1738.

 

I. The War in the Ukraine.

 

In the month of February the Khan of Tartary, at the head of 40,000 men, attempted to force the lines of the Ukraine, but was repulsed with great loss. On the 1st of May Marshal Munnich assembled his whole army, consisting of. about 55,000 men. On the 11th of July he was attacked by the Turks at the confluence of the rivers Bug and Lodinia; at eight o'clock the advanced guard of the right wing was attacked but successfully defended by Lieutenant General Segraiski. The greatest efforts of the enemy were made however in the centre charge. Brigadier Schipow was attacked on all sides, and must have been surrounded but for the timely arrival of the Marshal with Generals Lowendahl and Biron, when the enemy were repulsed with no great loss on either side. After the action of Lodinia, the Russian army continued to march quietly towards the frontier of Poland. During the month of August the two armies remained in presence. Munnich was continually threatening the passage of the Dniester, but always found a Turkish army opposed to him. A foraging party at this time was attacked and cut to pieces by the Tartars. The officer who commanded was tried by a council of war, condemned, and executed, and the general, Segraiski, was degraded, and reduced to the rank of a private dragoon. The army finally crossed the Dniester in September, but towards the end of the month, it re-entered the Ukraine, and went into winter- quarters.

 

2. LACY AGAIN INVADES THE CRIMEA

 

Marshal Lacy, this year, with an army of 35,000 men, again invaded the Crimea. The Khan, with 40,000, opposed him at the lines of Perekop; but at this season (July) the Sea of Azov is in a great measure dried up, and Lacy entered by the side of the shore, almost dryshod, and without the loss of a man. On the 8th of July he laid siege to Perekop, which continued till the 10th, when the lines capitulated. The Marshal's instructions were to advance to Caffa, but, as before, the country was already so impracticable that he could not find subsistence for his army, and Admiral Bredal’s fleet had been driven off the coast by a storm ; accordingly he marched back to Perekop, blew up and- levelled all the works, and went again into winterquarters in the Ukraine.

 

3. War between the Emperor and the Turks. Königsegg disgraced. Death of Rakoczi

 

The Turks taking the field early, reduced the fort of Usitza, which secured possession of part of Servia, and Mehadia, which commanded the passes on the north of the Danube. They now undertook the siege of Orsova, which however they abandoned at the approach of the Imperial army, commanded by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, assisted by Count Konigsegg. The character and talents of this celebrated leader were not well calculated to supply the want of experience, steadiness, and military skill of the Duke of Lorraine. The Count was of an excellent capacity in the field, but greatly deficient in activity; so much so, that one of his greatest admirers remarked him, that he wanted but one additional grain of salt in his composition to be one of the greatest of men. The Turks, being reinforced, marched and attacked the Imperialists, by whom they were repulsed after an obstinate engagement; the Germans now recovered Mehadia, but had scarcely reached the neighbourhood of Orsova when they were surprised and again attacked by the Grand Vizier. The Imperialists made good their retreat, and the Turks resumed the siege of Orsova, of which they made themselves masters, and where they found a fine train of artillery designed for the siege of Widdin. By the conquest of this place the Turks laid the Danube open to their galleys and vessels, and the Germans were forced to retire under the cannon of Belgrade. The disasters of this campaign excited ho less intrigue and clamour at Vienna than the preceding one, and both the Duke of Lorraine and Königsegg were removed from the command and disgraced.

The Emperor was violently agitated at the want of success in his armies for two successive years, and in the agony of his mind exclaimed, “Is the fortune of my house departed with Eugene”. He listened to all the petty stories of military discontent which invariably follow an unsuccessful campaign. Wallis conciliated his master's good will by his stories against the Emperor’s son-in-law. Amongst other things he had the hardihood to say, “ If ever I am found serving under such “a fellow, let me pass for a most contemptible wretch.” As an example of his insolence he said to the Duke himself, « Eh bien, prenez pour une fois le conseil d'un fou, sans quoi, vous perdrez votre cannon, votre honneur, et peut-être Orsova même. Well, for once take the advice of a madman, or else you'll lose your cannon, your honor, and maybe even Orsova.”

Königsegg suffered from the protection afforded him by his highness, so that as he found no protection from anyone else, both fell together.

