so treasonable a project. I was not on that side of India during my last voyage, and I never directly or indirectly had any intercourse whatever with any enemy of my country. Various other instances of similar conduct on the part of the newspapers have occurred; advertisements, have been inserted for evidence or information against me; and a pamphlet published, called a Discourse, foisted on the public as a discussion on Copenhagen, but evidently meant as an attack upon me; the preface and appendix constituting more than two thirds of the book, full of the grossest scurrilities, evidently meant to prepare the country for the present attack on me, although it happened the honourable gentleman never heard of the Etrusco till the morning he first presented himself to the house on the subject! This author has also endeavoured to administer another species of poison to the public, by insidiously stating that I had only been so many years afloat after my promotion; that, sir, was my misfortune; I had not ins tercst enough to get a frigate, nor could I, without a des reliction of my bounden duty, refuse to be employed by his majesty's government in the various manners in which they have chosen for the last fifteen years to direct my exertions. Nothing, sir, can more thoroughly mark the rancour exercised against me, than an attack which an honourable gentleman made upon me, with so becoming and well-timed a liberality, at the moment the safety of my life was a questionable point in the opinions of my physicians; not as a relevant topic of debate, but to make an impresion, against me while I was arraigned under a most serious charge; for I am certain my appointment as captain of the Baltic fleet, could have no reference whatever to the provisioning of the Rochfort squadron; and yet the honourable gentleman, in a most unqualified manner, while arraigning the noble lord's conduct who has so successfully presided at the head of the board of admiralty, says, "his appointment of sir Home Popham to be cap tain of the Baltic fleet was an outrage, and disgusted every officer in the fleet," Now, sir, I will tell that honourable gentleman that the appointment he alluded to was not what he has been pleased to describe it. This house shall choose between that honourable gentleman's high authority, and the opinions of two officers of the first rank and character in the service, (whose letters happened not, like several others on the same subject, to be destroyed :) the

senior, an admiral nearly related to a noble lord sitting on the opposite bench; and the junior, a vice admiral, sir Thomas Graves, who has had the honohr of receiving the thanks of this house and the highest mark of his sove reign's approbation, added to what is equally dear to him, the most unequivocal testimony of that illustrious hero lord Nelson, of his meritorious conduct on the occasion for which these honours were given. July 17th, 1807. My dear sir, I was very happy to find from admiral Gambier that you have absolutely received your appointment as captain of the fleet; I rejoice in it, in this instance, more than I should probably in any other, because you are so well acquainted with the Baltic, where the fleet is supposed to be going: I think from your great professional knowledge, resource, and activity, lord Mulgrave could not have made a more judicious choice for .the appointment. I have long known your admiral : lie is a most honourable man; and although you have never been on service with him, I am certain your assiduity will gain his good opinion. I wish my flag had been haisted; I should have rejoiced in acting hand in hand with you: much success attend you, and believe me, my dear sir, very truly yours, C. P. Hamilton.Extract of a letter - from vice admiral sit Thomas Grates. July 22nd, 1807. It does not appear that they are certain who are to A be yout flag officersy though doubtless long since appointed; all agree that you are captain of the feet, which, tit is said, will consist of twenty or thirty sail of the line; an invincible force, in which your genius and talents will have ample scope and I think the situation you hold in the expedition is as creditable to those who appointed you, as I am persuaded it will be advantageous to the public, and honourable to yourself and the service." I will submit -to the house, whether the opinion of these officers, written at a moment when they little expected I should take the liberty of making it public, added to the opinion of three very respectable officers who were then at the board of ad. miralty, ought not to have more weight in the decision of the noble lord, than the extraordinary acquirements upon those topics of the honourable gentleman. I will also, if the house will allow the to read a few more letters, give most auhanswerable proof that the other allegation is the reverse of true," that every officer was disgusted with my appointment." I am really quite ashamed to trespass so

much on the house; but really, sir, the honourable gen tleman did so forcibly press the unpopularity of my appointment, that I cannot refrain from attempting to remove such an impresión. April 9th, 1808. My dear sir; having observed in the newspapers an assertion made in the house of commons, that your late appointment as captain of the fleet gave disgust to every officer in the expedition to Copenhagon, I feel it my duty as one of the captains employed on that service; to assure you, that so far from being disgusted or displeased, it gave me most sincere pleasure to see you in a situation Pconceived you so perfectly calculated to fill with credit to yourself and to your country; an opinion most fully confirmed by my observations on your zeal and unwearied exertions at Coponhagen; and I have much satisfaction in saying, I express not my own sentiments, but those of all my brother officers I was in the habits of intimacy with, which I beTieve includes the greater proportion of the fleet. I have only to add, that I shall rejoice most heartily to see you again in a situation to call forth your talents for the good of the service. Hamy thy dear sir, &c.Extract of a letter from a captain in the Baltic fleets April 18th, 1808 Our friends here inform me you are about to be employed again, who witnessed your unremitting (exertions and abilities at Copenhagen, with the general satisfaction ymrogave both army and navy, should be, betCiteriopleased that you were in the same situation again, rather than in command of a single ship?"Extract, "March: d0th, 1808 observe by the debates of the 2.4th instant, von the subject of sir Richard Strachan's squadron, that Mr. Calcraft has asserted, that lord Mulgrave has committed an outrage on the service bysappointing you captain of the fleet, which gave universal dissatisfaction. Inever had the pleasure of being introduced to you antik your acceptance of that appointment ; but previous to your arrival at Yarmouth, a report was in circulation that some officers intended to remonstrate against your appointment, and which very naturally, from the novelty of such a proceeding, became the subject of conversation among the captains, and as far as I could learn in the first instance; they viewed the report more as a squib than any serious intention to remonstrate. Erhave ever considered it to be the province of a commander in chief, to nominate officers who are to be in confidential situa

