farther Confideration of the Report be adjourn'd till the next Morning, but the fame being carry'd in the Negative, by a Majority of 282 Votes to 171, it was order'd, that the Report be now read: And the Clerk of the House having read Part of it, till half an Hour paft Eight, the farther Confideration of it was adjourn'd till the next Morning, as was the Call of the Houfe to the 20th of June.

Before we proceed, it is neceffary to give our Readers, If, A general Idea of this important Report; and 2dly, As exact and comprehenfive an Abstract of it as the Matter will bear.

2. To

In the first Place, we muft obferve, that the feveral Books and Papers referr'd to the Committee chiefly related to the late Negociations of Peace and Commerce. the intended Demolition of Dunkirk. 3. To the obtain ing and difpofing of the Affiento Contract. 4. To fome Negociations concerning the Catalans: And 5. To fecret Tranfactions relating to the Pretender. The Committee in this Report only went through the Books and Papers that relate to the 1ft, 4th, and 5th Heads; and referv'd for another Report, the Affairs of Dunkirk and the Assi

ento.

The first Part of this Report may be fubdivided into ten Points, viz. 1ft, The clandeftine Negociations with Monfieur Mefnager, which produc'd two Sets of prelimimary Articles; the one private and fpecial for Great Britain only, the other General for all the Allies. 2dly, The extraordinary Meafures purfu'd to form the Congress at Utrecht. 3dly, The Trifling, and Amufements of the French Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht, by the Connivance of the British Minifters. 4thly, The Negociation about the Renunciation of the Spanish Monarchy. 5thly, The fatal Sufpenfion of Arms. 6thy, The Seizure of Ghent and Bruges, in order to diftrefs the Allies, and Favour the French. 7thly, The Duke of Ormond's acting in Concert with the French General. 8thly, The Lord Bolingbroke's Journey to France to negociate a feparate Peace. 9thly, Mr. Prior's and the Duke of Shrewsbury's Negociations in France. And, 10thly, The precipitate Conclufion of the Peace at Utrecht.

After this, the Committee offer to the Houfe what they have found material in the Papers referr'd to them, concerning the Catalans, and the Pretender; infert at large a Letter from the Earl of Oxford to the Queen, dated June

the 9th, 1714; together with an Account of publick Affairs from August the 8th, 1710, to June the 8th 17543 and conclude with taking Notice of feveral glaring Inconfiftencies, that are obvious to every Body, by compar ing the late Queen's Declarations, with the Measures her Minifters prefum'd to take in carrying on thefe importanţ Negociations.

T

Abstract of the Report of the Committee of Secrecy.

HE Committee was in Hopes, in fo voluminous an Enquiry, to have been able to trace out the whole Progrefs of thefe Negociations; but, to their Surprize, they find a Want of feveral Papers referr'd to in those that have been deliver'd to them, and frequent and long Interruptions of fome very material Correfpondences that were carry'd on: But, however, the Committee proceeded to draw up the following Report, warranted and founded upon fuch Authorities, as the Perfons concern'd vouchsafed not to fupprefs.

The first material Paper is entitled, The first Propofitions of France, fign'd by Monfieur de Torcy, April 22, 1711, N. S. To whom thefe Propofitions were directed, what previous Steps had been made on the Part of France, or what Encouragement had been given on the Part of England, does not appear; but it is evident, that they are conceiv'd in very loofe and general Terms; that from the Beginning, the Defign of France was to fecure Spain and the Weft-Indies to King Philip, to create Jealoufies a mong the Allies; and that France offer'd to treat with England and Holland, either by themselves, or jointly with the rest of the Allies, which was left to the Choice of England.

On the 27th of April, 1711, 0. S. Mr. Secretary St. John, tranfmits thefe Propofitions to Lord Raby, the Queen's Embaffador at the Hague, with Orders to communicate them to the Penfionary, To affure that Minister, the Queen was refolv'd in making Peace, as in making War, to act in perfect Concert with the States, and defires the Secret may be kept among as few as poffible; he confeffes that the Terms of the feveral Propofitions are very general; that there is an Air of Complaifance fhown to England, and the contrary to Holland, which might be of ill Confequence, but can be of none, as long as the Queen and States take Care to understand each other, and to act with as little Referve as becomes two Powers fo nearly

ally'd

ally'd in Intereft; and defires the Penfionary to be affur'd, that this Rule fhall, on our Part, be inviolably obferv'd.

Lord Raby, by his Letters of May the 25th and 26th, 3711, N. S. to Mr. St. John, in answer to thefe Orders and Affurances, acquaints him, That the Penfionary had, with thofe of that State, who had been formerly employ'd in the Negociations of Peace, confider'd Monfieur de Torry's Propofitions, and the obliging Manner in which her Majefty was pleas'd to communicate them; that they thank'd her Majefty for her Confidence in them, and affure her, that theirs is reciprocal; and that, as her Majefty had promis'd, fhe will make no Step towards a Peace but in Concert with them, they defire the may be affur'd of the fame on their Part; and they urge the Neceffity of an entire Confidence in one another, at this critical Juncture; they declare them felves weary of the War, which they endeavour to conceal from the Enemy, left he should make his Advantage by it; and that they are ready to join in any Measures, which her Majesty shall think proper, to obtain a good Peace. But they look upon these Propofitions as yet, in the fame Manner as the Secretary does, to be very dark and general, and defigned to create Jealoufies between her Majefty, that Republick, and the Allies; but they depend upon her Majefty's Juftice and Prudence, to prevent any fuch ill Effect, and hope the will make the French explain more particularly, the feveral Points contain'd in them.

