CHAP. XLVII.

GEORGE III. (CONTINUED.)-1805.

Buonaparte's views and preparations respecting the invasion of England-Pursuit of the French fleet by lord Nelson, &c.-Sir Robert Calder's action, and consequent disappointment of Napoleon's schemes-Villeneuve takes shelter in Cadiz-Nelson appointed to the command of the fleet sent against him-Development of Napoleon's plan against the continental powers -His advance-Surrender of Mack at Ulm-Manœuvres of admiral Collingwood off Cadiz-Arrival of lord Nelson-His manœuvres and instructions to his officers, &c.-Villeneuve with the combined fleets puts to sea-Preparations, &c. for battle-Action of Trafalgar, and death of Nelson, &c.-Sir Richard Strachan's victory over Dumanoir-Buonaparte's operations in Austria-Dispute with Prussia-His advance towards Brunn against the allied emperors-Disposition of his armyBattle of Austerlitz-Negociations-Napoleon's indignation against Prussia-Peace of Presburg, and consequences of itProclamation against the court of Naples-Conduct of its cabinet, &c.-Its crown conferred on Joseph Buonaparte-The old court retire to Palermo-State of Ireland-Meeting of parliament, &c.-Death and character of Mr. Pitt-New administration under lord Grenville-Affairs of the prince and princess of Wales-Negociations for peace, &c.-Speech of Mr. Canning relating to lord Ellenborough-Mr. Windham's act to limit military service, &c.-The budget, &c.-Bill for the examination of public accounts, and improvement in various departments-East Indian expenditure-Trial of lord MelvilleAbolition of the slave-trade-Mr. Canning's opposition-Mr. Fox's illness and death, &c.-Consequent changes in some ministerial departments-Admiral Duckworth's victory-Capture of the Cape of Good Hope-Expedition to Buenos AyresDispute with America-State of Prussia and Naples with regard to France-Battle of Maida-Conduct of Prussia-Her preparations for war-Manœuvres of Napoleon-Battles of Jena and Auerstadt-Napoleon enters Berlin-Berlin decree-Alteration of the continental relations by Buonaparte-Insurrection of the Poles-Sebastiani's intrigues at Constantinople-War between Russia and the Porte.

Ir has been much doubted whether Buonaparte ever seriously meditated the invasion of England. Many writers, supposed

to be intimately acquainted with his sentiments, and among them his secretary and friend de Bourrienne, maintain that he had really no such intention: but Napoleon himself has declared the contrary; asserting, that he was fully sensible of the risks with which the undertaking would have been attended, though willing to brave them all for so great an object. From a collation of different accounts, it appears, that, like a skilful tactician, he had two moves in view; and success in either of these would put a finishing stroke to his mighty projects. If the valor of British seamen, or the fury of the elements, should counteract his schemes on the ocean, the resources of a crafty policy, which stopped at no enormity, would at any time give him an opportunity of turning against the continent that mighty mass of congregated armies, with which he would willingly have subdued his island foes.

It_is_certain, however, that Napoleon never intended to invade England by traversing the channel under cover of a fog, by aid of a favorable wind, in flat-bottomed boats and gunvessels: his arrangements were better made; and his grand aim was to disperse the force which he could not combat in a mass. In pursuance of this plan, his fleets were ordered to assemble from Toulon, Rochefort, Brest, Cadiz, and Ferrol; draw after them to the West Indies the British blockading squadrons; and, returning rapidly, present themselves in the channel before the English could be well aware that they had crossed the line. Being thus master of a mighty armament, calculated at seventy ships of the line, he would have embarked his troops on board the flotilla, and transported them to the British shores; on which he expected to land, march rapidly to the metropolis, and revolutionise the country, before our naval forces could have been collected to prevent his transit, or our land forces unite to oppose his progress: in expectation of the arrival of these different squadrons, long detained in their harbors, his troops received orders to be ready to put themselves on board at a moment's warning: the instructions to marshal Ney, who was to lead the expedition, provided for every contingency: the vessels assigned to each division, and the order in which they were to sail out of the harbor, were fixed: arms, horses, artillery, combatants, camp-followers, all had received their place; all were arranged according to instructions; and every man was prepared to embark at the first signal. When it is considered that lord Nelson fell into the

3 See Ney's Memoirs, vol. ii. p. 259, &c.

snare, and that this mighty combination was frustrated by the accidental encounter of Sir Robert Calder with Villeneuve, it must be confessed that the safety of Great Britain was in considerable jeopardy.

At this time his lordship was in the Mediterranean; and while at anchor off Sardinia, received intelligence that the Toulon fleet had put to sea on the eighteenth of January: he instantly weighed; and after beating about the Sicilian seas for ten days in search of the enemy, ran for Egypt, under the impression that they were bound for that country. Baffled in his pursuit, and grievously disappointed, he then bore up for Malta; and receiving intelligence that the French fleet had put back to Toulon, he proceeded to the gulf of Lyons, where he encountered such tempestuous weather, that on the twentyseventh of February he was obliged to anchor in the gulf of Cagliari; after which, another severe gale on the eighth of March drove him for shelter into the bay of Palma, which he made his rendezvous. Thinking that the enemy had some object in the Mediterranean, and wishing to draw them into a belief that he was stationed on the Spanish coast, he made his appearance off Barcelona; but without effect: at length, he received intelligence that Villeneuve had put to sea on the last day of March, with eleven ships of the line and seven frigates; and, when last seen, was steering toward the coast of Africa. Still adhering to his first impression regarding his adversary's destination, he covered the channel between Sardinia and Barbary, so as to be certain the French armament was not taking that route to Egypt; and when certain of this, he bore up on the seventh of April for Palermo, and despatched cruisers in all directions, lest it should pass to the north of Corsica. At length, feeling assured that it was not gone toward the Levant, he did all that a provident and able commander could do: despatching frigates to Gibraltar, to Lisbon, and to admiral Cornwallis off Brest, he beat up against contrary winds, and arrived in sight of Gibraltar on the thirtieth; but being unable to pass through the straits by reason of a strong westerly gale, he anchored off the Barbary shore, and obtained supplies from Tetuan.