tions about him, especially as in your case: that nomination came within precedents established, not only at home but abroad, and I was sorry to find that the least differ ence of opinion should have existed on the propriety of your appointment. It is impossible for a captain of a fleet to give universal satisfaction to those under his direction; but from your unremitting zeal for the service, the perfect arrangement of your plans, your exertion in the execution of them, and your personal attention to the officers of the fleet, I heard you spoken of by the captains with whom I was in the habits of intimacy, in the fleet, in terms which reflect the highest honour on your character and conduct; and I really feel myself called upon to communicate those my sentiments to you. I must beg leave at the same time to say, I totally disclaim attaching myself to any party: I only come forward to assure you my name cannot be enrolled among those who are represented by Mr. Calcraft as disgusted with your appointment under lord Gambier; and I am convinced that many of my brother officers who are now at sea would, if they were in England, be glad to avail themselves of an opportunity to do you similar justice."-" April 9th, 180. Dear sir, I was astonished to see reported in a newspaper in a late de bate in the house of commons, an assertion made use of by Mr. Calcraft, expressing that my lord Mulgrave had com mitted an outrage to the service in a pointing you captain of the fleet, on the late Baltic expedition; and if my me mory does not fail me, he said, disgusting to his brother officers.' Such an assertion calls on the captains of that flect to express their mind; and I, who had opportunity of seeing your great and zealous exertions, both in the flect and on shore, and of hearing the sentiments of navy and army, feel that an outrage has been committed against lord Mulgrave and yourself, and against the sentiments of the captains of that feet. It is true, I read in a newspaper when off Copenhagen, that some disapprobation had been expressed by the captains at your appointment; but I do affirm that I never heard an expression, direct or indirect, tending to insinuate such a sentiment by any of my brother officers; on the contrary, there appeared to me but onc opinion, that of the greatest confidence in your abilities, and approbation at your being selected to fill so honour able and arduous a situation on an expedition' so big with · VOL. II-1208.. 20

great events. I can only lament that your being now ap pointed to the command of a ship will, in a great degree, cramp your exertions, but I sincerely hope the time is not far distant when the country will reap the benefit of your great abilities on a greater and wider scale. With every sentiment, &c."-Extract: " March 12th, 1808. AIthough Mr. Calcraft has taken upon himself to assert in the house of commons that your appointment as captain of the Baltic fleet gave universal disgust, I do assure you 'it is not a fact. Some few officers made some objections, but I am certain four-fifths were decidedly in your favour; and as to your conduct after your appointment, it was such, in personal attention, arrangement, promptitude, : unceasing exertion, and zeal in the faithful discharge of your duty, as obtained you the highest credit with every officer I conversed with on the subject. I am, &c." Extract: "May 10th, 1808. I want words to express my astonishment at the observations (respecting your ap pointment as captain of the Baltic flcet) made by Mr. Calcraft; as the fact is, that so far from an outrage, it was conformable to several precedents, and so popular in the fleet, that I never heard one dissenting voice; and on the conclusion of the service, every officer in the fleet, in their ge neral conversation, bore the highest testimony to the impartiality, unremitted zeal, promptitude, spirit, activity, most gentlemanlike and congenial deportment, with which you conducted yourself, and thereby gave such cheerful and universal satisfaction. As to myself, who have serv ed upwards of thirty years in the navy, I can only observe, that I think the country highly indebted to lord Mulgrave for his discernment and judicious selection, in appointing yon captain of the Baltic fleet."-These letters are written by officers, who either commanded line of battle ships in the expedition, to Copenhagen, or do command them now; many of them I never saw before that expedition, and probably it will be well not to read their names, as it may tend to some party irritation; but that will rest with the honourable gentleman. I trust the house will excuse me for taking up so much of its time, but I must ask the honourable gentleman whe her, if any prejudices existed to my ap pointment, any had manifested themselves to my conduct in that appointment? I shall feel the greatest obligation to that ho ourable gentleman if he will produce any three officers, and I will give him the wide range of an exten