The French navy was now so much reduced, that scarcely any occasion was given during this year to British seamen, of displaying their superiority in the combats of squadrons or single ships against their accustomed foe; and their spirit of enterprize was chiefly exercised in attacks upon harbours, and batteries on the sea-coast. Several spirited and successful actions of this kind in the Mediterranean and its branches were reported, of which one of the most considerable was the capture of Fiume in the Gulph of Venice. Admiral Freemantle, with a squadron under his command, on July 2d, anchored opposite to this town, which was defended by four strong batteries. On the 3d, the ships weighed to attack the batteries, whilst a detachment of seamen and marines was sent to storm the Mole Head. This party succeeding, dashed into the town, drove before them the garrison with the governor at its head, and with a very small loss, gained complete possession of the place. It was highly to the honour of the victors, that although the town was stormed in every part, not an individual was plundered, and nothing was carried away except the goods afloat and the government stores. Of 90 vessels captured, more than half were restored to their owners.

The French navy in October sustained the loss of two frigates, which, in returning to their ports, were nearly disabled by a hard gale, and in that condition fell in with English ships, to which they were incapable of making any adequate resistance.

Among the foreign incidents of this year may be mentioned a visitation of the plague in the island of Malta, which spread alarm through all the Mediterranean, and excited particular interest in this country on account of the British troops stationed there. They were, however, preserved from the contagion by proper precautions; and the whole mortality was not great in proportion to the singular populousness of the island.

In the month of July some severe though partial hurricanes were experienced in the West India islands.

The greatest injury was sustained in Dominica and Bermuda. In the latter of these, the town of Nassau, by two successive tempests from opposite quarters on the same day, was nearly ruined, one-third of the houses being levelled with the ground, and all the rest greatly injured, with a vast destruction of property.

66

The British parliament re-assembled on November 4th, and was opened by the Prince Regent in a speech from the throne. Its topics were chiefly the new alliances against the power of France, and their successes; and the war with America. His Royal Highness declared his readiness to enter into discussions for the adjustment of the differences subsisting between this country and the United States, Upon principles not inconsistent with the established maxims of public law, and with the maritime rights of the British empire." With respect to the other great contest, he affirmed that" no disposition to require from France sacrifices of any description inconsistent with her honour, or just pretensions as a nation, will ever be on his part, or on that of his Majesty's allies, an obstacle to peace." The addresses on the speech were carried without opposition.

After the treaties and conventions with Russia and Prussia had been laid before parliament, Lord Castlereagh introduced in the House of Commons a measure for augmenting the disposable force of the country, which consisted in allowing a number from the militia regiments, not exceeding three-fourths of the whole, to volunteer into the line on payment of an additional bounty, and to be accompanied by their officers, to whom an encouragement was to be given for volunteering. Leave being granted to bring in a bill upon this plan, it passed through both Houses without opposition; the general impression being, both in and out of parliament, that in the present conjuncture of affairs, every possible exertion should be made to bring the great contest on the continent to a speedy and desirable issue. In the same spirit, a supplementary

loan of 22 millions proposed by the chancellor of the exchequer was agreed to; and various foreign subsidies consequent upon engagements entered into by the ministers, were passed without a dissentient voice. On December 20th parliament broke up with a motion for an adjournment to March 1st, which, after an attempt to shorten the period by an amendment, was carried without a division.

A.D. 1814.

YEAR OF GEORGE III. 54 & 55.

PARLIAMENT 2 & 3.

Sortie

The Allied Armies enter France. - Napoleon leaves Paris and heads his Troops. Actions. Retreat of Napoleon and Advance of the Allies. He concentrates his Forces and repels Marshal Blucher. Afterwards marches against Prince Schwartzenberg who retires. Motions of the Crown Prince of Sweden. Failure of the British at Bergen-op Zoom.- Advance of Lord Wellington. - Negotiations at Chatillon; broken off. Farther Actions between the main Armies. The Allies determine on marching to Paris.- Wellington continues to advance, and Bordeaux declares for the Bourbons. Battle before Paris. Its Result, and Capitulation of Paris. - Provisional Government.-Deposition of Buonaparte. He sends in his Resignation. His treaty with the Allied Powers. Battle of Toulouse.· from Bayonne.- Naval Actions with the French. Parliament. Bill respecting Colonial Offices. Bills to take away Corruption of Blood, and alter the Mode of Execution in High Treason. Motion relative to the Speaker's Address to the Prince Regent.-Proceedings on the Corn Laws. - Budget.-Bill for preserving Peace in Ireland. -Departure of Louis XVIII. from England; Entrance into Paris. -Treaty between France and the Allied Powers.--Dutch Constitution. -Plan of the Union of all Belgium.-Hamburg restored to IndependHanover erected into a Kingdom. — Treaty between Denmark, Sweden, and Great Britain. Cession of Norway to Sweden. -Resistance of the Norwegians, and its final Result.— Return of Ferdinand VII. to Spain. - Abolition of the Cortes.- The Pope's Return to Rome.- Revival of the order of Jesuits, and Restoration of other Religious Communities. - King of Sardinia recovers his Italian Territories, with the annexation of Genoa.- Alliance between the King of Naples and Emperor of Austria.- Federal Compact of Switzerland.Affairs in the United States of America. Actions in Canada. Operations against the Southern States. City of Washington taken. - Expeditions against Alexandria and Baltimore. Farther Actions in Canada and on the Lakes. Destruction of the British Flotilla on Lake Champlain, and Retreat of General Prevost. Naval Actions. Autumnal Peace signed at Ghent.

ence.

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Session of Parliament Debate on continuing the Militia embodied. Amendment of Irish Peace-preservation Act. Proceedings of Irish Catholics. Princess of Wales. - Royal and Imperial Visitors in England.

AT the commencement of this year the attention of all Europe was fixed upon France, which, from having

been accustomed to send out her conquering legions to dictate laws to her neighbours in their capitals, now saw her frontiers passed by powerful armies from those very states which she had compelled to purchase peace by submitting to her rule, or co-operating in her plans. Of all the nations now leagued against her, there was none, England excepted, which had not acted in alliance with her. At this crisis of her fate, he who had plunged her into this abyss of difficulty appeared to have lost his powers of exertion. The habits of despotism had gained so much upon him, that he was incapable of listening to any advice that was not in cor-respondence with his own plans, and yet he seemed overwhelmed with the business that pressed upon him. He talked much of what was to be done, but did nothing; and when the allies entered France, they found his means of defence no further advanced, than when he had crossed the Rhine on his retreat.

The allied armies passed that river at different places from Coblentz to Basle, and their advance occupied the tract from the Palatinate to Franche Comté. By the middle of January Marshal Blucher had taken possession of Nancy, and the Austrian General Guillay wàs at Langres. On the 25th of that month Napoleon left Paris to put himself at the head of his armies; and from this time, being in his proper element, he cannot be accused of want of activity. He advanced to St. Dizier on the Marne, and immediately directed attacks upon the different corps of the allies collected round him. Some of these actions were successful; but an engagement at La Rothiere, on February 1st, in which he was present, terminated in his retreat after the loss of 73 pieces of cannon and a considerable number of men. Its consequences were the advance of the allies to Troyes, which was entered by the Prince of Wurtemberg on the 7th, and the evacuation of Chalons sur Marne by Marshal Macdonald. Chalons sur Saone was also captured by the Austrians. This rapid career, which threatened speedy ruin to the French Emperor, stimulated him to fresh exertions; and finding himself