on the part of his grace by brilliant fuccefs, but it attracted uncommon attention as exhibiting the most confummate proofs of military skill and conduct. Marechal Villars had with great labor and perfeverance drawn lines from Bouchaine on the Scheld along the Sanfet and Scarpe to Arras and Canché, which he had fortified by redoubts, batteries, and other military works, in fuch a manner that he scrupled not publicly to boast that they were impregnable, and that the English general had at length arrived at his "Ne plus ultra." The duke, however, boldly advanced within two leagues of the French lines, making every preparation in order to a vigorous attack the next morning; and Villars drew, with all poffible diligence, his whole force on that fide, in full expectation of an immediate and furious engagement. This being foreseen by the duke, he had giveņ previous orders to generals Cadogan and Hompefch, with a ftrong detachment fecretly drawn from the neighboring garrisons, to take poffeffion of the paffes on the river Sanfet at Arleux. At nine in the evening the duke filently decamped; and by eight the next morning he arrived at Arleux with his whole army, after a march of ten leagues - without halting. Villars, on being certified of the duke's motions within a few hours of his departure, marched all night with fuch expedition, that, at eleven the next morning, he was in fight of the duke of Marlborough, who, to his unfpeakable mortification, had, as he now found, entered thofe lines which he had himself vauntingly pronounced impregnable, without the lofs of a man. His grace immediately invefted the important fortrefs of Bouchaine, which furrendered after twenty days' open trenches only. And this admired and hazardous military achievement clofed the long glories of this celebrated commander, who, at the critical moment in which he had almost penetrated the French barrier, and when another Ramillies might have removed all obftacles in his march to Paris, was, by the mandate

mandate of that fovereign whom he had served with such unparalleled ability and fuccefs, divested of all his civil and military employments.

On the Rhine, in Italy, and in Spain, nothing of moment was attempted on either fide. The Imperial diet, affembling at Frankfort under the protection of prince Eugene, proceeded quietly to the election of an emperor; and the votes of the electors of Bavaria and Cologne, who were under the ban of the empire, being previously rejected, the electoral college unanimously chose Charles king of Spain, brother to the late emperor, who was crowned at Frankfort with the ufual folemnity.

The naval transactions of the year 1711, though not very memorable, muft not pafs entirely unnoticed. During the fummer the French, whofe marine had gradually fallen into a ftate of great decay fince the battle off Malaga, unexpectedly fitted out a confiderable squadron under M. Du Guai Trouin, destined for the Brazils. Having entered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, he compelled the Portuguese to run afhore, and fet feveral of their fhips on fire; after which he made himself mafter of the town of St. Sebaftian, where he found a prodigious booty in crufadoes and rich merchandize. On the other hand an expedition of a fomewhat fimilar nature, fet on foot by the new minifters in England, fucceeded very ill. The French fettlement of Port-Royal in the peninsula of Acadie in North America had already been taken poffeffion of by colonel Nicholfon, who gave it the appellation of Annapolis. A defign was now formed for the capture of Quebec, the capital of French America, fituated on the great river St. Laurence: and 5000 troops were put under the command of brigadier Hill-brother to the favorite, Mrs. Mafham-an officer very incompetent to fuch an enterprise-convoyed by a strong fquadron under fir Hovenden Walker. After various delays the fleet entered the St. Laurence about the end of Auguft, expecting a powerful co-operation from the colonial forces who were

to

to join them by way of Albany. But before they could reach the city of Quebec, they were overtaken by a violent ftorm, and at the fame time enveloped in fo thick a fog, that they entirely loft fight of land, and could find no soundings or anchorage. The men of war escaped with extreme hazard, but eight tranfports were caft away with their crews and ftores; and when the weather cleared up, a council of war was held, in which it was agreed to return home without making any farther attempt. This pufillanimous refolution being forthwith carried into execution, they arrived at Portsmouth early in October. Scarcely had they reached the harbour, when the admiral's fhip, the Ed gar of feventy guns, by fome accident blew up, with a great number of persons on board, exclufive of the ship's crew--and thus terminated this ill-concerted and difaftrous, expedition.

