Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

CHAP. XVII.

Singular Modefty of the French, after the Repulfe of the fecond Attack on Boulogne.-Accounted for.-Confiderations inclining the French Government to Peace.-Flgas of Truce.-Amidst continued Preparations on both Sides for War and mutual Invafion.-Negotiation for Peace-Brought to a Conclufiom.-Preliminaries of Peace announced in the London Gazette.Enthufafic Joy at the Return of Peace, both in London and Paris, and all other Parts of France and Britain.-Very different Emotions excited by this Event in the Breaft of the French Loyalifis.—Their Caufe deserted by the laft Power in which they had fill hitherto reposed fome Hopes and Confidence.-New Hopes reforted to by the French Emigrants.-Their Situa tion defcribed. Reflections.—Peace between France and the Ottoman Porte.-B'tween France and the Elector Palati e of Bavaria.-Between France and Rufia.-Between Great Britain and Ruffia, and acceded to by the other Northern Maritime Powers.-Convention between Buonaparte and the Pope for the Re-establishment in France of the Catholic Religion.The Conduct of the Emigrant Bishops of France contrafted with that of the Conflitutional Bishops.-And with that of the English Clergy in the Reign of Henry VIII.-Reflections,

FROM

ROM the vapouring boafts and menaces with which the French proclamations and other papers were ufually ftuffed, on the malleft advantage gained over the English at fea, it was to be expected that their repulfe from Boulogne, on the 16th of Auguft, would have been blazened in all the pomp of the moft exaggerated defcription, accompanied with the moft extravagant anticipations of victory and glory. The French admiral, however, in his difpatches to government, confined himfelf merely to a brief fstatement of facts: which, though exaggerated, in fome inftances, in order to place, in a more confpicuous point of view, VOL. XLIII.

the bravery of those who served under him, was, on the whole, confiftent with thofe of our own commanders. Nor was the narrative of Treville, accompanied with the fmalleft comment, when it was publifhed, either in the official journal, or any other of the French prints. It is in the circumftances that induced the French government to attune the public mind, in both the great rival nations, to the idea and expectation of peace, rather than of war, that we find an explanation of a filence fo contrary to all its habits on fimilar occafions.

It was by this time fufficiently manifeft, that all. the French pre[T] parations

parations for an invafion of Britain were but contemptible. Even the difaftrous attack on the harbour of Boulogne, proved that the French were at that moment more anxious to preferve than to employ them offenfively against the English. Truly, an invafion was neither to be dreaded nor expected from a nation that had been unable, in fo great a fpace of time as had elapfed, to fend to fea the combined fleets of France and Spain, or to keep a fingle boat in the harbour of Boulogne, the grand rendezvous of the invading flotilla, without chaining it to the ground, and without calling in, for its defence, their troops and their bat teries.

It is difficult to conceive how manifeftoes threatening invafion, after fuch a humiliating difcovery, could have been drawn up in fuch a manner as to escape contempt and derifion. So great was the naval ftrength of Great Britain, that at the very time when he was the moft loudly threatened with an invafion from the coafts of France and Flanders, a fquadron was fent north about, under commodore Tyler, to join fir James Saumarez, off Cadiz. The attainment, too, of the grand object for which the preparations and

Cairo, and the failure of the ex pected relief and fuccours from the fleet under Gantheaume, the retention of Egypt by the French was not, by any means, to be expected. There were many other confiderations, which, no doubt, had an influence on the mind of the chief conful: the death of Paul I.' the diffolution of the northern confederacy; the naval power and glory of Great Britain ftill increafing; the union of all parties in this illand; and prompt preparation for the defence of their country; difcontents in Holland, Switzerland, and Piedmont; difputes in Germaný about indemnities, and the difficulty of carrying into execution the treaty of Luneville; and, finally, the neceffity of managing public opinion, and public fpirit in France, which was exhaufted and fatigued with war, and rendered, or foon to be rendered, as irritable as defpondent, from the total failure of all the grand projects of a maritime coalition; the colonization of Egypt; and an invafion of Great Britain or Ireland, or both. While farther preparations were made on the one fide of the channel for the defence of the coaft, and a few was still made of fome

menaces of invafion had been fo long on the other towards invafion;

kept up, had now become hopeless. From the time that the French were driven from Rhamanich into

