294 
earl of Rosslyn, with their. staff, 
were immediately sent to join lord 
St. Vincent in the Tagus *, and to 
open, in conjunction with him, such 
a communication with the court of 
Lisbon, as might at once lead to a 
full understanding of the extent of 
the threatencd danger, the means 
of resisting it, and the best mode of 
co-operating for that purpose. Ge- 
neral Simcoe was taken ill on the 
' voyage, and his malady increased so 
rapidly after his arrival, that he was 
under the necessity of speedily re- 
turning to England, where he died 
a few hours after be landed. The 
negotiation was, therefore, carricd 
on by lord Rosslyn and the admiral. 
Tt would have been difficult to find 
persons better qualified for the ma- 
nagement of this important affair. ° 
The high name of lord St. Vincent, 
so renowned over every part of the 
world, was held in particular vene- 
ration in Portugal, where he had se 
often commanded, had gained his 
greatest victory, and from which, 
indeed, he had even taken his tithe 
after that memorable expioit.. He 
had lived so much among the Por- 
tuguese, and rendered himself so 
popular both with the court and 
the country, that they never thought 
of him as a foreigner, but familiarly 
termed him a countryman of their 
‘own. Lord Rosslyn, whose servicés 
in the Mediterranean were well 
known in these parts, had also 
Served as second in command with 
sir Charles Stuart for several years, 
the last time t at an English army 
was sent to the assistance of Portu- 
gal. His talents for affairs, and the 
activity of his disposition, as well 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
as his conciliatory manners, qualj- 
fied him peculiarly wel] for carrying 
on the communication between the 
British government, or the military 
force sent to the Tagus, and the 
court of Lisbon. Add to this, that 
both the admiral and the general 
enjoyed, in the greatest degree, the 
confidence of the English adminis- 
tration, to which, by the political 
sentiments, as well as by personal 
counexions, they were intimateiy 
attached. The army collected and 
embarked at Plymouth, was held in 
readiness to sail at a moment’s 
warniug, as soon as the state of 
the negotiation at Lisbon required 
it. But it was with a becoming 
caution and a dne tenderness for 
the _ critical circumstances of our 
ally, that the British government 
did not send it ever in the first in, 
stance, but waited until the precise 
extent and imminency of the danger 
should be ascertained. Had an 
army been suddenly sent with the 
fleet to the Tagns, a pretext would 
have been afforded to Bonaparte for 
his meditated invasion; and the 
transaction would have borne an 
appearance, of all others the most 
to be avoided, of imposing on the 
Portuguese goyernmentthe necessity 
of adopting our plan of defence. . It 
was better on every account to 
delay the expedition until the enemy 
should actually invade Portugal, or 
until our ally should require our 
assistance and co-operation for her 
defence. 
It was the obvious and single in- 
tention of the British cabinet in the 
whole of this proceeding, to assist 
Portugal against France, and to give 
* Lord Rosslyn and General Sincee arrived at Lisbon on the 25th ef August, 
and found Lord St. Vincent with his fleet at anchor in the Tagus, 
this 
