thereunto annex'd, containing her Commiffion to himself, and others therein nam'd, to meet and treat with the Sieur Mefnager; but it does not appear, that any fuch Inftrument did pafs the Great Seal, the Warrant remains not counterfign'd, and endors'd Not used. That this War rant is dated the 17th of September; although 'tis mani feft by Mr. St. John's Letter, it was not prepar'd, nor thought of, till the 20th: Which antedating feems de fign'd to justify the Minifters in their meeting and con ferring with the Queen's Enemies, previous to the War rant; which never paffing into a legal Authority, it ap pears that thefe fecret Negociations betwixt France and the Queen's Minifters here, were begun and carry'd on from the 11th of April, to the 25th of September, 1711, when the Warrant to Lord Dartmouth, and Mr. St. John was fign'd, without any Powers or written Authority from the Queen; and it is very obfervable, that the Queen was brought into thefe Meafures, by its being reprefented to her by the Secretary of State, as the unanimous Opinion of all her Minifters, to which alone the Affent of the Queen is to be afcrib'd: But what is more ftrange, is, that after Mr. St. John had reprefented it to the Queen as the unanimous Opinion of her Minifters, that full Powers muft immediately pafs the Great Seal to authorize them to meet and treat with the faid Monfieur Mefnager, thefe Powers fhould be laid afide; and the Acceptation of the Preliminaries fign'd by Lord Dartmouth and Mr. St. John, by Virtue of a Warrant directed to them two only, fign'd by the Queen at Top and Bottom, and counterfign'd by no Body.

Where the Obstruction arofe to the pafling thefe Powers, does not appear to the Committee; but thofe Ministers feem confcious to themselves of what was doing, who fo readily concurr'd in privately meeting, conferring, and treating with the Minifters of France, till this feparate Negociation was brought to Maturity; but avoided to become Parties when the Treaty was to be fign'd and executed. That this great Care and Caution for their own Perfons, and little Regard for the Honour and Intereft of their Queen and Country, appears through this whole feparate Negociation: It being very remarkable, that there is not one Paper of Powers or Inftructions through Out the whole Affair counterfign'd by any one Minister but the Queen's Name expos'd to cover all; which loo as if they flatter'd themfelves, that this Omiffion

their Duty would be fufficient to fkreen them from the Juftice of the Nation, if thefe Matters fhould ever come to be enquir'd into.

The Committee obferves, That after fuch a Sacrifice made of the general Interest of Europe, fuch a direct Violation of the Grand Alliance, and fuch unwarrantable and illegal Steps taken in tranfacting and concluding these fpecial Preliminaries between England and France, it had been but reafonable to expect in them fome very particular Advantages and Conceffions made to Great Britain, to attone for fuch unprecedented Tranfactions; but it is aftonishing to find how infignificant all the Demands are, that were made on the Part of Great Britain ; and, inconfiderable as they were, how ineffectual they have fince been rendred. That nothing poffibly could be faid lefs with Regard to the Succeffion, than what is here demanded in the first Article. The Queen not yet acknowledg'd by France, nor defign'd to be fo, 'till the Conclufion of the Peace, as France afterwards explain'd this Article at the General Congrefs; not a Word of removing the Pretender, nor any Engagement not to fupport him in any Attempt he might make upon the Nation. That the Second Article offers a Treaty of Commerce, in fuch doubtful Words, as France only could take Advantage of. That in the Article of Dunkirk, the Equivalent is exprefs'd in fo ftrong a Manner, and the Demolition fo very loofely; as could hot but bring certain and great Prejudice to our Allies, with very little Profpect of Advantage to our felves; and fatal Experience has convinc'd us, what Security is procur'd for our Navigation by the Third Article. That the Fifth and Seventh Articles chiefly regard the Affiento Contract; what a National Advantage that is like to be, is now too well underflood to want much Explanation: But with what Views the Minifters were fo fond of this, as to make it their chief Care and Concern, will no longer be a Doubt when it fhall appear, that this Part of the Treaty was calculated only for private Advantage. That what the Miniftry themfelves thought moft valuable in these Articles, was that Part of the Seventh which grants us an Advantage of 15 per Cent. upon our Manufactures fent to Spain: But this great Advantage foon vanish'd into nothing; and was given up by our Miniftry here. The Bihop of Bristol fays indeed of it, in his Letter of the 17th of August 1712, That it was granted by the French with a Defign either to enflame Things between is and the Dutch, or to give the French & Pretence to ftipulare for themselves fuch

particular Advantages in the Spanish Trade as may be the Ruin of ours. But what is most remarkable in the Seventh Article is the Introduction to it, in which the Miniftry confefs themselves to have been impos'd upon by France; for they declare, That from the first Proposals of Monfieur de Torcy to that Time, they always underftood that by the real Securities promis'd in thofe Propofals, were meant Places; which now was abfolutely refus'd; and they confent to take for real Securities what they con fefs is none, but what a Love of Peace may induce them " to accept as an Equivalent.' That what was really of moft Importance to England was the Eighth Article,which relates to Hudson's Bay and Newfoundland; but the Ministry fuffer'd themselves to be fo grofly impos'd upon in this Article, that they directly give to France all they wanted, which was a Liberty of taking and drying their Fish; whilft France gives nothing at all to us, but refers our most valuable Interests to the general Conferences: Which was but another Manner of denying them, as the Event has fufficiently shewn. That we demand in the Sixth Articles that we shall have all the Privileges that have been or shall be granted by Spain to the Subjects of France, or any other Nation. Whereas the Ministers ought to have insisted that France fhould not upon any Pretence whatsoever be per mitted to trade to the Spanish Weft-Indies, which they would not have omitted, if they had had the leaft Regard to the Trade of Great Britain, or had not entirely forgot the Eighth Article of the Grand Alliance; wherein it is exprefly ftipulated, as a Condition without which no Peace fhall be made, neque ipfis ibidem (that is the French in the Spanish Weft Indies) Navigatio Mercatura exercenda caufa fub quocunque prætextu, directè vel indirectè, permittatur. One Thing further is to be obferv'd of these Articles, that fuch of them as any way relate to Spain, are exprefly granted in the Name and by Virtue of Powers given by King Philip; and yet after this, all Intentions of leaving any Part of the Spanish Monarchy to King Philip is publickly difavow'd; That this fhort View of thefe Special Preliminaries fufficiently demonftrates that the Intereft of Britain was not the Inducement to our Minifters to proceed in this extraordinary Manner. Yet trivial as these Advantages are, France is prefs'd that they may be firft adjufted; to what Ufe and Purpofe is fully explain'd in the Draught of Anfwers upon the Conferences with Monfieur Mefnager, That our Minifters may be enabled to engage the Queen to make the Conclufion of the general Peace eafie to France.

