APPENDIX.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD KEITH, K. B. Admiral of the Blue, and Commander in Chief of the North Sea Fleet. (See page 1.)

SINCE the present work went to press, this nobleman, in consequence of a general naval promotion signified in the London Gazette, November 9, 1805, has been raised to the rank of an Admiral of the White. We are sorry to add, that the state of public affairs on the continent is less auspicious than when this article was penned.

We have observed (page 3) that the Scotch never possessed what could be properly denominated a Royal Navy. It may not, however, be improper in this place to remark, that James IV. built what was considered in his age as an immense ship, which received the appellation of the Great Michael; and according to an his. torian of that day," was the largest and of superior strength to any that had sailed from Eugland or France: for this ship was of so great stature, and took so much timber," adds he, "that except Falkland, she wasted all the woods in Fife, which were oak wood, with all timber that was gotten out of Norroway: for she was so strong, and of so great length and breadth, all the wrights (carpenters) of Scotland, yea and many other strangers, were at her device, by the king's commandment, who wrought very busily in her, but it was a year and a day ere she was complete.

"From the time she was afloat, and her masts and sails complete, with two anchors offering thereto, she was counted to the king to be thirty thousand pounds of expences."

As the landing effected in Egypt, reflected no small honour on his lordship, we shall here transcribe his own account of that brilliant exploit.

Copy of a letter from Admiral Lord Keith, K. B. Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean, to Evan Nepean, Esq.; dated on board the Foudroyant, in the Bay of Aboukir, 10th March.

" SIR,

"My dispatches of the 22d ult. by the Speedwell, will have acquainted you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that the armament on that day quitted the harbour

of

of Marmorice for this place, which the whole fleet reached on the zd instant, the Turkish gun-boats and kaicks excepted, all of which bore up, by night, for Macri, Cyprus, and other ports, during the prevalence of strong westernly gales that we encountered on the passage.

"Too much of the day of our arrival here had elapsed before all the ships could get to anchorage, to admit of the landing being effected before the approach of night; and an unfortunate succession of strong northerly gales, attended by a heavy swell, rendered it impossible to disembark before the 8th. The necessary preparations were made on the preceding evening. The boats began to receive the troops at two o'clock in the morning, and at three the signal was made for their proceeding to rendezvous near the Modovi, anchored about a gun-shot from the shore, where it had been determined that they were to be assembled and properly arranged; but such was the extent of the anchorage occupied by so large a fleet, and so great the distance of many of them from any one given point, that it was not till aine the signal could be made for the boats to advance towards the shore.

"The whole line immediately began to move with great celerity towards the beach, between the castle of Aboukir and the entrance of the Sed, under the direction of the Honourable Captain Cochrane, of his Majesty's ship the Ajax, assisted by Captains Stevenson, Scott, Larmour, Apthorpe, and Morrison, of the Europa, Stately, Diadem, Druid, and Thisbe, and the respective agents of transports, the right flank being protected by the Cruelle cutter, and the Dangereuse and Janissary gun-vessels, and the left by the Entreprenante cutter, Malta schooner, and Negresse gun-vessel, with two launches of the fleet on each, armed for the purpose of supplying the places of the Turkish gun-vessels, of whose service I had been deprived. Captain Sir Sidney Smith, of the Tigre, with the Captains Riboleau, Guion, Saville, Burn, and Hyllyar, of the Astrea, Eurus, Experiment, Blonde, and Niger, appointed, with a detachment of seamen, to co-operate with the army, had the charge of the launches, with the field artillery accompanying the troops. The Tartarus and Fury were placed in proper situations for throwing shot and shells with advantage; and the Peterel, Chameleon, and Minorca were moored as near as possible, with their broadsides to the shore.

"The enemy had not failed to avail himself of the unavoidable delays to which we had been exposed, for strengthening the naturally difficult coast to which we were to approach. The whole garrison of Alexandria, said to amount to near three thousand men, reinforced with many small detachments that had been observed to advance from the Rosseta branch, was appointed for its defence. Field-pieces were placed on the most commanding heights, and in the intervals of the numerous sand-hills which cover the shore, all of which were lined with musketry; the beach on either wing being flanked with cannon, and parties of cavalry held in readiness to advance.

"The fire of the enemy was successively opened from their mor tars and field-pieces, as the boats got within their reach, and as they approached to the shore the excessive discharge of grape-shot and of musketry from behind the sand-hills seemed to threaten them with destruction; while the castle of Aboukir, on the right

flank,

Rank, maintained a constant and harassing discharge of large shot and shells: but the ardour of our officers and men was not to be damped. No moment of hesitation intervened. The beach was arrived at, a footing obtained, the troops advanced, and the enemy were forced to relinquish all the advantageous positions which they had held.

"The boats returned without delay for the second division; and before the evening the whole army, with few exceptions, was landed, with such articles of provisions and stores as required the most immediate attention.

"I refer to the General's report for the loss sustained by the army in this dangerous and difficult service. I inclose the casualties of the squadron and transports, and feel much satisfaction in conveying to their Lordships my full testimony to the merits of all the officers and men employed under my orders on this arduous

occasion.

Here follows an explanatory paper, issued along with the map, inserted in the body of the work.

