highlands of Scotland. The practice of insuring French and Spanish
ships at London being deemed the sole circumstances that prevented a
total stagnation of commerce in those countries, it was prohibited by
law under severe penalties; and this step of the British parliament
accelerated the conclusion of the treaty. Several other prudent measures
were taken in the course of this session, for the benefit of the public;
and among these we may reckon an act for encouraging the manufacture of
indigo in the British plantations of North America; an article for which
Great Britain used to pay two hundred thousand pounds yearly to the
subjects of France.

{1748}

The session was closed on the thirteenth day of May, when the king
declared to both houses that the preliminaries of a general peace were
actually signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, by the ministers of Great
Britain, France, and the United Provinces; and that the basis of this
accommodation was a general restitution of the conquests which had been
made during the war. Immediately after the prorogation of parliament
his majesty set out for his German dominions, after having appointed a
regency to rule the realm in his absence.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN THE NETHERLANDS.

The articles might have been made much less unfavourable to Great
Britain and her allies, had the ministry made a proper use of the treaty
with the czarina; and if the confederates had acted with more vigour
and expedition in the beginning of the campaign. The Russian auxiliaries
might have been transported by sea to Lubeck before the end of the
preceding summer', in their own galleys, which had been lying ready for
use since the month of July. Had this expedient been used, the Russian
troops would have joined the confederate army before the conclusion of
the last campaign. But this easy and expeditious method of conveyance
was rejected for a march by land, of incredible length and difficulty,
which could not be begun before the month of January, nor accomplished
till Midsummer. The operations of the campaign had been concerted at
the Hague in January, by the respective ministers of the allies, who
resolved to bring an army of one hundred and ninety thousand men into
the Netherlands, in order to compel the French to abandon the barrier
which they had conquered, The towns of Holland became the scenes of
tumult and insurrection. The populace plundered the farmers of the
revenue, abolished the taxes