made immediately, and, in five bours afterwards, three of the frigates hauled down their colours also; but they, as well as the Hoche, were obstinately defended, all of them being heavy frigates, and, as well as the ship of the line, intirely new, full of troops and stores, with every necessary for the establishment of their views and plans in Ireland.

I am happy to say, that the ef forts and conduct of every officer and man in the squadron seemed to have been actuated by the same spirit, zeal, and unanimity, in their king and country's cause; and I feel myself under great obligations to them, as well as to the officers and men of this ship, for their exertions upon this occasion, which will, I hope, recommend them to their lordships favour.

I left captain Thornborough, after the action, with the Magnanime, Ethalion, and Amelia, wish the ptizes; and am sorry to find he is not arrived, but trust they will soon make their appearance. I have the honour to remain, sir,

Your most obedient

Humble servant,
John B. Warren.

P. S. The ships, with us in the action, were, the Canada, Robust,

Foudroyant, Magnanime, Ethalien, Melampus, and Amelia.

department, dated Dublin-castle, the 18th instant, it appears that the Melampus had arrived off Lough, Swilly, with another French frigate in tow, in pursuit of which she had been sent.

The following is the copy of an official bulletin published in Dublin :

Dublin-Castle, October 18. Extract of a Letter received this Morning from sir John Borlase Warren, to Lord Viscount Castlereagh dated from his Majesty's Ship the Canada, in Lough Swilly, the 16th inst. My lord,

I take the liberty of communicating to you, for the information of his excellency the lord-lieutenant, that I fell in with the enemy's squadron, on the 12th inst. the Rosses bearing S. S. W. five leagues; and, after an action which continued most of the day, four of their ships struck their colours.

I believe a brig, with Napper Tandy on board, was in company, as she left the French at the commencement of the business. The enemy's ships had numbers of troops on board, arms, stores, and ammunition; and large quantities of paard, after they had struck. pers were torn and thrown overLoard,

fore.

I have sent my first lieutenant, Turguand, to take the command of the Hoche.

By a letter from lord viscount Castlereagh, to Mr. Wickham, under-secretary of state for the home VOL. XL.

that followed the next day, they must be in a crippled state, and may, in all probability, be picked up by some of the squadrons on the coast of France, or by admiral Kingsmill's cruizers. They had thrown every thing overboard, boats, spars, arm-chests, &c.

L

I left

Sir,

I have been waiting with great anxiety the arrival of the Robust and La Hoche at this port, to ena ble me to make a return of the killed and wounded in the different

ships under my orders upon the 12th October last; but, as I understand, those ships may be still farther detained by repairs at Lough Swilly, I send the inclosed, which it was impossible for me to obtain before the present moment, as the whole squadron was separated in chase of the flying enemy, and have successively arrived at this port; it was impracticable, therefore, to communicate the particulars to their lordships sooner, or to state the very galiant conduct of captains Thornborough and De Courcy, in the Robust and Magnanime, who, from their position in the van on that day, were enabled to close

with the enemy earl in the action, and were zealously and bravely seconded by every other ship ci the squadron, as well as by the intrepidity displayed by the Anson in the evening, in obeying my signal to harass the enemy, and in beating off their frigates. For farther par ticulars I refer their lordships to the letters they may have received from captains Countess and Moore, of the Ethalion and Melampus.

I am happy in reflecting that so many advantages to his majesty's arms have been purchased with so inconsiderable a loss in the ships of the squadron.

I have the honour to remain, sir, Your most obedient humble servant,

J. B. Warren.

Here follows a Return of the kills! and wounded on board the Squ dron of His Majesty's Ships ** der the Orders of Sir John Borla Warren, Bart. K. B. in the Ation with a Squadron of Fresc Ships, on the 12th of October.

