BOOK IV. the bill, according to his own declaration, as soon as he understood it was ready." At the 1699. same time he expressed his opinion in a speech to both houses, "that there was great hazard in breaking such a number of troops, and his chagrin at the removal of those guards which had come over with him to their assistance, and who had constantly attended him in all the actions wherein he had been engaged. But as nothing could be so fatal as any distrust or jealousy between him and his people, he had for that reason alone been induced to pass the bill: and he desired not to be considered as responsible for its consequences. The house of commons were now so far gratified as to present an address to the king, acknowledging themselves "sensible of the difficulties he had undertaken, the labors he had sustained, and the hazards he had run in rescuing them from popery and arbitrary power, restoring their liberties, and giving peace and quiet to Christendom; and assuring him that they would on all occasions stand by and assist him in the preservation of his sacred person and support of his government, against all his enemies whatsoever." part with his Dutch On this apparent return of good humour, the King comking made an ultimate effort to soften the most pelled to rigid and painful clause of the act, by a royal guards message written with his own hand, delivered to BOOK IV. the commons by lord Ranelagh, couched in the 1699. following terms: "His majesty is pleased to let the house know, that the necessary preparations are made for transporting the guards who came with him to England; and that he intends to send them away immediately, unless, out of consideration to him, the house be disposed to find a way for continuing them longer in his service, which his majesty would take very kindly." Far from complying with a request so natural, and in the peculiar circumstances of this extraordinary case so reasonable, the house of commons in a flame instantly resolved upon an address to the king, on a division of 175 to 156 voices, declaring "their unspeakable grief that his majesty should be advised to propose any thing to which they could not consent with due regard to that constitution which his majesty came over to restore, and so often exposed his royal person to preserve -and did in his gracious declaration promise, that all those foreign forces which came over with him should be sent back."---This was certainly a most ungracious mode of reminding the king of his gracious declaration, and savored much more of the spirit of faction than of patriotism. To this intemperate address the king made a cool and judicious reply, "expressing his entire confidence in the affections of his people, and repelling with firmness the insinuation that his wish to retain his native guards arose from any distrust of the at- BOOK IV. tachment of his English subjects*." The king saw and indignantly felt, nevertheless, how eager and incessant were the efforts of many individuals to traduce his character, and embarrass the measures of his government. In a confidential letter written by him at this period to Rouvigny earl of Galway, he says, "I see you are uneasy at the proceedings of the parliament here I think you have too much cause to be so-It is not to be conceived how people here are set against the foreigners.—You will easily judge on WHOм this reflects. My measures must be regulated according as things go in the parliament, of which there is no being sure till the ses * "Tel étoit la manière douce et obligeante," says a French writer (M. de Cize) speaking of this transaction, " avec laquelle Guillaume repondoit aux plaintes de ses sujets." The Dutch guards were soon after shipped off for Holland at Deptford. "It was a moving sight," says the historian Oldmixon, "to behold them, as I did, marching from St. James's park through London streets, taking a long farewell of the friends they left in England with tears in their eyes;-many of them having English wives and children following them into a land strange to them, after their husbands and fathers had spent so many years in the service of that country out of which they were now driven. There were 3 or 4000 Britons almost always in the Dutch army, as well in time of peace as war; and 'tis amazing that the English should be so jealous of a single regiment of Dutchmen."Oldmixon, vol. ii. p. 186. 1699. BOOK IV. sion is over.-There is a spirit of ignorance and 1699. malice prevails here beyond conception." Affairs of the East pany. The tories, finding their strength, now proceeded to exhibit other proofs of their discontent and dissatisfaction. With a view to cast a reflexion on the tolerant spirit of the present whig ministry, an address was presented to the king, complaining of the boldness with which, from his majesty's unexampled clemency, the papists had of late frequented the metropolis and all places of public resort; and beseeching his majesty to issue his royal proclamation against them; which the king promised to do. Seeing the complexion of the house of commons, India com- the old East India company were encouraged to present a petition to the house, praying," that their case might be taken into consideration; and that the house would make some provision that their corporation might subsist for the residue of the term of twenty-one years granted by his majesty's charter and that such farther considerations might be had for the petitioners' relief, and for the preservation of the East India trade to England, as should be thought meet." This petition was favorably received, and a bill ordered by the house to be brought in thereupon. Some of the more warm and injudicious partisans of the company launched into a high strain of invective against the late East India bill and its promoters; 1699. and even ventured to assert, that they were not BOOK IV. bound to maintain the votes and to keep up the credit of the former parliament. But the house wisely considered, that vast sums had been advanced and expences incurred by the proprietors of the new stock, in consequence of the act recently passed. If that act were now to be repealed, or the conditions of it new-modelled, the very basis of parliamentary faith would be subverted, and the public confidence would be inevitably lost. The bill therefore was not suffered to proceed to a second reading. tion of the ford. The first symptom of the decline and fall of the Resignawhig ministry had already appeared in the resig- earl of Or nation of the earl of Sunderland, whose sagacity foresaw, and whose caution had avoided, the approaching danger. Had that nobleman continued in administration, he would have been undoubtedly the first object of attack. But the storm now fell upon the earl of Orford, who had been several years at the head both of the admiralty and navy departments. It had transpired, that the auditors of the imprests had declined passing his lordship's accounts for want of sufficient vouchers and it was also affirmed, that his lordship had unnecessarily retained a vast sum of money in his hands, to the prejudice of the seamen and to his own private advantage. The house called. therefore for the said accounts; from which it ap |