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houses of parliament have been pleased to 'confer upon me, together with your Lordship's kind communication of his Majesty's most gracious intentions and great conde'scensions towards me, have impressed me ' with the most grateful sensations.

• Conscious of my inability to express my 'real sense of those honourable testimonies ' of royal and public approbation, I must 'throw myself upon your Lordship's good

ness to represent, in their true and genuine 'colours, those heartfelt impressions of gra'titude, which cannot fail to excite my most 'strenuous exertions in future in the service ' of my Sovereign and my country.

Your Lordship's friendship, which I shall 'be ever proud to acknowledge, and happy 'to cultivate, has encouraged me to request

the favour of your Lordship to present my 'most humble duty to his Majesty, and to 'assure him that his abundant goodness has 'left me without a choice, and that I am

ready most gratefully to receive, in any way 'most agreeable to his own benevolent wishes, 6 that reward which he has so liberally ten

'dered me, and which indeed is so superior

'to my poor

deserts.

Should the mode of granting me a pen

sion appear more eligible to his great wisdom, or leave him more at liberty to gratify the services of any other more deserving of his servants, by the LieutenantGeneralship of Marines, I shall be happy to acquiesce in this, or any other measure which may receive his most gracious and royal approbation.'

'TO THE RIGHT HON. SIR FLETCHER NORTON,

Speaker of the House of Commons.

Sandwich, St. Lucie, July 16th, 1780.

It is with the deepest impression of grati'tude and respect that I am now to acknowledge your very kind and obliging com'munication; and that transcendent honour ' which

SO august an assembly as the 'Commons of Great Britain, in Parliament 'assembled, have been pleased to confer upon me, by their unanimous vote of thanks.

When I reflect upon the insignificancy of

my poor services, compared with the magnitude of that reward by which they have 'been so immediately distinguished, I am at ' a loss how to express that just and proper sense which I entertain of the same.

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Upon your kindness, Sir, I must wholly rely, to make that true report of my most ' grateful acknowledgments of this great ob'ligation, by which the House of Commons have bound me, under the strongest ties of gratitude, to persevere in an unremitting exertion of my utmost endeavours to promote 'the honour and aggrandisement of the • British flag.

I cannot conclude, without requesting

that you will be pleased to accept my best

and warmest thanks for your truly friendly

and obliging manner of conveying to me the 'sentiments and resolution of the House of • Commons.

'I have the honour to be,

"With the highest respect and regard,

' &c. &c. &c.'

I have received your letter of yesterday, 'acquainting me, that you are credibly informed, that in my public letter to the Admiralty, relative to the action with the 'French fleet, on the 17th of April last, your ' name was mentioned.

It certainly was; and that you mistook, and did not properly obey my signal for ' attacking the enemy, agreeable to the 21st 'article of the additional fighting instructions, by not bearing down instantly to the enemy's ship, then opposed to you, but led to the van ship, notwithstanding you had answered 'my signals, signifying that it was my intention to attack the enemy's rear, which 'signal I had never altered; and, of course, 'it behoved every officer to have paid the ' utmost attention to it.

'Your leading in the manner you did, in'duced others to follow so bad an example;

and thereby forgetting that the signal for 'the line was only at two cables' length dis

tance from each other, the van division was 'led by you to more than two leagues distance from the centre division, which was thereby exposed to the greatest strength of 'the enemy, and not properly supported.

'Could I have imagined your conduct and 'inattention to signals had proceeded from any thing but error in judgment, I had cer'tainly superseded you, but God forbid I 'should do so for error in judgment only. I only resolved, Sir, not to put it in your

power to mistake again upon so important 'an occasion as the leading a British fleet 'to regular battle.

You must now, Sir, give me leave fairly 'to tell you, however painful the task, that

during the time you have been under my 'command, you have given me more reason ' to find fault with your conduct as an officer, than any other in the fleet, (Captain Bate'man excepted,) by your inattention to signals, and, Sir, by negligently performing your duty, and not exerting yourself as it