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address, who had arrogated all wisdom to the supporters of the war, and ascribed nothing but error to all who, with himself, had thought and acted on opposite principles. He then said, the time was come in which he could tell the noble lord (Castlereagh) that excepting the article respect ing the slave trade, he had fully and completely deserved that confidence which he reposed in him. In his opinion, nothing in the noble lord's conduct did him more honour than having fairly tried the experiment of negociating with the then ruler of France; and though the papers of the negociation at Chatillon had not been produced, he was fully convinced that it had been broken off only in consequence of the folly and madness of Buonaparte himself. There had been no evidence of the impracticability of such a measure till the noble lord had tried it; being then found impracticable, no man more rejoiced in the restoration of the Bourbons than he did.

Lord Castlereagh commenced a speech with expressing his gratitude for the candour and liberality with which he had been treated by the house, both during his absence from it, and now upon his return. He then entered upon such explanations as might be expected from him, relative to the treaty in which he had been in strumental. With respect to the negociations at Chatillon, he could confidently assert, from the means of information afforded during their course, that the mind of the individual who then ruled France was so deeply wounded by the transactions which had occurred, that no secure or durable peace could have been made with him.

He had, however, felt satisfied, that as long as this person should continue de facto at the head of the French government, there was no other alternative than to treat with him. The house would remember that he (Lord C.) had gone expressly to treat with him, in conjunction with our allies. The projet which they gave in at Chatillon was framed after he had been successively victorious in five engagements, and when a considerable uncertainty prevailed as to the final issue of the campaign. At the same moment the allied powers entered into that solemn compact at Chaumont, by which four of them engaged to bring into the field 600,000 men; the most important contract that perhaps the history of European diplomacy could furnish.

An impression had gone abroad, that the negociations at Chatillon had been broken off in consequence of the transactions which had taken place at Bourdeaux; but this was entirely unfounded. These events were indeed known at Chatillon, but the progress of the negociations was not suspended until the allies were clearly convinced that Buonaparte was trifling with them. His lordship then proceeded to state the principles by which Great Britain had been guided in negociating the treaty under consideration. He said, the language uniformly held by this country to the continent had been, that if the people of Europe were willing to fight for their own liberties, England would stand by them; but if they shrunk from the contest, then England was determined to do justice to herself, and provide by her own strength for her own security.

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He then went through the particulars of the treaty with France, which it is unnecessary here to repeat; and he expressed liberal sentiments on the prospect offered of future amity and good will between the two countries. "If," said he, no other blessing had been derived from all that has happened, it would be no unsatisfactory one to feel that the spell is dissolved by which Great Britain and France were supposed to be necessarily enemies." His lordship concluded a speech, which appeared to obtain the general applause of the house, by a compliment to the vigorous and stedfast conduct of the Prince Regent at this momentous period; and the Address, as amended, was agreed to without opposition.

On July 30th, the Prince Regent came in state to the House of Lords, and being seated on the throne in full robes, with his great officers ranged on each side, and the peers being present in their places, a message was sent to the House of Commons, requiring their attendance. The Speaker shortly after arrived, accompanied by several members, and presenting to his Royal Highness the vote of credit bill for three millions, made an address to him, in which he recapitulated the principal proceedings of the house during the session, and adverted to the great and glorious events which had made so happy a change in the affairs of Europe.

The Prince Regent then delivered a speech to the following effect. After lamenting the continuance of his Majesty's unfortunate indisposition, he said, that on assuming the powers of goyernment which that event had

placed in his hands, he had determined to adhere to the line of policy which his Majesty had adopted, and in which he found zealous support from parliament, from all classes of his Majesty's subjects, and from the valour of his Majesty's forces by sea and land. That he had the satisfaction of contemplating the full accomplishment of all the objects for which the war was undertaken or continued, and the final deliverance of Europe by the combined exertions of this nation and its allies, from the most oppressive tyranny under which it had ever laboured. That the restoration of so many of the ancient governments of the continent afforded the best prospect of the permanence of peace, and that his ef forts might be relied on at the approaching congress for completing the settlement of Europe upon principles of justice and impartiality. That he lamented the con-tinuance of hostilities with the United States of America, and notwithstanding the unprovoked aggression of the government of that country, was sincerely desirous of the restoration of peace on conditions honourable to both; but that until this object could be obtained, parliament would see the necessity of his employing the means at his disposal for prosecuting the war with increased vis gour.

His Royal Highness then thanked the House of Commons for the liberal provision they had made for the services of the year, and adverted to the necessity of maintaining for a time a body of troops in British pay on the continent. He concluded with assuring both Houses that full justice was ren

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dered throughout Europe to the manly perseverance displayed by this country amidst the convulsions of the continent, and with expressing his persuasion that they would ascribe the advantages they have possessed, under

Providence, to that constitution which for a century it has been the object of his family to maintain unimpaired.

