path is peace. For the fecurity of the bleffings, which tel fult from fo happy a temper of religious and civil government, we have a king armed with a well-adjusted strength, which defies the rage of faction, without controuling the fpirit of a free people. Able to defend, he is only without power to destroy the conftitution which he loves.

1

LIBRA.

H

For the POLITICAL REGISTER.
To Lord NORTH.

My Lord,

IS Majefty is peculiarly happy in the choice of his minifters. Ever fince his acceffion, it feems to have been a fettled maxim to revolt the minds of his fubjects. For fuch a purpofe it was generally thought, that he could not pitch upon a properer perfon than your friend, the Duke of Grafton. Your virtues were not yet fufficiently known.

His fuccefs in alienating the affections of Englishmen from their fovereign, feemed to mark him out as the natural direc tor of our prefent councils. His majefty is a man of fagacity, and faw farther than his people. Confcious of your fuperior merit, he bade your ftar afcend, and eclipfe that of your predeceffor. I give him joy. You have answered his expectations. Ireland is in a flame; and he may now hug himself in the thought, that every part of his dominions groans under the iron rod of oppreffion. He is a pious prince, and would, no doubt, with to give his fubjects an opportunity of fhowing their piety and refignation to the difpenfations of Providence. Ireland now prefents such a fcene; and you may with an air of triumph turn to your Royal mafter, and pointing to this harraffed land exclaim, "Behold, my liege, thefe are the works of my hand.",

To minds like yours, this tragedy will be a rich feast. I think I fee you, in imitation of Seneca's gods, enjoying the diftreffes of Ireland, and viewing with pleasure its great men Aruggling with the forms of fate. But let me afk you, my lord, whether your pleafure is pure and unmixed? Is not the fweet a little dafhed with the bitter? How do you relifh the affront put by the Irish parliament upon your Mercury in bronze? Upon what fund will you now quarter Jeremiah's miftrefs The Civil Lift can bear no new incumbrance. It is already three quarters in arrears ; and the dif

treffed

treffed beef-eaters having applied to you in vain, are obliged to fell their wages at an unreasonable discount.

But why do I talk of the mifery of the houfhold to you, who are not touched with that of the King? While his minifler wallows in riches, he is furrounded with poverty. In vain are half-millions voted without any account by your complaifant friends in the Lower Houfe. They are only nominal transfers, like thofe of the Eaft India directors, when they would carry a queftion. The whole fhower of gold foon returns into the ocean, out of which it was first exhaled, and leaves the region of royalty dry and barren. But I fuppofe he means to copy the example of Cyrus, a prince of pious memory, who thought his riches better lodged in the hands of his friends than in his treaturies. The argument is, fpecious. I would only advife him to enquire, whether the friends of Cyrus were Norths, Graftons, and Sandwiches? Certainly it is not upon record, that they ever induced him to render the provinces of his empire difaffe&ted, by the multiplication of ufelefs placemen. By what arguments, my lord, did you convince your fovereign, that twelve commiffioners were neceffary for collecting those revenues, which did not afford fufficient employment to seven ? Was it by that arithmetic which you introduced into the decifion of the Middlesex election? The event may fatisfy his ma jefty that national characters change, and that the confufion of ideas once charged upon Ireland, is now more justly predicated of England.

1

You did not expect that the Hibernian patriots would have had perfeverance and penetration enough to expofe the fallacious eftimate laid before the parliament. The facility with which the British fenate has paffed more fallacious accounts, had put you off your guard. This reverse will certainly render you more cautious for the future, if, after fuch manifeft detection, you can ftand your ground. But why fhould I fufpect your downfal? We are taught by uniform experience, that notorious corruption is the best recom-. mendation to the best of *****. Had not your fortune beeh already made by the plunder of the widow and orphan in the Alley, this act would have made him open with a liberal hand-the purfes of his fubjects. It is, when they meditate impeachments, that he thinks of rewards.

BRUTUS.

THE

POLITICAL REGISTER.

For FEBRUARY, 1772.

NUMBER LX.

To the Printer of the Political Register.
SIR,

A copy of the family-compact having lately fallen into my hands, I could not recollect that it had ever appeared in English, and therefore as not uninterefting to politicians in general, and of an alarming nature to many European powers, I took the trouble to tranflate it, which I fend for infertion, together with a copy of the original: Your Regifter, I believe, is calculated for keeping fuch pieces on re

cord.

In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. Amen.

HE ties of blood, which unite the two monarchs that reign in France and Spain, and the private fentiments they are animated with for each other, and of which they have given fo many proofs, have engaged his moft Chriftian majefty, and his Catholic majesty, to determine and conclude

between

Au nom de la Trés-Sainte & Indivifible Trinité, Pere, Fils et SaintEfprit Ainfi-foit-il.

Les liens du fang, qui uniffent les deux Monarques qui régnent en France & en Espagne, & les fentimens particuliers dont ils font animés l'un pour l'autre, & dont ils ont donné tant de preuves, ont engagé S. M. TrésPol. Reg. Vol. X.

K

Chrétienne

between them, a treaty of friendship and union, under the denomination of the Family-Compact; the principal object whereof, is to render permanent and indivifible, as well for their faid Majefties, as for their defcendants and fucceffors, the obligations which are a natural confequence of confanguinity and friendship. The intention of his most Christian majesty and of his Catholic majefty, in contracting the engagements they have taken upon them by this treaty, is to perpetuate in their pofterity, the fentiments of Lewis XIV. of glorious memory, their common and auguft great grandfather, and to make for ever to fubfift a folemn monument of the reciprocal intereft that ought to be the bafis of the defires of their hearts, and of the profperity of their royal families.

