1699.

BOOK IV. peared that there remained a balance in the hands of the earl of Orford, as treasurer of the navy, of 460,000l. of which the earl declared that 380,000l. was then in a course of payment. But the object of the house was, not to investigate but to censure; and they presented a violent address to the throne, "complaining of mismanagement of the public service-of misapplication of the public money-of the introduction of new and unnecessary charges-of the want of regular vouchers and finally declaring, that the offices of first commissioner of the admiralty and treasurer of the navy were inconsistent, and ought not to be executed by the same person." The king assured them that it was his desire that all sorts of mismanagements and irregularities should be prevented or redressed; and that their address should be taken into consideration. But the earl of Orford did not choose to risque any farther contest with the house of commons, and resigned his employments. He was succeeded in the admiralty by the earl of Bridgewater, a nobleman wholly unacquainted with sea affairs; and the tories were disappointed in their views of advancing sir George Rooke to that important post -a naval officer of high reputation, and strongly attached to the party in opposition.

Eill for appropriat

ing the irish

Forfeitures.

A most sensible and bitter mortification was still in reserve for the king. By a bill sent up

from the commons to the lords some years since, BOOK IV. attainting the Irish who had been in arms against the government, their estates by law confiscated to the crown were applied to the payment of the public debts, leaving only a power to the king to dispose of the third part of them. This bill met with much opposition in the upper house many petitions were presented against it; and the king, who was impatient to embark for the continent, engaged that nothing should be done by him in. prejudice of the bill till the parliament had an opportunity of settling the business. But the next session, and several succeeding sessions, passing over without any parliamentary revival, or even mention of the bill, the king thought himself at liberty to exercise his prerogative to its full extent, by making grants of the whole of the forfeited estates. this angry and jealous house of commons were determined that the matter should not rest in its present state. They annexed therefore a clause to the land-tax bill, appointing seven commissioners to take an account of the estates forfeited in Ireland, in order to their being applied in aid of the public service. When the bill was transmitted to the lords, they found themselves, to their great discontent, precluded from entering into the merits of this provision, being compelled to pass the clause without al

But

1699.

BOOK IV. teration as constituting part of a money bill. But a protest was entered upon the journals expressive of their lordships' disapprobation of this procedure: "1st, Because the clause in question comprised a matter foreign to the bill; and 2dly, Because the practice of tacking clauses of this nature to money bills was contrary to the ancient method of proceeding in parliament, subversive of the freedom of debate, and derogatory to the privileges of the house." The bill having at length passed the lords, received from the king a most reluctant assent; and on the 4th of May, 1699, the parliament was prorogued, and the king and his ministers relieved, for a time, from their imperious and unwelcome control.

Dismission of the duke of Leeds.

Immediately after the rising of parliament some farther alterations were made in order to conciliate and gratify the tories. The duke of Leeds, who had sunk into insignificance and contempt since the discovery of his India peculations, was now dismissed from his post of president of the council, which was given to the earl of Pembroke ; and the privy seal, relinquished by this nobleman, was consigned to lord Lonsdale. The duke of Shrewsbury, who disliked the fatigues and was indifferent to the emoluments of office, resigned without reluctance the seals of secretary of state to the ear!

of Jersey: but towards the close of the year BOOK IV. he accepted the place of lord chamberlain. 1699. This nobleman was so distinguished by the generosity of his disposition and the fascination of his manners, that he was generally known by the appellation of "King of Hearts." He was said by the king to be the only man of whom both whigs and tories agreed to speak well. Though personally disinterested, his applications for his friends were so numerous, that the king one day, either in the spirit of peevishness or pleasantry, told him "to set down all his demands at once, that he might see whether the whole kingdom would satisfy them."

Previous to his departure for Holland, the king wrote to the earl of Galway, whom he had long honored with his intimate friendship, complaining in strong terms of the vexations he had been made to endure in the course of the last

session of parliament. "It is not possible (said he) to be more sensibly touched than I am, at not being able to do more for the poor refugee officers who have served ine with so much zeal and fidelity. I am afraid the GOOD GOD will punish the ingratitude of this nation.--I fear the commission given here by the commons for the inspection of the forfeitures will give you a great deal of trouble, and me no less the next winter. Assuredly on all sides

BOOK IV. my patience is put to the trial. I am going to breathe a little beyond sea, in order to come back as soon as possible."

1699.

Settlement of Darien.

Notwithstanding the numerous disappointments and discouragements which the Scottish company had sustained, and the utter improbability of final success in their projects-such was their reluctance to be awakened from their airy dreams, that they had in the course of the preceding year sent to sea two large ships out of four which they had caused to be built at Hamburg, and several smaller vessels freighted with divers commodities, the growth or manufacture of Scotland; and about 1200 ad venturers on board, furnished with all things necessary for the establishment of a colony. But their indiscretion was no less conspicuous than their ill-fortune. The spot fixed upon for this settlement was the Isthmus of Darien, a territory situated in the heart of the Spanish empire in America, from time immemorial claimed, and in part occupied, by Spain to the exclusion of every other European power; and which, if their avarice had suffered their reason to operate, the Scottish projectors must be sensible that the court of Madrid would resent and repel as a flagrant encroachment upon their rights.

In the month of October 1698, they arrived at GOLDEN ISLAND on the coast of Darien; but