A Letter to Lord Robert Bertie Relating to His Conduct in the Mediterranean, and His Defence of Admiral Byng

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  A LETTER TO
  Lord ROBERT BERTIE.


  [Price One Shilling.]




  A LETTER TO
  Lord ROBERT BERTIE,
  Relating to his
  CONDUCT in the Mediterranean,
  AND HIS
  DEFENCE of Admiral BYNG.


    Hic unde vitam sumeret inscius
    Pacem duello miscuit. O pudor!
    O magna Carthago! probrosis
    Altior Italiæ ruinis!

                              HOR.


  LONDON:
  Printed for R. GRIFFITHS, in Pater-noster
  Row. MDCCLVII.




A LETTER TO Lord ROBERT BERTIE.


MY LORD,

Characters like your's, are regarded with impartial Attention by human
Society, and the World will impatiently expect something in your Conduct
suitable to your Rank and Dignity. Those who are intrusted with the
Charter of our Liberties, or the Revenge of our Wrongs, are laid under the
strongest Obligations which Honour or Gratitude can impose, to maintain
the Rights and execute the Resentment of their Country; but if they fail
to exert themselves to the utmost for this Purpose, the People, naturally
fretful at their Losses, will not forbear reflecting on the supposed
Authors of their Misfortunes. And when they call to mind that indelible
Disgrace which has befallen them in the _Mediterranean_, it's possible
they may mingle too much Petulance and Severity in their Censures upon
those who were concerned in that unfortunate Expedition.

I am extremely sorry, my Lord, to find your Name in the Number of those to
whose Misconduct that fatal Defeat is attributed. You have been marked out
by the Indignation of the Publick, and maliciously charged with Principles
the most remote from your Heart, and Designs. No Person, I can assure you,
was more assiduous in vindicating your Fame, than the Author of this
Address; and it was not without the utmost Reluctance, that I ever
suffered myself to entertain any Suspicion of the Wisdom or Activity of
your Conduct: But since you have espoused the Cause of the Admiral, now
under Condemnation, with so much Warmth and Solicitude, I fear your
Sentiments are no longer a Doubt, nor your Behaviour altogether capable of
such an honourable Construction as your Friends could wish.

I shall therefore take that Liberty which, as one of your Constituents, I
may claim, of canvassing the Merits of that Transaction in which your
Lordship had a considerable Share; and as I shall endeavour to preserve an
inviolable Regard to Truth, without Partiality or Rancour, I hope you will
esteem these Remonstrances as the Observations of a Friend, solicitous for
your Reputation; and not of an Enemy, exulting in your Adversity. These
are the unanimous Sentiments of your Constituents, who think themselves
so far interested in the Fate of their Representative, as to be honoured
by his Glory, and wounded by his Disgrace; who are more publick-spirited
than to justify an unworthy Member, and more generous than to desert a
faithful Officer, tho' the popular Cry be against him.--The principal
Objections against your Lordship's Conduct, on which I shall now freely
animadvert, are the Part you acted in the _Mediterranean_, and the Defence
you have made at home.

With relation to the first, my Lord, I believe that your Friends and
Enemies both lamented that terrible Oversight in the Administration, which
neglected to prepare so invaluable a Fortress, as _St. Philip_'s, for
every Contingency whatsoever; and, when it was besieged, heartily wished
that that Detachment, which your Lordship commanded, had been stronger for
its Relief. They apprehended that it was not politick, considering the
precarious Events of War, to trust to a small Number, from an ostentatious
Confidence of our Strength, or an ill-judged Frugality, when greater
Forces might have been sent, consistent with our Safety at home.

