when the fleet arrived near Copenhagen, Parker directed Nelson to attack the Danish fleet. What followed has been told by the poet Campbell.

Of Nelson and the North,
Sing the glorious day's renown,
When to battle fierce came forth
All the might of Denmark's crown,

And her arms along the deep proudly shone.

By each gun the lighted brand,

In a bold determined hand,

And the Prince of all the land

Led them on.

Like Leviathans afloat,

Lay their bulwarks on the brine,
While the sign of battle flew
On the lofty British line.

It was ten of April morn by the chime

As they drifted on their path,

There was silence deep as death,
And the boldest held their breath
For a time.

For some hours the battle raged fiercely. The Danes fought bravely. Admiral Parker, who remained at a distance, thought that it would be impossible to beat them. He hoisted a signal to Nelson, ordering him to stop fighting. Nelson, who had some years before lost the sight of one eye, put his telescope to his blind eye, and declared that he could not see the signal. He ordered his ships to go on with the battle.

Again! again! again!

And the havoc did not slack,

Till a feeble cheer the Dane

To our cheering sent us back;

Their shots along the deep slowly boom,

Then cease--and all is wail,

As they strike the shattered sail;
Or, in conflagration pale,
Light the gloom.

Out spoke the victor then,

As he hailed them o'er the wave,
'Ye are brothers! ye are men !
And we conquer but to save.

So peace instead of death let us bring,
But yield, proud foe, thy fleet,

With the crews, at England's feet,
And make submission meet

To our king.'

Nelson sent the wounded Danes on shore and told the Crown Prince, who ruled Denmark in his father's place, that he should consider this the greatest victory that he had ever gained, if it led to friendship between England and Denmark. When he landed, the people received him with shouts, to thank him for his kindness to the wounded.

14. The Expedition to Egypt and the Peace of Amiens.-About the same time that the battle of Copenhagen was fought, an expedition was sent to Egypt, to drive out the French who had been left behind by Napoleon. The French were defeated, and sent home to their own country. Not long afterwards, in 1802, a peace was signed at Amiens. between England and France, and fighting came to an end for a little time.

CHAPTER XL.

FROM THE PEACE OF AMIENS TO

THE

BEGINNING OF THE PENINSULAR WAR.

(1802-1808.)

1. End of the Peace of Amiens.-The Peace of Amiens did not last long. Bonaparte had no in tention of satisfying himself with ruling over France, even with the new countries which had been added to it. He seized upon part of Italy, sent troops into Switzerland, and interfered with the Dutch. The English Government had promised to give back Malta to the knights, but they now refused to do so unless the French would give up meddling with other countries. Bonaparte was very angry, and scolded the English ambassador. Before long the

war began again.

many people who Scarcely any one He had begun

2. Projected Invasion of England. Before the Peace of Amiens there had been disliked the war with France. had a good word for Bonaparte now. by seizing 10,000 English travellers who had gone to enjoy themselves in France. He shut them up in prisons, in which they remained for years. Then he made preparations for the invasion of England. All classes were roused to resist him. The merchants and tradesmen of London declared their readiness to do all that it was possible to do in defence of their country; and the same readiness to support the Government spread over the country.

When news came that a French army was being collected at Boulogne, and that boats were being built to carry it across the Straits of Dover, 60,000 volunteers offered to come forward to defend their homes. A few weeks later the number had risen to 300,000. A little later it had almost reached 380,000. Bonaparte had come down to Boulogne to review his army. He looked across the Channel. It is a ditch,' he wrote, 'that will be leaped over when we shall have the boldness to make the attempt.' He did not intend, however, to send his boats laden with soldiers across the sea without protection. He had a plan in his head by which he hoped before long to have a fleet in the Channel to guard the passage. In the meanwhile the English volunteers were busily drilling. The King reviewed the London regiments in Hyde Park. Pitt became an officer of volunteers, and exercised his men diligently.

3. Pitt's Second Ministry. Naturally enough, there was a strong wish in the country to have a better Prime Minister than Addington. After some time Addington resigned, and the King sent for Pitt. Pitt proposed that a ministry should be formed composed of the best men of both parties. Both Whigs and Tories were equally ready to defend England against invasion, and why should they not all work together? Pitt proposed that Fox should join the ministry. He had been bitterly opposed to Pitt, but Pitt was ready to be reconciled. Fox. too, was ready to be reconciled. The King would not hear of employing Fox, whom he had

never forgiven for joining North in the Coalition Ministry. The others who had been Pitt's colleagues in his last ministry refused to join him now if Fox was to be excluded. One of these was Lord Grenville. I will teach that, proud man,' said Pitt, 'that I can do without him.' Pitt became Prime Minister, but he had to fill the other offices with men most of whom were not at all fit for such important posts.

4. Napoleon's Plan for invading England.-Not long after Pitt became Prime Minister, Bonaparte changed his title. He was now Napoleon, Emperor of the French. The Pope came all the way to Paris to crown him. Napoleon took the crown himself and placed it on his own head. His plan for bringing a fleet into the Channel was now ready to be carried out. He had persuaded the King of Spain to join him in the war against England. By Napoleon's orders a French fleet came out of Toulon, passed the Straits of Gibraltar to Cadiz, picked up a Spanish fleet which was there, and sailed off to the West Indies. Napoleon expected that the English fleet would follow it there, and would lose time, whilst the French and Spanish ships returned to Europe, and joined another French fleet which was at Brest. All of them together were to sail up the Channel, and guard the Straits of Dover whilst his army. crossed. The first part of his expectation was fulfilled. Nelson, with only thirteen ships, crossed the Atlantic in pursuit of the thirty ships of the enemy. When he heard that they had left the West Indies he came after them. He did not catch