712 ENG 
enlarge, to our own advantage, the authority delegated 
to us—or that by virtue of fuch delegated authority, we 
can dcftroy the fundamental rights of our conftitution. 
This houfe has certainly no legiflative authority but what 
it derives from the people. The members of this affern- 
bly were chofen under the triennial aft. Our truft is 
therefore a triennial truft; and if we extend it beyond 
the drift legal duration, we ceafe from that inftant to be 
the truftees of the people, and are our own eleftors. 
From that indant, we aft by an unwarrantable aflumption 
of power, and take upon us to create a new conftitution. 
For though it is a received maxim in civil fcience, that 
the fupreme legiflature cannot be bound, yet an exception 
is necedarily implied, that it is redrained from fubverting 
the foundation on which it dands.” This famous bill, 
however, paded both houfes, and all objeftions to it were 
confidered as the refult of difaffeftion. 
Thefe important concerns being adj tided, the king began 
to turn his thoughts to his Hanoverian dominions, and re- 
folved upon a voyage to the continent. He forefaw a 
dorm gathering on the fide of Sweden. As Charles XII. 
the heroic monarch of that country, was highly provoked 
againd him for having entered into a confederacy with 
the Ruffians and Danes, and for having purchafed the 
towns of Bremen and Verden from the king of Denmark, 
which had condituted a part of his dominions; George, 
therefore, in order to fecure his German dominions, en¬ 
tered into a new treaty with the Dutch and the regent of 
France, by which they agreed mutually to adid each 
other in cafe of aninvafion. Nor were his fears unfounded; 
Charles maintained a correfpondence with the difaffefted 
fubjefts of Great Britain : and a fcherne was formed for 
landing a confiderable body of Swedifh forces, with the 
king at their head ; when it was expefted they would be 
joined by all the malcontents of the kingdom. Count 
Gyllenburgh, the Sweaidi minider in London, was prin¬ 
cipally aftive in the confpiracy ; but being feized, with 
all his papers, by order of the king, the confederacy was 
detefted, and the parties punifhed. A bill was imme¬ 
diately paded by the commons, prohibiting all commerce 
or conneftion with Sweden ; and a fupply of two hun¬ 
dred and fifty thoufand pounds was granted the king, to 
enable him to fecure his dominions againd the threatened 
invafion. However, the premature death of Charles 
loon put an end to all difquietudes from that quarter. 
But this feems to have been the age of treaties, fubfi- 
-dies, and political combinations. At that time, the po¬ 
liticians of the age fuppofed that fuch paper-chains 
would be fufficient to fecure the permanence of domi¬ 
nion ; but experience has taught the contrary. Among 
other treaties concluded with fuch hopes, was that called 
the quadruple alliance. It was agreed upon between the 
emperor of Germany, France, England, and Holland, 
that the emperor dtould renounce all pretenfions to the 
crown of Spain, and exchange Sardinia for Sicily with 
the duke of Savoy ; that the fuccedions to the duchies 
of Tufcany, Parma, and Placentia, dtould be fettled on 
the queen of Spain’s elded fon, in cafe the prefent pof- 
felTors rtiould die without male iflue. However, this 
treaty was by no means agreeable to the king of Spain, 
and confequentiy it became prejudicial to the Bnglifh, 
as it interrupted the commerce to Great Britain. But 
the intered of England was not the objeft which this 
treaty had in view. The difpleafure of the king of 
Spain foon broke out into an open rupture witli the em¬ 
peror, whom lie confidered as the chief contriver of this 
alliance; and a numerous body of Spanifh troops were 
f nt into Italy to fupport Philip’s pretenfions in that quar¬ 
ter. It was in vain that the regent of France attempted 
to did’uade him ; or that the king of England offered his 
mediation: their interpofition was iejefted as intereded 
and unjud. War, in the exhanded date of the Englilh 
finances, was a real evil ; yet a rupture with Spain was 
refolved on. A fquadron of twenty-two Ihips of the 
line was equipped with all expedition, the command given 
LAND. 
to fir George Byng, and ordered to fail for Naples, which 
was then threatened by the Spanifh army. Sir George 
was received with great joy by the inhabitants of that 
city, and was informed that the Spaniards, to the amount 
of thirty thoufand men, were then aftually landed in Si¬ 
cily. In this exigence, as no afiidance could be given by 
land, he refolved to fail thither, fully determined to pur- 
fue the Spanifii fleet on which they had embarked. 
