to him, when I was in France, upon various occasions, and which I have again stated as clearly as I am able. The queen can never do any thing, which shall look like a direct restraint on her allies from demanding what they judge necessary; but as long as they act the part which they now do, she can very justly be passive and neuter as to their interests and if her peace be made before theirs, which she will not delay for them, she can with the same justice leave them to make their own bargain. This is advantage enough for France: and such a one, fairly speaking, as a year ago they would have given more than Tournay to have been sure of: they must not therefore press us to go farther than this; nor do any thing which may seem contradictory to what the queen delivered from the throne. * That speech they have always owned as the plan they submitted to; and it varies but little from that brought hither by Gualtier. In a word, the use which the French will make of the unaccountable obstinacy of the Dutch, and other allies, may in several respects, and particularly for aught I know in this instance of Tournay, give them an opportunity of saving and gaining more than they could have hoped for; and the queen may in the present circumstances contribute passively to this end, but actively she never can in any circumstances. I think in my own opinion, and I believe speak the queen's upon this occasion, that it were better the French should in the course of the treaty declare, "That whatever they intended to have given the *See this speech in Swift's "History of the Four last Years of the Queen." Vol. V. p. 334. Dutch when the queen spoke from the throne, their conduct has been such, and the situation of affairs so altered, that the king is resolved to have Tournay restored to him." I say, I believe this were better, than to expect that we should consent to an exposition of the queen's words by which her majesty would yield the town up. Let the conferences begin as soon as they can, I dare say, business will not be very speedily dispatched in them in the mean time we shall go on to ripen every thing for a conclusion between us and Savoy, and France and Spain; and this is the true point of view, which the French ought to have before their eyes. You will be very shortly particularly and fully instructed to settle the article of North America, and those points of commerce still undetermined: that done, the ministers may sign at Utrecht, as soon as they can hear from Lord Lexington. My Lord Dartmouth writes to you concerning a clamour which our merchants have raised, as if, under pretence of not carrying to Lisbon or Barcelona des provisions de guerre ou de bouche, they shall be debarred from their usual traffic of corn and fish, which at whose places there are great demands for, in time of peace as well as war, and without any consideration of the armies. The difficulty as to Lisbon seems to be removed, by the Portuguese submitting to come into the suspension of arms; and he proposes to you an expedient as to Barcelona: but in truth that war must be ended of course now, since the queen supports it no longer, and the Dutch are recalling their fleet from the Straits. The Duke of Argyll is going immediately now away; and the moment he comes to Minorca, he draws to him every thing belonging to the queen out of Catalonia; the imperial troops must in my opinion that moment submit, and compound for transportation: and when the war is at an end, I think there can be no pretence for quarrelling with us for carrying our goods to the people of the country. It is now three o'clock in the morning: I have been hard at work all day, and am not yet enough recovered to bear much fatigue: excuse therefore the confusedness of this scroll, which is only from Harry to Matt, and not from the secretary to the minister. Your credentials of minister plenipotentiary will be sent you, together with your full powers, by the next boat and before Duke Hamilton goes, I will move to have you removed to Utrecht; which there will be a natural handle for, as soon as you shall settle the points of commerce, and in doing that have given the last stroke to the finishing the treaty with France. Make my compliments to Madam Teriol; and let her know that I have, I hope, put her affair into a way of being finished to her satisfaction. I have spoke very earnestly to Maffei, and have used the proper arguments to him. Adieu! my pen is ready to drop out of my hand. Believe that no man loves you better, or is more faithfully yours, &c. BOLINGBROKE. P. S. I had almost forgot to tell you, that the queen is pleased to discharge the Mareschal Tallard's parole; which you may assure him, with my compliments, of; and give any signification necessary in form. TO ARCHBISHOP KING. Kensington, Sept. 30, 1712. MY LORD, But . I HAVE two or three times begun letters to your grace, and have torn what I writ, hoping I might send you something decisive about the peace. all still continues to lie very loose, and I continue to be very desponding, although the people in affairs laugh at me for it. I have one plain maxim in dealing with those, who have more cunning, and less honesty than myself, which is, what we call keeping the staff in my own hand, and contriving that they shall trust me rather than I them. A man may reason until he is weary upon this proceeding of the Dutch. The soldiers tell me that the Duke of Ormond could not possibly take possession of Dunkirk, since the foreign troops have refused to march, and that the states will not suffer us to go through their towns. But I had a whisper from one who should know best, "that, Dunkirk might now have been ours, if right methods had been taken." And another great man said to a friend of mine, about a fortnight ago, "that the least wrong step on that side the water might have very ill consequences at this juncture." Meantime, the discontented party seems full of hopes, and many of the court-side, beside myself, desponding enough. The necessity of laying the proposals before the parliament drew us into all this; for now we are in a manner pinned down, and cannot go back an inch with any good grace: so that if the French play us foul, I dread the effects, which are too visible to doubt. * And on the other side, if the peace goes smoothly on, I cannot but think that some severe inquiries will be made; and I believe, upon very manifest grounds. If there be any secret in this matter of Dunkirk, it must be in very few hands; and those who most converse with men at the helm, are, I am confident, very much in the dark. Some people go so far as to think that the Dutch will hinder even the English forces under the Duke of Ormond from going by the French country to Dunkirk; but I cannot be of that opinion. We suppose a few days will decide this matter'; and I believe, your grace will agree, that there was never a more nice conjuncture of affairs; however, the court appears to be very resolute: several changes have been made, and more are daily expected. The Dutch are grown so unpopular, that, I believe, the queen might have addresses to stand by her against them with lives and fortunes. I had your grace's letter of May 29, written in the time of your visiting; from which, I hope, you are returned with health and satisfaction. The difficulties in the peace, by the accidents in the Bourbon family, are, as your grace observes, very great, and what indeed our ministers chiefly apprehended. But we think Philip's renouncing to be an effectual expedient; not out of any regard he would have for it, but because it will be the interest of every prince of the blood in France to keep him out, and because the Spaniards will never assist him to unite the two kingdoms. I am in hopes yet that your grace may pay your treat; for it is yet four weeks to November, at least It should be too visible to be doubted of.-S. |