belonging to the barrier; and which, as well as the caftle of Gand, can only ferve to make the States-General masters of the Low Countries, and hinder trade with England. And as to Lier and Halle, thofe who are acquainted with the country know that these towns cannot give any fecurity to the States-General; but can only make people believe, that thefe places being fortified would rather ferve to block up Bruffels and the other great cities of Brabant.

Secondly, As to what is faid in the feventh article of the counter-project of England, relating to the augmentation of garrifons in the towns of the barrier in cafe of an open war; this is agreeable to the opinions of the faid Prince and Count; who think likewise, that there ought to be added to the eighth article, that no goods or merchandife should be fent into the towns where the StatesGeneral shall have garrifons, nor be comprehended under the names of fuch things as the faid garrifons and fortifications fhall have need of. And that to this end the faid things fhall be infpected in thofe places where they are to pafs; as likewife the quantity fhall be fettled that the garrifons may want.

Thirdly, As to the ninth article relating to the governors and commanders of those towns, forts, and places where the States-General fhall have their garrifons; the faid Prince and Count are of opinion, that the faid governors and commanders ought to take an oath as well to the King of Spain as to the States-General: but they may take a particular oath to the latter, that they will not admit foreign troops without their confent; and that they will depend exclufively upon the faid States in whatever regards the military power. But at the fame time they ought exclufively to promife the King of Spain, that they will not intermeddle in the affairs of law, civil power, revenues, or any other matters, ecclefiaftical or civil, unlefs at the defire of the King's officers to allift them in the execution in which cafe the faid commanders fhould be obliged not to refuse them.

Fourthly, As to the tenth article there is nothing to be added, unless that the States-General may repair and increase the fortifications of the towns, places, and forts where they fhall have their garrifons; but this at their

OWE

wn expence. Otherwise, under that pretext they might feize all the revenues of the country.

Fifthly, As to the eleventh article, they think the States ought not to have the revenues of the chatellanies and dependencies of these towns and places, which are to be their barrier against France; this being a fort of fovereignty, and very prejudicial to the ecclefiaftical and civil economy of the country. But the said Prince and Count are of opinion, that the States-General ought to have, for the maintenance of their garrifons and fortifications, a fum of money of a million and a half, or two millions of florins, which they ought to receive from the King's officers, who shall be ordered to pay that sum before any other payment.

Sixthly, And the convention which shall be made on this affair between his Catholic Majefty and the StatesGeneral fhall be for a limited time.

Thefe are the utmost conditions to which the faid Prince and Count think it poffible for his Catholic Maty to be brought; and they declare at the fame time, that their Imperial and Catholic Majesties will fooner abandon the Low Countries, than take them upon other enditions, which would be equally expenfive, fhameful, and unacceptable to them.

On the other fide, the faid Prince and Count are perfaded, that the advantages at this time yielded to the States-General inay hereafter be very prejudicial to themelves; forafmuch as they may put the people of the Spatch Netherlands to fome dangerous extremity, confiderFg the antipathy between the two nations; and that exding of frontiers is entirely contrary to the maxims their government.

As to the upper quarter of Guelder, the faid Prince Count are of opinion, that the States-General may be allowed the power of putting in garrifons into Venlo, remond, and Steffenfwaert, with orders to furnish the States with the revenues of the country, which atant to one hundred thousand florins.

As to Bonne, belonging to the electorate of Cologn, e, and Huy to the bishopric of Liege, it is to be untood, that thefe being Imperial towns, it doth not end upon the Emperor to coulent that foreign garri

fons

fons fhould be placed in them upon any pretence whatfo ever. But whereas the States-General demand them only for their fecurity, it is propofed 'to place in thofe towns a garrison of Imperial troops, of whom the States may be in no fufpicion, as they might be of a garrifon of an elector, who might poffibly have views oppofite to their interefts. But this is proposed only in cafe that it fhall not be thought more proper to raze one or other of the faid towns.

The Reprefentation of the English merchants at Bruges, relating to the Barrier-treaty.

