HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



1Q1 



CHAP IX. 



'Retrospective View of the Situation of the Count nj.—'Reductd State of the 

 Army and Navii- Causes thereof. — State of Europe at the Beginning cf 

 the Year. — Capture of Goree by the French — Recapture. — Loss of the' 

 ApoUo and her Convoi/ on the Coast of Portugal. — JVeui Naval Adviinis- 

 tration.— Conduct uf Lord Melville, as First Lord cf the Adrniraltj. — 

 Unsuccessful Attempt of Sir Si/dnei/ Smith on the Frc?ich Flotilla. — Cap' 

 tare of Surinam by the British Force. — Farther tensuccessful Attempts on 

 ike French Flotilla. — Defeat of Admiral Linois in the Indian Seas by the 

 East hnlia Companfs llomevcard-bound Fleet. — Catamarafi Project — » 

 Total Defeat thereof. — Capture of the Spanish Treasure Ships. — Con- 

 clusion. 



WE ■were unwilling, in the 

 course of our last volume, 

 too minutely to enquire into the 

 causes of that want of decision and 

 energy in the operations of the war, 

 which materially affected the clia- 

 racter of the nation abroad, and. 

 damped, in a considerable degree, 

 its spirit at home. 'J'he want of in- 

 formation, on many points con- 

 nected with these subjects, induced 

 us to defer our investigation, until 

 time had afTorded sufficient lights for 

 60 important a branch of our duty ; 

 and we shall now proceed, before 

 wc narrate the great events of the 

 year, to consider, retrospectively, 

 the circumstances which crippled our 

 national exertions, and which at 

 hiif^th induced the country to call, 

 with irresistible clTect. for a change 

 of government. 



The immense pecuniary resou'-ces 

 ef the empire, and the liberality 

 with which they were contributed 

 for every purpose of national de- 

 fence, gave the public a right to look 

 for armies and fleets, sufficiently nu- 

 Jfieroiis not only to plase the coun- 



try in a state of indubitable securi, 

 tv, but to give the enemy that ge» 

 neraland ertectnal annoyance, which 

 might induce him to curb his rest- 

 less ambition, and restore tranquil- 

 lity to Europe. 



In the application of these great 

 means, however, ^Nlr. Addington's 

 ministry were miserably deficient — » 

 To restore the reduced regular force, 

 disposable for every purpose of de- 

 fensive and offensive measures, no 

 direct means were taken : while to 

 raise an armed body, limited both 

 in respect of locality and duration of 

 service, the legislation were wearied 

 for the greater part of two sessions 

 of parliament, in discussing and en- 

 acting bills for its encouragement, 

 to the extinction of any possible 

 means of recruiting the regular ar- 

 my. To the individual who enter- 

 ed into the former service, the pre- 

 mium, for his life engagement, to 

 serve in every dim'', was small and 

 bounded ; in the latter, as a sub- 

 stitute, he might demand and ob- 

 tain any sum, his principal was die- 

 poseu to give : and even the volun- 

 teer 



