come final. In as far as depends upon us, I believe every part has been confirmed; but as as yet I have not heard the conditions, having received the feal and fignature of the Pefhwa, and the atteftations of the dependent members of the Poona ftate. The only important movement of the army, which happened between the action of the 2d of June until the prefent time, was the relief of the garrifon of Villore, which was performed between the 7th and 21ft of Auguft; the army having marched in that period near 200 miles, and threw into the place provifions fufficient to maintain the garrison to the 1st of March next. I am concerned to acquaint your lordfhips with the fall of Trincomalé, which by our intelligence was furrendered to the French force under Monf. Suffrein on the 31ft ult. by capitulation. My orders wefe to defend it to the laft. Our fquadron had an action with the French fquadron off the place on the 3d inft in which the laft fuffered moít; but our fleet found it neceflary to come to thefe roads, where it arrived the 9th inftant, and is now refitting, and intends proceeding to Bombay the middle of next month. The Minerva ftorefhip, and the Major and Nottingham Indiamen belonging to Sir Richard Bickerton's fleet, are arrived; the two latter having on board lieutenant colonel Adams, with two campanies of his majesty's 101ft regiment, and colonel Reimboid, with two companies of his majesty's electoral troops. They have all of them arrived extremely healthy, and have fuffered very little indeed by the army towards Cuddalore, and its return, together with the other cccurrences which have fince happened. Major general fir Hector Munro has refigned the fervice, and returns to Europe in the Myrtle transport, which fails in a few days. Major general Stuart, who has been conftantly in the field during the whole of this year's campaign, will, in confequence, fucceed to the chief command of the company's troops on this eftablishment. He has been in command of the army ever fince my illness, in the conduct of which he has fhewn the moft indefatigable activity, in a manner highly to his own honour, and much to my fa tisfaction. Extracts of Letters from Vice Admi ral Sir Edward Hughes, Knight of the Bath, and Commander in Chief of his Majefty's Ships employed in the East Indies, to Mr, Stephens, received the 6th inftant, by the Hon. Captain Carpenter, who came Paffenger to Ireland in the Rodney Packet belonging to the East India Company." Superb, off Negapatnam, July 15, 1782. I MENTIONED, in my letter of the 15th ult. my intention to embark, in a few days after, all fuch men from Trincomalé hof pital as could be any ways ferviceable on board, and proceed with the fquadron to this coaft, to watch the motions of that of the French under Monf Suffrein; and, accordingly, I failed from Trincomalé bay on the 24th of last month, and anchored in Negapatnam Road the day following. At this place, I was informed that the French fquadron was then at anchor off Cuddalore, which had fur furrendered before to their land forces; and that his majesty's armed tranfports the Refolution and Raikes, on their paffage to join me at Trincomalé with stores and ammunition, had very unfortunately been fallen in with by the French fqua dron, and captured; and the San Carlos, another of his majesty's armed transports, with the Rodney brig, were chafed, and very narrowly escaped being alfo captured, and had returned to Madras road. I continued with the fquadron at an anchor in Negapatnam Road till the 5th of this month, when, at one P. M. the French fquadron, confifting of 18 fail, 12 of which of the line, came in fight. At three P. M. I weighed with his majefty's fquadron, and food to the fouthward all that evening and night, in order to gain the wind of the enemy. the enemy's fhips appeared to have fuffered feverely both in hulis and mafts; the van fhip had bore away out of their line; and the Brilliant, the French admir..l's feconap ahead, had loft his main-maft. At th's time the fea breeze fet in a S. S. E. very fresh, and feveral of te fhips in our van and center were taken a back and paid round with their heads to the Wetta ard, while others of our flips, thofe in the rear in particular, which had fuffered lefs in their rigging, paid off and continued on their former tack. Some of the enemy's flips were alfo paid round by the fea breeze, with their heads to the Weftward; the admiral's fecond a-head in particular, which I fuppofed to be the Ajax, but proved afterwards