1711. vanced to be a peer. This creation of peers was looked upon as an undoubted part of the prerogative; fo that there was no ground in law to oppose the receiving the new lords into the house; nor was it poffible to raise in the antient peers a fenfe of the indignity, which was now put upon their house; fince the court did by this openly declare, that they were to be kept in abfolute fubmiffion and obedience, the lords to obeyed. . On the fecond of January the twelve new peers were 1711-12. The queen's introduced into the house of lords without any oppofition; meffage to and, the court-party having by this reinforcement, and by adjourn dif- the coming up of the Scots lords, got the majority, the puted, but house acquiefced in the queen's fullen anfwer to their late address, importing, That her majefty thought her fpeech to both houfes would have given fatisfaction to every body: and, that she had given inftructions to her plenipotentiaries, according to the defires of that addrefs.' This done, the lord-keeper delivered to the house a message from the queen, That, having matters of great importance to • communicate to both houses of parliament, the desired the lords to adjourn immediately to the 14th, the fame day, to which the commons had adjourned themselves.' This occafioned a very warm debate. It was faid, that the queen could not fend a meffage to any one house to adjourn, when the like meffage was not fent to both houses: that the pleasure of the prince in convening, diffolving, proroguing, or ordering the adjournment of parliaments, was always directed to both houfes, but never to any one house, unlefs the fame intimation was made at the fame time to the other. That the confequence of this, if allowed, might be the ordering one houfe to adjourn, while the other was left ftill to fit; and this might end in a total disjointing of the conftitution. The refolution however was carried for adjourning by the weight of the twelve new peers. It is true, the odds were thirteen; but that was, because one of the peers, who had a proxy, without reflecting on it, went away when the proxies were called for (d), The court having received no news of the opening the 1711-12. congrefs, councils were held on Saturday and Sunday the 12th and 13th of January, in which it was debated, Whether the parliament fhould fit, or be defired further to adjourn themselves? and, it being carried for the adjournment, a meffage was on the 14th fent to both houses, importing, "That her majefty fully determined to have been "perfonally present in parliament that day; but, being pre"vented by a fudden return of her gout, her majesty, in hopes the might, by the bleffing of God, be able to speak "to both her houfes of parliament on Thursday next, the 17th of this inftant January, defired them to adjourn "to that day." Both houfes readily complied with this in moft converfations, on that step, many not fcrupling to say, ་ That, though the queen had an undoubted right to create as many peers as the pleased, yet her minifters might be ⚫ called to an account for advifing her to abuse that right. That peace and war were also ⚫ the prerogatives of the crown; ⚫ and yet the engaging in a ruinous war, or making a treacherous peace, are things, 6 which no minifter ever did, ⚫ and escaped uncenfured or unpunished. That the creating ⚫ twelve peers, to serve a turn, was, in effect, making a house • of peers a property to the court, and taking away a negative upon the crown; which • would render our liberties pre⚫ carious. That it could not be denied, that the new-made • peers were men of noble fortunes; and that fome of them ⚫ had shewn a commendable zeal for the prefent establishment; • but who would fecure us, that hereafter fuch a number should • not be made of men of a quite • different character? and, in fhort, that this was a precedent, which might be made ufe of to inflave the nation, 6 no doubt, have been oppofed, and perhaps denied him.' But, after all, the fevereft reflection upon the twelve new peers was made by the earl of Wharton, who, the fame day they were introduced, when the question about adjouring was going to be put, asked one of them, Whe ther they voted by their fore'man?' thereby comparing them. to a petty jury. Boyer. meffage à 1711-12 meffage; but, before the fame was delivered by Mr. St. John to the commons, they ordered their speaker to iffue out writs, for the electing nine members in the room of those called up to the house of peers. Prince Eugene comes Burnet. At this time prince Eugene of Savoy was fent by the emperor to England, to try, if it was poffible to engage our court to go on with the war, offering a new scheme, by Hift, of Eur. which his imperial majesty took a much larger share of it on himself, than the late emperor would bear. The prince having refolved to embark for England, notwithstanding the endeavours used at the Hague to keep him on the other fide of the water, he applied to the earl of Strafford, who wrote the following letter to captain Defborough, commander of the Fubs yatcht: The earl of Strafford's letter to the captain of the Fubs yatcht. Jan. 3. Sir, "Prince Eugene having defired my orders to you to carry " him over, you know, I do not pretend to command any "of her majefty's yatchts, without her fpecial command. "You know your orders, and how far they authorize you "to carry over the prince. You know the respect and con"fideration due to the prince, and his great merit; there"fore, it is needlefs for me to tell you what respect and "confideration you ought to fhew him. I can affure you, "I have a particular respect and esteem for him; and I "fhall always be glad to do the prince all the fervice, that "lies in my power. I am "Your moft humble fervant, Though this letter rather implied a tacit prohibition than a pofitive order, yet, the captain being left to his own difcretion, he thought