ringleaders, the chief of whom was named Richard Parker, and he, and
several others, were duly hanged. Many who were sentenced to death
were, however, pardoned, and a general veil of oblivion was wisely
thrown over the whole affair, as soon as the men returned to their
duty.
Earlier in the year occurred a curious page in our history, nothing
less than a practical invasion of England by the French, details of
which can best be learned from contemporary accounts.
"London Gazette, Extraordinary, February 25.
"A letter this day received by the Duke of Portland, from Lord
Milford, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Pembroke, dated
_Haverfordwest, February 23rd, 5_ P.M., contains information that
two frigates, a corvette, and a lugger, appeared off the coast of
Pembrokeshire the 22nd inst., and on the evening of that day
disembarked some troops reported by deserters to be about 1200,
but without field-pieces."
* * * * *
"London Gazette, Extraordinary, February 26.
"_Haverfordwest, February 24, 1797, 6 o'clock_ A.M.--Since I had
the honour of writing last to your Grace by Express, I have
received information of the French ships having sailed, and left
300 men behind, who have surrendered themselves prisoners. The
great Spirit and Loyalty that the Gentlemen and Peasantry have
shown on this occasion exceeds description. Many thousands of the
latter assembled, armed with pikes, and scythes, and attacked the
enemy, previous to the arrival of the Troops that were sent
against them."
"_February 24th, 9 o'clock_ P.M.--I have the honour and pleasure
to inform your Grace, that the whole of the French troops,
amounting to near 1400 men, have surrendered, and are now on
their march to Haverfordwest."
And so ends the invasion of England.
On 14th February, Admiral Sir John Jervis, with fifteen sail of the
line, attacked the Spanish Fleet of twenty-seven sail of the line, off
Cape St. Vincent, captured four large vessels, and dispersed the
fleet. The news reached England on 3rd March, when London was
brilliantly illuminated.
The Whigs moved heaven and earth in order to oust Pitt and his
Government, but without success. On March 3rd the inhabitants of
Westminster met in Palace Yard, and resolved to petition the King to
dismiss his Ministry. In the City, too (the bones of whose _patres
conscripti_ would shake with indignation, could they but know of the
present wave of Conservatism, which has flowed over this Corporation),
loud, and many, were the calls to the same purport. In vain were
Common Halls convened, in vain did the Remembrancer, and the Sheriffs,
wait upon his Majesty with petitions; he would have none of them, but
would be glad to see them at a Levée; and so Pitt kept in,
notwithstanding the growls all round.
France was making peace with its enemies, one by one, and it could
easily be foreseen that, very shortly, England would have to bear all
the brunt of the war; therefore, on the 1st June, a note from Lord
Grenville was presented to M. de la Croix, the French Minister for
Foreign Affairs, in which was expressed the wish of the English
Government to negotiate preliminaries of peace. Of course there was
some diplomatic fence; but, finally, it was settled that Lord
Malmesbury should again go as Plenipotentiary. He arrived at Lisle on
6th July, but the demands of the French were outrageous, and, after,
in vain, combating their absurd requirements, he demanded his
passports, and left Lisle on 18th September.
On 11th October, Admiral Duncan attacked the Dutch fleet off
Camperdown, and, after a terrible action, defeated it, capturing
eleven vessels, and sinking one.
About the last event of national interest, occurring in this year, is
the formation of the French "Army of England," which was destined for
our invasion, and which was to be under the command of General
Buonaparte, which is about the first time our great enemy came into
active collision with us.
* * * * *
At the commencement of 1798, the financial pressure on the nation,
caused by the war, was very great. A triple assessed tax, a loan of
£15,000,000, additional duties on salt, tea, dogs, horses and
carriages, and a tax on armorial bearings, came home to every one.
Yet, English patriotism was sound to the core, and the people helped
the Government nobly, by means of voluntary contributions. A few
examples will show how every class vied with each other in
subscribing. They are taken from the _Times_.
_February 7th._--"Yesterday the Marquis of Buckingham subscribed at
the Bank, the profits of one year's income from his Tellership of the
Exchequer. On Monday the Duke of Marlborough subscribed £5000 at the
Bank. The city of Oxford has subscribed £500 as a voluntary donation,
to be continued for three years, if the war lasts so long."
