could not retire many paces with the troops, but infifted on being left by two foldiers who were conducting him, and whom he ordered to proceed and fave themfelves.

Leghorn, Dec. 22.

The mafter of a Neapolitan brig, juft arrived from Toulon, reports, that on the 17th inftant the French made a general attack on the advanced pofts and forts, and particularly on Fort Balaguier, of which they gained poffeffion; that on the morning of the 18th the Englifh fet fire to the arfenal and French fleet; that on the fame day the Neapolitan troops embarked, and immediately failed; that the English and Spaniards remained on fhore, and at that time in poffeffion of Fort La Malgue; that the English and Spanish fleets, with fome French fhips, had anchored out of the reach of the cannon of the place; and that

transports

tranfports were preparing for the embarkation of the French Royalists.

The London Gazette Extraordinary, Friday, Jan. 17.

Whitehall, Jan. 15.

Captain Hill, Aid de-Camp to Major-General Dundas, arrived, on the 13th inftant, at the office of the Right Honourable Henry Dundas, his Majefty's principal Secretary of State for the home department, with difpatches from Vice-Admiral Lord Hood, and the Major-General, of which the following are copies and extracts:

SIR,

"Victory, Toulon Road, Dec. 13, 1793.

"Nothing very material has happened here fince the 30th of laft month, when I had the honour of writing to you, except that the enemy has made approaches nearer to us by fome newerected batteries; one againft Malboufquet, another against Le Brun, and a third against the Hauteur de Graffe. The fhells from two of them did us fome mifchief on the 9th and 10th, fince which they have been perfectly filent.

The enemy is reported to be 50,000, but I cannot credit their being much beyond half that number. By various deferters that have come in, which in this respect perfectly agree, we are foon to be attacked on all fides at once. From the numerous and important pofts we have to occupy, the troops are at very hard duty, and without relief fome way or other, we fhall foon have more men in the hofpital than are fit for service.

I have the honour to be, &c.

HOOD.

Right Hon. Hen. Dundas, &c. &c. &c.

"Toulon, Dec. 12, 1793.

"SIR,

"Since the affair of the 30th ult. no confiderable event has taken place. By the repeated accounts of the deferters the enemy are very much increafed in numbers; none state them lower than 30 or 40,000 men.

"They have fired of late little from the battery we were in poffeffion of. Four of its guns were certainly difabled. They have increafed the number of their mortars, which have much annoyed our two pofts of Cape Brun and Fort Mulgrave, on the heights of Balaguir. We have loft fome men at each, from the effect of fhells, which, in fuch temporary exposed fitua

tions, cannot be fufficiently guarded from. Against each of these posts they have opened a new battery of cannon and mortars, but at the other points they have worked little. We continue ftrengthening our pofition, though we cannot expect to give it any much more fubftantial form.

"We have in all near 11,000 men bearing mufquets, and 4,000 fick. Deferters all report the intention of a fpeedy general attack.

"This will be delivered by Captain Hill, a very deferving young man, who has been Aid-de-Camp to Lord Mulgrave, Lieutenant-General O'Hara, and myfelf. The opportunity of his departure is fudden, and therefore I am to beg you will excufe the fhortness of this letter.

I am, &c.

Right Hon. HENRY DUNDAS, &'c.

DAVID DUNDAS.

Whitehall, Jan. 15.

This morning Sir Sidney Smith and Major Moncrief arrived at the office of the Right Hon. Henry Dundas, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, with difpatches from Vice Admiral Lord Hood and Major General David Dundas, of which the following are copies and extracts.

Victory, Hieres Bay, Dec. 20, 1793. It is my duty to acquaint you, that I have been obliged to evacuate Toulon, and to retire from the harbour to this anchorage.

It became unavoidably neceffary that the retreat should not be deferred, as the enemy commanded the town and fhips by their fhot and fhells; I therefore, agreeable to the Governor's plan, directed the boats of the fleet to affemble by eleven o'clock, near Fort la Malgue, and I am happy to fay the whole of the troops were brought off, to the number of near 8,000, without the lofs of a man; and in the execution of this fervice I have infinite pleasure in acknowledging my very great obligations to Captain Elphinstone for his unremitting zeal and exertion, who faw the laft man off; and it is a very comfortable fatisfaction to me that feveral thousands of the meritorious inhabitants of Toulon were fheltered in his Majefty's thips.

