Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

stood across to the bay of Naples; where the Stand- 1808. ard's intelligence at length reached lord Collingwood: March. who thereupon stood back to the southward; but, instead of proceeding through the straits of Messina, his lordship sailed round the west end of Sicily.

vain

aume

On the 21st lord Collingwood arrived off the His harbour of Syracuse, and such of the ships as were pursuit in want of water went in and obtained it. On the of M. next day, the 22d, the british fleet sailed towards the Ganteentrance of the Adriatic; and on the 23d having detached rear-admiral Martin with three sail of the line to Palermo, lord Collingwood was a few miles to the northward of Cape Spartivento, with 12, expecting every moment to meet vice-admiral Ganteaume on his way from Corfu and Taranto.* On the 28th, by which time the british fleet had got within a few miles of Cape Rezzuto, information was received, that the french fleet, eight or nine days before, had quitted the Adriatic for the Mediterranean. The british ships immediately turned their heads to the westward, and on the 10th of April were abreast of the southern extremity of Sardinia. Between this island and Sicily lord Collingwood cruised until the 28th; when the 32-gun frigate Proserpine, captain Charles Otter, joined with intelligence, that M. Ganteaume was at anchor with his fleet in the road of Toulon. The british fleet then steered for that port, and on the 3d of May arrived off Cape Sicie.

ordina

fleets

It was certainly a very extraordinary circumstance, Extrathat these fleets should have so missed each other. On the 16th of March, when M. Ganteaume sailed the two from Corfu, lord Collingwood was about a degree should to the northward of the island of Pantalaria. From have these points the two fleets continued to approach each each other, until the british fleet, directing its other. course for Syracuse, entered the bight formed by the capes Passaro and Spartivento, while the french

As appears by a general order respecting the mode of attack to be adopted, which lord Collingwood issued on that day; and for a copy of which, see Appendix, No. 5.

missed

1808. fleet stood over to the coast of Tripoli, and, passFeb. ing wide of the island of Malta, made Cape Bon. The time subsequently spent by M. Ganteaume, in cruising off Sicily and the eastern coast of Sardinia, might yet have been taken advantage of, had the british admiral steered straight for Toulon; but, six days after M. Ganteaume had anchored in that road, we find lord Collingwood putting back from the longitude of Minorca, to seek him on the coast of Sicily: nor was it until 17 days afterwards that the british fleet arrived off Cape Sicie.

[ocr errors]

Leaving vice-admiral Thornborough with a sufficient force to blockade Toulon, lord Collingwood sailed for Gibraltar and Cadiz, to contribute his aid to the cause of the spanish patriots. It does not appear that M. Ganteaume, during the remainder of the year, did more than make a few demonstrations of sailing out, and yet the french naval force in the Mediterranean was rapidly augmenting. A threedecker, the Austerlitz, and an 80, the Donawerth, Toulon were launched at Toulon in the summer; as in the course of the autumn, was the Breslaw 74 at Genoa, and one or two other 74s either in that port or in Spezzia.

Increase of

fleet.

dron

off

The

British The british squadron stationed at Palermo consqua-sisted, in the latter part of the year 1807, of the 98-gun ship Windsor-Castle, captain Charles Boyles, Sicily and the 74-gun ship Eagle, captain Charles Rowley, and Thunderer, captain John Talbot, together with a few frigates and smaller vessels. success of general Regnier in Lower Calabria obliged the british and neapolitan troops, composing the garrison of Reggio, to abandon that fortress and retire upon Scylla. On the 30th of January, 1808, the 16-gun brig-sloop Delight, captain Philip Cosby Handfield, one of the above squadron, while engaged in endeavouring to recapture four sicilian gun-boats which general Regnier had a the De- few days before taken, grounded under the batteries light, of Reggio. Captain Handfield, a very promising

Loss of

and

Hand..

and Se

young officer, whose name has before appeared in 1808. these pages, was killed; and captain Thomas Se- Feb. combe, of the Glatton, who was serving on board death the brig, was mortally wounded and taken prisoner. of caps. The Delight was, however, of no use to the enemy, field having been burnt by the survivors of her crew. combe. On the 17th of February the little fortress of EvacuScylla, the only remaining post possessed by the ation British in Lower Calabria, was evacuated by the of Cacommandant, lieutenant-colonel Robertson; and by the garrison, of whom not more than 200 were british troops, was safely withdrawn from the power of general Regnier by the able management of captain Robert Waller Otway, of the 74-gun ship Montagu, and captain George Trollope, of the 16-gun brig sloop Electra, with the assistance of a few transports and men-of-war launches.

labria

British

throws

France.

