the French fleet off Martinique, on a confusion of signals, which prevented the rear of our fleet coming to action; Lord Robert broke the line of battle, bore his ship into the centre of the enemy, and so narrowly escaped in this dangerous attempt, that a part of his hat was struck off by a grape shot. In one of the three engagements off St. Kitt's (in all which he was eminently distinguished), he, together with Captain Cornwallis, supported the commander of his division, Commodore Affleck, with such unshaken fortitude and perseverance, that those three ships beat off the whole French fleet, and protected the rest of their own: - a circumstance which Lord Hood mentions, in his letter to the Admiralty, with high terms of eulogium. His last action was that memorable one on the 12th of April, when the Resolution engaged very desperately nine or ten of the enemy, in breaking through their line, which she did, the third ship to the admiral. It was in this attempt that Lord Robert had both his legs shattered, and his right arm broken at the same instant, the former by a cannon shot, and the latter by a splinter : his mind, however, remained unsubdued; for neither at that, nor at any future period, neither when he was under the most painful operations, nor when he became sensible of his approaching fate, did he betray one symptom of fear or regret : "Non laudis Amor nec Gloriæ cessit It was with great reluctance he suffered himself to be carried to the surgeon's apartment, and he objected to the amputation of his leg, because he had conceived it would prevent his continuance on board his ship; but being assured to the contrary, his objections ceased, and he permitted the surgeon to proceed. At this time all his thoughts and enquiries were directed to the event of the day';' which being soon after announced to him, every consideration of his own misfortune was suspended, and he both felt and expressed the greatest joy and exultation in a victory so important to his country, and so fatal to himself. Being persuaded to return to England, he was removed on board the Andromache frigate; but before he quitted the Resolution, he ordered every man whose good conduct had been remarkable during his command, to come into his cabin, where he thanked him for his attention to his duty, and gave each a present of money, as a token of his particular regard. On his leaving his ship, he asked whether the colours of those which had struck to the Resolution, during his command, were in his baggage; but suddenly recollecting himself, and being conscious that his motives for the question might be imputed to vanity and ostentation, he begged leave to retract it, hoping that an idea so weak, would be buried in oblivion. It was natural for a young hero to make such an enquiry, and his reflection on having made it, would have done honour to the oldest. Lord Robert's behaviour, during the short remainder of his life, was singularly great: his conversation was cheerful, and his mind serene; his fortitude never forsook him; he betrayed no signs of impatience, nor suffered his resignation to be broken by ineffectual wishes, or melancholy regret : these he left to his survivors, who deeply feel them; he had given himself to the service of his country, and forbore to indulge any fruitless expectations of living, when the purposes of life were completed, and the measure of his glory filled up. His attention to the lives of his seamen had made him previously acquainted with the nature of his own case, and the fatal symptoms that so frequently follow: before these appeared, he was busied in planning future regulations and improvements on board his ship; and afterwards, he himself first acquainted his surgeon with their appearance, He prepared for his approaching fate with the utmost calmness and composure of mind; and having settled his worldly affairs with his accustomed regularity and despatch, he ended a life of glory with resignation and prayer. So fell this brave young nobleman, on the 24th day of April, 1782; having, at the age of twenty-four years, served his country in eleven general actions: "Ostendent terris hunc tantum Fata, neque ultra VIRGIL His eulogium was loudly uttered in the grief and lamentation of the whole navy: victory appeared too dearly bought, while they considered the price which was paid for it; and, indeed, such was the attention of this nobleman to the welfare of his seamen, as well as to the order and regularity of the fleet; such was his skill to find out, and resolution to reform abuses, that the loss of such a commander may be regretted, when the victory in which he fell shall cease to be mentioned. The person of Lord Robert Manners was worthy of such a mind: he was tall and graceful, strong and active; his features were regular, and his countenance beautiful, without effeminacy; his eyes were large, dark, and most expressive; his complexion inclined to brown, with much colour, which remained unimpaired by the West India climate; indeed, his whole appearance commanded love and respect, and was a strong indication of superior merit. Lord Robert possessed, in an eminent degree, the happy