America rejects North's conciliatory measures. The English evacuate Philadelphia.
Indecisive naval fight off Ushant.

1779 Difficulties in Ireland. Anti-popish riots in Scotland. Spain declares war against
England. Siege of Gibraltar by French and Spanish. The Irish volunteers. Free-
trade granted to Ireland.

1780 Petitions for economical reforms. The Lord George Gordon riots. Capture of Charles-
town. Rodney defeats Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent. Catherine of Russia
forces the armed neutrality of Norway, Russia, and Sweden against England.
Descent of Hyder Ali on the Carnatic. Dunning's motion for diminishing the power
of the crown. The English under Cornwallis defeat colonists and win successes
in southern states. Major André hanged as a spy. War declared against Holland.
1781 Rodney captures St. Eustatius in West Indies. Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Battles of Guildford Courthouse, Hobkirk's Hill, and Eutaw Springs. The perma-
nent Mutiny Bill (Ireland) is passed. Coote defeats Hyder Ali at Porto Novo. The
French retake St. Eustatius.

1782 Minorca is taken by Spaniards. North's resignation. The Rockingham ministry.
The civil list is regulated. The proceedings with reference to Wilkes are expunged
from house of commons journals. Repeal of Poyning's Act. Agitation in Ireland.
Economical reforms. Victories of Rodney in West Indies. Death of Rockingham.
Shelburne becomes prime minister. Resignation of Fox and Burke. The siege of
Gibraltar raised. Conclusion of American War: England acknowledges independ-

ence of United States.

1783 Peace of Versailles between France and England, and the United States and England.
The coalition ministry of Fox and North: duke of Portland as prime minister.
Fox's India Bill rejected. Fall of the coalition ministry. William Pitt becomes
prime minister. Russia takes the Crimea.
1784 Pitt's Budget. Pitt's India Bill rejected and subsequently passed. The Mutiny Bill
passed. Pitt's struggle with the coalition.

1785 Parliamentary Reform Bill. Free Trade Bill between England and Ireland. Charges
against Warren Hastings.

1786 French Commercial Treaty. Pitt's sinking fund for payment of the national debt.
Burke's impeachment of Warren Hastings. Lord Cornwallis, governor-general of

India.

1787 Conduct of the prince of Wales. Association formed for abolition of the slave trade.
English settlement made at Sierra Leone.

1788 Trial of Warren Hastings. The king's illness made public: the Regency Bill. Pre-
eminence of Pitt: his foreign policy. Bill passed for regulation of slave-ships.
1789 The king's recovery: thanksgiving at St. Paul's. Beginning of French Revolution
(May 5th): excitement in England. Resolution condemnatory of slave trade (Wil-
berforce, Burke and Fox). Grenville becomes secretary of state. Triple Alliance
formed for defence of Turkey.

1790 Quarrel with Spain over Nootka Sound. The convention of Reichenbach. Pitt de-
feats Poland. Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution. Rejection of the
Abolition of Tests and the Reform Bill.

1791 Representative government set up in Canada. Fox's Libel Act. Mitford's bill re-
moving disabilities of Roman Catholics. Resignation of the duke of Leeds. The
Birmingham riots.

1756 England allies with Prussia. War declared between England and France. The French
capture Minorca. Newcastle resigns. Duke of Devonshire becomes prime min-
ister. Pitt's vigorous government. The Black Hole of Calcutta.

1757 Disasters of the war.

Bill passed for establishment of a national militia. Battle of
Plassey (June 23). Execution of Byng. Pitt is dismissed and again admitted.
Cumberland capitulates at Kloster-Seven.

1758 Change of generals. Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick is made commander-in-chief.
Expeditions against Cherbourg and St. Malo. Naval victories off Carthagena and
Basque roads. Capture of Louisburg and Cape Breton. Capture of Fort Duquesne.
1759 Capture of Guadaloupe and bombardment of Havre. Naval victories of Lagos and
Quiberon Bay. Victory of Minden: success of Ferdinand. Capture of Quebec.
Wolfe's victory on the Heights of Abraham.

1760 The battle of Wanderwash and the capture of Pondicherry. Pre-eminence of Pitt.
Death of George II. Accession of George III.

1761 Bute is made secretary of state. Negotiations between France and England for peace.
Pitt resigns office. Bute becomes premier.

1762 A bribery act is passed. England declares war against Spain. Newcastle resigns.
Capture of Havana and Manila. Fox enters the cabinet. Peace with France con-
cluded.
1763 The Peace of Paris is signed. Attack on the whigs. Bute resigns. Ministry of
George Grenville begins. The triumvirate ministry. The Bedford ministry. The
trial of Wilkes. Wedgwood establishes potteries. Origin of the American prov-
inces.
1764 First expulsion of Wilkes from house of commons. Grenville's act imposing customs
duties on the American colonies. Hargreaves invents spinning-jenny.

1765 The Stamp Act for America is passed. The king's illness. The Regency Bill. Re-
tirement of Pitt. Rockingham forms a ministry.

1766 The Declaratory Act passed, declaring the authority of England over the colonies.

Meeting and protest of American congress. Repeal of the American Stamp Act.
House of commons condemns all general warrants as illegal. Fall of the Rocking-
ham ministry. Pitt, as Lord Chatham, forms a strong government, but falls ill
and Grafton assumes authority.

