ENGLAND. 
74S 
rity, unfupported by anyreafons, but a mere recital of 
the calamities arifing from the (fate of tilings not in the 
power of this country now to alter. Lord Chatham, who 
appeared greatly agitated during the reply, made an eager 
effort to rife at the conclufion of it, as if labouring with 
fome great idea, and impatient to give full fcope to his 
fentiments; but, before he could utter a word, prefling 
his hand on his bread:, he fell down fuddenly in a con- 
vulfive fit. The duke of Cumberland, lord Temple, and 
other lords near him, caught him in their arms. The 
lioufe was immediately cleared ; and his lordfiiip being 
carried into an adjoining apartment, the debate was ad¬ 
journed. Medical afliftance being obtained, his lordfhip 
in fome degree recovered, and was conveyed to his fa¬ 
vourite villa of Hayes, in Kent, where, after lingering 
fome few weeks, he expired. May the nth, 1778, tn the 
feventieth year of his age. 
On the firft intelligence of his death, colonel Barre re¬ 
paired to the houfe of commons, then fitting, and com¬ 
municated the melancholy information. Although it was 
an event which had been for fome time expected, the 
houfe feemed affected with the deeped fenfibility. The 
recollection of his former pre-eminence in power, of his 
unrivalled eloquence, of his unwearied exertions in the 
public fervice, and of the unexampled profperity to which 
Great Britain had attained under his adminiftration, ruflied 
upon the mind with irrefiftible force, and produced an 
emotion which the fympathy fo powerful in popular af- 
femblies heightened to enthufiafm. The motion made by 
colonel Barre, “ That the remains of the earl of Chatham 
be interred at the public expence,” was unanimoufiy 
adopted; with the further addition, “ That a monument 
be ereCted to his memory in the collegiate church of St. 
Peter, Weftminfter.” This was followed by a motion 
from lord John Cavendifh, for an addrefs to the king, 
“ That his majefiy would be gracioufly pleafed to make 
a permanent provifion for the family of the late William 
Pitt, earl of Chatham, in confideration of the fervices per¬ 
formed by that able ftatefman and a bill was brought 
into parliament, and unanimoufiy puffed, by which a clear 
annuity of four thoufand pounds per annum, payable out 
of the civil lift, is for ever to be annexed to the earldom 
of Chatham, and the fum of twenty thoufand pounds 
voted for the difcharge of debts and incumbrances. Thus 
nobly and gratefully did the nation reward the fervices 
of the man, whofe counfels, to the amazement of the 
world, file had for fo many years negledted and contemned. 
The ready concurrence of the court in the honours la- 
vifhed on the memory of this great ftatefman, may be 
afcribed entirely to the decided manner in which he deli¬ 
vered, almoft in his laft breath, his fentiments againft the 
recognition of American independence, and which may 
be regarded as the foie political error, with which, in 
refpeCt to America, he is chargeable. What his precife 
ideas were, with regard to the plan of conciliation proper 
to be adopted in the then aCtual circumftances of the na¬ 
tion, cannot be afcertained ; but of this we may reft af- 
fured, from the uniform and fyftematic tenor of his policy, 
that he never would have employed coercive means in 
accomplilhing it. It is exceedingly to be lamented, that 
perfonal and party confiderations prevented that firm 
and cordial coalefcence amongft the whig infereft, which 
was fo neceffary to give efficacy to their exertions. The 
diflike of lord Chatham to the Newcaftle or Rockingham 
party was invincible ; and the divifions and animofities 
which originated in that diflike, and which his death was 
far from extinguiftiing, will ever be lamented by this 11a, 
tion, inafmuch as fuch a coalition of great abilities might 
have finally prevented the mifchiefs that followed. 
