Page images
PDF
EPUB

After having repaired two of his ships at Trincomalé, in Ceylonwhich place he had just captured from the Dutch-the English admiral put to sea on the 4th of March, and on the 30th was joined by a reinforcement from England. The adverse fleets met again on the 12th of April, and, after a warm engagement, the enemy drew off. On the 20th of June, in the following year, Sir Edward Hughes, who had previously been joined by Admiral Bickerton with six ships of the line, again engaged his old antagonist, De Suffrein, who, after three hours' spirited fighting, bore away. On the 22d of the same month the two fleets were in sight of each other, off Pondicherry, but no action took place. Fifteen hundred of his men being rendered unfit for duty by the scurvy, Sir Edward Hughes now repaired to Madras; whence, peace having been proclaimed, he proceeded with the fleet to England, and did not afterwards assume any command.

On the 24th of September, 1787, he was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral of the red, and on the 1st of February, 1793, to that of admiral of the blue. He died at an advanced age, at his seat in Essex, on the 17th of February, 1794.

Marshal Conway.

BORN A. D. 1720.-DIED A. D. 1795.

THIS accomplished and upright man was second son of the first lord Conway. He entered the army in 1740, and distinguished himself on several occasions by his personal prowess as well as military science. In 1741 he was returned to the Irish parliament for the county of Antrim, and, in the same year, to the British house of commons, for HighamFerrers.

In 1757 he was employed as second in command, under Sir John Mordaunt, in the Rochefort expedition. His advice, on this occasion, was that the place should be attacked, but Mordaunt did not act upon his recommendation. Towards the end of George the Second's reign, he was appointed groom of the bed-chamber, which post he continued to fill in the establishment of the new sovereign. In 1761 he commanded the British forces in Germany under Prince Ferdinand, in the absence of the marquess of Granby.

In the keen debate on general warrants, in the house of commons, towards the close of the year 1764, General Conway spoke and voted against ministers. This act of integrity cost him all his military employments; but the duke of Devonshire, in consequence of the disinterestedness and independence which General Conway displayed on this and other occasions, soon after bequeathed him a legacy of £5000. On the formation of the Rockingham administration, General Conway was appointed one of the secretaries of state, and filled that office, till 1768, in a manner which extorted the applause even of his political antagonists.

In the debates on American affairs, General Conway advocated the rights of the colonists with great ability and determination. He moved the repeal of the stamp act under circumstances which have been thus glowingly described by Burke, in his famous speech in 1774: "I will

do justice-I ought to do it-to the honourable gentleman who led us in this house (Conway). Far from the duplicity wickedly charged on him, he acted his part with alacrity and resolution. We all felt inspired by the example he gave us, down even to myself, the weakest in that phalanx. I declare for one, I knew well-enough-it could not be concealed from any body-the true state of things; but, in my life, I never came with so much spirits into this house. It was a time for a man to act in! We had powerful enemies, but we had faithful and determined friends, and a glorious cause. We had a great battle to fight, but we had the means of fighting; not as now, when our arms are tied behind us. We did fight that day, and conquer. I remember, Sir, with a melancholy pleasure, the situation of the honourable gentleman (Conway) who made the motion for the repeal, in that crisis when the whole trading interest of this empire, crammed into your lobbies, with a trembling and anxious expectation, waited, almost to a winter's return of light, their fate from your resolutions. When at length you had determined in their favour, and your doors thrown open, showed them the figure of their deliverer in the well-earned triumph of his important victory, from the whole of that grave multitude there arose an involuntary burst of gratitude and transport. They jumped upon him like children on a long absent father. They clung about him as captives about their redeemer. All England, all America, joined in his applause. Nor did he seem insensible to the best of all earthly rewards—the love and admiration of his fellow-citizens. Hope elevated and joy brightened his crest! I stood near him, and his face, to use the expression of the scripture of the first martyr, his face was as if it had been the face of an angel.' I do not know how others feel; but if I had stood in that situation, I never would have exchanged it for all that kings in their profusion could bestow. I did hope that that day's danger and honour would have been a bond to hold us all together for ever; but, alas! that, with other pleasing visions, is long since vanished."

