46

Geo. I, King George delivered himself up to the Whigs, who had 1716. been perfecuted in the late reign: The duke of Orleans feemed to give himself up to the Janfenifts, whom Lewis XIV. had conftantly ill ufed: They changed minifters almost as often one as the other: Their competitors infpired them with the fame views, and almoft the fame precautions: They were alike even in their death, for both died fuddenly. The duke of Orleans is faid to have had a more prompt and ready genius: The multitude and difficulty of his affairs never hindered him from pursuing his pleasures; whereas king George was always attentive, always ferious, and feemed an enemy to all amusements and therefore he was, beyond comparison, more regular in his manners and conduct; befides, he was more conftantly attached to the party he had espoused, and was never seen to waver between the Whigs and Tories, as did the duke of Orleans between the Janfenifts and Molinifts.

Negotia

north almost

fruitless.

General Cadogan had much better fuccefs in his negotiations in the tions with France, than the king had in his with the northern powers. Notwithstanding all his endeavours, he could engage them neither to be reconciled, nor even to fufpend their refentments. He feemed, however, to have fucceeded in spite of the king of Denmark's defire to preferve his advantages, and the king of Sweden's eagerness to revenge and repair his loffes. His Swedish majefty had prefented to the emperor and the diet pacific memorials, and even fent plenipotentiaries to affist at the congrefs of Brunswick; but all these hopes quickly vanished. King George had, however, made that prince all the advances imaginable: Had ftrongly pref fed the emperor, the kings of Denmark and Pruffia, and even the czar himself, that the Ruffians might march out of the empire: Nay, it is faid, he had proceeded fo far towards a feparate peace with the king of Sweden, as to offer to join with him against the Mufcovite, on condition only that he would renounce all pretenfions to the dutchies of Bremen and Verden. King Charles XII. was intractable; incenfed at the war made against him, when he could not defend himfelf; and ftill more at the peace, which they would compel him to make, on conditions, as he thought, both difhonourable and hard, he breathed nothing but revenge, and was as much offended with the king of Great-Britain, as with the czar and the king of Denmark.

As king George could not obtain the ceffion he defired, he took the best measures to fecure his new acquifitions, and compel the king of Sweden to remain quiet. It was given

out

out, that the confederacy he had entered into, was formed Geo. I. purely for the fake of peace. It was agreed by the con- 1716. federates, that each should furnish a certain number of forces and fhips, not to make new conquefts upon Sweden, but to oblige his Swedish majefty to fit easy under his loffes, and not endeavour to recover them. This rupture with Sweden was not only detrimental to the trade of Great-Britain, but had like to have proved fatal to the king; for, whilft he was labouring for a peace in the north, in order to fecure his German poffeffions, a fcheme was contriving to deprive him of his British dominions.

The difaffected in England, ftill pursuing their defigns in favour of the pretender, turned their eyes on the king of Sweden to accomplish it. They knew how exafperated he was against king George, and how glad he would be of a revenge: Count Gyllenburgh was the Swedish refident at London. The count was applied to, or perhaps made the first overtures. The affair was carried on not only at London, but by baron Gortz, the Swedish ambaffador at the Hague, and by baron Sparre at Paris, with the English Jacobites there, and other friends of the pretender. Baron Gortz, who was the projector of this plot, went to France, in order to bring things to the point he defired, and because the fecret could be kept better at Paris than at the Hague. The czar was also treated with, who was known to be offended with king George.

Thefe Negotiations could not be fo privately managed, but that they were fufpected by the court of England. In April, when the feptennial bill was in hand, intimations had been given that a fecond invafion was to be feared, and this apprehenfion was made one of the motives for continuing a house of commons, in which the king had fo much reason to confide. These fufpicions were indeed not very clear, but, in the situation of Europe at that time, it was not difficult to guefs from what quarter the danger was to come. The good difpofition of the duke of Orleans had removed all uneafiness with respect to France. The king of Spain, wholly intent on his projects against the emperor, could not be fufpected of quarrelling with England. The north therefore was the only place from whence the ftorm could be thought to proceed: This conjecture, the only reasonable one that could be form ed, determined king George to repair to Hanover, where he could best discover the intentions of his enemies. He fuc ceeded in his design; at least the public was, in a few days

after

Geo. I. after his arrival at London, informed of the plot, by the 1716. feizing of count Gyllenburg.

The king, having finished all his affairs abroad, fet out 1716-17. from Hanover the 19th of January, N. S. and in ter The king's days landed at Margate, from whence he proceeded to Lonreturn to don. England.

The Swe

feized.

It was expected, the parliament would have immediately difh refident met, but their meeting was put off for fome time, on account of a surprising event. On the 29th of January, Mr. fecretary Stanhope communicating to the privy-council, the informations the king had received of a confpiracy, which had for fome time been carried on to excite a new rebellion, and to favour a foreign invafion. The fame night, major Smith, an Irish officer, who was no longer in the fervice, and who, that very evening, had been playing at baffet at the apartments in St. James's, was feized at his lodgings; and, about twelve o'clock, lieutenant colonel Blakeney, with a detachment of the foot-guards, fecured the house of count Gyllenburg, the Swedish refident. Not long after, major-general Wade, attended by the colonel, went and knocked at the door of the Swedish minifter, and being admitted, found him making up some dispatches. Having, in a few words, made him a compliment, and acquainted him with his commiffion to put a guard upon his perfon, and to fecure his papers, he laid hold on fuch as were on the table, and demanded those that were in his fcrutore. Count Gyllenburg's furprise raised in him an extraordinary emotion, which made him expoftulate with some warmth about the law of nations being violated in his perfon; but, having fomewhat recovered his temper, he defired leave to fend for the marquis de Monteleone, the Spanish ambassador, that he might confult with him, how to act on fuch an occafion. But general Wade, having pofitive orders not to let him fpeak with any perfon, could not grant his request. On the other hand, the count's lady having refused the keys of the fcrutore, upon pretence, that there was nothing in it but linen and plate, the general caufed it to be broke open; and, having found in it a great many papers, he fealed them all up, and left a ftrong guard upon the refident. The fame morning Charles Cæfar, formerly treafurer of the navy, and member of parliament for the borough of Hertford; and Sir Jacob Bancks, formerly member of parliament for Minehead, were apprehended, upon fufpicion of being in confederacy with count Gyllenburg.

