land; which motion was carried in the negative, by four voices only; and in the spring of the year 1714, he was deprived of all the employments he held under the crown.

Upon the accession of George I. he was one of the nineteen members of the regency nominated by his majesty; and on the king's arrival in England, he was immediately taken into favor at court, and made general and commander-in-chief of the king's forces in Scotland.

In consequence of this commission, his grace commanded the army when the rebellion broke out in Scotland, in 1715; and having received his instructions for suppressing it, he went to Edinburgh, where he published a proclamation for increasing the force; from whence he marched to Leith, and summoned the citadel, into which brigadier M'Intosh, one of the Pretender's generals, had retired, to surrender; but upon M'Intosh sending for answer, that he was determined to hold out, and neither to give or take quarter, if they engaged; the duke, who could not carry the place for want of artillery, thought proper to retire, and returned to Edinburgh.

The particulars of this rebellion are so well known, and so fully related in Oldmixon's Annals of George I." that it seems only necessary in this place, to mention, that his grace during the whole course of it, exerted himself in the most proper manner, against the enemies of his majesty king George, and the protestant succession; and after having put the army into winter-quarters, he returned to London, and arrived there in the month of March 1716, and was most graciously received by his majesty; but in a few months, to the surprise of all mankind, he was turned out of all his places. But the prince of Wales, afterwards George II. was pleased to express an esteem for him which continued many years, both while he was under the displeasure of his, majesty, and after the reconciliation.

It is in the duke's conduct in parliament that we must search for the reason of his political disgrace. We must therefore review it with attention; and it must likewise be observed, to his grace's honor, that he joined with those humane persons who recommended it to the ministry in vain to be more merciful to the delinquents, after the rebellion was suppressed.

In June 1715, when the famous schism-bill was brought into the house of lords, he opposed it with great zeal and warmth of argument. In the debate on the mutiny bill, he opposed any extension of the military power, and urged the necessity of a reduction of the standing army, a step which was by no means agreeable to the court.

In the beginning of the year 1719, his grace was again admitted into his majesty's favour, who was pleased to appoint him lordsteward of his household, and to create him duke of Greenwich.

In 1722 the duke of Argyle distinguished himself in the house of lords in the very interesting debate on the bill for banishing the famous Dr. Atterbury, bishop of Rochester; and it was chiefly owing to his grace's persuasive eloquence that the bill passed.

In 1726 his grace was appointed colonel of the prince of Wales's regiment of horse. But notwithstanding these promotions, the duke, with patriotic zeal for his native country, warmly opposed the extension of the malt-tax this year to Scotland.

From this time we have no memoirs of any transactions in the life of this great man deserving public notice, till the year 1737, when a bill was brought into parliament for punishing the lordprovost of Edinburgh, for abolishing the city-guard, and for depriving the corporation of several ancient privileges on account of the insurrection in 1736, when the mob broke into the prison, and took out captain Porteus and hanged him. The duke of Argyle opposed this bill with great warmth in the house of lords, as an act of unjust severity; his grace's opposition to this bill highly displeased the ministry, but they did not think proper to shew any public marks of resentment at that time.

In 1739 when the convention with Spain was brought before the house, for their approbation, he spoke with warmth against it; and in the same session his grace opposed a vote of credit, as there was no sum limited in the message sent by his majesty.

On the 15th of April, 1740, the house took into consideration the state of the army, upon which occasion he made an eloquent speech, wherein he set forth with great strength of argument,

the misconduct of the ministry, shewing a tender regard for the person of his sovereign, while he exerted an unfeigned zeal for the good of the community. Sir Robert Walpole being exasperated at this step, his grace was soon after dismissed from all his em ployments.

Upon the election of a new parliament, in 1741, on the appli cation of the city of Edinburgh, and several corporations, who addressed him in form at that time, he pointed out to them men of steady, honest, and loyal principles, and independent fortunes; and where he had any interest, he endeavoured to prevail with the electors to choose such men,

When the parliament was opened, the minister found he had not influence to maintain his ground; and a parliamentary inquiry into his conduct being set on foot, he was discharged from his post, and created a peer, with the title of earl of Orford.