British fleets, fquadrons, and cruizers, hung over and alarmed the coafts of France, Flanders, and Holland.* Flags of truce

were

French gun-boats continued, as ufual, to steal from place to place along the fores, and fresh alarms were raised on the coafts of the enemy by the Engli fquadrons. It would not be worth while, did our limits admit, to enter minutely into his petty, and, indeed, mock warfare. On the 4th of September, a flotilla of gun boats, to the number of thirty-five gun brigs and fchooners, escaped from Dunkirk to Calais, where they arrived towards funrifing next morning. It was ftated, in the English papers, that fome of our cruifers, with a view to prevent their paffage, had moored clofe in Phore, which the French obferved; and, favoured by a dark night, ftoed out to fea, and reached Calais in the morning before our veffels could get up with them." The French commodore, having noticed this, published a contradictory account of that calumny. It was

[ocr errors]

no',

were daily paffing, amidft veffels of war, between Calais and Dover, and couriers between London and Paris. M. Otto ftill remained in the British capital, and foon after the preliminaries of peace were figned and ratified between the French and Auftrian governments, Mr. Merry was fent to Paris, as an agent on the part of the British miniftry. The negotiation for peace, which had been continued for near nine months, between M. Otto, on the part of France, and lord Hawkesbury, our fecretary of ftate for the home department, and which was, no doubt, influenced by varying events, was at laft brought to a conclusion. It was carried on with profound and admirable fecrecy on

both fides. Great and important decifions in the councils of states, not wholly at the nod of a capricious defpot, are generally anticipated by public opinion, notwithstanding the fecrecy of the negotiation. There was a general conviction among men, on both fides the channel, whofe minds were not darkened by too near and interested views of particular objects, that peace was now neither very uncer tain, nor far diftant. The growing fyftem of convenient fpoliation was not to be overthrown, nor the doom of the continent to tremble, for a time, under the rod of France, réverfed by the utmost efforts of a fingle power. And it had been fully proved, by a fufficient number

not, he stated, by running out beyond the English veffels, that he reached his deftination, but by boldly failing along the fhores of France. The following article from the Paris papers, conveys a very just idea of what was paffing, at this time, in the channel:-" Boulogne, September 5. The divifion of gun-boats, consisting of fixteen veffels, which was waiting at Dieppe for a favourable wind and opportunity to proceed to this port, arrived here laft night. Only one veffel remained behind, which struck on the fands on the beach, or ran aground, four leagues from this place. It is poffible that the may have met with obftalcles, which prevented her from getting farther; for a strong wind prevailed, and the fea was extremely boifterous. Troops were immediately dispatched, and fome pieces of artillery will be planted to prevent the English from getting poffeffion of ber before he is get off. The west wind, which has driven the English from our coaft, foon increased to fuch violent gales, that one of their fhips of war, after veering out all her cable, was obliged to cut it. The English left a buoy to enable them to find the anchor on their return; but general La Touche, who fuffers nothing to escape him, perceived this buoy, and immediately fent to cut it."

In the mean time, while the different divifions of the French flotilla, as it was called, endeavoured, with various fuccefs, to creep clofe in fhore, from one port to another, our fleets and fquadrons ftill kept thofe of the enemy, as well as their harbours, in general alarm, took a number of small prizes, and held all their armament's în a state of perfect inaction.

The apprehenfion of attacks on the Dutch coaft was not less than that on the coafte of France. The fleet, under admiral de Winter, was held in blockade by admiral Dickfon; and here, too, the tide of alarm was completely turned. A fquadron, under the immediate command of the active lord Nelfon, failing from Deal, August 23, infulted the coafts of Holland and Zealand. The Gallo-Batavian government was obliged to change their projects of offence into defenfive measures. The French general Augereau, after visiting the Dutch fleet at Helvoetfluys, proceeded to infpect the works of defence at the maritime posts: at the Brill, Gorée, the Inle of Walkereen, the Helder, and other places. The gales that usually precede the equinox, about the middle of September, drove the English cruifers into the Downs; and the advanced guard of the French flotilla into the harbour of Boulogne. On the return of calm weather, both parties refumed their stations.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

of experiments, that England had as little to apprehend from the invafions of the French, as the French had from the invafions of the English. On Saturday, the 2d of October, there was given in a London Gazette Extraordinary, the following intelligence: Preliminaries of peace, between his majesty and the French republic, were figned, laft night, at lord Hawkefbury's office, in Downing-freet, by the right honourable lord Hawkefbury, one of his majefty's principle fecretaries of fate, on the part of his majefty, and by M. Otto, on the part of the French government."

