1716.

MEETING AT THE HAGUE.

221

withstanding his brilliant success, Dubois was anything but happy. "Would to Heaven," said he to Fontenelle, when in the fulness of his power, "that I were now "living in a garret, with a single servant, and fifteen "hundred francs a year!

It was Dubois whom the Regent selected for the negotiation with England, not only on account of his superior dexterity, but also because, during his former residence in that country, he had had the advantage of forming a personal acquaintance, and even friendship, with Secretary Stanhope. He was therefore instructed to proceed to the Hague, at the time of King George's passage, under the pretence of buying books and pictures, and to endeavour, without any ostensible character, to see Stanhope, and to sound the intentions of the English Cabinet. Dubois fulfilled this mission with his usual address: he had several interesting conferences with Stanhope *, and convinced himself that, though there were still many difficulties and prejudices in the way of a treaty, yet that they should not be considered as insuperable.

,

On hearing this opinion, and reading the minutes of what took place at the Hague, the Regent determined to employ Dubois in prosecuting what he had ably begun, and to send him on a second and more decisive mission. The Abbé accordingly set off for Hanover, which he reached on the 19th of August. He was still without any public character, concealed his name, and lodged at Stanhope's house.† In his first interviews with that Minister, he endeavoured, by every artifice, to entrap his adversary, and obtain some advantage in the negotiation.

* July, 1716. See the Mémoires Sécrets de Sevelinges, vol. i. p. 189-208., for an ample detail of these conferences, taken from the minutes of Dubois.

† Hanover was at that period not a little overflowing with strangers. Lady M. W. Montagu describes the scene in her usual lively style: "The vast number of English crowds the town so much, it is very good luck to get one sorry room in a miserable tavern. Idined "to-day with the Portuguese ambassador, who thinks himself very happy to have two wretched parlours in an inn. The King's company of French comedians play here every night: they are "well dressed, and some of them not bad actors. His Majesty dines "and sups constantly in public." To the Countess of Bristol, Nov. 25. 1716.

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Thus, at the outset, he offered none but very insufficient expedients with respect to Mardyke, proposing little more than to alter the sluices, whilst the same depth of water was still to be preserved; and attempting to perplex the whole matter by a great bundle of draughts and other papers, which he had brought with him. Stanhope, in answer, expressed himself determined not to recede in any respect from his original demand. "As to the succession to the "throne of France," says Stanhope, "I offered to draw up an article with him, expressing His Majesty's gua"rantee of the same to the Duke of Orleans in as strong "terms as he could suggest; but when we came close to "the point, I found that, notwithstanding the guarantee "of this succession be the only true and real motive “which induces the Regent to seek His Majesty's friendship, yet the Abbé was instructed rather to have it "brought in as an accessory to the treaty, than to have 66 an article so framed as to make it evident that was his only drift and intent. He insisted, therefore, very strongly for three days, that His Majesty should in this treaty guarantee the Treaty of Utrecht, the 6th article "of which treaty contains every thing which relates to "the succession of the Crown of France."* It might easily be shown how much embarrassment and danger would have resulted to the now Government of England, had they been unwarily drawn in to accept this insidious proposal, and to guarantee the whole treaty so shamefully concluded by their predecessors. Stanhope accordingly met this request with a positive refusal. "The Abbé, finding me thus peremptory, talked of going away im"mediately, which threat I bore very patiently; but, thinking better of it, he brought himself to be satisfied, "if an article should be inserted to guarantee the 4th, “5th, and 6th articles of the Treaty of Utrecht between "France and England, and the 31st between France and 'Holland, the two former of which relate only to the "succession of England, and the two latter contain every thing which concerns that of France, and the renuncia

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* Despatch from Secretary Stanhope to Lord Townshend, dated Aug. 24. 1716, and printed in Coxe's Walpole, vol. ii. p. 68-72. It contains a full account of the whole negotiation at Hanover. See also the Mémoires de Sevelinges, vol. i. p. 213–221.

1716.

NEGOTIATIONS AT HANOVER.

223

"tions upon which it is founded." This scheme not being liable to the same objections as the former, Stanhope drew up an article accordingly, and laid it before the King, who approved of it, and desired him to endeavour to bring Dubois to consent to it, "which, however," adds Stanhope, "it has cost me three days' wrangling to "do."

