“Gentlemen,—The articles of the charge exhibited against me are of such
a nature, that everything that can be supposed interesting to a man is
concerned in the event of this cause. My character, my property, and
even my life, are at stake; and I should, indeed, have great reason to
be alarmed, were not I conscious of my innocence, and fully persuaded of
the justice and equity of this court.”
After urging the circumstances already brought out in his favour, he
concluded as follows:—
“So far, then, I hope it will appear to the court, that neither
knowledge of my profession, prudence in conducting the expedition, nor
duty to my king and country, appear to be deficient in me.
“When, then, from the inferiority of the English, nothing could be
reasonably expected but misfortune and disgrace; or if, by the greatest
efforts of good fortune, victory should declare for our fleet, that no
advantage could be drawn from it; when the risk of losing the whole
fleet was the result of an unanimous council of war; and the nation,
considering the real state of the English and French navies, so little
able to sustain a loss of that kind; when Gibraltar would have been left
defenceless, and fallen of course to the enemy, could the seeking the
French admiral, by a commander who foresaw these probable consequences
with not only an inferior, but a shattered fleet, and no other ships in
the Mediterranean to reinforce him, have been justified in the judgment
of men who have studied the nature of military achievements, or
according to the rules and observations of ancient and modern writers on
this head?
“The utmost advantage could have been but a prolongation of the siege,
without the least probability of raising it; because the fleet, unable
to keep the seas, must have retreated to Gibraltar, the port of Mahon
being still commanded by the enemy’s batteries.”