that the people would ask to have himself punished next. 'Oh,' he cried out to some persons who came to ask him to have the Admiral tried; indeed, he shall be tried immediately-he shall be hanged directly.' Byng was tried, and shot. A witty Frenchman said that it was the custom in England to shoot an admiral to encourage the others. Before Byng was condemned Newcastle resigned his office. He loved it dearly, but he was too frightened to keep it any longer.

He

5. Pitt in Office. There was a man in the House of Commons who had more confidence in himself. William Pitt had kept himself pure when every one around him had been giving or taking bribes. He had confidence in his countrymen as well. knew how brave they were, and he thought that if they had good leaders they would be sure to beat the French. 'I know,' he once said, 'that I can save this country and that nobody else can.' He became immediately the most popular minister who had ever held office. He was known as the Great Commoner. But the corrupt members of Parliament, who wanted a minister who would buy their votes, did not like him at all, and they voted against him. He was obliged to resign. Then many weeks passed during which there was no ministry at all. Newcastle could not bear to let Pitt be minister, and he was too much afraid of the people to try to manage the war himself. At last it was arranged that Newcastle and Pitt should be ministers together. Pitt was to manage the war, and Newcastle was to manage the bribery.

6. Wolfe's Expedition to Canada.-Pitt succeeded in managing the war, because he appointed men who had done well in command of small forces

to command great ones, because he made every one understand that the surest way to his favour was to succeed, and because he never favoured any one only because he was rich, or related to some

in their places. In 1715 the Jacobites rose against the Government in the North of England and in Scotland. The Pretender himself landed in Scotland. He was a slow and inactive man, and made a very bad soldier, so that no one felt much interest in him. The insurrection was put down, and the Pretender had to go back again to the Continent.

The Whig Government had everything its own way. It took away the laws which had been made in Anne's reign against the Dissenters, and some of the Whigs talked of putting an end to the Test Act, as far as the Dissenters were concerned, and allowing them to hold offices. The Whigs who proposed this soon found that it would make them very

unpopular. The greater part of the English people did not know much, or care much about politics, but they had strong prejudices, and they fancied that if the Dissenters had power they would behave in the way in which the Puritans had behaved in the time of Cromwell. Just at the time, however, when this matter was talked of, the Whig ministers, who were then in office, were driven out of it by an affair which had nothing to do with politics.

2. The South Sea Bubble.-In consequence of the peace which had followed the Treaty of Utrecht, there was more trade than there had been before, and many people who had a little money began to think that they had only to spend it on trade to make themselves rich. They began to form companies for trade, and some of these companies did good work, and brought profits to the shareholders. Others were only invented by ignorant or knavish men, in order to get money for themselves out of the pockets of people who were foolish enough to believe them. One of the companies which was most popular was the South Sea Company. It had been formed to carry on trade in South America, and it might have gained a profit there. But people fancied that its profit would be enormous, and large numbers paid for the right of joining in the company a great deal more than it was worth. At one time they were ready to give 1,000l. for such a share in the company as had at first been worth only 100l., and which was probably never worth more than that. By-and-by these people found out that they had been deluded, and had to sell for less than it was worth what they

Of course

had bought for more than it was worth. they were very angry, and as some of the ministers had been bribed by the people who managed the company to give them support in Parliament, there was a great outcry against them. One of the ministers was sent to the Tower. Another poisoned himself from shame and grief.

3. Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister.-A new ministry was formed, of which the chief member was Sir Robert Walpole. He was a Whig like the last ministers, but he was careful not to do anything which would rouse opposition. He was the first man who was called a Prime Minister in England. In the time of William III. and Anne the king or queen had been in the habit of being present at the meetings of the Cabinet and of listening to the advice of the ministers there. George I., however, could not talk English well enough to take an interest in the discussions of his ministers, and none of his ministers could talk German. He therefore stayed away, and none of the kings since have ever been present at a meeting of the Cabinet. When the king ceased to come, it was necessary that some one should take the first place, and in this way grew up the practice of having one minister, called a Prime Minister, who is superior to the rest.

4. Parliamentary Corruption.-Walpole understood business very well, and he understood how to manage the members of the House of Commons. Many of them would not vote as the ministers wished unless they were bribed, and Walpole was quite ready to bribe them. At that time no one,