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á most awful fight. As there was no poffibility of offering the leaft affiftance to the enemy, in fo diftreffing a fituation, the Cafar paffed on to close with the fhip, engaged by the Superb; but, before the Cæfar could come up, that flip, the St. Antonio, of 74 guns, and 730 men, was completely filenced, and hauled down her colours. The Venerable and Spencer having, at this inftant, come up, the English admiral bore after the enemy, who were carrying a prefs of fail, and ftanding out of the ftraits; but loft fight of them during the night. It blew exceffively hard till daylight; and, in the morning, the only fhips in company were the Venerable and Thames, a-head of the Cæfar, and one of the French hips at fome diftance from them, ftanding towards the fhoals of Conil, befides the Spencer aftern, coming up. All our fhips immediately made fail with a fresh breeze, but, as they approached, the wind fuddenly failed, and the Venerable alone was able to bring the French fhip to action, which captain Hood did in the moft gallant manner; and had nearly filenced her, when his mainmaft, which had been before wounded, was unfortunately fhot away, and thus the enemy's fhip was enabled to get off, without any poffibility of following her.

The particular circumftances of the Superb's fervices, communicated to fir J. Saumarez, at his requeft, by the captain, were these: captain. Keats, in confequence of the admiral's directions to make fail up to and engage the fternmoft of the enemy's fhips, at half-paft eleven found himfelf abreast of a Spanish three-decked ship, on which he opened his fire at not more than three cables length, which produ

ced good effect not only in that thip, but in other two, which lay nearly in a line abreast of her: all which flips foon began firing on each other, and at times on the Superb. The three-decker was the Royal Charles, carrying 112 guns. In about a quarter of an hour, he perceived the fhip he was engaging, and which had loft her foretopmaft, to be on fire. On this, he inftantly ceafed to moleft her, and proceeded on to the hip next at hand, the St. Antonio, abovementioned, under French colours, and manned nearly, in equal proportions, with French and Spanish feamen, and which, after fome action, the chief being wounded, ftruck her colours. From the very few furvivors of the ships that caught fire, and blew up, and who, in an open boat, reached the Superb, at the time fhe was taking poffeffion of the St. Antonio, captain Keats learned, that, in the confufion of the action, the St. Hermenegildo, alfo 112 guns, miftaking, in a dark night, the Royal Charles for an enemy, ran on board her, and fhared her melancholy fate.The other Spanish fhips, were the St. Ferdinando, of 94 guns; the Argonaut, of 80; and the Wanton, a lugger of 12 guns.

The efcape of the French fhip, the Formidable, from the Venerable, was reprefented as a great naval victory, and a fignal inftance of the reviving glory of the French marine. Troude, the officer who commanded the Formidable, which was the admiral's fhip, while his flag was hoifted on board a frigate, faid, that he was attacked by no lefs than three Englifh fhips of the line, and a frigate: all of which he obliged, by well-pointed broadfides, to heer off. They left him, he faid,

in poffeffion of the field of battle, where he expected they would renew the engagement; but, as they judged it prudent to retire, and as he was not in a fituation that admitted of his pursuing them, cap tain Troude determined to continue his route to Cadiz, where he arJived, July 13, about two o'clock

in the afternoon.-Here allo the other crippled remains of the combined fquadrons found fhelter. Sir J. Saumarez went with his fquadron to refit at Gibraltar: from whence, in a few weeks, he returned to blockade the enemy in Cadiz Sir J. Saumarez was honoured by his majefty with the order of the Bath.

CHAF

CHAP. XV.

Operations of the French at Land, as ufual, more fuccessful than thofe at Sea. -Combined Attack on Portugal, concerted between France and Spain, in which the Concurrence of Spain is not fincere, but intended as a Measure for the Prevention of greater Mischief.-Portugal deferted by England.-Mutual Declarations of War between Spain and Portugal.—Sham War; and Peace between Portugal and Spain.-The Preliminaries of that Pacification refused to be acceded to by the French Government.-French Army advances through the Pyranees to the Portuguese Frontier, and fils down before Almeida.-The Portuguese Government alarmed, prepare feriously for felfdefence, but unable to raise an effective Army of fufficient Strength.-The Portuguese Island of Maderia occupied by the English.—Pacification between France and Portugal.

THE

HE operations of the enemy were, as ufual, more fucceff ful at land than at fea: in the interior of the great peninfula of Spain and Portugal, than on the flores.

The connection between Great Britain and Portugal had been of fo long ftanding, fo intimate, and of fo great mutual advantage, efpecially to Great Britain, that Portugal was confidered and spoken of by the French, and men of their faction in Spain, as being, in fact, as a colony in the hands of England. It was, in truth, of greater value to this country than any of her foreign fettlements, India alone excepted. An attack on Portugal, therefore, naturally occurred to the French government as a mode in which they might feverely wound Great Britain, and induce her, for the lafety of that kingdom, to make, in a general pacification, important

conceffions to France. The Portuguefe, our old and faithful allies, were not more difpofed to continue in habits of clofe intercourle and friendship. than proud and confident in the protection of the Englifh. If the English government would have fupplied them with an army, as well as with a navy, the general voice of the court and nation, as in the war terminating in 1763, would have cheerfully em barked the fortune and fate of Portugal with that of Britain. Our minifters appeared, for fome time, to have embraced the refolution of defending Portugal, and fo late as October, 1801. The cabinet of Spain, unwilling to be dragged by the French into a conteft with a kingdom, with which it was fo nearly connected by the ties of blood, and which was deftined, one day to return within the bofom of the

