and maintained an intimacy of correspondence with Mr. Harley. The
interest of the duke of Marlborough was not even sufficient to prevent
the dismissal of his own son-in-law, the earl of Sunderland, from the
post of secretary of state, in which he was succeeded by lord Dartmouth.

The queen was generally applauded for thus asserting her just
prerogative, and setting herself free from an arbitrary cabal, by which
she had been so long kept in dependence. The duke of Beaufort went to
court on this occasion, and told her majesty he was extremely glad that
he could now salute her queen in reality. The whole whig party
were justly alarmed at these alterations. The directors of the bank
represented to her majesty the prejudice that would undoubtedly accrue
to public credit from a change of the ministry. The emperor and the
states-general interposed in this domestic revolution. Their ministers
at London presented memorials, explaining in what manner foreign affairs
would be influenced by an alteration in the British ministry. The
queen assured them, that, whatever changes might be made, the duke of
Marlborough should be continued in his employments. In the month
of August the earl of Godolphin was divested of his office, and the
treasury put in commission, subjected to the direction of Harley,
appointed chancellor of the exchequer and under-treasurer. The earl
of Rochester was declared president of the council in the room of
lord Somers; the staff of lord steward being taken from the duke of
Devonshire, was given to the duke of Buckingham; and Mr. Boyle was
removed from the secretary's office to make way for Mr. Henry St. John.
The lord chancellor having resigned the great seal, it was first put
in commission, and afterwards given to sir Simon Harcourt. The earl of
Wharton surrendered his commission of lord-lieutenant of Ireland, which
the queen conferred on the duke of Ormond. The earl of Orford withdrew
himself from the board of admiralty; and Mr. George Granville was
appointed secretary of war in the room of Mr. Eobert Walpole. The
command of the forces in Portugal was bestowed upon the earl of
Portmore; the duke of Hamilton was appointed lord-lieutenant of the
county palatine of Lancaster. In a word, there was not one whig left
in any office of state, except the duke of Marlborough, who would
have renounced his command, had not he been earnestly dissuaded by
his particular friends from taking such a step as might have been