PRIOR to [HENRY ST. JOHN, VISCOUNT BOLINGBROKE], 17/28 December 1712, Versailles
Table of contents
1712.1228.Fa
11Versailles Dec: 28.˂/17˃2 1712My Lord.3
I arrived at Paris the 1 [...]˂8˃.th˂/7˃
4 Sunday, ha
ving gon the day before about 4
leagues out of my way, to meet
the D: d'Aumond, who was then
on his way to England; I thought
my so doing showed respect to
a Man of his Quality, and I hope
the conversation I had with Him
may set Him right, as to some Com
pany, that may probably offer
themselves to Him vpon his ar
rival at London.
I went on Munday to Versailles, and
immediately found a Gentleman
with a complement from monsr
Torcy; how much he long'd to
see Me &c wch, as soon as He did,
He fell vpon the Topic of Tournay
and the Elec:r of Bavaria: He will
not allow That Prince's Interest to
be sufficiently secured, since He
is only to haue a temporary and
conditional provision allowed to
Him, in those provinces, of wch
the States are in the mean time
to be the real Masters; who (not
withstanding what is now stipu
lated for Him,) may turn Him
out at their pleasure, except5
some Guarantée is formed in his
behalf to put it out of their power
as it may be in their Will to
hurt Him: not but that all
this while the Court of France
is very well pleased with what
the Queen has done, but that
They wish She would ˂˄ do˃6 more and
that some further temperament
may easily be found to secure
the States from any apprehensi
ons they may lye vnder, from
the Elec:rs being too near them,
and skreen that Prince's honour
a little, from being (as mons:r
Torcy calls it,) vnder Dutch
Guards: I need not tell yo:r Argu
ments, (for I had them from
you, my Lord,) wch I vsed to
mons:r Torcy vpon this occasion,
in short the whole Matter lyes
so that the Peace may go on
vpon it, (w:ch is the point We
sought) and the Queen may do
more for this Prince, as her
Interest and Generosity persuade;
Count Monostrole7 saw mons:r de
Torcy the same Night, pay'd Me
a visit the next Morning, and
exprest in the civilest terms ima
ginable the great obligations
3
his Master has to Her Maj:ty but
still insisting, that She is the Ar
bitresse of Europe, and may, as
She pleases, relieue a Prince
who will haue an eternal sence
of her Goodneſs: Monostrole wen[t]
8
the same day to Compeigne to
the Elec:r and you will hear
more of Him yet before I
close my letter.
The next Morning I had an audience
of the King, in wch I repeated
to Him (according to my Instruc
tions) the desire Her Majty had,
that the Negociation, which had
been too long obstructed, should
be brought to a speedy conclusion,
and that Her Majty had given
such orders to Her plenipoten
tiaries at Utrecht as might
most effectually oblige the States
Gen:al with˂out˃9 delay to enter into
her measures, and such as might
at the same time most properly
conduce to favour the El:r of
Bavaria's interests as his Ma
jesty desired: He interrupted
Me, and say'd, He hoped the
giving vp Tournay would haue
that effect, and that Her
Maj:ty could not oblige Him
more in any thing; that He desired
as much as possible the Conclu
sion of the Peace, and a
good Correspondence between
the Nations, and did and would
do all he could to obtain it;
of w:ch He say'd, I should assure
Her Majty and return his
thanks to Her for the letter
qu'Elle a eu la bonté de
m'écrire.10
I went on to say, there remained
between their Majties some
bounds in N: America to be
regulated, and some general
points to be settled vpon [...] ˂w:ch˃ a
treaty of Commerce [...] might be
founded. He answered, that
his Ministers had received his
full orders vpon those heads;
As to what I added that Her
Majty had named the D: of
Shrewsbury her Ambass:r for
France, he answered that the
Queen had don Him a great
pleasure in naming a per
son of the Merit and quality
of that Lord.
I haue gon over the other points
of my Instructions with [...]11
5
Mons:r de Torcy: as to the difficulties
from Madrid concerning the tenure
of Sicily, and it's remaining any
way feudatory to Spain, I haue
for answer, that the most C: King
vnderstands that the Cession of
that Kingdom is agreed and shal[l]12
be executed in the Sence in wch
Her Majty has vnderstood it,
and to be clogged with no other
restriction than that of it's being
neither alienated or changed with
out the consent of Spain;
and that the Marq: de Monteleon
has full powers from K: Philip
to declare Himself vpon that
point to Her Maj:ties satisfaction
of this I beleiue yo:r Lordsp will
be satisfied before you receiue
my letter, for I mett the Marq:
de Monteleon near Dover, and
He told Me the substance of what
I now write to you.
