nt at that court having learned from the Spanish
minister some secrets relating to England, even before they were
communicated to him from the English ministry, was induced to set
on foot an inquiry touching the source of this information, and soon
received an assurance, that the secretary of the Spanish ambassador had
a brother, a physician in London. The suspicion naturally arising from
this circumstance being imparted to the ministry of England, Hensey was
narrowly watched, and twenty-nine of his letters were intercepted. From
the contents of these he was convicted of having given the French court
the first notice of the expedition to North America, the capture of
the two ships, the Alcide and Lys, the sailing and destination of every
squadron and armament, and the difficulties that occurred in raising
money for the service of the public. He had even informed them, that the
secret expedition of the foregoing year was intended against Eochefort,
and advised a descent upon Great Britain, at a certain time and
place, as the most effectual method of distressing the government, and
affecting the public credit. After a long trial he was found guilty of
treason, and received the sentence of death usually pronounced on such
occasions; but whether he earned forgiveness by some material discovery,
or the minister found him so insensible and insignificant that he was
ashamed to take his life, he escaped execution, and was pardoned, on
condition of going into perpetual exile. The severity of the government
was much about the same period exercised on Dr. Shebbeare, a public
writer, who, in a series of printed letters to the people of England,
had animadverted on the conduct of the ministry in the most acrimonious
terms, stigmatized some great names with all the virulence of censure,
and even assaulted the throne itself with oblique insinuation and
ironical satire. The ministry, incensed at the boldness, and still more
enraged at the success of this author, whose writings were bought
with avidity by the public, determined to punish him severely for
his arrogance and abuse, and he was apprehended by a warrant from
the secretary's office. His sixth letter to the people of England was
pitched upon as the foundation of a prosecution. After a short trial
in the court of king's bench, he was found guilty of having written the
sixth letter to the people of England, adjudged a libellous pamphlet,
sentenced to stand in the pillory, to pay a