Thefe preliminaries were ratified, by the French government, at Paris, on the 5th of October. Great Britain acquired the idland of Ceylon, in the Eaft Indies, and that of Trinidad in the Weft. Egypt was to be reftored to the fublime Porte, whofe territories and poffeffions were to be preserved entire, fuch as they exifted previously to the war. The territories and poffeflions of our ally the queen of Portugal were alfo to be preferved entire. So alfo were thofe of our ally the king of Naples: every thing else was to be given up to France. Explanations and alterations were made in the definitive treaty, carried on and concluded at Amiens, more advantageous to France than the terms of the preliminaries: but thefe things fall naturally into the hiftory of 1802. The ratification of the preliminaries was exchanged between lord Hawkesbury and M. Otto on

the afternoon of the 12th of Octo ber; it had been brought to London on the morning of that day, by M. Laurifton, a colonel of artillery in` the French army, an aid-de-camp, and a great favourite of Buonaparte's. There was a degree of propriety in tranfmitting the ratification by the hands of colonel Laurifton, as his family, though now naturalized in France, was of British extraction, and the recollection of this yet recent. He was a great grandíon of the famous Miffifippi Law, a gentleman of an ancient family, namely that of Laurifton, in Scotland. The news of peace was received by the people of Great Britain with great and enthufiaftic joy. Illuminations, the firing of cannon, feaftings, dramatic entertainments, poetical effufions, and other expreffions of fatisfaction and gladnefs, carried in many inftances almoft to the height of phrenzy, exprefled the joy of France. Ne ver, perhaps, fince the restoration of Charles II. was the general joy in England fo high and extravagant. It was in proportion to the fufferings that had been fo long endured from the war, and the miferable forebodings arifing from a dread of its farther continuauce. It is on the future that all projects and hopes of happinefs turn. The populace, and indeed all ranks, gave way, for a time, to the pleafing delufion, that fome unknown good was foon to fpring up like light out of darkness. Immediately on the arrival of colonel Laurifton, in London, he went to M. Otto's houfe in Hereford

* It is to be obferved, however, that in execution of an agreement already made between France and Naples, the remains of the Neapolitan navy, confifting of two fhips of the line, two frigates, and a brig, were delivered into the hands of the French; nor was there any ftipulation, in the preliminaries of peace between Fiance and England, for 'their reititution.

'ftreet.

freet. His arrival having been hourly expected, the news thereof foon spread through the town, and attracted an immenfe number of the populace. After a ftay of about an hour, the colonel, M. Otto, and two other French gentlemen came out, and entered their carriage, for the purpose of going to exchange the ratifications with lord Hawkefbury, in Downing-ftreet. The popalace, however, aware of their intention, immediately took the horfes from the coach, and drew it down Oxford-street, Bond-fireet, and through Piccadilly to Downingstreet, with loud acclamations, There the ratification was exchanged. On the return of the carriage, the populace, whofe numbers was now confiderably augmented, infifted on paying the fame compliment to their French vifitors, by drawing them back as they had come, amid loud fhouting and huzzaing. A party of the guards alfo attended in the efcort to prevent riot and diforder, and in farther compliment to the welcome strangers. Colonel Laurifton gave the populace ten guineas to drink. He was a very handfome young man, about 27 or 28 years of age, and of a very genteel and pleafing addrefs. During his ftay in London, which was but for a few days, he never appeared in the ftreets without attracting a crowd: and he was always greeted with loud huzzas.

The manner in which the Englifh people treated M. Otto and colonel Laurifton was confidered as a proof that the former hatred to the French, by which they had been too long diftinguifhed, had been extremely weakened by the miferies of war, and that the hope and the ne

ceffity of a fpeedy peace, were futperior to every confideration. But while all ranks rejoiced at the arrival of peace, there were many who loudly arraigned, and none who did not lament, the conditions on which it was obtained, on the part of Great Britain.

On the news of the prelimina ries, October 3, the three per cent. ftocks fuddenly rofe from 59 to 66. At P. is, where joy and hope were as extravagant, the Tiers Confolidés rofe from 48 to 53. Another flock, called Rentes Provifoires rofe in a higher proportion: viz. from 33 to 40.

Peace was proclaimed in every part of the world; an intercourse was immediately opened between the ports of France and England, and packets regularly interchanged. The recruiting fervice in both countries were difcontinued: and bodies of troops were disbanded. Addreffes on the peace to our fovereign in this country, and to the chief conful in France, poured in from all quarters. The work of pacification was juftly afcribed to Buonaparte, who was called the hero-pacificator of Europe. To the addrefs 'from the legislative body, he replied, that "the peace was owing to the ftability to be expected from the organization of focial order and government."

Very different were the feelings excited by the preliminaries of peace in the bofoms of the French princes, and other emigrants, and in all their warmeft partizans of every nation, who faw in the recognition and confolidation of Buonaparte's power, not only the ruin of the royal caufe in France, but the fubvertion of the balance of power, and even of all [T 3] fubordination,

« PředchozíPokračovat »