He was protected by a small fort and white resistance. This island, und two broad, was considered of . Beet, as having a good watering ece and enormous expense of The ships was saved. Commo" so well established, that the ou up to him when any naval emplated. On being introduced iamke, the king is said to have cattertained of his conduct in these He has been a continued series e Admiralty marked their estierring on him. in March, 1760, Le Chatham division of Marines. a commission under that estaLe France and England being 17, the preliminaries of rer of the Navy, at that le money expended on naval This office he held five r Dartmouth. He took no ity, he employed himself • a aitherto were little better gating instructions of the ccatae man in all money transto the Navy, were clearly oat up, which his biograder before or since: he is se.di regulations regarding Before he was bascu a villa in HertfordPorter's Lodge, between Cock, acoining one held by e during the remaining ass, beautifully placed on an Validating fine and extensive de ground on both sides e several alterations from kor years, built and fitted up a 18gements the cabin of the Cade of the 1st of June. Before this was done, he frequently regretted, when on shore, the walks he used to enjoy in the spacious gallery of his favourite three-decker.'-pp. 76, 77. In October, 1770, Lord Howe was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and in the ensuing month was appointed commander-in-chief of a squadron to be employed in the Mediterranean, in case the dispute then pending with Spain concerning the Falkland Islands should lead to a war. The affair was 'patched up by treaty,' and the patchwork has outlasted many and far costlier pieces of what were intended to be tough diplomacy. No Mediterranean squadron therefore was fitted out, and Lord Howe did not at that time hoist his flag. Hawke, however, who was then First Lord of the Admiralty, was censured by many for appointing so young an admiral to so important a command, and was threatened with a motion for an address to his Majesty upon the subject. The motion does not appear to have been made; but Hawke declared he was perfectly ready to meet it. I have tried my Lord Howe,' said he, 'on most important occasions; he never asked me how he was to execute any service entrusted to his charge, but always went straightforward and performed it.' In the following year Lord Howe acquainted the House that he had a petition to present from the captains of the navy for an increase of their half-pay. Upon which Lord North said, that he did not oppose the petition being brought up, but that for the most cogent reason he was determined to oppose it through every stage. The petition accordingly was read, and, though such a declaration from the minister might have seemed fatal to it, there was a general silence in the House for some time, on account of the unpresuming terms in which it was couched, considering the rank and the high and acknowledged deserts of the petitioners. Lord Howe then rose and stated, in the most moderate and guarded language, the grounds whereon the petition was founded, showing that till the year 1715, when they were put on the footing upon which they had ever since continued, the captains of the navy were always rewarded by posts of considerable profit, by particular gratifications, or by a half-pay double to what they now received; and he moved that the petition should be referred to a committee. The minister appeared to little advantage on this occasion. 'He was inclined,' he said, by every sentiment of humanity and gratitude to support Lord Howe's motion; he was well convinced of the petitioners' merit, and indeed of their claim to public support; it must be extremely painful to him therefore to object to any proposal intended for their benefit; but it was not what he or any other member in that House might feel on the present occasion which should direct them; it was not 6 what wat would be done the public Ise Lou Howe's motion for referring nei ov a majority of 154 to Cons of the petitioners, and sou be favourably considered. resoon: That an humble at he will be graciously "escerizon ne deficiency of the allowins and commanders in his het vzen out of employment: and be made thereto, proportioned ze snor captains, as his Majesty 3: mi D assure his Majesty that expense as shall be incurred on been long out of practice, but ee and she should think fit. yas and would have me call soon - w winch I undertook to do, but stponed it. Meeting him again lection, being the day after the ind of my promise, and would e sad he would call for me and con . I went with him, played a few and of very sensible conversation uced me to agree most readily meeting a few days afterwards, enension that any political busiA this new acquaintance.' At egreeable Mrs. Howe, after eil into a little chat, partly on n says, “the lady, which is a Real of mathematical know- * . Za iament then just met, when she 66 she said, "And what is to be done with this dispute between Great Britain and the Colonies? I hope we are not to have a civil war. Franklin replied, "They should kiss and be friends; what can they do better? Quarrelling can be of service to neither, but is ruin to both." Mrs. Howe replied, "I have often said, that I wished government would employ you to settle the dispute for them; I am sure nobody could do it so well. Do not you think that the thing is practicable?" Undoubtedly, Madam," he made answer, "if the parties are disposed to reconciliation, for the two countries have really no clashing interests to differ about it. It is rather a matter of punctilio, which two or three reasonable people might settle in half an hour. I thank you for the good opinion you are pleased to express of me; but the ministers will never think of employing me in that good work, they choose rather to abuse me. Ay," said she, "they have behaved shamefully to you; and, indeed, some of them are now ashamed of it themselves." " Franklin looked upon this as accidental conversation, and thought no more of it. 66 On Christmas-day, visiting Mrs. Howe, she told him as soon as he came in, that her brother, Lord Howe, wished to be acquainted with him; that he was a very good man, and she was sure they would like each other. Franklin replied, that he had always heard a good character of Lord Howe, and should be proud of the honour of being known to him. He is but just by, said she, will you give me leave to send for him? She rang for a servant, wrote a note, and Lord Howe came in a few minutes, for he lived next door to his mother and sister. Franklin proceeds to detail various interviews between himself and his lordship. In one of these it came out that Howe had seen a copy of the Doctor's celebrated Hints for Conversation about Terms,' &c. Lord Howe (writes Franklin) said, he was rather sorry to find that the sentiments expressed in that paper were mine, as it gave him less hope of promoting, by my assistance, the wished-for reconciliation, since he had reason to think there was no likelihood of the adoption of those propositions. He hoped, however, that I would reconsider the subject, and form some plan that would be acceptable here. He expatiated on the infinite service it would be to the nation, and the great merit in being instrumental in so good a work;-that he should not think of influencing me by any selfish motive, but certainly I might with reason expect any reward in the power of government to bestow. This to me (continues Franklin) was what the French vulgarly call spitting in the soup. However, I promised to draw some sketch of a plan at his request, though I much doubted, I said, whether it would be thought preferable to that he had in his hand. In general,' says he, |