lafting peace on that continent. The fchemes fleets, which were employed to prevent the 1 ? A. D. 1763: carrying of those invafions into execution. The miferies brought upon Hanover, and our other German allies, under no other pretence than their being connected by the ties of friendship with England, required our utmost efforts to fave them from deftruction. The French fortifications in the East, their intrigues with the Nabobs and other Indian chiefs, in prejudice to the English, and the continual augmentation of their fleet, which threatened the total ruin of our trade and navigation, beyond the line, roufed that spirit refentment, wisdom and courage, which has divefted them of all power and influence; deftroyed their navy, and driven them from thofe ftrongholds, in which they had placed their dependance. The danger that threatened our Leeward Islands, by the French fettling and fortifying the neutral ifles, in open violation of treaties; and the preparations at Martinico and Guadalupe for invading Jamaica, drew the attention of our arms towards the Weft Indies: and made it neceffary to deprive our enemies of thofe places, from whence they hoped to have done us the moft harm. And the Gg 2 union A. D. 1763. union of the Houfe of Bourbon againft England, which devoted Portugal to be a facrifice to their family-intereft; and whose efficacy depended upon the impregnability of the Havanna, the inexhaustible treasure of the Spanish Indies, and upon an exclufive trade to South America, obliged us to extend the war, in order to blow up their ftrength on the island of Cuba, to intercept or lock up their riches beyond the ocean, to open a free trade for our merchants to New Spain, and to protect our most faithful ally in the south of Europe. Thus you fee, that the means made ufe of by England in this war to bring about an honourable, firm and lafting peace, were not prompted by any oppreffive motives; but were the neceffary meafures and operations dictated and directed by the perfidy, ambition and obftinacy of the enemy: and that we did not take one step in this war, but what immediately tended to weaken our enemies in thofe parts, on which they placed their greatest dependance to hurt us. And while the French were in a condition to encounter our fleets, to interrupt our commerce and navigation, to difpute our property, and to face our armies in North America; to bid defiance to our armaments beyond the Line; to alarm our coafts and to get home the produce of their colonies to burn, deftroy and depopulate the countries of our allies: and when they had availed. themfelves of that additional strength arifing from the Family-Compact with the Spanish Monarch, our enemies were deaf to the voice of peace: Pondicherry was an eternal bar to a reconciliation in : the the Eaft: Louisbourg and the forces of Canada A. D. 1763. fed their ambition with hopes of conquering North America, and its fifhery: Martinico and Guadalupe were thought equal for any attempt upon our Sugar Iflands: and the Havanna was provided to give laws to the windward navigation, to annoy our trade, and to deprive us of the advantages of all our conquefts in the Western Ocean. Therefore, by comparing the different objects of the Belligerent powers, in regard to peace and war; and by duly weighing the motives for entering into, and the means of carrying on, the war, it will appear moft evidently, That the English, and their allies were the only parties, that fought for a firm and lafting peace by their arms. To conclude, it is with the utmost fincerity and gratitude we acklowledge the many obligations we are under to thofe gentlemen, through whose favour we have been indulged with materials to record the motives, plans and event required to afcertain the cause, intention and execution of the most important tranfactions, during this long, bloody and most expensive war. At the fame time we are truly fenfible of the honour done us by the candid public, whofe extraordinary encouragement conveys the ftrongest recommendation of the impartiality and veracity of this hiftory, which contains victories and conquefts, not to be equalled in the annals of this or any other nation; and fucceffes and acquifitions, that eftablish the dignity of the British crown, the terror of the British arms, and the commercial intereft of our nation in every quarter of the universe. I N DE 掌 X To the FIVE VOLUMES. N. B. The i. ii. iii. iv. v, denote the Volume, the Figures A the Page. A. 75. 384. London, 282. v. Oxford, 283. Aggreffor, who is, in war, ii. 66. Albemarle, Earl of, See Havanna. Albany, town of, i. 179. va Scotia, 384. bad conduct in * Colonel William, retakes Angria, expedition againft, i. 199. Anfon, Lord, fails for the Bay, iii. 81. Apraxin, General, ii. 411. B. Balfour, Captain, iii. 241. Bavaria, fubfidy granted to, i. 118. rejects the fubfidy, 135. Bedford, Duke of, employed to fet- Bellifle's, M. fpeech in council, iii. Belleifle, expedition against, v. 112. 218. Gg 4 See Ber- |