A.D. 1781.]

of Washington to seize and hang Arnold for doing just what Hayne had done. The circumstance showed what a terrific uproar the sensitive Americans would have made at a case like that of André on our part.

Much censure was cast on lord Rawdon; but his lordship showed that he had no concern whatever in the sentence; that he had already resigned his authority to lieutenantcolonel Stuart; that he had done all that he could do— strongly recommended mercy. At the same time, he wrote to the American general, Henry Lee, years afterwards, and when he had more thoroughly examined the case, that, "for the guilt of Hayne, not a shadow of palliation could be found. By all the recognised laws of war, nothing was requisite, in the case of Hayne, but to identify his person previous to hanging him on the next tree."

When the summer heats had abated, Greene descended from the Santee hills, and a sharp engagement ensued betwixt him and the troops under colonel Stuart at the Eutaw Springs, about sixty miles from Charlestown. Though warned of the approach of Greene by two deserters, Stuart put but little faith in the report, and therefore was taken somewhat by surprise. A large party out in search of roots and vegetables were suddenly fallen upon, and most of them cut to pieces. Greene then followed up his success with such impetuosity that the advanced lines of the British were driven back, till they reached a house into which major Sheridan had thrown himself with a party of New York volunteers. The murderous fire from this house arrested Greene, who in vain tried to carry it. This obstacle enabled colonel Stuart to re-organise his scattered lines, and the battle was continued with such fury-the American militia standing their ground on this occasion well-that Greene was at length routed, and driven from the ground, and took refuge in some woods in their rear. The English encamped on the field that night and the next day. On each side there appears to have been about six hundred killed, wounded, and missing. The American army was about double the number of the English. Greene claimed it as a victory, and the congress proclaimed it a glorious victory, simply because he had the advantage in the beginning of the fray, though he was driven from his ground in the end of it. If this was a victory, by the same rule many of the greatest victories in the history of the world were defeats. But it is curious with what audacity the Americans were continually assuming victories when the notorious fact was the reverse. This was the last action in the American war of any importance. The force of the English was insufficient to pursue any effective campaign. In this quarter they soon found it necessary to retreat to Charlestown Neck, leaving Greene to reassert the American authority over the greater part of South Carolina and Georgia; and at the end of the campaign the British held little of these states, except the districts immediately abutting on Charlestown and Savannah.

CHAPTER IX.

REIGN OF GEORGE III. (Continued.)

Taking of St. Eustatia from the Dutch, by Rodney, with other Islands and Settle

ments-Rodney's Severities-Capture of Dutch Ships and of little Dutch

Settlements in the East Indies-Negotiations with Russia-Spanish Attack on Minorca-Battle off the Dogger Bank-Other Sea Fights-Meeting of

287

Parliament-Debates on the American War-Altered Views of Ministers-
Meetings and Petitions for Peace-Retirement of Lord George Germaine
-Year 1782-War in the West Indies-At the Cape-Loss of Minorca-
King's Project of retiring to Hanover-Lord North resigns — Lord
Rockingham Prime Minister-Irish Distress-Grattan on Irish Questions
-Irish Demands conceded-Popular Gratitude to Grattan-Arrears of
the Civil List-Enormous Pension to Barré-Pitt in favour of Parlia-
mentary Reform-North American Affairs-Proposals to make Washing-
ton King-Rodney's Great Victory over De Grasse-Rodney made a
Peer-Death of Lord Rockingham-Lord Shelburne Minister - Pitt
Chancellor of the Exchequer-Loss of the Royal George-General Elliot's
Splendid Defence of Gibraltar-Treaty of Peace with America-Wit
France-These Treaties Signed-John Adams at the British Court as
First American Ambassador-Pitt becomes Prime Minister.