Joseph Rakoczi, son of the famous Hungarian chieftain mentioned above, who had died in 1735, was at this time closely allied with the Sultan, who invited him to Constantinople, and recognized his title of Waiwode or Prince of Transylvania. It was hoped that his influence among his countrymen might induce them to rise against Austria and join the Turks in the present war. Rakoczi accordingly issued some stirring addresses, which were widely circulated among the border Hungarians, calling upon them to take up arms—but to no effect: his name and influence were no longer powerful. Still, no ill consequences followed to him from a proclamation of the Imperial court, setting a price upon his head ; and he died peacefully, in the Turkish dominions, on the 9th of November in this year.

 

4. Dispute between Denmark and Hanover.

 

In the month of October an affair of very small importance produced a rupture between the Kings of Denmark and Great Britain. A detachment of Hanoverians took by assault the Castle of Steinhorst, defended by the Danish dragoons, who had received orders to repel force by force. Several men had been killed on both sides before the Hanoverians could enter the place, when the garrison was disarmed and conducted to the frontiers. This dispute was, however, compromised by a convention between the two Sovereigns.

 

1739.

 

1. The Imperial Army placed under the command of Count Wallis.

This year, the events of the war were still unfavourable to the Emperor. He had bestowed the command of his army upon Count Wallis, who assembled his forces in the neighbourhood of Belgrade, They consisted of sixty-seven battalions and 113 squadrons, or 58,250 men, besides artillery and hussars. On the 11th of June the army encamped near Semlin, and being joined by the auxiliaries, and the flotilla of the Danube being ready, they crossed the Savetin the 27th, and at the close of the same evening advanced towards Crotska, where his hussars were attacked by the Turks with such impetuosity and perseverance that they were obliged to give ground. Wallis, however, put himself at the head of some cuirassiers, and bravely withstood the enemy till the grenadiers had cleared the defile and driven the Turks out of the vineyards.

2. The Battle of Crotska.

The Grand Vizier with his whole force had taken post on two hills between the defile and the village of Crotska. The Prince of Hildburghausen formed the first battalion that cleared the defile into square, whilst the left wing passed along a narrow path and extended itself on the heights overlooking the Danube. In this position the Imperialists withstood repeated attacks from the Turks, who assailed them with far superior numbers from five in the morning till sunset, when Wallis ordered a retreat under cover of the approaching darkness. The Imperialists were hampered by the defile in which the Grand Vizier had caught them. On their side four generals were killed and five wounded; and 7000 men, with 400 officers, were left dead on the field of battle. In this desperate conflict both parties sustained considerable loss, but the Turks displayed new skill in the art of war. Instead of tumultuous and unconnected attacks, they fought in the greatest order and in regular bodice; and when broken, they rallied with speed and activity. This was due in a great measure to the admirable discipline they had received from Count Bonneval, a French military adventurer, who, after having served in the navy and army of France with distinction, took afterwards an Austrian commission, and subsequently became a Mussulman under the appellation of Achmet Facha. He was meditating a return to Christendom when he was surprised by death eight years later than the present events. His memoirs are amusing and curious, as showing the rewards attendant upon those who adopt service among Orientals.

The Imperial flotilla under Admiral Pallavicini fell down the Danube to co-operate with the army, so that when Wallis retreated the admiral found himself exposed to severe handling from the Turkish batteries, and only regained Belgrade on the 24th in a most dilapidated condition. The Imperialists took up so strong a position at Kinza, and placed their artillery with so much skill, that on the following day they repulsed a considerable body of troops headed by the Grand Vizier. Wallis, however, seized with despondency, again retreated during the night, and occupied the lines of Belgrade, when, being still alarmed at the appearance of some Turkish irregulars, and deeming himself unequal to the defence of this strong position, he recrossed the Danube the following night. The Turks now instantly advanced against Belgrade, and the Grand Vizier investing the place on the side of' Servia, commenced the siege in form. He summoned the garrison to surrender on the 29th of July. The Earl of Crawford who served as a volunteer in the Imperial army, signalized his courage in an extraordinary manner on these occasions, and was dangerously wounded.

