Numb. XXIX. The GRUMBLER. By Squire GIZZARD. from Friday June to Tuesday June a 8. 1715. 1711. Apr 22. Ap. 17. 16. May 29 Abstract of the Report from the Committee of Secrecy. THE Books, Papers, & c. delivered in to the Committee, chiefly relate to the late Negociations of Peace and Com- merce : But several Books, Papers and Letters are wanting ; and Interruptions of very material Correspondencies are frequent. The first material Paper is, The first Propositions of France, signed by Torcy, Apr. 22, 1711, all in loose, general Terms; and to whom directed, ap- pears not. France, from the beginning, designing to Secure Spain and the Indies, and sow Jealousies amongst our Allies, offers to treat a Peace sepa- rately or joyntly, as England pleases. The said propositions transmitted, Apr. 27. to Ld. Raby at the Hague, that Minister assures the Pensionary, the Queen would make Peace or War only in concert with her Allies. Ld. Raby in his I. etters, May 25 & 26. writes to Mr. St. John, that the Pensionary thanked the Queen for communicating those Pro- portions, and for her Declaration to act in con- cert, & c. but that the Propositions were too dark and general, tending only to sow Jealousies ; and that france may more particularly explain them. After this, we had no Communication with the Dutch for five Months, till our special Prelimina- ries were signed, and the seven general Prelimina- ries concluded. However, Ld. Raby, not yet in the Secret, declares it adviseable to act openly with the States, that they may not accuse England of taking Measures without them. Upon this Mr. St. John, in his Letter May 19. informs Ld. Raby, that it was the Queen's Pleasure, he should come over and consult about some considerable Points and that the Queen would give him the Promoti- on he desired in his Peerage. Several other Let- ters pass between them ; in Answer to one of which, Mr. St. John tells him, That Britain had gone so much too far in weaving her Interest into that of the Continent, that it would prove no easie Task to disintangle our Affairs without tearing or rending. Up- on this Ld. Raby, in his Letter to Mr. St. John, June 16. departs from his former Opinions, and says, He will venture boldly, and do any Thing, if they will trust him with their real Intentions ; desires to come over forthwith ; adding, that he will grudge no Danger or Pains ; then requests Ld. Shrewsbury and Harley may be told of his Declaration. Here the Committee are a loss to know, why the Mi- nisters at once dropt all Correspondence with our Allies, without the least Shadow of Offence; and why all their folemn Assurances were on a Sudden dispenc'd with, and the Queen's Honour and Name Sacrificed to private Views. Ld. Stratford's Instrudions, dated Octob. 1. make mention of a Correspendence by Papers, which' ( Price Three- Pence.) are all suppress'd, except two or three. The first, dared July 1. is private Propositions sent by Mr. Prior from England. The next is Mr. Priors Au- thority, aigned A. R. not dated, nor counter- signed, whereby he is instruded to communicate, and bring back the Answer of France to our Prelimi- nary Demands. These are all Mr. Prior's Instru- ctions, excepting an Entry in Ld. Strafford's Book, which says, Mr. Prior had Orders to see, if France had full Power from Spain. The English Propo- sals are as dark as those of France: But by the Pa- per intitled, Draught of Answers upon the Conference of Monsieur Mesnager, it appears, that the Mini- ster of France was instructed to treat of the Inte- rest of the Allies; to which the English Ministry would by no means consent; but agreed to treat separately with France, and to keep the Secret in- violably ; notwithstanding the 8th Article of the Grand Alliance, which says, That it shall not be law- ful for any of the Parties concerned, the war once be- gun, to treat a Peace with the Enemy, unless joyntly, and by communicating their Counsels to the other Par- ties. What fatal Consequences attended this Vi- olation of our Alliance, will appear hereafter: All we shall observe here is, that the whole Trade of the World is given to France for bare verbal Assurances, That France and Spain shall never be united-. Prior being now arrived in France, Torcy writes to St. John, Aug. 3. N. S. He was glad to see Mr. . Prior, but wish'd he had full Powers. Soon after Prior returns, attended by Mesnager, who was vested with full Powers to treat not only with Bri- tain, but any other of the Allies. In the mean time, we have no Account of what Conferences passed ( though they met often) till Sept. 20. By Letter of that Date from St. John to the Queen at windsor, it appears, that Ld. Treasurer, Cham- berlain, Dartmouth, Mr. St. John and Mesnager met that Evening at Prior's House, as Prior says, by Order of the Lords of the Council, though the Queen knew nothing of it. Here the French King's Answer to our Propositions was delivered, 1 and those Propositions made into Preliminaries, and signed Sept. 27. After this, St. John desires a Warrant for a Great Seal to conftitute Oxford, Buckingham, Brijlol, Shrewsbury, Pawlet, Dart- mouth, St. John and Prior, Plenipotentiaries. A Warrant is signed ; but the Lord Keeper did not affix the Seal, & c. as direded : The Warrant therefore is not counter- Signed ; and is endorsed, Not used. This Warrant is dated Sept. 17. though Sept. 17. not prepared nor thought of till