The Spanish fleet now joined the French Channel squadron, and the English Admiralty could only muster thirty-six ships-of-the-line under Sir Charles Hardy, to meet the combined forces of the enemy. An invasion was hourly expected. The Standing Orders of both Houses were suspended, amidst the protests of the Opposition, in order to hurry through a measure suspending all exceptions from impressment. A camp was formed on Cox Heath, and a large force was assembled, but the gloomiest anticipations were prevalent, for the fleet was weak, and little reliance was placed on the land forces.

"If the enemy," Barré wrote to Shelburne, "should, even after a sort of drawn battle with our fleet, land anywhere in England in great force, I think the King will not risk a battle, marching as General at the head of his Army, and meaning in some shape or other to measure himself with M. De Vaux, or to save his Kingdom by a well-judged and obstinate defence. I am apprehensive that something like an underhand Armistice will steal upon us, the real business be taken out of military hands, and such men as Mr. Stanley and Lord Mountstuart be employed to remove the French Army out of the Island. Such a conduct appears to me natural to the Court, and I fear the Country would be glad to get rid of the horrors of War at any rate.

"If the French are wise, all their objects, after landing, may be attained in a short time, especially that greatest of all, the making a Peace, sword in hand and upon English ground. In the above supposed posture of public affairs, if Opposition should content itself with whiling away their time in the country till our wretched Parliament meets, not knowing what to wish for or what to do, and above all, leaving it to this Administration to get us out of that storm which in truth they have raised themselves; then we are in my opinion a completely ruined people. The country will have nobody to look up to, Opposition will in fact be more contemptible and full as criminal as Administration; any peace will be accepted of, without ever considering that the day on which we submit to disgraceful terms, we in fact sign our own annihilation, The nation, God knows, is base enough; yet surely there is a great deal of manly though scattered and divided spirit amongst us. Let it be called forth.

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Opposition should in my opinion assemble immediately in London, establish a correspondence by express everywhere along the coast, try every method to draw the attention of the public, give themselves as much as possible the air (though out of office) of Roman Consuls who were to take care Ne quid detrimenti Respublica capiat; they should watch events, seize favourable moments, and perhaps

catching the crisis when the balance of England stands trembling on its beam, by some bold and daring measure, stun the Court, awake the People, and then take the reins of Government into their own hands.

"It may be said in defence of the doctrine That we should let them who brought us into this situation, get us out of it,' that should they make a dishonourable peace, the country will not bear it, and the consequence will be the overturn of the present Administration, and the ruin of the system. The former is not a very great object, unless the latter is the absolute consequence. But I doubt both. Corruption and cowardice will be probably for the present very effectual protectors.

"We are rather a vain-glorious talking people, but our bottom has been great and our name high. We may skulk under a veil however thin, from the great cause of defending our country; but when means are held out, when men of great rank, character and property call upon us loudly and publicly to unite and save the kingdom; we have no excuse, we can't give the lie to all our boastings. No, the measure itself will make us brave."*

Fortunately the approach of the stormy season and the outbreak of disease on board the crowded ships of the enemy saved England from a greater

Barré to Shelburne, 1779.

danger than she had run since the days of Beachy Head. The Prime Minister when Parliament met was able to say that the immense armaments of the enemy had paraded to no purpose, and that their millions had been spent in vain. But while using the language of confidence, North was himself despairing of final success, and he was now deserted by two of his ablest colleagues, Gower and Weymouth, both of whom refused to endeavour to preserve a system any longer, which they foresaw must end in ruin. About the same time Lord Suffolk died. The vacant places were filled by Lord Bathurst, who became President of the Council, while the Seals were given to Hillsborough and Stormont. war was to go on. It was the wish of the King. North obeyed, and the victory gained by Admiral Rodney off Cape St. Vincent came at this moment to encourage him to persevere him in his arduous and thankless task.

The

CHAPTER II.

LORD SHELBURNE AND LORD, NORTH.

1779-1780.

IN 1778 Lord Shelburne had been engaged to be married to Miss Molesworth, but the engagement was broken off. "Your divine Miss Molesworth," Miss Elliot wrote to her brother Hugh Elliot then at Berlin, and once the admirer of the lady, "has surprised the world by breaking off from Lord Shelburne. She dined at his house and sat at the head of the table and was seen to cry all dinnertime. Her aunt, when she came home, asked her what was the matter. She made no answer, but ran upstairs to her own room, and sent Lady Lucan a letter to tell her she found she had an antipathy to Lord Shelburne, and begged she would break off the detested match; which was accordingly done, by showing his Lordship the letter. He was angry, as you will believe, to lose 40,000l. and so pretty a wife, but put a good face upon it, and said it was