tions were prefented and read; one of John Elvil, Efq complaining of an undue Election and Return for Honiton in Devonshire; the other of the oppreffed Inhabitants of Leominster in Herefordshire: Both which were feverally referr'd to the Committee of Privileges and Elections.

Feb. 25, a Petition of John Dodd, Efq; complaining of an undue Election and Return for the City of Wells in Somerfet faire,being read, was referr'd to the faid Committee. The Houfe refolv'd it felf into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider of the Supply to be granted to his Majeffy, and came to a Refolution, which was order'd to be reported the next Morning: Then they again refolv'd themselves into a Committee of the whole Houfe, upon the Bill to prohibit Commerce with Sweden, &c, went thro' the Bill, having made fome Amendments to it, and order'd it to be reported likewife the next Morning.

Feb. 26, a Petition of Gabriel Roberts, Efq; complaining of an undue Election and Return for Marlborough in Wiltfire, being prefented and read, was referr'd to the Committee of Privileges and Elections. Upon a Petition of John Barrington, alias Shute, Efq; a Bill was order'd to be brought in, to confirm and fettle the Name of Barrington on the Petitioner and his Iffue Male, and to enable him and them to take, ufe, and bear the Enfigns and Arms of the Name and Family of Barrington. Mr. Farrer reported the Refolution concerning a Supply, viz. That a Supply be granted to his Majefty, whcih was agreed unto, nemine contradicente. The Houfe refoly'd on an Address to his Majefty, That feveral Accompts, Eftimates, . might bẹ laid before them. And Mr. Craggs reported the Amendments made to the Bill relating to the prohibiting Com merce with Sweden; which being agreed unto by the Houfe, the faid Bill was order'd to be engrofs'd.

Feb. 27, the Commiffioners of the Cuftoms prefented to the Houfe feveral Accompts of prohibited Eaft-India Goods remaining in the feveral Ware-houses in the Port of London, and in the feveral refpective Ware-houfes of the OutPorts, at Michaelmas 1714, with what have been brought in fince that Time, and what exported, to Michaelmas 1716. And likewife Accompts of Naval Stores imported from Ruffia into the Port of London, and Out-Ports, from Michaelmas 1714, to Michaelmas 1716: All which Accompts were order'd to lie upon the Table. Mr. Nevile prefented to the Houfe a Bill to enable John Barrington, alias Shute, Efq; and his Iflue Male, to change their Name to Barrington, according to the Settlement of Francis Bar

ringtor

rington, Efq; deceas'd; which was read once, and order'd a fecond Reading. The ingrofs'd Bill concerning the pro hibiting of Commerce to Sweden, was read the third Time, pass'd, and fent to the Lords for their Concurrence. Mr. Pulteney prefented to the Houfe an Eftimate of the Charge of the Guards, Garri fons, and other Land-Forces in Great Britain for the Year 1717: And also an Estimate of the Charge of the Forces in the Plantations, and in Minorca and Gibraltar, for the Year 1717: Both which Estimates were order'd to lie on the Table. Order'd a Call of the Houfe on March 14, and that fuch Members as do not then attend, be fent for in Cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms.

Feb. 28. Upon the Petition of the Mayor and Burgeffes of Derby, the Lord James Cavendish and Colonel Stanhope were order'd to prepare and bring in a Bill for making navigable the River Derwent in the County of Derby. Sir Charles Turner (from the Commiffioners of the Admiralty) prefented the ordinary Estimate of his Majefty's Navy,for the Year 17178 And Mr. Lowndes prefented an Account of the Deficiencies of all the Lottery-Annuities, and other Funds, payable at the Exchequer: And alfo, an Account of the Deficiencies of the Grants for the Year 1716; which Eftimate and Accounts were order'd to lie on the Table. The fame Day the Lords pafs'd the Bill relating to the Commerce with Sweden; and the King being come to the House of Peers, and the Commons being fent for up, and attending, his Majefty gave the Royal Affent to the faid Bill, entitled, An Act to enable his Majesty effectually to prohibit or refrain Commerce with Sweden. This Act contains in Subftance, That his Majefty may by Proclamation prohibit all Trade and Commerce with Sweden, from the 20th of March 1716, to the 20th of March 1717, and from thence to the End of the next Seffion of Parliament: And that all Ships and Goods coming from thence during the Time of the Prohibition, except fuch Goods only as are actually fhipp'd in Sweden for Great Britain or Ireland on or before the 15th of April 1717, fhall be forfeited; two Thirds of the Forfeiture to go to the King, his Majesty being at the Charge of the Prosecution, and the other Third to the Seifor, Informer, &c.

