Duc de Choifeul, was ambitious to annex Corficà to its other dominions. The Genoefe, perceiving no profpect of a termination of the war, at length made a formal ceffion of the ifland to the French King; and a very large body of forces was immediately ordered to embark, for the purpose of taking poffeffion. This could not fail to excite great jealousy and alarm in the several Courts of Europe most adverse to France; and England and Holland, in particular, presented, by their respective Ambaffadors, strong memorials to the Court of Verfailles, expreffive of their refolution not to fuffer this addition to the power of the French Monarchy.

In confequence of this fpirited language, the Duc de Choifeul began to waver; and Lord Rochford, in his difpatches tranfinitted at this period to England, seemed not to harbor a doubt that France would finally concede in every point required of her. Moft unfortunately the Duc de Choifeul received, at this critical moment, whether through treachery or grofs and unpardonable indiscretion is not clearly afcertainable, fatisfactory affurances that the Cabinet of England would not, in the prefent circumftances, involve the nation in hoftilities on account of this object. Suddenly the language of the French Court became haughty and peremptory, and breathed an air of hoftility and defiance. The English Minifters, aftonifhed at this alteration, and at a lofs how to decide, fent,

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together with a confiderable fupply of arms and ammunition, a private message to General Paoli, defiring full information refpecting the defence he was able to make, and how long he deemed that Corfica would be competent to resist the force employed on this fervice. General Paoli, instead of ingenuously acknowledging that the island must fall without immediate and powerful fuccors from England, affirmed, that it could not be reduced in lefs than eighteen months; erroneously imagining perhaps, that to magnify the ftrength and refources of his country might be the most effectual means of inducing England to take a decided part in her favor. But while the English Minifters were hesitating and deliberating, the French arms made a rapid and alarming progrefs; and Paoli, difcerning no fymptoms of vigor in the Englifh counfels, thought proper to make a seasonable retreat, leaving his unfortunate country to its hard and unmerited fate. He was however well received by the Court of London on his subsequent arrival in England, and an ample penfion was fettled upon him in reward of his heroism, or, according to the malicious conftruction of fome, as the guarantee of his filence.

Parliament was convened early in the prefent year 1768; but nothing peculiarly interefting or important occurred in the courfe of the feffion, with the fingle exception of a bill introduced and VOL. I. patronifed

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patronifed by the Oppofition, under the denomination of the Nullum Tempus Bill, for quieting the poffeffions of the fubject, and fecuring them from all obfolete and vexatious claims, with a particular view to the claims of the Crown, against which it was held to be a maxim of law that no prefcription could be pleaded. This bill originated in an incident of an extraordinary nature. The Portland family had, in confequence of a grant from King WILLIAM, poffeffed for seventy years the honor of Penrith and its appurtenances, fituated in the county of Cumberland. The foreft of Inglewood, and the manor and caftle of Carlifle, being confidered as parts of this grant, were quietly enjoyed by the family for feveral descents, under the fame tenure, though not particularly specified. Sir James Lowther, the fon-in-law of Lord Bute, being apprized of this omiffion, made, a clandeftine application to the Crown for a leafe of the premises in question; and the Surveyor-General of the Crown Lands, though no lawyer, nor acting on the opinion of any lawyer, took upon him to decide, that these eftates were ftill vefted in the Crown. Orders were therefore iffued for a new grant to Sir James Lowther, in which the foccage of Carlifle was rated at 50l. per annum, and the foreft of Inglewood at 14s. 4d. though in reality of immenfe value, and commanding an extenfive election influence. When the Board of

Treafury

Treasury met after a long adjournment, the Duke of Portland prefented to the Lords a memorial, in which he prayed to be heard by their Lordships in defence of his title. He was informed that no step would be adopted to his prejudice, till an impartial investigation had taken place. But whilst the Duke's agents and folicitors were employed in a laborious fearch into antient and mouldered monuments, furveys, and court-rolls, his Grace was informed, that the grant was actually completed; and, notwithstanding the caveat entered in the Court of Exchequer, the Chancellor Lord North affixed the feal, in pursuance of a pofitive order from the Lords of the Treasury.

When this moft extraordinary bufinefs came under parliamentary difcuffion, the advocates of the Court maintained, "that the premises in queftion were no part of the honor of Penrith, and that the refumption was therefore juftifiable; that the family of Portland was fufficiently paid for any fervices which it might have rendered the nation ; and after enjoying for the space of seventy years an estate to which it had no right, it was faid they might now be contented to refign it into the hands of the true owner." The Oppofition indignantly replied," that the revival of the obfolete and dormant prerogative of refumption, in the face of a long and uninterrupted prescription, was in the highest degree deteftable and alarming;-that refumptions

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fumptions had been practifed only by the worst or most arbitrary of our princes, and even by them with caution, as fenfible of the general abhorrence which every act of that kind muft excite. The maxim on which they were founded, was afferted to be the difgrace of the prerogative, and the fcandal of the law; and it could fcarcely have been imagined, that the most enlightened ages would revive a practice which the darkest times had held in deteftation. All the lands of the kingdom have been at different times in the hands of the Sovereign, and a large proportion of them, from the lofs of authentic deeds, may be liable to fimilar claims; and thus the subject may be haraffed and ruined by frivolous and vexatious fuits, whenever he becomes obnoxious to an arbitrary Ministry. To ground a proceeding of this nature upon the mere report of the Surveyor-General of the Crown, unfupported by any authority of law, was reprobated as a mockery and infult, amounting to an evident abandonment of every principle of equity and juftice. When our Kings had little other fixed revenue than what arose from their demefne lands, refumptions might be more eafily deemed pardonable; but when a vaft permanent revenue was fettled by Parliament on the Crown, the plea of neceffity is wholly precluded; not to mention that the referved rent was too contemptible a confideration to be fuppofed in the re

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