_February 8th._--"The subscriptions yesterday at the Bank amounted to
upwards of £30,000. Among the subscribers were--the Earl of Carlisle
£4000, and the Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry £1000. But the
largest individual subscriptions are expected from Manchester, from
whence letters were yesterday received, stating that three mercantile
houses in that opulent town had subscribed Thirty-five Thousand
Pounds, and that Mr. Peele's house gave £20,000."
On the 9th February a meeting, on this subject, was held at the Royal
Exchange, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and most prominent citizens being
present--and the result is thus stated in the _Times_, 10th
February:--"As soon as the meeting was dissolved, four separate books
were opened on the Hustings; and at the close of the day, the exact
sum subscribed _in cash_, was _Forty-six Thousand, Five Hundred, and
Thirty-four Pounds, Three Shillings and sixpence_, which, if
calculated for the time the books were opened, is at the rate of £400
a minute. The number of subscribers was 218, and the subscriptions
from one guinea to £3000, which last sum was the donation of Boyd,
Benfield, & Co., with the promise of continuing it annually during the
war."
_14th February._--"The City of London yesterday subscribed £10,000
towards the contributions to the Bank. Yesterday the sum of £18,900
was subscribed by the merchants on the Royal Exchange."
It would be wearisome to detail all the subscriptions, but yet two or
three more may be recorded. The Bank of England gave £200,000, and the
King and Queen £20,000, and £5000 respectively, out of their private
purses; and on 20th September the amount of the voluntary
contributions then subscribed, was £1,514,993, 12s. 9d.
Ireland, this year, was more than disaffected: it was in open
rebellion, and, on 30th March, a proclamation was issued by the
Lord-Lieutenant, for suppressing such rebellion. That it was a most
serious one, is evidenced by a paper in Lord Edward Fitzgerald's
handwriting, that, at a meeting held 26th February 1798, a return was
made that there were in Ulster, Leinster, and Munster, 269,896 armed
men, and that their treasurer had £1485, 4s. 9d. in hand. That this
was not altogether an exaggeration, is shewn by the fact that, in the
year 1797, there were seized by the Government, in the provinces of
Leinster, and Ulster, alone, 49,109 guns, 1756 bayonets, 4463 pistols,
4183 swords, 248 blunder-busses, 119 musket-barrels, 106 sword-blades,
22 pieces of ordnance, and 70,630 pikes, besides other weapons
voluntarily surrendered. In the same year, 14,973 pikes were
surrendered in the county of Kildare alone, and in Dublin, on 11th May
1798, 5 pieces of cannon, and 500 pike handles, were seized.
On 24th May, seeing that war was being openly waged against the
Government, the Lord-Lieutenant issued a proclamation warning the
people that they were put under martial law, and, on the morrow, the
rebels were defeated, with much loss, near Carlow, and, after the
engagement, about 200 of them were hanged, or shot. Then the rebels
gained a slight advantage, especially at Enniscorthy, where they
compelled the garrison to retreat. This, and a few other small
successes, were amply avenged by Lord Lake, on 21st June, at Vinegar
Hill, a position which the Irish had held since the 28th May. Their
rout was complete, and their slaughter must have been immense, for no
quarter was given by the Royal troops. Then came the trials of the
ringleaders, and the gibbet was in constant requisition.
And, now, the French must needs have a finger in this pie, although
their attempt at invasion was simply ludicrous. The following is the
first official news, and it is a letter from the Duke of Portland to
the Lord Mayor:--"_27th August._ I think it right to inform your
Lordship, that, by official accounts received this morning from the
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, it appears that three French frigates,
unaccompanied by any transports, appeared in the Bay of Killala, on
the evening of the 22nd instant, and landed about 700 men, who
immediately took possession of the town of Killala, and made a small
party of the Prince of Wales' Fencible Regiment, consisting of an
officer and 20 men, and some yeomen, prisoners; a large force is
collecting from different quarters, and every necessary preparation
making for attacking the enemy."
This expedition, consisting of 1030 privates and 70 officers under
General Humbert, had sailed from Rochelle, with the intention of
rendering material help to the Irish rebels--and, after the capture of
Killala, they marched on Castlebar, where was a force of from 2000 to
3000 regulars, under Lord Lake. The English artillery, however,
expended their ammunition too soon; a fact the French did not lose
sight of, but, charging, put the English force to flight, and
they then occupied Castlebar. But here was the end of their
success--General Lake and Lord Cornwallis surrounded them, and the
French had to surrender, but no quarter was given to the Irish. The
number of French troops, on their surrender, was 96 officers, and 748
non-commissioned officers and privates, the rest having been lost
since their landing at Killala. This force was intended to be the
vanguard of a larger expedition, which was prevented joining, by want
of funds.
