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thousand pounds for the marriage portion of the princefs of Denmark, one of his majesty's daughters; five hundred and twenty-four thousand pounds were also voted on account of the extraordinary charges of the troops serving in Flanders, incurred in the years 1742 and 1743, and not provided for by parliament; and an hundred thousand pounds, upon açcount of the extraordinary charge of forage, waggon money, and other expences incurred, or to be incurred, for the service of the year 1744*. It was about the end of that year, that we entered into a treaty with the king of Poland, by which we engaged to pay him an annual subsidy of an hundred thousand pounds. "A general discontent," says Frederick, "had "obliged the king of England to part with his mi"nister lord Carteret, who had entered into all his ❝ views; and who, under the appearance of national "good, concealed every step GEORGE made in favour of his electorate +." There was a change of men but not of measures. The duke of Bedford, the earl of Chesterfield, and the pious lord Littleton, in spite of their violent speeches, accepted, as well as others, a share in the plunder of their country.Chesterfield set out for the Hague, with the the paltry title of ambassador extraordinary, "to persuade, “if possible, the States General to enter heartily in"to the war ;" into that very war, which he had, a thousand times over, declared to be unjust and unnecefsary, Behold an independent peer of Britain de

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*Scots Magazine for 1744.

History of my own times, Chap. xi.

t Smollet

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grading himself into a pander of afsafsination! What a dreadful picture of human nature! With what regret might his lordship have looked up to the situation of a scavenger! The duke of Newcastle, and his brother Mr Pelham, were the promoters of this revolution in the cabinet, and the leaders of the new ministry. As Mr Pelham's memory is mentioned with respect, it is but justice to observe that he was as forward as others in squandering the treasure and the blood of England. Were a private person to burn his neighbour's house, or cut his throat, he would be hanged; but when a scoundrel, whose understanding is unequal to the office of a post boy, drives an hundred thousand brave men into the field, to desolate provinces, and hew nations down like oxen, we call it glory! The supplies specified in the votes for 1744, amounted to six millions and a half, and those for 1745, to about the same sum, including two hundred thousand pounds to the king of Sardinia, and five hundred thousand pounds to the queen of Hungary.

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In the beginning of the year 1746, our faithful commons" settled funds for the maintenance of "the Dutch and Hefsian troops who were in the "service of England, as well as for the subsidy to "the landgrave. They granted three hundred thou"sand pounds to the king of Sardinia; four bun"dred thousand pounds to the queen of Hungary; "three hundred and ten thousand pounds to defray "the expence of eighteen thousand Hanoverians; "about three and thirty thousand pounds to the electors of Mentz and Cologne; and five hundred

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June 6. "thousand pounds, in a vote of credit and confidence,

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to his majesty. The whole charge of the current .66 year amounted to seven millions two hundred and "fifty thousand pounds *." In the month of November, of the same year, they met a second time and the supplies for the year 1747 were still more extravagant. "They granted four hundred and

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thirty-three thousand pounds to the queen of Hungary; three hundred thousand pounds to the king ❝ of Sardinia; FOUR hundred and ten thousand pounds " for the maintenance of eighteen thousand Hano“verian auxiliaries +; one hundred and sixty-one "thousand six hundred and seven pounds, for six 66 thousand Hefsians; subsidies to the electors of Cologne, Mentz, and Bavaria; and the sum of five "hundred thousand pounds to enable his majesty "to carry on the war with vigour. The supplies "amounted to nine millions four hundred and twen"ty-five thousand pounds ‡." In my fourth letter, I have already stated the supplies for 1748. A more particular detail of part of them may deserve. the reader's attention. A new parliament met on

the 10th November 1747; "five hundred and seven ." thousand pounds were granted for the office of ." ordnance for land service; twelve hundred and sixty thousand pounds for the payment of fifty "thousand land forces; one million seven hundred and forty-three thousand pounds for the payment of

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* Smullet.

The price of Hanoverian blood had arisen in the course of a year thirty per cent. The Hefsian subsidy is out of all proportion.

Smollet.

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SUBSIDIES to the emprefs queen of Hungary, the "emprefs of Rufsia, the king of Sardinia, the "electors of Mentz and Bavaria, the forces of Ha

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nover, AND❞—the devil knows how many other German despots, who hired out their soldiers to fight like game cocks for the best bidder. Five hundred thousand pounds were also voted in confidence to his most gracious majesty, who was, for no purpose whatever, steeping Europe in the blood of her inhabitants. The continental war appears to have cost us, for the year 1748, about FOUR MILLIONS STERLING, as the above sums are entirely exclusive of those granted for the service of the British navy, and for the payment of the land forces in garrisons and plantations. Had these and former subsidies been applied to the privateer service, it is very likely that the commerce of France and Spain would have been absolutely torn up by the roots; and we are commonly taught that such an event would be of infinite advantage to Britain. But supposing our neighbours reduced to universal bankruptcy, with whom are we to buy or sell? or is a merchant ambitious to transact businefs only with beggars? A fhop keeper in the high street of Edinburgh would not expect to increase the profits of his business by reducing the whole city to afhes; yet a commercial nation proposes to gain universal wealth by spreading universal depredation. Dr Swift said that his countrymen had more pleasure in cheating you of A SHILLING, than in gaining FIVE POUNDS by fair trade. But this disposition is not peculiar të * Beatson vol. i. p. 360.

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June 6, Ireland. In contemplating the Spanish war of 1739, the following facts deserve a serious consideration.

The British navy lost forty-eight vefsels. They carried thirteen hundred and seventy-six guns. By the common calculation, these ships must have been equipped at an expence of about thirteen hundred and seventy-six thousand pounds. Much has been boasted of the superior value of the vessels taken from the French and Spaniards, but "many "of the most valuable prizes were insured at LoN66 DON *" and about the close of the war a statute was actually passed to put an end to such a traffic. The historian adds, that this practice "proved the "sole cause of preventing a total bankruptcy from

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taking place among their merchants." Thus, in the midst of a bloody contest, a number of British privateers were actually engaged in the destruction of British property; while the wealth of British merchants was chearfully employed in supporting the last resources of the pretended enemies of Britain. The prospect does not brighten by reflecting on the motives which reduced us to a situation so mournfully contemptible. We drew the sword in defence of the dregs of mankind, of smugglers, and slave stealers.

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England," says Voltaire, "had no interest in "this quarrel, but that of a single fhip. She lost "much blood and treasure, and the affair of that ship " remained, after all, in the same situation." "In the "treaty of peace," says Beatson, "the grand matter, which had been the occasion of this bloody Naval Memoirs, vol. i. p. 361,

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