liament prorogued. Remarks on the Queen's Speech.-Death of bishop Sprat. Duke d'Aumont's ambaffy.-Letters in favour of the Pretender.-A dangerous mistake rectified in regard to the regency-bill. Affairs of Ireland.-Account of the book called Hereditary right. The crifis published.-The Queen's illness.Run upon the bank. Great firmnefs of the Dutch. Conduct of Ormond. T 29. ANNE. HE loffes in the Netherlands created a great diftraction in the counfels at the Hague, and it was expected by the courts of Great-Britain and France, that the turn of affairs in the field, after the misfortune at Denain, would occafion an alteration in the negotiation at Utrecht; and that the Dutch would at laft agree to a fufpenfion of arms, for which the British minifters made very preffing inftances. The Marquis de Torcy would have perfuaded the British court to force the States to come into their measures. In a letter to Mr. the duke of St. John upon the news of the earl of Albemarle's defeat at Denain, he took notice of the advantage which the Queen had at this time over the Dutch, and infinuated, That the might give the law to thofe people, provided fhe made the right use of Ghent and Bruges, which the • duke of Ormond was in poffeffion of.' Marshal Villars also at the fame time fent a letter to the duke of Ormond, about the action at Denain, wherein he ascribes the victory to, the feparation of the brave English, and infults the allies as common enemies, who must be now sensible what wrong measures they had taken. He likewife defires the duke to tranfmit this account to the plenipotentiaries at Utrecht, and to make a thousand compliments from him to lord Strafford. This letter the duke of Ormond caufed to be made known to his army, feveral copies of it being handed about, which indeed ought rather to have been burnt *; for it made those, who wished well to the allies, believe, he had not acted fairly by them (a). The Dutch, Report of the Com. of Sec. *Kane's memoirs. 1 though Torcy further propofed, That the Queen fhould put a stop to count Staremberg's projects in ⚫ Catalonia, by sending orders to ⚫ her troops in Terragona not to let though the earl of Strafford continued to prefs them, and 1712. that with great imperiousness, to agree to a ceffation of arms, fhewed on this occafion a remarkable firmness. The ftates of Holland and West-Frifeland, having agreed to take upon them the paying most of the auxiliaries lately in British pay, and refolved to treat of peace, fword in hand, the States General ordered their plenipotentiaries at Utrecht to infist upon several points, as further preliminaries of the treaty, particularly the reftoring of Strafburgh to the Empire, and the demolition of all the fortified places poffeffed by France on the Rhine. The payment and subsistance of the German and Danish troops in the fervice of Great-Britain, who had joined the forces under prince Eugene, being the most preffing affair, several conferences were held about it between the minifters of the Princes, to whom thofe troops belonged, the deputies of the States, and the imperial minifters. Thefe laft were not wanting to reprefent the great difficulties, which their mafter had laboured under fince the death of the late Emperor, his brother; and the vaft charge he had been indifpenfably obliged to be at by his coronation at Francfort and Prefburg, and other growing expences, for the prefervation of the principality of Catalonia, whereby the imperial treafury was quite exhaufted. That, however, his Imperial Majesty offered to contribute three hundred thousand crowns towards the fubfiftance of the auxiliary troops, provided the city of Amsterdam would advance that fum under the security of the States, for the payment of which he was willing to mortgage the funds in Silefia, which had punctually answered both the principal and intereft of the loan made fome years before by the English. But, though no pofitive answer was then returned to the imperial minifters, yet fome months after their propofal was closed with. The King of Pruffia offered to maintain his troops at his own charge, provided the States would give him fatisfaction as to his pretenfions to the inheritance of the late King William; and the elector of Hanover offered, in the firft place, to maintain during the war, at his own expence, one half of the troops 1712. he had in the service of Great-Britain, befides the regiment of dragoons of Bothmar, and to agree for the maintaining of the rest upon easy terms. The King of Denmark took no lefs vigorous refolutions than any of the Princes of the Empire, it being his intereft not to difoblige the Emperor and his allies, at a juncture, when he and the Czar of Mufcovy were threatened with a powerful confederacy of France, Spain, Great-Britain, and Sweden, in order to reftore the King of Sweden to all his dominions. Admiffion of minifters to the congrefs fent to France. On the other hand, the British minifters in Holland proKingPhilip's posed and infifted on the admiffion of King Philip's plenipotentiaries to the congrefs at Utrecht; and it was given refused. out, that, if this was not fhortly agreed to, the congrefs would be transferred to a town, where the Spanish minifters might repair without any oppofition; and Dunkirk was faid to be the place. But, the States not thinking it their intereft to disoblige the Emperor fo far, as to yield a point fo derogatory to his title to the Spanish throne, the court of Great-Britain refolved to purfue other measures, to bring the Dutch to compliance; or, if that failed, to conclude the peace upon the fcheme near agreed on with France and Spain. To this end, it was judged neceffary to renew the fufpenfion of arms, now expiring; and, the lord BolingBolingbroke broke having had the chief management of the prefent negotiation, he was pitched upon to go incognito to the court of France, to remove, as his inftructions expreffed it, all difficulties and differences, that might obftruct the