THERE were other transactions besides those of the
American campaign, during the year, which demand notice.
Rodney co-operated with a body of troops under genera!
Vaughan in an attempt to recover the island of St. Vincent,
which the French had taken in the previous year,
but they were not successful. They then turned their
attack on the island of St. Eustatia, belonging to the Dutch,
and the governor not having heard the news of the
war, they
met with no resistance. The capture was a most valuable
one; the whole island seemed one great store of Dutch and
American products and goods. There were one hundred
and fifty merchant vessels in the harbour all secured, besides
six ships of war and a fleet of thirty Dutch West Indiamen,
which had just left, but which were sent after and brought
back. The value of the whole prize was estimated at three
millions eight hundred thousand pounds. A large quantity
of the merchandise belonged to Englishmen, who were
engaged thus in supplying the Americans through this
channel. Rodney confiscated the whole of it. In vain did
the owners demand, through the assembly of St. Kitt's, the
restoration of these goods; Rodney would not listen to them.
The clamour was carried thence to the English parliament,
and even into the English courts of law. Rodney protested
against any concession; he declared the island a vast den of
thieves and nest of vipers; that he had seized the whole for
the king and the state, and hoped that it would aid the
revenue of the country. The Americans resident there and
the Jews raised bitter outcries at their banishment from the
island; but it was shown that the Americans had been the
avowed agents and correspondents of their insurgent
countrymen, but that the moment the island was taken they
boldly declared themselves subjects of the British crown.
As for the Jews, general Vaughan, in the house of commons,
said "I had ordered a ship to carry them to St. Thomas's,
at their own request; and, after they had been taken to St.
Kitt's without my knowledge, I ordered their houses and
property to be restored to them; and that they were well
satisfied with my conduct will appear from an address
presented to me from their synagogue."

Vaughan kept the Dutch flag flying at St. Eustatia, and thus inveigled into his hands a considerable number more of Dutch, French, and American vessels that were ignorant of the change. Besides Eustatia, the small neighbouring islands of St. Martin and Saba, and the Dutch settlements on the rivers of Demerara and Essequibo, in Guiana, were taken with their ships and property. The Dutch trade in these parts received a mortal blow. On the other hand, the French, under the marquis de Bouillé, captured the island of Tobago.

The English now began to contemplate taking the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch. General Johnstone was dispatched in April with five ships of the line, some frigates, and smaller vessels, having on board general Meadows and three regiments for this purpose; but encountering admiral Suffrien in the way, after an indecisive action, Johnstone fell in with and took a Dutch East Indiaman of great value, and learned through it that Suffrien had managed to reach the Cape, given the alarm, and that the Cape was put into strong defence. Johnstone, therefore, made for Saldanha Bay, where he learned that a number of other Dutch East Indiamen were lying. Four of these he secured; the rest were run ashore by their commanders and burnt. During the autumn both Dutch and French suffered much from the British on the coasts of Coromandel and the island of Sumatra. They also took from the Dutch Negapatam, Penang, and other places.

There was a negotiation with Catherine of Russia to induce her, by the bribe of the transfer of Minorca to her, to mediate a peace betwixt England, France, Spain, and Holland, on the basis of each country restoring all its conquests since the war, and all these nations binding themselves to abandon the Americans. Catherine was, however, to purchase the stores and artillery at Port Mahon, valued at two millions sterling, and her favourite, Potemkin, was to be bribed by this sum being put into his pocket. Had the island and the stores been all freely presented as a gift to the czarina, the scheme might have succeeded; as it was, she regarded the money to be paid to her favourite as a great sum to be drawn from her, and the whole failed. Moreover, the scheme coming to the knowledge of Florida Blanca, the Spanish minister, he took immediate steps to forestall the business by seizing the island himself. He prevailed on France, though with difficulty, to assist. The duke de Crillon, a Frenchman, was made commander of the expedition, and on the 22nd of July the united fleets of France and Spain sailed out of Cadiz Bay, and stretched out into the ocean, as if intending to make a descent on England. The main part of the fleet did, in fact, sail into the English Channel. It consisted of thirty Spanish ships-of-the-line, under Cordova and Gaston, and nineteen French ships-of-the-line, under De Guichen, De Beausset, and De la Motte Piquet, besides lesser vessels-nearly sixty vessels, in all-a most formidable armada. Admiral Darby, who had just anchored in Torbay, had only twenty-three sail-of-the-line, twelve frigates, and six fireships; but they did not venture to attack , but contented themselves with picking up a number of merchant vessels; and again dissensions and disease breaking t, this great fleet separated, and each nation returned to repective ports, without effecting anything worthy of

karinament.

