treason to be enlisted for any foreign prince: a caution which was not at this time found necessary to be had in Ireland, notwithstanding the inordinate propensity

on the 19th of May, 1714, being within one month after Baron Schutz was forbidden the court, in the Queen's name, sent three letters to Hanover, all signed with her Majesty's own band.

One of these letters was directed to her Royal Highness the Princess Sophia, in which the Queen declared," that disaffected persons had entered into measures to fix a prince of her highness's blood in her Majesty's dominions, even whilst she was living, that she (the Queen) for her part, never thought such a project could have entered into her highness's mind; but now she perceived her electoral highness was come into that sentiment; and therefore she (the Queen) declared, that such a proceeding would infallibly endanger the succession itself."

Another of these letters was directed to his Highness the Elector of Brunswick; declaring," that if his electoral highness's son the Duke of Cambridge) presumed to come within the Queen's estate (i. e. her dominions); she would oppose him with all her power."

The third letter was directed to the Electoral Prince (then Duke of Cambridge), and declared, "that his design of coming into her Majesty's kingdom ought to be first opened to her, and to have had her permission; and that therefore nothing could be more dangerous to the right of succession in his line than such a proceeding." From the complexion of these transactions it will be readily admitted, that the Queen must have been disgusted with the indelicate and compulsory means used by the Whigs of that day, to ensure the Hanover succession during her life. The workings of nature on behalf of her brother, upon whose head they had forced her to proclaim a reward, together with the many thwarting and humiliating instances of opposition to her will from the Whig party, render it more than probable, that she either originally was, or that she became at last insincere in her professions, promises, and exertions to promote the establishment.

1714.

1714.

of the Irish parliament to harass and oppress the catholics with penal statutes. Now, for the first time, their loyalty was above suspicion: and a Stuart passed by an opportunity of punishing them. The queen died on the 1st of August, 1714.

CHAPTER III.

The Reign of George 1.

of George !.

UPON the demise of Queen Ann, the Tory party 1714. preponderated in the landed interest of England; the Accession Whigs possessed a majority in the privy-council. The Tories were without a head, dispirited, distracted, and consequently irresolute. The Whigs acted in concert and with energy. They brought into action the principles they had always avowed, and seated the Elector of Hanover on the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland. He was proclaimed and acknowledged King without opposition. The Tories, as

* Viz. By the Act of Settlement, as George the First, son of Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick, and Sophia, grand-daughter of King James the First. The author of Lord Chesterfield's Memoirs relates, that Lord Harcourt often declared, (and Bishop Pearce frequently mentioned it), that Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester, came to him and to Lord Bolingbroke on the death of Queen Ann, and said, nothing remained but to proclaim King James. He further offered (if they would give him a guard) to put on his lawn sleeves, and head the procession. Or, as Lord Orford has retailed it, (Remin. 291.) to proclaim the Pretender at Charing-Cross, in pontificalibus. George was proclaimed in England on the 1st of August, 1714, a few hours after the Queen had expired. A similar proclamation was published in Dublin on the 6th of August, about seven o'clock in the evening, and on the next day another proclamation issued, signed also by the

1715. they had every reason to expect, were dismissed from his councils, and the whole management of public affairs was committed to the Whigs.

Farliament of Ireland

convened,

and passes

in favour of

ver succes

sion.

The parliament of Ireland convened in November, 1715, was prominently conspicuous in manifesting several acts their zeal for the Hanover succession, and the Whig the Hano- administration. They passed acts for recognizing the King's title; for the security of his person and government; for setting a price (50,000l.) upon the Pretender's head, and for attainting the Duke of Ormond: and they voted the supplies without murmur or opposition. The commons, during the last Tory admini stration, had brought in a bill to attaint the Pretender: and it was generally believed, that her Majesty had prorogued the parliament, with the direct view of preventing that bill from passing against her brother: and that, with a similar intent to facilitate his access to the throne, she had disbanded the greatest part of the army, who were protestants in Ireland. They eagerly, therefore, seized an opportunity so favourable for ingratiating themselves with his Majesty, and for justifying that conduct, which had been reprobated as turbu lent and factious by the late government. A very strong address was presented by the commons to the King, that his Majesty would be pleased, for the se curity of his government, and the protestant interest of Ireland, to remove the Earl of Anglesey from his councils and service in that kingdom*.

Lord-primate and Sir Constantine Phipps, chancellor, for disarming all papists and suspected persons, and seizing their houses.

*Vide vol. III. Journ. Comm. p. 67. This address is founded

testimony

of Irish loy

alty from

the lords

justices.

Notwithstanding the recruiting for the service of 1715. the Pretender were one of the principal grounds for Honourable the commons' address against the Earl of Anglesey, yet so fully convinced was the ministry of that day of the unquestionable loyalty of the Irish nation, that the lords-justices*, in their speech to the parliament, rendered it the most honourable testimony, in saying, "that it was with no small satisfaction, that they observed the calm; which that kingdom (formerly the seat of so many rebellions) then enjoyed, whilst the traitorous enemies to the King and our happy establishment, discouraged by their early and steady zeal for the protestant succession, had thought fit to change the place of action, and attempt elsewhere to disturb his Majesty's government." Nor was this the soothing art of adulation, but the cordial effusion of active confidence: for the lords-justices added, that his Majesty had ordered an addition to be made to each company of the militia, till such time as he could replace those regiments, which the necessity of his affairs had obliged him then to draw from Ireland to suppress

on the fact of the recruiting service for the Pretender having been permitted with impunity in Dublin. It throws strong light upon the history of those days, and is to be seen in the Appendix to my Historical Review, No. LIV. I have also, in the first volume of that work, p. 238, given a letter of Dean Swift to Archbishop King, in which the patriotic Dean very clearly distinguishes be tween the Tory and the Jacobite.

Viz. The Duke of Grafton and the Earl of Galway. The speech was delivered by the Duke of Grafton; for which vide II. Lords' Journ. 453.