Part 4

Nor was it money only, that our forefathers gave. In October 195,000 men were voted for the land service for the year 1797, and 120,000 seamen and marines for the navy. There was also a levy of 15,000 men, from the different parishes, for sea service, and recruiting the regiments of the line, and a supplementary militia was raised, of 60,000 men, not to be immediately called out, but to be enrolled, officered, and completely trained, so as to be ready in a moment of danger, and a force of 20,000 irregular cavalry was also embodied.

The year closed with a frost which exceeded in severity any known for many years. Many people were frozen to death, and the thermometer was 34, and 35 degrees below freezing point.

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1797 opened very gloomily; finance, the backbone of a nation, was somewhat dislocated. People were alarmed at the rapid growth of the National Debt, and, selling out of the funds, found other investments for their capital: there had been an enormous drain of bullion to subsidise the allies, and Pitt had borrowed from the Bank in the most reckless manner. It was in vain that the Bank remonstrated with him, but still he borrowed, so that at last he had to be told that if he took any more, it would probably lead to the insolvency of the Bank. There was a run upon the country banks, and its effects were soon felt in London; and, on 26th, an order of the Privy Council was made, forbidding the Bank of England from making cash payments, until Parliament had been consulted. On inquiry, it was found that the Bank was not only perfectly solvent, but, after payment of all liabilities, its capital would amount to £9,660,290. Under these circumstances Mr. Pitt brought in a bill (37 George III. cap. 28), permitting the Bank to issue notes from 20s. upwards, in lieu of cash. This measure brought relief, and saved the National credit.

Perhaps one of the chief National events in the year, was the mutiny of the fleets. Looking at it from this distance of time, one can hardly wonder at it, especially when we consider the way in which the crews were procured, by impressment and otherwise, their hard fare, the bad accommodation for them, the frequent punishments, from 50 to 500 lashes, at the discretion of a possibly irate captain, frequently for venial offences; add to this, small pay, and constant work, and we are fain to acknowledge that the men who could stand such treatment tamely, were almost more than human.

Yet they stated their grievances very properly, and quietly, sending petitions, either in February, or March, to Lord Howe, begging him to use his influence with the Admiralty, to procure them an increase of wages, and an improvement in the quality, and quantity, of their provisions. No notice whatever was taken of this temperate remonstrance, so the men, finding no help came to them, tried to help themselves, and secret communication was opened between all the vessels of the fleet. No one can defend the gross breach of discipline of which they were guilty, but it must be remembered that they were ignorant men, smarting under a sense of injury, rendered especially galling, by their just complaints, and moderate demands, being utterly ignored.

Their plot to seize the ships, and expel the officers, came to be known, and, on 15th April, Admiral Lord Bridport, in obedience to orders from the Admiralty, signalled for the fleet to sail. But the men refused to put to sea (unless an enemy was known to be at sea), until their grievances had been examined into, and redressed. A deputation, of two men from each ship, met in the Admiral's cabin, and another petition was drawn up. On the 18th, a Committee of the Lords of the Admiralty went to Portsmouth, to investigate the seamen's claims; and the result was, that Admiral Bridport returned to his ship on 23rd April, and, having hoisted his flag, he told his crew that he brought with him the redress of all their grievances, and the King's pardon for all offenders.

One would imagine that this would satisfy them, coming as it did from the mouth of their "father and friend," but when, on the 7th of May, he signalled to put to sea, no ship would obey him. The fact is, the men were suspicious; they had been so badly treated with regard to the granting of their moderate demands, that they thought the order for sailing was only a ruse to get them away, and then faith would not be kept with them. This mutiny was unfortunately accompanied by bloodshed, and it lasted until the 14th May. On the 11th, Lord Howe visited the fleet, saw the delegates, and assured them, that before a Royal pardon could be proclaimed, they must express contrition for their conduct. This they did, but solemnly declared they would never again receive on board those officers they had sent on shore. This was agreed to, and Lord Howe, on the 14th of May, showed them an Act of Parliament, which granted what they wished, and the fleet at St. Helens were, for a time, content.

