management of the artillery during the whole fiege. A thoufand Indians were to be employed in the operation.

The fecond body, confifting of Indians, and of a strong detachment from the Spanish garrifon, were to attack a church, which lay near the fea, covered a flank of the army, and had been of great confequence for protecting the befiegers in their approaches, both against the enemy's fire and the inundation. An attack had been made, as we have before related, upon this post, and they thought it of importance enough to juftify a fecond. These defigns were not ill conceived, and they were executed with fufficient resolution.

About three hours before day on the fourth of October, the Indians marched out upon the first attack. They were much encouraged by the inceffant fall of rain, which they flattered themfelves would have rendered our fire arms useless. As forthemselves, they had nothing to apprehend, habituated as they were to the accidents of that cli mate, and armed only with bows and lances. Their approach was favoured by a great number of thick bushes, that grew upon the fide of a rivulet, which they paffed in the night. By keeping clofe to them, they eluded the vigilance of the patroles, and fell unexpectedly, and with infinite violence, upon the quarters of the feamen. Although furprised and affaulted in the night, when they could difcern nothing of the enemy, but the fury of his attack, they maintained their ground with steadiness, and repelled the enemy. Prudently fatisfied with this advantage, and not rifqueing it by an attempt to improve

it, they remained firmly in their poft until day-break, when a picquet of the 79th regiment came to their relief, and falling upon the right flank of the Indians, thefe barbarians fled, were purfued, and routed, with the lofs of three hundred men.

It is fomewhat remarkable, that the Afiatic Indians of the peninfula of Malacca, and, in general, of all their islands, fhould differ fo extremely from the Chinese, and every other nation of the eastern continent. The former are as diftinguished for their fierce valour, and for a fingular contempt of death, as the latter have always been for their cowardice, and the foftnefs and effeminacy of their manners. In our wars on the Indian continent, the European troops were almost the only object of attention. In our attack upon the Philippines, the natives were, at leaft, to be equally dreaded. In this fally, had their difcipline or arms been at all equal to their ftrength and ferocity, the iffue of the event had been very doubtful. Even armed as they were, they boldly rushed on the very muzzles of our pieces; on every repulfe they repeated their affaults with re doubled fury; and died at length, like wild beafts, gnawing the bayonets of their enemies.

The fecond attack, which began just as they had been defeated in the former, appeared at first, in a manner, more favourable to the hopes of the Spaniards. The body of feapoys, which defended the church, which was the object of this attack, not being endowed with the refolution, which diftinguithes our English feamen, were eafily diflodged, and driven from

their poft. The enemy, as foon as they had feized the church, immediately climbed to the top, and from thence poured down a ftorm of fire on our people who were pofted behind it, and who now lay entirely expofed to their fhot. In this disadvantageous pofition, the European foldiers maintained themfelves with refolution and patience, until a detachment with ten field pieces came to their relief. The Spaniards were at length driven off with the lofs of 70 men: nor were we freed from this refolute attack without lofs on our fide, a brave officer having fallen, and forty men being killed or wounded in the

encounter.

This was the enemy's laft effort, They were now confined to the walls. Difcouraged by their frequent and bloody repulfes, the greatest part of the Indians returned home. The fire of the batteries, which had been a little interrupted by these attacks, recommenced with greater fpirit, and with a more decifive effect than ever; fo that the next day the enemy's cannon were all filenced, and the breach appeared practicable.

Any other people but the Spaniards of this garrifon, in thefe circumstances, would have immediately prepared a capitulation, when no law of honour, becaufe no profpect of fuccefs, required a further defence; at leaft, if they had defperately refolved on the laft extremity, they would have made fuch works, and pofted their men in fuch a manner, as to have made the first attempt to form as def perate on our fide, as this too late defence was on theirs. But their refolution was only a fullen obtinacy, uninfpired by a true military

spirit, as it was wholly uninformed by any true military skill.

Our commander, not finding any defire of capitulating in the enemy, prepared, without 6th of delay, and with the most O&. judicious arrangements, for the ftorm. All our troops were gradually and privately affembled in proper pofts, fo as to give the enemy no alarm or notice of the defign; whilft the batteries kept a continual fire, in order to clear every part of the works, from whence we might apprehend any moleftation. This fire had fo good an effect, that a body of Spaniards who had begun to affemble on the baftion, which was the object of the attack, were dispersed by the explofion of fome shells.

The English took immediate advantage of this event. By the fignal of a general discharge of their artillery and mortars, and under the cover of a thick smoke, which blew directly upon the town, they rushed on to the affault. Sixty volunteers of different corps led the way, fupported by the grenadiers of the 79th regiment. body of pioneers to clear the breach, and, if neceffary, to make lodgments, followed; a battalion of feamen advanced next, fupported by two grand divifions of the 79th regiment; the troops of the Eaft India company clofed the rear.

