180 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



th^ French. The throne of Naples 

 and our friendly connei;tion with 

 that Ivingdom have been restored. 

 The French expedition to Egypt 

 has been checked in its career by 

 the exertions of tlie Turkish arms, 

 assisted byasmall detachment of his 

 majesty's forces, and the gallantry 

 of their heroic commander. The 

 hostile plans of the common enemy 

 in India have terminated in the 

 total destruction of the power which 

 had been misled by their artifices, 

 and through the timely, vigorous, 

 and decisive councils of the mar- 

 quis of Wellesley, and the consum- 

 mate skill and valourof hismajesty's 

 generals, officers, and troops, the 

 British possessions in that quarterof 

 the globe have been beneficially 

 extended and effectually secured. 

 By thedescentof his majesty's forces 

 and of his Russian allies on the coast 

 of Holland, the Dutch fleet has 

 been happily rescued from the 

 power of the enemy ; and although 

 the season, peculiarly unfavourable 

 to military operations, produced 

 the necessity of relinquishing an en- 

 terprise so fortunately begun, and 

 prevented the complete accomplish- 

 ment of his majesty's views, yet the 

 result of that expedition has been 

 peculiarly beneficial to this king- 

 dom, in removing all fear of attack 

 on our coasts from a quarter whence 

 it has been so often planned, and 

 in enabling his majesty's fleets to 

 direct their vigilance exclusively to 

 the single port from which the enemy 

 can attack this country with any 

 hope even of a temporary success. 

 My utmost care has been exerted 

 to carry into execution the extraor- 

 dinary powers which you have com- 

 mitted to my discretion, with vigour, 

 and at the same time with modera- 

 tion. AIL tendency to insurrection 



has been effectually repressed ; btJt 

 it gives me true concern to acquaint 

 you, that the painful necessity of 

 acting with severity has been too 

 frequently imposed upon me ; and 

 although public tranquillityha«been 

 in a great measure restored, yet I 

 have to lament that a disposition to 

 outrage and conspiracy still conti- 

 nues in several districts, that much 

 industry is used to keep alive the 

 spirit of disaffection, and to encou- 

 rage among the lower classes the 

 hopes of French assistance. I trust 

 that the recent revolution in France 

 cannot fail to open the eyes of such 

 of his majesty's subjects as liave 

 been deluded by the artifices which 

 have been unremittingly employed 

 to withdraw them from their alle- 

 giance ; and that it will restore and 

 increase the love of constitutional 

 order, and of regulated freedom* 

 by demonstrating that the principles 

 of false liberty tend ultimately to 

 despotism, and that the criminal 

 struggles of democratic faction na- 

 turally close in military usurpation. 

 So long as the French government, 

 under whatever form it exerts its 

 influence, shall persevere in schemes 

 of destruction and projects of ambi- 

 tion, subversive at once of the li- 

 berties of Europe, and of the secu- 

 rity of his majesty's dominions, 

 there can be no wise alternative but 

 to prosecute the war with increasing 

 energy. It is by great exertions 

 alone that either their views of ag- 

 grandizement can be frustrated, or 

 a solid peace procured; his ma- 

 jesty has therefore availed himself 

 with peculiar satisfaction of the cor- 

 dial and great assistance which has 

 been afforded him by his faithful 

 ally the emperor of Russia, and has 

 thought right to make every exer- 

 tion for augmenting the disposable 



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