William Pitt and the Great War by John Holland Rose (book club reads txt) 📕

Batteries and martello towers were designed for its protection

especially around Hythe and Dymchurch. At the latter place were sluices

for flooding the marsh. Criticisms have fallen freely upon Pitt's canal,

the report gaining currency that it was intended for the conveyance of

military stores. Its true purpose was to isolate the most vulnerable

part of the coast and to form a barrier which would at least delay an

invader until reinforcements arrived. In its original condition it was

an excellent first line of defence of South Kent; and, unless the French

flotilla brought over pontoons, it formed a barrier not easily

penetrable, which fully justified its comparatively small cost.

The same remarks apply to the martello towers. The responsibility for

them rests mainly with Colonel Twiss and Captain Ford, who in the summer

of 1803 recommended their construction at exposed points of the shore,

at a cost of about £3,000 apiece. The experience of our troops in

Corsica showed that such towers, even when held by small garrisons,

could hold at bay a greatly superior force.[694] The towers were begun

soon afterwards; but those in Pevensey Bay were not undertaken till

1805-6. The first points to be defended were those nearest to France.

In the winter of 1804-5 there was need to strengthen the coast defences;

for the declaration of war by Spain placed the whole of the coast line

from the Texel to Toulon at Napoleon's disposal for shipbuilding. There

seemed therefore every prospect of our being finally overwhelmed at sea,

a consummation which the French Emperor might have ensured had he

refrained from irritating the monarchs of Russia and Austria.

Fortunately for England, his nature was too restless and domineering to

admit of the necessary concentration of effort on the naval problem; and

that besetting sin, megalomania, marred prospects which then seemed

easily realizable. Playing with coolness and patience, he had the game

in his hands in 1804, when as yet there was little prospect of an

Anglo-Russian alliance.

An offensive alliance of Spain with France was the natural result of the

treaty of 1796 between the two Powers. In vain did the luxurious

Charles IV and his pampered minion, Godoy, Prince of the Peace, seek to

evade their obligations. Under threat of a French invasion they gave way

and agreed to pay 72,000,000 francs a year into the French exchequer,

and to force the hand of Portugal. That little Power purchased immunity

for a time by paying an annual subsidy of 12,000,000 francs to France.

Spain also repaired French warships which took refuge at Ferrol in July

1804, and allowed reinforcements to their crews to travel thither

overland. When Pitt and Harrowby remonstrated on this conduct, Spain

armed as if for war; and in answer to inquiries from London, Godoy

alleged certain disputes with the United States as the cause of his

alarm. The arrival in London of Frere, our ambassador at Madrid, on 17th

September 1804 revealed the unreality of this excuse; for he reported

that Spain had previously decided to yield on that question. As the

Spanish fleet was evidently preparing to cooperate with that of

Napoleon, Pitt resolved to deal the blow which Chatham was not allowed

to deliver in 1761. The weak point of Spain was her treasure fleet;

there was an inner fitness in wrenching from her the gold which was soon

to go into Napoleon's coffers.

On Tuesday, 18th September, the Cabinet assembled, Eldon, Camden,

Hawkesbury, Melville, Mulgrave, and Pitt being present. In view of the

news brought by Frere, and other tidings from Rear-Admiral Cochrane off

Ferrol, Ministers decided to order Cochrane closely to blockade that

port, preventing both French and Spanish ships from sailing out. Admiral

Cornwallis, then blockading Brest, was to reinforce Cochrane, thereby

assuring the capture of the Spanish treasure ships bound from South

America to Cadiz.[695] Pitt at once reported this decision to Harrowby,

then in attendance on the King at Weymouth, and urged a speedy

ratification of it.[696] Hence without delay the order went forth which

enlarged the area of strife. The four frigates despatched for the

seizure of the treasure-ships were not so superior in force to the

convoying corvettes as to avert a conflict. One of the Spanish ships

blew up: the others surrendered (5th October 1804). Resenting this

outrage, Spain declared war on 12th December.[697] Pitt did not consider

the capture of the treasure-ships as necessarily involving war, but

rather as a sharp warning, called for by the hostile conduct of Spain;

for on 23rd September he wrote to Harrowby stating that they must wait

for the Spanish answer to our ultimatum, and in the meantime Spanish

merchantmen might leave British ports unmolested.[698]

The seizure of the Spanish treasure-ships caused resentment at St.

