Eaft Indies, In the year 1755 he was appointed Rear-admiral of the White, and in 1757 he failed from Madrafs with only three fhips of the line, and arrived at the port of Balafore in the kingdom of Bengal, where ftrengthening himself with all the troops he could draw together, he entered the Ganges, and after a fhort refiftance made himself master of the fort of Buf budgia, which opened a paffage to the foot of Calcutta, the late prin cipal fettlement of the company in Bengal, and the fcene of the deplorable fufferings of fo many of our unfortunate countrymen. Animated with revenge at the fight of the place, our fhips and land forces attacked it with fuch fpirit, that the Indians furrendered before night; and a few days after, Hughly, fituated higher up the Ganges, was reduced with as little difficulty. Admiral Pococke and Col. Clive, after fettling the Company's officers in the poffeffion of their establishments, attacked Chandenagore, a place of confiderable ftrength, and the principal fettlement of the French in, that part of India, of which place they made themselves mafters in less than three hours. The English commanders having broken the power of the French by the taking of Chandenagore. refolved to attack Surajah Doula, the Nabob, who had the year before taken Calcutta, and till continued to distress the English. The Nabob having treated his own fubjects with the fame perfidy which he had formerly fhewn, most of his generals were difcontented, and fome of them entered into a confpiracy against him; at the head of which was Jaffer Ali Cawn, one of his principal officers, who communicated their defigns to the English government at Calcutta, defiring afftance. They concluded a treaty with Jaffier All Cawn, and the other confpi rators; in confequence of which the English troops took the field under Colonel Clive, while Admiral Pococke undertook to garri. fon the fort of Chandenagore with his feainen, and fent a 20 gun fhip above Hughly, in order to preferve a communication between him and Colonel Clive, who immediately brought the Nabob's army, of about 20,000 men to an action, which was decifive in favour of the English. The English commanders placed Jaffier Ali Cawn on the antient seat of the nabobs; and foon after the depofed nabob was made prisoner, and put to death, Thus this great revolution was accomplished within about thirteen days by the bravery of Admiral Pococke and Colonel Clive, and the government of a vaft kingdom was transferred to an ufurper; a kingdom which yielded in its dimensions to few in Europe, and to none in the fertility of its foil, the number of its inhabitants, and the richness of its commerce, By this revolution the territories of the English Eaft-India Company were enlarged, and upwards of two millions fterling were to be paid them as an indemnification to the fufferers, by the taking of Calcutta. The new elevated Nabob gave alfo about fix hundred thou fand pounds fterling, as a gratuity to the feamen and troops. In the year 1758 our gallant, Admiral attacked the French fleet in the East-Indies, and obtained a complete victory. In this action the enemy's lofs amounted to above 600 men killed, and many more wounded; while the lofs on our part was only 29 killed, and eightynine wounded. This action was about feven leagues W. by N. of Alemparve. The Admiral ob ferved, that commodore Stephens, the captains Latham and Somerset who were in the van, and also Captain (afterwards admiral) Kem penfelt, 156 Memoirs of Sir George Pococke. penfelt, the Commodore's captain, behaved as became gallant officers; and that Captain Harrifon's behaviour, as well as that of all the officers and men belonging to the Yarmouth, gave him fenfible fatisfac tion and that had the captains in the rear done their duty as well, he fhould have commanded them with great pleasure : but their manner of acting in the engagement appeared fo faulty, that on his return to Madrafs he ordered a courtmartial to affemble, and enquire into their conduct. In confequence of this, Captain Nicholas Vincent was fentenced to be difmiffed from the command of the Weymouth; Captain George Legge of the Newcastle, to be cafhiered from his Majefty's fervice; and Captain William Brereton of the Cumberland, to lofe one year's rank as a poft captain. . On the ninth of September, 1759, Vice-admiral Pococke deferied the French fleet, and at fix o'clock the following morning a fpirited engagement commenced, which was continued till four in the afternoon, when the rear of the French gave way; and this example was foon followed by the van. The English having sustained very confiderable damage in their mafts and rigging, were not in a condition to purfue. Captain Mitchie, who commanded the Newcaftle, Captain Gore of the