But it unfortunately happened, that those few on board were all that
_Gibraltar_ could spare. _Minorca_ was exposed to a furious Storm, the
General was brave, and the Garrison sustained the Attack with undaunted
Resolution. But Valour cannot surmount all Difficulties, Courage cannot
stifle the Demands of Nature, nor the greatest Spirits persevere without
some Relaxation from Hardship and Fatigue: They had to encounter with the
intense Heat of the Climate, and were denied the necessary Refreshment of
Repose. In these Circumstances, what Transports of Pleasure would the
Sight of a _British_ Fleet inspire? How chearfully would they exert all
their remaining Strength, in hopes of being speedily supplied with all the
Necessaries their Distresses required? What noble Efforts must they make,
when they saw a fresh Reinforcement of Men flying as swift as possible to
their Assistance? The smallest Detachment that could have been landed,
attended with Stores and Provisions, would have revived their Courage,
animated their Spirits, and possibly might intirely have defeated the
Designs of our Enemies. What Motives of an opposite Nature could sway with
such weighty Considerations? What Danger could there be in attempting to
land? What Hesitation could there be about the Expediency of it? What
Council, good God! could deliberate a Moment, whether they should help
their Friends, or abandon them to Destruction? The Reasons which were
urged against that Enterprize, were not on account of the Smallness of
the Detachment, but the Danger of entering the Harbour, which would have
been equally conclusive against the most numerous Body, which must have
suffered more from the Fire of their Cannon than a few, and would deter us
from performing any Exploits which are attended with the least Degree of
Danger or Inconvenience. But admitting the Truth of that Assertion you
have frequently maintained, 'That all the Assistance you was capable of
bringing would have been no effectual Relief; and, at best, could but have
protracted the Siege a few Days;' admitting, I say, that the Presence and
Encouragement of so many superior Officers would not have accomplished
that desireable End, yet you would have stood acquitted, and glorious, in
the Eyes of your Country, and of Posterity. The Guilt would have been
confined intirely to those who sent you out in so miserable a Plight: We
should have pitied and applauded the gallant Efforts of that Bravery which
was not crowned with Success; we should have resigned the Place with less
Regret, when it was so dearly bought.--But, alas! we did not put it in the
Power of Fortune to save us: The least Evil was not hazarded; we had not
the Pain of seeing our Friends overcome by a superior Enemy; your Valour
was reserved for a nobler Theatre, and your Eloquence spared for a more
glorious Occasion.

There is one Circumstance, my Lord, which I shall mention, as it just
occurs to my Mind. If I forget not, it was agreed in Council, that the
Enemy could never neglect planting Cannon on such advantageous Places, as
those two opposite Points which command the Avenue of the Harbour. Now as
you did not approach so near the Place as to be Spectators of any
dreadful Artillery planted to intercept Relief, this Opinion must be
wholly founded on Conjecture; and you had as much Reason to apprehend it
while at _Gibraltar_, as after the 20th of _May_; and if so, would it not
have been more prudent to have staid at _Gibraltar_, than have put your
Men on board a Squadron so imperfectly equipped, destitute of Hospital and
Store-ships, where they could be of no Service, where they must consume
the Provisions of the Fleet, and be liable to the Sickness which attends a
close Confinement? Who could have objected to you the Disobedience of
Orders then, if they acquit you now? How ridiculously must you pretend to
say, that the Commands of Majesty were obeyed, when the least Attempt was
never made to land the Reinforcements at that Place where it was only in
their Power to be of any Service? I defy all History to produce any
Instance when the Orders of a Sovereign, and the Possessions of a Kingdom,
were ever so infamously disregarded, under the Sanction of a Council!

I have nothing, at present, to say concerning the Engagement betwixt the
two Admirals, as your Lordship's Fame was not interested in the Event; and
whatever Benefit the Squadron might be supposed to receive from the
Continuance of your Regiment on board, I presume you will not ascribe to
them the Merit of having defeated the Enemy. The principal Figure you had
the Honour to make, was in the decisive Resolution, agreed upon in
Council, of returning to _Gibraltar_. I don't suppose your Lordship was
more forward in promoting that Determination, than any of those that
composed that honourable Body. As to the Losses and Situation of the
Fleet, I don't doubt but they might be represented to you in such a Light,
that it might appear wise and necessary to repair to _Gibraltar_ to
refit, before you ventured upon another Engagement; but how any other
Reasons could impose upon your Judgment to consent to so infamous a
Retreat, I cannot conceive; and am amazed and confounded when I think of
it.--Could it ever seriously be urged, that the _French_ Fleet designed to
escape thro' the _Streights_, in order to join a Squadron from _Brest_,
and so do some terrible Mischief, the Lord knows where?----What
unaccountable Panick could seize you, in behalf of _Gibraltar_? Were not
all their Efforts exerted, all their Armaments drained, all their
Magazines exhausted, to carry on the Siege at _Minorca_?--besides the
Strength they borrowed of the _Genoese_.

