resolutions moved by the minister respecting the new loan and additional 1796 taxes were, at length, put to the vote, they were carried without a division of the house.d The passions of the two parties appear henceforth to be more heated, their language more acrimonious, and the measures of the minority more violent.-A few weeks after Mr. Grey's failure in his motion, he brought several heavy charges against the ministry, and moved them to be sufficient grounds of impeachment; † stating the particulars in the financial department to which he referred.--But the premier vindicated his conduct in every particular with equal ability and success; the motion being dismissed by a majority of 209 to 38, on his moving for the previous question. Nothing memorable occurred during the remainder of the session, which was closed on the nineteenth day of may; soon after which the parliament was dissolved. f The negotiation with France now engaged the national attention. The disposition of the French government had been already sounded by an application which Mr. Wickham, the English envoy to the Swiss cantons, had made to monsieur Barthélemy, the French minister then resident at Basle, to know " whether the directory were desirous to negotiate with "Great Britain and its allies on moderate and honourable terms, and would agree to the meeting of a congress for that purpose; and whether it " would specify the conditions on which it would treat, or point out any "other method of treating. The reply imported that the directory were willing to treat; but that the retention of the Austrian Netherlands, now annexed by a formal decree to the French republic, was an indispensible condition. Even this declaration was not considered as an absolute bar to a treaty, although a compliance with the demand would be inconsistent with the principles on which the war had been prosecuted.-After some previous correspondence with the French directory, lord Malmsbury was sent to Paris, in the autumn, to conduct it on the part of his Britannic majesty; and was received by the government with a coolness ominous of its ill success. The favourable moment for negotiation was, indeed, obviously passed.-Prussia was at this time on friendly terms with 1796 France: the prevailing party in Holland was in its interests: Spain had not only deserted her allies, but had declared war against England: the king of Sardinia had been obliged to yield to hard terms of peace, to save a part of his dominions: and the northern states of Italy were overrun by the victorious French armies; which, after repeated repulses given to the Austrians by their newly-appointed general, Buonaparte, had obliged them to retire beyond the Po. Moreover, the French government firmly asserted, and endeavoured to impress the nation with a persuasion, that this negotiation was brought forward in consequence of the failure of the British court in an attempt to re-unite the king of Prussia with the confederacy.*— Under these circumstances and impressions lord Malmsbury opened the negotiations with a proposal of reciprocal restoration of what had been taken by each of the belligerent parties during the war.-This proposition, however generous in the British government, which would have restored its valuable conquests in the two Indies to procure the restoration of what France had taken from its allies in the low countries, Germany, and Italy, was not acceptable to France. The directory were ill-disposed towards such restitutions in the hour of triumph, when the strength of the confederates was so much reduced, when some of their enemies were converted into allies, and others were become friendly to their cause, and when they were led, by the representations made them of the embroiled state of things in the British kingdoms, to entertain sanguine hopes of executing their threats against that power, the object of their inveterate hatred and their vengeance. And the difficulties hence arising were enhanced by the proposed restoration of the stadtholder.-To powers thus disposed small obstructions became insurmountable obstacles; and the enmity lurking underneath the profession of a pacific disposition seized the first opportunity to effect its purpose. A want of sufficient powers in lord Malmsbury to treat on the part of those allies for whom he required restitution, and his refusal to treat separately, made the first obstructions. And his propositions afforded the directory the means which they were seeking for reconciling the French nation to the continuance of war. Having heard the ambassador's requisitions, therefore, and secured to themselves the merit which the negotiation would give them in the eyes of the people, they began to speak in a more lofty tone. After the conferences had been continued eight weeks, they required the whole of his demands to be stated to them, in twenty-four hours: and, on his replying that this precluded all further negotiation, they derided his commission as inadequate to its ostensible purpose, and ordered him to depart in forty-eight hours. ||1 On the eve of these negotiations,† his majesty opened his new parliament with a speech, in which he made the two houses acquainted with the measures adopted for effecting a peace: and, adverting to the general state of political affairs, he signified that, in case hostilities were continued, our chief hopes of final success were rested on the firm perseverance of the emperor, and our own naval exertions; which had been such as had enabled our commanders to make successful efforts in the West Indies, to protect our growing commerce, and to block up the enemy's fleets in their ports. m n The motion for the address being carried, the