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THE parliament was now at the clofe of its laft CHAP. feffion, and bufily engaged in granting the ne- IV. ceffary fupplies for the current year, the more vigorously to enable his majefty to profecute the 1740. war. On the commencement of the war fix new regiments of marines were commiffioned of 1,000 men each, for the raifing of which the houfe of commons now voted 118,000l. and the number of troops on the British eftablishment for the year 1740, was ftipulated at 28,852 men, including the invalids and the highland regiment.

His Britannic majefty intending to vifit his German dominions, on the 12th of May nominated the arch bishop of Canterbury, the lord chancellor, earl of Wilmington, lord Hervey ; the dukes of Dorfet, Grafton, Richmond, Bolton, Devonshire, Montagu, and Newcastle; the earls of Pembroke, and Iflay; Sir Robert Walpole, and Sir Charles Wager, to be lords juftices during his abfence. The next day his majesty embarked for Holland, and landed at Helvoetfluys on the 24th, when he proceeded to Hanover; and during his continuance there, his majefty concluded a treaty of alliance with prince Wil liam, landgrave regent of Heffe Caffel, by which the latter Was to keep in readiness 4,800 foot and 1,200 horfe, for four years for his ma jesty's fervice, for which the landgrave was "to have an annual fubfidy of 250,000 bank

crowns."

On the 9th of April Vice Admiral Balchen failed from Plymouth Sound, with a fquadron of four fhips of the line, and fteered directly for Cape Finisterre, where he was joined by two other men of war cruizing off that ftation to intercept the return of the affogue fhips to old Spain; but Don Pizarro the Spanish admiral who convoyed

PART Convoyed them, received intelligence by an adI. vice boat of the fituation of this fquadron; and

instead of purfuing the ufual courfe from La vera 1740. Cruz by the Madeira or Canary islands, failed north about by the Bahama's, then weftward till within fight of Ireland, fo by the Lizard and the coaft of France through the bay of Biscay, escaping the vigilance of the English squadrons then cruizing off Cadiz, Cape Vincent, and Cape Finisterre, and arrived at St Andero laden with an immenfe treasure.

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Ar the fame time the Spaniards equipped a ftrong fquadron under the command of Admiral Pintado, in queft of Admiral Balchen; and as his force was greatly fuperior to the English, the Spaniards expected no less than their total defeat: but the Spanish admiral, either through impru dence or accident, never came up with the English fleet, which the Spanish court imputing to a neglect of orders he was afterwards difgraced..

ADMIRAL Haddock, from his character and the whole tenor of his former behaviour, had given many fignal and inconteftable proofs of his courage and abilities; and was univerfally allowed, worthy the important command of fo potent a fleet as the British crown had then in the Mediterranean. This fleet had a long time blocked up the Spanish fquadron in the bay of Cadiz, but on an information that the Spaniards intended to invade the island of Minorca, Admiral Haddock failed up the Mediterranean to prevent the execution of fuch a defign; this opened the port of Cadiz, the Spanish fquadron confifting of nine men of war and two frigates, on the 18th of March favoured by the darkness of the night, efcaped to Ferrol, and joined another fleet af fembled in that port intended for the Weft In

dies, with a confiderable number of troops and CHAP a large quantity of warlike ftores and provifions. IV. THE Spaniards having drawn a great number of troops together in Galicia, at firft intended by 1740. the affiftance of this fleet to make a descent either in England or Ireland; the duke of Ormond was, fent for to undertake the command, but he honourably refused to affift the enemies of his native country on fo important an occafion. Thefe troops remained on an uncertain fituation till they were greatly diminished, and the Spanish miniftry too lately perceived the impracticability of fuch a defign for want of all things neceffary for fuch a purpose, even if there had been no British fleet to oppofe their embarkation.

THE appearance of Admiral Haddock on the coaft of Minorca, fufficiently repreffed any expedition formed against that ifland: the admiral with indefatigable diligence protected the merchants veffels from the innumerable fwarms of Spanish privateers in the Mediterranean, and took two of the Spanish transports bound for Majorca, with a great number of foldiers on board.

IN April the Princeffa, a Spanish man of war of feventy guns, commanded by Don Parlo Auguftino de Gerra, having on board 500 failors and 200 marines, the firft lieutenant and many of them Irishmen, was taken near the bay of Cadiz by three English men of war, after an obftinate and bloody refiftance of fix hours, and foon after the Princeffa arrived at Portfmouth.

THE Convoying of the Spanish treasure from the Indies was rendered very precarious by the station of the British fleets, and the finances of Spain being reduced to a bad condition, their warlike projects were retarded, or entirely fufVOL. I.

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pended,

PART pended, for want of money, so that his Catholic I. majefty was obliged to demand from the college of commerce at Cadiz, a loan of one million of 1740. piaftres, which the college at firft fcrupled to comply with, but afterwards agreed to a loan of 800,000, to enable his majefty to equip the united squadrons of Cadiz and Ferrol, then lying in the laft mentioned port; on which an order was iffued for this formidable armament to be ready to fail at an hour's warning. The Spaniards, to facilitate the deftination of their fleet for America, ftill publickly gave out at Madrid that a defign was formed against Scotland or Ireland, thereby imagining to keep on the British coasts thofe fquadrons that ought to be employed for infesting the coafts of Spain.

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THE inhabitants of Spain, had for fome years been greatly oppreffed by their different minifters, who continued in purfuing fuch measures as they knew were prejudicial to the profperity and intereft of the people; and in thefe views they obftinately perfifted to gratify the pride of their ambitious queen. Alberoni pillaged the nation to procure a regal establishment in Sicily; Ripperda plundered them to gain Parma and Placentia Patinho fleeced them to perform what the others had only projected and Campillo owed his reputation to his extorting from an already exhaufted people, the fupplies demanded for executing the plan of his predeceffor; while the Spaniards fuggefted the fame difmal apprehenfions from the politics of his fucceffor; for what could they expect from the Schemes of a minifter, only fupported by, and neceffarily devoted to, the precarious and ambitious humour of a tyrannical and imperious queen? furely nothing but a languid impoverishment; for this princess

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had ufurped an abfolute afcendancy over his CHAP. Catholic majefty, fhe alone handled the fceptre, IV. and supported the weight of royalty; while the regal husband abandoned his dignity, fupinely 1740. and ingloriously to trifle away those important hours, which the duty incumbent on a king, should have devoted to the ftudy and promotion of the intereft and happiness of that people providence had committed to his care. This unworthy delegation of the royal authority, did not fail of alarming the Spaniards, by prefenting before their eyes that melancholy prospect they unavoidably expected from fo perverted an adminiftration, and the infurmountable lofs that must confequently enfue and most sensibly affect them, by a deprivation of their most beneficial trade with Great Britain. Struck with an apparent concern, at the complaints and difaffection of the Spaniards, the court of Madrid, conscious of their inability folely to fupport a war against the crown of Great Britain, immediately had recourse to their fecret friend and ally, and addreffing the court of France for affiftance against fo formidable an enemy; and this they might have reasonably expected, from a power whose views and intereft are chiefly confined to promote a difunion and aggravate diffentions between the British and Spanish monarchies; but though the Marquis de las Minas, the Spanish embaffador at Paris, ftrongly follicited the affil tance of France, it was for the present politicly refufed; for the important crisis was not yet ar rived for the French miniftry to throw off the mask of peace and friendship with the British nation, fufpending the blow till the wealth of that power had been fufficiently exhausted and her power diminished, like an invidious croco

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dile,

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