T HE R o Y A 1.
CARENAGE, (St. Lucia) May i.
Friday the nth inst. between the
w Y* W hours of two and four A. M. the
‘£-** ***'defeent with which this ifiand had
?k o $ i een Lhrcatcncd f ° r feverai days pafl
ij£ b y the French was made in (he
thrce diffeicnt bj y s <:f Bune, E
i V'A'SVW J fpeiance, and Dauphin, under the
9rtL/i\7*\ direction of Hie Marquh de Bouiiie,
- who landed with the regiment of
Aaxerrois, commanded fc>y Brigadier Viscount Dumas, and
immediately took pod i n the town of Gros 1 fiet before
day-break, whine they surprised the centinel, (who was
unfortunately killed in the fcufße) and madorprifoners of
the lick at the hospital, belonging n the 46th regiment of
foot, whom they afterwards embarked for Martinique,
with an officer belonging to the 87th. / . ■
After tue different palTos were fecurcd, and guards
placed at all the avenues leading from the town., in order
to"cut off effectually every communication with the Morne
Fortune, ndajer Turineft Was aifpatched with I ti ig of
truce to Pigeon Island, to summon it to surrender, <>r to
expe# the utmost severities of the fa,vs of *w.ir in case of
tefufal.’ The latter alternative was the Inffantamfous e
_ of.
krrffttl' 1
; himfeff deserving of the'cnnfi ieffee repnfed in him*, by
having made everypoffihU* preparation for an obflibate and
-Vigorous defence. repulfe gave the Jhft check to”
the ardo'ur of the enemy, who had been deceived into a
belief that the whole illand would have fallen an easy con
queft._ The fortuh vte but accidental arrival of his Majcf
ty s /hips the T hetis, Santa Monica, Sybil, and Scourge
iloop of war, afforded an additional security to the island;
and well appointed detachments of feu-men and marines
from each (hip, under the command of the Captains John
Linzce, RWnev, Smith, and Hichins, v. ie i:wro o diately
disembarked, and took charge of the,Vigic batteries,
while others proceeded w ith the utmost cheerfulnefs, tn
fPHiTumd of Capr. R. Lin.xe, to giv e th-eif aftift
ance 0.1 the Morne. On Friday tne enemy were employed
in cantoning their troops at the feverai plantations Between
the Dauphin athwart the country to Chocquc, where it
was reported they would continue till they were reinforced
by the feveial detachments which were experted from Do
minica, St. Vincent, and Grenaia, and then proceed to
attack the Morne by a coup dc main. ’1 he aopcaiancc of
a formidable fleet, confining .f 25 fail of the line, or. the
day following, seemed to confirm this cuffmon, imTrfee
cialTv as they bore down as if thev intended to m.hor in
Cros lflet Bay, which they were however compelled to a
bandon, in eortfequence of a well directed fire fr..m th
kattery on Pigeon Island, under the condudt of Lieut.
Miller of the royal navy, who commanded trie seamen,
and which forced them to proceed to Qhocqne, and to
Ante Yro Gaicon, where they alt anchored.
At five P M. on the 12th all the troops which they had
landed in Gros lflet quarter were in motion towards the
Carenage, and it was fully expected that a general attack
would have been made that night on the Morne, but, to
trie equa. ati .ornament of the Britilh gayrtfon and the
French inhabitants, the enemy had embarked ail their
troops by day-hrpik, and tlieir fleet were Handing over to
Martinique.
Thus enicu an expedition which threatened f. much,
/a a? M4d£ttaken-ia cohfequence -of Tie- hffaf
fected having informed the Marquis de Bouiiie that we
tvereyweak and fujkly, the contrary.of which must certain*
Jy have beejj oblerved by the officers who .were di/patchd
to reconnoitre our works, or they aflurcJly would not have
evacuated the island w ithout making an attempt.
