intimate a manner with her enemy, that it was rendered impoffible to diftinguish the one from the other. In this point, however, prudence was to interpofe, and circumftances to direct. It was not therefore, until every attempt to bring Spain to a clear declaration of pacific intentions had been tried without fuccefs, in the manner we have already feen, the war was actually declared against her. This declaration was made, on our part, in London, the 2d of January of the prefent year.

Since Great Britain was a kingdom, she never was in fuch a doubtful and dangerous fituation; for at this time the was engaged, directly or indirectly, in a war, not only with all the great continental powers, but what is more material, with the most confiderable part of the maritime ftrength of Europe. According to the ordinary computations, the navy of Spain confifted of more than an hundred men of war; and though the French navy was greatly reduced, it became of confideration when added to the Spanish. Great efforts were made to render it refpectable. Several communities in France engaged to fit out men of war at their own expence; and in general that whole people felt, after having been funk under a long defpondency, a momentary glow of hope and animation from this alliance, fo powerful in its real ftrength, and in its principles fo flattering to the national vanity. The glory of their royal houfe was, on this occafion, united with the fafety of their country. They were reinforced by the molt cordial amity of a power untouched in its resources of men, money, and ftores; whilft Great

Britain was exhaufted of men by her many victories, and her refourceswere finking under a debt of more than one hundred millions.

Befides, a rude fhock had been lately given to the fyftem of the English miniftry, which might be fuppofed, in fome degree, likely to affect public credit. The part which Mr. P. might finally take, and the confequences which might refult from his actions, were extremely undetermined; nor was it at all clear, what degree of harmony and real confidence continued amongst the feveral parts of the fubfifting adminiftration. All these confiderations could not fail of infpiring France with great confidence.

Great Britain, under these circumftances, had, however, fome things in her favour.. The hope of plunder, which always attends a Spanish war, disposed the minds of many towards the prefent; and was fure to call forth a very vigorous exertion both of public and private ftrength. This circumftance alfo infured the fupplies.

With regard to the administration, their delay in entering into this Spanish war, contrary to the ideas of Mr. P. his refignation in confequence of this delay; the neceffity which fo foon after appeared, of engaging in hoftilities, and which, to the bulk of the people, feemed to juftify the fentiments of that miniter, together with a recollection of the fingular fpirit with which the French war had been carried on, muft neceffarily have excited them to the most ftrenuous efforts, and to every act of laudable emulation. There was a neceffity of fhewing, that the fpirit of the nation, and the wifdom of its coun[B] 3

cils,

ments of the capacity of her former kings and commanders. During the interval of her fubjection, new commercial powers had rifen, fome on the ruins of her fortune, and others upon different, but not lefs fubftantial foundations. Though the Brazils were recovered, and Goa and fome other places in India remained ftill to Portugal, her maritime power, and the hare of trade, on which it depended, were not recoverable. Contrary to the fate of other nations, who have fhaken off a foreign dominion, he did not owe her liberty to great abilities. Whilft the United Provinces were firft freed, and afterwards aggrandized, by the capacity of the princes of Orange, and whilft Pruffia, from an inconfiderable and dependant principality, grew into a formidable monarchy by the genius of her fovereigns, Portugal continued to languish in a ftate of mediocrity. Without any fymptoms of danger to her existence, the fuffered a gradual decay of her power and confideration. The character of her government was narrow and bigotted, and the whole fyftem of her commerce prepofterous. If, on the one hand, a long peace added to the refources of her revenue, it, on the other, abfolutely annihilated her military; and no country in the world had an army fo incomplete in numbers, fo ill furnished with arms, fo deficient in difcipline, and fo wholly unprovided of able and experienced officers.

In this condition fhe fuffered a fatal blow from the earthquake in 1756. The wealthy and flourish ing city of Lisbon was laid level with the ground; near thirty thoufand of the inhabitants were buried in the ruins; and those who

remained, with the court itfelf, were reduced to the utmost distress and mifery.

As if this earthquake, which overturned their capital, had alfo fhaken and diftracted the frame of their government, and the temper of their minds, the most dreadful diftempers broke out in the state. A feries of horrid crimes, and of cruel punishments, fucceeded to this calamity. The moft noble and wealthy family of Portugal, having engaged itself in a facrilegious attempt on the life of their fovereign, was cut off at once, with little diftinction of fex or age, by a bloody and dreadful exertion of justice. Many others, who were accufed or fufpected, fuffered death, or exile, or imprisonment. Amongst thefe, and from the fame caufes, one of the moft confiderable religious orders for wealth, influence, and policy, was ftripped of its poffeffions, and entirely driven out of the country.

All thefe circumstances left this unhappy kingdom in the utmost weakness and confufion. All thofe, and they were not a few, who were attached by connection of blood or intereft to the nobles that had fuffered, or by religious prejudice to the Jefuits who had been expelled, could never be cordially relied upon by the crown, and were probably as little inclined to any extraordinary efforts in favour of a government, which their refentments must have reprefented to them as no better than a bloody tyranny.