Another little expedition set sail from France, to help General
Humbert, consisting of one ship of the line, eight frigates, a
schooner, and a brig. It was met by Sir John Borlase Warren, who was
cruising, with seven sail of the line, off Lough Swilly. They engaged,
and, after an action of three hours and forty minutes' duration, the
French three-decker, and three of the frigates, hauled down their
colours, and of the five frigates that then escaped, three were
subsequently captured.
The rebellion in Ireland was now virtually at an end, the rebels were
dispersed, and their leaders accounted for. Still, this result was not
arrived at without a fearful expenditure of treasure and life; it
being estimated that not less than 30,000 lives had been sacrificed.
£1,000,000 was voted by Parliament, as compensation for injury done to
the Loyalists in Ireland, and that sum was reckoned as only being a
third of their actual losses.
On the 1st August of this year was fought the battle of the Nile; the
news of which, however, did not reach the Admiralty until the 2nd
October, and great were the rejoicings, and illuminations, on the 3rd.
With this welcome news, the chronicle of the year may well end.
* * * * *
As far as we can judge, from the lights of history which are left to
us, nothing was going particularly wrong with the national arms, or
the national prosperity, considering we were at war, but the powers,
that were, thought things might possibly go better, if they had a
General Fast, so, on the 1st February, 1799, a proclamation was
issued:--
"George R.--We, taking into Our most serious consideration the just
and necessary War, in which We are engaged, for the Maintenance of the
Independence of Our Crown, for the Defence and Protection of the
Commerce, and of the Rights and Liberties, Civil and Religious, of Our
Subjects, and putting Our trust in Almighty God, that He will
graciously bless Our Arms, both by Sea and Land, have resolved, and
do, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, hereby command that a
Publick Fast and Humiliation be observed throughout that part of Our
Kingdom of _Great Britain_ called _England_, Our Dominion of _Wales_,
and _Town of Berwick upon Tweed_, on _Wednesday_, the Twenty-seventh
Day of this instant _February_; that so both We and Our People may
humble Ourselves before Almighty God, in order to obtain Pardon of Our
Sins; and may, in the most devout and solemn Manner, send up Our
Prayers and Supplications to the Divine Majesty, for averting those
Heavy Judgments which Our manifold Sins and Provocations have most
justly deserved; and imploring His Blessing and Assistance on Our
Arms, and for restoring and perpetuating Peace, Safety and Prosperity,
to Us and Our Kingdoms," &c. &c. There were special forms of prayer
for morning, communion, and evening services.
In January, and February, there was much agitation as to the union
with Ireland, to which the Irish Parliament, by small majorities, was
agreeable; but it was reserved till 1st January, 1801, to become an
accomplished fact.
After besieging St. Jean d'Acre for sixty days, in vain, Napoleon
determined to raise the siege, and, on the 20th May, his army began
its return march to Egypt. He threw his heavy artillery into the sea,
not being able to transport it across the desert, and the English had
previously captured his battering train. It need scarcely be said that
there was great rejoicing in England.
Volunteers had sprung up as if by magic, and it was felt that it would
do good, if they received some direct recognition from royalty, and
were reviewed by the King. Accordingly, the time was fixed for the 4th
of June, and the place, Hyde Park. I know I shall be pardoned if I
give a list of the corps who were then reviewed, as so many of the
modern Volunteers must be ignorant that their progenitors were present
on this occasion.
Cavalry.
Islington.
Westminster.
Clerkenwell.
Battersea.
Wimbledon.
Lambeth.
Deptford.
London and Westminster.
Southwark.
Surrey Yeomanry.
Clapham.
Infantry.
_Left Column._
Hon. Artillery Corps.
St. George's Regiment.
Hackney.
Westminster.
Islington.
Clerkenwell.
St. Sepulchre.
St. George's, Bloomsbury.
London Volunteers.
St. Luke's, Chelsea.
St. Margaret and St. John.
St. Mary-le-bonne.