The Lord Chancellor then declared the prorogation of parliament.

CHAPTER

CHAPTER XV.

Naval Transactions.-Attempt by Sea and Land on Leghorn.-Capture of La Ceres.-Capture of L'Alcmene and L'Iphigenie.-Capture of La Terpsichore.-Capture of La Clorinde.-Capture of La Sultane and L'Etoile.-Capture of the Essex American Frigate.-Capture of the Frolic American Sloop.-Capture of the Reindeer British Brig by the Wasp American Sloop.-Destruction of the American Privateer Gen. Arnold.

TH

HIS year, like several of the preceding, has been destitute of occasions for any of those great actions which, in the former part of the war, conferred so much celebrity on the British navy. The attempts of the French ruler to regain maritime consequence, were so effectually thwarted by his ambitious projects on land, and their fatal results, that the equipment of a few frigates was the greatest exertion of which his naval resources were capable; and the number of those captured has peculiarly distinguished the early months of the year. After that period, one enemy alone remained to contend against the British flag; and it was only upon those inland seas, on which that antagonist possesses at least divided sway, that any equal trial of strength could occur. The powerful fleet blockading the American coast has been chiefly employed in aiding the operations of the land forces, and in small expeditions up the bays and rivers, for the purpose of harassing the commerce, and destroying the resources of the enemy. In return, the Americans have been extremely active

in annoying the British trade by their privateers, to which species of warfare they have chiefly confined their enterprize on the open sea, their larger vessels having seldom appeared out of port.

We revert to the close of the last year for a narrative of a gallant enterprize conducted under the command of Captain Sir Josias Rowley, of the America, in conjunction with a land force of Italians under Lieut.-Col. Catanelli, the object of which was to surprize the port of Leghorn. On Nov. 29th, Captain Rowley sailed from Palermo in company with the Termagant, and having joined the Furieuse and Mermaid, and taken on board the Italian levy, amounting to one thousand men, sailed for the coast of Italy. They arrived off Via Reggio on December 9th, having met with the Armada and Imperieuse, which were detained to assist in landing the troops. This service having been effected, Lieutenant-Colonel Catanelli proceeded to Lucca, which was surrendered to him, and a party of marines took and destroyed a fortified signal-sation. Catanelli afterwards repulsed with

loss

loss a party of troops from the garrisons of Leghorn and Pisa which came to attack him at Via Reggio; and the weak state of the remaining garrison of Leghorn being learned from the prisoners, it was determined to make an attack upon that place. The ships accordingly proceeded for Leghorn roads, and the troops, with the marines, were landed on the 13th. On that evening they got possession of the suburbs of Leghorn; and on the following morning the marines were attacked on the Pisa road by a considerable body of the enemy, infantry and cavalry, with two field-pieces. They received the charge of the cavalry with great coolness, killing the greatest part of them; and afterwards, advancing against the enemy's infantry, they put them entirely to the rout. The commandant of Leghorn was then summoned, but without effect; and it being now ascertained that an attack on the place could not be attempted with any chance of success, it was thought expedient to re-embark the whole force, which was effected during the night or the next morning without molestation from the enemy. The loss sustained by the assailants in this spirited attempt was inconsiderable: that of the adverse party was estimated at from 250 to 300 in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Captain Rainier, of the Niger, communicated on January 6th, to Rear-Admiral Dixon at Rio Janeiro, an account of the capture of a French frigate. He stated, that having made the island of St. Antonio on the preceding morning, for the purpose of correcting his longitude, he discovered a strange sail, and immediately gave chase,

in company with the Tagus, Captain Pipon. The chase continued all that day, and at daylight on the 6th they were only a mile and a half from the object of pursuit. The Tagus being to windward, was first enabled to open its fire, which was briskly returned by the enemy; when, after a few broadsides, the French frigate's maintop-mast was shot away, and her escape rendered impossible. The Niger then coming up, farther resistance would have been an useless waste of lives; the French ship, therefore, firing another broadside, struck her colours. She proved to be La Ceres, of fortyfour guns and three hundred and twenty-four men, commanded by the Baron de Bougainville, only one month from Brest, on her first cruize.

Rear-Admiral Durham, commander-in-chief on the Leeward Islands station, reported in January his success in the capture of two French frigates. On the 16th of that month, the Cyane having given the signal for two strange sail, chase was immediately made, and the Venerable, by superior sailing, came up with them at the close of the day, leaving the Cyane far astern. The leewardmost of the ships being hailed to surrender without effect, a cannonading began, when she made a bold attempt to lay the Venerable on board, but the consequence was, that she herself was boarded and taken. She proved to be the Alcmene, a fine French frigate of 44 guns, commanded by M. Ducrest de Villeneuve, an officer of merit. Her resistance cost her thirty men killed and fifty wounded; the loss in the Venerable was inconsiderable. Her consort, in the

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