was found subjoined to a work of his not finished, intitled "Lexicon Propheticum."

Lastly, in 1756, there were published, in 8vo. Four Letters, from sir Isaac Newton to Dr. Bentley: containing some arguments in proof of a diety.

*Authorities. Biog. Britann. Pemberton's Review of sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy. Birch, Hist. of the Royal society. Whiton's Memoirs.

THE LIFE OF

GEORGE BYNG,

LORD VISCOUNT TORRINGTON.

[A. D. 1663, to 1733.]

GEORGE BYNG, a renowned naval officer, was descended from an ancient family in the county of Kent. He was born in the year 1663, and at the age of fifteen, went to sea as a volunteer in the royal navy, in the service of Charles II. having had the king's warrant given to him on the recommendation of the duke of York.

In 1681, upon the invitation of general Kirk, governer of Tangier, he quitted the sea, and served as a cadet in the grenadiers of that garrison, till on a vacancy, which quickly happened, the general, who was always his warm patron, made him an ensign in his own company, and soon after a lieutenant.

In 1684, after the demolition of Tangier, the earl of Dart. mouth, general of the sea and land-forces, appointed him lieutenant of the Orford; from which time he kept constantly to the sea-service, but did not throw up his commission as a land officer for several years after.

In the year 1685, he went lieutenant of his majesty's (James II.) ship Phoenix to the East Indies; where engaging and boarding a Ziganian pirate, who maintained a desperate fight, most of those

who entered with him were slain, himself dangerously wounded, and the prize sinking, he was taken up with scarcely any remains of life; but by degrees, he was perfectly recovered.

In the year 1688, being first lieutenant to sir John Ashby, in the fleet commanded by the earl of Dartmouth, and fitted out to oppose the designs of the prince of Orange, he was in a particular manner intrusted and employed in the intrigues then carrying on among the most considerable officers of the fleet, in favor of that prince; and was the person commissioned by them to carry their secret assurances of obedience to his highness; to whom he was privately introduced at Sherbone, by admiral Russel. At his return to the fleet, the earl of Dartmouth sent him, with captain Aylmer and captain Hastings, to carry a message of submission to the prince at Windsor, who made him captain of the Constant Warwick, a fourth rate man of war.

In 1690, he commanded the Hope, a third-rate; and was second to sir George Rooke, in the engagement off Beachyhead.

In the years 1691, and 1692, he was captain of the Royal Oak, and served under admiral Russel, commander in chief of the fleet. Nor were his merits concealed from that great officer, for he distinguished him in a very remarkable manner, by promoting him to the rank of his first captain.

In 1702, a war breaking out with France, he accepted the command of the Nassau; and was at the taking and burning the fleet at Vigo.

In the year 1703, he was made rear-admiral of the red by queen Anne; and served in the Mediterranean fleet, commanded by sir Cloudsley Shovel, who detached him with a squadron of five men of war to Algiers, where he renewed the peace with that govern. ment. In his return home, he was in great danger of being lost, in the great storm which overtook him in the channel.

In 1704, he served in the grand fleet sent into the Mediterranean, under the command of sir Cloudsley Shovel, in search of the French fleet; and it was he who commanded the squadron that attacked and cannonaded Gibraltar; and by landing the seamen, whose va lour was on this occasion remarkably distinguished, the place ca pitulated the third day. He was in the battle off Malaga, which

followed soon after; and for his behaviour in that action, her majesty conferred on him the honor of knighthood.

Towards the latter end of this year, the French having two strong squadrons in the soundings, besides great numbers of privateers, which greatly annoyed our trade, sir George Byng sailed the latter end of January, 1705, from Plymouth, with a squadron of twelve men of war, and a large fleet of merchantmen; and after seeing the latter safely out of the channel, he divided his squadron to such advantage, that he took twelve of their largest privateers, in about two months, with the Thetis, a French man of war of forty guns, and seven merchant ships, most of them richly laden from the West Indies. This remarkable success gave such a blow to the French privateers, that they rarely ventured into the channel during the remainder of the year.

The same year, he was made vice admiral of the blue; and upon the election of a new parliament was returned one of the burgesses for Plymouth, which place he constantly after represented in parliament, till he was created a peer.