general fufpenfion of arms between England and France from taking place, or fettling the treaty of peace in fuch a courfe, as may bring it to a happy and speedy conclufion. But to declare, that he does not imagine there will be any poffibility to prevail with the Queen to fign the peace with France and Spain, unless full fatisfaction be given to the duke of Savoy, and unless they can take him along with them in the doing thereof. He is there⚫fore to take particular care to fettle his barrier, and to procure Sicily for him; to fettle the renunciation in such a manner, that there may be as little room left as poffible for difpute or delay: or delay: That the elector of Bavaria may have Sardinia, and be reftored to his dominions in the Empire, except the Upper Palatinate, and the first ⚫ electorate (b); and, when he has had fatisfaction in • these Report of the Sec. ་ (b) It feems the French had demanded Sicily alfo for the elector of Bavaria, as appears from the following particulars; The these points, he is to proceed to speak to such articles, as relate particularly to the intereft of Great-Britain, and en'deavour to have fuch of them, as there may appear to be any doubt concerning, explained in the most advantage The conftant compliances in the English miniftry encouraged monfieur de Torcy to believe, that they would now stick at nothing, that could be propofed. He preffed, on the 18th of July, the concluding the feparate peace between England and France, as what they both agreed in to be the most effectual way to make the rest of the allies comply. He defires, that the troops in Flanders, under the command of the duke of Ormond, may be left there to make a good ufe of the towns, which he was in poffeffion of; but as the King of France could not confent to the duke of Savoy's having Sicily, except the elector of Bavaria had also the Netherlands befides his electorate, he thinks the Queen's having a good army in Flanders, under the duke of Ormond, may render this very practicable; and, as the Queen has done a great deal for her own ungrateful allies, it will be for her glory now to contribute to the good of a Prince of fo much merit as the elector of Bavaria, whofe acknowledgments will be equal to the benefits he fhall receive. But this would not pass, even with the miniftry of Great Britain. The giving Flanders to the elector of Bavaria was not only contrary to all the propofitions of peace, been made between England and France, but was what would abfolutely engage England in a ous new war, to oblige the Imperialifts and Dutch to agree to it: And they could not think it for the honour or intereft of the Queen, to make war upon her allies, as ungrateful as they had been, in favour of the elector of Bavaria; and efpecially, confidering, that, although Ghent and Bruges were for him, the allies had yet an army in Flanders fo confiderable, both for the number and goodness of their troops, that they were able to defend the conquefts they had made. And to give him Sicily, which was likewife demanded, lord Bolingbroke hoped, that it would not be infifted on; because it might be the occafion of continual jealou. fies; it might, in particular, be the fource of disputes and quarrels betwixt England and France, whofe ftrict union and indiffoluble friendship were the points in view, to which all our measures had been directed for fo long a time. The Queen's minifters think, that, when the King of France has made all reasonable efforts for his allies, he must do fomething for the love of peace, and that a particular intereft fhould yield to the general. You cannot, fays lord Bolingbroke, but feel the force of this argument, because you are not at all ignorant, that this negotiation was begun and ⚫ carried on upon a fuppofition, that the Queen must defift ⚫ from 6 that had A 4 1712: 1712. "ous manner. And then he is to do his best to discover upon the several parts of the general plan of peace, what the real ultimatum of France may be ; and, when the peace between England and France fhall be figned, that it may be expedient to fix the allies a time to come in, wherein "the Queen will ufe her good offices, but will not be under any obligation to impofe upon the allies the scheme offered by France, or to debar them from obtaining better terms ⚫ for themselves.' By thefe inftructions it appears, that lord Bolingbroke was impowered to conclude a separate peace with England, France, Spain, and Savoy: That at this time there was fome doubt concerning feveral articles relating to the particular interefts of Great-Britain, which he was to endeavour to get explained; but no inftruction, if his endeavours prove ineffectual in behalf of Great-Britain, not to conclude the treaty, which in these very inftructions is exprefsly provided for in favour of Savoy; and he is ordered to do his best to difcover the ultimatum of France, which hitherto, it feems, the miniftry were ignorant of; but, whether France condefcended fo far or not, as to let him into this fecret, the treaty was concluded ; and the miniftry feemed to think, they had fufficiently difcharged their duty, in declining to be engaged to impose what terms France fhould think proper upon the allies, thofe allies, to whom the Queen was bound by the faith of treaties, and all the moft folemn engagements and public declarations, to procure all just and reasonable fatisfaction, according to their feveral álliances. But now it seemed fufficient, that the British ministry did not debar them from the liberty of endeavouring to obtain ftill better terms for themselves. ⚫ from many conditions, which variá; and one express condition was, that a peace be concluded between England, France, Spain, and Savoy. In answer to this letter, lord Bolingbroke acquaints monfieur de Torcy, that he had received the Queen's orders to go immediately to France; and he hoped, under the aufpices of the abbot Gaultier, in a week's time, to falute him at Fontainebleau. Rep. of the Com. of Secr.. |