bason; which was done accordingly, and thereby the ruin of Spain compleated.

The admiral, in order to succeed in the reduction of Sicily, and at the same time, to procure artillery for carrying on the siege of the citadel of Messina, went over to Naples in August; and finding that the government was unable to furnish the military stores that were wanting, he generously granted the cannon out of the British prizes and procured, upon his own credit, and at his own risque, powder, and other ammunition from Genoa; and soon after went thither himself, in order to hasten the embarkation of the troops intended for Sicily.

Our admiral was received with great honor and respect at Genoa. At his arrival, the town saluted his flag with twenty-one guns; and the republic sent off six deputies, three of the old, and three of the new nobility, to compliment him upon his arrival.

After a stay of about three weeks, he sailed with all the transports to Sicily, and arrived before Messina on the 8th of October; which so elevated the spirits of the army then besieging the citadel, that upon the first sight of the fleet, they made a vigorous attack upon a half-moon, and carried it. The admiral, repairing ashore. to the general's quarters, was embraced by him, and all the general officers, with the most tender marks of affection and congratulation, the whole army being overjoyed to see a man who brought them relief and success, and every advantage attending them.

In ten days after the admiral's arrival at Messina, the citadel surrendered to the Germans: after which, sir George re-imbarked a great part of the army, and landed them upon another part of the island; by which means they distressed the enemy to such a degree, that the marquis de Lede, commander of the Spanish for ces, proposed to evacuate the island; which the Germans were very desirous of agreeing to, and sent to Vienna for instructions: but the admiral protested against it, and declared, that the Spa. nish troops should never be permitted to quit Sicily and return home, till a general peace was concluded: and sent his eldest son to Vienna with instructions; if the Imperial court listened to the proposal of the Spanish general, to declare, that his father could never suffer any part of the Spanish army to depart out of the island, till the king of Spain had acceded to the quadruple alliance,

or till he received positive instructions from England for that pur pose. In this, sir George certainly acted as became a Brstish ad, miral; who after having done so many services for the Imperialists, might surely insist on their doing what was just in respect to us, and holding theSpanish troops in the uneasy situation they now were till they gave ample satisfaction to the court of London, as well as to that of Vienna.

After this, the Spanish general laid a snare to separate the admiral from the Germans, by proposing an agreement with him for a separate cessation of hostilities, but without effect. But soon after, when the Germans, with the assistance of the admiral, had begun the siege of Palermo, before which the Spaniards lay encamped, and just as the two armies were upon the point of en gaging, a courier arrived in that lucky instant from Spain, with full powers for the Spanish general to treat and agree about the evacuation of Sicily and Sardinia, in consequence of the king of Spain's acceding to the quadruple alliance; upon which, the two armies were drawn off; a suspension of arms agreed on; the Germans put into possession of Palermo, and the Spaniards embarked * for Barcelona.

The admiral, after he had settled all affairs in Sicily, sailed in August, 1720, to Cagliari, in Sardinia; where he assisted at the conferences of the ministers and generals of the several powers con, cerned; wherein was regulated the manner of surrendering the island, by the Spanish viceroy to the emperor, and the cession of the same to the duke of Savoy; and at the instance of this prince, the admiral did not depart till he had seen the whole fully executed; the Spanish troopsl anded in Spain; and the duke of Savoy was put into quiet possession of his new kingdom of Sardinia; in exchange for Sicily, according to the quadruple alliance: in all which affairs the admiral arbitrated so equally between them, that even the king of Spain expressed his entire satisfaction at his conduct, to the British court: and his behaviour was so acceptable to the duke of Savoy, that his sincere acknowledgments to him were accompainnd with his picture set in diamonds.

Thus ended the war of Sicily, wherein the British fleet bore so illustrious a part, that the fate of the island was wholy governed by its operations; both agreeing, that the one could not have conquered, nor the other have been subdued, without it. Never was

any service conducted, in all its parts, with greater zeal, activity, and judgment; nor was ever the British flag in so high reputation and respect in those distant parts of Europe.

His majesty king George I. who had named the admiral for that expedition, used to say to his ministers, when they applied for instructions to be sent him for his direction on certain important occasions, that he would send him none, for he knew how to act without any; and indeed, all the measures that he took abroad were so exact and just, as to square with the councils and plan of policy at home.

