1712. June, the Earl of Wharton propofed that the Letter from the Anno 11Annæ, States-General to her Majefty, inferted in the Amfterdam French Gazette, might be read: But this was oppofed; it being fuggefted, that the House ought not to take notice of His Motion for a Writing that carried no Authority with it. After this, the reading the LetLords took her Majefty's Speech into Confideration, which occafioned a warm Debate. Among the reft, the Duke of Marlborough reprefented, That the Measures entered into, Duke of Marland purfued in England for this Year paft, were contrary to borough. her Majefty's Engagements with the Allies; did fully the Triumphs and Glories of her Reign, and would render the Whereupon the ter of the States to the Queen. Earl of Strafford faid, That some of the Allies would not Earl ofStrafford. fhew fuch Backwardness to a Peace as they had hitherto done, but for fome Members of that illuftrious Affembly, who maintained a fecret Correfpondence with them, and endeavoured to perfuade them to carry on the War, feeding them with Hopes that they should be fupported by a strong Party here.' The Lord Cowper anfwered this Speech; and be. Lord Cowper. cause the Earl of Strafford had not expreffed himself in all the Purity of the English Tongue, he took from thence Occafion to fay, That this noble Lord had been so long Abroad, that he had almoft forgot, not only the Language, but the Conftitution of his own Country. That, according to our Laws, it could never be fuggested as a Crime in the meanest Subject, much less in any Member of that auguft Affembly, to hold Correfpondence with our Allies: Such Allies efpecially, whose Interest her Majefty had declared to be infeparable from her own, in her Speech at the opening of this Seffion: Whereas it would be a hard matter to justify, and reconcile, either to our own Laws, or the Laws of Honour and Juftice, the Conduct of fome Perfons, in treating clandestinely with the common Enemy without the Participation of the Allies. The Lords took afterwards into Confideration the AdvanAdvantages oftages offered by France to Great Britain, particularly in fet- fer'd by France tling the Trade to Spain and to the Weft Indies, as it was in to Great Britain the Time of the late King of Spain, Charles II. On which taken into ConOccafion the Earl of Godolphin faid, He did not pretend to Earl of Godelany great Knowledge in Trade; but that, during the Time phim he had the Honour to be in the Administration of Affairs, he had obferved, and he might eafily make it out by the Books of the Cuftom-Houfe, that the fingle Trade of Portugal brought to England in Times of War, double the Wealth of the Trade to Spain in Times of Peaoe: So that, whatever might be fuggefted to caft a Mift before the Eyes of the People, it was to be prefumed, that the Trade to Spain would fideration. ftill 1712. Motion for an Anno 11 Annæ, ftill yield lefs for the future, because the French had made themselves abfolute Mafters of it.' After many other Speeches, a Motion was made, that an humble Addrefs be prefented to her Majelly, to return her Majefty, the Thanks of this Houfe, for her most gracious Speech, and for her extraordinary Condefcenfion in communicating to her Parliament the Terms upon which a general Peace might be made, and to exprefs the entire Satisfaction of this House, in her Majesty's great Care for fecuring the Proteftant Succeffion in the House of Hanover; and for her Majefty's fteadily purfuing the true Intereft of her own Kingdoms; and for endeavouring to procure to her Allies what is due to them by Treaties; and to affure her Majefly, that this Houfe did entirely rely on her Majelly's Wisdom to finish this great and good Work. Some Exceptions were made at the Words entirely rely; and the Houfe was moved, that, at the Clofe of the foregoing Motion for an Addrefs, thefe Words might be added, viz. And in order to that, to pray her Majefty to take fuch Measures in concert with her Allies, as might induce them to join with her Majefty in a mutual Guaranty: But after a Debate, in which the Earl of Nottingham and the Lord Cowper made very remarkable Speeches, the Queftion being put, Whether thefe Words fhould be added, it was refolved in the Negative, by 81 Voices against 36. The Reasons of this great Majority were then faid to be, 1ft, because the Proxies, of which the Anti-Court Lords had more than the other