the loth. This was done to justify the Ministers meeting previ- ous to any Warrant: But, what is more surpriz- ing, N. S. Scft. 10i [ 2 ing, all these Authorities are laid aside, and the Preliminaries are signed by Warrant directed to Dartmouth and St. John, only signed by the Queen, and not counter- signed. ' Tis remarkable, not one Paper of Powers is counter- signed; but the Queen's Name alone expos'd to cover all; as if that would skreen them from the Justice of the Nation, when these Things came to be enquired into. Yet for all this Sacrifice of the Interest of Eu- rope, Great- Britain gained no particular Advan- tages ; those she asked were inconsiderable, and yet not made effectual ; the Succession is very little regarded; the Queen's Title not acknow ledged ; not a Word about removing the Preten- der ; nor any Engagement not to support him in any Attempt he should make upon the Nation ; our Commerce mentioned in doubtful Words, and to the Advantage of France ; the Equivalent for Dunkirk. is expressed in strong Terms, and the Demolition in loose ones j Hudson's- Bay and new- foundland, though of most Importance to England, are expresly given up to France; and the Interest of England left to be treated in General Con- ferences. One thing is to be observed ; all Advantages relating to Spain are granted in King Philips Name ; and yet all Intentions of leaving any part of the Spanish Monarchy to him disavowed. These Preliminaries were plainly not for our Interest, and are so explained in the very Words of the Paper called Draught of Answers upon the Conferences with Monsieur Mesnager ; That our Ministers may be enabled to engage the Queen to make the Conclusion of the General Peace easie to France. But the Con- ditions, bad as they are, are only declared Con- ditional, in case of a General Peace ; and are ac- cepted by France, only as Conditions to make us force the Allies to such Terms as the French should please to impose : And this our Ministers explain, when they say, France can run no risque in such Engagements, since the special Preliminaries will have no effect, till a general Peace is signed. This then was the Dilemma; the Queen must either go on with France, or be exposed by the French for breach of publick Faith, when they pleased to divulge the Secret: And that they made use of this opportunity, appears by Ld. Raby's Let- ter to St. John, June 20, N. S. giving an Account, that the Pensionary and Vanderdussen had seen a Letter to Torcy relating to our Negociations. On the same Day that the special Preliminaries were signed, another Set of GeneraI Preliminaries were signed to be sent to Holland, with Alterations by Ld. Treasurer to make them palatable ; and the same Day a separate Article is signed in favour of the Duke of Savoy. Now a perfect Unanimity is settled between France and England; and in order to make it last- ing, Ld. Strafford's InstruCtions for Holland, dated Octob I. 08ob. i, O. S. were no sooner prepared, but Mr. ' St. John tells Torcy, Your Minister ( meaning Mes- nager) is fully informed in what the E. of Straf- ford is to propose to the States. This is very ex- traordinary, if we consider Ld. Strafford was at this very Time sent over to press the opening of the General Conferences, with a Declaration of the greatest Friendship to the States : Nay further, he proposed a new Scheme for carrying on the War, and acquainted them with the Queen's Resoluti- ons thereupon. The Preliminaries did by no means please the Dutch ; they dreaded to open the General Conferences upon Proposals so General and Uncertain; they insisted to have the Articles relating to their Barrier and Commerce explained and specified : for some Time they declined grant- ing Pasports to the Ministers of France, and sent ] over Mr. Buis to intercede with the Queen to al- ter her Resolutions : But the Dutch were told from all Hands, that any Delays on their part would be looked upon as a Refusal to comply with the Queen's Propositions. Therefore they are forced to yield, and open the General Conferences, Jan. i. 1711- 11'. 1711- 12. The Resolution of the States above- Jan. 1. mentioned was sent to England; upon which St. John writes to Torcy, to make some Explications, and to assure him, if the King would offer Speci- sick. Preliminaries, the Queen would never com- municate them to her Allies ; and, says he, if the Sieur Gualtier returns with these Marks of Con- fidence in us, you will see our Parliament as much inclined to Peace as ever it was to War. Here we see our Ministry begging of France, after a 7 Months Treaty, to know only what was designed for our Allies ; fearful of being disavowed by France; declaring the Dutch only desired some Se- curity for their Barrier and Commerce ; promising, if they may have Credit, to use it with great re- serve, and never communicate it to those, for whom only they pretended their great Submission was made. To all this, France answers by a Pa- per Nov. 18. 1711. and by Letter from Torcy to St. John, That His Majesty depends upon Secrecy, and extols the Queen's Firmness. December 23. 