is courage on many occasions, and perfectly
understood the whole discipline of the navy; but he was cool, cunning,
and vindictive. He had been treated superciliously by Matthews, and in
revenge took advantage of his errors and precipitation. To gratify this
passion, he betrayed the interest and glory of his country; for it is
not to be doubted, but that he might have come up in time to engage;
and, in that case, the fleets of France and Spain would, in all
likelihood, have been destroyed; but he intrenched himself within the
punctilios of discipline, and saw with pleasure his antagonist expose
himself to the hazard of death, ruin, and disgrace. Matthews himself,
in the sequel, sacrificed his duty to his resentment, in restraining
Lestock from pursuing and attacking the combined squadrons on the third
day after the engagement, when they appeared disabled and in manifest
disorder, and would have fallen an easy prey had they been vigorously
attacked. One can hardly, without indignation, reflect upon these
instances in which a community has so severely suffered from the
personal animosity of individuals. The miscarriage off Toulon became
the subject of a parliamentary inquiry in England. The commons, in an
address to the throne, desired that a court-martial might be appointed
to try the delinquents. By this time Lestock had accused Matthews, and
all the captains of his division who misbehaved on the day of battle.
The court-martial was constituted, and proceeded to trial. Several
commanders of ships were cashiered; vice-admiral Lestock was honourably
acquitted, and admiral Matthews rendered incapable of serving for the
future in his majesty's navy. All the world knew that Lestock kept
aloof, and that Matthews rushed into the hottest part of the engagement.
Yet the former triumphed on his trial, and the latter narrowly escaped
the sentence of death for cowardice and misconduct. Such decisions are
not to be accounted for, except from prejudice and faction. The war in
Germany, which had been almost extinguished in the last campaign, began
to revive, and raged with redoubled violence. The emperor had solicited
the mediation of his Britannic majesty, for compromising the differences
between him and the court of Vienna. Prince William of Hesse-Cassel had
conferred with the king of England on this subject; and a negotiation
was begun at Hanau. The emperor offered to dismiss the French
auxiliaries, provided the Austrians would evacua