apprized of this. It was therefore the intereft of France to offer, and of England to reject this near period efpecially as the fate of the defign on the coaft of France was then depending, and our adminiftration feemed to have conceived no mean hopes of its fuccefs, and no fmall opinion of its importance in the negotiation.

The fleet employed in this expedition failed from Spithead on the 29th of March, and it was foon difcovered that Pelleifle was the object. Belleifle, the largest of all the European islands belenging to the French king, is between 12 and 13 leagues in circumference.

The ifland originally belonged to the earl of Cornouaille, but has been fince yielded to the king: it contains only one little city, call ed Le Palais, three country-towns, 103 villages, and about 5000 inhabitants.

The town of Palais takes its name from a caftle belonging to the duke de Belleille, in its neighbourhood, which is now converted into a citadel, which is a regular and ftrong fortification, fronting the fea, compofed principally of hornwork, and is provided with two dry ditches, the one next the counterfcamp, and the other fo contrived as to fecure the interior fortifications. This citadel is divided from the largest part of the town by an inlet of the fea, over which there is a bridge of communication; from the other part of the town, and which is molt inhabited, it is only divided by its own fortifications, and a glacis. There are three nominal harbours in this ifland, Palais, Sauzon, and Goulfard. Every one of which labours under fome capital defect.

either in being expofed, fhallow, or dangerous at the entrance. The only branch of trade car ried on here is the curing pilchards.

From this ftate of the ifland, poor in itfelf, capable of little improvement, and fo il circumftanced in point of harbours, a fort of a diflike to the expedition began to arife. Several did not fee of what confiderable fervice fuch a conqueft could be of to England in time of peace, or of what prejudice to the enemy in time of

They forefaw that it could not be taken without confiderable lofs, or kept without confiderable expence; and on the whole they apprehended that when exchanges came to be made, France would lay no great firefs upon it. On the other hand it was urged, that though the harbours were bad, yet fmall privateers might iffue from thence, greatly to the moleflation of the French coafting trade; and that the fleet of England might ride between it and the continent in a well protected road. They imagined the poffeffion of this ifland, if not of great detriment to the intereft of France, would be a grievous wound to her pride; and that thofe circumftances which had formerly induced her to expend money on the fortifications here, and on the apprehenfion of an invafion to fill them with a powerful garrifon, would likewife perfuade her to fet a value on the place when it came to be estimated in the treaty.

Whilft they reafoned in this manner in England, the fleet under the command of commodore Keppel, and the land forces under general Hodgfon arrived before Belleifle,

on

on the 7th of April, and on the 8th agreed to attempt a landing on the fouth east of the island in afandy bay, near Lochmaria point. Here the enemy were in poffeffion of a little fort; they had moreover entrenched themselves on an hill exceffively fteep, and the foot of which was fcarped away. The attempt was made in three places with great refolution; a few grenadiers got on fhore, and formed themfelves; but as they were not fupported, they were for the greater part made prifoners. The reft of the army, after feveral very brave and repeated efforts, being wholly unable to force the enemies lines, or make good their landing, were obliged to retire with lofs; what added to the difafter was, that feveral of the flat bottomed veffels were deftroyed or damaged in a hard gale, which followed on our retiring from the fhore. This made the profpect of any future attempt more unpleafing even than the first. In this attack we loft in killed, wounded, and prisoners, near five hundred

men.

Neither commanders nor foldiers were however difpirited by this mortifying repulfe. They refolved, if poffible, not to return without effect, and then determined diligently to fearch the whole coaft, in order to find a place more favourable for another attack. The view indeed was not encouraging. The inland is naturally a fortification; and what nature had left undone to make it fuch, had been amply fupplied by

art.