After having described the p.u titulars of this extraordi
nary enterprize, it is incumbent on us to declare, that the
vigilance of LJgaiier Gen. St. Lcger, in the moment of
■canger and and 1 Incu to thq
ant trufr, and tne ardour of our brave troops, could only
le equalled by the alacrity with which the merchants,
mailers of veflels and theirTeamen, afcengeTtHe hill, -aroL
leforted to the different polls affigiied to. them. Gne foulp
seemed co animate uli ranks of people, and however con-
Cdeiable the force of the enemy might have been, we lhall
not be repioachcd with vanity in afierting, that the Briti/h
nag would never have been rtVuck upon the Morhe For
tune whilil there was a man left to proted it.
fl/ay 26. Ihe following Addrefs'was presented to the
General yesterday by a Deputation of the English Inhabi
tants of this Town. t-f T
TANARUS Brigadier Genual St. Lcger, immendirf; bit M.ijejiy'i
Trcogs in the Illand of St. Lucia.
SIR, J J
J‘* s Alajcrfty s loyal fubjeds, inhabitants of the
r'7 ‘fl-ind ci St. Lucia, imprefled yy|t|t the deeped
en c or gratitude, Beg leave io return, our mud sincere
thanks to ypu for jour vigilance and unrt ini.tted utfeir.-'ort
at e viiious duties of your moll important trull at the.
time we were threatened, with an attack by a vera forrni
®abie force b)th by feu and land.
We bchefd ‘viih plcafure the Heady resolution with
yoa WCt "c d-etermine ! to defend this island, as well
> tne cos-lmTs atpi the vvUdom of your difp mtion for that
yuipole ; and w e afciibe it ip thele, and the.ainlou 1 of die
••ye ofl.eers and troops of* the- garriion, mid the t'ap&bins
rinrrcn of his Majesty’s Aijates in the Carcnagc, thjrt
,**” eiiClu y thought proper to retreat precipitately without -
tempting the objeft of their exprdi ion.
*f.. 4” wc <> the force wf Lhf cncmy> rnp.fiftjpg
•%w-.r ,‘T’ °f Unc, in the ablertce of our licet, togc.iaer
* tucir wc
THURSDAY, JULY 26 , 1781.
that by your dispositions we were so well prepared to receive
them; Td we gratefully acknowledge that the fafety of
our h*ufes and property in the Carenagc is owing to your
Excellency’s wife precautions.
That you may long continue to ctffnmand In thia island,
amd enjoy an uninterrupted series of health and profperityT
drtd tha t your ferviers to your King and Country may meet
the reward due to distinguished merit, is the earned prayer
of, Sir, youYlnoft obedient and mod humble servants.
Signed by the principal Eriglllh Inhabitants of the
Carenage.
St. Lucia, May. 12,
The OENiRAL’i ANSWER.
GENTLEMEN,
I AM honoured with your obliging Address, and though
t ? my services over-rated, having attempted no
thing but vvfjat was indifpenfibly my duty, I cannot* help
feeling a just sense of your good opinion.
I take this opportunity of returning my sincere thanks
to the gentlemen who so readily, and with so much fpiiir,
formed themfelvrjß into a company of militia which I di
me fled to be railed an the late attack. 1 am, gentlemen,
with great regard, jftur mod obedient ’and very humble
r ™ nt > - * A. ST. LfeGER.
•. S. -■ ■’ *
’1 0 t-he JVfcrcnants ?nd other Inl-rbitanfsTn the Carenage;
Bajftcrre, (St. Cbrijlof-bcr).May aS. We are favbured
wuth “the following.extra# of a letter wrote by his Excel- ‘
Jency Sir George Brvdges Rodney a short time Before he
failed from St. Eudatius, in answer to a threatening letter
wrote by the Marquis de Bouiiie.
I HAVE received the letter that your Excellency has
done me the honour to write me.
lam foriy to fee. that a pxrlbn of a rank and chara#cr
so elevated as that of the Marquis dc Bouiiie fliould de
mean h'mfelf (upon intelligence that he owns hirnfelf has
come to him by mdire# means) f 0 far as to make use of
menaces.
Kritifli Admirals fear men aces a- !b*|. m they make use
of them, and are not n-fpanfibltf for their adlions tv any
but theirKuigand Country; and they have never been
charged with mfulting a declared enemy; those of that
description have been always treated with humanity.
A perfidious people, traitors to their Country, and re
bel-, to their King, deserve neither refpeft nor favour, nor
In ill they ever receive any from me.
