"the minifters of the allies will propofe debating fepa- 1712. rately, which had better come from them than any else.' And, when his lordship sent an account, that a refolution was taken at the Hague, upon the French minifters continuing obftinate, Mr. St. John, in his letter of April 5, expreffed himself in this manner : "That he hoped the "refolution, taken at the Hague to carry things to an ex"tremity, was the laft convulfive pang of an expiring fac❝tion.' 22 And yet this refolution was no more than to infift on a demand, in which all the allies were unanimous, and in which the British plenipotentiaries had themselves concurred. But what made the French thus perfift in the refolution of giving no answer in writing, is accounted for in the earl of Strafford's letter of the 27th of March, wherein he fays, "That the penfionary was extremely defirous that "the French would anfwer in writing, which, it was his "lordship's opinion, they would evade, till they saw what "fuccefs the abbot Gaultier had at London." And, in his letter of the 30th, he faid, "The French will avoid giv❝ing their anfwer in writing, till they fee all agreed be"twixt their court and ours." And, to fhew that the French were very well fatisfied with the method which their bufinefs was in, the plenipotentiaries, in their letter of April 15, fay, "They do not find the French are much "convinced of the neceffity of difpatch; and, when any "thing is let fall of breaking off the conferences, they "feem to take it with a great air of indifference, well "knowing their bufinefs was not to be done at Utrecht, "but by a negotiation carried on directly between London << and Verfailles." About the beginning of April, Mr. Thomas Harley and the abbé Gaultier arrived at Utrecht. For whose use and service Mr. Harley had been so well employed at home, as has been already obferved, and was now fent abroad, cannot be a doubt, fince Mr. fecretary St. John thought it neceffary to give monfieur de Torcy an immediate account of his successful endeavours at home, and the business he was fent abroad to manage. In his letter of March the 4th, he tells monfieur de Torcy, "That he "had deferred writing of late, till he might write with "certainty; till the neceffary difpofitions were made among

our people at home; and till the queen had taken the *only refolution, which could bring us, in a short time, "to a good and folid peace. I have now the fatisfaction to "tell you, that this refolution is taken; and that Mr. "Harley will carry with him this night or to-morrow morn

❝ ing

1712. ❝ing the final instructions of the queen to her plenipoten"tiaries. I refer myself to monfieur Gaultier, to explain "to you, more at large, the fubject of this gentleman's "commiffion, and what the queen hopes his most chrif"tian majefty will do to co-operate with her." These inftructions of Mr. Harley do not appear; but it seems the subject of them was not proper to be committed to writing; for which reafon, as in almost all matters relating to the pretender, it is referred to monfieur Gaultier to explain them. But what was meant by the neceffary difpofitions made among our people here at home,' is pretty well explained by monfieur de Torcy, in a memorial dated the 28th of March, 1712, in answer to what was brought by monfieur Gaultier, wherein he commends the prudent conduct of the court of Great-Britain, in managing the house of commons, and, in particular, their wife conduct in making. known to the houfe of commons, that the nation was abufed by its allies; and fays, " The king of France af"fures himself, that thofe, who now manage with so much "capacity the affairs of the queen of Great-Britain, know

how to curb the paffion of the turbulent party in the "other house." A few days after Mr. Harley's and the abbé Gaultier's arrival at Utrecht, the French plenipotentiaries communicated to the lord privy-feal and the earl of Strafford, a plan for a general peace, to which they had added, by way of marginal notes, in a diftinct column, what they were told would be absolutely neceffary in order to a general peace. But this was intrusted to them under the highest obligation of secrecy, to discover nothing of it to the reft of the allies. The British plenipotentiaries accepted this plan as a mark of the great confidence which France had in them, and readily engaged, that the allies fhould not be permitted to know a word of it; and, under the fame caution, fent it to Mr. fecretary St. John. But there was no room to doubt, but this plan, that was tranfmitted to England as a great difcovery, was concerted here, and fent by Mr. Har ley to Utrecht, and by Gaultier to France.

Mr. fecretary St. John, being much concerned at the behaviour of the allies, and the Dutch in particular, thought it proper to make one attempt more, as he called it, to gain them; and therefore ordered the plenipotentiaries, in a letter of the 12th of April, to acquaint them, "That "her majefty would confent to their having Dendermond " and Ghent, and, at the fame time, depart from her pre"tenfions to Oftend; and was willing, that the trade to

Spain and the Spanish Indies be fettled upon the fame 1712. foot, as it fubfifted at the death of the late king of Spain, in all respects, except the Affiento: and their lordships were ordered to tell them, in very plain terms, that her "majesty's measures would be taken according to the re"turn they should make to the queen on this occafion." But, at the fame time, no communication at all was made to the ftates of the general plan of peace laft delivered by the abbé Gaultier, as there never had been of any other, although, in this laft, the interests of all the allies were fettled and determined between Great-Britain and France. And, to fhew how candidly the queen's good friends and allies, the Dutch, as her majefty was pleased to ftile them, were dealt with, the 15 per cent. upon all the goods and manufactures of Great-Britain, which was offered at first as one of the chief bribes to England to come into this deftructive peace, monfieur Mefnager had now explained away, and confined to fuch goods, as were carried, not to Spain, but to the Spanish West-Indies only; and, our minifters finding that France would not make this effectual, Mr. Harley was ordered to let it drop. But to see the use that was to be made of this infincerity of the French, at the fame time that Mr. fecretary St. John acquainted the British plenipotentiaries with her majefty's confent to give this up, he told them, in his letter of April 5, " But you will take care to