It was a long time after this firft failure before the weather would give our commanders an

opportunity of a fecond trial; however they perfifted with the ut moft fteadinefs, and found at length a convenient fituation. Not that it was a part of the coast less strong than the reft; on the contrary, they built their principal hopes on the exceffive fteepness and difficulty of the rocks, which had rendered the enemy rather lefs attentive on this quarter. This arduous attempt was made at a bold rocky fhore, near the abovementioned point of Lochmaria. Befides the principal attack, two feints were made at the fame time to diftract the enemy, whilft the men of war directed their fire with great judgment and effect on the hills. Thefe manœuvres gave brigadier general Lambert with an handful of men an opportunity of climbing up a very fleep rock without moleftation. This little body having thus profperoufly gained the top of the hill, formed themselves in good order, and with- April 25. out delay. They were immediately attacked by three hundred of the French, but they maintained their advantage with refolution until the whole corps of brigadier Lambert, which now had afcended in the fame manner, arrived to their afliftance, and repulfed the enemy.

The landing of all the forces was made good in a fhort time after. The lofs in this daring and fuccefsful attempt was inconfiderable. In one or two places the enemy feemed difpofed to make fome ftand; but the body of light horfe, which was embarked in this expedition, foon drove them to the town, and laid all quite open to the intrenchments before it. The great

difficulty

difficulty now confifted in bringing forward the cannon, which were first to be dragged up the rocks, and afterwards, for two leagues, along a very rugged and broken road. This neceffarily took up fome time. However the fiege was commenced with vigour; and the garrifon, commanded by the chevalier de St. Croix, a brave and experienced officer, threatened on their fide a long and obftinate defence. Nothing in fact was deficient on either part. The enemy made fome fallies; one of them with confiderable effect. Major-general Crawford was made prifoner on this occafion: but our troops were only animated by these checks. A furious attack was made upon the enemy's lines which covered the town; and they were carried without much lofs; principally by the uncommon intrepidity of a corps of marines which had been but newly raised. No action of greater fpirit and gallantry had been performed during the whole war.

The town was now entirely abandoned, and the defence confined to the citadel. It was obvious, that, as our fleet prevented all communication with the continent, and thereby cut off all hope of relief, the place muft neceffarily be reduced; but the chevalier de St. Croix was refolved to provide for his own honour, when he could not for the prefervation of the place entrufted to him; and, fince he could not maintain it, to fell it as dear as poffible. Accordingly, there was no mention of yielding, until the feventh of June, when there was no longer the flighteft profpect of fuccour, and the place was by no .. VOL. IV.

means fafely tenable. Then he capitulated, and the garrifon marched out with the honours of war.

Thus was the inland of Belleifle reduced under the English government, after a defence of two months. In this expedition we had about eighteen hundred men killed and wounded. The lofs moft regretted was that of Sir W. Peere Williams, a young gentleman of great talents and expectations, and who had made a diftinguished figure in parliament. He had but newly entered into the fervice. He was fhot in the night, by having carelefsly approached too near a centinel of the enemy. He was the third gentleman of fashion whom, in this war, the love of enterprize had brought to an honourable death in these expeditions to the coast of France.

Whatever difference of opinion might have been entertained concerning the value of this conqueft, or the price which was paid for it, the rejoicing in London was great and fincere. The general, and the land and fea officers employed in the expedition were the fubject of very juft applaufe, who with fo noble a perfeverance, had struggled with, and had overcome fuch great difficulties, and who had the fpirit, after fuch a difafter on their outfet, to renew an attack under circumftances nearly as unfavourable as thofe by which they had been at, firft foiled. The city of London addreffed the King on the occafion; and it was generally expected, that this new proof of our fuperiority muft influence the negotiation in our favour. Some however were of opinion, that it [C]

would

I T must be obferved, that, though the courts of London and Verfailles treated feparately, it was hitherto by no means propofed, that this feparate difcuffion fhould lead to a feparate peace. It was no more than a previous arrangement for the removal of thofe difficulties, which might prevent the peace of France with England from being united with the general peace of Europe. But, in proportion as the treaty advanced, it became obvious that the fettling of any terms, which had no reference to the fignature of fomething obligatory between the two crowns, could at best be only void and illufory, and might in the end even prove the fource of dangerous and captions altercations. The English minifter therefore, before he would agree to treat definitively upon any points, and particularly upon the epochas, infifted upon two preliminary con

ditions.