What Alarms could _Gibraltar_ apprehend, unless Ships were to rise from
the Deep, or an Army drop from the Skies?----Whatever they might boast of
the Strength and Cleanness of their Fleet, they must have sustained some
Damage in the Engagement: They must be weakened and disabled by the brisk
Firing of Mr. _West_'s Division; not to mention the immense Quantity of
Powder and Ball discharged from the _Ramillies_, which surely could not be
expended in vain.--Yet, notwithstanding these Reasons, it appeared more
eligible to you to retire, than to answer the Design of your Expedition.

I would not be understood to reflect on the Valour of those Officers who
embarked along with you; and you might think it a Deference due to them to
acquiesce in their Sentiments.--But yet, my Lord, had you considered, with
due Attention, the Distresses of the Place--the Certainty of its falling
into the Hands of the _French_, if not relieved--the grand Purpose for
which you was sent--and the Censures to which you would stand peculiarly
exposed, as Commander of the Regiment on board----I am persuaded you
would have been the first for landing the Reinforcement, and have
indignantly rejected a Proposal for abandoning a Fortress so valuable,
unassisted, unrelieved.----Whatever Danger might have attended the
Enterprize, would have redounded to your Glory----and your Neutrality, at
least, would have endeared you to the eternal Esteem of your Friends, and
recommended you to greater Honours than we can confer.----What Pleasure
would it give to those who have the least Connection with you, to find
your Resolution so singularly distinguished, and your Zeal for your
Country so warm, as to surmount every Obstacle, every Difficulty,
attending its Defence! I remember to have read of a great General, whose
Example should be the Model of every Soldier, that having convened a
Council to debate upon some important Enterprize, then in Agitation, and
finding them discontented with his Proposal, he upbraided their Timidity,
gave them Liberty to return, and declared that he would march forward with
his own fifth Legion alone!----His Reproach had a just Effect upon them,
and inspired them with such Shame and Indignation as rekindled their
Courage, and carried them thro' the greatest Difficulties with
uninterrupted Success.

My Lord, I should not have expostulated with you so freely, had I not been
assured that the intended Reinforcement was practicable, and might have
been successful. History affords many Instances of Garrisons, in Strength
much inferior to _St. Philip_'s, holding out against a more formidable
Enemy; and, whatever Representations may have been given of the romantick
Nature of the Attempt, if I should maintain that your own small Supply
would have been sufficient, I should be justified in the Assertion by the
most unexceptionable Authority.

There is great Reason to believe, that had the fatal Attack, on the 29th
of _June_, been repulsed from those Forts which were most defenceless, and
most surprized, as it might have been done with a very small Number more,
they never would have renewed it again with equal Fury, or equal
Advantage. And if there be any Weight in this Supposition, if there was
any Prospect of affording the Castle any Relief, we can't help being
astonished that any Danger should induce you to decline the Prosecution of
so glorious an Undertaking.----We cannot applaud the Voice you gave in the
Council, according to our present Apprehensions; and we must continue in
this Opinion, unless you shall vindicate your Conduct, and acquaint us
with those Views that influenced your Lordship's Determination. This a
Piece of Justice which the Honour of your Character requires, and which
your Friends expect. As your Electors, we beseech it; as the Subjects of
an insulted Kingdom, whose Losses are universally felt, we demand it at
your Hands.

Reflect, my Lord, (for your Country can never forget) what a long
Succescession of dreadful Consequences this Loss must extend to Futurity?
What additional Expences must the Protection of our Trade require, when
thus deprived of its Guardian? What Sums can insure the Return of our
Ships, exposed, as they must constantly be, to the Capture of our Enemies?
What Profit can attend that Commerce, which must always be liable to
irretrievable Losses? What Fleets of Convoys must be engaged for our
Defence, which might otherwise be employed to the Annoyance of the Enemy?
What aggravated Indignities we must receive from the most contemptible
Powers in the _Mediterranean_, who will look upon this Defeat as the
certain Token of the Ruin of our once invincible Navy.

