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served" that every man in the country ought to go forth when the exercise of the King's prerogative called upon him. There should be no exemption, but on the ground of inability. From one end to the other, the city of London," he added, "were not only ready, but anxious to know how they could come forward with most effect. If there was any apprehension, it arose from the probability of embarrassment, by the myriads the city would pour out. In every ward, parish, and street, the people were waiting with impatience until his Majesty should point out the means of organizing their courage."

On another occasion, (March 19, 1804) he stated that the volunteer force in and about the metropolis, which the city of London had furnished, amounted to about twelve thousand men. "There was not one of these," he observed, "who did not consider himself liable, in case of invasion, to be put under the command of a general officer, and marched to any part of the kingdom. He begged leave further to state, that no one could doubt that their offers originated in a pure patriotic spirit alone, because, as by their charters, they were exempt from those military duties to which other parts of England are liable, they had no occasion whatever to seek refuge from the ballots."

In the spring of 1805, Mr. Alderman Combe received the thanks of his constituents in Common Hall assembled, for his vote in respect of Lord Melville. On that occasion he, in conjunction with all the other city members, declared himself decidedly

of

of opinion that the supposed malversation of that nobleman, while Treasurer of the Navy, demanded. immediate investigation, and they accordingly contributed a portion of the celebrated majority of one, upon that occasion.

Mr. Combe, being an excellent whist-player, is a member of several fashionable clubs, particularly Brookes's, which is chiefly frequented by the opposition. This circumstance, however, does not interfere with any of his duties, either official or domestic. In private life, he is a fond father and a good husband. Frank, hospitable, and open, he at once looks to be what he really is, a pattern of the good old English character.*

* George Ist, Ild, and IIId, have been entertained, in succession, by opulent individual brewers of the city of London, and Mr. Alderman Combe has lately revived the ancient custom of treating guests, the most illustrious in rank, with rump of beef and porter.

He lately gave an entertainment of this description to the Duke and Duchess of York, the Duke of Cambridge, &c. &c. on which occasion the Stoker, apparelled in a white cap and jacket, broiled the steaks on his polished iron shovel, and served them up, hot and hot, on a table placed in the Brew-house, and very appositely covered with hop sacks. Pewter trenchers were at the same time laid for the party, while they were regaled with brown stout from wooden mug.

We are afraid, however, that the degeneracy of the present age was visible even on this occasion, for turbot and salmontrout appear to have been served up also, while the retreat to the alderman's house, in Great Russel street, where a superb desert and the best foreign wines made their appearance, was not in strict conformity to ancicat custom; we have been given to understand,

that

A numerous family of ten children, most of whom are females, requires no common portion of care and attention; and they seem to be educated in such a manner, as to reflect no small degree of honour on Mrs. Combe, whom we have seen walking along the shores of Sandgate, at once surrounded and adorned by what one of the most celebrated ladies of ancient Rome termed "her most precious jewels." The Alderman also, in defiance of the absurd custom too frequently followed by those who have obtained wealth by means of that very commerce of which they ridiculously appear to be ashamed, instead of abandoning his sons to indolence and dissipation, which stifle all the virtues, has destined them, like himself, for the counting house. His eldest, after receiving an excellent education at Eton, with the children of our nobility and gentry, acts, at the same time, in the double capacity of a defender of his country, as an officer of the Westminster Light Horse, and an ornament of the city, as one of its principal traders.

that more majorum, the treat should both begin and end in the Brewhouse, and that porter and beef-steaks ought alone to be visible.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD KEITH, K. B. Admiral of the Blue, and Commander in Chief of the North Sea Fleet. (See page 1.)

SINCE the present work went to press, this nobleman, in con. sequence of a general naval promotion signified in the London Gazette, November 9, 1805, has been raised to the rank of an Admiral of the White. We are sorry to add, that the state of public affairs on the continent is less auspicious than when this article was penned.

