These petty altercations, each carefully detailed by Newcastle to his " dearest friend" Lord Hardwicke, strongly manifest the declining ascendency of Walpole, and prove that his Cabinet was threatened with internal dissolution, not less than by outward pressure.

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The health and high spirits of Walpole began to fail before this array of difficulties. His son Horace writes to a friend in 1741, "He who always was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, now never dozes above an hour without waking; and he, who at dinner always forgot he was Minister, and was more gay and thought"less than all his company, now sits without speaking, "and with his eyes fixed for an hour together. Judge if "this is the Sir Robert you knew!"* Yet in public life his energy and courage were wholly unabated, and he thought only of schemes to recover his lost ground. The expeditions to America, if crowned with success might, he hoped, go far to retrieve his popularity. Another scheme more extraordinary, and at the moment unsuspected, was to prevail upon the King to consent to a Bill, that at his death the Electorate of Hanover might be dissevered from the Crown of England. This project is recorded by the unimpeachable authority of Speaker Onslow. "A little before Sir Robert Walpole's fall, and 66 as a popular act to save himself, he took me one day "aside and said, 'What will you say, Speaker, if this “ hand of mine shall bring a Message from the King to "the House of Commons, declaring his consent to having 66 6 any of his family, after his own death, made by Act of "Parliament incapable of inheriting and enjoying the "Crown and the Electoral dominions at the same time?' "My answer was, 'Sir, it will be as a Message from "Heaven.' He replied, "It will be done.""† By this project Walpole undoubtedly expected to gratify, not only the people's distaste to Hanover, but also the King's aversion to the Prince of Wales. Yet, whether the difficulties at Court proved greater than he had foreseen, or whether he was diverted by other and more pressing

*To Sir Horace Mann, October 19. 1741.

+ Speaker Onslow's Remarks, Coxe's Walpole, vol. ii. p. 571.

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1740.

OVERTURES TO JAMES,

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affairs, it does not appear that any further progress was made in the design.

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But the most surprising measure to which Walpole was driven by his difficulties, was an application to the Pretender at Rome, with the view of obtaining the support of the Jacobites in England. It appears that in the summer of 1739, Thomas Carte the historian, being then about to undertake a journey to Rome, was entrusted with a message from Walpole to the Pretender, declaring his secret attachment, and promising his zealous services, but desiring to have some assurances of James's intentions as to the Church of England, and as to the Princes of the House of Hanover. In reply James wrote and put into the hands of Carte a very judicious letter, in which he expresses great doubts as to the sincerity of Walpole's good wishes, but promises that if they shall be real and effective they shall be duly rewarded at his restoration. "I have no difficulty," he adds, "in putting it in your power to satisfy him authentically on the two articles "about which he is solicitous, since, independent of his "desires, I am fully resolved to protect and secure the "Church of England, according to my reiterated pro❝mises....... As for the Princes of the House of Han66 over, I thank God I have no resentment against them, nor against any one living. I shall never repine at "their living happily in their own country after I am "in possession of my kingdoms; and should they fall into my power, upon any attempt for my restoration, I shall "certainly not touch a hair of their heads."* This letter was delivered to Walpole by Carte on his return, and it is still to be found amongst Sir Robert's papers, endorsed with his own hand. No one, I presume, will here do Walpole the injustice to suspect him of sincerity. His zeal for the House of Hanover had been proved by most eminent services; and there seems little doubt that his object was only, as Sunderland's had been eighteen years before, to catch the votes of the Jacobites at the next elections.

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* James to Mr. T. Carte, July 10. 1739. See Appendix. Mr. Coxe had a copy of this letter, and of the endorsement, amongst his MSS., and ought not, I think, to have suppressed all mention of it in his Life of Walpole.

Nay more, it is not improbable that like Sunderland he may have communicated the correspondence to the King. I am only astonished how this wily statesman could expect that, after his past career, the Pretender would be satisfied with words, or fail to insist upon deeds.

We find, also, that Walpole in like manner tried his skill with Colonel Cecil, who, since the death of Lord Orrery, in August 1737, had become one of the principal Jacobite agents; and that, by professing his devotion to the same principles, he often drew from Cecil several important secrets.* Even in the beginning of 1741, we may observe Carte, in a letter to the Pretender, still expressing some hope of Sir Robert's good intentions.†

For

Of all the reasons to be alleged in justification of Sir Robert Walpole's pacific policy, there is none perhaps of greater weight than the new life and spirit which the Pretender and his party derived from the war. several years had they been dwindling into insignificance; their hopes and projects, though sufficiently numerous, never followed by results nor claiming the notice of history. But as soon as foreign states became hostile to England, and had therefore an interest in overthrowing the government, or at least disturbing the tranquillity, of England, from that very moment the Jacobite conspiracy assumed a more regular and settled form, and presented a lowering and formidable aspect. I must now, then, again advert to the machinations of the exiled Prince, his adherents and allies; and trace the progress of that smouldering flame which ere long burst forth in another civil war.

