baggage at Quebec, in breach of the capitulation of that place; and the officer then fhewing me a map, which he had in his hand, I told him the limits marked in it were not juft, and verbally mentioned others, extending Louisiana on one fide, to the carrying-place of the Miamis, which is the height of the lands, whofe rivers run into the Quabache; and on the other to the head of the river of the Illinois.

What I have the honour to tell you, my lord, is strictly true: I am not afraid that the English can produce any proof of the contrary; for nothing paffed in writing on this head, nor was any line drawn on any map. I take the firft op portunity to acquaint you with this, to prevent any further impofition."

Memorial presented to the States General, in regard to the Felicite frigate, by the count d' Affy, ambassador of France. (See pag.68.) High and mighty lords,

OUR high mightineffes

mightineffes in the prefent war. Regardless of this declaration, and in contempt of the most facred laws, the captain of the Richmond took poffeffion of the frigate, after cannonading her in fuch a manner that feveral of the balls came up a great way in the Downs. He hoifted English colours on board the Felicite, took away every thing that could be removed, deftroyed the mafts and rigging which his cannon had fpared; and finding he could no longer continue his outrages, with impunity, determined to fet fire to the frigate, which was done accordingly.

Upon notice of this to the king my mafter of these things, his majefty commanded me to ask your high mightineffes to procure him reftitution of the Felicite frigate with her cargo, and indemnification for the lofs which his majefty and the owners have fuftained by this unjuft violence of the English.

His majefty is not only perfuaded, that your high mightineffes, fenfible of what you owe to yourfelves, and to the honour of the

palled on the 24th ult. with regard to the French frigate Felicite, which being purfued and attacked by three English fhips of war, was forced to thelter herself by running on fhore off s'Gravafande.

It was before the eyes of a multitude of inhabitants of this country, whom curiofity carried to s'Gravafande, that the captain of the Englith frigate, the Richmond, behaved on this occafion, in an unheard of manner. The captain of the French frigate being called to, to ftrike, made antwer, that he would furrender on no terms, as he counted upon the fafeguard of the neutrality obferved by your high

court of London, reparation not lefs authentic than juft, for the infult offered to your fovereignty, and to your neutrality, and for the violation of your territory on this occafion but his majefty farther expects, from the equity and friendfhip of your high mightineffes, that you will take efficacious meafures in England to procure him due fatisfaction.

I must not omit informing your high mightineffes, that the king my mafter is extremely fenfible, not only of the orders given to prevent, if it were yet time, the infult offered them, and the pillaging and, fetting fire to the French frigate,

but

but alfo of the behaviour of the fubjects of the republic on that occafion, and the affiftance his people receive from them.

The king, my mafter, hath the more ground to expect that the republic will take the most serious fteps in this affair, as they have great reafon to be pleased with that fingular protection which the trade and navigation of their fubjects enjoy in France. Your high mightineffes have a fresh proof of the king my mafter's favour towards you, in his ordering the fhip Eendragt, with her cargo, to be reftored, with damages and cofts. Hague, Feb. 16, 1761.

Comte D'AFFRY.

The declaration of the French king to the court of Sweden delivered by his ambassador at Stockholm, on the fourth of February, which seems to have laid the foundation of the negociations that have since been carried on for assembling a congress; and is in other respects a paper of some importance.

THE

HE moft chriftian king, moved by the calamities of war, which are every where fufficiently known, thinks it his indifpenfable duty to inform his allies, and particularly the king and crown of Sweden, that his humanity, as well as his regard to that nation in particular over whom he reigns, makes him defirous that all his allies would concur with him in reftoring peace to Europe.

As to the adjufting of the differences which concern France and Great Britain only, his majefty will abundantly fhew his moderation on that head, when Great

Britain difcovers any difpofition to liften to reasonable terms.

For which reafon his majesty is principally defirous to lay before his very faithful allies, his fentiments of the German war; both as a guarantee of the peace of Weftphalia jointly with the crown of Sweden, and relative to the treaties and engagements he hath entered into with the emprefs, queen, the emprefs of Ruffia, and the king of Sweden.

