in equipping the expedition against the Havannah, under the subsequent administration, who could not avoid attempting this conquest, because the plan of it was left to them by Mr. Pitt. After taking the last of the French islands in the West Indies the victorious troops remained idle a considerable time. Had they been sent immediately against the Havannah, as Mr. Pitt intended, the Spaniards would have been attacked before they were prepared, and the place would have been taken before the unhealthy season commenced. The misfortune was, that though the ministry sent only four ships from England, to join the armament Mr. Pitt had assembled in the West Indies; yet these ships did not sail from England until the month of March 1762; at which time, according to Mr. Pitt's plan, they would have been before the Havannah; for Martinico surrendered on the 12th of February, Our great loss of men at the Havannah was more owing to the unhealthy season, than to the resistance of the enemy *.

* There was a suspicion, and it seems to have been founded on neither ordinary nor weak probability, that the ministry would have rejoiced at a defeat before the Havannah. The officers were appointed upon the recommendation of the Duke of Cumberland, who was not less obnoxious to the faction, called the King's friends, than Mr. Pitt himself. Every thing was delayed, and every thing was sent too late; but the ardour and spirit of the army and navy

CHAP. XX.

State of France.-Mr. Pitt opposed in his design to send some ships to Newfoundland.-That place taken.-Retaken.-Mr. Pitt opposed in his design to attack the Spanish Flota.-Mr. Pitt and Lord Temple opposed in their advice to recall Lord Bristol from Madrid.-Three councils upon it.Mr. Pitt and Lord Temple resign.-Design against Panama and Manilla.-Assertions of Lord Temple and Lord Bute.-The Gazette account of Mr. Pitt's resignation.-Virulence and rancour of the King's party to Mr. Pitt.-His Letter to the City of London-All the Spanish Treasure arrived in Spain.-Explanatory Note.-Mr. Pitt greatly applauded in the City of London.-War declared against Spain.-Epitome of Mr. Pitt's administration.

FRANCE at this time was reduced to the lowest state of distress and despondency. All her colonies were in the hands of Great Britain. Her arms

thwarted the design. The advices of this important conquest arrived in England when the negotiation for peace was nearly finished; the negotiation was prolonged by it, because the ministers were obliged to increase in their demands! a matter that was quite opposite to their private wishes; which were to obtain peace immediately upon any terms, in order to secure their places.

The

had been discomfited in every quarter. payment of her public bills was stopped; and she might literally be called a bankrupt nation. She was reduced to a more distressed and humbled condition by the three years administration of Mr. Pitt, than by the ten years war of the Duke of Marlborough*. Her navy was ruined: She had not at this time ten ships of the line fit for service; yet with these her ministers resolved to make their last effort.

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France had never been so much pressed by England, as she was during Mr. Pitt's administration. An Englishman might, at this period, with some propriety ask, Where were now her 450,000 fighting men, which her ministers boasted of in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth? And where her sailors, who in the same reign fought on board one hundred ships of war? It may be answered, that we had thousands of her sailors in prison, ber of land forces was diminished one half.ced was her navy in November 1759, it is well known she was obliged to force the peasants into that service; and it is well known that, however decreased her armies might be, compared with the flourishing times of Louis the Fourteenth, still it was with the greatest difficulty the government could pay and provide for those armies; and had they resolved upon an augmentation of them, their revenues would have failed to support them, and what is more, the augmentation itself was impracticable. The dregs of the people, and the lower artificers, were already swept away by the recruiting serjeant; and the fields were in a manner abandoned.Whoever travelled through France at that juncture, might see the women not only drive, but hold the plough. And in some provinces it was no uncommon spectacle to behold two women yoked with one cow drawing the plough.

Their design was to obtain a share of the fishery in the North American seas, at a cheaper rate than they could hope to gain it by treaty. From a circumstance that happened during the late negotiation, Mr. Pitt foresaw that they would make this attempt. His diligence and penetration were constant and uniform; and they were not less apparent on this than they had been on every former occasion. Immediately on the departure of M. Bussy, he proposed to send four ships of the line to Newfoundland: but to his great surprise, he was opposed in this measure. The cabinet put a negative upon this proposition. The consequence was, the French took Newfoundland. As soon as Lord Amherst, who was at New York, heard it, he sent his brother and Lord Colville to re-take the island, which they accomplished, before the arrival of any orders from England.

Mr. Pitt now saw, and felt the strength of the new King's party. He did not, however, resign upon this check; because his grand object was Spain. His design was, by an early and vigorous exertion, to cripple that power. He did not suspect the House of Bourbon to have so many friends in England as he afterwards found. The King of Spain had, at this time, an immense treasure at sea, coming from America. He was sensible the King of Spain

would not declare himself until that treasure had arrived. Mr. Pitt's design was to intercept it, and bring it to England. He was confident of the hostile intentions of Spain. The plan of union, which had been negotiating between the courts of France and Spain all the summer at Paris, was now completed: and Mr. Pitt had been furnished with a copy of this treaty of alliance, which included all the branches of the House of Bourbon, and is commonly called the Family Compact. [See Appendix K.] He communicated to the cabinet his resolution of attacking Spain. Lord Bute was the first person who opposed it; he called it rash and unadviseable. Lord Granville thought it precipitate, and desired time to consider of it. Lord Temple supported Mr. Pitt, which he had done uniformly from his coming into office. The Duke of Newcastle was neuter. The Chancellor was absent. Lord Temple and Mr. Pitt submitted to his Majesty their advice in writing, signed by themselves, to recall Lord Bristol (the British ambassador) from Madrid. This was on the 18th of September 1761.

A few days afterwards a second cabinet was summoned upon the same subject. All the cabinet ministers were present. Mr. Pitt asserted that he did not ground his resolution of attack