Speech of queen Anne to both houses of parliament.... 599 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN. WILLIAM III. BOOK IV. Session of Parliament 1698-9. Declining Popularity of the Whigs. High Debates respecting the Army. King compelled to part with his Dutch Guards. Affairs of the East India Company. Resignation of the Earl of Orford. Bill for appropriating the Irish Forfeitures. Dismission of the Duke of Leeds. Settlement of Darien. Intrigues of France at the Court of Madrid. Second Treaty of Partition. Resentment of the Court of Madrid. Tories reinstated in Administration. Piracy of Kydd. Malignant Accusations against Lord Somers. Severe Penal Act against the Papists. East India Affairs. Bill to treat concerning a Union. Report relative to Irish Forfeitures. Bill of Resumption. Dismission of Lord Somers. Affairs of Scotland. State of Europe. Treaty of Travendahl. Death of the Duke of Glocester. Demise of the King of Spain. Violation of the second Treaty of Partition by France. Its Political Consequences. Session of Parliament 1699-1700. Predominance of the Tories. Debates respecting the Spanish Succession. High Demands of the maritime Powers. The Lords Portland, Orford, Somers, and Halifax, impeached. Act of Settlement. Angry Disputes between the two Houses. Kentish Petition. Proceedings of the Con VOL. II. 1698. Ascendency and Popularity. Session of Parliament 1701-2. BOOK IV. THE king returned not to England till the month of December 1698; and the nation seemed not well pleased that their sovereign, now the war was terminated, should continue to pass six months of the year upon the continent-the greater part of it spent, as was well known, in indolent retirement at Loo. Parliament. Session of The new parliament, which had been originally convened for the 27th of September, had been somewhat trifled with, after assembling in town, by short and repeated prorogations; and at last met, December the 6th, in a humour not very placid. Various causes concurred to irritate and inflame the minds of the people and of the parliaDeclining ment at this period, and to depress the credit of Popularity the whigs; amongst which the chief was the unconstitutional attempt made in the last session to maintain and perpetuate a standing army in time of peace. The next in magnitude was the recent establishment of the Scottish mercantile company, which continued to excite great and increasing alarm in the commercial world. The third was of the Whigs. 1698. the erection of a new East-India company; by BOOK IV. which the tories were beyond measure exasperated, and which they took infinite pains to represent as an instance of unparalleled partiality and oppression on the part of the whigs. The choice made by the commons of sir Thomas Lyttleton as speaker was nevertheless considered as a favorable omen by the court; but the inference proved very fallacious. bates re the Army. The king in his speech strongly urged to the High Deparliament, as a matter which demanded their specting immediate consideration, what force ought to be maintained at sea and land this year. "To preserve," said the monarch, "to England the weight and influence it has at present on the councils and affairs abroad, it will be requisite Europe should see you will not be wanting to yourselves." The indiscreet conduct of the king in retaining a military force so much larger than the last parliament had voted or provided for, could not in the discussion of this speech remain longer unacknowledged and the resentment, or rather rage, of the commons instantaneously broke out in a very unusual manner. Omitting to return any answer or address whatever to the throne, they proceeded to pass a resolution, "that all the land-forces in English pay, exceeding 7000 men, and those consisting of his majesty's natural-born subjects, be forthwith disbanded." "If," said sir Charles BOOK IV. Sedley, speaking in support of the resolution, "we 1698. 1699. are true to ourselves, these are enow; and if not, 100,000 are too few." The ministers, seeing the temper of the house, would not venture to oppose the torrent; and the bill founded upon the resolution passed almost without debate. Nothing could exceed the mortification and chagrin manifested by the king upon this occasion. It is even affirmed that he harboured serious thoughts of abandoning the government to a regency nominated by parliament, and fixing his residence in Holland; and there is extant a speech, which it is pretended he had resolved to make to the two houses on announcing to them his intention. But this peevish and splenetic idea, if it was ever entertained, was almost as soon relinquished*. Lord Sunderland, who knew human nature too well to give easy credit to such surmises, on being informed that the king threatened to throw up the crown, exclaimed with sarcastic contempt: Does he so? There is Tom Pembroke"-meaning the earl of Pembroke who is as good a block of wood as a king can be cut out of; we will send for him, and make him our king +!" On the 1st of February 1699 the king went to the house of lords, and gave the royal assent to * Burnet. Tindal, vol. ii. p. 467. ↑ Ralph. |