the contrary, we let no opportunity flip of making Overtures of Peace our felves, upon the leaft glimpfe of hopes it might be done with fuccefs. Having in order to that kept our Embaffador in England, during the best part of the War; and having ftill, fince his coming away, offer'd from time to time to his Majefty of Great Britain, the very Alternative upon which Peace was at laft concluded (which was either to keep what had been conquer'd on either fide, or to reftore all reciprocally) without feeking to make any advantage of the Conjunction of France, which had then declar'd in our behalf.

All this doth fufficiently fhew how zealous we have always been for Peace; and even without any other proof, one may eafily imagine we'll ever be defirous of what is the true Foun dation of the Happiness of our Country, as it is the Support of our Trade.

All thofe that are in any meafure acquainted with the ftate of our Affairs, can't but know that a War by Sea, fuch as this we are engag'd in now, is of all Rocks, that which at all times we'll avoid with the greatest Care, and that nothing but an inevitable Neceffity can bring us to the Taking up of Arms; in cafe they will but grant us ever fo little Prudence and Wifdom, altho they would not own we keep our Treaties (as we may truly fay we have ever done) out of a Principle of Confcience and Honour. And therefore the Proofs which England doth inftance in, of our averfenefs to Peace, and of the perpetual Infraction of our Treaties, muft needs carry a ftrong Demonftration with them, to make good a Paradox that is fo much against all Senfe and Reafon. Let us then examine in order thofe pretended Infractions, and fee how far the Compilers of the Manifeflo do make it appear we have yiolated the Peace of Breda.

FOR Inftance; The States were

FOR

particularly engag'd in an ArTHE firit Infraction they

complain of, and which ticle of the Treaty at Breda, to in all likelihood ought to be Jend Commiffioners to Us at Lon-very confiderable, fince it leads don, about the Regulation of our the Van, hath four feveral Trade in the East-Indies: But Branches: 1. That we were they were fo far from doing it upon bound by the aforefaid Treaty that Obligation, that when we fent of Breda, to fend Commiffioners over Our Ambafador to put them to London, to regulate the Eaftin mind of it, he could not in three India Trade; which we have years time get from them any fa- not done. 2. That this forc'd tusfallion in the material Points, the King of Great Britain to nor a forbearance of the Wrong fend us an Embaffador, to put which Our Subjects receiv'd in us in mind of what we had thote Parts promis d

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promis'd. 3. That the faid Embaffador could not in three time from us any fatisfaction in the material Points; years nor, 4. A forbearance of the Wrongs which the Subjects of his faid Majefty receiv'd in those Parts.

get

Whereupon we can't but take notice, that this, in all probability, is the firft Manifeflo in the World that ever began with an Article, whereof every part is a mere Suppofition; and wherein, of all the Matter of Fact that is alledg'd, there is not the leaft Point agreeable to Truth. For, 1. Let the whole Treaty of Breda be read and examin'd with Care, no Claufe will be found whereby either in exprefs or equivalent Terms, we were bound to fend Commiffioners to London; much less to fend any thither for the Regulation of the East-India Trade, Which which is not fo much as mention'd in all the Treaty. makes us wonder at the furprizing Boldness of those who dare publifh and aver, in the fight of all Europe, a thing which doth confute it felf; and the Falfhood whereof may be evinc'd, by producing only the very Treaty they do quote and ground themselves upon. 2. How is it poffible the King of Great Britain fhould fend us an Ambaffador, to put us in mind of that which never was, and which we could not have promised, fince it had not been fo much as spoken of? 3. What Effential Points could have been mov'd upon an imaginary Claufe and Engagement? and there being nothing in that refpect agreed upon by the Treaty of Breda, what fatisfaction could they demand from us? 4. We may with Sincerity and Truth affirm, that hitherto we have not heard that our Eaft-India Company, fince the laft Peace, hath done any wrong to, or committed any Violence against the Subjects of the King of Great Britain; and withal, that his Embaffador never complain'd to as of it in the leaft; which undoubtedly he would have done, if there had been any ground for it. But to demonstrate further the Injuftice of this Complaint, and how ill grounded it is, we are affured from good hands, that the Committee of the English East-India Company, having been defir'd by the Court to bring in their Grievances, with a Lift of the Inju ries they had receiv'd in the Indies fince the Treaty of Breda; they answer'd in writing, They had receiv'd none.