Upon coming round cape Faro, he perceived two finall 
Spanifh veflels, and following them clofely, they led him 
to their main fleet, which, before noon, lie difeovered in 
line of battle, amounting to tvventy-feven fail. How¬ 
ever, the Spanifh fleet, upon perceiving the force of the 
Englifh, attempted to bear away, though fuperior in 
number. The Englifh made a running fight, in which 
the Spanifh commanders behaved with courage and ac¬ 
tivity ; yet they were all taken except time, which were 
preferved by the bravery of Cammoc, their vice-admiral, 
a native of Ireland. Sir George Byng behaved on this 
occafion with fingtilar prudence and refolution ; and the 
king wrote him a letter with his own hand, api roving his 
conduft. This victory produced the refentment and com¬ 
plaints of the Spanifh minifters in all the courts of Eli- 
rope, and haftened the declaration of war upon the part 
of the Englifh, A. D. 1718, which, from motives of de¬ 
licacy, had hitherto been delayed. 
The war with Spain ferved once more to raife the de¬ 
clining hopes of the pretender and his adherents. It was 
fuggefted, that by the afliftance of Alberoni, the Spanifh 
minifter, a new infurreftion might be excited in England. 
The duke of Ormond was fixed upon to conduft this af¬ 
fair ; and he obtained from the Spanifh court a fleet of 
ten fliips of war and tranfports, having on board fix 
thoufand regular troops, with arms for twelve thoufand 
more. But fortune was dill unpropitious. Having pro¬ 
ceeded as far as cape Finifterre, he was overtaken by a 
violent (form, which difabled his fleet, and fruflrated the 
expedition. This misfortune, added to the bad fuccefs 
of the Spanifh arms in Sicily, and other parts of Europe, 
induced Philip to wifh for peace ; as a prelude to which 
he confented to fign the quadruple alliance. 
King George now returned from the continent, to re¬ 
ceive the addreffes and congratulations of his parliament. 
From addrefling they proceeded to an objeft of much 
greater importance ; which was no lefs than fixing the 
dependency of the Irifh parliament upon that of Great 
Britain. Maurice Annefly had appealed to the houfe of 
peers in England, from a decree made by the houfe of 
peers in Ireland, and this decree they reverfed. The 
Britifh peers ordered the barons of the exchequer in Ire¬ 
land, to put Mr. Annefly in pofleflion of the lands he had 
loft by the decree of the lords in that kingdom. The 
barons of the exchequer obeyed this order ; and the Irifh 
houfe of peers paded a vote againft them, as having at¬ 
tempted to diminifh the juft privileges of the parliament 
of Ireland; and at the fame time ordered the barons to 
be taken under the cuftody of the black rod. On the 
other hand, the houfe of lords in England refolved, that 
the barons of the exchequer in Ireland had afted with 
courage and fidelity ; and addreffed the king to fignify 
his approbation of their conduft. In confequence of 
this addrefs, a bill was prepared, by which the Irifh houfe 
of lords was deprived of all right to final jurifdiftion. 
It was oppofed with great vehemence ; but was finally 
carried, and received the royal aflent. At this time., 
A. D. 1720, arofe that fingtilar event, known in our hif- 
tory by the name of the South Sea Bubble ; a fource of int- 
pofition and fraud unparalleled in the tranfaftions of 
man, and which had its rife from a fpirit of fcheming 
avarice, which then feems to have pervaded all ranks of 
people.—For the particulars of this tranfaftion, fee the 
article Bubble, vol. iii. p.476—470. 
The clamours excited in the nation by the hurtling of 
this monftrous bubble, appear to have fuggefted to the 
difaffefted jacobins, that it was a proper feafon to intro¬ 
duce 
