after a short interval, an answer from his catholic majesty, in which the ambassador is told, " that the spirit of haughtiness and difcord which dictated this inconfiderate step, and which for the misfortune of mankind still reigns so much in the British government, is what made in the fame instant the declaration of war and attacked the king's dignityYour excellency may think of retiring when and in the manner convenient to you, which is the only answer his majesty has directed me to give." Orders were fent from Madrid to the count de Fuentes instantly to leave the court and kingdom of England, delivering first a memorial to the minifters of the king of England, in which the war that the Spanish and English nations were about to plunge into, is attributed to the pride and immeasurable ambition of him who lately held the reins of government in Great Britain. "If," said the memorial, "his catholic majesty excused himself from making the explanations required, it was to manifest his just resentment of the insulting manner in which the affairs of Spain have been treated during Mr. Pitt's administration, who, when the justice of his catholic majefty's claims had been incontrovertibly proved, gave as his final answer, that he would not relax in any thing till the Tower of London was taken sword in hand-If the respect due to royal majesty had been regarded, explanations it was affirmed might have been had without difficulty. The minifters of Spain might have said frankly to those of England, what the count de Fuentes by the king's express orders declares publicly-That the faid treaty is only a convention between the family of Bourbon, wherein is nothing which has the least relation to the present war. -That there is in it an article for the mutual guarantee of the dominions of the two sovereigns, but it is specified therein that this guarantee is not to be understood but of the dominions which shall remain to France after the present war shall be ended-That although his catholic majesty might have had reason to think himself offended by the irregular manner in which the meVOL. I. morial

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morial for terminating the differences between Spain and England at the fame time with the war betwixt this last and France, was returned to M. Buffy, the king of Spain dif sembled, and from his love of peace caused a memorial to be delivered to lord Bristol, wherein it is evidently demonftra ted, that the step of France which put the minister Pitt into fo bad humour, did not at all offend either the laws of neutrality or the fincerity of the two fovereigns That as a fresh proof of his pacific spirit, the king of Spain wrote to the king of France his cousin, that if the union of interest in any manner retarded the peace with England, he consented to separate himself from it, not to put any obstacle to fo great a happiness. But it was foon seen this was only a pretence on the part of the English minifter: for that of France continuing his negotiations without making any mention of Spain, and propofing conditions very advantageous and honorable for England, the minister Pitt, to the great aftonishment of the universe, rejected them with dislain, and shewed at the same time his ill will against Spain, to the scandal of the fame British council; and unfortunately he has succeeded but too far in his pernicious design." This memorial ferved to demonstrate the superior sagacity of lord Bristol, who declared, in the course of this negotiation, his firm belief that the treaty in question contained no article injurious to the interests of England, although the prepofterous pride of the Spanish court prevented any positive or fatisfactory afsurance being given on this head; and the two nations, from an obstinate adherence to a false and foolish punctilio of honor, found themselves at length involved in a war, which they equally and anxiously wished to avoid.

The preparations made for conducting the war against the united force of the house of Bourbon with vigor and effect, fhewed that the fpirit of Mr. Pitt, againft whom rather than the king of Great Britain the declaration of the king of Spain seemed to be directed, still influenced and animated the public counsels. The grand machine of government, once put

into motion, continued for a time its progress with the fame force and velocity as if still guided by the powerful hand which first urged it into action. Letters of marque were issued and commiffions granted for privateers to act against the subjects of his catholic majesty; and at length, on the 4th January 1762, war was declared against Spain with the accustomed formalities.

The new parliament had been convened in the preceding month of November, and had chofen Sir John Cuft, Bart. for their speaker; a man not unworthy, from his extensive knowledge and distinguished probity, to fill the chair vacated by Mr. Onflow. The choice being approved by the king, the session was opened by a well-composed speech from the throne, in which his majesty expressed "his regret at the unsuccessful termination of the late negotiation for peace, and his resolution to prosecute the war in the most effectual manner, till the enemies of Great Britain, moved by their own loffes, and touched with the miseries of so many nations, shall yield to the equitable conditions of an honorable peace." Very loyal addresses were returned. About 240,000 feamen, landmen, and marines, including the German mercenaries, were voted for the service of the year; and twelve millions borrowed to make up the deficiency of the regular means of fupply. A jointure of 100,000l. per ann. was settled on the Queen, with the palaces of Richmond Old Park and Somerset House; and after paffing a variety of acts not diftinguished for their peculiar merit or importance, the parliament was prorogued June 2, 1762.