1711. Her Majesty's Instructions to the Plenipos at the Hague, Bp. of Bristol and Ld. Stafford, are Signed. By those Instructions it is plain, that she yet thought fit to Insert, that no Part of Spain or the West- Indies should be allotted to any Branch of the House of Bourbon. Jan. 15. Jan. 15! they arrive at Utrecht upon which Torcy writes to St. John, that the Confidence was not so great, as he could wish, between France and Britain, and desires him to send more particular Instructions to our Plenipo's to concert their Proceedings with the King's Ministers. the French in the Congress deliver specitick Explanations of Preliminaries, which were Receiv'd with the greatest Indignati- on by the Allies : and Ld. Strafford in his Letter Feb. 16. says, the French are Mortified at the ge- Feb. 16. neral Discontent their Prelimenaries gave, and wish they had put in Tournay for the Dutch, and St. Venant to be Demolished, to soften the Matter at its first coming out. Our Plenipotentiaries were likewise uneasy They had done all they could, Ld. Strafford says, to make the French explain fully ; being that will strike the Minds of unthinking People, and make some Work, for Refection for the Faction. Our Plenipotentiaries want further Orders; are at a Loss how to behave about Spain, both as to the Disposal of it, and as to the particular Advantages for Britain. But Harley Arrives to Comfort them, and St. John tells them, that his Hurry has been inexpressible; that Harley was too useful in the House of Commons to be spared sooner, till that House was perfectly secu- red to the Queen's Interest and the Measures of Peace ; that the French Plan was too scanty ; and that the Queen had gone farther in the Peace than could be expected. The Committee takes Notice of this Reflection on the H. of Commons, and that Harley was Agent and near Relation to the Ld. Treasurer. ' Tis plain for whose Service Harley was employ'd; for imme- - diately St. John writes to Torcy March. 4. and tells ' ' him, the necessary Dispositions were made among the People; that the Queen had taken the only resolution, that could bring us in a short Time to a good and solid Peace; that Harley now carrys the final Instructions to the Plenipotentiaries ; refers himself to Monsieur Gualtier to explain himself more at large as to Har- ley'- s Commisson ; and hopes the King of France will Co- operate with the Queen. Those Instructions do [ 3 nor appear : it seems they were not proper to be trusted to Writing ; therefore this, and all Mat- ters relating to the Pretender are referred to Gual- tier to explain : but Torcy explains the necessary Di- Mar. 28. spositions at Home in a Memorial the 28 of March. 1712. wherein he says, The King of France as- sures himself, that those, who now Manage with so much Capacity the Affairs of the Queen of Great- Bri- tain, know how to Curb the Passion of the turbulent Party in the other House. Mar. 4. The Allies meet at Utrecht 4. March N. S. to S, communicate their respective Demands. A Clause is agreed upon, whereby a just and reasonable Sa- tisfaction shall be inferted for them; and the Dutch, resolve to make good all their Treaties. The Bri- tish Ministers declare, as the rest do, for a just and reasonable Satisfaction to all the Allies; and hope, what they say will not be contrary to what has hi- therto been declared. March 15. The Allies de- liver their specifick Demands to the French, but at the next Conferrence, on the 9. they put off their Explanation till the 30. On the 30 the French Ple- nipotentiaries offer to debate, but refuse to answer in Writing: The British Ministers are apply'd to; and they join In an Instance to be made, that the French may answer in Writing : But Ld. Strafford. had before given his Opinion by his Letter to St. ' 712- John, March. 25. wherein he says; The Allies will Mar. 25. surpriz'd that the French don't answer in Wri- ting ; but ' tis the wisest Way : It would be best they should reason in open Congress upon the De- mands of the Allies, which will occasion Difficul- ties and Debates, which had better come from them than any one else. The French persist not to answer in Writing; and the States not to treat. Ld. Strafford writes, Things are like to be carried to extremity at the Hague ; but that it was the last conclusive Pang of an expiring Facti- on : but what clears up their Conduct in this Point Apr. 27. is Ld. Strafford's Letter, Apr. 27. 1712. He says, the Pensionary desired, they might answer in Wri- ting ; but he thinks the French will evade it, till they know what Success Gualtier has had at London : And in his Letter of the 30. the French will give no Answer till they see all agreed upon between our Court and theirs, knowing the Business will be done at London and Versailes, not at Utrecht. The beginning of April, Harley and Gaultier go to Utrecht and deliver a Plan for a General Peace, to the Ld. Privy- Seal and Strafford : but under < the highest Obligations of Secrecy to discover no- thing to the Rest of the Allies. Ld. Privy- Seal Apr 29 29. writes to Mr. Secretary, the Negotiations are at a Stand till the French return some Answer or other : The French will not answer, till they hear from England about the Success of Monsieur May 3. Gualtier. Mr. St. John, May 3. tells their Excel- ' ' cellencies, If our Friends at Utretcht wont be satis- fied, in a few Days I hope we shall have no Reason to be concerned at their uneasiness. Ld. Strafford gees to England ; and the Ld. Privy- Seal. receives new Orders, to stop the Tariff of 64 for the Dutch, and to decline Conferences, till he receives the Queen's Plan; that her Majesty found such ill Returns . to her Condescension towards the Dutch, that