CHAPTER XXIII.

Unprincipled conduct of the Directory-Recall of Mr. Wickham-Loss of the Colossus in St. Mary's Sound-Proposals for making Scilly and Falmouth naval depôts-Capture and loss of La Chérie-Reflections on French corvettes-Various captures-Capture of the Hercule, by the Mars-Attack on islands of Marcou by French flotilla-Escape of Sir Sydney Smith-Success of Sir Francis Laforey-Capture of the Seine-Loss of the Pique-Lieutenant Shortland in boats of Melpomene-Butterfield, in the Hazard, takes the Neptune-French frigates land troops in Killala bay, and are defeated-MiscellaneousUnited Irishmen-Shocking execution of a mutineer-Establishment of Sea-fencibies.

THE French Directory had already circulated the grossest calumnies against the British Government, and insidiously endeavoured to sow dissensions between the King and his people. They openly avowed a determination to invade England and Ireland, and declared, in very confident terms, that they should find numerous supporters in both countries. The rupture of the negotiations with Lord Malmsbury may reasonably be referred to the hopes they entertained of being thus enabled seriously to injure the credit of England. Projects of the most extravagant description were spoken of, and believed by the simple, by which they were to cross the Channel; but the King was strong in the affections of his people, and, owing to the general manifestation of firmness and resolution, the enemy were deterred from the hazardous enterprise, if ever it was really entertained.

It was about this period that the Directory compelled the Swiss cantons to dismiss Mr. Wickham, the English envoy, from his official station. This event was followed in December, 1797, by the invasion of the cantons by the French armies, which finally subdued the country after a determined and sanguinary resistance on the part of the Swiss.

The chief defence of the nation in the event of invasion rested with the navy. This was reasonable; and, as far as winds would have permitted, there could be no doubt that the navy would not have disappointed the hopes of the country. naval warfare there are many adverse contingencies, which none

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On the 11th of February, 1798, the Spanish fleet put to sea, and drove off Sir William Parker, with his squadron of six sail of the line. Lord St. Vincent followed them as soon as he heard of it, but they returned to Cadiz before he could get sight of them. Their object was to break up the blockade.

The affairs of the Mediterranean, in the spring of the year 1798, began to create the most intense and anxious curiosity throughout Europe.

Never in any former war did France embark an army of such magnitude as that she was now about to commit to sea from Toulon, for the invasion of Egypt,-never was an army led by such able chiefs, so well supplied with every article necessary for its final success,- -never was an army so well supported by maritime aids,—and, excepting the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, scarcely ever was failure more complete than that of the fleets and the legions which constituted this most mysterious and extraordinary armament.

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y our frigates and brought into his Majesty's service, ich, however, they were totally unfit, and hundreds of le British seamen perished in them. Such were the peuse, the Railleur, Gentile, and many more, which founat sea, with all their crews. A prize purchased by the nment seldom answered their expectations; the expenses air, we have proved, have often exceeded the prime cost of glish-built ship of the same tonnage; and the captors rarely satisfied with the price paid for them by the navy

aptain Durham, in the Anson, captured the Daphné, a ite of 24 guns, not long before taken from us by the French. aptain Graham Moore, in the Melampus, in company with Seahorse, Captain Oakes, captured Le Belliqueux, a ship vateer, of 18 guns; and, a few days after, La Volage, of guns, nine-pounders, and 218 men. The officers of this ship longed to the French navy, but were serving in a privateer, ith leave of absence from the minister of the marine.

The Honourable Captain Stopford, in the Phaeton, captured La Légère, of 18 guns, and 130 men. He also, at the same me, recaptured an American ship, called the Eliza, which had been taken by a French privateer. She was from Batavia, with a valuable cargo, and stopped at Boston for fresh papers, in order to proceed to Amsterdam. This was the constant practice of America during the war of the revolution.

A very brilliant action was fought, on the 21st of April, between his Majesty's ship the Mars, of 74 guns, and 650 men, and the French ship L'Hercule, of 74 guns, and 700 men.

This

Lord Bridport, with the Channel fleet, while off Brest, made the signal for the Mars to chase a strange ship in-shore of them. The enemy endeavoured to escape through the Passage du Raz; but the tide proving contrary, and the wind easterly, she was obliged to anchor at the mouth of that passage. afforded Captain Hood an opportunity of bringing his ship to action, which he did by running her so close alongside as to unhang some of the lower-deck ports of his adversary. A bloody contest ensued, which lasted an hour and a half, when the enemy surrendered. The gallant Captain Hood, nephew to the commander-in-chief, received a musket-ball in the femoral artery towards the conclusion of the action, and scarcely lived to hear the shout of victory." The prize was just out of L'Orient, on her way to Brest to join the fleet, and it was the first time of her being at sea. This, though a single action, was one of great importance. The meeting of two ships of the line is a circumstance of rare occurrence, and its decision in our favour a brilliant ornament to our naval history. The Bellona

but the experienced mariner can foresee, and even then not always counteract. Fogs, calms, or easterly winds, might have retarded the progress of our fleets to the point of attack; the fleet in the Downs might have been driven from its station by bad weather, and the coasts of Kent and Sussex been left defenceless. In these cases much more would have devolved on the military. But the nation was hearty in the cause, and the result could not, therefore, have been doubtful.

