governed the country. He then proposed to the French people to set up a form of government of which he was to be the head, with the name of the First Consul. This proposal was accepted, and from that time the French allowed Bonaparte to rule them as he pleased. He led an army into Italy, beat the Austrians, and made a treaty of peace, by which it was arranged that France should extend as far as the

Rhine. England was now the only country at war with France. It made matters worse that the states on the Baltic were preparing to resist England, because English ships of war stopped their trading vessels, to see if they had any goods on board intended for the use of the French Government. Admiral Hyde Parker was sent with a fleet to the Baltic. Nelson was his second in command, and

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.

FROM

CHAPTER XL.

THE

THE PEACE OF AMIENS TO 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 intention 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.

2. Projected Invasion of England. Before the Peace of Amiens there had been many people who disliked the war with France. Scarcely any one had a good word for Bonaparte now. He had begun 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 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