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the country, fo that a gentleman was no longer permitted to hold his Situation, excepting he acted agree-, ably to the dictates of thefe power ful families. Having fhown this to be the state of reprefentation, he begged to know what remedy there could be for these corruptions but reform? If we would not apply it our fate was inevitable. Our most illuftrious patriots, and the men whofe names were dearest to Englishmen, had long ago pointed it out as the only means of redreffing national grievances. Sir George Saville had been its moft ftrenuous advocate, and the venerable Camden was its steady fupporter-nay, Mr. Burke himself acknowledged its propriety for correcting the abufes of our fyftem. The advantages in the prefent cafe would be many; we should ward off the evil of confufion growing out of accumulated difcontent; we fhould fave our felves from the calamities which had befallen Ireland; we fhould fatisfy the moderate, and detach from the violent their numbers and their converts. Pride, obftinacy, and infult, muft end in conceffions, and thofe conceffions be humble in proportion to infolence: now was the moment to prevent degradation; the monarchy, the aristocracy, the people themfelves might now be saved. Let thofe minifters

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who had plunged us into our prefent ftate retire from the poft to which they are unequal; and let us, with an earnest defire of recover ing the country, purfue this moderate plan of reform under the aufpices of men likely to conciliate the public mind. A new adminiftration ought to be formed, but Mr. Fox folemnly avowed he had no with of making part of it, and though he would readily and strenuously give his fupport to any measures which would reftore our outraged privileges, his defire as to himself was retirement. He gave his vote to the propofition of his ho nourable friend.

Sir William Dolben expressed much fatisfaction at the propriety of the motion, and the moderation of those who fupported it. Something of the kind was abfolutely neceffary to fave the country. He wifhed the plan might be adopted, and remain three months on the table for the confideration of members.

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СНАР. VIII.

The War-French land a Body of Troops on the Coaft of Pembrokeshire Surrender as Prifoners without Refiftance-Conjectures as to the Object of this Expedition-The Spanish Fleet defeated by Admiral Sir John Jervis, off Cape St. Vincent, and four Ships of the Line captured-The Dutch Fleet completely defeated off Camperdown, by Admiral Duncan-The Briti Forces, under Admiral Nelfon, defeated at Teneriffe-French Vefels captured and destroyed by the Squadron under Sir J. B. Warren-Weft Indies-Trinidad taken by the British Forces under Sir Ralph Abercrombie and Admiral Harvey-Unfuccessful Attack at Porto Rico-Propofal for raifing black Regiments in the Weft Indies-negatived.

TH HE war between Great Britain and the French republic was, during this year, almost exclufively confined to naval opera. tions, in which the fkill and activity of the British feamen were eminently confpicuous, and almost invariably crowned with victory.

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In one folitary inftance, the French directory attempted to put in practice their pompous threats of an invafion of England; but the attempt appeared as if intended literally to burlefque the project; and to affure the government of Great Britain, that nothing ferious was intended from their extenLive preparations. On the 22d of February, that part of the coaft of Devonshire, which lies at the mouth of the British channel, was alarmed by the appearance of an enemy's force, confifting according to report of thr frigates, which, as was ftated in a letter published by authority, entered the little port of Ilfracombe on that coaft, fcuttled fome of the merchant fhips there, and attempted to deftroy all the veffels in the harbour. Their stay was, however, not of long continuance, and they fteered directly acrofs the channel towards the Pem

broke fide. They were first defcried from the heights above St. Bride's bay, and the fquadron then appeared to confift of two frigates and two fmaller vessels, fteering from the Bristol channel round St. David's Head. They difplayed English colours, but were foon fufpected to be enemies. After turning St. David's Head, and failing a few miles to the northward in Cardigan bay, they caft fingle anchors to the north of a mali promontory under Lan. wnnwr. They remained there, however, but a fhort time, but moved farther up towards Fishgard, and finally anchored in a fmall bay near Lanonda church, when they hoisted French colours, and put out their boats. The cliff is here exceedingly steep and rugged, and a party of them were ob ferved by a countryman climbing up fingly on their hands and knees, and throwing their mufkets before them. The fpot which they made choice of for their landing, proved that they acted in concert with no party in the country, and that they had no perfons among them who were well acquainted with the coaft. As foon as this

