4. The Irish were greatly displeased with the manner in which they were treated by the English Government. Soon after the French Revolution, they attempted a Rebellion; but it was speedily put down. It was felt, however, to be necessary to bind Ireland more closely to the empire. After much opposition in Ireland, the Union of the Parliaments was effected. Ireland was to send thirty-two lords and one hundred commoners to the Imperial Parliament.

1801

A. D.

5. Having now several great armies at his command, Napoleon resolved on the conquest of Europe. He at once made plans for invading England, and collected a number of gun-boats to convey his troops; but he was so closely watched by Nelson that the scheme had to be given up.

1805

6. Lord Nelson then attacked the combined fleets of France and Spain off Cape Trafalgar," and totally defeated them; but he lost his life by a bullet fired from the enemy's 'rigging. His

A.D.

death caused the nation much grief; and to this sad loss was added in the following year that of the two greatest statesmen of the time;-William Pitt the younger (a son of the great Earl of Chatham); and Charles James Fox, his rival in eloquence.

7. Napoleon tried to increase his power by filling the thrones of Europe with his relatives. Having craftily taken the King of Spain prisoner, he claimed the crown for his brother Joseph. At this the Spaniards were so enraged that they rose in arms, and called upon England for help.

1808

A.D.

8

8. An army of 10,000 men was sent to Spain, under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley (afterwards Duke of Wellington); and thus began the Peninsular War. A great number of battles were fought, in almost all of which the British troops were victorious. The French armies were step by step driven across the Pyrenees. The last great battle was fought at Vittoria;10 after which Wellington entered France, and defeated the French army at Toulouse.11

1813

A. D.

ad-mi-ral, chief commander of the | flag-ship, ship commanded by the

cause it was waged in Spain and Portugal, which form a well-known peninsula, south-west of France.

10 Vitto'ria.-Thirty miles south of Bilbao on the Bay of Biscay.

11 Toulouse'. In the south of Mountains between France; 139 miles south-east of Bordeaux.

44.-THE BATTLE OF THE BALTIC.

1801 A.D.

[This song celebrates Nelson's victory at Copenhagen in 1801, when he destroyed the Danish fleet, and detached Denmark from the Northern League (with Russia, Prussia, and Sweden) against England. It was on this occasion that, when Admiral Sir Hyde Parker signalled to Nelson to stop firing, Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye, and ordered his own signal for close action" to be nailed to the mast.]

1. Of Nelson and the North1

Sing the glorious day's renown,
When to battle fierce came forth

All the might of Denmark's crown,

And her arms along the deep proudly shone;

By each gun the lighted brand

In a bold determined hand,

And the Prince of all the land 2

Led them on.

2. Like leviathans afloat,

Lay their bulwarks on the brine ;
While the sign of battle flew

On the lofty British line;

It was ten of April morn by the chime:

As they drifted on their path,

There was silence deep as death;
And the boldest held his breath
For a time.

3. But the might of England flushed
To anticipate the scene;

And her van the fleeter rushed

O'er the deadly space between.

"Hearts of oak!" our captains cried, when each gun From its adamantine3 lips

Spread a death-shade round the ships,

Like the hurricane 'eclipse

Of the sun!

4. Again! again! again!

And the havoc did not slack,
Till a feeble cheer the Dane
To our cheering sent us back.

Their shots along the deep slowly boom;—
Then cease-and all is wail,

As they strike the shattered sail;
Or, in 'conflagration pale,

Light the gloom!

5. Out spoke the Victor then,

As he hailed them o'er the wave: "Ye are brothers !4 ye are men! And we conquer but to save!

So peace, instead of death, let us bring;—
But yield, proud foe, thy fleet,

With the crews, at England's feet,
And make submission meet

To our King."

6. Then Denmark blessed our Chief,

That he

gave her wounds repose;

And the sounds of joy and grief

From her people wildly rose,

As Death withdrew his shades from the day :

While the Sun looked smiling bright

O'er a wide and woful sight,

Where the fires of funeral light
Died away!

7. Now joy, Old England, raise !
For the tidings of thy might,
By the festal cities' blaze,

While the wine-cup shines in light;-
And yet, amidst that joy and uproar,
Let us think of them that sleep,
Full many a fathom deep,

By thy wild and stormy steep,
Elsinore !5

8. Brave hearts! to Britain's pride
Once so faithful and so true,
On the deck of fame that died,
With the gallant, good Riou ;

Soft sigh the winds of heaven o'er their grave!
While the billow mournful rolls,

And the mermaid's song 'condoles,
Singing glory to the souls

Of the brave!

an-tic-i-pate, forestall.
con-doles', sympathizes.
con-fla-gra-tion, fire.
de-ter-mined, resolute.
e-clipse', obscuring.
gal-lant, brave.

1 The North. The league of the Northern Powers, which Nelson's victory broke up.

2 The Prince of all the land. The Prince Regent of Denmark, who commanded the Danish forces. He had been declared regent in 1784, when his father, Christian VII., became deranged. In 1801 he succeeded to the throne as Frederick VI.

3 Adamanʼtine. Of diamond hard

ness.

4 Ye are brothers. When some of the Danish ships which had struck

THOMAS CAMPBELL.

hav-oc, devastation.

hur-ri-cane, tempestuous.

le-vi-a-thans, monsters.

re-nown', fame.
shat-tered, shivered.
sub-mis-sion, surrender.

their colours fired upon the boats sent
to take possession of them, Nelson wrote
to the Crown Prince: "The brave Danes
are the brothers, and should never be
the enemies, of the English;" referring
to their common Teutonic origin and
to the mingling of the races.

5 Elsinore'.-A town and sea-port of Denmark, on the western side of the Sound.

6 Riou. Captain Riou, justly styled "the gallant and the good" by Lord Nelson in his despatches, was killed in the battle.