I 
752 ENG L 
of high treafon, for which there does not appear to have 
been fufficient ground, and therefore on his trial he was 
acquitted. An impeachment by the houfe of commons 
■for high crimes and mifdetneanors would have been a 
mode of procedure far more eligible and efficacious, and 
would indubitably have infured that puniftiment which 
his rafli condudt fo juflly merited. 
A fpecial commillion was iffued for the trial of the riot¬ 
ers, of whom a great number, confifting of men very oppo- 
file in defcription and character, were apprehended ; many 
of whom fuffered death, On the 19th of June the parlia¬ 
ment met, and the king going in date to the houfe of 
peers, made a very judicious fpeech, “ lamenting the ne- 
cefiity which had obliged him, by every tie of duty and 
affebtion to his people, to employ the force entrufted to 
him for the fuppreflion of thofe abts of felony and trea¬ 
fon, which had borne down all civil authority, and 
threatened the immediate fubverfion of all legal power, 
the dedrubtion of all property, and the confufion of every 
order in the date ; at the fame time renewing his affur- 
ances, that he had no other object than to make the laws 
of 'the realm, and the principles of the conditution, the 
rule and meafure of his condudt.” An addrefs of thanks 
was defervedly voted in reply to this laudable fpeech, 
without a fingle negative. 
The political alienation which had for fome years taken 
place between England and Holland, now began to un¬ 
fold itfelf. A requidtion had been made by the court of 
London to the dates general, foon after the declaration 
of war againft Spain, for the fuccours dipulated by the 
treaty of 1678, confirmed by various fubfequent agree¬ 
ments; but no anfwer could be obtained from their high 
rnightineJTes. On the contrary, loud complaints were 
made of the condubt of the Englifh court, which had 
caufed to be feized, and carried into the different ports 
of Great Britain, fliips belonging to the fubjebts of the 
republic, navigated under the faith of treaties, and not 
laden with contraband goods. On the other hand, Great 
-Britain complained that France received from Holland 
continual fupplies of naval and military dores, contrary 
to the faith of treaties ; and that the principle of felf- 
defence warranted the feizure and detention of all veffels 
laden with fuch exceptionable cargoes. 
On the id of January, 1780, commodore Fielding fell 
in with a fleet of Dutch merchant fliips off Portland, con¬ 
voyed by a fmall fquadron commanded by count Byland. 
Captain Fielding deflring permiflion to vifit the merchant 
fliips, in order to afcertain whether they contained any 
contraband goods, was refufed by the Dutch admiral; on 
which lie fired a (hot a-bead of the count, who returned a 
broaddde : commodore F ielding did the fame, and then the 
Dutch immediately druck their colours. Such of tire mer¬ 
chant fliips as had naval dores on-board were Hopped, and 
the Dutch admiral was informed that he was at liberty to 
hoid his colours and profecute his voyage. But he re¬ 
fufed to quit his convoy, and accompanied the commodore 
to Portfmouth. A memorial in drong and refentful terms 
was prefented by the Dutch ambaffador, count Welderen, 
by order of the dates, in confequence of this tranfabtion, 
which was reprefented as a direbt attack upon the inde¬ 
pendence and fovereignty of their high mightineffes; and 
a peremptory demand was made of reparation and redrefs, 
to which no regard was paid. But on the 17th of April 
a declaration was publidied by the king of Great Britain, 
by which it was announced, “ That repeated memorials 
having been prefented by his majedy’s ambaffador to-the 
(fates general, demanding the fuccours dipulated by 
treaty, to which requidtion they had given no anfwer, 
nor dgnified any intention of compliance, his majedy con- 
fidered their high mightineffes as having deferted the 
alliance that had fo long fubfided between Great Britain 
and the republic; and Iris majedy from this time fuf- 
pended, providonally, all the dipulations of the feveral 
exidmg treaties, particularly.of the marine treaty, con¬ 
cluded at London, A.D. 1674.” 
AND. 
Holland was, however, far from being lingular in her 
complaints refpebting the violated rights of neutrality. 
