been formed against the very heart of her ftrength, by the three Northern Powers, with Ruffia at their head.

France, at this period, befides having extended her Continental territory, and her Continental alliances, ftill retained the poffeffion of Egypt, and Leemed thence to menace our eastern eftablishments.

Such, were the circumftances of our fituation at the commencement of the year 1801. But now was evinced the efficacy of that fyftem of laws, manners, and morals, which, after every deduction to be made for human frailty and folly, diftinguishes and elevates, beyond every other, this pre-eminently happy land. The fpirit of its people, and of its government, remained firm and unfhaken. The horrors of want were fuftained with the characteristic patience of a hardy race the dangers which menaced from abroad were contemplated with the calm fortitude of freemen; and it may with truth be affirmed, that there never was a period of the war at which a greater union of fentiment prevailed, or at which, had invafion been attempted, a more determined enthusiasm would have been oppofed to the foe.

It was in this fituation of our affairs, at home and abroad, that a divifion having arifen in the British Cabinet, refpecting, as it was faid, the propriety of complying with certain religious immunities, and political privileges claimed by the Irish Catholics, in confequence of the Union of the two countries, the Right Hon. Wm. Pitt, and feveral of his colleagues, refigned their offices as members of adminiftration. Mr Addington, at the call of his Sovereign, relinquished the most dignified station to which the reprefentatives of a free people could elevate him, and in which he had fecured the approbation of every man of every party, to affume the perilous and complicated

duties of Prime Minister of Great Britain, Perfonal ambition he ftrongly, and we believe juftly, difavowed. He well knew that it would not be eafy, that it was hardly poffible, for him to retain, far less to increase, the high character and cordial attachment, which had preceded and accompanied his elevation. Love for his country appears to have been the noble principle by which he was influenced; and the fyftem which he wifely adopted, for the promotion of her welfare, combined juftice with national fpirit, and affociated moderation with decifion.

The first great object of the new adminiftration was, by candid and liberal propofitions, by open and honourable explanation, to conciliate the powers compofing the new coalition. That tafk, however, fairly and confcientiously as it was undertaken, they well knew to be of at least dubious fuccefs; because they knew, (what is fince proven beyond difpute) that the question refpecting neutral veffels was a mere pretext for hoftilities; and that the true fpirit which influenced the Councils of the Northern Powers, was a jealoufy of our naval pre-eminence, fomented by the policy of France, which could only be removed by the utter deftruction of the object which gave it birth. While, therefore, the negociation was yet depending, Minifters were making preparations to act, fhould it be neceffary, a more commanding part-and, as foon as its failure was afcertained, a powerful fleet was dif patched from England, which, having paffed the Sound without molef tation, approached the harbour of the Danish capital. Finding all at tempts to conciliate ftill ineffectual, a detachment of the Grand Fleet, under the command of the Hero of the Nile, on the morning of the 2d of April, attacked the Danish line, ftrongly moored in the roads of Copenhagen, and powerfully fupported

by

by the batteries which lined the fhore.

The plan of attack was worthy the foul of a Nelfon-the conflict was long and terrible, but the victo. ry was complete.-British valour was again afferted in its native energy, and the efforts of a gallant foe funk nerveless before it. But the praife due to the British Commander was not limited to the acquifition of a victory ;-for no fooner was the fire of the enemy's batteries filenced, and the unlimited power of destruction committed to his humanity alone, than the Admiral went himself on fhore, and recommended to the Prince Royal of Denmark to propofe a truce; declaring, "that the object of his miffion was, not the deftruction of a brave people, but to affert and to fecure the lawful rights of his King and country." The heroic recommendation was gratefully acceded to, and the gallant English man retired from the conteft, ming ling, with the bloody laurels of victo ry, the fofter fhade of the peaceful olive.

At this period, the death of the weak-minded and capricious Paul, diffolved into its elements the unge nerous and impolitic coalition; and the further progrefs of our triumphant fleets towards the north was rendered unneceffary. A new treaty with the Northern Powers, moderate in its terms, and comprehenfive in its nature, reftored us to our former in tercourfe with them, and fecured and finally fettled, every thing effential

and well-appointed army on board, under the command of the gallant Sir Ralph Abercromby; and had accomplished a landing on the fhores of Egypt.

The heroifm with which the Bri tifh troops approached the fhore in open boats, opposed by a formidable divifion of the French army, ftrongly and fkilfully difpofed both for attack and defence; the regularity with which they landed, amidst a fhower of deftruction; the fteadiness and celerity with which they formed; the gallantry with which they attack. ed and defeated the oppofing foe, and forced their way up the fteep eminence on which the main body of the French army was ftationedthefe brilliant particulars, though we could not refift the pleasure of thes fhortly alluding to them, we know to be fresh in the memory of every Briton. Equally prefent to our minds, but remembered with far different fenfations, is the fatal event, which overcaft the glories of the campaign, and covered with the facred drops of fympathy the toil-worn cheek of the foldier.

On the 21st of March the gallant Abercromby fell. Like the illuftrious Theban chief, who expired on the field of Mantinea, or the British hero who bled on the plains of Quebec, he faw, prior to his diffolution, that victory was about to crown the ftandard of his country, and he breathed forth his gallant spirit, in accents of thankfulness and exultation.

The command of the army, after the death of the illuftrious Aber cromby, devolved upon General Hutchinfon, an officer every way qualifi ed to mature and to execute the plans which his predeceffor had formed,

The great battle of the 21ft of March was followed by a feries of attacks, conducted with equal skill and courage, and all of them crowned with fuccefs. The co-operation of

our

our Indian troops, and of the Turkish army, ably feconded by our naval commanders in that quarter, tended to accelerate the fuccefsful conclufion of the campaign. In the fhort space of five months from the landing of the British, was a French army of 30,000 men, ftrongly defended, inured to the climate, and in quiet poffeffion of the country, completely beaten and fubdued; those French who had escaped captivity and the fword, were compelled to fhut themselves up within the walls of Cairo and Alexandria; and thofe places, after standing a fhort fiege, furrendered on terms of capitulation to the victorious English.

