A. D. 1731. } A society of men in this interested age of seeming benevo lence, had united themselves into a company, by the name of the Charitable Corporation; and their professed intention was to lend money, at legal interest, to the poor upon small pledges, and to persons of higher rank upon proper security. Their capital was at first limited to thirty thousand pounds, but they afterwards increased it to six hundred thou sand. This money was supplied by subscription, and the care of conducting the capital was intrusted to a proper number of directors. This company having continued for more than twenty years, the cashier, George Robinson, member for Marlow, and the warehouse-keeper, John Thompson, disappeared in one day. Five hundred thousand pounds of capital was found to be sunk and embezzled, by means which the proprie tors could not discover. They therefore, in a petition, represented to the house the manner in which they had been de frauded, and the distress to which many of the petitioners were reduced. A secret committee being appointed to examine into this grievance, a most iniquitous scene of fraud was soon disco vered, which had been carried on by Robinson and Thompson, in concert with some of the directors, for embezzling the capital and cheating the proprietors. Many persons of rank and quality were concerned in this infamous conspiracy; and even some of the first characters in the nation did not escape censure. A spirit of avarice and rapacity infected every rank of life about this time; no less than six members of parliament were expelled for the most sordid 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 Serjeant Burch, for a fraudulent sale of the late unfortunate Earl of Derwentwater's large estate; and lastly, John Ward, of Hackney, for forgery. Luxury had given birth to prodigality, and that was the parent of the meanest arts of peculation. It was asserted in the house of lords, at that time, that not one shilling of the forfeited estates was ever applied to the service of the public, but became the reward of fraud and venality. A. D. 1732. :} A scheme, set on foot by Sir Robert Walpole, soon after engrossed the attention of the public, which was to fix a general excise. The minister introduced it into the house, by going into a detail of the frauds practised by the factors in London, who were employed by the American planters in selling their tobacco. To prevent these frauds, he proposed that, instead of having the customs levied in the usual manner upon tobacco, all hereafter to be imported should be lodged in warehouses appointed for that purpose by the officers of the crown; that it should from thence be sold, upon paying the duty of four-pence a pound, when the proprietor found a purchaser. This proposal raised a violent ferment, not less within doors than without. It was asserted that it would expose the factors to such hardships, that they would not be able 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 excisemen and warehouse-keepers would thus be employed, which would at once render the ministry formidable, and the people dependent. Such were the arguments made use of to stir up the citizens to oppose this law; arguments rather specious than solid, since, with all its disadvantages, the tax upon tobacco would thus be more safely and expeditiously collected, and the avenues to numberless frauds would be shut up. The people, however, were raised into such a ferment, that the parliament-house was surrounded with multitudes who intimidated the ministry, and compelled them to drop the design. The miscarriage of the bill was celebrated with public rejoicings in London and Westminster, and the minister was burned in effigy by the populace of London. Ever since the peace of Utrecht, the Spaniards in America had insulted and distressed the commerce of Great Britain, and the British merchants had attempted to carry on an illicit trade in their dominions. A right which the English merchants claimed by treaty, of cutting logwood in the bay of Cam-. peachy, gave them frequent opportunities of pushing in contraband commodities upon the Continent; so that to suppress the evil, the Spaniards were resolved to annihilate the claim. The liberty of cutting logwood had often been acknowledged, but never clearly ascertained; in all former treaties it was considered as an object of too little importance to make a separate article in any negotiation. The Spanish vessels appointed for protecting the coast, continued their severities upon the English; many of the subjects of Britain were sent to dig in the mines of Potosi, and deprived of all means of conveying their complaints to those who might send them redress. One remonstrance followed another to the court of Madrid of this violation of treaty; but the only answers given, were promises of inquiry, which produced no reformation. Our merchants complained loudly of those outrages, but the ministers vainly expected from negotiations that redress which was only to be obtained by arms. The fears discovered by the court of Great Britain served only to increase the insolence of the enemy; and their guardships continued to seize not only all the guilty, but the innocent, whom they found sailing along the Spanish main. At last, however, the complaints of the English merchants were loud enough to interest the house of commous; their letters and memorials were produced, and their grievances enforced by counsel at the bar of the house. It was soon found, that the money which Spain had agreed to pay to the court of Great Britain was withheld, and no reason assigned for the delay. The minis ter, therefore, to gratify the general ardour, and to atone for his former deficiencies, assured the house that he would put the nation in a condition for war. Soon after, letters of reprisals were granted against the Spaniards; and this being on both sides considered as an actual commencement of hostilities, both diligently set forward their armaments by sea and land. In this threatening situation, the French minister at the Hague declared that his master was obliged by treaty to assist the King of Spain; so that the alliances, which but twenty years before had taken place, were now quite reversed. At that time, France and England were combined against Spain-at present, France and Spain were united against England: such little hopes can statesmen place upon the firmest