repulsed by sallies from the castle. *

* The battery which they had raised was attacked at noon,
taken, and destroyed by captain Blomer, of the sixty-first
regiment.

In the midst of these hostilities, the gallant Debrisay, together with
major Trollop, one lieutenant, two bombardiers, and several common
soldiers, were blown up, and perished, by the explosion of a powder
magazine at the flanked angle of the south-east bastion. The confusion
necessarily produced by such an unfortunate accident, encouraged the
enemy to come pouring down from the hills, in order to make their
advantage of the disaster; but they were soon repulsed by the fire
of the garrison. The general, being made acquainted with the fate
of colonel Debrisay, conferred the government of the fort upon major
Melville, and sent thither the chief engineer to repair and improve the
fortifications.

ENGLISH FLEET SAILS TO DOMINIQUE.

In the meantime, commodore Moore having received certain intelligence
that monsieur de Bompart had arrived at Martinique, with a squadron
consisting of eight sail of the line and three frigates, having on board
a whole battalion of Swiss, and some other troops, to reinforce
the garrisons of the island, he called in his cruisers, and sailed
immediately to the bay of Dominique, an island to windward, at the
distance of nine leagues from Guadaloupe, whence he could always sail
to oppose any design which the French commander might form against the
operations of the British armaments. For what reason Mr. Moore did not
sail immediately to the bay of Port-Royal in Martinique, where he knew
the French squadron lay at anchor, we shall not pretend to determine.
Had he taken that step, M. Bompart must either have given him battle, or
retired into the Carenage, behind the citadel; in which last case,
the English commander might have anchored between Pigeon-Island
and Fort-Negro, and thus blocked him up effectually. By retiring to
Dominique, he left the sea open to French privateers, who rowed along
the coasts of these islands, and in a very little time carried into
Martinique above fourscore merchant-ships, belonging to the subjects of
Great Britain. These continual depredations, committed under the nose
of the English commodore, irritated the planters of the English islands,
some of whom are said to have circulated unfavourable reports of that
gentleman's character. [505] _[See note 3 X, at the end of this Vol.]_