As to the Bariere insisted on by the
D: of Savoy, mons:r Torcy refers
Me to his last letter to your
Lordsp, in w:ch He plainly says
That whole affair is adjusted as
much as ever it will be; that
His royal higneſs has liberty to
fortify his frontiere, vpon the
private assurance given that
He will not fortify Pignerol; that
He has more on the side of
France than He has had for
140 years past, and that what
He now asks is the ancient
Domaine of the Crown that
He has more reason to be satis
fied than any Prince in the
War, and that the King hopes
He will not fatigue the Queen
any further, after Her having
obtained such vast acquisitions
for Him.
The Cardinal de Tremouille13 writes
from Rome to this Court that 1500
Germans are ready to embark at
Naples in pretence for Sardinia
but in reality for [...]˂S˃icily, this is
a Matter wch nearly regards the
D: of Savoy, and is worth our im
mediate notice: the most expeditious
way of sending any orders herevpon
to our fleet, (your Lordsp knows)
will be thrô this Kingdom to Ge
noa
As to the Interests of the D: of
Lorraine wch I told mons:r Torcy
the Queen had ordered Me to
mention here, as she had instructed
Her Plenipotentiaries to sustain
them at Utrecht, I haue as
favourable an answer as I
7
could hope, I send your Lordsp inclosed
the Memorial I gaue and the an
swer, and shall impart it to the N:1.14
Minister of that Prince here,
that He may plead the particula
rities of his Master's pretensi[ons].
15
I come to our own point so long
discussed and so very much em
broyled, I mean that of New
foundland
The Project of a treaty wth16
France w:ch I brought over was
received from the Plenipoten:ries
the 8th Ap: 1712 as I find vpon
the Endorsement, mons:r de Torcy
shows Me another Plan entitled
Projet proposé par l'Angleterre
received from their Plenip:ries the
8:th Aug: 1712. I send your Lordsp
a transcript of the different Ar
ticles of these 2 projects rela N:2 and 3
ting to Newfoundland as like
wise an extract of some letters
from our Plenipo:ries to your
Lordsp and amongst yours I N:4 and 5.
presume you will find others
of the same tenour: I haue
likewise read over wth monsr
Torcy what their Plenip:ries
haue writ vpon the same
subject, in the whole transaction
I find a good deal of Brouillon.17
and by the Expreſs wch came
3 days since from Utrecht
it is evident They never will a
gree till respectiue orders are
sent for their so doing, from
hence and from Whitehal.
after long and sower but civil
discourses vpon this point
mons:r Torcy and Desmarais still
insisting vpon their vndoubted
and never yeilded right to
Cap-breton, (in wch I am afraid18
they are too well founded,) and
the latter having still his Eye
vpon their Chapeau-rouge, or
keeping to the preliminaries wch
give them the liberty of fish
ing where they vsed, wch indeed
was as well along Chapeau rouge
as the Petit Nort, I say'd it was
in vain for them to send to Utrecht
for an Explanation of these
Matters; for without Placentia
and the advantages w:ch ought
naturally to follow it's being
given vp, that Article could never
be accorded by the British Nation,
and that I took only a previous
liberty of saying this [...]19
9
wch the D: of Shrewsbury would
confirm within these 4 days.
they agreed that the thing must
be adjusted here, and at London,
and mons:r Torcy took notes of
the several proposals I made,
amongst wch I confess I did not
mention the offer of half Cap-
Breton, since the whole had
been20 offered several months
before, (as your Lordsp sees) and
had been rejected: after all, I
haue received this inclosed propo
sal from mons:r de Torcy and N:6
send it into Eng: for the Queen's
approbation or refusal: wch I
would not haue ventured to haue
done, but that I think it getts
us safely off from the too ex
tensive Clause in the Prelimi
naries, gives us the advantage
in every part of the fishery,
leaves the Queen entirely Mis
tresse of all that is worth having
in Newfoundland, and does really
(as Mons:r Desmarais expresses
it) driue the French au bout
du monde: Mons.r Dowdel, the
person recommended to Us by
Gilligham, and a friend or
two here with whom I haue talked
concerning this Matter, and who
haue been at Newfoundland, are
all agreed that from Cap: Roy
Northw:d is a fishery yet un
known and such as has not
been reckoned worth trying,
and that the whole fishery ex
cept a less sort in the petit
Nort lyes Southd from Bona
Vista, to C: de Race, and from
thence along the Bay of Pla
centia to Chapeau rouge and
C: Roy: wch is now in her
Maj:ties hands, without the
French being any way to in
terfere ˂therein˃21
I haue conferred as well at Paris
as here with the 2 Ministers I
named before vpon the settling
and renewing our Commerce:
I send your Lordsp inclosed a
little Memorial wch I gaue them, N:7
as a sort of text to our confe
rence and a ground for a
future treaty: there was no
need of my explaining the con
dition of Amicissima Gens
as the mutual Principle vpon22
11
which we desired to stand: this, I
find, has been distinctly handled
and abundantly disputed at U
trecht: the observations that
Mons:r Desmarais made vpon it
is very obvious, that vpon this
Principle we should be with
France as the Hollanders are: ie.
