Quincy.

Feuquieres.

Hift, of the

borough.

of Marlbo

rough,

Ker.

land, were recited by way of preamble, together A. C. 1709. with the acts made in both parliaments, for the fe- Burnet. curity of their feveral churches; and in conclufion Boyer. there was one claufe by which the whole was ratifi- Torcy. ed and enacted into a law. By this contrivance, Tindal, those who were defirous of ftarting new difficulties, Hift of found themfelves difabled from purfuing their de- Europe. fign. They could not object to the recital, which D. of Marlwas barely matter of fact; and they had not ftrength conduct of fufficient to oppofe the general enacting claufe, the dutchefs On the other hand, the Whigs promoted it with of fuch zeal, that it paffed by a majority of one hun- Lockhart. dred and fourteen, before the others had recollected Friend. themfelves from the furprife which the ftructure of Voltaire. the bill had occafioned. It made its way through the house of lords with equal dispatch; and, when it received the royal fanction, the queen expreffed the utmost fatisfaction. She faid the did not doubt but it would be remembered and fpoke of hereafter, to the honour of thofe who had been inftrumental in bringing it to fuch a happy conclufion. She defired that her fubjects of both kingdoms fhould from henceforward behave with all poffible refpect and kindness towards one another, that fo it might appear to all the world they had hearts difpofed to become one people.

A. C. 1707.

clamation.

As the act of union did not take place till the first The parliaof May, a great number of traders in both king- mentreviv'doms refolved to make advantage of this interval. ed by proThe English propofed to export into Scotland fuch commodities as intitled them to a drawback, with a view to bring them back after the first of May. The Scots on the other hand, as their duties were much lower than thofe in England, intended to import great quantities of wine, brandy, and other merchandize, which they could fell at a greater advantage in England after the union, when there

would

A.C. 1707. would be a free intercourfe between the two na

tions. Some of the minifters had embarked in this fraudulent defign, which alarmed the merchants of England to fuch a degree, that they presented a remonftrance to the commons. Refolutions were

immediately taken in the house against these practices, and a bill was prepared; but the lords apprehending that it in fome measure infringed the articles of the union, and that it might give umbrage to the Scottish nation, it was dropped. The frauds had been in a good measure prevented by the previous refolutions of the house, and the first day of May was now at hand; fo that the bill was thought unneceffary. On the twenty-fourth day of April, the queen prorogued the parliament, after having given them to understand, that she would continue by proclamation the lords and commons already affembled, as members in the first British parliament on the part of England, purfuant to the power vefted in her by the acts of parliament of both kingdoms, ratifying the treaty of union. The parliament was accordingly revived by proclamation, and another iffued to convoke the firft parliament of Great Britain for the twentythird day of October. The Scots repaired to London, where they were well received by the queen, who bestowed the title of duke on the earls of Roxburgh and Montrofe. She likewife granted a commiffion for a new privy-council in that kingdom, to be in force till the next feffion of parliament, that the nation might not be difgufted by too fudden an alteration of outward appearances. The first day of May was appointed as a day of public thanksgiving; and congratulatory addreffes were fent up from all parts of England: but the univerfity of Oxford prepared no compliment; and the Scots were wholly filent on this occafion.

In

1

dience to a

ambassador.

In the course of this feffion the commons, in an A. C. 1707 addrefs to the queen, defired she would refettle the The queen iflands of St. Chriftopher's and Nevis in the Weft-gives auIndies, which had been ravaged by the enemy. Muscovite They likewife refolved, That an humble addrefs fhould be prefented to her majefty, praying, fhe would concert meafures for fuppreffing a body of pyrates who had made a fettlement on the island of Madagafcar, as alfo for recovering and preserving the antient poffeffions, trade, and fishery in Newfoundland. The French refugees likewise delivered a remonftrance to the queen, recapitulating the benefits which the perfecuted proteftants in France had reaped from the affiftance of her royal progenitors, acknowledging their own happiness in living under her gentle government, among a people by whom they had been fo kindly entertained when driven from their native country; and imploring her majesty's interpofition and good offices in favour of their diftreffed and perfecuted brethren abroad. She graciously received this addrefs, declaring, fhe had always great compaffion for the unhappy circumftances of the proteftants in France: that the would communicate her thoughts on this fubiect to her allies and the expreffed her hope that fuch measures might be taken as fhould effectually answer the intent of their petition. In the month of May the granted an audience to an ambaffador extraordinary from the czar of Mufcovy, who delivered a letter from his master, containing complaints of king Auguftus, who had maltreated the Ruffian troops fent to his affiftance, concluded a difhonourable peace with Charles king of Sweden, without the knowledge of his allies, and furrendered count Patkul the Muscovite minifter, as a deferter, to the Swedish monarch, contrary to the law of nations, and even the practice of barba rians. He therefore defired her Britannick ma

