rity. But no Endeavours were used to obtain this, nor any mention made of it, as far as appears.

Mr. St. John, as Secretary of State, tranfa&ted this Affair with Monf. de Torcy; but as it can't eafily be suppos'd, that he did this without the Advice and Approbation of the Lord Treasurer, as first Minifter; fo it appears, that at the fame Time, a Correspondence was held betwixt the Lord Treasurer and Monf. de Torcy,

Monf. de Torcy's Letter of the 18th of May, N. S. was receiv'd by Mr. St. John the 9th of May, 0. S. and the Promife of the King of France, to oblige his Grandfon to accept the Alternative of the two Kingdoms, had fo good and fudden an Effect, that the Day following, with out waiting the Return of the Courier from Madrid, to know whether King Philip did confent or not to the Propofal. Orders are fent to the Duke of Ormond by Mr. St. Joh, to avoid engaging in any Siege, or hazarding a Barle, till further Order. And he is directed to disguise the Receipt of this Order. Her Majefty thinks he cannot want Pretences for conducting himself so as to answer ber Ends, without owning that, which at present might have an ill Effect if it were publickly known. On the fame Day that these Orders are sent to the Queen's General, with Directions to disguise them, which was to conceal them from the Confederates, they are communicated to the Queen's Enemies. Abbot Gualtier will give you an Account, fays Mr. St. John to Monf. de Torcy, of the Orders I have juft now difpatch'd to the Duke of Ormond." What Mr. St. John himself thought of the Importance of this Order, is to be learn'd from his Letter to Mr. Prior, September the 19th, 1712. The Moment I read the Queen a Letter from Monf. de Torcy, by which it appear'd, that the King of France would oblige his Grandfon to accept of the Alternative of quitting one of the two Monarchies, her Orders were dispatch'd to the Duke to engage in neither Siege or Battle; and The prevented the French from even making the Demand. I will not fay that this Order fav'd their Army from being beat, but I think in my Conscience

८

that it did.

On the 24th of May 1712, Mr. St. John writes again to Monf. de Torcy, altho they had yet receiv'd no Answer from Madrid concerning the Renunciation; but being prefs'd in Time, and finding it neceffary for the Queen to make the Communication to the Parliament that she had promis'd, of the Terms on which a Peace might be

made;

made; he acquaints him with the Steps the Queen was
refolv'd to take, provided the Most Christian King would
render them practicable for her. And in a Memorial of
the fame Date, fpecifies the Conditions upon which her
Majefty confents to make fuch important Steps, and de-
cifive Declarations to her Parliament, as thefe which fol-
low,
1. That he had fettled with France the Interests
of Great Britain. 2. That she looks upon the Interests
of the other Powers engag'd with her in the War, as
eafy to be adjusted; fince the King offers to the greatest
Part of them, very near what they have demanded,
and to all a just and reasonable Satisfaction. 3. That
'fhe will fet about accommodating the Affairs of her
Allies; and that to prevent all the Obftructions which
the Events of the Campaign might occafion to the Ne-
'gociations of Peace, she had agreed with the King to a
Sufpenfion of Arms." The Conditions fpecify'd in the
Memorial, are Demands relating to North America, to
Commerce, and the Sufpenfion of Arms.

That

In the Article concerning Commerce, it is faid, feveral Points relating to Trade requiring a longer Difcuffion than the prefent Crifis would admit, and the Queen being much more intent upon fecuring the General Peace, than any particular Advantages; demands only, ift, That Commiffaries fhould be nam'd on both Sides to meet at London, there to examine and fettle the Duties and Impofitions to be paid respectively in each Kingdom. 2dly, That no Privileges or Advantages relating to Commerce with France, fhall at any Time be yielded to any foreign Nation, which fhall not at the fame Time be granted to the Subjects of her Britannick Majefty; as likewife, no Privilege or Advantage in Relation to the Trade of Great Britain, shall be yielded to any foreign Nation, which fhall not at the fame Time be granted to the Subjects of France. As to the Sufpenfion of Arms, Her Majefty will confent it fhall be made for two Months: Provided 1ft, That within the faid Term the King of Spain fhall either make the Renunciation demanded, or fhall yield Spain to the Duke of Savoy, upon the Conditions mention'd in Mr. St. John's Letter of the 29th of April, 0. S. 2dly, That the French Garrison fhall evacuate Dunkirk, and the Queen's Troops ❝ be admitted the fame Day that the Sufpenfion of Arms fhall commence. 3dly, That in Cafe the States-General hall at any Time confent to the Sufpenfion of Arms, it

02

⚫ feems

feems reasonable they should have the Liberty of putting a Garrison into Cambray.

Upon thefe Conditions, the Committee observe, That altho' it was daily inftill'd into the Minds of the People, that the great Advantages in Trade and Commerce secur❜d to Great Britain, were the chief Inducements to the Miniftry to engage in these Measures with France, it is here declar'd, they were more intent upon the General Peace, than any particular Advantages. And whereas it was laid down as a Principle from which the Queen would never depart, that the Interests of Great Britain should in the firit Place be adjusted; and the great Advantages ftipulated for thefe Nations, before the Conclufion of the Peace, were to justify the Peace, and all the Steps that were taken to procure it; it is now evident, that no Mention was made of our Trade in Spain; and for our Commerce in general, the fettling of that was poftpon'd, and all Points in Difpute betwixt Great Britain and France, were to be referred to Commiffaries; which Propofition was not demanded by France, but voluntarily offer'd by Mr. St. John.

