the Tories were driven into Jacobitism; but after repeated unsuccessful efforts, the cause of the Pretender was given up as desperate, and his very name had funk into contempt and alınost into oblivion. The more respectable part of the Tories, long fince abandoning the abfurd speculative opinions of their anceftors, but retaining at bottom strong monarchical prepossessions, with high and arbitrary maxims of government, confined their opposition to the new and unconftitutional measures adopted by the Whigs. Since the death of the late Prince of Wales their political importance had much diminished, and they feemed, in gloomy and portentous filence, mysteriously to referve themselves for more favourable times. The principles of the Whigs, who conftituted the bulk of the Kingdom, had fuffered little variation. It might nevertheless be observed, that, as the national attachment to the House of Brunswic increased, the national diflike of the Whig or Hanoverian system of politics had proportionally diminished. A standing army, a national debt, a German war, a septennial Parliament, a Government by influence-terms once of terrific and hateful found -no longer excited alarm. The third grand political diftinction was that of the Diffenters, comprehending under this ge-. neral denomination all the different classes of Protestant Sectaries, who had been ever uniformly and closely connected with the Whigs by their common attachment to the principles of liberty civil and religious-by their zeal for the House of Hanover, and their indifcriminate fupport of the measures of the Court -a zeal at this period still subsisting and operating on their part with unabated ardor. This very circumstance however, taken in conjunction with the known fact that the bulk of the Established Clergy had fince the æra of the Revolution invariably fided with the Oppofition, plainly showed, to adopt the words of a profound and philofophical hiftorian*, " that an extrinfic "weight, SOME BIAS, was yet hanging on the Constitution, " which turned it from its natural course." But the Established Clergy, once the firm and passionate adherents of the

House of Stuart, begart at length to be sensible of the strange delusion they had labored under, and were now well disposed to compenfate for former deficiencies, by the exceffive overflow of their present loyalty. When a competition for royal favor was thus established between the Church and the Sectaries, it was evident that the latter must foon find thenselves unable to maintain the contest. The interests of the Church, i. e. of the Clergy, must be allowed fo far to co-incide with those of the Crown, as clearly to suggest the policy of oppofing, with united strength, all innovations by which the power or splendor of either might be eventually affected. Exclufive of this leading confideration, the dignity, the grandeur, the opulence associated with an Establishment, would give it a decisive superiority, in the fcale of royal estimation, over a body of men entirely deftitute of these advantages. Conscious of their prodigious inferiority in these respects, the Dissenters would naturally regard the prerogative of the Monarch, and the authority of the Church, with jealous eyes. They would eagerly seize every occafion to fecure and extend the general system of liberty, and in the usual course of things would be inclined to favor the party in oppofition to the Court. No just conclufion however can hence be drawn, that a wife and equitable government would find it impracticable, or even difficult, to restrain this disposition within reasonable and falutary bounds. In proportion as the Sectaries feel that comparative weakness and insecurity which must necessarily both excite and justify a certain degree of habitual alarm and apprehenfion, would they be foothed and flattered with any marks of refpect or confidence from the Executive Power, which, however unimportant in their own nature, would be confidered as proofs of a favourable difpofition. And a Government acting either on a felfish or a benevolent principle, would find itself amply repaid for these trivial indulgencies in the gratitude and affection of a numerous class of citizens, on every account entitled to attention and regard. • Agreeably to the genius of Sects in general, who must neceffarily possess elevated ideas of their own religious fuperiority in doctrine, discipline, or practice, the English Sectaries will be found not destitute of a confiderable tincture of enthusiasm or prejudice. For it is abfurd to suppose the dissent of the generality to be founded on reason, whether it be or be not capable of a reasonable vindication. Sectaries taking them in the aggregate, will also with their religious prejudices combine more rigid morals than can with probability be expected in the promifcuous multitude. On this account, and from that degree of knowledge and intelligence which, from obvious and permanent causes, will be very generally diffused among them, though few perhaps will drink deep of the fountain of Philosophy, or attain to the highest seats in the temple of Science, they will certainly, upon the whole, possess very extensive influence in the grand sphere of civil and focial life. If then these people observe a disposition in Government to treat them with contempt and rigor if they perceive an eagerness in the ruling powers on every occafion, to show that they are regarded by them as perfons partially difaffected to the Constitution, as men undeferving of confidence, who are endured by the lenity, and not protected by the justice of the Government, a spirit of refentment, animofity, and rancor, will be most surely excited*. By By being conftantly suspected, they will become the just objects of suspicion. By being falfely branded as disaffected, they will become truly disaffected: and though that disaffection may not produce any immediately visible effect; nay, though the indiscreet expressions of anger and political alienation on their part, in consequence of great and recent provocations, should expose them to the temporary warmth of general resentment; yet in the ceaseless viciffitudes of human affairs an impreffion may, at some crisis favourable to a sudden and unexpected change of fentiment, be made on the public mind, which shall strikingly demonstrate this odious system of policy to be as devoid of wisdom, as it is of justice and magnanimity. On these general axioms the History of the present Reign will afford in many respects an instructive and mournful comment.

In the month of March (1761) while the Parliament was yet fitting, very alarming commotions took place in several of the northern counties, in confequence of the expiration of the three years term of service prescribed by the Militia Act, and the new ballot now about to take place. At Hexham in the county of Northumberland, the justices being assembled for the purpose of enforcing the act, the populace, regarding this military military compulfion as a tyrannical and insupportable grievance, collected to the number of many thousands, armed with clubs and other offensive weapons, with which they afsaulted the guard of foldiers stationed for the protection of the Magistrates. The Riot Act was read without effect, and they were proceeding to still greater outrages, when the military received orders to fire upon the affailants, five-and-forty of whom were killed on the spot, and no less than three hundred miferably wounded, amongst whom were many women and children; and various of the rioters were in the sequel apprehended, tried, and executed. By a resolute exertion of military force, a general and fullen fubmiffion to the Act was at length obtained; but the wisdom and humanity of those by whom the Bill was originally framed, still remained at least as problematic as before. In the course of the summer the King declared in Council his resolution to demand in marriage the Princess Charlotte-Sophia of Mecklenburg Strelitz: and the Earl Harcourt being appointed Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the Court of Strelitz, the contract of marriage, after a negotiation not very tedious, was figned, and the Princess conducted to Stade, whence she embarked on board one of the royal yachts, and arrived at the Palace of St. James's, September 8, the nuptial ceremony being the fame evening performed in the Chapel Royal. And on the 22d of September the coronation of their Majesties was celebrated with much pomp and magnificence. The new Queen soon acquired great popularity by the sweetness and affability of her manners, which by the prudence and propriety of her conduct she has invariably retained.

The operations of the war were still carried on with the accustomed vigor and success. In the month of June, the island of Dominique, important from its fituation between the islands of Martinico and Guadaloupe, was reduced with little difficulty or loss by an armament commanded by Sir James Douglass and a body of troops under Lord Rollo. A far more hazardous enterprise was undertaken about the fame time against the Island of Belleifle, situated opposite the harbor of Vannes VOL. I.

C

on