"As the landing in general may be expected to take place on a flat coast, the ships of war will anchor in the line A B according to the direction of the coast or bay. The Admiral will take a central position. The larger troop ships will occupy the line C D; the lesser troop ships and transports, E F; the small craft, germes, &c. G H, or as near as possible to the place intended to land at, having previously taken on board the troops intended to make part of the second landing. When the weather permits, and the signal is made to prepare to land, the boats will repair to the ships pointed out in the order of landing, and receive the troops intended to land first; and having debarked them, return without delay to the small vessels, and take in the second detachment, which they are to land as expeditiously as possible, and returning again, continue so to do till the disembarkation is completed. The boats which are necessarily employed at the distant ships, will carry fresh troops to the small vessels to be in readiness to get into the boats as they return from making the second landing.”

MRS. THICKNESSE. (See page 84.)

In order to complete the article relative to this lady, it will be proper here to observe, that she accompanied the Governor into Flanders, in 1782-3, the occurrences of which tour were afterwards detailed by him in an octavo volume, entitled "A Year's Journey through the Pays Bas or Austrian Netherlands;" a second edition of which was published in 1786, in the form of letters.

We find that soon after the conclusion of the American war, "no less than two thousand English families had arrived at Calais with a view of living cheaper." The Governor, however, was of opinion that their calculations were fallacious, he himself having experienced that every thing had been enhanced in value in France as well as in Great Britain, which he familiarly illustrates by the price of a pair of Morocco slippers being doubled in the course of a few years.

In Letter III. he gives his reasons for travelling at his time of life, and endeavours to prove that it is far more proper to see the world at fifty than at twenty.

"The rich man in years," says he, "should travel to amuse his mind, and take off that ennui which wears him down more rapidly to the grave than even time; and the poor man, like myself, should travel to pick up matter worthy of communicating to others, and to support the expence of travelling; but that is not all; travelling, and travelling upon the continent (with temperance in the train), is, of all others, the most conducive not only to health, but to a Jong life void of bodily infirmities. The smoothness of our roads in England, the ease of our carriages, the exquisite springs they hang on, and the imperceptible manner in which a gouty or nephritic sufferer moves from place to place, renders his journey in England heating, and injurious to his health; but a coarser carriage for some hundred miles on the continental pavé, breaks, divides, and passes, concretions formed in the kidneys, or gall. bladder-embryoes of succeeding miseries. Travelling thus opens obstructions which a life of half a century unavoidably shuts up, and paves the way not only to a long life, but to an easy and mature death." He adds, as follows, in a postscript: "My late worthy and aged friend, Sir Mark Pleydell, kept a rumbling twowheel post-chaise for his own use, and a four-wheel spring-chaise for his visitors."

During this, which was his fifth journey to the continent, he saw, conversed with, and received many communications from, Mr. Howard, so celebrated for his humanity. While at Antwerp, he obtained leave to copy three original letters from Rubens for whom he entertained an enthusiastic regard. In the church of St. André, at Antwerp, Mrs. Thicknesse and he contemplated with great pleasure a curious monument erected by two English ladies to the memory of the celebrated Queen of Scots. This affords him an opportunity to pay a few compliments to the memory of Elizabeth,

whose turnip complexion and carroty pate could not bear to let the beautiful face of Mary adorn even the interior walls of an antiquated castle in Northamptonshire."

In the course of this excursion, they visited Spa, and appear to have mixed with the best company. After this they repaired to Aix-la-Chapelle, &c. and then returned to their "Hermitage" at Bath; thas concluding a tour, which no doubt afforded much entertail meat, but must have been occasionally embittered by the ill offices of a Jew, whom he designates as Mordecai Nosey; an unfortunate mistake in respect to the Abbe Mann, on which occasion neither he nor the Governor was to blame; and the sudden dissolution of friendship with the Prince de Ligne, in consequence of

malice or misinformation.

By this time the Governor appears to have been in some degree reconciled to his native country, for he declares that he finds no difference between living in France and in England, but that which proceeds from a bunch of large ripe grapes instead of a green one; and for which," adds he, " you must endure intolerable heat in summer, and be starved all the winter; for a good fire is seldom to be seen in any house on the continent; and where it is, two or three coxcombs always form a screen made of their broad bottoms, between the company and the flame."

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On their return home, he observes as follows: "I find every thing in this country the sweeter for having left it, save only the abominable flavour of the wine, which is called, and is, I believe, good port; but time alone can bring me to relish such a composition of brandy and blackberries."

DEAN KIRWAN. (See page 388).

THIS popular divine is no more.

lative to him had been printed.

He died after the article re

SIR ANDREW MITCHELL, K. B.

Vice-Admiral of the Red, and Commander in Chief on the American Station. (See page 528).

THIS officer was raised to the rank of Admiral of the Blue, November 9, 1805.

Sir Andrew was educated at the High School, Edinburgh.

SIR CHARLES MORICE POLE, BART.

Vice-Admiral of the Red, and one of the Commissioners for inves tigating Abuses in the Naval Department. (See page 567).

IN consequence of the late general promotion, announced from the Admiralty Office, November 9, 1805, and inserted on the same evening in the London Gazette, this officer is now an Admiral of the Blue. His name stands the last on the list.

N. B. In Vol. vii. (Life of the Duchess of Devonshire) for Blenheim and Hocstedt, read Blenheim and Ramilies.

PUBLIC