Some Account of the Life of the late THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES, Duke of NEWCASTLE, &c.

HIS nobleman was born on the ft of Auguft 1693; and fucceeded his father as baron Pelham of Loughton and by the laft will and teftament of his uncle John Holles duke of Newcastle, who died at his feat at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire, on the 15th of July, 1711, was adopted heir to his great eftate, and empowered to bear the arms and name of Holles, together with the title of duke of Newcastle upon Tyne.

His power and intereft were now very great, and he exerted both in fupport of his majefty king George 1. against the party that oppofed

him.

It would be unneceffary, as well as tedious, to enumerate here the feveral confequences that flowed from the hatred which had then long fubfifted between the whig and tory parties: it is, well known that their mutual animofity was carried to a degree of frenzy. It was this that brought king Charles I. to the fcaffold; it was this that produced that furprifing revolution in affairs toward the end of Queen Anne's reign. The fame caufes continued to operate at the acceffion of George I. and even fhook that monarch on his throne before he was well feated in it. The whole weight of authority had for fome time been in the hands of the tories, while the whigs remained without credit or influence, and at the fame time endured the farther mortification of feeing their patrons and fupporters in difgrace or exile. The high-church men indulged themselves in an infolent triumph

over their fallen enemies; while the low-church party, bereft of all means of revenge, were obliged to keep a refpectful filence; which proceeded rather from confcious inability, than motives of virtue or patriotifm. The new government feemed lefs attentive to the religious caufes of the hatred that fubfifted between the two parties, than to the influence which either of those parties might have on the affairs of ftate. The king had taken a ftrong prepoffeffion against the tories, whom he had long been perfuaded to confider as Jacobites, and thought the whigs his only true friends; and from this motive he threw afide all referve, and declared openly in their favour. This effected a fatal and inftantaneous change in all offices of honour and advantage.

Among the reft that were diltinguished by the royal favour was the duke of Newcastle, who, on the 26th of October, 1714, was advanced to the dignity of earl of Clare, in the county of Suffolk, and viscount Naughton, in the county of Nottingham, with remainder to the hon. Henry Pelham, his brother and his heirs 'male.

Nor did the royal favour terminate here: for two days after, namely, on the 28th of October, he was conftituted lord lieutenant and cuftos rotulorum of the county of Nottingham. And on the 10th of November following, cuftos rotulorum of Middlefex, and lord lieutenant of the faid county and city of. Westminster on the 28th of December following. The fame year he was alfo conftituted fteward, warden, and keeper of the foreft of Sherwood, and park of Folewood, in the county of Nottingham.

This manifeft partiality fhewn to the whig party in general, greatly inflamed the minds of thofe who were already but too much difcontented at the late changes; and the Jacobites impatient under a revolution which deprived them of all hopes of having the family of Stuart again on the throne, joined the malecontents. The royal party were, in many places, interrupted in their rejoicings on account of the coronation, by diforderly and tumultuous rabbles, who crying, "Down with the whigs, Sache"verel for ever!" proceeded to numberlefs diforders. Seditious pamphlets were printed and difperfed without number or decency; breaking of windows and pulling down meeting houfes, was now practifed and carried to fuch an amazing height, that the whig party hardly thought themselves fafe, even under the fhadow of royal protection.

The duke of Newcastle flood firm in fupport of the royal caufe, and oppofed the lawless attempts of a mifguided populace: Nor was his mafter wanting to acknowledge his fervices; he was on the 2d, of Auguft, 1715, created marquis and duke of Newcastle under line, with remainder to the female iffue of his brother, the hon. Henry Pelham.

On the 2d of April,, 1717, he married the lady Harriot Godolphin, daughter of the right honourable Francis earl of Godolphin, by his wife the lady Henrietta, eldeft daughter and co-heir of John duke of Marlborough,

He was

declared lord chamberlain of his Majefty's household on the 13th of April following, and on the 16th of April fworn a member of the privycouncil. A chapter was held at

St. James's on the 31ft of March, 1718, when his grace was elected one of the knights companions of the most noble order of the garter, and installed on the 30th of April following.