[ocr errors]

In the session of 1782 General Conway introduced the motion which drove North from the premiership. He had already declared, in his place in parliament, that he would rather submit to the independence of America than persist in the prosecution of so pernicious and unjust a war. On the 22d of February, he moved "that an address should be presented, imploring his majesty that the war might be no longer pursued for the impracticable purpose of reducing the people of America by force." The motion was seconded by Lord John Cavendish, and opposed by Wellbore Ellis, the new secretary for the American department, who declared, "that it was now in contemplation to contract the scale of the war, and to prosecute hostilities by such means as were very dissimilar from the past. In order to obtain peace with America we must vanquish the French; and as in the late war, America had been said to be conquered in Germany, so in this America must be conquered in France. In the present circumstances," he continued, "the administration were conscious of the necessity of drawing into a narrow compass the operations of the American war,—a change of circumstances demanding a corresponding change of measures." The motion was lost only by a single vote; and as a majority of the absent members were supposed to be adverse to ministry, it was thought expedient to bring the question again before the house in a different form.

On the 27th of February, therefore, General Conway brought forward a new motion to the same effect, which was seconded by Lord Althorpe. In order to evade the question, the attorney-general (Wallace) recommended that a truce should be proposed with America; but on a division upon his amendment, a majority of nineteen appeared against ministers. The motion of General Conway was immediately followed by another, for an address to his majesty to put an end to the war; and it was further resolved, that the address should be presented by the whole house.1 His majesty's answer to the address was in general terms, that he should take such measures as might appear to him most conducive to the restoration of peace. Any reference to the prosecution of offensive war was cautiously avoided. The evasive nature of this answer induced General Conway to move another resolution in the commons, declaring, "that the house would consider as enemies to his majesty, and to the country, all those who should advise the further prosecution of offensive war on the continent of North America." After a feeble opposition, this motion also was permitted to pass without a division.

On the formation of the new ministry Conway was placed at the head of the forces; but he resigned his military command in the following year, and retired from public life to his seat, near Henley-upon-Thames, where he died suddenly on the 9th of July, 1795.

General Conway was an accomplished scholar, and the reputed author of several pamphlets and minor literary pieces. He accompanied his cousin Walpole, and Gray, in their continental tour, in 1739.

Sir Henry Clinton.

BORN A. D. 1738.-died a. d. 1795.

THIS officer was grandson of Francis, sixth earl of Lincoln, and son of George, second son of that nobleman. He was born about the year 1738. Having entered the army, he served for some time in Hanover In 1758 he became a captain in the first regiment of guards, and, in 1775, obtained the rank of major-general, having, in the interim, distinguished himself in the early part of the American war. He was present in the battle of Bunker's hill, and commanded the troops who carried the intrenchments at the taking of Boston; and, after having assisted at the unsuccessful attack on Charleston, bore a share in the capture of New York and Long Island, of which latter place he was appointed commandant, but was compelled to capitulate to the American general, Gates.

In 1777 he was made a knight of the bath; and in January, 1778, appointed commander-in-chief of the British forces in America. Ou the 8th of May he arrived at Philadelphia, whence, on the approach of General Washington, he commenced and successfully accomplished his retreat to New York. In 1779 he was appointed colonel of the 7th,

When the house went up to St James's with the address, the noted General Arnold was found standing at the right hand of his majesty. This circumstance drew forth some pointed observations in parliament from Lord Surrey, who declared, "that it was an insult to the house, and deserved its censure."

or king's own regiment. In the course of the same year he undertook an expedition into the province of New Jersey, where, according to French writers, his troops behaved with great barbarity. He also, in conjunction with Major-general Provost, who commanded in East Florida, concerted and carried into effect an invasion of Georgia, which was completely successful. In January, 1780, he arrived with a body of troops in South Carolina, and shortly afterwards invested Charleston, which surrendered on the 11th of May. For his services on this occasion he was honoured with the thanks of parliament. He subsequently recaptured Stony Point; and meditated an attack on the French forces in Rhode Island, which, however, the approach of Washington compelled him to abandon.

