Table of contents

1712.0913.Fa ¹



Addressed:
2²
L^d Treasurer


Fountainebleau. Sep: 13/2 1712
Noon

My Lord.

M:^r Torcy sent to Me the Moment I had
made vp those long dispatches for the
Contents of w^ch I referr you to what
I haue writ to the Secretary of State, and
to Your Lordsp; and told Me that He had
just shown the King his letters from
Spain, vpon w^ch I might assure Your
Lordsp that All things were agreed to
in that Kingdom, according to what
Her Maj^ty had required. and that as
His most Chr: Maj:^ty would haue no re
serue towards the Queen, but would giue
Her all oppertunities of letting Her know
that He sought Her friendship, He ordered
Mons:^r de Torcy to show Me the Original
letter, writ all w:^th Philip's own hand to
His Maj:^ty that I might take a Copy
of it, and send it immediately to the
Queen; w:^ch I accordingly do:

your Lordsp will find the Queen named
in this letter la Reyne d'Angleterre.³ w:^ch
I beleiue this Court intends should be taken
notice of, that the Scruples I haue mentioned
as to L^d Lexington's Character may be
taken off; and you see Spain intends
forthwith to send a Minister to England.
w^ch Embassy, (I hear privately) will be
very magnificent

As to Gibraltar, mons:^r Torcy is of opinion
that it may be best adjusted here, and
immediately, as that it will be transacted
more privately, and only by your Lordsp's
directions, that it will less shock the
Gravidád Espagnole to haue it done to
their hands, than if it were debated and
possibly too much exposed in their
Councils. this Torcy bids may be writ only
to you, and from you only I shall
expect my Orders—

To Philip's letter I joyn an Extract of
mons:^r Bonac's to this King.

I am ever
with great Duty and respect
My Lord
your Lordsp's most ob^t
and most humble Ser^t

MPrior.

2.


Endorsed:
Fountanbleau
M^r Prior Sept: 13: 1712
℞ Sept: 5: p Barton.
fryd[a]y 9 at night.

Notes
1.
This letter enclosed two important documents: "Copy of Philip's letter to his most Ch:ⁿ Maj.^ty", dated "Au Buen Retiro ce 4 Sep^re 1712", and "Extrait d'une lettre de Mons:^r de Bonac à Sa Maj:^té Tres Chret:^ne de Madrid le 4 Sep^re 1712". "Bonac" is Jean-Louis d'Usson, Marquis de Bonnac, France's envoyé extraordinaire to Madrid (Saint-Simon 7: 654). A third item ("Copie d'une lettre du Mar:^~ de Montreuil, A Mon:^r Torcy, de Bourdeaux le 3 Sep:^r 1712.") may also have been enclosed though it is not mentioned by Prior. "Montreuil" is Nicolas-Auguste de la Baume, Maréchal de Montrevel (Saint-Simon 7: 915-16). His letter to Torcy is a warning about "Mons:^r de Stanhope," that is, James Stanhope, and his anti-Tory government sentiments. The remarks by Montrevel are similar in tone and content to ones quoted in the biographical entry for Stanhope in The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1690-1715, ed. E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, & D. W. Hayton, vol. 5 (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002) 546 . All three of the documents are in Prior's hand; they are preserved together in the same manuscript volume as his letter. None of the three is included in the publication of the letter.
2.
See 1712.0912.Fb, note 10.
3.
The underscoring is Prior's.

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