In the mean time, Villeneuve had hastened on to Cadiz; and Sir John Orde, who commanded the blockading squadron, necessarily retired at his approach: admiral Gravina, with six Spanish and two French ships of the line, there joined him; and the united squadrons, consisting of eighteen line of battle ships, six frigates of forty-four guns each, and four

smaller vessels, set sail for the West Indies; being met in their passage by two new French ships of the line, and a forty-four gun frigate. The combined squadron had 4500 troops on board, under the command of general Lauriston; while 1600 more waited their arrival at Martinique and Guadaloupe; for it was a kind of underplot in Napoleon's grand scheme, to carry by a coup de main those of our West Indian islands which might be found unprepared for defence. Nelson, having discovered their place of destination, set sail with ten sail of the line and three frigates; observing to his officers, with that characteristic valor and confidence which seemed to chain victory to our navy; -Take you each a Frenchman, and leave the Spaniards to me: when I haul down my colors, I expect you to do the

same.'

The enemy had five and thirty days' start; but the British admiral calculated that he should gain eight or ten days on them by his exertions. On the fourteenth of June he reached Barbadoes, whither he had sent despatches before him, and found there admiral Cochrane with two ships of the line; the rest of our West India squadron being at Jamaica: he found also accounts that the combined fleets had been seen from St. Lucie on the twenty-eighth, standing for the southward; and that Tobago and Trinidad were their objects. Nelson himself doubted this, but he was alone in his opinion; and he yielded it with these foreboding words;— If your intelligence proves false, you lose me the French fleet.'

Having sailed for Tobago, he found that he had been misled; and, from thence being deceived again by false intelligence, he sailed for Trinidad; but no enemy was there: he then bore up for Grenada, where he arrived on the ninth; and learned that the French fleet had passed to leeward of Antigua the preceding day, and taken a homeward-bound convoy. Had it not been for false intelligence, on which Nelson reluctantly acted, he would, says his biographer, have been off Port Royal just as the enemy was leaving it; and the battle would have been fought on the spot where Rodney defeated de Grasse: this he remembered in his vexation; but he saved the colonies and above 200 ships laden for Europe, whither he had reason to believe his foes were now flying in terror of his name: accordingly, for Europe he steered in pursuit of them; and, on the nineteenth of July, anchored at Gibraltar, where he went on shore, for the first time since June, 1803. He now communicated with his old friend, admiral Collingwood; who, with a detached squadron, had taken his station off Cadiz, to

prevent any progress of the Spaniards, and who had divined the enemy's intention, or at least a part of it; supposing Ireland to be their ultimate object; in pursuance of which, he suspected that they intended to liberate the Ferrol squadron, blockaded by Sir Robert Calder; call for the ships at Rochefort; then appear with about thirty-four sail off Úshant; and, being joined by the Brest fleet, proceed to Ireland: he considered their flight to the West Indies as merely undertaken to draw off Nelson's fleet, which was the great impediment to their design.*

5

Napoleon thought that the British admiral, deceived by his false reports, inserted in journals and spread over Europe by his agents, had proceeded to the East Indies; and it seems that Nelson himself was inclined to take that route, before he held communication with his friend, who in political penetration was not surpassed by any statesman of that age. As yet however all was conjecture; and Nelson, having again victualled and watered at Tetuan, proceeded toward Cape St. Vincent, cruising for intelligence to the northward, but without success. Still persevering, and still disappointed, he returned to Cadiz ; when, ascertaining that the enemy were not there, he traversed the bay of Biscay, and steered for the north-west coast of Ireland: but, frustrated in all his hopes, after a pursuit, which, for extent, rapidity, and perseverance, is scarcely to be paralleled, he judged it best to reinforce the channel fleet; lest the French, as Collingwood supposed, should bear down on Brest with their collected force. On the fifteenth of August, he joined admiral Cornwallis off Ushant; but no news of the enemy having been obtained, he received orders the same evening to proceed, with the Victory and Superb, to Portsmouth.

4 It has since been seen that Napoleon's instructions to Villeneuve accorded with these ideas of admiral Collingwood: a squadron was to land 18,000 men to the north of the bay of Loughswilly; then, passing round Scotland, to appear off Boulogne, or to go to the Texel, where they would find seven Dutch sail of the line and 27,000 men, which they were to take back to Ireland. Une des deux questions,' he observes, doit réussir; et alors que j'aie trente ou quarante mille hommes en Irelande, soit que je sois en Angleterre ou en Irelande, le gain de la guerre sera pour nous. Si votre présence nous rende maîtres de la mer pendant trois jours devant Boulogne, nous avons toute faculté de faire notre expédition, composée de 160,000 hommes, embarquées sur deux mille batimens.' See Life of Collingwood, vol. i. p. 144.

5 See a letter of his, dated July 20th, in the Life of Collingwood, vol. i. p. 143.