330 MISSION TO PORTUGAL. [1806-. 



over the world, was peculiarly an object of venera- 

 tion in these countries which had witnessed his great 

 exploits : of the generals, Lord Kosslyn had served 

 in the country, and was distinguished by his great 

 knowledge and talent for business : and the third 

 was General Simcoe, son of the general who had 

 been sent to Lisbon at the time of the great earth- 

 quake with the liberal grant of money given to relieve 

 the distresses which it had occasioned. The greatest 

 weight of authority was possessed by the head of 

 the commission, and the most favourable disposition 

 prevailed towards the other members. My inter- 

 course was with Lord St Vincent and Lord Eosslyn, 

 because General Simcoe, as I have before stated, died 

 before we began our operations. On the voyage, 

 however, he (Lord Eosslyn) and myself had a great 

 deal of discussion upon the objects of our mission, 

 and the extraordinary difficulties which we expected 

 to meet from the strength of the forts, should entrance 

 into the Tagus be refused ; and in that case we were 

 to remain with the fleet off the coast till the troops 

 arrived; though these conversations turned chiefly 

 on the formidable nature of the service we were un- 

 dertaking, and particularly on the great means of 

 naval defence on the river, in case we should have to 

 force a passage and a landing. For the first three 

 days of our voyage we had been constantly signalling 

 strange sails and, receiving no answers, were often 

 011 the point of preparing for action ; so it seemed as 

 if we were destined to have a hostile encounter either 