3. The Turks invest Belgrade.

Wallis, under a still unaccountable infatuation, would not even continue in the vicinity of Belgrade to harass the besieging army, or to succour the garrison, but wearied his troops by useless and circuitous marches; and the Turks, availing themselves of his absence, occupied the northern branch of the Danube, and carried on their approaches against the redoubt of the Borzia, which commanded the fortress on that side. They even prepared to cross the Save, that they might attack Belgrade on that side also. In the midst of his despondency Marshal Wallis was still further alarmed by a report from General Succow, commandant of the place, that a breach had been made in one of the bastions and an assault hourly expected, which the garrison, diminished and enervated by sickness, would be unable to resist. Wallis sent an officer to examine the state of the fortifications; but without waiting for his return, he sent Colonel Gross to the camp of the Grand Vizier to purchase a peace by the cession of Belgrade. He sent word to the Emperor that the fortress was untenable, and should it fall, he could not with a diminished and dispirited army withstand the superior force of the enemy, nor prevent them advancing on the capital. He also sent a resolution, subscribed by the other generals, stating the necessity of a retreat to Peterwaradin.

 

4. The Emperor and Sultan conclude a Peace.

 

The defeat at Crotska, the flight of the Imperial army, and the desponding accounts transmitted by Wallis, spread consternation among the people and at the court of Vienna. The Emperor alone seemed to maintain a degree of firmness. He had been induced by the representations of Wallis, and the urgent remonstrances of the court, to entrust him with full powers to offer the cession of Belgrade in case of extreme necessity. He now ordered that Wallis should direct his attention solely to military transactions, and gave full powers for concluding a peace to Count Neipperg. At the same time he sent General Schmettau to inspect the situation of the army, and to prevent the intended retreat to Peterwaradin and the cession of Belgrade. On delivering these orders to the general in person, the Emperor graciously pressed his hand, and said, “Use thy utmost diligence to arrive before Wallis can, retreat with my army. Assume the defence of Belgrade, and save it, if not too late, from falling into the hands of the enemy.” Schmettau fulfilled the wishes of his Sovereign, and reached the Imperial camp at the moment the troops were preparing to retreat. He undeceived Wallis with regard to Belgrade, the fortifications of which were without a breach and defended by a garrison of 13,000 effective men; and he prevailed on him to advance with the whole army, and employ his utmost exertions for the relief of the place. Schmettau then hastened to Belgrade. He assumed the command, drove the Turks fr<A before the redoubt of Borzia,and by his exertions animated the garrison, and compelled the besiegers to abandon their most advanced works. Encouraged by the example, Wallis recovered his spirits and visited Belgrade; and he now prepared to bring his whole force into the fortress. The entire army was actuated by the same spirit, and eager to repair the disgrace of the past by new exertions.

But Count Neipperg, who had gone to the Turkish camp with full powers to negotiate a peace, had imprudently trusted himself within the enemy's lines without requiring hostages, which was still a custom in dealing with the Turks; so that when he arrived there, he was exposed to the most unexampled indignities. He was immediately arrested, treated as a spy, and threatened to be sent to Constantinople to be punished. The French ambassador, the Marquis de Villeneuve, at length arrived, and obtained permission for his release, but affecting to be alarmed with apprehensions of an approaching mutiny in the Turkish camp, he persuaded Neipperg to sign the preliminaries of peace, which he did on the 1st of September, under the mediation and guarantee of France. The principal conditions were the restitution of Belgrade and Sabacz after the demolition of the new fortifications, the cession of Servia and of all the districts yielded by the Turks at the peace of Passarowitz. The Porte was also to retain the fortress of Orsova, and the Emperor agreed to demolish Mehadia.

Both Schmettau and Wallis at first refused to give up one of the gates of Belgrade, which was named as the security of the preliminaries, but they could not venture to evade the positive orders of the Emperor to obey the plenipotentiary, and, accordingly, on the 4th of September, it was yielded to the Pacha of Roumelia, when the Imperialists had the mortification of seeing the Turkish troops march into the town, carrying with them the standards captured at the battle of Crotska.

The Emperor was deeply affected with the conclusion of peace, and it was received as dishonourable by all ranks of the people. Charles also felt the embarrassment of having to extenuate his conduct to the Czarina, to whom he wrote, that “he was less touched with the advantages gained by the enemy, than with the conduct of his plenipotentiary, whom he declared to have acted against his consent, and in disobedience to his direct orders.”