15. a lesser portion of this fleet, on coming out of harbour, Forging eight thousand troops, stores, and ordnance, Borded through the Straits of Gibraltar, and appeared winely before Port Mahon. On the 19th of August the sanga were landed near Port Mahon, and, being favoured meg saja pahabatants, formerly under the sway of Spain, and sin nadelira, they soon invested the fort, and compelled geness Mirray, who formerly so bravely defended Quebec, wymi to Fort St. Philip, leaving the town of Port Mahon

in their possession. General Murray had second in command Sir William Draper, the old antagonist of Junius, and the conqueror of Manilla, who bravely supported him. But they had only a garrison of two English and two Hanoverian regiments; still the Spanish court trusted more to bribery than to their arms. They had commissioned the duke de Crillon to offer Murray one hundred thousand pounds, with high rank and employment in the Spanish or French service, to surrender the place.

Murray returned this answer to De Crillon:-" When your brave ancestor was desired by his sovereign to assassinate the duke of Guise, he returned the answer which you should have done when the king of Spain charged you to assassinate the character of a man whose birth is as illustrious as your own, or that of the duke of Guise. I can have no communication with you but in arms. If you have any humanity, pray send clothing to your unfortunate prisoners in my possession. Leave it at a distance to be taken up for them; because I will admit of no contact, for the future, but such as is hostile in the most inveterate degree." Crillon, young and a Frenchman as he was, felt the full force of the reproof, and acknowledged it. He replied: "Your letter places us each in our proper stations. It confirms me in the esteem I have always had for you. I accept with pleasure your last proposition." His siege of the fort he saw would be ineffectual without more force. This was sent him from Toulon. Four thousand new troops arrived, attended by able engineer officers and powerful artillery; but Murray still held out, though suffering much from disease amongst his troops, and 1781 was not destined to witness the fall of Minorca.

There were various actions at sea, in one quarter or other. Sir Hyde Parker, convoying a merchant fleet from the Baltic, on the 5th of August, fell in with admiral Zouttman near the Dogger Bank, also convoying a fleet of Dutch traders. An engagement took place, Zouttman having a few men-of-war more than Parker. The engagement was terrible. Parker had one hundred and eleven men killed, and three hundred and eighteen wounded; Zouttman, one hundred and sixteen killed, and three hundred and eightytwo wounded. The ships on both sides were severely damaged, and the Hollandia-a sixty-four-gun ship of Zouttman's-went down with all its crew. Many of the other ships were with difficulty kept afloat. On reaching the Nore, the king and prince of Wales went on board, where they highly complimented both Parker and the rest of the officers. Sir Hyde Parker then resigned his command in favour of his son, Sir Peter Parker, who was sent to blockade the Dutch ports.

On the 14th of the same month a Dutch lugger, in conflict with the Chameleon, sloop-of-war, captain Drury, took fire, and perished with all its crew. On the 12th of December admiral Kempenfelt, with thirteen ships-of-theline, discovered, off Ushant, the French fleet, under De Guichen, convoying a fleet of transports and merchantmen, bound, some for the East, and others for the West Indies, with troops and stores. The fleet of De Guichen was for superior to that of Kempenfelt-consisting of one-andtwenty ships-of-the-line, larger than Kempenfelt's, and two of them armed en flûte; but, the convoy being at a

A.D.

1782.]

Lord Sandwich, on taking leave of him, said, "The fate of the empire is in your hands, and I have no reason to wish that it should be in any other." His presence brought new life to the West India fleet.