art of gaining the affections of his men, while he preserved the strictest discipline among them: nor is this his greatest praise; for, while he was admired by the officers of every rank, for his affability and engaging deportment, he was trusted by the highest in command, and consulted by many, who judged his great skill and attention, in the line of his profession, more than balanced their longer experience. The bravery of Lord Robert was accompanied by a disposition tender and merciful: his obligations to use severity were punishments to himself; and he was always unhappy in feeling the necessity of bestowing correction; yet his lenity was always judicious, and seldom ineffectual: he had once the opportunity of pronouncing pardon on thirteen offenders (who were a part of sixty-four condemned in several ships for mutiny); on which occasion his feelings overcame his power of utterance: he began with representing to them (who were ignorant of the intended grace) the nature of their crime, and the punishment due to it; but when he came to speak of the offered mercy, he partook of their sensations, and could only deliver it by bursting into tears. It is but just to remark, that these men were truly sensible of the worth of such a commander, and were afterwards conspicuous for their good behaviour among the best seamen of the navy. Lord Robert, however he possessed the virtue, was without the weakness of a tender disposition: he was grave, prudent, and reserved, never speaking his opinion but upon sure grounds, and then at proper times, in the company of his select friends, or when truth and justice called upon him to rescue an action or a character from suspicion or reproach; yet his reserve was not of that kind which damped his love for society; he was of a convivial turn, generous, condescending, and benevolent; emulating the humanity, as well as bravery, of his father and his father's house. His chief study was that of his profession, in which he read and perfectly understood the most approved authors, not neglecting other kinds of reading, in some of which he was peculiarly and wonderfully versed; some, indeed, which might be thought foreign to his pursuits, if any can be so thought, to the vigorous and comprehensive mind which he possessed: in short, he seemed to be deficient in no qualification which might render him the best private friend, and one of the greatest and ablest officers this or any other country has produced. To crown all his virtues, he had that of unaffected diffidence; being perfectly modest in his opinion of himself, and an enemy to all ostentation : he never listened to his own praise, but either forbad any to speak of the honour he so well deserved, or withdrew from the applause which he could not suppress. This disposition continued to the last, when he conversed with the same unaffected ease; and, wishing to write to a friend, he made use of his left hand, and gave him an account of his situation, in terms brief, easy, and affecting, because most unaffected, discovering the greatest magnanimity of soul, by not taking any pains to have it discovered by others. Nor is this eulogium to be considered as proceeding from any partial regard or prepossession: the testimony of public gratitude, which was voted in the House of Commons, is a sufficient proof of the national sense of his merit; but the many private relations of his virtues, could they be universally diffused, would place him in a still stronger point of view: these are given by men whose testimony is voluntary and disinterested, whose experience could not be deceived, and whose eminence in their profession must entitle them to every degree of credit and attention. Such is the character of Lord Robert Manners; and these anecdotes of him I have related from the best authority. Those who knew him, will, I am sure,think themselves indebted to me for the intention; and to those who did not, little apology will, I hope, be wanted, for making them acquainted with the worth of a brave and heroic young nobleman, who was an ornament to their country and died in its defence. THE NEWSPAPER. (') (1) [This poem was first published in a thin quarto, in March, 1785. The dedication to Lord Thurlow, the preface, and some of the author's footnotes, omitted in the collection of 1807, are now restored from the original edition; which has also supplied several various readings. The obligations under which Mr. Crabbe had been laid by Lord Thurlow, previous to, and after, the publication of "The Newspaper," are detailed in the preceding volume, pp. 101. 123, &c. That the poet did not stoop to unworthy flattery, in the expressions he uses respecting the literary attainments of the Chancellor, is sufficiently proved by the high testimony of Bishop Horsley, in his Essay on the Prosody of the Greek and Latin Languages, and by the uniform warmth of the poet Cowper, when alluding to the splendid career of the great man who had been, in early life, his fellow pupil in a Solicitor's chambers. See, in particular, the stanzas "Round Thurlow's head, in early youth, And in his sportive days, Fair Science pour'd the light of Truth, |