Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/97

Rh Upon his arrival in town, he was examined by the proper persons in the administration, and rewarded with a present supply; and by his own desire was immediately sent to Portsmouth, to go out on board Admiral Boscawen's own ship, upon the present expedition to North America, where he is to have the command of a sloop of war."

Admiral Boscawen, with the fleet under his command, sailed from St. Helen's for North America. The Invincible, one of his fleet, of 74 guns, Captain Bentley, missed her stays, and run upon a flat on the east of St. Helen's. Her men, guns, stores, &c. were taken out, but that fine ship was quite lost.

One of the ships lately arrived from the east country, shipped such a quantity of water, and in the late cold weather it froze to that degree, that the captain computed he had above forty tons of ice on board. Four of his men perished by the cold. They were obliged to cut their way through the ice into the hold of the ship.

There was as great a market for fat cattle at Seven-oaks in Kent, as was ever known, notwithstanding which they sold at a high price from 14 to 20l. a head.—By an authentic list it appears, that there passed through Islington turn-pike for Smithfield market, from Jan. 1754, to Jan. 1, 1755, oxen 28,952, sheep 267,565; and from Jan. 1, 1757, to Jan. 1, 1758, oxen 30,952, sheep 200,180. By which it appears, that there is a decrease of more than 67,000 sheep in this last year, and an increase only of about 2,000 oxen, which is by no means a just proportion; so that on this principle the increase of the price of meat may be accounted for.

Extract of a letter from Rear-Admiral Cotes to Mr. Clevland, dated on board his majesty's ship the Marlborough, November 9, 1757, in Port-Royal Harbour.

"The 25th of last month, Captain Forrest, in his majesty's ship the Augusta, with the Dreadnought and Edinburgh under his command, returned from the cruize off Cape François. Captain Forrest gives me the following account of an action that happened the 21st, between the ships under his command, and seven French ships of war.

"At seven in the morning, the Dreadnought made the signal for seeing the enemy's fleet coming out the Cape François; we made sail to discover them plain; and at half past eight made seven sail of large ships, a schooner, and a pilot boat. I then made the signal for the line a-head, and shortened sail, to let the enemy come up, and to preserve the weather-gage. At noon saw with great certainty they were four ships of the line, and three large frigates. I then made the signal for the Captains Suckling and Langdon, who agreed with me to engage them: accordingly we bore down, and about twenty minutes after three, the action began with great briskness on both sides, and continued for two hours and an half, when the French commodore made a signal, and one of the frigates immediately came to tow him out of the line, and the rest of the French ships followed him. Our ships had suffered so much in their masts, sails, and rigging, that we were in no condition to pursue them. Both officers and seamen behaved with the greatest resolution the whole time of the action, and were unhappy at the conclusion of it, that the ships were not in a con-