1797 tions, to assist the legislature in its deliberations respecting the proper measures to be adopted for remedying the national inconveniences, and to afford due satisfaction to the public on this important subject, a motion was made by lord Grenville in the house of peers and by the chancellor of the exchequer in the lower house, for the appointment of a secret committee, to examine into the state of the bank, and the causes which rendered the order of the council necessary. The motions being agreed to, and the investigations having been made by each committee, similar reports were made from them to their respective houses.-That from the committee of 66 " 66 peers + stated, that on "the twenty-fifth of February last there was a surplus of effects belonging to the bank beyond the total of their debts, amounting to the sum of £.3,826,890, exclusive of a permanent debt of "£.11,666,800 due from the government: that the bank of England had lately experienced an universal drain of cash: that this drain was owing "to demands for cash from the country, arising from local alarms of "invasion: demands had been of late progressively increasing, but particularly in the last week; and that there was every reason to apprehend "that these demands, and the consequent progressive reduction of cash, "would continue and even increase; insomuch that there was reason to apprehend that if it were to continue in the same proportion, the bank "of England would be deprived of the means of supplying the cash which might be necessary for pressing exigencies of public service. On these grounds the committee stated it as their opinion, that it was necessary "to continue and confirm the measures already taken, for such time and "under such limitations as to the wisdom of parliament might seem "expedient." Warm debates ensued on this report, in which the duke of Bedford bore a distinguished part. After descanting in the severest terms on the pernicious effects of the councils of the present administration, he moved successively twenty resolutions, all tending to a censure on the minister's conduct, in not attending to the salutary admonitions of the bank directors respecting the consequences to be apprehended from the large advances of money to government, and ascribing the necessity of the order of council to the enor mous + March 6. * Idem. 193. Annual Register. 180. 187. mous amount of his remittances to foreign princes in loans and subsidies. These resolutions, being separately brought forward, were successively rejected."—Mr. Pitt's bill for continuing the restriction on the bank was then brought in and passed, with its various clauses, intended to relieve the bank, and yet to afford the public every accommodation that was compatible with the existing state of things. Among these " was that which allowed "the bank to repay, at different periods, in cash, those who may at their "discretion hereafter deposit money with the directors, so that no more "than three fourths of such sums should be repaid by the bank in cash during the continuance of the present bill. Another clause enabled the "bank, notwithstanding the present restriction, to issue, for the accommo"dation of private bankers and traders in the metropolis, a sum in cash, not exceeding £.100,000." Another expedient, which has been attended with much inconvenience, was " to enable the bank to issue notes below "the value of £.5."-By these expedients was the kingdom rescued from the disasters which must otherwise have ensued to the state and nation; public credit soon revived; and that principle, which was justly said, by a noble senator, "to be to the people of Great Britain, what the soul of "man is to the body," was immediately seen to resume its functions, and reanimate the system which it had before pervaded. " This, however, was not the only cause of that gloom which overspread the kingdom at this time. Distressing as were the evils which must ever arise to a commercial nation from a shock given to public credit and the want of a proper circulating medium, a still greater calamity now threatened us. In the midst of our pecuniary embarrassments the government was alarmed by a mutinous disposition which made its appearance in the navy, Nothing could have been so awful as the feeling which this event excited at an instant when we were struggling with all the difficulties and dangers of foreign war. Had this bulwark been destroyed, our fortress would have been at once dismantled, and we should have been at the mercy of an enemy who considered his own safety as involved in the subversion of the British government. This spirit first discovered itself in the fleet lying at Portsmouth, by 1797 + April 7. Ann, Regist. 198. i Idem. 20.-2, anonymous * Lord Lansdowne's Speech. Ann. Regist. 189. 1797 anonymous letters addressed to lord Howe, first lord of the admiralty.|When the great body of the people, or a large class of men, are to be made the instruments of the indirect designs of disaffected persons against the state, some real or plausible cause must be sought for on which to ground their machinations.-The smallness of the pay was that which was first resorted to on this occasion; and the justness of it could not, indeed, be denied by any one who compared the price of all the necessaries of life with that which they bore in the reign of Charles the Second, when the wages of seamen were last settled. ' Little regard being paid to these letters, an unanimous agreement was entered into by the seamen of that division," that no ship should lift an "anchor till a redress of grievances should be obtained." In pursuance of this they refused to obey the signal given by lord Bridport, commander of the channel fleet. Delegates were then appointed by each ship's crew, who held their conferences in lord Howe's cabin, where more solemn engagements were made to support the common cause. Their complaints were represented in loyal and respectful terms, in two petitions, to the admiralty board and the house of commons. Some obstructions occurred in theconsequent measures of government, arising from the mistrust conceived by the seamen. But these were easily removed by the interposition of lord Howe, whose services and high character as a naval officer had given him their esteem. And subordination was restored by an act of parliament for an augmentation of the seamen's pay and allowance. +" This had scarcely received the legislative sanction when a similar affair took place at the Nore, which was of greater importance, because the complaints of the seamen were of such a nature as indicated à democratic spirit; a resolution either to come to a rupture with the government, or to force it to submit to such regulations as they should think proper to prescribe for the future discipline of the navy.