Cardinal continue toujours à nous parler comme si en son particulier il souhaitait l'accommodement tant pour ses propres intérêts que pour ceux de S. M. Catholique. Et les raisons qu'il nous en dit sont si fortes, et si solides, que je suis quelquefois tenté de croire que ce sont là ses sentimens. Par exemple, il reconnaît ingénument que la guerre va ruiner tous les arrangemens qu'il a fait en Espagne, et qui lui font véritablement beaucoup d'honneur; et il ne cesse de répéter qu'il convient beaucoup mieux à un Roi d'Espagne d'avoir les affaires bien réglées en Espagne et dans les Indes, et d'être bien le maître chez soi, que de porter ses vues en dehors; et il a dit souvent que si la guerre se fait, elle ne pourra finir que par la ruine entière de quelqu'une des parties. Cependant il lui échappa de temps en temps des expressions qui feraient croire qu'il a de grandes espérances de pouvoir exciter des troubles en Angleterre et en France. Si bien qu'à prendre ensemble toute sa conduite, le jugement le plus naturel qu'on en puisse faire, est qu'il roule de grands desseins dans sa tête, qu'il est bien agité, et qu'il n'a pas encore pris de parti bien fixe.

Nous avons cru devoir lui donner la journée de hier de répit; mais nous sommes allés le retrouver ce matin, et lui avons demandé s'il avait quelque chose à nous dire. Il nous a répondu, que le Roi voulait consulter sur cette affaire avec d'autres, et qu'il en était bien-aise pour son particulier. Ceci pourra causer un délai de quelques jours; et je ne déciderai point si de cette résolution de consulter d'autres Ministres nous devons augurer bien ou mal. Si le parti est pris d'en venir aux extrémités, il se peut fort bien que M. le Cardinal ait youlu se couvrir, et s'autoriser par l'avis du Conseil. Il peut aussi que si M. le Cardinal ait porté à un accommodement, et qu'il y sent une forte répugnance de la part du Roi, il veuille se fortifier par le sentiment de gens qui naturellement ne doivent point souhaiter de voir l'Espagne en guerre contre tout le reste de l'Europe. Ce qu'il y a de sûr, c'est que M. le Cardinal nous a parlé aujourd'hui en homme qui veut nous faire accroire qu'il souhaite un accommodement. Au reste, il nous a paru extrêmement abattu et inquiet. Peut-être qu'il aura reçu par un courrier, que nous savons lui être venu hier de Barcelone, quelques nouvelles

désagréables. Il y a d'autant plus lieu de le croire, que l'on ne parle point de ce qu'il a apporté. Peu de jours, vraisemblablement, nous mettront en état de vous envoyer la résolution finale de cette Cour.

EARL STANHOPE TO EARL OF STAIR.

MY LORD,

[Hardwicke Papers, vol. xxxvii.]

Bayonne, Sept. 2. 1718.

I FIND here your Lordship's letter of the 20th of August, being the duplicate which you had the foresight to lodge here, the messenger having, as you judged, missed me, by taking the post road. You will have received by M. de Nancré's courier my letter to Mr. Secretary Craggs from Madrid, enclosed in one from Colonel Stanhope to your Lordship. Whether the Cardinal deceives M. de Nancré and me, I cannot determine; but I will own to your Lordship that I think he was desirous to have had the suspension of arms, and that he will still endeavour to accommodate matters. He complains bitterly of the King's obstinacy, who is at present governed more by his personal animosity against the Emperor and Regent, than by any reason of state. He represents him, besides, as excessively jealous and mistrustful of all about him; insomuch that, for a considerable time past, no person whatever, not the Cardinal himself, has ever spoken about business to the King or Queen asunder; nor does any other Minister ever dare to speak but in the presence of the King, Queen, and Cardinal, who, by what I can judge, are every one jealous of each other. The Queen has taken a pli, to affect being more angry than any body at our treaty, thereby to convince the King that she will sacrifice all private interest to his will and pleasure. This is but affectation; what she really stomachs is, that more regard is shown to her issue than to herself; and I really think care should have been taken to have secured the guardianship of her children,