First, that every thing, which should be happily adjufted between the two crowns, in relation to their particular war, fhall be made obliga

tory, final, and conclufive, independent of the fate of the negotiation of Augsburg.

Secondly, that the definitive treaty of peace between Great-Britain and France, or preliminary articles to that end, fhall be figned and ratified between the date of that memorial and the first of the following Auguft.

If thefe conditions were accepted, then England, on her part, confented to name determinate epochas to which the uti possidetis fhould refer; the firft of July for Europe; the first of September for Africa and America; and the first of November for the Eaft-Indies. The French miniftry, without contefting the epochas themfelves, complained of the conditions; of the first, because they faid it departed from the letter and fpirit of the memorial of the twenty-fixth of March, which was the foundation of the whole treaty; of the fecond, on account of the extreme fhortness of the time allotted for the difcuffion of fuch difficult and momentous points: an the ad juftment of matters which regarded a war extended over the four quar

ters

ters of the globe; for the memorial which contained thofe conditions was dated on the feventeenth, and was not received at Paris until the end of June; fo that little more than a month was left to obtain the confent of the court of Vienna to a feparate treaty, to fettle the terms of this treaty, and, finally, to ratify

it.

If a very uncommon good understanding had not fubfifted between her imperial majefty and the king of France, it must have been very difficult to have received this confent. But in fact it was immediately received, and upon one very fhort and apparently reafonable condition, "That nothing might be ftipulated to the prejudice of the houfe of Auftria." But when this condition came to be explained, as we fhall fee prefently, it was fo far from facilitating, that it created new obstacles to the peace. However, this acquiefcence of the principal of her allies enabled France to accept of the first condition without referve; and to the last fhe verbally, though not in the clearest terms, agreed alfo.

Things feemed, for the prefent, in the beft fituation, which in this ftage of the treaty could be expected. The bafis of the negotiation was folidly established. The article uti possidetis, fince the taking Belleille, was a matter of lefs difficulty, and the epochas were in general fettled in fuch a manner as to coincide with the defigns and defires of both parties. The treaty was confined to the two powers, and it was to be perfectly definitive as to them. A time for concluding it was alfo in a great meafure fettled: a circumftance which, if it did not admit fufficient leifure

for accurate difcuffion, cut off however the opportunities of chicane, and feemed to be the moft fuitable to a candid proceeding, and a fincere defire of peace.

The foundation being thus laid, the fuperftructure was the next confideration. This fuperftructure confifted in the adjuftment of thofe compenfations which were to be made for the reciprocal conquefts (and here the difficulty lay) of the two powers; a punctilio of honour might have intervened at the very first fetting out, extremely pernicious to the falutary work in hand; from which party the firft propofition fhould proceed. But in this refpect France gave way, and that conceffion afforded no inconfiderable proof of her pacific intentions.

We muft apprize the reader, that we do not mean to enter exactly into the whole detail of this negotiation, nor undertake precifely to defcribe all the turns that were taken in it. This, we imagine, would prove a tedious and unacceptable performance. We fhall attach ourselves to the capital objects which were contended for in this game of policy; we fhall endeavour to point out the matters which firft obftructed, and then finally broke off the treaty; and we fhall reft on these things in fuch a manner, as feems to us fittest for marking out the true fpirit of the negotiating powers. Our own obfervations fhall be very fparingly interpofed. We are hiftorians, and not advocates.

The uti possidetis being fettled as the bafis of the treaty, nothing could reafonably be claimed by either party, that was not to be counterpoifed by fome equivalent from the other; and confequently [C] 2

it