tween the fubjects of his majesty's dominions and the inhabitants of the faid United States. An act for the better regulation of the office of the paymafter.general of his majefty's forces, and the more regular payment of the army; and to repeal an act, inti. tuled, An act for the better regulation of the office of paymaftergeneral of his majesty's forces." An act for appointing and ena. bling commiffioners further to examine, take, and state the public accounts of the kingdom. An act for the more effectual preventing the illegal importation of foreign fpirits, and for putting a ftop to the private diftillation of British made fpirituous liquors; for explaining fuch part of the act, impofing a duty upon male fervants, as relates to the right of appeal from the juftices of the peace; to amend and rectify a mistake in an act of the last sef fion of parliament, with refpect to the removal of tea from one part of the kingdom to other parts thereof; and for preventing vexatious actions againft officers of ex cife acting in purfuance of the authority given by excise statutes. An act for eftablishing certain regulations in the receipt of his majefty's exchequer. An act for granting relief to the united company of merchants of England trading to the Eaft Indies, by allowing further time for the payment of certain fums due, and to become due to the public, and by advancing to the faid company, on the terms therein mentioned, a certain fum of money to be raised by loans or exchequer bills; and to enable the faid company to make a dividend of four pounds per cent. to the proprietors. at Christmas, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three; and to regulate the future payment of debentures of drawbacks on East In dia goods. CHARAC. CHARACTERS. 3 Character of Elizabeth, Queen of Treign This melancholy might have entirely proceeded from her bodily indifpofition, although, from fome late difcoveries, there is ground to believe that it was greatly heightened, if not principally occafioned, by remorfe and grief conceived on account of her having ordered the execution of her fa vourite, the Earl of Effex. But to whatever caufe her dejection of mind was owing, it preyed upon her exhaufted frame, and in a few weeks put a period to her life, in ~ the feventieth year of her age, and the forty-fifth of her reign. HIS great princefs, whofe was fo long and profperous, had through her whole life enjoyed uninterrupted health, which he had been careful to preferve by regular exercife, and the ftrictest temperance. But towards the end of the preceding year, having been feized with a cold, which confined her for feveral days, The found her ftrength confiderably impaired; and, in the hopes of deriving benefit from a change of air, the removed from Weftminfter to Richmond; but there The grew daily worfe, could neither fleep nor eat as ufual, and though her pulfe was regular, fhe complained of a burning heat in her ftomach, and a perpetual thirft. Both her looks and fpirits had from the beginning been greatly affected; bufinefs of every kind had become an intolerable burthen to her; and at length fhe funk into a deep melancholy, expreffing the anguish of her mind by tears and groans, and obftinately to feveral of thofe weakneffes refufing nourishment, as well as which characterise her fex. She It is not furprising that we meet with fuch contradictory defcriptions of the character of this princefs in the cotemporary hiftorians, whofe paffions were too much inflamed to fuffer them to judge im partially of her character: but it fhould feem impoffible for any perfon, who is not blinded by prejudice, to refufe her a place among the moft illuftrious princes of whom we read either in ancient or in modern times. 4 She was not indeed exempt from the imperfections that are incident to humanity, and he was fubject all the medicines which the phy- cannot be vindicated from the imficians prefcribed for her recovery, putation of female vanity, and VOL. XXVI. B the was the love of admiration on account of her exterior accomplishments. We should have loved her more if she had been more gentle and indulgent, lefs imperious and violent, or more candid and fincere. From natural temper, her paffions of every kind were strong and vehement, and, among her Courtiers, they fometimes betrayed her into improprieties; but they were almott never permitted to influence her public conduct, which uniformly regulated by the principles of prudence, and a regard for the public good; even her ambition was controlled and go verned by these principles, of which he gave a rare and fignal proof, when the refufed to accept of the foverignty of the United Provinces. Her penetration and fagacity, her prudence and forefight, her intrepidity in the midft of danger, her activity and vigour, her fteadiness and perfeverance, and her wife economy, which prompted her to fave every unneceffary expence, however fall, while it permitted and enabled her to undergo the greateft, when