On the 8th of June, 1712, N. S. Monfieur de Torcy fends an Account, That the King of Spain had chosen to keep Spain and the Indies, and renounce for himself and his Defcendants, the Right to the Crown of France: Which principal Obftacle to the Peace being remov'd, the King of France expects that the Queen will now clear the rest of the Difficulties, which may obstruct this great Work; by making fuch Declarations as had been promis'd upon the Return of the Courier from Madrid. Adding, the King thinks the first and most urgent is, to fettle a Sufpenfion of Arms, either general, or at least between the two Armies in the Low-Countries, which may continue till the Conclufion of the Peace.

On the 10th of June, N. S. Monfieur de Torcy acknowledges the Receipt of Mr. St. John's Letter of the 24th of May, O. S. together with the Memorial, and fends another Memorial in Anfwer to the laft Demands of the Queen. He takes Notice, That the Letters from the Army mention he Defign to invest Quesnoy, in order to befiege it; but the King cannot think that the Queen approves of fuch an Undertaking, much less that her Troops fhall be employ'd to render it fuccefsful: He concludes, that if a Sufpenfion is not immediately made, we may find our felves indifpenfably drawn into fome great Event, which he hopes the Secretary's Prudence and Care will prevent. And altho' in the Anfwer to the Queen's Demands, no

thing material that was afk'd for our Trade in North America is granted, the Evacuating of Dunkirk, and admitting an English Garrison is not agreed to, and the receiving a Dutch Garrifon into Cambray is abfolutely refus'd, which were propos'd as Conditions of the Sufpenfion of Arms: Monfieur de Torcy hopes, That this Return to the Queen's Demands will occafion no new Trouble, but as the Beginning and whole Courfe of the Negotiation was carry'd on upon the Bona Fide, and a mutual Confidence of which they had feen the good Effects; it is necessary to banish all Distruct, and the Queen to repose an entire Confidence in his Majefty, without infifting on Demands which may ferve only to create Jealoufies.

On the 6th of June, O. S. Mr. St. John owns the Receipt of Monfieur de Torcy's two Letters, and fays, Altho' the King of France had not answer'd the Queen's Demands according to Expectation, yet he would not defer going that Day to Parliament, and making all the Declarations that were necessary to render the Nation unanimously inclin❜d to the Peace; that the had not, indeed, mention'd to the Parliament the Sufpenfion of Arms, but had commanded him to acquaint Monfieur de Torcy with the Refolutions The had taken in Relation to it, and infifting upon the Renunciation as the Capital Point of the Negotiation; and for which, her Majefty would rather depart from almost all the Points that had been agreed upon, than leave that to any uncertainty. Upon this Foundation, the Queen hopes that the most Chriftian King will not find any thing offenfive in the Demands, which the found her felf oblig'd to renew, being Conditions for a Sufpenfion of Arms between the two Armies in the Netherlands; which, if the King confents to, fays Mr. St. John to Monfieur de Torcy, you have only to fign, and fend to the Duke of Ormond, who, at the fame Time that he takes Poffeffion of Dunkirk, will declare to the Allies, that he has Orders to act no farther against France. He acquaints him that the Lord Strafford was going back to Utrecht that the Inftructions he was to carry, will, according to your Defire, put the Queen's Plenipotentiaries in a Condition to keep no longer those Measures to which they have been hitherto obliged to fubmit, but from henceforth they may openly join with thofe of France, and give Law to thofe who will not fubmit to juft and reasonable Conditions.

i

The Committee infert here an Extract of a Notable Letter from the Earl of Strafford to Mr. St. John, of the

03

30th

30th of April, 1712. Thus you ftill fee the Temper here, and the Time it will naturally take to get the Dutch (if they will at last fettle a Plan) before it can be done. You fee the Events we are expofed to by the Operations in the Field in the Mean Time, and you have it by this Time in your Power to terminate all, and even to ftop the Operations of the Army for a Month, till the Negotiation is ended one Way or other: There is no Pretence now it can be a Prejudice to us, should a Cef'fation be made; for the former Pretences are out of Doors, of its being impoffible for the French to make Magazines for their Army to take the Field as foon as ours rs; and having burnt thefe Magazines, at first affirm'd impoffible to be made, for us by that Means to be Masters of befieging either Cambray or Arras, and our Army's marching to Paris is ftopp'd, at least for this Summer, in all Appearance. The French are now better pofted than we are; their Army is much stronger. We cannot march to furprize them in other Parts of their Lines, 'till we have Green Forage, which won't be up at three Weeks at fooneft. They have all their Troops up, and we want a great Part of ours, efpecially the Imperialifts, who, 'tis faid, cannot join the Army in a Month yet; fo that now the Advantage of a Ceffation of Arms is on our Side, if they will, for the Sake of a Peace, confent to it. If, upon thefe and other Confiderations, a Ceffation is thought in England neceffary, the Queen muft not propofe it, but at the fame Time be refolv'd to put it in Execution on her Side, if agreed to by the French ; becaufe fuch a Propofition will be fure to meet with Oppofition, unless back'd with Refolution, and may have the Effect of making those who delight in War undertake with fo much the greater Precipitation fome defperate Attempt." Upon what groundlefs Allegations the Earl of Strafford did here advife a Sufpenfion of Arms, is fubmitted to the Confideration of the Houfe.

The Articles for a Sufpenfion were fign'd by Mr. St. Folm, June 6, 0. S. and the Anfwer was fign'd by Monfieur de Torcy, June 12, 1712, N. S. The next Day, June 7, 0. S. Mr. St. Johm writes a private Letter to Monfieur de Torcy, expreffing the utmost Confidence in the good Faith of the moft Chriftian King; thinks it neceffary to haften the Peace; tells him, it will frighten the Dutch, to be told the Queen will act no longer against France; and that if they will not haften to make their Agreement, they will have the Burthen upon their Backs which they are not

able