-This temper was further' manifested in the audacious demeanour of Richard Parker, who acted as1 chief of the delegates chosen to state their demands and conduct their affairs. When admiral Buckner, who commanded at the Nore, told the' mutineers that their demands were inconsistent with good order, offering 1 them at the same time the royal pardon, he replied by declaring that they were unanimously resolved to keep possession of the fleet till the lords of the admiralty had repaired to the Nore and redressed the grievances which had been laid before them. A more distressful dilemma can scarcely be imagined than that to which the government was now reduced. By compliance it would give up all subordination, and encourage that democratic spirit which it was one of the chief objects of the war to repress; by resistance it would expose itself to all the evils which might be apprehended from a mutiny in one of the grand divisions of the fleet, at a crisis when our enemy was expected daily to attempt a descent on our coasts.-A deputation from the lords of the admiralty repaired to the Nore, and heard the complaints of the mutineers; but no advances were made towards an accommodation.-Precautions were then used by government for preventing the fleet from putting to sea. And the mutineers, on the other hand, when they found that their requisitions were not complied with, persevered resolutely in the execution of their designs. Having been joined by four ships from admiral Duncan's fleet, they proceeded, in the confidence of their strength, to the most desperate measures. They provided themselves with necessaries by seizing two store-ships: they cut off all communication between London and the sea by mooring four vessels across the mouth of the river. In the midst of the gloomy apprehensions with which the minds of men were filled, especially in the capital, some propitious circumstances happily occurred, which soon led to the total failure of this tremendous project.The first of these was the pointed disapprobation of the conduct of these mutineers by the seamen on board the ships lying at Portsmouth and Plymouth. They, however, still persisted in their mutiny.-At length, lord Northesk, whom they had imprisoned on board his own ship, was sent with a commission to his majesty to represent their grievances. It may generally be observed to be easier to raise a revolt than to preserve an union of councils among the revolters: this was, fortunately, the case in the present, instance. When the mutineers were informed that their conduct was reprobated by the whole nation, as well as their fellowseamen, divisions began to prevail among them. Several ships abandoned the league: and the mutiny was soon ended by their striking the red flag, which 1797 1797 which was the signal of revolt, and restoring a free passage to the trade of the metropolis. It was thought necessary for the national safety to inflict a severe punishment on the most criminal, as examples to deter others from such mutinous practices. Parker and some other ringleaders, therefore, were tried by a court martial, and were sentenced to death and executed; others were more slightly punished; and the remainder received the royal pardon."-That they merited this act of clemency, that even the offenders at the Nore were not actuated by any fixed principles of disaffection to the state, but had been wrought on by the counsels of a few persons employed to propagate discontent and democratic principles among them, may be presumed from their subsequent good behaviour in returning cheerfully to their obedience and their duty. Of this they gave the most convincing and satisfactory testimonies in the course of the present campaign. His majesty's pacific overtures having proved fruitless, he had prosecuted the war with a vigour which, if it did not answer the end originally proposed by the coalition, of maintaining the independency of Europe, at least saved the British crown from that disgrace which other members of that confederacy had brought on themselves. The fleet sent, under admiral Jarvis, to watch the movements of the Spaniards, and prevent their junction with the Brest fleet, had signalized itself by a victory over a far superior force,† which entirely frustrated the enemy's purpose, as may be seen in the history of France. And, before the close of the year, the crews under admiral Duncan had an opportunity, which they readily embraced, of retrieving their honour by a memorable victory over the Dutch fleet destined to co-operate with that of France in a descent on the British or Irish coasts; thus meriting the heartfelt thanks of their countrymen, whom they had before filled with terror by their revolt. There are few instances upon record of so remarkable a change of circumstances as was exhibited by Great Britain at this crisis. When our enemies were rejoicing at our complicated distresses, and expected every moment that the vessel of state would have gone to the bottom, and their ardent wishes would have been accomplished, she was again beheld proudly rising + February 14. . Annual Register. 207. 17. + October 11. |