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CARTELS.-R.-ADM. NELSON IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. 215

Great Britain, that, if that decree should, in any in- 1798. stance, be carried into effect against any such persons, taken in any vessel or vessels the property of his majesty, or of his subjects, and navigated under the british flag, it was the king's determination to exercise the most rigorous retaliation against those subjects of the french republic, whom the chance of war had then placed, or might thereafter place, at his majesty's disposal. This had, in a great degree, the desired effect.

With the view of ascertaining the precise object of the rumoured preparations making at Toulon, the british admiralty had directed earl St.-Vincent to detach from the Mediterranean fleet a few ships under rear-admiral sir Horatio Nelson; who, having been allowed, after the Santa-Cruz affair, to go to England for his health, had, on the 29th of April, returned to the fleet off Cadiz. On the 2d of May May. sir Horatio quitted the fleet in the Vanguard, and steered for the Mediterranean. The rear-admiral was to take with him two 74s lying at Gibraltar, and four frigates and a sloop cruising on that station. On the 4th the Vanguard arrived at Gibraltar; and on the 9th, having completed her water and provisions, sailed again, accompanied by the Alexander and Orion 74s, Emerald and Terpsichore frigates, and Bonne-Citoyenne sloop.

On the 17th, when off Cape Sicie, the rear-admiral received information, through a captured privateer, that there were, including the ex-venetian ships, 19 sail of the line in Toulon harbour; that 15 of them were ready for sea; and that Buonaparte, at the head of an immeuse body of troops, was expected soon to embark, but for what destination could not be ascertained. On the 19th the wind blew strong from the north-west. On the next day, the 20th, it moderated, but, after dark, again blew strong; so strong, that on the 21st, at 1 h. 30 m. A. M., when about 25 leagues south of the Hyères' islands, the Vanguard's main and mizen topmasts, in succession,

1798. went over the side. In two hours afterwards the May. increased violence of the gale carried away the foremast, in three pieces, and sprung the bowsprit in as many places. At daylight, by means of the remnant of her spritsail, the Vanguard was enabled to wear. The two other 74s and the Emerald wore also; and the four ships scudded before the wind. The Terpsichore, Bonne-Citoyenne, and a prize-ship, continued lying to, under bare poles, and therefore parted company; as, during the night, did the Emerald.

The rear-admiral intended to steer for Oristan bay, island of Sardinia; but, in the crippled state of the Vanguard, that was found impracticable. The latter, therefore, being taken in tow by the Alexander, who, with the Orion, had received very little damage in the gale, the rear-admiral proceeded to the sardinian harbour of St.-Pietro; where, at noon on the 22d, the three ships safely cast anchor. Here we will leave them awhile, to attend to what is going on in Toulon.

During the negotiations at Campo-Formio, in the summer of 1797, general Buonaparte took away from the ambrosian library at Milan, all the books he could find on subjects connected with the East; and, on their being brought to Paris, marginal notes were discovered in every page that treated specially on Egypt: hence it has been inferred, that Buonaparte was, even at this time, ruminating upon the plan, in the attempted execution of which his military fame subsequently received so serious a check, and his moral character so fatal a stab. At all events, in the early months of the year 1798, he submitted the plan of a campaign in Egypt to the directory, and on the 5th of March, was appointed its commander in chief. "Les ministres de la guerre, de la marine, at des finances," proceeds the letter of appointment, "sont prévenus de se conformer aux instructions que vous leur transmettrez sur ce point important dont votre patriotisme a le secret, et dont le directoire ne pouvait pas mieux confier le succès qu'à votre

DEPARTURE OF BUONAPARTE'S EGYPTIAN EXPEDITION. 217

génie et à votre amour pour la vraie gloire." This 1798. flattering letter was signed by "Lareveillère-Lé- May. paux, Merlin, et Barras."*

In the mean time the most active preparations were making at Toulon, Marseille, Civita-Vecchia, Genoa, and Bastia; particularly at the first-named port, where an immense fleet of men-of-war and transports was getting ready, and whither troops were marching from all quarters of the republic. Buonaparte was to have quitted Paris on the night of the 21st of April; but the last despatches from general Bernadotte, the republican ambassador at the court of Vienna, having excited in the french government some dread of a rupture with Austria, the conqueror of Italy was detained, to try the effect of his influence with the comte de Cobentzel, the emperor's ambassador at Paris. By this, or some other means, the matter was made up; and on the 3d of May Buonaparte quitted Paris, and on the 8th arrived at Toulon.

