remained all the time quiet fpectators of what paffed. Some of the populace broke open the drinking houfes, and inflamed themfelves with fpirituous liquors; which made the fcene the more terrible to fuch foreigners, as knew the dangerous confequences that attend mobs in other countries even without intoxication. The danger appeared greater at night; the women who were particularly outrageous, carrying lighted torches and palm branches through the streets. The general cry was Viva Espagna.

In the mean time, the rioters fent a deputation to Aranjuez to the king, complaining of his doubt of their fidelity, and defiring that the court may come back, in order to walk about the town as ufual on Holy Thursday. The deputation returned with an account, that his Majelly was greatly indisposed, had been twice bled, and therefore could not come; but that he granted them a general pardon, would fend away Squillace and his family for ever, and would appoint Moufquiz minifter of the finances; and that the only means to induce the king to return to Madrid, would be their immediate difperfing and obeying his orders. This meffage had a most happy effect; the people were thoroughly fatisfied with it, gave up their arms, and having retired to their refpective homes, every thing refumed its former ftate of quiet.

There were many circumftances attended these commotions, that ferve ftrongly to mark the character of the nation concerned in them. Not a fingle individual fuffered in his perfon or property, by the lawless affembling of fo VOL. IX.

many thoufand people; excep the Walloon guards who had violently oppofed them, and those particular perfons whofe obnoxious conduct had made them the avowed objects of the people's refentment. On the contrary, they refufed money from all thofe that of fered it, and faid they wanted nothing but the blood of Squillace. When the affair was over, the people went of their own accord, and fhaking hands with the foldiers they had taken them from, return. ed them their arms. Others who were not known, went in copas to the different public-houfes, and paid for the liquors that had been confumed. It was a rate example, that an enraged, tumultuous, and numerous populace, during fo many days difturbance in a great city, fhould preferve an order, conduct, and attention to juftice, which could fcarcely be equalled by the beft difciplined army. The behaviour of the Spanish guards, and the invalids, is a leffon to princes, that national forces are not to be depended on, when the fervice appointed them is against the common interest or opinion of their country.

The Marquis of Squillacci and his family had fet out immediate ly for Carthagena, under the guard of a ftrong efcort, from whence he embarked as foon as poffible for Naples. Two officers who had attended him upon this route, faid at their return, that they found the people every where in commotion, and crying out, Long live the King, deftruction to Squillacci.' Several diforders happened in different parts of the kingdom; libels of an atrocious nature were difperfed and pafted [C]

'

which was accepted only on the following conditions.

1. That all European foreigners fhould be obliged to quit the city in eight days.

2. That the artillery, warlike ftores and arms, which were in the king's magazines, fhould be delivered up to the rebels without delay.

3. That they fhould fettle as a fundamental law, an exemption from all manner of tribute.

4. That all the flaves fhould be made free, by an indulto ge

neral.

5. That the criminals detained in the prifons, fhould be fet at li berty.

In confequence of the firft article, all the foreigners that were at Quito, quitted the city.

It was added, that the confpirators, in order to fhake off en. tirely the Spanish yoke, had pretended to elect a king in the perfon of the Count de Herba Florida, vice-roy, who in fpite of his proteftations," that he would ra"ther die, than take away the "crown from his lawful fove"reign," was forced, with the dagger at his throat, to fuffer himfelf to be proclaimed King of Quito.

The Bishop of Quito, endeavouring to escape, was made a prisoner.

This news, it was faid, came to the Vice-roy of Santa Fe, by an extraordinary courier, difpatched from Santa Martha, on the 3d of October, 1765. It was farther faid, that the Vice-roy of Santa Fe, not finding himself in fafety in his own house, had retifed first to a convent of monks;

but that he afterwards quitted it, in order to go to Houda, having abandoned all the affairs of his go vernment.

There are circumftances in this narrative that do not appear very probable; to mention no other, the concurrence of 2800 towns and villages, at the fame hour, has a great air of fable. It is to be prefumed too, that a revolt of this extent could not, at this day, but have been more particularly known. Armaments would probably have been made in Old Spain; the very means that muit have been neceffary to have quieted disturbances of that magnitude, would have difcovered them.

We may therefore reasonably doubt of the veracity of the story in its full extent. But it is certainly fact, that the court of Madrid was made to believe, that there were great frauds and abufes practifed in the collection of its American revenue, which by proper attention might be much im proved. An entire new mode of collection was accordingly projected, and fome new impofitions laid. There is room to believe, that the whole project, in eonfequence of fome difturbances, has been laid afide, or at leaft fufpended, by order of the court.

