1712.0907.Tc

Addressed:
M.^~ Prior.

Whitehall 27. August 1712.

Sir

Her Ma.^ty having determined to send my Lord
Lexington with¹ all poſsible expedition to Spain, that
he may aſsist at the Solemnity of the Duke of
Anjou's renunciation to the Crown of ffrance, it is
thought proper he should be furnished with
powers which may give him some sort of
pretension to appear there, though he cannot
take upon him the Character of Ambaſsador till
after the Act is performed, To remove all
difficultys which the Court of Madrid may raiſe
on that occasion, care may˂will˃ ² be taken to avoid
the naming of the Duke of Anjou, for the
preamble will run only thus, Cum Rex
Christianiſsimus conditiones quasdam ex parte
Hispaniæ peragendas promiſerit, and quæ ad
Hispaniam spectant³ &c.^a when the renunciation
is over and approved by the Cortes in the manner
agreed, and that the Duke of Anjou likewiſe
gives aſsurances he will perform all the
conditions stipulated by his Grandfather in
his behalf, My Lord Lexington will acknowledge
him for King of Spain and the Indies with an
&c.^a which I suppoſe are all the titles he
values or deſires, however it is convenient you
should know the Sentiments of the french
Court upon theſe points as soon as poſsible that
the courſe of his Lordship's negociation may
not be interrupted by disputes in matters of
form when we are agreed upon the Eſsential;
My Lord is likewiſe directed to insist that the
King of Spain when acknowledged as such, shall
himself acknowledge the Protestant Succeſsion
in the Houſe of Hanover exclusively of the
pretender as ffrance has done, and grant an
Amnesty to all Spaniards in General who adher'd
to the Emperor particularly the Catalans, the
former of theſe two demands her Ma.^ty will not
upon any conditions whatſoever depart from,
and it is what ſhe conceives to have been the
Sence of the Court of ffrance as well as her own,
the latter has already been consented to by the
ffrench King.

If you have kept any copy of the Ceremonial
obſerv'd in ffrance at the time of the Earl of
Portland's going thither, I should be glad you would
lend it me, if you have not pray ask M.^r
Saintot to furnish you with one, under pretence
that you desire to compare it with that of our
office and ſee how they agree.

I am &c^a

Dartmouth

When the Queen receives advice from
L.^d Lexington that the D. of Anjou has made
the renunciation, her Ministers at Utrecht
will be directed to receive his as legitimated
Plenipotentiarys of the King of Spain.