Mr. Wall
and sir Benjamin Keene, the British ambassador. While the interest of
Britain thus triumphed in Spain, it seemed to lose ground at the court
of Lisbon. His Portuguese majesty had formed vast projects of an active
commerce, and even established an East India company; in the meantime he
could not help manifesting his chagrin at the great quantities of gold
which were yearly exported from his dominions, as the balance due from
his subjects on English commodities. In his endeavours to check this
traffic, which he deemed so detrimental to his subjects, he inflicted
hardships on the British merchants settled at Lisbon: some were
imprisoned on frivolous pretences; others deprived of their property,
and obliged to quit the kingdom. He insisted upon laying an imposition
of two per cent, on all the Portuguese gold that should be exported;
but the profits of the trade would not bear such an exaction. Meanwhile,
there being a scarcity of corn in Portugal, the kingdom was supplied
from England; and the people having nothing but gold to purchase
this necessary supply, the king saw the necessity of conniving at the
exportation of his coin, and the trade reverted into its former channel.

SESSION OPENED.

On the fourteenth day of November, the king of Great Britain opened the
session of parliament with an harangue, which intimated nothing of
an approaching rupture. He said, that the general state of affairs in
Europe had undergone very little alteration since their last meeting;
that he had lately received the strongest assurances from his good
brother the king of Spain, of friendship and confidence, which he would
cultivate with harmony and good faith. He declared his principal view
should be to strengthen the foundation, and secure the duration of a
general peace; to improve the present advantages of it for promoting
the trade of his good subjects, and protecting those possessions which
constituted one great source of their wealth and commerce. Finally, he
exhorted them to complete their plan for appropriating the forfeited
estates in the highlands to the service of the public. He probably
avoided mentioning the encroachments of France, that he might supply
no handle for debates on the address, which was carried in both houses
almost without opposition. The government seemed determined to humble
the insolence of the French councils; and this disposition was so
agreeable to the people in general, that they grudged no e