he is ordered, upon the first Opportunity, to declare a- mong other things, that she looks upon her self, from their Conduct, now to be under no Obligation whatseever to them. The Summary then of all these Proceedings was thus : The Congress for General Conferences was opened at Utrecht, that the Allies might in Appea- rance have an Opportunity of Treating. Our Mi- nisters were instructed to act in Concert with the Allies ; notwithstanding which they really acted in Concert with the French Plenipo's. The Allies gave * ] in Specific Demands, which the French were by un- necessary Delays to gain time upon, while the whole Negotiations were carried on in London, and dicta- ted by France. All Particulars, even such as related to the Allies, were transacted with Secrecy : The Dutch are pressed to come into the Queen's Mea- sures, without knowing what they were : and for no other Reason, so soon as the Duke of Ormond was ordered not to engage, and the great Projects were ready to be executed, the Queen declares, she looks upon her self to be under no Obligation to them. Thus the Alliance between Great- Britain and her principal Allies is cancelled, before any Thing was finally concluded even between us and France, or we had the least Security for our Trade, or any other Advantage. During these Negociations at Utrecht, the great Affairs of the Renunciation and the Cessation were upon the Anvil at London. The first Mention of the Renunciation is in a Memorial, dated March 28. 1712. which is suppressed: but it appears, from the Answer to it, that the Method of pre-' venting the Union of the two Crowns was not once mentioned. So that our Ministers had not taken the least Precaution in a Point wherein Great- Bri- tain was so highly concerned : Torcy declares in the said Memorial, That the Renunciation would be Null by the Law of France ; that the King of France re- ceives his Crown not from his predecessor, nor the Peo- ple, but the Law ; not as Heir but Master of the Kingdom; which Law God only can Abolish. St. John in his Answer, Mar. 23. says, he cannot be perswa- ded but a Prince may depart from his Right by a voluntrary Cession, which may be supported by Gurantees; and that the Negociations will not be continued without this or some other equally solid Expedient. Monsieur Torcy replies, April the 8. an Expedient may be found, that when the King of Spain is immediate Successor or presumptive , Heir to France, he shall make Choice which Crown he will accept; that King Philip shall be a Party to the Treaty ; and all the Powers of Europe Gua- rantees : Mr. St. John reasons against it, and says King Philip must determine his Choice immedi- ately, during the Congress : Torcy replies, the King approves his Proposition and has written to Spain to let his Grandson know the Necessity of his declaring now, that he will make such a Choice whenever the Succession is open in his Favour, and promises to use all Means, even Force, to make him agree to it: and that he proposes a Suspension of Arms. April 29. Mr. St. John treats this Answer as liable to all the former Objections; insists, among other Things, that K. Philip shall make his Re- nunciation immediately; that otherwise we should lose the Fruit of all the Blood, that had been spilt, betray the Common Cause, and expose the pre- sent Age and Posterity to inconceivable Dangers; and proposes, that if K. Philip prefers France, he shall withdraw with his Family, and that Spain and the Indies shall he given to the Duke of Savoy ; that Philip shall have Sicily, the Hereditary Domi- nions of Savoy, Montserat and Mantua ; ( all which he should hold, though he were King of France, except Sicily ;) which should return to the House of Austria. May 18. N. S. Torcy contents to this May 18. Alternative ; says, he hopes nothing will happen N. S. in the mean time, till King Philip's Pleasure be known, to disturb the good Dispositions for the Publick Repose. King Philip chuses to make the Renunciation of France, though the French Ministers told us ear- ly it would be insufficient and contrary to their Laws ; notwithstanding which, our English Mini- sters ( though they had laid it down as a Princi- ple not to be departed from, that the Union of the / . t two Monarchies would be the greatest Mifchief fhat could poffibly happen to Europe) accept it, and after that, take no Care to have it folemnly ac- cepted by, the States of France, or confirmed by the general Guaranty of Europe. It appears, that this whole Transaction was done by the Advice and Approbation of the Lord Treasurer, as first Mini- ster. Mr. St. John, in his Letter April 24. says, he stops the Courier ro wait for Ld. Treasurer's * Letter to Torcy ; and, April 11. He was obliged to stop the Courier, in hopes the Lord Treasurer would be able to answer Torcy's Letter ; for a De- fluxion in his Eyes had hindred him for five Days; • and, April 16. Torcy says. He is concerned for his Illneas, and concludes, It is very Important that thoae, who like you and him, have had the Princi- pal Share in the Work, of Pence, should have the Glory of Finishing it. Torcy's Letter, May 18. N. S. Was received by Mr. St. John May 9. O. S. with the King of France'a Pro- miae, that his Grandson should ' accept the Alter- native : The Day following, without knowing whether King Philip would consent to it, Orders are sent to the Duke of Ormond, not to