the suspension of arms, our first project proceeds; if they will not consent, the English troops will withdraw, and leave the foreigners to seek for their subsistence from the States, who, very far from being able to furnish new 1 expences, are not capable to support what they have already upon their hands. In short, Britain retiring from the theatre of the war, and leaving it to those that are in no condition to make head against France, the peace may be concluded between the two crowns in a few weeks. These, sir, are the propositions which the queen commands me to make, and believes the king of France will find his account at least as much the last way as the first. He once more desires him to send an express to the duke of Ormond, that he may know how to regulate his conduct; and if he signifies to him that the king has given orders to the governor of Dunkirk to admit the English, his grace will immediately do all that he has said. He acquaints him further, That the queen was resolved to send the earl of Strafford immediately to the army. -73 On the same day Mr. St. John sends a copy of this letter to the duke of Ormond; and to shew his own opinion of this extraordinary piece, in a postscript, he says, "I need not caution your grace that the inclosed for M. de Torcy is fit to fall under the eye of no person whatsoever but your grace." As for his Instructions at this critical conjuncture, they are such as her majesty thought deserved sending the earl of Strafford on purpose to the army; and his grace is ordered to give Mareschal Villars an account of the endeavours the queen had used to subdue the obstinacy of those who refused to obey, and of his expectations to hear from him on an express sent to France; and a second time, according to what was said to M. de Torcy, his grace is ordered, if he receives an account from the court of France that her majesty's last proposals are agreed to, and orders dispatched for the surrender of Dunkirk, without any more to do, to declare the suspension between Great Britain and France, and to keep the whole body that shall obey his orders intire, and to withdraw in the best manner his circumstances will allow. hostilities, both by land and sea, between the two nations, had been proposed by England till their treaties could be finished, the king of France with the same readiness agrees to that. This account was no sooner received in England, but fresh orders are sent to the duke of Ormond, as soon as he shall hear that the governor had received orders to evacuate Dunkirk, and to admit the queen's troops into the place, without losing a moment, if he had not already done it, to declare a suspension of arms; and to withdraw all the English troops, and such others as would obey his orders and lest any accident might still obstruct this project, his grace by Mr. St. John is told, he must observe that the order is positive, and that no case can possibly happen in which her majesty will allow that any other measure should be taken; and Mr. St. John is much concerned that the earl of Strafford will arrive at the army later than was to be wished, from whom his grace was to receive those lights and informations for his guidance in this nice conjuncture, that he is amply instructed to give him. : On the 12th July, N. S. Lord Strafford arrives in the camp; on the 14th, Prince Eugene sends the duke of Ormond word by an Aid de Camp, That he intended to march the next morning, with a design, as was supposed, to attack Landrecy. The duke of Ormond is much surprised at the message, refuses to march with him, or to give him any assistance from the queen's troops, but lets the prince know, that when he marched, his grace should be obliged to take the best care he could for the security of the queen's troops, and to change his camp in order to it. On the same day Mareschal Villars, giving the duke of Ormond an account that he had sent by colonel Lloyd orders for the delivery of Dunkirk, says, "Permit me sir, to have the honour to tell you, though it be very advantageous not to be obliged to engage the bravest and boldest of our enemies, yet it is very important to know those that remain so; and I take the liberty to desire you will do me the honour to send me word what troops and what generals will obey your orders, because the first attempt the enemy makes, I will not lose one moment to meet them: The king gives me This offer was no sooner received in France, a liberty to fight, which nothing but the negobut, without the loss of one moment's time ac- tiation has hitherto prevented, and which the cepted and consented to, as M. de Torcy ac- army under my command has a great desire to quaints Mr. St. John, July 5th, N. S. He takes make use of. think the work is finished, if care to mention very particularly all the rea- the army which is under your orders obeys sons and engagements which had been so them. This, then, sir, is no indiscreet curiosity, plainly and explicitly proposed; and upon that I presume to desire you to give me some condition that the queen does immediately lights upon the doubts which I am in. I shall make a separate peace, keep no measures with be very much obliged to you, sir, if by the reher allies, but only leave them a time to submit turn of this trumpet you will honour me with to the conditions that shall be agreed upon for one word of answer, upon the lights which I them between France and England, the king of have desired of you. You will give me leave to France hath determined to send his orders to join to this pacquet a letter from my lord permit the English troops to enter into Dun- Strafford." On the 15th of July, the duke of kirk; and at the same time a courier was dis-Ormond, in answer to this letter, says, “I patched to Mareschal Villars to carry him these should be glad I were at present in a capacity orders. And as a general cessation from all to give