‘340 
Great Britain, however she might 
have been humbled by the peace 
of Amiens, was far trom being crip- 
pled in her energies and resources : 
aroused from her lethargy, she still 
appeared the queen of islands—the 
mistress of the seas—the bulwark 
and refuge of the weaker powers of 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1803. : 
achievements of her fleetsand armies, 
during the last contest, at Aboukir, 
St. Jean d’Acre, and Alexandria, 
she had completely frustrated the 
views of Bonaparte on the East; 
so now, did her bare declaration of 
war against France, annihilate his 
gigantic project of extending the 
the world—and the eternal check 
to French ambition! And as by the 
dominion of that power over the 
continent of America.* 
* It was found impossible to compress within the limits of the historical portion of 
this volume, a satisfactory narration of the brilliant achievements of the English arms 
within the penmsula of India, during the present year. The proofs which they afford 
ot the talents, integrity, firmness, and success of the Marquis Wellesly’s government 
of that country, far transcend our praise; and have opened too wide a field for their 
detail to be bounded by the narrow space alone, which the usual and necessary size of 
our volume would have afforded. One advantage will however accrue to the reader 
from this delay. He will thus be enabled, in our ensuing volume, to see at one view, 
_not only the causes of the war in India with the Mahratta states ; and the triumphant 
progress of the campaign ; but also, the negociations 01 1804, which happily crowned 
the splendid victories of Lord Lake and Sir Arthur Wellesly ; and terminated so fa- 
vourably to the British interests, and gloriously to the Briush character, @ most nn- 
portant and eventful contest. 
Although we have thus reluctantly foregone a most pleasing part.of our duty, in 
other respects the subject in question will be found to have engaged our wonted atten- 
tion: the official details of the ever memorable and decisive battles of Delhi,’ Assye, 
and Laswuree, are comprized in our “ Appendix,’2, to which we beg leave to reter the 
reader; as also to an authenticated statement of a disastrous circumstance which took 
piace in the island of Ceylon, the causes and consequences of which we purpose 
hereaiter minutely to investigate. 
In the “ Appendix” will also be found a most important and interesting Royat 
CorresponpENCcE, to which we have not referred in our text; and upon which we 
do not presume to make any comment, 
oe 
Seeley, Printer, Buckingham. ‘ 
