credit and fafety. A new convulfion in the ministry, however, retarded the progress of the supplies. A recent effort to introduce once more the earl of Granville into the administration, had been made by the fovereign, over whom that nobleman had acquired a surprising ascendency: but the duke of Newcastle, and all who adhered to the widelyextended connection of the Pelhams, immediately on being acquainted with the king's determination, delivered in their refignations. Lord Granville was, notwithstanding, actually appointed to the office of principal fecretary of state; but, relying on the greatness of his talents, he had ever disdained to court the support and affiftance of friends; and, after a very fhort trial, he was compelled reluctantly once more to render back the feals. The Pelhams again refumed their stations; and lord Granville, relinquishing for ever the conteft for fuperiority, was, after an interval of political obfcurity, made prefident of the council, which station he occupied many years, rather dignifying the office than dignified by it.* The fupplies were now granted by the commons with more than ordinary profufion. About one hundred and twenty thousand men, land forces, feamen, and marines, were provided for by parliament. The fum of three hundred thousand pounds was voted to the king of Sardinia; four hundred thousand pounds to the queen of Hungary, although that princess had now fully furmounted her political embarrassments. Subfidies also were

granted

*February 10, 1746, the duke of Newcastle and lord Harrington refigned the feals, and the earl of Granville was appointed principal fecretary. The next day, Mr. Pelham refigned the treasury, the earl of Pembroke his gold key, and Mr. Legge and Mr. George Grenville their feats at the board of admiralty. The lord chancellor, the duke of Bedford first lord of the admiralty, the earl of Chesterfield lord lieutenant of Ireland, and almost all the other great officers of ftate, were expected to follow, when on Friday, February 14, the carl of Granville returned the feals into his majesty's hands, which were immediately re-delivered to the duke of Newcastle.

granted with an unfparing hand to the Dutch, the Heffans, the Saxons, the Hanoverians, the electors of Mentz and Cologne; and the whole was crowned with a vote of credit and confidence for the fum of five hundred thousand pounds to his majesty.* Notwithstanding this unheard-of prodigality of expenditure, no fenfible effect was produced in the general system of affairs. An unfuccessful attempt was made in the course of this year, by admiral Leftock and general St. Clair, on Port L'Orient, an opulent maritime town on the southern coaft of Bretagne, and the grand depofitory of the veffels and ftores belonging to the French Eaft India company. The fleet, with fix battalions of regular forces on board, arrived, on the twentieth of September, in Quimperly bay, ten miles diftant from the city, which was immediately fummoned to furrender. In the first emotions of surprise and confternation, a capitulation was agreed to, on condition that the magazines of the company, upon the payment of forty thousand pounds by way

of

It was boldly and fhrewdly remarked by a political writer of thefe times, that, according to the hiftorian Matthew Paris, when king Henry III. demanded money of his parliament to defray the expense of a foreign expedition, which concerned not the intereft of England, the parliament told him flatly, that this was a most audacious requisition : "Talia effrons impudenter poftularet.-Contradizerunt regi in faciem, nolentes amplius pecunia fua fpoliari." And upon his remonftrating, that his royal faith was pledged, and pleading the abfolute neceffity in which he food of a fupply, they expressed their astonishment that the immenfe fums of money already granted could be so foon diffipated: "Admiramur in quam abyffum fubmerfæ funt innumerabiles pecuniæ, quas, domine rex, immulxifti, quæ nunquam regno vel modicum contulerunt incrementum."-M. Paris, p. 561, 26 Henry III.

It is faid that Mr. Mitchel, the English refident at Berlin, during the fecond Silefian war, in communicating to the king of Pruffia the intelligence of fome advantage obtained over the enemy, made use of the following expreffion" By the help of Goo we have gained a victory over the French." "What," said the king, " is GoD one of our allies?" "Yes certainly, fire," replied the ambaffador," and the only one who demands no fubfidies of us."

་་

of ranfom, should remain untouched, and the inhabitants be protected from pillage. These terms the British commanders inftigated by the predominating avidity of plunder, haughtily and rafhly rejected; and the inhabitants, driven to extremity, prepared to defend themselves with refolution. The invaders were utterly deftitute of the artillery and implements neceffary for a fiege. A fingle battery, raised with difficulty and mounted only with a few field-pieces, played upon the fortifications without any effect. At length the troops ftationed in the environs, with the militia of the province, collecting in great force, the general was compelled to abandon his enterprife, embarking his troops September 29, and, after fome useless bravadoes on the French coaft, the whole armament returned to Portfmouth. The French accounts affert, that the place, if attacked immediately on the landing of the troops, might have been eafily taken by scalade; but the operations of the English general indicated as little of vigor as of judgment; and the admiral did nothing to retrieve the reputation which, notwithstanding the acquittal of the court-martial, he had, by his conduct at Toulon, loft in the estimation of the public. In the month of September, the important fettlement of Madras, on the coaft of Coromandel, furrendered to the French arms in India; which difafter the English, in the course of the next year, attempted in vain to avenge, by the unsuccessful fiege of Pondicherry.

