possessed the power of peremptorily nominating her successor, James Frederick would have ascended the throne on her demise. In 1706, he sent over an agent, named Hooke, to confer with his adherents in England and Scotland; and they, in return, despatched a Captain Stratton as their representative, to his little court at St. Germaine. At this time, although his friends, the Tories, "were for keeping quiet during the queen's life," the Scotch Jacobites, who appear to have been enthusiastically attached to the descendant of their native kings, evinced so strong an inclination to rise in his behalf, that an insurrection would probably have taken place, had not Stratton failed in obtaining any assurance of help from Louis the Fourteenth, whose powers were then fully employed by the forces under the Duke of Marlborough. In 1707, Jacobitism was openly professed in all the chief cities in Scotland; and the rejoicings in Edinburgh on James Frederick's birth-day were as open and general, as though he had been seated on the throne. In 1708, the French king secretly fitted out an expedition against Scotland, at Dunkirk, which it was determined the Pretender should accompany; and the most sanguine hopes were entertained of its success; the Scotch being, at that time, exasperated against government by the act of union, which had recently been passed. The day before James Frederick, who now assumed the title of the Chevalier de St. George, departed from St. Germaine, Louis the Fourteenth presented him with a diamond-hilted sword, and wished him success in the approaching contest. The Chevalier stated in answer, "That if it should be his good fortune to get possession of the throne of his ancestors, he would not content himself with returning his thanks by letters and ambassadors, but would shew his gratitude by deeds; nay, he would come in person to acknowledge the royal protection and assistance which he had experienced." "The best I can wish you, sir," replied the French king, "is, that I may never see you again!" After some delays, the Chevalier embarked with the French armament; which, however, was compelled to return to France without having landed a single soldier in Scotland. Shortly afterwards, the Chevalier joined the French army in Flanders, and appeared in arms against those whose allegiance he claimed, at the battle of Oudenarde; where, according to the French writers, he displayed prodigies of valour, while the Dutch accounts, on the contrary, state, that he calmly witnessed the contest from the summit of a steeple. Humbled by defeat, Louis the Fourteenth at length offered to acknowledge Queen Anne as rightful sovereign of these kingdoms, and no longer to afford the Chevalier an asylum in France. No pacification, however, was effected, and James Frederick still continued to reside at St. Germaine. In Scotland, he had lost none of his adherents: and they continued to display their sentiments in his favour, with an audacity which appears, at that time, to have been by no means remarkable. In 1711, the Duchess of Gordon sent a medallion portrait of him to the faculty of advocates at Edinburgh; and, on a discussion taking place as to the propriety of receiving it, the meeting decided, by a large majority, (sixty-three against twelve,) that the duchess should be thanked, in the warmest terms, "for having presented them with a medal of their sovereign lord the king." Soon after the peace of Utrecht, the French minister at the Hague declared, that his sovereign would no longer countenance the Chevalier, or any of his adherents: and when, on the death of Queen Anne, James Frederick posted to Versailles, Louis the Fourteenth not only refused to see him, but requested that he would immediately quit the French territories. "I am surprised," added he, "at the Chevalier's return to my dominions; knowing, as he does, my engagements with the house of Hanover, and that I have aleady acknowledged George the First." The Chevalier appears to have indulged in a hope that he should have succeeded Queen Anne: but notwithstanding several meetings were held, for the purpose of procuring a repeal of the act of settlement, and of conferring on her majesty the right of appointing a successor, and although he possessed a number of powerful friends in terms much more zealous than respectful." At length, on the 22nd of December, 1715, he arrived at Peterhead, in the north of Scotland, "when," says Bolingbroke, "there remained no hope of a commotion in his favour among the English, and many of the Scotch began to grow cool in his cause. No prospect of success could engage him in this expedition, but it was become necessary for his reputation. The Scotch reproached him for his delay, and the French were extremely eager to have him gone." in this country, nothing decisive was effected on his behalf; and his cause was ruined, as much by the weak and vacillating conduct of the Tories, as by the skilful and energetic measures of the Elector of Hanover's Whig supporters. On the day before the arrival of George the First at Greenwich, a proclamation was issued, offering a reward of £100,000 for the apprehension of the Pretender, on the event of his landing in this country; and soon afterwards, James Frederick sent copies of a spirited declaration of his rights, to most of the English nobility. These documents being dated at Plombières, in