Palliser, incensed at these marked censures on himself, Burgoyne but the brothers Howe had met at home, and all vacated his seat in parliament, and resigned his governorship in the house were loudly calling for inquiry and as loudly of Scarborough Castle, his seat at the board of admiralty, condemning the whole conduct of the war by government. his colonelcy of marines, retaining only his post of vice- Burgoyne attributed the whole of his failure to the meddling admiral, and demanding a court-martial. This was held on and restricting orders and letters of lord George Germaine board the Sandwich, in Portsmouth harbour, and lasted at home. He demanded that officers who had been present twenty-one days, pronouncing finally a sentence of acquittal, should be heard in his favour; and Sir Guy Carleton, the though with some censure for his not having acquainted his earls of Balcarras and Harrington, and a number of others, commander-in-chief instantly that the disabled state of his were accordingly heard, who bore testimony to the bravery ship had prevented his obeying the signal to join for the of Burgoyne, which no one doubted, but they failed to show renewal of the fight. This sentence pleased neither party. that his judgment was equally good. In fact, Burgoyne Keppel thought Palliser too easily let off-Palliser that had committed the most palpable blunders. He had suffered he was sacrificed to a party feeling against government. his communication with Canada to be cut off before he knew Various debates followed on the subject in the house of commons, in which Fox made some attacks on lord Sandwich and the state of the navy. Lord Howe, who had now returned, complained bitterly of the way he had been left with defective forces on the American coast, and declared that he would never serve again under an administration which had shown so much weakness and treachery. In the lords, the earl of Bristol made a similar motion; and such was the dissatisfaction that Keppel resigned the command of the fleet, and his example was followed by Sir Robert Harland, Captain Leveson Gower, Sir John Lindsey, and other officers. The same spirit pervaded the war-office. Lord Barrington had resigned last November, having long disapproved of the whole conduct of the war, his able plan for its management having been systematically ignored; and now not only that he would be met by Sir William Howe at Albany. The expedition to Bennington and other movements were too clearly ill-planned; at the same time, they showed that the American army under Gates amounted to nineteen thousand men, of whom upwards of thirteen thousand were regular troops, so that the surrender of three thousand five hundred famished English and Germans in the midst of such a country was a victory not to be boasted of, except by a people whose only victory it was as yet. Howe, on his part, called on lord Cornwallis, who warmly defended the generalship of his commander-in-chief; but this partial evidence was not borne out by the notorious facts, nor by the evidence of general Robertson, general Jones, colonel Dixon, and other officers, who demonstrated that whilst the Americans were divided amongst themselves, and Washington was left with a much inferior army in destitution of almost everything, Sir William had made no effort to defeat him; that his neglect to send the necessary force to co-operate with Burgoyne, at Albany, was the cause of the defeat and disgrace there, and that after the affair at Trenton his conduct had been nothing but a series of blunders or neglects. Sir William insisted on bringing up fresh witnesses on his side, but the committee had now sate till the end of June, and it was dissolved, leaving the impression much against him, as it deserved to be. Great as the discussions were in the houses of parliament, the discontent out of doors was still greater. In Scotland these took the form of resentment at the relief given to the catholics. In January and February there were riots in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The houses of the catholics were assailed, their furniture destroyed, and their persons insulted in the streets. At Edinburgh a new house was burnt down in Leith Wynd, because it had a room in it appropriated to catholic worship. Wilkes, in the commons, demanded of the lord advocate when he meant to introduce his promised bill for the relief of the Scotch catholics; but he replied that the catholics themselves had entreated him to defer it, as its agitation was certain to draw down furious persecution on them. Lord George Gordon was made president of protestant associations, both in Scotland and England, and this hot-headed fanatic boldly declared that the king himself was a papist at heart, that he had tens of thousands of men ready at his call to put down all popery. In Ireland the effervescence assumed the shape of resistance to commercial injustice. It was, indeed, impossible to condemn too strongly the injustice which that country had endured for ages, and in nothing more than in the flagrant restrictions heaped upon its commerce and manufactures in favour of English interests. The Irish now seized on the opportunity while America was waging war against the very same treatment, to imitate the American policy. They formed associations in Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, and other places, for non-importation of any British goods which could be manufactured in Ireland, till England and Ireland were placed on an equal footing in all that related to manufactures and commerce. Ministers, who had turned a deaf ear for years, and almost for ages, to such complaints, were now alarmed, especially as there was a rumour of French invasion, which might be so materially aided by disaffection in Ireland. They therefore made a pecuniary grant to relieve the commercial distress in Ireland, and passed two acts for the encouragement