DAVID WHITE, and other merchants, her Majesty's fubjects refiding at Bruges, and other towns in Flan ders, crave leave humbly to reprefent,

THAT whereas the cities of Lifle, Tournay, Me

nin, Douay, and other new conquefts in Flanders and Artois, taken from the French this war by the united forces of her Majefty and her allies, are now be come entirely under the government of the States-Gene ral; and that we her Majesty's fubjects may be made liable to fuch duties and impofitions on trade as the faid States> General shall think fit to impofe on us: we humbly hope and conceive, that it is her Majesty's intention and defign, that the trade of her dominions and fubjects, which is carried on with thefe new conquests, may be on an equal foot with that of the fubjects and dominions of the StatesGeneral, and not be liable to any new duty, when tranf ported from the Spanish Netherlands to the faid new conquefts, as to our great surprise is exacted from us on the following goods, viz. butter, tallow, falinon, hides, beef, and all other product of her Majefty's dominions, which we import at Oftend, and there pay the duty of entry to the King of Spain, and confequently ought not to be liable to any new duty, when they carry the fame goods, and all others, from their dominions by a free pass or tranfire to the faid new conqueft: and we are under apprehenfion, that if the faid new conquefts be fet-!

tled,

tled, or given entirely into the poffeffion of the StatesGeneral for their barrier, (as we are made believe by a treaty lately made by her Majelty's ambaffador, the Lord Viscount Townfhend, at the Hague), that the StatesGeneral may alfo foon declare all goods and merchandifes, which are contraband in their provinces, to be alfo contraband or prohibited in thefe new conquefts, or new barrier; by which her Majefty's fubjects will be deprived of the fale and confumption of the following products of her Majefty's dominions, which are and have long been declared contraband in the United Provinces, fuch as English and Scots falt, malt fpirits, or corn brandy, and all other forts of diftilled English fpirits, whale and rape oil, &c.

It is therefore humbly conceived, that her Majefty, cut of her great care and gracious concern for the benefit of her fubjects and dominions, may be pleafed to direct, by a treaty of commerce, or fome other way, that their trade may be put on an equal foot in all the Spanish Netherlands, and the new conquefts of bartier with the subjects of Holland, by paying no other duty than that of importation to the King of Spain; and by a provision, that no product of her Majefty's dominions fhall ever be declared contraband in these new conquefts, except fuch goods as were esteem ed contraband before the death of Charles II. King of Spain. And it is alfo humbly prayed, that the product and manufacture of the new conquefts may be alfo exported without paying any new duty, besides that of exportation at Oftend, which was always paid to the King of Spain; it being impoffible for any nation in Europe to affort an entire cargo for the Spanish West Indies without a confiderable quantity of feveral of the manufactures of Lifle; fuch as caradoros, cajant, picofes, boratten, and many other goods.

The chief things to be demanded of France are, to be exempted from tonnage, to have a liberty of importing herrings and all other fifh to France on the fame terms as the Dutch do, and as was agreed by them at the treaty of commerce immediately after the treaty of peace at Ryfwick. The enlarging her Majefty's plantations in America, &c. is naturally recommended.

VOL. II.

!

The

I

The EXAMINER*.

No 13. Thursday, November 2. 1710.

Longa eft injuria, longe

Ambages; fed fumma fequar faftigia rerum.

T is a practice I have generally followed, to converfe in equal freedom with the deferving men of both parties; and it was never without fome con tempt, that I have observed perfons wholly our of employment affect to do otherwife. I doubted, whether any man could owe so much to the fide he was of, although

he

In August, 1710, a weekly paper, called, The EXAMINER began to be published. It was efteemed to be the work of feveral eminent hands; among which were reckoned Lord Bo lingbroke, Dr Atterbury Bishop of Rochester, Mr-Prior, and fome others. However it came about, the general opinion is that thofe perfons proceeded no further than to the firft twelve papers: after which it feems to be agreed, that the undertaking was carried on by Dr Swift, who began with number 13 and ended at number 50. For although the paper continued many months after to be published, under the title of The Ex AMINER; yet, by the inequality of the performance,, it wa manifeft to all judicious perfons, that Dr Swift had not th leaft fhare in them. Dublin edition.

1711

As No 13. was the first of thefe papers written by Dr Swift No 44. was the laft. Six more have been printed in, the Trif edition; which is a proof, among many others, that he was no the editor. In a letter of his to Stella, dated June 7. the day on which the Examiner, No 44 was published, ther is the following paragraph. "As for the EXAMINER, I hav heard a whisper, that after that of this day, which tells wh this parliament has done, you will hardly find them fo good I prophefy they will be trafh for the future; and methink in this day's Examiner, the author talks doubtfully, as if would write no more; fo that if they go on, they may pro

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