Table of contents

1712.1017.Fd



Addressed:
E: of Dartmouth¹


Versailles 1[?]˂7˃/[?]˂6˃ Oct:^r 1712 ²

My Lord.

Your Lordsp will see by the inclosed Me­
­morial that I haue obeyed yo:^r com­
­mands of the 25 Sep:^r relating to the Nomi­
­nation of the Princes on whom the Crown
of France is to devolue in uirtue of
the Renonciation; and in the paper joyn'd
you will find that point agreed to, and
adjusted, in such terms as will I hope
be thought plain, significant and valid.³
I haue sent a Copy of it this Morning
to L:^d Lexington in mons:^r Torcy's
Pacquet to Madrid: the other points ha­
ving All been already agreed to, I
hope there can arriue no new difficulty
as to the form of the Renonciation

The disorders that haue happened at
Gibraltar will be represented to L^d
Lexington, as the legal way of being
laid before her Maj:^ty. Mons:^r Torcy
vnderstanding it, as yo:^r Lordsp means,
that Her Maj:^ties Power in that place is sove­
­reign and Plenal, and having spoke of
the disorders committed as what would be
redressed as soon as they might come to Her
Maj:^ties knowledge.

I haue repeated assurances that neither
ffish from Newfoundland nor Corn
or other Commeatus to Portugal or
Catalonia shall be deemed Contreband
Commodities. but vpon some discourse of
this kind w:^th mons:^r Torcy, he say'd the
King desired Us to think that our ab­
­staining to send Provisions to Catalonia
would be a Means of obliging the Germans
to abandon that Province.

The Plenipotentiaries of this Crown at
Utrecht haue writ much the same thing
in relation to the Dutch, as my L^ds
of Bristol and St˂r˃afford⁴ write to Me:
that the States insist vpon Tournay
and Condé for the safety of their
barriere⁵
and 64 without any exception or such
as themselves should name the Species
vpon w:^ch the Exception shall lye.

This Court think We are not plain enough
either w:^th the Dutch or w^th Savoy,
and are of opinion that our reminding them
of the Obligations they haue to Us in
what We haue gott for them, should
hasten them to the finishing that Peace
w:^ch would confirm those acquisitions
to Them.

The difference between Count Rechteren and
mons:^r Mesnager he said the King had
remitted so entirely into her Maj:^ties
hands that We might decide it when We
pleased; I told Him as my own thought vpon
that Occasion, that I should be glad to know
what He should think a sufficient satis­
­faction; for that as on one hand it would
be hard to preſs the Dutch too far vpon
a thing that was accidentally a mischance
to them, so I was sure Her Maj^ty would
be mighty tender least any scruple should
remain (vpon the Decision) that the
Kingly Dignity was not justly regarded
and contented: He answered, that in presence
of the 2 Eng: Amb:^~s and of the 3 French,
One of the Dutch should in the name of
the rest make⁶ the Declaration already
demanded; that His Maj^ty would be sa­
­tisfied in case this was done at the
general Congreſs; I asked, if that was
not too public, he said, it might so be
ordered as that those only whom I haue
named already to be concerned, might
be present; and the thing passed before
any other Ministers should come. or
if this was not so well approved, it
might be done in the House of any
One of the French Ambassad:^rs I own
I wish it well˂˄ soon˃ accomodated, and I see France
leaves it so entirely in the Queens
hands that She may decide it as
She pleases.

mons:^r Torcy tells Me just now that
Phil:^~p has given and published an en­
­tire Amnesty and security of Goods
Chatels and effects to the Catalans
w:^ch can not but haue a good effect
He has respited the Assembly of the
Cortez 'till the 20 Ins̃: ⁷

The Spaniards haue beseiged a little
town vpon the boarders, so that
whilst Tarruca desires a town in
order to engage the Portugaizes to
accept a Cessation, they are likely
to lose one they had, before they
enjoy what is now offered to them

L:^d Bol:^~ke has sent some Mercantile
Cases to mons:^r Pontchartrain, and
He vice versâ and mons:^r Torcy trans­
­fer the same sort of reciprocal
Injuries to You. the Sum w^ch
the Owners of the Ship Griffen
haue been obliged to pay for being
only 24 hours too soon at sea
looks (here at least) very hard.

I send your Lordsp the Ratification
as to Ships beyond the Line
I thank your Lordsp most humbly for
my Credentials and Power w^ch I
received by the Messeng:^r and present­
­ed to mons:^r Torcy, and haue too Morrow
appointed for my Audience. I haue
One Cypher, entitled
 Cypher between the forrein Mi­
 ­nisters in the Northern Province
 One with an Other.
Another entitled
 Cypher for m:^r Prior to corres­
 ­pond w:^th my L^d Lexington
yet I find that I want another, for
I haue received from the L^ds Amb^~s
at Utrecht what I can not decypher
I beg yo:^r Lordsp's directions on
this Subject, I haue writ to their
Ex:^ces in the Cypher I first name
and I beleiue they do'nt decypher
Me.

The D: of Argyle is this Evening ar­
­rived at Paris, I haue taken care
of his reception, and will wait on
Him too Morrow, it being about
Midnight that I tell your
Lordsp that I am with great truth
and respect

My Lord
Yo:^r Lordsp's most ob^t
and most humble Ser^t

MPrior.

2.

Endorsed:
M^r Prior.
Versailles Oct. 17. 171[2]⁸
copy'd

Notes
1.
The m of "Dartmouth" is partly blotted.
2.
Prior revised the date by heavy overwriting. It is unclear what he cancelled and in what order, but the date he settled on is 17/6 Oct:^r.
3.
All underscoring is Prior's.
4.
Prior inserted the r of "Strafford" on the line between the adjoining letters.
5.
"Barriere" is positioned like a catchword but is not repeated on the next page. It is, however, required for the sense of the sentence.
6.
Damage to the manuscript has, apparently, washed away some of the ink of the letters ma, but the word is still legible.
7.
This paragraph was probably highlighted by a vertical line drawn down the left margin, but preservation material has obscured the line.
8.
Part of the second 1 and all of the 2 of the year date are covered by binding paper.

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