mediately determined to make an effort for its recovery; but, on his passage thither, heard the still more unwelcome tidings of the attack of Grenada, of which he now resolved to attempt the relief.

On the 6th of July the two fleets came in fight; but the French, having already effected their purpose, were little inclined, notwithstanding their present superiority, to risque a close engagement. A warm but indecisive action ensued between the van divisions of the two fleets, in the course of which the English discovered to their aftonishment the French colors flying on the fortress of St. George, In the result, the English fleet bore away for St. Christopher's; and the French Admiral, after viewing their position in Baffe Terre road, recollecting the recent unsuccessful attempt on the gallant Barrington at St. Lucie, returned quietly to Grenada.

Count d'Estaing being fully informed of the critical situation of the Southern Provinces of America, now, unexpectedly directing his course to Georgia, made an easy capture of the Experiment of 50 guns with supplies of various kinds on board for Savanhah, and three other frigates, which he fell in with on his way.

On the 9th of September he anchored off the mouth of the Savannah, to which General Prevost had again retired, and fent a haughty summons

to

to that officer to furrender to the arms of his Moft Christian Majefty; to which a spirited answer was returned. The succeeding day, Count d'Estaing being joined by General Lincoln, a regular ficge commenced, which was sustained with great vigor by General Prevost, assisted by the masterly exertions of Colonel Moncrieff, the Chief Engineer. At length the French Commander, being impatient at the flow progress made in the fiege, determined upon a general affault; and after a heavy cannonade, the allies advanced to the attack of the British lines on the morning of the 9th of October. They were every where repulfed with heroic valor. Count d'Estaing himself being wounded in the action, and the troops having sustained great lofs, the fiege was converted into a blockade, and in a few days entirely raised. A precipitate retreat was made by the Americans, and the Count retired to the West Indies; whence he quickly returned to France, much chagrined at the final disappointment of the vast hopes and projects which he had originally formed.

Sir Henry Clinton, alarmed at the intelligence of the arrival of the French fleet on the coaft, and expecting an attack on New York, had fent orders to General Pigott for the evacuation of Rhode Island, of which the English had now been in poffeffion three years. But on being fully certified that the French fleet had departed for the Weft

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West Indies, he resumed the project which he had formed of a grand expedition against South Carolina. On the 26th of December 1779, Sir Henry Clinton failed with the greater part of the army from New York, under convoy of a fleet commanded by Admiral Arbuthnot; and after a tedious and unprofperous voyage, in which much mischief was done, through the tempestuousness of the weather, to the transports and victuallers, the armament arrived off Charlestown bar, which the men of war paffed with some difficulty on the 20th of March (1780), the water rifing only nineteen feet in high spring tides. On the ist of April the British troops broke ground at the distance of about eleven hundred yards in front of the American lines; which, though no more than field works, the English General, willing to spare the effufion of blood, treated with the respectful homage of three parallels and made his advances with great circumspection. It does not appear that any confiderable exertions were made by the Americans for the relief of this important place, though defended by General Lincoln in person with a sufficiently numerous garrifon; which, if the inhabitants had not shewn an infuperable reluctance to abandon the town, might probably with more advantage have taken the field in conjunction with the expected reinforcements. The second parallel being completed on the 20th of April, it was thought thought expedient to propose terms of capitulation, on condition of the garrifon being allowed to withdraw; but this condition was rejected by the English General without hesitation. In a few days the third parallel being carried within one hundred and fifty yards of the American lines, and preparations being made for a general affault; General Lincoln, on being informed by the engineers that the lines were no longer defenfible, feeing no profpect of relief, and the flesh provisions remaining in store not being sufficient to furnish rations for a week, consented to deliver up the city on the terms originally proposed by Sir Henry Clinton; in consequence of which about fix thousand men, confifting of continental troops, militia, and failors, became prisoners of war. This event took place on May 4th 1780. During the siege Colonel Tarleton, who commanded a legion of cavalry, particularly diftinguished himself by the activity and success of his enterprises.

The capital having furrendered, the next object was to fecure the general fubmiffion of the inhabitants: to this end, a large body of troops under Lord Cornwallis marched over the Santee, towards that frontier which borders upon the most populous parts of North Carolina. This movement caused an immediate retreat of such corps as had been there collected for the relief of Charlestown. One of these was unexpectedly attacked and furrounded rounded by Tarleton's legion, which had marched one hundred and five miles in fifty-four hours. A very feeble resistance was made, and by far the greater part immediately threw down their arms, and begged for quarter: but a few continuing to fire, the British cavalry were ordered to charge, and a terrible slaughter was made amongst the unarmed and unrefifting Americans; and from this time Tarleton's quarter became proverbial. Soon after this Sir Henry Clinton returned to New York, leaving the command in Carolina to Lord Cornwallis.

During these transactions in America much alarm had been created in England by the junction of the fleets of France and Spain, which took place very foon after the delivery of the Spanish manifesto. In August 1779, they entered the channel to the amount of fixty-five ships of the line, accompanied by a cloud of frigates, floops, and fireships. The English fleet, commanded by Sir Charles Hardy, who had received no instructions to prevent this formidable junction, being utterly unable to encounter so prodigious a force, was compelled to retire to the narrow part of the channel, whilst the flags of France and Spain menaced and insulted the English coasts without molestation or control. Plymouth was, by the unaccountable negligence of the Ministers, left so entirely deftitute of the means of defence, that the docks