1767 Townshend, as chancellor and exchequer, passes act for taxing American imports.
Death of Townshend. Lord North becomes chancellor of the exchequer.

1768 Second expulsion of Wilkes. Corruption of parliament. Riots in favour of Wilkes.
Chatham leaves the government. Arkwright invents spinning-machine. Captain
Cook makes first voyage to Australia and explores Botany Bay.

1769 The first of the "Junius" letters appears. Wilkes four times elected for Middlesex.
Increase of American difficulties. Weakness of the ministry. Occupation of Bos-
ton by British troops.

1770 Resignation of the duke of Grafton. Lord North succeeds. Chatham's proposal of
parliamentary reform. All the American import duties are removed, except the
tax on tea. Grenville's act for reform of election petitions. Affair of the Falkland
Islands.

1771 Debate on the freedom of exporting. Beginning of the great English journals.
1772 The Royal Marriage Act passed. Bill to relieve dissenting ministers. Lord Mansfield
decides that slavery cannot exist in England.

1773 Organised opposition in America. The people of Boston board the ships and throw the
tea overboard. Hastings appointed governor-general of India. Lord North's act
for the regulation of India.

1774 The assembly of Massachusetts meets for the last time (under English crown). Con-
gress meets at Philadelphia and denies the right of parliament to tax the colonies.
The Boston Port Bill is passed, closing the port of Boston. Charges against Clive:
his suicide. Wilkes elected lord mayor.
1775 Chatham's plan of conciliation rejected. Battle of Lexington. The Canada Bill.
Congress assumes complete sovereignty. Washington becomes commander-in-chief.
Americans, under Washington, besiege Boston. English victory at Bunker Hill.
The Olive Branch Petition. The English repel an American invasion of Canada.
The southern colonies expel their governors.

1776 Evacuation of Boston by English. The English drive the Americans from Long
Island and take New York. The English take Rhode Island. Declaration of In-
dependence (July 4th). Battles of Brooklyn and Trenton.

1777 French assistance to America. Washington recovers New Jersey. Chatham pro-
poses federal union. The English win the battle of Brandywine and take Phila-
delphia. Battle of Germantown. Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga. France
acknowledges independence of America.

1778 Duke of Richmond's motion to recognise the independence of the United States.
Spain allies with the United States. Burke's measure for relief of brush trade.

America rejects North's conciliatory measures. The English evacuate Philadelphia.
Indecisive naval fight off Ushant.

1779 Difficulties in Ireland. Anti-popish riots in Scotland. Spain declares war against
England. Siege of Gibraltar by French and Spanish. The Irish volunteers. Free-
trade granted to Ireland.

1780 Petitions for economical reforms. The Lord George Gordon riots. Capture of Charles-
town. Rodney defeats Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent. Catherine of Russia
forces the armed neutrality of Norway, Russia, and Sweden against England.
Descent of Hyder Ali on the Carnatic. Dunning's motion for diminishing the power
of the crown. The English under Cornwallis defeat colonists and win successes
in southern states. Major André hanged as a spy. War declared against Holland.
1781 Rodney captures St. Eustatius in West Indies. Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Battles of Guildford Courthouse, Hobkirk's Hill, and Eutaw Springs. The perma-
nent Mutiny Bill (Ireland) is passed. Coote defeats Hyder Ali at Porto Novo. The
French retake St. Eustatius.
1782 Minorca is taken by Spaniards. North's resignation. The Rockingham ministry.
The civil list is regulated. The proceedings with reference to Wilkes are expunged
from house of commons journals. Repeal of Poyning's Act. Agitation in Ireland.
Economical reforms. Victories of Rodney in West Indies. Death of Rockingham.
Shelburne becomes prime minister. Resignation of Fox and Burke. The siege of
Gibraltar raised. Conclusion of American War: England acknowledges independ-
ence of United States.

1783 Peace of Versailles between France and England, and the United States and England.
The coalition ministry of Fox and North: duke of Portland as prime minister.
Fox's India Bill rejected. Fall of the coalition ministry. William Pitt becomes
prime minister. Russia takes the Crimea.
1784 Pitt's Budget. Pitt's India Bill rejected and subsequently passed. The Mutiny Bill
passed. Pitt's struggle with the coalition.

1785 Parliamentary Reform Bill. Free Trade Bill between England and Ireland. Charges
against Warren Hastings.

1786 French Commercial Treaty. Pitt's sinking fund for payment of the national debt.
Burke's impeachment of Warren Hastings. Lord Cornwallis, governor-general of

India.

1787 Conduct of the prince of Wales. Association formed for abolition of the slave trade.
English settlement made at Sierra Leone.

1788 Trial of Warren Hastings. The king's illness made public: the Regency Bill. Pre-
eminence of Pitt: his foreign policy. Bill passed for regulation of slave-ships.
1789 The king's recovery: thanksgiving at St. Paul's. Beginning of French Revolution
(May 5th): excitement in England. Resolution condemnatory of slave trade (Wil-
berforce, Burke and Fox). Grenville becomes secretary of state. Triple Alliance
formed for defence of Turkey.
1790 Quarrel with Spain over Nootka Sound. The convention of Reichenbach. Pitt de-
feats Poland. Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution. Rejection of the
Abolition of Tests and the Reform Bill.

1791 Representative government set up in Canada. Fox's Libel Act. Mitford's bill re-
moving disabilities of Roman Catholics. Resignation of the duke of Leeds. The
Birmingham riots.