The Spaniards were the firft nation who fhewed the futility of treaties to bind, when any advantage was to be procured by infraction. The extreme avidity of our merchants, and the natural jealoufy and cruelty of that nation, produced every day encroachments on our fide, and as arbitrary feizures on theirs. The people of our WestIndia iflands, had long carried on an illicit trade with the fubjects of Spain upon the continent, but whenever detected were rigorously punished, and their cargoes confifcated to the crown. in this temerity of adventure on the one hand, ani vigilance of pursuit and punishment on the other, it must often have happened that the innocent must fuffer with the guilty, and many complaints were made, perhaps founded in juftice, that the English merchants were plundered by the Spanish king's veffels upon the fouthern coafts of America, as if they had been pirates.

The English miniftry, unwilling to credit every report, which was enflamed by refentment, or urged by avarice, expected to remedy the evils complained of by their favourite fyftem of treaty, and in the mean time promised the nation redrefs. At length, however, the complaints became more general, and the merchants remonftrated, by petition, to the house of commons, who entered into a deliberation on the subject. They examined the evidence of feveral who had been unjustly feized, and treated with great cruelty. One man, the mafter of a trading veffel, had been used by the Spaniards in the most shocking manner; he gave in his evidence with great precifion, informed the house of the manner they had plundered. and ftript him, of their cutting off his ears; and their preparing to put him to death. "I then "looked up, cried he, to my God for pardon, and to my country for revenge." H 4

Thefe

These accounts raised a flame among the people, which it was neither the minifter's intereft, nor perhaps that of the nation to indulge; new negotiations were fet on foot, and new mediators offered their interpofition. A treaty was figned at Vienna, between the emperor, the king of Great Britain, and the king of Spain, which fettled the peace of Europe upon its former footing, and put off the threatened war for a time. By this treaty, the king of England conceived hopes, that all war would be at an end. Don Carlos, upon the death of the duke of Parma, was, by the affiftance of an English fleet, put in peaceable poffeffion of Parma and Placentia, while fix thousand Spaniards were quietly admitted, and quartered in the dutchy of Tufcany, to fecure for him the reverfion of that dukedom.

An interval of peace fucceeded, in which scarce any events happened that deferve the remembrance of an hiftorian. Such intervals, however, are the feafons of happiness, for hiftory is generally little more than the register of human contention and calamity.

During this interval of profound peace, nothing remarkable happened; and fcarce any conteft enfued, except in the British parliament, where the difputes between the court and country party were carried on with unceafing animofity. Both fides, from moderate beginnings, at laft fairly lifted themselves in the caufe, not of truth, but of party. Measures propofed by the ministry, though tending to the benefit of the nation, were opposed by their antagonifts, who, on their fide, alfo were abridged the power of carrying any act, how beneficial foever it might have been. A calm difinterefted reader, is now furprized at the heat with which many fubjects at that time, of little importance in themfelves, were difcuffed. He now

fmiles at thofe denunciations of flavery and of ruin, which were entailed upon pofterity, and which posterity did not feel. The truth is, the liberty of nation is rather fupported by the oppofition, than by the speeches of the oppofition; the combatants may be confidered as ever standing upon guard, though they are for ever giving a false alarm.

age

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In times of profound tranquillity, the flightest occurrence comes in to fill up the chafm in history. A fociety of men in this interested A. D. feeming benevolence, had united themfelves into a company, by the name of 1731. the Charitable Corporation; and their profeffed intention, was to lend money at legal intereft to the poor, upon fmall pledges, and to perfons of higher rank upon proper fecurity. Their capital. was at firft limited to thirty thousand pounds, but they afterwards encreased it to fix hundred thoufand. The money was fupplied by fubfcription, and the care of conducting the capital was intrufted This company to a proper number of directors.

having continued for more than twenty years, the cashier, George Robinson, member for Marlow, and the ware-houfe keeper, John Thompfon, difappeared in one day. Five hundred thoufand pounds of capital was found to be funk and embez zled, by means which the proprietors could not difcover. They, therefore, in a petition, reprefented to the houfe the manner in which they had been defrauded, and the diftrefs to which many of the petitioners were reduced. A fecret committee being appointed to examine into this grievance, a. moft iniquitous fcene of fraud was foon discovered, which had been carried on by Thompfon and Robinson, in concert with fome of the directors, for embezzling the capital and cheating the proprietors. Many perfons of rank and quality were concerned in this infamous confpiracy; and

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even fome of the first characters in the nation did not escape cenfure. A fpirit of avarice and rapacity had infected every rank of life about this time; no less than fix members of parliament were expelled for the most fordid acts of knavery. Sir Robert Sutton, Sir Archibald Grant, and George Robinson, for their frauds in the management of the charitable corporation scheme; Dennis Bond, and ferjeant Burch, for a fraudulent fale of the late unfortunate earl of Derwentwater's large eftate; and lastly, John Ward, of Hackney, for forgery. Luxury had given birth to prodigality, and that was the parent of the meaneft arts of peculation. It was afferted in the house of lords, at that time, that not one fhilling of the forfeited eftates was ever applied to the service of the public, but became the reward of fraudulence and venality.

From this picture of avarice and luxury among the great, it is not wonderful to find inftances of deplorable wretchednefs among the poor. One Richard Smith, a book-binder, and his wife, had long lived together, and ftruggled with those wants, which, notwithstanding the profufion of the rich, pinched the lower orders of mankind. Their mutual affection was the only comfort they had in their diftreffes, which diftreffes were encreased by having a child, which they knew not how to maintain. At length, they took the defperate refolution of dying together; but previously their child's throat was cut, and the hufband and wife were found hanging in their little bed-chamber. There was a letter upon the table, containing the reafons which induced them to this act of defperation; they declared they could no longer support a life of fuch complicated wretchednefs; they recommended their dog and cat to compaffion; but thought it tenderness to take their only child with them from

from a world, where they them felves had found fo little compaffion. Suicide is often imputed to frenzy. We have heard an inftance of felf-murder concerted with compofure, and borrowing the aids of reason for its vindication.

A. D,

A scheme fet on foot by Sir Robert Walpole foon after engroffed the attention of the public, which was to fix 1732. a general excife. The minifter introduced it into the house, by going into a detail of the frauds practifed by the factors in London, who were employed by the American planters in felling their tobacco. To prevent thefe frauds, he propofed that instead of having the cuftoms levied in the ufual manner upon tobacco, all hereafter to be imported fhould be lodged in ware-houses appointed for that purpose by the officers of the crown, and fhould from thence be fold upon paying the duty of fourpence a pound, when the proprietor found a purchafer. This propofal raifed a violent ferment not less within doors than without. It was afferted, that it would expofe the factors to fuch. hardships that they would be unable to continue their trade, and that such a scheme would not even prevent the frauds complained of. It was added, that a number of additional excifemen and warehouse keepers would thus be employed, which would at once render the ministry formidable, and the people dependent. Such were the arguments made ufe of to ftir up the citizens to oppofe this law; arguments rather fpecious than folid, fince, with all its advantages, the tax upon tobacco would thus be more fafely and expeditiously collected, and the avenues to numberlefs frauds would be fhut up. The people, however, were raifed into fuch a ferment, that the parliament house was furrounded with multitudes, who intimidated the miniftry and compelled them to drop the defign.

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