ere for Nelson to take umbrage at
and violate the treaty made by Foote in the British name? Foote had
made a good bargain by getting possession of the forts, and a better
and nobler one in making it part of his policy to save human life. We
wonder whether Nelson's anger did not arise from his being deprived of
some of the glory himself. He was desperately fond of it! In any case,
he let down England's name badly over the whole transaction.

Fox made a speech on it in the House of Commons which was, and will
ever continue to be, an awful indictment. There is nothing in the
French Revolution, or in the whole of Napoleon's career, that can be
compared with it for ferocity. Great efforts were made to fix the
responsibility for breach of faith on Captain Foote, but they failed,
since there was not a vestige of foundation on which a case could be
made against him, as the documents conclusively proved. He demanded a
court-martial, but his friends prevailed upon him to let his case rest
on the conclusive facts which were produced and made public and which
have never been questioned. There cannot be found a more astonishing
revelation of perfidy or inhuman violence in the archives of Europe
than that related by Mr. Fox. Here is an extract from his amazing
speech:--

When the right honourable gentleman speaks of the last campaign,
he does not mention the horrors by which some of these successes
were accompanied; Naples, for instance, has been, among others
(what is called) delivered; and yet, if I am rightly informed,
it has been stained and polluted by murders so ferocious, and
cruelties so abhorrent, that the heart shudders at the recital.
It has been said, that not only were the miserable victims of
the rage and brutality of the fanatics savagely murdered, but
that in many instances their _flesh_ was _devoured_ by the
cannibals, who are the advocates, if the rumours which are
circulated be true. I will mention a fact to give Ministers the
opportunity, if it be false, to wipe away the stain that must
otherwise affix on the British name. It is said that a party of
the Republican inhabitants at Naples took shelter in the
fortress of Castle del Uovo. They were besieged by a detachment
from the royal army, to whom they refused to surrender, but
demanded that a British officer should be brought forward, and
to him they capitulated. They made terms with him und