engage in a Siege, or hazard a Battle ; and he is directed to disguise the Receipt of his Orders from the Allies: at the same time, these very Orders are commu- nicated to our Enemies. What Thoughts Mr. St. John had of this Order, appears by his Letter to Prior, Sept. 19, 1712. I will not say this Order saved their Army ( the French) from being beat-, but I think Sept. 19. in my Confidence, that it did. May 24, 1712. St. John writes again to Torey, acquaints him with the Steps the Queen was resolved to take, and in a Memorial of the same Date, declares, that the Queen had settled with France the Interests of Great Britain-, that the Interest of the other Powers were easy to be adjulted, since the King offers to most of them very near what they demanded; and to prevent the Obstructions which the Events of a Campaign might occasion, ( he had agreed to a Cessation of Arms. The Conditions, Specified in the said Memorial, are Demands relating to North America, Commerce, and the Suspension of Arms; that the present Crisis will only admit of settling these two Points relating to Trade : First, That Commissaries should be appointed to examine Du- ties ; and, Secondly, That no Priviledge shall be yielded to any Nation, but what shall be yielded to the English, and e contra, for France. As to the Suspension, it shall be for two Months, provided K. Philip Renounces within that Time, or yields Spain to the Duke of Savoy : Secondly, That the French shall evacuate Dunkirk,., and the Queen's Troops be admitted: Thirdly, If the States Gene- ral consent to the Suspension at the same Time, they shall have the Liberty of putting a Garrison into Cambray. The Committee observe, here was no mention made of our Trade to Spain, and the Care of our Commerce in general was postponed and refer- June 8. red to Commissaries. June 8, 1712. N. S. Torcy A". S. says, K. Philip had chosen Spain and the Indies, and would Renounce France .- And now the King of France expects the Queen will clear all Difficul- ties ; that she would settle the Suspension either general, or at least between the two Armies in June 10. the Low- Countries. June 10. N. S. Torcy sends a K. S. Memorial in answer to St. John's of May 24, O. S. that there's a talk of inverting Quesnoy; he hopes the Queen does not approve it: and though nei- ther our Trade was settled, Dunkirk, evacuated, nor the English Garrison admitted, and though Cambray is refused to the Dutch ; Monsieur Torcy hopes, that the Bona Fide and mutual Confidence + 1 would still continue, and that the Queen would not insist upon Demands, which could only serve to create Jealousies. ' June 6. O. S. St. John writes to Torcy, that uni ^ though the Queen's Demands were not answered, Q ^ yet she would go to Parliament and make such Declarations, as should render the Nation unani- mously inclined to Peace ; that she insists on the Renunciation ; hopes the King will not find any thing offensive in the Demands she was obliged to renew, being the Conditions of the Suspension Which when the King consents to, says St. John, You may send to the Duke of Ormond, who, when he takes Possession of Dunkirk, will declare he has Or- ders to act no longer again it France ; that the Queens Plenipotentiaries may, from that Time, openly join with thofe of France, and give Law to thrje who will not . submit to just and reasonable Conditions. After this, the Committee gives an Extract of a Letter from Ld. Strafford to St. John, wherein are several groundless Allegations, upon which he advises the . Suspension of Arms. June 7. N. S. St. John writes a private Letter June 7, to Torcy, expressing his utmost Confidence in the jy. S. good Faith of the French King; and telling him it will frighten the Dutch to hear, That the Queen will act no longer against France. On the same Day Mr. St. John sends the Duke of Ormond Copies of his two last Letters," and of the Memorial to Tor- cy ; tells him, the Queen insists on the Renunciati- on, and the Delivery of Dunkirk,, without which she will have no Cessation ; but if Torcy sends the Renunciation signed, and puts Dunkirk. into your Hands, you are to declare, you can act no longer a- gainst France: otherwise, you are free from Re- straint, and at Liberty to take all reasonable Mea- sures that may annoy the Enemy :• then desires him to acquaint Villars with these Instructions. Here the Committee goes back a little, to ob- serve the D. of Ormond's Instructions, and what Account he had sent of his Proceeding during the Correspondence relating to the Renunciation. The Duke's Instructions are signed April 12. 1712. by the Queen. He is Ordered to repair to the Hague, visit the Pensionary, press a prosecution of the War, to assure a good Correspondence, co know the Plan of the ensuing Campaign; and when arrived upon the Frontier, to Concert with Prince Eugene and the other Generals proper Measures for en- tring upon Action. These Instructions the Com- mittee conceives must be his Grace's Rule, till Countermanded and revoked by equal Authority, there being no Directions to follow the Orders of a Secretary. April 24. N. S. D. of Ormond writes, he has gi- ven the Pensionary Assurances of carrying on the War with Vigour; that the. 30. he was in the Council of State, where there were great Expressi- ons of Duty to the Queen : that there were no Operations resolved upon. The 25. April O. S. be- fore the K. of Spain