There

There were feveral conjectures as to the means of this im- Geo. I. portant difcovery. Some affirmed, the king had long before 1716-17. notice of the defign from France; others, that the difcovery was owing to an intercepted letter from count Gyllenburg to the lord Duffus, prifoner in the Tower: And others afferted, the lord Duffus accidentally revealed the confpiracy to an English lord, his fellow prifoner, who discovered it to the government, and thereby merited his pardon. Be this as it will, it is certain, that the king and his minifters had long before entertained fufpicions of the count's clandeftine practices; which were not a little increased upon the publication of a libel about September 1716, intitled, An English Merchant's Remarks upon a fcandalous Jacobite Paper pub⚫lished in the Poft-Boy, under the name of, A Memorial ⚫ prefented to the Chancery of Sweden, by the Refident of "Great Britain.' Of which libel count Gyllenburg was fufpected to be the author, as afterwards appeared by his let

ters.

The fecuring the perfon and papers of a public minister being an affair of an extraordinary nature, and fome foreign minifters having expreffed their refentments of it at court, they were given to understand, that in a day or two they fhould be acquainted with the reafons for proceeding against the Swedish minifter in fuch a manner. Accordingly, the fecretaries of state, Mr. Stanhope and Mr. Methuen, wrote a circular letter to the foreign minifters of their refpective diftricts, who were pretty well reconciled to the proceedings of the court; only the marquis de Monteleone, the Spanish ambaffador, faid, in his anfwer to Mr. Stanhope: That he was forry no other way could be found out, for preferving the peace of his majesty's dominions, without arrefting the perfon of a public minifter, and feizing all his papers, which are the facred repofitories of the fecrets of his mafter; and, in whatever manner these two facts may feem to be underftood, they feem very fenfibly to wound the law of nations.'

Not many days after the feizing of count Gyllenburg, ba- Baron Gortal ron Gortz, minifter and favourite of the king of Sweden, fecured, was likewife fecured in Guelderland, in the following manner: Mr. Leathes, the British refident at the Hague, received the king's orders to defire the regents of that ftate to confent to the feizing of baron Gortz, with his two fecretaries, M. Stambke and M. Guftavus Gyllenburg, the baron having for fome time been concerned in carrying on a corre spondence, and concerting measures with the British rebels in France, and with feveral perfons in England, by means of VOL. XIX.

D

Count

Geo. I. count Gyllenburg, for raifing a rebellion in England, to 1716-17. be fupported by a foreign force. Mr. Leathes went immediately to Amfterdam, and difpofed the magiftrates of that place to consent to the securing of baron Gortz, in case he fhould come thither from France; and returned back to the Hague. The fame night baron Gortz arrived there, having heard at Calais of count Gyllenburg's being put under arreft, which prevented his going over to England, as he intended. He had, on the 18th of February, a conference with the imperial minifter, wherein he extolled the inclination of the king of Sweden to peace, and infifted on a refolution about his laft propofitions; but, the next day, he fet out, a little before noon, in a poft-chaife, accompanied by general Poniatowefki, having, as it is believed, had fome notice, that orders were given to fecure him, which indeed he narrowly escaped. For, upon Mr. Leathes's application, the council of the States of Holland met, and paffed a refolution for feizing the baron and his fecretaries; but, before it could be executed, the baron and M. Stambke were gone that morning for Amfterdam; fo that only Mr. Gyllenburg was then taken. A party of horfe was immediately fent after the other two, and Mr. Leathes followed them to Amfterdam, and, learning where baron Gortz was lodged, he went, accompanied with the proper officers, to the house of M. Teitsen, a Swedish merchant, and fearched it; but the baron had left it fome hours before. However, a box was found, in which were twelve large packets of letters; and, informations being given which way the baron had taken, fome perfons were dispatched after him, who feized him and M. Stambke at Arnheim, by leave of the magiftrates of that place, as they were taking coach to go on from thence. Mr. Leathes, being returned to the Hague, waited on the deputies of the province of Guelderland, who thought fit to write a letter to the magiftrates of Arnheim, ordering them to cause the baron and M. Stambke to be kept in fafe cuftody. On this occafion, all thofe of the regency, who were applied to, entered readily into the reasonableness of the king's demands, and gave all the affiftance and difpatch, that was confiftent with the known forms of proceeding in that country. It is obfervable, that, when baron Gortz was feized, he owned himself to have been the projector of the intended invafion of Great Britain by the king of Sweden, and that he had actually provided ten thoufand arms, and other neceflaries for this fervice, valuing himself very much upon what he had done in this affair, as thinking it extremely for the

intereft