Side, were not called for; and 2dly, because several Peers did not think fit, on that Occafion, to vote against the Court. However that be, on Tuesday the 10th of June, the Lords prefented their Addrefs to the Queen, which, befidesthe ordinary Head, contained nothing but the Motion before-mentioned; and to which her Majefly was pleased to return this Answer. Moft heartily thank you for this Addrefs: The Satisfaction you exprefs in what I have laid before you, "will contribute very much to remove the Difficulties which "have arifen in the Courfe of this Negotiation. And the "Confidence you place in me will enable me better to finish "this great Work, for the Advantage of my own People, "and the Safety and Interest of my Allies." Earl of Notting ham. Lord Cowper. The Queen's Answer to the Several Lords proteft against rejecting the Guarantee Claufe. I It is obfervable that feveral Lords entered a Protest against the rejecting of the Guaranty Clause. offered to be added at the Clofe of the Motion for an Addrefs, and figned their Reafons for it, which were foon after published in Print as follows: We 1712. We think it neceffary to have the Security proposed of a Anno 11 Anna, general Guaranty, and the rather, because we conceive the Terms of Peace that are offered, have proceeded from a feparate Negotiation, carried on by the Ministers with France, without any Communication thereof to the principal Allies, particularly the States General, as they fay in the Letter to her Majefty, (whofe Intereft her Majefty was pleafed to declare to this Parliament, fhe looked upon as infeparable from her own) and we conceive this Negotiation to be contrary to thofe Orders which her Majesty declared to this House, in anfwer to their Address, that she had given to her Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht, to concert with those of her Allies; and the Refolution expreffed in her Meffage, January the 17th, of a ftrict Union, in which the propofed to join with them, in order to obtain a good Peace, and to guaranty and fupport the fame, as fhe had before declared in her Speech at the opening of this Seffion; that fhe would unite with them in the ftricteft Engagements for continuing the Alliance, in order to render the general Peace fecure and lafting; and contrary to the 8th Article of the Grand Alliance, which exprefly obliges all the Allies not to treat, unlefs jointly, and with the common Advice of the other Parties. And we conceive that the Refufal of thefe Words propofed to be added, may be looked upon by the Allies, as if this Houfe approved this Method of tranfacting with France, which may feem to them to tend to a feparate Peace, of which her Majefty has declared her Diflike, and which was acknowledged in this Houfe to be foolish and knavish, and would be of pernicious Confequence to this Kingdom, by preventing that Guaranty of Peace by the Allies, which is o abfolutely neceffary for their mutual Security, and leave is exposed to the Power of France, there being little Reason to expect their future Help, after fuch a grofs Breach of Fruft. And we further conceive, that fuch a separate Proceeding nay create in the Allies fo great a Diftruft, as may tempt hem to take the like Measures, and to give the French Oportunity to break that Union, which has been hitherto fo feful to us, and formidable to them; any Appearance whereof must encourage France, either to delay the Concluion of a Peace, or to impofe upon the Allies in the further rogrefs of the Treaty. A perfect Union among the Allies feems to us to be more eceffary in the prefent Cafe, because the Foundation upon hich all the Offers of France, relating to Great Britain, as vell as to the Allies, are built, viz. a Renunciation of the 1712. Ccc. Duke 1712. Anno 11 Annæ, Duke of Anjou to that Kingdom, is, in our Opinion, fo fallacious, that no reasonable Man, much lefs whole Nations, can ever look upon it as any Security. Experience may fufficiently convince us, how little we ought to rely upon the Renunciation of the House of Bourbon, and tho' the prefent Duke of Anjou should happen to think himself bound by his own Act, which his Grandfather did not, yet will his Defcendants be at Liberty to fay, that no Act of his could deprive them of their Birth-right, and especially when it is fuch a Right, as, in the Opinion of all Frenchmen, ought inviolably to be maintained, by the fundamental Conftitution