hundred marines. They granted four hundred and thirty-three
thousand pounds to the empress queen of Hungary; three hundred thousand
pounds to the king of Sardinia; four hundred and ten thousand pounds for
the maintenance of eighteen thousand Hanoverian auxiliaries; one hundred
and sixty one thousand six hundred and seven pounds for six thousand
Hessians; subsidies to the electors of Cologn, Mentz, and Bavaria;
and the sum of five hundred thousand pounds to enable his majesty to
prosecute the war with advantage. In a word, the supplies amounted to
nine millions four hundred and twenty-five thousand two hundred and
fifty-four pounds; a sum almost incredible, if we consider how the
kingdom had been already drained of its treasure. It was raised by the
usual taxes, reinforced with new impositions on windows, carriages, and
spirituous liquors; a lottery, and a loan from the sinking-fund. The new
taxes were mortgaged for four millions by transferable annuities, at
an interest of four, and a premium of ten per centum. By reflecting
on these enormous grants, one would imagine the ministry had been
determined to impoverish the nation; but from the eagerness and
expedition with which the people subscribed for the money, one would
conclude that the riches of the kingdom were inexhaustible. It may not
be amiss to observe, that the supplies of this year exceeded, by two
millions and a half, the greatest annual sum that was raised during the
reign of queen Anne, though she maintained as great a number of troops
as was now in the pay of Great Britain, and her armies and fleets
acquired every year fresh harvests of glory and advantage; whereas
this war had proved an almost uninterrupted series of events big with
disaster and dishonour. During the last two years, the naval expense of
England had exceeded that of France about five millions sterling; though
her fleets had not obtained one signal advantage over the enemy at sea,
nor been able to protect her commerce from their depredations. She was
at once a prey to her declared adversaries and professed friends. Before
the end of summer, she numbered among her mercenaries two empresses,
five German princes, and a powerful monarch, whom she hired to assist
her in trimming the balance of Europe, in which they themselves were
immediately interested, and she had no more than a secondary concern.
Had these fruitless subsidies been saved; had the national revenue
been applied with economy to nati