and conceive that an Account of what pass'd between London and France, will fet this whole Matter in a clear Light. In the firft Place they take Notice here of a remarkable Passage or two, found in Lord Bolingbroke's Letters to Mr. Prior. On the 19th of September, Q. S. Lord Bolingbroke fends Mr. Prior an Account of fome Advices they had receiv'd of the Invafion of the Leeward-Islands by the French. This, Dear Matt. (fays his Lordship) proves a very untoward Contretemps; it gives a Theme for the Whigs, and ferves to awaken the Paffions that were almoft lull'd afleep. We expected that Caffart's Squadron might be gone to the Coast of Brazil, or to Surinam, but we never imagin'd our Colonies would have been attack'd by him, at the Time when we were knitting the Bands of Friendship between the two Nations with all poffible Industry. Could this ill Opinion of our new Friends have enter'd into our Heads, I do affure you, he fhould have been accompany'd by a Fleet of the Queen's, which would have kept him in Refpect: Compare this Conduct with that of the Queen's, &c. And here follows the Paffage which has been already mention'd, wherein his Lordship declar'd concerning the Order fent to the Duke of Ormond. I will not fay this Order fav'd their Army from being beat, I think in my Confcience that it did. His Lordship goes on: In a Word, we depended fo much upon the good Understanding, which we thought eftablish'd, and were so earnest to prevent any thing which might break in upon it, that we not only avoided to fortify our Squadron, as we might have done, but we alfo neglected to put in Execution fome Designs, which would bave annoy'd both French and Spaniards, perhaps more than any that have been effected in the Course of this War.

Another Inftance of his Lordship's good Difpofition to the French Nation, is to be found in his Letter to Mr. Prior, of the 29th of Sept. wherein he fays, I have got at last the Affair of the Griffin compounded, not without very great Difficulty; and tho' the Sum paid to the Captors was fo large as 35000l. the Ship was plainly Prize, and the Pafs fent over hither might have been prov'd to have been numerically one of thofe I deliver'd at Fountainbleau, four Days after the Griffin was in Sir Thomas Hardy's Power; tho' Gualtier was ready to fwear that he receiv'd it fome Months before; which Part of the Abbot has, I confess to you, done him no Good in my Opi nion. From whence it appears, tho' this Pafs was none of them, that Paffes had been granted fome Months before the Sufpenfion was concluded.

Whilst the English Ministry are doing thefe good Offices to the Subjects of France, and taking all Opportunities both publick

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publick and private, to efpoufe their Interefts; the Commitree is furpriz'd at the ill Treatment which England receiv'd from France at this Time, and at their Backwardnefs in making good the Promises and Engagements they were under in fome Points that most nearly concern'd the Interefts of Great Britain. At the latter End of October, Mr. Prior was fent into England, and, by what appears, left his Refidence in France without the Leave, or any Order from the Queen his Miftrefs; but was sent over by the King of France, as a proper Perfon, whom he thought fit to entrust with the great Secret of prevailing with the Queen, by her Credit to obtain what the King demanded for the Elector of Bavaria. He brings a Credential Letter from the King of France to the Queen, which feeming fomething new of the Kind, is annex'd in the Appendix. About the Middle of November, Mr. Prior goes back into France with new Inftructions, wherein the Propofal of a Neutrality in Italy is one of the chiefeft Articles; and that he might have a perfect Knowledge of the Queen's prefent Refolutions and Councils, in Relation to the prefent Treaty of Peace, a Copy of the laft Inftructions to the Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht is given him, that, as Occafion fhould require, he might act in all Things conformable to the Queen's Intentions therein exprefs'd. He carries likewife a Letter from the Queen to the King of France, wherein, among other Things, it is faid, That Mr. Prior continuing to behave himself fo as that his Conduct may be entirely agreeable to the King of France, he does but litterally execute the Orders the Queen had given him, and is a Proof of his Duty and Zeal for her Service. After this it appears, that when the Treaty of Peace was ready to be concluded, the Advantages Great Britain was to expect and reap from the Endeavours of the British Ministry, to affift and fupport the Caufe of France, were in a great Measure unfettled and undetermind. France began to cavil, and, as Lord Bolingbroke faid, go back from what the King had promifed the Queen. His Lordship cannot be perfuaded, as he tells Mr. Prior, that the French act either fairly or wifely; They prefs us to conclude, that they may have others at their Mercy; and at the fame Time, they chicane with us concerning the most effential Article of all our Treaty, and endeavour to elude an Agreement made, repeated, confirm'd..