you all the insight you desire, but it is yet impossible for me. Notwithstanding I was unwilling to delay sending back the trumpet, to let you know I am well assured I shall be capable of telling you to-morrow, particularly what troops will remain under my command. As to the suspension of arms, you already Know, sir, that according to my orders I cannot declare it in form, till I am assured the go. vernor of Dunkirk shall have executed all the king's orders, for the evacuation of the place.” His grace adds, "In the mean time you will agree with me, sir, that the said suspension has already its effect on my side, since I have just now informed prince Eugene and the States deputies, that in case they should undertake | any new operation, I could not give them any assistance with the queen's army." vilege of being last destroyed; yet all the allies, whose honour and conscience would not permit them to abandon their confederates, and leave them as a sacrifice to France, were punished by England, with the loss of their pay and subsidies, which was all that was in the power of the ministry to do, to shew their resentment at this great disappointment to the measures of France. This march of prince Eugene lord Strafford thought might be, turned upon them; and he prevailed with the duke of Ormond, in a message to prince Eugene, to say, "His marching without concert with us, and all the queen's auxiliaries marching from us, exposed us so, that we have been obliged to send to the French to declare with us a cessation of arms; noOn the 16th, the duke of Ormond writes thing less could put the queen's troops in again to Mareschal Villars, and says, "Your safety; for though matters felt out so pat, trumpet just now put into my hands the honour without this we must have declared for the cesof your letter of the 15th, and I am now to ac-sation, yet why should we not turn all this matquit myself of the promise I made you yesterter upon them?" day. Prince Eugene is marched this morning, The Committee had not thought it worth and all the Foreign troops have quitted us, extheir while to take notice of such an idle atcept one battalion and four squadrons of Hol-tempt to impose upon the senses of mankind, stein, and two squadrons of Walef." He adds, if they had not been induced, by another pas"Things having passed as I have the honour to sage in the same letter, to think it deserved some tell you, I thought myself obliged to acquaint observation; where lord Strafford, giving an you of it as soon as possible, and as I observed account of what passed upon the separation, to you yesterday, the suspension of arms has al- says, all the English seem rejoiced to march off, ready its effect on my part, by the separation being weary of the situation they were in, and I have made of the queen's troops, and all her the reproaches they met with in the great artillery, from those of prince Eugene; and by army; There are two or three faces very sour; my declaring to him, I could give him no as- they sigh and wish the Hanoverians had not sistance, and that the payment of the foreign separated from us, but I shall tell them, pertroops is stopped; and that by consequence haps, it may be better. He may see by this there is fallen upon the emperor and Holland a time the wrong advice he has followed, since burthen they will not be long able to support: all must lay the blame of the separation upon I trust, sir, to your good faith, and shall to- him. But this is not the only instance of the morrow make a movement to put myself into scorn and contempt which his lordship was another situation, and I hope I shall have news ready to express upon the like occasions; fer from Dunkirk, that will authorize me to de- July the 16th, 1712, giving an account of a clare the suspension of arms. conversation with M. Bealau, the elector of On the same day Mareschal Villars acquaints Hanover's general, wherein his lordship dethe duke of Ormond, that the governor of Dun-clared, that the queen had yet neither made kirk was making the necessary preparations to evacuate that place; he tells his grace, "For my part, sir, as I already reckon you for our ally, I am not at all in haste to have you further off; you are at your own liberty to come near us, and encamp on the king's territories, whereever you shall think proper." Upon this the duke of Ormond the day after ordered a cessation of arms to be proclaimed by sound of trumpet. Had the first design taken effect, which was depended upon by France, and so far presumed by England as to be undertaken for, that all the foreigners in the queen's pay, that composed the duke of Ormond's army, should separate and withdraw from the rest of the allies, it is notorious, that from that instant prince Eugene's whole army, unless they submitted to the same measures, had been left at the mercy of the French army to be cut in pieces, or made prisoners at the will of Mareschal Villars, which had left the queen's troops in no better a condition, than to have the pri peace nor truce, which declaration was made near a month after the articles for a suspension of arms were signed; and his lordship representing the great danger the queen's troops were exposed to, by being left alone in their camp, when prince Eugene marched: and M. Bealau replying, in case of any attack they had been sure of their assistance and protection, bis lordship says, "My answer was in a disdainful way, It would be a very odd thing, when an elector of the empire should be suthcient protection to Great Britain and December the 14th, 1712, lord Strafford in his letter to Mr. St. John, says, count Zinzendorf owned, it was impossible to carry on the war alone, especially since the elector of Hanover, who was the greatest hero for the war, has threatened the States to recall his troops, if they did not pay him the queen's share of the subsidies ;-In short, count Zinzendorf