Page images
PDF
EPUB

though the Emperor had made a separate treaty with France, it ought not to be an example to your Majesty; that your wish to unite closely with his Most Christian Majesty, and the design of securing the peace of Europe, must be the strongest reasons to make you enter into these engagements; that I confessed that this treaty of 1668 might always serve to answer the reproaches that might be made; and I thanked the King for what he had said of myself in particular. He then ordered M. de Torcy to let me read the answer which he made to Count Tallard. He told me that his Majesty had likewise spoken to him of the removal of King James. I replied, that he saw that, conformably to the wish which he had expressed, I had not said any more on that subject, nor of many other things, but that I deemed it a direct contradiction and an impossibility that any thing should be done till those stumbling-blocks were removed; and information has been given me from St. Germains, that they had been deliberating there whether it would not be better to retire to Avignon. I do not know the reason or the result of this deliberation. His Majesty told me with a smile, that your Majesty had jested about the proposal of giving Milan to the duke of Savoy, and that you said, Sire, that you were astonished why he interested himself for the Duke, since, assuredly, on the first opportunity he would play one of his usual tricks; at which the King laughed heartily.

Count Tallard has expressed his satisfaction

at the treatment which he received at the last audience which he had of your Majesty. He writes that you had said to him, that if you entered into these measures you would become quite French, on which the King said, "In that case his interests must be mine. I hope that he will never have need of my assistance, but on every occasion you may assure him that he may depend upon it." it." He then told me that he wished me to write to your Majesty, that he had made an offer to the king of Spain of troops for the defence of Ceuta and Oran, of ships for conveying them, and of every thing necessary for the defence of those places; that I should beg you not to feel any jealousy on this ground; that it was only to prevent those places, so important at this juncture, from falling into the hands of the Moors.

He likewise informed me of the change which he had proposed in the alternatives, of which I shall not speak, because Count Tallard will have already communicated it to your Majesty; I only say that I saw that his Majesty refused to give us for our neighbour the Emperor, whom he

"The French ambassador has not only offered verbally, but presented a letter from his master, written with his own hand to the king of Spain, to offer him what ships, galleys, and landmen he shall think necessary to relieve Ceuta, and beat away the Moors. The proposal has been lately debated in the Council, but I do not hear any thing is yet resolved, though the place be daily more and more pressed, and they take here little care to assist or reinforce the garrison."very The Hon. Alex. Stanhope to Mr. Yard. Madrid, May 21. 1698.

[ocr errors]

had himself made us apprehend as so formidable. They have not given me a copy of this new proposal, although they had promised to do so, probably that my courier may not bring it first.

I am fully persuaded, Sire, that if your Majesty remains firm on all the matters in question you will be satisfied in most, if not in all of them. I believe that they are really desirous of forming an union with you.

I have just had the honour to receive the letter which your Majesty wrote me from Windsor on the 2d-12th of this month, with the two enclosures of the Pensionary*; in accordance with which I shall proceed after I have had leisure to read them over again, for they are very long. I again entreat you not to give way too soon, but to show them firmness together with the good reception which you give to Count Tallard, of which he speaks in such high terms.

I forgot to tell your Majesty that the king of France has several times said to me, "If we, the king of England and myself, perfectly understand each other, the rest of Europe will follow our sentiments." On Monday next I shall have my audience of leave, after which I shall make as much haste as possible. The King would not have me go to Marly before the 5th of June, when all the fountains will be finished; but since your Majesty has declared that the affair shall pass through my hand, I hope that you will yourself hasten my

* They were not found in the Portland Papers.

departure, if you wish it to be terminated in earnest. After my audience of leave I must have twenty audiences of the princes and princesses; then I must go to visit and receive the visits of the ministers; and then taking leave of the most important personages, which I cannot possibly avoid doing, will take me a week, so that, if I occupy ever so little time in seeing the gardens and seats in the environs, more time will be spent than I could wish. I have been to Fontainebleau: it is by nature a fine place, and would please your Majesty; it. is admirably situated for the chase. The rocks are very difficult of ascent; but so many routes have been made through them, that you may follow the hounds every where. On my return I saw Vaux, whose garden and park are very beautiful.

It appears to me that the Parliament makes very little progress in business: I do not know how they can flatter themselves with enjoying such great security, while they do not continue here the projected reduction, and keep so great a number of troops in actual service.

COUNT TALLARD TO LOUIS XIV.

London, May 19. 1698.

I send to the Marquis de Torcy a journal of what has passed in Parliament; I shall therefore say no more about it than to observe that the civil list is not mentioned, and that there are speculators who believe that the opposition which the

King meets with at present to his will in the lower House, does not come from the country members but from the party of Mr. Montague, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has always been at the head of the Court party, and who is said to desire to force his master to grant at present certain favours to his cabal, because he apprehends that, on the dissolution of this Parliament, according to the triennial bill, he will lose his influence in future if he does not obtain it among the members who will compose the new Parliament, and the King will not consent to what he desires.

The visit to Holland still seems to be certain. The English are much annoyed at it, but it will certainly take place.

WILLIAM III. TO THE PENSIONARY HEINSIUS.

Kensington, May 10-20. 1698. I have not hitherto any further answer from Count Tallard, nor any letter from the Earl of Portland, at which I wonder much. I begin to suspect that the French are for dragging on this important negotiation. So long as it is not terminated in one way or another, it will not, in my opinion, be advisable that the elector of Bavaria should send anybody to Vienna, though the Imperialists would be glad of it at present, as Count Aversberg has told me, and requested I would co-operate towards it. He told me, at the same time, there

« PreviousContinue »