to the succession of Tuscany and Parma. And being thoroughly convinced by the advice from all quarters, that the union and intimacy between Spain and the Emperor, if not broken, was become very weak and cold; and that the Queen of Spain was at present sincerely disposed to be reconciled with the Hanover Allies, if they did not lose the opportunity of gratifying her in that darling point, of securing the succession of Tuscany and Parma to her son Don Carlos; and therefore they had thought proper to send the English and French Ministers in Spain new instructions, which were sent away the 3rd of June, O. S., a copy of which instructions was sent over, and were instructions to Mr Keene and Mr Brancas, that in case their Catholic Majesties would not be satisfied with Swiss garrisons, either neutral or in the pay of Spain, to declare the consent of their masters to Spanish garrisons, on condition that the preliminaries be fully and immediately executed, and all our demands satisfied. And if in fifteen days' time after this proposal they should find there was nothing more to hope for, whether by refusal to give an answer, or the answer did not tend to a speedy conclusion, they should present a memorial, and thereby declare that the Kings of Great Britain and France should think themselves obliged immediately to take measures the most convenient to procure themselves reparation for those grievances suffered by the inexecution of the preliminaries.

It was thought that on this new method taken, seeing there could not possibly be an answer till the beginning of July, the fleet should stay till that time, and that if a satisfactory answer did not then come, that part of the fleet should sail to Gibraltar, and another part to the West Indies.

Tuesday, 17th.-At Lord Godolphin's about eleven o'clock in the morning; there were present, Lord Godolphin, myself, Lord Trevor, Duke of Newcastle, Earl of Scarborough, Duke of Grafton, and Sir Robert Walpole. We were informed that at Hanover, the opinion there was against the present sailing of the fleet; and there was a letter read, that came that morning from Lord Townshend, to acquaint us from the King, that the last time that the English and Dutch fleet were formed, all our orders to our fleet were sent to the Dutch for their concurrence, and they joined with us in everything, and that the same must be done now. I found, by Sir Robert Walpole, that he was very uneasy at the junction of the Dutch fleet with ours at Portsmouth, wondered how they came there, and that it would not facilitate but retard our operations. This made me think that this, in some measure, sprung from a misunderstanding between him and Lord Townshend, which to me was visible; and that Townshend, whilst he was in Holland, on his way to Hanover, procured the Dutch fleet to come, who were originally designed for the Baltic; and it seemed odd to me that they should come in this

manner, without any concert with us, or any determination what to do.

On the whole, seeing the fleet could not sail till an answer came from Spain, which could not be till about the middle of July, we agreed that the Duke of Newcastle should write to Lord Townshend with names of us present; that we were entirely of opinion that a good correspondence should be kept with the States General, but desired that the King would forthwith order Lord Chesterfield to agree with the Dutch upon the orders proper to be given to the fleet, in case of a dissatisfactory answer from Spain; that so no time may then be spent in concerting measures about our actions, but they may be speedily executed,

After this there was read a draught of a letter from the Duke of Newcastle to Hunter, Governor of Jamaica, to take off an embargo that he had hastily laid upon the ships there, and to let all the trade ships come away.

When this was done, I came away to go to Westminster Hall— What was done afterwards I know not, and if anything afterwards done was writ in my name as well as others, it was because I was there the beginning, but went away before anything else was done but that which is above written.

The aforesaid letter that came from Lord Townshend was dated at Hanover June, 1729, to the Duke of Newcastle, wherein he writes him, that his Majesty had ordered him to acquaint his Grace, that since the States have resolved to join their squadron to his Majesty's fleet at Portsmouth, and it is probable that Admiral Somelsdyke may be already there with the ships under his command, in order to preserve the great harmony and concert that subsists between the King and the States, it will be necessary for the future, when any orders are to be sent to Sir Charles Wager, that they should be transmitted to Lord Chesterfield, to be by his Lordship previously communicated to the Pensionary and Greffier; that having been the constant practice during the last war, whenever the fleets of the two nations were united.

I afterwards saw the copy of what the Duke of Newcastle sent to the Lord Townshend, in a letter dated June 17th, 1729, as the said resolutions and advice of the said Lords here. The Duke writes, that their Lordships came to the resolution mentioned in the enclosed minute, which was taken in their presence, and is, by the Queen's command, as well as their Lordships' request, transmitted to Lord Townshend to be laid before the King. The minute enclosed was this.

