In the meantime, Napoleon’s invasion schemes were shaping. To this day it is unknown whether he was serious or not at this, or for that matter, any other period. That he intended his preparations to be taken seriously (as they were by all save Nelson) is clear enough. It is further clear from his vast preparations that he would have used his flotilla had the chance occurred; but the mere fact that he never attempted actual invasion is of itself sufficient answer to all the homilies that have been written about Napoleon’s inability to understand “Sea Power.” The army at Boulogne, the flat-bottomed boats, all served to keep England in a panic, and that was worth much. He had experience to guide him. Past experience was an English attack on the flotilla like that of Rodney many years before. In August, 1801, such an attack came, Nelson directing it. It was found fully prepared for and defeated with ease. In the Mediterranean, Ganteaume, who had left Brest with seven ships of the line convoying 5,000 troops, reached Alexandria, but before he could disembark his soldiers, Keith appeared, and he hurried back to Toulon. Linois left Toulon with a small squadron, and was driven into Algeciras, where he beat off Samaurez and a considerably more powerful squadron. Retreating from this, Samaurez fell in with a Spanish squadron, the ships of which, in the confusion of a night action, attacked each other, with the result that the two best ships were destroyed. In October, 1801, the preliminaries of the Peace of Amiens were signed and hostilities ceased. The total losses to the enemy in the war are given as follows by Campbell:-- FRENCH. DUTCH. SPANISH. TOTAL. Ships of the line 45 25 11 81 Fifties 2 1 0 3 Frigates 133 31 20 184 Sloops, etc. 161 32 55 248 --- TOTAL 516 --- The corresponding British loss was only twenty-one ships of _all classes_, and of these only two ships of the line were captured. The bulk of British losses was accounted for by wrecks. VII. FROM THE PEACE OF AMIENS TO THE FINAL FALL OF NAPOLEON. With the Peace of Amiens the usual reduction of the Navy took place. The 104 ships of the line in commission the year before sank to thirty-two in 1802. The _personnel_ fell to 50,000. It may here be remarked that of the ships put out of commission a great number were unfit for further service: 111 ships of various classes being in so bad a way that they were sold or broken up. Many others were cut down to serve in inferior rates.