party

party had gained the afcent, they fet fire to the furze and other combuftibles, to apprise their comrades of their fuccefs. The debarkation of the whole was completed before the morning of the 23d, when numbers of them difperfed over the country to procure provifions and apparel. In these predatory excurfions they ranfacked those houses which they found abandoned, but took very few things from thofe in which they found inhabitants; they committed no wanton murder. Two of the countrymen were killed, but they provoked their fate by their own rafhnefs, and one almoft deferved it; for, after the Frenchman had furrendered, and in fact refigned his mufket, the Welchman aimed a blow at him with the butt end of it, when he drew his bayonet which he had not relinquished, and ran his an. tagonist through the body.

The alarm was at first general, but the numbers and fituation of the enemy foon appeared equally contemptible. They did not exceed 1400 men; they were without field-pieces, though they had seventy cart-loads of powder and ball, and a quantity of hand-grenades. The utmost exertions were made without lots of time by the principal men in the county, and before night about 660 men were collected who might be termed foldiers (though they had never been in action), confifting of militia, fencibles, and yeomen cavalry, befides a confiderable multitude of colliers, and others who fwelled the number without much increafing the force. Of this party lord Cawdor affumed the command, and, on approaching the enemy, he received at about ten o'clock at night a letter by a French officer, figned "Tate chef de brigade," intimating "that the

circumftances under which the body of French troops under his command were landed, having rendered it unneceffary to attempt any military operation, he propofed a capitulation."-The reply of lord Cawdor was, that he could only treat on the terms of their furrendering prifoners of war, which was prefently agreed to, and on the fucceeding day, at noon they laid down their arms. The frigates and other veffels, as foon as they had difembarked the men, fet fail for France; but, as if every thing were adverfe to this abfurd and unfortunate expedition, the two frigates, la Refiftance of 48 guns, and la Conftance of 24, were captured on the 9th of the following month, as they were standing in for Brest harbour, by the St. Fiorenzo and Nymphe frigates, under the command of fir Harry Neale.

The conjectures have been various with refpect to the object of this expedition. The troops which were landed were said by some to have confifted of a number of the Vendean infurgents, who had enlifted into the fervice of the republic, but could not be trufted in their own country. By others they were reprefented as a band of galley flaves, and other criminals collected from the prisons of Breft, and landed in England merely to quarter them upon the enemy. This report is moft generally believed, and is countenanced by fome debates in the French councils, in which Truguet, the minifter of marine, was vehemently cenfured for having planned fo difgraceful a measure. In oppofition to this opinion, however, it may be mentioned, that the commander of the party declared, that he had with him 600 of the best troops in France, veteran and experienced Q.3

foldiers;

foldiers; nor is it very credible, that if the fole object was to quarter a fet of banditti upon England, they would have fent with them fuch ample fupplies. There are other caufes, which to us appear more probable for this undersak ing. It was, in the first place, of fome importance to demonftrate to France, that the invafion of England, in the face of her powerful marine, was practicable in any circumftances; and fecondly, it is well known that the French have always been egregioully deceived with refpect to the temper and fentiments of the British nation; we have little doubt, therefore, but the French miniftry flattered themselves that thefe troops would have been joined on their landing by confiderable numbers of the lover claffes of the people, and that at least a confiderable alarm would be excited throughout the kingdom. It was, therefore, an experiment to try at once le temper of the people, and the practicability of a defcent.

The marine of France, if we except this feeble and ill-concerted enterprife, lay, during the whole of the year, ignominioufly confined within their own ports; but their allies the Spaniards and the Dutch were grievous fufferers in two naval engagements, which, confidering every circumstance, were qually glorious to the British arms.

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The first of thefe memorable actions took place on the 14th of February, off Cape St. Vincent. The British fleet, or, to fpeak more correctly, the British fquadron under the command of admiral fir John Jervis, amounted to no more than fifteen fait of the line, four frigates, a floop of war, and a cutter.

Of thefe fix were three-deckers, -eight were of 71 guns, and one of 64. The Spanish fleet confift

ed of 27 fail of the line, one of which was a four-decker, and carried 136 guns; fix were threedeckers of 112 guns each; two of 84 guns, and eighteen of 74.

