in their turn banded themselves together, that they might be formidable by always voting in a body, without respect to A.D. politics. They at last called for a dissolution of the 1713. Union. It was debated in both houses, and in the House of Lords was only lost by a majority of four.

Anne's health now began sensibly to decline, and each party eagerly laid its plans for seizing on the government. These intrigues so irritated her mind, that she rapidly grew worse. On the 30th of July 1714, she was attacked with an apoplectic fit, and afterwards sank into a stupor, and on the first of August she expired, in the fiftieth year of her age and the thirteenth of her reign. Her husband had preceded her to the grave six years, and of her seventeen children not one survived.

EXERCISES.

1. How did the reign of Queen Anne begin? What party did her ministry belong to? Who was appointed chief commander in the war with France? What were the principal events in the history of the campaign? What was the nature of the Bill of Occasional Conformity?

2. What were the chief events of the campaign in the year 1704? For what great victory was Marlborough rewarded? Who was conveyed to Portugal by Admiral Rooke? By whom was the archduke driven across the frontiers? What relationship had the Duke of Berwick with the exiled Stewart family? Mention a circumstance that is remarkable about two commanders in this war.

3. What were the peculiar circumstances in the condition of England and Scotland which rendered a union desirable? Mention an incident which showed the danger of a war between the two countries. What did the liament of Scotland arrange as to the succession? What measures were taken for bringing about the Union? What were the principal clauses of

the Act of Union?

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4. What were the chief occurrences of the war in 1706? What occurred

in the ensuing year? What expedition was planned against Scotland? What was the result of it? Name the battle which marked the beginning of the campaign of 1708 in Flanders. When was the battle of Malplaquet fought?

5. Whom did Queen Anne substitute for the Duchess of Marlborough as her favourite? Give the names of two statesmen who aided her in a political change. Give an account of Dr Sacheverel and his proceedings. What was the conduct of his followers? What was the effect of the manifestation in his favour?

6. What was the name of a celebrated treaty concluded by the new minis try? What governments were parties to it? Mention some of its terms. Describe an important measure as to the Church of Scotland, which followed the treaty of Utrecht? What were the effects of this measure? What risk did the Union incur? When did Queen Anne die?

CHAPTER XXXI.

HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK-SIX SOVEREIGNS.

GEORGE I., a. d. 1714—1727.

Dynasty of Hanover-George I.-His first Parliament-Sir William Wyndham-Impeachment of Lords Oxford and Bolingbroke-Scottish Rebellion of 1715-The Septennial Act-Swedish Plot in favour of the Pretender -War with Spain-The South Sea Scheme-Jacobite Plot-War with Germany-Rise of the Methodists.

1. GEORGE, called to the throne by the act of settlement, was the first monarch of the Brunswick family, from which the present queen is lineally descended. It may be interesting to trace his relationship to the royal family of Stewart, which was now permanently superseded. It will be remembered that Elizabeth, the daughter of James I., was married to the Elector Palatine. They had a daughter, Sophia, married to the Elector of Hanover, who would have been the Queen of Britain had she not died shortly before Queen Anne. Her son, the Elector of Hanover, then fifty-four years old, succeeded to her right. By this arrangement, not only were the descendants of James II. passed over, but also those of his sister Henrietta, who was married to the Duke of Orleans, brother of Louis XIV., all of them being Romanists.

The mature age of George I., his experience, his aptitude and application to business, his numerous alliances, and the general tranquillity of Europe, seemed to promise a happy and peaceful reign. But his aversion to the tories, and his exclusive attachment to the whigs, to whom he yielded the government, caused great discontent, and dangerous tumults broke out in several parts of his dominions.

The Pretender, for by this name the son of James II. was generally known, endeavoured to profit by this state of affairs, and published a manifesto, complaining that, contrary to the fundamental laws of hereditary right, the English nation had proclaimed a foreign prince. The king felt the need of a parliament devoted to his interests, and a new one was called under the influence of the court. Its first act was to fix the civil list at £700,000. The proclamation by which George had convoked the new parliament was in a form till then un

known. He complained of the wicked intentions of those who were ill affected to the order of succession, and expressed a hope and desire that the electors would return persons capable of remedying the existing disorders, and who were attached to the protestant succession. Some of the members of the Commons ventured to blame this proclamation; and when Sir William Wyndham declared it to be unprecedented and dangerous to the very nature of a parliament, he was threatened with the Tower, and was ordered to quit the house: one hundred and twenty-nine members accompanied him. Those who remained voted that he should be reprimanded by the Speaker for having made an unwarrantable use of the freedom of debate.