As to what has hitherto happen'd in the House of Lords, we shall only take Notice, that on the 21st of February, the Duke of Newcastle having reported their Lordships Addrefs to the King, a Debate arofe in the Houfe on Account of the Lord Coningsby's urging it very earnestly,

That the Peace concluded at Utrecht was treacherous and difhonourable; upon which the Lord Bishop of London thought fit to affert the Contrary,and, among other Things,to fay, That he himself drew up the Inftruments of that Treaty; and that he believ'd it to be as good a Peace as any that had been concluded for forty Years paft. To which the Lord Coningsby reply'd, That in what he had faid, he had no Intention to make any perfonal Reflection on any Perfon whatfoever; but at the fame. Time he defir'd the venerable Prelate who spoke laft, to call to mind, that about two Years ago, when the Ministers who made the late Peace were impeach'd, his Lordship declar'd, That he was kept in the Dark, and scarce knew any Thing of what was doing at Utrecht. The fame Day the Letters of the Count de Gyllenborg, Baron Gortz, &c. being read in the Houfe, the Earl of Sunderland took Notice, That the French Word Effronterie, which was made Ufe of in a Paffage of one of the said Count's Letters, and meant of him the faid Earl, being render'd by the Word Boldness, was ill tranflated; it being evident that the Writer meant, Downright Impudence.

We proceed now to the other remarkable Occurrences of Great Britain, that have happen'd fince our laft; the chief of which was the Difcovery of a defign'd Invafion from Sweden. The firft News we had of this Matter, was from the Government it felf; when the Count de Gyllenborg, the Swedish Minifter refiding at the Court of Great Britain, and his Secretary, were put under Arreft by Order of Council; a Guard of no less than twenty Soldiers, with fome Officers, was plac'd in his House: His Papers were alfo feiz'd, feal'd up, and carry'd away; the Refident himself confin'd to his own House, and Orders given, that neither himself, his Secretary, nor any of his Domesticks, fhould be allow'd to fpeak to any Perfon but in publick.

This happen'd on the 29th of January at Ñight; and next Morning Mr. Cafar of Hertfordshire, to a Relation of whom the Count de Gyllenborg was marry'd, Sir Jacob Banks, a Native of Sweden, and one Major Boyle Smith, were taken up by Meffengers, and the fame Evening feverally examin'd by a Committee of Council: They were, however, in a few Days fet at Liberty, the first of them upon Bail, the two laft entirely discharg'd.

Mean while the Arrefting of the Count de Gyllenborg, a Perfon protected by the Law of Nations, made a great Noife, and the Publick was extreamly furpriz'd at it: All the foreign Minifters refiding here, concern'd themselves

for

for his Enlargement; and going to Court to enquire what was the Occafion of his being put under Arreft, they were told, that in a few Days they fhould have an Answer: Accordingly each of the faid Minifters receiv'd a Letter written in French, fome by Mr. Secretary Stanhope, others by Mr. Secretary Methuen, in his Majefty's Name; of which Letter here follows a faithful Tranflation.