of the Kingdom of France. And we humbly think it unfafe to depend upon this principal Part of the Treaty's executing itfelf, by fuppofing it will be the Intereft of France to fupport it, fince, on the contrary, it is manifeft by the French Endeavours, ever fince the Pyrenean Treaty, to unite the Monarchies of France and Spain, they look upon that Union to be their greatest Intereft, and the most effectual Means of establishing the univerfal Monarchy in the Houfe of Bourbon. And if it were reasonable to imagine, that the two Crowns of France and Spain fhould remain in diftinct Branches of the House of Bourbon; yet this is contrary to the Grand Alliance itself, which recites the Ufurpation of the Spanish Monarchy by the French King, for the Duke of Anjou, as the principal Caufe of this War. As to Port Mahon, Gibraltar, the Affiento, and the other Advantages to Britain propofed by France, (befides that they are all precarious, and in the Power of France and Spain to take from us when they pleafe) confidering the Situation of thofe Kingdoms, and the vast Wealth and Strength which will be left to them, we conceive it impoffible for any Man to look on thofe as a Compenfation to Britain, in any Degree, for the leaving Spain and the Indies in the Poffeffion of the House of Bourbon; which, befides other manifeftly fatal Confequences, must be extremely prejudicial to our Woollen Manufacture, if it does not entirely ruin it. As to the Demolition of Dunkirk, tho' we own it will be a great Safety to our Home-Trade, yet we have Reafon to apprehend, by what was faid in the Debate, that it is not yet agreed to be demolished, without any Equivalent for it to the French King's Satisfaction. And in all the Particulars relating to the Allies, tho' they are not perfectly adjusted, yet by what does appear concerning them, the Allies are likely to be left in fuch a State of Infecurity, as is abfolutely inconfiftent with our own Safety. 1712. The Rhine is propofed for a Barrier of the Empire, Anno 11 Annæ, which leaves Strafburgh and Hunninghen in the Hands of the French; the former of which has always been looked upon as the Key of the Empire. The Proposals of France relating to the Barrier for the States General, not only deprive them of all the Places taken fince the Year 1709, but alfo of two or three Places more, included in the Demand made by the States in that Year, which will render their Barrier wholly infufficient, and confequently very much weaken the Security of Britain. Portugal feems to be wholly abandoned to the Power of Spain, notwithstanding the great Advantages we have received during this War, by our Trade with that Kingdom, which might still be extremely beneficial to us. Upon the whole, there is fo very little and inconfiderable a Difference between thefe Offers of France, and those made at Utrecht, February the 11th. N. S. and figned Huxelles, (as appears to us upon our comparing them together) that both feem to be the Effect of a fecret and particular Negotiation with France; and this House having unanimoufly concurred, in expreffing to her Majefty their utmoft Refentment at thofe Terms offered to her Majefty and her Allies, by the Plenipotentiaries of France; and her Majefty having graciufly accepted that our Addrefs, and rewarded that Duty and Zeal with her hearty Thanks, we cannot, in refpect to her Majefty, or Juftice to our Country, retract that Opinion, nor hink the Terms now good for us or the Allies, or give any eming Approbation of them, which then were received by his Houfe, and all the Allies, with Scorn and Deteftation. For these Reasons, we are of Opinion, that the Offers of rance are fallacious and enfnaring, no ways proportioned to he Advantages which her Majelty (from the great Succeffes hich it has pleased God to blefs her and her Allies, during e whole Course of this War) might juftly expect for her wn Kingdoms, and for them, very infufficient for preserv ga Balance of Power in Europe, for the future Security her Majefty and her Allies, tho' they fhould be never fo actly performed; and yet, even fuch as they are, there is > effectual Security offered for the Performance of them, hich makes it abfolutely neceffary, as we conceive, that ch Measures fhould be taken in concert with the Allies, as ay induce them to join with her Majelly in a mutual iuaranty. Somerfet, Godolphin, Devonshire, Berkley, W. Oxon, J. Ely, Ccc 2 |