treaties, where there is no superior power to compel the observance. A. D. } A rupture between England and Spain being now become unavoidable, the people, who had long clamoured for war, began to feel uncommon alacrity at its approach; and the ministry, finding it inevitable, began to be as earnest in preparation. Orders were issued for augmenting the land 1739. forces, and raising a body of marines. War was declared with proper solemnity; and soon after two rich Spanish prizes were taken in the Mediterranean. Admiral Vernon, a man of more courage than experience of more confidence than skill, was sent commander of a fleet into the West Indies, to distress the enemy in that part of the globe. He had asserted in the house of commons, that Porto Bello, a fort and harbour in South America, could be easily destroyed, and that he himself would undertake to reduce it with six ships only. A project which appeared so wild and impossible was ridiculed by the ministry; but as he still insisted upon the proposal, they complied with his request, hoping that his want of success might repress the confidence of his party. In this, however, they were disappointed; for with six ships only he attacked and demolished all the fortifications of the place, and came away victorious, with scarce the loss of a man. This victory was magnified at home in all the strains of panegyric, and the triumph was far superior to the value of the conquest. While vigorous preparations were making in other departments, a squadron of ships was equipped for distressing the enemy in the South-seas, the command of which was given to Commodore Anson. This fleet was destined to sail through the streights of Magellan, and steering northwards along the coasts of Chili and Peru, to co-operate occasionally with Ad miral Vernon across the isthmus of Darien. The delays and mistakes of the ministry frustrated that part of the scheme, which was originally well laid. When it was too late in the season, the commodore set out with five ships of the line, a frigate, and two store-ships, with about fourteen hundred men. Having reached the coast of Brazil, he refreshed his men for some time on the island of St. Catherine, a spot that enjoys all the fruitfulness and verdure of the luxurious tropical climate. From thence he steered his course into the cold and tempestuous regions of the South; and in about five months after, meeting a terrible tempest, he doubled Cape Horn. By this time his fleet was dispersed, and his crew deplorably disabled with the scurvy; so that with much difficulty he gained the delightful island of Juan Fernandez. There he was joined by one ship, and a vessel of seven guns. From thence advancing northward, he landed on the coast of Chili, and attacked the city of Paita by night. In this bold attempt he made no use of his shipping, nor even disembarked all his men; a few soldiers, favoured by darkness, sufficed to fill the whole town with terror and confusion. The governor of the garrison and the inhabitants fled on all sides: accustomed to be severe, they expected severity. In the mean time, a small body of the English kept possession of the town for three days, stripping it of all the treasures and merchandise to a considerable amount, and then setting it on fire.. Soon after this small squadron advanced as far as Panama, situated on the isthmus of Darien, on the western side of the great American continent. The commodore now placed all his hopes in taking one of those valuable Spanish ships which trade from the Philippine Islands to Mexico. Not above one or two at the most of these immensely rich ships went from one continent to the other in a year; they were therefore very large, in order to carry a sufficiency of treasure, and proportionably strong to defend it. In hopes of meeting with one of these, the commodore, with his little fleet, traverse Y the Pacific Ocean; but the scurvy once more visiting his crew, several of his men died, and almost all were disabled. In this exigence, having brought all his men into one vessel, and set fire to the other, he steered for the island of Tinian, which lies about half way between the new world and the old. In this charming abode he continued for some time, till his men reco vered their health, and his ship was refitted for sailing. Thus refitted, he set forward for China, where he laid in proper stores for once more traversing back that immense ocean, in which he had just before suffered such incredible difficulties. Having accordingly taken some Dutch and Indian sailors on board, he again steered towards America; and at length, after various toils, discovered the Spanish galleon he had so long and ardently expected. This vessel was built as well for the purposes of war as of merchandise: it mounted sixty guns, and five hundred men; while the crew of the commodore did not amount to half that number. However, the victory was on the side of the English; and they returned home with their valuable prize, which was estimated at three hundred and thir teen thousand pounds sterling; while the different captures that had been made before, amounted to as much more. Thus, after a voyage of three years, conducted with astonishing per severance and intrepidity, the public sustained the loss of a noble fleet; but a few individuals became possessed of immense riches. In the mean time, the English conducted other operations against the enemy with amazing activity. When Anson set out, it was with a design of acting a subordinate part to a formidable armament designed for the coasts of New Spain, consisting of twenty-nine ships of the line, and almost an equal number of frigates, furnished with all kinds of warlike stores, near fifteen thousand seamen, and as many land forces. Never was a fleet more completely equipped, nor ever had the nation more sanguine hopes of success. Lord Cathcart was ap pointed to command the land forces; but he dying on the pas sage, the command devolved upon General Wentworth, whose abilities were supposed to be unequal to the trust reposed in him. When the forces were landed at Carthagena, they erected a battery, with which they made a breach in the principal fort; while Vernon, who commanded the fleet, sent a number of ships into the harbour, to divide the fire of the enemy, and to co-operate with the army on shore. The breach being deemed practicable, a body of troops were commanded to storm; but |