the territories of the Duke of Lor-parently at his leisure, with a few adraine, the latter received a remonstrance from England, for harbouring the personal enemy of the king. The duke replied with civility, but still permitted the Chevalier to reside in Lorraine. The zeal of the Scotch Jacobites, on behalf of James Frederick was materially increased by their antipathy to the reigning monarch; and at length, early in September, 1715, he was proclaimed king, at Castletown, and his standard set up by the Earl of Mar. A large body of his adherents speedily assembled; many parts of England, as well as a large portion of Scotland, were decidedly in his favour; he was openly proclaimed in Cornwall; and at Oxford he was so popular, that a collegian there thus addressed one of his friends in London:-"We fear nothing, but drink King James's health daily." Had he appeared among his friends at this auspicious period, there would have been some probability of their exertions being crowned with success; but omitting to take the tide of his affairs at its flood, he loitered abroad, until his adherents had become so disheartened by defeat, and diminished in numbers, as to be totally incapable of making any important attempt on his behalf; and amused himself by issuing a long declaration from Commercy, when he ought to have been at the head of his troops, fighting a battle on the borders. "The Scots," says Bolingbroke, who at that time was the Chevalier's secretary of state," had long pressed him to come amongst them, and had sent frequent messages to quicken his departure, some of which were delivered From Peterhead he proceeded, ap herents, who, as well as himself, were disguised as naval officers, through Newburg and Aberdeen, to Fetterosse, where he was met by about thirty noblemen, including the Earl of Mar, and a small party of horse. He now appeared in public, and went through the absurd mummery of forming a court, appointing his officers of state, conferring the honour of knighthood on some of his adherents, and granting peerages to others. He was proclaimed with a solemnity which his circumstances rendered truly ridiculous, in front of his lodgings; and received various congratulatory addresses on his accession. Having re-issued the Commercy declaration, he sent copies of it all over Scotland, and many of the constituted authorities thought proper to publish it, in obedience to his orders. On the 2nd of January he quitted Fetterosse, and early on the morning of the 5th made his public entry into Dundee, where he remained a full hour on horseback, in the market-place, permitting the people, indiscriminately, to kiss his hand. On the 7th he arrived at the palace of Scone, where the coronation of the Scottish kings had formerly been celebrated. Two days afterwards he visited Perth, but returned to Scone in the evening, after having reviewed a small body of troops, in the highland costume, which, it is said, he had never before seen. He then issued several proclamations, by one of which he appointed his coronation to take place on the 23d of January, and called a grand council of the rebel chiefs, to whom he delivered the following speech: "I am now, on your repeated invitation, come amongst you. No other argument need be used of the great confidence I place in your loyalty and fidelity to me, which I entirely rely on. I believe you are convinced of my intentions to restore the ancient laws and liberties of this kingdom:-if not, I am still ready to confirm to you the assurance of doing all you can require therein. The great discouragements which presented were not sufficient to deter me from placing myself at the head of my faithful subjects, who were in arms for me; and whatever may ensue, I shall leave them no reason for complaint, that I have not done the utmost they could expect from me. Let those who forget their duty, and are negligent of their own good, be answerable for the worst that may happen. For me, it will be no new thing if I am unfortunate. My whole life, even from my cradle, has shewn a constant series of misfortunes; and I am prepared (if so it please God) to suffer the threats of my enemies and yours. The preparations against us will, I hope, quicken your resolutions, and convince others, from whom I have promises, that it is now no time to dispute what they have to do. But if they are unmindful of their own safety, it will be my greatest comfort, that I have done all that could be expected from me. I recommend to you what is necessary to be done in the present conjuncture, and, next to God, rely on your counsel and resolution." This address produced a flash of enthusiasm in the council; which, however, reflection speedily extinguished; and before the meeting broke up, it was determined that the enterprise should be abandoned, as being utterly hopeless. But it was necessary, for the Chevalier's safety, that the people should not become acquainted with the result of their leaders' deliberations, until the Chevalier had effected a retreat. Preparations for the defence of Perth, against the approaching royal army, were therefore made; some villages in the outskirts were even burnt, on the ostensible motive, that a besieging force might occupy them, to the imminent danger of the town; and expresses were sent out to hurry in all the expected reinforcements. It appears, that although without