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eeeded to join the guards, covered by its own flank companies, and by a piquet of the guards."-His lord ship proceeds to state, that no troops of the enemy appeared, and that there was no concourse of inhabitants. People of all ranks in the city, in the villages, and on the public road, were extremely civil. Had any disturbance been intended, or Had any been accidentally excited, the embarkation would have been equally secure from insult, the place selected being open and level, and out of the range of fire from the crown battery or citadel, but commanded by his majesty's light ships of war. The brow, or stage itself, from which the troops embarked, was judiciously and inge. niously contrived by sir Home Popham, to answer equally the pur. poses of embarkation and defence. A small vessel, a praam, and a floating battery, were fastened successively to each other on the beach; the two first being planked over, and the last beyond them having several guns of large calibre prepared for action in an oblique direction, and manned by seamen. The flat-boats drew up on the two sides of the praam, and the gun. boats, which also received troops, were placed behind the floating bat. tery, so that, as soon as the brigade of artillery was embarked, the troops marched to their boats, and the whole put off to their respective ships; after which the floating battery and praam were destroyed.

Copy of a Letter from Admiral Gambier, to the Hon. W. W. Pole, dated on-board his Majesty's Ship the Prince of Wales, off Copenha. gen, the 20th October, 1807.

SIR,

I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of the lords commissioners of the Admiralty, that the whole of the Danish fleet being equipped (except two unser. viceable ships of the line, and two frigates, which have been destroyed), and the arsenal cleared of the stores, the army has been re-em. barked; and that I shall proceed with the first favourable wind to carry into execution the instruc tions I have received from the lord viscount Castlereagh. Having so far accomplished the service on which I have been employed, I feel it my duty to state the great activity, energy, and zeal, which have been shewn by vice-admiral Stanhope and rear-admiral sir Sam. Hood, in superintending the equip ment of the Danish ships, and the embarkation of the stores from the arsenal; nor has the same spirit been less manifest in the captains, officers, seamen, and marines, whe have all executed their respective parts in the general exertion with a promptitude and alacrity, which have not only entitled them to my warmest thanks and praise, but will, I doubt not, when the aggregate re sult of their labour is considered, obtain for them the approbation of their sovereign, and the applause of the nation. In the space of six weeks, sixteen sail of the line, nine frigates, fourteen sloops of war, and smaller vessels, beside gun-boats, have been fitted for sea, and all the large ships laden with masts, spars, timber, and other stores, from the arsenal, from whence also 92 cargoes have been shipped on-board transports, and other vessels chartered for the purpose, the sum of

whose

whose burthen exceeds 20,000 tons. A considerable number of masts and spars have been put on-board the Leyden and Inflexible, which were well adapted for this purpose, and some valuable stores on-board his majesty's ships; nor can I forbear to remark, that such was the emu. lation among the several ships of the fleet to which the Danish ships were respectively attached for equipment, that within nine days 14 sail of the line were brought out of the harbour, although several of them un derwent, in our hands, considerable repairs. Of the three ships on the stocks, two have been taken to pieces, and the useful part of their timber brought away; and the third, being in a considerable state of for wardness, was sawed in various parts, and suffered to fall over.— On a review of the whole, I think it may be asserted, without derogating from the merit of any former service, that the characteristic activity of British officers, scamen, and marines, was never more zealously exerted than on this occasion; but I must not omnit, at the same time, to inform their lordships, that a very considerable proportion of the labour of the arsenal has been performed with equal zeal and energy by large working parties from the army, whose exertions entitle them to the same praise.

I beg leave to express the great satisfaction I have felt from the zealous and attentive services of rearadmiral Essington, to whom the general superintendance of the nume. rous transports, and the re-embarkation of the army, with all its artillery and stores, had been committed. I embrace this opportunity to make a particular acknowledg

ment of the very able and judicions dispositions which rear - admiral Keats has made from time to time of the force under his command, for guarding the Belt; and the vigilant attention which his whole squadron have paid to this impor. tant branch of the service. Sir Home Popham has not ceased to manifest his usual zeal and ability in the assistance he has rendered me in the various services of the fleet; and I should not do justice to the diligent attention and arduous endeavours of captain Mackenzie to fulfil the civil duties of the arsenal, which were committed to his management and superintendance, if I do not, on this occasion, express my warm approbation of his exertions; and I beg leave to recommend him to their lordships' favourable notice. I have the honour to transmit herewith a list of the Danish ships and vessels which have been brought away, and of those destroyed. The account of the stores shipped from the arsenal shall also be sent as soon as the several returns can be collected and arranged.