jefty

A. C, 1707. jefty would ufe her good offices for the enlargement of the count, and the other Ruffian prifoners detained at Stockholm; and that she would take into her protection the remains of the Ruffian auxiliaries upon the Rhine, that they might either enter into the fervice of the allies, or be at liberty to return in fafety to their own country. The queen actually interpofed in behalf of Patkul; but her interceffion proved ineffectual, and that unhappy minister was put to death with all the circumftances of wanton barbarity. As many fevere and farcaftic writings had lately appeared, in which the Whigs and miniftry were reviled, and reflections hinted to the prejudice of the queen's perfon, the government refolved to make examples of the authors and publishers of these licentious productions. Dr. Jofeph Brown was twice pilloried for a copy of verses, intituled, "The country parfon's advice to the lord

Proceedings

tion.

keeper," and a letter which he afterwards wrote to Mr. fecretary Harley. William Stephens, rector of Sutton in Surry, underwent the fame fentence, as author of a pamphlet, called, "A letter to the "author of the memorial of the church of Eng"land." Edward Ward was fined and fet in the pillory, for having written a burlesque poem on the times, under the title of "Hudibras redivivus;" and the fame punishment was inflicted upon William Pitts, author of a performance, intitled, "The "cafe of the church of England's memorial fairly "ftated."

The lower houfe of convocation ftill continued in convoca- to wrangle with their fuperiors; and though they joined the upper houfe in a congratulatory addrefs to the queen, on the fuccefs of her arms, they refolved to make application to the houfe of commons against the union. The queen being apprised of their defign, defired the archbishop to prorogue them for three weeks, before the expiration of

which, the act of union had paffed in parliament. A. C. 1707. The lower houfe delivered a reprefentation to the bishops, in which they affirmed, no fuch prorogation had ever been ordered during the feffion of parliament. The bishops found in their records feven or eight precedents of fuch prorogations, and above thirty inftances of the convocation's having fat fometimes before, and fometimes after a feffion of parliament, nay, fometimes even when the parliament was diffolved. The queen, informed of these proceedings, wrote a letter to the archbishop, intimating, that she looked upon the lower house as guilty of an invafion of her royal fupremacy: and, that if any thing of the fame nature should be attempted for the future, fhe would ufe fuch means for punishing offenders as the law warranted. The prolocutor absenting himself from the convocation, the archbishop pronounced fentence of contumacy against him. The lower house in a protestation declared this fentence unlawful and altogether null. Nevertheless, the prolocutor made a full fubmiffion, with which the archbishop was fatisfied; and the fentence was repealed. About this period the earl of Sunderland was appointed one of the fecretaries of ftate, in the room of Sir Charles Hedges. This change was not effected without great oppofition from Harley, who was in his heart an enemy to the duke of Marlborough and all his adherents and had already, by his fecret intrigues, made confiderable progrefs in a fcheme for fuperfeding the influence of the dutchess.

with total

The French king at this juncture feemed to be France intirely abandoned by his former good fortune. He threatened had fuftained fuch a number of fucceffive defeats as ruin had drained his kingdom of people; and his treafury was almost exhausted. He endeavoured to fupport the credit of his government by iffuing mint-bills, in imitation of the bank notes of Eng

No. 90.

Gg

land,