abundance of mischief.

INTRIGUES OF THE JACOBITES.

The complaints of the English merchants who had suffered by the war were
so loud at this juncture, that the commons resolved to take their
case into consideration. The house resolved itself into a committee to
consider the state of the nation with regard to commerce, and having
duly weighed all circumstances, agreed to the following resolutions:
that a council of trade should be established by act of parliament, with
powers to take measures for the more effectual preservation of commerce;
that the commissioners should be nominated by parliament, but none
of them have seats in the house; that they should take an oath
acknowledging the title of king William as rightful and lawful; and
abjuring the pretensions of James, or any other person. The king
considered these resolutions as an open attack upon his prerogative, and
signified his displeasure to the earl of Sunderland, who patronised this
measure; but it was so popular in the house, that in all probability it
would have been put in execution, had not the attention of the
commons been diverted from it at this period by the detection of a new
conspiracy. The friends of king James had, upon the death of queen Mary,
renewed their practices for effecting a restoration of that monarch, on
the supposition that the interest of William was considerably weakened
by the decease of his consort. Certain individuals, whose zeal for James
overshot their discretion, formed a design to seize the person of
king William, and convey him to France, or put him to death in case of
resistance. They had sent emissaries to the court of St. Germain's to
demand a commission for this purpose, which was refused. The earl
of Aylesbury, lord Montgomery, son to the marquis of Powis, sir John
Fenwick, sir John Friend, captain Charnock, captain Porter, and one
Mr. Goodman, were the first contrivers of this project. Charnock was
detached with a proposal to James, that he should procure a body of
horse and foot from France to make a descent in England, and they would
engage not only to join him at his landing, but even to replace him on
the throne of England.

These offers being declined by James, on pretence that the French king
could not spare such a number of troops at that juncture, the earl of
Aylesbury went over in person, and was admitted to a conference with
Louis, in which the scheme of an invasion was actually concerted. In the
beginn