Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/717

 GEORGE II. 705 feelings in that respect. Frederick was not allowed to visit England till 1728. The prince long bore the king's parsimony and harsh treat- ment without complaint, and perhaps would have done so to the last if it had not been for the interest of the opposition to make him ac- quainted with his political importance, and to stir him to resentment, because the king sup- ported Walpole personally. The first great act of this reign was the treaty of Seville, concluded in 1729, between England, France, Spain, and Holland, which was very advantageous to Eng- land, and by which Spain silently acquiesced in the English possession of Gibraltar. Walpole quarrelled with his colleague Townshend in 1730, and the latter resigned office and retired altogether from public life. Walpole was su- preme in the cabinet, and appears to have been disposed to make some improvements in the laws and to correct abuses ; but the virulence with which all his measures were opposed in parliament compelled him to be cautious. In 1729 and 1730 a committee of parliament in- vestigated the condition of prisons, and secured some important reforms. In 1731 the use of Latin in the courts of justice was discontinued, and English substituted. The sinking fund, which Walpole himself had aided to establish, was so encroached upon that it soon ceased to be of any value. The great contest on the ex- cise question was the most remarkable incident of the first half of the reign. The mere report of the intention to introduce a scheme of gen- eral excise caused alarm, and the opposition, which had been reduced very low, immediately became vigorous. The battle was fought with ability and courage on both sides, and though in some of its stages the ministerial majorities were 60, they finally fell to 16, in a house of commons which had given Walpole almost 200 majority on other questions. The bill was then withdrawn, greatly to the satisfaction of the people. The king was as much beaten as the minister, and they revenged themselves by dis- missing from office, or from sinecure places, a number of distinguished noblemen who had been prominent in opposing the measure, the chief of whom was Lord Chesterfield. A new quarrel broke out in Europe in 1733 in regard to the Polish succession. Walpole maintained the neutrality of England even in spite of the king's preference for war, and finally won the king to his policy; and under the mediation of England peace was concluded in 1735. The election of 1734 resulted in the return of a strong Walpolian majority. The opposition sought the repeal of the test act, and were beaten by 128 majority. The gin act, which sought to do something to lessen drunkenness, was passed in 1736. The prince of Wales was married in 1736, and the question of his income afforded the opposition means to annoy the ministry, and caused the quarrel between father and son to become bitterer than ever. At the birth of his first child the prince left Hampton court and took up his residence at Norfolk house. The queen died in 1737, recommending her hus- band to Walpole with her last breath. In 1738 a son (afterward George III.) was born to the prince of Wales ; and about this time the king gave notice that no visitor of the prince should be admitted to the court of St. James's. The opposition gathered more and more about the prince, and William Pitt became one of the gen- tlemen of his bedchamber. The opposition endeavored to have the army reduced in 1738, but failed. They then assailed the ministry because of its indifference to the outrages per- petrated by the Spaniards in America on Eng- lishmen there trading. An arrangement made with Spain was unpopular. Pitt's fame mav be dated from his speech against it. The min- isterial majority was greatly reduced, but the minister was saved by the folly of his enemies a number of whom seceded. The troubles with Spain went on, and war was declared against that country, Oct. 19, 1739. The ministerial strength now diminished, and the hopes of the Jacobites revived. The war was by no means brilliantly conducted. Anson's cruise in the Pacific and Indian seas revived the recollec- tions of the Elizabethan age, and Vernon took Portobello; but the English failed at Carta- gena, and also at Santiago de Cuba. The war of the Austrian succession began soon after, and England was drawn into it. Parliament was dissolved, and the new elections took place under circumstances unfavorable to Walpole. When parliament assembled, the opposition found themselves in a majority, and after a hard battle Walpole gave way, much to the grief of the king, who continued to take his advice to the last days of his life. Sir Robert was created earl of Orford, and the attempts made to prosecute him fell through. Lord Wilmington became premier, and Carteret secretary of state. Success was ruinous to the opposition, which showed it could not administer affairs, though so eloquent in fault-finding. The public was greatly disappointed, and the refusal of the vic- tors to repeal the septennial act, which had been the object of their especial indignation when out of office, caused much disgust. Eng- land had now become actively engaged in the Austrian war, supporting the settlement called the pragmatic sanction, by which the Austrian succession devolved upon the late emperor's eldest daughter, Maria Theresa of Hungary, while France and Spain maintained the claims of Charles Albert, elector of Bavaria. A large force was sent to Flanders, which did nothing. Some success was achieved by the navy, and a British squadron compelled Naples to observe neutrality. The king, brave and fond of mili- tary life, was desirous of placing himself at the head of an army, and a large German force was taken into English pay. This added to the hatred of Hanover already felt in England. The king joined the allied army in June, 1743, and a few days later was fought the battle of Det- tingen, in which the French were beaten, the monarch showing much courage. The death of