St. Martin's.
Union.
Chiswick.
St. Paul, Covent Garden.
Brentford.
Fulham.
St. George's, Hanover Sq.
S.E. London Volunteers.
_Centre Column._
Bloomsbury, &c.
St. James's.
N.E. London Volunteers.
Hampstead.
Temple.
Pimlico.
Finsbury Square.
Somerset Place.
Knight Marshal.
Three Wards Association.
_Right Column._
Stoke Newington.
Tottenham.
Enfield.
Edmonton.
Hans Town.
St. Andrew and St. George.
St. Clement Danes.
Streatham.
Limehouse.
Ratcliffe.
Clapham.
Battersea.
St. Catherine's.
Poplar and Blackwall.
Whitechapel.
Highgate.
Lambeth.
St. Pancras.
Wapping.
Hendon.
St. Olave.
Eight Ward Association.
Shoreditch.
In all, there were 8193 effective men, and the Review was very
successful, the only exception that was taken to it being, that some
of the newly-embodied Corps did not fire with perfect regularity.
Every Londoner is familiar with the statue in Pall Mall, of George
III. on horseback, doffing his cocked hat. Well, that was how he
appeared at this Review, which happened on his birthday. On the 21st,
he, and all the young Princes, inspected some 12,200 men, in a very
curious fashion. The Corps were not brigaded, as in Hyde Park, but
were inspected in their different districts. The Royal party started
at a quarter before 9 A.M., returned to Buckingham House at 6 P.M.,
and then set off for Windsor, a good day's work! especially as it all,
with the exception of the journey to Windsor, had to be done on
horseback. The King, and party, were to have gone to Leman Street,
Whitechapel, to inspect the Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and Mile End
Volunteers, but he could not get so far, so turned up Houndsditch, to
Finsbury. The only refreshment, and rest, the Royal party seem to have
had, was breakfast with the Lord Chancellor, at his house in Upper
Guildford Street, where they remained an hour and a-half.
The history of the remainder of the year is centred in Napoleon
Buonaparte. On 23rd of August, he suddenly left Egypt, affairs in
France requiring his presence there, if he would look after his own
interests. Had he not done so, it is probable that the world would
never have heard so much of him; as it was, he was elected the First
Consul of the three,--Cambacérès, and Le Brun, being his coadjutors.
On the 25th December of this year, Napoleon committed a solecism in
diplomatic etiquette, by writing an autograph letter direct to George
III., pointing out how each nation was wasting its strength and
resources, and suggesting the possibility, and desirability, of peace.
Lord Grenville replied to this letter, through Talleyrand, much to
Napoleon's disgust, and expressed his regret that the English
Government did not yet see its way to enter into negotiations for a
peace, which would not, in all probability, be a lasting one.
This year will close with a report of the number of French prisoners
in England, taken December 31, when they were delivered over to our
Transport Board, the Consular Government refusing to provide for them
any longer.
At Plymouth 7,477
" Portsmouth 10,128
" Liverpool 2,298
" Stapleton 693
" Chatham 1,754
" Yarmouth 50
" Edinburgh 208
" Norman Cross 3,038
------
Total 25,646
MEN'S DRESS.
The latter part of the last century was noticeable for the great, and
grave, mutations which took place in masculine attire, and, most
particularly, during the times here treated of. Previously, the wig,
and dress (quaker cut) coat, had long had a successful run, but people
visited the Continent more, especially France, and brought back French
fashions, which at this time were particularly fantastic. The Prince
of Wales, too, delighted in fine dress, and was "_arbiter
elegantiarum_" of his sex. At every levée, and public appearance, his
dress was always expatiated on, and the "gilded youth" of the period,
dressed _up_ to him, and copied his manner, even to his bow.
We, in our days, cannot afford to jeer at the accompanying
illustration, when we see, in the advertisement sheets of some of our
periodicals, men's stays advertised, and even vividly depicted; and,
therefore, we must not throw the first stone of laughter at the
fashions of 1788.
Here we see the transition stage, the modification of the old courtly
wig, with its accompanying powder, and black silk bag for the _queue_,
now only to be seen pinned on to the coat collars of court officials,
and extremely magnificent _major domos_, &c., and, also, we see the
old court dress coat has now taken unto itself a collar, of that
exaggerated description which was so much in vogue during the next
twenty years. Frilled shirts, and ruffles, still existed, and the
curious custom of wearing two watches was the fashion. Here, again,
history has somewhat repeated itself in our modern double watch-chain,
except that now only one watch is worn, the other side guarding a
sovereign purse.