In the courfe of this war, his moft chriftian majefty and the crown of Sweden, have done their utmost to perform the obligations of their guaranty, both with regard to their fupport of the three religions eftablished in the empire, and to the neceffary measures for oppofing, with a fufficient force, the invafions

of the Pruffians, and weakening the king of Pruffia, fo much, as to leave no room to apprehend his future enterprizes.

Nothing now remains to complete the full difcharge of those obligations, but to procure indemnification to his majesty the king of Poland, and the emprefs queen. On this head, his majefty applies with the utmost frankness, to the king and crown of Sweden, and to his other allies, in order to settle thofe indemnifications on a folid footing, and to confult together on the nature of them, and the poffibility of their being obtained. And on this occafion his majesty thinks it indifpenfably neceffary to confider how far the indemnifications demanded may be confistent with the intereft of the guarantees of the treaty of Weftphalia, as that treaty doth not oblige them to facrifice the effential interefts of their own dominions, to procure fuch ample indemnifications as the injured

powers

powers may think themselves entitled to claim.

However facred the engagements his majesty hath entered into may be, ftill they are fubject to the natural laws of poffibility. As foon as the fecurity fought appears to be an object not near, the allied powers ought to communicate to one another their inmoft thoughts in order to their taking, in concert, without breach of their engagements, a resolution to-put an end, by a treaty of peace, to the calamities of war; and to prefer the welfare of their fubjects to the glory and advantages they may rive from continuing the war, efpecially as experience hath too often fhewn, that the moft juft and the beft concerted fchemes have, in an inftant, been defeated by the caprice of fortune.

de

His majefly does not think it poffible for the events of the enfuing campaign to change the fituation of the alliance. An accumula

these things induce the king to de clare, that he is conftrained to leffen his fubfidies, and that the profecution of the war hath confiderably diminished the fources of his finances; fo that his majesty cannot promife, in cafe the war fhould continue, an exact compliance with the letter of his engagements.

The fum of the whole is, That in return for the confidence which his majefty expreffes towards the crown of Sweden, that crown would immediately declare its fentiments on this head; and that the king of Sweden, animated by a zeal equal to his majesty's for the welfare of Europe, would confent to facrifice his perfonal interefts, as his mot chriftian majefty is determined to do; being otherwife firmly refolved, in cafe the enemies of the alliance fhould refufe to enter into

his pacific views, to employ, jointly with his faithful allies, his whole force to compel them to it; and he earneftly intreats his allies, to redouble their efforts, to put themfelves in a fituation fuitable to their natural ftrength, and the great obje in view.

Two days after the delivery of this memorial, the king of Sweden gave for anfwer, That it was his intention to join with the moft chriftian king and his other allies, in proper meatures for bringing to a happy conelufion the falutary work of peace.

The following are the most remarkalle passages in a second memorial presented by the French ambassador at Stockholm, on the seventh of March.

H

IS moft chriftian maieffy remains most firmly refolved

an end to the war in Germany without the knowledge and participation of his allies. The high The high aflies ought to lay it down as their firft and invariable principle, to go hand in hand in their political operations, that the union between them, and particularly between France and Sweden, may fubfift in time of peace, as it has done during the courfe of a bloody war, from which we have derived very little advantage.

In the prefent fituation of things one effential point, as well toSweden as to France, and the other allied courts, is to continue to have the fame way of thinking; it is particularly fo to the two former powers, in quality of guarantees of the treaty of Weftphalia, as being the first motive that induced them to employ their forces in Germany.

As the emprefs queen, and the emprefs of all the Ruffias, have already explained themselves on the fatal confequences that may refult from a farther profecution of the war, and the little probability that the events of the enfuing campaign will be more decifive than thofe of the former campaigns; and as the two empreffes have even proceeded fo far as to declare, that they were ready to join in measures for reftoring the tranquillity of Europe, and would give up, for the welfare of their fubjects, a part of the indemnification they had a right to claim all this gives room to hope that the well-known humanity and magnanimity of thofe two princeffes will induce them to put a fpeedy end to the fufferings of their fubjects.