of the growth of tobacco and hemp, and the manufacture of linen in that island. These concessions, however, were not deemed sufficient, and the people formed themselves into volunteer associations, appointing their own officers, and defraying the cost of their own equipments. This was done under the plea of the danger of invasion; but government knew very well that American agents had been very busy sowing discontent in Ireland, and they saw too much resemblance in these things to the proceedings on the other side of the Atlantic, not to view them with alarm. The marquis of Rockingham, who had been well instructed in the real grievances of Ireland by Burke, moved in the house of lords, on the 11th of May, for the production of all papers necessary to enable the house to come to a full understanding of the trade and of mercantile restrictions on Ireland, with reference to doing impartial justice to that kingdom. Lord Gower promised that these should be ready for production next session. On the 16th of June, just as the house was growing impatient for prorogation, lord North announced intelligence which put such prorogation out of the question. He informed the house that the Spanish ambassador had delivered a hostile manifesto, and had thereupon quitted London. On the 17th, a royal message was delivered, asserting his majesty's surprise at this act of Spain, and declaring that nothing on his part had provoked it. But it by no means took anybody else by surprise, and the opposition strongly reproached government for not giving credit to their warnings on this head. In the commons, lord John Cavendish, and, in the lords, the earl of Abingdon and the duke of Richmond, moved that the fleet and army should be immediately withdrawn from America, that peace be made with those states, and all our forces be concentrated in chastising France and Spain, as they deserved, for their treachery and unprovoked interference. They called for a total change of ministers and measures. These motions were defeated, and lord North, on the 21st of June, moved for the introduction of a bill to double the militia and raise volunteer corps. The proposal to double the militia was rejected, that to raise volunteer corps accepted. To man the navy a bill was brought in to suspend for six months all exemptions from impressment into the royal navy. In fact, the moment that the rupture took place with Spain, press-warrants were issued, and pressgangs were in full activity in all our ports. This bill was, therefore, termed a bill of indemnity, as it was necessary to indemnify ministers for so strong and unpopular a measure, adopted on their own responsibility. The attorney-general did not attempt to vindicate so odious a measure, except on the ground of urgent necessity. He declared that there were six or eight ships of the line lying at Portsmouth ready for sea, but destitute of crews. The bill was introduced on the night of the 23rd of June, at the extraordinary hour of twenty minutes past twelve o'clock, just as the house was on the point of adjourning, and that on the plea that, if not carried at once, the newspapers would sound the alarm, and defeat the measure by putting every one on his guard. The opposition violently opposed it, and Sir George Saville declared that it was reducing the house to a body of midnight conspirators, coming like hired ruffians with poniards under their cloaks. "Methinks," he said, "I hear the heartfelt shrieks of the miserable wife, or the aged and helpless parent, entreating the midnight ruffians not to drag from them a tender husband, or a dutiful and beloved son." The measure, however, was passed through two stages before rising, and carried the next morning, and sent up to the lords. There it met with strong opposition, and did not receive the royal assent till the last day of the session This was the 3rd of July, and was followed, on the 9th, by a royal proclamation ordering all horses and provisions, in case of invasion, to be driven into the interior. The batteries of Plymouth were well manned, and a boom drawn across the harbour at Portsmouth. The duke of Richmond, indeed, asserted in parliament, before it closed, that he had been down to Plymouth and found five thousand land forces, but A.D. 1779.] SPAIN JOINS FRANCE AGAINST ENGLAND. 225 Spain having now, most fatally for herself, been per first attention to Gibraltar, which she hoped France would enable her to conquer. Charles III. but very reluctantly acceded to the proposals of France. He could not forget that he, too, had colonies, and that the way to retain them in subjection was certainly not to encourage their neighbours to rebel against the mother country; nor that in the former war England had annihilated the fleet of Spain, ravaged her colonies, seized her treasure ships, and reduced her to a most humiliating condition. But France now endeavoured to persuade her that the period of England's greatness was over; that there needed only the hearty combination of France and Spain in Europe, and America beyond the Atlantic, to completely humble her; and France held out magnificent prospects of the Spanish share in the plunder and possession of the British colonies. only about forty invalid artillerymen set to attend to one hundred guns on the batteries. This was instantly contra-suaded to join France in the war with England, turned her dicted by the first lord of the admiralty, who stated that there were five hundred seamen on shore there well acquainted with the working of artillery. A large camp of militia was established at Cox-heath, in front of Maidstone, and, in truth, this demonstration of a patriotic spirit was unequivocal in the public. Both private gentlemen and public bodies—the East India Company conspicuous amongst them-came forward with liberal subscriptions for raising troops, enlisting seamen, and equipping privateers. It was said that fifty thousand