lord chamberlain of his majefty's household. The Earl of Cholmondeley to be captain of the yeomen of the guards. Lord Viscount Townshend to be mafter-general of the ordnance. Henry Strachey, Efq. to be keeper of his majesty's ftores, ordnance, and ammunition of war. William Adam, Elq. to be treafurer and paymafter of his majesty's ordnance. The Right Hon. Richard Fitzpatrick, his majesty's fecretary at war. - 14. St. John, Efq. of Lincoln'-inn, barrifter at law, to be under fecretary to Lord North. The Right Hon. George James, Earl of Cholmondeley, the Right Hon. Richard Fitzpatrick, and the Right Hon. Frederick Montagu, were fworn of the privy council. 15. Earl Fitzwilliam to be cuftos rotulorum for the foke or liberty of Peterborough, in Northamptonshire. John Lee, Efq. to be folicitorgeneral. 20. Sir Willoughby Ashton to be ufher of the black rod in Ireland, under the Earl of Northington. 29. John Courtney, Efq. mafter furveyor of the ordnance. Humphry Minchin, Efq. clerk of the ordnance. The Bishop of Worcester to be clerk of the clofet to his majesty. Dr. Warren to be Bishop of Bangor. May 3. The Right Hon. Robert, Earl of Northington, lieutenant general and general governor of his majefty's kingdom of Ireland. 17. Dr. Lewis Bagot, Bishop of Bristol, to be bishop of Norwich. The Earl of Sandwich, to be ranger and keeper of St. James's Park, and of Hyde Park. The Earl of Jersey to be captain of his majesty's band of penfioners. The Lord Vifcount Hinchinbroke, to be master of his majesty's buck-hounds. James Hefeltine, Efq. to be his majesty's procurator. 22. Counsellor Erikine to be king's council. 23. A. Pigot to be a king's council. June 14. Dr. Wilfon, to be bishop of Briftol. 15. Rev. Cyril Jackson to be dean of the cathedral church of Chrift in the university of Oxford. And, Rev. Thomas Shafto to be canon of the fame church, in the room of Mr. Jackfon. 16. The Right Hon. Lord Viscount Keppel, firft lord of the Admiralty, was unanimously chofen mafter, and Sir William James, Bart. deputy mafter of the Trinity-houfe. 17. Dr. Smallwell, to be bishop of St. David's. 26. Thomas Davenport, Efq, was called to the degree of ferjeant jeant at law. As was alfo Nash Groffe, Efq. 27. Serjeant Davenport was knighted by his majefty. July 4. Capt. John Collins, in the navy, was knighted. Aug. 15. The Hon. Henry Erfkine, (brother of the Earl of Buchan, to the office of lord advocate of Scotland, in the room of Henry Dundas, Efq. Henry Mathias, Efq. the offices or places of prothonotary and clerk of the crown in the counties of Carmarthen, Pembroke, and Cardigan, and the town of Haverfordwest, and borough of Carmarthen. 28. The Earl of Derby to be chancellor of the duchy and county Palatine of Lancaster, vice Lord Ashburton. ―30. John Randolph, bache lor of divinity, to be regius profeffor of divinity in the univerfity of Oxford, with the place and dignity of a canon of the cathedral church of Chrift in the faid univerfity, void by the death of the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Wheeler. The Hon. and Rev. Edward Seymour Conway, M. A. to be a canon of the faid cathedral church, void by the death of the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Kennicott, The Hon. and Rev. George Hamilton, M. A. to be a prebend of his majesty's free chapel of St. George in the caftle of Windfor, void by the death of the Rev. Dr. John James Majendie. Sept. 20. Letters patent paffed the great feal, granting John, Lord Sheffield, the title of Baron Sheffield of Rofcommon, in the county of Rofcommon, with remainders feverally to his daughters. The like dignity of baron of the faid kingdom of Ireland to the following gentlemen: Arthur Pomroy, of Newbury, in the county of Kildare, Efq. Baron Harberton of Carbery, in the faid county. Robert Clements, Efq. Baron Leitrim of Manor Hamilton, in the county of Leitrim. Francis Mathew, Efq. Baron Landaff of Thomaftown, in the county of Tipperary. And William Tonfon, Esq. Baron Riversdale, of Rathcormuck, in the county of Cork. The dignity of a baronefs of the faid kingdom to Mrs. Chriftian Hely Hutchinfon. wife of the Right Hon. John Hely Hutchinfon, by the title of Baronefs Donogmore of Knocklofty, in the county of Tipperary. The dignity of a baron of the faid kingdom to fir John Huffey Delaval, bart. by the title of Baron Delaval of Redford, in the county of Tipperary. To John Pennington, Efq. the title of Baron Muncafter; with