6 As for those who received the benefit of it, they were firft Geo. I. the lords in the Tower under fentence of death, who were 1717. immediately delivered. This was directed by an exception. in the Act of Grace, namely, All perfons impeached in parliament before the 6th of May 1717, whose impeachment remains undetermined.' So that they who were impeached for rebellion, and, being convicted, were under fentence of death, were not, by this article, excepted, because the impeachment was determined in law. Confequently, the earl of Carnwarth, with the lords Widdrington and Nairne, peers, condemned by the house of lords, were immediately difcharged. The lord Duffus was continued under confinement, with an allowance of 31. a week. Likewife the prifon-doors were fet open all over England: Seventeen gentlemen, under fentence of death in Newgate, were released; as alfo a great many in the Marshalfea and Fleet, and in the hands of Meffengers; and not only thofe who were under fentence, but feveral others who were not tried. In the castle of Weft-Chester, about two hundred prifoners taken at Preston were set free, none being detained but the lord Charles Murray, fon of the duke of Athol; and he was only referved to be a particular object of the king's clemency, a pardon having paffed for him a few weeks after.. In like manner the prifoners in the caftle of Lancaster were delivered: these were, in general, the common foldiers of the rebels; the rest of them were either fent to the plantations at their own request, or dead in prifon, or had made their efcape. The prifoners in the caftle of Carlifle, being twenty-fix gentlemen, the chief of the difaffected people in Scotland, most, if not all, taken in actual rebellion, and under sentence of death, were likewife releafed. In Scotland, all the prifoners remaining in the castles of Edinburgh and Stirling, as the lord Rollo, the earl of Strathallan, and feveral others of rank, were all discharged. Commiffioners, for inquiring into the forfeited eftates, had been appointed fome time by the parliament. They had managed their inquiry with great application, but had met with great difficulties and obftructions from the creditors of the attainted perfons, who, by the ordinary courfe of justice, gor, or Macgregor. The famous Rob. Roy, head of. this clan, being in the rebellion, occafioned, perhaps, the excepVOL. XIX. tion, by which the whole fami- L were Geo. I. were in poffeffion of the eftates. The lords of feffion had 1717. alfo, at the petition of fome perfons, pretending to be credi Value of forfeited eftates in Scotland. tors, fequeftered all the moft confiderable forfeited eftates, The yearly value of the real cftates, of which the commif- (a) Thefe fequeftrations were founded upon the words of the act for encouraging fuperiors, &c.' That no conviction or attainder fhall exclude the right of any creditor remaining peaceable, for fecurity of any juft debts contracted before the commiffion of any of the aforefaid crimes.' As thefe words feemed only to import that the creditors fhould be paid their juft debts, the commiffioners fubmitted the matter to the lords, Whether the payment of thefe debts was not better provided for by paying the rents into the Exchequer, for the benefit of the public and creditors, according to the express directions of the act of parliament, than by fuffering the growing rents to remain at the difpofal of the receivers, who being the trustees The The commiffioners in England did not meet with fo much difficulty, by whose report (which was also printed) the annual rents of the forfeited eftates in England and Ireland amounted in the whole to 476261. 18 s. 5d. . The improved rents of eftates on lives, after the lives were expired, they computed at 47981. 6 s. 3 d. (c). As 72 George Collingwood, Efq; 924 27 208 Robert Daniel 75 John Dalton, Efq; Geo. I. 1717. 19 18 661 230 Earl of Derwentwater 6371 Wood-End Fairney 83 Roger Dicconfon, Efq; 641 153 Thomas Forfter, Efq; 530 Mafter of Nairne 60 In Reverfion-600, 1100 Dunboog 170 George Gibson Earl Marifchal 1676 John Gregory Kilconquhar 287 John Half Lord Nairne 740 Gabriel Hefketh 537 Albert Hodgfon 415 Philip Hodgson 809 Jordan Longdale Inneray Kenmure Drummond Burleigh Scotftown Duntroon Laag 281 John Leybourne 608 Duke of Ormond, Carnwarth 2566 Eng. and Irel. in 697 cumbered. 