Whoever considers this sad Concurrence of Misfortunes, and at the same
time the Enormity of the Disgrace we have sustained, will blush to find so
black a Period as this recorded in the Annals of _Great Britain_. Let it
never be remembered, what great and lasting Advantage might have been
reaped from the Defeat of the most rash Invasion that was ever undertaken,
how fatal a Wound we might have given to their Ambition, and what future
Hostilities might have been prevented. May Posterity forgive us for losing
the most glorious Opportunity of gaining a complete and final Triumph over
our Enemies, that Heaven ever gave. May not our Colonies reproach us for
all those Cruelties and Calamities, which this disastrous Event has
contributed to enhance and prolong.

And now, my Lord, I proceed to the Defence you have made in favour of the
Admiral, when the united Voice of his Country called upon him to answer
for his Conduct: And here you have espoused his Cause with a Solicitude
eager for his Safety, and with a Confidence which the Persuasion of his
Innocence could only create.----You was pleased to express the greatest
Surprize, that the Action on the 20th of _May_ should be so universally
condemned by the Nation; and to prevent your Friends from being carried
down the Tide of popular Clamour, you favoured them with a particular
Account of the Situation, Strength, and Armament of the two Squadrons. You
gave a particular Calculation of the Weight of Metal, the Number of Guns,
and Superiority of Men; from which it appears, that if no Confidence was
to be placed in the Valour and Activity of our Seamen, and the Experience
of our Commanders, we must inevitably lose the Victory.--To confirm this,
the State of our Fleet might be added, which has been so pathetically
represented as weak, destitute, and unprovided with necessary Stores and
Tenders, at a Time, alas! when it ought to have been invincible. Besides,
we have been told of the immense Rate at which our Enemy's Ships failed,
(if we were capable of being bubbled by so palpable an Imposition) which
must necessarily disappoint our most vigorous Efforts in the Chace.

And yet, notwithstanding these unsurmountable Difficulties, which it was
Mr. _Byng_'s peculiar Misfortune to encounter with, your Friends cannot
cease to believe, with the most exquisite Concern and Regret, that it was
in our Power to have destroyed their boasted Squadron, and abundantly
revenged their Invasion of _Minorca_.

What Instance can be produced in our naval Records, where so small a
Difference in Strength was ever urged to vindicate a timorous Action, or
justify a hasty Retreat. There has been a time when our Captains, so far
from being terrified with a formidable Enemy, have exulted in their
Superiority--improved it to their own greater Glory, and envied no Success
but what has been obtained by unequal Numbers.--Vigilance and Resolution
will succeed against the strongest Force. Fortune may hold the Ballance of
War; but Bravery turns the Scale.

If any thing could embitter the Remembrance of our late Misfortunes, it
must be those Circumstances that have suspended the Fate of the Author of
them so long, contrary to the united Demands of the Kingdom. We are not so
barbarously impatient for Justice, as to deny an equitable Trial to the
worst of Criminals; but we cannot see why the Satisfaction of an injured
People should be delayed; and we can never be too jealous of that Power
which enables us to arraign the greatest Crimes, and condemn the most
capital Offenders. And, with relation to the present Case, nothing but the
most scrupulous Mercy could have deliberated on the Execution of his
Sentence so long. The Fury of the People was subsided. All the Weapons,
which Falshood and Calumny could invent, to transfer the Odium of this
Transaction to a higher Cause. His Situation was considered with all the
Allowance that Candour could make: His Judges entered upon his Trial free
from all Prejudice and Passion, and every Witness that was desired was
granted. So that all Complaints of ill Usage and Injustice are urged
without the least Shadow of Foundation; and there is not the least Reason
to pretend that he falls a Sacrifice to the Resentment of a private
Party.--If he has the Sanction of Authority to produce, let his Commission
be shewn, and the Mystery of the whole Combination be unfolded: But if no
Associates should be found, if the original Springs of our Mischiefs
should be inaccessible, we do know the Instruments of them, and whether
Bribery or Disaffection, or Cowardice or Negligence, has principally
prevailed.--We know what we ought to have done, and need not be reminded
what we have lost. We are sensible _who reflected Disgrace upon his
Majesty's Flag, abandoned his gallant Countrymen, and infamously retreated
to_ Gibraltar, _while our Enemies were seizing an undefended Garrison, and
triumphing in those Seas which never acknowledged any but a_ British
_Sovereign before_. When we repose such an important Trust in the Hands of
a Commander, the least Neglect in the Discharge of it is a Crime of the
most aggravated Nature. What can make us a Recompence for what we have
lost? not all the Spoils of Plunder, nor the Profits of illicit Trade. The
Forfeiture of that immense Fortune he has accumulated would be no Amends;
and the Sacrifice of that Life he did not rashly expose to Danger, would
be too small an Atonement of our Wrongs. Did we not hone so memorable an
Example would do Justice to our Name, and prevent the same sad Misconduct
from ever being transacted any more.