remainder to his brother Lieutenant Col. Lowther Pennington. To Richard Pennant, Efq. the title of Baron Penrhyn, in the County of Lowth. Bombay, where she has been completely repaired. The Medea brought in with her a French fhip about 450 tons burthen, laden with provifions and stores, bound to the Mauritius, but captured by the Sceptre and Medea off the Cape of Good Hope. Captain Mitchell of the Coventry informs me, that on the 12th of this month, off Friars Hood, on the ifland Ceylon, he fell in with and attacked the Bellona, a French frigate of 40 guns, and after a fevere engagement of two hours and a half, the Bellona fheered off from the Coventry, and made fail to join the French fleet; and the Coventry had fuffered fo much in her mafts and rigging, as not to be able to come up with her before the joined the French fleet, confifting of 23 fail, which Captain Mitchell faw at anchor in the Battacalo road, and was chaced by two of their line of battle fhips: in the engagement the Coventry had 15 men killed, and 29 wounded; and I hope to be able fo far to repair her damages, as to carry her to fea with me in two or three days. Captain Mitchell fpeaks highly of the courage and good conduct of the Coventry's officers and men; and I trust their lordships will give him his full fhare of merit, for having fo gallantly attacked and beaten an enemy's fhip fo fuperior in force to his own. Superb, in Madras Road, In my letter of the 12th of last month, I mentioned my intention to proceed to fea when the fquadron was refitted, for the purpose of covering the arrival of the expected reinforcements under the command of Sir Richard Bickerton, and to oppofe the enemy's fquadron: and accordingly, on the 20th, the fquadron having completed its provifions, and being in a tolerable condition for fervice, I left the road with the fquadron under my command, and ufed all diligence poflible to get to the fouthward to Trincomale, being apprehenfive the enemy would endeavour to make themfelves mafters of that harbour in the abfence of the fquadron: but the wind blowing ftrong from the fouthward, I did not arrive with the fquadron off Trincomale till the night of the second of this month; and in the morning following I difcovered French colours on the forts, and their fquadron reinforced by the Illuftre of 74 guns, the St. Michael, of 64, and the Elizabeth, formerly a company's fhip, of 50 guns, with feveral tranfports, in all 30 fail, at anchor in the feveral bays there. On the appearance of his majefty's fquadron on the morning of the 3d, the French fquadron, confifting of 14 line of battle fhips, the Elizabeth, three frigates, and a fire-fhip, got under fail, and about fix, A. M. ftood out of Back Bay, to the S. eastward, the wind blowing ftrong at S. W. off the fhore, which placed them to windward of his majefty's fqua dron. At ten minutes paft fix, A. M. I made the fignal for the line of battle a-head at two cables length diftance, fhortened fail, and edged away from the wind, that the fhips to form the van of our line might the more speedily get into their stations. At 20 mi nutes nutes past eight, the enemy's fquadron began to edge down to our line, then formed in good order. From that time till half past eleven, A. M. I fteered under top-fails in the line E. S. E. with the wind blowing ftrong at S. W. in order to draw the enemy's fquadron as far as poffible from the port of Trincomale; they fometimes edging down, fometimes. bringing to, and in no regular order, as if undetermined what to do. At noon the enemy's fquadron appeared to have an intention to engage. At half paft two, P. M. the French line began to fire on ours, and I made the fignal for battle at five minutes after, the engagement was general, from our van to our rear, the two additional fhips of the enemy's line falling furiously on our rearmoft fhip, the Worcester, were bravely refifted by that fhip, and the Monmouth, her fecond ahead, which backed all her fails to affift her. About the fame time, the van of the enemy's liné, to which five of their fhips had crouded, bore down to the Exeter and Ifis, the two headmost ships of our line, and by an exerted fire on them forced the Exeter, much difabled, out of the line; then tacked, keeping their wind, and firing on the Ifis, and other fhips of our van, as they paffed. In the mean time the centers of the two lines were warmly engaged, fhip to fhip. At twenty-eight minutes paft three, the mizen - maft of the French admiral's fecond a-ftern was thot or cut away, and, at the fame time, his fecond a-head loft her fore and mizen top-mafts. 