Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

to-day or to-morrow to M. Vincent. He offers 20,000 crowns down to have the vessel delivered with its guns, complete rig1 and sails, anchors, etc., in the month of August next. These 60,000 francs are for only one voyage to Vera Cruz. I have given him up my share. He has acted towards me with little delicacy. O'Brien sends me the accompanying note.

I have the honour to be, without reservation, my dear Sir, your very humble and very obedient Servant, D'HEGUERTY.

[ENCLOSURE.]

Dunkerque, 8th March 1745.

SIR, I receive at this moment news from my friend of Ostend. I impart them to you, to fulfil my promise. At Portsmouth a squadron of 28 vessels is being fitted out, intended, it is said, for service in the channel. There is not a single war vessel in the Downs, the one which passed M. de Bellisle in England is intended, with the two frigates, to cruise in the north. A new ship going down the Thames capsized in the river, the captain and more than two hundred people were drowned by this accident. I have the honour to be very perfectly, Sir, your very humble and obedient Servant, O'BRIEN.3

MONSIEUR WALSH

Paris, 13th March 1745.

I HAD the honour to write to you, my dear Sir, the 9th of this month. I have since had yours of the 5th. The Minister has decided we shall only have the 50 soldiers ordered. Regard this order given as a real favour, considering the circumstances. Envy has existed from all time, it is only the envious who die, may M. de Bellisle nourish this unhappy passion till it gives him a mortal indigestion. The orders to raze the poop of the Apollon go by this courier. You will submit that it is your intention to replace it when we return the vessel to the king.

1 ['Agrés,' more correctly 'agreits' or 'agrets,' the rigging.-TR.]

2 ['Apparaux,' this term comprises sails, rigging, tackle, anchors, guns, etc., of a ship.

4

[blocks in formation]

I think that I shall be entrusted with the Memoir of la Bourdonnaye; I have asked for it and will pass it on to you; I have a high opinion of the great affair, the only difficulty consists in obtaining vessels to be commanded by private individuals and to command the 1000 men of the marine. M. Pellevin will work hard to remove1 all difficulties which might arise to retard and perhaps wreck this excellent project; I will do my best that we shall only have officers chosen by the company, and 'Malouins' [Men of St. Malo] chosen by you, to command these vessels. He urged that the naval officers that would be employed on this expedition would be in despair at seeing themselves commanded by private people drawn from commerce, and if the success depended on them would be capable of making it fail.

I give you notice that M. Pellevin counts on the Apollon serving in this expedition.

You will find with this the advice I have received from Dunkirque that if 2 corsairs of strength can be added to our vessel, even if they find no one at the Downs, they cannot fail to find the vessel and the two frigates which took Messrs. de Bellisle to England. The gazettes of Holland for the month of last January or February will tell you of what strength these frigates are.

A thousand friendly and cordial compliments I beg to M. de Bellisle. Embrace my idle son for me.

I have the honour to be, without reservation, my dear Sir, your very humble and very obedient Servant, D'HEGUERTY.

MONSIEUR WALSH

Paris, 30th March 1745.

I HAVE received yours, Sir, again without date, under the cover of which was your acknowledgment in the name of Messrs. Pellevin and La Porte which I have remitted to the former. This rebate of 1/16 has come very much to the purpose. You will certainly

3

1 ['Lever,' ,' the verb has different meanings, here it must be used in the sense of remove. —TR.]

3

2 [M. Walsh was born at St. Malo.-TR.]

Cession.'-TR.]

want assistance with the Minister to calm his displeasure that the St. Joseph has not fulfilled her engagements and followed out her destination to Spain. The Minister at Madrid will be no less irritated against you and your brother at Cadiz.

Be careful to make the Spanish passengers, of whom there are some it is said, sign the minutes of agreement,1 and if there are piastres 'per also,'' declare them in good faith to the Minister, or entrust to me, whichever you like, what you wish me to say to the Minister or M. Pellevin. This affair, from what I hear said, must cost you a distribution of piastres. If the thing is absolutely necessary, it should be rendered as little costly as can be. Make up your mind and let me know what you think fit.

