lative to the action with the French fleet, on the 17th of April last, your name was mentioned.

It certainly was; and that you mistook and did not properly obey my fignal for attacking the enemy, agreeable to the 21ft article of the additional fighting inftructions, by bearing down instantly to the enemy's ship then opposed to you, but led to the van fhip, notwithstanding you had anfwered my fignal, fignifying that it was my intention to attack the enemy's rear, which fignal I had never altered, of courfe it behoved every officer to have paid the utmost attention to it.

Your leading in the manner you did, inducing others to follow fo bad an example, and thereby forgetting that the fignal for the line was only at two cables length distance from each other, the van divifion was led by you to more than two leagues distance from the centre divifion, which was thereby expofed to the greatest strength of the enemy, and not properly supported.

Could I have imagined your conduct and inattention to fignals, had proceeded from any thing but error in judgment, I had certainly. fuperfeded you; but God forbid I fhould do fo for error in judgment only. I only refolved, Sir, not to put it in your power to mistake again, upon fo important an occafion, as the leading a British fleet to regular battle.

You may now, Sir, however painful the task, give me leave fairly to tell you, that, during the time you have been under my com mand, you have given me more reafon to find fault with your conduct as an officer, than any other in the fleet, Captain Bateman excepted, by your inattention to fignals. And, Sir, by negligently performing your duty, and not exerting yourfelf as it behoved the oldest Captain in the fleet, by fetting the example of briskness, activity, and fcrupulous attention to fignals. Did you do fo, when upon the first fignal I made for a line of battle a-breaft, and then going down to provoke the enemy to come out to battle, you hauled your wind, instead of making all the fail you poffibly could to get into your ftation, agreeable to the first article of the additional fighting inftructions, and thereby fet a bad example to all the young Cap. tains? Judge yourself what I must have felt, to obferve the two oldeft Captains of the fleet I had the honour to command, were the only perfons I had just reafon to reprimand by public fignal, and let them know they had not obeyed.-Your almoft conftantly keeping to windward of your station in failing afterwards; the repeated fignals made for the fhip you commanded to get into her station; your being at an amazing distance from the fleet, the night before the battle; my being obliged to fend a frigate to order you down; your being out of your station at day light, notwithstanding the line of battle was out all night; all this conduct indicated an inattention, which ought not to have been fhewn by an officer, who had been bred in the good old difcipline of the western squadron, and which nothing but the former fervice you have done your King and coun

try,

try, and my firm belief of your being a brave man, could have in duced me, as commander of a great fleet, to overlook.

You may judge what pain it has given me to write this letter, to an officer I have known fo long, and have always had a regard for; but in great national concerns, and where the fervice of my King and country is entrusted to my care, it behoves me to do my duty, and to take care that those under my command do theirs.

Both of which, without favour or partiality, I fhall ftrictly adhere to. I am Sir, &c.

A Lift of the Killed and Wounded in the action of the 15th May,

1780.

Officer killed-William Law, First Lieutenant of the Cornwall.

Note 187. Lift of the Fleet under the command of Sir Geo. Bridges Rodney, Bart. at the Leeward Islands, when he arrived there, after relieving Gibraltar in 1780.

Note-Thofe marked I came home convoy or express.

2 went down to Jamaica.

3 remained at the Leeward Islands.

4 went to N. America with Adm. Rodney.

Note 188. Lift of the Killed and Wounded in the action of

Officers Killed and Wounded.

Lieutenant Twycrofs of the Triumph, wounded.

Lieutenant Flight, 87th regiment, of the Magnificent, ditto.
Lieutenant Watson, of the Conqueror, loft his arm, fince dead.
Enfign Curry, 5th regiment, of the Albion, killed.

Mr Paven, Mafter,

ditto,

wounded.

Lieutenant Douglas, of the Cornwall, loft a leg.

3

Note 189. Lift of the Spanish Squadron, commanded by Don Salano, which joined the fleet under M. de Guichen at fea, and which arrived in Prince Rupert's Bay, June 10th.

The above Fleet escorted 83 transports; on board of which were the regiments of Duckai, De la Couronne, De Soria, Guadalazara, Hivernia, Aragon, and Flanders, two battalions each; to which was added the fecond regiment of Catalogne of two battalions, and 100 Engineers; the whole forming 11,460 effective men.

Note 190. Lift of the Fleet under Sir Edward Hughes, K.B. in the East Indies.

Convoy to the East India Company's Ships to and from the Iland of

Returned to England the beginning of the year 1781.