and spirited, he, according to Collins, "addicted himself first to Maritime affairs, and having been in several naval expeditions with Sir John Bury, knight, Vice-Admiral of England," was created Baron of Sudbury, &c. &c.

In the year 1687, he was employed as a ViceAdmiral to attend with a squadron at one of the ports of Holland, there to receive on board the Queen of Portugal elect, for the purpose of conveying her to her new dominions, which he accomplished much to the satisfaction of the British Government. During the reign of his natural uncle James II., he commanded part of the King's forces employed against the Duke of Monmouth, and acquitted himself with equal address and courage. The Duke was employed in the siege of Cork; and leading a party to an assault on the 21st of September, 1690, he received a shot which broke two of his ribs. On the 9th of October following, he breathed his last.

The anecdote that caused the preceding slight notice of the leading particulars of Henry Fitzroy's life is derived from Smith's Current Intelligence for July 19, 1681, and will illustrate the hardihood and bravery which has at all times distinguished English seamen from the illegitimate Prince to the foremast-man.

On the 17th of July, two large vessels, one a Swede and the other a Dane, were unfortunately stranded on the Goodwin Sands. The boat

men

men of Deal immediately went to their assistance, and, at the risk of their own lives, saved those of the crews, their chests, and some other trifling articles.

Previous to the time when the ships were totally beaten to pieces, curiosity induced the Duke to visit the wrecks, which he did in a small and frail boat, rowed by two men only. During this excursion they were subjected to all the violence of a sudden and unexpected storm. Persons unacquainted with the management of a boat, under similar circumstances, must have perished; but the triumvirate were undismayed: the two men and the Duke, equally calm and collected, rowed with the utmost skill against each other; and, however surprising the fact, they succeeded in keeping the boat from being swamped, and arrived greatly fatigued, but in perfect safety, at Ramsgate.

CURIOUS ELECTIONEERING MANOEUVRE, 1681.

The observation of a contemporary, after relating the following particulars, is so extremely just, that the Editor has nothing to add to the weight of it. "Counterfeiters of money, or Highway robbers, not more deserve the gallows than such who, by forging members that are to be intrusted to so great a degree with our liberties and estates, endeavour as much as in them lies to destroy the happily constituted government of the nation."

An

An action was brought at Kingston, during the Surrey Assizes of 1681, by Denzil Onsloe, Esq. against the Bailiff of the Borough of Haslemere, for a double or false return of a Member of Parliament for that Borough. At the election alluded to, Mr. Onsloe had thirteen suffrages; Sir William Moor eleven; Mr. Gresham eight; and a fourth candidate seven. According to these decided majorities, Onsloe and Moor were declared duly elected.

The antient constitution and custom of the Borough required that the electors should be not only scot and lot men, but freeholders. Now, as all those had voted, it remained for Mr. Gresham to determine whether he would retire a disappointed candidate, or, by a deep-laid scheme, create new freeholders, and through their assistance renew the contest, with the certainty of obtaining a triumph over his competitors. Six freeholders was the number deemed necessary for this honourable purpose: four of these were reared from a cabbage garden, by the proprietor of that useful piece of ground conveying such portions of it to the parties concerned as amounted to the value required; the transfer of some rooms and a cart hovel to the remaining two completed the artifice, which the Bailiff concluded by a new

return.

The examination of witnesses on this occasion proved, that similar practices had prevailed before;

which exciting the indignation of the Lord Chief Justice, he inveighed severely against such infringements on the constitution. The Jury, feeling his Lordship's sentiments to be strictly correct, returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with 50%. damages and costs of suit. At the same time, a gentleman was ordered to find sureties to answer an information to be brought against him.

THE DUKE D'Elbeuf and MR. SAVILE.

The latter gentleman was Envoy from the British Court to that of Lewis XIV. At some period previous to 1681, the domestics of each party had quarrelled; but not having brought their contention to an issue, the servants of the Duke waited a favourable opportunity to make an attack upon their enemies. This occurred immediately on the arrival of Mr. Savile at Paris from Fontainbleau, when the riotous fraternity assembled in such force, that Mr. Savile's men prudently closed the gate and shutters. Unfortunately one of the number happened to be from home, and returning at the moment, he entered into an expostulation with the offenders, and endeavoured to prevail on them to relinquish their guilty purposes.

This rational advice procured the poor fellow who gave it a severe beating; which exasperating the men within the house, they seized their rapiers, threw open the gates, and assaulted the

rioters

rioters with irresistible ardour; four were killed, several wounded, and others fled.

The Duke d'Elbeuf waited on Mr. Savile, to offer every reparation in his power; the latter, however, thought proper to give information to the Lieutenant of the Police; after which, he demanded and received an audience of the King, who, having heard the Envoy's statement, expressed his regret in handsome terms; at the same time giving orders for the arrest of the servants, and the banishment of the Duke to his government in Picardy during pleasure.

THE AMBASSADORS OF THE KING OF BANTAM. The various methods contrived to entertain and amuse Ambassadors of the above description would form a curious collection.

In the year

1682, two, with most appalling names, sent by the Monarch already mentioned to the Court of England, were invited to visit and inspect the King's Printing-house, then situated in Blackfriars. Two of the Royal state carriages conveyed the Ambassadors, the son of Sir Charles Cottrell, and Mr. Maidstow their interpreter, and two other coaches the retinue of the Envoys. After inspecting every object of interest with considerable attention, they were assisted in composing and printing their own titles, which are given for the benefit of posterity-"His Excellency Keay 'Nabee Naia-wi-praia, principal Ambassador from

Sultan