nd to acquaint them, that France had propos'd Utrecht, meghen, Aix la Chapelle, or Liege, to be the Place for pening the Conferences; to prefs the States to fix upon e of thefe Places, and immediately to grant Paffports the French Plenipotentiaries to come thither and open he General Conferences.

Thefe Propofitions, fo very general and uncertain, did xtreamly alarm the States, as not being a fufficient Founation upon which a Negotiation might be hazarded; which made them for fome Time decline granting the ffports; and in order to prevail with the Queen to have ome Regard to her faithful Allies, and particularly in the wo great Articles of their Barrier and Commerce, they ent over M. Buys, to intercede with her Majefty to alter er Refolutions; they make the fame Reprefentations to he Earl of Strafford, but all to no Purpose. For as Mr. t. John declar'd in his Letter to my Lord Strafford of ober the 9th, Certain it is, that her Majesty has fo far deermin'd on her Measures, that thofe will deceive themselves, pho may imagine by Delay or other Artifices to break them. And again, November the 2d, to the Lord Strafford, The Queen will not finally concert a Plan for the Profecution of the Var with the States, untill they join with her in agreeing to pen the Conferences of Peace. And the Lord Strafford acuaints Mr. St. John, November the 15th, That he had now old them, her Majesty's Order to him was to declare, That he bould look upon any Delay, as a Refusal to comply with her Proofitions. In thefe Circumftances the Dutch, at last, comly to grant the Paffports, and agree to open the general Conferences at the Time fix'd by the Queen, January the Ift, 1711-12.

The Refolution of the States-General upon this Occafon must have mov'd any Set of Men, not already deternin'd to hear no Reafon but what came from France; for Itho' the Reprefentations made by the States on both Sides he Water, had made fome Impreffions, as is Evident by a Memorial deliver'd by Mr. St. John to the Abbot Gualtier, ctober the 29th, 1711, and by Mr. St. John's Letter to Monfieur De Torcy of the fame Date, that accompany'd it ; fet 'tis in the Memorial declar'd, That the Queen remains rm in her first Refolution of causing the Conferences to be pen'd upon the Articles fign'd by Monfieur Mefnager. The me Memorial declares, It was abfolutely neceffary that the moft Chriftian King fhould give to her Majesty the Queen, fuch Explications of his Intentions in respect to the particular Inte refts of the Allies, which he shall think proper, to engage them

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to come more easily into the general Negotiation. So that hi therto 'tis plain, our Minifters were entirely ignorant even of the King of France's Intentions with Regard to the Allies. And again 'tis faid, If her Majesty wifes the moft Chriftian King would give an Explication to the aforefaid Demands, &c. his moft Chriftian Majefty may affure himself the Queen will make no other Ufe of the Truft the King fhall repofe in her, but to advance the Negotiation, in feeking the Shorteft Means, and the most effectual, to obtain a Peace fo much coveted. It is therein again acknowledg'd, that the Dutch have nothing in View but their Barrier and Commerce; and provided the Queen can, without Fear of being difavow'd, fpecify fomewhat near the Barrier that France will confent to yield to them, and to affure them of the Tarriff of 1664, there's no Room left to doubt that the States-General would come without any farther Hefitation into the Negotiation, in the fame Manner as it had been concerted. But left all thefe Arguments fhould have no Effect, Mr. St. John, in his Letter to Monfieur de Torcy, fays, Thefe Explications will diffipate all Clouds, and you may believe we will make use thereof with great Referve, when I affure you, that if the King would offer a Plan of Specifick Preliminaries, the Queen will never communicate it to her Allies; he concludes, If the Sieur Gualtier returns with these Marks of Confidence, you will see our Parliament as much inelinable to Peace as ever it was to War.

