made preffing inftances with his Catholic Majefty to come to an amicable accommodation with Great Britain.

In reply to the demand of difavowal made by England, the Marquis de Grimaldi, the Spanifh Minifter, alleged, that as England well knew in what light the Court of Madrid had ever viewed the fettlement at Port Egmont, it could not be imagined that the King of Spain could really difapprove the conduct of the Governor Don Buccarelli. But as it was neither the intereft nor inclination of Spain to involve herself in a war with England, his Catholic Majefty was willing to make fuch conceffions as fhould be confiftent with his honor and the welfare of his fubjects: and that inftructions had been tranfmitted to Prince Maferano, his Ambaffador in London, for this purpose.

Prince Maferano accordingly acquainted the English Secretary of State, Lord Weymouth, that the King of Spain had empowered him to difavow any particular orders given to M. de Buccarelli, and at the fame time to fay that he had acted agreeably to his general inftructions and oath as Governor-that the islands fhould be reftored; and that it was expected his Britannic Majefty would on his part difavow Captain Hunt's menace, which had prompted the Governor to act as he had done.

At this period Lord Weymouth refigned the Seals of the Southern Department to Lord Rochford, and

and a convention was foon after concluded on the terms proposed, but with a fecret article or engagement annexed, that the islands should be evacuated by England within a certain specified term. To this mode of accommodation Lord Weymouth refused to accede, as injurious to the honor of Great Britain but the condition not being known or fufpected, it afforded at the time no public ground of objection; and when the evacuation of the islands. actually took place three years afterwards, the. quarrel being almost forgotten, and the attention of the public otherwife engaged, it paffed off with flight and tranfient animadverfions,

The Earl of Halifax now took the Seals of the Northern Department in the room of Lord Rochford; Lord Suffolk fucceeding Lord Halifax as Lord Privy Seal and Sir Edward Hawke relinquifhed his feat at the head of the Admiralty to the Earl of Sandwich. Mr. George Grenville had departed this life November 13, being the first day of the prefent feffion; and many of his friends joining the Administration, the majorities in both Houses, notwithstanding the general unpopularity of the Minifters, became very formidable.

On the 22d of January 1771 the Parliament met pursuant to their adjournment; and the declaration of the Spanish Ambaffador, and the acceptance of Lord Rochford, were laid before the Houfe. Prince Maferano, after difavowing in the name of his Catholic

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Catholic Majefty the violence used at Port Egmont, and engaging formally for the restitution of the iflands, declared, that his Catholic Majefty confiders this reftitution as not affecting the question concerning the prior right of fovereignty of the iflands. The admiffion of this reservation was heavily cenfured, as leaving the main queftion ftill in difpute, and furnishing Spain with a full juftification, fhould fhe immediately re-commence hoftilities, or at any future period that she may deem more favorable to the establishment of her claim. If the right of Great Britain to the islands in question were just and valid, it was affirmed, that no proper or adequate atonement had been made for the aggreffion committed by Spain: on the other hand, if the right of Great Britain could not be fuftained, the impolicy of our conduct in forming this diftant fettlement could be equalled only by its injustice. An address of thanks and approbation being moved, a violent debate enfued, and it was not carried without a long and obftinate oppofition-nineteen Peers entering their proteft in the Journals of the Upper Houfe against it. The laft head or article of this proteft concludes with the following remarkable words :-" Any counterclaim or affertion whatever of his Majefty's right of fovereignty has been ftudiously avoided from the beginning to the accomplishment of this unhappy tranfaction, which, after the expence of millions,

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fettles

fettles no conteft, afferts no right, exacts no reparation, affords no fecurity; but ftands as a monument of reproach to the wifdom of the national councils, of difhonor to the effential dignity of his Majesty's crown, and of difgrace to the hitherto untainted honor of the British flag."

Upon the whole it must be acknowledged that Spain, in this transaction, notwithstanding her recent abasement, negotiated on at least equal terms with England: and though precipitately to have involved the nation in a war for the fake of an object fo infignificant and contemptible as the poffeffionof two or three barren rocks under a ftormy fky, would have redounded little to the honor of the present Administration, great and heavy cenfure neceffarily falls on the former Minifter, Mr. Grenville, who, knowing the nature and extent of the claims of Spain, and the eventual probability of a rupture, would rafhly rifque fo great a calamity for what at the best could be confidered only as a trivial, remote, and uncertain advantage. It would not indeed be difficult to turn into ridicule the extravagant pretenfions of Spain refpecting the empire of Southern America, and the ideas entertained by her of British encroachment and ufurpation; but this certainly would be neither politic nor just on the part of Great Britain, who advances pretenfions in her own favor at least as chimerical and ridiculous and if Spain had attempted to form a fettle

ment, or to establish a garrison, in any part of the immenfe and frozen regions of Hudfon's Bay, or the difmal wilds of Labradore, ftretching to the Arctic Pole, the pride of Great Britain would have been no doubt equally alarmed, and her interests fuppofed equally endangered. Let us then at least act confiftently, and refpect thofe rights whether real or imaginary in others which we dare unblushingly to claim for ourselves.

A remarkable Bill was introduced into the House of Commons, and paffed into an Act in the course of the prefent feffion, which, by the unanimous and zealous concurrence of all parties in its fupport, reflected much honor on the House. This was a Bill for disfranchising a very large proportion of the freemen of the borough of New Shoreham, and for extending the right of voting to the contiguous hundreds. It appeared in evidence before the Select Committee, appointed under the Grenville Act to try the merits of the late election for this place, that a great number of the freemen of the borough had formed themfelves into a fociety under the name of the Chriftian Club. This Chriftian Club was in fact no better than a mart of venality. A junto was appointed to difpofe of the borough to the highest bidder; and after the election was decided, the profits were fhared equally amongst the whole. The Attorney General was, in confequence of an Addrefs of the Houfe to the King,

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