6. Whilst the attention of the English Government was taken up by this continental war, they had unwisely neglected a weak point nearer home. CHARLES EDWARD (known as the YOUNG PRETENDER), son of James Stuart, and grandson of James II., made an attempt more daring and successful than his father's had proved in 1715. He landed in the western islands of Scotland, 1745, and was speedily joined by the clans of the Highlands. Marching upon Edinburgh, he met with no opposition, and occupied Holyrood. At PRESTONPANS, the Highlanders engaged and defeated the Royal troops under Sir John Cope. The young Pretender was handsome and pleasing, and won favour by his personal appearance, instead of losing it like his father. Encouraged by the supineness of the Government, and the general disbelief that any danger really threatened, Charles Edward led his men southward till they reached Derby. But no enthusiasm was aroused by his coming, and the little army on entering Derby still consisted of Highlanders. The approach of the Duke of Cumberland, the king's younger son,* at the head of an army, reminded the invaders how dangerous was their position, wholly unsupported as it was, and Charles Edward reluctantly retreated and re-entered Scotland. In April 1746 he sustained a defeat at CULLODEN that extinguished the last faint and flickering ray of hope for the exiled house of Stuart. Cumberland acted with barbarous severity after his * His elder son was Frederic, Prince of Wales, who died in 1752, leaving a young son, George, heir to the crown. victory, shooting his prisoners, and devastating the country. Many also suffered by form of law, but Charles Edward himself escaped after many adventures the fidelity of the Highlanders who sheltered him being proof against the temptation of the reward of £30,000 set upon his head. He retired to the Continent, where he sank into the most degrading habits of vice and intoxication, and died forgotten in 1788. 7. The leaders of the English ministry since Walpole had not displayed any great energy or ability; but William Pitt (Lord Chatham), who became Prime Minister in 1757, was a man of brilliant genius and untiring vigour. The peace signed in 1748 was but of short duration. Another terrible EUROPEAN WAR broke out in 1755, but the brief interval itself was not undisturbed in its tranquillity. Both in the east and west resistance to French encroachments led to mutual hostility. But in 1756 war became general. Maria Theresa allied herself with France, Russia, and other states, against her old enemy, Frederic of Prussia. Frederic, aided by Great Britain, his sole ally, sustained for SEVEN YEARS* a fearful contest with unequal forces but marvellous success. William Pitt guided the English policy; money was voted without stint, and British troops sent to the Continent. At MINDEN a decided victory was gained over the French in 1759. Loss and disaster now came heavily upon France. Her colonies in America and India were torn from her grasp, and her fleets The war is hence known as the "SEVEN YEARS' WAR." were destroyed. QUEBEC was taken with the utmost gallantry by GENERAL WOLFE, who died at the moment of victory, 1759; and French Canada passed under British rule. In India designs had been formed of raising a French empire, but the youthful commander CLIVE (who had gone out at first as a writer in the East India Company's service) checked their progress and broke their power. A victory gained by him at PLASSEY, 1757, over a large Indian army, aided by the French, laid the foundation of the future supremacy of Great Britain. SUMMARY.-Maria Theresa succeeded her father, Charles VI., in his Austrian and Hungarian dominions. A combination was formed against her by Prussia, France, and other European powers. Britain espoused her cause. The Anglo-Hanoverian army gained a victory over the French at Dettingen in 1743. In 1745, the allied forces of England, Austria, and Holland were defeated by the French at Fontenoy. Peace was at last concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. Prince Charles Edward landed on one of the Western Islands in 1745, with only seven attendants. He was soon at the head of four thousand men, ready to support his claim to the throne. He marched unopposed to Edinburgh, defeated King George's troops at Prestonpans, and afterwards marched to Derby, but was obliged to retreat, and was finally defeated at Culloden in 1746. Thirty thousand pounds were offered to any one who would betray him, but none were found base enough to do so. He landed safely in France, and died in exile in 1788. War was again commenced against France in 1755, and a treaty of peace was concluded in Paris in 1763. William Pitt, afterwards Lord Chatham, was at this time Prime Minister. General Wolfe took Quebec in 1759, and was killed during the siege. The whole of Canada was surrendered to the British in 1760. QUESTIONS. Against whom was a combination formed by Prussia, France, and other Powers? Whom did Great Britain assist? What battle was fought in 1743? What battle was fought in 1745? When did Prince Charles Edward land in Scotland? Who joined him, and whither did he march? Where were the Royal troops defeated? Where was Prince Charles Edward finally defeated? When did another European war break out, and how long did it last? Who was aided by Great Britain? Where and when were the French defeated? What other losses did France sustain? By whom and when was Quebec taken? What great victory was gained by Clive in India, and what were its results? Vertical, Absorbing, Diminish, CLIMATE. DERIVATION. Lat., vertex, the highest point Lat., ab, from sorbeo, to suck up. Lat., temperatura, the mix- Lat., mare, the sea. Preponderance, Lat., pre, before, pondero, pon deratum, to weigh; from pon- MEANING. Perpendicular to the horizon, upright. Drawing up, sponge like; wholly engaging. State of a body as to heat and cold. To make less. Belonging to the sea. An excess of weight, quantity, or power. That which is generally meant by the climate of any locality includes chiefly its heat and moisture, and these are found to depend mainly on the latitude of the place, its altitude (altus, high), and slope, the circumstanees of the land near it, and the direction of its prevailing winds, besides the influence which man exercises over it by the cultivation of the soil. LATITUDE.-The chief element in climate is the amount of heat received from the sun. Any spot on the globe receives 8000 out of every 10,000 rays of the sun when he is vertical, the air absorbing the other 2000. It receives 7000 if those rays have an angle of 50 degrees; 3000 if the angle is 3 degrees; and scarcely any if the rays pass horizontally. The thermometer in the hottest parts of the globe rises to 110 or 120 degrees; in the habitable parts of Greenland it sinks 40 degrees below zero. In the torrid zone the heat is great, because of the directness of the sun's rays; and it is comparatively uniform, because the days and nights are nearly equal all the year round. The nearer any place is to the equator, the more direct the rays, and the greater the heat to be expected as a general rule. But in extreme north and south latitudes, the sun being so much longer above the horizon in summer, does a good deal to compensate for the obliqueness of his rays, and causes extreme heat. The reverse is the case in winter. In the latitude of Greenwich (for London) the longest day is nearly seventeen hours, and the shortest seven. Within the polar circles there is a summer in which the sun never sets, and a winter in which he never rises. From the preponderance of land in the northern hemisphere, it is about 3 degrees warmer than the southern. ALTITUDE AND SLOPE.-The altitude of any place, that is, its height above sea-level, greatly influences its temperature, because the heat of the atmosphere diminishes as the earth is distanced. Three hundred and thirty feet of altitude is equal in this respect to one degree of latitude; but the |