itude, to make their own way to Gibraltar,
and accordingly they ordered Admiral Don Juan de Langara to proceed,
with eleven men of war and two frigates, to intercept the supply.
Rodney, however, accompanied the transports, and on the 16th of January
he encountered the Spanish admiral near Cape St. Vincent. The Don, when
he discovered the superior force of the English, endeavoured to make his
escape, but Rodney got between him and the shore, and compelled him to
engage. The action commenced in the midst of a rough gale, at four in
the afternoon, and in the first hour of the engagement a Spanish ship
of the line blew up, and all on board perished. At six in the evening
another struck her colours, and by two the next morning the Phoenix of
eighty guns, the Spanish admiral's own ship, and three of seventy guns
each were taken and secured. Two more, of seventy guns each, struck
their colours, but were driven on shore by the violence of the tempest
and lost. The rest of the squadron escaped in a shattered condition to
Cadiz. Rodney now proceeded triumphantly to the relief of Gibraltar, and
after lying there for some weeks, he proceeded with a part of his fleet
to the West Indies, while the remainder, under the command of Admiral
Digby, returned to the Channel. On his way home, Digby captured a French
ship of the line, and two or three vessels laden with military stores.
These successes raised the spirit of the nation, and the name of Rodney
especially filled every breast with hope and confidence. The very
ministers began to look upon him as the main stay of their power; well
knowing that his success would silence the clamours which had so long
been raised against them on the ground of incompetency.

{GEORGE III. 1780-1781}

ARMED NEUTRALITY.

The high hopes entertained by the people of England were soon doomed
to be modified by the prospect of new enemies, some of whom were more
powerful than those already arrayed against their country. At this
time a strong combination was formed against England by several powers
constituting what is called in history "The Armed Neutrality." The
Spanish cabinet claimed the merit of this system; but it would rather
appear to have originated with the court of Petersburg, which had been
regarded by the ministers as their best ally in this momentous crisis.
In consequence of the large shipments of ammunition, and other materials
of war, made to the colonies of America by neutral states,