But, at the Nore, there was much discontent, or rather open mutiny; the men had forced the Admiralty to grant their demands, and now thought they could go in for more; and, to enforce it, they attempted to blockade the Thames, and prevent any vessel from entering or departing,--and they did fire on several that attempted to run the blockade. Of course, such a state of things could not last long, and the removal of all the buoys, by the Admiralty, helped to bring about a surrender. Their provisions began to run short, and the Government peremptorily refused to accede to their demands. Some of the fleet left, and returned to their duty, on the 9th June. On the 10th, more struck the red flag, and on the 12th, there were but seven left that were not flying the Union Jack; and next day, five of them sought the protection of Sheerness.

The mutiny was now at an end, and it only remained to deal with the ringleaders, the chief of whom was named Richard Parker, and he, and several others, were duly hanged. Many who were sentenced to death were, however, pardoned, and a general veil of oblivion was wisely thrown over the whole affair, as soon as the men returned to their duty.

Earlier in the year occurred a curious page in our history, nothing less than a practical invasion of England by the French, details of which can best be learned from contemporary accounts.

"London Gazette, Extraordinary, February 25.

"A letter this day received by the Duke of Portland, from Lord Milford, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Pembroke, dated _Haverfordwest, February 23rd, 5_ P.M., contains information that two frigates, a corvette, and a lugger, appeared off the coast of Pembrokeshire the 22nd inst., and on the evening of that day disembarked some troops reported by deserters to be about 1200, but without field-pieces."

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"London Gazette, Extraordinary, February 26.

"_Haverfordwest, February 24, 1797, 6 o'clock_ A.M.--Since I had the honour of writing last to your Grace by Express, I have received information of the French ships having sailed, and left 300 men behind, who have surrendered themselves prisoners. The great Spirit and Loyalty that the Gentlemen and Peasantry have shown on this occasion exceeds description. Many thousands of the latter assembled, armed with pikes, and scythes, and attacked the enemy, previous to the arrival of the Troops that were sent against them."

"_February 24th, 9 o'clock_ P.M.--I have the honour and pleasure to inform your Grace, that the whole of the French troops, amounting to near 1400 men, have surrendered, and are now on their march to Haverfordwest."

And so ends the invasion of England.

On 14th February, Admiral Sir John Jervis, with fifteen sail of the line, attacked the Spanish Fleet of twenty-seven sail of the line, off Cape St. Vincent, captured four large vessels, and dispersed the fleet. The news reached England on 3rd March, when London was brilliantly illuminated.

The Whigs moved heaven and earth in order to oust Pitt and his Government, but without success. On March 3rd the inhabitants of Westminster met in Palace Yard, and resolved to petition the King to dismiss his Ministry. In the City, too (the bones of whose _patres conscripti_ would shake with indignation, could they but know of the present wave of Conservatism, which has flowed over this Corporation), loud, and many, were the calls to the same purport. In vain were Common Halls convened, in vain did the Remembrancer, and the Sheriffs, wait upon his Majesty with petitions; he would have none of them, but would be glad to see them at a Levée; and so Pitt kept in, notwithstanding the growls all round.

France was making peace with its enemies, one by one, and it could easily be foreseen that, very shortly, England would have to bear all the brunt of the war; therefore, on the 1st June, a note from Lord Grenville was presented to M. de la Croix, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, in which was expressed the wish of the English Government to negotiate preliminaries of peace. Of course there was some diplomatic fence; but, finally, it was settled that Lord Malmesbury should again go as Plenipotentiary. He arrived at Lisle on 6th July, but the demands of the French were outrageous, and, after, in vain, combating their absurd requirements, he demanded his passports, and left Lisle on 18th September.

On 11th October, Admiral Duncan attacked the Dutch fleet off Camperdown, and, after a terrible action, defeated it, capturing eleven vessels, and sinking one.

About the last event of national interest, occurring in this year, is the formation of the French "Army of England," which was destined for our invasion, and which was to be under the command of General Buonaparte, which is about the first time our great enemy came into active collision with us.