ne-, ceffity required; thefe qualities in her character, which are acknowledged by her enemies, as well as her admirers, no prince, of whom we read in hiftory, appears to have poffeffed in a more eminent degree. Few princes have been placed in fo difficult. circumftances, or have had fo many, and fuch for midable enemies to oppofe; yet almoft no prince ever enjoyed a reign fo long and profperous. While the neighbouring nations almoft continually involved in the calamities of war, fhe was able, notwithstanding the unre were 'mitted attempts of 'mitted attempts of her foreign enemies, and her pò ifh fubjects, to preferve her dominions in almost uninterrupted peace. Nor did her own fubjects only reap the fruits of her CO great abilities, but her friends were every where fupported and protected by her power; while her enemies, though poffeffed of much greater refources, were either checked and reftrained, or humbled and overcome: without her judicious interpofition, the reformation in Scotland must have been extinguifhed; a race of popifh princes must have inherited the crown of that kingdom; and the difference of religion there, and in England, joined to the hereditary right of the Scottish princes to the English throne, whilft it muft have proved a pious fource of difcord, would long have prevented the union of two nations, which must have often been unhappy while they remained divided, and were, by nature, deftined to be one. Nor were the benefits which mankind derived from her wife and active reign confined to Britain; but it is likewife probable, that without her aid and her exertions, the proteftants in France must have been extirpated; the best and greatest of the French monarchs must have been excluded from the throne; France itfelf, muft have funk under the Spanish yoke; the republic of the United Provinces must have been crushed in its infancy; and an overgrown and enormous power eftablished, which muft have overwhelmed the liberties of Europe, and prolonged the reign of ignorance, bigotry, and fuperfti tion. Ска Characters of the Marefchal Lefdiguieres, from the fame Author. A LTHOUGH a fortune fome times raises the worthless and the weak to the higheft offices, yet it must have been fingular merit that, in times productive of great characters, could exalt a private gentleman of very narrow fortune, to the firft dignity of a great kingdom that can be enjoyed by a fubject. Francis de Bonne, with a patrimony of fifty crowns a year, rofe to the ftation of constable of France, in oppofition to many rivals of noble birth and great power. He was of an agreeable afpect, a mild temper, and eafy manners; qualities which were not indeed very fhining in themselves, but which contributed not a little to raife the marefchal Lefdiguieres to fitua tions in which he had opportunities of difplaying the greateft ta lents and virtues*. His undertanding was manly and folid; he poffeffed in an eminent degree the virtues of political and martial courage; and, though he was fufceptible both of friendship and love, his ruling paffion was ambition. The Duke of Savoy culti vated the friendship of this man with common attention, and practifed with unwearied diligence all his addrefs in order to gain fo important an acquifition. To the marefchal Lefdiguieres he fhewed all the refpect due to a crowned head. If he received him at Turin, it was with the utmost pomp and magnificence. If he addreffed him in writing, he bestowed on him the endearing and flattering appellations of " good neighbour, and faithful friend." He confulted him on every occafion: and the marefchal returned his confidence and affiduities with the fincereft fidelity and affection. The attachment of Lefdiguieres to Charles Emanuel was well known to the court of Spain, and they endeavoured to counteract its ef fects by operating on his natural ambition. The king and queen of France, at the inftigation of the Spanish ambaffador, attempted to feduce him from the interefts of Savoy, by calling him to court in order to be invefted with the privileges and rank of a duke and peer. And, that he might be enabled to fupport the magnificence of that character, the king of Spain offered him any fum of money he fhould be pleafed to demand, to be paid in any part of Europe. Thefe, allurements failing of fuccefs, a fupply of money was offered fufficient to raife and maintain for a year, an army of forty thoufand men, with a fuitable train of artillery, to be employed in making himfelf mafter of Savoy. Of this duchy the Duke of Monteleon, in name of the Spanish monarch, offered him the inveftiture, on condition of his affifting the Spaniards to conquer Piedmont. This temptation having been alfo refifted, Monteleon engaged Louis to tranfmit to the marefchal the moft peremptory orders to abstain from levying troops, and on no pretext whatever to move to the affistance of the Duke of Savoy. Thefe orders were in vain reiterated and enforced, at the defire of the feeble Amelot de la Houffaie. court |