It is to be prefumed, that the relinquishing the fcheme, has been thought fufficient to appease the troubles. If so, we must conclude, either that the power of Spain is indeed very weak in her colonies, and that the had no hopes of reducing them by any poffible force to be fent out, or that the disturbances were of no great extent, and that the strength of the [C] 2

crown

crown exifting in the country, was fufficient to quell them, when the cause of complaint was removed.

It is after all difficult to decide upon a queftion of this nature. Even at the Havannah, the very fervants of the crown have, in more than one inftance, fhewn great disrespect to the King's commands. It were not furprising, that this fpirit fhould be ftill ftronger upon the Spanish main, where there are many families of the old people of the country, who are of great weight; and indeed fcarcely any native Spaniard, of

any further weight than what he derives from office; which is certainly fufficient while peace and good order prevail, but must lofe its confequence, the moment the laws lofe their force. In this fituation of things, the Spaniards perhaps hold but a precarious power in the new world; but there does not feem fufficient information of the late tranfactions, to decide, whether any event has yet occurred, that may be likely to endanger their American empire.

THE

HE great acquifitions of power, dominion, and riches, which have been made in the Eaft Indies, and which we hope are now fully fecured in our poffeffion; whether regarded with refpect to the nation in general, or to the East-India company in particular, are become objects of the highest importance and confideration. We have not been exempt from fears, that, by the carrying on of a continual courfe of war in Indoftan, we might in time have beaten the natives of that country into good foldiers. The order and difcipline which Coffim Aly Cawn began to introduce, and the firmness and perfeverance fhewn by his troops in confequence of

thefe regulations, fo different from any thing that had ever been obferved before among them, feemed ftrongly to countenance this opinion. But these beginnings were not followed. There seems to be an inferiority of genius, a natural imbecillity, in the natives of thefe vaft countries, with refpect to military affairs, which may probably prevent their being ever able to cope with Europeans in the field.

We have in our two laft volumes given an account of the fuccefsful actions which brought the late dangerous war nearly to a period: it now remains to fhew in what manner it was finally concluded, and the advantages we

have

have a right to expect in confequence of thefe fucceffes. It muft be confeffed, that the authenticated accounts of tranfactions in that part of the world, are far from being fo clear, full, or precife, as could be wifhed; and that thofe which come from private hands, through the diffenfions which have arifen among the company's fervants there, are much to be fufpected of being tinged with the colours of the parties whofe hands they came through. It remains, that we give the best account of things that we have been able to procure, and that we cautiously abstain from giving any opinion in matters which are fo far from being fufficiently cleared up.

We clofed our laft year's account with the taking of Eliabad. The tract of which Eliabad is the capital, is called the Gorrah country, lying between the rivers Ganges and Yumna, and extending to the point where thefe rivers join. Near this point Eliabad is fituated. Soon after the taking of this place, General Carnac affumed the command of the army, having fuperfeded Sir Robert Fletcher. He difpofed of his troops to the beft advantage, for fecuring the new conquefts, and quieting the country; in which operations we do not find, that he met with any disturbances or oppofition worth notice for fome time.

But this repofe was of no long continuance, Sujah Doula the Nabob of Oude, a man of fleadinefs, courage, and refources, was determined not to fall in a weak and inglorious manner; abardoned by the Mogul, who quitted his

camp after the battle of Buxar, and went over to the English; ftripped of the name and authority of vizier; wafted by frequent and bloody defeats; he ftill maintained his activity and refolution. He gathered together, with great affiduity, the remains of his routed armies; and feeing that his own territories were unequal to the fupply of troops, fufficient, either in numbers or fpirit, to face the Englifh, he turned himfelf to the Marattas. The Marattas are a people of the mountainous country, fituated fouth-weft of his territory, Of all the tribes originally Indian, they are almoft the only one which can be in any fenfe confidered as warlike. They never had been perfectly fubdued by the Mogul Tartars, who extended their empire over all the other parts of India. Their great ftrength is in horfe; with which (efpecially of late years) they held all that vaft peninfula in continual alarms, wafted many provinces, and obliged moft of them to purchase a temporary ceffation of hoftilities by a fort of tribute, or annual ranfom. Sujah Doula threw himself

on this alliance as his laft recourse. But the terror of the Marattas ceafed, when they were oppofed to the English arms. General Carnac having affembled his troops, marched immediately to engage them, and on the 20th having come up May, 1765. with them at a place called Calpi, they were after a weak refiftance totally routed ; obliged to recross the Yumna with the greateft precipitation, and feek for refuge in their own country.

Foiled in all his military at[C] 3 tempts