We must not omit to mention a circumstance of the utmost importance that took place at this period. Lady Mary Wortley Montague had just returned from Constantinople, where she had witnessed inoculation for small-pox, and reported the successful results. Dr. Mead was ordered by the prince to try the experiment on six criminals who had been condemned to death, but whose lives were spared for this purpose. The success was so satis- {068}factory that Caroline ordered her two daughters to be inoculated during the following year. If we recall how this dreadful disease attacked numerous members of the royal family during the previous century, we will understand the blessing of this discovery. But it was reserved for Dr. Jenner to discover vaccination, which he did by a merely accidental observation some years later. This circumstance is so well known that it is unnecessary to relate it. [[A. D. 1727.]] Now we come to a most important period of this history, when the Princess of Wales becomes Queen of England. It was on the afternoon of June 14, 1727, that Sir Robert Walpole, the prime minister, received intelligence of the death of George I., and hastened to do homage to the new sovereigns, George and Caroline. On that occasion he asked who would be selected to draw up the usual address to the privy council, no doubt thinking it would be himself. George II. named Sir Spenser Compton, speaker of the House of Commons. That was a polite way of informing Sir Robert that he was dismissed. He was, of course, by no means pleased, but showed no resentment toward his successor, because he was not narrow-minded enough for that; besides, he knew that Sir Spenser was incompetent, and said to a friend who was also turned out of office: "I shall go out; but let me advise you not to go into violent opposition, as we must soon come in again." The fact is that Sir Robert had very unwisely offended the queen when she was Princess of Wales by speaking of her as "that fat beast, the prince's wife." Nevertheless, he was determined, if possible, to retain his position, and knowing the queen's influence over her husband, it was through her that he decided to manage it. So he ascertained that Sir Spenser Compton intended to propose to {069} [Illustration: 0075] {071}parliament an allowance of sixty thousand pounds per annum for the queen, and then informed her, through a friend, that if he were retained in office he should make it one hundred thousand pounds. Caroline was delighted, and intimated that Sir Robert might be sure "the fat beast" had kindly feeling enough towards him to induce her to secure for herself the extra forty thousand pounds; so she hastened to the king, and pointed out to him the advantages of retaining in office so able a man as Sir Robert, and the utter incompetency of Compton.