d authority to his
son Charles, a youth of promising talents, sage, secret, brave, and
enterprising, amiable in his person, grave, and even reserved in his
deportment. He approved himself in the sequel composed and moderate in
success, wonderfully firm in adversity; and though tenderly nursed in
all the delights of an effeminate country, and gentle climate, patient
almost beyond belief of cold, hunger, and fatigue. Such was the
adventurer now destined to fill the hope which the French ministry had
conceived, from the projected invasion of Great Britain.

A FRENCH SQUADRON SAILS UP THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Count Saxe was appointed by the French king commander of the troops
designed for this expedition, which amounted to fifteen thousand men.
They began their march to Picardy, and a great number of vessels was
assembled for their embarkation at Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne. It was
determined that they should be landed in Kent, under convoy of a strong
squadron equipped at Brest, and commanded by monsieur de Roquefeuille,
an officer of experience and capacity. The chevalier de St. George is
said to have required the personal service of the duke of Ormond, who
excused himself on account of his advanced age; be that as it will,
prince Charles departed from Rome about the end of December, in the
disguise of a Spanish courier, attended by one servant only, and
furnished with passports by cardinal Aquaviva. He travelled through
Tuscany to Genoa, from whence he proceeded to Savona, where he embarked
for Antibes, and prosecuting his journey to Paris, was indulged with a
private audience of the French king; then he set out incognito for the
coast of Picardy. The British ministry being apprized of his arrival in
France, at once comprehended the destination of the armaments prepared
at Brest and Boulogne. Mr. Thompson, the English resident at Paris,
received orders to make a remonstrance to the French ministry, on the
violation of those treaties by which the pretender to the crown of Great
Britain was excluded from the territories of France. But he was given to
understand, that his most christian, majesty would not explain
himself on that subject, until the king of England should have given
satisfaction on the repeated complaints which had been made to him,
touching the infractions of those very treaties which had been so often
violated by his orders. In the month of January, M. de Roquefeuille
sailed from Brest, directing his