After the performing so many signal services, the admiral departed from Italy, to attend his majesty to Hanover; and the king among many other gracious expressions of favour and satisfaction, told him, that he had found out the secret of obliging his enemies, as well as his friends; and that the court of Spain had mentioned, with great acknowledgments, his fair and friendly behaviour in the provision of transports, and other necessaries, for the embarkation of their troops, and in protecting them from many vexatious oppressions that had been attempted. No wonder that a man endowed with such talents, and such a disposition, left behind him in Italy, and other foreign parts, the character of a great soldier, an able statesman, and an honest man.

During his majesty's stay at Hanover, he began to reward the eminent services of sir George Byng, by making him treasurer of the navy, and rear-admiral of Great Britain; and on his return to England, one of his most honorable privy-council.

In the year 1721, he was created a peer of Great Britain, by the title of viscount Torrington, and baron Byng, of Southill, in Bedfordshire and in 1725, he was made one of the knights of the Bath, upon the revival of that order.

:

At his late majesty's accession to the throne, he was made first commissioner of the admiralty; in which high station he continued to his death, which happened at his house in the Admiralty, in June, 1733. He was buried at Southill, in Bedfordshire.

During the time he presided in the Admiralty, he laboured in improving the naval power of this kingdom, in procuring encouragement for seamen, who in him lost a true friend; in promoting the scheme for establishing a corporation for the relief of widows,

and children of commission and warrant officers in the royal navy; and in every other service to his country that he was capable of.

He married, in 1692, Margaret, daughter of James Master, of East-Landen, in Kent, esq. by whom he had eleven sons and four daughters; but only three of the former, and one of the lat ter, survived him.

**Authorities. Biog. Britann. Campbell's Lives of the Admirals. Smollet's Hist. of England.

THE LIFE OF

JOHN CAMP BEL,

DUKE OF ARGYLE AND GREENWICH.

[AD. 1678, to 1749.]

JOHN CAMPBEL, an able honest politician, a steady patriot, and à celebrated general, was born in the year 1678.

In early youth he discovered a solid, penetrating judgment, and ready wit; but having at the same time, taken a resolution to enter into the military service, he did not so assiduously devote himself to his studies as he might otherwise have done, though before he was fifteen, he had made a progress in classical learning, and some branches of philosophy; but when he came to riper years, he retrieved this deficiency by reading the best authors, which joined to the knowledge of mankind he had acquired by being early engaged in affairs of the greatest importance, enabled him to give that lustre to his natural genius, which distinguished him as an orator and a man of learning, upon many remarkable occasions, in parliament.

In 1764, when not full seventeen years of age, king William gave him the command of a regiment.

His father, the first duke of Argyle, dying in 1703, his grace was soon after sworn of his majesty's privy-council, appointed cap:

tain of the Scotch horse-guards, and one of the extraordinary lords of session of Scotland.

In 1704, he was installed one of the knights of the Thistle ; and in 1705 he was made a peer of England, by the title of baroni of Chatham, and earl of Greenwich.

At the battle of Ramillies, in 1706, he acted as brigadier-general; and though but a young man, gave signal proofs of his valour and conduct. He also commanded at the siege of Ostend, as brigadier-general; and in the same station at that of Menin; and was in the action of Oudenard, in 1708. At the siege of Ghent in the same year, he commanded as major-general, and took possession of the town.

In 1709, at the siege of Tournay, which was carried on by three attacks, he commanded one of them in quality of lieutenantgeneral, to which rank he had been raised a few months before. At the bloody battle of Malplaquet, the same year, the duke of Argyle was ordered to dislodge the enemy from the wood of Sart, which he executed with great bravery and resolution, pierced through it, and gained a considerable post; but narrowly escaped, having musquet-balls through his clothes, hat, and perriwig.

In 1711, he was appointed ambassador-extraordinary to king Charles III. of Spain, and generalissimo of the British forces in that kingdom.

On the 8th of September, 1712, the cessation of arms between Great Britain and France was notified to the imperial general; upon which the duke of Argyle sailed with the English troops to Port Mahon where, when he arrived, he caused the emperor's colours to be taken down, and the British to be hoisted on the several castles of that island; the governor, refusing to take an oath of fidelity to queen Annie, had leave to retire; but the rest of the magistrates complied.

After his grace's return to England, he did not remain long in the favour of the ministry, for he heartily joined in opposing all the secret intrigues against the protestant succession; and in 1715, hie grace made a motion in the house of lords, for dissolving the union, occasioned by a malt-bill being brought into the house for Scot