mentioned; but she began to treat us even worse than she had ever done before: her Depredations were exceffive, and her Captures amounted to prodigious Sums; fhe publickly laid Claim to fome of our Provinces in America, and interrupted not only our general Commerce, but that of the South-Sea Company; which were both particularly confirmed by Treaty.-Our Navigation to the Weft-Indies was render'd almoft impracticable; and by the Barbarities of the Spaniards, and the Infults of France, the Spirit of our Seamen, nay their very Race, was vifibly running to Decay: Yet the Minister, fearful of a War, fubmitted to all this.

At length, the Nation was exafperated to fuch a Point, and the Complaints and Clamours of the Merchants ecchoed fo loudly through the whole Kingdom, that both Houfes of Parliament in the latter End of the Year 1737 and the Beginning of 1738, could no longer refrain from expreffing a great Anxiety at this tame Conduct, with Refpect to Spain; declaring their Opinion, that the Infolence of Spain ought no longer to be endured, and that if immediate Satisfaction was not given, and Security obtained to remedy what was paft, and to prevent what we saw was to be expected for the Time to come, this Nation muft feek Redress by Arms.

The Minifter, ftill unable to refolve himself for War, ftill infatuated with the Notion of his Brother's Abilities for Negotiation, depended upon his former Arts of Treaty-making.-Spain knew him now fo well, that she wantonly play'd with him; fhe kept him off till the very Time, that the Parliament was to meet, without doing any thing at all; by which the reduced him to a terrible Diftrefs.---He did not dare to meet the Parliament, after their Refolutions and Addreffes, and the Temper he had left them in the laft Seffions, without having done any Thing.---Yet the Time was come, and nothing at all was done.---His only Expedient was to prorogue the Parliament s and to make use of this fhort Space to humble himself before Spain; to fhew them the Condition he was in, and beg their Affiftance, at any Rate, and upon any Terms, to give him a Lift for the prefent---Whatever Form of Words he used, or in what manner foever this Negotiation was carried on, this was vifibly the Nature of it; for he could not conceal his Condition; and what immediately followed, evidently proves, that it was fully understood by the Power with which he treated.

Spain having fufficiently gratified her Mirth, fported with, and mortified the Man, began to think that she might carry the Jeft too far; that a War, for which she was not yet effectually prepared, might be the fudden Confequence; and that it was

not

not her Intereft to ruin a Minifter, whofe Puffillanimity had ferved her as effectually for many Years, as if her own had prefided over the British Councils: She therefore confented to a Treaty, under the Name of a Convention, which was figned at the Pardo, not fooner than the 14th of January N.S. 1738-9. but then difpatched with the utmoft Expedition.

: Scarce had the Courier cleaned his Boots, but the Parliament was called--they met the firft of February 1738-9. and the Minifter enlarged upon the great Advantages of this new Treaty, by which he bragged, a That he had obtained more than ever on like Occafions was known to be obtained, more than the most fuccefs ful Arms could have procured; and that this Negotiation had been the beft conducted, and the most happily finished, of any we meet with in Hiftory.---That he remembered he had the laft Seffions undertaken to be answerable for the Measures of the Government, while he had the Honour to be a Minifter, and that he was prepared to make good his Promife.---He added, that if Gentlemen would perfift to raise a Ferment without Doors against this Convention, they would thereby render a War unavoidable.

But the Publick were not fo much terrified with this Argument of an unavoidable War. They on the contrary knew, that it was juft and abfolutely neceffary, and had been already deJayed too long ;---and when this Convention was laid before the Houfe, which was done upon the 6th of March following, it did not leffen that Opinion.

And to fhew how little Reafon there was for that Opinion to be altered by it, I fhall ftate in a few Words, what Points the Nation juftly expected to be finally adjufted by this Treaty.:

The firft Point, was the difclaiming all Right to fearch cur Ships in the American Seas, under Pretences of their carrying on a contraband and illicit Trade.---Now as there neither ever was, nor is any Treaty fubfifting between the two Nations, which either fpecifies, intimates, or fuppofes any fuch things as contraband Goods, and as if the Pretence fhould be allowed of an illicit Trade, no Ships (from the Circumftances of that Navigation) could pass or repals to our own Settlements in the Weft-Indies, without being exposed to be rummaged and confifcated by the Spanish Guarda Cofta's, it was abfolutely a Condition, (fine qua non) without which, we could never end our Differences with that Nation.

2dly, Spain had, with intolerable Arrogance, and upon frivolous Pretences, claimed a Right to our Provinces upon the Coafts of Florida, which included Georgia, and a Part of Southa See this Speech in the Debates of the House of Commons, Vol. X. fol. 335, by Chandler,

Carolina

Carolina.-The Honour therefore and Intereft of this Nation, abfolutely required an actual Disavowal of this pretended Right.

3dly, The Depredations committed upon our Merchants, under the frivolous and unjuft Pretences of this contraband and illicit Trade, amounted to 340,000 l.-That juft Claim and Debt was therefore to be allowed or paid, and this was another juft Condition expected by the Nation.

4thly, The King of Spain, during the former Differences, having feized the Effects of the British South-Sea Company, to the Amount of above a Million, and 68,ocol. and during the former Negotiations, this Sum having been allowed on his Part a juft Debt, and the South-Sea Company having on the other hand acknowledged a Debt on their Part of 68,000/there was a Ballance due to the South-Sea Company of above a Million Sterling, the Payment of which was a fourth Condition expected by this Nation.

Now if the Nation had not received Satisfaction in these four Particulars, (especially the two firft) Juftice was not had, nor any Security obtained.