110 Henry Oxborough 424 William Paul 863 John Pleffington 1495 (c) The rental was as follows, fhillings and pence omitted: Robert Scarfbrook, Efq; Richard Shuttleworth 3 Ralph Shuttleworth 78 per Ann. Ralph Standish, Efq; 671 Francis Anderton, Efq; 1425 1. Jame Singleton 40 John Afhlow Hugh Anderton, Efq; Richard Butler 131 Thomas Standley, Efq; 246 60 Lord Seaforth 517 382 Henry St. John late lord? Edward Swinburne, Efq; 305 10 Bolinbroke 2552 Richard Billsborough John Thornton, Efq; 1585 Thomas Biers 19 Chriftopher Trap 91 Jofeph Wadfworth 20 Thomas Walton Thomas Walidey 1 Geo. I. As the king refolved not to go into Germany this year, 1717. the houfhold removed to Hampton-court, where he refided for the fummer. Prince Eu the Turks Hift. Reg. At the close of the feffion, the following alterations and promotions were made: Mr. Stanhope, first commiffioner of the treasury, was created baron of Elvafton, and viscount of Mahon; the earl of Suffolk, Mr. Chetwynd, Sir Charles Cook, Mr. Docminique, Mr. Molefworth, Mr. Pelham, Mr. Daniel Pulteney, and Mr. Bladen, were appointed commiffioners of trade; lord Cadogan was made general of all the forces in England; and Mr. Bofcawen vice-treasurer of Ireland, of which kingdom the following perfons were made peers: Trevor Hill, viscount Hillsborough; Sir Thomas Southwel, viscount Southwel; Walter Chetwynd, viscount Fitzharding; Alan Broderick, vifcount Middleton; lord Hamilton of Strack Allan, viscount Boyn; John Allen, vifcount of Kildare. Coniers d'Arcy, brother to the earl of Holderness, was removed from his employment of gentleman of the horse, and one of the commiffioners for executing the office of master of the horfe. The earl of Leicester was appointed conftable of Dover-Caftle, and warden of the Cinque-Ports, in the room of the earl of Dorfet; and the duke of Portland was made one of the lords of the bedchamber. Whilft the king was at Hampton-Court, count Volkra, gene defeats the imperial minifter, brought him the news of prince Eubefore Bel- gene's victory over the Turks at Belgrade. Prince Eugene, grade. having aflembled the imperial army, before the Turks could Aug. 5. draw their forces together, refolved to befiege Belgrade: To this end he marched his army over the Theyffe, upon a bridge of boats laid for that purpose, and posted himself on the other fide of the Danube, in fight of that fortrefs: This unexpected paffage ftruck the infidels into fuch a confternation, that their troops ran away in the utmost confufion, while the reft of the imperial army paffed the Danube likewife over a bridge, that was foon prepared. The place was immediately invested, and lines of circumvallation and contravallation were made from the Save to the Danube, by which means the imperial camp became fo ftrong, that it feemed as if one fortrefs had laid fiege to another. This precaution had its effect; for, when the main army of the Turks was advanced to relieve Belgrade, they found the befiegers fo ftrongly intrenched, Geo. I. that they were under a neceffity of opening trenches to ap- 1717. proach their lines: But prince Eugene had taken measures fo well before-hand, that when the Ottoman army appeared, though they were much more numerous and formidable than could be believed, he was in a condition to expect them in his intrenchments, without difcontinuing his attacks. It was undoubtedly a very extraordinary fight to fee two fieges at once, and even the befiegers themfelves befieged; the place being shut up on all fides by the imperial army; and the imperial army fhut up on one fide between two great rivers, and on the other between a town, defended by a strong garrifon, and the enemy's camp ftrongly intrenched: Thus there was a neceffity either to conquer or perifh, and the leaft falfe ftep would have decided it. But, when things feemed reduced to this dangerous crifis, prince Engene, instead of waiting to be attacked in his intrenchments, marched out of them, and attacked the Turks in theirs, with fo much bravery and conduct, that he gained a most complete victory, over their almoft innumerable forces, which was followed the next day by the furrender of Belgrade, the key of the Ottoman empire. Spain. Mean while, the great preparations, the Spaniards were Great premaking by fea and land, drew the attention of all Europe. parations in When the emperor fent his army into Hungary against the Corlet. Turks, who had invaded the dominions of the Venetians his allies, the pope, to whom wars of that kind are always agreeable, obtained repeated affurances from the king of Spain, both by letters, and by declarations from his ambaffador at Rome, That he would not undertake any thing against the interefts of the emperor, whilft his arms fhould be employed in fo religious a caufe; and would even aid the Venetians with a fquadron of men of war and gallies.' For which purpose he obtained from the court of Rome an Indulto, for raifing a fubfidy of two millions and a half on the ecclefiaftical revenues in the Indies; and another for five hundred thousand ducats on the eftates of the clergy in Spain. Accordingly, the king of Spain fent out the last year a small squadron of fix men of war and five gallies, which arrived too late in the Levant, to be of any service to the Venetians, who had before sustained a naval fight with the Turks, and had almost finished the operations of the campaign. But this year the preparations in Spain were fo extraordinary, as gave a jealoufy, that, instead of fending affiftance to the Venetians, the Spaniards had a defign to make fome conqueft themselves on |