The degrading situation, to which, at the com- Spain mencement of the present year, Spain had been off the reduced by the arts of Napoléon, is an historical yoke of fact too notorious to require repetition. At length the spanish character recovered its tone; and, by her struggles to free herself from the yoke of her powerful neighbour, Spain found a friend in every independent breast throughout the civilized world. It was to England in particular that Spain looked for support, and that support England gave, in the most cordial, prompt, and efficacious manner.

admi

pre

On the 4th of June the supreme junta of government at Seville, acting in the name of their imprisoned king, the miserable Ferdinand, issued a declaration French of war against France. The french admiral in the port of Cadiz, as soon as the news of this event Cadiz reached him, removed his vessels, which, it will be pares recollected, were the Neptune of 80, Algésiras, to deArgonaute, Héros, and Pluton, of 74 guns, Cornélie his frigate, and a brig-corvette, out of the range of ships. the batteries at the town, and took up a defensive position in the channel leading to the Caraccas. At this time rear-admiral Purvis, with a british fleet of 10 or 11 sail of the line, cruised off the harbour,

fend

1808. and, from several previous communications with the June. Spanish authorities on shore, had been anticipating the glorious epoch that was now arrived.

They are attacked

Spa

The

british admiral of course offered to assist in bringing the french admiral to terms; but the Spaniards, feeling themselves quite adequate to the task, preferred acting alone.

nish

gun

On the 9th of June, at 3 P. M., a division of spaand mortar boats, and the batteries erected by the for the purpose on the isle of Leon and at Fort Louis, niards. commenced hostilities against the french ships, and a mutual firing, without intermission, was kept up until night. On the following morning, the 10th, the cannonade recommenced, and was continued partially till 2 P. M., when the french flag-ship, the Héros, hoisted a flag of truce. Shortly afterwards vice-admiral Rosily (who had, on the preceding day, modestly enough, proposed " to quit the bay," provided, as was well added, "the British would permit him") addressed a letter to general Morla, offering to disembark his guns and ammunition, but to retain his men, and not to hoist any colours. These terms were considered inadmissible, and the Spaniards prepared to renew the attack upon the french squadron with an increase of force. On the 14th, at 7 A. M., an additional battery of 30 long 24-pounders being ready to act, and numerous gun and mortar vessels having taken their stations, the french ships struck their colours; which, in the course of the der. forenoon, were replaced by those of Spain. Cessa- Soon after this event the spanish commissioners, tion of of whom general Morla was one, embarked for ties be- England to treat with the british government. Their Eng reception fully equalled their expectations; and on land the 4th of July the british government issued an Spain. order, directing that all hostilities between England

Their

surren

hostili

tween

and

and Spain should immediately cease. Those cruisers, hitherto so much dreaded along the coast of the latter, were hailed as deliverers; and never, surely, were the skill and enterprise of british seamen . more zealously nor more successfully exerted, than

in rooting out the french invaders from the sea- 1808. defences of a country, which they had entered but to enslave and despoil.

Portugal

to free

Portugal, as a fellow-sufferer with Spain, soon followed the latter's example in making an effort to strives free herself from french thraldom; and deputations herself. from every part of the country, soliciting succours, were sent to admiral sir Charles Cotton, who, with a british squadron, cruised off the Tagus, to watch the motions of the russian squadron at anchor within it. The call of Portugal upon her ancient ally was not made in vain. In the early part of August a body of british troops, under lieutenant-general sir Arthur Wellesley, landed on the coast; on the 21st the celebrated battle of Vimeira was fought; on the Battle 22d lieutenant-general sir Hew Dalrymple arrived, meira. and took the command of the british forces; and on the 30th was concluded the famous convention of Cintra, so discreditable to the victorious party.

of Vi

vention

By the second and third articles it was stipulated, Conthat the french troops should not be considered as of Cinprisoners of war, and that, on their arrival in France, tra. whither they were to be conveyed at the expense of the british government, they should be at liberty to serve again. With respect to the russian squadron, consisting, as already stated, of nine sail of the line and one frigate,* a convention, concluded between sir Charles Cotton and vice-admiral Seniavin, placed the ships, as a deposit, in the hands of his britannic Qualimajesty, to be held until six months after the conclusion of peace between Russia and England; and the der of russian vice-admiral, his officers, seamen, and ma- squarines, without any condition or stipulation whatever, dron. were to be conveyed to Russia at England's expense.

The close alliance, cemented between France and Russia by the treaty of Tilsit, naturally suspended all friendly relations between the latter and Great Britain. If Russia, in the course of the three months that succeeded that treaty, made no public avowal

*See vol. iv. pp. 457, 461.

fied

surren

russian

« AnteriorContinuar »