Step that might facilitate the Suspension of Hostilities, his Lordship did again press the French Minifters to know, whether they were willing to declare in a folemn Conference, that the Particulars declar'd in the Queen's Speech, are the King their Master's Offers to the Allies, and that he will make them good in the Negociation. The French again refus'd to make any such Declaration; and in this Opinion they persisted even after the Dutch Ministers confented to accept the Contents of her Majesty's Speech pro materia tractandi, if the French would at the fame Time acknowledge them to be their Master's Offers, and negociate upon them in order to make them good. But the French Plenipotentiaries were so far from agreeing to this, that they demanded of our Ministers to know the Queen's Mind upon the several Parts of the last general Plan brought over by M. Gualtier, and which are not explain'd in her Majesty's Speech; saying, Their King expected it, and they do not know how to proceed till 1 those Points be stated; and the utmost they were to be brought to, was, that it was not to be understood to exA. clude their Master from making some Demands for the Elector of Bavaria, and that Lifle was to be restor'd, over and above the two or three Places excepted in the Queen's Speech.

At the fame Time that Mr. St. John communicated the Queen's Speech to the Bishop of Bristol, he orders him to let the Dutch Ministers know, that the Queen thinks a Sufpenfion of Arms, at least in the Netherlands, to be absolutely necessary. And here the Committee observe, that these Orders to propose to the States a Suspenfion, are dated June 11, 0. S. which was the very Day the Articles for a SufPension was fign'd by Monf. de Torcy, and had been fign'd by Lord Bolinbroke five Days before. In several Letters that follow'd from the Bishop of Bristol, he gives an Account of the general Dissatisfaction of all the Allies, and > the inexpressible Consternation they were all in; that they represented our Proceedings as the unavoidable Ruin of Europe, Religion, Liberty, the Faith of Treaties, are urg'd to shew the Enormity of our Usage. His Lordship does not know what he may expect from the unmeasurable Rage of the People, nor where it will end: That the Dutch seem to be uneasy on no Account so much, as that they cannot come to the Knowledge of what is to be their Lot: Their Concern is chiefly, that they cannot know the Particulars of what is design'd for them, especially what Species are to be excepted out of the Tariff of 1664, and what Towns out of the Barrier. On which Occafion the Bishop of Bristol did, as with the greatest Truth, afssure them, that he knew nothing either of the one, or the other. But the Reception these Representations met, seems to the Committee as unaccountable as any Thing that happen'd. Mr. St. John, June 20, O. S. fays They are not surpriz'd at the Clamours and Rage of the Dutch, which they foresaw, and were prepar'd for : It is certain we run great Hazards, but it is as certain their unaccountable Folly is the Occasion of it: He cannot imagine the Bishop should be in any Danger, his Character is facred in a double Manner; and besides, I have Reason to think, that thơ they kick and flounce like wild Beasts caught in a Toil, yet the Cords are too strong for them to break; they will foon tire with struggling, and when they are tir'd grow tame. This is the Treatment and Language which the Queen's Secretary thinks fit to bestow upon her Allies: Their defiring to have some Satisfaction in what most nearly concern'd them, is call'd unaccountable Folly that had drawn all these Mifchiefs upon them; and if any Resentment is shewn, they are wild Beasts; but the Cords of the Toils which England and France had caught them in, were too strong for them to break. But Lord Strafford is not content with hard Words only, he is glad that Orders were given to stop the Pay of the Foreigners, of which they complain horribly, but it will make them humble and sharp; handling does bet ter with these People than the best Words.

June 24, O. S. Mr. St. John writes a long Letter to the Lord Privy Seal, and instructs him to lay the entire Blame of all that has happen'd upon the Dutch, and that the Want of Concert is only to be imputed to those who are at the Head of Affairs in Holland; however, that her Majesty is still ready for their Sakes, and for the sake of the common Interest of Europe, to forget all that is past, and to join with them in the stristest Terms of Amity and Confidence. This Farce was still to be carry'd on in Holland, and these Professions made in the Name of the Queen, when it is notorious, that four Days before, June 20, 0. S. Mr. St. John had, in the strongest Terms, promis'd, in the Queen's Name to Monf. de Torcy, to conclude a separate Peace with France, on Condition Dunkirk was deliver'd to the English ; and that this Offer of a feparate Peace made by England, arose from the French's refusing to deliver Dunkirk, upon the Conditions first agreed upon, altho' at the fame Time the Queen's Plenipotentiaries are directed in a most publick Manner to lay the Blame of

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all our Measures at the Door of the States General: But altho' in all the Letters that pass'd between Lord Bolingbroke and Monf. de Torcy, the concluding a separate Peace is treated as a Thing settled on both Sides, the Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht are order'd to proceed upon another Foot; and in a Letter from Lord Bolingbroke of July 16, 0. S. to the Plenipotentiaries jointly, upon a Suppofition that Lord Strafford was then got back again to Utrecht, they are order'd to lose no Time in fettling the Conventions for a Suspension of Arms between Great Britain and France, both by Sea and Land; and when that is brought to Perfection, to call upon the Allies to enter again upon the Negociations on the Foundation of the Plan laid down in the Queen's Speech; and it is defir'd their Lordships will appear follicitous in this Matter, and affect to be the Aggreffors, and to press the Allies to give in categorical Answers. By this Means the Negociations were seemingly set on Foot again, and whether the Allies did, or did not comply, our Ministry were ready to make their Use of it either Way; if they did comply, the Scandal of a separate Peace would be avoided; if they did not, the Blame was to be imputed to their Obstinacy.

