Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 12.djvu/245

 Cornwallis, which was rendered necessary by the outbreak of war between England and revolutionary France. Pondicherry, however, had surrendered before he reached Madras, and he made up his mind to return to England at once, and sailed on 10 Oct. 1793.

Cornwallis reached England on 3 Feb. 1794, and his assistance was at once demanded by the ministers. Not only did they want to consult him on Indian affairs, but still more did they desire to make use of his military abilities in Flanders. The state of the war there against France was anything but encouraging. Prussian, Austrian, and English were disheartened and disagreeing. Such a state of affairs was fatal, and in June 1794 Cornwallis started on a special mission to advise co-operation, and to bolster up the, coalition. The result of his mission was a curious suggestion from Vienna, that he should be made a local field-marshal, and put in command of the allied forces; the suggestion, to his great satisfaction, came to nothing. He saw how perilous such a situation would be, and how it would necessarily embroil him with the Duke of York. But though this scheme failed, he was persuaded in February 1795 to accept the office of master-general of the ordnance with a seat in the cabinet; and as the only general officer in the cabinet he was necessarily entrusted with the supervision of the defences of the country in preparation for the expected invasion of the French. From this work he was called by the news of the threatening attitude taken by the East India Company's officers in Bengal. The higher relative rank of the king's officers, and their conseauent absorption of staff appointments, had filled the company's officers with resentment, and the prospect of the abolition of the company's European troops, which would drive many of them into the king's service, had caused them to form a powerful secret association. Affairs looked so threatening that Dundas urged Cornwallis to go again to India, and on 1 Feb. 1797 he was sworn in as governor-general and commander- in-chief. However, the tact of Sir Robert Abercromby, and certain concessions made by the court of directors, quieted the officers, and it was not found necessary for Cornwallis to leave England. More serious was the danger threatening the peace of England from the state of Ireland, and as early as May 1797 a report that Cornwallis was going to Ireland as commander-in-chief caused Lord Camden, the viceroy, to write him an enthusiastic letter of welcome (Cornwallis Correspondence, ii. 325, 326). The report was premature,but in May 1798 things had come to such a desperate pass that it was necessary to place Irish affairs under an experienced general and statesman with full powers. Cornwallis was begged to accept the two offices of viceroy and commander-in-chief. 'I will not presume to say,' wrote Pitt on hearing of his acceptance, 'how much I feel myself obliged to you for such a mark of your confidence in the present government. You have, in my opinion, conferred the most essential obligation on the public which it can perhaps ever receive from the services of any individual' (ib. ii. 350).

The viceroyalty of Cornwallis was marked by the suppression of the rebellion of 1798, and by the carrying of the Act of Union. Many symptoms showed that a great insurrection was in preparation, but only one man, Lord Castlereagh, the acting secretary to the lord-lieutenant, appreciated the greatness of the crisis. Lord Camden and the castle officials were quite unfitted to cope with events. The military forces were also in a bad condition. The troops were chiefly English and Scotch militia, and their want of discipline had caused Sir Ralph Abercromby to resign in despair [see Abercromby, Ralph (DNB00)], and since his resignation matters had gone from bad to worse. The insurrection was fixed for 23 May, but Lord Castlereagh was informed of the whole plan, and had the leaders of the rebellion, notably Lord Edward FitzGerald and the Sheares, arrested before the appointed day. Nevertheless the rebellion did break out. Esmonde took Prosperous, and Father Murphy Enniscorthy and Wexford. These successes terrified the castle officials, and Cornwallis was sent over to suppress the rebellion. He reached Dublin on 20 June, and on the very next day Major-general John Moore, after co-operating in Lake's victory at Vinegar Hill, entered Wexford. Cornwallis had still much to do to quiet Ireland. The bands of rebels were speedily hunted down, and the rebellion kept from spreading. On 22 Aug. the serious news arrived at Dublin that General Humbert had landed at Killala Bay, and the viceroy at once started to command the troops which were directed against him. The French were only eleven hundred strong, yet on 27 Aug. they defeated the first army which came against them under General Hutchinson at the battle of Castlebar, better known as the 'Castlebar Races.' The French, in spite of their victory, found themselves badly supported, and on 9 Sept. General Humbert surrendered to Cornwallis with all his men. This success finally ruined the last hope for the Irish rebels, and it remained only to pacify the country. In this labour he followed one simple rule, namely, to punish the ringleaders, and spare their unfortunate dupes.