His royal highness, Frederick prince of Wales, and the duke of Argyle, had a principal share in the disgrace of sir Robert,

The duke in consequence of this change, became the darling of the people, and he seemed likewise to be perfectly restored to favour at court; for he was made master-general of the ordnance, colonel of his majesty's royal regiment of horse-guards, and field. marshal, and commander-in-chief of all the forces in South Britain. But in a few months his grace perceiving that a change of men produced little or no change of measures, he resigned all his posts, and from this time retired from public business, ever after courting pri vacy, and living in retirement.

The duke had been for some years labouring under a paralytic disorder, which put a period to his life in the year 1743.

His grace married when young, Mary, daughter of John Brown, esq. and niece of sir Charles Duncomb, lord mayor of London; but she dying in 1708 without issue, he married Jane, daughter of Thomas Warburton, of Winnington, in Cheshire, esq. By her he had four daughters: the eldest of whom married the earl of of Dalkeith, son and heir apparent to the duke of Buccleugh; and the second to the earl of Strafford; both in his life-time.

His grace was a tender father, and an indulgent master; he was delicate in the choice of his friends, but when chosen, very constant to them; he was slow of promising favours; but when promised, the performance was sure; though he often chose ra ther to purchase preferment for his relations than to beg it.

He was naturally compassionate to all mankind; and when he met with the man of merit in want, his bounty was very extensive; nor would he keep the man, he was either unable or unwilling to serve in suspence.

He preserved a dignity in his behaviour which was often mistaken for pride; but he was naturally facetious amongst his select friends.

A superb monument was erected in Westminster-abbey to his memory, sir William Fermor, while his grace was living, having left £500 to defray the expences of it, out of regard to the great merit of his grace, both as a general and a patriot.

Authorities. Biog. Britannica, Annals of Geo. I. and II.

THE LIFE OF

SIR ROBERT WALPOLE,

EARL OF ORFORD,

[A. D. 1674, to 1745.]

THIS great statesman, whose transactions, while he was at the head of the treasury, and governed the councils of Great-Britain, make a conspicuous figure in the annals of George I. and II. was born in the year 1674, and was descended from a fa mily which had flourished in the county of Norfolk, and had been reputed amongst those of chief note, ever since the reign of Edward I.

He was educated on the foundation at Eton school; and from thence elected to King's College, in Cambridge. He was chosen to serve in parliament for King's Lynn, in Norfolk, in the year 1700; and he represented that borough in several succeeding parliaments.

In 1705, Mr. Walpole was appointed by her majesty queen Anne to be one of the council to his royal highness prince

George of Denmark, lord-high-admiral of England, in the affairs of the admiralty.

In 1707, he was made secretary at war; and in 1709, trea surer of the navy.

Upon Dr. Sacheverel's impeachment, he was chosen one of the managers of the house of commons to make good the articles against him; and the managers had the thanks of the house of commons for their services.

On the change of ministry, which happened in August 1710, he was removed from all his posts, and was not restored to any public employment under the crown during the remainder of the queen's reign.

His opposition to the tory administration, and his attachment to the great duke of Marlborough, brought upon him a further disgrace in the session of parliament in 1711; for he was charged, by the commissioners appointed by the house of commons to examine the public accounts, with having received the sum of five hundred guineas, and a note for 500 more, while he was secre tary at war, as douceurs for granting two advantageous con, tracts to supply forage for the cavalry quartered in Scotland. This the tory party represented as an heinous offence, and having secured a majority, they voted Mr. Walpole guilty of a high breach of trust and notorious corruption, for which he was expelled the house, and committed to the Tower.

But his known abilities, and his remarkable zeal for the succession of the house of Hanover, which he had so warmly and successfully asserted, brought him into the service of his coun try again, soon after king George the First's accession to the throne; and accordingly he was made paymaster to the guards and garrisons at home, and to the forces abroad, in September, 1714, five days after the king's landing. And a new privycouncil being appointed to meet on the first of October, 1715, he was sworn-in, and took his place accordingly. On the 10th of the same month, he was constituted first lord-commissioner of the treasury, and chancellor of the exchequer; and in the same year, chosen chairman of the committee of secrecy, appointed by the house of commons to enquire into the conduct of those evil