would long suffer that kingdom to remain in security. The ambitious despot, affirming that the court had testified a partiality toward the enemies of France, and had received the British and Russian commanders, in their late expedition, with evident marks of friendship, accused Ferdinand of a breach of that neutrality which he had engaged to observe, and menaced him with the speedy ruin of his power. He promised to his brother Joseph the Neapolitan crown; and, as the greater part of the kingdom was weakly defended, even that contemptible adventurer was soon enabled by a French army to exercise the royal functions. Yet the Calabrians ventured to dispute the legitimacy of his pretensions; and Ferdinand's queen was so eager to profit by the expected exertions of those provincials, that she importunately desired the British general, sir John Stuart, to furnish such aid as might render their operations effective. He had not 4800 men under his orders in Sicily, and he was destitute of cavalry; and, soon after his landing on the coast of Calabria, he found above 7000 French strongly posted near Maida. Their gallant commander, Regnier, who might have defied all assaults upon his post, relinquished that advantage, and extended his force over a plain, to the great joy of the English, who wished to convince him that, when they were on a par in point of situation, they did not regard even a considerable superiority of number.

A sanguinary collision quickly followed; and (says the general)" the prowess of the rival nations seemed now fairly to be at trial before the world." The left. wing of the French commenced the action with apparent alacrity: but, when the use of the bayonet superseded the necessity of firing, the firm countenance and superior vigor of the British battalions decided the contest in that part of the field. The

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enemy fled with precipitation; and great havock was made among the terrified fugitives. Hoping to make a better resistance by the aid of the cavalry, Regnier particularly stimulated the efforts of his right; and he seemed to expect success from an attempt to turn the British left; but the troops employed in that service were suddenly flanked by the brave followers of lieutenant-colonel Ross, who, having disembarked in the morning, hastened to join their countrymen. Confusion spread among the hostile ranks; and the "pride of a presumptuous foe was severely humbled." Above 2000 of the French were killed or wounded; and the men who were captured in the pursuit, and at the neighbouring posts, formed a number considerably greater. Yet sir John Stuart declined a prosecution of the contest, because the French still had a great force in the kingdom. After various conflicts, they reduced the partisans of Ferdinand to submission, and confined that feeble prince to his insular territory.

The king of Prussia was also harassed with afflictive losses, for daring to resist the ambition of Napoleon. Finding that he had been duped and mis-led by one who pretended to be his friend, and that the French were continually encroaching on his dominions and his authority, he resolved no longer to be meanly passive, but to rush into a war, in which he hoped to be assisted both by Russia and Great-Britain. He possessed the means of raising a great army; but its operations were not directed with ability or judgment; and the artifices of French emissaries had so relaxed the zeal of many of his officers, that they were more disposed to submit to the invaders, than to aim at their expulsion. In the battle of Jena, his troops were defeated with serious loss; and, in the field of Auerstadt, the discomfiture was still more dreadful. The fortified towns were reVOL. IV.

duced with rapidity: the electorate of Hanover, the duchy of Brunswick, and the principality of HesseCassel, were subdued with little difficulty; and the French hastened into Poland to meet the Russians, with whom they fiercely contended near Pultusk, but whom, even with a force superior by one-third, they were unable to defeat.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

GEORGE III. (Continued.)

A. D. 1806-1807.

WHEN Great-Britain is involved in war, it is usually expected by the public, that the ministers, with a view to indemnity, should particularly aim at colonial conquests. Mr. Pitt professed to countenance this idea; but, after his return to power, he for some time neglected that object. Being advised, however, to add the Cape of Good Hope to the British dependencies, he sent out an armament for that beneficial purpose. When the troops had effected a landing, they advanced, to the number of 4000 men, to meet 5000, who commenced a very heavy fire, but did not continue it with steadiness or vigor. The repulse of the enemy, in this conflict, Jan. 18, decided the success of the expedition. The

1806. capital and all parts of the settlement were surrendered; and it was resolved by the court, that so valuable an acquisition should never be restored.

Sir Home Popham, who had little more than a nominal concern in this conquest, which was principally achieved by the exertions of sir David Baird, the conductor of the military operations, resolved, without any

orders or instructions from the ministry, to undertake an expedition against Buenos-Ayres. He knew that Mr. Pitt was unwilling to agree to any attack upon the Spanish colonies, while he conceived that a hope existed of the adjunction of Spain to the anti-Gallican league; but, when he received intelligence of that success which tended to baffle the views of the confederates, he concluded that he was at full liberty to exercise his courage and talents on the shores of South-America. He foresaw that the commercial part of the nation would exult in the acquisition of Buenos-Ayres and Monte-Video, or in the transfer of one of the ports of Chili to the dominion of Britain; and, with a strong confidence of success, he sailed from the Cape, and safely reached the entrance of the Rio de la Plata. So unimportant were the hostilities which attended the approach to the town from the place of landing, that, according to the official return, only one man lost his life, and twelve were wounded: the enemy, indeed, fled after a slight firing, without daring to risque a close conflict; and the inhabitants were ready to surrender the town, which (on the 2d of July) admitted a British garrison. The public spoils were estimated at 1,291,000 dollars, beside a great quantity of merchandise. When the intelligence of this conquest arrived in England, the avidity of traders quickly sent off large supplies of useful commodities, without entertaining the smallest doubt of the permanency of possession.

As the speedy submission of the inhabitants of Buenos-Ayres to a small force arose from the hopes of independence, the idea of sinking into a colony under the government of heretics did not answer their expectations or gratify their feelings; and they resolved to take an early opportunity of expelling the invaders. They opened a correspondence with the provincials: a

joint attack was judiciously concerted; and, as even the houses were garrisoned by determined enemies, the British troops were constrained to capitulate as prisoners

of war.

While they were detained, another body of invaders arrived from the Cape. A bold attempt, in which commodore Popham co-operated, was made for the capture of Monte-Video; and, when the enterprise had failed for want of a sufficient force, Maldonado was attacked and easily reduced.

The splendid success of lord Nelson entailed comparative insignificance on subsequent naval operations: but it may not be improper to mention the capture of three French ships of the line, and the forcible wreck of two, near St. Domingo,—the destruction of three near the entrance of the Chesapeak,-and the seisure of four frigates with troops, steering to the West-Indies.

Although, in the course of the year, the courage and skill of our countrymen had been advantageously displayed both by sea and land, their success was not transcendently important; and, on the other hand, the French had greatly augmented their power in Germany and in Italy. In addressing a new parliament (for the apprehensive ministers had prematurely advised a general election), the king acknowleged, that the success of the enemy" could not fail to affect, in some degree, many important interests of the country;" but he consoled himself by reflecting on the "increasing energy and firmness of his people," and on the unimpaired state of the great sources of their prosperity and strength.

The political animosity of the enemy had lately proceeded to the extreme of commercial hostility. A decree, emitted from Berlin by the conqueror, not only ordained an exclusion even of neutral vessels from the ports of France and of the allies of that nation, if they should have recently visited a British port, but also di