HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



225 



wan, Yvhich was perhaps ncrcr more 

 fully conspicuous, than as ex- 

 emplified in an attack upon some 

 vessels in Muros Bay, on the coast 

 of Spain, by the Loire frigate, cajj- 

 fain Maitland, who not only caji- 

 tured the ships, the object of thcen- 

 terprize, but stormed and took the 

 fort wliich protected them ; at the 

 hatne time, he inanWestcd so much 

 humanity to-vards the inhabitants, 

 as to call forth the personal thanks 

 of the bishop of the diocese: con- 

 duct, -whicli must have impressed 

 the Spaniards with the most exalted 

 ideas of British humanity and 

 heroism ! 



The alarm existing in the public 

 mind, respecting the proceedings of 

 the Rochefort squadron in the West 

 Indies, had scarcely been calmed, 

 before it was Siiain, and in a much 

 more serious manner, excited, by the 

 certain information, received about 

 this period, that admiral Villeneuve 

 had again put to sea. This officer, 

 whom we last mentioned as having 

 returned to Toulon to refit, having 

 been much shattered upon his first 

 cruize, once more tried his fortune 

 upon the ocean, and under more 

 auspicious circumstances. He, on 

 the 30th of March, sailed toCarthe- 

 gena, with the intention of strength- 

 ening himself by the Spanish ships of 

 the line, equipping in that port, bat 

 not finding them in a state of suf- 

 ficient readiness, he continued his 

 way unmolested to Cadiz, whence?, 

 having been joined there by one 

 French and six Spanish sail of the 

 line, he directly proceeded to the 

 ^Vcst Indies, with an accumulated 

 force of eighteen sail of the line, 

 carrying, beside their full comple- 

 ment of seamen, and in a perfect 

 state of equipment, ten thousand 

 veteran soldiers ! On the approach 

 of Villeneuve to Cadiz, admirul sir 



Vol. XLVII. 



John Orde, who blockaded that 

 port with five Britisii sail of the line, 

 thought it prudeiit to retire, which 

 he did without molestation or notice, 

 on the part of the enemy, and suc- 

 ceeded in joining the I'^nglish fieetoir 

 Brist under lord Gardner. 



It may easily be conceived, how 

 grc.it must have been the apprehen- 

 sion and uneasine>s throughout the 

 British empire, when the sailing of 

 so considerable an armament bc- 

 CJine known ; but the conslerHation 

 was at its height, when it was cer- 

 tainly announced, that it had pro- 

 ceeded for the West Indies, intelli- 

 gence of which was received about 

 the beginning of May, but none 

 whatever of the morements of lord 

 Nelson. 



During this anxious period, that 

 great man, after having traversed 

 the Mediterranean, with his squa- 

 dron of ten sail of the line, and visit- 

 ed Alexandria, whither he had con- 

 ceived Villeneuve to have proceeded 

 in the first instance, and had takea 

 in [provisions and water at Palermo, 

 again put to sea, and cruised in those 

 latitudes, in eager expectation of 

 the arrival of the enemy. It was 

 not until the middle of April, that 

 he received indubitable information 

 of Villeneuve having quitted tha 

 Mediterranean. His lordship im- 

 mediately proceeded for the Straits 

 of Gibraltar, and anchored in th» 

 bay of Tetuan, on the Barbary 

 coast, early in May. From the 

 -various accounts which he received 

 here, as well of their number as 

 strength, he no longer doubted of 

 the VVost Indies being the place of 

 the destination of the combined 

 squadrons of the enemy. The dan- 

 gerous situation in which their ar- 

 rival there would place the liritish 

 colonies, with all the train of evils 

 wliich would attach to the mother 

 Q — Z country 



