Step that might facilitate the Sufpenfion of Hoftilities, his Lordship did again prefs the French Minifters to know, whether they were willing to declare in a folemn Conference, that the Particulars declar'd in the Queen's Speech, are the King their Master's Offers to the Allies, and that he will make them good in the Negociation. The French again refus❜d to make any fuch Declaration; and in this Opinion they perfifted even after the Dutch Minifters confented to accept the Contents of her Majefty's Speech pro materia tractandi, if the French would at the fame Time acknowledge them to be their Master's Offers, and negociate upon them in order to make them good. But the French Plenipotentiaries were fo far from agreeing to this, that they demanded of our Minifters to know the Queen's Mind upon the feveral Parts of the laft general Plan brought over by M. Gualtier, and which are not explain'd in her Majefty's Speech; faying, Their King expected it, and they do not know how to proceed till thofe Points be stated; and the utmost they were to be brought to, was, that it was not to be understood to exclude their Mafter from making fome Demands for the Elector of Bavaria, and that Lifle was to be reftor'd, over and above the two or three Places excepted in the Queen's Speech. At the fame Time that Mr. St. John communicated the Queen's Speech to the Bishop of Bristol, he orders him to let the Dutch Minifters know, that the Queen thinks a Sufpenfion of Arms, at least in the Netherlands, to be abfolutely neceffary. And here the Committee obferve,that thefe Orders to propofe to the States a Sufpenfion, are dated June 11, 0.S. which was the very Day the Articles for a SufPenfion was fign'd by Monf. de Torcy, and had been fign'd by Lord Bolinbroke five Days before. In feveral Letters that follow'd from the Bishop of Bristol, he gives an Account of the general Diffatisfaction of all the Allies, and the inexpreffible Confternation they were all in; that they reprefented our Proceedings as the unavoidable Ruin of Europe Religion, Liberty, the Faith of Treaties, are urg'd to fhew the Enormity of our Ufage. His Lordship does not know what he may expect from the unmeafurable Rage of the People, nor where it will end: That the Dutch feem to be uneafy on no Account fo much, as that they cannot come to the Knowledge of what is to be their Lot: Their Concern is chiefly, that they cannot know the Particulars of what is defign'd for them, efpecially what Species are to be excepted out of the Tariff of 1664, 1664, and what Towns out of the Barrier. On which Occafion the Bishop of Bristol did, as with the greatest Truth, affure them, that he knew nothing either of the one, or the other. But the Reception these Representations met, feems to the Committee as unaccountable as any Thing that happen'd. Mr. St. John, June 20, 0. S. fays They are not furpriz'd at the Clamours and Rage of the Dutch, which they forefaw, and were prepar'd for : It is cer tain we run great Hazards, but it is as certain their unaccountable Folly is the Occafion of it: He cannot imagine the Bishop fhould be in any Danger, his Character is facred in a double Manner; and besides, I have Reason to think, that thợ they kick and flounce like wild Beafts caught in a Toil, yet the Cords are too strong for them to break; they will foon tire with fruggling, and when they are tir'd grow tame. This is the Treatment and Language which the Queen's Secretary thinks fit to bestow upon her Allies: Their defiring to have fome Satisfaction in what most nearly concern'd them, is call'd unaccountable Folly that had drawn all these Mischiefs upon them; and if any Refentment is fhewn, they are wild Beafts; but the Cords of the Toils which England and France had caught them in, were too ftrong for them to break. But Lord Strafford is not content with hard Words only, he is glad that Orders were given to stop the Pay of the Foreigners, of which they complain horribly, but it will make them humble and sharp; handling does bet ter with these People than the best Words. June 24, 0. S. Mr. St. John writes a long Letter to the Lord Privy Seal, and instructs him to lay the entire Blame of all that has happen'd upon the Dutch, and that the Want of Concert is only to be imputed to those who are at the Head of Affairs in Holland; however, that her Majefty is ftill ready for their Sakes, and for the Sake of the common Interest of Europe, to forget all that is past, and to join with them in the ftristeft Terms of Amity and Confidence.. This Farce was ftill to be carry'd on in Holland, and these Profeffions made in the Name of the Queen, when it is notorious, that four Days before, June 20, 0. S. Mr. St. John had, in the strongest Terms, promis'd, in the Queen's Name to Monf. de Torcy, to conclude a feparate Peace with France, on Condition Dunkirk was deliver❜d to the English; and that this Offer of a separate. Peace made by England, arofe from the French's refufing to deliver Dunkirk, upon the Conditions first agreed upon, altho' at the fame Time the Queen's Plenipotentiaries are directed in a moft publick Manner to lay the Blame of all But all our Measures at the Door of the States General The Treaty being left upon this Foot at Utrecht, with a Poffibility of being carry'd on or dropt, as should be found convenient, and the King of France having confented to the Demands made by England on Behalf of the Duke of Savoy; but among others, upon these two exprefs Conditions, That a Sufpenfion of Arms both by Sea and Land be immediately granted, and that a separate Peace between England, France, Spain, and Savoy, be forthwith