ENGLAND. 
enemy. A frigate was taken by the Englilh ; two others 
foundered at fea ; one fhip of the line was alfo loft; and 
another, running on-fhore, was defrroyed. 
An invafion of Wales was next attempted ; but it ex¬ 
cited ridicule rather than terror. About 1250 men dif- 
embarked in the county of Pembroke, February 22, 1797 ; 
and, as the fliips in which they arrived left them unpro¬ 
tected, they fubmitted to a demand of lord Cawdor for 
their furrender. Of the four veffels which thus infulted 
our weftern coaft, two were taken by our cruifers. 
An extraordinary meafure followed the meeting of par¬ 
liament. The unbounded remittances, in cajh , to the em¬ 
peror, and other foreign princes, and the recal of cafh 
from all the banking-houfes for the purpole of railing the 
films required, had alarmingly diminifhed the circulation 
of coin; and, after frequent confultations with the di¬ 
rectors of the bank, the embarralfed directors and mi- 
rifters difculfed the affair in council. From thefe deli¬ 
berations refulted an order, February 26, 1797, againlt 
the ilfue of cafli from the bank ; an adt of policy which, 
though it did not demonftrate infolvency, filled the minds 
of the timid with the dread of national bankruptcy. See 
the article Bank of England, vol. ii. p. 676. 
When French influence, operating on the fears of the 
Spanilli monarch, had produced a peace between the na¬ 
tions, there was reafon to fuppofe that the artful repub¬ 
licans would lead that paflive prince into a clofe alliance, 
and endeavour to render his arms fubfervient to the views 
of France. This eft'edf did not immediately follow, as 
the Spaniards were not very eager to commence hoftiiities 
again!! their late allies; but a treaty of confederacy was 
at length concluded, and war was declared againfl Great 
Britain by his catholic majefly, on frivolous and abfurd 
pretences, on the 5th of October, 1796. 
Naval and military preparations were expedited ; and, 
while an army threatened an irruption into the Portuguefe 
territories, a confiderable fleet failed from Cadiz to join 
a French iquadron. Sir John Jervis deferied this fleet 
to the fouth-w eft of Cape St. Vincent, February 14, 1797; 
and, though he had only fifteen fail of t'ii.e line, he re- 
folved to rifque an engagement. Me was fo fortunate as 
to reach the enemy before a regular line could be formed 
to oppofe him; and, by .1 fkiltul manoeuvre h. feparated 
one third of the enemy’s fliips from the main body. The 
intrepid Nelfon and Troubiidge, in the Captain and Cul- 
loden men of war, highly diftinguifhed themfelves in this 
adtion. For fome time, their fhips were engaged with 
fix of the Spanilh veffels, out of tvventy-feven fail of the 
line. At length they were affifted by the Blenheim ; 
and the exertions of captain Collingwood, in the Excel¬ 
lent, greatly contributed to make them victorious. Nel¬ 
fon, when his (hip was difabled, prepared to board the 
San Nicolas ; and his orders for that purpofe were exe¬ 
cuted with promptitude and alacrity. The cabin door 
was forced by fome marines; and, rufhing upon the quar¬ 
ter deck, he found that captain Berry was nearly mailer 
of the fhip. When all oppofuion was fubdued in this 
veflel, the San Jofef was boarded; and the commodore 
received the fwords of the Spanifh officers. The conflict: 
was but partial, though other fliips, befides thofe which 
we have particularized, had a fliare in it; and, when the 
aCtion ceafed, four fhips from 74 to 112 guns were prizes 
to the Britifh fleet. In the Englifh fliips 73 were killed 
and 227 wounded ; while, in the captured velfels, above 
600 are faid to have futfered. The conduCt of the vic¬ 
torious admiral was honoured with general applaufe ; 
and he was advanced to the peerage with a title drawn 
from the cape near which he triumphed. 
