the fifth of November instant, the day on which they had proudly vaunted, that they intended to make a descent on our coast, that they were about Midchannel, incumbered with their immense flotillas, which appeared to be scattered in all directions, and which, it seemed by the frequent signals of the flag-ship, and the anxiety of the repeating frigates, the Admiral was endeavouring to collect, and, as much as in his power, to concentrate. A ci: cumstance happened at this period (nine o'clock, A. M.) which the enemy probably considered as fortunate, though in the event it was attended with serious consequences to them. Namely, about half an hour after we had discovered them, and just as I had made the signal for the ships as they advanced to attack them singly, for against such an irregular and disorderly like foe, it was impossible to form a regular line of battle: just at this moment when the TRUE BRITON, Capt. STEADY, who led the van, was within pistol-shot of L'AsSASSIN, Capt. SANG, it came on so foggy, that for some time, it shrouded the whole fleet from our sight. The enemy taking advantage of this circumstance, crowded all the sail they could carry, and as I have since been informed, in their hurry to bear away from us, not only run foul of each other, but run down many of their flat-bottomed boats and small vessels. About eleven A. M. the fog cleared away, and, as we had still kept on the same tack, we again discovered them: Capt. STEADY, resolute in his purpose, soon came up with and attacked L'ASSASSIN, with an alacrity and intrepidity that does honor to himself, officers, and crew: the other ships, as they came up, went gallantly into action, which was continued with uniform success on our part till four 'clock, P. M. During the contest, L'EGYPTien, ADMIRAL JAFFA, a near relation of the First Consul, struck to the ROYAL SOVEREIGN, on board of which I had hoisted my flag; the Admiral and crew were consequently made prisoners of war. LE CATALINE was sunk by a broadside from the TREMENDOUS, Captain DART. LA GASCONADE, blew up carly in the action. LE BRUTUS, struck to the CESAR, Captain PHARSALIA. LE PET, (bomb) also blew up, with a terrible explosion, when alongside LE REGICIDE, which from this circumstance caught fire, and burnt to the water's edge. Never was acclamation so general as that from our surrounding ships, when Le Cataline went down. This I mention with the more satisfaction, as the greater part of the crew were saved by the gallantry of the British seamen. The contest betwixt the LION and LE COG, both first rates, was, while it lasted, extremely severe; but it was decided in favour of the former. While the capture of the latter seems to have been the signal for a general retreat, onthe part of the enemy, who immediately after appeared to have forgone the intention of invading our island, and, in consequence, taking advantage of a gale which sprung up in their favour, to have borne away for their own coast, LE MARAT, LE SANTERRE, L'EGALITE, LA BASTILLE, which they intended for a prison ship, with several others, flew to escape our fleet, with all the canvas they could croud. In this, however, they had little success. LE MARAT was forced into action by the TERRIBLE, Captain CONDE, and soon after struck. Of the other I have not yet received a correct account, but have reason to believe that several were either burnt, sunk, or taken, and that those few which had the good fortune, tq to escape, were in so crippled a state, as to prevent the French Government from a second attempt at invasion for at least many years. Thus ended this glorious and memorable day, in the course of which, and, in attending to its consequences, your Lordship will perceive, that I have been too much engaged to be more particular. -One observation you will permit me to make with respect to the officers and sailors under my command, that they have upon this, as upon former occasions, acted like TRUE BRITONS. Where all have been so meritorious, it would appear invidious to mention particular individuals; but it is with pleasure and pride I boast, that they have in every respect deserved the rewards, the applauses, the honors, which their king and country, whom they have so ably defended and avenged, have prepared for them. I have the honor to be, With the greatest respect, Your Lordship's Most obedient humble servant, GUARD'EM. (SECOND LETTER.) MY LORD, I would not close my dispatches until I had communicated to your Lordship, as accurately as it is in my power to collect it, an account of the grand flotilla of transports, flat-bottomed boats, &c. &c. which was destined to convey the invading forces, which have been arrogantly termed, "The Army of England," to this kingdom. I have already intimated to your Lordship the manner in which, under the convoy of . the fleet, they sailed; but it is impossible to convey to your mind an adequate idea of the confusion that ensued in consequence of our attack. Impelled by their guardian men of war to follow them, while they endeavoured as fast as possible to make their escape, as they were crowded with troops, horse and foot, the former of