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found in Great Britain or Ireland, or any of the dominions or territories belonging to the crown of Great Britain, or should be found on board any ship, vessel or boat, being so on board with intent to land in Great Britain or Ireland, or any of the dominions or territories aforesaid, he and they respectively should, by virtue of the said act, stand and be adjudged attainted of high treason to all intents and purposes whatsoever. And whereas we have received information, that the eldest son of the said pretender did lately embark in France, in order to land in some part of his majesty's kingdoms, we being moved with just indignation at so daring an attempt, and desirous that the said act may be carried effectually into execution, have thought fit, by the advice of his majesty's privy council, and do hereby, in his majesty's name, command and require all his majesty's officers, civil and military, and all other his majesty's loving subjects, to use their utmost endeavours to seize and secure the said son of the pretender, whenever he shall land, or attempt to land, or be found in Great Britain or Ireland, or any of the dominions or territories belonging to the crown of Great Britain; or shall be found on board any ship, vessel, or boat, being so on board with intent to land in Great Britain or Ireland, or any of the dominions or territories aforesaid, in order to his being brought to justice, and to give notice thereof immediately when he shall be so seized and secured, to one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state. And to the intent that all due encouragement may be given to so important a service, we do hereby further, in his majesty's name, promise a reward of thirty thousand pounds to such person and persons who shall so seize and secure the said son of the said pretender, so as that he may be brought to justice. And his majesty's high treasurer, or the commissioners of his majesty's treasury for the time being, is and are hereby required to make payment thereof accordingly. And if any of the persons, who have adhered to or assisted, or who shall adhere to or assist the said pretender, or his said son, shall seize and secure him the said son as aforesaid, he or they who shall so seize and secure him, shall have his majesty's gracious pardon, and shall also receive the said reward, to be paid in manner aforesaid.

Given at Whitehall the first day of August, in the nineteenth year of his majesty's reign.

God save the King.

93. LIFE ON BOARD A MAN-OF-WAR (1748).

Tobias Smollett, the novelist, was also a surgeon, and served in that capacity on men-of-war. The condition of the navy was disgracefully bad, and none of its evils could be concealed from him. Many of the sailors were driven on board by press gangs, and, once afloat, their health-to say nothing of their comfort—was disregarded. Captain Cook, the explorer, proved for the first time, 1772-75, that mortality at sea could be kept low by proper hygienic precautions. The merit of English sailors during the Seven Years' War is vastly enhanced by the everyday sufferings to which they were subject. These glimpses of naval life come from Roderick Random. They are somewhat overdrawn for purposes of effect, but will not convey an undue impression of the hardships which British sailors overcame in Hawke's day.

SOURCE.-Roderick Random. T. Smollett (1721-1771), Edinburgh, 1817. A, p. 159; B, p. 165; and C, p. 181.

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(4) As I crossed Tower-wharf, a squat tawny fellow, with a hanger by his side, and a cudgel in his hand, came up to me, calling: Yo, ho! brother, you must come along with me!" As I did not like his appearance, instead of answering his salutation, I quickened my pace, in hope of ridding myself of his company; upon which he whistled aloud, and immediately another sailor appeared before me, who laid hold of me by the collar, and began to drag me along. Not being of a humour to relish such treatment, I disengaged myself of the assailant, and, with one blow of my cudgel, laid him motionless on the ground; and perceiving myself surrounded in a trice, by ten or a dozen more, exerted myself with such dexterity and success, that some of my opponents were fain to attack me with drawn cutlasses; and, after an obstinate engagement, in which I received a large wound on my head, and another on my left cheek, I was disarmed, taken prisoner, and carried on board a pressing tender, where, after being pinioned like a malefactor, I was thrust down into the hold among a parcel of miserable wretches, the sight of whom well nigh distracted me. As the commanding officer had not humanity enough to order my wounds to be dressed, and I could not use my own hands, I desired one of my fellow-captives, who was unfettered, to take

a handkerchief out of my pocket, and tie it round my head to stop the bleeding. He pulled out my handkerchief, 'tis true, but, instead of applying it to the use for which I designed it, went to the grating of the hatchway, and, with astonishing composure, sold it before my face to a bumboat woman, then on board, for a quart of gin, with which he treated my companions, regardless of my circumstances and entreaties.

I complained bitterly of this robbery to the midshipman on deck, telling him at the same time that, unless my hurts were dressed, I should bleed to death. But compassion was a weakness of which no man could justly accuse this person, who, squirting a mouthful of dissolved tobacco upon me, through the gratings, told me "I was a mutinous dog, and that I might die and be d-d". Finding there was no other remedy, I appealed to patience, and laid up this usage in my memory, to be recalled at a fitter season. In the meantime, loss of blood, vexation, and want of food, contributed, with the noisome stench of the place, to throw me into a swoon; out of which I was recovered by a tweak of the nose, administered by the tar who stood sentinel over us, who at the same time regaled me with a draught of flip, and comforted me with the hopes of being put on board the Thunder next day, where I should be freed of my handcuffs, and cured of my wounds by the doctor.