But at home, fresh tidings of failure and loss were pouring in. At this moment arrived the news of the failure of commodore Johnstone in the meditated attempt on the Cape of Good Hope, and of his merely having seized some Dutch merchantmen in Saldanha Bay. But far worst of all was the intelligence of the loss of Minorca. It was, at the same time, only what might have been expected. The government knew the straits in which the brave old general Murray lay there at Fort St. Philip, surrounded by overwhelming forces, and with a garrison fast sinking under putrid fever, scurvy, and dysentery, and yet no effort was made to succour him. Never did gallant men deserve succour more. Whilst the French and Spaniards, impatient of the dogged defence of Murray, assailed the fort from numerous batteries, numbers of the poor men, worn down by sickness, yet scorning to yield to the enemy before them, sunk, and died on the walls, instead of being in the hospital. Repeated sorties were made, and one of them was so successful as to drive Crillon from his head-quarters at Cape Mola, and to keep them for some time. But, on the 6th of January, the birthday of the unfortunate dauphin, Crillon opened a terrific fire on the fort, from one hundred and fifty pieces of heavy artillery. Murray still held out till the 5th of February, when he found it necessary to capitulate, which he did upon honourable terms. Describing himself the scene, he says, "Perhaps a more noble or a more tragical scene was never exhibited than that of the march of the garrison of St. Philip's through the Spanish and French armies. It consisted of no more than six hundred old, decrepit soldiers, two hundred seamen, one hundred and twenty-five of the royal artillery, twenty Corsicans, and twenty-five Greeks, Turks, Moors, Jews, &c. The two armies were drawn up in two lines; the battalions, fronting each other, forming a way for us to march through. They consisted of fourteen thousand men, and reached from the glacis to George Town, where our battalions laid down their arms, declaring they had surrendered them to God alone, having the consolation to know that the victors could not plume themselves on taking a hospital. Such were the distresses of our men that many of the Spanish and French troops shed tears as they passed them."

They not only obtained all the honours of war, but they received the kindest treatment from Crillon, and from the officers generally. The French and Spanish surgeons attended the sick, and every comfort was afforded them. Murray declared that but for the sickness of his little band, he might have held out for six months more. Thus was lost to England the finest port in the Mediterranean.

291

in. The people at large, who had been long eager for the contest, were now grown weary of it; and they who were the most unwilling to contemplate the liberation of the colonies, and regarded it as synonymous with the fall of the nation, were extremely bitter against the ministers for their wretched management of the contest.

No sooner did the house meet than Fox moved for an inquiry into the causes of the constant failure of our fleets in these enterprises, on which so much had depended. The object was to crush lord Sandwich, the head of the admiralty. Numbers of those in Sandwich's interest defended him by throwing the blame on the factions and animosities which were carried from parliament amongst the commanders and officers. Mr. Fitzherbert attributed the deficiency in the number of our ships to the miserable wages given in the royal dockyards, as greatly below the rate paid by private builders. He said the king of France had three thousand shipwrights at work at Brest, whilst the king of England had only eight hundred at Portsmouth. He reminded the house that years ago the shipwrights had petitioned for an increase of pay, and that lord Chatham had warmly urged the granting of it, but that it had been refused, and that we were now suffering the consequences of this impolitic parsimony.

Lord North conceded the inquiry with much professed readiness, but with real resistance to the production of the necessary papers. Fox, seeing that it was intended to stifle the inquiry, whilst appearing to court it, on the 7th of February made another onslaught on lord Sandwich, by a motion that naval affairs had been grossly mismanaged. Lord Mulgrave, who had defended Sandwich on the first occasion, now stood forward again on his behalf; but his defence was far outweighed by the statements of lord Howe, who concurred with Mr. Fox, that Brest ought to have been closely watched by frigates, the Texel blockaded, to keep in the Dutch, and that Kempenfelt ought to have been sent to sea with a much larger fleet. Fox's motion was rejected, but only by a majority of twenty-two. strength of ministers was fast ebbing. Continual attacks were made. Lord Rawdon, who had reached home, was called upon to defend himself against his alleged concern in the hanging of colonel Hayne; and, in the same house, the surrender of lord Cornwallis was thoroughly commented on by the duke of Richmond.

The

The first symptom of the breaking up of the ministry was the necessity felt for the dismissal of lord George Germaine, who had contributed so essentially to the defeats in America. But even then the king would not consent that he should resign without conferring a peerage on him, observing, "No one can then say he is disgraced." But George was not clear-minded enough to perceive that he who made such a man a peer was disgraced, and still more so by the selection, in such critical times, of his successor. This was no other than old Welbore Ellis, whose pigmy body and mind had been so mercilessly satirised by Junius, under the names of the "Manikin" and the "Grildig."

strances.