concluded, it was thought proper and necessary, that Lord Bolingbroke fhould go himself to France, finally to adjust and fettle the great Points in Difpute. The Subftance of his Inftructions was, To remove all Difficulties that might obftruct the general Sufpenfion 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 fpeedy Conclufion. But to declare, that he does not imagine there will be any Poflibility to prevail with the Queen to fign the Peace with France and Spain, unlefs full Satisfaction be given to the Duke of Savoy. He is therefore to take particular Care to fettle his Barrier, and to procure Sicily for him; to fettle the Renunciation in fuch a Manner, that there may be as little Room left as poffible for Difpute or Delay; that the Elector of Bavaria : Bavaria may have Sardinia, and be reftor'd to his Dominions in the Empire, except the Upper Palatinate, and the First Electorate; and then he is to proceed to speak to fuch Articles as relate to the Interest of Great Britain, and endeavour to have fuch of them, as there may appear to be any Doubt concerning, explain'd in the moft advan tageous Manner. And then he is to do his best to difcover, upon the feveral 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 fign'd; 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 offer'd by France, or to debar them from obtaining better Terms for themfelves. By thefe Inftructions it appears, that Lord Bolingbroke was impower'd to conclude a feparate Peace with England, France, Spain, and Savoy. That at this Time there was fome Doubt concerning feveral Articles relating to the particular Interests of Great Britain, which he was to endeavour to get explain'd; but no Inftruction, if his Endeavours prove ineffectual in Behalf of Great Britain, not to conclude the Treaty, which in thefe very Inftructions is exprefly provided for in Favour of Savoy: And his Lordfhip is order'd to do his best to difcover the Ultimatum of France, which hitherto, it feems, the Miniftry were ig norant of. But whether France condefcended fo far or not, as to let his Lordship into this Secret, our Treaty was to be concluded; and the Miniftry feem to think, they had fufficiently difcharg'd their Duty in declining to be engag'd to impofe what Terms France should think proper upon the Allies; thofe Allies to whom the Queen was bound by the Faith of Treaties, and all the most folemn Engagements and publick Declarations, to procure all juft and reasonable Satisfaction, according to their feveral Alliances. But now it feems fufficient, that we did not debar them from the Liberty of endeavouring to obtain ftill better Terms for themfelves. With thefe Instructions Lord Bolingbroke goes to France, and without entering into any further Particulars, the Convention for a general Sufpenfion of Arms between Great Britain and France for four Months, was fign'd at Paris by Lord Bolingbroke and Monf. de Torcy, August 22, N. S. 1712, as his Lordship fays, but dated August 19, N. S. France France was now become entire Mafter of all future Negociations, and did not fail to make ufe of the Power that was put into their Hands; an early Inftance of which was feen in the Affair of Tournay: But being now come back to Utrecht, the Committee mention an Incident that happen'd there; the Dispute between Count Rechteren and Mr. Mefnager, which was made ufe of by the French to keep the Negociations in Sufpence as long as it ferv'd their Purpose, and in which England concurr'd. 1 August 30, The British Plenipotentiaries acquaint Lord. Bolingbroke, that in fome Difcourfe with the Minifters of the Allies, they had carry'd Matters fo far as to tell them, That tho' her Majefty will endeavour to promote their Intereft in a Peace, and obtain for them the best Terms that shall be poffible, yet if thofe Endeavours should not procure more than the Contents of her Majesty's Speech, or even in fome Degree fall short of that Plan, the Fault will be entirely theirs, who have render'd Things difficult and uncertain, which otherwife would have been easy and practicable. And having thus far comply'd with their late Orders to lay all the Blame upon the Allies, they farther inform his Lordship, That they had, however, obtain'd the Confent of the Minifiers of the Allies to come to a Conference with thofe of France, in order to renew the Negociations, the Time to be fix'd between the British and French Plenipotentiaries, who meeting to have fome Difcourfe previous to the general Conferences, parted without coming to any Conclufion. The Occafion of their Difference, that prevented renewing the Conferences, arose upon Propofals made by the British Minifters in relation to Tournay. Their Lord hips, in their Letter of the 2d of September, N. S. to Lord Bolingbroke, ftate the Cafe in this Manner: In her Majefty's Speech it is exprefs'd, That the Dutch are to have the entire Barrier as demanded in 1709, except two or three Places at moft. The French Minifters infift, that they must have Lifle as an Equivalent for Dunkirk, and that the fame is not to be understood as one of the three Places mention'd in the Speech, and confequently that they muft, in all, have four of the Places mention'd in the Demands of 1709. This to us appears to be altogether inconfiftent with what her Majefty has declar'd, and we accordingly think it contrary to our Duty to bring on a Conference, in which fuch an Expli-.. cation is to be made. The French Minifters, on the other Hand, have fhew'd us their Orders, which pofitively require them to infift upon the Reftitution of Tournay as well as Lifle; and that they can by no Means confent to Q the |