I have the honour to be, &c. See.
ot Marquis de BoniTle to the foregoing.
very well that an Engliih AdmiralWa French
± General owe no account of their condo# to any one
but their King and Nation. 1
In fulfilling what 1 owe toboth the one trad the other,
I mall make use of repnfah in the course of the war
(however cruel it may bee -mo) according to the example
tut yon have given.. at EufLatia, and am determined to
rolkaw it. - ‘
; oUr Excellency has certainly forgot that you was writ
ing to a French Generji to whom the events of this war
have given no cau fear Britifn haughtiness.
I have had the honour to write to your Excellency that
, W 1 * real no morc concerning exchange of prisoners,
they lhall be all without exception font to France. I re
peat this again, that ycu may do what you think proper.
Fo quiet your uneafinels* about fia c s of tiuce, I will fend
no more; we will treat henceforth of our aTairs by the
mouths of out cannon only, by which we shall avoid po
lemical and tiresome disputes, which are fitter for Ambaf
fadets than military men.
I hare the honour to be, See.
June 16. One day this week a sloop going to Grenada
from ot. Euflatins, with eight gentlemen paflengers, the
crew, which were Spaniards, mutinied, and murdered all
the paflengers, then bore away for the Spamfh Main.
Lxtracf of a huer frym a gentleman at Nevis to bis friend
~ ■.- bIU, datrdyux* ic. •- . ‘**
,** Mr.— arrived from Martinique.; his nevys is,
that the liench fleet to windward confills of 2q fall of the
line. They brought out 7000 troops in the last fleet,
4000 regulars and 3000 recruits, part of which they land
ed at GuadaloUpe; and on Saturday the 12th of May he
saw 1100 fine troops in great spirits embark from thence ;
1200 taken from Martinique, and the 4000 lad brought
out, were the regular troops on the expedition to St. Lucia,
where they cut so di(graceful a figure. He further fays,
Admiral Rodney pafl'ed by Grandterre on Fridav the iSth
of May wi th iS or 19 fail of the line, ur>d mt Friday tfie
25th ot May Count de Grafle failed from Fort Royal with
his A ct, two bomb Ihips, and two or three fire fliips, a
great train of artillery and troops, to windward, bound
tor Barbados, where Rodnuy mull be, as he did not go
into St. Lucia ; so that we may expefl to hear cf fomethinj
great. It tne French fleet are victorious they arc to pay
a visit to St. Kitts. They sent, before he left Cuadaloupe,
tlic Ex pci invent .of co guns, and two frigates, with jqoo
troops, to J
June 19. Taken and sent in here, the American brig
Venus, C apt. White, frum I’ifcataqua, bound to Grcna
civ, loaded with boards, shingles, (laves, and fi(h; the
Mercery fell in with hes in lat. 34, long. 54; the P rire
ba. been out 11 days; they left the Mercury in chafe oT
ana}thi*-k vend.
20. By a veflel from Barbados, which failed from
J. ii-h u H-an eunefday last, we are favoured with the
■’ intelligence, which on the whole is not so fav
ourable to us as vould be wiflied. Admiral Rodney, as
Tom ns lie 1 cv'i vnl notice of the in veiling cf Tobago, dif
pauhed Admiral Drake with seven fail of the line to the
icuci'vi ‘.ia.r. I not far from T'obago,
fell in with the whole French fleet, and narrowly escaped
being captured. He returned to Barbados the third day
after bis sassing from thence, when Admiral Rodney with
20 fail of the line, and the Panther which aftsas fe frigate.
With eight frigates, failed immediately for Tobago; when
oft mat island the Admiral’s Pilot, Mr. Garter, was d.f
patched in a tfftder to procure intelligence ; he landed at
Larbados Bay, and informed by a gentleman there that
5000 men had been landed from the -French fleet* and
that the island had capitulated two days before; the termi
obtained were the fame as those granted to Dominica; the
Admiral was then in fight of the French fleet, which lay
to to receive him; but as Tobago was taken, their fleet
much fu peri or to his, the Cork fleet momently expe&ed,
and v hicn must be taken in case he had been worded, and
as lie mornentiy expefled a reinforcement of seven sass of
the Fine, he prudently returned to Carlifle Bay in Barba
dos. /
Since the capture df Tobago two Guiney /hips with
naves, not knowing of its capture,, went in there*
Commodore Affleck hoisted his broad pendant on board
the Intrepid, and failed with three other (hip, of the line
to cruifc to windward for the-reinforcement, A cutter
which left th,e reinforcement had arrived in the fleet
1 psig m
It* was not known where the French fleet were, but ft
was imagined to be at Grenada. Wheh the above veflil
left Barbados on Wednesday Jaft the Cork fleet, amount
■ ‘? g t 0 ,38 fa,,, und er convoy of the two frigates Hydra and
Nymph, were going in ; 70 vdTels left Cork, but the re
mainder, bound for different islands, bore away for their
relpective ports. zZ
~ The P eo * n Barbados were in high spirits; their mili
tia, amounting to 15,000 men, make a very noble and
formidable appearance, are well trained, observe i ftrirt
difciphne, are compleatly armed and accoutred, and con
tinually doing duty, which they difeharge with so much
alacrity, unanimity, jnd spirit, as may make the enemy
oread the idea of an attempt to reduce that island. Bridge
town militia alone amounts to 5000 light horse, dragoons*
with a fine train pf artillery; the fortifica
tions are putting into a refpeaable state of defence with
the utmqll di/patch.