do this in fuch a manner, as not only to get something for it another way, but also to render this conceffion of "the queen's a means of bringing the Dutch to reason,

and to a compliance with her majefty's measures." The lord privy-feal, on the 29th of April, acquainted Mr. fecretary St. John, that the negotiation was at a stand, till the French minifters were ready to return one answer or another and, on the 10th of May, the British plenipotentiaries fay, "The French tell us, they cannot think of giv❝ing in their answer to the allies, till they hear from Eng<< land the fuccefs of monfieur Gaultier; and you may << believe we wait for it with no lefs impatience than they ❝ do.".

The secretary, on the 3d of May, acquainted their excellencies: "I hope in a few days my dispatches will be66 come more material, and that we fhall be able either to fatisfy our friends at Utrecht, or not have reason to be much concerned at their uneafinefs." This ended in lord Strafford's being fent for into England; and the following orders were fent, on the 16th of May, to the lord privy

feal

འ

1712. feal for his farther conduct: "You are to stop all inftances "for procuring the tariff of 1664 to the Dutch: you are "to decline abfolutely to confer any further with them upon any matter, till you receive the queen's plan from ❝hence; and that you will not, I hope, be long in ex"pectation of. And her majefty finds fo ill a return made

Summary

Utrecht.

by the states to her condefcenfion towards them, that she "likewise orders your lordship to take the first folemn op"portunity of declaring to the Dutch ministers, that all "her offers for adjusting our differences were founded upon this exprefs condition, that they came immediately into "the queen's meafures, and acted openly and fincerely "with her; and that he looks upon herfelf, from their "conduct, now to be under no obligation whatsoever to "them."

The fummary then of this whole proceeding at Utrecht, of the pro- in one fhort view, appears to be this: a conference for geceedings at neral conferences was neceflary to be opened, that the allies might in appearance, agreeable to the grand alliance, have the opportunity of treating and adjusting their feveral pretenfions. The British minifters were by their inftructions to act in concert with the allies; but they really acted in concert with the French plenipotentiaries. The allies giving in their specific demands was not to be avoided; but the French were to gain as much time as they poffibly could, by unneceflary delays, and at last infift upon fuch a method of anfwering these demands, as they knew the allies could not comply with. In the mean time the negotiations were carrying on directly between England and France; or rather all the conditions dictated and prefcribed by France, whilst the allies were amused with a dispute about the method of anfwering, from which France would not, and they could not poffibly depart; in which England agreed with the reft of the allies. All particulars, that concerned even the intereft of the allies, were tranfacted betwixt the minifters of England and France, under the highest obligations of secrecy. The Dutch were preffed to come into the queen's measures, without being acquainted what the queen's meafures were. And, because they would not consent to they knew not what, as foon as it was refolved to fend orders to the duke of Ormond not to engage in either fiege or battle, and the great projects were ready to be executed on the other fide of the water, the queen declared, she looked upon herself now, from their conduct, to be under no obligation whatsoever to the ftates-general. And thus the al

liance betwixt Great-Britain and her principal ally was declared to be diffolved and cancelled, before any thing was finally agreed and concluded betwixt Great-Britain and France, or the former had any fecurity for its own trade and commerce, or any other advantages that were to accrue to it.

1712

paign.

During the congrefs at Utrecht, the preparations for the Preparations campaign were carried on by the emperor and the ftates for the camwith all poffible vigour prince Eugene, after having ftayed Burnet. (as hath been related) three months in England in a fruitleis negotiation, was fent back with general and ambiguous promifes. The ftates gave him the fupreme command of their army, and affured him, that, in the execution of the project that was concerted among them, he should be put under no reftraint by their deputies or generals, and that no ceffation of arms fhould be ordered, till all was fettled by a general peace. The duke of Ormond followed him in April, well fatisfied both with his inftructions and his appointments; for he had the fame allowances, that had been lately voted criminal in the duke of Marlborough. At this time the pretender was taken ill of the finall pox: he recovered of them; but his fifter, who was taken with the fame disease, died of it. She was, by all that knew her, admired as a moit extraordinary perfon in all refpects; infomuch that a very great character was fpread of her, by thofe who talked but indifferently of the pretender himself. Thus he loft a great ftrength, which fhe procured to him, from all who faw or converfed with her.

Before we proceed to the operations of the campaign, it will be proper to give an account of the convocation, which was held with this feffion of parliament.

tion.

There was a doubt fuggefted, whether the queen's licence Proceedings did still fubfift, after a prorogation by a royal writ. The in convocaattorney-general gave his opinion, that it was ftill in force; upon which, the bishops went on with the refolution, in which the former feffion had ended, and fent back to the lower house a paper, which had been sent to them from that house in the former feffion, with fuch amendments, as they thought proper. But then Atterbury started a new notion, That as, in a feffion of parliament, a prorogation put an end to all matters not finished, so that they were to begin all anew; the fame rule was to be applied to convocations, in pursuance of his favourite notion, that the proceedings in parliament were likewise to be observed amongst them. The bifhops did not agree to this; for, upon fearching their

books,