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We have observed (page 3) that the Scotch never possessed what could be properly denominated a Royal Navy. It may not. however, be improper in this place to remark, that James IV. built what was considered in his age as an immense ship, which received the appellation of the Great Michael; and according to an historian of that day, was the largest and of superior strength to any that had sailed from England or France: for this ship was of so great stature, and took so much timber," adds he, "that except Falkland, she wasted all the woods in Fife, which were oak wood, with all timber that was gotten out of Norroway: for she was so strong, and of so great length and breadth, all the wrights (carpenters) of Scotland, yea and many other strangers, were at her device, by the king's commandment, who wrought very busily in her, but it was a year and a day ere she was complete.

"From the time she was afloat, and her masts and sails complete, with two anchors offering thereto, she was counted to the king to be thirty thousand pounds of expences."

As the landing effected in Egypt, reflected no small honour on his lordship, we shall here transcribe his own account of that brilliant exploit,

Copy of a letter from Admiral Lord Keith, K. B. Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean, to Evan Nepean, Esq.; dated on board the Foudroyant, in the Bay of Aboukir, 10th March.

SIR,

My dispatches of the 22d ult, by the Speedwell, will have acquainted you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that the armament on that day quitted the harbour

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of Marmorice for this place, which the whole fleet reached on the zd instant, the Turkish gun-boats and kaicks excepted, all of which bore up, by night, for Macri, Cyprus, and other ports, during the prevalence of strong westernly gales that we encountered on the passage.

"Too much of the day of our arrival here had elapsed before all the ships could get to anchorage, to admit of the landing being effected before the approach of night; and an unfortunate succession of strong northerly gales, attended by a heavy swell, rendered it impossible to disembark before the 8th. The necessary preparations were made on the preceding evening. The boats began to receive the troops at two o'clock in the morning, and at three the signal was made for their proceeding to rendezvous near the Modovi, anchored about a gun-shot from the shore, where it had been determined that they were to be assembled and properly arranged; but such was the extent of the anchorage occupied by so large a fleet, and so great the distance of many of them from any one given point, that it was not till nine the signal could be made for the boats to advance towards the shore.

"The whole line immediately began to move with great celerity towards the beach, between the castle of Aboukir and the entrance of the Sed, under the direction of the Honourable Captain Coch. rane, of his Majesty's ship the Ajax, assisted by Captains Stevenson, Scott, Larmour, Apthorpe, and Morrison, of the Europa, Stately, Diadem, Druid, and Thisbe, and the respective agents of transports, the right flank being protected by the Cruelle cutter, and the Dangereuse and Janissary gun-vessels, and the left by the Entreprenante cutter, Malta schooner, and Negresse gun-vessel, with two launches of the fleet on each, armed for the purpose of supplying the places of the Turkish gun-vessels, of whose service I had been deprived. Captain Sir Sidney Smith, of the Tigre, with the Captains Riboleau, Guion, Saville, Burn, and Hyliyar, of the Astrea, Eurus, Experiment, Blonde, and Niger, appointed, with a detachment of scamen, to co-operate with the army, had the charge of the launches, with the field artillery accompanying the troops. The Tartarus and Fury were placed in proper situa tions for throwing shot and shells with advantage; and the Peterel, Chameleon, and Minorca were moored as near as possible, with their broadsides to the shore.

"The enemy had not failed to avail himself of the unavoidable delays to which we had been exposed, for strengthening the naturally difficult coast to which we were to approach. The whole garrison of Alexandria, said to amount to near three thousand men, reinforced with many small detachments that had been observed to advance from the Rosseta branch, was appointed for its defence. Field-pieces were placed on the most commanding heights, and in the intervals of the numerous sand-hills which cover the shore, all of which were lined with musketry; the beach on either wing being flanked with cannon, and parties of cavalry held in readiness to advance.

"The fire of the enemy was successively opened from their mor. tars and field-pieces, as the boats got within their reach, and as they approached to the shore the excessive discharge of grape-shot and of musketry from behind the sand-hills seemed to threaten them with destruction; while the castle of Aboukir, on the right

Bank,

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