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At the commencement of 1798, the financial pressure on the nation, caused by the war, was very great. A triple assessed tax, a loan of £15,000,000, additional duties on salt, tea, dogs, horses and carriages, and a tax on armorial bearings, came home to every one. Yet, English patriotism was sound to the core, and the people helped the Government nobly, by means of voluntary contributions. A few examples will show how every class vied with each other in subscribing. They are taken from the _Times_.

_February 7th._--"Yesterday the Marquis of Buckingham subscribed at the Bank, the profits of one year's income from his Tellership of the Exchequer. On Monday the Duke of Marlborough subscribed £5000 at the Bank. The city of Oxford has subscribed £500 as a voluntary donation, to be continued for three years, if the war lasts so long."

_February 8th._--"The subscriptions yesterday at the Bank amounted to upwards of £30,000. Among the subscribers were--the Earl of Carlisle £4000, and the Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry £1000. But the largest individual subscriptions are expected from Manchester, from whence letters were yesterday received, stating that three mercantile houses in that opulent town had subscribed Thirty-five Thousand Pounds, and that Mr. Peele's house gave £20,000."

On the 9th February a meeting, on this subject, was held at the Royal Exchange, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and most prominent citizens being present--and the result is thus stated in the _Times_, 10th February:--"As soon as the meeting was dissolved, four separate books were opened on the Hustings; and at the close of the day, the exact sum subscribed _in cash_, was _Forty-six Thousand, Five Hundred, and Thirty-four Pounds, Three Shillings and sixpence_, which, if calculated for the time the books were opened, is at the rate of £400 a minute. The number of subscribers was 218, and the subscriptions from one guinea to £3000, which last sum was the donation of Boyd, Benfield, & Co., with the promise of continuing it annually during the war."

_14th February._--"The City of London yesterday subscribed £10,000 towards the contributions to the Bank. Yesterday the sum of £18,900 was subscribed by the merchants on the Royal Exchange."

It would be wearisome to detail all the subscriptions, but yet two or three more may be recorded. The Bank of England gave £200,000, and the King and Queen £20,000, and £5000 respectively, out of their private purses; and on 20th September the amount of the voluntary contributions then subscribed, was £1,514,993, 12s. 9d.

Ireland, this year, was more than disaffected: it was in open rebellion, and, on 30th March, a proclamation was issued by the Lord-Lieutenant, for suppressing such rebellion. That it was a most serious one, is evidenced by a paper in Lord Edward Fitzgerald's handwriting, that, at a meeting held 26th February 1798, a return was made that there were in Ulster, Leinster, and Munster, 269,896 armed men, and that their treasurer had £1485, 4s. 9d. in hand. That this was not altogether an exaggeration, is shewn by the fact that, in the year 1797, there were seized by the Government, in the provinces of Leinster, and Ulster, alone, 49,109 guns, 1756 bayonets, 4463 pistols, 4183 swords, 248 blunder-busses, 119 musket-barrels, 106 sword-blades, 22 pieces of ordnance, and 70,630 pikes, besides other weapons voluntarily surrendered. In the same year, 14,973 pikes were surrendered in the county of Kildare alone, and in Dublin, on 11th May 1798, 5 pieces of cannon, and 500 pike handles, were seized.

On 24th May, seeing that war was being openly waged against the Government, the Lord-Lieutenant issued a proclamation warning the people that they were put under martial law, and, on the morrow, the rebels were defeated, with much loss, near Carlow, and, after the engagement, about 200 of them were hanged, or shot. Then the rebels gained a slight advantage, especially at Enniscorthy, where they compelled the garrison to retreat. This, and a few other small successes, were amply avenged by Lord Lake, on 21st June, at Vinegar Hill, a position which the Irish had held since the 28th May. Their rout was complete, and their slaughter must have been immense, for no quarter was given by the Royal troops. Then came the trials of the ringleaders, and the gibbet was in constant requisition.