As to the Jacobite cause, the Abbé made no difficulties, but offered three expedients, by which the Pretender would be sent beyond the Alps, either before or immediately after the ratification of the treaty. Reserving the option of one of these, and leaving the article of Mardyke to be determined in England, the preliminaries were conditionally signed by Stanhope and Dubois, and immediately forwarded both to London and to the Hague, it having been intended from the first that the treaty should, if possible, be a triple one, so as to include the Dutch; and they, on their part, eagerly entering into these views, and seeing the wisdom of closely adhering to the policy of England.*

On receiving the preliminaries, Lord Townshend and Mr. Methuen, who acted as Secretary of State during Stanhope's absence, expressed entire satisfaction, and only doubted whether the Regent would ever consent to demolish Mardyke in the manner required.† Their first interview with M. Iberville, who was sent over from France to conclude that article with them, confirmed their apprehensions; "it being very plain," writes Mr. Poyntz," by the course of the negotiation with him, that "though the draining of the waters is made the pretence, yet the maintaining a depth sufficient to admit men-ofwar and privateers is the real aim of the French." But three days more entirely changed the scene. My "Lord Townshend and Mr. Methuen make no doubt but

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* Lord Townshend even complained of their being too anxious to treat "that forward disposition which appears in too many there "for negotiating with France." Mr. Poyntz to Secretary Stanhope, Sept. 8. 1716, O. S. Coxe's Walpole.

† Mr. Poyntz's despatch to Secretary Stanhope, Aug. 21. 1716, O. S., printed in Coxe's Walpole.

Despatch to Secretary Stanhope, Sept. 8. 1716, O. S., printed in Coxe's Walpole,

you will be very much surprised to hear so soon, after "what I had the honour to write to you in my last, that "M. Iberville has given in a paper, by which he consents "to ruin the FASCINAGES, and to reduce the sluice to the "breadth of sixteen feet, which, in the opinion of the "most skilful of our sea officers, as well as engineers, will more effectually exclude ships of war and privateers "than what was first proposed in the paper annexed to "His Majesty's project. They impute this alteration in "the conduct of the Regent partly to the perplexed state "of his own affairs, and partly to his having a better opinion of His Majesty's than heretofore. But, "be the cause what it will, they think they have the "justest cause to felicitate His Majesty on the conclusion "of a treaty with France, as an event not more glorious "in itself than advantageous in its consequences.' Thus, then, every obstacle to the French alliance seemed to be most happily removed, and nothing wanting to the treaty but its final ratification.

Meanwhile the state of the King's relations with the northern powers was growing very critical. On coming to the Crown of England, His Majesty had by no means enlarged his views from the narrow bounds of the Electorate. His pride in his new dominions never at all diverted his thoughts, or slackened his zeal for merely Hanoverian objects. Amongst the foremost of these had always been the acquisition of the former Bishoprics of Bremen and Verden, rich districts, which, at the peace of Westphalia, had been secularised and ceded to Sweden, and ever since possessed by that power. But the daring and chivalrous spirit of Charles the Twelfth, now King of Sweden, as at first it had led him forward to victory, so at last drew upon him the depredations of all his neighbours. Danes, Norwegians, Saxons, Prussians, Muscovites-all gathered round to attack and despoil the fallen lion. Frederick the Fourth of Denmark especially had, in 1712, conquered Sleswick, Holstein, Bremen, and Verden; during which time Charles having fled into Turkey after his defeat at Pultawa, remained obstinately fixed

* Mr. Poyntz to Secretary Stanhope, Sept. 11. 1716, O. S. Coxe's Walpole.

1716.

TREATY WITH DENMARK.

225

at Bender, and showed a romantic pride in withstanding both the orders of the Sultan and the dictates of common sense. At length, however, starting from his lethargy to the defence of his dominions, he set off, travelled incognito through Germany, and suddenly arrived at his town of Stralsund, in November, 1714, before it was known there that he had even quitted Bender. His return made the enemies of Sweden tremble for their prey; and Frederick of Denmark, hopeless of retaining all the conquests he had made, determined to sacrifice a share, in order to secure the rest. With this view, he, in July, 1715, ratified a treaty with George as Elector of Hanover, by which he agreed to put Bremen and Verden in possession of his Electoral Highness, on condition that George should pay 150,0007., and join the coalition against Sweden. Accordingly, in the autumn of that year, a British squadron, under Sir John Norris, had been sent into the Baltic, ostensibly to protect our trade from Swedish depredations, but with the real purpose of compelling Sweden to cede the provinces on the Weser, and accept a sum of money in compensation for them. Charles, however, was not dismayed only the more exasperated-by these proceedings; and far from yielding to George, entered eagerly, as we shall afterwards find, into the Jacobite cabals against him.

It is to be observed that Townshend, Walpole, Stanhope, and, in fact, all the Ministers of George the First, entirely approved of his treaty with Denmark. Even after Townshend had left office in disgust, we find him, in a letter to Pensionary Slingeland, strongly urging his opinion that without any reference to the wishes of the King, and for the sake of England only, it was most desirable that Bremen and Verden should be wrested from Sweden and annexed to the Electorate.* He might plausibly show the ill use which Sweden had often made of these territories - her usual connection with Francethe consequent influence of both these States on the politics of the Empire-and the importance of the Elbe and Weser being open to British commerce. On these grounds it is certain that England had an interest in

VOL. I.

* See Coxe's Walpole, vol. i. p. 87.