fented them at the Alrar: The Lirany was fung on the East Side of the Theatre, by the Bishops of Litchfield and Coventry, and Norwich; and after the Epiftle, Gofpel, and Nicene Creed, the Lord Bishop of Oxford preach'd on this Text, Pfal. cxviii. v. 24. This is the Day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoyce and be glad in it.

After the Sermon, his Majefty repeated and fign'd the Declaration or Teft, eftablish'd by Act of Parliament, and took the Coronation Oath, which he likewife fubfcrib'd; and in King Edward's Chair, placed in the Middle of the Area before the Altar, was anointed, and prefented with the Spurs, and girt with the Sword, and vefted with his Purple Robes; and having receiv'd the Ring, the Orb, and Scepters, was folemnly crown'd about two of the Clock, the Drums beating, Trumpets founding, and the great Guns being discharged; whereupon His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and the Peers, put on their Coronets, and the Bifhops their Caps, the Dukes of Aquitain and Normandy their Hats, and the Kings of Arms their Coronets.

Then the Holy Bible was prefented to his Majefty by the Archbishop; and his Majefty having receiv'd the Benediction, fate down in his Chair, and then vouchsafed to kifs the Archbishops and Bishops; and being enthron'd, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and the Lords Spiritual and Temporal did their Homages, and feemingly kiffed his Majesty's left Cheek, and afterwards touched the Crown, while the Treasurer of the Houfhold threw about the Coronation Medals.

Then his Majesty made his fecond Oblation, and received the Holy Communion, and after the final Prayers, retir'd into King Edward's Chapel, and being vested in his Robes of Purple Velvet, and the whole Proceeding being again put in Order, his Majefty return'd to WestminsterHall, wearing his Crown of State, and the Peers and Kings of Arms their Coronets.

The King din'd at a Table at the Upper End of the Hall, with his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on his left Hand; and the Nobility and other Perfons of Quality were feated at their respective Tables, which were all rea dy furnish'd before their coming in; the hot Meat or firft Course for his Majesty's Table, for which Space was left, was ferved up with the proper Ceremony, being preceded by the Officers, c. of the Board of Green-cloth, and by the Lord High Steward, between the Lord HighConftable, and the Lord Marshal, on Horfeback.

F 2

And

And just before the fecond Courfe, Lewis Dymoke, Efq; Champion of England, in compleat Armour, rode into the Hall, between the Lord High Conftable and Lord Marfhal before-mention'd, and performed the Challenge: After which, Garter's Deputy, attended by the other Officers of Arms, proclaim'd his Majefty's Style in Latin, French, and English.

Dinner being ended, and all Things perform'd with great Splendor and Magnificence, about Seven a-Clock his Majefty returned to St. James's; and the Day concluded with Bonfires, Illuminations, Ringing of Bells, and other Demonftrations of a general Joy and Satisfaction.

As foon as the King had fettled the most important of his Domestick Affairs, his Majesty notify'd his Acceflion to the Throne to feveral Princes and States; and in particular, to the States-General of the United Provinces, to whom he wrote the following Letter :

High and Mighty Lords, our good Friends, Allies, and
Confederates:

HE Succeffion to the Crowns of Great Britain, France,

Tand Ireland, being devolv'd on us, by the Deceafe of

the late Queen Anne, our most dear Sifter and Coufin, we took Care to fatisfy the ardent Defires of our faithful Subjects, by repairing as foon as poffible to our Kingdoms. We happily arriv'd on the 19th Instant, and do take the firft Occafion to communicate the fame to you. We are fully perfwaded you will be highly fatisfy'd to be appris'd of the univerfal Joy, and unexpreflible Acclamations, with which we were receiv'd by our People: And as you have at all Times given us Proofs of your fincere Amity; and we having, in our Paffage through your Country, obferv'd your Inclinations to make, with all poffible Firmnefs, a Bond of perfect Alliance between the two Nations we once more renew to you our Affurances of the Defire we have to demonftrate to you by all imaginable Ways, how fenfible we are of your Friendship; and our Refolution, ever to cultivate and confirm more and more, an Alliance, which is fo neceffary and advantageous for the reciprocal Good of our Dominions, and for the Benefit of all Europe. We pray God he may have you, High and Mighty Lords, our good Friends, Allies, and Confederates, in his holy and worthy Keeping.

Written at our Court at St. James's the 27th of Sept. 0. S. Anno 1714, and the First of our Reign,

Your very good Friend, GEORGE R.

Next to this Formality, his Majefty's firft Care was to look to the Intereft of his Dominions abroad: Upon which, purfuant to his Majefty's Orders, Mr. Prior, Plenipotentiary of Great Britain in France, prefented the following Memorial to that Court, on the 23d of October, N. S.