If there be any Weight in these Observations, Mr. _Byng_ has been treated
with no cruel Severity to which he was not intitled; and whoever exert
themselves as Patrons and Defenders of his Cause, cannot hope to be exempt
from the unsparing Censures of the Publick.--Your Lordship's Evidence has
not been the least remarkable: You have befriended him in open Court; and
in private Conversation you have not scrupled to express your favourable
Opinion of his Conduct, in Opposition to the general Belief of his
Country.--Whatever Principles you may have declared in the latter Case, I
shall not charge you with; but your Depositions, as an Evidence, are
subject to every one's Examination; and these, I presume, are far from
making his Character appear in a more agreeable Point of View than it was
placed in before. If your Lordship could have discovered one Reason why
Mr. _Byng_'s Ship was prevented from bearing down upon the Enemy with all
Expedition; why he was kept back so long, that one of our own Ships, which
did not sail so well as the _Ramillies_, was able to get betwixt him and
the Enemy, and was in great Danger therefore of receiving her Fire--you
would have alledged an Argument in his Defence more material and
important, than a thousand Encomiums on his Calmness and Presence of Mind.
Facts are the only solid Tests of Truth, and the only Proofs which are
liable to no Ambiguity: And if we appeal to these, may we not suppose that
every Contingency that furnished a Pretence for Trifling and Delay, was
gladly embraced.----What Appearance is there of the least Ardour to
engage, or the smallest Attention to improve any favourable Event to his
Advantage? Where was the Spirit of Resolution and Enterprize worthy of a
_British_ Commander? What Losses did he receive, but that of a
Timber-head? What Danger could he apprehend, when the Enemy's Fire did not
reach a Ship in his Division much nearer than himself?----Where was the
Heroism of delivering his Orders without Terror or Confusion, while he was
situated at so harmless a Distance? If this can proceed from Neglect, it
may cost us more than _Minorca_----our Navy and Kingdom too. And what can
Cowardice or Disaffection do more?----The most friendly and partial
Evidences do him no Honour, and represent him, at best, but as an
inactive, inglorious Spectator, indifferent to Victory, rather than as a
vigorous Commander, whose Country's Reputation, as well as his own, was
immediately interested in the Event. And if the unexceptionable
Attestations of the rest have any Authority with them, we cannot be at a
Loss to whom we shall ascribe the Defeat of that fatal Expedition; and we
cannot but think a Solicitude to defend a Conduct so undeniably culpable,
will deserve Part of the Ignominy which attends it. Your Friends, fearful
of pronouncing too hasty a Sentence, rejected a great many Reports which
enhanced the Guilt of this Action, and waved their Opinion till the most
material Circumstances were confirmed by the Court-Martial.

