the Report in his Place, and afterwards Vol. IX. deliver'd the fame in at the Table, together with the Appendix, and the Books which were referr'd to the faid Committee. The Reading of the faid Report having lafted about Five Hours, viz from One till about Six in the Afternoon, a Motion was made by the Friends of the Late Miniftry and the Question put, That the further Confideration of the Report be adjourn'd till the next Morning, but the fame being carried in the Negative, by a Majority of 282 Votes, to 171; it was order'd that the Report be now read: And the Clerk of the Houfe having read Part of it, till half an Hour past Eight, the further Confideration of it was adjourn'd till the next Morning; as was the Call of the Houfe to Monday Seven-night, the 20th of June.

Before we proceed, it is necessary to give our Readers First a general Idea of this important Report, and Secondly as exact and comprehenfive an Abstract of it as the Matter will bear.

In the first Place, we must observe, That the feveral Books and Papers referr'd to the Committee chiefly relating to the late Negoti ations of Peace and Commerce; 2. To the General Idea Intended Demolition of Dunkirk; 3 To the of the faid Obtaining and Difpofing of the Affiento Con- Report. tract; 4 To fome Negotiations concerning the Catalans; And 5. To fecret Tranfactions relating to the Pretender: The Committee have in this Report only gone through the Books and Papers that relate to the ift, 4th, and 5th Heads; and have referv'd

Vol. IX.

referv'd for another Report, the Affairs of Dunkirk and the Affiento.

The First Part of this Report, may be fubdivided into Ten Points, viz. First, The Clandeftine Negotiations, with Monfieur Mefnager, which produced Two Sets of Preliminary Articles; the one private and Special for Great Britain only; the other General for all the Allies. 2dly, The extraordinary Measures purfued to form the Congress at Utrecht; 3dly, The Trifling, and Amusements of the French Plenipotentiaries at Virecht, by the Connivance of the British Minifters. 4thly, The Negotia tion about the Renunciation of the Spanish Monarchy. 5thy, The fatal Sufpenfion of Arms. 6thly, The Seizure of Ghent and Bruges, in order to diftrefs the Allies, and favour the French. 7thly, The Duke of Ormond's Acting in Concert with the French General. 8thly, The Ld. Bolingbroke's Journey to France to negotiate a Separate Peace. 9thly, Mr. Prior's and the Duke of Shrewsbury's Negotiations in France. And 10thly, The Precipitate Conclufion of the Peace at Utrecht.

.

After this, the Committee offer to the House what they have found material in the Papers referr'd to them, concerning the Catalans, and the Pretender; infert at large, a Letter from the Earl of Oxford to the Queen, dated June the 9th 1714; together with an Account of publick Affairs from August the 8th 1710, to June the 8th 1714; and conclude with taking Notice of feveral glaring Inconfiftencies, that are obvious to every Body, by Com

paring

paring the late Queen's Declarations, with Vol. IX. the Measures her Minifters prefumed tol take in carrying on these important Negotiations. This Report is digefted into a clear, eafie Method; written in a plain, but nervous and manly Stile; and with the Dignity becoming a Select Number of Men, pick'd out in fo great an Affembly, as the Commons of Great Britain; and interwoven 1 with moft judicious Remarks and Obfer vations, that both trace every Step to its true Caufe, and illuftrate the Whole, which must be allowed to be a Master-Piece in its kind.

# This laft Confideration went near to deterr me from giving my Readers an Abstract of it: Since the Abridging of any Thing that's excellent in all its Parts, a looks, at firft Blush, like the Maiming of the admirable Works of ancient Statuaries: - But, upon Second Thoughts, I confider'd that many circumftantial Particulars, 3 which are effential in Parliamentary Proceedings, may yet be thought fuperfluous in Ian Historical Account; and, on the other Hand, as this Journal were imperfect

without an Abstract of fo important a Abstract of the Report, I, without any Scruple, ventured faid Report. upon it.