Brighthelmstone or Brighton--beloved of George the Magnificent,
whether as Prince, Regent, or King--was the place where the
fashionable youth congregated, and therefore we may take the following
extract from the _Morning Post_ (the _doyen_ of the Daily Press) of
18th September, 1788:--
"Brighton Dress.
"The fashionable bathing dress, at Brighton, is chiefly a pair of
_buff trousers_, with a slight jacket.
"This is adopted by all the young men of the place, and a number
of idle, sauntering _land lubbers_ meet the eye every morning on
the Steyne, that one cannot help wishing for a sturdy _pressgang_
to give them useful employment, or at least keep them out of
mischief.
"After breakfast they are accoutred for the sports of the field.
"The _sporting dress_ is a _brown jacket_, with a multiplicity of
pockets, on each side, that reaches from the bottom to the top,
so that, from this appearance, it is somewhat difficult to
determine which the fashionable tribe most resemble--a set of
grooms, or a company of smugglers.
"When the dinner hour arrives, after these sprightly and heroic
gentlemen have '_slain their thousands, and ten thousands_,'
according to their own account, in the field, with as little
_winking and blinking_ as Major Sturgeon himself, they then
attire themselves in order to enjoy the pleasures of the table,
and, however deranged they may afterwards be by convivial excess,
they march or _stagger_ away to _the Rooms_, as circumstances may
determine, and entertain the Ladies with _elegant_ and _decent_
gallantry."
[Illustration: The Prince's Bow "Monstrous like the Prince! The very
bow, demme!"]
[Illustration: Tight Lacing.--1788. "These tight Stays will be the
death of me!"]
About this time flourished that curious being, the "_Macaroni_," but
most of his portraits are evidently such gross caricatures, that I
have not cared to reproduce them. I have been compelled to draw upon
the satirical prints of the period, as a future historian would take
the pictures from _Punch_, if he wanted to hit the passing folly of
the day; but we must not forget that the satirical prints of the last
century, did not their spiriting so gently as our modern
caricaturists, but exaggerated in every way, in facial expression, and
in costume.
The following brace of _Macaronis_ is taken from a print of the "_Mock
Duel, or a trip to Flanders_," 26th May, 1789: and, although the
costume is scrupulously correct, yet one can hardly help thinking that
the designer of the wig, which was typical of the genus, has somewhat
"drawn upon his imagination for his facts." The name _Macaroni_ was
applied, in derision, to those youths who had made the _Grand Tour_,
and were fond, on their return, of shewing off their superior graces,
and extolling the polished manners, and superior civilization, of the
countries they had visited. In those days you were nothing unless
classical. Modern languages were rarely taught, Science was all but
unknown, Latin and Greek were the chief branches of education, and
rich men were keen collectors of everything classical, marble statues
and busts, bronzes, and coins--so Italy was naturally the bourne of
these travelled youths, and John Bull, who then was, in the aggregate,
a very stay-at-home animal, derided them, when they came back, with
the epithet _Macaroni_, an elegant title derived from the popular
Italian dish.
The home-keeping youths imitated their brethren as well as they could,
but it was at a very humble distance, and their dress, though
partially modelled on that of their confrères, was much exaggerated,
and did not display such simplicity or good taste.--John Bull had a
name ready for him; a home-manufactured Macaroni was "a Jessamy."
These _Jessamies_ were, like the modern _Mashers_, effeminate, and
comparatively harmless beings--entirely taken up with the
contemplation of their external appearance, and the attempted
subjugation of the other sex.
See the following quotation from the _Morning Post_ 4th July
1789:--"There is not a man in the nation, no not even Lord Effingham,
who bestows so much time and attention in rendering the external
appearance of his head, elegant in the extreme, than the Earl of
Scarborough. It is said that his Lordship keeps six French frizeurs,
who have nothing else to do than dress his hair. Lord Effingham keeps
only Five!!!"
The _Jessamies_, however, were only one class among the youth of the
time, and I fear, by far the smallest. The majority were what we now
should term "fast." Animal spirits in young men must have vent
somehow.