.
Affairs of the Continent..... Clamour in Ireland on account
of Wood's Coinage..... Death of the Duke of Orleans..... An
Act for lessening the Public Debts..... Philip King of Spain
abdicates the Throne..... Abuses in Chancery..... Trial of
the Earl of Macclesfield..... Debates about the Debts of the
Civil List..... A Bill in favour of the late Lord
Bolingbroke..... Treaty of Alliance between the Courts of
Vienna and Madrid..... Treaty of Hanover..... Approved in
Parliament..... Riots in Scotland on account of the Malt-
tax..... A small Squadron sent to the Baltic..... Admiral
Hosier's Expedition to the West Indies..... Disgrace of the
Duke de Ripperda..... Substance of the King's Speech to
Parliament..... Debate in the House of Lords upon the
approaching Rupture with the Emperor and Spain..... Memorial
of Mr. Palms, the Imperial Resident at London.....
Conventions with Sweden and Hesse-Cassel..... Vote of
Credit..... Siege of Gibraltar by the Spaniards.....
Preliminaries of Peace..... Death and Character of George I.
King of Great Britain._

{GEORGE I., 1714-1727}

BILL AGAINST ATHEISM.

During the infatuation produced by this infamous scheme, luxury, vice,
and profligacy, increased to a shocking degree of extravagance. The
adventurers, intoxicated by their imaginary wealth, pampered themselves
with the rarest dainties, and the most expensive wines that could be
imported; they purchased the most sumptuous furniture, equipage, and
apparel, though without taste or discernment; they indulged their
criminal passions to the most scandalous excess; their discourse was the
language of pride, insolence, and the most ridiculous ostentation; they
affected to scoff at religion and morality, and even to set heaven at
defiance. The earl of Nottingham complained in the house of lords of the
growth of atheism, profaneness, and immorality; and a bill was brought
in for suppressing blasphemy and profaneness. It contained several
articles seemingly calculated to restrain the liberty granted to
nonconformists by the laws of the last session: for that reason it
met with violent opposition. It was supported by the archbishop of
Canterbury, the earl of Nottingham, lords Bathurst and Trevor, the
bishops of London, Winchester, and Litchfield and Coventry. One of
these said, he verily believed the present calamity occasioned by
the South