In November 1746, the parliament was again convened, and the supplies again voted with the fame lavish profusion -four hundred and thirty thousand pounds to the queen of Hungary; three hundred thousand pounds to the king of Sardinia; five hundred and seventy thousand pounds for the maintenance of the Hanoverian and Heffian auxiliaries; fubfidies to the electors of Saxony, Mentz, Cologne, and Bavaria; five hundred thousand pounds as a vote of credit ; and it was remarked, that the entire aggregate of the fupplies exceeded by two millions and a half the greatest

annual

annual fum raised during the reign of queen Anne, when Great Britain filled the world with renown of her victories, though her riches were now exhausted to purchase only dilgrace and misfortune. It must be acknowledged indeed, that at this period the king exhibited a laudable proof of his defire to diminish the public expense, by ordering the third and fourth troops of his life-guards to be disbanded, aud reducing three regiments of horfe to the quality of dragoons. But thefe reductions were, at the fame time, invidious and ineffectual, and the dignity of the nation seemed even in fome fort affected by them. That the monarch was well fatisfied with the rectitude of his own policy, and even willing to make confiderable perfonal facrifices, in order to fix that ideal balance of power which he deemed fo neceffary to the happiness and tranquillity of Europe, it would feem ungenerous to doubt. Happy! had the wisdom of his measures borne any proportion to the integrity of his intentions.

An act of parliament of a very important nature paffed this feffion, for the abolition of the heritable jurisdictions in Scotland-that distinguishing feature of the feudal fyftem; fince which period the peculiarities which feemed to ftamp upon the Highland clans the caft and character of a separate nation have been gradually softening, and, at this time, seem rapidly haftening to their final and utter extinction.

This year died Philip V. king of Spain, to whom fucceeded, without any visible or immediate effect upon the general political system, don Ferdinand, prince of Afturias.

In April 1747, a fquadron failed from Breft Water, commanded by M. de la Jonquiere, bound for America, and had made little progrefs in their voyage when they were encountered by a fuperior English fleet, under the admirals Anfon and Warren. The enemy fought with courage, but were compelled to yield to fuperior force, and, towards evening, fix fhips of the line ftruck their colors, and a great

part

part of their convoy, with several frigates, were also taken. For this fervice admiral Anson was ennobled, and admiral Warren created a knight of the Bath. In the month of October, admiral Hawke, with a force much fuperior, fell in with a fleet of nine line of battle ships, feven of which, after an obftinate engagement, were captured by the English. The nation failed not to remark, that, in both these instances, the English fleet bore down upon the enemy, regardless of the preservation of the line of battle; while the brave admiral Matthews ftill continued in a ftate of difgraceful fufpenfion for the fame contempt of the established punctilios of discipline.

The parliament having been diffolved in June, a new parliament was convened in November 1747, highly favorable to the intereft of the present ministry. The minds of all were visibly animated by the late naval fucceffes; the ablest men in parliament were engaged in the different pofts and offices of government; the minister, Mr. Pelham, had acquired much of the public confidence; and the popularity of the king himself had very fenfibly increased fince the fuppreffion of the late rebellion. He declared, that the attachment of his people on that occafion had impreffed his heart with indelible fenfations of gratitude, and that he felicitated himself upon an event, without which he had never known how much he was the object of their regard and affection. Oppofition now seemed to languish, and, for the first time fince the acceffion of the house of Hanover, England might be faid to be governed by a popular adminiftration. The king fignified, in his speech to the parliament,

* About this time a very excellent performance, deservedly honored with a large share of the public approbation, appeared under the title of Free and Candid Difquifitions" refpecting the neceffity of a reform in the national church. The celebrated Warburton, in a letter to his friend Dr. Doddridge, a diffenting teacher of great eminence, writes-" As to the Difquifitions, I will only fay, that the temper, candor, and charity, with which they are wrote, are very edifying and exemplary. I with fuccefs