At the eve of a war with France, and a war with Spain 
in no very diftant profpeCt, two different lines of condudt 
now obvioufly prefented themfelves: either, firft, to with¬ 
draw our fleets and armies from America, and to direCl the 
whole force of the empire againft the houfe of Bourbon, in 
the hope of fuccefs fo decifive, as to enable us in the refult 
to conclude an advantageous accommodation with Ame¬ 
rica, conformably to the general ideas of lord Chatham; 
or, fecondly, which would have been infinitely the wifer, 
though the l'efs fplendid plan, at once to recognize, upon 
a principle of mutual amity, the independency of Ame¬ 
rica, which would have opened the way, without diffi¬ 
culty, to an immediate and general pacification. But our 
affairs feemed as yet too profperous in the opinion of mi¬ 
ni (try to juftify fuch a facrifire ; and the North-American 
continent continued to be the theatre of bloodfhed, rapine, 
difcord, and defolation; families deftroying kindred fal 
milies, and Englifhmen and their offspring planting the 
fword in each others breafts ; while the natural foe of 
both hovered on the coafts, anxious to aftift and promote 
the felf-deftruftion of an empire, which it could otherwife 
never hope to fubdue. 
From this fatal fcene of unnatural warfare in America, 
the particulars of which we have already referred the 
reader to in our firft volume, p. 439, &c. it will be expe¬ 
dient to advert to the fituation of affairs in F.urope. When 
a war with France became inevitable, admiral Keppel, 
an officer of diftinguifhed reputation, but wholly uncon¬ 
nected with the miniftry, was, on the perfonal folicitation 
of the king, prevailed on to accept the command of the 
channel fleet, though, as he himfelf obferved, “ his forty 
years fervices were not marked by any favour from the 
crown, except that of its confidence in the hour of dan¬ 
ger.” On the 13th of June, 1778, the admiral failed from 
St. Flelen’s with twenty (hips of the line, and at the en¬ 
trance of the bay of Bifcay lie fell in with the Licorne and 
the Belle Poule, two French frigates. Through that 
feeblenels and indecifion of counfels which prevailed at 
this period, the admiral had no pofitive orders as to the 
commiffion or avoidance of aCtual hoftilities, but was in¬ 
verted with an unmeaning, and as to himfelf dangerous, 
difcretion of adding according to circumftances. Perceiv¬ 
ing the frigates intent on taking an accurate furvey of his 
fleet, he thought it expedient to fire a gun in order to 
compel them to bring to ; and on their refufal to obey, a 
chace enfued, when the Licorne, after wantonly difcharging 
a whole-broadfide, ftruck to the America, of feventy-fo.ur 
guns. The Belle Poule, after a warm engagement with 
the Arethufa, efcaped by running on-fhore. The Pallas 
alfo, another French frigate, was in the mean time cap¬ 
tured and detained. From the papers found on-board 
thefe frigates, the admiral difcovered, to his inexpreflible 
aftonifliment, that the French fleet, lying'in Brelf-water, 
amounted to no lets than thirty-two fail of the line ; he 
was therefore under the immediate neceflity of returning 
to port for a reinforcement. 
On the 9th of July, he was enabled again to fail with 
twenty-four (hips, and was foon afterwards joined by fix 
more. In a few days he came in fight of the French fleet, 
commanded by M. d’Orvilliers, who feemed, on perceiv¬ 
ing the Englilh fleet nearly equal in force, inclined to 
avoid an engagement; but the wind changing fome points 
in favour of the Englifh, they gained fo much upon the 
enemy, that an engagement became inevitable, and the 
French ranging in order of battle, but on the oppofite 
tack, the fleets parted each other about noon in a diago¬ 
nal direction. The action, though very warm, was con- 
fequently partial ; but the Englifh admiral, having in a 
fliort time fufticiently repaired his damages, made the 
proper (ignals for the van and rear divifions to take their 
refpeftive ftations. This order was inftantly obeyed by 
fir Robert Harland, of the van j but admiral fir Hugh 
Pallifer, of the rear or blue divifion, who had fallen a 
great way to leeward, took no notice whatever of the fig- 
nals. Admiral Keppel, after waiting perhaps too long, 
fent the Fox frigate at five o’clock with peremptory di¬ 
rections to fir Hugh Pallifer, to bear down into his wake 
in order to renew the engagement. Sir Hugh anfwered, 
“ that he was knotting and fplicing, but would obey the 
order as foon as poflible.” At fix o’clock the commander 
threw out another fignai f®r all lhips to come into their 
ftations; 