himself could not but laugh at the ridiculous way of proceeding of that court. The armies being now separated, and the suspension of arms declared, your Committee think it necessary to recapitulate, in what manner, and by what steps, this fatal cessation was procured. That it was infinite advantage and absolutely necessary to the affairs of France, and therefore insisted on by France, is very evident; and it is as certain, that the English ministry gave early into it, if they were not the first advisers of it: for which no other account need be required, but that as all their measures tended to advance the interest of the queen's enemies, they could not fail to be zealous in a point which contributed more to those views thau any one occurrences during the whole negotiation; but as they all along wanted appearances, and consulted them more than any real advantages to the kingdom, they thought it necessary to annex some conditions to this important article, that might pass upon the deluded people as a justification of this unprecedented treachery. The Demolition of Dunkirk was always so popular a point, that nothing could strike the imaginations of the people more, than to be told that this important place was delivered into the queen's possession: This step, they thought, well improved, would recommend the peace itself, at least justify the cessation. And as the nation had nothing more at heart, than the disposition of the Spanish monarchy after the renunciation had been industriously cried up, and the queen had declared from the throne, that France and Spain were thereby more ef fectually divided than ever, these two articles were made the essential conditions of granting a cessation of arms: For the latter, France easily consented to it, having declared it to be null and void by the fundamental laws of France: For the first it is evident how unwillingly France was brought to surrender Dunkirk, but this the ministry were resolved to purchase at any rate, as what would most easily amuse, and sensibly affect, the nation; and therefore to obtain this, they engaged not only to grant a cessation of arms, but to conclude a separate peace. The prospect of concluding a separate peace, and the obtaining immediately a cessation of arms, which answered all the purposes of France, almost as well as a separate peace, by leaving the whole confederacy in their power, and at their mercy, were so great temptations, to France, that the surrender of Dunkirk is agreed to; but, if we come to consider what England gained by granting this fatal cessation, we shall find the demolition of Dunkirk supplied by a new canal more beneficial to France, and formidable to the navigation of Great Britain, than Dunkirk ever was; and for the renunciation, we were told by France, we should deceive ourselves if we accepted it as an expedient to prevent the union of the two monarchies. Your Committee cannot close their Observations upon this memorable campaign of 1712, without inserting another letter that was wrote by the duke of Ormond to my lord Bolinbroke. The Dutch it seems, encouraged by the success of their enterprize upon fort Knocque, had formed a design for surprising Newport or Furnes, which his grace having intelligence of thought proper to write the following letter, October the 21st, 1712, to my lord Bolinbroke, "I take this opportunity of an express which brought me some letters this morning from Ostend, and is returning thither, to acquaint your lordship with an affair which has been communicated to me by a person who is very well inclined to her majesty's service; your lordship will best judge of the importance of it, and the use that is to be made of it, when I tell you, that the success of the enterprize upon Knocque, has encouraged the forming a project for surprising Nieuport or Furnes, and that the fortifying Dixmude, is made use of as a pretence for drawing together a body of troops sufficient to put the design in execution; if it be thought more for her majesty's service to prevent it, I am humbly of opinion some means should be found to give advice of it to the marshal Villars, who may possibly think we owe him that good office, in requital of some informations your lordship know she has given me, with a design to serve her majesty and the nation: I am not yet at liberty to acquaint your lordship with the name of my author, who desires the whole matter may be managed with the greatest secrecy, which is a caution Iknow I need only mention to your lordship. The great step of the cessation was no sooner taken, the suspension declared, and Dunkirk delivered up, but M. de Torcy calls upon Mr. St. John, to perform his promise of concluding a peace between France and Great Britain in a few weeks, which he thinks can meet with no difficulties, all the conditions of peace with England being regulated, and the intentions of the king, touching the general peace, known to, and he thinks he may say approved by, her Britannic majesty. M. de Torcy then proposes the method of regulating the suspension by sea, and insists, that during the suspension, either general or particular, the transportation of neither troops, ammunition, nor provisions, shall be allowed into Portugal, Catalonia, or any other place where the war continues. Pacquet boats between Dover and Calais are to be immediately settled for the general ease of correspondence; and the suspension of arms to be published in Portugal and Catalonia, without waiting till it shall be settled at Utrecht. All these proposals from France are very readily assented to; and Mr. St. John thinks the queen in a condition not to lose a moment's time in concluding with the ministers of France, the convention for a general suspension of arms, both by sea and land, and even the treaty of peace between Great Britain and France. Mr. St. John then opens to him the measures that had been here