will be very great.* Your Majesty says, that I am very fortunate in being absent, and not seeing what I cannot remedy; but is it not the same here, where so many annoyances besides are thrown in my way respecting the ceremonies, and every kind of business?

I confess, that if all I see of the King is not sincere, it is a comedy admirably performed; and this I have reason to fear from what I see of the ministers, for they will not even refuse, with a good grace, what they do not intend to grant ; nor attempt to cover with plausible reason things for which, in fact, there is none. This seems to me to be contrary to their own interest, which unquestionably is to amuse us with fair words, as they did Holland, whose eyes they have at length opened by the commercial affair.

If I am not mistaken, the ministers of this Court do not clearly understand the temper of the people of our countries; for, whatever may be their design, they ought to endeavour to make different impressions upon us, either to lure us, if they mean to deceive us, or to gain our confidence, if their intentions are sincere.

I should not have failed, Sire, to do every

"Our staying here much longer will cost dear; the expenses of this embassy run so very high, that it is hardly to be imagined what money it comes to. We live with great magnificence; and all the French must confess, they never saw such splendour in equipage, table and liveries. They do all the honour to his Excellency that can be desired.”— M. van Leven, secretary to the Earl of Portland, to Mr. Carstares, secretary to King William.-Paris, April 28.

thing I could for the Prince de Vaudémont, well knowing your sentiments respecting him, even if you had not written to me on the subject.

MEMORANDUM ON THE AFFAIRS OF ENGLAND.*

February 13. 1698.

Since the first memorandum on the affairs of England things have happened which may give reason to believe that they will have further consequences, and that, if during the war, the usurper. has scarcely found any difficulties either to obtain the immense subsidies which he has drawn from the nation, or to violate, in so many ways, the laws and the liberty of which it was formerly so jealous, it may soon resume its ancient spirit, and become more difficult to govern during peace than it was during the war.

This memorandum, the original of which is in the handwriting of the Abbé Renaudot, was probably written on the information of the friends of the Stuarts in England, which accounts for the many errors it contains. It was no doubt designed for the instruction of Count Tallard.-The Abbé Renaudot, son of Renaudot, founder of the Gazette de France, born at Paris, 20th of July, 1646, was famed for his oriental scholarship: he died at Paris, 1st September, 1720. He had been early admitted to the intimate friendship of Bossuet, the family of Colbert, Ponchartrain, the Chancellor Boucherat; and as he turned out to be the only Frenchman in whom the ministry had full confidence, who was acquainted with English, he served as an interpreter and go-between to the English, Scotch, and Irish refugees, who had followed the fortune of James II.

We have already seen that a part of what was expected happened with respect to Lord Sunderland. He has scarcely taken any part in public affairs since the Revolution; he has, since then, had no share in the confidence of the new king, except through Lord Portland, with whom he was on terms of great intimacy shortly before the retaking of Namur. It has been seen, by a letter intercepted at that time, that the chief aim of this connexion was to ruin the Duke of Leeds*, insisting that he

* Sir Thomas Osborne was made treasurer of the navy in the year 1671, and the next year, one of the privy council. On June 19. 1673, he was constituted lord high-treasurer of England, and created a few months after Baron of Kiveton and Viscount Latimer. The year following, he was advanced to the dignity and title of Earl of Danby. Burnet speaks of him as "a gentleman of Yorkshire, whose estate was much sunk.” He was, adds Burnet, "a very plausible speaker, but too copious. He had been always among the high cavaliers; and missing preferment, he had opposed the court much, and was one of Lord Clarendon's bitterest enemies. He was an implacable enemy: but he had a peculiar way to make his friends depend on him. He was a positive and undertaking man. He got into the highest degree of confidence with King Charles, and maintained it the longest of all that ever served him." In 1675 he was attacked by the House of Commons, but in vain; and two years after, seeing his ruin was inevitable, unless he could bring the King off from the French interest, he brought about the marriage between the Princess Mary and the Prince of Orange. In the next year, he was accused of treating with France for a pension to King Charles, and was soon after impeached of high treason; but in 1679, a new parliament was summoned, and Lord Danby resolved to leave the treasury; and when the new house fell upon him, he took out a pardon

should be deprived of the office of president of the council, which he could not obtain. He was also of opinion that the Parliament should be dissolved, in order that another might be chosen; but this advice had not the success that was hoped for; nay, just the contrary; so that in the confusion caused by the conspiracy which spread terror among the best intentioned persons, he lost all his credit. He was, however, beginning in some measure to recover it, and had obtained the office of chamberlain, when his enemies began again to act against him. There were not many points to object to him, because he had not been in the ministry since the Revolution: matters of a more ancient date were sought out, and we may infer, from what has happened to him, what those persons have to fear who have taken a leading part in public affairs, since all that can be brought forward against Lord Sunderland, from the time of the preceding reigns, is nothing

from the great seal: notwithstanding which the Commons prosecuted him, and a bill of attainder was brought in ; but before it had passed, he delivered himself up, and was sent to the Tower, where he remained five years. Lord Danby took an active part in bringing about the Revolution, which atoned in some measure for his proceedings under Charles II.; and King William, who had not forgotten the active part he had taken in his own marriage with the Queen, created him Marquis of Carmarthen, and made him president of the council. He is said to have aimed at the treasurer's staff, but being disappointed in this, he became soon very much dissatisfied with the King and the state of affairs. On May 1694, he was created Duke of Leeds, "to colour the dismissing him from business," says Burnet, "with the increase of title."

in comparison of what may be produced against some who have since held, or are now in, office.*

Robert Spencer, second Earl of Sunderland, was born in 1641. He succeeded when a child to the title and estates of his father, who was killed at the battle of Newbury. His first public appointment was that of ambassador extraordinary to the court of Spain in 1671. He was next sent ambassador to Paris, and afterwards as one of the plenipotentiaries at Cologne. He returned to England in 1674 when he was made a privy councillor. Five years afterwards he went a second time to Paris as envoy, and, upon his return home, was appointed one of the secretaries of state. The remarkable, and not very honourable part he acted during the reign of King James is well known. On the eve of the Revolution he was a traitor to his master, having, through the medium of his uncle Henry Sidney, afterwards Lord Romney, secured the favour of the Prince of Orange; but not daring to remain in England, he fled to Holland. Though he was expressly excepted from the bill of indemnity, he returned in 1691, and found very soon the means to ingratiate himself in the favour of King William, who gave him a pension of 20007. a year. "I have always been persuaded," remarks Lord Hardwicke, "from the signal confidence which King William reposed in Lord Sunderland, through the whole course of his reign, that he had received some particular services from him at the time of the Revolution, which no one else could have performed; and perhaps this reserved and cautious prince liked him the better for being only his man; both parties (and no wonder) were much embittered against him." "The person," says Burnet, "that had the King's confidence to the highest degree was the Earl of Sunderland, who, by his long experience and his knowledge of men and things, had gained an ascendant over him, and had more credit with him than any Englishman ever had." On April 19th, 1697, he was appointed lord chamberlain; the King having given 10,000l. to the Earl of Dorset to quit this place; and three days after he was sworn of the privy council, and declared one of the lords justices of England for the administration of the government during the King's absence. This mark of