They are sensible of the Difficulty of forming a just Judgment upon an
Engagement, which requires such extensive Skill, and so minute an
Attention, to be free from all Exception: Yet when they see a Ship of the
first Note, for sailing, scandalously loitering in the Rear, without any
just Impediment, while the rest were sustaining unequal Fire, with not one
Man wounded or killed during the whole Time, though all the Evidences
were unanimous in commending the Admiral, we could not help condemning it
as defective; and while this is the Case, we cannot approve of your
endeavouring to obstruct or mitigate the Punishment such Misbehaviour
deserves. These Remonstrances are not the Dictates of Passion and Malice;
but of a Desire for the impartial unbiassed Administration of Justice. The
Honour of every brave Man is dear, as the Actions of every Coward are
odious, to his Country.----It is incumbent on your Lordship to remove all
Suspicions of Partiality from the Minds of your Friends, that your Memory
may not be transmitted to Posterity in Connection with that Name, which
they will have as much Reason to detest as their Ancestors had to admire.

When the necessary Rigor of the military Oeconomy is relaxed by an
unbounded Indulgence to superior Officers, when supreme Orders are
stripped of all their Meaning and Force, by the arbitrary Construction of
those to whom they are directed, when the greatest Offenders, relying upon
their affluent Fortunes and almighty Influence, shall be able to resist
the united Demands of a whole People, crying for Vengeance, we can never
be astonished at the Consequences which will follow. The Restraint of
publick Awe will be removed, popular Displeasure despised, and our
invaluable Possessions will be sacrificed to Indolence, Timidity, or
private Revenge.--That this was our Case we had but too much Reason to
apprehend, when such uncommon Circumstances of Delay protracted the
Execution of a late Sentence so long. At last we find that neither
Artifice nor Intreaty, Interest nor Power, can wrest from us that Victim
to Justice which our Misfortunes require of us.----Whether we are to look
upon any hidden Mover in this dark Labyrinth as antecedently guilty or no,
we refer to the Deliberations of Parliament; and, waving all Assertions
and Murmurs not sufficiently supported, shall acquiesce in the Result of
their impartial Enquiries.

My Lord, you cannot do greater Justice to yourself, or Favour to your
Friends, than by promoting, to the utmost of your Power, that Scrutiny we
have recommended to you, that the Causes of our Disasters may no longer
be concealed, nor their Authors escape with Impunity: May future
Discoveries reflect an agreeable Light upon your Conduct, and restore you
to that Esteem you once deservedly possessed. If these Reasonings are not
founded on so exact a Knowledge of the inaccessible Situation of _St.
Philip_'s, or so accurate a Calculation of the Force of the two Squadrons
as your Lordship obtained, we may expect you will confute them by an open
Vindicacation; for Silence and Contempt will only confirm them.

It would be malignantly partial to have directed the popular Clamour
against you, had not you invited this Address by the Talk you voluntarily
undertook, in which you have advanced so little material, that the Admiral
was indebted more to the Generosity of your Friendship than the Merit of
your Evidence.

To draw this Letter to a Conclusion; when the Actions of any Officer are
not called to publick Account, it creates a strong and probable
Presumption in his Defence: But there is a secret Judge in every human
Breast, by which a brave Man would always wish to be approved. Honour
erects a more equitable Tribunal; and its Decrees are irreversable. To
stand acquitted there, it is necessary that every Prejudice and Exception,
which tend to diminish the Fame of any Exploit, be cleared up and removed.

Those which lie against your Lordship are here faithfully related, without
any groundless Aspersions or malicious Conjectures.--But it is too
painful to dwell on this critical Subject any longer; may the Review of
past Misfortunes animate us to a more vigorous Execution of future
Measures. Our Enemies have longed triumphed in their perfidious Spoils,
and reaped the Fruit of our Negligence and Misconduct.----The last dear
Prizes are at Stake, our Possessions and our Being in the most critical
Suspence.----Yet, when a wise and uncorrupted Administration sustains the
arduous Offices of Government, when Valour and Integrity conduct our Arms,
when our Commanders are recompensed with their just Deserts,----a brighter
Prospect will dawn upon us; _Britain_ may once more lift up her Head, her
withered Laurels revive, and her Dominion over the Deep be
re-assumed.--That the Infamy of our late Mismanagement may be effaced by
the Steadiness of our Councils, and the Propriety of all our Measures; and
that your Lordship may take an honourable and distinguished Part therein,
is the sincere and ardent Wish of,

            MY LORD,
                Your most obedient
                    Humble Servant.






End of Project Gutenberg's A Letter to Lord Robert Bertie, by Anonymous