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ambassador-extraordinary to Holland. Wisdom and popularity of his government. Prefents a bill for the reform of the calendar. Motion for restoring annual parliaments. Sir John Hynde Cotton accepts a place at court, which he foon refigns. His oppofition to the fubfidizing fyftem. Earl of Mar makes application in vain for a pardon. Mr. Sydenham's speech for refloring annual parliaments. Dean Swift's declaration concerning them. land of Cape Breton taken by admiral Watfon, and Madras by the French. Both restored by the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, George II. bis personal sacrifices for the public advantage. Signs a general treaty of peace at Aix-laChapelle-Sends hoftages to France. Concludes fubfidytreaties with the electors, the landgrave of Heffe-Caffel, and Ruffia. Heritable Jurifdictions in Scotland abolifbed. Ferdinand II. king of Spain, his acceffion. Reftores to the English their commercial privileges. Determined to maintain his neutrality-offers his mediation to the courts of Verfailles and London. Admiral Hawke defeats a French Squadron. Death of Philip V. king of Spain. Commodore Anfon engages and defeats a French Squadron—Ennobled. Placed at the head of the admiralty. General peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. Duke of Cumberland's military character. Parma and Placentia ceded to Philip, infant of Spain. Frederick, prince of Wales, again alienated from the court. His death. Earl of Bute introduced into the household of the young prince. His baleful influence. Earl of Harcourt refigns being governor of the prince of Wales. Earl Mansfield's character. Character of Mr. Fox. Appointed principal fecretary of State. Act for encouragement of the British fibery. Death and character of Juan V. king of Portugal. King of Sweden's acceffion to the throne-and voluntary oath. Lord Egmont's oppofition to German fubfsdies. Frederick II. king of Pruffia, oppofes the election of king of the Romans. Signs a treaty of alliance with Great

Britain.

Britain. Right honourable Henry Bilfon Legge appointed chancellor of the exchequer. Difmiffed from his office. Sir Thomas Robinson appointed secretary of fate. Delivers a message from the king. Refigns his office. Duke of Dorfet's declaration to the parliament of Ireland. Origin and confequences of the bull Unigenitus. Major Washington's Spirited meffage to the French governor on the Ohio, and defends with vigor a poft thereon. Earl of Albemarle's Spirited memorial to the French court. Admiral Boscawen captures the Alcide and the Lys. Difaftrous expedition to ' the Ohio. Sir William Johnson defeats a body of French troops. Earl of Loudon appointed to the chief command in America. His dilatoriness and inactivity. Unfuccessful expedition against Louisburg. Monfieur de Montcalm makes himfelf mafter of Ofwego-of Fort-William Henry. King of Poland engages with and abandons England. Queen of Hungary forms an alliance with France. City of Lisbon deftrayed by an earthquake.

IN the courfe of this important and interefting session,

the house of commons, apprized of the recent machinations of the court of St. Germaine's, fent up to the lords a bill, making it high treafon to correfpond with the fons of the pretender. On the commitment of this bill, the lord chancellor Hardwicke moved, that the committee be inftructed to receive a claufe for continuing the penalties and forfeitures legally incurred by the descendants of traitors, to the death of the fons of the pretender, and which, by the operation of an act paffed in the reign of queen Anne, expired with the pretender himself. On which the duke of Bedford arose, and, in a very able manner, stated his reafons for refusing his affent to the motion. His grace, « declared his zeal for the fecurity of the conftitution, and of the fettlement of the crown in the prefent family, to be in no degree inferior to that of any of their lordships: and

he

he expreffed his conviction that a prince forced upon us by the armies and fleets of France would be only the viceroy of the monarch to whom he owed his exaltation. Nevertheless," faid this nobleman, "your lordships will not be surprised that I am alarmed at the profpect of a law like this. I, whofe family has fuffered fo lately the deprivation of its rank and fortune by the tyranny of a court-whose grandfather was cut off by an unjust prosecution—and whose father was condemned for many years to fee himself divefted of the rights of his birth, which were at length restored to him by more equitable judges ;-it is furely reafonable, my lords, that I fhould oppofe the extenfion of penalties to the defcendants of offenders, who have scarce myself escaped the blast of an attainder.* Whatever may be the malice of our enemies, the ill fuccefs of paft attempts is a convincing proof that government can have no just cause of fear; that recourfe, therefore, need not be had to new degrees of feverity, or the enacting penal laws of an extraordinary kind, to prevent that which experience has fhewn impoffible to be accomplished. On the present occafion, my lords, the people have demonftrated their loyalty by innumerable addreffes from all parts, drawn up in terms expreffive of the firmeft fidelity and the warmest affection

