ng undergone some alteration, it passed through
both houses and obtained the royal assent. The king, by message to
parliament, had signified his intention to give the princess royal in
marriage to the prince of Orange, promising himself their concurrence
and assistance, that he might be enabled to bestow such a portion with
his eldest daughter as should be suitable to the occasion. The commons
immediately resolved, that but of the monies arising from the sale
of lands in the island of St. Christopher's, his majesty should be
empowered to apply fourscore thousand pounds as a marriage dower for his
daughter; and a clause for this purpose was inserted in the bill, for
enabling his majesty to apply five hundred thousand pounds out of the
sinking fund for the service of the current year.

The opposition in the house of lords was still more animated, though
ineffectual. The debates chiefly turned upon the pension bill, the
number of land forces, and a motion made by lord Bathurst for an account
of the produce of the forfeited estates which had belonged to the
directors of the South-Sea company. The trustees for these estates
had charged themselves with a great sum of money, and the lords in the
opposition thought they had a right to know how it had been disposed.
The ministry had reasons to stifle this inquiry, and therefore opposed
it with all their vigour. Nevertheless, the motion was carried after a
warm dispute, and the directors of the South-Sea company were ordered
to lay the accounts before the house. From this it appeared that
the large sums of money arising from the forfeited estates had been
distributed among the proprietors, by way of dividend, even before
recourse was had to parliament for directions in what manner that
produce should be applied: lord Bathurst, therefore, moved for a
resolution of the house that the disposal of this money, by way of
dividend, without any order or direction of a general court for that
purpose, was a violation of the act of parliament made for the disposal
thereof, and a manifest injustice done to the proprietors of that stock.
The duke of Newcastle, in order to gain time, moved, that as the account
was confused, and almost unintelligible, the present directors of the
company might be ordered to lay before the house a further and more
distinct account of the manner in which the money had been disposed. A
violent contest ensued, in the course of which the house divided, and
of fifty-