assent to an act appointing commissioners to take, examine, and
determine the debts due to the army, navy, and the transport service;
and also to take an account of prizes taken during the war.

AFFAIRS OF IRELAND.

The affairs of Ireland were not a little embarrassed by the conduct
of the trustees appointed to take cognizance of the forfeited estates.
Their office was extremely odious to the people as well as to the court,
and their deportment was arbitrary and imperious. Several individuals of
that kingdom, provoked by the insolence of the trustees on one hand, and
encouraged by the countenance of the courtiers on the other, endeavoured
by a circular letter to spirit up the grand jury of Ireland against the
act of resumption: petitions were presented to the king, couched in
very strong terms, affirming that it was injurious to the protestant
interest, and had been obtained by gross misinformations. The king
having communicated these addresses to the house, they were immediately
voted scandalous, false, and groundless; and the commons resolved, That
notwithstanding the complaints and clamours against the trustees, it
did not appear to the house but those complaints were groundless;
nevertheless they afterwards received several petitions imploring relief
against the said act; and they ordered that the petitioners should be
relieved accordingly. Proposals were delivered in for incorporating
such as should purchase the said forfeitures, on certain terms therein
specified, according to the rent-roll, when verified and made good to
the purchasers; but whereas in this rent-roll the value of the estates
had been estimated at something more than seven hundred and sixteen
thousand pounds, those who undertook to make the purchase affirmed
they were not worth five hundred thousand pounds; and thus the affair
remained in suspense.

THE KING RECOMMENDS AN UNION.

With respect to Scotland, the clamours of that kingdom had not yet
subsided. When the bill of abjuration passed in the house of peers, the
earl of Nottingham had declared that although he differed in opinion
from the majority in many particulars relating to that bill, yet he
was a friend to the design of it; and in order to secure a protestant
succession, he thought an union of the whole island was absolutely
necessary. He therefore moved for an address to the king that he would
dissolve the parliament of Scotland now sitting, as the legality of it
might