The expedition, now that it was complete, consisted of 13 sail of the line, eight frigates, two venetian 64s, and six frigates, armed en flûte, two brigs, with cutters, avisos, and gun-boats, in all 72 vessels of war; exclusive, when those from the outports joined, of 400 sail of transports. Of this immense fleet the crews alone were computed at 10000 men ; besides which there was a body of troops amounting to about 36000 men. The commander in chief of this formidable armament was Buonaparte, having under him, as his generals of division, Kléber, Desaix, Regnier, Bon, Duqua, Menou, Vaubois, Dumuy, and Dumas, besides 11 generals of brigade. The fleet was commanded by vice-admiral Brueys, having under him rear-admirals Villeneuve, Blanquet, and Decrès, and, for his captain of the fleet, commodore Ganteaume. The admiral had his flag on board the 120-gun ship Orient, as the cidevant Sans-Culotte was now, in reference to the

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome ix. p. 4.

1798. object of the expedition, appropriately named, and in her went passenger general Buonaparte, accompanied by the principal part of his suite.

May.

June.

On the 19th of May, in the morning, the whole of this numerous fleet, except a portion of the transports that were to join on the passage, got under way from Toulon road with a strong wind from the north-west, and, running along the coast of Provence, stopped off Genoa, to be joined by the division of transports in that port; then stood straight across to Cape Corse, which was signalled on the 23d, at daybreak. The fleet remained in sight of the eastern coast of Corsica until the 30th, and then stood leisurely along the island of Sardinia, in the expectation of being joined by the convoy from CivitaVecchia; which convoy, it was known, had left that port on the 28th.

On the 3d of June Buonaparte received intelligence, that three english ships of the line and two frigates had been seen off Cagliari. A division of french ships proceeded in that direction, but saw nothing and returned. Having waited in vain for the junction of the expected convoy from Civita-Vecchia, the fleet proceeded without it, and on the 7th passed within gun-shot of the port of Mazara in Sicily, having in view on the opposite side the small island of Pantellaria. On the 8th an english brig, captured by one of the look-out frigates, gave intelligence that admiral Nelson's squadron, sent in pursuit of the french fleet, was not very far astern. This news, erroneous as it was, gave great uneasiness to the commander in chief. On the same night the expedition quitted the coast of Sicily, and, steering to the south-east, gained, at 5 h. 30 m. A. M. on the 9th, a sight of the islands of Goza and Malta; off which the admiral was joined by the Civita-Vecchia division of transports, numbering 70 sail.

The fate, which soon befell this, as a Mediterranean

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome ix. p. 10.

possession, important island, will be in some degree 1798. elucidated by a short account of the measures France June. had previously taken to undermine its independence. Since the month of January in the present year, M. Poussielgue, secretary to the french legation at Genoa, had been sent to sound the knights and grandmaster of the order of St.-John of Jerusalem, as to their inclination to permit a french squadron to approach the shores of their island; or, in other words, by all the insidious and corrupt arts so familiar to the agents of the french government at this epoch, to endeavour to excite an insurrection among the inhabitants. As a further step in the contemplated plan, rear-admiral Brueys, when in March he was returning to Toulon with his six sail of the line from the Adriatic, sent one of his ships in the port to be repaired; where she remained eight days. The french squadron, meanwhile, sounded all round the island, and ascertained precisely every spot where it was possible to effect a debarkation.

Considering, therefore, the capture of the island of Malta, with its two dependencies, the small islands of Goza and Comino, as the work of treachery, we feel no inclination to give a recital of the few mockfights that preceded its surrender; but shall merely state, that on the 10th a landing was effected in seven places, and that on the 12th the islands of Malta, Goza, and Comino, surrendered by capitulation. Among the spoils taken, were two 64-gun ships, one frigate, three galleys, and some vessels, 30000 muskets, 12000 barrels of powder, provisions for six months, and the plate and other treasure in the church of St.John, valued at three millions of francs. Leaving Buonaparte and his army and fleet to rejoice over their good fortune, we will return to rear-admiral Nelson and his three weather-beaten ships in the harbour of St.-Pietro.

By the indefatigable exertions of the officers and May. crews of the three british ships, or rather, as respects the men, of the Alexander and Orion only, for the

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