Spanish

Spanish monarchy, offered itself as a mediator between Portugal and France. To this the British cabinet would not confent; but attempted to roufe the Portuguese to war, with the promife of military fuccours, provided that a perfon, recommended by Great Britain, fhould be employed to fill the office of commander-in-chief of the forces in Portugal, instead of the actual commander-inchief, who, from age, was not capable of acting with a fufficient degree of judgement for his country. The court of Lisbon did not take this advice. They agreed, however, that, if this country would furnish an army of 25,000, the British miniftry might then appoint a minifter. To this our miniftry would not accede; and determined to carry the force def tined for the defence of Portugal to the relief of Egypt." Such was the general account of affairs given by a noble fecretary of state. The demand of the court of Lifbon was certainly not onrçafonable. A pretence only feems to have been fought for facrificing Portugal to a fuperior concern, for the expulfion of the French from Egypt. A few British regiments, however, were left in -Portugal; and a fubfidy was granted by Britain to her Catholic majefty, of 300,000l.: an aid, as was obferved, as juftly as frequently, both in and out of parliament, fitted only to ferve as a bribe, or to make up a bribe, for the purchale of a temporary peace to Buonaparte.

*

The court of Madrid, yielding to the folicitations and threats of their terrible allies, declared war againft

Portugal, on the 3d of March, 1801. The principal grounds of this meafure were declared to be these : that the court of Lifbon had refufed to ratify a peace with France, figned by its plenipotentiary in 1797, by which Portugal agreed to feparate itself from England, and, as a pledge of its fidelity, to fuffer its ports to be garrifoned by Spanit troops; that all the attempts of his Catholic majefty to detach Portugal from his enemy, England, and to induce her to make peace with his ally, France, had proved ineffec tual; that, by her failors, and the protection afforded in her ports to the fleets of England, the had affifted the fleets of this country in the exercife of their hoftility against France and Spain; that he had furnifhed the English with provifions, and taken part with them in all their acts of aggreffion, even fo far as to infult the French in the port of Carthagena." What conduct, the king of Spain put the queftion, had he to obferve in the midst of fo many outrages? The French republic, juftly irritated against Portugal, was defirous of inflicting a juft vengeance upon her, and its victorious arms would long fince have fpread defolation through its provinces, if his fraternal affection for the moft faithful queen, and her auguft children, had not fufpended the blow with which it, was threatened by his ally, the republic.From his paternal care for thofe pro

vinces he had been induced to for

get all preceding, and all fresh grievances, which he had to complain of, and to endeavour to divert the

Lord Hawkesbury's speech in the house of commons, In the debate on the definitive treaty, Monday, May 13, 1802.

fucceffes

fucceffes of the French armies, and to obtain an advantageous peace. He firongly reprefented to the court of Portugal the dangers to which it expofed itself. He had employed the most engaging language of paternal tendernels and friendship, to incline them to a wife determination The obftinacy of Portugal. had obliged him, at laft, to ufe a harfler language."

It was not, however, till the 26th of April, that a proclamation of war, or rather of defence, was iffued by the Portuguese government. After enumerating many, and fome recent, good offices of Portugal to Spain, they complained that the court of Madrid, inftead of evincing fentiments of gratitude, for the generous conduct of Portugal, had, on the contrary, by terminating hoftilities with France, not only endangered the nation which had affifted it, but declared war against the Portuguefe, for having remained faithful to their treaties. It set up a pretext, that trea-, ties contracted in the fight of God and man might be suddenly broken, and that their auguft prince and the nation fhould be guilty of perjury. A nation, which could refift the Romans, conquer Afia, make great difcoveries by fes, thake off a foreign fceptre, and recover and maintain her independence, fhould not that nation, at prefent, recal to mind the honourable annals of her hiftory?" People of Portugal! we ftill preferve the courage and fentiments tranfmitted by our ancestors. Juftice is on our fide; and the true God, favourable to our caufe, will punish, by our arms, the, injuftice of our adversaries."

Never were mutual declarations of war made with lefs acrimony, or VOL. XLIII.

a fincerer defire of coming speedily to terms of peace. The fame fpirit of moderation, forbearance, and goodwill, appeared in the condu&t of the war, that was difplayed, on both fides, in its proclamation. Preparations, or a fhew of preparations, were made by the Portuguefe government for a war, profeffed to be merely defenfive. New levies were made in all places, and among all ranks, the ecclefiaftics, and men above fixty, alone excepted. None were exempted capable of bearing arms, or, as the Portuguese have it, "capable of thewing a beard." A force was raifed, and let in motion, of regulars and irregulars; but the numbers we have not been able to afcertain with any tolerable degree of exactnefs. The prince of Brazils attended the army in perfon. To affift in carrying on the war, government borrowed the plate of the churches, which was depofited as a pledge, in aid of the public faith, for fums advanced, in the hands of individuals; and an augmentation was made, of one-third part, to the daily pay of the foldiers. Every thing, in fl ort, wore the appearance of a neceffary defence against a ferious and alarming inva fion.

The province of Alentejo, the largeft, the most fertile, and the best cultivated of the fix into which Portugal is divided, is 200 miles iong, and eighty broad. It is extended" from the confines of Spain to the fe. It is divided into two grand diftricts, by the Fagus and the Guadi na. The former of these rivers bounds it on the morin, and feparates it from Efiramadura; and the latter entering Portugal, near Badajoz, and flowing through its [S]

fouthern

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