The British Empire owed more to this memorable expedition than the expulfion of the French from Egypt, or the fecurity of its eaftern poffeffions. It owed to the valour, hardi. hood, and difcipline there difplayed, the extenfion of its warlike character, and the confirmation of its old renown. Englishmen and Frenchmen, were here fairly oppofed to each other; regiment measured its ftrength with regiment, and man contended fingly with man. The refult was uniformly in favour of the British. The heroes of Jemappe, and of the Pyramids; of the 10th of Auguft, and of the Bridge of Lodi-in fhort, every nicknamed hero of every bloody day of their kalendar, felt the fubduing force of native courage, and refigned the prowefs to unpretending British foldiers. This important lef. fon was thence for ever impreffed upon the people of both countries, and upon Europe at large,-that the fphere of British valour is not limited to one element, but embraces equally the land and the fea; and the foe has been taught to anticipate, by this dif. play of courage and difcipline on a foreign fhore, what would be his reception fhould he dare to attack Englishmen on a dearer foil.

Whilft exploits of fuch magnitude

The

as these were atchieving in the Baltic, and in Egypt, a negociation was opened betweeu the new administration and the French Government. public, recollecting how ineffectual had been every former attempt, looked forward to the iffue of this with much folicitude, but with little hope. This painful recollection was aggra vated by the confideration, that at the clofe of every former effort to negociate, national dislike and the rancour of party feemed to be reciprocally augmented. The forebodings which were thus raifed, were confirmed by the increafing preparations, which, during the period of the negociation, were mutually making for more determined attack and defence: and by the defperate affaults made by a British fquadron upon one of the ftrongest harbours of the oppofite fhore. The important negociation meanwhile, though hourly expected to clofe, went on without interruption; and, at the moment when public expectation was entirely deftroyed, the preliminary treaty of peace was announced! The joy of the nation was not inferior to its aftonifhment; and, although its fpirit continued unbroken, and its resources unexhausted, it was obvious, from the acclamations which iffued from every quarter of the kingdom, that this important ftep received the decided fanction of the people at large.

We now approach to the clofe of our promifed review. The ratification of the preliminary treaty speedily followed the annunciation of its fignature; and a Nobleman, wife, moderate, and firm, who had filled with honour the highest stations which his Sovereign could beftow, was felected as the British negociator at Amiens. His reception in France has been worthy the dignity of his perfonal character, and of his exalted office; and the news of the completion of the definitive treaty, which is daily expected, may arrive before this

faint sketch of national profperity is difmiffed from the hand of its writer. While peace is thus confidently anticipated, plenty, thank Heaven, is fecured. An abundant harveft has crowned the Inbours of the husband. man. In this country, the voice of want and of suffering is no longer heard; and in our fifter kingdom, the efforts of the diffaffected being deprived of every ground of fupport, permanent tranquillity appears to be on the eve of being established.

We have now completed our rapid fketch of the events of the year 1801; and if we have at all fucceeded in developing the plan upon which we fet out, the attention of our readers has been directed, fucceffively, to those great æras in the political history of the country, for that period, by which its internal fecurity has been afcertained, its maritime rights vindicated, or its commercial profperity advanced. Before concluding, we beg leave to dwell at fome length upon the probable effects of the peace; in particular, with reference to those wild theories and deftructive principles, to which fome have not hesitated to ascribe the origin of the

war.

We know that there are individuals in the country, who, as we apprehend, comparing our prefent fituation rather with the abstract anticipations of theory, than the fober deductions of rational expectation, would have preferred a continuance of the war, tò peace, established on the terms of the preliminary treaty. To fuch perfons we would recommend, in addition to the hiftorical facts which we have above enumerated, a profpective view of the confequences that would be likely to attend a prolongation of the contest with France. Such a view would exhibit two powerful nations, directing against each other their undivided energy, and this no longer, as before, extended to foreign poffeffions, but hopelessly concentrat

ed towards each others vitals. That from fuch a system, much external devaftation, and much internal difaffection and alarm, muft have refulted, cannot for a moment be doubted. What happy effects might have arifen, to counterbalance thefe dreadful ones, we really cannot pretend to guefs.

Of the articles which compofe the preliminary treaty we confider it unneceffary, if not indecorous, to speak; because we are ignorant of the modifications which they may undergo before they are definitively arranged. But this we may be permitted to fay, that in the acknowledged patriotism, and perfonal character, of those who conduct the negociation on the part of Great Britain, we have the fureft pledge that neither her interefts, nor her honour, will be bartered or compromifed. It will not furely be denied, that independently of the islands of Ceylon and Trinidad, which we have acquired by the war, our extended and flourishing dominions in the eaft, added to our colonies in the weft, are amply fufficient for every purpose of commercial fuperiority, or national wealth. If we leave to France a gigantic empire, let it be confidered, what are the means by which that empire has been acquired, and how far it is likely that its parts will long cohere; whether, in fine, fo unwieldy and heterogeneous a mafs, as that of which this empire is compofed, is not more likely to prove deftructive of her own quillity, and fatal to her own ftability, than in any degree to endanger ours.

tran

If there is any of the preliminary articles on which we feel difpofed to remark, it is that, by which, notwithstanding the great and arduous atchievements of our arms, Egypt is restored to the entire and undivided fway of the Turk. We willingly give our tribute of approbation to that fcrupulous adherence to good faith, which upon this, and upon

every