In January, 1798, Captain G. Murray, in the Colossus, of 74 guns, returned from the Mediterranean station, and, meeting with contrary winds, put into Scilly with his convoy. While at anchor in St. Mary's Sound a gale came on, in which the ship drove from her anchors, and was totally lost the crew, with all the stores, were saved. This accident would, probably, have been prevented, had his Majesty's ships in those days been supplied, as they now are, with chain cables.

In 1808 his late Majesty, then Prince of Wales, proposed to make St. Mary's Sound a secure harbour; but on the inspection of it by Mr. Rennie, and an estimate of the expense which was likely to be incurred, being made, it appeared that, to carry the plan into effect, it would cost the sum of £2,010,000 sterling, and, when complete, would have been of a very limited capacity: the intention was, therefore, abandoned. The plan had originated with Benjamin Tucker, Esq., the surveyor-general of the duchy of Cornwall, and who, while Earl St. Vincent was at the Admiralty, held the situation of second secretary. His arguments were, certainly, forcible, and founded on the prevalence of the westerly wind impeding the passage of our ships down the Channel, which, when the enemy's fleet escaped from Brest, gave them a manifest advantage in point of time. Falmouth became, for similar reasons, an object of the same kind of discussion; but there appeared so many objections that this was also relinquished, and it was at last decided to construct that solid monument to the glory of George the Fourth, the noble breakwater of Plymouth Sound.

Captain Reynolds, in La Pomone, captured La Chérie, from Nantes, a large ship carrying 26 long guns, of 12, 18, and 24-pounders, with 236 men, of whom 12 were killed, and 22 wounded. The Pomone had scarcely time to take out the prisoners before the prize sunk alongside of her the French captain died of his wounds the following day. This ship and the Dorade, which we have seen upset in a squall of wind, were specimens of the sort of vessel which the French were in the habit of sending to sea, in the short space of two months from the time of laying the keels: they were flush-decked corvettes, sailing remarkably fast in smooth water. Many of them were

taken by our frigates and brought into his Majesty's service, for which, however, they were totally unfit, and hundreds of valuable British seamen perished in them. Such were the

Trompeuse, the Railleur, Gentile, and many more, which foundered at sea, with all their crews. A prize purchased by the Government seldom answered their expectations; the expenses of repair, we have proved, have often exceeded the prime cost of an English-built ship of the same tonnage; and the captors were rarely satisfied with the price paid for them by the navy board.

Captain Durham, in the Anson, captured the Daphné, a frigate of 24 guns, not long before taken from us by the French.

Captain Graham Moore, in the Melampus, in company with the Seahorse, Captain Oakes, captured Le Belliqueux, a ship privateer, of 18 guns; and, a few days after, La Volage, of 20 guns, nine-pounders, and 218 men. The officers of this ship belonged to the French navy, but were serving in a privateer, with leave of absence from the minister of the marine.

The Honourable Captain Stopford, in the Phaeton, captured La Légère, of 18 guns, and 130 men. He also, at the same time, recaptured an American ship, called the Eliza, which had been taken by a French privateer. She was from Batavia, with a valuable cargo, and stopped at Boston for fresh papers, in order to proceed to Amsterdam. This was the constant practice of America during the war of the revolution.

A very brilliant action was fought, on the 21st of April, between his Majesty's ship the Mars, of 74 guns, and 650 men, and the French ship L'Hercule, of 74 guns, and 700 men.

Lord Bridport, with the Channel fleet, while off Brest, made the signal for the Mars to chase a strange ship in-shore of them. The enemy endeavoured to escape through the Passage du Raz; but the tide proving contrary, and the wind easterly, she was obliged to anchor at the mouth of that passage. This afforded Captain Hood an opportunity of bringing his ship to action, which he did by running her so close alongside as to unhang some of the lower-deck ports of his adversary. A bloody contest ensued, which lasted an hour and a half, when the enemy surrendered. The gallant Captain Hood, nephew to the commander-in-chief, received a musket-ball in the femoral artery towards the conclusion of the action, and scarcely lived to hear the shout of victory." The prize was just out of L'Orient, on her way to Brest to join the fleet, and it was the first time of her being at sea. This, though a single action, was one of great importance. The meeting of two ships of the line is a circumstance of rare occurrence, and its decision in our favour a brilliant ornament to our naval history. The Bellona

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