Bonaparte was not sending L'Orient to Toulon, and taking his whole fleet into this port; the campaign, had he done so, might have had a very different termination.

As soon as Nelson could give his attention to the important subject, he despatched Lieutenant Duval, of the Zealous, overland, to Bombay, with a letter to the governor of that settlement, giving an account of his victory, and of the intentions of the French in their invasion of Egypt. It was about this time, or soon after, according to Sir John Malcolm, that the Governor-general of India formed an alliance with the King of Persia, which would have impeded the progress of the French armies through that kingdom, had such been the intention of the French commander.

On his arrival at Naples on the 22d of September, Nelson found the Culloden, Alexander, and Bonne Citoyenne. His reception, both by the king and the people, excited the jealousies and the fears of the French Directory. They now began to perceive that the Neapolitans and Sardinians were burning with the desire of throwing off their yoke, that Austria was ready to take the field, and that Holland and Switzerland, and the whole of Germany, were again ready to rise in arms against France, and to make common cause with Great Britain. Such was the state of affairs when Captain Thompson, of the Leander, arrived at Trieste, with the news of the victory of the Nile. It was only by doubtful rumour that the account of this event was at first spread over Europe. The French, who had taken the bearer of the first despatches, were deeply concerned in keeping the secret for a few weeks. The officer and crew of both the Généreux and the Leander were subjected to long quarantine, and little transpired for two months except that there had been a great and decisive battle on the coast of Egypt. The arrival of Captain Capel, however, dispelled all doubt, and the political horizon once more beamed with a ray of hope that the deliverance of Europe was at no great disThose who had long crouched under Gallic despotism now began to take courage. The navies of England and Russia were in full possession of the Mediterranean, Turkey was favourable to them and adverse to the French, in whose cause the Spaniards were lukewarm, and the Portuguese were allied with us.

Never did a fairer prospect offer for restoring the balance of power, when General Mack, an Austrian of supposed talent, was sent to command the Neapolitan army, consisting of 80,000 men, one-fourth of whom were cavalry. The emperor was hastening through the north of Italy with an immense force to his assistance, and the Earl of St. Vincent, with the

British fleet, was at hand to assist the allied armies. Encouraged, perhaps, by the queen and Lady Hamilton, Ferdinand, at the head of his army, with Mack by his side, boldly marched to Rome. This premature step was fatal to the cause: the monarch, and his timid subjects, were beaten by one-fourth part of their number, and the shattered remnant of this multitude retreated with ignominy to Naples. The feeble effort, however, had some advantage: France saw that if she was to retain Italy, she must keep such a force in that country as would render her influence no longer problematical; the king and his people had thrown off the mask, and nothing but the bayonet could keep them in subjection. The movements of the hostile armies drew the British fleet to the coast; Nelson was reinforced, and the Foudroyant, a new 80-gun ship, was preparing to receive his flag: the blockade of Malta was continued, the Portuguese squadron performing part of that duty. Sir James Saumarez, on his way down the Mediterranean with the prizes from the Nile, summoned the island to surrender, but in vain. In the mean time the war in the south of Europe assumed a deeper interest; and a tremendous storm was gathering over Italy, where Russia, Austria, and England had united their forces to expel the armies of the republic.

While Captain Hood was employed on the blockade of Alexandria, a circumstance happened which shows the manner in which the French were received in Egypt; and at the same time the generous efforts of the English to save their inveterate enemies from destruction. The Seahorse and Emerald chased a French gun-boat of four guns and 60 men; she anchored close in shore, but as the boats of our ships approached to board her, the unfortunate Frenchmen cut their cable, and ran into the surf: they had on board General Carrier and his aide-de-camp, with despatches for Bonaparte. These, with many of the crew who made resistance, were butchered by the Arabs, and it is feared under circumstances at which human nature recoils. The whole crew were stripped of their clothes; the commander and seven men made their escape naked to the beach, where our boats having by this time arrived, they begged on their knees to be taken on board. Our sailors swam on shore with lines and small casks, and at the imminent risk of their own lives succeeded in bringing off these unfortu

nate men.

The success which had attended our arms in the East encouraged farther attempts in the western parts of the MediterraThe time for our making any effectual movement on the Continent had not yet arrived; but, in the daily expecta

nean.

tion of a favourable change in politics, a large disposable force was kept in the neighbourhood of Cadiz and Gibraltar.

The French having, as already stated, made themselves masters of Malta, might be said to command almost every port in the Mediterranean. The islands of Corsica, Sicily, and Sardinia being either in their power or under their control, a naval port had become a consideration of the first importance with us, and it is matter of surprise that the evacuation of Toulon and Corsica did not earlier suggest this obvious necessity. Port Mahon, in the island of Minorca, united many and great advantages, and it was resolved to attack it without delay. This island had formerly belonged to Great Britain, having been taken in the year 1708 by the forces under the command of Vice-admiral Leake and Lieutenant-general Stanhope. It was lost again in 1756, when the unhappy Byng was deprived of life for an error in judgment on his own part, and want of firmness in the ministers of George II. Restored to us at the peace of 1763, it remained in our hands until the Spaniards took it in 1782, and were allowed to retain it by the peace of Paris in the following year.