The two great Points of Moment in difpute, were concerning the Fishery at Newfoundland, and in what Manner the Ceflion of Cape Breton was to be made; the other was

about

about the Treaty of Commerce. As to the firft, it is obferv'd, that in the Queen's Inftructions to the Duke of Shrewsbury, he is directed to propofe, as the Queen's last Refolution, that he will confent to give and yield up to his most Christian Majefty the entire Poffeffion and Propriety of the Ifland of Cape Breton, but with this exprefs Condition, that his faid Majefty fhall on his Part, in Confideration of the fame, relinquish to her Majefty all Manner of Right to Fishing, and drying Fish on the Coaft of Newfoundland, or any Part, referv'd to his Sub jects, by the Articles fign'd at London the 27 Sept. 8.08. 1711,

Several Reprefentations were fent backward and forward, fhewing the fatal Confequences of what was demanded by France; and altho' Lord Bolingbroke, in his Letter to Mr. Prior of the 19th of Jan. 1712-13, infifted, that the Queen had never yielded what France pretended to, which then remain'd an unfurmountable Difficulty; yet in his Letter to the Duke of Shrewsbury of the fame Date, he tells his Grace, If the French clofe with the Overture he then made them, with regard to the Difputes concerning Commerce, her Majefty is willing to accept the laft Expedient propos'd by Monfieur de Torcy, for adjufting our Differences about North America, and to confent that the King in the Ceffion of Newfoundland, do referve to his Subjects a Right of Fishing and Drying on the Coast of Newfoundland, from Point Right North about, to Cape Bonavista. And here no Direction is given concerning Cape Breton, of which the French got the entire Poffeffion and Propriety; altho' in the Duke of Shrewsbury's Instructions, it is declar'd, that the Queen look'd upon Cape Breton to belong to her; and reckon'd that Ifland a Part of the ancient Territory of Nova Scotia, which is by this Treaty reftored to her. But if his Grace could not prevail upon them to agree with him in the Article of Commerce, he was to declare, That neither will the Queen agree with them in their Propofition concerning Newfoundland. Here the Committee confiders upon what Confideration this Valuable Privilege of taking and drying Fish upon the Coaft of Newfoundland was yielded up to France. In Monfieur de Torcy's Answer to Lord Bolingbroke's Memorial of May the 24th, 1712, it was agreed, That Britain and France Thould grant to the Subjects of each Crown reciprocally, the fame Privileges and Advantages which they fhall either of them grant to the Subjects of any other Nation whatfoever Upon this Foundation was establish'd the Principle