house resolved itself into a committee, " to take into consideration that clause of his majesty's " speech which alluded to the intention manifested by the enemy to attempt an invasion of these kingdoms." "-As a means of defence, the minister proposed a levy upon the different parishes throughout the kingdom, which should be trained in such a manner that a considerable force might, at any time, be brought into the field. After some objections to particular parts of the plan, and some animadversions on the measures of administration which rendered such a defensive expedient necessary, the minister's resolutions, with some alterations, being formed into bills, received the legislative sanction. How necessary these measures were, the nation was convinced when the scheme planned by the enemy for a descent on the British coasts was discovered. With that view an armament was prepared at Brest, consisting of twenty-five ships of the line and fifteen frigates, beside transports for 25,000 men, to be commanded by general Hoche, an officer of distinguished character. Fortunately for Great Britain, the fleet did not set sail till the eighteenth of December. The weather being tempestuous, several of the ‡ October 18. • Ann. Reg. 1797.119. || December 20. + October 16. Ann. Reg. 189. m State Papers. 118. ships Idem. 126. 1796 1796 1796 ships were driven on the rocks at the month of the harbour and wrecked, and others were rendered unfit for service. Notwithstanding this disaster, admiral Bouvet, after weathering a storm which dispersed his fleet, pursued his voyage with seven ships of the line and ten others, and anchored in Bantry Bay. ||-The elements, however, were still favourable to Great Britain. The weather continuing tempestuous, and general Hoche, who had left France in a frigate, not being arrived, after waiting several days at anchor in imminent danger, the admiral set sail and arrived safe at Brest.f -The other divisions of his fleet also reached that harbour; but with the loss of two ships and three frigates. Such was the calamitous issue of an enterprise, from the success of which our enemy had conceived the most sanguine hopes of subjecting Ireland to the dominion of the French republic. The mortification which our enemy felt from this failure was aggravated by the sacrifices made to give success to the enterprise.-France had engaged to assist the Dutch States with a squadron for the recovery of the Cape and the protection of its other settlements. But, instead of applying the money remitted from Holland to the destined purpose, they diverted it to this armament: in consequence of which Ceylon and the Dutch settlements on Malacca, and at Cochin and Chinsura, fell into the hands of the English. A fleet was afterwards fitted out by the states to recover the Cape: but, being attacked by admiral Elphinstone, and not having received the stipulated reinforcement from France, it was overpowered, and three of their ships were captured. १ FRANCE, HOLLAND, ITALY, AND GERMANY. WHEN the directory had established themselves in their station by crushing the faction which was conspiring against them, their next concern was to confirm themselves in the ascendency which they had acquired by such wise and spirited councils as might attach the nation to their persons and interests. Aware how ardently peace was desired, whilst they were preparing for a vigorous prosecution of hostilities, they neglected no opportunity of testifying a disposition to it, whenever it could be obtained on terms consistent with the national welfare. Agreeably with those professions, they had not declined the pacific advances which Great Britain had made, early in this year, † through the medium of monsieur Barthélemy; who still remained at Basle, to give the German powers an opportunity of treating with them. But such terms were insisted on by this government, as their preliminaries, as they could not expect to be granted after the success with which the imperial arms had been crowned in the late year, viz. the possession of the Austrian Netherlands. The result of another successful campaign was, therefore, necessary, to force the allies, elated as they now were with their prosperous fortune, to accede to requisitions which would deprive the emperor of so valuable a part of his hereditary dominions; and would endanger Great Britain by putting her rival in possession of the whole coast from Bayonne to the mouth of the Scheldt, together with such an absolute ascendency in Holland as would ensure France the support of the Dutch fleet in any future war. That the state might afterwards devote its whole force to the foreign war, without apprehension of domestic annoyance, as a necessary preparative, active hostilities were carried on against the Chouans and other revolters, who had again appeared in arms under the command of Charette and Stoufflet. These insurgents, who were less firmly united by civil and religious principles than their predecessors in revolt, were easily subdued by a regular force, commanded by general Hoche. They were enabled, for some time, to elude his attacks by their desultory manner of acting, their numerous divisions, and their facility of concealment by means of their fastnesses and their good understanding with the inhabitants of the country. when the leaders presumed, at the close of the late year, to hazard a pitched battle, they were convinced of their imprudence by a total overthrow. Stoufflet was taken prisoner and put to death. -Charette escaped from the field of battle; but the same fate awaited him, after he had wandered about some weeks in disguise. And their followers readily embraced But 1796 + In March. VOL. III. 3 T the |