militia were in arms, and the king declared that, if the French landed, he would put himself at their head. Such was the enthusiasm that, in a dramatic piece by Sheridan, called "The Camp," Sir Harry Bouquet is made to say, "As I travelled down, the fellows of the turnpikes demanded the counter-sign of my servants, instead of the tickets! Then, when I got to Maidstone, I found the very waiters had got a smattering of tactics; for, inquiring what I could have for dinner, a drill-waiter, after reviewing his bill of fare with the air of a field-marshal, proposed an advanced party of soup and bouillé, to be followed by the main body of ham and chickens, flanked by a fricassee, and with a corps-de-reserve of sweetmeats." But, so far from putting Spain in possession of our colonies, France showed no disposition to enable her to regain Gibraltar. Count Florida Blanca, the Spanish minister, commenced his operations for the conquest of Gibraltar, by making a treaty with Morocco, to cut off thus the large supplies which the English garrison drew from that country, and to secure themselves from an attack by the Moors on Ceuta, whilst they themselves were besieging Gibraltar. The Spaniards then collected large forces at St. Roque, Algeziras, and the Campo, and began to cast up works as a preparation for reducing the place. At the same French and Spanish fleets, which they deemed must then be invincible, and not only drive the English from the seas, but enable them to land in England itself. The French, though now on the verge of bankruptcy, by the measures of their finances into some degree of order, managed to muster fifty thousand men, whom they marched to the different ports on the channel, from Havre to St. Malo. By this means, keeping England in fear of an invasion, their fleet slipped out of Brest on the 3rd of June, under the command of D'Orvilliers, and effected the desired junction with the Spaniards at Cadiz. The French fleet consisted of thirty sail of the line; the Spanish, of thirty-eight; making the united fleet sixty-eight sail, besides numerous frigates and smaller vessels. Never, since the days of the Armada, had such a mighty squadron threatened the shores of Great Britain. During the early part of the session ministers had felt themselves so weak that lord North made another attempt to retire, and proposed that the government should invite the duke of Grafton to take his place, with the assistance of lords Shelburne and Camden. These noblemen would not, how-time, the great object was to accomplish the union of the ever, consent without bringing in the marquis of Rockingham and the duke of Richmond; but this was refused, and the scheme fell through. They, however, were greatly benefited by the rapid ascendancy which the new lord chancellor acquired. The duke of Richmond, by endeavour-M. Necker, a banker of Geneva, who had undertaken to put ing to cast a slur on his humble birth, drew forth his thunder in such tones as deterred any one from following that track, and made Thurlow's power sensibly felt. "I am amazed," he said, "at the attack the noble duke has made on me. Yes, my lords "—and here he raised his voice to its loudest tones-"I am amazed at his grace's speech. The noble duke cannot look before him, behind him, or on either side of him, without seeing some noble peer who owes his seat in this house to successful exertions in the profession to which I belong. Does he not feel that it is as honourable to owe it to these as to being the accident of an accident? To all these noble lords the language of the noble duke is as applicable and insulting as it is to myself. But I do not fear to meet it single and alone. No che venerates the peerage more than I do; but, my lords, I must say, that the peerage solicited me, not I the peerage. Nay, more, I can say, and will say, as a peer of parliament, as speaker of this right honourable house, as keeper of the great seal, as guardian of his majesty's conscience, as lord high chancellor of England-nay, even in that character alone, in which the noble duke would think it an affront to be considered, as a MAN-I am at this moment as respectable-I beg leave to add, I am at this moment as much respected as the proudest peer I now look down upon!" And, in so saying, Thurlow looked full at the duke of Richmond. The effect was stupendous, and never to be forgotten. To oppose this tremendous force, our admiral, Sir Charles Hardy, had only thirty-eight sail. In the confidence of their overwhelming strength, the Franco-Spanish fleet sailed directly for the English coast. Hardy, who was a brave seaman, but somewhat past his prime, endeavoured to prevent their insulting our shores, and pursued them first near the Scilly Isles, and then towards the straits of the Channel. Some French frigates anchored in Cawsand Bay, and captured some merchant vessels. The Ardent, of sixtyfour guns, also mistaking the foreign fleet for the English one, was surrounded and taken. On shore the panic was intense, the French and Spaniards being expected every hour to land. But on the 31st of August, the wind veering, enabled Hardy to get the weather-gage of them; and being now in the Channel, he was prepared to engage their fleet, though so much superior in numbers; and on shore great quantities of military and volunteers had collected. Hardy anchored off Spithead. At the sight of this combination of circumstances, the courage of the Spaniards and French evaporated. They began to quarrel amongst themselves. The Spaniards were for landing on some part of the British coast; the French admiral contended that they should have the equinoctial gales immediately upon them, and that many of their vessels were in bad condition. The Spanish commander declared, that, this being the case, he would relinquish the enterprise, and return to his own seaports. D'Orvilliers was necessarily compelled to return too, and retired to