His grace was also one of the peers commiffioned by his majefty, to fign the quadruple alliance, between the emperor, the king of Great-Britain, the king of France, and the ftates-general. This treaty was figned at the Cockpit, Whitehall, on the 22d of July, 1718. By this treaty the contracting powers engaged for the reciprocal prefervation of their feveral dominions and fubjects, and for the maintaining mutual peace. The former treaties of Utrecht and Baden were confirmed, except in fome few points; and the feveral powers mutually promifed to give no protection in any of their dominions, to those who are, or shall be, declared rebels, by any of the other contracting powers: and if any one of the four contracting powers fhould be attacked or disturbed, either by their own fubjects, or any prince or state, the other three fhall endeavour to procure them juftice, and to prevent the aggreffor from continuing hoftilities but fhould friendly offices prove infufficient for reconciling the two contending parties, together with fatisfaction and reparation to the injured power, the high contracting parties fhall furnish to their ally, who is attacked, in two months after requifition fhall be made, the fuccours fpecified in the treaty.

;

His Majefty having on the 19th of May, 1719, declared his intentions of vifiting his Hanoverian dominions, his grace was declared one of the lords juftices, for the admi

niftration

hiftration of justice during his majefty's abfence.

Charles XII. of Sweden, had for fome time made preparations for invading England; but death put an end to his ambitious project, and his fifter, the princefs Ulrica, had afcended the throne. This was thought a favourable opportunity for putting a period to the troubles in the north: accordingly his majesty appointed lords juftices, among whom his Grace of Newcaftle was one, and embarked for his German dominions. Ulrica entertained very different views from thofe of her late ambitious brother: fhe faw her kingdom exhaufted of men and money, unable to fupport a war, and therefore ardently wished for a good peace. The Swedish council confented to cede Bremen and Verden to the elector of Hanover, fo that all the difficulties that had hitherto retarded a pacification were removed: the duke of Orleans acted as mediator on this occafion, to bring about a reconciliation between all the powers of the north.

His Grace was again invested with this important truft on the 26th of May, 1723, when his majefty declared to his privy-council, that fome extraordinary affairs called him abroad for the fummer.

On the 2d of April, 1724, his Grace refigning the poft of lord chamberlain, was declared one of his majefty's principal fecretaries of ftate. On the 3d of June, 1725, he was again appointed one of the lords juftices; and in April, 1726, chofen recorder of Nottingham.

In July, 1737, he was chofen high fteward of Cambridge, and afterwards chancellor of that univerfity.

VOL. XII,

It would be tedious to mention all the honours and places his Grace enjoyed under the aufpicious houfe of Hanover, whom he had fo affiduously and faithfully laboured to fix upon the British throne. We fhall, therefore, only add, that in the year 1761, his Grace refigned all his employments, and quitted that fatigue and hurry of bufinefs, in which he had been fo long involved, fpending the remainder of his days in retirement.

He died at his house in Lincoln's-inn fields, on the 17th of November, 1768, in the 77th year of his age.

His Grace was, perhaps, one of the most difinterested patriots, that either this, or any other nation, could boaft of; his eftate, when he firft came into poffeffion of it, is faid to have been worth 50,000l. per annum, which he greatly reduced in the fervice of his king and country; notwithstanding which, he nobly refufed à large penfion when he retired from public business. In private life, his character was the moft amiable, affable, and religious.

He caufed divine fervice to be conftantly and regularly performed every day in his family, both in town and country: and at proper ftated times, the facrament was adminiftered, at which he conftantly affifted with great devotion. He received it the day he died, from the hands of the bishop of Salisbury, and yielded up his breath with the moft perfect calmnefs and refignation.

His Grace dying without iffue, the title of duke of Newcastle upon Tyne became extinct, but that of Newcastle under Line devolved to the earl of Lincoln, who married the eldest daughter of the late hon. Henry Pelham,

NATURAL

An account of the Eruption of Mount Vefuvius, in 1767: In a Letter to the Earl of Morton, Prefident of the Royal Society, from the honourable William Hamilton, his Majefty's Envoy Extraordinary at Naples.

