To the foregoing Address his Majefty returned the following most gracious Anfwer. Gentlemen, I RETURN you my particular thanks for this loyal and dutiful addrefs; and receive, with the greatest fatisfaction, your congratulations on the late glorious events, and the declaration of your firm adherence to those wife and honourable principles which have uniformly guided your conduct. The perfeverance and firmness of Parliament, and the zeal and fpirit of my people, will give additional weight to my exertions in endeavouring to improve the advantages which this country and Europe have every reason to expect from the happy confequences of the fuccefs of my arms, and from the prefent ftate and difpofition of other powers. In the House of Lords the following Addrefs was moved by the Earl of WE, your Majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the Lords fpiritual and temporal, in Parliament affembled, beg leave to approach your Majefty with our humble thanks for your Ma jefty's most gracious fpeech from the throne. We beg leave to offer to your Majefty our heart-felt congratulations on the glorious and decifive victory obtained by your Majefty's fleet under the command of Rear-admiral Lord Nelfon over an enemy fuperior in force, and in the advantage of fituation; an achievement which has even added fresh fplendour to the unexampled series of your Majefty's naval triumphs. While this memorable fuccefs has, in the first instance, turned to the confufion of the enemy an enterprise not more diftinguished by its injustice, perfidy, and extravagance, than by the inveterate hoftility of its authors against every British intereft, we entertain a just hope, that the blow now given to the power and influence of the enemy will be decifive in its effects; that the opening thus afforded will be improved by other powers, to the maintenance of their own independence and fecurity; and that the wife and dignified example of the Emperor of Ruffia, and of the Ottoman Porte, will be followed by fuch effectual and united exertions, as are alone fuited to the prefent crisis, and as are best calculated to produce the general deliverance of Europe. Permit us to affure your Majefty, that, while we feel our hearts and hopes thus elated by the brilliant fuccefs which has crowned your Majesty's arms abroad, we congratulate your Majesty no less fincerely on the uninterrupted state of fecurity in which this kingdom has been preferved against the vain threats of the enemy, by the extent of your Majesty's military preparations; and still VOL. VII. 4 F more more by the zeal and fpirit which animate all ranks of your Majefty's fubjects in the caufe of their country. Nor have we feen with lefs fatisfaction the entire difappointment of the attempts of our enemies against your Majefty's kingdom of Ireland, the defeat and furrender of the force which they had difembarked for the fupport of a rebellion inftigated by themfelves, and the capture or difperfion of the armaments destined for the fame object; and we trust, that the rebellion, thus cut off from foreign affiftance, and curbed and repreffed, as it has been, by the vigour of your Majesty's councils, and the gallantry of your Majefty's troops, will, ere long, be finally extinguished. We are anxious to declare to your Majefty, and to the world, our abhorrence of the views and principles of thofe who, in concert with our inveterate enemy, had planned the fubverfion of the conftitution of their country; and we cannot but feel perfuaded, that the complete exposure of these treasons must awaken the deInded to a fenfe of their duty, and muft imprefs ftill more ftrongly on the minds of all your Majefty's fubjects, the neceffity of fupporting, against every attack, the laws and government of their country. Convinced of the extent and value of the bleffings which, under your Majefty's happy and paternal government, we have to defend, and confident in the refources and spirit of our country, we have encountered with cheerfulness many and great difficulties. Thefe, by the bleffing of Providence on your Majefty's dignified firmnefs and perfeverance in a just cause, have happily been furmounted. Animated by this fuccefs, encouraged by the comparative fituation of our country, and, above all, deeply impreffed with a fenfe of that duty which is incumbent on every individual in a period of fuch general danger and calamity, we will not relax our exertions, but will, to the utmost of our power, fupport your Majefty in every measure which may best contribute to deliver unimpaired to pofterity, the fecurity, independence, happiness, and honour of the British empire. The following is his Majefty's most gracious Answer to the above Addrefs. My Lords, I RECEIVE with the highest fatisfaction this dutiful and loyal addrefs. Your congratulations on the brilliant fucceffes with which it has pleafed Providence to reward our exertions, are particularly agreeable to me; and I trust that the honourable and dignified perfeverance of my Parliament and my people will, both by example and effect, materially contribute to restore the independence of Europe, and to infure to these kingdoms the bleffings of fecure and honourable peace. APPEN APPENDIX. HISTORY OF THE WAR. L From the LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY, Friday, October 13, 1797. Admiralty Office, October 13. IEUTENANT Brodie, of the Rofe cutter, arrived early this morning with a letter from Admiral Duncan, commander in chief of his Majefty's fhips, &c. employed in the North Sea, to Evan Nepean, Efq. of which the following is a copy: Venerable, off the Coaft of Holland, the 12th of October, by Log (11th), three P. M. Camperdown, E.S.E. eight Miles, Wind N. by E. Sir, I HAVE the pleasure to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that at nine o'clock this morning I got fight of the Dutch fleet; at half past twelve I paffed through their line, and the action commenced, which has been very fevere. The admiral's fhip is difmafted, and has ftruck, as have feveral others, and one is on fire. I fhall fend Captain Fairfax with particulars the moment I can spare From the LONDON GAZETTE, Oct. 14, 1797 Admiralty Office, October 13. Extract of a Letter from Admiral Sir Richard King, Bart. Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Ships and Veffels at Plymouth, to Mr. Nepean, dated the 11th inft. I HEREWITH tranfmit, for their Lordships' information, a letter which I received this morning from Lieutenant Tomlinson, commanding the Speedwell lugger, giving an account of his having captured a French cutter privateer, carrying two brafs fix-pounders, two fwivels, and eighteen men. Sir, Speedwell, at Sea, October 10, 1797. I HAVE the honour to inform you, the Start bearing north about nine leagues, we fell in with, this morning, and, after a chafe of fix hours, captured Les Amies, a fmall French cutter privateer, having on board two brafs fix-pounders, two fwivels, and eighteen men; out four days from Granville, and had not taken any thing. I have the honour to be, &c. Sir Richard King, Bart. &c. ROB. TOMLINSON. Admiralty Office, O. 14. Copy of a Letter from Vice-Admira! Kingsmill, Commander in Chief of his Majefty's Ships and Veffels on the Coaft of Ireland, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated the 5th of October 1797. Sir, I REQUEST you will inform my Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that Captain Faulknor, of his Majefty's fhip Diana, has fent in a coppered French cutter privateer, Le Flibuftier, of four guns, five fwivels, and twenty-nine men, out of Bourdeaux fifty-two days, but which had not made any capture. I have the honour to be, &c. Admiralty Office, Oa. 14. R. KINGSMILL. Copy of a Letter from Vice-Admiral Kingsmill, Commander in Chief of his Majefty's Ships and Veffels on the Coaft of Ireland, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated at Cork, the 9th of October 1797. Sir, PLEASE to inform my Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that his Majesty's fhip Cerberus is just returned from a cruife, in which the has captured the San Noberta Spanish privateer fchooner, of four carriage guns and fwivels, and forty-two men, and recaptured the Graff, a Danish Danifh fhip, having on board a Portuguese cargo of iron and grain, from St. Michael's, bound to Lisbon. I have the honour to be, &c. R. KINGSMILL. Extract of a Letter from Captain Roberts, Commander of his Majefty's Ship La Concorde, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated at Madeira, the 7th of Auguft 1797. BE pleased to inform my Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that at break of day on the 24th ult. (Cape Finifterre bearing S. E. by E. diftant about forty leagues) I fell in with and captured the brigantine Le Poiffon Volant letter of marque, Captain Latarte, laden with wines and different kinds of merchandife, from Bourdeaux, bound to Guadaloupe; fhe is pierced for eight guns, but had only four on board; is new coppered, and was fitted out with the intention, after landing her cargo in the Weft Indies, to cruife in those seas as a privateer, where, from her fuperior failing, fhe probably would have done confiderable mifchief, as The fails much better than the Concorde in light winds, and was taken by being fortunately within reach of our guns when first seen. From the LONDON GAZETTE, O&t. 16, 1797. Admiralty Office, Oct. 14. Copy of a Letter from Sir Richard King, Bart. Commander in Chief of his Majefty's Ships and Veffels at Plymouth, to Evan Nepean, Efq. Secretary of the Admiralty, dated on board the Cambridge, in Hamoaze, the 15th inftant. Sir, THIS afternoon arrived here La Decouverte French national brig, of fourteen guns and ninety-one men, prize to his Majefty's fhip Unité, out three days from Nantz, fuppofed to be bound to Guadaloupe with fecret difpatches, which they threw overboard in chase, and ten of her guns. I have the honour to be, Sir, &c. 1 R. KING. Copy of another Letter from Admiral Sir Richard King, Bart. to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated on board the Cambridge, in Hamoaze, the 15th inftant. Sir, I HEREWITH tranfmit, for their Lordships' information, a letter I have received this morning from Lieutenant Tomlinfon, commanding his Majefty's hired lugger Speedwell, giving an account of his having captured a French lugger privateer, carrying fix brass fix-pounders, fix swivels, and thirty-five men. The above veffel is arrived here. I am, &c. R. KING. A 2 Speed |