as specified in the Tariff of 1664
that the reason why the Hollan
ders had in great measure the
benefit of this Tariff was, That
they had laid no new Impositi
ons on the goods of France im
ported into their provinces: yet
the Methods of Commerce and
the necessary Droits wch this
Kingdom has been forced to
raise are such as that France
must deny that Tariff to them
[the Hollanders]23 particularly as
to the quatre Especes, whale
bone and Whale-Oyl; Woolen
Cloath and Serges: Sugars accor
ding to their several refine
ments; and all sort of Salt
fish in barrel. vpon all w:ch
heads mons:r Desmarais asserts
it would be impossible that
France should trade wth Holland
except these Commodities and the
manner of importing them were
regulated by the Tariff of 1699
or some other Equivalent propor
tion. vpon the Article of Salt
fish I was very glad to hear
mons:r Desmarais say that
whoever imports it into this
Kingdom must find it consi
derably advantageous, my
thought was that This ought to
be a fair Argument to Us to
mind and improve our fishery
vpon the Coasts of Scotland
for it is this sort of fish
wch the Dutch import cheifly
heither, and wch the French
mean to bring to the above24
mentioned Tariff.25
Monsr Desmarais explains himself
very much vpon the head of an
Entiere Prõbition being very preju
dicial to both Nations, but more
so to England, He says, than to
France: and that the High Duties
on both sides ought to be taken
off26 and brought to a Iust Mediũ
wch He thinks impossible to be
done but by Comis:ers to be named
13
to that purpose, for that This must
cost a great deal of time, for
the French can only take off their
Duties as we shall take off ours
and the Alteration of their Edicts
must go pari passu with that of27
Our Acts of Parliament.
To what I objected that the King
being absolute Master of his
Edicts might in the mean time
take away the entire Prohibition
of several of our Commodities
particularly those specified in
the Edict of 170l. Sep. 6.
He answered that We had likewise
entire Prohibitions, for instance
their Silks were as absolutely
forbid on our side, as Our Cloth
is on Their's. and repeated, that
the taking off the entire Prohibi
tions as the Alleviating the high
Duties must go gradually and
equally28 on both sides, or always
be made on One side vpon
Condition that the Other perform
his part, and be intended to
take place accordingly at such a
time, for that if the Prohibi
tion on the French side were
(as I seem'd to think reasonable)
immediately taken off, the English29
would run a glutt of their Goods
into France sufficient to serue
the Nation for Two or Three
Years: while (says He) We (the
French)30 shall remain les bras
croisez, the English knowing
the certain Duties payable in
France, and the French expecting
how or in what time the Duties
vpon their Goods shall be taken
off in England
Vpon the whole He has given this
answer to the Proposals I gaue
Him as what might serue for
a ground-work to a treaty of
Commerce: it was yesterday read
in Council, and I receiue it
this Morning from mons:r de Torcy
together w:th a Scheme of N:8.
the cheif Commodities wch
France sends to Eng:~ wch he
desires may be returned w:th the
specific Duties payable in
Eng:~ vpon every head, and wha[t]31
time may probably be asked for
the Alleviating any part of them
and He desires We should send
a like Scheme of English Goods
wch We import cheifly into
France, and promises to giue
Us therevpon a reciprocal
15
account, the King being very willing
to open a trade as soon and
as fairly as possible with
his old Friends: but He concludes
that the Confusion and misvn
derstanding of 20 years will
not be redressed without a good
deal of time and labour.
The vsual Articles therefore of
a treaty of Commerce, that of
the Droit d'Aubein,32 that of the
Tare and what your Lordsp
sees is pritty nearly adjusted
may be agreed and signed at
Utrecht with the treaty of Peace
but in a distinct Instrument
and as a treaty of Commerce,
and ˂˄ in it˃33 the Specialties as to the
manner of diminishing the
Droits34 and regulating the tariff
must be provided for by one
General Clause.
I haue waited on mons:r Pontchar
train and not perceiving that
the List of Ships taken (as
we alledge,) contrary to the
terms of the Cessation or to
the vsual Maritime laws, wch
I formerly left wth Him has
been regarded, I left an other
List with Him, to wch He says I
shall haue an answer in few
days. Iohn Wynne (the poor
Man so often taken and retaken)
with his Ship are sett at
liberty, and our Subjects, of
wch I haue a long list, (wch
I think comes from Coll: Nichol
son) that are, we say, taken
against their Wills and confined
at Canada, will haue leaue
to return to Boston or where
ever We think proper, provi
ded they are not habitued in
Canada, and had rather stay
there than otherwise: of this
I shall send You more by my
next.
