The critical period of American history, 1783-1789 / by John Fiske.

  • John Fiske
Date:
1899
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The critical period of American history, 1783-1789 / by John Fiske. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    over, makes no mention of it, though he describes others of less importance relating to the same event. Much history is concentrated in the picture. The battle of Sainte-Marie-Galante (or of the Saints), April 12, 1782,15 called by Captain Mahan the greatest naval battle in its results that had been fought in a century. {Influence of Sea Power on History, p. 485.) The victor, Sir George Rodney, was a Tory and had been appointed to his command by Lord North's ministry; he vi^as personally objectionable to the Whigs, who condemned him severely (and in my opinion justly) for his high- handed behaviour at St. Eustatius, Feb. 3, 17S1. (See my American Revo- lution, illustrated edition, vol. ii. p. 163.) On the other hand, a favourite Whig admiral was Hon. Augustus Keppel, son of the Earl of Albemarle. On July 27,177S, Admiral Keppel chased a French fleet off Ushant but failed to bring on a decisive action, though some broadsides were exchanged. A Tory subordinate, Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, charged Keppel with neg- lect of duty, and recriminations went on until both Keppel and Palliser were tried by court-martial and both were honourably acquitted. As the net result, Keppel was petted by the Whig statesmen, idolized by the London populace, ridiculed by the Tories, and furiously hated by the King. He became a member of Lord Rockingham's cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty, March 30, 1782, and was raised to the peerage as Viscount Keppel, April 27. On May I, before the news of Rodney's great victory had reached England, the ministry sent Admiral Pigot to the West Indies to supersede him, with a cold and almost insulting letter of recall. On May 18 came the news of the victory, and Lord North in Parliament said to the ministers : You have conquered, but you have conquered with the arms of Philip! In the foreground of the picture Rodney is treading upon the French flag, while Admiral de Grasse is surrendering his sword. Behind Grasse stand a party of woe-begone Frenchmen; behind Rodney are his hilarious jack tars bringing ashore boxes of louis d'or, etc., while a boat in the near back- ground shows tlie British ensign floating above the fleurs-de-lis. Over Rod- ney's head a viscount's coronet is descending from Jove the giver of vic- tory. A dilapidated building on the left does duty for the Admiralty office, and on its front is a hatchment, the symbol of mourning, enclosing an in- verted ship and rusty axe, and bearing the inscription 27th July, Gloria, referring to the date when Keppel's glory died off Ushant. Before the build- ing Lord North and the Earl of Sandwich, who had been his First Lord of the Admiralty, are walking jubilant; North exclaims, Ha, ha, ha, behold Augus- tus the 27th ! while Sandwich adds, Ha, ha, ha, new measures — send a pig [Pigot] to supersede a Lion ! In the left foreground stand a very disgusted trio. Fox exclaims, Damn the French for coming in his way, say I, and Keppel responds, 'T is the last fleet he shall have the opportunity of beat- ing, however ! The third figure can hardly be any other than the prime minister, Lord Rockingham, though it does not look much like him. His comment is, This is more than we expected, more than we wished. The discomfited ministers sent an express to prevent Admiral Pigot from sailing, but he had already started. The viscount's coronet never descended upon Rodney's head. He was raised to the peerage, but only as a baron, and was given a pension of £2,000 a year; the least the ministry could do in deference to public opinion. Count Aranda 19 From Blason de Espana : Libro de Oro de su Nobleza, tom. i. Autograph