Part 3 (1/2)

John of Jerusalem had been rendered impossible by the action of France and Spain, who had destroyed the independence of the Order itself.

Reference was made to Bonaparte's attempts to interfere with the liberty of the English press, and the indignities he had offered to our amba.s.sador; but the real ground of quarrel was to be found in an official gasconade of Bonaparte's, in which he declared that ”Britain could not contend single handed against France,” a vainglorious boast, which (in those days at least) touched a chord which thrilled the patriotic feelings of every Englishman that loved his country.

Napoleon's next step--a simply detestable action--was quite in accordance with the faithless policy which he pursued towards this country. The treaty of Amiens had induced crowds of English to cross the Channel, and on the specious pretext that two French s.h.i.+ps had been captured prior to the actual declaration of war, he issued a decree on the 22nd of May, 1803, for the arrest and imprisonment of all Englishmen in France, over eighteen and under sixty years of age, all subjects of the king of England between those ages being considered, for the purpose of this outrageous order, _as forming part of the English militia_. This measure was carried out with the utmost rigour, and the eleven thousand English who thus became prisoners of war were deprived of their liberty fifteen years, and regained it only in 1814.

[Ill.u.s.tration: JAMES GILLRAY. _January 11th, 1796._

TWOPENNY WHIST.

Mistress Humphrey and Betty, of St. James' Street, their neighbour Mortimer (a well-known picture dealer) and a German guest.

[A satire, by contrast, on the high stakes of ”White's” and ”Boodle's.”]

_Face p. 16._]

ENGLISH ENTHUSIASM.

The feeling of the nation at this time may be judged by the debates in the Houses of Parliament. In the Commons, Mr. Grey moved an amendment, which, while it a.s.sured His Majesty of support in the war, expressed _disapprobation of the conduct of Ministers_. This amendment was rejected by 398 to 67. The unanimity in the Lords was still greater.

The official statement that England was unable to contend single-handed with France produced a violent outburst of indignation, and the amendment moved by Lord King, to omit words which charged France with the actual guilt and responsibility of breaking the treaty, was negatived by 142 to 10. This was on the 23rd of May. On the 20th of June a great meeting was held at Lloyds, for the purpose of promoting a subscription for carrying on the war. Six days later on, five thousand merchants, bankers, and other persons of position met at the Royal Exchange, and unanimously agreed to a declaration which expressed their determination to ”stand or fall with their king and country.” This resolution or declaration was seconded by the Secretary to the East India Company, and the meeting did not separate until ”G.o.d save the King” and ”Rule Britannia” had been sung, and nine cheers had been given for England and King George. On the 26th of August, His Majesty reviewed the London volunteers in Hyde Park, in the presence of the French princes, General Dumouriez, and two hundred thousand spectators; this military spectacle being followed on the 28th by a review, in the same place, of the Westminster, Lambeth, and Southwark corps. The number of volunteers actually enrolled in the metropolis and outparishes at this time was forty-six thousand.

The following year saw the final end of the great French Revolution; the names of the puppet ”second” and ”third” consuls had been long omitted from the public acts of the French Government. The motives of this omission were soon abundantly apparent; and in the month of May, 1804, Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of the French.

Some writers have doubted whether Napoleon entertained any serious intention of invading this country; but to doubt such intention would be really to doubt whether Nelson fell at Trafalgar, for that crus.h.i.+ng defeat was simply the sequel and outcome of the collapse of the emperor's plans. The details of the invasion scheme were fully explained to General Sir Neil Campbell by Napoleon himself at Elba, in 1814, and afterwards confirmed by him in precisely similar terms to O'Meara at St.

Helena. Those plans were defeated by the suspicions and vigilance of Lord Nelson; by his habit of acting promptly upon his suspicions; by the alacrity with which the Admiralty of the day obeyed his warnings; by the prescience of Lord Collingwood; and by the consequent intercepting of the combined French and Spanish fleets off Ferrol by Sir Robert Calder, in July, 1806. The moment this happened, Napoleon saw that his game--so far at least as England was concerned--was at an end; and fertile in resources, he immediately carried out the second part of his programme.

Then followed, as we know, the campaign of Austerlitz, the treaty of Presburg, the war with Prussia, and finally the battle of Jena, in October, 1806.

BERLIN DECREE.

Ever bent on humiliating and crippling the resources of England, Napoleon on the 1st of November, 1806, issued his memorable ”Berlin Decree,” containing eleven clauses, of which this country formed the exclusive topic. By it, all trade and correspondence with the British Isles was prohibited; all letters and packets at the post office, addressed to England, or to an Englishman, or ”written in English,” were to be seized; every subject of England found _in any_ of the countries occupied by French troops or those of their allies, was to be made prisoner of war; all warehouses, merchandise, and property belonging to a subject of England were declared lawful prize; all trading in English merchandise forbidden; every article belonging to England, or coming from her colonies, or of her manufacture, was declared good prize; and English vessels were excluded from every European port.[10] This outrageous ”decree” Bonaparte imposed upon every country that fell under the iron sway of his military despotism.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NAPOLEON FORTY-EIGHT HOURS AFTER LANDING.

”Ha, my little Boney! what dost think of Johnny Bull now? Plunder Old England, hay? Make French slaves of us all, hay? Ravish all our wives and daughters, hay? O, Lord help that silly head! To think that Johnny Bull would ever suffer those lanthorn jaws to become King of Old England's Roast Beef and Plum Pudding!”]

[Ill.u.s.tration: JOHN BULL OFFERING LITTLE BONEY FAIR PLAY.

BONAPARTE--”I'm a-coming! I'm a-coming!”

JOHN BULL--”You're a-coming!

If you mean to invade us, why make such a route?

I say, Little Boney,--why don't you come out?

Yes, d---- you, why don't you come out?”

FIGURES FROM GILLRAY'S NAPOLEONIC CARICATURES.