had agreed to the Alternative, which Agreement was not till the 18. of May, N. S. St. John gives the Duke a distant Hint; tells him, all the Troops, whether Subjects or Foreigners, should be immediately under his Grace's Com- mand ; insinuates, there are some Reasons to be Jealous of Prince Eugene ; advises him to be cau- tious how he engages in any Action. May 9,' N. S. D. of Ormond acknowledges his Letters, and tells him his Orders - are to act in ConjunCticn with the Allies ; so that he cannot refuse a fair Opportunity of engaging the Enemy, if offered : but hopes to have the Messengers, before the Ar- mies are form'd. May 12. N. S. he expresses some « Uneasiness; wishes to hear the Peace is concluded, or [ 5 ] or ' that we may have the good Fortune to force the French to comply. May 25. N. S. The D. of Ormond writes two Letters to St. John, a private and a publick One: In his private Letter he pro- mises to obey the Orders from St. John ; to keep the Secret ; and hinder, if he can, its being suspected : but the Allies having proposed to at- tack the Enemy or to besiege Quesnoy, he fears ' twill be difficult to disguise the true Reasons of his opposing their Proposals : In his publick Let- ter he takes no Notice of any Orders not to en- gage in any Siege or Battle; but says, he has re- view'd the Troops, and found ' em in so good a Condition, as must convince the Allies, how groundless their Complaints were of our Back- wardness ; and then goes on, If we find an Opportu- nity to bring the Enemy to a Battle, we shall not De- cline it. May 28. in his Letter to St. John, he says, Pr. Eugene desired him to fend Quarter- Masters to view the French Camp, which he could not re- fuse without Suspition; but he was sure no Acti- on could happen : that pr. Eugene and the Deputies were to dine with him the next Day, and he feared to be pressed to undertake something im- mediately : Here he takes Notice of a Letter he writes to Villiars, and his Answer : and this se cret Correspondence is only founded on a Postscript of a Letter from St. John May 10. wherein he says, Communication of the Orders not to fight is given to France ; and if Villiars takes Notice of it to you, you are to answer accordingly. May 25. N. S. Mareschal Villiars assures his Grace, whatever Glory was to be acquired against him, it was agreeable News to him to hear, they were to be no longer Enemies: The Duke answers, he had Orders on the same Subject, and would con- form in the strictest Manner; but his Grace goes farther, and says, the Motion we make is only for Subsistance of our Trocps so you need be under no appre- hension; however I will answer for the Queen's Troop's. The Committee is at a Loss to account for this, unless his Grace had Orders not only not to act against France, but to give the French General Intel- ligence : Upon the Report of the Quarter- Masters to Pr. Eugene, that the Situation of the French gave us a proper Opportunity to attack ' em, he proposed to the Duke to march without delay. This makes him say, in his Letter of May 29. to St. John, you may imagine the Difficulty 1 was un- der to excuse this Matter : the best Excuse I could make was Ld. Strafford's Voyage to England, which gave me Reason to believe something of Moment was doing-, and therefore I desired, they would defer their Un- dertaking, till I received Letters from England : The Letter from the Deputies to the States represents fully the Advantage the Confederates lost: these Repre- sentations are all called affected Alarms by St. John ; but they made Impressions on the Duke. The Allies told him we were betraying them. He sends Word Quesnoy would Be besieged j which was Invested June the 8. and that he was obliged to furnish some Troops in the States Pay ; though he would take Care not to give any in the Queen's Pay. Hitherto the Reason of the D. of Ormond's not a- ding was a Secret to the Allies: they hoped the Duke would be permitted to comply with his In- struCtions ; but the French King, it seems, was to be delivered from his Apprehensions. We did deliver him ; but this had no other Effect, but to make us lower the Terms, which could be no Advantage to us, but were of the utmost Impor- tance to France. By the last Conditions, if the Answer from France was not signed by Monsieur Torcy, and Dunkirk put into the Possession of the Duke of Ormond, his Grace might act against France ; otherwise a Cessation was to be declared. The Committee observes, ' tis strange our Ge- neral should be ordered to govern himself by such Significations, as he should receive from France, and by the General of the Enemy's Army. June June 21 22. An Answer comes from Torcy, that the Renun~ N. S, ciation should be Registred only in Parliament, in- stead of being ratified by the States of France, and, that the French Officers should have Liberty to stay in Dunkirk with two private Letters, to pre- vail with St. John to consent to these Alterations : And now Mareschal Villars sends a Copy of this Me- morial and Answer to the Duke, and doubts not, but the Suspension would soon take Effect; but these were only Copies,, as appears by the Duke's Let- ters, June 25. where he wishes, Torcy had signed them. He promises to persuade Prince Eugene to abandon Quesnoy; and that if he refused, he would withdraw with the Queen's Troops ; and that when he had Possession of Dunkirk, the Suspension should