And, now, the French must needs have a finger in this pie, although their attempt at invasion was simply ludicrous. The following is the first official news, and it is a letter from the Duke of Portland to the Lord Mayor:--"_27th August._ I think it right to inform your Lordship, that, by official accounts received this morning from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, it appears that three French frigates, unaccompanied by any transports, appeared in the Bay of Killala, on the evening of the 22nd instant, and landed about 700 men, who immediately took possession of the town of Killala, and made a small party of the Prince of Wales' Fencible Regiment, consisting of an officer and 20 men, and some yeomen, prisoners; a large force is collecting from different quarters, and every necessary preparation making for attacking the enemy."

This expedition, consisting of 1030 privates and 70 officers under General Humbert, had sailed from Rochelle, with the intention of rendering material help to the Irish rebels--and, after the capture of Killala, they marched on Castlebar, where was a force of from 2000 to 3000 regulars, under Lord Lake. The English artillery, however, expended their ammunition too soon; a fact the French did not lose sight of, but, charging, put the English force to flight, and they then occupied Castlebar. But here was the end of their success--General Lake and Lord Cornwallis surrounded them, and the French had to surrender, but no quarter was given to the Irish. The number of French troops, on their surrender, was 96 officers, and 748 non-commissioned officers and privates, the rest having been lost since their landing at Killala. This force was intended to be the vanguard of a larger expedition, which was prevented joining, by want of funds.

Another little expedition set sail from France, to help General Humbert, consisting of one ship of the line, eight frigates, a schooner, and a brig. It was met by Sir John Borlase Warren, who was cruising, with seven sail of the line, off Lough Swilly. They engaged, and, after an action of three hours and forty minutes' duration, the French three-decker, and three of the frigates, hauled down their colours, and of the five frigates that then escaped, three were subsequently captured.

The rebellion in Ireland was now virtually at an end, the rebels were dispersed, and their leaders accounted for. Still, this result was not arrived at without a fearful expenditure of treasure and life; it being estimated that not less than 30,000 lives had been sacrificed. £1,000,000 was voted by Parliament, as compensation for injury done to the Loyalists in Ireland, and that sum was reckoned as only being a third of their actual losses.

On the 1st August of this year was fought the battle of the Nile; the news of which, however, did not reach the Admiralty until the 2nd October, and great were the rejoicings, and illuminations, on the 3rd. With this welcome news, the chronicle of the year may well end.

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As far as we can judge, from the lights of history which are left to us, nothing was going particularly wrong with the national arms, or the national prosperity, considering we were at war, but the powers, that were, thought things might possibly go better, if they had a General Fast, so, on the 1st February, 1799, a proclamation was issued:--

"George R.--We, taking into Our most serious consideration the just and necessary War, in which We are engaged, for the Maintenance of the Independence of Our Crown, for the Defence and Protection of the Commerce, and of the Rights and Liberties, Civil and Religious, of Our Subjects, and putting Our trust in Almighty God, that He will graciously bless Our Arms, both by Sea and Land, have resolved, and do, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, hereby command that a Publick Fast and Humiliation be observed throughout that part of Our Kingdom of _Great Britain_ called _England_, Our Dominion of _Wales_, and _Town of Berwick upon Tweed_, on _Wednesday_, the Twenty-seventh Day of this instant _February_; that so both We and Our People may humble Ourselves before Almighty God, in order to obtain Pardon of Our Sins; and may, in the most devout and solemn Manner, send up Our Prayers and Supplications to the Divine Majesty, for averting those Heavy Judgments which Our manifold Sins and Provocations have most justly deserved; and imploring His Blessing and Assistance on Our Arms, and for restoring and perpetuating Peace, Safety and Prosperity, to Us and Our Kingdoms," &c. &c. There were special forms of prayer for morning, communion, and evening services.

In January, and February, there was much agitation as to the union with Ireland, to which the Irish Parliament, by small majorities, was agreeable; but it was reserved till 1st January, 1801, to become an accomplished fact.