Here the Committee obferve the English Miniftry beg ging of France, after they had been feven Months treating with them, that they may have fome Intimations, at leaft, of what was defign'd for the Allies; expreffing their Fear of being difavow'd by France, after they had gone thefe Lengths with them; declaring, the Dutch would come into the Queen's Measures, if they could but know any Thing near the Barrier that was defign'd them, and have Security about the Commerce; perfifting ftill, with out any fuch Satisfaction, in the Measures prefcrib'd by France, refolv❜d to force the Allies into general Conferen ces, upon loofe and uncertain Articles, and promifing, if they could but have fo much Credit with France as to be trufted at all, they would use it with the greatest Referve and never communicate it to any of the Allies, for whole Satisfaction only, tis pretended, all this Submiffion was made. The Return made by France, is feen in a Paper call'd, Answer to the Memorial brought by Monfieur Gualtier November the 18th, 1711. This Memorial is accompa ny'd with a Letter from Monfieur de Torcy to Mr. St. Joh

of the fame Date, wherein he tells him, His Majefty wholly depends upon the Secrecy and good Ufe you will make of the entire Confidence he testifies to the Queen of Great Britain, and the King of France extols the Firmness of the Queen, and fees with great Pleasure the new Marks of Refolution fhe fhews. Hereupon the Committee obferve in general, that nothing had at this Time been demanded of France concerning the Difpofal of the Netherlands; and that the King of France, not fatisfy'd with having fecur'd Spain and the Weft-Indies to his Grandfon, proposes to ftrip the Emperor of all his Dominions.in Italy, and to impofe upon him much worse Terms than he afterwards procur'd for himself, when left to carry on the War alone. The Dutch may have the Tariff of 1664, with fome Exceptions, if they confent to this Scheme; if not, they are to be reduced to the Tariff of 1699. But, as extravagant as this Scheme was, it is receiv'd by the English Minifter, without any Surprize or Resentment; and Mr. St. John, in his Letter of the 25th of November, 1711, thanks Monfieur de Torcy for the Com munication of it; promifes to make a difcreet Use of it and that the utmost Efforts fhould be used to fix the Pretenfions of the Allies, he reprefents it as neceflary, that all those who wish for Peace, may mutually help one another, and endeavour to finish the Treaty fo foon as not to be expofed to another Campaign. The Committee adds, that it is no Wonder that this Plan was never communicated to the Allies, which must at once have broke off all the Conferences; and determin'd them rather to run all Hazards, than treat upon fo ruinous a Foundation; but 'tis a Wonder that the English Miniftry were not startled, when they faw fuch a Scene open'd. And this fhews with what Juftice the Miniftry complain'd, that the Allies would not enter into the Queen's Measures, when they never were inform'd what the Queen's Measures

were.

Pursuant to the Refolution of the States-General upon the preffing Inftances of the Queen, Paffports for the French Plenipotentiaries are fent to Monfieur Buys, and de|_ liver'd to Mr. St. John. Utrecht is agreed upon here to be Place for the general Conferences. The Bishop of Bristol, then Lord Privy-Seal, and the Earl of Strafford, are appointed her Majefty's Plenipotentiaries. December 23, 1711, her Majefty's Inftructions to her Plenipotentiaries are fettled and fign'd, upon which the Committee make one Obfervation, viz. That the Plenipotentiaries are order'd to infift, that the Security and reafonable Satisfaction

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which the Allies expect, and which his most Christian Majefty has promis'd, cannot be obtain'd, if Spain and the Weft Indies be allotted to any Branch of the Houfe of Bourbon; fo that hitherto the Queen thought fit to declare in all publick Acts, that Spain and the Weft-Indies ought by na means to be left in the Poffeffion of the Houfe of Bourbon altho' in the Special Preliminaries, fign'd by the Earl of Dartmouth and Mr. St. John, on Sept. 27. preceding, the King of France did exprefly promife to make good the 6th Article, for himself and for the King of Spain, pursuant to the Powers which were then in his Majesty's Hands..