After thefe mutual Affurances betwixt England and Holland, the Committee is furpriz'd to find not the least Communication to the States, of the Negotiations that were carrying on for above five Months together, betwixt England and France, till after the fpecial Preliminaries were fign'd, and the feven general Preliminaries were conclu ded, and fent to them.

In the mean Time, Lord Raby, not being as yet let into the Secret, freely declares, He thought it advifeable. and neceffary to act openly with the States in this Matter of the Propofitions; acquaints the Secretary, that all the Letters from France agreed, that all the Hopes the French had, was to fow Jealoufies among the Allies; and repeats his Advice, That we must act cautiously with them (the States) that they may have no Reason to accufe us, for taking the leaft Measures without them.

But it was not long before Mr. Secretary St. John, prepared his Excellency to have other Sentiments of the Manner of carrying on this Negotiation, and in his Letter of

the 29th of May, acquaints him with the agreeable News, That it was Her Majefty's Pleasure, that his Excellency fhould make all poffible Hafte to come over, fince her Service may better difpence with his Abfence at this Point of Time, than it will perhaps do at another; and fince we must now expect to have very foon upon the Tapis, many Intrigues, concerning which, the Queen thinks it expedient that he should confer with the Minifters here ; acquaints him, that her Majefty defign'd, upon his Arrival, to give him the Promotion in the Peerage, which he had defir'd. And then, that his Excellency might begin to have fome Notions agreeable to the Senfe of our Ministers, Mr. St. John, in Answer to fome very long Letters of his Lordship's, full of his own Reafonings, and the repeated Affurances of the Minifters of the States to act in perfect Concert, and with an entire Confidence in her Majesty, tells him in these Words, That Britain had gone so much too far, in weaving her Intereft into that of the Continent, that it would prove no easy Task to disentangle our Affairs without tearing or rending.

But this Work of Tearing and Rending did not at all difcourage his Excellency, who waiting then for feveral Pofts from England, stopp'd by contrary Winds, and beginning to fufpect that the Course of the Negociation was turn'd into another Channel; that the Ministry here might be fatisfy'd that his Lordship could, without much Difficulty, depart from his own Opinion, he declares in his Letter of June the 16th, 1711, N. S. to Mr. St. John; You may be affur'd, I will venture any thing, and undertake any thing to ferve the Queen; you may venture boldly to truft me with the real Intentions, and be affur'd, "I will not make further Ufe of them than according to my Inftructions.' He tells him, If the Thing is actually gone no further than it appears, and France has not yet explain'd, and he has a Mind that he fhould come over for the Queen's Service, he is ready to come in a Yatcht, Frigate, Pacquet-Boat, or any way; and concludes in 'fhort, Difpofe of me how you pleafe, for all my desire is to ferve her Majefty to her Satisfaction, and I shall never grudge any Danger and Pains.' This voluntary and frank Declaration, his Excellency defir'd in a particular Manner, might, with his humble Compliments, be communicated to the Duke of Shrewsbury, and Mr. Harley.

The Committee obferve, That if the Dutch had made any Attempt to wreft the Negociation out of the Hands of The Queen, if they had enter'd into any feparate Measures,

or

or taken any Steps that might give just Occasion of Offence or Sufpicion to England, 'tis very probable the Accounts of any fuch Proceedings would have been left by the Miniftry for their own Juftification; but the Committee do not find the leaft Intimation of this Kind, and are at a Lofs to know upon what Pretence fuch folemn Affurances were difpens'd with as foon as made, and the Honour and Name of the Queen facrificed to the private Views of her Minifters.

The next is a

All Franfactions betwixt England and France during this Time, except two or three Papers, are entirely fupprefs'd, which, in the Lord Strafford's Inftructions of October the ift, 1711, are faid to have been carry'd on by Papers fent backward and forward, and much Time spent therein ; the first Paper that is found, is call'd, Private Propofitions fent by Mr. Prior from England, dated July 1. Paper call'd, Mr. Prior's Authority; this is fign'd Anne R. at the Top, and A. R. at the Bottom; not countersign'd, and is without a Date; and the Contents are, Mr. Prior is fully inftructed and authorized to communicate to France our Preliminary Demands, and to bring us back the Anfwer. Which two Papers must be understood to be Mr. Prior's Powers and Inftructions; but by an Entry in the Lord Strafford's Book, fubjoin'd to thefe private Propofitions carry'd over by Mr. Prior, it appears, that Mr. Prior had Orders to fee if France had full Powers from Spain.

Thefe Propofitions which were form'd here, leave no Room to doubt of the little Concern the Miniftry had, to make good the repeated Affurances that had been given to the Allies, in the Queen's Name, to make the French more plain and particular, fince, in all Things that concern the Allies, the English Propofals are as dark and general as thofe that came from France; and if this ftill could be any Queftion, it is fufficiently clear'd up in a third Paper, entitled, Draught of Answers upon the Conference with Monfieur Mefnager, wherein the British Miniftry is much furpriz'd to find that Monfieur Mefnager had Orders to infift, that the Queen fhould enter into particular Engagements upon divers Articles which depend not upon her, and which regard the Intereft of the Allies; they appeal to all the Papers which had been fent backward and forward during this Negociation, and to that which was carry'd by Mr. Prior, that the Principle upon which they had treated all along was, That France fhould confent to adjust the Interefts of Great Britain in the first Place. This is a Principle from which the Queen can never depart; and

that