it his duty, as he could not but esteem it an honour, to carry over fo great a man as prince Eugene, who, on the 8th of January, N. S. embarked at the Brill (with his nephew, the chevalier de Savoye, fon to the count de Soiffons, count de la Corfana, and count Cornelius of Naffau) and on the 1ft of January, O. S. arrived off Harwich, where being informed, that he could not easily get all the neceffary carriages for his attendants, he was perfuaded to go up the Thames. The next day he received, on board the yatcht, near the Buoy of the Nore, an account of the duke of Marlborough's being removed from all his employments, at which he was extremely concerned. Upon advice, advice, that he was coming up by water, the government 1711-IZ. fent down Mr. Drummond, a broken merchant or ftock- w jobber, a creature of the lord-treasurer, and Mr. Brinfden, an oculift, a private agent to Mr. St. John, to attend, or rather to be spies upon the prince. Brinfden being detained at Greenwich by an accidental fprain of his foot, Drummond only waited on the prince with a barge, which carried him from Gravefend to Whitehall; from whence he went in an hackney-coach to Leicefter-Houfe, which count Gallas, before his departure, had prepared for his reception. Immediately, upon his arrival, the prince caufed it to be notified to the treasurer, the facretaries of ftate, and the foreign minifters; and fome of these waited upon him the fame evening; as did the duke of Marlborough, to whom the prince fhewed a diftinguished respect, and with whom he afterwards paffed moft of his time, notwithstanding the caution, which Mr. Drummond had given him, either from himself, or from thofe, who fent him, that the lefs he faw the duke of Marlborough, the better:' to which the prince answered, that, as the miniftry might depend upon it, he would not cabal against them; fo he hoped they • did not expect, he should forbear his ufual familiarity with • his good friend the duke of Marlborough.' On the 6th of January the prince received a compliment from the treafurer, which he inftantly returned by the baron de Hohendorf, and about feven o'clock in the evening went to St. James's-House, where he was introduced by Mr. St. John, to a private audience of the queen, at which none were prefent but the treasurer and Mr. fecretary. After a fhort compliment, which her majefty answered very graciously, he delivered to her a letter from the emperor, which he defired her to perufe, because it contained the fubftance of his errand. After reading the letter, the queen told the prince, that she was forry the ftate of her health did not permit her to speak with his highness as often as otherwise fhe 'fhould be glad to do: but that she had ordered those two ⚫ gentlemen (there prefent) to receive his propofals, and confer with him as frequently as he fhould think proper.' In the mean time people were variously affected by his coming to England at this critical juncture. All the whigs, as well as fome tories, who began to be jealous, that a peace would be concluded upon difhonourable terms, were very glad of his arrival, hoping, that, by the propofals he was faid to bring from the emperor, he would prevail, if not to break off the prefent negotiation, at leaft to engage Great Britain 1711-12. Britain to make early preparations to carry on the war, as the most effectual means to obtain a safe and honourable peace. Upon this confideration, and the great fame of his actions, multitudes of people crowded to see him, and with loud acclamations attended him wherever he went. On the other hand, the friends of France, and of the pretender, who were equally defirous of a peace, upon any conditions, being apprehenfive, that he would blast their expectations, could not forbear fhewing their discontent; and a rude rabble committed fome diforders in Leicester-Fields, the fecond night after his arrival. A more flagrant inftance of the malice of that party was seen on the 8th of January in the Poft-boy, where an advertisement was inferted, infamously reflecting on the countefs of Soiffons, the prince's mother'; which fcandalous affront the prince overlooked with his usual magnanimity; and by his difcret carriage convinced all, that he was not come to meddle with inteftine divisions, but rather to endeavour to bring the leading men of both parties to fuch a temper, as might conduce to remove any difficulties, that might obftruct the carrying on the common cause. This indeared him to every body, and gained him more respect, than was ever fhewn in England to any foreign prince, fo that, for two whole months, the nobility and gentry of both parties vied with one another who fhould entertain him (e). (e) The perfons, who diftinguifhed themselves by this generous emulation, were the dukes of Marlborough, Ormond, Buckingham, Montague, Schomberg, Devonshire, Shrewsbury, Richmond, and Grafton; the earls Pawlet, Sunderland, Portland, Oxford, Rivers, Wharton, Berkley, Stair, and Orkney; the lords Lexington, Ashburnham, Halifax, and North and Grey; Sir Thomas Hanmer; the honourable Mr. Henry Boyle; Mr. fecretary St. John; general Palmes; the foreign ministers then in London; Dr. Garth and Dr. Radcliffe, two of the most eminent physicians. It was then currently reported, that, when CHA P. the prince dined with the lordtreasurer, the latter, among other compliments, told his highness, that he looked upon that day as the happieft in the whole courfe of his life, fince he had the honour to fee in his house the greatest captain of this age.' To which the prince replied, that, if he were, he was obliged to his lordship for it;' alluding to the earl's being the author of the duke of Marlborough's difgrace, which rid him of a competitor in military glory. It was observed the prince was not entertained by the lord Dartmouth. On the 14th of January, Sir Alexander Cairnes, bart. and Sir Theodore |