under our guns for so long, must be great in proportion. We see the mastheads above water of three of the schooners and one of the schuyts which were sunk.

"W. SIDNEY SMITH.

"Lord Keith, K. B. &c. &c. &c.”

In this little skirmish, Sir Sidney's squadron sustained a loss of two petty officers, ten seamen, and one boy killed; and two officers, four petty officers, twenty-five seamen, and one marine wounded.

This despatch will give the reader a tolerably accurate idea of the nature of the warfare that we were then compelled to carry on. It was of a most harassing nature, attended with great privation and suffering, and involving a loss of limb and life, that seems no way commensurate to the combatants, either in fame or in advantage, even when the operations were the most successful.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Court of Naples violates its treaty of neutrality with the French-Naples overrun by them-Sir Sidney Smith proceeds to annoy them-Relieves Gaeta-Takes Capri-His despatch.

AT this momentous period, war was raging in almost every quarter of the civilised world; and after Sir Sidney's term of command in the Antelope had expired, his services were of a nature far too valuable to permit them to remain, longer than the rules of the navy permitted, uncalled for. But his past conduct merited much more distinction, and far greater rewards, than it had yet received, though, about the beginning of the year 1804, he was promoted to the highly honourable and somewhat lucrative appointment of a Colonel of Royal Marines, and, on the 9th of November 1805, was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue.

During this interval, as he was not employed afloat, we do not find his name mentioned in the public records. He was assiduously and successfully cultivating the arts of peace, and laying the foundation for that scientific proficiency, for which he afterwards became, in many branches of useful knowledge, so conspicuous.

The progress of Bonaparte towards universal European dominion had now become most alarming. He had nearly overrun the continent, and had really hardly anything to do but to look around him for fresh pretences for aggression, and such a pretence the imprudence of the Neapolitan government readily afforded him.

By a treaty ratified by the King of Naples on the 8th of October of the year 1805, the French troops agreed to withdraw from the occupation of the Neapolitan territory; and the king engaged, in return, to remain neutral in the war between France and the allies, and to repel by force every encroachment on his neutrality. He more particularly became bound not to permit the troops of any other great power to enter his territories, or to confide the command of his armies or strong places to any Russian or Austrian officers, or to any French emigrant, and not to permit any belligerent squadron to enter into his ports.

Hardly had six weeks elapsed when every one

of the stipulations of the treaty had been violated. On the 20th of November, an English and Russian fleet appeared in the Bay of Naples, and landed a body of forces in that city and the vicinity. The French ambassador immediately took down the arms of France from over the gate of his hotel, and demanded his passport.

The Russians, who were in number about fourteen thousand men, under General Lacey, landed at Naples, and the English, amounting to about ten thousand, under Sir James Craig and Sir John Stuart, landed at Castell-a-Mare. The Neapolitans now openly abetted these operations.

But it was not long before the Court of Naples was made sensible of the full extent of its imprudence. On the morning after the signature of the peace of Presburg, Bonaparte issued a proclamation from his head-quarters at Vienna, declaring that "the Neapolitan dynasty had ceased to reign," and denouncing vengeance against the family, in terms that left no hope for accommodation or pardon.

From reasons only to be discovered in the arcana of those who conducted the political operations of England, immediately after this denunciation of vengeance, the principal cause of it, the Russian and English troops, withdrew from Naples, and left the King and his advisers in

dismay, to repent of their folly as they best could. The immediate consequence of all this was, that the King of Naples, with his court, was forced to fly a second time to Palermo, whilst Joseph Bonaparte was crowned, in his stead, at Naples, and all the constituted authorities took the oath of fidelity to him. No sovereign was, perhaps, more easily manœuvred out of his kingdom than was this unfortunate King of Naples.

The assumption of the royal dignity in Naples by Joseph Bonaparte, and the defection of so many persons of distinction, excited the liveliest indignation at the court of Palermo. Though driven from Naples by their inability to resist the French arms, they were eager to attempt the recovery of that kingdom, and thus they continued to excite the Neapolitans to rebellion against their de facto sovereign.

These attempts only produced defeat and slaughter; and though Abruzzo and Calabria were delivered, for a short time, from the French yoke, the French prevailed in the end; and after a fruitless waste of blood, and the perpetration of atrocities by both parties, disgraceful to humanity, those provinces were again compelled to acknowledge Joseph Bonaparte as their sovereign.

Notwithstanding these disasters, a fresh insurrection was decided upon; but so great was the uni