DEFENCE OF MINORCA. 127 When the news of this decisive victory, which established the House of Hanover on the throne of Great Britain, reached London, the popular enthusiasm was great; and both Houses of Parliament addressed a vote of thanks to the Duke and his successful soldiers. The town is all blazing around me,' writes Horace Walpole,* 'with fireworks and illuminations.' The defeat is reckoned total, and the dispersion general; and all their artillery is taken. It is a brave young duke!' In 1751, a royal warrant was issued, authorising the regiment to bear the distinctive appellation of the 'Fourth, or King's Own Royal Regiment,' and in the centre of their colours 'the king's cipher on a red ground within the garter, and crown over it; in the three corners of their second colour, the Lion of England,' being the ancient badge, conferred, it is believed, by William III. The regiment remained in Great Britain until the year 1754, when it was despatched to the island of Minorca ; a Spanish possession-originally captured by England in the interests of the House of Austria, and finally confirmed to her by the treaty of Utrecht. Garrisoned by a small force, it had enjoyed a long period of tranquillity, until the outbreak of a new war between England and France, in 1756, induced the latter to attempt its capture. At this period, the garrison consisted of the King's Own, the 23rd (or Royal Welsh Fusiliers), the 24th, and 34th: -383 officers, and 2,504 privates, commanded by the veteran Lieut.-General Blakeney. Despite of the formidable armament which the Duke of Richelieu marshalled before Port Mahonthe principal harbour and fortress in the island-the English and their chief were resolved upon a desperate defence. 'Our spirits are so good,' wrote one of the officers, 'our garrison so hearty, and our supplies so ample, that if our works do not protect us, and we defend our works until we can be relieved by a strong hand, we deserve to be buried in their ruins.' But the defences were of so extensive a character that 5,000 rather than 2,000 troops were necessary to guard them. The French army landed at Ciudadella, on April 18, and immediately lay siege to Fort St. Philip, which commanded the entrance to the harbour of Port Mahon. As there had not been time to demolish the town of St. Philip, the enemy took * Letters to Sir Horace Mann, April 25. advantage of it to cover their approaches; the streets served them for trenches and the houses for barracks, hospitals, and masks for their batteries. Their works were prosecuted with infinite vigour, notwithstanding the fire of the fort, and the occasional sorties of the garrison; and it became evident that a surrender, however long deferred, was eventually inevitable, unless relief arrived from England. Blakeney's small force lacked neither energy nor spirit, but was unable to cope with the superiority of the French in numbers. At length, the promised fleet from England arrived off the island, and the besieged gazed with unbounded hope on the glorious ensign of St. George, indulging in the belief that they should rapidly be relieved. But the fleet only consisted of 11 sail of the line, two 50-gun ships, a 40-gun ship, and a frigate, and was commanded by Admiral Byng, an officer of undoubted courage, but of small experience, and lacking in that moral heroism which knows how to dare a great responsibility. The French fleet included ten sail of the line, two 50's, and five large frigates; in all, 976 guns against 956—a slight superiority, indeed, but the French guns carried heavier metals, and their ships were better manned. Byng had but 6,505 men on board; M. de Galissioniere, 9,552. Byng's 90gun ship, threw a broadside of 686 lbs.; De Galissioniere's 84-gun ship, a broadside of 1,159 lbs. And, moreover, Byng was not a Nelson. Aware of the importance of throwing supplies into Fort St. Philip, Byng determined to engage the enemy, and through the gallantry of his second in command, Rear-Admiral West, a close action was brought on, about two hours after noon, on May 20. But soon after he had determined on fighting, Byng's heart gave way, and he did not get into battle at all, leaving the shock to be borne by West's division, and never offering to lend it any support. It is difficult to see how West's ships could have escaped capture had not De Galissioniere resembled Byng, and after three hours' cannonading, filled and made sail. The French then returned to Minorca, and Byng, without attempting to communicate with the beleaguered garrison, hastily retired to Gibraltar.† Earl Stanhope's History of England. Byng was afterwards brought to trial by court-martial, found guilty of neglect of duty, and shot on board the Monarch' in Portsmouth harbour. DEFENCE OF MINORCA. 129 Thus abandoned to their fate, Lieut.-General Blakeney and his four regiments yielded not one jot of heart or hope. Though invested by an army of 20,000 men, and harassed by the shot of 87 battering cannon, mortars, and howitzers, they laboured incessantly at the repair of their works, and returned the enemy's fire with unfailing vigour. Yet the men were so worn out with fatigue and watching, that they often fell asleep under a heavy cannonade. At midnight on June 27, a general assault was delivered. While a large body advanced from every quarter on the land side, a strong detachment in armed boats attempted to force the harbour. The attack was delivered with much courage, and met with heroic steadiness. Several times the assailants were beaten back, but finally, at a great cost of life, they succeeded in occupying three of the outworks. The governor now deemed it advisable to capitulate, for though the defences were still in good condition, the garrison was worn out with fatigue, and there seemed no prospect of relief from England. Articles of capitulation were accordingly signed on the following day.* They ran as follows: 'The noble and vigorous defence which the English have made, having merited all the marks of esteem and admiration that a soldier can bestow upon such actions, and the Maréchal de Richelieu being desirous to show to General Blakeney the regard due to his conduct of the defence, grants to the garrison all the honours of war they could enjoy in setting out upon an embarkation; that is to say, firelock on their shoulders, drums beating, colours flying, twenty cartridges each man, and also a lighted match.' He further agreed to allow them to carry away their effects, and to transport them to Gibraltar. In this spirited defence, the 4th regiment lost 29 killed and 75 wounded, and the entire garrison 98 killed and 313 wounded. The King's Own returned to England in November, and was immediately augmented to two battalions. In April 1758, the second battalion was embodied as a separate regiment—the 62nd (or 'Wiltshire'); and in the autumn of the same year, the 1st battalion embarked in Major-General Hopson's expedition against the French colonies in the West Indies. The fleet arrived off Martinico in January; an attempt was made upon it, but the enemy found so well-posted, and in such force Beatson's Naval and Military Memoirs; Smollett's England. I |