But what is little lefs furprizing than all the reft, is, that they lay to our charge to have violated the Treaty of Breda in relation to the East-India Trade, which is not mention'd in it, inftead of returning us Thanks for what we have done in that refpect, without being bound to't by any Treaty; and merely to let the King and all the English Nation fee at what rate we were willing to purchase and to preserve their Friendhip. In few words, the thing was thus

The

The Peace which was treated of at Breda being much defir'd by the greateft part of Europe, and the time being too fhort to enter into a particular Negotiation for a Treaty of Marine between England and us, it was agreed to make use provifionally of that which we had concluded with France in the Year 1662, beginning from the 26th Article, to the 42d inclufively; it being refolv'd at the fame time that, after the Peace concluded, Commiffioners fhould be chofen on both fides to agree upon a more particular Regulation of Marine, s for the reciprocal Eafe and Convenience of the Merchants of both Nations: Which kind of Treaties being only to determine the Countraband Goods, and to prevent the Interruption, which War commonly caufeth in the Trade of Neutral Nations, is altogether different from a Regulation of Trade in the Eaft-Indies. Moreover, the Winter following England having defign'd the Prefervation of the Spanish Netherlands, and having fent us Sir William Temple to enter into a Negotiation with us in order to it, we concluded in a little time three feveral Treaties with him; viz. The one a Defenfive League between Us; The other for the Defence of the Low-Countries, which afterwards was call'd the Triple Alliance; and the third an abfolute Treaty of Marine, which was concluded on the February 1668, and which left no room for the Nomination of the Commiffioners that had been fpoken of at Breda, fince this Treaty had fettled what they fhould have treated about, and that there was nothing to be added to a formal and abfolute Regulation,

of

After the Conclufion of this Treaty, fome English Merchants did reprefent to the Court, that fome Articles of it were doubtful and impracticable; whereupon Sir William Temple deliver'd us a Memorial, dated the 26th of November 1668, without mentioning therein the Eaft-India Trade: and on the first of December following he gave our Commiffioners two Articles of the Treaty of Marine, which were complain'd of, and added to them four Articles more, to be as a Rule between the two Companies in their Eaft-India Trade; but which, in truth, were mere Demands the English Company made for their private advantage. Whereupon we muft not omit, that neither in the Memorials which the faid Embaffador gave us, nor in all the Conferences he had with our Deputies, he never mention'd in the leaft the Treaty of Breda, and did never ground his Demands either upon the faid Treaty, or upon any other Engagement or Obligation on our part.

The whole was imparted to our Affembly on the very fame day; where after a ferious Debate, altho we might have refus'd to make any Alteration in a Treaty which had been Con