Canada, 1 seaman wounded (since dead); Foudroyant, 9 seamen wounded; Robust, (no retur) but I understand the first lieutenant, Mr. M'Colby, lost his arm, and one marine officer was killed; Magnanime, 7 seamen wounded; Etha lion, 1 seaman killed, 4 seamen wounded; Melampus, 1 seaman wounded; Amelia, no return; Ar son, 2 seamen killed; 2 petty offed; total, 3 seamen killed; cers, 8 seamen, 3 marines, woundpetty officers, 30 seamen, 3 ma rines, wounded.

(Signed) John B. Warren A List of the Squadron of the French Republic in the Engagement of t

12th of October, on the Coast of Ireland, with a Squadron of His Majesty's Ships, under the Orders of Captain Sir John Borlase Warren, Bart. K. B.

La Hoche, 84 guns, (no return) commodore Bompard, Monsieur Hardi, commander-in-chief of the army, Monsieur Simon, adjutantgeneral-taken by sir John Borlase general-taken by sir John Borlase Warren's squadron; La Coquille, 40 guns, 580 men, captain Deperonaken by ditto; L'Ambuscade, 36 guns, 559 men, captain Clement La Konsieur-taken by ditto; La Résoue, 36 guns, 510 men, captain Bereat-taken by ditto; La Bellone, 40 guns, 240 seamen, 340 troops, capain Jacob-taken by ditto; L'Imnortalité, 40 guns, 580 men, captain Le Grand; general of brigade, Monieur Menage-taken by the Fishguard; La Romaine, 40 guns, capain Berquiere-escaped; La Loire, 14 guns (no return), captain Second -taken by the Anson; La Sémilante, 36 guns, captain La Costume -escaped; La Biche, 8 guns, schooner)-escaped.

Killed and wounded on board the

I have the honour to acquaint you, that his majesty's forces are in Possession of the island of Minorca, without having sustained the loss of a single man.

As neither commodore Duckworth or myself could procure any useful information relative to the object of the expedition at Gibral

tar,

it was judged advisable to dispatch the Peterell sloop of war to cruize off the harbour of Mahon for intelligence; where, after remaining a few days, she joined the fleet near the Colombrites, without having made any essential discovery. So circumstanced, it was agreed to attempt a descent in the bay of Adduva; and the wind proving favourable on the seventh instant, a feint was made by the lineof-battle ships at Fornelles, and boats were assembled for that purpose under the direction of captain Bowen, captain Polden, and captain Pressland. Previous to the landing of the troops, a small batwas evacuated, the magazine blown tery, at the entrance of the bay, up, the guns spiked, and shortly after the first division, consisting of eight hundred men, was on shore. A considerable explosion to the westward indicated that the Spaniards had also abandoned the works at Fornelles. Nearly at the same moment two thousand of the enemy's troops approached in several different directions, and threatened to surround this inconsiderable force, but were repulsed with some L 2

loss

loss on the left, while the guns of the Argo checked a similar attempt on the right flank; and the post was maintained until the debarkation of the different divisions afforded the means of establishing a position, from whence the enemy's troops would have been attacked with considerable advantage, bad they not retired in the beginning of the night.

The strength of the ground, the passes, and the badness of the roads In Minorca, are scarcely to be equalled in the most mountainous parts of Europe; and what increased the difficulty of advancing upon this occasion was the dearth of intelligence; for although near one hundred deserters had come in from the Swiss regiments, and affirmed that the remaining force, upon the island, exceeded four thousand men, no particular account of the enemy's movements was obtained. Under this uncertainty it was for a few minutes doubtful what measures to pursue, but as quickly determined to proceed, by a forced march, to Mercadal, and thereby separate the enemy's force, by possessing that essential pass, in the first instance, and from thence advancing upon his principal communications to either extremity of the island, justly depending upon cominodore Duckworth's zeal and exertions to forward, from Addaya and Formelles, such supplies of provisions and ordnance stores as might favour subsequent operations.

