no real advantage, and coft them a greater number of lives than their enemies, infpired the allies with a greater degree of distrust in their generals: and the taking of Bergenop-zoom, by M. de Lowendahl, (fo eminent in conducting fieges) threw them into defpair. The chevalier de Belleifle, in Piedmont, at the head of 34,000 men, was defeated, and he himself flain. Anfon and Warren attacked and took nine French men of war; and foon after commodore Fox took above 40 French fhips laden from St. Domingo. Thefe difafters of the French by fea, were followed by another defeat, in which admiral Hawke took seven ships of the line, and feveral frigates. This variety of fuccefs ferved to make all the powers at war heartily defirous of peace. The king of France was fenfible that after conqueft, was the most advantageous opportunity of propofing terms of peace; and even expreffed his defire of general tranquillity in a perfonal converfation with Sir John Ligonier, who had been made prifoner at the battle of La Feldt. The bad fuccefs of his admirals at fea, his general's misfortunes in Italy, the frequent bankruptcies of his fubjects, the election of a Stadtholder in Holland, who opposed his interefts, his views in Germany entirely fruftrated, by the elevation of the duke of Tuscany to the empire; all these contributed to make him, weary of the war; an accommodation was therefore refolved upon, and the contending powers agreed to come to a congrefs at Aix la-Chapelle, where the treaty, which restored an interval of peace to Europe, was concluded on the 7th of October, 1747: a ftriking inftance of the fuperiority of the French over the English in negociations. By this it was agreed, that all conquefts fhould be mutually reftored; that the duchies of Parma and Placentia fhculd be ceded to Don Philip: and that the fortifications of Dunkirk, towards the fea, fhould be demolished. But the most difpleafing and difgraceful article to the English, was, that the king of Great Britain should fend two perfons of rank and diftin&tion to France, as hoftages, until reftitution fhould be made of all the conquefts which England poffeffed in the East or Weft Indies. This was a mortifying ftipulation; but no mention was made of the fearching English ships in the American feas, upon which the war originally began. This treaty was like that of Utrecht, the triumph of French craft and policy, as the honour of the English nation was forgotten, and its interefts left undetermined. peace might in every refpect be termed only a temporary ceffation from general hoftilities, as the French and English ftill carried on hoftile operations in the East and West Indies; both fides equally culpable, yet each complaining of the infraction. It was a refpite that the French wished for, to incroach without moleftation, on the back fettlements of the English in America, to restore their marine, and re-establish the national credit. They fomented the jealoufy and fufpicions of the Indians, a favage and fierce people, against the new fettlement of Halifax, built and inhabited by hardy and veteran troops, to intimidate the neighbouring French, and reprefs their incroachments. Commiffaries were appointed to meet at Paris, and compromise This compromife the difputes about the limits left unfettled at the late peace; but thefe conferences were rendered abortive by mutual cavillings, and all the arts of evafion. The late war may be confidered as the continuance of the preceding: it was kindling up in Europe, Afia, and America, as it had not been effectually extinguished by the definitive treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The French and English had never ceafed hoftilities upon the coaft of Malabar. The limits of Nova Scotia were never precifely determined; and fouthward, the boundaries of the other colonies were left equally uncertain. Those two powers, who had no other right to the countries in difpute, but that of invafion, had not equity enough to agree upon fharing the spoil. The French, who had been long fettled in the back parts of Nova Scotia, continually fpirited up the Indians to repel the English, ac knowledged as the rightful poffef fors of that country ever fince the treaty of Utrecht; fo that fome of them were actually murdered or fold to the French at Louifbourg. France and England were negociating, accufing, and deftroying each other all at one time. The French claimed the whole adjacent country of the river Miffiffippi, towards New Mexico, on the east, quite to the Apalachian mountains on the weft; and driving away feveral British subjects, who had fettled beyond these mountains, built fuch forts as could command the whole country around. Their intention was to inclofe the English on every fade, and fecure to themselves the exclufive trade with the natives of the country. The French, like the natives, were hardy, enterprizing, and poor: they declared war against the English colonists, who were rich, frugal, and laborious, and whofe fpoils they were confequeutly the more defirous to share. Both parties feemed to have imbibed a ferocity of manners from the favage people with whom they fought. The generals Monkton and Johnfon were victorious in fome expeditions; but Braddock's fkill and courage were conducive to his overthrow: an enthufiaft to the difcipline of the field, he wanted to bring the fpirit of a German campaign into the wilds of Niagara: he