Magnanime of 48 guns, and having under his protection the trade bound to that quarter. On his arrival at St Jago, he received information that the enemy’s squadron having been fired at from the forts of that place, had repaired to Goree, where it was then at anchor. This intelligence, with the force and situation of the French frigates, induced Sir Charles to take the Ruby, 64, then watering at Porto Praya, under his orders; and with this additional force he immediately went in quest of them.
In the afternoon of the 4th April, the British ships anchored in misty weather very near the town; but not rinding the enemy’s frigates there, and our officer conceiving the appearance of the convoy sufficient to alarm the garrison, he despatched his first Lieutenant, Tidy, with a verbal message, summoning the island to surrender, and threatening in the event of a refusal to storm the place. This message, together with the deception practised of dressing the crews of the
with a considerable body of troops, they were enabled to make a stand; and having possessed themselves of a strong position at Purmirind, which afforded them the means of acting on the rear of the invading army, a check was given to the successes of the allies. A negotiation shortly after ensued, in the course of which the republican commander contended for the restoration of the Batavian fleet, with the whole of the stores and men. This, however, was resisted by the Duke of York, who had landed at the Helder on the 13th September, and now threatened, in case of necessity, to cut dovn the sea-dykes; a measure which would have inundated the country, and destroyed its fertility. At length, by a convention signed Oct. 20, the evacuation of Holland by the allied armies, was agreed upon, and carried into execution by the 19th November. The retreat of the military force was followed by that of the flotilla from the Zuyder Zee, and Vice-Admiral Mitchell, with a great part of his fleet, returned to England. He was soon afterwards created a K.B. and received a sword valued at 100 guineas from the city of London. The conduct of the officers and men forming the naval part of this expedition, met with the highest approbation of government; and the late Viscount Melville in moving the thanks of the House of Commons, dwelt at some length on the difficulties that had arisen during the passage to Holland, and the masterly manner in which so large an armament had been conducted in safety to its destination. Thus ended the expedition to Holland; in which the British lost three ships of war by being wrecked on the coast, namely the Nassau, 64, armed en flute; Blanche and Lutine frigates; about 550 soldiers killed, 2694 wounded, and 1354 missing; the loss sustained by the Russians amounted to about 3200 slain, wounded, and taken prisoners.