marines, five inferior officers, and upwards of three hundred foremaft men were flain; though the lofs of the enemy amounted to three times that number. On the fourth of January, 1762, war being declared against Spain, the British miniftry fent a fleet against the Havannah, the center of the Spanish commerce, and at this time fo ftrongly defended, that the taking of it was reckoned an impoffibility. Nineteen fhips of the line, with many fmaller veffels, were fitted out, under the com mand of Admiral Pococke, and about 10,000 land forces, commanded by the Earl of Albemarle ; but when they arrived there, they found they had more difficulties to encounter than they had as yet imagined. The paffage to the har bour is extremely narrow, and above half a mile in length, at the end of which is a large bafon, where a thoufand fhips may ride in fafety. On one fide of the narrow paffage is the Moro Castle, a' ftrong fort built for the defence of the place, and to prevent any fhips from coming in but fuch as have pafiports. To the weftward of the harbour ftands the town, strongly fortified with a parapet, redoubts and bastions; the whole being furrounded by a ditch, and cannon placed in proper divifions. Notwithstanding all thefe difficulties," our brave Admiral foon obliged the Spaniards to capitulate. The conquerors found in the place great quantities of artillery, Imall arms, ammunition, and warlike ftores. Twelve fhips of the line, two upon the stocks, and feveral trading veffels likewise fell into the hands of the English. But befides thefe captures they acquired to the amount of about three millions fterling in filver, tobacco and valuable merchandize, collected on his catholic Majefty's account; which at once rendered the enemy's lofs irreparable, and indemnified the British nation for the expence of this expedition, which was carried into execution with the utmost alacrity, and afforded many inftances of true courage and capacity. On the 24th of September, 1760, the thanks of the Eaft-India Company were presented to Admiral Pococke for the great and glorious fervice done the Company in the Eaft-Indies. He died in July, 1766, POETRY, POETRY. On MARRIAGE, Infcribed to a Friend. Domestic happiness! thou only blifs HAIL COWPER. WAIL wedded love! myfterious union hail! Thou sweetest folace of life's tiresome vale; In Paradife thou hadst thy facred birth, Sole tafte of heav'nly fympathy on earth. Britannia wish'd fair Venus to bestow One Pattern of connubial bliss below. The gentle goddess of the nuptial bow'r Rejoin'd-Few mortals leave it in my pow'r, "But as your favourite ifle is my delight, "In filken bands I'll ** with ** unite; "The first is known by all the fair defire, "The last by ev'ry charm the men admire." 1 Of fweet participation unpoffefs'd; The first of men found Paradife unblefs'd; Found folitary blifs quite incomplete Till female charms had bleft the happy seat; Whate'er men with to fmooth the path of life, Is all included in a virtuous Wife! Earth yields no blifs without a kindred mind, ?Tis not a world, but chaos of mankind; Hence Woman can thro' life each ill be guile, And make the chequer'd world still wear a pleafing fmile. O happy ftate! When fouls each other draw, When love is liberty and nature law, All then is full, poffeffing, and poffefs'd, No craving void left aching in the breaft: Ev'n thought meets thought, ere from the lips it part, And each warm with fprings mutual from the heart: This fure is blifs (if blifs on earth there be) This is the quinteffence of harmony, Vouchfafe ye virtuous pair, by heav'n made one, (Chafte union form'd by virtuous love alone) To fpare one fleeting moment to attend care, Your's is the promis'd blifs-your conftancy Infures your conjugal felicity! You will the gifts of bounteous heav'n employ In fpreading round a large diffufive joy: In thefe four things preferve an union ftill, One bed-one purfe-one table and one will. Let both in each, a meet companion find, Return much comfort for paternal care, The mother's graces in the girls abound, The father's virtues in the boys be found: Thus down life's vale, while hand in hand you go, Still may your fouls in closer union grow; Till ripe for heav'n, and longing for the fkies, From love on earth, to feraphs blifs you rife. Lancaster. FR W. HADWEN. To HOPE. RIEND of the wretch whose bofom bleeds, When tort'ring thought to thought fucceeds, Oh, hither come and fmile on me, The helpless Child of Mifery. To me how (weet life's early dawn, And oh how sweet youth's rofy hours I gaily sported on the lawn, And rov'd amid my native bow'rs; But manhood chang'd the fcene of gleey And brought me Woe and Mifery. E'er then to wan Despair a prey, E'er Sorrow's bitter cup runs o'er, If flow reluctance guides thine eye, 1 |