take Place. On the 27th the Duke tells St. John, June 27 that he had acquainted the. Allies of. our Agree-- ment with the French to a Cessation; that he would not cover the Siege ; and that he would march away when Dunkirk, was delivered: and then sends Villars word, he feared the Auxiliary Troops in our Pay will not leave Prince Eugene Upon which Torcy declares by Express, June 27. that if the fo- reign Troops did not quit the Army, the Conditi- on about Dunkirk, would be void and then in- sists, that Orders be sent for all the Troops in the British Pay to withdraw. The Duke of Ormond remains inactive, though by his Orders, ' tis plain, he was free from all Restraint, as appears by his Letter to St. John of the 29th, wherein he says, since Dunkirk was not delivered, he locked upon him- self immediately at liberty to act in Conjunction with the Allies. The Foreigners very much discOncerted our Measures: But, June 20th, St. John writes to Torcy, that the Queen was determined not to pay those Troops, unless they obeyed the Duke's Or- ders ; that if the King will deliver Dunkirk., the Duke shall retire with all the English, and those Foreigners, that will obey him ; that she will con- clude a Separate Peace j that rhe States would soon be forced into a Peace ; and, far from being able to subsift new Forces, would soon not be in a Condition to provide for those they had: then tells him, if the King sends Orders to deliver up Dunkirk, the Duke of Ormond will perform all on his Part. He sent a Copy of this Letter to the Duke, with Orders to obey, if Dunkirk be deli- vered, and withdraw in the best Manner his Cir- cumstances will allow. This Offer is no sooner received, but consented to in France; and Torcy, July 5. acquaints St. John, that upon Condition ju[ y the Queen separates, keeps no Measures with her Allies, and only leaves them Time to submit, the English Troops shall be permitted ro enter Dun- kirk.. •• and so the Cessation is confented to. July 12. N. S. Ld. Strafford arrives in the Camp: july ilC on the 14. Prince Eugene sends the Duke Word, he would march the next Morning to atrack Lan- drecy ; the Duke is surprized ; refuses to march or give him Assistance ; but tells him he must take Care of the Queen's Troops and change his Camp. On the same Day Villars acquaints the Duke, that he had given Orders for the Delivery of Dunkirk.; and desires, among other Things, the Duke will send him Word, what Troops and what Generals would obey his Orders ; because he would not lose a Moment to meet the Enemy ; tells him ' tis no indiscreet Curiosity, and hopes he will give him some light upon the Doubts he was in. In Answer, on the 15. the Duke says, I would be glad I were In a Capacity to give you all the insight July i J> you desire ; and I shall be capable of telling you to Morrow particularly what Troops remain under my * Command: That he could not declare the Suspenti- on in Form, till Dunkirk, was evacuated. On the 16. the D. writes again to Villars, and says, I am now to acquit my self of the Promise I made Yesterday. B Fr. pr. Eugene is marched a> ul all the foreign Troop have quitted us, except one Batallion of Holstein and two Squadrons of Walef. On the same Day Villars ac- quaints the Duke, that the Governour of Dunkirk, Was preparing to evacuate the Place : for my Part, says he, I already reckon you our Ally, & c. The next Day the Duke of Ormond ordered a Cessation of Arms to be proclaimed by Sound of Trumpet. If all the Troops in the Queen's Pay had sepa- rated, as the British did, ' tis most certain, the whole Army of the Allies would have been left to the Mercy of the French, and might have been cut to Pieces, or made Prisoners, at the Will of Mar. Villars. Ld. Strafford thought he might turn this March upon the Allies, and prevails with the Duke to send Pr. Eugene Word, that his March had exposed us to the Enemy ; and that therefore we were obliged to declare for a Cesation : And Ld. Strafford, July 16. 1712. gives an Account of a Conversation with Bulow the Hanoverian Gene- ral ; his Lordship declares the Danger the Queen's Troops were in, by being left alone in their Camp When Pr. Eugene march'd, and Monsieur Bulow thereupon replying, in case of any Attack they would have been sure of their Assistance; his Lord- ship says, He answered in a disdainful way, it would be a very odd Thing, when an Elector of the Empire should be a sufficient Protection to Great- Britain. ' Tis now thought proper to recapitulate in what manner this fatal Cessation was procured. It is evident, it was insisted upon and absolutely neces- sary for France ; and ' tis as plain, the English Mi- nistry advised it; but they thought it proper to annex some Conditions to this important Article, to pass it upon the deluded People, and justify their Treachery; therefore Dunkirk, was a popular Point, that would strike every Body, and the renunciati- on of the Spanidh Monarchy was indudtriously cried up. This Cessation answered all the Purposes of France; it left the whole Confederacy in their Pow- er ; and therefore Dunkirk,. was agreed to be deli- vered up. But we have seen that Fortress supplied by a new Canal more beneficial to France: And, if we would have taken their Words, the French them- selves told us, We should deceive our selves, if we thought the Renunciation would have any effect. But to close thefe Reflexions ; the Dutch had