sf>(1 FRA 
The principal operations of this expedition were de- 
ftined againft Jamaica and Barbadoes; but thefe fettle- 
ments being found in a much ftronger (fate of defence 
than was expected, at the fame time that the French 
troops and feamen were extremely fickly, thefe objects 
were given up ; and, after exacting contributions from 
Nevis and Baffeterre, the combined fleet prepared to fail 
again for Europe. It had however captured, on the 8th 
of June, fourteen fail of the Antigua merchant.fliips, the 
very day after they left the port. 
Admiral Villeneuve, having detached the Ville de 
Milan, of 4 6 guns, with difpatches for Europe, fhe fell in 
with the Britifh frigate the Cleopatra of 32 guns, and 
after a defperate action of near three hours, compelled 
her to ftrike. In three days afterwards both (hips were 
chaced by the Leander man of war, and were taken by 
the Englifti, and carried into Bermuda. A divifionof the 
French fquadron, however, had the good fortune to fall 
in with the Calcutta of 50 guns, convoy to a fleet of feven 
fail of veffels from the Eaft Indies, and feveral merchant 
(hips from the Leeward Iflands ; two of which wfere 
captured, as was alfo the Calcutta man of war, after an 
aCtion of an hour and a half. To other parts of the 
fquadron alfo fell the Englifh (hips Blanche, Arrow, and 
Acheron, each of which fought till they became perfed 
wrecks, and funk as foon as the refpedtive crews could be 
taken from them. Part of the Lifbon and Oporto fleet 
was alfo taken, and its convoy the l’Aimable frigate had a 
very narrow efcape. 
The combined fquadron had thus far performed its 
cruize to and from the Welt Indies, and had eluded with 
lingular addrefs the purfuit of the Englifh fleet under 
lord Nelfon, which had been difpatched for the exprefs 
purpofe of bringing it to action ; an event not to be de¬ 
fined by VUleneuve-on his return from fo arduous a voy¬ 
age ; though he was prepared to rifk an engagement with¬ 
out fear or alarm. This difpofition he evinced, when, on 
the 2 2d of July 1805, he fell in with the Britifh fquadron 
under the command of fir Robert Calder. He might 
have flood for the port of Ferrol; but he difdained to fly 
before any force, much lefs from one that was apparently 
inferior ; lie therefore threw out the fignal to bear up to 
the Englilh fleet, and prepare for action. The number 
of fnips compofing the combined fquadron, amounted to 
twenty fail of the line, three (hips of 50 guns each, five 
frigates, and three brigs ; the fleet commanded by fir 
Robert Calder confided o( fifteen fliips of the line, two 
frigates, a cutter, and a lugger. The action lafted up¬ 
wards of four hours ; when two (hips of the Cadiz fqua¬ 
dron under admiral Gravina, viz. the San Raphael of 84 
guns, and la Firma of 74 guns, were cut off and taken by 
the Englifh ; who now declined any further engagement. 
The combined fleet, after continuing to offer frelh battle, 
flood for the port of Vigo, and after refitting there, failed 
unmolefted to Ferrol, and finally reached the port of Cadiz. 
In the Eaft-Indies, admiral Linois dill continued to mani- 
fefl the mod indefatigable exertions in promoting the va¬ 
rious objedts of his deftination. He engaged the Centu¬ 
rion of 50 guns, and the princefs Charlotte Eaft-Indiaman, 
in the roads before Vizagapatam. The Engli(h captain 
Lind, in the Centurion, fuftained two defperate t^ffions 
with Linois in the Marengo of 84guns, and three frigates ; 
and by his extraordinary valour Caved his fitip ; but the 
princefs Charlotte (truck her colours, and was carried to 
the Mauritius; which the French admiral relieved from 
the blockade of two Englifh men of war, and by the pre- 
fence of his fquadron, contributed to put the place in a 
mod formidable (late of defence. 
