1709.

A.CA 'will fee, that we have not the leaft Inclination to favour the Criminals, nor to fcreen 'em from Justice; but that there are infuperable Difficulties, with respect to the Ancient and Fundamental Laws of the Government of our People; which, we fear, do not permit fo fevere and rigorous a Sentence to be given, as your Imperial Majefty firft at feem'd to expect in this Cafe: And we perfuade ourself, that your Imperial Majefty, who are a Prince equally famous for Clemency, and for exact Juftice, will not require us, who are the Guardian and Protectress of the Laws, to inflict a Punishment upon our Subjects, which the Law does not empower us to do.

6

Nevertheless, we have not been wanting, at the fame time, to ufe all the Means which we judg'd moft effectual, to perfuade your Imperial Majefty, and the whole World, of the Sincerity of our Intentions, and of our Endeavours in this Affair. And to the end the Guilty might be punifh'd fo far as the Laws and Conftitutions of our Kingdom, which were then in Force, would permit; we gave exprefs and repeated Orders to our Officers of Juftice, and to our Minifters, to profecute them with the utmost < Severity.

.

T

"

That Profecution has been long continued, with very great Diligence, and nothing has been omitted to bring it to as fpeedy a Conclufion as poffible. But after all, the Matter is fuch, that we find ourself obliged to inform your Imperial Majefty, that as well because of the different Pleadings in favour of the Criminals; the flow, but indifpenfable Manners of Proceeding in a Law-fuit of fo great Importance; as of the Cafe it felf, which is of an axtraordinary Nature, against which, no fufficient Provifion is made in the Ancient Statutes of thefe Kingdoms; it has not hitherto been in the Power of our Council learned in the Law, to obtain a Sentence, nor a final Decifion of this Affair.

"Wherefore, confidering all thefe Inconveniencies, and foreseeing the Delays which might probably happen in the ordinary Courfe of Law; and defiring, at the fame time, to give you 'fignal Marks of our 'Sorrow, as alfo to fhew you the Indignation of all our Subjects on this Occafion, We have pafs'd an A& of Parliament made in the moft folemn manner, by the Great Council and Affembly of our Kingdom of Great-Britain, wherein is made a Declaration as Au"thentick as poffible, of the juft Horror which our' Subjects in general have against this violent Infult; and all the Acts and Proceedings, which relate to the

'Arreft

'Arreft of the Perfon of your Imperial Majefty's Am-
baffador, are annul'd, and raz'd out of the Regi-
fters of our Courts of Juftice and thofe who had
a fhare therein, are branded as infamous Criminals,
and obnoxious to the Laws which were then in Force,
And if any Perfon hereafter durft commit the like
Offence, or, any ways violate the Privileges of Am-
baffadors, and other Foreign Minifters, they will be
Iliable to the most severe Penalties and Punishments,
which the Arbitrary Power of the Judges fhall think
fit to inflict upon them, and to which no Bounds are
given in this new A&t. So that all Infults of this.
Nature will be prevented for the future, and the
Security which all Princes Minifters ought to enjoy,
will be firmly establish'd and preferv'd by this fa-
mous Law. And this will remain as a Monument to
'all Pofterity, of the Defference which has been fhewn
to your Imperial Majefty; and all the Minifters
which fhall come for the future, will be indebted for
this extraordinary A&t for their Protection, to the
particular Confideration which We, and our People
have had for your Imperial Majefty's Honour. As,
therefore, your Imperial Majefty, cannot but fee,
that we have us'd our utmoft Endeavours in profe-
cuting the Criminals, and in caufing them to be
punish'd, tho' not with the Succefs we could have
wifh'd And fince we have procur'd an A&t to be
made by the Reprefentatives of all our Subjects of
'Great-Britain, as well for Reparation of what has been
done, as to prevent the like Infolences for the future;
We inftantly pray your Imperial Majefty, to accept
of all that we have done on our fide, as the most we
'could do here for your Satisfaction; whereby your
Imperial Majefty will give us the strongest Proof that
can be, of your conftant Affection towards us; and
you may be affur'd, that we fhall not fail, on our
fide, to do all that lies in our Power, on all Occafions,
to fhew you our Gratitude by our firm Friendship and
Efteem.

And to the end that nothing may be omitted, which is in our Power to do farther, by way of fuitable Reparation, We have thought fit to make Choice of fome worthy and able Perfon, to declare to your Imperial Majefty, in the moft publick and folemn manner, the indignation we conceiv'd at the Affront offer'd, and our Concern, that it is not in our Power, to caufe the Criminals to be punish'd according to their Deferts. And as our Trufty and Well-beloved f Mr. Charles Whitworth, has merited our Royal Approbation, by his Ability and Experience in all the Af

'fairs

A. C.

A.C.

1709.

८

fairs which have been entrusted with him, as alfo
by his good Conduct at your Imperial Majesty's
Court, for feveral Years paft; we have, therefore
given him a fpecial Power and Commiffion, to re-
prefent our Perfon, as our Ambaffador Extraordi-
nary upon this Occafion, and to make fuch Excufes
and Declarations in our Name, as will we hope,
give your Imperial Majefty entire Satisfaction. And
we do hereby defire your Imperial Majefty to be
pleas'd to admit and receive the faid Mr. Charles
Whitworth, as our Ambaffador-Extraordinary for this
End;
and to give entire Credit to all that he shall
fay to you in our Royal Name, as if we were present
to do it in Perfon. We will only add, as a Mark of
our Efteem for your Ambassador himself, who fuffer'd
this Infult, that as we were fenfible of his Perfonal
Virtues and great Qualities, during his Refidence at
our Court, fo we were more particularly concern'd,
that fuch an Injury fhould be offer'd to a Gentleman,
of fo great Merit and Confideration, being befides,
the Ambaffador of fo great a Prince, and fo good
an Ally. And fo praying that the great Difpenfer
of all good things, will vouchfafe to pour forth his
heavenly Benedictions upon the Perfon and Kingdom
of your Imperial Majefty, we recommend you to
his holy Protection.