money, food, or arms, the Chevalier wished to maintain Perth, or even to hazard a battle. "The enemy," says the Earl of Mar, "was more than eight thousand strong, and we had but two thousand five hundred that could be relied on; we were in the midst of a severe winter; were without fuel; and the town was utterly indefensible. We therefore retired to Montrose, where there is a good harbour. It was now represented to the Chevalier, that as he had no immediate hope of success, he owed it to his people to provide for his safety, by retiring beyond sea. It was hard to bring him to think of this, though the enemy was in full march towards us, and our only chance was to retreat among the mountains: besides, that while he was with us, the danger to all parties was increased, owing to their eagerness to seize his person. At length he consented, though with great unwillingness, and I dare say no consent he ever gave was so uneasy to him." After having forwarded to the Duke of Argyle, the king's general, a considerable sum, for the relief of those whose property had been destroyed in the burnt villages near Perth, he directed that nearly all the remainder of his money should be distributed among his adherents, reserving little or nothing for himself. Fearing some obstruction to his departure, he ordered his horses and guard to be drawn up in front of the house where he lodged, as though he intended to proceed on the march with his forces. He then slipped out at the back door, and having reached the water-side undiscovered, embarked with those whom he had selected as the companions of his flight, on board a small vessel, which had been destined to carry a gentleman on an embassy to some foreign court. After a voyage of five days, although nine men-of-war were cruizing off the coast to prevent his escape, he arrived, on the 8th of February, in safety, at Gravelines. "The Chevalier," says Bolingbroke, "was not above six weeks in his expedition. On his return to St. Germaine, the French government wished him to repair to his old asylum with the Duke of Lorraine before he had time to refuse it. But nothing was meaned by this but to get him out of France immediately. I found him in no disposition to make such haste, for he had a mind to stay in the neighbourhood of Paris, and wished to have a private meeting with the regent. This was refused; and the Chevalier, at length, declared that he would instantly set out for Lorraine. His trunks were packed, his chaise was ordered to be ready at five that afternoon, and I sent word to Paris that he was gone. At our interview he affected much cordiality towards me; and no Italian ever embraced the man he was going to stab with a greater show of affection and confidence. Instead of taking post for Lorraine, he went to the little house in the Bois de Boulogne, where his female ministers resided; and there he continued lurking for several days, pleasing himself with the air of mystery and business, whilst the only real business which he should have had at that time lay neglected. The Thursday following, the Duke of Ormond brought me a scrap of paper in the Chevalier's handwriting, and dated on the Tuesday, to make me believe it was written on the road, and sent back to his grace. The kingly laconic style of the paper was, that he had no further occasion for my services, accompanied by an order to deliver up all the papers in my office to Ormond, all which might have been contained in a moderate-sized letter-case. Had I literally complied with the order, the duke would have seen, from his private letters, how meanly the Chevalier thought of his capacity; but I returned those papers privately." Notwithstanding the failure of his recent attempt in Scotland, the Chevalier still possessed a great number of well-wishers on both sides of the Tweed. Oxford was still eminently disloyal: white roses, the avowed symbol of Jacobitism, being openly worn there on James Frederick's birth-day. Having been compelled, at the instance of George the First, to retire from Avignon, which he had for some time made his place of residence, the Chevalier crossed the Alps, and repaired to Rome, where he was received with great cordiality by the pope. His ha bits had hitherto been so disgracefully licentious as to render him contemptible even to his own servants; and his best friends, as much in the hope that matrimony would reform him, as for the purpose of continuing his race, earnestly urged him to marry. He, accordingly, made proposals, in 1718, to espouse a daughter of the Emperor of Russia; but, principally through the intrigues of George the First, his offers were rejected. Before this period, the king of Sweden, in order to annoy the English monarch, had professed a warm friendship towards him, without, however, making any effort in his behalf; and the Chevalier began to despair of obtaining assistance from foreign princes, when, in 1718-19, Cardinal Alberoni, prime minister of Spain, sent him a pressing invitation to visit the court of Madrid. The emissaries of the English government watched him so closely, that, in order to effect a secret retreat from Italy, he was compelled to have recourse to stratagem. Exchanging dresses with his courier, whom he sent forward with-instructions, to declare, if he were stopped, that the clothes he wore were his own, the Chevalier followed at some distance, and safely