Petersburg until the causes of Britain's action were more fully known.

But the event did not long delay a good understanding. The prospect of

Sicily falling a prey to the French army of occupation in South Italy

alarmed both the Czar Alexander and Pitt. The former was bound by a

Convention signed in 1798 to befriend the Neapolitan Court; and it was

also to his interest to prevent France dominating the Mediterranean and

expelling the Russians from Corfu. He therefore demanded from Napoleon

the evacuation of Italy and North Germany, a suitable compensation for

the King of Sardinia for the loss of his mainland possessions, and the

recognition of the complete neutrality of the Germanic Empire. Far from

complying with these demands, Napoleon kept his troops in South Italy

and Hanover, and early in November seized Sir Horace Rumbold, British

ambassador at Hamburg. At once Pitt and Harrowby made effective use of

this incident to prove the impossibility of peace with Napoleon. The

Russian and Prussian Courts sent sharp remonstrances to Paris; and, to

humour Frederick William, Napoleon ordered the release of the envoy,

though in the most grudging way possible. This violation of

international law served to counterbalance our irregular action against

Spain.

In short, Napoleon's evident resolve everywhere to carry matters with a

high hand convinced the Czar that war was inevitable; and he prepared to

espouse the cause of Britain, not so much from sympathy with her as from

detestation of her restless adversary.[699] On 20th November Pitt wrote

from Downing Street to Harrowby, who was then taking the waters at Bath,

expressing joy that the views of Russia coincided entirely with ours,

especially as to the reduction of the French Power within its ancient

limits. He added these noteworthy words: "The restoration of the

[French] monarchy may become in the course of events an object to be

distinctly aimed at, but it certainly cannot be made a substantive

object in the first instance; and it is very satisfactory to see that in

this important point there is no apparent difference in our

sentiments."[700] The hope of ending Prussia's subservience to Napoleon,

and of inspiring Francis of Austria with a manly resolve, proved futile.

Frederick William and Haugwitz hoped to creep into Hanover, under the

French Emperor's cloak, and Austria had not yet suffered enough

humiliation to lead her to fling down the gauntlet. True, she signed a

compact with Russia on 6th November 1804; but it was timidly defensive

in tone. Alexander therefore held back in the hope that events would

compel her to take sides against Napoleon.

Far less calculating was Gustavus IV of Sweden. With the chivalrous zeal

of his race he stood forth the first among the European monarchs as the

declared ally of England. After the execution of the Duc d'Enghien by

the French Emperor, he informed "Monsieur" Napoleon Bonaparte of the

rupture of all relations between them; and now, on 3rd December 1804, an

Anglo-Swedish Convention was signed, placing at our disposal the Isle of

Rügen and the fortress of Stralsund in Swedish Pomerania, in return for

a subsidy of £80,000. This sum served but to whet his appetite for

subsidies, his demands almost equalling in extravagance his Quixotic

summons to a royalist crusade.

Pitt therefore based his hopes on the statesmanlike policy of the Czar,

who in that month despatched to London one of his confidants, a clever

but viewy young man, of frank and engaging manners, Count Novossiltzoff.

Ostensibly the mission was for scientific purposes; but French agents

discovered that he took with him a plan of a Coalition against

Napoleon.[701] This seems to have led the Emperor to take a step similar

to that of Christmastide 1799. On 2nd January 1805 he wrote a letter

direct to George III, proposing terms of peace. The King at once

expressed to Pitt his astonishment that "the French usurper" had

addressed him in this objectionable manner, and highly approved the

draft of an answer which Pitt had thoughtfully forwarded to Windsor. In

it Pitt declared that His Majesty could not enter upon the proposed

overtures for peace until he had communicated them to the Powers with

which he had confidential ties, especially to the Emperor of Russia. At

the King's command, he sent a copy of this answer to St. Petersburg. At

London, then, as also at Paris, Napoleon's offer was deemed a diplomatic

device for getting news, though it also enabled him to represent himself

as the friend of peace and Pitt as its worst enemy.

