"No minister ever fuffered more abufe for the indifcretion and violence of others, than fir Robert Walpole. The tumults in Scot land, on account of the duty on malt, and the disturbances in Ireland, relating to Wood's patent, because they happened under his adminiftration, were folely attributed to his mifconduct; whereas the duty on malt was carried in the houfe of commons by the country gentle men; in oppofition to his fentiments; and the grant of Wood's patent, was an unfortunate legacy left by the earl of Sunderland, in which he had no other share than in paffing it when he was at the head of the treafury.

"To judge by the accounts generally given of that transaction, it would appear a monster of defpotifm and fraud, that the halfpence were deficient in weight and goodness, and that the circulation of them would have been followed by the total ruin of Ireland.

"In fact, the inimitable humour of Swift, which places the kingdom on one fide, and William Wood on the other, has mifled our judgment, and captivated our imagination; and most persons have formed their opinion from his Drapier's Letters and fatirical poems, rather than from the authentic documents or well attefted facts. The fimple narrative of this tranfaction, ftripped of the exaggerated drefs in which the malignant wit of the author has invested it, is reduced to a fhort compaís.

"There being great deficiency of copper currency in Ireland, the king, in virtue of his prerogative, granted to William Wood a patent for coining farthings and halfpence, to the value of £100,000 fter. ling, on certain terms which the patentee was bound to follow. Wil liam Wood, who in the party language of Swift is ridiculed under the denomination of a hardware man and a low mechanic, was a great proprietor and renter of iron works in England. He had a leafe of all the mines on the crown lands in thirty-nine counties, was proprietor of feveral iron and copper works, and carried on, to a very confiderable amount, manufactures for the different preparations of those metals*. Among many proposals fubmitted to government, that which he delivered was accepted, and was confidered by all perfons of judg ment or capacity, not biaffed by party or national prejudice, as beneficial to Ireland..

"But the natives did not fee it in fo favourable a light, and before the money was circulated, a general ferment was excited. The oftenfible caufes of complaint were derived from the confideration, that the king had treated Ireland as a dependent kingdomt, that the patent was granted to a perfon who was not a native, that the coin was ftamped in England, and that as a great profit was likely to be derived, the benefit fhould have principally accrued to the public. All the attempts of the duke of Grafton, then lord lieutenant, to fubdue the public averfion were ineffectual. The fpirit of oppofition feized all orders of men, and even many of the king's fervants, who held the chief places under his administration.

* Anderfon's Commerce, vol. iii, p. 124. + See Primate Boulter's Letters.

*Inflamed

Inflamed by national zeal, the two houfes paffed addreffes to the crown, accuring the patentee of fraud and deceit, afferting that the terms of the patent were infringed both in the quantity and quality of the coin, that the circulation of the halfpence would be highly prejudicial to the revenue, deftructive of the commerce, and of most dangerous confequence to the rights and properties of the fubjects: the Commons, with an abfurdity and effrontery hardly credible, declared, that even had the terms of the patent been complied with, the nation would have fuffered a lofs at leaft of one hundred and fifty per cent. ! and indeed the whole clamour refted on partial or ignorant reprefentations. It was not at that time expected or dwelt on as a matter of fpeculative propriety, that the weight of the copper coin fhould be adequate to its circulating value; and the affertion that Wood had carried on notorious frauds and deceits in the coinage, as advanced by Swift, and that the intrinfic was not equal to one eighth of the nominal value, was proved to be falfe by an affay made at the mint, under fir Ifaac Newton, and his two affociates, men of no lefs honour than capacity, the refult of which was, that in weight, goodness, and finenefs, it rather exceeded than fell fhort of the conditions of the patent. "But the clamour, however unjust, was raised, and became general; and it was a neceffary act of prudence, not to increase the ferment by forcing upon a nation what was confidered as unjust and fraudulent. Lord Carteret, who fucceeded the duke of Grafton in the office of lord lieutenant, failed no lefs than his predecessor, in all his endeavours to obtain the introduction of the copper money. The patent was furrendered, and tranquillity reftored. Wood, as an indemnification for the lofs he had fultained, received penfions to the amount of £.3000 a year for eight years*.