 

6. War between the Russians and Turks.

 

The Russians had opened the campaign on the side of Poland, with an army, under Count Munnich, of 60,000 or 65,000 men. The Turkish force of 60,000 men, commanded by the Seraskier, determined to dispute with the Russians the passage of the Bogh. The latter arrived on that river on the 10th of July, and in order to put the enemy on a wrong scent, or to engage them in fruitless marches, or detain them before Bender, they sent numerous detachments of Cossacks on the side Soroka, with orders to give out by the way, that a part of the army would follow them in a few days. This had t the desired effect, and the Seraskier stopped with the main body of his force in the vicinity of Bender. The Russian army continued their march towards the Dniester, as if their design had been to force a passage across the Sarutsch, near Choczim; but the Marshal's purpose was to pass the former river; and, accordingly, he put himself at the head of 20,000 men, and advanced rapidly to the banks of the Dniester at Sukowza, a small Polish village, on that river, near which he passed over the whole of this body on the 30^th of July. The heavy Tains, however, carried away his bridges, which induced him to intrench his camp with some redoubts. Here he was attacked, on the 3rd of August, by the Sultan Ghirai, with 12,000 Tartars, and Veiy Pacha, with 6000 janizaries; but they were repulsed twice. In the mean time, the bridges were repaired, and his whole army, with artillery and stores, crossed the river on the 11th of August. On the 10th the Seraskier had arrived from Bender, at the head of his forces. On the 16th MUnnich broke up from his camp, and on the following day passed the small river Waletzka, and entered the mountains by the defiles of Tschementza, where John Sobieski had fought some battles with the Tartars. He had learned from deserters that the Turks had abandoned the most important part of this pass, where 10,000 men might have stopped 100,000. The Marshal, therefore, sent forward a strong detachment to seize the pass, and on the 18th he and his army passed the defile and descended, without any opposition, into the plains. They marched through the pass easily, except the covering party, which, with the artillery and baggage, were delayed until the 26th of August. The enemy only showed themselves in small bodies, and exchanged shots with the Cossacks. On the I9th the Sultan and Pacha, with their united forces, drew near, but losing a great number of men from the fire of the Russian artillery, they retreated again into their camp, which was separated from that of the Russians only by the small river Houka. On the 20th Münnich, leaving his artillery and baggage behind him to follow as fast as they could, pushed forward, and the enemy retreating, he took, without opposition, the camp which they had occupied the day before; while the Turks established themselves in another, three or four leagues distant, to which they withdrew. There was skirmishing, on the 21st, on both sides; and on the 23rd and 24th the enemy, becoming bolder, threw out posts on both sides of the Russians, so that they could not quit their camp in safety, and a general, who did not apprehend the danger, was taken prisoner. On the 26th Marshal Munnich, being joined by all his forces, determined to free himself from this embarrassment and march against the Turks, who occupied a very advantageous position, in which they were intrenched. On the 27th the Russians were within cannon-shot of the Turkish camp, when they found themselves entirely surrounded by the enemy, who swarmed upon them and made repeated attacks day and night; and the Ottoman generals thought Munnich to be so much in their toils that they applauded the opening they had given him to come through the pass, and imagined he was now without any means of escaping from them.

 

6. The Battle of Choczim.

 

At break of day on the 28th of August, the whole Russian camp was under arms. Generals Lowendahl and Gustavus Biron advanced within half cannon-shot of the intrenched camp, as if their intention had been to attack that quarte : the object, however, was only to draw away the whole attention the Turks on that side, and to hinder them from perfecting their lines on the left, which they had only just commenced. This had the desired effect, for they immediately began to erect two new batteries on their right, and to work at a new line. In the mean while the Marshal reconnoitred the enemy’s camp, and found that the river Schulanetz, which, on account of the marshes on either side, had been considered impassable, was far from being so ; and that by means of fascines both the marshes and the river, which was not deep, could be rendered fordable, so that the enemy's position might be turned on that side, which, from a false security, he had left entirely unguarded.

At noon the Marshal ordered the whole force to take ground to the right, and recalled his detachments. Several bridges were thrown over the river, and by means of the fascines and some thick planks a causeway was established, so that the army was enabled to cross over the Schulanetz under the cover of an admirably well-served artillery, and without much opposition from the enemy. At two in the afternoon the Russians had arrived at the foot of the hill which was crowned by the Turkish camp. The enemy's cavalry now fell upon the advancing troops on all sides, but were repulsed without obtaining the least advantage, while the Russians continued to gain ground and approached nearer and nearer to the enemy’s lines. At five in the afternoon the Turks returned to the attack with more fury than ever. The janizaries advanced sword in hand, and resolutely charged the infantry; but such a terrible Are was kept playing on them from the cannon and musketry, that they could do nothing. After having exhausted every possible effort to break the Russian ranks, they were obliged to retreat in great confusion. They still, however, strove to make some resistance; but the Russians kept on advancing, under fire of their artillery, little by little. The Turks now set fire to their camp, so that when the Russians carried the height at seven in the evening, and entered it, they found it deserted; the Mussulmen fled with such precipitation that the Russian light cavalry could scarcely overtake the enemy, and they left behind them forty-two pieces of brass cannon and six mortars, besides tools, ammunitions of war, and provisions. Their loss must have been considerable; but on the side of the Russians there were not more than seventy-men killed and wounded. This action was fought near a small village, which was on the right of the army, called Stavut-schane.