to be the Severe fell along-fide the Sultan, and ftruck to her; but, whilft the On the 6th, at day-light, the Sultan was wearing to join me, enemy's fquadron at anchor, bearing made what fail he could, and fired on N. N. E. diftant about feven or eight and raked the Sultan, without fewmiles, wind at S. W. At fifty mi- ing any colours, and then got in nutes paft five A. M. I made the amongit his own fhips. At filty mifignal for the line of battle a-breaft, nutes past noon, finding the Worces and bore away towards the enemy. ter, Eagle, and Burford, ftill continuAt fix, obferving the enemy gêting on their formertack, and nearing ting under fail, and ftanding to the weltward, hauled down the fignal for the line of battle a-breaft, and made the fignal for the line a-head at two cables length distance. At ten minutes paft feven our line being well formed, made the fignal to bear down on the enemy; each fhip in our line against the hip oppofed to her in the enemy's line. At forty minutes past ten the enemy's line began to fire on ours. At forty-five minutes paft ten I made the fignal for battle, and at the fame time the fignal for a clofe engagement. From ten, minutes after eleven, till thirty-five past noon, the engage. ment was general from van to rear in both lines, and moftly very clofe; the body of the enemy's fquadron very faft, I made the fignal to wear, and hauled down the fignal for the line, propoling to make the fignal for a general chafe ; but the captain of the Monarca having hailed, and informed me that all his ftanding rigging was fhot away, and the fhip otherwife fo much difabled as to be ungovernable, and the Hero on the contrary tack, hauling in with the land with the fignal of dif trefs out, and the enemy's hips having wore and come to on the larboard tack, thofe leaft difabled forming to windward to cover their difabled flips, and endeavouring to cut off the Eagle, I made the fignal, at twenty minutes past one, to wear, and flood to the Weftward, the en(L3) gagement gagement ftill continuing partially, wherever our fhips were near the enemy's, and the Eagle hard preffed by two of the enemy's fhips. At half past one I made the fignal for the line of battle a-head on the larboard tack, and made the Exeter's fignal to come wihin hail, and directed her to take her station a-ftern of the Sultan. At two P. M. the enemy's fquadron were ftanding in fhore, and collecting their fhips, which I was alfo endeavouring to do, as our fquadron was very much difperfed, and continued on different tacks, the hips being greatly difabled, and in general ungovern able. At half past four, I hauled down the fignal for the line of battle a head, and made the fignal to prepare to anchor; and at half past five I anchored with the Superb in fix fathom water, between Nega patnam and Nagore; the other hips of the fquadron anchoring as they came in with the land, and the Worcester next day. The enemy having collected their fhips into a clofe body, anchored at fix P. M. about three leagues to leeward of our flips; during the remainder of the day, and all night, our hips were clofely employed in fecuring their lower mafts, almost all their ftanding rigging being fhot away; fplicing the old and reeving new rigging, and getting ferviceable fails to the yards. On the 7th in the morning, the damages fuftained by the feveral fhips of the fquadron appeared to me fo great, that I gave up all thoughts of pursuing the enemy; and at nine A. M. the French fquadron got under fail, and returned to Cuddalore road, their difabled fhips a-head; and thofe lefs fo, covering their retreat in the rear. At ten A. M. I fent capt. James a Watt, of his majesty's flip the Suitan, in the Rodney brig difarmed, with a flag of truce, and a letter to Monf. Suffrein, containing a demand of the furrender of the French king's fhip the Ajax. Capt. Watt came up with the French fquadron the fame evening, and my letter was forwarded to Monf. Suffrein, who returned an evafive answer, faying it was the French fhip Severe who had the halliards of his ensign fhot away, as frequently happens in action, by which means it came down, but never was intended to be struck. I am extremely happy to inform their lordfhips that in this engage ment his majesty's fquadron, under my command, gained a decided fu periority over that of the enemy; and had not the wind fhifted, and thrown his majesty's squadron out of action, at the very time when fome of the enemy's flips had broken their line, and were