fell into an ambuscade on his march to Fort du Quefne, not far from the spot where general Washington had been defeated the year before. He was himself killed by a mufket-fhot thro' the lungs, and about feven hundred men were flain in this unhappy furprize. All the artillery, ammunition, and baggage of the army, with the general's cabinet of letters, fell into the hands of the French. It feemed afterwards as if Dieskaw, a Saxon general in the French fervice, who was like Braddock, furprized,*defeated, wounded, and taken prifoner, after the example of the English commander, injudiciously exerted his knowledge of military difcipline, in a country which from its nature did not admit of regular operations,. and where an undisciplined enemy was only to be encountered. The events of the late war are too recent and well known, to make it neceffary to enter into any particular detail of them. It may be fufficient to obferve, that the French, though fuccessful in the commence ment * Our author is here mistaken, as Diefkaw was not furprised; on the contrary, he routed and purfued a detached party of ours, and then attacked Sir William Johnson in his camp. ment of this war, were very fenfible that they could not long hold their acquifitions against such a fuperiority as the English were poffeffed of at fea. Being therefore apprized that a naval war muft, in the end, turn out to their disadvantage, they declared that they would revenge the injuries they had fuftained in their colonies, or by fea, upon the king of England's territories in Germany, which they hoped would divide the British forces, and drain the finances of England by heavy fubfidies. The kings of Great Britain and Pruffia wifhed to keep the enemy out of Germany. From the fimilitude of their intentions, thefe two monarchs were induced to unite their interefts, and come to an agreement to affift each other mutually in keeping all foreign forces out of the empire. Though this alliance aftonished Europe, it foon produced another connexion more extraordinary. The Auftrian queen applied to France; and, to procure the friendship of that power, gave up her barrier in the Netherlands, which England had been for ages acquiring with its blood and treasure: by this extraordinary revolution, the whole political fyftem of Europe affumed a new face, and clearly fhews that events guide the politician. Count D'Argenfon, who had been a long while the leading minifter in France, had given the first idea of this alliance, but his advice had been difregarded. He was a good financier, a man of projects, and a votary to pleasure. He had for a long while the principal fhare of the confidence of his mafter, which he loft for interfering in the king's inglorious amours. Cardinal Bernis, whofe wit, po etical vein, and lively imagination, had procured him admittance to the ladies toilets, and fecret parties, had been a great promoter of this defign. From an infignificant and frivolous courtier, he had been raifed to the purple, diftinguished by a most honourable embaffy, and become the fashionable minifter by the growing influence of an ambitious and intriguing mistress, who, with an unprecedented fway, arbitrary will, and an infatiable thirst of wealth and power, directed the councils of an infatuated fovereign, appointed and difplaced at pleature minifters and generals, and reduced the firft nobility of the kingdom to the humiliation of paying to her the moft fervile homage. This was Madame D'Eftoiles, wife of an ig. noble financier, lately created marchionefs of Pompadour. She was, in the dawn of her favour, a pretty woman; and as ambition, not love, was her predominant paffion, the winked at the king's fenfual gratifications with other women, provided they did not prefume to afpire to her dominion: by this policy she preferved over the paffive monarch an irrefiftible afcendancy, and from a beloved fovereign made him defpicable and odious to his people. All the military operations were planned and executed by her creatures in this expenfive war, and the interior policy managed by her deputies. Even the proud, imperious, and enterprifing duke of Choifeuil was obliged to kneel down before this favourite idol, and durft not fill any great office, civil or military, without her approbation. He detefted her as his fuperior in authority, and flattered her vanity by the meaneft condefcenfions, when his intereft coincided coincided with his obfequioufnefs. Choifeuil became a popular minifter, for faving at the peace the nation from total ruin, and for fiding with the parliament. He always profeffed an open enmity to the English; ftill more exafperated by their fucceffes. He has fome abilities as a statesman, some virtues as a citizen, and has fhewn more courage and fortitude in his disgrace and his exile, than most men of his elevated station doomed to a private life and retirement. With respect to the conduct of the French generals in this war, the prince of Clermont, more fit to prefide at convivial revels and female cotteries, than to command armies, loft the field and his reputation at Crevelt. The victory of Minden followed; but laurels feemed all that England reaped from these two victories: fomething was loft on either fide, and no advantage acquired. The marshals D'Eftrees. and Broglio, and the generals D' Armentieres, Chabot, and DeMuy, were the only officers of fkill and conduct who diftinguished