To take advantage of this victory, Munnich advanced on Choczim, the following morning, at the head of 30,000 men with a battering train. General Romanzow was left behind to cover the baggage and stores, for the Russian army had been obliged to fight this battle with all these encumbrances within their squares. Early in the morning of the 30th of August the Marshal sent forward a strong detachment to observe the posture of the enemy, and found that the suburbs of the city, which were surrounded by a wide ditch, were abandoned, and that Kaltschak Pacha, the governor within the place, had only arrived at his command on the very evening of the battle. He therefore rightly judged that there would be no great confidence between him and his garrison, and he accordingly forthwith summoned it. At two o'clock the same afternoon the fortress of Choczim, in which were 200 pieces of artillery, was surrendered into his hands.

 

7. Russia and the Porte make peace

 

This victory and its results had their effect upon the Turkish diplomatists, and Russia found herself so isolated by the defection of the Emperor, that all parties were disposed to accept the mediation of Prance. M. de Cagnoni was sent to Vienna, and Russia acceded to the treaty of Belgrade in October. The Czarina obtained, by the peace of Belgrade, an increase to the empire on the side of the Ukraine, and the demolition of the cities of Azov and Taganrog. These conditions she was not at first inclined to ratify, for Nadir Shah had again offered to lend her his assistance to annihilate the Turks, as he had already destroyed the feeble successors of Tamerlane; but having had sufficient experience of the perfidy of Orientals, she declined his offers ; and being now advanced in age, declining in health, and too much embarrassed with domestic cares to carry on the war, she at length put her name to conditions, which were not, in truth, in a fair proportion to the success which had attended her arms.

It was the month of November before the Russian troops repassed the Dniester. This river was already bringing down great pieces of ice, and there was no possibility of refitting the bridges that bad been broken by the floating masses ; so that these occasioned great difficulties in passing the troops, and yet more in getting the stores and artillery across. But as the bottom of the river was firm, Lowendahl caused the guns and carriages to be drawn under the ice by means of strong ropes, long enough to reach from one side of the river to the other, in which way the cannon were hauled over by capstans.

 

8. Nadir Shah in India. Battle of Karnal.

 

Kouli-Khan, having secured the Persian throne, now appears in history as Nadir Shah. Soon after he was crowned, he resolved to overthrow the neighbouring empire of the Afghans, and accordingly had set out to invade that power in December, 1737. After a long siege Kandahar surrendered to him, and the Afghans submitted to his rule. While thus engaged, he received an invitation from some officers in the court of Mohammad Shah, the great Mogul, to advance and take possession of the Mogul empire. The murder of an envoy furnished him with a pretext for hostilities against the Sovereign of Delhi. In May, 1738, he accordingly commenced his march fur the frontiers of India, at the head of 120,000 men. Having taken the places that lay in his route, he found himself before Cabul, which he took by storm. He levelled Jellalabau with the earth, and burst into Lahore before the Mogul army had scarcely time to be collected. Still advancing, he suddenly came upon the unsuspecting forces of the Emperor, who occupied an intrenched camp at Kamal, or Caernal, on the left hank of the Jumna, about eighty miles to the westward of Delhi. Here the Shah and the Mogul measured their swords on the 8th of March, 1739. On the part of the latter it was a confused and irregular fight, but the Persians, accustomed to act together, and not more obedient than brave, charged in close array with efficient support, and, of course, gained the victory. The Vizier was mortally wounded, and countless numbers of lesser note were slain in the battle. The spirit of the whole Indian nation was now effectually broken, and the idea of further resistance laid aside. Nadir accordingly advanced to the capital, the gates of which were thrown open to receive him. Here he found immense treasure, the accumulated wealth of nearly two centuries. The amount of money, jewels, costly effects, and heavy contributions upon all ranks and classes of men, found or raised, has been estimated at thirty-two millions sterling. Amongst the trophies were the throne representing the tail of a peacock, composed of precious stones, and the two famous diamonds, the Koh-i-noor, or Mountain of Light, and another called the Sea of Light. Among a people with whom avarice is so strong a passion, every attempt was made to conceal wealth: torture was therefore used to enforce discovery, and in the violence and resistance a tumult ensued, in which some persons were killed. The insatiate and ruthless Shah gave immediate orders for an indiscriminate assault, without regard to sex or age, in every street or avenue in which was found the body of a slaughtered Persian, and 8000 persons are reported to have been sacrificed in this dreadful massacre.