Towards the conclusion of the preceding year, a plan had been formed for the conquest of the important ifland of Martinico, the principal of the French Caribbee iflands, and the residence of the governor general and council, whose jurifdiction extends over all the French Antilles. This ifland is about 130 miles in circumference, and though the climate is fultry, the foil is fertile, and the country pleasantly diversified with hill and dale, shaded with thick woods, and watered

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with numerous streams. Its produce confifts of fugar, indigo, coffee, cotton, ginger, aloes, and pimento; so that, with the exception of St. Domingo, it was at this period accounted the most populous and flourishing colony belonging to France in America. The armament deftined for this expedition consisted of 18 ships of the line, and as many battalions of troops, under general Monckton and admiral Sir G. Rodney, who, rendezvousing at Barbadoes, proceeded early in the month of January 1762 to Martinique; and on the 16th landed, after filencing the batteries erected on the coaft in the vicinity of the town of Fort Royal, defended by a strong citadel and various military works erected on the Morne Tortuefon and the Morne Garnier, neighboring heights which commanded the town. These were foon forced by the intrepidity of the English troops, which on no occafion displayed itself more confpicuoufly than in the attack of this island. On the 4th of February, the commandant of the citadel ordered the chamade to be beat, and the garrifon was permitted to march out with the honors of war. But the governor general, M. de la Touche, retreated to the strong fortress of St. Pierre, situated to the leeward of Fort Royal, which he at first seemed disposed to defend with vigor; but on the 14th, deputies, arrived with proposals of capitulation for the whole ifland, and this important conquest was achieved with inconfiderable loss. In the mean time commodore Swanton was detached from the fleet with a force fufficient for the reduction of the island of Grenada and the Grenadines, which fubmitted without resistance, and proved in the hands of the English a very valuable acquisition. At the fame time, the English took poffeffion of the islands of St. Lucia, Tobago, and St. Vincent, which, though declared neutral by former treaties, had been for fome time occupied by the French.

SPAIN, who meant certainly nothing farther than by the weight of her influence and too partial mediation, to procure for France more favorable terms of accommodation than were otherwise obtainable, found herself unexpectedly engaged

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gaged as a principal in the war, for which she was extremely unprepared. The marine of France, by repeated defeats, was broken, and almost ruined; whilst the numerous fleets of Britain feemed to cover the ocean, and rode triumphant from the Ganges to the Miffiffippi-from the rifing to the setting fun. The naval power of Spain was utterly unable to cope with this prodigious force. In one quarter only could England be considered as vulnerable. By an attack on Portugal, a kingdom in close alliance with Great Britain, very open to invasion, feeble, opulent, defenceless, Spain might reasonably hope fully to indemnify herself for any losses the might elsewhere sustain. The military and heroic spirit by which the Portuguese nation had been formerly characterized, was now no more; her privileged orders were funk in luxury -her people in floth, ignorance, and bigotry; her troops were deftitute of discipline, her fortresses of artillery and ammunition. The recent destruction of her capital, the mysterious confpiracy against the life of the monarch, the consequent execution of her most distinguished and popular nobles, the forcible expulfion of the jesuits, and the entire alienation of the court of Lisbon from the fee of Romeall these causes, conjoined, had filled the kingdom with confufion and discontent. In this situation it was doubtless imagined that Portugal would fall an easy prey to the arms of Spain, and great military preparations were made, and a large body of forces affembled on the frontiers of that kingdom.

On the 16th of March, 1762, a joint memorial was presented by the ambassadors of France and Spain at the court of Lisbon, " inviting the king of Portugal to renounce his connection with Great Britain, and engage in the offenfive and defenfive alliance which they had formed against that infolent and dangerous power." The catholic king profeffing "the most cordial attachment to the interests of his most faithful majesty, to whom he was so nearly allied, insisted that the English subjects resident in Portugal should be compelled