having collected all
the sedan chairs in the neighbourhood made a great bonfire in the
court-yard. Sixteen of the mob were afterwards captured by the soldiers,
and the rest were dispersed. A day or two after this, as the acquittal
of Keppel seemed to cast a stigma on the character of Sir Hugh Palliser
he demanded a court-martial on himself; first giving up his seat in
parliament and all his offices except that of vice-admiral. His trial
was held on board the "Sandwich," in Portsmouth harbour and after the
lapse of twenty-one days the sentence of the court was:--"That, though
his conduct and behaviour in battle had been in many respects highly
exemplary and meritorious; they, at the same time, could not
help thinking it was incumbent upon him to have made known to his
commander-in-chief the disabled state of his ship, to which he
attributed his not joining; but that, notwithstanding his omission
in this particular, they were of opinion that he was not in any other
respect chargeable with misconduct or misbehaviour, and that, therefore,
they fully acquitted him." Such was the termination of this ill-judged
contest, which was rather a contest between the two parties of Whig and
Tory than for personal honour and integrity of conduct. Though both were
acquitted, their reputations were injured by their trials, for neither
of them was ever afterwards employed in active service.

ATTACKS ON LORD SANDWICH.

That the trials of Keppel and Palliser were essentially party struggles
is proved by after proceedings in both houses of parliament. After the
Christmas recess, Mr. Fox moved a vote of censure upon Lord Sandwich
for sending Admiral Keppel to sea in the first instance with only twenty
ships of the line, and four frigates, at a time when a French fleet,
consisting, as there was reason to believe, of thirty-two ships of the
line, and certainly of twenty-seven with a great number of frigates, was
at Brest, and ready to put to sea; thereby hazarding the safety of the
kingdom. Fox also announced his intention of moving an address for the
removal of the first lord of the admiralty; asserting that there were
facts existing which would warrant his impeachment by the house. Keppel,
who had determined to resign his command of the fleet, joined in this
attack upon Sandwich, by declaring that on his first taking the
command, the fleet was in no very good condition; that afterwards the
admiralty-board had made some exertions, but e