3 At thirty-five minutes paft five the wind fhifting fuddenly from S. W. to E. S. E. I made the fignal for the fquadron to wear, which was inftantly obeyed in good order, the fhips of the enemy's fquadron either wearing or staying at the fame time; and the engagement was renewed on the other tack close and vigorously on our part. At twenty minutes paft fix, the French admiral's main-mait was fhot away by the board, and, foon after, his mizen-maft; and about the fame time the Worcefter, one of our line of battlefhips, loft her main top-maft. At about feven, P. M. the body of the French fquadron hauled their wind to the fouthward, the fhips in our rear continuing a fevere fire on them till twenty minutes paft feven, when the engagement ceafed; and the fhips of our fquadron had apparently fuffered fo much, as to be in no condition to purfue. them. At about eight, P. M. made the night fignal for the line of battle ahead on the larboard tack; but the night being dark, and several of the hips not to be feen, at twelve, P. M. I made the fignal for the fquadron to bring-to and lye by on the larboard tack. day-light no part of the enemy's fquadron was in fight; and the Eagle, Monmouth, Burford, Superb, and feveral other fhips making much water from thot-holes, fo very low down in the bottom as not to be come at, to be effectually flopped; and the whole having fuffered feverely in their mafts and rigging; under these circumftances, and Trincomale being in the enemy's poffeflion, and the other parts of the west At coaft coaft of Ceylon unfafe to anchor on, at this late feafon of the year, when the N. E. winds often blow ftrong there, I was under the neceffity of fteering with the fquadron for this coaft, to get anchoring ground, in order to ftop the fhot-holes under water; and from the difabled ftate of the feveral fhips, I fell in with the land a very few leagues only to windward of this port, on the 8th of this month, and anchored in this road on the 9th, and am now closely employed in repairing the damages the feveral fhips have received. By the account of the killed and wounded, their lord fhips will obferve, that although we have been fortunate in lofing few of our men, we have fuffered moft feverely in officers. The Hon. Capt. Lumley, of the Ifis, a very good officer and a promising young man; Capt. James Watt, of the Sultan, a moit worthy officer, died of his wounds; and Capt. Charles Wood, of the Worcester, a most deferving officer, dangerously wounded, with little hopes of his recovery. As the change of the monsoon is now near at hand, and the line of battle fhips in their prefent ftate cannot remain on this coaft, and as the latenefs of the season may have induced Sir Richard Bickerton to remain at Bombay, in hopes of joining me there; I am preparing the fhips of the fquadron for fervice; and fo foon as they are in a condition, I fhall proceed to fea with them, and make the best of my way to Bombay, and there ufe every poffible diligence to get the fquadron in a condition to come early on this coaft. I have not been able to gain the leaft intelligence of the French fquadron fince the engagement of the 3d of this month, but fuppofe they are refitting at Trincomale. Inclofed is the account of the killed and wounded in the late engagement; and a lift of the Eng lish and French naval force in thefe feas, as they were on the 3d of this month. Superb. 4 feamen killed; Lieut. Murray, Lieut. Orr, of the marines, Lieut. Thompson, of the 98th regiment, 49 feamen and marines, wounded. Hero. 1 feaman killed; 17 fea men and marines, wounded. Sultan. 4 feamen and marines killed; Capt. Watt, fince dead, Lieut. Bartholomew, Lieut. Stewart, of the 78th reg. 43 feamen, marines, and 78th reg. wounded. Magnanime. 3 feamen and 1 fe poy, killed; Lieut. Stephenfon, 16 feamen, wounded. Monmouth. 3 feamen wounded. Monarca. Capt. Robert Clug ftone, of the marines, Lieut. Barrett, of ditto, 4 feamen, marines, 78th and 98th regts. kil led; Hon. Capt. Maitland, of the 78th reg. Hon. Lieut. Sandilands, Lieut. Armstrong, 10 feamen, 78th and 98th regts. wounded. Burford. 4 feamen and 98th reg. killed; 38 feamen, marines, 78th and 98th regts, wounded. Sceptre. 2 feamen killed; 23 feamen wounded. Eagle. 8 feamen killed; 14 feamen wounded. Exeter. |