"Such is the public history of Wood's patent; and it is difficult to conceive by what means, or by what intrigues, this fimple tranfaction, calculated for the benefit of Ireland, and in which not a fingle right was infringed, or a fingle grievance inflicted, could be fo mifunderftood and perverted, as to create a general ferment, and nearly to overthrow the adminiftration of Townhend and Walpole. The fecret hiftory of this event, which the documents, under my infpection, enable me to give, will affift in tracing the motives and caufes which gave rife to the disturbances, and finally occafioned the surrender of the patent.

"The emoluments arifing from the difpofal of the patent for fupplying Ireland with copper coin, were given by Sunderland to the duchefs of Kendal, who fold it to Wood. Sunderland had warmly recommended it to his friend, the duke of Bolton, who was at that time lord lieutenant; but he met with fo much difficulty in his attempts to countenance and fupport the project under hand, that he had . neither courage or inclination to propose a scheme which he forefaw would greatly embarrass his adminiftration. On his death, the duke of Grafton was promoted to that high office, at the recommendation

of Walpole; he confented to bring it forward, and was promifed the fupport of the king's friends in Ireland.

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Walpole, on fucceeding Sunderland at the head of the treasury, inftantly faw and appreciated the difficulties in which this tranfaction would involve him; and with as much frankness as his fituation at that time would permit, remonfirated againft the grant, as likely to become unpopular; but being unwilling to offend the duchefs of Kendal, the extent of whofe influence over the king he had unfortunately experienced, reluctantly fubmitted to what he could not prevent, and employed every means in his power to remedy the abufes and obviate the difficulties. He took the advice of the attorney and folicitor general, obtained the ratification of the lord chancellor of England, and by proper affays at the mint, fecured the execution of the terms kipulated by the patent, which at length paffed the ufual forms, and was fent to the lord lieutenant for the purpose of being put into execution.

"When the cuke of Grafton returned to Ireland in Auguft 1723. things were in a flate very different from that in which they had been erroneously reprefented to him by the English cabinet. He found a ferment rifing in the nation; a general averfion to the patent; and a moft decided oppofition from those who, as he had reafon to believe, had promifed their warmest fupport. The character and conduct of the duke of Grafton were not calculated to conciliate parties, or to reftore union and harmony in a country like Ireland, diftracted with troubles, and abounding with perfons difaffected to the English government. He was a nobleman of high honour and difinterested probity; but proud and imperious, fretful and choleric, and highly confcious of his dignified fituation. Though by no means deficient in abilities, yet he did not poffefs fufficient fkill and addrefs to guide the helm of ftate in a difficult period: he was well characterifed by his friend, Walpole, as a fair weather pilot, that did not know how to act when the first form arofe.

"The fuccefs of the measure was principally impeded by the unexpected and inflexible oppofition of lord chanchellor Midleton, who has, on that account, incurred the bitter reproaches of Walpole, Townshend, and the duke of Grafton, in their correfpondence with each other. Upon a candid review of his conduct, however, it appears that he was actuated by no improper motives, but, in common with many other perfons in Ireland, confidered the plan [as] imprudently introduced, and inimical to the true interefts of the country. The private letters which paffed between him, his brother, and fon, and which I am enabled to lay before the public, will afford a clear explanation of his motives; and a comparison of them with those of the two minifters, and of the duke of Grafton, relieve the characters of each party from much of that obloquy which flowed from the rage of difcordant politics." Vol. i, p. 215.

Such is the introduction to Mr. Coxe's hiftory of this fingular bufinefs; the whole account is too long for infertion in this place. Another inftance in which artful mifrepresentation was equally fuccefsful, nearer home, is that of the Excife Scheme; with refpect to which, though undoubtedly calculated

for

for public benefit, Sir Robert thought it neceffary to yield to popular clamour. The hiftory of this event, with proper illuftrations, is clearly and ably given in the 41st Chapter. The characters of eminent perfons, occafionally introduced to enliven and elucidate these Memoirs, are drawn in general with perfpicuity and judgment. Among the most remarkable are those of Atterbury, in Chap. 23; of Lord Bolingbroke and Lord Oxford, in Chap. 25; Ripperda, Chap. 35; Mr. Pulteney, Chap. 39, &c. and Queen Caroline. The chief features of that amiable Queen are generally traced in Chap. 31; but at her death her character thines forth with fuch peculiar luftre, that we cannot refufe ourselves the pleasure of copying a picture fo truly exemplary.