The Spanish admiral, Don Josef de Cordova, had failed from Carthagena on the 4th of February, and paffed Gibraltar on the following day, having left in that bay three line of battle hips, fuppofed to be laden with military ftores, for the Spanish troops before that garriton. On the night of the 11th, this fleet had been discovered by the Minerva frigate, which carried the broad pendant of commodore Nelfon, then on his way from the Mediterranean to join admiral Jervis. Captain Foote, of the Niger, alfo kept company with them for fame days previous to the 13th, and that night they approached fo near the British fleet, that their fignal guns were diftinctly heard. The fignals were, therefore, made that night to the British fleet to prepare for battle; and at day-break on the 14th, they were in complete order. The morning was dark and hazy; but about half paft fix, the Culloden made the fignal for five fail in the fouth-weft quarter; at eight o'clock, the fquadron was ordered to form in clofe order, and in a few minutes after the fignal was repeated to prepare for bat.

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At a little after ten, the Minerva frigate made the signal for 20 fail in the south-weft quarter, and in about half an hour after the enemy's fleet were visible to all the British fquadron. The hips first difcovered by the Culloden, were at this period feparated from their main body, which was bearing down in fome contufion to join the feparated thips. It appeared to have been the British admiral's intention at

the

the first, to cut off these veffels from the enemy's fleet, before the main body could arrive to their affiftance, and with this view, the faft failing fhips were ordered to chace; but obferving the near pofition of their main body, he afterwards formed his fleet into a line of battle a-head and a-ftern, as most convenient.

At about 26 minutes paft 11, the admiral communicated his intention to pass through the enemy's line, and immediately after the fignal was made to engage. At about half paft 11, the action commenced by the van fhip, the Culloden, commanded by captain Trowbridge, firing against the enemy's head-mott fhips to the windward; as the fquadron advanced, however, the action became more general, and it was foon apparent that the British admiral had accomplifhed his defign of paffing through; the enemy's line. In the mean time, the regular and animated fire of the British fleet was but feebly returned by the enemy's fhips to windward, which were alfo completely prevented from joining their companions to leeward, and obliged to haul their wind on the larboard tack. Thus, a part of the Spanish fleet was effectually cut off from the main body, and they were reduced to the neceffity of alfo forming on their larboard tack, apparently with the intention of paifing through, or to the leeward of the British line, but fuch was the reception they experienced from the centre of the British that they were obliged to put about, and did not appear again in the action till the clofe of the day.

The British admiral having thus fortunately obtained his first object, now directed his whole attention to the enemy's main body to wind

ward, which was reduced at this time by the feparation of the thips to leeward, to 18 fail of the line, At a little after 12 o'clock, the fignal was made for the British fleet to tack in fucceffion, and foon after the fignal for again patling the enemy's line; while the Spanish admiral's defign appeared to be to join his fhips to leeward, by wearing round the rear of the British line. The intention of the enemy was, however, foon perceived by commodore Nelfon, whofe ftation in the rear afforded him an opportunity of obferving the manœuvre. In order to fruftrate the defign, therefore, his fhip, the Captain, had no fooner paffed the Spanish rear, than he ordered her to wear and ftand on the other tack towards the enemy. In executing this bold manoeuvre, the commodore found. himfelf along-fide of the Spanish admiral, the Santiffima Trinidad, of 136 guns, which is faid to be the largest fhip at prefent in exiftence. Notwithstanding this immenfe difparity (the Captain being only a 74), this brave officer did not fhrink from the conteft, though the Spaniard was alfo warmly fupported by her two feconds a-head and a-ftern, which were each of them three-deckers. While he fuftained, however, this unequal conflict, his friends were eagerly preffing to his affiftance; the enemy's attention, therefore, was foon directed to the Culloden, captain Trowbridge, and the Blenheim, captain Frederick; and the able fupport afforded by these vessels to commodore Nelfon, and the approach of rear-admiral Parker, with four others of the British line, determined the Spanish commander to relinquifh his defign of rejoining his fhips to leeward, and to make the fignal for his main body to haul Q4

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