| Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. IV
by
William James |
1807 |
British and Portuguese Fleets |
316 |
At the very time that the columns of the Moniteur were filled with invectives against England, for violating the neutrality of Denmark, the French emperor was marching an army to the frontiers of Portugal ; and that not because the latter had relaxed her neutrality in favour of Great Britain, but because she had hitherto refused wholly to abrogate it in favour of France. Napol�on had the modesty to demand, that Portugal should shut her ports against the commerce of England, and should detain the subjects of the latter and sequestrate their property ; thus compelling the prince regent virtually to declare war against the ancient ally of his house, merely to indulge the rancour of the French emperor, and assist him with a fleet of ships in his meditated plan of adding Ireland to the number of his conquests. Awed, at length, by the near approach of General Junot and ail army of 40,000 men, and swayed probably by the arguments of the powerful French faction that existed in the heart of his capital, the prince regent, on the 20th of October, declared by proclamation, that he had judged it proper " to accede to the cause of the continent, " and shut his ports against the men-of-war and merchantmen of Great Britain.
Intelligence of this proceeding reached England early in November ; and the following nine sail of the line, which had been previously got ready, quitted Portsmouth and Plymouth, under the command of Rear-admiral Sir Sidney Smith, bound straight to the Tagus :
Gun |
Ship |
|
120 |
Hibernia |
Rear-Adm. (b.) Sir William Sidney Smith |
Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg |
98 |
London |
Captain Thomas Western |
80 |
Foudroyant |
Captain Norborne Thompson |
74 |
Elizabeth |
Captain Honourable Henry Curzon |
Conqueror |
Captain Israel Pellew. |
Marlborough |
Captain Graham Moore |
Monarch |
Captain Richard Lee |
Plantagenet |
Captain William Bradley |
Bedford |
Captain James Walker |
In the autumn of the preceding year a threat of Napol�on's, that he would conquer Portugal, had induced the British government to send Earl St.-Vincent and a squadron to Lisbon, with the offer of money and troops to assist in repelling the invaders ; or, should that, in the state of the country, be deemed impracticable, and the prince regent prefer a removal to his South-American dominions, the admiral was to protect him and his family thither. But the sudden hostility of Russia and Prussia compelled the French emperor to direct the whole of his energies against them ; and Portugal, for the present, was allowed to retain her independence. Napol�on's successful career in the
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