HE underwritten Plenipotentiary, Minifter of the King of Great Britain, has Orders from the King his Mafter, to reprefent to your Majefty, that having heard the Report of the Commiffaries and Ingineers fent to view the State of the Fortifications and Port of Dunkirk, his Majefty is very much furpriz'd to hear, that notwithstanding the Inftances and Reprefentations made on the Part of Great Britain to prefs the Execution of the 9th Article of the Treaty of Peace concluded at Utrecht, the faid Port is fo little fill'd up, that there can ftill, to this Day, as great Ships as formerly, pafs by the old Canal, up to the Hornwork of the Town.. So long as that Canal remains, it cannot be deny'd that there is ftill at Dunkirk Port of 1000 Rods long, and confequently able to receive many Hundred Ships. The Words of the Treaty are, Portus compleatur, (that the Haven fhall be fill'd up) Aggeres aut Moles diruantur, (that the Dykes which form the Canal and the Moles be deftroy'd.) We appeal even to your Ma. jefty's own Engineers, if the Haven be fill'd up, and if the Dykes be deftroy'd? The King my Mafter is very much perfwaded, that your Majefty being fully inform'd of this Fact, will give your ftrict Orders, that at laft that fall be accomplish'd, which, according to the Words of the Treaty, ought to have been done above a Year ago. The fame Minifter has Order to reprefent to your Majefty, that the Surprize of the King his Mafter has been ftill greater, when he was told, that notwithstanding the faid 9th Article, which fays exprefly, ne dicta Munimenta, Portus, Moles, aut Aggeres denuo unquam reficiantur, (that the faid Fortifications, the Port, or the Dikes of Dunkirk fhall never be rebuilt) that they are actually at Work in making a new Port much larger than the old Canal, which, as well as the old flaven, goes up to the Town of Dunkirk; and that the Foundation of a Sluice much greater than the former, which ferv'd to clean the old Haven, is laid.

It cannot be imagin'd that your Majefty will make Ufe of the Word Dicta, which is in that Article, to maintain, that fince the fame Canal is not reftor'd, the fame Materials are not made Ufe of, and the fame Baftions and Courtains are not rebuilt, that your Majefty is at Liberty

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to raise new Works, and make a new Port, better than the former. The Bona Fide which ought to reign in all Treaties, and which will be religiously obferv'd by the King my Mafter, will not admit of fuch a Suppofition.

When Ships can go into Dunkirk by the old Canal which is on the North, or by the New, which is on the Weft, 'Dunkirk will in the fame Manner be a Port, and be equally incommodious and dangerous to the Commerce of Great Britain.

In either of these two Cafes, the Treaty will be equally violated. The King of Great Britain is refolv'd, on his Side religiously to obferve the Treaty of Utrecht, and to maintain with your Majefty an Amity so fincere, that he defires above all Things to prevent all Incidents that may difturb that good Intelligence. And as the Hopes of feeing the entire Execution of that 9th Article, has been to Great Britain the principal Motive for accepting the Peace of Utrecht, he has order'd the underwritten Minister to make the most preffing Inftances with your Majefty, that you will pleafe to give Order for filling up the faid Canals, &c.

To this Memorial the Court of France return'd the following Answer:

to the 9th Article of the Treaty of Peace concluded at Utrecht, the Harbour of Dunkirk, between the Town and the Citadel, is entirely fill'd up. Nevertheless, Men are ftill at work, carrying into it the Earth that is produced by the demolishing of the Cavaliers of the Citadel.

The Words Portus compleatur, can never be apply'd to the Old Canal, which is very different from the Harbour; neither, to be fure, would the King ever have engag'd entirely to destroy a Canal of 1000 Toifes in Length.

That would have been a Work immoderately great; for the only Time Men could have been employ'd therein, would have been at low Water.

On the other Hand, it would have been altogether needlefs; for the Sea will foon carry away what remains of the Dykes that were made.

Thofe Dykes and Jettés fink daily, and are wash'd away by the Sea: But it having been lately demanded on the Part of the King of Great Britain, that to the End they might be carry'd off the fooner, the King would caufe four Coupures, or Outlets, to be made therein, his Majefty gave Orders accordingly; and by Means of this

new

new Work, the old Canal will be fo choak'd up in a few Days, that it will be level with the Strand, and no Ship ping will be able to enter it.

Nay, they will not be able to go up thither, even at High Water, but as they do at all other Places along the Coaft, quite from Newport to Calais.

The King has feveral Times complain'd of Dilatoriness on the Part of England, in Point of executing the 9th Article of the Peace of Utrecht. It ought not therefore to be charged upon his Majefty. This is notorious,

It is well known too, that the Fortifications of Dunkirk are demolish'd; and that the Harbour is fo fill'd up, that it would be impoffible for the King to make it good again, did not his Majefty defign (as he fully does) punctually to perform the Treaty.

He has already feveral Times anfwer'd the Complaints which for fome Time paft he has receiv'd, about the Work he was forced to make, to hinder a great Tract of Land from being laid under Water, which the ruining of the Sluices of Dunkirk would have effected. However, he is willing to repeat once more the Reasons he has given for that Proceeding.

The Waters of the Canals of Furnes, La Moere, Wynoxberg, and Bourbourg, were discharg'd by the Sluices of Dunkirk. This Outlet was neceffary to keep the Caftellanies of Bourbourg, Wynoxberg, and even fome Part of that of Furnes, from being overflow'd, which without it they muft infallibly have been: But the King having promis'd utterly to deftroy the Sluices of Dunkirk, gave his Orders for executing the Treaty, and in the mean while caus'd a Representation to be made to the Queen of Great Britain, of the Inconveniencies that would enfue upon this rigorous Performance; defiring at the fame Time, that the would fuffer one of the three Sluices which were to be deftroy'd, to ftand as it did.

This was deny'd by that Princefs; fo it became neceffary to find out fome other Method for discharging the Water of those four Canals.

The English Commiffaries and Engineers were Witnesses of the feveral Projects that were form'd for that Purpose. They were full well acquainted with the Defign of the Canal of Mardike; and were of the Opinion, it was impoffible to be executed. It is true, it was a very expensive one; and the King would gladly have fav'd that Money, had it pleas'd the Queen of Great Britain to leave one of