terminate in that abfolute monarchy which, according to a profound and celebrated writer, forms the true euthanafia of the BRITISH CONSTITUTION? The new administration was now completely formed, and the whole formidable series of patriotic motions had been fuccefsfully configned, by their former advocates, to repofe and oblivion. Affairs, therefore, now reverting to their regular and accustomed channels, the house of commons was moved, by the chancellor of the exchequer, to resolve itself into a committee of fupply; and, conformably to the estimates and refolutions brought forward, upwards of 100,000 feamen and landmen were voted for the fervice of the current year; the fum of 500,000l. was granted to the queen of Hungary, and the fubfidies to Denmark and Heffe Caffel continued.* But this was deemed by the court a very inadequate aid; and it foon appeared that the new minifter, lord Carteret, a man haughty and confident, had formed vast and dangerous projects, calcu lated "Such," fays the Gothic annalist of the times, "were the exertions of the new minifters to make some figure with the people in fupport of the mcafures of his majesty, that no less than 5,723,000l. had been granted this feffion in the Committee of Supply: all of it," he adds exultingly, “except 20,0001. voted for building Westminster-bridge, for the purposes of the war, or for fupplying the deficiencies of the expense of last year's warlike preparations." Is it not worth while, however, to paufe a moment, and afk whether the community has not, according to the calm verdië of reason, derived more real and permanent advantage from the expenditure of the 20,000l. in a work of public utility and magnificence, than of the millions fo eagerly and Javifhly appropriated to the purposes of devastation and deftruction? Is it pity or scorn, amazement or forrow, indignation or derifion, that fuch national infatuation as this is calculated in a philofophic mind most strongly to excite? Or is power delegated by communities to individuals only to mul tiply and perpetuate their own miferies? How forcibly does Hiflory confirm the humiliating reflection of the poet! -Man, proud man, Dreft in a little brief authority, Plays fuch fantastic tricks before high heaven lated for the sole purpose of recommending himself to the favor of the king, who was ambitious to signalize his talents, as king WILLIAM had formerly done, at the head of a grand continental army. With this view, therefore, fixteen thousand regular troops, afterwards increased to a much larger number, and which might have been employed to great advantage in different naval expeditions, were, in the month of April 1742, embarked for Flanders, and were shortly after joined by fixteen thousand Hanoverians and fix thousand Heffians, in British pay, and a numerous body of Auftrians. The earl of Stair, created on the recent refignation of the duke of Argyle, field-marshal of Great Britain, a nobleman diftinguished as well for his perfonal accomplishments as his military and political talents, was appointed generaliffimo of this new army. Being invefted with the character of ambaffador extraordinary to the ftates-general, he exerted in vain the whole force of his eloquence to prevail upon their high mightineffes to concur in the projects of the king of Great Britain. Although the States had come to a previous refolution, confiderably to augment their forces, they declared their determination to adhere to their neutrality. And the English general, finding himself unable, without their affiftance, to engage in those offenfive operations he had in contemplation, which were said to be the fiege of Dunkirk, to be followed, if fuccefsful, by a rapid march to the Somme, distributed his army into cantonments in the countries of Flanders, Liege, and Luxemburg. Lord. Stair's negotiation proving ineffectual, lord Carteret was himself delegated with new propofitions for the confideration and choice of their high mightineffes: 1. That the republic fhould declare war against France in concert with England, &c. 2. That they fhould garrifon the fortified towns in Flanders belonging to the queen of Hungary, to enable her to employ her troops in the field. 3. That Great Britain should take 30,000 of the troops of Holland into British British pay. Laftly, To enter into a new treaty of commerce very advantageous to the republic. The ftates-general, in reply, declared their reluctance, by entering into the war, to make it more bloody; they, with a noble pride, afferted, that the troops of the republic were raised only for the defence of the republic, and THEY HAD NEVER hired THEM OUT. As to the laft propofition, it was acknowledged to be very acceptable, but too dearly purchased at the expense of a war. These answers, however confonant to the moderation, wifdom, and dignity of the republic, gave little fatisfaction to the English minifter, who returned to London much displeased and disappointed at his failure. When the parliament of Great Britain met in November 1742, the conduct of the new ministry was arraigned in the bitterest terms of feverity. The earl of Chesterfield, who had not been included in the new arrangements of office, asserted, “that the