In the illustrious roll of martyrs to the cause of liberty, no name ftands more confpicuously distinguished, or is written in fairer characters, than that of lord RUSSEL, whose patriotism appears unfullied with any base alloy of perfonal refentment or intereft. In reply to those fophiftical reasons by which Burnet, afterwards bishop of Sarum, attempted to draw from this nobleman an inglorious acknowledgement of culpability in meditating refiftance to tyranny, he made this excellent and memorable declaration.That he could form no conception of a limited monarchy which had no right to defend its own limitations." So long as fenfibility and gratitude are numbered amongst the affections of the human heart, fo long fhall we honor with a fupreme reverence thofe who have dared to die for their country; and, with an almost superstitious devotion,

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"Kif with joy the facred earth

That gave a HAMPDEN or a RUSSEL birth."

affection-profeffions which furely deserve far other return than the severity of a penal law, by which one perfon is condemned to fuffer for the crime of another. If it be neceffary, my lords, that fubjects fhould obey their governors, it is no less neceffary that governors fhould not harass their fubjects by causeless fufpicion; for this will certainly tend to weaken their affections-it may incite them to violate their duties. The multiplicity of penal laws, the establishment of armies, the diftribution of penfions, are transitory and uncertain supports of government, which the first blast of discontent may drive before it, and which have a tendency to produce that rage which they cannot furnish the means of refifting. Ten thoufand penal laws cannot fo much contribute to the establishment of the prefent royal family as one act of confidence, condefcenfion, or bounty, by which the affections of the people may be conciliated.. We are not, my lords, to appease the fufpicions of the throne by facrificing the safety or happiness of the people: we are, indeed, to fupport our fovereign, but not by fuch means as to destroy the ends for which fovereignty was eftablifhed-the public welfare and common fecurity. How, then, can we affent to a measure which may involve thoufands in undeserved mifery, by punishing them for crimes which they did not commit, and which it was not in their power to prevent-and inflicting penalties in order to en-rich by forfeitures the minions of a court? But exclusive of these confiderations, and to advert to an objection of a different nature, what evidence exifts by which it can be afcertained that there never will come a time, in which a superftitious, ambitious, or tyrannical prince may once more attempt the fubverfion of the rights and liberties of the kingdom? If, then, a time fo fatal fhall ever arrive, and another revolution be neceffary, how must a law like this damp the ardor of that patriotism by which all revolutions have been accomplished! Who will be found hardy enough to oppofe the crown, when not only himself but his whole pofterity are

involved

involved in the danger and ruin of a failure? We are to reflect, that the king may not only be in danger from his people, but that the people may be in danger from their king; and as, on the one hand, no privilege should be conferred tending to the encouragement of popular fedition; on the other, no prerogative ought to be endured which may incite to acts of royal oppreffion. The dependence of the monarch and the subject ought to be on reciprocal affection and mutual affiftance; and if I am defirous of fecuring the throne, it is not by difarming the people, but by placing them as guards before it." The clause in question was also vigorously and eloquently oppofed by the lords Talbot, Chesterfield, and others—and defended by the lords Carteret and Hardwicke, and Secker, bishop of Oxford, though a measure flagrantly incompatible with the mild and benevolent fpirit of chriftianity. The question being put, it paffed in the affirmative, but it was accompanied by a strong and animated protest.

The bill, when returned to the commons with this new and unexpected claufe, occafioned great diffatisfaction and oppofition. Mr. Fazakerley, the original mover of the bill, expressed, in warm and indignant language, his deteftation of the claufe added by the lords. "Forfeitures and confifcations," he said, "he had always regarded as unjust, cruel, and of dangerous confequences to the liberties of a free people. As to the authority of Grotius and Puffendorf"-which had been adduced in the course of an elaborate fpeech in defence of the amendment by the attorney general, fir Dudley Ryder-he faid, "they wrote in countries where forfeitures for treafon had been established for ages, at a period far lefs enlightened than the prefent, when it would have been not only unufual but dangerous abfolutely and explicitly to have condemned them, and an indirect difapprobation is eafily difcernible. At any rate, we are not blindly to refign our judgments either to the learned Grotius, or the learned Puffendorf. Still lefs fatisfactory

was

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