t'J^I. political progrefs of Britain. fi^ff: 



" impracticable attempt on Carthagena ; and by in- 

 " clemency of air, and climate, during other idle ex- 

 " peditions *." And again "in September 1742, 

 " Vernon and Wentworth received orders to re- 

 " turn to England with such troops as remained 

 " alive i and these did not amount to a tenth part of 

 " the niimber which had been sent abroad f." 



The miserable consequences of this contest to 

 every party concerned are evident from the follow- 

 ing fliort statement. " The number of prizes taken 

 " by the Englilli in this war was three thousand 

 " four hundred and tliirty-foar ; namely, twelve 

 " hundred and forty-nine from the Spaniards ; 

 " and two thousand one hundred and eighty- 

 '* five from the French : They lost during the war, 

 " three thousand two hundred and thirty-eight %" 

 So that as the same writer justly observes, " the 

 " question is not yet decrded, which party had the 

 " greatest reason to desire peace.^'' As to the iLips 

 captured from the enemy, we have seen, in the case 

 of Anson, that his seamen had much better have 

 been at home planting cabbages ; and were it pof- 

 sible to fix, with equal certainty, the profit and Id's 

 upon every other priz.e taken in the war, it would 

 very likely appear, that even by succefs we 'vere se- 

 vere losers. But this is not the worst. The ene- 



* Golhric's grammar edition XI. p. 369. f SmoUet's hisrory. 



X Guthri* p. J70. This acco.int fully justifies the reflections of tl.e 

 lare king of Prufjia upon this subject. '* I view the ut:d)uljteJ suptrjo- 

 " rity of the EngliHi fleet:, over those of France ard Spain miited. — 1 fur- 

 " ther rernaric, with surprise, thit all these naval arniatr,er.;s are rather 

 " for ostentation th.^n t^Lxct, ar.d >io njt impide the d:sr:uciio.i of coiu- 

 " «itrCj." Pretice •.«. :I.c bjjtorv of mv c>vn tim t. 



