Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 30.djvu/82

 to answer, a scuffle took place, in which Johnstone drew his sword, but was disarmed by some bystanders. Brooke laid an information before a magistrate, and it would appear that Johnstone was bound over to keep the peace.

Early in 1767 (Addit. MS. 21673, f. 4) Johnstone came back to England. In the general election of 1768 he was returned to parliament for the borough of Cockermouth by the influence of Sir James Lowther, afterwards first earl of Lonsdale [q. v.], and at once distinguished himself by his shameless and scurrilous utterances, while his total want of fear and his adroitness with the pistol rendered him a useful addition to his party. In December 1770, by a gross public insult, he forced a duel on Lord George Germain [q. v.], fortunately with no fatal result. In 1774 he was returned to parliament by Appleby; and in 1778 was appointed one of the commissioners, with the Earl of Carlisle [see, fifth ], to treat with the American colonies. In the course of the negotiations Johnstone endeavoured, by a private arrangement offered in writing, to win over one of the American members, who promptly reported the circumstance to congress, and congress as promptly passed a resolution, 11 Aug., that it was incompatible with its honour to hold any manner of correspondence or intercourse with the said George Johnstone, especially to negotiate with him upon affairs in which the cause of liberty and virtue was interested. This drew from Carlisle and the other commissioners a public declaration that they had no knowledge, direct or indirect, of the correspondence and conversation referred to; though adding that they did not imply any assent to the construction which congress had been pleased to put on a private letter (, Facsimiles of MSS. … relating to America, 1773–83, vol. i. No. 90). Johnstone, however, was obliged to withdraw from the commission, and a few months later returned to England, where, in parliament, he posed as one intimately acquainted with naval and American affairs, loudly and confidently supporting the government and the government's friends, notably Sir Hugh Palliser [q. v.], and reviling the government's opponents, more especially Keppel and Howe [see ; ], in a series of speeches which prove his ignorance of his profession (Parliamentary History, vol. xx. freq.) At the time it was felt by Lord Sandwich that Johnstone had gallantly sustained the cause of the government, and on 6 May 1779, having never had command of a post-ship, he was appointed commodore and commander-in-chief of a small squadron to be employed on the coast of Portugal, with his broad pennant in the 50-gun ship Romney. For a few months he was attached to the Channel fleet under Sir Charles Hardy the younger [q. v.], but towards the end of the year went to Lisbon, where, during the greater part of 1780, he resided on shore, while the Romney and the other ships of his squadron cruised on the coast, making some important captures, and among them the Artois, a remarkably fine French frigate of 44 guns, the credit of all which was assigned by the government to the commodore.

Early in 1781 he was appointed to command a small expedition against the Cape of Good Hope and to convoy the East India trade so far on the way. With a strong squadron of ships of war and a numerous fleet of transports and Indiamen, Johnstone sailed from Spithead on 13 March, and, arriving in the latitude of Cape Verde, put into Port Praya in St. Jago to water; but, though knowing that a French squadron for the relief of the Cape was to sail about the same time as his own, he anchored in the bay in a manner that would be considered unseamanlike even in time of peace. When, on 16 April, the French squadron, also in want of water, came in sight, his ships were lying confusedly crowded together. The commander of the French squadron, M. de Suffren, saw the blunder, resolved to attack immediately, and stood into the bay. Johnstone had barely time to get his men and officers on board, and to make hasty and insufficient preparations for battle. His squadron and convoy were thus at a very great disadvantage, although much superior in point of numbers and force. Had the French ships followed in with the prompt decision of their commodore, they might have inflicted a crushing blow. There had, however, been no time to explain the commodore's intentions, which were quite beyond the experience of his captains; and thus while Suffren's own ship and one other anchored alongside the two largest English, and closely engaged them, the rest, after firing some random broadsides, and taking possession of two of the merchant ships, were carried by the tide to leeward. The two ships which did engage were thus beaten off with severe loss, one of them dismasted. They cut their cables and drifted out to sea. Johnstone was apparently too much astonished at his success to think of following them till more than three hours afterwards. He then did get under way, and recovered the captured merchantmen; after which he lay to for the greater part of the afternoon, waiting for the 50-gun ship Isis, which had been