The Bourbon confederacy had fome ground to fuppofe that Portugal, in this fituation, would not have courage to withstand their menaces, and much lefs ability for any long time to refift their [B] 4

efforts.

efforts. The Spanish army overfpread the frontiers of Portugal; the commerce of corn between the two kingdoms was prohibited, and every thing threatened a fudden 6th Mar. invafion. In the midst of these hoftile preparations, the French and Spanish minifters prefented a joint memorial to the court of Lisbon, which was followed by feveral others. The purport of these memorials was to períuade his most faithful majesty to enter into the alliance, and co-operate in the measures of the two crowns, against Great Britain.

It was not eafy to find very convincing arguments to induce Portugal to adopt fo extraordinary a change of fyftem. The united crowns, in a memorial which was figned by the ambaffadors of both, infifted largely on the tyranny which Great Britain exerted upon all powers, especially the maritime, and upon Portugal among the reft; on the particular infult which had been offered to her jurifdiction, by Boscawen's attack on de la Clue's fquadron in a Portuguese harbour; on that affinity, by which the two monarchs of Spain and Portugal are as clofely connected by their ties of blood, as all powers are by a common intereft, to oppose the ambitious defigns of the English.

Whatever thefe arguments were deficient in reafon, was made up by a frong infinuation of force. The memorial concluded with a decla ration, that as foon as his mot faithful majefty had taken his refolution, which they doubted not would prove favourable, their army was ready to enter Portugal, and to garrifon the principal ports of that kingdom, in order to prevent

the danger to which they might be expofed from the attempts of the English.

The two minifters added to this extraordinary memorial, that they were ordered by their courts to demand a categorical anfwer in four days; and that any delay, beyond that time, fhould be confidered as a negative.

The fituation of Portugal was at this time certainly worthy of compaffion. If, contrary to her known interefts, contrary to her antient connections, and to the faith of treaties, the thould engage in this offenfive alliance, the muft expect to see her territories and her colonies expofed to the formidable navies of England. This, however dangerous condefcenfion, was not to fecure her; by her own act, the would have put herself, bound hand and foot, into the power of the Bourbon alliance: and having received foreign garrifons into all her places of ftrength, would have reduced herfelf to the condition of a province of Spain. On the other hand, if she adhered to her faith, and attempted to maintain her independency, an army of fixty thoufand men was ready to enter her territories, which contained no place of real ftrength, and which had not twenty thousand troops, and thofe ill armed, and worfe difciplined, to defend it.

In this emer ency, the firmness of the king of Portugal was eminent, and fuch as muit deliver his name to pofterity to the utmost diftinguished advantage. He refolved fteadily to adhere to his antient and natural alliance, and to brave all dangers and difficulties, that he might preferve his fidelity inviolabie; following that generous maxim of king John of France,

that

that if good faith were to be banifhed from all other parts of the world, it ought to be found in the breaft of fovereigns.

His answer to this infulting propofition was humble and moderate, but firm he observed, that the ties, which equally united him to GreatBritain and the two crowns, rendered him as proper a mediator to them all, as they made it improper for him to declare himself an enemy to any of them; that his alliance with England was antient, and therefore could give no offence at this conjuncture; that it was purely defenfive, and therefore innocent in all its circumftances, that the late fufferings of Portugal difabled her (in cafe the were willing) from taking part in an offenfive war, into the calamities of which, neither the love his faithful majetty bore to his fubjects as a father, nor the duty by which he was bound to them as a king, could fuffer him to plunge them. Finally, he reminded the catholic king of his pacific difpofitions, by which, on former occafions, he had yielded fo much, to preferve peace between the two kingdoms.

This reafonable and moderate anfwer drew on replies, which more and more difclofed the true character and fpirit of the Bourbon con federacy. They denied that the alliance with England was purely defenfive, or entirely innocent; and for this unheard of reason, that the defenfive alliance is converted into an offenfive one, from the fitaation of the Portuguefe dominions, and from the nature of the English parver: the English fquad on, faid they, cannot keep the fea in all feafous, nor cruize on the principal coafts for cutting off the French and Spanish

navigation, without the ports and the affiftance of Portugal; that these iflanders could not infult all maritime Europe, if all the riches of Portugal did not pass into their hands; that therefore Portugal furnishes them with the means to make war; and their alliance with the court of Great Britain is offenfive.

Certainly, the fituation of a country was never before given as a reafon, however it might have ferved as a fecret motive, for declaring war against it. Nor was it before heard, that the common advantages of trade, derived from a neutral nation, could be deemed an act of hoftility. Thefe were rather infults than arguments. And the whole proceedings of the united crowns were in the fame ftrain: they undertook to judge for Portugal of the pretended yoke which was im. pofed upon her by England, and which the could not herself discover; to refent injuries for her, for which fhe had received and accepted fatiffaction; and, as if this had not been indignity fufficient, they infultingly inform the king of Portugal, that he ought to be glad of the neceffity which they laid upon him to make use of his reafon, in order to take the road of his glory, and the common intereft. This neceffity was the immediate march of their army to take poffeffion of his dominions.

So extraordinary a treatment neither intimidated the king from the firmness of his refolution, nor provoked him to change from the moderation of his language. He maintained, that the treaties of league and commerce, which sub. fifted between Portugal and GreatBritain, are fuch as the law of God, of nature, and of nations, have always deemed innocent. He intreat

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