concerted for the duke of Savoy; "Of all the allies," says he, "there is none whose interest the queen has so much at heart, as the duke of Savoy's; He hopes the most christian king will act in concert with her majesty, and omit nothing that may engage his royal highness to come into all our ineasures, and that may protect him from the insults of the imperialists for so doing; and among other advantages proposed for him, he lays it down as a principle, that it is neither for the interest of Great Britain nor Frauce, that the kingdom of Sicily should be given to the house of Austria, and therefore demands it for the duke of Savoy, and declares the queen will not desist from this demand." This concern of the British ministers for the duke of Savoy, who is represented as the ally whose interest the queen hath most at heart, your Committee is at a loss to account for. The French, as appears by a letter of the bishop of Bristol, to Mr. St. John, of the 26th April 1712, had actually offered Sicily to the emperor. The duke of Savoy himself did not relish this proposition, as appears by lord Peterborough's letter to Mr. St. John of the 24th Sept. 1712, in which his lordship represents the duke of Savoy, expressing, that he was not so vainly impatient of the title of king, as to lose or hazard any real interest for an empty name: but that he thought it much more extraordinary, that a prince beaten ten years together by his enemies, should remain at last with the prize so contended for, and which so often by parliament had been declared the Just and unavoidable motive of the war: Again in lord Peterborough's letter of Nov. 16th, 1712, to Mr. St. John, he affirmed, that nothing can represent the uneasiness of mind of the duke of Savoy, after these offers had been made him; To calm this uneasiness, and to fix his royal highness in the measures of the ministry, it was necessary that lord Peterborough should, in a memorial given to him, represent, that his royal highness in refusing these offers must fall out with the queen, and the English ministers, whom his lordship eudeavours to excuse from the reproaches cast directly upon them, as if they were persons devoted to France. That for the support of what was proposed, a sufficient fleet should be furnished either by England or France, or by both powers jointly; and that his royal highness should be guaranteed and protected against any power that should oppose this project, or should insult him for having accepted these offers. The arguments of the English ministers did at length prevail with his royal highness; and if the view of the said ministers was effectually to disable the emperor from supporting himself against France after our separation, by forcing into the interest of France an ally so considerable as the duke of Savoy, it must be confessed these measures were extremely well calculated for such an end; but it does not appear to your Committee how England came to be so far concerned in this matter as to offer its guarantee for Sicily, which na turally must have engaged us in a war against the emperor. This forwardness of the ministry in offering to make England guarantee for conditions advantageous only to France, seems the more extraordinary, when they observe, that, during the whole course of this negotiation, they find no endeavours used to procure a guarantee of our confederates to secure the protestant succession, which had been addressed for by both Houses of Parliament; nor do they observe, that the king of Sicily, for whom so much was done, was ever requested to be guarantee for the said succession. The dreadful consequences of the separation of the armies were now sensibly felt in the unfortunate action at Denain, where Mareschal Villars on the 24th of July, N. S. attacked lord Albemarle's camp, which he forced, took him prisoner, and entirely defeated all the troops under his command: M. de Torcy immediately sends an account to Mr. St. John of this agreeable news, and says, "The king of France is persuaded, that the advantage, which his troops have obtained, will give the queen so much the more pleasure, as it may be a new motive to. overcome the obstinacy of the enemies to peace." Your Committee could not with patience read a letter from a minister of France, declaring to the secretary of state of England, that a victory obtained by the queen's enemies over her good allies, must be a pleasure or satisfaction to her majesty. But at that time the French thought themselves so sure of the British ministry, that they depend upon their assistance to push this advantage against the confederates still further; and M. de Torcy says, he hopes the queen will effectually bring them to reason, in agreeing immediately with the king, the last measures that are to be taken for finishing this work. She has the means in her own hands, if she will make use of Ghent and Bruges, which her troops possess, and especially of Ghent; for it depends upon whosoever is master of that place, to make all the designs of the enemy's generals miscarry, and to give law to the Dutch. Neither was M. de Torcy singular in his opinion about the action at Denain; Mareschal Villars would not lose a moment in giving the duke of Ormond an account of this news: he ascribes the victory to the separation of the brave English, and insults the allies as common enemies, that must now be sensible what wrong measures they had taken in this manner, and to this effect, Mareschal Villars thinks proper to write to the duke of Ormond; and at the same time the Mareschal desires his grace to transmit this account to the French plenipotentiaries at Utrecht, and to make a thousand compliments from him to lord Strafford. And that there might be no part of the world where it was in the power of the English ministry to assist their new friends the French, at the expence of their old allies, M. de Torcy further