To effect this object, colonel Graham was sent with six hundred men, and, by great exertion, arrived at Mercadal, a very few hours after the main force of the enemy had march

ed towards Ciudadella, making veral officers and soldiers prisoners, seizing various small magazines, and establishing his corps in front of the village.

The persevering labour of two hundred and fifty seamen, unde the direction of lieutenant Be channan, during the night, having greatly assisted the artillery, is for warding the battalion guns, the army arrived at Mercadal on the ninth, where, learning that Mahes was nearly evacuated, a disposition was instantly made to operate with the whole force in that direction, and colonel Paget was detached urder this movement with three hu dred men, to take possession of the town; upon his arrival, he sunmoned Fort Charles to surrender. and made the lieutenant-gover of the island, a colonel of artillery and one hundred and sixty mea prisoners of war, removed the boo obstructing the entrance of the ha bour, and gave free passage to the Cormorant and Aurora frigate. which were previously sent by com modore Duckworth to make a version off that port. But thes were not the only advantages in mediately resulting from this move ment; it favoured desertion, inter cepted all stragglers, and enabled the departments of the army to procure beasts of burden for the farther progress of his majesty's arms.

Having ascertained that the ere my's troops were throwing up works, and intrenching themselve in front of Ciudadella, it was resolved to force their position o the night of the thirteenth instant; and, preparatory to this attem colonel Paget, with two hundred men, was withdrawn from Maho;

colonel

colonel Moncrief sent forward with a detachment to Ferarias; three light twelve pounders, and five and a half inch howitzers, and ninety marines landed from the fleet; when, in consequence of its having been communicated to commodore Duckworth, that four ships, supposed of the line, were seen between Majorca and Minorca, steering towards the last-mentioned island; he decided to pursue them, requested that the seamen and marines might re-embark, and signified his determination of proceeding, with all the armed transports, to sea; but weighing the serious consequences which would result to the army from the smallest delay on the one hand, and the advantages to be reasonably expected from a spirited attack on the other, it was thought advisable to retain them with the army; and, on the twelfth instant, the whole force marched to Alpiuz, and from thence proceeded, on the thirteenth, to Jupet, colonel Moncrief's detachment moving in a parallel line on the Ferarias road to Mala Garaba. These precautions, and the appear ance of two columns approaching the town, induced the enemy to retire from their half-constructed defences within the walls of Ciudadella; and in the evening of the same day, a small detachment, under captain Muter, was sent to take possession of the Torré den Quart, whereby the army was enabled to advance on the fourteenth, apparently in three columns, upon Kane's, the Ferarias, and Fornelles roads, to the investment of the town at daybreak, occupying ground covered by the position the enemy had relinquished: thus stationed, in want of heavy artillery, and

every article necessary for a siege, it was judged expedient to summon the governor of Minorca to sur render; and the preliminary articles were immediately considered; but doubts arising on the part of the enemy, whether the investing force was superior in number to the garrison, two batteries of three twelve pounders, and three five and a half inch howitzers, were erected in the course of the following night, within eight hundred yards of the place, and at daybreak, the main body of the troops formed in order of battle, considerably to the right of Kane's road, leaving the picquets to communicate between them and colonel Moncrief's post. This line, partly real and partly imaginary, extended four miles in front of the enemy's batteries, from whence two eighteen pound shot, were immediately fired at the troops; but a timely parley, and the distant appearance of the squadron, occasioned a cessation of hostilities, and renewed a negociation, which, through the address of major-general sir James St. Clair Erskine, terminated in the annexed capitulation.

Four weeks salt provisions for the garrison, besides the enclosed list of ordnance stores, were found in the town of Ciudadella.

The assistance received from commodore Duckworth, in forwarding the light artillery and previsions, greatly facilitated the rapid movements of the army; and I am happy in the opportunity of declaring my obligations to lord Mark Kerr and captain Caulfield for the supplies they sent from Mahon, and their exertions to land two mortars, which, in the event of farther resistance, might have proved of the utL 3

most