HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



133 



had enabled him to judge of the expe- 

 diency of this measure, that utter 

 ruin to the navy must ensue from its 

 continuance; and thatwhile our ships 

 were wearing themselves fruitlessly 

 in the winter gales, the enemy would 

 equip his fleets in perfect security, 

 and which, when fit for sailing, 

 might put to sea at a moment Avhcn 

 our storm-shattered squadrons were 

 compelled to return and refit. How 

 true these predictions were, subse- 

 quent events have shewn ; and it is 

 stated, (at the period at which we 

 write) as a matter of some surprise 

 and astonishment, that the French 

 have a fleet now ready for sea, and 

 equal, if not superior, to the Eng- 

 lish force, which was " hermetically 

 sealing them up" in their harbours ! 

 It was not on the great scale of 

 naval warfare alone, that the public 

 were to be made the dupes and vic- 

 tims of erroneous opinion. In the 

 late war, our coafits had been guard- 

 ed and our commerce protected, by 

 the existing admiralty, who not only 

 kept up our number of line of bat- 

 tle ships and frigates, but built a 

 considerable number of brigs and 

 vessels of war, which could go into 

 shallow water, and being armed 

 with heavy metal, and* calculated to 

 row in calms, were thus enabled to 

 annoy the enemy's eoasting trade, 

 convoy our own, and even bid defi- 

 ance to the batteries on the coast of 

 France. Protected by these gun- 

 boats, as they were termed, t!ic 

 threats of invasion, by small vessels, 

 were held in contempt, and while 

 our Grand Fleet rode triumphant 

 and superior in the deep water, our 

 coasts were completely protected by 

 rtiis flotilla. These vessels were, 

 however, on the peace, sacrificed at 

 the shrine of ceconomy: but when 

 the present war was inevitable, and 



Bona])arte not only declared his 

 intention to invade us, but made no 

 secret of the means by which h« 

 meant to carry his threat into exe- 

 cutiou, it raised the'astonishment of 

 every naval officer, ■ to find that this 

 species of defence was totally aban- 

 doned, and a sort of querulous at- 

 tack made upon those who ven- 

 tured to differ upon this subject 

 from the high authority of th« 

 admiralty, whose opinion was said 

 to be decidcKlly hostile to the use 

 of such vessels. At the same mo- 

 ment, the admiralty made a most 

 ostentatious display of the number 

 of small boats, which they affirmed 

 could be fitted out, round the widely- 

 extended coasts of the kingdom : — 

 a sort of Lilliputian fleet, which, 

 even if collected, was utterly in- 

 competent to act against the flotilla 

 of the enemy, and which, if the opi- 

 nion of the admiralty, on such a 

 mode of defence were well founded, 

 must indeed, have been the worst 

 and most inefficient branch of the 

 gun-boat system. 



The debates in the house of com- 

 mons upon this subject, (which 

 was warmly adverted to by Mr. 

 Pitt,) afford abundant proof of the 

 negleet of the board of admiralty 

 to the moment when the attack 

 was made upon their conduct : 

 but if the charge were not then sub- 

 stantiated, it was thoroughly con- 

 firmed by the steps afterwards ta- 

 ken for contrai5ting, building, and 

 equippinii that sort of vessel which 

 had been so much decried; and as 

 had been loudly recommended by 

 Mr. Piftand his friends, as the most 

 efiectualmode of defence in the event 

 of invasion : and which (if those 

 gun vessels which the wisdom of earl 

 Spencer's naval administration had 

 constructed and employed, had no^t 



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