runing away, and others of them greatly difabled, I have good reafon to believe it would have ended in the capture of feveral of their line of battle fhips. I am happy alfo to inform their lordfhips, that the of ficers and the men of the fquadron' behaved to my fatisfaction, and have great merit for their bravery and fteady conduct; the captains Gell of the Monarca, Rainier of the Burford, and Watt of the Sultan, eminently distinguished themfelves by a strict attention to my fignals, and the utmost exertion of courage and conduct against the enemy. I am alfo obliged to Col. Fullarton, of the 98th regiment, who has been my companion in the Superb fince I left Madras road iz March last, preferring to ferve with his corps on board to living inactive on fhore. The officers and men of this regiment have behaved with I great 1 1 great regularity on board the fhips of the fquadron, and done their duty well on all occafions. Major Grattan, an officer late of general Meadows's staff, and a captain in the rooth regiment, has alfo ferved with great credit on board the Superb on this occafion, in the absence of his corps now on the Malabar coaft. The death of capt. Maclellan, of the Superb, who was fhot through the heart with a grape hot early in the engagement, is univerfally regretted by all who knew him. I had experienced in him an excellent officer in every department of the fervice. Inclofed with this is an account of the killed and wounded on board each fhip, and lifts of the English and French lines of battle. An account of the killed and wounded on board the following Ships. Superb. Captain Dunbar Mac lellan, 6 petty officers, feamen, ma rines, and 98th regiment, killed; 19 petty officers, feamen, marines, and 98th regiment, wounded. Hero. Lieut. Henry Chapman, 11 petty officers, feamen, marines, and 19th regiment, killed; 23 petty officers, feamen, marines, and 98th regiment, wounded. Magnanime. 2 petty officers and feamen, killed; lieut. Thomas Hen. Wilfon, capt. William Adlam of the marines, 15 petty officers and feamen, wounded. Monmouth. Lieut. Sabine Gafeoigne, 11 petty officers, feamen, and marines, wounded. Monarca. 8 petty officers, feamen, marines, and 98th regiment, killed; Mr. Francis Corrie mafter, capt. Abbot in the company's fervice, 44 petty officers, feainen, marines, and 98th regiment, wounded. Burford. Capt. Vroxholme Jen kinfon, of the 8th regiment, with 6 petty officers, feamen, marines, and Lafcars, killed; Mr. Edward Darby, mafter, Mr. Richard Da niel, boatfwain, 32 petty officers, feamen, marines, and 98th regiment, wounded. Eagle. 4 petty officers and fea men, killed lieut. William Wood, 8 petty officers, feamen, and marines, wounded. Exeter. 11 petty officers, fea men, marines, and Lafcars, killed; Mr. Thomas Cribbon, mafter, Mr. William Cunningham, boatftain, 22 petty officers, feamen, marines, 98th regiment, and Lafcars, wounded. Sultan. 16 petty officers, fea men, and marines, killed;' lieut. John Drew, lieut. Richard Williams of the marines, 19 petty officers, feamen, and marines, woundcd: Worcester. Lafcar, killed; lieut. Johnfton of the marines,. 8 petty officers, feamen, and ma rines, wounded. Ifis. 9 petty officers, feamen, 98th regiment, and Lafcars killed; 19 petty officers, feamen, and ma rines wounded. Total killed and wounded. as well as its provifions being nearly exhausted, I was under the neceffity to proceed with the fquadron to this road, where our ftores and provifions are depofited; and having failed from my then ftation off Nagapatnam on the 18th, arrived here the 20th of last month, where I have been inceffantly labouring to put the fhips in a condition for fervice. When I left the windward station off Negapatnam, the French fquadron was at an anchor off Cudda lore, repairing their damages. On my arrival in this road, I learned that his majesty's fhip Sceptre, captain Samuel Graves, one of Sir Richard Bickerton's fquadron, had arrived here on the 13th of laft month, and had again failed with his majesty's armed tranfport San Carlos on the 17th, with intent to join me to the fouthward; and on the 28th of the month they both joined me in this road captain Graves had parted company with Sir Richard Bickerton's fquadron foon after it left the Channel, had been at Rio Janeiro, where he met the Medea frigate, and in the course of their paffage to India, they captured a large French fhip laden with naval ftores, in charge of which capt. Graves left the Medea, and proceeded on in, the Sceptre to join |