While the French Emperor played his game with the advantages conferred

by a daring initiative, superior force, and unquestioned authority at

home, Pitt had to employ all possible means to conciliate allies abroad

and half-hearted friends at Westminster. His position was far from

secure. True, the King had now recovered almost his usual health; but in

Parliament the Ministry with difficulty repelled the bitter attacks of

Fox, Sheridan, Grenville, and Windham. The speech of Grenville on the

seizure of the Spanish treasure ships was of singular bitterness. Though

aware of the provocations of the Spanish Court, he chose to represent

that affair as a cowardly, and almost piratical attack on an unprepared

Power. Pitt had expected some such misrepresentations. He knew that the

Opposition would strain every nerve to overthrow him; and in the

Christmas Vacation he made timely overtures through Hawkesbury for the

support of Addington. The two old friends met on 23rd December 1804, at

Hawkesbury's residence, Coombe Wood, near Richmond Park. The host

contrived to be absent when Pitt entered the room, and he advanced with

the cordial greeting: "I rejoice to take you by the hand again."

Converse of three hours ensued between them alone. Addington demurred to

Pitt's request that he should retire to the Upper House. Finally,

however, he agreed to do so, accepting the title of Viscount Sidmouth,

taking also the Presidency of the Council, which the Duke of Portland,

for reasons of health, wished to relinquish, though he finally agreed to

remain in the Cabinet without office. Lord Hobart, now Earl of

Buckinghamshire, also entered the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of

Lancaster in place of Lord Mulgrave, who now succeeded Lord Harrowby at

the Foreign Office. Pitt further promised to promote some of Addington's

supporters, including his brother-in-law, Bragge Bathurst.

These changes were resented by several of Pitt's supporters, especially

by Rose. We have already noticed his contempt for Addington's financial

shifts; and he now, on 8th January 1805, wrote to Bishop Tomline

deploring Pitt's junction with "a man whose imbecility and falsehood,

under Mr. Pitt's own sanction," had weakened the country. Pitt would now

gain a few votes, no additional talents, and an increase of rancour in

the Opposition. "We shall," adds Rose, "drag on a wretched existence and

expire not creditably. What next will happen God only knows."[702]

Canning was equally annoyed at the new Coalition.[703] His sharp tongue

and still sharper pen had deeply annoyed Addington. Who, indeed, would

not have resented this reference in the "Apothecary's Hall (First of

April)":

    When his speeches hobble vilely

    How "Hear him" bursts from brother Hiley!

    When his faltering periods lag

    Hark to the cheers of brother Bragge!

Sarcasms on Hawkesbury had also annoyed that susceptible Minister; so

that in June 1804 Canning offered to resign his Treasurership of the

Navy. The matter was patched up, only to be opened once more in the

winter. Pitt sought to mediate between the bard and his victim, but

failed to elicit from Canning an apology as complete as Hawkesbury

demanded. Finally, on 18th January, Canning informed Pitt that, as

Hawkesbury had left his letter unanswered for three days, he declined to

take the further steps which Pitt recommended.[704] Is it surprising

that the health of the Prime Minister began to suffer? Friends noted

with concern his thinness and a hacking cough. Nevertheless, he rode out

successfully the squalls of the session of 1805, beating off the onset

of Sheridan against his Defence Bill, and defeating an inopportune

motion of Fox for Catholic Emancipation.

On this subject Pitt secretly sympathized with Fox, but his hands were

tied both by his promise of March 1801 to the King not to bring up the

subject during his reign, and recently by his union with Addington. The

Irish Catholics knew of these difficulties; and at meetings held by

their leading men at the house of