ence of government. The scheme
which patriotism conceived, was, in all probability, adopted by party.
A bill was brought in, limiting the time beyond which no soldier,
or non-commissioned officer, should be compelled to continue in the
service. Had this limitation taken place, such a rotation of soldiers
would have ensued among the common people, that in a few years every
peasant, labourer, and inferior tradesman in the kingdom, would have
understood the exercise of arms; and perhaps the people in general
would have concluded that a standing army was altogether unnecessary. A
project of this nature could not, for obvious reasons, be agreeable to
the administration, and therefore the bill was rendered abortive; for,
after having been twice read, it was postponed from time to time till
the parliament was prorogued, and never appeared in the sequel.
Such were the chief subjects of debate between the ministry and the
opposition, composed, as we have already observed, of the prince's
servants and the remains of the country party, this last being headed
by lord Strange, son of the earl of Derby, and sir Francis Dashwood;
the former, a nobleman of distinguished abilities, keen, penetrating,
eloquent and sagacious; the other frank, spirited, and sensible.

MEASURES TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO THE AFRICAN TRADE.

It must be owned, however, for the honour of the ministry, that if they
carried a few unpopular measures with a high hand, they seemed earnestly
desirous of making amends to the nation, by promoting divers regulations
for the benefit and improvement of commerce, which actually took place
in the ensuing session of parliament. One of the principal objects of
this nature which fell under their cognizance, was the trade to the
coast of Guinea; a very important branch of traffic, whether considered
as a market for British manufactures, or as the source that supplied the
English plantations with negroes. This was originally monopolized by a
joint-stock company, which had from time to time derived considerable
sums from the legislature, for enabling them the better to support
certain forts or castles on the coast of Africa, to facilitate the
commerce and protect the merchants. In the sequel, however, the
exclusive privilege having been judged prejudicial to the national
trade, the coast was laid open to all British subjects indiscriminately,
on condition of their paying a certain duty towards defraying the
expense of the fort