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It is declared, That to fettle the Interest of Great Briin in the first Place is the Principle from which the ueen can never depart; which Plea was made ufe of, to efer the Interefts of all the Allies to be difcufs'd at geneal Conferences; but the Turn given to it here was to mufe the People, by perfwading them that the English finiftry was contending for great and particular Adantages and Conceffionis to be made to Great Britain, that might make us fome Amends for that great and unequal urthen which we had lain under through the whole Course of the War. But the English Miniftry having thought fic very where to extol and magnifie the vast Advantages hat were granted to Great Britain, France refolved to make proper Use of it, and declar'd thefe Articles were ventual or conditional Treaty only; and that the King of France would not be oblig'd to make them good, but in` Cafe of the Signing of a general Peace; in this Senfe Monfieur Mefnager fign'd them, and with this Condition hey were accepted on our Part. Hard Terms! That fuch Conceffions as thefe were not to be purchas'd at a less Price han forcing upon our Allies fuch Conditions of Peace as rance fhould be pleas'd to impofe upon them; and this the Miniftry were fully appriz'd of fome time before they vere accepted, for in preffing to fettle and adjuft fingly nd feparately the Interefts of Great Britain, they enforce tby faying, France can run no Risk in fuch Engagements, ince the Special Preliminaries will have no Effect till a general Peace fhall be fign'd. By thefe Means the Committee oberve to how fatal a Dilemma the Queen was brought by her Ministry; the muft either now go on, through all Adventures, in the Measures of France, or they had it in their Power, by divulging the Secret and expofing such a notorious Breach of National Faith, to make what Advan tage they thought fit of it among the Allies, who must from this Time. think themselves difengaged from the Queen, if they could find their own Account by looking after them felves.

And that the French were neither fo ignorant, nor wanting to themselves as to mifs fuch an Opportunity, appears bove Three Months before their Articles were fign'd. When Lord Raby in his Letter of the 20th of June, 1711, N. S. to Mr. St. John, acquaints him, That both the Penfionary and Monfieur Vander Duffen had feen à Letter from Monfieur de Torcy, giving an Account that they had begun à Negotiation in England. By which Management the Eng Miniftry had, under Colour of the Queen's Authority,

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and the Pretence of Treating of a Peace, put it in the Power of France to diveft the Queen of all her Allies, and given them greater Advantages than they could any other Ways have hoped for.

On the fame Day that the Special Preliminaries betwixt Great Britain and France were fign'd, another Set of Gene ral Preliminaries on the Part of France, was fign'd by Monfieur Mefnager only; which Mr. St. John, in his Let ter to the Queen, fays, were to be fent into Holland, a the Foundation of a General Peace, in which my Lor Treasurer had made fome Alterations to make the whol more palatable abroad: And, on the fame Day, a feparat Article was fign'd in Favour of the Duke of Savoy. From this Time a perfect Confidence was established between the two Miniftries of England and France; Lord Strafford Inftructions in order to his immediate Return into Hollan were now preparing, and dated Oct. 1. 0. S. 1711. An as an early Proof of the Confidence which Mr. St. Jo repos'd in the French Minifter, he acquaints Monfieur Toney by his Letter of October 2. 0. S. that the Earl o Strafford was going for Holland; and fays, Your Minifte (meaning Monfieur Mefnager, who was then going back t France and carried this Letter,) is fully inform'd in what the Earl of Strafford is to propofe to the States. Such Intelligenc of the Queen's Counfels, which Mr. St. John confeffes h had given to the Minifters of the Queen's Enemies, feem very extraordinary; efpecially if it be confider'd, tha Lord Strafford was fent over to prefs the opening the G neral Conferences, with Affurances of the greatest Friend Thip and Concern for the Interefts of the States, on th Part of the Queen, and by her Authority to procure from France juft Satisfaction for all her Allies; and in his In ftructions is likewise directed to propofe to the States a new Scheme for carrying on the War. Almost every Artic in Lord Strafford's Inftructions is a Specimen of the Sing rity with which our Minifters intended to treat the Allie He is inftructed that it must be the most careful Endeavou and fix'd Principle of all the Confederates to hold faft t gether; and this immediately after a feparate Treaty been fign'd by Us; and if the Minifters of Holland thou exprefs any Uneafinefs at their Apprehenfions of fuc private Agreement, he is order'd by evasive Answers avoid giving them Satisfaction concerning it. But b chief Bufinefs was to deliver to the States the Propofitio fign'd by Monfieur Mefnager, as the Foundation of a gen ral Peace, and as the whole of what had been transacted

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