The powers of the Baltic, with a firmer tone, and in more 
decided language, declared their refolution to adopt fuch 
meafures as were neeeffary for their own fecurity. Early 
in the fpring of 1780, the emprefs of Rudia addrelfed a 
declaration to the courts of London, Verfailles, and Ma¬ 
drid, containing an explicit ftatenrent of the principle^ on 
which die had determined to abt for the removal of thofe 
moledations which had interrupted the navigation of her 
fubjebts, and for the prote’btion of the liberty of com¬ 
merce in general. The radical principles here laid down 
were: I. That neutral fliips fnotild enjoy a free'naviga- 
tion even from port to port, and on the coads of the bel¬ 
ligerent powers. II. That all eliebts belonging to the 
fubjebts of the belligerent powers (hall be looked upon 
as free on-board fuch neutral (hips, excepting only war¬ 
like dores or ammunition ; but neither the velfels, paf- 
fengers, nor the red of the goods, (hall be liable to feizure 
or detention. “ To thefe principles, (her imperial ma¬ 
jedy declared,) (he was firmly refolved to adhere ; and, 
for the honour of her flag, and the fecurity of her fub¬ 
jebts, (lie had ordered a confiderable part of her naval 
forces to be equipped, to act wherever her honour, inte- 
reft, or necedity, (hould require.” Denmark and Sweden, 
according in form to this declaration of Rudia, and or¬ 
dering fimilar equipments of their marine, this confede¬ 
racy of the powers of the north acquired the appellation 
of “the armed neutrality;” and the bads on which it 
was founded feemed to give univerfal fatisfablion through! 
out Europe; England alone, againd whom it was mani- 
fedly levelled, excepted. 
Great Britain, thus menaced on all fides, neverthelefs 
purfued the war with vigour; and Spain commenced her 
offenfive operations with the blockade of Gibraltar. Early 
in 1780, dr George Rodney was appointed to the com¬ 
mand of a powerful fleet, dedined for the relief of that 
garrifon, having on-board prince William-Henry, the third 
(on of his majedy. On the northern coad of Spain he fell 
in a convoy of twenty-two merchant-dtips, richly laden, 
under the protebtion of a fquadron of feven diips of war., 
to which he immediately gave chace, and in a few hours 
the wdiole were taken. This fuccefs was the prelude to 
another and much greater. 
On the 16th of January, off Cape St. Vincent, he 
defcried a Spanilli fquadron, confiding of fourteen fail of 
the line, which he direbtly bore down upon, and, not- 
withdanding the dormy feafon, taking the lee-gage, in 
order to prevent the enemy from retreating into their 
own ports ; at four in the afternoon the action began, and 
in little more than half an hour one of the Spanifh (hips 
blew up with a dreadful explofion. Tiie engagement, 
neverthelefs, continued with unabating fury in the midd 
of darknefs ; and, before morning, the Phoenix, of eighty 
guns, don Juande Langara, the Spanidi admiral’s own 
(hip ; the Motiarca, the Princeffa, the Diligenti, of feventy 
guns each, druck their colours; the St. Julien, and St. 
Eugenio, were alfo captured ; but through the violence 
of the temped, were driven on-lhore and lod. The others 
efcaped in a very (hattered condition, and the whole fqua- 
dron, as to any immediate capability of fervice, might be 
confidered as annihilated. Though the force of admiral 
R.odney was greatly fuperior, his lkill and courage were 
fully apparent in the mode of conducting the attack, 
which the violence of the dorm, the darknels of the night, 
and the vicinity of a lee-(hore, every where encircled with 
fhoals and breakers, rendered extremely dangerous; the 
admiral’s own diip, the Sandwich, and feveral others, 
were in extreme hazard of being lod on the (lioals of St. 
Lucar, and did not get into deep water till the next day. 
After effecting the primary object of his commillion, tiie 
relief of Gibraltar, (ir George Rodney proceeded to the 
Wed indies, lending home his prizes under the care of 
admiral Digby, who, on his pa (Cage, captured the Prothee, 
a French (hip of iixty-four guns, and part of her convoy 
of 