In confequence of which the moft chriftian king promifes himfelf, that the king of Sweden's

magnanimity will engage him, after the example of the two empreffes, to give up fomething for the peace of Europe, and the happiness of the human race. His moft chriftian majefty therefore only defires, that the king and crown of Sweden will, in conjunction with him, declare that they will fet up no claim in Germany, but what relates to the fatisfaction of their allies, as a confequence of their guaranty of the peace of Weftphalia.

In this cafe, his moft chriftian majefty, in order to give the king and crown of Sweden a fubstantial proof of his friendship, and fincere defire to procure for them, as far as poffible, fome indemnification for the loffes they have fuffered, will, immediately on the conclufion of a peace, enter into a new fubfidy treaty with them, which fhall be of furh a nature, as may, from year to year, while it lafts, make them amends for their loffes by the prefent war.

The French ambaffador afks, in the fequel of this memorial, whether it is not the opinion of the king of Sweden, as it is his moft chriftian majefty's, that a fufpenfion of arms fhould be immediately agreed to; and whether, to obviate many obftacles and inconveniencies, which are unavoidable in a congrefs, they might not hold two congrefies; that is to fay, the allied courts might give their minifters, refiding in France the neceffary full powers to treat of peace; and the adverfe potentates might alfo fend full powers to their minifters at London; fo that a negociation for a general peace might be carried on with the king of England and the minifters of his allies, directly by his moft chriftian majefty, and the ministers of his allies. The ambaffador

enlarge,

enlarges upon the advantages of this manner of treating, which would be the cafieft; and concludes with afking the king and crown of Sweden, in confideration of the feafon's being fo far advanced when every moment is precious to give a fpeedy anfwer to every article of his memorial.

The following declaration, in the name, and on the part of her majesty the empress queen of Hungary and Bohemia, was made and signed at Paris, the 26th of March 1701, by her minister at that court, the count of Starhemberg, and was delivered at London, the 31st of March by prince Galitzin, envoy extraordinary from the empress of all the Rus

sias.

Declaration of her majesty the empress apostolick queen of Hungary and Bohemia.

T

II E difpofitions for peace, very agreeable to the fentiments of all the parties engaged in the war, which the king of England and Pruffia fhewed laft year, having met with difficulties, which have prevented their fuccefs, the courts of Vienna, Peterburgh, France, Stockholm, and Warfaw, are unanimoully agreed to invite thofe of London and Berlin, to refume a negociation, fo falutary for the happinefs of the world, and which mult intereft the humanity of all the powers at war.

In this view, and in order to their being able to proceed to the re-eftablishing of peace, they propofe the affembling of a congrefs, to which they think it may be proper to admit only the plenipotentiaries of the principal belligerent parties, with thofe of their allies. If the kings of England and Pruf

fia adopt this method, her majesty the emprefs queen, the empress of Ruffia, the moft chriftian king, the king of Sweden, and the king of Poland elector of Saxony, propofe the city of Augfburg, for the place of the congrefs, obferving, that their majefties point out Augf burg no otherwife, than as a town within diftance of all the parties concerned, which, from its fituation, appears to fuit with the convenience of all the ftates; and that they will not reject the choice of any other city in Germany, if their Britannick and Pruffian majefties may deem it more convenient.

The emprefs queen, the empress of Ruflia, the moft chriftian king, the king of Sweden, and the king of Poland elector of Saxony, declare, moreover, that they have chofen the plenipotentiaries, who will be entrusted with the care of their interefts at the congrefs, in hopes that the king of England, the king of Pruflia, and the allies, will, on their part, fpeedily make choice of their respective minifters, that the negotiation may not be deferred.

The fimplicity of this declaration, which, for the general welfare, the courts of Vienna, Peterburgh, France, Stockholm, and Warfaw, have determined to make to the courts of London and Berlin, gives them hopes, that ther Britannick and Pruffian majefties will be pleafed, by a speedy answer, to make their fentiments known; upon an object fo effential to the repofe and happiness of Europe. Done at Paris, the 26th of March

1761, by order, and in the name, of her imperial, royal, and apoHolick majefty.

COUNT STARHEMBERG

M.B.