Let us therefore fee in what manner this Satisfaction and Security were provided for by this Treaty.

As to the firft Condition, (our Right to free Navigation, and no Search, the grand Point of all our Difference,) nothing farther was provided than had been provided for twenty Years before-It was again referred to be difcuffed in future by Commiffaries, of which we had fufficiently feen the Effects before, and already experienced all that we had to expect from it, which was indubitably nothing.

As to the fecond Particular, to the great Aftonishment of the whole Nation, they found, that their Right to Provinces, from which we derived a prodigious Benefit, Carolina, (which by the Encrease of the Commodity of Rice, is become of late Years one of the most profitable Colonies belonging to the British Empire ;) and Georgia, (to fettle which the Nation had put itself to a great Expence, and which by its Situation in the Gulph of Florida, and by a proper Ufe of its Ports, might command the Return of the whole Spanish Treasure, and was of infinite Confequence to prevent the Conjunction of the French upon the Miffiffipi, and their Sugar Iflands) were not only fubmitted to the like Difcuffion of Commiffaries; but what was more amazing and unworthy, that we had bound ourselves, till the Decifion of thefe Commiffaries, not to erect any Forts, or to do any thing to ftrengthen or fecure our Poffeffions there, which was, in other Words to leave them in the fame weak and defenceless State they were then notoriously in, to be over

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run upon the first Attempt the Spaniards fhould think fit to make upon them.

As to the third and fourth Particulars, it appeared, that the boafted Satisfaction we had obtained for our injured Merchants, whose just Demand, (including that of the South-Sea Company,) amounted to 1,340,000l. was provided for as follows.

Imprimis, The Million due to the South-Sea Company from the King of Spain was left to the Decifion of Commiffaries, whether it was due or not, which all Mankind understood to be the fame thing in effect, as to have intirely given it up.

2dly, The 68,000 l. due from the South-Sea Company, was agreed to be due, and to be paid immediately.

3dly, As to the 340,000 7. due to our Merchants, on account of the Depredations committed upon them,-this Account was fettled in the following Manner.

1t, From the faid Claim of the Merchants was arbitrarily deducted by the Dash of a Pen, without any Reafon at all affigned

2dly, The King of Spain was allowed to deduct for the Prompt Payment of what was never intended to be paid

3dly, The British Nation were to allow Spain' for the Ships taken and destroyed in the Year 1718, in time of actual War

4thly, The South-Sea Company were to make immediate Payment of the 68,000l. due from them to the King of Spain

5thly, Spain was allowed to deduct the Value of a Ship called the Therefa, taken in the Port of Dublin in 1735, as alfo the Amount of whatever the had formerly given in Satisfaction to our Merchants for their Loffes; which two Sums amounted to more, but we shall only state at

Thus it is manifeft that the Plan of this Treaty was laid upon this Ground, that the King of Spain was not to pay one fingle Shilling; fo that, in fact, all the Pretenfions, both of our Merchants and the South-Sea Company, were entirely abandon'd by it. But what was still worfe, the Court of Spain refufed to agree, even to this Treaty, till the Minister had confented to an Act, whereby the King of Spain declared, That he entered his Protest against the Execution of it provifionally,

in

in cafe the South-Sea Company did not pay, in a fhort time therein limited, the faid Sum of 68,000 l. and referved farther to himself, a Right of fufpending their Affiento Contract, in cafe of Failure on their Part.-Now as it was impoffible, that the South-Sea Company would ever be induced to pay 68,000!. upon one Head of an Account, in which they had, (after the Deduction of that Sum,) a Balance of a Million due to them; and as they did immediately after refolve not to pay this Sum, the Cafe of the Nation was directly this; that Spain was prevailed upon to do this temporary Job for the Minifter.

It, By a publick Connivance (if it may be fo called) at their Pretenfions to search our Ships, and to interrupt our Navigation, 2dly, By a publick Agreement, that our Trade should fet down unfatisfy'd with the Lofs of 1,340,000l.

3dly, By a tacit Acknowledgment of the Pretenfions of Spain, to a Part of our American Dominions.

4thly, By a pofitive Agreement to leave thofe Dominions in a defenceless State, that Spain might seize them when she pleased. And 5thly, By the Sufpenfion of the Affiento Contract.

To this Condition had our preventive and defenfive Measures

now reduced us.

With this Convention the laft Thread of pacifick Policy was fpun; the Nation could endure it no longer; the Minifter was at length compelled to draw the Sword.-His Majefty's tender Regard, both to his own Honour, and to the Interests and Honour of the Nation, induced him to declare War against Spain, in the Summer 1739.

How that War was carried on upon the fame timid Principles, is but too evident. The Court of Spain had Time to ftrengthen herself to fuch a Degree, that she became at length invulnerable in the Weft-Indies; and the War continues ftill without a Poffibility of any material Success in our farther Attempts upon that Part of her Dominions.

And now the Diftreffes brought upon us by this unparallelled Chain of pufillanimous Proceedings, burft like a Torrent on the Minister, who had been the Occafion of them.-Upon the 9th of October, O.S. 1740. the Emperor died of a Cholic, attended with a Vomiting and Inflammation of the Bowels, in a Conjuncture fo apt for the Views of France, that there was little Room to doubt, either of the Cause or Confequences of his Death :-His Territories had been guaranty'd, long before, under the Title of the Pragmatick Sanction, to his eldeft Daughter, (the prefent Queen of Hungary,) by a Majority of the German Princes, by Great Britain, Denmark, Holland, Spain and France; and of the two latter held (the one) Naples and Sicily,

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