: the signal for a general chace; at eight A. M. discovered them to be four large Spanish frigates which formed the line of battle a-head on our approach, and continued to steer in for Cadiz, the van-ship carrying a broad pendant, and the ship next to her a rear-admiral's flag. Captain Gore, being the headmost ship, placed the Medusa on the weather-beam of the commodore; the Indefatigable took a similar position alongside of the rear-admiral; the Amphion and Lively each taking an opponent in the same manner, as they came up; after hailing to make them shorten sail, without effect, I fired a shot across the rearadmiral's fore-foot, on which he shortened sail; and I sent Lieutenant Ascott, of the Indefatigable, to inform him, that my orders were to detain his squadron; that it was my earnest wish to execute them without bloodshed; but that his determination must be made instantly after waiting some time, I made a signal for the boat, and fired a shot a-head of the admiral. As soon as the officer returned with an unsatisfactory answer, I fired another shot a-head of the admiral, and bore down close on his weather bow; at this moment the admiral's second a-stern fired into the Amphion; the admiral fired into the Indefatigable; and I made the signal for close battle, which was instantly commenced with all the alacrity and vigour of English sailors. In less than ten minutes, La Mercedes, the admiral's second a-stern, blew up alongside the Amphion, with a tremendous explosion. Captain Sutton having with great judgment, and much to my satisfaction, placed himself to leeward of that ship, the escape of the Spanish admiral's ship was rendered almost impossible; in less than half an hour she struck, as did the opponent of the Lively. Perceiving at this moment the Spanish commodore was making off, and seeming to have the heels of the Medusa, I made the signal for the Lively to join in the chace, having before noticed the superior sailing of that ship. Captain Hammond did not lose an instant; and we had the satisfaction, long before sun-set, to see from our mast-head that the only remaining ship had surrendered to the Medusa and Lively. As soon as our boats had taken possession of the rear-admiral, we made sail for the floating fragments of the unfortunate Spanish frigate which blew up; but, excepting forty taken up by the Amphion's boats, all on board perished. This squadron was commanded by Don Joseph Bustamente, knight of the order of St. James, and a rear-admiral. They are from Monte Video, Rio de la Plata; and, from the information of the captain of the flag-ship, contained about four millions of dollars, eight hundred thousand of which were on board the Mercedes which blew up. Other accounts state the quantity of specie to be much greater, public and private; and there is besides much valuable merchandize on board the captured ship. Our loss has been very trifling. I have not yet had the returns from other ships, but the Indefatigable did not lose a man. The Spaniards suffered chiefly in their rigging, which was our object. The captains of the different ships conducted themselves so ably, that no honour accrues to me but the fortunate accident of being senior officer. Force of Spanish Squadron. G. MOORE. La Medée (flag ship) forty-two guns, eighteen pounders, and three hundred men, taken; two men killed and ten wounded.-La Fama, thirty-six guns, twelve pounders, and two hundred and eighty men, taken; eleven killed, and fifty wounded.-La Clara, thirty-six guns, twelve pounders, and three hundred men, taken; seven killed, and twenty wounded. La Mercedes, thirty-six guns, twelve pounders, and two hundred and eighty men blew up; second captain and forty men saved. Statement of the goods and effects on board the Spanish squadron. "On account of the king, total seventy-five sacks of Vienna wool, sixty chests of cascarilla, four thousand seven hundred and thirty-two bars of tin, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-five pigs of copper, twentyeight planks of wood, and one million three hundred and seven thousand six hundred and thirty-four dollars in silver.-On account of the merchants, thirty-two chests of ratinia, one million eight hundred and fifty-two thousand two hundred and sixteen dollars in silver, one million one hundred and nineteen thousand six hundred and fiftyeight gold, reduced into dollars, and one hundred and fifty thousand and eleven ingots in gold, reduced into dollars. On account of the marine company, twenty-six thousand nine hundred and twenty-five seal-skins, and ten pipes of seal oil.-On board the Mercedes, which blew up, were twenty sacks of Vienna wool, twenty chests of cascarilla, one thousand one hundred and thirty-nine bars of tin, nine hundred and sixty-one pigs of copper, and two hundred and twenty-one thousand dollars in silver. "Killed and wounded on board His Majesty's squadron. Indefatigable, none; Medusa, return not received; Amphion, Lieutenant W. Bennett wounded, three seamen and one marine wounded badly; Lively, two killed, one wounded." A most melancholy circumstance took place in consequence of the explosion of the Mercedes, mentioned in Captain Moore's dispatch. In this ship was embarked a native of Spain, who was returning from America with his whole family, consisting of his lady, four daughters, and five sons; the daughters were amiable and beautiful women, and the sons grown up to manhood. With such a family and a large fortune, the gradual savings of twentyfive years' industry, did this unhappy man embark for his native country. A short time before the action began, he and one of his sons went on board the largest of the ships, and in a few minutes saw his wife, his daughters, four of his sons, and all his treasure surrounded by flames and sinking in the abyss of the ocean. This particular instance is calculated to make a deeper and more lasting impression of the miseries of war than the most murderous battle recorded in history; and yet, if we reflect a moment, we shall be convinced that all wars must give rise to events nearly, if not quite as distressing and melancholy as this, though they are necessarily lost in the crowd of incidents which all battles give rise to, and forgotten in the magnitude of the battle itself. But the reflections to which this circumstance gives rise are of a different nature, so far as they are more connected with our present object. It was strongly objected to the British government that in making this capture of the Spanish frigates, they committed an act of hostility in the time of peace: to this it was replied that Spain though nominally at peace, was actually at war with Britain; that she was aiding and assisting France in a very efficient manner, by supplying her with specie ; perhaps in a more efficient manner than if she had actually commenced hostilities against Britain. The Spanish government had been warned that Britain would no longer submit to this warfare under the disguise of neutrality, and as it chose still to continue to supply France with specie, no blame could attach to Britain, if after the warnings given she used her utmost endeavours to prevent it. It must be confessed however that it would have had a better and less suspicious appearance, if Britain had commenced the first act of open hostilities in any other manner than by the capture of the treasure ships: this looked too much as if the opportunity of capturing them led directly to hostilities. There is also another source of blame on the British ministry respecting this affair; it is contended, and certainly with some shew of reason, that the melancholy circumstances attendant upon the capture of the treasure ships might have been avoided, had a larger fleet been sent against them. The high sense of honour which actuates Spanish officers must have been well known, and it could not be expected that they would tamely yield up their ships, and the treasure committed to their charge, to a force so nearly equal to their own. Soon after the recommencement of hostilities was known in the West Indies an expedition was fitted out at Barbadoes against the Dutch colony of Surinam. This expedition, which was under the command of Major-General Sir Charles Green and Commodore Hood, was completely successful. On this occasion there fell into the hands of the captors the Proserpine frigate, of thirty-two guns, and the Pylades sloop of war, of eighteen. In the commencement of our narration of the events of this war, we mentioned the circumstance of the French admiral, Linois, having escaped from the roads of Pondicherry, in consequence of the English commander-inchief being ignorant that hostilities had commenced; we also stated that the French admiral, after his escape, had captured Fort Marlborough; he likewise succeeded in taking several of the East India Company's ships. In consequence of his success he became very daring and enterprizing, and there was indeed too much reason to apprehend that he might do very great mischief in the eastern seas. He was however checked, and in a manner as disgraceful to himself as it was honourable to those who checked and chastised him. About the beginning of 1804 he cruized, with his whole force, consisting of the Marengo, of eighty-four guns, |