HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



221 



under the command of the gallant 

 major Nunn, who unfortunately 

 rectJved a mortal wound in the ac- 

 tion, and subsequently under cap- 

 tain O'Connell, succeeded in with- 

 standing them for more than two 

 hours, and then efi'ected their re- 

 treat, after having made much 

 slaughter of the invaders. Nor 

 should the militia of the island be 

 without their due share of praise, 

 for their exemplary bravery and 

 steadiness. Upon the whoJe, it may 

 be stated, with perfectpropriety, in 

 the svords of general M)crs, that 

 in thisaifair, " had not the town of 

 Roseau been accidentally destroyed 

 by fire, we should have little to re- 

 gret, and much in which to exidt." 



In pursuit of the predatory sys- 

 tem of warfare the French seem 

 to have adopted in this expedition, 

 their squadron, on the fifth of March, 

 appeared in ' Basseterre roads, in 

 the i^Iand of St. Kitts, where he 

 landed, and levied a confribiition of 

 ^.18,000 sterling, and burnt some 

 merchantmen, richly laden, lying 

 there, and then quickly reimbarked, 

 without attempting Brimstone hill, 

 where the small British force, under 

 major Foster, were ready to receive 

 him. The island of Nevis was 

 also laid under some slight contri- 

 bution by this marauding armament, 

 and here ended its exploits in the 

 West ladies. The arrival ol adrni- 

 ral Cochrane, in those seas, who 

 had been dispatched from England, 

 as soon as the sailinj of the Roche- 

 fort squadron was known, with a 

 force of six sail of the line, quickly 

 determined its conduct, the French 

 •quadrou precipitately sailing for 

 France, where it arrived in safety, 

 bavinc{ been fortunate e^iough to 

 escape the diUcreiit [:lnglish fleets 







then at sea, and some detachments 

 cruizing expressly for its intercep- 

 tion. 



Having thus accounted for the 

 smaller division of the enemy's 

 force, which had occasioned no 

 small share of alarm, we are no\v 

 to return to the much more formi- 

 dable one under admiral Villeneuve, 

 which had evaded Lord Nelson, 

 and had put to sea from Touioa 

 with impunity. That great many 

 who, although at the time out of 

 sight of the port whence the enemy 

 had sailed, was not so remote, as 

 not to be speedily informed of 

 the event, doubtless rejoiced in a 

 circumstance which would termi- 

 nate the tedious inactivity he had 

 endured for more than a twelve- 

 month, iind lost not a moment ia 

 shaping his course towards the most 

 likely point to overtake or encoun. 

 ter with the adversary. At this pe- 

 riod the opinion universally pre- 

 vailed, that it was the object of the 

 French ruler, again to establish a 

 footing in Egypt, and that the ar- 

 mament which bad been so long 

 equipping at Toulon, was destined 

 for an attempt upon Alexandria. 

 Thither therefore Lord Nelson de- 

 termined to proceed — but his pur- 

 suit was in vain. He traversed the 

 Mediterranean with the utmost ce- 

 lerity, having a force of ten sail of 

 the line with him, but no eneraj 

 was to be heard of. In fact, admi. 

 ral Villeueuve, whose views were 

 far otherwise than those attributed 

 to him, having, a few days after hig 

 sailing from Toulon, encountered a 

 violent storm, in which his fleet 

 suffered considerably, he deemed it 

 prudent to return to that port tore- 

 fit, nor was it till the 30th ofMarck 

 that he again ventured to sea. 



During 