, are informed that the cutter which arrived front
th- leinrorccmcnt brings exprefles to Admiral Rodney
from his Majesty, highly approving of his condu# relating
to capture of Statia, and confirms a general confifeation.
June 27. There ardfome who insist that the reinforcc
ment is aflually ajjfived from Gibraltar, that fortrefs be
ing effectually relieved, and the siege raised; that the
troops which had been sent from England were left there
and an equal number detached from thence for the Weft
India service. Among the velTels said to have arrived is
the Royal George ofloo guns, on board which, (hip Ad
miral Rodney is to hoist his flag, the Sandwich goiny
home with the sonvoy. *
Aeftcrday a CornmifTary, dispatched by Admiral Rosl.
ney, failed from this island for St. Euftatius. His order*
are Tqconfilcate houses and estates in that island wortf*
more than 101. fttrling per annum. The fame condufti*
to be pursued in every place wh;re the city of Amsterdam
can have any Such are the orders received by
Admiral R iancy from Government.
; Jun- 30. On Wednesday last the trade from Cork ar
med bf re, but bring little or no intelligence refpeain*
tne London fleet and the reinforcement, they having fail
ed from Europe long before the others were expedted
—depart? =
As the best intelligence we have been able to procura
allures us the fleet w*s to depart early in May, they may
be looked upon as near seven weks at sea; so that in all
human probability in a week more they may reach their
dedication. If it (hould so happen, the visit wetnay mo
.mrrly-expe#-fKmTthetrnrmywiffh“prc venr eA. ‘'T
That we are likely to be attacked is confirmed bv many
reports fcemingly too jtffily founded. We do notViA ti
the arcana of politicks, much less betray the
measures of our rulers, but our duty to our readers and
our county will not permit us to be silent when their
fafety is in question.
Our advice to men of all deferiptions is to be prepared
for a veiy sudden attack, it may be “Before tomorrow, and
to be ready to join the army in defence of all they hold
u ar ’e 1 ha l th€ attack J s meditated has been notified to
„T bc ..”r ft Qffiiei amongst us, artd refiilved to defend ’
the island to the last extremity; and this we hope every
man will the more readily do, as powerful fuccours wii!
clofcly lollow the enemy.
Even man fliould now examine lffs arms end ammuniti
on, and lee’ they are in proper order. These precautions
ca* be attended with no ill Confcquenc.es. And embody
ing a thousand able negroes might be very ferviccable.
In order to preserve the (hipping from falling into th*
hands of the..cnemy, it were well if they fell down to St.
Euftatius, where they would be in greater security thart
they now are, for Britilh ’Statia is very different from
what Dutch ’Statia was. •
kave l,cen informed that their ExcellencieFthe
Admiral and General are going home in the Sandwich
-with the trade as soon as the reinforce?ne_nts arrive, pro-*a
♦ided the lories are not wanted here.
< Xfrigjfen, (Jamaica) May 19. Monday arrived hit
Majesty’s (hip Afteon, of 44 guns, - Terry, Kfq*rCom
mander, haying under his efcorte fevcral velTels from
England, also a prize (hip from St. Euftatius, laden with
flour and tfther provisions, and two brigantines prizes, one
of whom i from Grenada, and said to be very vaiuabi.
/ Stt ibt fourth Page, )
[N->. ii6.]
