1 Stanislaus as true rightful king of Poland. He was con- 1706. tented with the empty name of king, though that seemed rather to be a reproach than any acceffion of honour to his electoral dignity; but he thought otherwife, and ftipulated, that it should be continued to him. He was at mercy, for he had neither forces nor treafure. It was thought the king of Sweden treated him with too much rigour, when he had fo intirely mastered him; but he was as little pitied as he deferved to be, for, by many wrong practices, he had drawn all his misfortunes upon himself. The king of Sweden, being thus in the heart of Germany, in fo formidable a posture, gave great apprehenfions to the allies. The French made Itrong applications to him, but the courts of Pruffia and Hanover were in fuch a concert with that king, that they gave the reft of the allies great affurances, that he would do nothing to disturb the peace of the empire, nor to weaken the alliance. The court of France preffed him to offer his me- Propofitidiation for a general peace; all the answer he gave was, that, ons for a if the allies made the like application to him, he would inter- peace. pose and do all good offices in a treaty, but refufed to enter Lamberti. into any separate measures with France. This was not the only application the French king made for a treaty. Soon after the battle of Ramillies, the elector of Bavaria gave out hopes of peace. He writ a letter from Mons the 21ft of October, N. S. to the duke of Marlbo ́rough, and another of the fame date to the deputies of the States, with propofals from the court of France for holding of conferences in fome place between the two camps, or between Mons and Bruffels, to treat of a peace. The deputies of the states had fent the elector's letter to the Hague, and the duke had also communicated his to the queen his mistress. When the army feparated in the Netherlands, and the winter-quarters were fettled, the duke came to the Hague, the 9th of November, N. S. The next day the deputies of the States came and held a long conference with him, chiefly upon the subject of the elector's letters. It was agreed, that the fteps, which France had made towards a peace, should be communicated to the minifters of the allies, in order to remove all fufpicions of clandeftine negotiations, and encou rage the feveral members of the grand alliance to redouble their efforts against the next campaign. This being concerted, as well as the draughts of the refpective anfwers to the elector of Bavaria, the States defired the minifters of the allies, refiding at the Hague, to be prefent, on the 21ft of November, at an extraordinary congrefs, when the deputies U 2 for 1766. for foreign affairs made the following notification to them. They owned, "That France had formerly, by fome private "perfons, made general intimations of their willingness to treat of peace, and that, laft winter, the marquifs d' Alegre, had prefented the ftates a formal memorial on "the fame fubject [the fubftance of which was read in the "congrefs] but they had given no ear to thofe advances, "nor communicated them to the allies, because they did not "judge them worth imparting to them. But that, in Octo"ber laft, the elector of Bavaria had writ a letter to the duke "of Marlborough, and another to the field-deputies of the ftates; which letters, with the draughts of the answers, "were also communicated to the congress (a)." Then the deputies of the states declared to the affembly, "That their high mightineffes were refolved not to enter ❝ into (a) The elector's letter to the duke of Marlborough was as follows: The most chriftian king, fir, finding, that fome overtures of peace, which he had caufed to be made in a private manner, inftead of producing the effect of making known his difpofitions towards procuring a general peace, have been looked upon, by ill-defigning perfons, as an artifice to dilunite the allies, and make an advantage of the mifunderftanding, that might be created among them; has refolved to fhew the fincerity of his intentions, by renouncing all ⚫ fecret negotiations, and openly propofing conferences, in which means may be found ⚫ for the re-establishing the tranquillity of Europe. The moft chriftian king is pleafed to charge me to inform you of this, and to defire you to acquaint the queen of England with it. I give the like notification on the part of the most chriftian king to the ftates-general, by a letter, that I have written to the field-deputies; and he would do the like with regard to the other potentates, that are at war with him, had they minifters near at hand, as you are, to receive the like intimation, he having no defign to exclude any of the faid potentates from the negotiati on, that shall be begun in the conferences he propoies. More' over for advancing a good fo ⚫ great and neceffary to Europe, which has too long fuffered the ‹ inevitable calamities of war, he confents that a place may 'forthwith be chofen between the two armies; and after their being separated, between Mons and Bruffels, in which you, fir, with whom the interefts of England are fo fafely intrufted, the deputies, which the States fhall please to nominate, and the perfons, whom the king of France shall impower, may begin to treat upon fo important an affair. I am extremely pleafed, fir, to have fuch an occafion to write you this letter, being ⚫ per "into any negotiation of peace but jointly with their allies, "and faithfully to communicate to them the proposals that "might be made to them, expecting that the allies would do 66 no lefs on their part." 