Nadir Shah did not, however, exercise the power of which he was now certainly possessed to dethrone Mohammad, and put an end to the Mogul sovereignty: on the contrary, with his own hands he replaced the crown on the head of the Emperor, affirming, as his reason for it, his regard for the illustrious house of Timour, to which this maker of sheep-skin caps declared “we ourselves belong ” and on the 6th of May he was pleased, after exercising the rights of a conqueror for thirty-seven days, to march back his army to Ispahan, having only required from Mohammad to resign his rights over all the provinces west of the Indus.

A fatal blow was, nevertheless, at this time struck at the grandeur of the Great Mogul, from which it has never recovered. Already, soon after the death of Aurungzebe, the Deccan had been severed from the imperial rule and placed under a powerful chief, who called himself Nizam-ool-Moolk, or the regulator of the state, and who, in this capacity, governed ten millions of subjects. Another powerful chief established himself at Oude, as Soubahdar, with six millions of subjects. The sovereignty of Bengal became independent under Aliverdy Khan. About the same time, the Rohillas, a tribe from the mountains which lie between India and Persia, erected an independent state on the east of the Ganges, within eighty miles of Delhi. The Sikhs, a set semi-religious, semi-political adventurers, profited by the weakness of the Mogul to establish themselves in independence, and Mooltan and Lahore were formally separated from the empire. The most considerable of all the Hindoo powers, the Mahrattas, were not unmindful of this opportunity to obtain power, territory, and influence. The powerful kingdom of the Peisbwab was then formed, with its capital at Poonah; and subsequently Scindiab, Holkar, and the Guicowar asserted their independence. The Mahrattas there a singular, wild, and warlike people, who said of themselves, that their Prince’s throne is the horse’s back, their sword their sceptre, and their empire all that they could conquer. All these various states now form a part of the British Indian empire, and will in the course of these Annals pas in battle array in the military history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

 

9. Military Power of the Nations of Europe.

 

Russia was at this period advancing on every side, and already occupied a great place in the balance of power in Europe. The Scandinavian nations were gradually declining before her on the one side, the Turks on the other; whilst Sweden and Denmark, and even the United Provinces, were continually diminishing their naval resources, and with that, the ability to check the increase of the power of Russia. The military strength of the great nations of Europe at this period is thus given by Lacretelle in his history of France:—

France ........ 160,000 in her army, and 80 vessels of war

Spain.......... 60,000                                   50

Holland........ 30,000                                 40

Austria........ 100,000                               no marine

Great Britain ..  30,000                         139 ships of war

Russia ........ 170,000                                 50
10. Convention of the Pardo between Great Britain and Spain.

Ever since the treaty of Seville, the Spaniards in America had by turns insulted and distressed the commerce of Great Britain. The captains of the Spanish armed vessels, known by the name of Guarda-Costas, had made a constant practice   boarding and plundering British ships, on pretence of searching for contraband commodities. A great number of British vessels had in this way been seized and detained, their crews imprisoned, and their cargoes confiscated, in violation of treaties, in defiance of justice, and in disparagement of the national dignity. The merchants of England loudly complained of these outrages. The national resentment was fired, and cried for reparation and vengeance; but the minister, Walpole, bound by the chain a pacific policy, was cold, phlegmatic, and timorous. He was ready to submit to anything to avoid war. He was contented to be satisfied with evasive answers to his feeble remonstrances, and with vague promises from the court of Spain, of inquiry and redress. Cardinal Fleury, the minister of France, affected an equally pacific policy, and by his mediation a convention was concluded, on the 14th of January, rose about it, which swamped the impending peace, and drove Sir Robert Walpole from the helm of affairs. Circumstances afterwards arose in Europe which brought on a general war, that devastated almost every nation on the Continent, and continued for eight or nine years.

 

END OF VOL. 1.