proposes, that the queen should put a stop to count Staremberg's projects in Catalonia, by sending orders to her troops in Terragona, | which he is ordered to secure in the best mannot to let the Germans into that place; and ner he was able, and doubts not but it will not content with being aided and assisted all have a good effect upon the conduct of the that was possible by land, be further desires allies. that express orders might be sent (and through France as the shortest way) to the English men of war that were then cruising in the Mediterranean, to suffer the French ships, that were then returning from the Levant, to pass un. molested; which was no sooner asked than complied with. But the taking possession of Ghent and Bruges was not only the desire of M. de Torcy, but was supported by the advice of the earl of Strafford; who in his letter to Mr. St. John of the 17th of July, 1712, says, "I am for having the duke of Ormond send some party on purpose to march through some of their towns, to see whether or no they would refuse them passage; if they did, that might authorize us the more to do a thing very agreeable to the queen's troops, and what I believe you would approve of." His lordship adds, "He (meaning the duke of Ormond) is very hearty in every thing, but really is under difficulties with those about him; those that are able are not yet entirely to be relied upon; and those that might be trusted, are not capable of giving advice." And that there might be no doubt of his lordship's meaning in what he had before advised, July the 21st, he tells Mr. St. John, "The measures I mentioned would not be disagreeable to you, was that of marching to Ghent, which we have now so well executed that we are within two days march of it, and the English are intire masters of the citadel, as likewise of all the gates of the town; and have orders to be upon their guard, not to let themselves be surprised by two battalions, one of Dutch and one of Walloons in the town, nor any troops sent from any other place. This is a coup de parti for the States who did not expect it, else they would not have behaved themselves with the hauteur they lately did; the thing was so well and secretly managed, that all preparations were made to march about to Warneton between Lisle and Ipres, to have lived upon the French country and till we had marched a day's march on this side the Scarp, the Dutch and their friends did not perceive our design, which, as soon as they did, their surprise and uneasiness were equally great." The duke of Ormond having given an account of his marching his army towards Ghent, and Bruges, lord Bolingbroke commends his conduct, and tells him the methods he had pursued were so well adapted to the present conjuncture of affairs, that they answer in every point what they would have wished: that the news of Dunkirk could not have been followed by any more agreeable, than that of his grace's having directed his march towards Ghent. And on the 22d of July, O. S. his lordship tells his grace, That taking possession of Ghent and Bruges had improved her majesty's views, On the 17th of July, O. S. in a letter to M. de Torcy, lord Bolingbroke recapitulates what he said before concerning the duke of Savoy; and as a farther motive to induce France to comply with his demands, he represents that it will be very important to have his concurrence both in the suspension of arms, and the treaty of peace, which in all probability will be made between Britain, France, and Spain, without the intervention of the other allies; and that Savoy's declaring for us will be a decisive stroke, and the more neces sary because the king of Prussia's conduct has not answered the queen's expectations. Before this letter was dispatched, the lord Bolingbroke receives M. de Torcy's of the 26th N. S. In answer to which, July the 18th, O. $. he insists further in behalf of the duke of Savoy, "tells him with great satisfaction, That the duke of Ormond was possessed of Ghent and Bruges, and had orders to be upon his guard and secure those posts; and as the queen embraced with a great deal of satisfaction every opportunity that offered to do the king a pleasure, positive orders are sent to admiral Jennings to suffer the French ships coming from the Levant to pass freely." It is almost incredible that the English ministry, however determined they were to give up the honour of the queen, and interest of their country, in following the dictates of France should venture to do it in this open manner. All that had been hitherto declared, was a suspension of arms in Flanders, and that our troops were to act no longer against France: but here by the advice of the earl of Strafford at the desire of M. de Torcy, they are to keep possession of Ghent and Bruges, in order to disappoint the designs of the enemies of France and the allies of the queen; and although the suspension of arms extended as yet no further than to the two armies in Flanders, and the general suspension by sea and land was not signed till the 19th of August, N. S. lord Bolingbroke, on the 18th of July, O. S. declares he had then sent very positive orders to the queen's admiral not to intercept the French fleet coming from the Levant. These constant compliances in the English ministry encouraged M. de Torcy to believe they would now stick at nothing that could be proposed. He presses again the concluding the separate peace between England and France as what they both agreed in to be the most effectual way to make the rest of the allies comply. He desires that the troops in Flanders under the command of the duke of Ormond, may be left there to make a good use of the towns which he was in possession of; but as the king of France could not consent to the duke of Savoy's having Sicily, except the elector of Bavaria has also the Netherlands besides his electorate, he thinks the queen's having a |