"I fhall close the tranfactions of the year 1737, with the illness and death of queen Caroline, an event highly difaftrous to the country, to the king, and to fir Robert Walpole*. This illuftrious and amiable woman, had been for fome time in a declining ftate of health. The disorder under which fhe had laboured, and which occafioned her death, was a rupture, which, from motives of delicacy, the had communicated only to the mistress of the robes, her favourite lady Sundon: he was fo imprudent as to conceal the cause of her illness from the medical men who were called in to her relief. This talfe delicacy, which was incompatible with her ufual magnanimity, was the cause of her death. For the medicines which were administered, and the methods taken, were diametrically oppofite to those which would have been adopted, had her diforder been known. Judging from the fymptoms, and from her own declarations, the phyficians treated it as a gout in her ftomach, and administered strong cordials, which aggravated the malady. When the danger became fo imminent as to render the concealment impoffible, it was too late. She fubmitted in vain to the most painful operations, and the furgeon who performed them declared, that if he had been acquainted with her real fituation two days fooner, her speedy recovery would have been the confequencet.

Although racked with extreme agony, almoft without intermission, during twelve days and nights, fhe bore her fufferings not only with patience and refignation, but almoft without a groan, maintaining, to the last moment of her diffolution, ferenity, temper, dignity, greatnefs of foul, and an unaffected fubmiffion to the ways of Providence. In all this melancholy fcene, fhe behaved with fuch invariable courtesy to every one about her, that one of the physicians obferved, he had never met with a fimilar inttance in the whole courfe of his practice. She repeatedly expreffed to her attendants, her grateful fenfe of their laborious watchings, and diftinguished each of them with appropriate marks of regard.

* Rather an odd anticlimax. Rev.

+"Letter from Charles Ford to Swift, November 22, 1737. Swift's Works.",

Ff2

<< She

400

Coxe's Memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole.

"She recommended her fervants, in the most affecting and folerti manner, to the king's favour and protection; extended her concern to the lowest of them, and was equally warm in her folicitude for their welfare; recounting to him the faithfulness of their refpective fervices.

"This firmnefs and refignation were not the effect of infenfibility or floical indifference, but derived from the ftrongest exertions of reafon and religion. On the fecond day of her illnefs, fhe was obferved to fhed fome tears, occafioned either by the lownefs of her fpirits, the anguish of her fufferings, or by tenderness for the defpair of her family; The foon, however, recovered from this debility, and refumed her accuftomed fortitude. Apprehenfive that during a painful operation, she had fo far forgotten herself as to ufe peevith expreffions, fhe reproached herself with having fhewn an unbecoming impatience.

"She frequently declared that she had made it the bufinefs of her life to difcharge her religious and focial duties; he hoped God would pardon her infirmities, and accept the fincerity of her endeavours, which were always intended to promote the king's honour, and the profperity of the nation. She declared that he was a hearty wellwifher to the liberties of the people; and that if he had erred in any part of her public conduct, it arofe from want of judgment, not from intention.

"A little before he died, the faid to the phyfician, "How long "Your majefty will foon be can this laft?" and on his answering, "The fooner the better." She eafed of your pains;" the replied, then repeated a prayer of her own compofing, in which there was such a flow of natural eloquence, as demonftrated the vigour of a great and good mind. When her fpeech began to faulter, and the feemed expiring, the defired to be raifed up in her bed, and fearing that nature would not hold out long enough without artificial fupports, the called to have water fprinkled on her, and a little after defired it might be repeated. She then, with the greatest compofure and prefence of mind, fhe exclaimed, pray aloud. requested her weeping relations to "kneel down and pray for her." fome prayers, Whilft they were reading that I may hear;" and after the Lord's prayer was concluded, in which fhe joined as well as fhe could, fhe faid, "So," and waving her hand, lay down and expired*.

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Having already difcuffed the character of the queen, I fhall only add a few traits to the preceding fketcht. She was bleffed with a natural ferenity and calmnefs of mind, and often expreffed her thankfulness to God, that he had given her a temper which was not cafily ruffled, and which enabled her to fupport every difficulty. It was truly faid of her, that the fame foftness of behaviour and command of herfelf, that appeared in the drawing-room, went along with her into her private apartments, gladdened every body that was about her perfon, accompanied her as well in the gay and cheerful feafons of life,

The principal circumstances of her death, are extracted from Dr. Alured Clarke's Effay towards the Character of Queen Caroline. + " Chapter 31."

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