STATE PAPERS. 



439 



length. I trust that it was owing 

 to no defect of zeal on my part, 

 and I am sure it was owing to no 

 want of exertion on the pirt of 

 the many excellent naval officers 

 whom I have the honour to com- 

 mand, that the progress of a fleet 

 which it was necessary to warp, 

 or, in less technical language, to 

 haul, by human labour, through 

 the windings of a most intricate 

 channel, and often directly in the 

 teeth of the wind, appeared so 

 tardy, that lord Chatham * saw 

 no movement making to push for 

 ward a single vessel to the West 

 Scheldt.' The exertions of the 

 naval officers and men were not 

 rendered less irksome by the per- 

 suasion that the labour which, 

 though incessant, often proved un- 

 availing, might have been spared 

 to ihem at the ex pence of a short 

 march across the island of South 

 Beveland. To impute to me or to 

 the navy, under the name of delay, 

 the loss of lime which was passed 

 by me in constant solicitude, and 

 by the men in unremitting toil, is 

 not what I should have expected 

 from lord Chatham. It would 

 have been more agreeable to my- 

 self to have offered to their lord- 

 ships a simple journal of the daily 

 transactions of the fleet, as that 

 course would have afforded me 

 that of paying a just tribute of gra- 

 titude to the numerous, able, and 

 zealous officers, by whom I was 

 aided in the different branches of 

 the service under my directions, 

 and who may possibly consider 

 themselves as unjustly subject, to- 

 gether with myself, to some impu- 

 tation from the marked, and per- 

 haps, invidious accuracy, with 

 which the particular days of arrival 



of different divisions are specified 

 in Lord Chatham's statement. But 

 I am convinced that it was not the 

 intention of his lordship, in collec- 

 ting such a multitude of dates, to 

 attribute any blame to those offi- 

 cers. He has closed his report by 

 pointing me out as the only object 

 of his animadversions. H e leaves 

 me to account for the difficulties 

 which prevented the investment 

 of Flushing, as well as to show the 

 obstacles which presented them- 

 selves to the early progress of the 

 armament up the West Scheldt. 

 He was not aware, it seems, that 

 the first point was renderedimpos- 

 sible by the state of the winds ; 

 he was not even aware that the 

 circumstances of his being blown 

 into the East Scheldt, had im- 

 peded his progress up the West 

 Scheldt. Concerning lord Chat- 

 ham's opinions, I have now ceased 

 to be solicitous : but I am, and 

 ever shall be sincerely anxious, 

 that your lordships should not see 

 cause to regret the confidence 

 with which you have been pleased 

 to honour me upon this occasion." 



HI. Report from the Select Com- 

 mittee of the House of Commons 

 on the ■proceedings concerning 

 Sir Francis Burdelt's arrest.* 



It appears to your committee 

 after referring to the order of the 

 house on the fifth day of April 

 last, for the commitment of sir 

 Francis Burdett to the Tower ; the 

 warrants of the Speaker for that 

 purpose ; the letter of sir Francis 

 Burdett to the Speaker, dated the 

 seventeenth day of April last ; the 

 report and examination of the ser- 



• For other particulars connected with this affair, vide supra Jf bispbi'dence, 

 3. Libert!/ of the Sub/ccf, p. 344. 



