e, and actually fell in with one or
two ships of the British armament, near the straits of Magellan; but he
could not weather a long and furious tempest, through which Mr. Anson
proceeded into the South-Sea. One of the Spanish ships perished at sea;
another was wrecked on the coast of Brazil; and Pizzaro bore away for
the Rio de la Plata, where he arrived with the three remaining ships, in
a shattered condition, after having lost twelve hundred men by sickness
and famine. The Spaniards exerted the same vigilance and activity in
Europe. Their privateers were so industrious and successful, that in
the beginning of this year they had taken, since the commencement of
the war, four hundred and seven ships belonging to the subjects of
Great Britain, valued at near four millions of piastres. The traders had
therefore too much cause to complain, considering the formidable fleets
which were maintained for the protection of commerce. In the course of
the summer, sir John Norris had twice sailed towards the coast of Spain,
at the head of a powerful squadron, without taking any effectual step
for annoying the enemy, as if the sole intention of the ministry had
been to expose the nation to the ridicule and contempt of its enemies.
The inactivity of the British arms appears the more inexcusable, when we
consider the great armaments which had been prepared. The land forces of
Great Britain, exclusive of the Danish and Hessian auxiliaries, amounted
to sixty thousand men; and the fleet consisted of above one hundred
ships of war, manned by fifty-four thousand sailors.

The general discontent of the people had a manifest influence upon the
election of members for the new parliament, which produced one of the
most violent contests between the two parties which had happened since
the revolution. All the adherents of the prince of Wales concurred with
the country party, in opposition to the minister; and the duke of
Argyle exerted himself so successfully among the shires and boroughs
of Scotland, that the partisans of the ministry could not secure six
members out of the whole number returned from North Britain. They were,
however, much more fortunate in the election of the sixteen peers, who
were chosen literally according to the list transmitted from court.
Instructions were delivered by the constituents to a great number of
members returned for cities and counties, exhorting and requiring them
to oppose a standing army in time of peace; to