reached Neturno, where he embarked for Spain, and arrived in Catalonia without accident. The Spanish court received him in a most gratifying manner, and a powerful armament was prepared at Cadiz for the invasion of England in his behalf; but the expedition was so decidedly unsuccessful, that, on account of bad weather, the greater part of the vessels were disabled, having only approached within many leagues of their destination. Meanwhile, a treaty for his marriage had been concluded with Clementina Maria, a daughter of Prince Sobieski, eldest son of John, King of Poland. The princess, to the deep dishonour of all the parties concerned in the transaction, was seized while passing through the Tyrol, in her journey towards Rome, on the instigation, it is said, of the British minister at Vienna. After having been kept a close prisoner for some time, at Inspruck, early in May, 1719, she escaped, in the disguise of a page, to Bologna, where she was married to James Frederick by proxy. So eager did she feel to behold her husband, who was still in Spain, that she was with difficulty prevented from proceeding at once to Madrid. The Chevalier soon afterwards returned, and, in commemoration of her escape, caused a medal to be struck, bearing her portrait, and the legend, "Clementina, Queen of Great Britain, France, and Ireland," on one side; and, on the other, a female figure in a triumphal car, drawn by horses at full speed, with the words, "Fortunam causamque sequor;" and underneath, "Deceptis custodibus, 1719." The Chevalier expected a vast fortune with his wife; but he only received a portion out of the Sobieski estate, which, on account of its previous encumbrances, was of very little value. He had two children by the princess Charles Edward and Henry Benedict; but as matrimony had not the effect of weaning him from his former illicit courses, it added but little to his happiness. In 1720, his avowed friend, the King of Sweden, entered into a solemn engagement with George the First, to render the Chevalier no assistance; and, in the following year, died Clement the Eleventh, whose favour and protection he had for a long time enjoyed. The expiring pontiff, in the presence of several cardinals, recommended the exiled prince most strongly to whomsoever should succeed to the papal chair; entreating that he might be permitted to reside, so long as he pleased, in the palace which he had for some time past occupied, that his pension might be continued until he recovered his crown, and that his legitimate views might, on all occasions, be zealously forwarded. In 1722, the Chevalier sent to this country a declaration of his rights, which was voted a scandalous libel by parliament, and ordered to be publicly burnt at the exchange. For several years afterwards, James Frederick and his personal adherents amused themselves by forming visionary schemes for his restoration; but, at length, he became indolent, and apparently hopeless. He took no part in the romantic expedition of his son, in 1745. "By the aid of God," said the young Pretender to his father, when preparing to depart for Scotland," I trust I shall soon be able to lay three crowns at your feet."-" Be careful, my dear boy," replied the Chevalier, for I would not lose you for all the crowns in the world." The failure of his son's attempt to procure his restoration does not appear to have had any material influence on his health, however it might have affected his spirits. During the remainder of his long life, he resided at Rome, under the protection of the pope, but neither honoured nor beloved. He lived to be pitied by the house of Hanover, and almost forgotten by the children of those of his party who would willingly have died for his benefit. The following is an abridgment of Keysler's notice of James Frederick, published in 1756: -"The figure made by the Pretender is in every way mean and unbecoming. The pope has issued an order that all his subjects should style him King of England; but the Italians make a jest of this, for they term him, The local king, or king here,' while the real possessor is styled The king there,' that is, in England. He has an annual income of 12,000 scudi, or crowns, from the pope, and though he may receive as much more from his adherents in England, it is far from enabling him to keep up the state of a sovereign prince. He is very fond of seeing his image struck on medals; and if kingdoms were to be obtained by tears, which he shed plentifully at the miscarriage of his attempts in Scotland, he would have found the medallists work enough. Not to mention the former medals, the one at present in hand, shews that his life is not very thick set with great actions, for it relates to the birth of his eldest son, and represents the busts of the Pretender and his lady, with this legend- Jacob. III. R. Clementina R.' On the reverse is a lady with a child on her left arm, leaning on a pillar, as the emblem of constancy, and with her right hand pointing to a globe, on which is seen England, Scotland, and Ireland-the legend Providentia obstetrix,' and below, Carolo Princ. Valliæ, nat. die ultimâ A. 1720.' The Pretender generally appears abroad with three coaches, and his household consists of about forty persons. He lately assumed some authority at the opera, by calling Encore!' when a song that pleased him was performed; but it was not until |