d recommence the siege
of Genoa. But these intended operations were prevented by an armistice,
which took place as soon as the belligerent powers had acceded to the
preliminaries.

TRANSACTIONS IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.

In the East Indies, rear-admiral Boscawen undertook the siege of
Pondicherry, which in the month of August he blocked up by sea with
his squadron, and invested by land with a small army of four thousand
Europeans, and about two thousand natives of that country. He prosecuted
the enterprise with great spirit, and took the fort of Area Coupan, at
the distance of three miles from the town; then he made his approaches
to the place, against which he opened batteries, while it was bombarded
and cannonaded by the shipping. But the fortifications were so strong,
the garrison so numerous, and the engineers of the enemy so expert
in their profession, that he made very little progress, and sustained
considerable damage. At length, his army being diminished by sickness,
and the rainy season approaching, he ordered the artillery and stores
to be re-embarked; and raising the siege on the sixth day of October,
returned to fort St. David, after having lost about a thousand men in
this expedition. In the sequel, several ships of his squadron, and above
twelve hundred sailors, perished in a hurricane. The naval force of
Great Britain was more successful in the West Indies. Bear-admiral
Knowles, with a squadron of eight ships, attacked fort Louis, on the
South side of Hispaniola, which after a warm action of three hours was
surrendered on capitulation, and dismantled. Then he made an abortive
attempt upon St. Jago de Cuba, and returned to Jamaica, extremely
chagrined at his disappointment, which he imputed to the misconduct
of captain Dent, who was tried in England by a court-martial, and
honourably acquitted. On the first of October, the same admiral,
cruising in the neighbourhood of the Havannah with eight ships of the
line, encountered a Spanish squadron of nearly the same strength, under
the command of the admirals Beggio and Spinola. The engagement began
between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, and continued with
intervals till eight in the evening, when the enemy retired to the
Havannah, with the loss of two ships; one of which struck to the
British admiral, and the other was two days after set on fire by her own
commander, that she might not fall into the hands of the English.
Mr. Knowles taxed so