40. Petition from Geheimer Rath La Motte, that his father-in-law, the late Ordens Kanzler von Münchow, may not have the decree against him published in the newspapers. 41. Petition from Herr von Marschall, that the sentence against him in the Court of Appeal may be mitigated. One must go through with such things. He who commits des infamies, though he were of Royal blood, must suffer the due punishment. The laws are supreme above all men, whether Marshals or not; and if this does not suit the gentleman, he may go out of the country as his brother has done. 66 EARL MARISCHAL TO PRINCE CHARLES STUART. SIR, [Stuart Papers.] Paris, May 18. 1754. I AM honoured with yours in which you bid me name any person for carrying of your letters, except Mr. Goring or Mr. Boson. It is what I shall never take upon me, that I may not expose you to the danger of trusting new folks. Mr. Goring is known for a man of honour. I must beg your pardon in what you say of his abusing of your situation." Had it been as happy as he has ventured life to make it, he neither would nor should have thought himself under any obligation to suffer the usage he has met with in return to the truth and fidelity with which he has served you. The fidelity of both the persons to whom you make exception is without dispute, by the plain proof of so long and so extraordinary concealment of your person. My health and my heart are broke by age and crosses. I resolve to retire from the world and from all affairs. I never could be of use to you, but in so far as I was directed by some few honourable persons, deservedly re 1754. STUART PAPERS. XV spected by all who know them. The manner in which you received lately a message from them, full of zeal for your interest and affection for your person, has, I fear, put an end to that correspondence. And after your threatening to publish their names, from no other provocation than their representing to you what they judge for their true interest, and of which they are without doubt the best judges, can I expose any who may trust me with their confidence to such hazard? I appeal to your own conscience, and I may to the world-if I can. I here take leave of politics, praying God that he may open your eyes to your true interest, and give you as honest advisers and better received than those you had lately, and who are the only ones with whom I could serve you. I have the honour to be, &c. &c. PRINCE CHARLES (UNDER THE NAME OF JOHN [From a rough draught in the Stuart Papers.] May, 1754. You are the only friend that I know of, this side of the water. My misfortunes are so great that they render me really quite incapable of supporting the impertinences of low people. However, I am so much a countryman as to lay aside any personal piques, pro re natâ ; but I do not think a Prince can. He (the Prince), I am persuaded, will be able to show himself in his true light one day. My heart is broke enough without that you should finish it; your expressions are so strong without saying where. I am obliged here to let you see clear at least in one article. Any one whosoever that has told you I gave such a message to England as you mention has told you a d- lie. God forgive them! I would not do the least hurt to my greatest enemy were he in my power, much less to any one that professes to be mine. For ever yours, EARL TEMPLE TO LADY HESTER PITT. MY DEAR LADY HESTER, Nov. 20. 1755. I CANNOT defer till to-morrow morning making a request to you, upon the success of which I have so entirely set my heart, that I flatter myself you will not refuse it me. I must entreat you to make use of all your interest with Mr. Pitt to give his brother Temple leave to become his debtor for a thousand pounds a year, till better times. Mr. Pitt will never have it in his power to confer so great an obligation upon, dear Lady Hester, his and your most affectionate, TEMPLE. EARL TEMPLE TO LADY HESTER PITT. Friday, Nov. 21. 1755. I AM infinitely happy, my dear Lady Hester, in your having proved successful with Mr. Pitt in a matter in which my heart was so deeply interested; this proof of his kindness and friendship to me is the only remaining one that he could give me. I receive it with all possible gratitude, and will call upon you and him very soon to tell you how unalterably I am, your most affectionate brother, TEMPLE. SIR C. HANBURY WILLIAMS TO THE EARL OF (Most secret.) HOLDERNESS. St. Petersburg, Friday, July 9. N. S. 1756. MY LORD, I MUST inform your Lordship of a very secret confer 1756. STATE PAPER OFFICE. ence which I have had with the Great Duchess.* xvii Her entire attachment to the King, the probability of her soon mounting this Throne, and the certainty of her acting perfectly right whenever she is Empress, make every word she says of consequence. She is very uneasy about the reports of this Court's entering into measures with France, and of a French Ambassador's coming here. She offered me to do every thing I could suggest to prevent all this. I had already alarmed her about the arrival of a French Ambassador, and showed her that such a person's residence here might be very dangerous to her and the Great Duke. I said that she knew that her known confidence in the Great Chancellor had made the Schuwalows her secret enemies; that the Schuwalows in themselves had neither sense, courage, nor money enough to do any harm to her succession; but that the arrival of a French Ambassador might change that scene, and that when he found out what their Imperial Highnesses' way of thinking in politics was, he would spare neither pains nor money to do them all the harm in his power. I begged her to remember all Monsieur La Chetardie's intrigues here, and what followed upon them. She thanked me ten times for these hints: she said she saw the danger, and that she would animate the Great Duke to do his utmost in this affair; that she could do a great deal more if she had money, for that here nothing was done without it; that she was forced to keep even the Empress's chambermaids in pay; that she had nobody to address herself to upon such an occasion; that her own family was poor; but that if the King would graciously and generously be pleased to lend her a sum of money, she would give His Majesty her note for it, and would repay it to him the moment she had it in her power so to do; and at the same time I might give her word of honour to the King, that every farthing of it should be applied to what she hoped was their common service; and she desired I would be answerable to His Majesty for her manner of thinking and acting. I answered her that I had all the reason in the world VOL. IV. *Afterwards the Empress Catherine II. BB to be convinced of her attachment to the King and his interests, and therefore would venture to propose her request to His Majesty. But I desired at the same time that she would name the sum. She said twenty thousand ducats effective, or ten thousand pounds sterling; and then desired that this her request might be known to as few people as possible. His Majesty is now acquainted with the state of affairs at this Court, and it is in his Royal breast to decide upon this request. As for my part, nothing but a thorough conviction of the good use the Great Duchess may make of this money, could have induced me to mention it. I have the honor to be, &c. C. HANBURY WILLIAMS. SIR C. H. WILLIAMS TO THE EARL OF HOLDERNESS. St. Petersburg, March 22. N.S. 1757. NOTWITHSTANDING every thing that has been said against me, I have reason to believe that I am in every respect rather well than ill in the Empress's good opinion, except the aversion that she has to every body she thinks in the Prussian interest; and I have within this last week received two messages from the favourite Schuwalow to assure me of his esteem, and to tell me that he looks upon it as a misfortune to him, that the present circumstances of affairs did not permit him to cultivate my friendship, and come so often to my house as he could wish to do. To this I may add, that I have the good will and support of the Great Duke and Duchess; but their power is but small. The constant accusation of me to the Empress is, that I am in the King of Prussia's interest; to which some people have added, that Her Imperial Majesty ought to look upon me more as a Prussian spy, than as an English Ambassador. Of late it has gone so far, that she has been advised not to let any of my couriers go any more |