The Treaty being left upon this Foot at Utrecht, with a Possibility of being carry'd on or dropt, as should be found convenient, and the King of France having consented to the Demands made by England on Behalf of the Duke of Savoy; but among others, upon these two express Conditions, That a Sufpenfion of Arms both by Sea and Land be immediately granted, and that a separate Peace between England, France, Spain, and Savoy, be forthwith concluded, it was thought proper and necessary, that Lord Bolingbroke should go himself to France, finally to adjust and settle the great Points in Dispute. The Substance of his Instructions was, To remove all Difficulties that might obstruct the general Suspension of Arms between England and France from taking Place, or fettling the Treaty of Peace in such a Course, as may bring it to a happy and speedy Conclufion. But to declare, that he does not imagine there will be any Possibility to prevail with the Queen to sign the Peace with France and Spain, unless full Satisfaction be given to the Duke of Savoy. He is therefore to take particular Care to settle his Barrier, and to procure Sicily for him; to fettle the Renunciation in such a Manner, that there may be as little Room left as poffible for Dispute or Delay; that the Elector of Bavaria

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Bavaria may have Sardinia, and be restor'd to his Dominions in the Empire, except the Upper Palatinate, and the First Electorate; and then he is to proceed to speak to such Articles as relate to the Interest of Great Britain, and endeavour to have such of them, as there may appear to be any Doubt concerning, explain'd in the most advantageous Manner. And then he is to do his best to discover, upon the several Parts of the general Plan of Peace, what the real Ultimatum of France may be; and when the Peace between England and France shall be sign'd; that it may be expedient to fix the Allies a Time to come in, wherein the Queen will use her good Offices, but will not be under any Obligation to impose upon the Allies the Scheme offer'd by France, or to debar them from obtaining better Terms for themselves. By these Instructions it appears, that Lord Bolingbroke was impower'd to conclude a separate Peace with England, France, Spain, and Savoy. That at this Time there was some Doubt concerning several Articles relating to the particular Interests of Great Britain, which he was to endeavour to get explain'd; but no Instruction, if his Endeavours prove ineffectual in Behalf of Great Britain, not to conclude the Treaty, which in these very Instructions is exprefly provided for in Favour of Savoy: And his Lordship is order'd to do his best to discover the Ultimatum of France, which hitherto, it seems, the Ministry were ignorant of: But whether France condescended so far or not, as to let his Lordship into this Secret, our Treaty was to be concluded; and the Ministry seem to think, they had sufficiently discharg'd their Duty in declining to be engag'd to impose what Terms France should think proper upon the Allies; those Allies to whom the Queen was bound by the Faith of Treaties, and all the most solemn Engagements and publick Declarations, to procure all just and reasonable Satisfaction, according to their several Alliances. But now it feems sufficient, that we did not debar them from the Liberty of endeavouring to obtain still better Terms for themselves. With these Instructions Lord Bolingbroke goes to France, and without entering into any further Particulars, the Convention for a general Suspension of Arms between Great Britain and France for four Months, was fign'd at Paris by Lord Bolingbroke and Monf. de Torcy, August 22, N. S. 1712, as his Lordship fays, but dated August 19, N. S.

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France was now become entire Master of all future Negociations, and did not fail to make use of the Power that was put into their Hands; an early Instance of which was seen in the Affair of Tournay: But being now come back to Utrecht, the Committee mention an Incident that happen'd there; the Dispute between Count Rechteren and Mr. Mefnager, which was made use of by the French to keep the Negociations in Suspence as long as it serv'd their Purpose, and in which Ergland concurr'd.

August 30, The British Plenipotentiaries acquaint Lord Bolingbroke, that in some Discourse with the Minifters of the Allies, they had carry'd Matters so far as to tell them, That tho her Majesty will endeavour to promote their Interest in a Peace, and obtain for them the best Terms that shall be poffible, yet if those Endeavours should not procure more than the Contents of her Majesty's Speech, or even in some Degree fall short of that Plan, the Fault will be entirely theirs, who have render'd Things difficult and uncertain, which otherwise would have been easy and practicable. And having thus far comply'd with their late Orders to lay all the Blame upon the Allies, they farther inform his Lordship, That they - had, however, obtain'd the Consent of the Ministers of the Allies to come to a Conference with those of France, in order to renew the Negociations, the Time to be fix'd between the British and French Plenipotentiaries, who meeting to have Some Discourse previous to the genera' Conferences, parted without coming to any Conclusion. The Occafion of their Difference, that prevented renewing the Conferences, arose upon Proposals made by the British Ministers in relation to Tournay. Their Lordships, in their Letter of the 2d of September, N. S. to Lord Bolingbroke, state the Cafe in this Manner: In her Majesty's Speech it is express'd, That the Dutch are to have the entire Barrier as demanded in 1709, except two or three Places at most. The French Ministers infift, that they must have Lisle as an Equivalent for Dunkirk, and that the fame is not to be understood as one of the three Places mention'd in the Speech, and confequently that they must, in all, have four of the Places mention'd in the Demands of 1709. This to us appears to be altogether inconfiftent with what her Majesty has declar'd, and we accordingly think it contrary to our Duty to bring on a Conference, in which such an Explication is to be made. The French Ministers, on the other Hand, have shew'd us their Orders, which positively require them to infist upon the Restitution of Tournay as well as Lifle; and that they can by no Means confent to the