Nearly at the fame time, a Britifh armament appeared 
before Trinidad, a confiderable ifland to the Southward 
of Tobago. Four SpanilK fliips of the line and a frigate 
being feen in the bay, apparently ready for failing, dif- 
pofitions were made to obftruCt their efcape. In the 
night, one veflel was perceived to be on fire ; three others 
were foon after involved in the flames and deftreyed, 
787 
while one, of feventy-four guns, was taken by the Eng¬ 
lifh. The troops under fir Ralph Abercromby landed 
without oppofition : the chief town was not defended ; 
and the governor tamely refigned the whole ifland, Fe¬ 
bruary 18, 1797. The fame fuccefs did not occur at 
Porto-Rico ; for, though a defeent took place on the 
main ifland, the troops were unable to force a paffage to 
the ifle on which the capital is fltuated : they therefore 
retired, after an ineffective bombardment of the garrifon. 
The exertions of the Britifh navy during the war, had 
been highly ufeful and important ; and, as their merit 
was a conftant theme of univerfal praife, they were in¬ 
duced to take the opportunity of demanding not only an 
advance of wages proportioned to the increafed price of 
the articles which they were obliged to purchafe, but 
alfo an enlargement of the quantity of provifions allowed 
to them by government. An application to lord Howe 
being difregarded, they refolved to enforce redrefs by 
fpirited behaviour. When orders were given to prepare 
for putting to fea, the crew of the Queen Charlotte, and 
other fliips lying at Spithead, refufed to aft ; and, treat¬ 
ing witli contempt the remonftrances of the officers, they 
made choice of delegates, who, after a formal confulta- 
tion, drew up petitions to the board of admiralty and the 
lioufe of commons. Earl Spencer, the naval niinifter, 
dreading a mutiny, and not thinking the demands unrea- 
fonable, promifed compliance ; and the king offered full 
pardon to all who fliould immediately return to their 
duty. The feamen, however, would not declare their 
fatisfaCtion before the parliament had confirmed tlie pro- 
mifes of the lords of the admiralty; and, as this fandtion 
was unnecelfarily delayed, the irritation of their minds led to 
a conteft with vice-admiral Colpoys, May 7, in which tome 
lives were loft. A bill was in confequence enaCted tor 
relief of the feamen, in point of pay and allowance ; and' 
fubordination was happily reftored at Spithead and at 
Plymouth. 
The grant of thefe claims, however, encouraged the 
feamen at the Nore to infill on a greater freedom of ab- 
fence from their fliips while in harbour ; on a more punc¬ 
tual difeharge of arrears ; a more juft diftribution of 
prize-money ; and a general abatement of the rigours of 
difeipline. The chief fabricator of thefe demands was 
Richard Parker, a man of a daring fpirit, who adted as 
prelident of the feamen’s council of delegates. Having, 
received an unfatisfadtory anfwer from the board of ad¬ 
miralty through the medium of vice-admiral Buckner, 
he boldly fuperfeded the "authority of that commander,, 
and the other officers of the fquadron, and condudted, 
himfelf with Angular arrogance. He required the per- 
fonal attendance of fome of the lords of the admiralty at 
Sheernefs, and to fignify their alfent to the new demands; 
but, as they gave no hopes of conceilion, he treated them 
with rudenefs and infolence. He prevailed upon the 
men to rejedt the repeated offers of pardon : he robbed 
two merchant (hips of their provifions, and obftrndted 
commerce by the detention of others ; and he fired on 
fome men of war that refilled to accede to the mutinous 
combination. 
The parliament being requefted to interfere on this 
alarming occafion, a bill was propofed for the inflidtion 
of capital punifliment on every one who fliould hold com¬ 
munication or intercourfe with the crew of fliips declared 
to be in a ftate of rebellious mutiny, as well as on all 
Who, after fuch declaration, fliould voluntarily continue. 
on-board. This bill, and one equally fevere againfl all 
attempts to feduce feamen or foldiers into mutinous 
pradtices, was palfed on the 6th of June. Th*.fe adts, 
concurring with the ftrong difapprobation with-which 
the public in general viewed the condudt of the muti¬ 
neers at the Nore, accelerated the fuppreffion of the dif- 
turbances. A returning fenfe of loyalty, and the hope 
of obtaining that indulgence which the lords of the ad¬ 
miralty were authorifed to grant at their diferetion, pro¬ 
duced a feparation of fome of the fhips from the reft, and 