The Comte de Maurepas does not know what he has done with the Memoir of M. de la Bourdonnaye. Take care, before proposing anything here, to prepare a very circumstantial memoir. Mr. Buttler will be able to help you considerably. The project embraces many things and perhaps more than you foresee. I will inform you of all that I know, and what I impart will not be indifferent. I warn you that I think the Minister affects to say he has lost the Memoir of la Bourdonnaye, in order to see you come, and judge by the memoir you send him if you and Mr. Buttler are sufficiently aware of the importance of the enterprise, and if you indicate the means of succeeding in it. I add to this reflection that it would be well that Mr. Buttler should arrange his affairs so as to be able to come and sacrifice three weeks here near the Minister.

You have asked permission to have the poops3 razed. You have obtained the permission, and yet M. de Bellisle has started without having them razed.

We shall not have war with the Dutch so soon.

I have the honour to be, very perfectly, Sir, your very humble and very obedient Servant,

1 ['Procès verbal.'-TR.]

D'HEGUERTY.

2 [The meaning of this commercial term has not been traced.-TR.]
[Dunettes-here mentioned in the plural.—TR.]

MONSIEUR WALSH

Paris, 7th April 1745.

I HAVE received, Sir, the honour of yours of the 1st of this month, in which you inform me of the departure of the Apollon. May his divine rays light a number of English vessels into our Ports. If the ship is a fast sailor I hope for some, if she is heavy I despair of any. Orders will be given at the Ports to replace the sailors who may be lacking to the vessel where she touches. You no longer mention to me your Du Tillet. Shall you not send her or some other little frigate with the Apollon? It seems to me absolutely necessary for the success of her cruise. Mr. Ruttelidge will send the Elisabeth to cruise in the North. I have no interest in this vessel, nor anything to arrange with this individual.

You cannot sufficiently occupy yourself with our great affair; consider maturely with Mr. Buttler all the measures which human knowledge and prudence suggest; represent to yourself first all the obstacles and difficulties which an enterprise of this importance may encounter, that nothing, not one difficulty, may escape you; foresee them all, if possible, to forestall them, that nothing may retard the expedition nor occasion its failure. Work up the plan together, so that the Minister, already favourably prepared, may see as in a picture by a master-hand, that you know perfectly what we have to undertake, and that the Memoir may be reasoned out and so circumstantial that he may have nothing more to desire.

Regulate first the number of vessels necessary for this expedition. I speak first of War ships, then of transports; also of the number of marines, and whom you propose to command these vessels, and the soldiers who are to be landed; from what place and at what time you will dispatch your provisions; where you will have them taken to be stored, so as to conceal from the Enemy the knowledge of our design, for you doubtless understand that these vessels. would only carry provisions for 3 or 4 months.

Not only will it be necessary to provide provisions for this squadron for 8 or 10 months, but also provisions for the troops which may be left yonder (if we succeed) for a year or more.

Do you intend to employ the Apollon in this expedition? When you have well worked and revised your ideas with Mr. Buttler, it will be absolutely necessary that one of you two should come here for a fortnight. Adieu, my dear Sir, count upon my Sentiments of true attachment.

I have the honour to be your very humble and very obedient Servant, D'HEGUERTY.

MONSIEUR WALSH

Fitz-James, 12th April 1745.

THE offers which you have already made to me of your services give me reason to hope that I may presently receive from you one which is of the greatest importance to me. Mr. Rutlidge, to whom I have entrusted this for you, will explain more particularly what it is about. You can have faith in all he will tell you about it from me, but I take it upon myself to assure you that I shall preserve for you a very exact recollection of the zeal which you may evince to me on this occasion. I recommend above all to you as well as to him an inviolable secrecy with regard to every kind of person, whoever it may be, without exception, and in the second place extreme diligence. A Dieu.

Your good friend,
CHARLES P.

MONSIEUR WALSH'S REPLY TO THE PRINCE'S LETTER OF 12TH APRIL1

MY LORD,-My zeal for your Cause has no limits, and I am prepared to undertake anything where the service of Your Royal Highness is concerned, who I hope will allow me to go to Paris to represent to him by word of mouth what cannot be said by letter owing to the risk it runs of falling into the hands of his enemies, who cover the seas on all sides. If after my representations Your Royal Highness persists in wishing to undertake the passage I will willingly give him a little frigate, a good sailor, which I will cause 1 [Communicated by V. Hussey Walsh, Esq., 1893.-TR.]

« ForrigeFortsett »