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cluded

cluded and Ratified in the ufual Forms: That withal, as to what related to the Articles which the English East-India Company had procur'd to be deliver'd to us, we were not bound by any Treaty, or other Engagement, to enter with them into a Regulation of the East-India Trade, much lefs to grant them feveral Points, which were all for their private advantage, without any poffibility for us to reap reciprocally the leaft benefit of the faid Regulation; which was alfo directly contrary to the Laws generally receiv'd in, and to the common ufe of the Indies. And lastly, that they complain'd of no wrong (as indeed they could not have done it with any Juftice) done to them by our Company: And thus had fo much the less caufe to urge for a more particular Regulation, whilft there was no neceffity for it. Yet we thought fit to pafs by all thofe Confiderations, and to give to his Majefty of Great Britain, and to all the Englijb Nation, this new Proof of the fingular Efteem we had of their Friendship, and of our defire to tie the Knot of our Union yet fafter, and to make it, if it were poffible, indiffoluble. Upon which ground we order'd our Commiffioners to prepare an Anfwer to the Propofals of the aforefaid Embaffidor, and to confer with him in order to a speedy conclufion of that Work. And all we can fay in general of the faid Negotiation, the Particulars whereof would be too tedious for those that are not vers'd in thofe matters, is, That of four principal Points which were propos'd by the faid Embaffador, we granted and agreed upon three; and without rejecting the fourth, we only defir'd a further clearing of fome ambiguous Claufes one of the Articles contain'd, which, intead of fettling a good Correfpondence between the two Com panies, might have occafion'd new Debates, and have prov'd of dangerous confequence.

And the better to evidence how defirous we were to give all poffible fatisfaction to England, being fenfible that the Letters which were written on both fides, did not fufficiently clear all Doubts, we fent the Sieur Van Beuningen chiefly to put an end to the faid Treaty between the two Companies. But whether the English Minifters, who were appointed to treat with him as Commiffioners, were unwilling to explain themfelves more particularly upon the ambiguous Claufes, whereof a further clearing was demanded, left they thould difcover the unjust Senfe wherein they intended to take them afterwards; Or that they were afraid left the conclufion of that Treaty fhould have united more strictly both Nations, and fo might have prov'd a new Obftacle to the War they already defign'd at that time, the faid Van Beuningen could obtain no pofitive Answer upon what he defir'd, and came back without

any

any progrefs made in his Negotiation; which could not be renew'd ince, by reafon of the mifunderftanding, which fl encreas'd from that time, unto the breaking out of the War.

which did belong to the English, and which fome Ships we had fent thither, mafter'd during the late War, on the 6th of March 1667. N. S.

At the taking of it, our Officers granted to the Inhabitants a Capitulation; wherein, amongst other things, it was exprefs'd, that whenever any of the faid Inhabitants fhould have a mind to remove out of the Colony, they should have leave to fell their Eftates; and that in fuch cafe the Gover

Transportation, together with their Effects, at a reasonable Rate.

cle in the fame Treaty, we were to reftore Surinam into their hands; and by Articles upon the place confirm'd by that Treaty, they were to give Liberty to all Our Sub-| jes in that Colony, to transport themselves and their Eltates into any other of Our Plantations. In pursuance of this Agreement, We deliver'd up the Place, and yet they detain'd all Our Men in it; only Major Banifter they fent away Prifoner, for but defiring to remove according to the Articles. Our Ambafador complaining of this behaviour, after two years follicita-nour fhould take care for their tion, obtain'd an Order for the performance of those Articles: But when We fent Commiffioners, and two Ships to bring Our Men away, the Hollanders (according to their former practice in the business of Poleroon for above forty years together) fent private Orders contradictory to thofe they had own'd to Us in publick; and fo the only effect of Our Commiffioners journey thither, was to bring away fome few of the poorest of Our Subjects, and the Prayers and Cries of the May 1667, and that we most confiderable and wealthiest of were then yet in poffeffion of them, for relief out of that Cap- Surinam, the faid Colony did tivity. After this, We made Our belong to us, and was to be Complaints by Our Letter in Au- reftor'd us by the Treaty aforeguft last to the States General, faid; as it was at last (after wherein We defir'd an Order to long delays, and many reiteratheir Governours there, for the full ted Inftances from us) by vir. obfervance of thofe Articles; yet to tue of an Order of the King this time We could never receive of Great Britain, dated the 8th ene word of anfwer or fatisfaction. of July 16658.

After we had had the faid Colony fome Months in our poffeffion, the English Forces conquer'd it again. But as by the Treaty of Breda it was a greed to furrender reciprocally, and transfer to each other all Right of Soveraignty to the Places which were poffefs'd on either fide on the

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Being