GEORGE III. 1779-1780
Trial of Admiral Keppel and Vice-admiral Palliser..... Attacks on Lord Sandwich..... Investigation respecting the Conduct of General and Lord Howe..... Relief to Protestant Dissenters..... Debates on the Trade of Ireland..... War with Spain..... Debates on the Militia Bill..... Bill for the Impressment of Seamen..... Parliament prorogued..... The Causes of the Rupture with Spain..... Spanish Attempt upon Gibraltar..... French and English Fleets in the Channel..... Affairs in the West Indies..... Operations in Georgia..... Ineffectual Attempt of the Americans to reduce Savannah..... British Incursions into Virginia...... Capture of Stony Point and Verplanks..... British Expedition against Connecticut..... Stony Point re-captured, but deserted at the Approach of the British..... British Garrison surprised at Paulus Hook..... American Disaster at Penobscot..... American Retaliation on the Indians, &c...... Spanish Incursions..... Action between Paul Jones and Captain Pearson..... Changes in the Ministry..... Meeting of Parliament..... Lord Shelburne attacks Ministers in the case of Ireland..... Lord Ossory’s Attack on Ministers respecting Ireland..... Lord Worth’s Proposition for the Relief of Ireland..... Debates on Economical Reform.
A.D. 1779
TRIAL OF ADMIRAL KEPPEL AND VICE-ADMIRAL PALLISER.
The trial of Admiral Keppel commenced on the 7th of January, at the governor’s house, Portsmouth. It lasted thirty-two days, and the unanimous sentence of the court-martial was:—“That it was their opinion the charge against Admiral Keppel was malicious and ill-founded; it having appeared that so far from having by misconduct or neglect of duty lost an opportunity of rendering essential service to the state, and therefore tarnished the honour of the British navy, he had behaved as became a judicious, brave, and experienced officer.” The acquittal of Keppel was followed by illuminations and other demonstrations of joy on the part of the public, with whom he was in favour; and he also received the thanks of the city and the two houses of parliament. On the other hand, the house of Sir Hugh Palliser was broken open by a mob at midnight, and the whole of the furniture either destroyed or thrown out of the window, while effigies of the vice-admiral were carried about suspended by the neck and afterwards burnt. Work for the glaziers was also made by the destruction of the windows of the Admiralty, and of the houses of Lords George Germaine and North. The mob even took the great gate of the Admiralty from its hinges, and having collected all the sedan chairs in the neighbourhood made a great bonfire in the court-yard. Sixteen of the mob were afterwards captured by the soldiers, and the rest were dispersed. A day or two after this, as the acquittal of Keppel seemed to cast a stigma on the character of Sir Hugh Palliser he demanded a court-martial on himself; first giving up his seat in parliament and all his offices except that of vice-admiral. His trial was held on board the “Sandwich,” in Portsmouth harbour and after the lapse of twenty-one days the sentence of the court was:—“That, though his conduct and behaviour in battle had been in many respects highly exemplary and meritorious; they, at the same time, could not help thinking it was incumbent upon him to have made known to his commander-in-chief the disabled state of his ship, to which he attributed his not joining; but that, notwithstanding his omission in this particular, they were of opinion that he was not in any other respect chargeable with misconduct or misbehaviour, and that, therefore, they fully acquitted him.” Such was the termination of this ill-judged contest, which was rather a contest between the two parties of Whig and Tory than for personal honour and integrity of conduct. Though both were acquitted, their reputations were injured by their trials, for neither of them was ever afterwards employed in active service.
ATTACKS ON LORD SANDWICH.
That the trials of Keppel and Palliser were essentially party struggles is proved by after proceedings in both houses of parliament. After the Christmas recess, Mr. Fox moved a vote of censure upon Lord Sandwich for sending Admiral Keppel to sea in the first instance with only twenty ships of the line, and four frigates, at a time when a French fleet, consisting, as there was reason to believe, of thirty-two ships of the line, and certainly of twenty-seven with a great number of frigates, was at Brest, and ready to put to sea; thereby hazarding the safety of the kingdom. Fox also announced his intention of moving an address for the removal of the first lord of the admiralty; asserting that there were facts existing which would warrant his impeachment by the house. Keppel, who had determined to resign his command of the fleet, joined in this attack upon Sandwich, by declaring that on his first taking the command, the fleet was in no very good condition; that afterwards the admiralty-board had made some exertions, but even then had sent him to sea too weak; that he believed the French fleet was as strong as was represented in the papers which he found on board the frigates he had captured; and that, upon that conviction, he was for the first time obliged to turn his back upon the enemy. Lords North and Mulgrave defended Sandwich and the admiralty-board; imputing some blame to Keppel, and the motion was negatived by two hundred and four against one hundred and seventy. Subsequently, Mr. Fox moved that the state of the navy at the breaking out of the war was inadequate to the exigencies of the service. In his speech, Fox observed, that nothing but good fortune had saved the country from invasion and destruction; but Lord Mulgrave, in reply, said, that all the “good fortune” had been on the side of France—that nothing but “good fortune” had saved d’Orvilliers from Keppel, and d’Estaing from Lord Howe. The latter admiral, who was now in the house, showed that he was scarcely in a better temper with the administration than was Keppel. He declared that he had been deceived in accepting the command in America; that he had been ill-used while he held that command; and that he would never again accept active service under the existing ministry. On this occasion, Fox’s motion was lost, but a few days after he moved that the omission to reinforce Lord Howe in America before the month of June, and the not sending a fleet to the Mediterranean, were instances of gross misconduct and neglect. Fox was again outvoted, yet on the 19th of April he made his promised motion for dismissing Lord Sandwich from his majesty’s presence and councils for ever. This motion was likewise negatived, and a similar motion, made a few days after in the upper house by the Earl of Bristol, shared the same fate. Other motions hostile to Sandwich were made in both houses, but they were all lost by majorities of nearly two to one. But even these large majorities exhibited the waning influence and popularity of the administration; for in the earlier days of Lord North’s government the majorities were usually four to one.