SIR,

HE King having receiv'd repeated Advices, and having, Tbefides, undeniable Proofs, of several most dangerous

Practices, which, for fome Time paft, have been concerted and carry'd on by the King of Sweden's Minifter, the Count de Gyllenborg, and that visibly tended to foment within his Majefty's Dominions a Rebellion of his own Subjects, which was to have been fupported by foreign Troops; and the faid Count having by fuch his Behaviour violated the publick Faith, and render'd himself unworthy of the Protection and Privileges due to bis Character; which, otherwife, by the Law of Nations, he ought to enjoy, his Majefty, to put an End to fuch pernicious Practices, and for the Prefervation of the Peace and Tranquillity of his Dominions, judg'd it absolutely necessary to caufe the faid Count de Gyllenborg to be fecur'd, and to seize all his Papers, by which the dangerous Intrigues he was engag'd in, will appear to all the World, and abundantly justify the Meafures his Majefty has thought fit to take. I doubt not but that the King will in a fhort Time command me to inform you more at large of the Reasons that induc'd his Majefty to take this Refolution: But in the mean while I am order'd to impart to you, in his Name, what has already happen'd, that you may tranfmit it to your Court; his Majesty not in the least doubting but that your Mafter, when he is fully inform'd of this Count's Behaviour, will be entirely convinc'd, that not only the Peace and Tranquillity of his Majefty's own Dominions, but also the Repofe of Europe, and the Security of the Alliances now in Being, have render'd this Step unavoidably necessary. I am with much Refpect,

Sir, ..

J. Stanhope.

This Letter the foreign Minifters tranfmitted to their feveral Mafters; and we never have heard that any of them gave any Anfwer to it, fave only the Marquis de Monteleone, Embaffador from the King of Spain, who the next Day writ the following Letter to Mr. Secretary Methuen

I 2

S. IR,

I

Receiv'd Yesterday in the Evening the Letter which your Excellency did me the Honour to write to me that Day; in which you acquaint me with the Reasons his Majesty had to cause the Count de Gyllenborg, the King of Sweden's Miaifter, to be put under Arreft, and all his Papers to be feix'd.

After returning my Thanks to your Excellency for imparting to me his Majesty's Sentiments, in Pursuance of the Orders you receiv'd for that Purpofe, fince I am thereby enabled to give a faithful Relation thereof to the King my Mafter, I must wait for his Answer, to impart the fame to your Excellency. However, I must confefs to you, that 'tis a very great Misfortune, that there was no other Expedient to preferve the Peace and Tranquillity of his Majefty's Dominions, the Repofe of Europe, and the Security of the prefent Alliances, than that of arrefting the Perfon of a publick Minifter, and feizing all his Papers, which are the most facred Repofitories of the Secrets of his Mafter. In whatever Manner these two Facts are confider'd, they feem very deeply to wound the Law of Nations. I am, &c.

To this Letter of the Marquis de Monteleone, we will add another from an unknown Hand, written a few Days after the Swedish Minifter was apprehended, to M. Pettecum, the Duke of Holftein's Minister, in Anfwer to that of the Secretaries of State to the foreign Ministers, concerning the feizing of the Count de Gyllenborg. It was printed both in French and English, in the Political State for laft Month, and is as follows,

I

SIR,

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Have feen the Letter Mr. Secretary Stanhope has writ to you, concerning the Order that has been given to feize Count Gyllenborg, the Swedish Minifter here. Your wonted Ability, Sir, as well as your Zeal for the Honour of his Swedith Majefty, to whom the Duke, your Mafter, has that of being fo near related, have, no doubt, furnish'd you with fuch Reafins as can demonftrate evidently, that what Mr.. Stanhope has alledg'd, is infufficient to justify a Treatment which never could have been expected in fo polite an Age as this which we are living in; but let it be what it will, give me Leave, Sir, to communicate to you some few Remarks I have made by the By, on that Affair.

Mr. Secretary Stanhope tells you, That the King has not only receiv'd repeated Advices, but has alfo undeniable Proofs of feveral dangerous Practices, carry'd on by Count Gyllenborg; whereupon his Majefty has taken the Refolution to cause him to be arrested. No doubt, Sir, but you, together with

the