BRITAIN. 



669 



RCrUI 



al de- 

 ll the 

 ich 

 Eby 

 son. 



>gre;s of 

 French 

 is in 

 'pt. 



ibard- 

 it of 

 end. 



render 

 Winorca 

 3neral 

 art. 



with the headmost ship as close as possible to a :;luul 

 to the north west, and the rest of the fleet describing 

 a curve along the line of deep water, flanked by 

 numerous gun boats, and a battery of shells and mor- 

 tars on an island in their van. On the 1st of August, 

 Nelson having reconnoitered the enemy, determined on 

 a dangerous, yet decisive manoeuvre, to which lie 

 could only be prompted by that high and heroic 

 ardour which borders on temerity. Having made 

 himself acquainted, by repeated trials, of tin- depth 

 of water near the shore, the signal was made (and 

 boldly executed,) to turn the head of the French 

 line, by which means the whole of the enemy's van 

 was attacked on both sides before any of the 

 French ships, rendered useless by being at anchor, 

 could move to their assistance. The action com- 

 menced a little before sunset, and victory declared in 

 favour of England. The contest, however, was long 

 and trcmenduous. At midnight, Admiral Brueys' 

 ship, L'Orient, which fought with an energy worthy 

 of tier size, (she bore 120guns,) blew up with an ex- 

 plosion that was heard ten leagues from the scene of 

 action. . The cannonading ceased on both sides for 

 about ten minutes, with a pause expressive of that 

 awe which the dreadful spectacle had inspired. Af- 

 ter midnight the firing was at intervals suspended, 

 from tbe excessive fatigue of the combatants. At 

 morning the victory was complete. Of a fleet of 13 

 sail of the line, the Admiral's ship of 120 guns and a 

 74 were burnt ; two 80, and seven 74's were captu- 

 red ; two ships of the line and two frigates escaped by 

 flight, but were soon after taken ; so that the whole 

 armament was either captured or destroyed. 



The debarkation of Bonaparte with his staff and 

 his vanguard, had been effected exactly a month be- 

 fore the battle of the Nile. After issuing a pompous 

 proclamation, declaring, that he came to deliver 

 Egypt from the yoke of the Mamelukes, the French 

 commander took Alexandria by storm. Rosetta 

 soon alter surrendered, 'after which he proceeded to 

 Grand Cairo. The Mamelukes twice gave him bat- 

 tle, and by the impetuous charges of their cavalry, 

 put the fortitude and discipline of his troops to the 

 hardest trial V but the hollow square of the French 

 infantry was found impenetrable to the fury of their 

 antagonists ; and a victory, which he gained some 

 miles from the Pyramids, decided the fate of Lower 

 Egypt. Mourad and Ibraham Bey, the chief lead- 

 ers of the Mameluke*, fled, the former to Upper ' 

 Egypt, the latter to Syria. In the summer, an ar- 

 mament under Capt. Popham, with a body of troops 

 commanded by Col. Coote, bombarded Ostend, and 

 landing near the town, did considerable damage to 

 the basons, gates, and sluices of the Bruges canal. 

 But after this petty service had been achieved, the 

 troops were prevented from reimbarking by the fury 

 of the wind and surf, and surrendered, after a short 

 contest, to a superior force of the enemy. 



An expedition to Minorca proved more successful. 

 General Stuart, witli only SOQ men, debarked from 

 admiral Duckworth's squadron, and having forced, 

 in rapid succession, the most important posts of the 

 island, with the aid of , the frigates, and the co-opera- 

 tion of the seamen and marines, obliged the governor 

 to capitulate for the surrender of the whole island. 



About the same time, the British government find- 

 ing that St Domingo could not be retained without 



immense sacrifices, determined to abandon ij. Gene- 

 ral Maitland, therefore, entered i<ito a compromise 

 with Toussaint Louvt rt'ire, (forn erly a slave, but 

 now commander in chief of the colony,) by which 

 the British consented to leave the inland, on condition 

 of the lives and properties being granted to such white 

 inhabitants as chose to remain. The victory of the 

 Nile produced a sensation over all Europe, which was 

 felt at Rastadt, where negotiations had been vainly 

 conducted for a general system of continental indem- 

 nities, after the armed truce of Campo Formio. The 

 attacks which were made by France upon Switzer- 

 land, Rome, and Egypt, afforded a just ground of 

 quarrel to Austria, Naples, and the Ottoman Porte ; 

 while the accession of Paul, Emperor of Russia, who 

 had lately succeeded his mother Catherine II., gave 

 new hopes to the confederates. Hurried on by an 

 imprudent confidence, the king of Naples first took 

 the field, and advanced against the French at Rome, 

 who retired at his approach; but in the comse t ,1 

 few weeks, his whole army (commanded by the im- 

 perial general Mack,) was totally routed and disper- 

 sed, his capital taken by storm, and he himself obliged 

 to fly for refuge to Sicily, abandoning his continental 

 dominions. 



Before the close of the year, a provincial treaty 

 was signed at St Ptt'-rsburgh, by which the emperor 

 of Russia was to afford a succour of land forces, 

 amounting to 45,000 infantry and cavalry; in const 

 deration of which, his Britannic majesty engaged to 

 furnish the emperor a subsidy of L. 75,000 sterling 

 per month, from the day on which the Russian troops 

 should have passed the frontier ; another subsidy of 

 L. .''>7,000 per month for extra charges ; and a further 

 sum of L. 225,000 in three months, to expedite the 

 march of the troops to be employed. 



The confidence with which the minister spoke of 

 our new alliance, when the subject of the Russian 

 subsidy came before parliament, was met by animad- 

 versions of a very different nature from the opposite 

 side of the house. However dazzling the rising coa- 

 lition might appear, it was observed, we had seen a 

 former one of still more imposing promises broken to 

 pieces by the enemy. The very name of subsidy, 

 implied selfishness in the powers who were to join us. 

 If the interests of Europe were involved, it became 

 its powers to fight for their own security, and not to 

 become the hirelings of Britain. The supplies voted 

 for 1799, a,mounted to thirty-nine millions. Ten 

 millions of this sum Mr Pitt proposed to raise by a 

 tax upon income, in lieu of the assessed taxes, which 

 had failed in productiveness. Every person, whose 

 income exceeded L. 60 a year, was to be subject to 

 this ta-^. Incomes from L.60 to L. 100, were to 

 be taxed in a trifling proportion. Those above L. 100 

 were subjected to considerably more. From those 

 of L.200 and upwards, a tenth part was to be levied. 

 If the statement of income given in by any individu- 

 al should be suspected by the commissioners of this 

 tax to be false, they might examine upon oath. An 

 appeal might lie from the lower to the higher com- 

 missioners, but with the latter the decision should be 

 final. The land forces voted for this year, was some- 

 what larger than for the former year. For the navy, 

 120,000 men were required. 



In proportion as the enemies of the country la- 

 boured to separate the ties of connection between 





. K I If. 



. ition 

 (if St Do- 



' liy 

 the Uritivli. 



The Kiug 

 of Naple^ 

 d-ivriifrum 

 his, domi- 

 nions by 

 the i-iench. 



Treaty of 

 alliance 

 signed at 

 St Peters- 

 burgh. 



Proceed- 

 ings in par- 

 liament. 

 1709. 