Brest, where a pestilential disease attacked the French, from having been so long cooped up in foul ships. Great numbers of them perished; and this was the case with the Spaniards also, who are said to have lost three thousand men. D'Orvilliers was so mortified with the wretched result of this magnificent armament, that he resigned his command, and afterwards, it is said, retired to a convent, where he spent the remainder of his days. The Spaniards fared still worse. Three or four of their men-of-war were taken; two of their treasure ships-the richest prize since the time of Anson—and a vast number of their merchant craft. Their hopes, as in all cases of invasion of England, were lamentably blighted. Their success against Gibraltar and Minorca amounted to nothing but the loss of much labour, money, and ammunition. They were grievously disappointed in the French showing no disposition to assist them to recover Jamaica and the Floridas; and the French themselves were as unfortunate in an attempt to seize on the island of Guernsey. The prince of Nassau Siegen, who commanded the expedition against it, was only rewarded by laughter and ridicule. Well might lord North, on the meeting of parliament, say, "Our enemies fitted out a formidable fleet; they appeared upon our coasts; they talked big; threatened a great deal; did nothing, and retired." In America, the belligerents were early a-foot this year; but the attention and the forces of the English were drawn from the States to the West Indies by the determined attempts of the French to make themselves masters of our islands there. D'Estaing, who was joined by another French squadron under the marquis de Vaudreuil, was early opposed by admiral Byron, who arrived at St. Lucia from the American coast on the 6th of January. This admiral Vaudreuil, on his way, had visited our settlements on the coast of Africa, and taken from us Senegal; but Sir Edward Hughes soon arrived there, and took their settlement of Goree, so that it was a mere exchange of territory In June admiral Byron was obliged to escort our merchant fleet to a certain distance, and D'Estaing seized that opportunity to make himself master of St. Vincent and Grenada, where the garrisons were weak. On the return of Byron, on the 5th of July, he came to an engagement with D'Estaing off Grenada; but the French admiral, after an indecisive action, took advantage of the night to sail away, boasting of a great victory. The character of D'Estaing for veracity, however, was very low. He had broken his arole to the English at Madras, and lived to cajole his queen, Marie Antoinette, with the hope-but a vain oneof saving his head from the guillotine. He now made for Georgia and Carolina, to assist the Americans in endeavouring to wrest from us our recent conquest of Savannah. In the different operations in this quarter, the English, under colonel Campbell and lieutenant-colonel Hamilton, took Augusta, the capital of Upper Georgia, but soon after evacuated it. It was then re-entered by the American general Ashe, and again seized by general Prevost, who entirely routed Ashe, and captured all his baggage and ammunition. This spreading terror throughout the neighbouring state of South Carolina, John Rutledge was made governor, with very arbitrary powers for summoning militia and managing them. General Lincoln was sent by congress to co-operate with Rutledge, and he marched with five thousand men to surprise Savannah whilst Prevost was on an expedition to surprise Charlestown, leaving general Moultrie with one thousand men, principally Carolina militia, to defend the lower part of the Savannah. Moultrie fled before Prevost in utter disaster. Prevost marched on to Charlestown after him; but Moultrie contrived to throw himself into that place, and was soon supported by count Pulaski, whilst Lincoln, abandoning the design on Savannah, was hastening on in the rear of Prevost. On this, Prevost left Charlestown, and hastened to meet Lincoln, whom he met and defeated at Stono River. General Prevost then, leaving a strong garrison at Beaufort under colonel Maitland, retired to Savannah during the heat of the season. During this period an expedition was made by Sir George Collier, as commander of the squadron, and general Matthews, as leader of the forces, against Virginia. The tobacco of that state was the great dependence of congress for maintaining its credit with foreign countries, and for provisioning Washington's army. Had the English had the army in America which they ought to have had in such a contest, and which they would have had with such a minister as Chatham, they would have established a settlement on the Chesapeake, and have thus cut off all these supplies, and inflicted an insurmountable blow on the Americans. Sir Henry Clinton was completely disabled from accomplishing any such effectual measures; but he might still make flying visits to Virginia, and do incredible temporary mischief. Accordingly, on the 8th of May, a small armament entered the Chesapeake, consisting of one ship of the line, three frigates, a sloop, and some smaller craft. These carried out colonel Maitland with about eighteen hundred men. They cast anchor in Hampton Roads, in ominous vicinity to the flourishing towns of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Gosport. At Gosport the American congress had collected great quantities of timber for ship-building, and valuable naval stores. They raised batteries along the shores for the defence of these places, and also along the banks of Elizabeth River. There was a Fort Nelson, defended by a major Matthews; for English and American officers of the same name-Howes, Clintons, Lees, Matthews-were continually pitched against each other. The garrison of Fort Nelson fled on the first attack, and took refuge in the celebrated Dismal Swamp. All the stores and vessels at these principal towns were quickly seized or |