In the beginning of the year 1707, sir George was ordered with a squadron to Alicant, with necessaries to the army in Spain; and accordingly sailed on the 20th of March: but on his arrival off Cape St. Vincent, he heard the melancholy news, of the defeat of our army at the battle of Almanza, under the command of the earl of Galway, who sent for the admiral to acquaint him with the distress he was in; and desired, that whatever he had brought for the use of the army might be carried to Tortola in Catalonia; to which place his lordship intended to retreat; and that if possible, he would save the sick and wounded men at Denia, Gandia, and Valencia ; where it was intended to embark every thing that could be gotten together.

This the admiral performed; and having sent the sick and wounded to Tortola, and being soon after joined by sir Cloudesly Sho vel, from Lisbon, they proceeded together to the coast of Italy, with a fleet of forty-three men of war, and fifty transports, to second prince Eugene and the duke of Savoy, in the siege of Toulon, in which sir George served in the second post under sir Cloudesly, and narrowly escaped shipwreck in his return home, when that great officer was lost; for the royal Anne, in which sir George

carried his flag, was within a ship's length of the rocks on which sir Cloudesly struck; yet was providentially saved by his own and his officers presence of mind, who in a minute's time, set the ship's topsails, even when one of the rocks was under her main chains.

In the year 1708, he was made admiral of the blue, and commanded the squadron fitted out to oppose the invasion intended to be made in Scotland by the Pretender, and a French army from Dunkirk. This squadron consisted of twenty-four men of war, with which sir George, and lord Dursley, sailed from the Downs to the French coast, on the 27th of February, and having anchored in Gravelin pits, sir George went on board a small frigate, and sailed within two miles of the Flemish road, and there learned the number and strength of the enemy's ships.

On the admiral's anchoring before Gravelin, the French laid aside their embarkation; but upon express orders from their court, were obliged to resume it; and on the sixth of March, actually sailed out of the port of Dunkirk; but being taken short by contrary winds, came to anchor on the 8th, and then continued their voyage.

Sir George had been obliged, at the time the French fleet sailed, to come to an anchor under Dungeness; and in his return to Dunkirk, was informed that the French fleet was sailed, but whither could not be known; but he was persuaded their destination was for Scotland; whereupon it was resolved, in a council of war, to pursue the enemy to the road of Edinburgh; and accordingly having first detached rear-admiral Barker, with a small squadron, to convoy the troops to Ostend, the admiral prosecuted his expedition with the rest of the fleet.

On the 13th of March, the French were discovered in the Firth of Edinburgh; where they made signals, but to no purpose, and then steered a north east course, as if they had intended to have gone to St. Andrew's. Sir George pursued them, and took the Salisbury, an English prize, then in their service, with several persons of quality on board; many land and sea-officers in the French service, of very great distinction; five companies of the regiment of Bern, and all the ship's company, consisting of three hundred

men.

After this, sir George finding it impossible to come up with the enemy, put into the port of Leith, where he continued till advice was received of the French being returned to Dunkirk.

Before the admiral left Leith-road, the lord-provost and magitrates of Edinburgh, to shew their grateful sense of the important service he had done them, by thus drawing off the French before they had time to land their forces, and thereby preserving not only the city of Edinburgh, but even the whole kingdom, from the fatal effects of a rebellion and invasion, resolved to present him with the freedom of their city, by sending in their name, sir Patrick Johnson, their late representative in parliament, with an instrument called a burgess-ticket, inclosed in a gold box, having the arms of the city on the side, and these words engraven on the

cover.

"The lord-provost, bailiffs, and town-council of Edinburgh did present these letters to burgeoise sir George Byng, admiral of the blue, in gratitude to him for delivering this island from a foreign invasion, and defeating the designs of (the French fleet at the mouth of the Firth of Edinburgh, the 13th of March, 1708.”

One would have imagined, that this remarkable success must have satisfied every body; and that after defeating so extraordinary a scheme as this was then allowed to be, and restoring public credit, as it were in an instant, there should be an universal tribute of applause paid to the admiral by all ranks and degrees of people; but so far was this from being the case, that sir George Byng had scarcely set his foot in London, when it was whispered, that the parliament would enquire into his conduct; which notion had its rise from a very foolish persuasion, that having once had sight of the enemy's fleet, he might, if he pleased, have taken every ship of them, as well as the Salisbury.

The truth was, that the French having amused the Jacobites in Scotland with the proposal of besieging Edinburgh castle, sir George Byng was particularly instructed, by all means, to prevent that undertaking, by hindering the French from landing in the neighbourhood. This he effectually did, and by doing it, answered the purpose of his expedition.

But the same malicious people, who first propagated this story, invented also another; namely, that sir George was also hindered