A

Difpofed in this excellent order; led by officers in whom they had the utmoft confidence, and animated by the profpect of a speedy conclufion of their labours, they mounted the breach with amazing fpirit and rapidity. The Spaniards difperfed in a moment; the British troops advanced with little refilt

al.ce'

ance into the city, and compleated the conqueft. An hundred Spaniards and Indians pofted in a guard houfe refufed quarter, and were cut to pieces. Three hundred more, who endeavoured to escape over a deep and rapid river, were drowned in the attempt. The governor retired into the citadel; but as that place was not tenable, he foon furrendered at difcretion. Influenced by a generofity familiar to our commanders, and willing to preserve so noble a city from deftruction, general Draper and the admiral, though able to command every thing, admitted the inhabitants to a capitulation, by which they enjoyed their liberties, lives,

properties, and the adminiftration of their domeftic government. A ranfom of a million fterling pár

chafed these terms *. And thus Great Britain, after a fiege, fhort indeed in the duration, but confiderable for its difficulties and hardships, became poffeffed of this important place. They found here every refreshment fit to recruit the troops after their fatigues, and abundance of all ftores necef, fary to refit the fquadron. The furrender of Manila comprehended that not only of the whole country, of which it is the capital, but of all thofe numerous and valuable islands which are its dependencies.

ter her.

rapidity of a counter current, the

was drove among shallows, and her chace not only became uncertain, but the frigate herself was in the utmost danger of being loft. In this condition fhe was obliged to caft anchor. But by ftrenuous exertion and dexterous management fhe foon efcaped the danger, got under fail, overtook the galleon, and began a hot engagement with her, which continued for two hours. Fortune feemed again uncertain. The Argo was to unequally matched and fo roughly received by the Spaniard, that the was obliged to defift from the engagement, and to bring to, in order to repair the damage he had fuffered.

In this paufe of action the current flackened; the Panther came

under

under fail, with the galleon in fight, and about nine the next morning got up to her. It was not until he had battered her for two hours, within half musket fhot, that the ftruck.

The English were furprised to find fo obftinate a refiftance, with fo little activity of oppofition. In her firft engagement with the Argo, this galleon mounted only fix guns, though the was pierced for fixty. She had but thirteen in her engagement with the Panther; but the was a huge veffel, fhe lay like a mountain in the water, and the Spaniards trufted entirely to the exceffive thickness of her fides, not altogether without reafon; for the shot made no impreffion upon any part, except her upper works.

Another, and more difagreeable fubject of furprise, occurred upon the ftriking of the enemy. They then discovered that this veffel was not the American galleon, but that from Manila bound to Acapulco. She had proceeded a confiderable way on her voyage, but meeting with a hard gale of wind in the great South Sea, fhe was difmafted, and obliged to put back to refit. Though the captors were difappointed in the treasure they expected, their capture, however, proved a prize of immenfe value, Her cargo was computed to be, in rich merchandize, worth more than half a million.

Through the whole of this victorious war, there was fcarcely any conqueft more advantageous in itfelf, nor more honourably atchieved, than that of the Philippines. The British forces effected their landing before Manila on the 24th of September, their battery of cannon

was not compleated until the 3 of October, and on the 6th they were mafters of the city. In this enterprize the number of troops employed was small, the feafon of operation rainy and tempestuous, the communication between the land and fea forces always difficult, frequently hazardous, and fometimes impracticable; and our little army furrounded and harraffed, and as it were befieged itfelf, by numerous bodies of Indians, who, though undifciplined and ill armed, yet, by a daring refolution and contempt of death, became not only troublesome, but formidable.

With regard to the value of the acquifition, a territory fell into our hands, confifting of fourteen confiderable iflands, which from their extent, fertility, and convenience of commerce, furnished the materials of a great kingdom. By this acquifition, joined to our former fucceffes, we fecured all the avenues of the Spanish trade, and interrupted all the communications between the parts of their vaft but unconnected empire. The conqueft of the Havannah had cut off, in a great measure, the intercourfe of their wealthy continental colonies with Europe. The reduction of the Philippines excluded them from Afia; and from both they were liable to be further and most effentially offended, if it had been our true interest to have continued longer a war, which the calamities of mankind loudly called upon us to put an end to. The plunder taken was far more than fufficient to indemnify the charges of the expedition; a circumftance not very

ufual in our modetn wars.

It

amounted

amounted to upwards of a million and a half; of which the East India company, on whom the charge of the enterprize in a great meafare lay, were, by contract, as we have already mentioned, to have a third part.

That nothing might be wanting to the brilliancy of this conqueft, the voyage home was attended with as favourable a fortune as the operations of the fiege. The exprefs left Manila on the 12th of November, and arrived in London the 4th of April following. One could not have allowed, in ordinary reckoning, fo little time for the mere voyage, as this long voyage and this great conqueft were both accomplished in. General Draper arrived as foon as his exprefs, and jointly with the admiral, was honoured with the thanks of his country.

The college in which this meritorious officer was bred, and of which at the time of this acquifition he was a member, had the fatisfaction of being graced with the trophies of his victory. The general defired, and the king confented, that the colours taken at Manila, fhould be hung up in their chapel. There could not be a finer object in fuch a place, before the eyes of the rifing generation. They might learn from thence how letters and arms may be com

bined; and that there is no department of life to which the cultivation of the mind by ftudy is foreign; that, in moft cafes, it contributes to the effect, and in all, to the luftre of the fervices which we render our country.

This was the laft of our conquefts; and the nation, already in full enjoyment of the fweets of peace, had ftill the fatisfaction to receive from the remoteft parts of the globe, the news of victories, which augment her honour and her riches. There never had been a period more fortunate to Great Britain. She had conquered in the course of this war a tract of continent of immenfe extent. Her American territory approached to the borders of Afia; it came very near the frontiers of the Ruffian and Chinefe dominions; and it may one day become as powerfuk as either of thefe empires. She had conquered twenty-five iflands, all of them diftinguishable for their magnitude, their riches, or the importance of their fituation. She had won by fea and land, in the course of this war, twelve battles; she had reduced nine fortified cities and towns, and near forty forts and caftles; she had deftroyed or taken above an hundred fhips of war from her ene→ mies; and acquired at least ten millions in plunder.

of lefs moment, failed of fuc

war. This failure was attended