which they termed 'Marine Cavalry,' you will be little surprised to learn that many of them fell foul of each other, and that the far greater number of them are gone to the bottom. Humanity shudders at the reflection of so many brave, but misguided men, being sacrificed to the caprice of a cowardly tyrant, who, I understand, so far from sharing with his companions in arms, as he called them, the dangers of the expedition, of which he was well apprized, kept himself safe on shore, furnished, instead of weapons, with the best Telescopes he could procure, with which he surveyed the Channel, and although his distance from the principal scene of action was too great for the events of it to come within the scope of his vision, he had, probably, the gratification to behold some of his battered and dismantled vessels pursued to their own ports by our ships. He may now also congratulate himself, that his grand intention in projecting this expedition is answered, as it has enabled him to dispose of many, both officers and soldiers, whom he feared, and consequently hated. It is a curious circumstance that the crew of the TERRIBLE, in overhauling the hold of LE MARAT, that struck to her, found among the other articles, 50,128 thumb-screws, 10,905 iron collars, 44,201 toe vices, 12,500 12,500 pair of handcuffs, 25,040 pair of fetters, and 479 racks. Many of those instruments of torture, which were unquestionably intended to. facilitate the discovery of property, had the word LIBERTY at full length, and others the initials L. E. i. e. liberty and equality, stamped upon them. There was also found several packages of opium, probably the remains of the Egyptian expedition; and a vast number of daggers: the use for which these articles were intended, it is easy to conjecture. On a farther search, the sailors also discovered a number of strong ironbound chests and casks, intended for the reception of money, and some of the same nature, evidently formed for the conveyance of plate, and other valuable, articles: these had all the name of BONAPARTE stamped upon their lids, and were under the care of a confidential commissary appointed for that purpose, as soon as filled, to have been sent to Paris. Several reams of proclamations, printed in English, and dated from our Court of St. James's,' and signed Bonaparte,' together with other papers, the intention of which were to discover and apprehend the publishers, and to write down the loyal productions of the present times, were also discovered, of which I shall, the first opportunity, transmit specimens to your Lordship. In conclusion, it gives me great pleasure to state, that this arduous contest has ended with little loss in killed or wounded on our part, and little damage to his Majesty's ships under my command, while that of the enemy must have been enormous. And here, I cannot help congratulating my country on the characteristic generosity which every action displays in her soldiers and sailors. In this, the far greater number of the latter who have fallen, lost their lives in consequence of their sedulous endeavours to save those of their enemies, who, abandoned by their officers, fell martyrs to the confusion which the unseamanlike conduct of the conductors of their fleet occasioned; and had it not been for the intrepidity of those for whom they were preparing tortures, the whole must have perished. I have the honor to be, for, and from the captain to the lowest on board, the crews teazed with questions to which they could give no satisfactory answers: many thought themselves happy to creep into the favour of the captains or mates, to get a glimpse of the state of things on the English side. Day after day thus passed; stagnation of trade was the consequence of affairs being so unsettled; families from all parts of the Continent were daily arriving at Calais, deprecating, as it were prophetically, the event of a new war. a A report was soon circulated, that the Ambassadors were ordered mutually to return, and a degree of credit appeared attached to it, as two mailpackets were stationed in the harbour to convey our Ambassador and his suite to Dover. The day of his arrival was often fixed, and his non-appearance ac-` counted for by the supposition, that the First Consul had agreed to the propositions of the British Government. Earnestly was such a circumstance wished for by the majority of the French people. "We wish not for war (said they): what have we gained by the last? What have we gain'd by the seas of blood which have been spilt? Nothing, but that the most of us have to lament a friend or relative. That war we sought not, it came to us. Now our rulers will not be at peace, nor let others be so. All the devils out of the infernal regions, were let loose among the unfortunate French at the Revolution; and every man, so soon as he gets into power, proves he has a devil revelling in his heart, which urges him to ravage and torture his fellow-creatures." Such is the language I have repeatedly heard. Daily, nay hourly, the postillion's whip resounded in Calais streets, every one hastening to his native land, or waiting at the port of embarkation, the result of what, at that moment, was suppositious. The hotels, large as they are, were so filled, their owners knew not where to place fresh comers.