I have the honour to be, &c. J. GAMBIER. N. B. The list of the Danish ships found at Copenhagen has been already published. Two ships of the line and two frigates have been destroyed.

Whitehall, Nov. 3.-The king has been pleased to grant the dignities of baron and viscount of the united kingdom of Great-Britain and Ire. land, unto the right hon. William baron Cathcart, knight of the most ancient order of the thistle, and lieutenant-general of his majesty's

forces,

forces, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, styles, and titles of baron Greenock, of Greenock, in the county of Ren. frew, and viscount Cathcart, of Cathcart, in the said county.

The king has also been pleased to grant the dignity of a baron of the united kingdom of Great-Britain and Ireland unto James Gambier, esq. admiral of the blue squadron of his majesty's fleet, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of baron Gambier, of Iver, in the county of Buckingham.

The king has also been pleased to grant the dignity of a baronet of the united kingdom of Great-Britain and Ireland unto Harry Burrard, of Lymington, in the county of Southampton, esq. lieutenaut-gene. ral of his majesty's forces, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.

The king has also been pleased to grant the dignity of a barenet of the united kingdom of Great-Bri. tain and Ireland unto Heury Ed. win Stanhope, of Stanwell, in the County of Middlesex, esq. vice-ad. miral of the blue squadron of his majesty's fleet, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.

The king has also been pleased to grant the dignity of a baronet of the united kingdom of Great-Britain and Ireland unto Thomas Blomefield, of Attleborough, in the county of Norfolk, esq. major-general of his majesty's forces, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.

A Dispatch this Day received from Lord Viscount Strangford, his Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary

at the Court of Lisbon, by the Right Honourable George Can. ning, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Af fairs.

His Majesty's Ship Hibernia,off the Tagus, November 29, 1807. SIR,

I have the honour of announcing to you, that the prince regent of Portugal has effected the wise and magnanimous purpose of retiring from a kingdom which he could no longer retain, except as the vassal of France; and that his royal highness and family, accompanied by most of his ships of war, and by a multitude of his faithful subjects and adherents, have this day departed from Lisbon, and are now on their way to the Brazils, under the escort of a British fleet.

This grand and memorable event is not to be attributed only to the sudden alarm excited by the appear. ance of a French army within the frontiers of Portugal: it has been the genuine result of the system of persevering confidence and moderation adopted by his majesty towards that country; for the ultimate success of which I had in a manner rendered myself responsible; and which, in obedience to your instructions, I had uniformly continued to support, even under appearances of the most discouraging nature.

I had frequently and distinctly stated to the cabinet of Lisbon, that in agreeing not to resent the exclu sion of British commerce from the ports of Portugal, his majesty had exhausted the means of forbearance; that in making that concession to the peculiar circumstances of the prince regent's situation, his majesty had done all that friendship and the remembrance of ancient

alliance

alliance could justly require; but that a single step beyond the line of modified hostility, thus most reluctantly consented to, must necessarily lead to the extremity of actual war.

The prince regent, however, suffered himself for a moment to forget that, in the present state of Europe, no country could be permit. ted to be an enemy to England with impunity, and that however much his majesty might be disposed to make allowance for the deficiency of the means possessed by Portugal of resistance to the power of France, neither his own dignity, nor the interests of his people, would permit his majesty to accept that excuse for a compliance with the full extent of her unprincipled demands. On the 8th instant, his royal highness was induced to sign an order for the detention of the few British subjects, and of the inconsiderable portion of British property, which yet remained at Lisbon. On the publication of this order, I caused the arms of England to be removed from the gates of my residence, demanded my passports, presented a final remonstrance against the recent conduct of the court of Lisbon, and proceeded to the squadron com. manded by sir Sidney Smith, which arrived off the coast of Portugal some days after I had received my passports; and which I joined on the 17th instant.