2. IMPEACHMENT of Oxford.-This was merely a prelude to the violence meditated by the dominant party. Seeking a pretext for impeaching the late ministers, a secret committee was appointed to inquire into the negotiations concluded towards the end of the last reign. Upon the report of that committee, Robert Walpole accused one of the negotiators, Lord Bolingbroke, of high treason. When some of the members demurred to this serious charge, Lord Coningsby rose and said: "The worthy chairman of the committee has impeached the hand, but I impeach the head; he has impeached the scholar, and I the master; I impeach Robert earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer of high treason and other high crimes and misdemeanours." To no purpose did Oxford's brother represent that that minister had done nothing but by the queen's orders; that after all the peace of Utrecht was an advantageous one, and that it had been approved of by two parliaments. On the 9th of July, the articles of impeachment were carried to the bar of the House of Lords, and Oxford, although suffering under a painful malady, was committed to the Tower. Similar charges were brought against the Earl of Strafford and the Duke of Ormond. Bolingbroke, foreseeing the storm that threatened him, had escaped to France; and Ormond followed his example. A bill of attainder was passed against the two fugitives, and their names were erased from the rolls of the peerage. They subsequently joined the court of the exiled prince, with whom, indeed, there is no doubt that Bolingbroke held a correspondence when he was professing to serve the interests of Hanover. The proceedings of the party in power caused great discontent, which, being fomented by the whigs, daily increased in

strength. London and Westminster had already been the theatre of frequent tumults: the people had insulted those who celebrated the king's birth-day, and had burnt William III. in effigy in Smithfield. The Earl of Oxford had been accompanied to the Tower by an immense crowd, who vented loud execrations against his alleged persecutors. In the county of Stafford, and in other parts of England, tumultuous meetings had been held against the whigs; and the Commons presented an address to the king, soliciting vigorous measures against these disturbers of the public peace. A bill (the well known Riot Act) was accordingly prepared, which enacted that, whenever an assemblage of twelve persons should not disperse within an hour after a legal warning to that effect, they should be declared guilty of felony. When the king went to parlia ment to give his assent to this and other bills, he said that England was on the verge of rebellion, and that the country. in consequence of Jacobite intrigues, was threatened with a invasion from abroad. He was accordingly empowered to suspend the habeas corpus act and to arrest all suspected per sons. A reward of £100,000 was offered for the apprehension of the Pretender, dead or alive. The fleet was put upon a war footing, and orders were issued for raising twenty new regiments. Some very stringent regulations were also passed against the Scotch Jacobites.

These measures were probably more calculated to precipitate than to prevent rebellion. The Pretender, invited by powerful party in England, and relying upon assistance fr Louis XIV., flattered himself with the hopes of a fortunate and early restoration. But the death of that king disappointe all his expectations. The regent, Philip of Orleans, connecta himself with the House of Hanover, and the Jacobites we compelled to renounce all idea of support from France.

3. REBELLION OF 1715.-Nevertheless, a formidable rising took place in the Highlands of Scotland. The Earl of M who had been secretary of state for Scotland, and had be other high offices under Queen Anne, immediately profess the utmost devotion to the cause of George, to whom he fered his services. The offer met with contemptuous negle and the earl set off for his highland estates, where he claimed James III. at the head of 10,000 followers, and a northern counties of England followed this example. Pretender, a prince of feeble resolution, after some delay hesitation, set sail for Scotland, where he found his parti

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weakened and discouraged by the battles of Preston in Lancashire and Sheriffmuir in Scotland. Instead of reviving them by active and energetic measures, he spent six weeks in idle parade; and then hastily re-embarked without having even seen an enemy. The course of the Revolution and the Hanover succession was at that time in great danger; and if he Jacobites had possessed an able general, they might at east have severed Scotland from England. They were, in act, for a long time in complete possession of the ancient ingdom of the Stewarts, excepting its northern extremity, dinburgh Castle, and a few other fortified places. The vicry of the whigs was, however, in the end an easy one, and ey might have followed it up with greater leniency. A rge number of the insurgents were hanged, beheaded, and artered, and 1000 were transported to the colonies of North merica.

SEPTENNIAL ACT.-This harshness did not put an end to e discontent. The parliament, then sitting, was subservient the ministers; but new elections, under the influence of prevailing feelings, might change every thing, and exe the dominant party to terrible retaliation. To secure mselves against this danger, the ministry resolved on proing the repeal of the triennial act, and extending the duraof parliament to seven years. After some opposition, the nge was agreed to by a large majority (April 1716). . THE SWEDISH PLOT.-The king having relieved himself the embarrassing clause in the act of settlement restrainhim from leaving the kingdom, revisited his German inions. As elector of Hanover, he had in the previous - purchased from the King of Denmark the duchies of nen and Verden, of which Charles XII. of Sweden had deprived during his absence. When this prince returned kingdom, he vainly demanded their restoration, and in esentment, he resolved, at the suggestion of Baron Gortz rincipal minister, to attempt an invasion of England in r of the Pretender. The connivance of Spain and Holthe intrigues of Gortz in the latter country and in and, and the number of malcontents ready to second his prise, seemed to promise success. George prepared to this danger by entering into an alliance with France and nd, and by the most prompt and energetic measures. e news of the plot preparing against him, he hastily ed to London, and arrested Count Gyllenborg, the