Shortly afterwards he seduced General Arnold to deliver up the strong position of West Point, the defence of which had been intrusted to him, and employed emissaries to go among the American troops and seduce them from their fidelity. The affair of Arnold, involving as it did the fate of a gallant officer, Major André, created a great sensation both in Europe and America. The campaign of 1780 had reduced the cause of the colonists to a low ebb. The country was exhausted, the continental currency expiring. While these disasters were openly menacing the northern states, treachery was silently undermining them. The disposition of the American forces afforded an opportunity of accomplishing so much to the advantage of the British that they could wellafford a liberal reward for treachery. The American army was stationed in the strongholds of the highlands on both sides of the North River. In this arrangement, Arnold solicited for the command of West Point. This fort has been called the Gibraltar of America. It was built after the loss of Fort Montgomery, for the defence of the North River, and was deemed the most proper for commanding its navigation. Rocky ridges rising one behind another, rendered it incapable of being invested by less than twenty thousand men. Though some even then entertained doubts of Arnold's fidelity, yet Washington believing it to be impossible that honour should be wanting in a breast which he knew was the seat of valour, granted his request, and intrusted him with the important post. Arnold, thus invested with command, carried on a negotiation with Sir Henry Clinton, by which it was agreed that the former should make such a disposition of his forces as would enable the latter to surprise West Point. The object of this negotiation was the strongest post of the Americans,--the thoroughfare of communication between the eastern and southern states, and the repository of their most valuable stores. The agent employed in this negotiation, on the part of Sir Henry Clinton, was Major André, adjutant-general of the British army. To favour the necessary communications, the Vulture sloop of war had been previously stationed in the North River, as near to Arnold's posts as was practicable without exciting suspicion. written correspondence between Arnold and André had been for some time carried on under the fictitious names of Gustavus and Anderson. In the night of the 21st of September, a boat was sent from the shore to fetch Major André. Arnold met him on the beach, without the posts of either army. Their communing was not concluded till it was too near the dawn of day for Andrè to return to the Vulture. Arnold told him he must lie concealed till the next night. For that purpose

A

66

he was conducted within one of the American posts, against his previous stipulation, and continued with Arnold the following day. The boatmen refused to carry him back the next night, as the Vulture, from being exposed to the fire of some cannon brought up to annoy her, had changed her position. André's return to New York by land, was now the only practicable mode of escape. To effect this he quitted his uniform, which he had hitherto worn under a surtout, for a common coat, and was furnished with a horse, and, under the name of John Anderson, with a passport to go to the lines of White Plains, or lower if he thought proper, he being on public business." He advanced alone and undisturbed a great part of the way. When he thought himself almost out of danger, he was stopped by three of the New York militia, between the outposts of the two armies. Major André, instead of producing his pass, asked the man who stopped him, "Where he belonged to?" He answered, "To below," meaning New York. André replied, "So do I," declared himself a British officer, and pressed that he might not be detained. He soon discovered his mistake. His captors proceeded to search him: several papers were found in his possession, secreted in his boots. These were in Arnold's hand-writing, and contained exact returns of the state of the forces, ordnance, and defences at West Point. André offered his captors a purse of gold and a valuable watch, if they would let him pass, and permanent provision and future promotion if they would convey and accompany him to New York, but they nobly disdained the proffered bribe, and delivered him a prisoner to Colonel Jameson, who commanded the scouting parties. André, when delivered to Jameson, continued to call himself by the name of Anderson, and asked leave to send a letter to Arnold to acquaint him with his detention. This request was inconsiderately granted. Arnold on the re. ceipt of the letter abandoned every thing, and went on board the Vulture sloop of war. Meanwhile Colonel Jameson forwarded to Washington the papers found on André, together with a letter giving an account of the whole affair; but the express, by taking a different route from the general, who was returning from a conference at Hartford with Count de Rochambeau, missed him. This delay enabled Arnold to effect his escape. The same packet which detailed the particulars of André's capture, brought a letter from him, in which he avowed his name and character, and endeavoured to show that he did not come under the description of a spy. He stated, that he held a correspondence with a person under the orders of his general; that his intention went no farther than meeting that person on neutral ground, for the purpose of intelligence; and that, against his stipulation, his intention, and without his knowledge beforehand, he was brought within the American posts, and had to concert his escape from them. Washington referred the whole case to the examination and decision of a board consisting of fourteen general officers. André on his examination voluntarily confessed every thing that related to himself, and particularly that he did not come ashore under the protection of a flag. The board did not examine a single witness, but founded their report on his own confession. In this they stated the following facts: "That Major André came on shore on the night of the twenty-first of September, in a private and secret manner, and that he changed his dress within the American lines, and, under a feigned name and disguised habit, passed their

« PreviousContinue »