formed a Design to surprize Fumes : Upon which D. of Or- mond, by his Letter OB. 21. writes thus to Ld. Bo- lingbroke ; 1 must acquaint your Lordship with an Af- fair communicated to me by a Person inclined to Her Majesty's Service ; and so goes on to tell his Lord- ship of a Project the Dutch had to surprize Newport or Furnes; and that his Opinion was, some means should be found to give Advice of it to Villars. These Things being done, Torcy calls upon St. John to conclude the Peace between France and Bri- tain : He proposes to regulate the Suspension by Sea, and to settle Packet- Boats between Dover and Ca- lais ; and the Suspension to be published in Portugal and Catalonia, without waiting till it shall be let- tied' at utrecht. Mr. St. John assents to Torcy s Pro- posals, and thinks it not proper to lose a Moment; and then opens to him the Measures concerted for the D. of Savoy ; proposes for him the Kingdom of Sicily ; and declares the Queen will not desist from that Demand: This Concern of our Ministers for the D. of Savoy, the Committee is at a loss to ac- count for. The Emperor was offered Sicily by the French, Notwithstanding this Proposal of our Mini- stry, the D. of Savoy, as appears by a Letter from Bp. of Bristol to St. John, Sept. 24. 1712.) declares, He was not so impatient of the Title of King, to lose any real Interest for it; that he thought it ex- traordinary for a Prince, beaten ten Years together, . to remain at last with the Prize contended for; but our Ministers promise him a Fleet and good Gua- LONDON: Printed by W. WILKINs, R. BURLEIGH, in Amen- Corner. rantees ; and they prevail upon him : but it does nor appear to the Committee, how England became so far concerned, as to offer its Guarantee for Sicily; which must have engaged us in a War against the Emperor ; when at the same time they had made no Guarantee at all with the Confederates for the Protestant Succession. ' The unfortunate Action at Denain was the fatal Confequence- of the Separation of the Armies where Villairs 24 July attacks Ld. Albermarle, beats his Troops, forces his Camp, and takes him Pri soner : Upon which Torcy sends St. John the agree able News, and says, The of France is persuaded that this Advantage will give the Queen so much more Pleasure, as it may be a new Motive to overcome the Obstinacy of the Enemies to Peace. Afterward Torcy hopes, the Queen will effectually bring them to Reafon ; she has the Means in her own Hands, if she will make use of Ghent and Bruges, and especially Ghent, the Master of which may always give Law to the Dutch. Villars likewise congratulates the D of Ormond upon the Action at Denain. After thi Torcy proposes, that the Queen may stop Starem- berg's Projects in Catalonia, by ordering her Troop in Terragona not to let the Germans into that Place and desires, that the French Ships then in the Me diterranean may return unmolested from the Levant which is complied with: But the the taking Ghent and Bruges was advised by Ld. Strafford, as appear by his Letter to St. John, July 17. 1712 ; the Mea sures I mentioned that would not be disagreeable to you was that of marching to Ghent. The D. of Ormond, gives an Account of his March towards Ghent and Bruges; and Ld. Bolingbroke commends his Con duct, and says, That the News of Dunkirk could not be followed by any more'agreeable, than that of his Grace s March towards Ghent; and on July 22. fay< That his taking Possession of Ghent and Bruges ha, improved her Majestys Views. July 1S. O. S. Bolingbroke writes to Torcy, amd insists further on the behalf of the D. of Savoy, and says, Orders are sent to Admiral Jennings to suffer the French Ships coming from the Levant to pal freely. ' Tis incredible that our Ministry, tho' de termin'd to give all to France, should dare to act thus openly. Our Troops are directed to keep Possession of Ghent and Bruges, - to disappoint the Defigns of the Enemies of France, though then was nothing more yet declared, than a bare Sus- pension of Arms. The Suspension by Sea and Lam was not sgned till Aug. 19. yet Ld. Bolingbroke 01 July 18. gave Orders not to intercept the French Fleet. Now Torcy thought they would stick at no thing, that could be proposed ; and therefore, a an Equivalent for Sicily, demands all the Nether lands for the Elector of Bavaria : He thinks th Queen's Army may render it practicable; and tha it would be for her Glory to contribute to the Benefit of a Prince of so much Merit as the Elector : But this would not pass even upon these Ministers; i was contrary to all the Propositions, and would en gage us in a new War: Besides, the Army of the Allies were yet perhaps considerable enough to de fend the Conquests they had made: But although the Queen was to depart from several Things: which in Justice she should have procured for her Allies, the K. of France's honour to his Ally was by no means to be dispenced with : Yet at last he consents to the Duke of Savoy's having Sicily up on Conditions, wherein there is ample Provisio made for the elector of Bavaria. After this ld Bolingbroke acquaints Torcy, he has received the Queen's Orders to go to France ; and hopes, ut der the Auspices of the Abbot Gualtier, in a Week Time to salute him at Fontainbleau. *** My Paper for Friday will contain the remain- ing Part of this Abstract. at the Dolphin in Little- Britain ; and Sold by Where Advertifements are taken in.