WILLIAM LEGGE, EARL OF DARTMOUTH, to PRIOR, 21 November/[2 December] 1712, Whitehall
Table of contents
1712.1202.Ta
Addressed:
Mr Prior.Whitehall 21. Nov:r 1712.Sir
Her Ma:ty having rec.d advice that the Court of
Madrid start new difficultys about the yielding of
Sicily, which they pretend should still remain
feudatory to Spain, I am to acquaint you, that
his most Christian Ma.ty having already agreed,
that the Ceſsion of that Kingdom should be clogg'd
with no other restrictions than barely that it
should neither be alienated nor exchanged wthout
the consent of the Crown of Spain, her Majesty
expects that a point so fully settled, shall not now
be unravelled nor laid open to ye a tedious
negotiation with the Marquis de Monteleon.
By my Letter of the 7.th instant to my Lord
Lexington whereof I enclose a Copy for your
better information, you will ſee1 the Queen
consents, that Sicily should revert to Spain in
caſe of failure of heirs males of the Houſe
of Savoy, but then she expects it should be granted
abſolutely to such heirs without any dependance
on the Kings of Spain, this ffrance has agreed
to on the part of King Philip, & is therefore obliged
to ſee it performed; When you are in diſcourſe
with Mons.r de Torsi upon this Subject, you will
at the same time urge the reasonableneſs of
the Duke's being at liberty to fortify his ffrontier,
which can be liable to little objection, since he is
willing to give private aſsurances that it shall
not take place in respect to Pignerol.
The Article in favour of the Elector of Bavaria
specifyed in my Lord Strafford's Instructions, should
naturally ariſe from the most Christian King with
whom he is in alliance, & cannot properly be
moved by the Queen, whoſe Ministers are however
directed to ſupport it, when thoſe of ffrance shall
formally have made the Proposition at Utrecht.
If ffrance does not come into any of the three
Expedients already offered for settling the
Boundarys of North America, a fourth Project
will be communicated to you by my L.d Bolingbroke
which you are in that caſe to agree to.
Her Maty having very much at heart the
prejudice which the Protestant Interest has
suffered by the fourth Article of ye Treaty of
Ryswick, you are to preſs very earnestly in her
Ma:ty's Name, that ffrance consent to revoke it.
Since the Court of ffrance has yielded the great
point of Tournay, you may aſsure them, the Queen
will proceed to ye signing of the Peace as soon as her
own Interests are settled, tho' the Tariff between
that Kingdom and Holland in relation to the four
species of Merchandiſes should happen not to be
fully adjusted. You are further to acquaint M.r
de Torsi, that the Queen's Ministers at Utrecht
are instructed to favour the Interests of the
Duke of Lorrain in respect to ye advantages
which he claims by the Peace of Ryswick.
I am &c.a
Dartmouth