lona..... Fruitless
Expedition of Admiral Neville to the West Indies..... The
Elector of Saxony is chosen King of Poland..... Peter the
Czar of Muscovy travels in Disguise with his own Ambassadors
..... Proceedings in the Congress at Ryswick..... The
Ambassadors of England, Spain, and Holland, sign the
Treaty..... A general Pacification._

{WILLIAM, 1688--1701.}

ACCOUNT OF THE LANCASHIRE PLOT.

THE kingdom now resounded with the complaints of the papists and
malcontents, who taxed the ministry with subornation of perjury in
the case of the Lancashire gentlemen who had been persecuted for the
conspiracy. One Lunt, an Irishman, had informed sir John Trench-ard,
secretary of state, that he had been sent from Ireland with commissions
from king James to divers gentlemen in Lancashire and Cheshire; that he
had assisted in buying arms and enlisting men to serve that king in
his projected invasion of England; that he had been twice despatched by
those gentlemen to the court of St. Germain's, assisted many Jacobites
in repairing to France, helped to conceal others that came from that
kingdom; and that all those persons told him they were furnished with
money by sir John Friend, to defray the expense of their expeditions.
His testimony was confirmed by other infamous emissaries, who received
but too much countenance from the government. Blank warrants were
issued, and filled up occasionally with such names as the informers
suggested. These were delivered to Aaron Smith, solicitor to the
treasury, who with messengers accompanied Lunt and his associates
to Lancashire, under the protection of a party of Dutch horse-guards
commanded by one captain Baker. They were empowered to break open
houses, seize papers, and apprehend persons, according to their
pleasure; and they committed many acts of violence and oppression. The
persons against whom these measures were taken, being apprized of the
impending danger, generally retired from their own habitations. Some,
however, were taken and imprisoned; a few arms were secured; and in
the house of Mr. Standish, at Standish-hall, they found the draft of
a declaration to be published by king James at his landing. As
this prosecution seemed calculated to revive the honour of a stale
conspiracy, and the evidences were persons of abandoned characters,
the friends of those who were persecuted found no great difficulty in
rendering the scheme odious to the nati