→ Many, whose fears overcame every other consideration, hired vessels at any price, and happily saved themselves from an unjust and inhuman captivity. At length the Ambassador arrived at the Hotel of Dessein, and the same day the town was filled with persons of the first distinction. It was now rumoured the Ambassador would wait at Calais until he received dispatches from the Court of London; accordingly, after a few days, the dispatches arrived, and his Lordship prepared to sail. All the French packets and bye-boats were hired by the families in town, but such were the fears of the captains and crews, that none would sail without papers under his lordship's hand: and the day after the departure of the Ambassador, a vessel which had on board the body of Sir Robert Chambers, with baggage, and a carriage, would not proceed on the voyage, although Lady Chambers signed an instrument to pay. more than the value of the vessel, with twenty pounds for each day the vessel, or any of the crew were detained after the first three days. The body, baggage, and carriage, were notwithstanding unshipped, and put on board the English mail, Captain Sutton. The departure of the Ambassador was not attended with any marks of respect, by the officers of the town, or by any salute being given; but he took leave as a private gentleman, and although we considered the Secretaries' being still in France, as a protection, and affording a glimmering of hope, yet Calais seemed more dreary to every Englishman from the moment of Lord Whitworth's Whitworth's sailing. To add to our inquietude two French passage vessels were detained at Dover, and it was stated they were condemned; we dreaded something from the hand of power, but knew not what, if it were true; however, to our joy, they arrived the following day with the French Ambassador and his suite, with about eighty other passengers. Hopes were still cherished by the mails passing regularly, and passengers without any other than the usual restrictions of that land of liberty, viz. passports! which even a native must have to go from one town to another, and must wait the office hours to obtain, let his business be ever so urgent. French couriers were also continually passing, sometimes in open boats when the sea was so high as to make it an undertaking of the greatest risque; all these circumstances naturally led every one to suppose active negociations were carrying on, and what we wished, too easily we believed, that all would terminate favourably. Thus were we led on, from one thing to another, to repose confidence in the honour of a treacherous and vindictive government. In the early part of the month of May, the English mail, Captain Hammond, and the French mail, sailed about four o'clock in the morning, both full of passengers, baggage, and carriages; they had but just reached the road, when a boat was dispatched, ordering the French mail to return, the passengers went on board the English vessel, happy so to escape with the loss of most of their baggage, and some of their carriages, Meantime the Prince of Wales, Capt. Sutton, and the Nancy, Capt. Latimorc, were in port waiting for the Secretaries; their crews were called up, a guard placed on the vessels, and about eleven o'clock the same morning, the Captain and Mate of each vessel were put upon their parole, and all the rest sent to prison; although security to any amount was offered for these also to be allowed to remain in town. The Commissary of Marine was severcly censured for suffering Capt. Hammond to escape; and after this period we had no mails but what came as flags of truce, when the Captain was received by a guard, the passports of all passengers strictly examined, and any person found without one, conducted to Mons. Mengaud, the Commissary General of Police, and probably thence to prison, without regard being had to his country, age, sex, or condition. The Captain and crew were particularly searched for letters or papers, and if found they were taken away, and conveyed to that hectoring bully of Calais, for his perusal, and at his option to be committed to the flames, detained, or sent to the party for whom they were destined. Our troubles were now about to begin. The reasons I have before stated, induced many to wait the final termination of the negociation, still conceived to be on the tapis; and the firm belief that the French Government would give sufficient time for all to return, urged many not to press the settlement of their affairs, or to hasten their departure; joined to this, the people of Calais behaved so well in every particu lar, that all were lulled into perfect security for some days, when orders were issued to the officer appointed to receive the passports, on entering the town by land, to retain all the passports, and send them to General Braba con, the Commandant of Calais; whereas before it was the custom to register the passports at the gate, and give them again to the parties to whom they |