The island of Minorca, after a siege of 171 days, sur rendered to the power of Spain. Its emaciated garrison, scarcely able to pile their arms at surrendering, gave up rather to famine and sickness, than to the bravery of their captors, who were commanded by the duke de Crillon, and amounted to 16,000 men.
The defence of Gibraltar was one of the few brilliant events of this disastrous war. A sortie of the garrison, during the former year, had destroyed the principal works of the besiegers ; but the arrival of the conqueror of Minorca, with 20,000 French and Spanish troops, the presence of a powerful fleet, and the invention of float ing batteries, which were deemed impregnable, gave new hopes to the besiegers. On the 13th of September, the combined fleets having anchored the preceding day between Orange-grove and Algesiras hay, moored about 1000 yards from the walls of the garrison, and opened a fire from 400 pieces of artillery. The garrison direct ing their fire chiefly on their battering ships, beheld, for some time with uneasiness, their heaviest shells re bounding from the roofs of those bulwarks, while the largest cannon balls made no visible impression on their hulls. Governor Elliot, however, was still confident in the effects of the heated balls, which had been ascer tained in former experiments, and encouraged his men to redouble their efforts. Symptoms of confusion and combustion were at last discovered on board the Spanish admiral's chief battering ship. Towards evening a general disorder was visible in their line ; their fire slackened, and almost ceased before night. During the night, their signals and cries of distress, and the arrival of a floating wreck, with only twelve survivors, gave sufficient proof of what the red hot balls had pro duced. An hour after midnight, the Spanish admiral's ship was in one blaze. Others succeeded to rise in con flagration, till in the progress of the succeeding morn ing the chief business of the British, besides complet ing the destruction of the gun-boats, was to save num bers of the crews of the hostile vessels from the sea, or from destruction by fire. The enemy lost 2000. The garrison had not an hundred killed. The sole hopes of the enemy now rested on their fleet, which was still su perior to that of lord Howe : yet that gallant admiral sailed boldly into the place, and returned, after a partial encounter with the enemy's ships,—having performed, in relieving the garrison before so superior a force, an act which astonished all Europe.
The happy prospects which the nation enjoyed in a skilful and popular cabinet, were unfortunately clouded within a year, by the death of the marquis of Rocking ham. Of the Whig parties, who were more than ever divided by this event, that of the earl of Shelburne was the most agreeable to the crown, and that nobleman was appointed to succeed the marquis as first lord of the treasury ; Mr Fox, lord John Cavendish, and Mr Burke, declaring that they could not act with a cabinet in which the principles of the old system were to be revived, im mediately resigned. Mr Pitt was appointed chancellor of the exchequer, and other vacancies were filled up by the friends of the earl of Shelburne.
The treaty, which had been begun by the former ad ministration, was brought to a conclusion by the present. On the 30th of November 1782, provisional articles of pacification with America were signed at Paris ; and on the 20th of January 1783, they were signed with France and Spain. The thirteen United Provinces were de clared free and independent states, and by a boundary very favourable to America, the whole country south ward of the lakes on both sides of the Ohio, and east ward of the Mississippi, was ceded to the colonies, with a full participation of the fisheries on the banks of New foundland and the Gulf of St Lawrence. In return for this concession, the Congress engaged to recommend to the several states to provide for the restitution of the confiscated estates of the royalists, a recommendation which proved, as might have been foreseen, entirely nugatory. By the treaty with France, Great Britain guaranteed to that power the island of Tobago, and re stored St Lucia ; also the settlements of Goree and Senegal, in Africa ; and the city of Pondicherry, with our conquests in the East, and some additional territory. Our claims respecting Dunkirk were expressly relin quished. France, on her part, agreed to restore all her valuable and important conquests in the \Vest Indies, Tobago only excepted. His Catholic majesty was al lowed to retain Minorca and West Florida, East Florida being also ceded in exchange for the Bahamas. The preliminaries with Holland were subscribed much later in the year. By these the states general yielded and guaranteed to his Britannic majesty the town of Nega patam in the East Indies, with its dependencies ; the restitution of it being, however, left open to be treated for on the offer of a just equivalent.