Nicholls's Recollections ‘and Reflections. 
sonnreaders with some flirthenextracts,: 
» Happy: would it bexforthe world, df all 
amen, of Mr..N,’s profound -viewsswere 
,at the-same time, of, life, to\;commit; to 
etiting, the. results, of their experiences 
soptiyt sneceeding age. would then be ena-, 
a) ed to profit by the occnrrences. of, the 
“preceding age; and, books, instead of 
““bemg filled ‘with the tniversal proposi- 
“tions and ‘the crudities of youthful pre- 
?£stimp tion} might be consulted ‘as deposi- 
itortes of wisdom.) ; 
ids nidii WV i 
sosiq sds 28 : 
eon) el DEATH ‘OF '(BYNG, 
eRe Byne>was: tried) by «a 
mocourt martial under the’ 12th Arti- 
ele of. Wary: which ‘runs i thus :‘* Every 
persobimthe fleet, who; through coward- 
ice, obegligence, or disaffection, shall in 
time of action witlidraw, ‘or’ keep back, 
er; nob:come into:thesfight or engage- 
ancnt, oor shallonot do his utmost to: en- 
gage; dake-oridestroy every ship which it 
shall be hisiduty to'engage, and to assist 
and relieve all andevery one of His Ma- 
jesty’sships; or thoseofhis allies, which 
it:|shalli be bis duty to assist and relieve, 
exeryssuch person:so. offending, and be- 
ing uconvicted thereof by the sentence of 
@ court martial,shall suffer death.” The 
courtsmartial declared that ‘Admiral 
Byng had:not failed from cowardice, nor 
from: disaffection, noredid they accuse 
him)of négligence ; but found that he 
hadinot doneshisoutmost to destroy the 
eneiy’s »ships: ‘They therefore pro- 
nouneed ybim ‘guilty. under part ol ‘the 
12th Article of War,in not having done 
his utmostto destroy. the enemy’s ships, 
and! for this;omissiun sentenced him to 
be! shot, but unanimously recommended 
him to. the King’s «mercy... Common 
sepse must poipt.out to every man, that 
io, constitute guilt under this Article of 
Wap, there! must in the naval officer have 
been an omission to do his utmost either 
from=cowardice; or disaffection, or neg- 
ligence ; ‘and that the oniission to do his 
utmost to.destroy .the ,enemy’s; ships, 
where such omission doves not arise from 
one of these motives, doesnot amount to 
a crime within this Article of War. But 
it suited the ministers that Byng should 
be shot. Notwithstanding the recom- 
mendation*to.merey by the’ court mar- 
tial, the King immediately signeda ware 
vant for his execution, Parl ‘Temple, 
who had been First Lord of the Admi- 
ralty on the removal of. Lord Anson, to- 
wards, the close of; the:ycar (1756, and 
the other commissioners.of .the.Admi- 
ralty, refused to eountersign thewarrant. 
This occasionedsome.delay; but tlie ex. 
3 
613 
ministers’ ultimately prevailed, and Ad- 
miral Byug was shot; to shelter a culpa- 
ble administration. 
“Ft would? be ‘preswmption in’ me ‘to 
offer any Opinion as’ to’ ‘the plan which 
Admiral Byng had adopted for attack- 
ine’ ‘tie fleet ‘of M. dela Galissivnére. 
The French flect fey to, expecting our 
attack. “Admiral ‘Byng proposed to go 
down ib 4 slanting Tine tor the purpose 
of preventing his ships from bemy raked. 
Admiral West* disobeyed) these orders, 
and went down in’ & straight line. Se- 
veral ships of his division were raked 
and disabléd ; from which circumstance, 
the continuance of the ‘attack was no 
longer “praeticable.’ Admiral | Vernon 
publicly declared, thatithe mode of at- 
tack proposed: by Admiral Byng was 
judicious, and that it failed through the 
disobedience of Admiral West. 
WILLIAM THE, THIRD. 
It may be inferred; that I'am not‘ an 
admirer of the character of King William. 
To the man who makes such a charge 
against me, I shallreply, Habes confiten- 
tem reum.' Weare indebicd to Kiig 
William for’ the’ first. establishment of 
our national debt, and of a standing 
army in time of peace; and what Eng~ 
lishman is there, who is 1iot ‘sensible’ of 
the misery which the people of England 
at this moment suffer from ‘these ‘estab- 
lishments.. The 'Tories' zealously ‘con- 
curred in placing King William: and 
Queen Mary on the throne. ~ Whatever 
hesitation they might have had from the 
old doctrine of non-resistance, their scru- 
ples gave way to’ their love of civil’ and 
religious liberty ;* but they did’not wish 
that such heavy taxes'should be perma~ 
nently imposed on the! people of Eng- 
land, for the gratification of King Wil 
liam in bis continental ‘wars.’ ‘The’To- 
ries composed the landed interest > they 
and their posterity were’ to bear ‘these 
permanent burdens+ itis not wonderful 
therefore; that’ they ‘liésifuted; before 
they consented to impose them:!' Phe 
Whigs didnot possessso‘lirge a ‘share 
of the/landed property ;“they, ‘therefore, 
did noUview thése permanent taxes with 
the Usameaversion.” “The practice ‘of 
funding, “and: of imposiig taxes to pay 
the! interest; iad long prévailed-in Hol- 
land. “10 was acceptable te the existing 
géneration, because they felt the barden 
of the ‘interest oily, WStead Of the prin- 
cipalyand probably much of the mo- 
ney, during the reignof King William, 
was advanced by foreigtiers and Jews, 
who received Jarger interest from the 
newly 
