THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES AT UTRECHT to PRIOR, [30 September]/11 October 1712, Utrecht
Table of contents
1712.1011.Ta
Addressed:
Plenipotent:rys to M.~ Prior.Utrecht the 11.th Octob:~ 1712S.~
We were streightned in time when We
writt last to you, and shall now give you
an account of all that has paſsed since which
may appear worth your attention.
On Wednesday the 5.th Inst: five of the Plenipoten
tiaries of the States General had, at their
desire, a Conference with Us, wherein they
communicated to Us, by order, the Resolutions
lately taken by the States their Masters, and
the terms upon which they are content to
make peace; which being afterwards sum̃'d
up in writing at our requisition, We, at theirs,
transmitted the same day by expreſs to
England.
The Substance of it is as follows; ‘"That the
"States are truly desirous of coming to a good
"and general Peace, and to act in concert
"and confidence with her Majesty to that end;
"That their Ministers had some time since,
"by their order, communicated to Us such
"conditions as they could still wish Her
"Majeſty would co-operate to obtain for them
"and the Allies; and to give yet further
"proof of their inclination to Peace, that
"the said Ministers had orders to informe
"Us that in case her Majesty could procure
"that immediately after the ratification of
"the Peace, the Spanish Low Countrys should
"be restored in the manner they had orders to
"propose, and particularly that ye Elector of
"Bavaria be and remain entirely deprived
"of all right, Poſsession & Administration in
"the said Countrys, and that in case of refusal
"he be forced to evacuate the Towns & fortreſses
"now in his hands.
"2.ly That the Tariff of 1664 be allowed
"without the exception of any species, or at
"least that the exception shall consist in
"four such Species as the States shall
"entirely agree to.
3.ly1 That her Majesty engage to support
"effectually the Pretensions of all ye Allies
"in the Treaty; particularly that Strasburgh
"be restored; the Fortreſses on the Rhine
"demolished; and Sicily restored to the
"Emperor.
"That in case all this be promised their
"high Mightineſses would consent yt besides
"Bethune, Aire, S.t Venant, Bouchain and
"Quesnoy, Valenciennes and Lisle should
"remain or be restored to France, more than
"which they could by no means consent to
"depart from, Tournay and Condé in parti
"cular being absolutely neceſsary for the
"security of their State.’
In the Conference We had with their˂ſe˃
2 Ministers,
they declared by word of mouth that it was
the unanimous sense of the whole Republick,
that without Tournay and Condé their Barrier
will be altogether insufficient for their safety;
as also that they should look upon ye Elector
of Bavaria's having the whole or any part
of the Spanish Netherlands to be the same as
if they were in the hands of France, & therefore
held it neceſsary it should now be determined
that the Emperor is to have those Countrys.
Upon the four Species they said if in regard
of them they could not have the Tariff of one
thousand six hundred sixty four, they would
accept of some other convention on that
head, and doubted not but as it is ye interest
of her Majesty's Subjects as well as theirs, they
shall have her aſsistance.3
What was mentioned for the rest of ye Allies
as Sicily, Strasburgh, was as they said her
Majesty's concern as well as theirs, thô in
some degree more immediately theirs, as being
in the neighbourhood of the Empire, nevertheleſs
the States should acquiesce in what could
poſsibly be obtained.
The Affairs of Portugal are upon the same
foot as when we writt last, those Ministers
alledging that they cannot proceed towards
agreeing a Suspension of Arms till they have
received fresh Instructions from their Court;
In the mean time the French offer to treat a
Peace with them instead of an Armistice.
We have in several Conferences explained
at large to the Imperial Ministers Her
Majesty's friendly concern for ye Emperors
Interest in reference to his affairs in Catalonia
and the misfortunes that in all appearance
must inevitably ensue if the Emperor should
not without delay resolve to withdraw his
Troops from thence before her Majestys Fleet
returned from those parts. Those Ministers
seem'd sensible the Emperors affairs would
be extremely embarraſs'd there, but waiting
for orders were not willing to explain
themselves.
The Difference between Mons:~ Mesnager
and Count Rechteren still subsists. For the
French Ministers informed Us yesterday
morning that the King their Master in
consideration of her Majesty's interposition,
would moderate his demands in one point,
viz:t that instead of requiring ye Plenipotentiaries
of the States to repair to the house of one of
the French Ministers, and there make the
Declaration demanded, his Majesty would
be content if it were done at a General
Conference.
We could not but tell them that in our
opinion the Dutch would esteem this to be
rather a new hardship than a facility; and
those Ministers when We informed them of
the Proposal, expreſsed that to be their sense
of it in their private judgment, yet undertook
to make report of it to the States; and at the
same time some of them dropt a seemingly
unpremeditated thought, that it would have
been some abatement, if it had been proposed
that a meeting to that purpose might be at
one of our houses. This Overture We
insinuated to the French, as from our selves,
and they reply'd that if We had that or any
other to make in the name of the States, they
would transmitt it to Court, but could do
no more.
A motion made by the Ministers of Savoy
to Us, & by Us to those of France for a Conference
between them, in our presence, in order to
settle the terms of their Peace having been
accepted by the latter, and my Lord Privy
Seals house nam'd by them for the Place
of meeting, they and We were together yesterday
about four hours, in which time all the
Points of the Savoyards demands were proposed,
some of them were consented to, and the rest
argued; but in conclusion the Savoyards
undertook to put their points and reasons
in writing, and the French Ministers to send
it to their Court.
The Pruſsian Ministers are also moving
onwards; and We are frequently call'd upon,
to goe on with our work by the French
Ministers. We have mentioned to
them the apprehensions, that part of their
Masters Troops may take winter quarters
in Lorrain, and they have promis'd to
write about it, and seem much perswaded
that nothing more will be done this
winter than in former years.
We are directed from England to
forward what We may write to Lord
Lexington, by your means, & therefore
trouble you with the enclosed.
We are with esteem, S~
Your most obedient humble
ServantsJoh: Bristol: C.P.S. Strafford
2.
Scribal notation:
M.~ Priors
loose Papers4