fi94 



BUITAIX. 



departure of the French amtassador nt the court of 

 London within eight days; and war was declared 

 by the national convention of France against Britain 

 and Holland, on the 1st of February, 1793. The 

 British amliassador had indeed been recalled from 

 Pnris during the insurrections which occurred in that 

 city in the autumn of the preceding year ; but the 

 declaration of war proceeded in the first instance from 

 1 'iiris. A speedy termination of the struggle, in 

 favour of the allied powers, was certainly anticipated 

 hy Mr Pitt before he lent himself to the coalition 

 asaiust France; but it soon appeared that the national 

 resources of France had been greatly under-rated. 

 These, aniniatril by national enthusiasm, and directed 

 hy able mid vigorous-minded men, were such as en- 

 abled France, single-handed, to contend successfully 

 against all Europe. The career of her armies, under 

 such men as Bonaparte, Moreau, Kleber, and 

 Hoche, was every where triumphant ; and on the 

 conclusion of the peace of Campo Fonnio, in 1797, 

 Britain stood alone in the conflict. But the war 

 now becoming strictly maritime, her attitude, not less 

 strikingly than that of France in 1794, exhibited the 

 advantage possessed by a nation when combining its 

 resources on its proper element. In this first great 

 contest, France and Britain were placed successively 

 in opposition to a confederacy of the other European 



Einvers, and successfully resisted the fearful odds 

 rought against them ; each nation also added largely 

 to its territorial possessions ; and each, though ex- 

 hausted, continued capable of prolonging the contest. 

 But the policy of peace was apparent ; there re- 

 mained no definite object of warfare ; and accordingly 

 a treaty of peace was signed at Amiens on the 27th 

 of March, 1802, after the retirement of Mr Pitt from 

 office. 



This peace, however, was of short duration. Bona- 

 parte excited the jealousy of the British by new pre- 

 tensions, and war was declared against France, May 

 18, 1 803. Into the details of this long and disastrous 

 war we shall not here enter. The principal engage- 

 ments are duly recorded under their respective heads. 

 All that we propose in this place is a very brief his- 

 torical summary of events. 



The French took Hanover, extended to the greatest 

 degree their exclusive system against Britain, formed 

 an alliance with Holland, the Italian republic, and 

 afterwards with Spain, and threatened England 

 with an invasion. Pitt, who had again joined the 

 ministry, dissipated the fear of the last, by exciting a 

 new war on the continent (1805), which, however, 

 only conducted Napoleon to new conquests and ac- 

 quisitions ; but the British possessed the command of 

 the sea, and the battle of Trafalgar (Oct 21, 1805), 

 in which Nelson fell, crowned the fame of their arms. 

 Pitt died Jan. 23, 1806. The new ministry (Gren- 

 ville, Addington, Fox.) were inclined to peace ; but 

 after the acquisitions which Napoleon had made in 

 the war against Russia and Prussia, and after his 

 decrees of Berlin and Milan, they could not be recon- 

 ciled to him, without acknowledging his supremacy 

 on the continent. All the endeavours of Britain, 

 therefore, were directed to maintaining and extending 

 her power upon the sea. The bomtoirdment of Co- 

 penhagen, and the seizure of the Danish fleet (Sep- 

 tember, 1807), increased the enemies of England. 

 Even Russia renounced her alliance. But the offers 

 of peace made at Erfurt, by the emperors of Russia 

 and France, were rejected by the British government, 

 because it would not acknowledge Joseph Bonaparte 

 king of Spain. Already had a British army, sent to 

 Portugal, compelled the French general Junot, and 

 the Russian fleet lying in the Tagus, to capitulate 

 (Aug. 30, and Sept. 3, 1808). The Spaniards who 

 had risen against France, were supplied with money, 



military stores, and troops ; Cayenne, the island of 

 Martinique, and the Ionian islands as fur us Corfu 

 and St Maura, were conquered ; and an expedition 

 (the Walcheren) against Zealand and Flanders was 

 undertaken, but failed (1809) ; in the next year, 

 however, the islands of Guadeloupe, St Martin, St 

 Eustatia, Amboyna, Bourbon, and the Isle of France, 

 were taken by the British. Soon after, the mental 

 disorder of the king returning, made a regency neces- 

 sary, which the parliament conferred upon the prince 

 of Wales. 



The British government, being determined not to 

 make peace with France till she retired within her 

 former limits, and received again her ancient family 

 of princes, opened the campaign of 1815; with new 

 hopes. Britain was soon the soul of the coalition 

 which was formed on the continent ; the influence of 

 her wealth was felt every where. She pressed with 

 overpowering weight on the sinking power of France, 

 in Spain. A new war with the United States of North 

 America (concluded by the peace of Ghent, Dee. 24, 

 1814) did not prevent her from applying her strength 

 to the affairs of the continent. The result corre- 

 sponded to her great exertions. The allies entered 

 Paris. Wellington, after he had delivered Spain 

 from the French at the head of the united British, 

 Spanish, and Portuguese force, crossed tlie Pyrenees, 

 and advanced upon Bourdeaux and Toulouse. The 

 restoration of the Bourbons followed the expulsion ot 

 Napoleon, and the French received a constitution 

 based upon liberal principles. Britain gave back, 

 without hesitation, all her French conquests, with the 

 exception of Tobago, St Lucie, and the Isle of 

 France. At the same time, she retained, of her Dutch 

 conquests, the cape of Good Hope, Demerara, Esse- 

 quibo, and Berbice ; of her Danish, Heligoland ; and 

 of her Italian, Malta ; and obtained the protection of 

 the Ionian isles. Her acquisitions, in respect to terri- 

 torial possessions and political importance, were there- 

 fore very great ; especially as, at the same time, her 

 East Indian dominions were increased by the acquisi- 

 tion of the territories of the king of Candy ; so that 

 the whole of Ceylon became subject to the British 

 crown. Hanover likewise received considerable ad- 

 ditions, and the name of a kingdom. The return of 

 Napoleon afforded the British arms an opportunity of 

 gaining new fame in the battle of Waterloo, in con- 

 sequence of which Napoleon gave himself up to tlie 

 British (July 13, 1815). 



1815. The political attitude of Britain had been, 

 for twenty-three years, warlike. All the wars of the 

 European continent, against the revolution and against 

 the empire, were begun by Britain, and supported 

 by British gold. At last, the object was attained : 

 not only was the ancient family restored to the throne, 

 but France was reduced to its original limits, its naval 

 force destroyed, and its commerce almost annihilated. 

 But victory brought bitter fruits even to Britain, 

 which, after several years of peace came to maturity. 

 A debt, of which the capital amounted to more than 

 forty years' revenue of the kingdom, and internal 

 disturbances which threatened the greatest danger, 

 demanded from the ministry tho most cautious and 

 judicious measures. The absurd opinion, that war 

 opens such sources of prosperity to a country, as com 

 pensate for the resources which it consumes, had been 

 contradicted by experience. Frugality and forbear- 

 ance from all superfluous expense, particularly from 

 war, have therefore been, since 1815, the firsl law of 

 the government, hy which the policy of Brtaiii has 

 become as peaceful as it had formerly been warlike. 

 Notwithstanding the British government has formally 

 opposed the principle, maintained by .many of the 

 other European powers, that the European association 

 of states has a right to put down by force any attempt 



