None of the other vessels durst approach the Clive for fear of sharing her fate. The Ambuscade, which had suffered greatly from the enemy's fire, escaped to the Portuguese settlement of Rio de Janeiro. Such of the Lord Clive's crew as, by uncommon dexterity in swimming, reached the shore, were humanely received by the Spaniards, whose resentment was extinguished in the calamity of their enemies. The English came to them naked; they clothed them decently: they were destitute of every necessary; they supplied abundantly all their wants, received them into their houses, and treated them rather like their dearest friends than enemies come to expel them from their possessions.

The war thus closed with an action the fittest that can be imagined to dispose the minds of men to humanity, gentleness, and benevolence, and to prepare them for receiving with approbation the measures which had been taken for giving peace to the four quarters of the world.

* Concluded at Paris the 10th of February, 1763.

CHAP. II.

The Naval History of Great Britain, from the End of the War in 1765, to the Year 1779.

As the war of 1755 had been undertaken in order to protect the British colonies in America against the encroachments of the French, so the security of these. colonies seems to have been the principal object in the treaty of peace, of which the terms were, doubtless, more advantageous to the English settlements in America, than to the island of Great Britain. The unexampled, success of the war enabled England to dictate the conditions of peace. She had it in her option to retain the West India islands of Martinico, Guadaloupe, Mariegalante, and Desiderade, the possession of which would have brought the most important advantages to her commerce, or by ceding these islands, to secure the American settlements on the north by the acquisition of Canada. She preferred the interest of her colonies. It was no less in her power to retain the important conquests she had made from Spain, as to obtain an equivalent for these conquests by stipulating such commercial advantages as would have added immense wealth to Great Britain, or to defend her American colonies in the south by acquiring the forts of St. Augustine and Pensacola, and the extensive country of Florida. In this instance, also, the interest of America prevailed. The colonies were secured from every hostile attack, and, at the price of British blood and treasure, and every national advantage, were placed in such a situation as no longer required the protection of Great Britain. From that moment they may be said to

have obtained independence, when their condition enabled them to assume it.

It has long been observed, that England generally loses by negociation the advantages which she has acquired by force of arms. If this observation be well founded, the circumstance, perhaps, does not so much arise from the unskilfulness of her ministers as from the nature of the English constitution. In a free country there are a great many little interests, all of which must be considered by a minister, and some of which may be allowed, at certain times, in consequence of a particular combination of circumstances, to prevail over the general interest of the community. At the time that the public attention was employed in considering the proposed terms of peace, the conduct of the West India interest in parliament was extremely remarkable. The popular lord-mayor of London assumed the lead among those colonists, who composed a powerful and complete body in the house of commons. These gentlemen, while peace was in agitation, spared neither pains nor expense to persuade the English nation, that it was far more eligible to retain Canada than the West India islands. The reason for their being so anxious to spread this opinion, was, because the possession of the French West Indies would have annihilated. their own importance; whereas the possession of Canada could not detract any thing from the value of Jamaica, Antigua, and the other islands, in which their property consisted. It is said that the late minister had, against his own sentiments, purchased their friendship by complying with their desires in this particular; and their clamorous efforts to render their own voice that of the public, had, doubtless, a considerable influence with the ministers who negociated the peace. But this was not all. The English had not yet learned to separate their own interests from those of America; and those who then held

the helm of affairs were foolishly dazzled with the notion of acquiring an extensive and undisturbed empire across the Atlantic. When the West India patriots observed them determined in this design, and that the retaining Canada and the cession of the islands was a point irrevocable in the negociation, they joined heartily in opposing the whole system of the peace. The odium of this measure was thrown entirely on administration; but the clamour of pretended patriots and the ambition of courtiers had united in bringing about an event which has been one considerable source of the subsequent calamities which have befallen Great Britain.

The parliament which met in the year 1763 approved of the peace, and voted sixteen thousand men to be employed for the sea service for 1764, including four thousand two hundred and eighty-seven marines, The king in his speech had recommended keeping the fleet on a respectable footing; the ordinary of the navy amounted to three hundred and sixty-eight thousand five hundred and ninety-eight pounds, and two hundred thousand pounds was voted toward the building and repairs of his majesty's ships for 1764. Nothing could be more proper than these preparations, which insured the performance of the articles of the general peace on the part of France and Spain; all of which, excepting the liquidation of the Canada bills, and the Manilla ransom, were fulfilled with great punctuality.

Notwithstanding the pacific intentions of the French and Spanish courts, some occurrences unavoidably happened in distant parts which were employed as arguments by the opposers of the peace for again embroiling Great Britain with both these kingdoms. The first event of this kind was a misunderstanding between the English and French commanders in America. This afforded matter for popular declamation; but when the facts were fully explained, it appeared that the differences had entirely arisen from the

commander of an English frigate having, pursuant to his orders from England, obliged a French ship to keep within the bounds of navigation prescribed by treaty. This matter was hardly explained to the satisfaction of the public, when a sloop of war arrived at Portsmouth from #Newfoundland, which represented the French fleet on

that coast as extremely formidable. It was asserted that the French, in direct opposition to the treaty of peace, #intended to fortify St. Peter, and that the British squadron. in those parts commanded by Mr. Paliser, was by no means in a condition to prevent this measure. Upon this intelligence, the party in opposition pronounced a French war to be unavoidable, unless we were disposed to sacrifice all our late conquests. Meanwhile Mr. Paliser despatched a sloop to the French governor at St. Peter to inquire into the truth of the reports which prevailed, and to know if he had mounted cannon and erected works on that island. The governor answered by assurances that there was no more than one four-pounder mounted, without a platform, and with no other intention, than to make signals, and to answer those which were made by the fishermen; that the guard had never exceeded fifty men; and that no works or buildings whatever had been erected contrary to the treaty. The suspicions had arisen from the equivocal conduct of a captain of a French ship of fifty guns, which, as it appeared by the commodore's letters, was the only large vessel the French had in those parts. This ship, with one frigate of twenty-six guns, and another of inferiour force, formed their whole strength, and Mr. Paliser was assured that none of those vessels had ever attempted, or would ever attempt to enter into any of the harbours on the coast of Newfoundland.

The clamour which was excited by the conduct of a French squadron at Turk's island, was supported on a better foundation. This place is the most considerable of number of small islands which go under the same name