[Read Feb. 11, 1768.]
Naples, Dec. 29, 1767.

My LORD,
HE

This

favourable réception,

year's eruption of Mount Vefuvius met with from your Lordship, the approbation which the Royal Society was pleased to fhew, by having ordered the fame to be printed in their Philofophical Tranfactions, and your Lordship's commands in your letter of the 3d inftant, encourage me to trouble you with a plain narrative of what came immediately under my obfervation during the late violent eruption, which began October 19, 1767, and is reckoned to be the 27th fince that, which, in the time of Titus, destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii.

The eruption in 1766 continued in fome degree, till the 10th of December, about nine months in all, yet in that fpace of time the mountain did not caft us a third of the quantity of lava, which it difgorged in only feven days, the term of this laft eruption. On the 15th of December, laft year, within the ancient crater of Mount Vefuvius, and about twenty feet deep, there was

HISTORY.

a cruft, which formed a plain, not unlike the folfaterra in miniature; in the midst of this plain was a little mountain, whofe top did not rife fo high as the rim of the ancient crater. I went into this plain, and up the little mountain, which was perforated, and ferved as the principal chimney to the volcano; when I threw down large ftones, I could hear that they met with many obstructions in their way, and could count a hundred count a hundred moderately before

Vefuvius was quiet till March 1767, when it began to throw up ftones, from time to time; in April the throws were more frequent, and at night fire was visible on the top of the mountain; or, more properly fpeaking, the finoke, which hung over the crater, was tinged by the reflection of the fire within the volcano. These repeated throws of cinders, afhes, and pumice stones, increafed the little mountain fo much, that in May its top was vifible above the rim of the ancient crater. The 7th of Auguft there iffued a fmall fream of lava, from a breach in the fide of this little mountain, which gradually filled the valley between it and the ancient crater; fo that the 12th of September the lava overflowed the ancient crater, and took its course down the fides of the great mountain; by this time the throws were much more frequent, and the redhot ftones went fo high as to take up ten feconds in their fall. Padre Torre, a great obferver of Mount

Vefuvius,

Vefuvius, fays they went up above a thousand feet.

The 15th of October, the height of the little mountain (formed in about eight months) was measured by Don Andrea Pigonati, a very ingenious young man in his Sicilian majefty's fervice, who affured me that its height was one hundred and eighty-five French Feet.

From my villa, fituated between Herculaneum and Pompeii, near the convent of the Calmaldolefe, I had watched the growing of this little mountain, and by taking drawings of it from time to time, I could perceive its increase moft minutely. I make no doubt but that the whole of Mount Vefuvius has been formed in the fame manner; and as thefe obfervations feem to me to account for the various irregular ftrata, which are met with in the neighbourhood of volcanos, I have ventured to enclofe for your Lordship's infpection a copy of the above-mentioned drawings.

The lava continued to run over the ancient crater in fmall ftreams, fometimes on one fide, and fometimes on another, till the 18th of October, when I took particular notice that there was not the leaft lava to be feen, owing, I imagine, to its being employed in forcing its

way towards the place where it burft out the following day. As I had, contrary to the opinion of moft people here, foretold the approaching eruption, and had ob ferved a great fermentation in the mountain after the heavy rains, which fell the 13th and 14th of October, I was not furprised on the 19th following, at feven o'clock in the morning, to perceive from my. villa every fymptom of the eruption being juft at hand. From the top of the little mountain, iffued a thick black smoke, fo thick, that it feemed to have difficulty in forcing its way out; cloud after cloud mounted with a hafty fpiral motion, and every minute a volley of great ftones were fhot up to an immenfe height in the midft of these clouds; by degrees, the fmoke took the exact fhape of a huge pine tree, fuch as Pliny the younger defcribed in his letter to Tacitus, where he gives an account of the fatal eruption in which his uncle perifhed t. This column of black fmoke, after having mounted

an extraordinary height, bent with the wind towards Caprea, and actually reached over that ifland, which is not lefs than twenty-eight miles from Vefuvius. I warned my family not to be alarmed, as I expected there would

F 2

be

46 never