of Calcutta. A hundred and forty-six of our country-men were seized by the cruel conqueror, and confined in a dreadful prison, called the Black Hole, where, in the course of a few hours, nearly all of them died of suffocation from want of air. The English however soon retook Calcutta, conquered the native prince, and seized another town on the river Ganges. Under the command of Lord Clive, they then fought against the French colonists in India, and dispossessed them of almost the whole of their settlements in that part of the world. Our struggles in Europe, however, were not equally successful. The island of Minorca was lost; a fleet sent out, under the command of Admiral Byng, to relieve the place, was unable to be of any use; and the French vessels were suffered to escape. In consequence of this unhappy affair, Admiral Byng was, on his return, brought before a court martial, and harshly sentenced to be shot, for not having done, as was supposed, all that he might have done for the defeat and destruction of the enemy.

But the foreign expedition which will, perhaps, interest you most, was that in North America, because with it is associated the name of a great man still remembered and honoured in England.

The French had, some years before, colonised Canada, and made settlements there; but the

English were in possession of the United States, and continual disputes occurred between the two rival nations whose territories were so near together. These disputes frequently led to open hostilities; and, at last, in the year 1759, the city of Quebec was taken by this country; and the French colony was soon afterwards conquered, and annexed to the British possessions. But this was not effected without much loss of life; and one valuable man who fell in the contest was the lamented General Wolfe, to whom I just now alluded. The enterprize in which he was engaged in taking Quebec, was difficult and dangerous, but he contrived his plans with so much skill, and carried them out so bravely, as to secure success and victory. But just at the very moment when success and victory were before him, Wolfe fell. He first received a wound in the wrist; this, however, notwithstanding the pain it occasioned, he heeded not, but hastily binding it up, he continued fighting with the same ardour as before. In a few minutes after, another ball inflicted a wound of a more serious kind, and Wolfe, no longer able to maintain his post, was carried away from the immediate scene of action. He fainted from loss of blood; but was presently aroused by the cry of "They run, they run!" "Who run "? enquired the dying commander, summoning all his energies at the sound,

"Who run "? "The enemy"; was the reply. "Thank God," answered Wolfe; "then I die content;" and almost instantly he expired. Victory was secure; and the English at home hailed the news with joy; but that joy was embittered, and mingled with mourning, when it was found that their brave general had perished in the struggle.

And now, as I have nothing more of particular interest to relate in the reign of George II., we will pass on to that of his grandson and successor George III., son of the late Prince of Wales. The name of George III. still sounds dear to English ears, even to those of the young of the present generation who have not lived

In Britain's isle, beneath a George's reign;

but who have, nevertheless, learnt to revere and to love his memory. His reign was longer than that of any preceding English sovereign, and extended to a period of nearly sixty years. A most important period of our history this was, and filled with interesting events. We shall not be able to speak of all, nor of nearly all of them ;—we must therefore endeavour to select a few of the most memorable.

The first event that I will mention, is the American war, which occupied so much time, occasioned so much discussion, and produced

so much bloodshed too, during the early years of George III's reign. I told you, that the United States were not then, as now, under an independent government of their own; but that they formed a portion of the British possessions. Some years before, when Sir Robert Walpole was prime minister, a plan had been proposed for taxing the colonists of America. It was considered then too hazardous to be attempted, and so the scheme was abandoned; but at this time, under Mr. Grenville's administration, it was revived again, and brought before Parliament.

Now though this scheme for raising money from America for the support of the English government, might be very agreeable to the House of Commons, and to people at home, yet it was by no means so well liked abroad, in the United States. The Americans considered it to be an act of oppression, to require them to pay taxes, without their consent, when they had no members to represent them in the British Parliament; and so, when the colonists heard of the new law, the heads of the people met in their assembly, or congress, and declared that no intercourse could be carried on with England while such an act was in force. When the first cargoes subject to the payment of duty were landed in America, a number of young men of Boston, disguised as Indians,

boarded the English ships, broke open the holds, and notwithstanding all the resistance made by the crews, seized the tea, with which the vessels were laden, and threw it into the

sea.

Of course this bold act caused great sensation both in America and in England. The Americans in general favoured it; but the British government determined to resist it; and to force the colonists to submission. The Americans then took up arms, and prepared to assert their independence, and so war commenced ;—a sad war indeed, and more particularly so, because, as you remember, the Americans and the English were actually of the same nation,—originally fellow-countrymen, who ought to have been acting together as friends and brothers, instead of thus fighting, and seeking one another's subjugation and destruction. Such were the unhappy effects of oppression on the one side, and of resistance and opposition on the other.

The war continued for about seven years, and in general the English were the losers. The Americans fought desperately for their rights; the advantages which the English now and then gained, seemed to be of no real benefit, and when terms of peace and pardon were offered to the colonists, they treated them with scorn and contempt. At last, thirteen