James was still residing at Rome. In 1735 his consort, the titular Queen Clementina, had died of asthma ‡, and this event, though they had lived far from happily together, seems to have greatly increased his usual dejection both of mind and manner. An interesting account of his

*Dr. King's Anecdotes, p. 37.

† Letter from Mr. Carte to James (received April 17. 1741). Sce Appendix.

Boyer's Polit. State, vol. xlix. p. 258. A splendid monument was raised to her memory by Pope Benedict XIV., and a medal struck on the occasion. See Stuart Medals, No. 55., in Sir Henry Ellis's Catalogue,

1740.

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THE STUARTS AT ROME.

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appearance and habits in 1740, may be drawn from the lively letters of President des Brosses; letters which formerly appeared in a mutilated shape, but of late have been published correctly:-" The King of England is "treated here with as much respect as though he were a "real reigning Sovereign. He lives in the Piazza di "Sant' Apostoli, in a large palace not remarkable for beauty.* The Pope's soldiers mount guard there as "at Monte Cavallo, and accompany him whenever he goes out, which does not happen often. It is easy to "know him for a Stuart; he has quite the air of that family; tall and thin, and in his face very like the por"traits we have in France of his father James the Second. "He is also very like Marshal Berwick, his illegitimate "brother, except that the Marshal's countenance was sad " and severe, while that of the Pretender is sad and silly. "His dignity of manners is remarkable. I never saw any Prince hold a great assembly so gracefully and so "nobly. Yet, his life, in general, is very retired, and he "only comes for an hour to take part in the festivals "which he gives from time to time, through his sons, to "the ladies of Rome. His devotion is excessive; he

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passes his whole morning in prayers at the Church of "the Holy Apostles, near the tomb of his wife. Of his "talents I cannot venture to speak positively, for want of "sufficient information; they seem but moderate, yet all "his conduct is reasonable and befitting his condition. "Although I have often the honour of seeing him, he appears but for a moment on returning from church; "he then goes into his closet and remains there till dinner. "He speaks little at table, but with much courtesy and good nature, and withdraws soon after the meal is con"cluded. He never sups at night. His table for dinner "is always equally laid with eleven covers for the ten 66 persons of his family, who in general dine with him; "but whenever any foreign or Roman gentlemen wait 66 upon him in the morning, he most commonly asks them "to stay dinner, and in that case a corresponding number "of his attendants go and dine at another table, so that

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*This was the Palazzo Muti. James died there in 1766. See Melchiorri, Guida di Roma, part ii. p. 566.

When he

"at his own the number is always the same. "sits down to dinner, his two sons, before they take their places, go to kneel before him and ask his blessing. To "them he usually speaks in English, to others in Italian 66 or in French.

"Of these two sons, the elder is called the Prince of "Wales, the younger the Duke of York. Both have a "family look; but the face of the latter is still that of a "handsome child. They are amiable and graceful in "their manners; both showing but a moderate under"standing, and less cultivated than Princes should have "at their age. They are both passionately fond of music, "and understand it well: the eldest plays the violoncello "with much skill; the youngest sings Italian airs in very "good taste: once a week they give an excellent concert, "which is the best music at Rome. The English, who "always swarm in this city, are most eager to have an "opportunity of seeing these Princes. The youngest, "especially, is much liked in the town, on account of his "handsome face and pretty manners. Yet I hear from "those who know them both thoroughly, that the eldest "has far higher worth, and is much more beloved by his "friends; that he has a kind heart and a high courage; "that he feels warmly for his family misfortunes; and "that if some day he does not retrieve them, it will not "be for want of intrepidity. They tell me, that having "been taken, when quite a stripling, to the siege of Gaeta "by the Spaniards, one day during the voyage his hat "blew off into the sea. The people round him wished to recover it. 'No,' cried he, do not take that trouble; "I will some day go the same way my hat has gone, if 'things remain as they are.' ""*

6

The chief Minister of James, and by far the ablest man at his little Court, was James Murray, the titular Earl of Dunbar; his unworthy brother-in-law, Lord Inverness, had died this very year at Avignon. Soon afterwards one Mr. Edgar, who is mentioned in 1728 in some letters

*The title of this work is l'Italie il y a Cent Ans, and the passage I have translated is taken from vol. ii. p. 93–100., ed. 1836. I have found this work, in other parts, both acute and impartial.