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Home The French Revolution and the Great War, 1789-1802 Isolation of Great Britain and her Victories on Sea, 1797-1798 |
Isolation of Great Britain and her Victories on Sea, 1797-1798The chance of crushing France had been lost in 1793, and four years later - in 1797 - Great Britain found herself in a desperate position. France held the whole of the Netherlands and controlled the Dutch fleet; by an alliance with Spain she practically controlled the Spanish fleet as well. Great Britain herself had no ally upon the Continent Scotland was dissatisfied and Ireland on the verge of rebellion. Consols had sunk to 50, and there was a run on the Bank of England. Worst of all, the seamen mutinied. At Spithead they protested against many real grievances - the lowness of the pay, the embezzlement of part of it by the paymasters, the insufficiency of the food, the severity of the discipline, and the shortness of leave; and when they were promised redress by "Black Dick", as the sailors lovingly called Lord Howe, the mutiny ended. At the Nore, Parker, the leader of the mutineers, was infected with revolutionary ideaSc He wanted the seamen to elect their own officers, and hoisted the red flag of anarchy. But the Government showed energy, the mutiny was suppressed and its leader hanged.Nevertheless it was the navy which in this, as in other critical years, was to save Great Britain, In February, before the mutinies, Jervis, afterwards created Lord St Vincent, beat the Spanish fleet off Cafe St. Vincent. In the battle Nelson distinguished himself. The Spanish fleet was sighted in two divisions, and Jervis was manoeuvring to keep the sections apart. Nelson, divining his chief's intentions, at the critical moment took the responsibility, without orders, of swinging his vessel out of the line, and was just in time to attack the leading Spanish ships of one division as they were on the point of getting into touch with the other. In October, after the mutinies were over, Duncan defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown in the Texel (During the mutiny the British had kept up their blockade of the Dutch fleet with only two ships, as all the others mutinied. Duncan, the admiral, kept making signals to the mutinous ships as if they were still under his command, and the Dutch fleet consequently did not stir). Getting in between the Dutch and the shore, he fought them pell-mell without any order or system, and won a notable victory. 1797-1798; Part 2 |
Chronology |
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