The Earl of St. Vincent selected a detachment of ships to co-operate with the army on this expedition, and gave the command of them to Commodore Duckworth. The land forces were under the command of the Lieutenant-general the Hon. Charles Stewart; the number was very small. The ships employed were the Leviathan, 74, Commodore Duckworth; Centaur, 74, Captain Markham; Argo, 44, Captain James Bowen; Aurora, 28, Captain Henry Digby; Cormorant, 20, Honourable C. Boyle; and Petterel, 16, Captain Long; with some other small vessels.

The landing was effected on the 7th of November, in the bay of Addaya, the troops being covered by the Argo, while the ships of the line made a feint at Forneilles, where the enemy blew up their works, and the first division of British troops, consisting of 800 men, marched in and took possession. Attacked by 2,000 Spaniards, they received them so warmly that the enemy retreated, and could not be brought to stand before the British fire. Minorca, being rocky, with some rising ground on the north side, is capable of being easily defended, but there were few soldiers to oppose us. Mercadel, a very important post, was taken without resistance; the enemy's forces had separated, and farther communication between them was cut off. Commodore Duckworth had so stationed his ships that they gave the most effectual support to the army, while Colonel Graham marched upon the village of Ciudadella, in front of which he established his camp.

In the course of the night Captain Buchannan, with 250 seamen, assisted the artillery-men in bringing forward their guns. Colonel Paget was detached, with 300 men, to take possession of the town of Port Mahon. This officer summoned Fort Charles to surrender, took the lieutenant-governor prisoner with 160 of his men, removed the boom which obstructed the passage of the harbour, and gave admission to the Aurora and Cormorant frigates, which had been sent by the commodore to make a diversion on that side of the island.

The enemy was still in force at Ciudadella, but, by a wellcombined movement, the place was taken, though we had not more than six 12-pounders; the final capitulation was hastened by the appearance of a British squadron in the offing. The terms of the surrender were that the island should retain its laws and liberties, civil and religious. I shall ever regret that Minorca was restored to the Spaniards at the general peace in 1814-15. That island, under all circumstances, should have been retained by Great Britain. Our having Malta is no argument against it. Malta is too far to the southward, and too remote from the southern coast of Europe.

The blockade of Malta was conducted by Captain Ball, of the Alexander, having under his orders three ships of the line and three frigates. He was assisted by the Portuguese squadron, under the command of the Marquis de Niza. The whole of these were detachments from the division of Nelson, who had charge of the Mediterranean station from Naples and Malta to Alexandria, while Lord St. Vincent, as commander-in-chief, was at Gibraltar, whence he issued orders to his cruisers, extending from the western islands and Lisbon to the mouth of the Nile and the Dardanelles.

Goza, a small island dependent on Malta, surrendered to Captain Ball on the 28th of October, and was given up to his Sicilian majesty.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Capture of La Renommée-Affairs of St. Domingo-Singular position of the contending parties-Capture of Trinidad-Destruction of Spanish squadron-Unsuccessful attack on Porto Rico-Gallant defence of the post of Irois, St. Domingo, by Captain Jervis and Lieutenant Talbot— Evacuation of the island-Leeward Islands-Mutiny on board the Hermione-Murder of Captain Pigott and officers-Mutineers claimed by the Admiral, and refused by the governor of La Guaira-Fatal affair of Lord Camelford and Lieutenant Peterson-Reflections; and letter from the Admiralty to the author.

THE activity of the French in the gulf of Florida was unremitting using the ports of Cuba as their own, they equipped privateers, manned them with people of all nations and colours, and carried on the same depredations, under the flag of a belligerent, which civilized nations usually term piracy. Captain Drury, in the Alfred, of 74 guns, captured to windward of Jamaica La Renommée, French frigate, of 38 guns, 18pounders, and 350 men.

Discord still raged on the island of St. Domingo, where the blacks contended against the republicans and mulattoes; and, as the two latter were our decided and implacable enemies, we sided with the former. Such was the anomalous state of things in that part of the world: France, under the banner of liberty, sought to establish or restore slavery; England, to wound the power of France, protected the slaves against their masters, although their success might have endangered the peace and welfare of the British islands. In the mean time the importation of negroes from the coast of Africa to all the islands still proceeded, the love of gain overpowering every other consideration.

Rear-admiral Henry Harvey, the commander-in-chief on the Leeward-island station, and Lieutenant-general Sir Ralph Abercrombie, having received instructions from home, attacked the Spanish island of Trinidad, contiguous to the main land of South America, with which it forms that inlet called the gulf of Paria, the bocca or mouth of which the squadron passed on the 16th of February, in the afternoon. Here they discovered four ships of the line, commanded by Admiral Appadoca,