affembling an army in Flanders without the concurrence of the ftates-general, or any other power engaged by treaty, or bound by intereft, to fupport the queen of Hungary, was a rash and ridiculous measure; that it would inevitably involve the nation as principals in an expensive and ruinous war; and that the arms and wealth of Great Britain alone were not adequate to the purpose of raifing the house of Auftria to its former height of elevation; that, while England exhausted her refources to carry into effect her romantic and impracticable projects, the electorate of Hanover, though under the fame engagements, and governed by the same prince, contributed nothing as an ally to her affiftance, but was paid by Great Britain for all the forces it had fent into the field, and at a very exorbitant price. After having exalted the elector of Hanover from a ftate of obfcurity to the crown, this nation," faid his lordship, "is condemned to hire the troops of that electorate to fight in their own cause, to hire them at a rate which was never demanded before, and to pay levy-money for for them, though it is known to all Europe that they were not raised for this occafion." The duke of Bedford also, a nobleman of many private and public virtues, and of a family illustriously distinguished by the ardor of its attachment to the true interests of their country, affirmed, on this occafion," that the meafures of the English ministry had long been regulated by the intereft of his majesty's electoral territories; that thefe had long been confidered as a gulf, into which the treasures of Great Britain had been thrown; that the state of Hanover had been changed, without any visible cause, since the acceffion of its princes to the throne of England. The marks of affluence and profperity were of late discernible in all its districts, without any discovery of mines or extenfion of commerce; and new dominions had been purchased, the price of which it was more than fufpected was never paid from the revenues of Hanover." The motion, however, for an address to the throne, «befeeching and advising his majesty to exonerate his fubjects of the charge and burden of those mercenaries who were taken into the service last year without the knowledge or confent of parliament," was rejected; lord Carteret, the new minister, with heroic effrontery, setting every appearance of confistency at defiance, and engaging with the most zealous ardor in the profecution and defence of measures: which he had himself repeatedly held up to the public fcorn, indignation, and derifion. In the courfe of the fefGion, the Place Bill was again brought forward, and again rejected by the commons; the numbers, on the divifion, being 221 against 196. Mr. Sandys declared him?elf indeed to be as great, if not a greater, friend than ever to the bill, but that the TIME was improper; that it was ne oeffary previously to remove certain prejudices which had been scattered round the throne; and that he was against urging the measure at prefent, because he hoped the period would fhortly arrive when it would be readily agreed to by every branch of the legislature. A motion for reviving the inquiry inquiry into the conduct of fir Robert Walpole for the laft ten years, was negatived by 253 against 186. In pursuance of the plan of continental warfare now adopted by the court of London, the earl of Stair affembled the confederate forces early in the spring, A. D. 1743, with a view, as was believed, of penetrating the frontier of France on the fide of the Mofelle; but being oposed by the Austrian and Hanoverian generals intrufted with the fecret refolves of the English court, the whole army directed its course towards the Maine. On their near approach to Francfort, the emperor, alarmed with the apprehenfion of falling as a captive into the hands of the king of England, prepared to fly for refuge, though he seemed scarcely to know whither; but the English commander deputed, without delay, an officer of diftinction with a meffage to his imperial majefty, affuring him, in the name of the king his master, that the respect due to the imperial dignity fhould not be violated, nor the city he had chofen for his personal refidence molested. The emperor, notwithstanding, retired first to Munich, and, on the re-approach of the Austrians, to Augsburg, whence he returned, at the termination of the campaign, to his former refidence at Francfort. The court of Versailles, which had in vain made advances of accommodation to the court of Vienna, now apprehending the junction of the allies commanded by lord Stair with the Auftrians under prince Charles of Lorraine, directed the marefchal de Noailles to affemble an army of 60,000 men on the Maine, while the marefchal de Coigné was placed at the head of a yet fuperior army in Alface, to oppose any attempt of the Austrian commander to penetrate into France by forcing the paffage of the Rhine. The king of England, eager to gather those laurels which imagination had already woven into wreaths and garlands, accompanied by his younger fon the duke of Cumberland-now, for the first time, appearing in the field-arrived in June at the camp of Afchaffenburg. Here, however, to his unspeakable |