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it was notified to the duke, by a letter under her own hand, < That her intention was to refume all the employments fhe • had intrusted him with; complaining, at the fame time,

of the treatment fhe had met with.' This appears from the duke's answer, which he fent by the countess of Sunderland, one of his daughters:

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Madam,

I am very fenfible of the honour your majefty does me,, in difmiffing me from your fervice by a letter of your own hand; though I find by it, that my enemies have been able to prevail with your majefty to do it in the manner that is most injurious to me. And, if their malice and inveteracy against me had not been more powerful with them, than the confideration of your majefty's honour and

had taken upon himself to tranfact the difpofition of his two and a half per cent. with ⚫ the duke of Marlborough, the ⚫ commiflioners were of opinion,

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that he ought to have tranf⚫mitted conftant accounts of it to Mr. Bridges, whofe agent he only was; and not to have negotiated fo large fums of public money in fo clandeftine " a manner. That, by the warrant, this deduction was re• ferved for the defraying extraordinary contingent expences of the troops, from whom it was stopped; and, if the whole had been employed in fecret correfpondence and intelligence, there must have been ⚫ fome neglect of the other fervices, for which it was originally defigned; and fuch a dif'pofition, being in no fort authorized by the warrant, was a mifapplication of it. Besides, the commiffioners apprehended, that the article for fecret fervice, to which this deduction was pretended to have been applied, was always in⚫cluded in the ten thousand

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pounds above-mentioned, for the contingencies of the army and, if fo, the whole remained to be accounted for; which, on a computation, made from the whole fum of eleven millions, two hundred ninety-four thousand, fix hundred and fifty nine pounds, four fhillings, and a penny halfpenny, paid by Great-Britain, to, and for all the foreign forces, fince the 23d day of December, 1701, ⚫ amounted to two hundred eighty-two thoufand three hundred fixty-fix pounds, nine 'fhillings, and seven pence. And on a computation made from the fum of feven millions, one hundred and feven thoufand, eight hundred feventy-three pounds, eighteen fhillings, and eleven pence halfpenny, paid to, and for the foreign forces, fince the time aforefaid (exclufive of Italy, Spain, and Portugal) amounted to one hundred and feventy-feven thoufand, fix hundred ninetyfive pounds, feventeen fhillings, and three farthings.'

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1711.

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1711. juftice, they would not have influenced you to impute the • occafion of my difmiffion to a falfe and malicious infinua<tion contrived by themselves, and made public, when there was no opportunity for me to give in my answer; which, they muft needs be conscious, would fully detect the falfhood and malice of their afperfions, and not leave them • that handle for bringing your majesty to fuch extremities • against me.

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But I am much more concerned at an expreffion in your . majefty's letter, which feems to complain of the treatment < you had met with. I know not how to understand that word, nor what conftruction to make of it. I know I have always endeavoured to serve your majefty faithfully and zealously through a great many undeferved mortifications. But if your majefty does intend by that expreffion, to find fault with my not coming to the cabinet council, I am very free to acknowledge, that my duty to your majefty and my country would not give me leave to join in the counfel of a man, who, in my opinion, puts your ma< jefty upon all manner of extremities. And it is not my < opinion only, but the opinion of all mankind, that the friendship of France muft needs be deftructive to your majefty, there being in that court a root of enmity irreconcileable to your majefty's government, and the religion of these kingdoms. I wish your majesty may never hind the want of fo faithful a fervant, as I have always endeavoured to approve myself to you. greatest duty and fubmiffion, Madam,

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The removal of the duke of Marlborough was thought very extraordinary, after fuch long and eminent services; and was fo little expected, that thofe, who looked for precedents, could find none fince the difgrace of Belifarius in Juftinian's time. The only thing pretended to excufe it was, his being confidered as the head of thofe, who oppofed the peace, on which the court feemed to set their hearts.

A refolution The duke of Somerfet continuing to oppose the schemes to remove of the new minifters, it was alfo refolved, in a confultation the duke of about the middle of December, to remove him. But the Somerset, great friendship between the queen and his duchefs (wha

put off.

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was groom of the stole, and first lady of the bed-chamber) 1711. prevented that resolution from being then put in practice (c).