themfelves in Germany, and fupported the honour of their nation, among the commanders appointed by the favour and caprices of Madame Pompadour. Indeed, marfhal Contades, though unsuccessful at Minden, had proved his military knowledge by his battle array; but prince Soubife, his colleague, with all the focial virtues, and a courage that no danger could difmay, unhappily left to fortune the fuccess he was not able to command. Had count Maillebois reftrained his fire and obftinacy, he might have fhone at the head of armies. The court of Versailles having exhausted all its refources and ar tifices, feemed to require peace at any rate. France fent to London M. Buffy, a man skilled in all the cavillings and fophiftry unbecoming a great negociator. He foon gave the English ministry fufficient reafons to be diffatisfied with his proceedings, and this treaty proved ineffectual. As Spain had no part in the war, Mr. Pitt juftly confidered they had no right to intermeddle in a treaty of peace; and regarded this interpofition as a confederacy between France and Spain, to fupport each other's intereft. He had received intelligence of a fecret alliance between the two courts, and Spain had actually entered into a family-compact with France, by which they engaged to carry on a war in conjunction. The union of France and Spain did not obftruct the rapid fuccefs of the English arms; Martinico was conquered by admiral Rodney and general Monckton; St. Lucia, Grenada, and all the neutral iflands, fubmitted to the English dominion. The Havannah, the key of all the Spanish poffeffions in South America, after a noble resistance fubmitted to the conquerors. Now that the French were humbled on every fide, left without trade, credit, and shipping, the fource of Spanish opulence interrupted, nothing remained for them but to fue for peace, upon fuch terms as the Englifh were pleafed to grant. gociation was once more begun, the duke of Bedford was fent over to Paris, and the duke de Nivernois, the most amiable nobleman in France, who cultivated letters and all the focial pleasures, amidst negociations and the arduous difcuffions of politics, came to London ; and at length the definitive treaty was figned at Paris, by the duke of A ne Bedford, Bedford, the duke de Praflin, and the marquis de Grimaldi, February 19, 1763. In order to purchase peace, the French gave up all Canada, their right to the neutral iflands, the fort of Senegal, and their privilege of fishing on the coats of Newfoundland and the gulph of St. Lawrence, but at a certain distance from the fhore. Spain gave up, on her part, the extenfive country of Florida; fo that the English empire in America was more extenfive than even Rome in the zenith of its power and grandeur. Previous to the commencement of the late war, the difputes between the parliament and clergy, particularly the archbishop of Paris, having broke out afresh, on the fubject of the bull Unigenitus, the king, joining with the latter, banifhed the parliament of Paris to Pontoife, fix leagues diftant; and afterwards, to hold the balance even, he banish-, ed the archbishop, and the bishops of Orleans and Troyes to their country feats, for perfilling in their fchifm. About the fame time he founded the military fchool, the nobleft monument of his reign, which the emprefs-queen has fince imitated. Amidst thefe commotions, which were then attended with the dangers of a foreign war, all France was involved in a general confternation, by an attempt on the king's life, by Robert Francis Damiens, a religious enthufiat, Jan. 5, 1757, as his Majefty was going to his coach at Versailles, in prefence of his fon, and furrounded by his guards. The pen-knife entered under the fifth rib. The king, finding himfelf wounded, turned round, and feing a stranger standing clofe by him, with his hat on, and staring wildly, cried out, "That is the man who has wounded me, fecure him, but do him no hurt." The wound, however, was but flight. It appeared, on the criminal's examination, that the refusal of the facraments, and the banishment of the parliament, had turned his brain, and, indeed, rendered him rather an object of compaffion and imprifonment, than tortures, which, however, were most diabolically inflicted upon this wretched madman, as they had been on Clement and Ravailiac in France, and were, foon after, on affaffins of much higher rank in Portugal. Lewis, on his recovery, again banished and recalled archbishop Beaumont; and while the war continued, internal peace feemed, for a time, restored. In December, 1764, the parlia ment of Paris registered an edict, by which the king diffolved the fociety of Jefuits for ever. His only fon, Lewis, Dauphine of France, died at Fontainebleau, Dec. 29, 1765, aged 36; as did the Queen, in June 1768, aged 65. Notwithstanding the French nation had been reduced to the difgrace of univerfal bankruptcy, and to the pitiful refource of melting their plate, in fpite of fo many difafters, loffes, and calamities, it is the happiness of France that her wounds are foon closed, and it is hard to fay how foon the may recover all fhe has loft. Indeed, the violent and arbitary measures of the late king and his minifters, their rapacioufnefs and oppreffion ever fince the late peace, and the enormous abufes committed in all the branches of the administration and interior policy, have prevented that powerful empire from re covering |