Paris the 29th35 Dec:r 1712
I told your Lordsp I should hear more
from the El: of Bavaria, I did so by
mons:r Torcy last Night: Count Mono
strole repeats his Master's acknow
legements to Her Majty and his
desire that She will set Him as
free as her present Circumstances
of affairs may permit and in a
visit this morning to monsr Voisin
he let fall as seeming by chance
17
that it was not thought the Dutch
would ever pretend to garison
Luxembourg
Monostrole complains and the
Ministers here second the com
plaints, that Bonne the very
and only residence of the Elr
of Cologne is to be garisoned by
Imperial troops, and Liege and
Huy by Dutch,
Monostrole has represented from
his Master to the most Ch: King
that a formal treaty was made
in 1704 between the Electrice and
the late Emp:r Ioseph, not one
word of wch has been complyed
with, nor any recompence made
Him vpon what was therein
stipulated.
That the house of Austria not
to count 13 Millions of florins
w:ch they formerly owed him
haue during this war seized all
his Megazines, Cannon, goods
plate, Iewels and pictures
That Rottẽmbourg,36 the adjacent
Countries, and other large tracts
of land, w:ch are now compre
hended in the vpper Pala
tinate haue been bought by
the house of Bavaria, [...]37
à beaux deniers contants,38 and by
consequence should be reserved
to Him
In these points his most Ch: Majty
would desire the Queen to fa
vour this Prince, and as he
has given mons:r Torcy order to
mention them to Me, the D: d'Au
mond will likewise haue or
der to speak of them in
Eng:~
Another point vpon w:ch this Court
is very sollicitous is that the
Chevalier remaining in any
town of France obstructs
the signing the Peace, yet He
can not go to Lorraine till the
Emp:rs passeport will secure Him
there; your Lordsp by the per
vsal of the papers39 will see N:9
the State of that Case: and I
haue only to add vpon this sub
ject, that the Court of
France expresses an Impossibi
lity on their side to do more
than they haue done, and hopes
We should haue Interest enough
with the Emp:r to obtain
such passeports from Him as
may secure as well the person
19
who is to go into Lorrain, as
the D: of Lorraine who is to
receiue Him
I haue not heard from Utrecht
since my arrival in France, but
I presume, I shall hear in few days,40
Sunday next being the last day
allowed for their determination.
and if you approue the propo
sal relating to Newfoundland,
and judge the Scheme of Com
merce such as may form a41
general Article, I think We
are ready, let what will happen
I am more pleased with the
Proposal as to Newfoundland
because I see mons:r Pontchar
train and some others hear
tily disquieted at it,
mons:r Torcy's letters from Utrecht
say that of the Provinces, Frize
Utrecht and Gelder were for the
Peace, and of Holland the towns
w:ch stood cheifly out were Delft
Rotterdam and Leyden
The D: of Argile is here, and desi
res a yatch may immediately
be ordered to Calais for his
passage: He will tell your Lord
sp42 that the affair of Catalonia
remains in Statu quo; mons:r Torcy
has received advice that the D:
of Barwick is within a day's
march of Starembourg, that
He has an Army of 50 Squad̃
and 40 Bat:~ns much Superiour
to That of the Enemy: mons.r Voisin
tells Me the French are 2343 thous:d
effectiue Men: and He reckons
the Germans not aboue 13 thous:d
the D: of Argile computes the
Germans to be nearer 20 thous:d
For home News, I saw the Dau
phin yesterday He was brought
to the King at table: the Child
looks very well, a little pale,
He is handsom;44 and seems to
haue a good deal of Spirit.
I expect the D: of Shrewsbury
here on Saturday or Sunday.
We haue taken a rambling
appartement for Him in
l'hotel Soissons, w:ch was
the best however that We could
find ˂˄ in˃45 all Paris
I haue writt rather a Iournal
than a letter, the diversity of
the Subjects w:ch it contains
must plead my Excuse: in every
part of it I haue done my best
for the Queens service and I
leaue it to your great [...]46
21
friendship to Me to giue it the
most candid Interpretation.
La Vigne brings instructions to
D: d'Aumond vpon many [o]f47 the
Heads in my letter, and by Him
again in case you send no
Messenger of Her Majty imme
diately, I may haue your
Answer.
I am with great truth
and respect
My Lord
Your Lordsp's most obt
and most humble SertMPrior.
I humbly refer my Ld Dartmouth
to what I haue writ to your
Lordsp.