After besieging St. Jean d'Acre for sixty days, in vain, Napoleon determined to raise the siege, and, on the 20th May, his army began its return march to Egypt. He threw his heavy artillery into the sea, not being able to transport it across the desert, and the English had previously captured his battering train. It need scarcely be said that there was great rejoicing in England.

Volunteers had sprung up as if by magic, and it was felt that it would do good, if they received some direct recognition from royalty, and were reviewed by the King. Accordingly, the time was fixed for the 4th of June, and the place, Hyde Park. I know I shall be pardoned if I give a list of the corps who were then reviewed, as so many of the modern Volunteers must be ignorant that their progenitors were present on this occasion.

Cavalry.

Islington. Westminster. Clerkenwell. Battersea. Wimbledon. Lambeth. Deptford. London and Westminster. Southwark. Surrey Yeomanry. Clapham.

Infantry.

_Left Column._

Hon. Artillery Corps. St. George's Regiment. Hackney. Westminster. Islington. Clerkenwell. St. Sepulchre. St. George's, Bloomsbury. London Volunteers. St. Luke's, Chelsea. St. Margaret and St. John. St. Mary-le-bonne. St. Martin's. Union. Chiswick. St. Paul, Covent Garden. Brentford. Fulham. St. George's, Hanover Sq. S.E. London Volunteers.

_Centre Column._

Bloomsbury, &c. St. James's. N.E. London Volunteers. Hampstead. Temple. Pimlico. Finsbury Square. Somerset Place. Knight Marshal. Three Wards Association.

_Right Column._

Stoke Newington. Tottenham. Enfield. Edmonton. Hans Town. St. Andrew and St. George. St. Clement Danes. Streatham. Limehouse. Ratcliffe. Clapham. Battersea. St. Catherine's. Poplar and Blackwall. Whitechapel. Highgate. Lambeth. St. Pancras. Wapping. Hendon. St. Olave. Eight Ward Association. Shoreditch.

In all, there were 8193 effective men, and the Review was very successful, the only exception that was taken to it being, that some of the newly-embodied Corps did not fire with perfect regularity. Every Londoner is familiar with the statue in Pall Mall, of George III. on horseback, doffing his cocked hat. Well, that was how he appeared at this Review, which happened on his birthday. On the 21st, he, and all the young Princes, inspected some 12,200 men, in a very curious fashion. The Corps were not brigaded, as in Hyde Park, but were inspected in their different districts. The Royal party started at a quarter before 9 A.M., returned to Buckingham House at 6 P.M., and then set off for Windsor, a good day's work! especially as it all, with the exception of the journey to Windsor, had to be done on horseback. The King, and party, were to have gone to Leman Street, Whitechapel, to inspect the Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and Mile End Volunteers, but he could not get so far, so turned up Houndsditch, to Finsbury. The only refreshment, and rest, the Royal party seem to have had, was breakfast with the Lord Chancellor, at his house in Upper Guildford Street, where they remained an hour and a-half.

The history of the remainder of the year is centred in Napoleon Buonaparte. On 23rd of August, he suddenly left Egypt, affairs in France requiring his presence there, if he would look after his own interests. Had he not done so, it is probable that the world would never have heard so much of him; as it was, he was elected the First Consul of the three,--Cambacérès, and Le Brun, being his coadjutors.

On the 25th December of this year, Napoleon committed a solecism in diplomatic etiquette, by writing an autograph letter direct to George III., pointing out how each nation was wasting its strength and resources, and suggesting the possibility, and desirability, of peace. Lord Grenville replied to this letter, through Talleyrand, much to Napoleon's disgust, and expressed his regret that the English Government did not yet see its way to enter into negotiations for a peace, which would not, in all probability, be a lasting one.

This year will close with a report of the number of French prisoners in England, taken December 31, when they were delivered over to our Transport Board, the Consular Government refusing to provide for them any longer.

At Plymouth 7,477 " Portsmouth 10,128 " Liverpool 2,298 " Stapleton 693 " Chatham 1,754 " Yarmouth 50 " Edinburgh 208 " Norman Cross 3,038 ------ Total 25,646

MEN'S DRESS.