In this view, and for attaining fo good and falutary a purpofe, his moft Chriftian and his Catholic majefty, have given their full powers, to wit, his most Christian majesty to the Duc de Choifeul, Peer of France, Knight of his orders, and Lieutenant-General of his armies, Governor of Touraine, Grand-Mafter, and Superintendant-General of the Couriers, Pofts and Relays of France, Minifter and Secretary of State, having the department of foreign affairs and of war and his Catholic majefty to the Marquis of Grimaldi, Gentleman of his Chamber, with exercife, and his Ambaffador Extraordinary to the moft Chriftian king; who being informed of the dif pofitions of their respective fovereigns, and after communicating to each other their full powers, have agreed on the following articles. ARTICLE

Chrêtienne & S. M. Catholique d'arrêter & de conclure entre elles un traité d'amitié & d'union, fous la dénomination de Pacte de Famille, & dont l'objet principal eft de rendre permanens & indivifibles, tant pour leurs dites majeftés que pour leurs defcendans & fucceffeurs, les devoirs qui font une fuite naturelle de la parenté & de l'amitié. L'intention de S. M. trés-Chrétienne & de S. M. Catholique en contractant les engagemens qu'elles prennent par ce traité, eft de perpétuer dans leur poftérité les fentimens de Louis XIV. de glorieufe mémoire, leur commun & augufte bisayeul, & de faire fubfifter à jamais un monument folemnel de l'intérêt réciproque qui doit être la base des defirs de leurs coeurs & de la profpérité de leurs familles royales.

Dans cette vue & pour parvenir à un but fi convenable & fi falutaire, L. L. M. M. Très-Chr. & Cath. ont donné leurs pleins-pouvoirs; fçavoir, S. M. Très-Chr. au Duc de Choiseul, Pair de France, Chevalier de fes Ordres & Lieutenant-Général des Armées de S. M. Gouverneur de Touraine, Grand-Maitre & Sur-Intendant-Général des Couriers, Poftes & Relais de France, Miniftre & Secrétaire d'Etat, ayant le département des affaires étrangeres & de la guerre : & S. M. Catholique, au Marquis de Grimaldi, Gentilhomme de fa Chambre, avec exercice, & fon Ambaffadeur-Extraordinaire auprès du Roi Très-Chrétien: lefquels étant informés des difpofitions de leurs Souverains refpectifs, & après s'etre communiqué leurs pleins-pouvoirs, font convenus des articles fuivans.

ARTICLE I.

The most Christian king, and the Catholic king, declare, that in virtue of their intimate ties of confanguinity and friendfhip, and on account of the union they contract by the present treaty, they will for the future confider as their enemy, any power that shall become the enemy of one or other of the two crowns.

II. The two contracting kings guarantee reciprocally, in the moft abfolute and authentic manner, all the ftates, lands, iflands and places, they poffefs in any part of the world, without referve or exception; and the poffeffions, the object of their guarantee, are to be conftituted, pursuant to the actual ftate wherein they are, as foon as either crown fhall be at peace with all other powers.

III. His moft Christian majesty and his Catholic majefty, grant the fame abfolute and authentic guarantee to the King of the Two Sicilies, and to the Infant Don Philip, Duke of Parma, for all the ftates, countries and places they poffefs; providing that his Sicilian majefty, and the said Infant Duke of Parma, fhall likewife guarantee on their part, all the ftates and dominions of his moft Chriftian majefty, and of his Catholic majefty.

IV. Tho' the inviolable and mutual guarantee, whereby his moft Chriftian majefty and his Catholic majefty bind themfelves, ought to be maintained and fupported by their whole K 2.

ARTICLE PREMIER.

power

Le Roi Très-Chrétien & le Roi Catholique déclarent qu'en vertu de leurs intimes liaifons de parenté & d'amitié, & pour l'union qu'ils contractent par le préfent traité, ils regarderont à l'avenir comme leur ennemie toute puiffance qui le deviendra de l'une ou de l'autre des deux couronnes.

II. Les deux rois contractans fe garantiffent réciproquement de la maniere la plus abfolue & la plus autentique tous les etats, terres, ifles & places qu'ils poffedent dans quelque partie du monde que ce foit, fans aucune réferve ou exception; & les poffeffions, objet de leur garantie, feront conftituées, fuivant l'état actuel où elles feront au premier moment où l'une & l'autre couronne fe trouveront en paix avec toutes les autres puiffances.

III. S. M. Très-Chrétienne & S. M. Cath. accordent la même garantie abfolue & autentique au Roi des Deux-Siciles & à l'Infant Don Philippe Duc de Parme, pour tous les etats, pays et places qu'ils poffedent; bien entendu S. M. Sicilienne & ledit Infant Duc de Parme garantiront auffi de leur part tous les etats, domaines de S. M. Très-chrétienne & de S. M. catholique.

que

IV. Quoique la garantie inviolable & mutuelle à laquelle L. L. M. M. Très-chrét. & catholique s'engagent, doive être foutenue de toute leur pujffance, & que leurs majeftés l'entendent ainfi d'après le principe, qui eft

le