1712. could not comply with it, without doing a manifeft injury to the Emperor, who had at least an equal title with king Philip to the crown of Spain. Infult on the Strafford. About this time another accident happened at Utrecht, which was like to prove a new obstruction to the negotiathe earl of tion of peace. The earl of Strafford had, by his lofty carriage, made himself very obnoxious to the Dutch; and, it being given out, that the duke of Savoy had abandoned the allies, and agreed to a fufpenfion of arms, fome of the common people, in the night-time, broke the windows, both of the marquis del Borgo, one of the duke's plenipotentiaries, and of the earl of Strafford; and, as a farther indignity to the earl, they fet up a wheel on the rails before his houfe, with a paper on it, in which was written the Dutch word, Straff-art, alluding to the earl's name, and implying, that he deferved the punishment denoted by the wheel; the word Straffen in Dutch fignifying, to punish or chastise. This infult was highly refented by the British plenipotentiaries; but the magiftrates of Utrecht having published a reward of four hundred gilders to any one, who fhould discover the authors of it, and that the name of the informer fhould be concealed; the British court thought fit not to take any notice of the affront at this juncture, the rather, because it was by many fufpected, that the French emiffaries were at the bottom of this infult, in order to irritate the British nation against the Dutch. The French reftitution of The afcendant, which France had now gained in all the infift on the negotiations of peace, was evident from their infifting upTournay. on the reftitution of Tournay, which deferves to be parRep. of the ticularly fet forth. On the 30th of Auguft the British Com. of Secr. plenipotentiaries at Utrecht acquainted the lord Bolingbroke, that in fome difcourfe with the minifters of the allies they had carried matters fo far as to tell them, that though her Majefty would endeavour to promote their interest in a peace, and obtain for them the beft terms, that should be poffible; yet, if those endeavours fhould not procure more than the contents of her Majefty's speech, or even in fome degree fall short of that plan, the fault would be intirely theirs, who had rendered things, difficult and uncertain, which otherwife would have been eafy and practicable. And, having thus far complied with their late orders to lay all the blame upon the allies, they further informed his lordship, that they had however obtained the confent of the minifters of the allies to come to a conference with thofe of France, in or der der to renew the negotiations; the time to be fixed between the British and French plenipotentiaries, who, meeting to have some difcourfe previous to the general conferences, parted without coming to any conclufion. The occafion of their difference, that prevented renewing the conferences, arose upon proposals made by the British ministers in relation to Tournay. They, in a letter of the 2d of September, N. S. to lord Bolingbroke, ftate the cafe in this manner: In her Majefty's fpeech it is expreffed, • That the Dutch are to have the intire barrier, as demanded in 1709, except two or three places at moft.' The French minifters infift, that they must have Lifle as an equivalent for Dunkirk; and that the fame is not to be underftood as one of the three places mentioned in the speech; and confequently that they muft, in all, have four of the places mentioned in the demands of 1709. This to us appears to be altogether inconfiftent with what her Majesty has declared; and we accordingly think it contrary to our duty to bring on a conference, in which fuch an explication is to be made. The French minifters, on the other hand, have shewed us their orders, which pofitively require them to infift upon the reftitution of Tournay as well as Lifle; and that they can by no means confent to the ceffion of Maubeuge or Condé. The British minifters then preffed the French to speak at firft in terms as general, as their propofal was conceived in; but the French thought it neceffary to be particular and express in that point above all others, because they fhall otherwife have tied themselves up, and given the Dutch an advantage. The refult of this debate was, not to proceed to a conference, till this point be determined; the French infifting, that their orders were fo plain, as neither to need nor admit any explication; and the British minifters thinking the matter as plain on their fide. They hoped, their zeal for her Majefty's honour would be graciously approved, and defire to be directed what further they are to do in this matter, which they apprehend to be of a decifive confequence; because they find even those among the Dutch, who appear to be moft cordially difpofed to fuch a peace, as may re-establish a good harmony between her Majesty and the States, as abfolutely neceffary for their mutual prefervation, fully refolved, either to retain Tournay, and have Condé yielded to them; or to take one of these two courfes, either to come into any terms, that France offers, or to continue the war at all