Philip obliged to accede to the
quadruple Alliance..... Bill for securing the Dependency of
Ireland upon the Crown of Great Britain..... South Sea
Act..... Charters granted to the Royal and London Assurance
Offices..... Treaty of Alliance with Sweden..... The Prince of
Hesse elected King of Sweden..... Effects of the South Sea
Scheme..... The Bubble breaks..... A Secret Committee
appointed by the House of Commons..... Inquiry carried on by
both Houses..... Death of Earl Stanhope and Mr. Craggs, both
Secretaries of State..... The Estates of the Directors of
the South Sea Company are confiscated..... Proceedings of the
Commons with respect to the Stock of the South Sea Company._

{1717}

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE KING AND THE CZAR OF MUSCOVY.

During these transactions, the negotiations of the north were continued
against the king of Sweden, who had penetrated into Norway, and advanced
towards Christianstadt, the capital of that kingdom. The czar had sent
five-and-twenty thousand Russians to assist the allies in the reduction
of Wismar, which he intended to bestow upon his niece, lately married
to the duke of Mecklenburgh-Schwerin: but before his troops arrived
the place had surrendered, and the Russians were not admitted into the
garrison; a circumstance which increased the misunderstanding between
him and the king of Great Britain. Nevertheless, he consented to a
project for making a descent upon Schonen, and actually took upon him
the command of the allied fleet; though he was not at all pleased to
see sir John Norris in the Baltic, because he had formed designs against
Denmark, which he knew the English squadron would protect. He suddenly
desisted from the expedition against Schonen, on pretence that the
season was too far advanced; and the king of Denmark published a
manifesto, remonstrating against his conduct on this occasion. By this
time baron Gortz had planned a pacification between his master and the
czar, who was discontented with all his German allies, because they
opposed his having any footing in the empire. This monarch arrived at
Amsterdam in December, whether he was followed by the czarina; and he
actually resided at the Hague when king George passed through it, in
returning to his British dominions, but he declined an interview with
the king of England. When Gyllenburgh's letters were published in
London, some passages seemed to favour the su