While matters were now lerioufly preparing for the in- 
vafion of England, and the flotilla was afl'embling from 
all the other ports to the haven of Boulogne, where at 
leaft fifteen hundred armed velfels of different defcriptions 
were at rendezvous, Bonaparte proceeded to invert himfelf 
with the fovereignty of Italy, to which he had been foli- 
eited by a deputation from the Italianconfulta of (late, on 
N C E. 
the 18th of March. This deputation was highly flattering 
to the exalted views of Napoleon ; it enabled him to 
eclipfe the glories of Charlemagne himfelf; it was re¬ 
ceived with eclat in the hall of the legiflative affembly 
before a full meeting of the fenate convened for this pur¬ 
pofe, and to whom Bonaparte addreffed the following 
fpeech : 
“ Senators, —We have thought fit to appear among 
you refpedting objects of the higheft importance to the 
date. The force and power of the French empire, are 
only furpalled by the moderation which prefides in all our 
political tranfaCfions. 
“ We had conquered Holland; three-fourths of Ger¬ 
many ; Swiflerland ; all Italy. We have been moderate 
in the midft of the greateft profperity. Of fo many pro¬ 
vinces, we have only kept what was neceffary to preferve 
us at the fame point of confideration and power, which 
France has always pofleffed. The partition, of Poland, 
the Ioffes fuftained by Turkey, the conqueft of the Indies, 
and almoft all our colonies, had deftroyed the balance of 
power to our difadvantage. Whatever we have deemed 
ufelefs to re-ertabli(h that balance we have given up ; and 
in doing fo we have aCted in conformity to the principle 
by which we have been conftantly directed—never to take 
arms for vain objects of grandeur, nor from the lull of 
conqueft. 
“ Germany has been evacuated ; its provinces have 
been'reftored to the defeendants of fo many illuflrious fa¬ 
milies, which would have been ruined had we not afforded 
them our generous proteftion. We have raifed them up 
and given them new vigour ; and the princes of Germany 
have now more fplendour and eclat than was enjoyed by 
their anceftors. 
“ Auftria herfelf, after two unfuccefsful wars, has ob¬ 
tained the dates of Venice. She would always have wil¬ 
lingly exchanged the provinces (he has loft for Venice. 
“ Holland was declared independent almoft as foon as 
it was conquered. The union of Holland to our empire 
would have perfected our commercial fyftem, as the great- 
eft riversof one half of our territory run through Holland. 
Neverthelefs, Holland is independent; and its cuftoms, 
commerce, and adminiftration, are conducted by its own 
government. 
“ Swiflerland was occupied by our armies. We de¬ 
fended it againft the combined forces of Europe. Its 
union with us would have completed our military frontier. 
Neverthelefs Swiflerland, by means of our mediation, 
governs itfelf through its nineteen cantons, independent 
and free. 
“ The union of the Italian republic to the French ter¬ 
ritory would have been an advantage to our agriculture; 
neverthelefs, after the fecond conqueft, we at Lyons con¬ 
firmed its independence. We now do more. We oro- 
claim the principle of the feparation of the crowns of 
France and Italy, by fixing for that feparation, the moment 
when it can be done, and without danger to our people 
of Italy. 
“ We have accepted, and will place upon our head, the 
iron crown of the ancient Lombards, in order to re-tem¬ 
per and confolidate it, fo that it may not be broken by the 
(hocks by which it will be threatened, as long as the 
Mediterranean continues out of its habitual ftate. But 
we do not hefitate to declare, that we will transfer that 
crown to one of our children, natural or adopted, the mo¬ 
ment we are freed from alarms for that independence we 
have guaranteed to the other (fates of the Mediterranean. 
“ The genius of evil will in vain labour to re-kindle 
war on the continent. What has been united to our em¬ 
pire by the conftitution (liall continue united to it. No 
new province will be incorporated with it. But the laws 
of the Batavian republic, the mediation of the nineteen 
cantons of Swiflerland, and this firft ftatute of the king¬ 
dom of Italy, (hall be conftantly under the protection of 
our crown, and we never (hall permit any violation of 
them. In every circumftance, and in all tranfactions, we 
3 ihafl 
