barians, first in exterminating our back settlers, and next in attacking the vitals of our most populous colonies, which muft have been attended with the almoft immediate ruin of the British commerce in that part of the world.

The fortunate events of the war in our favour have turned upon the French the deftruction they had meditated against us. They themselves are now difpoffeffed of almost all they had in North America, fo effectually, that, in all human probability, we can never have a competitor in those parts of the world, either in power or com

merce.

In the East Indies, the British arms have been beyond all precedent fuccessful, and that too at a time when our common enemy, flushed with recent fucceffes, was in hopes of engroffing, upon our ruin, the trade of Afia to himself. But now, there, as well as in North America, our intereft is fo durably established, and the power of France fo effectually reduced, that we have nothing to fear but from the Dutch, as the natives, in all likelihood, will never break with the English, whom they have seen perform fuch amazing prodigies of valour.

Three important conquefts, those of Guadaloupe, Martinico and the Havannah, have indeed been returned by the definitive treaty; but the lofs of them were of infinitely more prejudice to the enemy, than their poffeffion could have been of fervice to us.

We have also agreed to permit the French to fish on the banks of Newfoundland, in the gulph St. Lawrence, and on the coafts of the ifland of Cape Breton, and given them the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, for that purpose, with leave to keep ftores, and to

cure

cure and dry their fish in Newfoundland. This is by far the worst part of the treaty; for befides that Great Britain, by engroffing the whole of the fishery, might have employed all her poor failors who are now in diftrefs, it would have brought large fums into the nation, and, what is of ftill greater confequence, her navy would have been fo ftrengthened, and that of France fo impaired, by this means, that in all probability no war would have enfued for a century, and our miniftry and people, with common prudence, might have difcharged the whole of the national debt, enormous as it is.---Befides the conquefts made by Great Britain, during the courfe of the war, the French marine was almoft annihilated, and that of Spain fo damaged, as not to be repaired for fome years; fo that this feemed to be the time for Great Britain to settle a peace to her own fatisfaction.

The war in Germany, in its own nature, was but a fecondary confideration to Great Britain; but the engagements we had entered into there, rendered it in fact a primary one. To diffolve thofe engagements, without hurting the honour of the nation, or endangering the balance of power on the continent of Europe, was the great object that, foon after the acceffion of his prefent Majefty, employed the attention of his minifters. They fucceeded in their intention beyond the expectation of the public. They more than fulfilled their actual engagements with his Pruffian Majefty; and, after the defection of the Ruffians from the cause of Auftria, they took off the French from being his enemies. The fenfible and immediate effect of this was, that the Princes of the empire, who think they have no fecurity against the power of Auftria, but the treaty of Weft

Weftphalia, of which the French are guarantees, openly embraced a neutrality, and fecretly refolved to oblige the Queen of Hungary to lay down her arms, and thereby to give fome refpite to the exhausted, defolated, country of Germany. Thus his Pruffian Majefty, by his own magnanimity, and the wife conduct of Great Britain, in obliging the French to abandon the German war, gained all he had fought for. The court of Vienna, finding itself unfupported, agreed to a' peace, which might have been made in the beginning of the war, and which would have faved the lives of above a million of brave men. Nor was this the only good effect of their conduct, for her Imperial Majefty begins now to be fenfible of the felfifh views with which France joined her, and fees how dangerous fuch an unnatural conjunction may prove to the peace and independency of the Germanic body. There is, therefore, all the reafon in the world to hope, that the houfe of Auftria, finding it can do nothing against that of Brandenburgh, will unite with it in watching that of Bourbon, while his Britannic Majefty, divested of all foreign partialities, will resume the glorious, but almoft forgotten, character of being the umpire of Europe.

EINI S.

ERRATA.

PAGE 19, line 6, for 1761 read 1751. P. 60, 1. 8, for

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P. 100, l. 12, for at r. as. P. 119, 1. 16, for convoy r. convey. P. 126, 1. 33, for generals r. general. P. 131, 1. 32, dele to. P. 135, 1. 6, for lofs r. loft. P. 140, 1. 25, for other r. their. P. 149, 1. for his r. the. P. 157, 1. 1, for Auftrians 1. Pruffians. P. 164, l. 15, for Conjiveram r. Conjeweram. P. 169, 1.1, for profperity, r. pofterity. P. 182, 1. 13, for reign r. rein. P. 184, l. 9, for what court, r. what that court.

The battle in the Eaft Indies, between Col. Coote and Monf. Lally, related in Page 102 and 103, is again repeated, by mistake, in Page 164 and 165.