I propofe fending the Vice Admirals Hotham and Cofby, with fome other hips, to Leghorn or Porto Ferrara, to complete their wine and provifions, which run very thort, having many mouths to feed, and to remain with the reft to block up the ports of Toulon and Marfeilles. Circumftances which had taken place made the retreat abfolutely neceffary to be effected as foon as poffible, and prevented the execution of a fettled arrangement for destroying

Q2

deftroying the French fhips and arfenal. I ordered the Vulcan firefhip to be primed, and Sir Sidney Smith, who joined me from Smyrna about a fortnight ago, having offered his fervices to burn the ships, I put Captain Hare under his orders, with the Lieutenants Tupper and Gore, of the Victory, Lieutenant Pater, of the Britannia, and Lieutenant R. W. Miller, of the Windfor Cafle. Ten of the enemy's hips of the line in the arfenal, with the Maft-house, Great Store houfe, Hemp-houfe, and other buildings, were totally deftroyed, and before day-light, all his Majefty's fhips, with thote of Spain, and the two Sicilies, were out of the reach of the enemy's thot and thells, except the Robust, which was to receive Captan kiphinitone, and the followed very foon after, without a foot ftriking her. I have under my orders Rear Admiral Trogoff, in the Commerce de Marteilles, Puiffant, and Pompee, of the line; the Pearl, Arethufa and Topaze frigates, and feveral large corvettes, which I have manned, and employed in coll. Eting wine and provifions from the different ports in Spain and Italy, having been constantly in want of one fpecies or another, and am now at fhort allowance.

Don Langara undertook to deftroy the thips in the bason, but I am informed, found it not practicable; and as the Spanish troops had the guarding the powder veffels, which contained the powder of the fhips i ordered into the Bafons and Arfinal on my coming here, as well as that from the diftant magazines, within the enemy's reach, I requested the Spanish Admiral would be pleafed to give orders for their being fcuttled and funk; but, inftead of doing that, the officer to whom that duty was entrusted, blew them up, by which two fine gun-boats, which I had ordered to attend Sir Sidney Smith, were fhook to pieces. The lieutenant commanding one of them was killed, and feveral feamen badly wounded. I am forry to add, that Lieutenant Goddard of the Victory, who commanded the feamen upon the Heights of Graffe, was wounded, but I hope and trust not dangerously.

I beg to refer you for particulars to General Dundas, refpecting the evacution of Toulon; and to Sir Sidney Smith, as to the burning the enemy's fhips, &c. on which fervice he very much diftinguished himself; and he gives great praise to Captain Hare, of the firefhip, as well as to all lieutenants employed under him.

It is with very peculiar fatisfaction I have the honour to acquaint you, that the utmost harmony, and moft cordial underandung, has happily fubfifted in his Majefty's army and fleet, not only between the officers of all ranks, but between the feamen and foldiers alfo.

I herewith tranfmit a copy of Sir Sidney Smith's letter to me, with a lift of the officers employed under him, and also a return

of

of officers and feamen killed and wounded at Fort Mulgrave on the 17th.

I have the honour, &c.

HOOD.

P. S. The lift of the fhips at Toulon that were burnt, and thofe remaining, has been received fince writing my letter. Right Hon. HENRY DUNDAS.

MY LORD,

Toulon, December 18, 1793.

Agreeable to your Lordship's order, I proceeded with the Swallow tender, three English and three Spanish gun-boats to the Arfenals, and immediately began making the neceffary preparations for burning the French fhips and flores therein. We found the Dock-gates well fecured by the judicious arrangements of the Governor, although the Do k-yard people had already fubftituted the three-coloured cockade for the white one. I did not think it fafe to attempt the fecuring any of them, confidering the final force 1 had with me, and confidering that contest of any kind would occupy our whole attention, and prevent us from accomplishing our purpose.

The Galley Slaves, to the number of at least 600, fhewed themselves jealous fpectators of our operations.-Their difpofition to oppofe was evident, and being unchained, which was unufual, rendered it neceffary to keep a watchful eye on them on board the galley, by pointing the guns of the Swallow tender and one of the gun-boats on them, in fuch a manner as to enfilade the quay on which they must have landed to come to us, affuring them at the fame time, that no harm fhould happen to them if they remained quiet. The enemy kept up a cross fire of fhot and fhells on the fpot from Malboufquet, and the neighhouring hills, which contribured to keep the Galley Slaves in fubjection, and operated in every respect favourably for us, by keeping the Republican party in the town within their houfes, while it occafioned little interruption to our work of preparing and placing combuftible matter in the different ftore houses, and on board the fhips; fuch was the fteadiness of the few brave feamen i had under my command. A great multitude of the enemy continued to draw down the hill towards the dock-yard wall, and as the night clofed in, they came near enough to pour in an irregular though quick fire of mufquetry on us from the Boulangerie, and of cannon from the heights which overlook it. We kept them at bay by discharge of grape-fhot from time to time, which prevented their coming fo near as to discover the infufficiency of our force to repel a clofer attack. A gun-boat was

ftationed