ty,--but by some of her proceedings
raised the suspicion that her fleet was really destined to act along
with that of the invader. The English government resolved to bring this
matter to the test: and a squadron of four ships demanded a similar
force of the Spaniards to yield themselves into their keeping as a
pledge of neutrality. The British squadron sent on such an errand ought,
on every principle of policy and humanity, to have been much stronger
than that which Commodore Moore commanded on this occasion. The
Castilian pride took fire at the idea of striking to an equal foe; and,
unhappily, an action took place, in which three of the Spanish ships
were captured, and one blown up. This catastrophe determined, as might
have been expected, the wavering counsels of Madrid. Spain declared war
against England, and placed her fleets at the command of the French
Emperor.

Two of his own squadrons, meantime, had, in pursuance of the great
scheme traced for the ruin of England, escaped early in this year out of
Rochefort and Toulon. The former, passing into the West Indies, effected
some trivial services, and returned in safety to their original port.
The latter, under Villeneuve, had like fortune; and, venturing on a
second sortie, joined the great Spanish fleet under Gravina at Cadiz.
The combined fleets then crossed the Atlantic, where they captured an
insignificant island, and once more returned towards Europe. Nelson had
spent the summer in chasing these squadrons across the seas--and on this
occasion they once more eluded his grasp: but on approaching Cape
Finisterre (22nd July), another English squadron of fifteen sail of the
line and two frigates, under Sir Robert Calder, came in view: and the
allied admirals, having twenty sail of the line, three fifty-gun ships,
and four frigates, did not avoid the encounter. They were worsted,
notwithstanding their superiority of strength, and Calder captured two
of their best ships. But that they escaped from an English fleet,
howsoever inferior in numbers, without sustaining severer loss than
this, was considered as a disgrace by the British public.--Calder, being
tried by a court-martial, was actually censured for not having improved
his success more signally; a striking example of the height to which
confidence in the naval superiority of the English had been raised, at
the very time when no arm appeared capable of thwarting the career of
French victory by land.

Villeneuve a