r. The French squadron had in the meantime been
reinforced by one French and five Spanish ships of the line, and on the
12th it made a fresh attempt to reach Cadiz; it was, however, engaged in
the Straits by Saumarez with five ships of the line. In the ensuing
battle two Spanish ships blew up, and the French _Saint Antoine_ was
captured. The remainder succeeded in reaching Cadiz, but Saumarez was
able to resume the blockade a few weeks later.

Meanwhile there was no relaxation of French preparations for an invasion
of England, or of naval activity on the part of Great Britain. No sooner
had Nelson returned from the Baltic than he was, on July 24, placed in
command of a "squadron on a particular service," charged with the
defence of the coast from Beachy Head to Orfordness. With this he not
only blockaded the northern French ports, but assumed the aggressive,
and bombarded the vessels therein collected. A more daring attempt to
cut out the flotilla moored at Boulogne by a boat attack was repelled
with some loss on the night of August 15. But couriers under flags of
truce were already passing between London and Paris, and hostilities
ceased in the autumn of the year 1801.

[Pageheading: _THE QUESTION OF MALTA._]

The history of the negotiations which ended in the peace of Amiens
derives a special interest from the events which followed it. The
earliest overtures for peace were made by Hawkesbury on March 21, 1801.
At first Bonaparte refused to listen to them, but the destruction of the
northern confederacy inclined him to more pacific counsels. On April 14
the British government stated its demands. They mark a distinct advance
on those which had been made in vain at Lille in 1797. France was to
evacuate Egypt, and Great Britain Minorca, but Great Britain claimed to
retain Malta, Tobago, Martinique, Trinidad, Essequibo, Demerara,
Berbice, and Ceylon. She was willing to surrender the Cape of Good Hope
on condition that it became a free port, and stipulated that an
indemnity should be provided for the Prince of Orange. At the outset,
Bonaparte opposed all cessions by France and her allies, but the steady
improvement in the fortunes of England in the north and in Egypt at last
determined him to grant some of the British demands, and as the
evacuation of Egypt became inevitable, he was resolved to gain something
in exchange for it before it was too late. The preliminary treaty was
accordingly signed by Bonaparte's agent Otto