290 ANNUAL REGISTER, 
country was adopted with scarcely 
any opposition,and in afew months, 
a volunteer army of more than 
300,000 effective men appeared to 
start from the earth for the defence of 
theirnative land, The advantages the 
empire has received from this great 
display of national spirit, have ‘been 
incalculable. _ No territorial acqui- 
sition she could have made, would 
have so far raised Great Britain in 
the estimation of foreign nations, as 
the zeal and courage which was ex- 
hibited by all ranks to defend the 
country from French invaders. 
The power of France, for the first 
time since the revolution, appeared 
to have received the most serious 
check; and the British channel 
seemed a barrier beyond which it 
could not pass. Other powers now 
appeared to catch somewhat of the 
fire which animated, that country, 
and the cause of Great Britain was 
feltto be, that of all the independ- 
ant nations of the universe, 
Although the additional strength 
which was gained at liome was by 
far the most important of the ad- 
vantages which Great Britain deri- 
ved from the war, yet the govern- 
ment was not altogether inattentive 
to the annoyance of the enemy in the 
only vulnerable partof his domini- 
ons. Expeditions against the Dutch 
settlements of Demerara, and 
Issequibo, and the French islands of 
St. Lucie and Tobago were .dis- 
patched in the course of the year, 
St, Domingo the most valuable co- 
lony that France ever possessed was 
wrested from her, by the black popu- 
lation assisted by a British squadion; 
and in the East Indies our successes 
over the native princes were brilliant, 
glorious, and decisive. The reduc- 
tion of the French army in the 
‘the year. 
1803. 
Island of St. Domingo was beyond 
all question the sev erest blow which 
France sustained in the course of » 
It had been entirely ow- 
ing to the facilities which her ship- 
ping afforded of passing troops ra~ 
pidly from one strong post or town 
on the cast to another, that France 
was at all able to keep down the in- 
surrection in that island; those 
facilities however being entirely 
taken away by the superiority of 
eur blockading squadrons, al! 
those positions ” fell one after the 
other to the insurgent army, and 
general Rochambeau and the re- 
mains of that great army which had. 
been judged fully sufficient to re- 
conquer the colony, were necessi~ 
tated to surrender prisoners of war 
to the naval force. of Britain. By 
this event the sanguine hopes which 
Bonaparte had entertained of restor- 
ing to France the most valuable of 
her foreign possessions, was com- 
pletely frustrated. This was not. 
the only loss which France sustain-_ 
ed in the West Indies. The islands: 
of St. Lucie and Tobago were also 
wrested from her. ‘the expedi-. 
tion which was prepared tor the at« 
tack of those SOMMNIEE, sailed. from 
Barbadoes onthe 20th of June, and 
arrived at day break on the 21st off 
St. Lucie; in the course of the day 
they effected their landing, drove in 
the advanced posts of the enemy, 
took the town of Castries, and sums 
moned the I'rench general Nogues’ 
to surrender at discretion, ‘That 
officer however refusing to accede to 
those terms, lieutenant general Grin- 
tield who commanded the expediti- 
on resolved upon attacking the Fort 
of Morne Fortuiee by assault, as the. . 
rainy season was soon expected to 
commence. . Thé attack was ered 
the 
