wich's contributing to steal his daughter. Lord Gower was a comely man of form, had never had any sense, and was now superannuated. . . . The King entered into his quarrel; and the Pelhams, by this artifice, detached him from his family, and persuaded him that to resign with them would be sacrificing himself in the cause of Lord Sandwich, who had offered him such an indignity.

"When Lord Sandwich found his disgrace unavoidable, and had even got intelligence of the day on which he was to be dismissed, he endeavoured by his own solicitations, and by the interposition of the Duke (of Cumberland) to prevail on the Duke of Bedford to throw up the seals first. This finesse, which did not succeed, was calculated to prevent the appearance of the Duke of Bedford's resignation upon his account, and consequently the new obligations to be laid upon him by that measure; governing that Duke no longer, he chose to be no longer connected with him; but Bedford now would neither stay in nor go out by his advice.

"On June 13th the Duke of Newcastle wrote to Lord Sandwich that the King had no further occasion for his services; and in the evening sent Mr. Legge to acquaint the Duke of Bedford with the dismission of his friend. . . . Legge having shuffled for some time between Mr. Pelham, Pitt, the Duke of Bedford, and Lord Sandwich, and wriggled through the interest of all into the Treasury, and then to the

treasurership of the navy, he submitted to break his connexions with the two latter, by being the indecent messenger of Lord Sandwich's disgrace.

"The Duke of Bedford demanded an audience of the King, and, among other grievances, spoke warmly on the dismission of his friend Lord Sandwich, and on all the treacheries of the Duke of Newcastle, which he recapitulated, and he concluded by telling the King that their (Pelham and his brother) persecutions of him and Lord Sandwich arose solely from their attachment to his son, the Duke (of Cumberland). The King was struck and pleased with this remonstrance; agreed to all he had said of the Duke of Newcastle; doubted of the facts charged on Mr. Pelham; and, with regard to Lord Sandwich, only said, 'I don't know how it is, but he has very few friends.'"*

The Duke of Bedford was offered by the King to be president of the council; but he declined, and resigned the seals. Lord Anson was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Admirals Boscawen and Rowley Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty— "the latter," says Walpole, "attached to Lord Granville, the other to nothing but his own opi nion."

A great part of this is no doubt true; but whether the incident of the marriage had any connexion with

* Walpole's Memoirs.

the dismissal of Lord Sandwich is very doubtfulwhat should the King care about Lord Gower's daughter? It would appear rather to have been the sole contrivance of the Duke of Newcastle to accomplish the removal of the Duke of Bedford, which he had in vain striven for some months to effect through the Duchess of Yarmouth, who, with himself, was with the King at Hanover. He was afraid of moving the King directly, knowing how desirous he was to have about the throne the highest nobles of the land. The Duchess was to tell the King of the Duke's unfitness; that the Duke of Newcastle had declared he could not go on with him; that he did not transact any business"it is all jollity, "it is all jollity, boyishness, and vanity: he persuades himself that riding post from London to Woburn and back again once a-week or fortnight is doing a great deal of business." The King, however, turned a deaf ear to all this; and, as the last resort, Newcastle made up his mind to ask the King himself to dismiss Sandwich, well knowing that the Duke of Bedford would follow his friend. All this and a great deal more of intrigue appears in the Duke of Newcastle's letters to his brother, Mr. Pelham, as published by Coxe.

No naval officer could have been chosen more fitted for the vacant situation than Lord Anson; he having, in fact, carried on the duties of first lord during the preceding five years. In point of talent and energy, he might perhaps be considered inferior

to Lord Sandwich, but by much his superior in professional knowledge and sound judgment in naval concerns, as frequently acknowledged by his lordship. As the name of this noble earl will no more appear in the course of this Memoir, it may be right to say that both Mr. Pitt and Lord North were so well satisfied of his fitness and great ability to fill the situation of First Lord of the Admiralty, that, in the reign of George III., he was twice appointed to the head of the naval administration; and that on the second occasion he remained as First Lord of the Admiralty from the 12th of January, 1771, to the 30th of March, 1782, a period of more than eleven years.

CHAPTER VI.

THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR.

Vigorous preparations for war-Duplicity of the French-Establishment of a marine corps under the immediate command of the Admiralty-The late King's address to the marines-A fleet under Boscawen sent to America-French fleet puts to sea-Two of their ships taken by Howe and Andrews-Remonstrance of the French -Their ambassador recalled-A fleet prepared and placed under the command of Sir Edward Hawke-Duke of Cumberland and Anson visit the fleet-latter hoists his flag in the Prince-Discussion in the Cabinet as to Hawke's instructions-Copy of instructions from the Lords Justices-Sails and captures many of the enemy's ships-Secret information from the King at HanoverThreats of invasion by the French-march down troops to the coast-Howe sent to protect Guernsey and Jersey-attacks and takes Chaussé-War at length proclaimed by England-then by France-Admiral Byng sent with a fleet for the relief of Minorcaengages Galissonnière, and retreats to Gibraltar-Public clamour against him-recalled-sent a prisoner to Greenwich Hospital— Change in the administration-Pamphlets for and against Byngfor, by Dr. Johnson, and against, by Mallet, assisted by Lord Hardwicke is sent to Portsmouth-tried and condemned to death -Mistaken proceedings to obtain the King's mercy-Voltaire and Richlieu's letters-Opinion of the judges decides Byng's fateHis gallant behaviour previous to and at his execution—Inscription on his tomb.

1755 to 1756.

IN the year 1755 a feverish peace of seven years was succeeded by the commencement of a seven years' war, a name by which it is distinguished in the history of this country. No sooner had the King's message been brought before the two houses