evacuating the island of Sicily and Sardinia. For though the marquis de Lede, notwithstanding the decifive victory obtained by fir George Byng, had compelled the city of Meffina to furrender, the Spanish army was effectually precluded, by the vigilance of the British admiral, from receiving any reinforcements or supplies by fea. And on the other hand, a numerous body of Imperialists, commanded by the count de Merci, was landed on the island under convoy of the British fleet; by the vigorous co-operation of which the city of Meflina was recovered. On the approach of spring, Palermo was invefted, the count de Merci marching across the mountains, while the British fleet coasted along the fhore. The marquis de Lede, who had retreated under the cannon of Palermo, now prepared to give battle to the Imperialists, although in his circumstances a defeat must have proved fatal; when a felucca arrived with dispatches from the court of Madrid, empowering the marquis to sign a convention, by which Spain agreed to relinquish her pretenfions to Sicily; and the shattered remains of her troops were immediately embarked at Tauromini for Barcelona. Such was the just confidence placed by the king of England in the zeal and ability of the gallant officer invested with the high and arduous commiffion thus prosperously terminated, that in reply to an application for inftructions, his majesty declared," he would fend him none, for that he well knew how to act without any." And the uniform success attending all his enterprises, vulgarly afcribed to fortune, a more juft and accurate discernment, tracing the concatenation of events, perceived to be the natural confequence of the wisdom and vigor with which his measures were invariably planned and executed. During these transactions in Sicily, lord Cobham, with a confiderable force, made a descent on Spain and took Vigo. Preparations also were making for an expedition against Spanish America; and an army of French, which had penetrated into Spain, under the duke

of Berwick, reduced the towns of Fontarabia and St. Se baftian. So that the court of Madrid found itself attacked on all fides, its fchemes completely disconcerted, and no refource left but to accede, however reluctantly, to the terms of the quadruple alliance-the remaining differences between the emperor and the king of Spain being referred to a congrefs at Cambray, which, however, after a very long and tedious difcuffion, was at laft diffolved without coming to any terms of agreement. A treaty of peace was now likewife concluded (November 1719), through the mediation of France, by the king of England, with Ulrica queen of Sweden, fifter and fucceffor to Charles XII.; by which Bremen and Verden were secured to Hanover at the expence of a million of rix-dollars—a far more con fiderable fum than the revenues of that electorate were generally deemed competent to discharge. This peace, entitled a peace between Sweden and Great Britain, was negotiated and figned by a Hanoverian minifter, one Adolph-Frederic Van Baffawitz, who had the prefumptionto engage," in the name of his Britannic majefty, both as king and elector, immediately to renew the ancient alliances and friendships, &c. &c. as alfo the guaranties upon the foundation of the treaty of peace concluded amongst the allies of the North, or which may be concluded or applied to the profit of the ducal houfe of Holflein Gottorph,"-or, in plainterms, he undertakes to guarantee Slefwic to Denmark, Bremen and Verden to Hanover, and the eventual equivalent for Slefwic to the duke of Holstein. Early in the following year, 1720, a treaty of alliance was concluded. between the crowns of Great Britain and Sweden, by which his Britannic majesty stipulated not only to furnish the powerful fuccors therein specified, but to engage his friends and allies to contribute by fubfidies and auxiliary troops" ad coercendum Czarum Ruffia"-the express words of the treaty. In both these treaties the loffes fuftained by the English commerce in confequence of the depredations

of

of the Swedes, which formed the only plaufible pretext for involving Britain in this quarrel, were paffed over unnoticed. And while the petition from the merchants was lying neglected and forgotten on the table of the house of commons, the fum of 72,000l. in confequence of a meffage from his majefty, was voted as a fubfidy to Sweden. After all the indefatigable exertions and expenfive facrifices of the king of England to procure from the court of Stockholm the abfolute ceffion of Bremen and Verden, and which was at length fo happily and unexpectedly accomplished, the inveftiture of those duchies, of which he had been so long and eager an expectant, notwithstanding the mighty fervices rendered to the house of Austria, was not yet obtainable from the gratitude or condefcenfion of the court of Vienna. On the contrary, the emperor feemed to think thofe fervices amply compenfated by the protectorial commission with which that monarch had been recently invested by his Imperial majefty for the adminiftration of the duchy of Mecklenburg-the duke of Mecklenburg being fufpended from his government, by a fentence of the aulic council, for tyranny and mal-administration. And it is even afferted upon good authority, that this commiffion was actually and formally exchanged to the court of Vienna, for the "INSTRUCTIONS of fir George Byng." The affairs of Mecklenburg had long occupied a large share of the attention of the king of England, who was ftrongly fufpected of a defign to add that duchy to his other acquifitions in Germany. And the duke of Mecklenburg, in his feveral memorials to the diet at Ratisbon, openly charges the house of Lunenburg with afpiring to the abfolute fovereignty of LOWER SAXONY; and affirms, that the troubles in his dominions have been continually fomented and inflamed by the court of Herenhaufen expressly with that view. But though the emperor was at little pains to conceal his diflike and jealousy of these designs, the neceffity of his affairs compelled him to

this

this conceffion, which was apparently confidered only as a. prelude to a more firm and permanent poffeffion. The king of England, in pursuance of his engagements with Sweden, fending in the fummer of this year, 1720, a powerful squadron into the Baltic, the Ruffians-knowing that the commander fir John Norris had inftructions fimilar to thofe under which fir George Byng had lately acted-retired into their ports; and a peace was foon afterwards concluded between the crown of Sweden and Ruffia; not, however, without strong marks of resentment on the part of the czar, at what he ftyled "The infolent interpofition of Great Britain."

BOOK

BOOK II.

Riots and tumults break out afresh in various parts of the kingdom. Return of the king from the continent. Atterbury, bifhop of Rochester, refuses to fign the proteftation against the pretender. Engages in a confpiracy against government. Banifbed. Remarkable declaration of lord Harcourt reSpecting him. Character and death. Dr. Pratt's wellknown epigram. Riot act paffed. Mr. Addifon, fecretary of ftate, refigns. His literary character. Lord Oxford acquitted from the charge of high treafon. Bishop Hoadley's famous fermon, and speech against the teft laws. Archbiflop Wake's oppofition to the repeal of the teft laws. Moves for the commitment of a bill against herefy. Bishop of Peterborough's Speech against the teft laws. Declaration against the bill for suppressing herefy. Occafional conformity bill repealed. Peerage bill introduced-rejected. At declaratory of Ireland's dependance on England. Southfea bill introduced and paffed. Its fatal confequences. Duke of Wharton's malicious reflection on lord Stanhope. Oppafes the herefy bill. Death and character. Deaths of lord Sunderland, and the duke of Marlborough; with their characters. Earl of Peterborough opposes the bill for religious prefentation. Dr. Kennet, bishop of Peterborough's protest against it. Benedict XIII. his acceffion to the papacy. Lord Molefworth's speech against the alliance with Sweden. Singular petition of the quakers to parliament. Mr. Lutwyche's sprech against the Roman catholic bill. Death of Philip, duke of Orleans, regent of France. Pragmatic Sanction, edict fo called. Horace Walpole's speech in defence of the treaty of Hanover. Death of Peter the Great.