hazards. The language, which our plenipotentiaries had used to the allies, 1712. ་ 1712. allies, is very much approved of by lord Bolingbroke, in his letter of the 26th of Auguft, who fays, they had spoke the sentiments of the Queen's heart, in what they declared the 30th of Auguft, N. S. and that, if the allies did fall fhort of the plan laid down in the Queen's fpeech, the fault was intirely their own. His lordship fays, Sure it is, that this plan was nothing more than an ultimatum of what France would offer; but he wished, that the • Imperial and Dutch policy had not rendered it the ultimatum of what France will grant. The fame general reflections might be applied to the particular cafe mentioned in their lordships letter. France would have • yielded Tournay, though much against the grain. If France has now any advantage, and refufes flatly to yield • what the only begged to have restored, the fault is intirely theirs.' But the dispatch of the plenipotentiaries of the 2d of September, relating to Tournay, having not yet been confidered by the lords of the council, his lordship could not give any positive inftructions about it till the next opportunity; but, in the mean time, recommended to them two confiderations: That the keeping of the Dutch in hopes of her Majefty's good offices will prevent them from taking any defperate refolutions; and the French infifting to have count Rechteren difavowed, before any further treaty, will put off, for fome time, the decifion of that great point. The earl of Strafford, in the mean time, by his letters of the 13th and 16th of September, N. S. reprefented the States, as mightily funk with their • misfortunes, and not knowing well what measures to take; but that they infifted upon Tournay as fo effential to their barrier, that they had actually none without it: And his lordship was fo much of that opinion, that he wishes they might have Tournay, though they were forced to truck Ypres, for it: That if he could pofi⚫tively affure them they should have Tournay, he believed they would fubmit to the plan of the Queen's speech." This opinion of his lordship is not very easily reconcileable to what he afterwards wrote to Mr. Prior upon this fubject, Octob. 12, 1712: If we had a mind to have Nick Frog fign with us, we might, for he is ready to do it for Tournay; which, if we fign together, we cannot well refuse him: But I expect you will cut that matter 'fhort, and I long to hear from you.' But this affair of Tournay was not fo foon fettled in England;_although the difficulty does not feem to be, whether the French or Dutch Dutch were to have it; but in what manner it was to be • is 1712. 1712. . is not difficult to find a temperament, I hope we fhall avoid all things, that may occafion a dispute between the minifters of Great-Britain and France.' This temperament is to be found in his letter to Mr. Prior of the fame day, which he fays, is to be looked upon only as a letter from Harry to Mat, and not the fecretary to the minifter.' He fends him inclosed an extract of his letter to Monfieur de Torcy, which, he fays, relates to a matter, that has given lord treasurer and himself no small trouble in the cabinet. He likewife fends him a copy of the plenipotentiaries difpatch of the 2d of September upon the fame fubject; wherein, as he will observe, their lordships are very warm about the difputes. He can affure him, we have thofe, who are not a jot cooler. His lordship goes on: The folution of this difficulty must come from you; which is a matter of management and appearance, more than of fubftance. The method of doing it is by mak⚫ing monfieur de Torcy fenfible of the propofition settled between them in France, that the Queen can never do any thing, which shall look like a direct restraint on her allies from demanding what they judge neceffary; but as long as they act the part, which they now do, fhe can very juftly be paffive and neuter as to their interests, This his lordfhip thinks is advantage enough for France, and fuch a one, fairly fpeaking, as a year ago they would have given more than Tournay to be sure of. They must not therefore prefs us to go further than this, nor to do any thing, which may seem contradictory to what the Queen delivered from the throne. In a word, the ufe, which the French will make of the unaccountable obftinacy of the Dutch, and the other allies, may, in feveral refpects, and particularly, for aught I know, in the inftance of Tournay, give them an opportunity of faving and gaining more than they could have hoped for; and the Queen may in the prefent circumftances contribute paffively to this end, but actively she never can in any circumftances.' His lordship then very plainly gives his advice how this matter is to be managed, in thefe words: I think in my opinion, and I believe I fpeak the Queen's upon this occafion, it were better the French fhould in the courfe of the treaty declare, that, whatever they intended to have given the Dutch, when the Queen fpoke from the throne, their conduct has • been fuch, and the fituation of affairs is fo altered, that the King is refolved to have Tournay restored to him: ' ' |