During the recefs of parliament the ministry were chiefly engaged in strengthening their intereft by the diftribution of new honors and promotions. Lord Raby, head of the family of Wentworth-Woodhouse in Yorkshire, long refident in Berlin, was created earl of Strafford, and fent ambaffador to Holland-a man proud, conceited, full of party rancor and malevolence, narrow in his capacity, and obftinate in his prejudices, but wholly adverse to the interefts of the court of St. Germaine's. Sir Simon Harcourt was created baron Harcourt, and foon after lord chancellor. The duke of Hamilton was admitted to the honors of the English peerage, under the title of duke of Brandon. The bishop of Bristol, on the decease of the duke of Newcastle, by a novelty in politics characteristic of a tory and high-church administration, was conftituted lordprivy-feal. The duke of Buckingham, being made prefident of the council, in the room of the earl of Rochefter, was fucceeded in the office of lord-fteward by carl Paulet, fuperfeded in the treasury by the late promotion of Mr. Harley.

A fingular

A fingular occurrence took place about this time in Scotland, of which the whigs in England did not fail to take the advantage. The duchefs of Gordon, a violent female politician, noted for her attachment to the banished family, fent as a prefent to the faculty of advocates at Edinburgh a medal, with a head on the right fide and this legend, Cujus eft? and on the reverse the British islands with this motto, · Reddite. A debate arifing whether this curious donation should be received, it was carried by a majority of fixtythree voices to twelve to accept. And Mr. Dundas of Arniftoun, in the name of the faculty, returned her grace most hearty thanks for this medal of their fovereign lord the king-hoping and being confident that her grace would very foon have an opportunity to compliment the faculty with a fecond medal, ftruck upon the restoration of the monarch and the termination of rebellion. Advice being tranfmitted of this act of effrontery to the duke of Queenfberry, fecretary of ftate for Scotland, and M. Kreyenberg the Hanoverian refident, making it the fubject of a formal memorial; the lord-advocate fir David Dalrymple, a known friend to the proteftant fucceffion, was difmiffed from his office, on pretence of remiffness in not profecuting the Scottish medalifts; while Dundas was allowed to escape, notwithstanding his printing a vindication of his conduct, still more impudent and treasonable than his former proceedings. This affair was represented by the enemies of the ministry as a decifive proof of their fecret bias in favor of the pretender; and by their friends, as a trivial and idle business, not worthy of serious attention.

The earl of Oxford, fenfible of the unpopularity, and probably of the folly, of the war, and unwilling to continue it with unequal fuccefs, or to add new laurels to those already acquired by the duke of Marlborough, had, from the first moment of his acceffion to power, formed the determination to conclude a peace with France; and this determination he manifefted too ftrongly and eagerly not to

afford

*

afford great advantage to a politic and penetrating adversary. There was a certain abbé Gualtier, an obscure French prieft, who had originally accompanied marechal Tallard during his embaffy to England in the late reign, and had fince been protected by count Gallas the Imperial minister, and fuffered to fay mafs in his chapel. This man was chofen as the medium of intercourfe with the court of France, and was fent over to Paris with verbal instructions, importing the wish of the present minifters to effect a general pacification, and defiring his moft christian majefty to propose to the Dutch a renewal of the conferences. The king of France, who had received the intelligence of the diffolution of the whig parliament with transports of joy-declaring his opinion and belief, that he should foon be as necessary to Oxford and his party, as they to him, received this intimation with an affectation of indifference; and abfolutely refused to resume the negotiations with Holland. But, in a memorial transmitted by M. de Torcy to the court of London, April 1711, he declared his willingness to treat through the medium of England. This overture was communicated to the states-general, who acknowledged themfelves weary of the war, and ready to join in any measures to obtain a good peace. The whole of the fummer was spent in an interchange of meffages between the two courts of London and Verfailles: and towards the autumn the negotiation became accidentally public, in consequence of the unexpected arrest of one of the government agents, Mr. Prior, at Deal, for want of a paffport. Count Gallas, the Imperial ambassador, expostulating upon this occafion with the earl of Oxford, was affured that there was no ground of alarm; for that the queen would never conclude a peace derogatory from her engagements with her allies. But M. Mefnager, who accompanied Mr. Prior from Paris, being invested with full powers on the part of the most christian king; provifional articles were actually agreed ироп,

Mefnager's Memoirs.