and, consequently, the administration of the government of those two fiefs, to her Majesty during the minority of her children; as likewise to have made some provision for a pension to her during life out of those dominions, if her children should die, and the fiefs consequently be disposed of to another family. Something of this kind may still be done; and would, I verily believe, determine her to give us what assistance she can; for, if I mistake not, she is far from being insensible of the advantages procured to her family; and this I gather even from her behaviour to me, at my taking leave; for, besides a more than usual affectation of being civil to me, she did in a manner, and very skilfully, in the King's presence, beseech my friendship for the future. The King talked longer to me than he does usually, with less heat and emotion than the first time I saw him, but with an air, I think, as much determined as possible to abide all extremities. The Cardinal shed tears when I parted with him, has promised to write to me, and to let slip no occasion that may offer of adjusting matters. Upon the whole, I am of opinion that before next spring fata viam invenient of adjusting this business amicably; and, notwithstanding the ill success I have had, I am far from repenting my having made this journey. I learn here that the citadel of Messina is taken. The Cardinal seemed very doubtful about it, and still more so of Syracuse. The best, or indeed only service our fleet could do, if the citadel of Messina is lost, is to concert measures with the Viceroy of Naples to save Syracuse; for if the Spaniards are entirely masters of the port of Messina, he will not be able to hurt their fleet. I hope measures are taken in England for a squadron wintering in the Mediterranean: upon that will depend every thing. For at the same time that I will own to you that it is my opinion that we should have a door open to negotiate with Spain, and that I believe they will at last come to, at the same time, I say, I think it absolutely necessary to redouble our vigour, upon their hanging back, and to let them see that what shall not be complied by fair means will certainly be done by force. For that reason, I am extremely pleased to observe in your Lordship's letter the style in which the Regent speaks to you;

let him but continue that language, and act accordingly, one may venture to answer for success. Enclosed I send you a copy of what I write to the fleet.

I cannot describe to you how troublesome a journey I have had; it has not, I thank God, affected me in my health, but poor Schaub is very ill of a fever. I had much ado to bring him thus far; here I must leave him, where he will have all possible help; and indeed I cannot say enough of the civilities of these people to us. Having nobody with me to copy, I shall refer Mr. Secretary Craggs to what I write to your Lordship, and pray you to have a copy made of this letter, and transmit it to him.*

EARL STANHOPE TO SECRETARY CRAGGS.

[Hardwicke Papers, vol. xxxvii.]

(Extract.)

Paris, Sept. 14. 1718.

THE common talk of Paris, and what is universally believed, is, that the plan is not only made, but the fleets of Moscow and Sweden actually joined, and have a great number of Tories aboard, bound on some expedition against the King.

I forgot to mention to you, in my several relations from Spain, that the Cardinal could not disguise the hopes he had of something considerable from that quarter. I had likewise, near Bordeaux, at my return, a conversation with the Duke of Berwick, who told me he had the same advices of the Czar and King of Sweden concurring, and joining their forces upon some great expedition. He seemed to believe it levelled against Mecklenburg; and the judgment he made upon it, and which seemed to me very sensible, was, that such an attempt would, or

* A small part of this letter has been already printed, but not very correctly, from the Schaub Papers in Coxe's House of Bourbon, vol. ii. p. 331.

would not, prove to be of great consequence and trouble, according to the part the King of Prussia should act in that affair.

MEMORANDUM ON THE FOLLOWING PAPER, BY PHILIP SECOND EARL STANHOPE.

"THE original paper put into the hands of the Roman Catholics was written by James Earl Stanhope. After having been approved of by some of the chiefs of the Roman Catholics in England, they got it conveyed to Rome. The scheme was prematurely blabbed by the late Earl Waldegrave, afterwards ambassador at Paris; which having been found out by Abbé Strickland, afterwards Bishop of Namur, he contrived to get possession of the original paper, and sent it back to James Earl Stanhope. His son Philip Earl Stanhope obtained this copy from George Bubb Dodington, afterwards Lord Melcombe."

There is another copy among the Hardwicke Papers.

A Paper put in the Hands of Roman Catholics.

In order to put the Roman Catholics in a way of deserving some share in the mercy and protection of the government, it is required that some of the most considerable depute a proper person with a letter to the Pope, to inform him that, whereas they must be otherwise utterly ruined, they may yet obtain some liberty and security for their religion upon four conditions, all in his own power, and evidently consistent with the Roman Catholic principles.

I. It is required that he order his former decree about the oath of allegiance, now dormant in the hands of the Internuncio at Brussels, to be published and executed by proper delegates, and in the most effectual manner, for the information of the people.

.

II. That he take from Cardinal Gualtieri, the Pretender's