To begin then: THE COMMITTEE was in hopes, in fo Voluminous an Inquiry, to have been able to Trace out the whole Progrefs of thefe Negotiations; but to their Surprize they find a want of feveral Papers referr'd to in thofe that have been deliver'd to them, and frequent and long Interruptions of fome very material Correfpondences that were carry'd on: But, however, the Committee proceeded to draw up the following Report, warranted and founded upon fach Authorities, as the Perfons concern'd vouchfafed not to fupprefs. Q99 2

The

Vol. IX. The first material Paper is Entituled, The firft Propofitions of France, fign'd by Monfieur de Torcy, Aprill 22, 1711. N. S. To whom thefe Propofitions were directed, what previous Steps had been made on the part of France, or what Encouragement had been given on the part of England, does not appear; but it is evident that they are conceiv'd in very loofe and general Terms; that from the beginning the Defign of France was to fecure Spain and the West-Indies to King Phillip, to create Jealoufies among the Allies; and that France offer'd to Treat with England and Holland either by themfelves, or jointly with the reft of the Allies, which was left to the Choice of England.

On the 27th of April, 1711. O. S. Mr Secretary St. John, tranfmits these Propofitions to Lord Raby, the Queen's Ambaffador at the Hague, with Orders to Communicate them to the Penfionary, To affure that Minifter the Queen was refolu'd in making Peace, as in making War, to act in perfect Con cert with the States, and defires the Secret may be kept among as few as poffible; he confeffes that the Terms of the feveral Propofitions are very general, that there is an Air of Complaisance fhown to England, and the contrary to Holland, which might be of ill Confequence, but can be of none, as long as the Queen and States take care to understand each other, and to act with as Little Referve as becomes two Powers fo nearly ally'd in Intereft; and defires the Penfionary to be affur'd, that this Rule fhall on our Part be inviolably obferv'd.

Lord Raby by his Letters of May the 25th and 26th, 1711. N. S. to Mr. St. John, in answer to thefe Orders and Afsurances, acquaints him, That the Penfionary had, with those of that State who had been formerly employ'd in the Negotiations of Peace, confider'd Monfieur de Torcy's Propofitions, and the obliging manner in which her Majefty was pleas'd to Communicate them, that they thank'd her Majesty for her Confidence in them, and affure her, that theirs is reciprocal, and that as her Majefty had promis'd, she will make no step towards a Peace but in concert with them, they defire she may be affur'd of the same on their Part, and they urge the neceffity of an entire Confidence one with the other at this critical Juncture; they declare themfelves weary of the War, which they endeavour to conceal from the Enemy, left he should make his Advantage by it; and that they are ready to join in any Measures, which her Majefty fhall

481 think proper, to obtain a good Peace. But they look upon these Propofitions as yet, in the fame manner as the Secretary does, to be very dark and general, and defign'd to create Fealousies between her Majesty, that Republick, and the Allies, but they depend upon her Majefty's Justice and Prudence, to prevent any Such ill Effect, and hope fhe will make the French explain, more particularly, the feveral Points contain’d in them.

After these mutual Affurances betwixt England and Hol Land, the Committee is furpriz'd to find not the leaft Communication to the States of the Negotiations that were carry. ing on for above five Months together, betwixt England and France, till after the Special Preliminaries were fign'd, and the feven general Preliminaries were concluded and fent to them.

In the mean time Lord Raby, not being as yet let into the Secret, freely declares, He thought it adviseable and neceffary, to go open with the States in this matter of the Propofitions, acquaints the Secretary, that all the Letters from France agreed, that all the hopes the French had, was to sow Jealoufies among the Allies: And repeats his Advice, That we must act cautionfly with them (the States) that they may have no reason to accafe us, for taking the leaft Measures without them.

But it was not long before Mr. Secretary St. John prepared his Excellency to have other Sentiments of the manner of carrying on this Negotiation, and in his Letter of the 29th of May, acquaints him with the agreeable News, That it was her Majefty's Pleasure, that his Excellency fhould make all poffible hafte to come over, fince her Service may better dispense with his Abfence at this Point of time, than it will perhaps do at another, and fince we must now expect to have very soon upon the Tapis, many Intrigues, concerning which the Queen thinks it expedient that he fhould confer with the Minifters here; acquaints him, that her Majefty defign'd, upon his arrival, to give him the Promotion in the Peerage, which he had defired. And. then, that his Excellency might begin to have fome Notions agreeable to the Senfe of our Minifters, Mr. St. John, in anfwer to fome very long Letters of his Lordfhip's, full of his own Reafonings, and the repeated Affurances of the Minifters of the States to act in perfect Concert, and with an entire Confidence in her Majesty, tells him in thefe Words, That Britain had gone so much too far in weaving her Intereft

into