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12
The day before I came to Thorpe Lind
gave me a pamphlet of his that was
just come out, being an answer to the
French and Spanish manifestos or whatever
else they were called. I believe I may as
well send it you along with this letter.
13
Whitehall Evening Sept. 21.
Portsmouth Sept. 20.
"Saturday the Sandwich, of 90 guns, came out
of Dock. This is the first second-rate sheathed
with copper; which was begun and compleated
in 15 hours."
14.
Saturday Sept. 28.
Came to Town from Thorpe on Thursday
found your curvators sent hither from Mrs Ramsden's
— item letters from Q.S.P. very affectionate,
and very ready to let me off from coming to Imley,
before he had recd my letter of excuse.
Naples
15.
Poli breakfasted with me yesterday. Acton is to
have 15 Ships of the Line: but as yet they exist but
in his head. Poli will have it, that since the present
Minister (Sambuca) has been in office, which is about
7 years, Naples has not been at all under the
influence of Spain. This is not absolutely immaterial
as matters stand at present. Naples has about twice
as many people as Sweden has; and about half as many
has Gr. Brit. & Ireland are supposed to have, which
is about 9,000,000. In Naples they are number'd every
year, in Sweden, sometimes. There are were 10 Neopolitan
Officers on board our fleet; besides 4 or 5 pilots, &
several common men: 4 officers and several of the
common men were taken on board the Ardent, and
nobody has since heard from them.
16
A Lieutenant Coger (so Poli calls him — do you
know such a person?) of the Marlborough, told the
Venetian Ambassador and the Marquis Caraccioli from
which two Poli had it, that being in the Marlborough
he saw the Ardent surrounded and fired upon by 5 or
6 French ships of the line at once; and that she did
not yield till dismasted & quite ungovernable. This altogether
inconsistent with the Paris account published
by authority.
17
It is agreed clear now that the French & Spaniards if
they had been so disposed had more than one opportunity
of bringing Hardy to an action: and that Hardy virtually
offer'd them battle by forbearing to crowd sail &c. At one
time upon his standing from them, d'Orvilliers sent forward
3
---page break---
4
Mears's Book
17
3 frigates to watch him: upon that Hardy detached 3 of his frigates
to meet them: they retired behind the main body.
Hardy's retired, of course. Some time after D'Orvilliers
sent out 3 frigates as before: Hardy but a single one.
that single one requested permission to stay for th the
3 alone: leave was given him and he did so: still the
enemies retreated as before. From the Venet. Ambass. &
Caraccioli through Poli. I should have told you that the
few days ago they were on board our fleet.
18.
Hardy's stopping for the French is confirmed by a Mr
Leycester a Nabob whom Wilson dined with on Wednesday
at Col. St Paul's at Chertsey, and who that morning left
Portsmouth, where he had been spending a good deal of time
on board the fleet. Officers as well as men in the highest spirits
deeming their 3 deckers irresistible, and depending much upon
sickness of the enemy's landmen in rough seas.
19
Col. St Paul a year or two ago on his return from
Paris was in many of the Dutch barrier towns, &
being known was suffer'd to examine their fortifications
He says they were in very bad plight indeed: a circumstance
which is sufficient to justify the Dutch in delaying
to assist us, and even in forbearing altogether,
unless supported by some continental power such as Rus
or Prussia.
20
On former occasions the French had triangular things
(I have no other description of them) to tear our rigging to
pieces: of these Hardy has now got a supply: most or
all the 3 deckers have got the 8 additional guns. So for
Leycester. Gov. Johnstone who at first spoke with contempt
of the carronades, has since retracted & adopted them.
21.
Adm. Barrington has been in the neighbourhood of
Thorpe & Chertsey. He speaks in the highest terms of Byron
so that all reports of a misunderstanding are groundless.
He complains much of a Ld Sandwich; through whose fault
but for an accident, he says he should have been starved.
At his going out he found he had not provisions enough
he asked for more: Ld S. refused, saying he would find
plenty at Barbados. This he did not care to trust to: but
got a supply from Sr T. Pye. [Of this last circumstance
Qu? for how could Pye supply him without & even against
orders from Ld S?] — when he came to Barbados, he
found none were to be had. — Great complaint also of
his powder: when the Balls from the French ships
went through & through his, his balls made no impressn
upon them. So says Barrington. [Qu. might not the extr
superior length of the French guns be one cause?] This
was some of the Dutch powder. B. assigns no other reason for leaving
the W. Indies than ill health: which however appears
not in his looks.
22
How unlucky that L. did not think of introducing you to
Count Welderen, the Dutch Ambassador! You might then probably
have got access at Rotterdam. L. is upon as good terms
with him as with Nolken. This may do perhaps on your return.
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Identifier: | JB/538/387/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-09-28 |
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538 |
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387 |
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002 |
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Correspondence |
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Jeremy Bentham |
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