Given ot our Palace at Windfor, the
August, 1709.

Your Imperial Majesty's

day of

Moft Affectionate Sifter,

ANNE R.

The Czar's
Answer.

His Czarish Majefty having receiv'd this Letter from the Hands of the Ambaffador, deliver'd it to the Count de Golofkin, Great Chamberlain of his Empire, and was pleas'd to make the following Answer in his own Tongue,

TT was but requifite, that her Majesty the Queen, fhould have given Us Satisfaction, by punishing the Criminals conformably to our Demands, in the 'moft rigorous Manner, as is the Cuftom in fuch Cafes throughout the Univerfe: But feeing her Majefty has order'd you to make Excufes in the Quality of her Ambaffador Extraordinary, conferr'd upon you exprefly for this purpose, and to remonftrate that her

.

Maje

Majefty could not inflict fuch a Punishment upon เ them, because of the Defect, in that Particular, of the 'former establish'd Conftitutions of her Kingdom; and that with the unanimous Confent of the Parliament, 'her Majefty has caus'd a new A&t to be pas'd to ferve as a Law therein for the future: We accept all this for a Proof of the Affection her Majefty has for Us, and for 'fufficient Satisfaction; and We will give Orders to ' our Minifters, to fettle intirely this Affair with you in a Conference.

A. C.

1709.

tween the

The next Day the Ambaffador came to the Houfe of Agreement. Count de Golofkin, great Chancellor of the Empire, and made bethere had a Conference with him and other Ministers British of his Czarish Majefty; in which this troublefom AmbasaAffair was terminated to the mutual Satisfaction of der and the Two Potentates; the Differences which had been the Czar's

occafion'd by fo ill an Accident, were compofed; and Minifters. the ancient Friendship and good Correfpondence between the Two Crowns renew'd, on condition that the following Articles which were ftipulated, fhould be perform'd; the Ambaffador of her Britannick Majefty engaging to procure the Execution of the laft, but

one.

TH

Hat his Czarish Majefty, Emperor of Great Ruffia, will fend Order to M. de Matueof, his Ambaffador, Plenipotentiary at the Hague, to notify, provifionally, by a Letter to her Majefty, the Queen of Great Britian, that Mr Charles Whitworth, being 'vefted with the Character of her Ambaffador Extraordinary, Commiffioner, and Plenipotentiary, exprefly and purpofely to make Excufes on occafion of the Affront in Question has performed that Commiffion; and that his Majefty having regard to the Inftances of her Majefty the Queen, has been pleased to accept the faid Excufes made in her Name, for Satisfaction of the Outrage done at London to the Ambaffador of his Czarish Majefty; with an Intention thereby to fhew the high Value he puts upon the Friendship of her Britannick Majefty, and on the Continuance of that Friendship, and in hope of the like Return on her part, on Occafions wherein his Czarish Majefty may be concerned; and that in confequence hereof, his Czarish Majefty is willing 'to forget the Criminal Proceedings of the Authors and Accomplices of the faid Affront, and defires her Majesty the Queen, to be pleased to order them to be, difcharged from the Process iffued against them, and from the Sentence pro

nounc'd

A. C. 1709.

Order of

denounc'd, the Penalties to which they are condemned for the faid Infult.

His Czarish Majefty having a juft Regard to the faithful and fignal Services which his faid Ambassador, who was infulted, has performed, and in a gracious Remembrance of the laudable Zeal of his deceased Father, his Excellency M. Artemon Sergieiewicz de Matueoff, firft Minifter and Boyarin, in the Reign of this Czarish Majefty's Father and Grand-father, of glorious Memory, who in exhorting Rebels to Obedience, crowned his faithful and important Services with his Blood fhed by the Mutineers: He cannot, but (in token of his Favour, and of his great GoodWill towards him,) demand, after his own Sarisfaction, the particular Satisfaction of his Minifter, namely the Reparation of his Honour, and that of his Family, by the Expedient of a Letter from her Majefty the Queen; and the Reimbursement of all the Cofts and Damages which he has been obliged to be at, and to fuffer, on Account of the faid Af sdfront.

"His Czarish Majefty will give Order to his faid 'Ambaffador, to demand his Letter of Re-credence, which he refus'd to accept when he left London, as well as the ufual Prefent, and the Yacht which her Majefty caus'd to be offered to him, and this because of the aforefaid Affront.

All that is above-specified, being executed, his Czarish Majefty will acquaint her Majefty the Queen, that he is content with the forefaid Satisfaction, by a Letter which fhall be delivered to the Ambaffador, Mr. Whitworth.

- Having taken a view of all the moft material Tranf actions Abroad, during the Year, 1709. Let us now attend the principal Domeftick Occurrences, in the fame fpace of Time. On the 13th of March, the following Order was made at the Court at St. James's, the Queen being prefent in Council:

U PON Reading this Day at the Board divers

Informations and Affidavits, taken at ipfich, in the County of Suffolk, giving an Account, Council for that while the Bailiffs of the Town of Ipswich aforeProfecuting faid, together with divers other Commiffioners for putting in Execution an A&t of this prefent Parliament, made for the Speedy and effectual Recruiting Her Majefy's Land-Forces and Marines, were actually affemRaifing of bled at Ipswich aforefaid, and were putting the faid A&t in Execution, Leicester Martin, Orlando Bridgeman,

feveral Perfons who discountenanc'd the

Recruits

March 13.

Deve-,