On the 15th of January 1711-12, the British Minifters arrive at Utrecht; who, by their general Inftructions, being order'd to concert Measures with the Minifters of the Allies, and at the Beginning purfuing these Directions, Monfieur de Torcy, on the 31st of January, writes to Mr. St. John, and tells him, he perceives there was not fo perfect a Confidence establish'd between the Plenipotentiaries of France and Great Britain as was to be defir'd: He believes therefore he will think it proper to fend to the Bishop of Bristol and the Earl of Strafford more precise Inftructions, concerning the Manner in which they were to concert their Proceedings with the King's Plenipotentiaries. And in the Anfwer to the Memorial fent by Monfieur Gualtier, March the 28th, 1712, it is declar'd, The principal Order, that the King had given to his Plenipotentiaries, when they fet out for Utrecht, was to establish a ftrict Intimacy between them and the Minifters of the Queen of Great Britain.

On the 29th of January, at the first general Conference, Lord Strafford declar'd, that the Queen had receiv'd the generall Propofitions as a Foundation for a Negotiation of Peace; but that they were binding to France only, and not to the Allies; to which the French Minifters readily affented. But this was meant of the Propofitions fign'd by Monfieur Mefnager only, the Congrefs not having the least Notice or Cognizance of what was fign'd, both on the Part of France and England too; which had been hitherta conceal'd, and on all Occafions publickly disown'd.

On the 11th of February, 1711-12, the French deliver❜d afpecifick Explanation of the general Preliminaries, fign'd by Monfieur Mefnager: Upon which it is obferv'd, that the King of France here makes, as well as in the Spe cial Preliminares, his first Offers in the Name, and by Virtue of Powers from his Grandfon as King of Spain: How the British Plenipotentiaries could reconcile this to their Inftructions,

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Inftructions, and how their Behaviour upon it is to be juftify'd, is not very clear. This Explication was receiv'd by all the Allies with the greateft Indignation, and deepest Concern; which had fuch an Effect, that Lord Strafford, in his Letter of the 16th of February, 1711-12, fays, The French Minifters are mortify'd at the general Difcontent thefe Offers gave; and feem to wish they had put in Tournay for the Dutch, and St. Venant to be demolish'd, to have soften'd the Matter at its first coming out. Nor were the British Plenipotentiaries without their Uneafineffes: They had done all they could (Lord Strafford fays) to perfuade the French to be as ample in the Explication as they could, being that is what will have a great Effect, and strike the Minds of unthinking People, and make fome Work for Reflection for the Faction. The Plenipotentiaries complain they are under great Difficulties on all Hands, for both Monfieur Buys and Mefnager think they come short of what had been told them in England. But Mr. St. John foon fends them Words of Comfort, that Mr. Harley will fet out in a few Days, who is fully instructed in all the Queen's Views and Defires; that It were to be wish'd this Gentleman could have been fooner fent, but the Hurry which we have been for fome Time in, is inexpreffible; and he was too useful to be spar'd, 'till the House of Commons was perfect'y fecur'd to the Queen's Intereft, and to the Measures of Peace. I think I may say, they are abfolutely fo now. Hereupon the Committee take Notice of the Reflection caft here upon that Houfe of Commons; as if they were fecur'd to the Queen's Intereft, and the Meafures of Peace, by the Management of a Secretary to the Treafury, a near Relation and a trufty Agent of the Lord High Treasurer: They add, that 'tis plain for whose Use and Service Mr. Harley had been employ'd at Home, and was fent abroad, fince Mr. St. John gave Monfieur de Torcy an immediate Account of his fuccefsful Endeavours here, and the Bufinefs he was fent abroad to manage. Adding, The Queen hop'd his moft Chriftian Majefty would co-operate with her. Mr. Harley's Inftructions do not appear, but it feems the Subject of them was not proper to be committed to Writing; for which Reafon, as in almost all Matters relating to the Pretender, it was referr'd to Monfieur Gaultier to explain them; but what is meant by the necessary Difpofitions made among our People here at Home, is explain'd by Monfieur de Torcy, in a Memorial dated the 28th of March 1712, in Answer to what was brought by Monfeur Gaultier; wherein he commends the prudent Conduct of the Court of Great Britain, in managing the House of

Commons,