Elcho, Ogilvy, Pitfligo, and the eldest son of lord Lovat, who came in with their vaffals, and encreased his army. Lord Lovat himself was an enthufiaft in the caufe; but being without principles, he was unwilling to act openly, afraid of incurring the refentment of the ministry, whom he ftill dreaded. Never was there a man of fuch unaccountable ambition, or who ever more actively rendered himself hateful and fufpected by all. He was at firft outlawed for ravishing the duke of Argyle's niece. He then offered his fervice to the old pretender in France, and it was accepted. He next betrayed the forces which were fent to his affiftance to queen Anne. He a second time invited the pretender over in the reign of George the first, and being put in poffeffion, by the chevalier, of the caftle of Stirling, he once more betrayed it into the hands of the enemy. This man, true to neither party, had now, in fecret, fent aid to the young chevalier, while in his conversation, he affected to declaim against his attempt. While the young pretender was thus trifling away his time at Edinburgh, for, in dangerous enterprizes, delay is but defeat, the miniftry of Great Britain took every proper precaution to oppose him with fuccefs. Six thousand Dutch troops, that had come over to the affiftance of the crown, were dispatched northward, under the command of general Wade; but as it was then faid, thefe could lend no affiftance, as they were prifoners to France upon parole, and under an engagement not to oppose that power for the space of one year. However this be, the duke of Cumberland foon after arrived from Flanders, and was followed by another detachment of dragoons and infantry, well difciplined, and inured to action. Befides thefe, volunteers offered in every part of the kingdom; and every county exerted a vigorous fpirit of in dignation dignation both against the ambition, the religion, and the allies of the young pretender. However, he had been bred up in a school that taught him maxims very different from those that then prevailed in England. Tho' he might have brought civil war and all the calamities attending it with him into the kingdom, he had been taught the affertion of his right was a duty incumbent upon him, and the altering the conftitution and perhaps the religion of his country an object of laudable ambition. Thus animated he went forward with vigour, and having, upon frequent confultations with his officers, come to a refolution of making an irruption into England, he entered the country by the Weftern border, and invested Carlifle, which furrendered in less than three days. He there found a confiderable quantity of arms, and there too he procured his father to be proclaimed king. General Wade being apprized of his progrefs, advanced across the country from the oppofite fhore, but receiving intelligence that the enemy was two days march before him, he retired to his former ftation. The young pretender, therefore, thus unoppofed, refolved to penetrate farther into the kingdom, having received affurances from France that a confiderable body of troops would be landed on the fouthern coafts, to make a diverfion in his favour. He was flattered alfo with the hopes of being joined by a confiderable number of malecontents, as he paffed forward, and that his army would encrease on the march. Accordingly leaving a fmall garrifon in Carlisle, which he should rather have left defenceless, he advanced to Penrith, marching on foot in an Highland dress, and continuing his irruption till he came to Manchester, where he established his head-quarters. He tented to guard; and under the conduct of the duke of Gramont, their horfe charged the Englifh foot with great fury. They were received, however, with intrepidity and refolution; so that they were obliged to give way, and repafs the Mayne with precipitation, with the lofs of about five thousand men. The king of England, with great perfonal courage, exposed himself to a fevere fire of the enemies cannon; and in the midst of the engagement encouraged his troops by his prefence and his example. The English had the honour of the day; but were foon obliged to leave the field of battle, which was taken poffeffion of by the French, who treated the wounded. English with a clemency peculiar to that generous nation. Though the English were victorious upon this occafion, yet the earl of Stair, who was commander in chief, did not affume any honour from fuch a victory. He was unwilling to fhare any glory, which was fo precariously obtained, and fnatched rather from the enemies mistake, than gained by his conduct. He therefore folicited for leave to refign, which obtaining, the troops were led into quarters, and defifted from farther operations that campaign. Mean while the French went on with vigour on every fide. They oppofed prince Charles, and interrupted his attempts to pafs the Rhine. They gained alfo fome fucceffes in Italy; but their chief hopes were placed upon a projected invafion of England. Cardinal Fleury was now dead; and cardinal Tencin, who fucceeded him in power, was a man of a very different character from his predeceffor; being proud, turbulent, and enterprifing France, from the violence of the pailiamentary difputes in England, had been perfuaded that the country was long ripe for a revolution, and only wanted the prefence of a pretender to bring about about the change. Several needy adventurers, who wished for a revolution, fome men of broken fortunes and all the Roman catholics of the kingdom, endeavoured to confirm the court of France in these fentiments, of which they themselves were perfuaded. An invafion therefore was actually projected; and Charles, the fon of the old pretender, departed from Rome in the difguife of a Spanish courier, for Paris, where he had an audience of the French king. This family had long been the dupes of France; but it was thought at prefent there were ferious The troops refolutions formed in their favour. destined for the expedition amounted to fifteen thousand men, preparations were made for embarking them at Dunkirk, and fome of the near eft ports to England, under the eye of the young pretender. The duke de Roquefuille, with twenty fhips of the line, was to fee them fafely landed in England, and the famous count Saxe was to command them, when put on fhore. But the whole project was difconcerted by the appearance of Sir John Norris, who, with a superior fleet, made up to attack them. The French fleet, was thus obliged to put back; a very hard gale of wind da maged their tranfports beyond redrefs; and the French, now frustrated in their scheme of a fudden defcent, thought fit openly to declare war. But though fortune feemed to favour England on this occafion, yet in other refpects the was not equally propitious. The English miniftry had fent out a powerful fquadron of fhips into the Mediterranean to over-awe thofe ftates who might. be inclined to lend affiftance to France or Spain.. This fleet had been conducted by Leftock; but admiral Matthews, though a younger officer was fent out to take the fuperior command, which produced a mifunderstanding between the commanders. 'i here There was foon an opportunity offered for thefe officers to difcover their mutual animofity, to the damage of their country, and their own disgrace. The combined fleets of France and Spain, to the number of four and thirty fail, were feen off Toulon, and a fignal was made by the English admiral to prepare for engaging. It happened that his fignals were not perfectly exact; he had hung out that for forming the line of battle, which at the fame time fhewed the fignal for engaging. This was a fufficient excufe to Leftock for refufing to come up with alacrity; fo that after fome vain efforts to attack the enemy in conjunction, Matthews refolved to engage as well as he could. One fhip of the line belonging to the Spanish fquadron ftruck to captain Hawke; but was next day burned by the admiral's order. Captain Cornwall was killed in the engagement, after continuing to give command even while his leg was fhot off by a cannon. The pursuit was continued for three days, at the end of which time Leftock feemed to come up with fome vigour; but just then Matthews gave orders for discontinuing the purfuit, and failed away for port Mahon to repair the damage he had fuftained. The English fleet was willing to claim the victory; and the French and Spaniards were not lefs pleafed with their own good fortune. In England, however, this difputed fuccefs was confidered as the most mortifying defeat, and the complaints of the people knew no bounds. Both admirals upon their return, were tried by a courtmartial. Matthews, who had fought with intrepidity, was declared for the future incapable of ferving in his majesty's navy. Leftock, who had kept at a diftance, was acquitted with honour, having entrenched himself within the punctilios of discipline. He barely did his duty. A man of honour, when his country is at stake, fhould do more. The |