'Having communicated to the queen, my miftrefs, what your electoral highness did me the honour to write to me in ⚫ your letter of the 21st of laft month, of the intentions of the ⚫ most christian king to endeavour to re-establish the tranquillity of Europe, by conferences to be held for that pur⚫pofe between deputies on both fides; her majefty has commanded me to anfwer your ⚫ electoral highness, that as the has received with pleasure the ' notice of the king's inclination to agree to the making of a folid and lafting peace with all the allies, being the fole end that obliged her majefty to The her allies, on fuch conditions, · as may fecure them from all apprehenfions of being forced to take up arms again, after a fhort interval, as has fo lately happened. Her majesty is allo willing I should declare, that he is ready to enter jointly with all the high allies, into juft and neceliary measures for attaining fuch a peace; her majefty being refolved not to enter upon any negotiation without the participation of • her faid allies. But the way of 'conferences, that is propofed, 61 without more particular declarations on the part of his 'most christian majefty, does not seem to her to be proper for obtaining a truly folid and lafting peace. The States-general are of the fame opinion, Wherefore your electoral highnefs will rightly judge, that other more folid means must be thought on to obtain fo great an end, to which her majesty ' will contribute, with all the fincerity that can be wifhed, having nothing fo much at heart, as the relief of her fubjects, and the tranquillity of Europe. Your electoral high nefs will always do me the juf, tice to be perfuaded of the re fpect, with which I have the honour to be, &c.' 1756. 1706. The French apply to the pope. Hare. The duke of Marlborough and the penfionary spoke very prudently on this occafion in the Congrefs, and both concluded for the continuation of the war. The minifters were likewife defired to write to their refpective courts to exhort them to follow the example of England and Holland, who were refolved to make a vigorous campaign. The affembly was extremely pleafed with the fincerity and fairness wherewith this communication was made.' The States and the duke had feveral weighty reasons for the communicating thefe proceedings to the minifters of the allies, fome of whom were very uneafy on the apprehenfion, that fome fecret negotiation was tranfacting without their knowledge. Befides, it was fpread about in Holland by the emillaries of France, that the duke of Marlborough, finding his account in continuing the war, would induce the queen of Great-Britain to refufe to hearken to a reasonable peace, The fame thing had been infinuated in England, and therefore it was proper to demonftrate the contrary, and to fhew, that the refufing to enter into conferences with France was owing to a belief, that a folid and lafting peace could not be expected from thence. However the court of France did not ftop here, but, finding they could not prevail with the king of Sweden, they made a public application to the pope for his mediating a peace. The fum of their offers, for that purpofe, was to give up to king Charles either Spain and the Weft-Indies, or Milan, Naples, and Sicily, with a barrier for the Dutch, and a compenfation to the duke of Savoy for the wafte made in his country. But thefe offers were rejected (a). The court of Vienna was fo alarmed at the inclinations fome had expreffed towards the entertaining this project, that this was believed The letters between the elec tor and the field-deputies were of much the fame tenor. (a) Dr. Hare, in his piece, Now to decide this question, what a good peace is; and, in order to that, muit confider, what it was we went into the war for. No body wants to be told, that this was chiefly to obtain thefe two ends, the ⚫ reftitution of the Spanish monarchy to the houfe of Auftria, and the procuring of a good barrier against France on the fide of the Netherlands; without which two points there can be no fecurity for Great-Bri ← taina believed to be the fecret motive of the treaty, the fucceed. ing winter, for evacuating the Milanefe, and of their obftinately perfifting, the fummer after, in their defigns upon Naples; for by this means they became masters of both. ⚫tain, that their best trade will not be loft, and with it their religion and government, and every thing that is dear to them. For we fhould every ⚫ minute be in danger of having the bigotry, flavery, and poverty of France forced upon us by the exorbitant power ⚫ of that most arbitrary prince, < if he fhould be fuffered to • ftrengthen himself with the • addition of that vaft monarchy, who was before much too great for his neighbours ; to fay nothing of the fafety of the Dutch, or the liberty of Europe. Now the Spanish monarchy, the reftitution of which is the first article of the grand alliance, is known by every body to confift, befides the Spanish Netherlands, of thefe two great parts, of Spain and the Indies; and of Milan, Naples, and Sicily, with Sardinia and the adjacent ifles. And a good barrier against France means, at least, a bet⚫ter than the Dutch had before; which, by the experience of fifty years, has been found to be much too weak for fo large a frontier; the Spanish Flanders, and its capital city, Ghent, having in truth no cover at all, • and Brabant but a very poor one; while the French being intire matters of the Lys and Scheld, both provinces lie expofed to their invafions. Look but on fome large maps of thefe provinces, fuch as have The ⚫ been printed of late years, and your eyes will presently convince you of the truth of this. But, if this reftitution and this barrier were thought neceffary, at our entring into the war, no body, I prefume, will fay, they are lefs neceffary now, when fo much more has been done to gain these ends, than any body at the beginning could ever hope to fee. And, if these two points are neceffary, then no peace without them can be a good peace. Let us then compare this good peace with what the French offered at the end of the Ramillies campaign. which, in fhort, was no more than this, to give up to the ⚫ allies, which of those two they liked belt, either Spain and the Indies, or Milan, Naples, and Sicily, &c. which offer was unanimously rejected. I fuppofe, there is no need of proving that the allies ought not to have accepted either part of this alternative, it being fo fhort of what, upon our entrance into the war, was thought neceffary. To have ⚫ been content with a moiety of what we went into the war for, after fo many fucceffes, and not a few furprizingly great, would have rendered us inexcufable to, all pofterity: and fome body, who, we are now told, prolongs the war, • would have been faid to have been well paid for fuch a 'peace. U 4 1706. |