(B) When I had obtained this favour, my friend Thomson carried me down to the cockpit, which is the place allotted for the habitation of the surgeon's mates: and when he had shown me their berth (as he called it), I was filled with astonishment and horror. We descended by divers' ladders to a space as dark as a dungeon, which I understood was immersed several feet under water, being immediately above the hold. I had no sooner approached this dismal gulf, than my nose was saluted with an intolerable stench of putrefied cheese and rancid butter, that issued from an apartment at the foot of the ladder, resembling a chandler's shop, where, by the faint glimmering of a candle, I could perceive a man with a pale meagre countenance, sitting behind a kind of desk, having spectacles on his nose, and a pen in his hand. This (I learned of Mr. Thomson) was the ship's steward, who sat there to distribute provision to the several messes, and to mark what each received. He therefore presented my name to him, and desired that I might be entered in his mess; then, taking a light in his hand, conducted me to the place of his residence, which was a square of about six feet, surrounded with the medicine chest, that of the first mate, his own, and a board, by way of table, fastened

to the after powder-room: it was also inclosed with canvas nailed round to the beams of the ship, to screen us from the cold, as well as from the view of the midshipmen and quartermasters, who lodged within the cable tiers on each side of us. In this gloomy mansion he entertained me with some cold salt pork, which he brought from a sort of locker fixed above the table; and, calling for the boy of the mess, sent for a can of beer, of which he made excellent flip to crown the banquet.

(C) The surgeon grinned approbation, and, taking the list, began to examine the complaints of each, as they could crawl to the place appointed. The first who came under his cognizance was a poor fellow just freed of a fever, which had weakened him so much, that he could hardly stand. Mr. Mackshane (for that was the doctor's name) having felt his pulse, protested he was as well as any man in the world; and the captain delivered him over to the boatswain's mate, with orders that he should receive a round dozen at the gang-way immediately, for counterfeiting himself sick; but before the discipline could be executed, the man dropt down on the deck, and had well nigh perished under the hands of the executioner. The next patient to be considered laboured under a quartan ague, and being then in his interval of health, discovered no other symptoms of distemper than a pale, meagre countenance, and emaciated body; upon which he was declared fit for duty, and turned over to the boatswain: but being resolved to disgrace the doctor, died upon the forecastle next day, during his cold fit. The third complained of a pleuritic stitch, and spitting of blood; for which Doctor Mackshane prescribed exercise at the pump, to promote expectoration: but whether this was improper for one in his situation, or that it was used to excess, I know not; for in less than half an hour he was suffocated with a deluge of blood that issued from his lungs. A fourth, with much difficulty, climbed to the quarter-deck, being loaded with a monstrous ascites or dropsy, that invaded his chest so much, he could scarce fetch his breath; but his disease being interpreted into fat, occasioned by idleness and excess of eating, he was ordered, with a view to promote perspiration, and enlarge his chest, to go aloft immediately; it was in vain for this unwieldy wretch to allege his utter incapacity, the boatswain's driver was commanded to whip him up with the cat-o'-nine-tails : the smart of this application made him exert himself so much, that he actually arrived at the puttock shrouds; but when the enormous weight of his body had nothing else to support it than his weakened arms, either out of spite or necessity, he

quitted his hold, and plumped into the sea, where he must have been drowned, had not a sailor, who was in a boat alongside, saved his life, by keeping him afloat till he was hoisted on board by a tackle. It would be tedious and disagreeable to describe the fate of every miserable object that suffered by the inhumanity and ignorance of the captain and surgeon, who so wantonly sacrificed the lives of their fellow-creatures. Many were brought up in the height of fevers, and rendered delirious by the injuries they received in the way.

Some gave up the ghost in the presence of their inspectors; and others, who were ordered to their duty, languished a few days at work among their fellows, and then departed without any ceremony. On the whole, the number of the sick was reduced to less than a dozen.

94. THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY (1757).

The rise of British power in India was assisted by a ruinous native policy of asking foreign aid in the settlement of domestic disputes. Nominally the battle of Plassey resulted in the substitution of Mir Jaffier for Suraj-ud-Dowlah actually it handed over Bengal to England with Clive as governor. What discipline means can be inferred from the disparity of forces in this decisive conflict. Clive had in all 3000 men, less than one third of whom were English. Suraj-ud-Dowlah's army numbered 35,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry, with forty cannon. SOURCE.-Despatch to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors (E. I. Co.). Robert Clive (1725-1774). Malcolm's Life of Clive. London, 1836. Vol. i., p. 263.

I gave you an account of the taking of Chandernagore; the subject of this address is an event of much higher importance, no less than the entire overthrow of Nabob Suraj-uDowlah, and the placing of Meer Jaffier on the throne. I intimated, in my last, how dilatory Suraj-u-Dowlah appeared in fulfilling the articles of the treaty. This disposition not only continued but increased, and we discovered that he was designing our ruin, by a conjunction with the French. To this end Monsieur Bussy was pressingly invited to come into this province, and Monsieur Law of Cossimbazar (who before had been privately entertained in his service) was ordered to return from Patna.

About this time some of his principal officers made over

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