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Principle of treating, and being treated, as Gens amicifli ma; and pursuant to this Principle the Tariff of 1664, which was granted to Holland, excepting the four Species, was likewife to be granted to us; and by the 8th and 10th Articles of the Project of the Treaty of Commerce it was fo fettled. But France pretending now, that this Tariff would be too beneficial to us, refused to grant it to us, until another Tariff should be made in Britain, exactly conformable to that of 1664, whereby our Duties fhould be reduc'd as low here, as theirs are in France by that Tariff. This, Lord Bolingbroke fays, is an open Violation of Faith; and by this they are removing a Corner-Stone, which was laid early in the Foundation of a Building brought almost to Perfection; the Fall whereof must prove at laft of as fatal Confequence to them as to us. He adds, He was firangely furpriz'd when he saw the Precedent of the Ryfwick Treaty quoted, to perfuade us to refer our Commerce, as the Dutch then did theirs, to Commiffioners, to be treated of after figning the Peace; that the Behaviour of the French upon that Occafion has given us Warning; and it is from thence we have learn'd, that whatever is referr'd, is given up; and they must have a mean Opinion of those whom they would perfuade to pursue the fame Method, to get the Tariff of 1664, by which the Dutch loft it. But his Lordship had either not learnt this Leffon, or had entirely forgot it, when on the 24th of May, he himself propos'd, that feveral Points relating to Commerce, requiring a longer Difcuffion than that Crifis would admit, Commiffaries fhould be appointed to fettle and adjust the Differences. But then, it feems, they were more intent upon the General Peace, than any particular, Advantages.

After this, his Lordship propofes to ftrike out of the Project of the Treaty of Commerce the 9th and 10th Articles, and instead thereof, to infert one to the Effect of that which he had drawn: And as the Acceptance of this Amendment was to put an End to all the Differences, and gave fuch ample Advantages to France, the French readily agreed to it, and inferted it verbatim as it was fent, which makes the 9th Article of the Treaty of Commerce as it now ftands, and is the fame that was rejected by the laft Parliament; and this Article which has been fince fo universally and juftly condemned, appears to be the Work of the English Miniftry, and the Price for which they fold to France the Fishery of Newfoundland:

This Treatment of France could not but give the Minifry the greatest Uneafinefs; tho' their Apprehenfions: left

the

the Circumstances they were in fhould be known, far exeeeded their Concern at the Difappointment Great Britain was like to meet with. They had fign'd a feparate Treaty with France in September 1711, upon this fingle Principle, that the Interefts of Great Britain were in the first Place to be adjusted; and as long as they had this to fay, they were unconcern'd at all other Events. They had gone on for r5 Months together, and acted in every Thing as the Inftruments of France, and are at last in Danger of being difavow'd by France, in the most effential Part of all their Treaty. One of the chief Inducements and principal Conditions upon which the fatal Ceflation of Arms was granted, was, That no Privileges or Advantages relating to Commerce with France, fhall be yielded to any Foreign Nation, which fhall, not at the fame Time be granted to the Subjects of her Britannick Majety; but France had now reap'd the full Benefit of the Sufpenfion, and were at Liberty to difpute the Principle of Gens amiciffima. In thefe Circumftances were the English Miniftry in January 1712-13, and to extricate themfelves, they give up all Points in Difpute in North America, and the Fishery of Newfoundland; upon the fingle Confideration of the 9th Article of the Treaty of Commerce, which the Parliament rejected with a juft Indignation. How ever, to bring France to a Compliance, even upon thefe Conditions, the Duke of Shrewsbury is inftructed to prevail with France to come to this Refolution without the Lofs of one Moment's Time. The Parliament was fuddenly to meet, and it would be necessary for the Queen to communicate to both Houfes the prefent State of the Negociation. His Grace is then to reprefent to Monfieur de Torcy, how fmoothly every Thing would glide along, if the Queen was able to speak of her own Interefts as abfolutely deter min'd with France; and on the other Hand, what Travels we fhall be exposed to, and what Confufion may arife, if our Negociation appears to be ftill open, and if the Secret comes to be divulg'd, that France refufes to make good in the Treaty, the full Effect of former Promifes to the Queen. That as the French Minifters defire that the Queen would precipitate the Conclufion of her Peace, and leave all the Confederacy at their Mercy, they must be told, that when the mutual Interefts of France and England are fettled, the Plenipotentiaries of Great Britain fhall publickly declare in the Congrefs that they are ready to fign with those of France, and fhall call upon the Allies to quicken their Negociations, and conclude without Lofs of Time: But if

they