I immediately suggested to sir Sidney Smith the expediency of establishing the most rigorous blockade at the mouth of the Tagus; and I had the high satisfaction of afterwards finding, that I had thus anticipated the intentions of his majesty; your dispatches (which I received by the messenger Sylvester,

on the 23d) directing me to autho. rize that measure, in case the Por tuguese government should pass the bounds which his majesty had thought fit to set to his forbearance, and attempt to take any farther step injurious to the honour or interest of Great Britain.

Those dispatches were drawn up under the idea that I was still resi dent at Lisbon; and though I did not receive them until I had actually taken my departure from that court, still, upon a careful consideration of the tener of your instructions, I thought that it would be right to act as if that case had not occurred. I resolved, therefore, to proceed forthwith to ascertain the effect produced by the blockade of Lisbon, and to propose to the Portuguese government, as the only condition upon which that blockade could cease, the alternative (stated by you) either of surrendering the fleet to his majesty, or of immediate. ly employing it to remove the prince regent and his family to the Brazils. I took upon myself this responsibility in renewing negociations after my public functions had actually ceased; convinced that although it was the fixed determination of his majesty not to suffer the flect of Portugal to fall into the possession of his enemies, still his majesty's first object continued to be the ap. plication of that fleet to the origi nal purpose of saving the royal family of Braganza from the tyranny of France.

I accordingly requested an au. dience of the prince regent, toge ther with due assurances of protec tection and security; and upon re ceiving his royal highness's answer, I proceeded to Lisbon on the 27th, in his majesty's ship Confiance,

bearing

I had im- cle than that afforded by the junction of the two fleets has been rarely beheld.

bearing a flag of truce. mediately most interesting communications with the court of Lisbon, the particulars of which shall be more fully detailed in a future dispatch. It suffices to mention in this place, that the prince regent wisely directed all his apprehensions to a French army, and all his hopes to an English fleet; that he received the most explicit assurances from me that his majesty would gene. rously overlook those acts of unwilling and momentary hostility to which his royal highness's consent had been extorted; and that I pro mised to his royal highness, on the faith of my sovereign, that the Bri. tish squadron before the Tagus should be employed to protect his retreat from Lisbon, and his voyage to the Brazils.

A decree was published yesterday, in which the prince regent announced his intention of retiring to the city of Rio de Janeiro until the conclusion of a general peace, and of appointing a regency to transact the administration of go. vernment at Lisbon, during his royal highness's absence from Europe.

This morning the Portuguese fleet left the Tagus. I had the honour to accompany the prince in his pas sage over the Bar. The fleet consisted of eight sail of the line, four large frigates, several armed brigs, sloops; and corvettes, and a number of Brazil ships, amounting, I be. lieve, to about thirty-six sail in all. They passed through the British squadron, and his majesty's ships. fired a salute of twenty-one guns, which was returned with an equal aumber. A more interesting specta

On quitting the prince regent's ship, 1 repaired on-board the Hibernia, but returned immediately, accompanied by sir Sidney Smith, whom I presented to the prince, and who was received by his royal highness with the most marked and gracious condescension.

I have the honour to enclose lists ✦ of the ships of war which were known to have left Lisbon this morning, and which were in sight a few hours ago. There remain at Lisbon four ships of the line, and the same number of frigates, but only one of each sort is serviceable.

I have thought it expedient to lose no time in communicating to his majesty's government the important intelligence contained in this dispatch.

I have therefore to apologise for the hasty and imperfect manner in which it is written. I have the honour to be, &c. STRANGFORD.

Admiralty Office, Dec. 21. Dispatches, of which the following are Extracts and Copies, were received at this Office on Saturday last, by Captain Yeo, of his Majesty's sloop the Confiance, from Rear-Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith, addressed to the hon. William Wellesley Pole.

His Majesty's ship Hiberniu, 22 leagues west of the Tagus, Dec. 1,1807.

SIR,

In a former dispatch, dated the 22d November, with a postscript of the 26th, I conveyed to you, for the information of my lords com

A copy of this decree of proclamation will be seen in p. 775, 776. ↑ Sse rear-admiral sir Sidney Smith's dispatches.

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