(c) However to fhew their refentment to the duke for oppofing their measures, a pamphlet (faid to be penned by lord-keeper Harcourt, and called, • Advice

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to the October club)' was published, wherein he and his duchefs are both abused and infulted. It is there faid, • It ⚫ would have been a master-piece of prudence, in this cafe, to have made a friend of an enemy: but, whether it were ever-attempted, is now too late to inquire. All accom*modation was rendered defperate, by an unlucky proceeding fome months ago at Windfor, which was a declaration of war too frank and genefor that fituation of af

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rous,

fairs, and, I am told, was not approved by a certain great

• minifter *. It was obvious to

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miniftry, and brought in Mr. Harley, Mr. St. John, Sir Simon Harcourt, and fome others, the first of these being 'made an earl and lord-treafurer, he was soon after blamed his friends, for not making a general sweep of all the whigs, as the latter did of their adverfaries upon her ma'jesty's death, when they came into power. At that time a < great number of parliamentmen, amounting to above two hundred, grew fo warm upon the flowness of the treasurer in this part, that they formed ⚫ themselves into a body, under ⚫ the name of the October club, • and had many meetings, to confult upon fome methods, that might fpur on those in power, fo that they might

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make a quicker dispatch, in * The lordremoving all the whig leaven treasurer. from the employments they + The duke • ftill poffeffed. To prevent the and duchess 'ill confequences of this dfcon- of Somerset, tent among fo many worthy 'members, the rest of the miniftry joined with the treafurer, partly to pacify, and partly to divide thofe, who < were in greater hafte than moderate men thought convenient. It was well known, that the fuppofed author ‡ met a confi- † Harcourt, ⚫derable number of this club in

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1711. The duke was not removed till the 26th of January, and, though endeavours were used to the contrary, his duchess was by the queen continued in her places, which the offered to refign.

The duke of Marlborough's difgrace was attended with other removes, and made way for feveral promotions. The duke of Ormond, with the first regiment of foot-guards, was appointed commander in chief of all the forces in Great-Britain, and foon after, upon the elector of Han

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bly recommend to her majefty fuch gentlemen, whose principles, with regard both to church and ftate, his friends ⚫ would approve of, and he • would be ready to accept their • recommendations. Thus, the earl proceeded in procuring employments for those, who • deserved them by their honefty, and abilities to execute < them. However, the gentlemen of this club ftill continued uneafy, that no quicker progrefs was made in removals, and till thofe, who were least violent, began to foften a little, or, by dividing them, the whole affair dropped. During this difficulty, we have been aflured, that the following

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John Aislaby,
Francis Annefley,
William Bromley,
Robert Byerley,
Henry Campion,
Charles Cæfar,
Sir Robert Davers,
Charles Eversfield,
Ralph Freeman,
Sir Thomas Hanmer,
John Hungerford,
Sir Juftinian Ifham,
George Lockhart,
Sir Roger Moftyn,
Sir John Packington,
Francis Scobel,
William Shippen,
Sir Thomas Thorold,
John Trevanion,

Sir William Whitlockę,
Sir William Windham.

over's refufal to command the queen's forces in Flanders, 1711. captain-general of all her forces at home and abroad. The earl Rivers was made master-general of the ordnance, and colonel of the royal regiment of horse-guards. The duke of Beaufort was appointed captain of the band of penfioners, and brigadier Hill lieutenant of the Tower, in the room of lieutenant-general Cadogan. The countess of Sunderland and the lady Rialton, two of the duke of Marlborough's daughters, refigned their places of ladies of the bedchamber.

Burnet,

The minifters, finding the majority of the house of lords Twelve new could not be brought to favour ther designs, refolved to peers made. make an experiment, which none of our princes had ventured on in former times. A refolution was taken up very fuddenly of making twelve peers all at once, which was accordingly done on the laft day of December, by calling up by writ to the house of lords James lord Compton, eldest fon to the earl of Northampton, and Charles lord Bruce, eldest fon to the earl of Ailefbury; and creating by patent ten new peers of Great-Britain; George Hay, or lord Duplin, of the kingdom of Scotland, the lord-treafurer's fon-in-law, baron Hay of Bedwarden in the county of Hereford; the lord vifcount Windfor of Ireland, baron Montjoy, of the ifle of Wight, in the county of Southamp-. ton; Henry Paget, fon to the lord Paget, baron Burton, of Burton, in the county of Stafford; Sir Thomas Manfel, baron Manfel, of Margam, in the county of Glamorgan; Sir Thomas Willoughby, baron Middleton, of Middleton, in the county of Warwick; Sir Thomas Trevor, baron Trevor, of Bromham, in the county of Bedford; George Granville, baron Lanfdowne, of Biddeford, in the county of Devon; Samuel Masham, baron Masham, of Oates, in the county of Effex; Thomas Foley, baron Foley, of Kidderminster, in the county of Worcester; and Allen Bathurst, baron Bathurst, of Battlefden, in the county of Bedford. Sir Miles Wharton had been offered a peerage; but he thought it looked like the ferving a turn, and that, whereas peers used to be made for fervices, which they had done, he fhould be made for fervices to be done by him; and therefore excufed himself from accepting it; and the favourite's husband, Mr. Mafham, was put in his room. And whereas

formerly Jefferies had the vanity to be made a peer, while he was chief juftice, which had not been practised for some ages; yet the precedent fet by him was followed, and Trevor, chief-juftice of the common pleas, was now ad

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