"At the Earl of Godolphin's, June 17th, 1729, Present-Lord Chancellor, Duke of Grafton, Earl of Scarborough, Lord Privy Seal, Earl of Godolphin, Sir R. Walpole, Duke of Newcastle.

"My Lord Townshend's letter of the June, having by the

20th June,

let July,

Queen's command been laid before the Lords, their Lordships are humbly of opinion that Lord Townshend should be wrote to, acquainting his Lordship that the Lords here were always of opinion that a good correspondence should be kept up with the States General, and upon that principle did humbly offer it to his Majesty's consideration in the last letter to my Lord Townshend (I was not present when this letter was agreed on or wrote, and never saw it) that the orders to be sent to the united fleets should be in concert with them and in consequence of the same opinion, their Lordships do now humbly offer it to his Majesty as their advice, that immediate orders should be sent to Lord Chesterfield to prevail with the States without loss of time to send orders to their Admiral to sail and act in conjunction with his Majesty's fleet, upon the first notice of an unsatisfactory answer from the Court of Spain, that the time of action and execution may not be lost in further concerting measures for it. But their Lordships beg leave still to give it as their humble advice, that whatsoever is to be done in the West Indies, should be singly done by his Majesty's fleet, for the reasons mentioned in the letter, in which case their Lordships think a previous concerting the less necessary, which might possibly disappoint the success of it. In a letter afterwards received from Lord Townshend, directed to the Duke of Newcastle from Hanover, he writes, that his Majesty had agreed to the introduction of Spanish garrisons into the places of Tuscany and Parma, and that the States had also agreed to enter into this engagement with Spain, which, considering the conduct throughout the whole negotiation with respect to the quadruple alliance and for some years since, the King had little reason to expect they would have obliged themselves. However, it was of great importance to his Majesty, because it engages them jointly with us in all the consequences that our guarantee of the abovementioned garrisons to Spain may draw upon us, and may likewise be a great inducement to Spain to accept of our last proposal. He writes, moreover, that the King agrees entirely with the Lords of the Council in their opinion, that if the Court of Spain should endeavour by their answer still to amuse and avoid coming to a conclusion with us, and nothing of consequence should be attempted against the Spaniards this Summer, it will not be hard to foresee what ill effect it may have, not only throughout the whole kingdom, but in the next session of Parliament. And therefore his Majesty is of the same sentiment with your Grace and their Lordships, that a certain day should be fixed for the united squadrons to sail after the expiration of the term prescribed to the Ministers at Madrid, to give in a second memorial, in case the Court of Spain should not comply with what had been proposed. And accordingly he writes by his Majesty's command to his Ministers in France and Holland to press the Cardinal and the Pensionary upon that subject, and to

endeavour to bring France and the States to consent to the fixing of a day, as their Lordships have proposed.

As to the operations of the English and Dutch squadrons, proposed to be undertaken at the same time, both upon the coast of Spain and in the West Indies, the two squadrons being now joined, nothing can be determined as to his Majesty's squadron sailing alone to the West Indies, till the sentiments of the States are known upon that head, and my Lord Chesterfield is directed to sound the Pensionary as to the share the Republic will like most to take in the projected operations both in Europe and America. At the same time the King is apprehensive that the Dutch will not care to let their whole squadron lie without detachments before Cadiz, to hinder the flota or the galleons from sailing from thence to the West Indies, and leave the trade of their subjects in America to be protected only by the King's fleet in those parts. Especially considering the exceeding great losses they have suffered from the Spaniards there, and the interest they have themselves to defend their trade, to take and destroy the Spanish men-of-war and guarda costas, their bitter enemies, and to avenge and repair their own immense sufferings in that part of the world. Wherefore, as it appears probable to his Majesty that the Dutch will be inclined to join some of their ships to those of the King's that shall be ordered to the West Indies, which cannot be refused them if they desire it; his Majesty is of opinion that this part of their Lordships' scheme, which relates to the operation of his fleet alone in those seas, should be kept secret, since the States would most certainly oppose it, and the proposing it to them would most certainly break the union which subsists between them and his Majesty, which would be fatal at this juncture. Besides, the sailing of the joint squadron thither upon some general concert, in common for annoying the Spaniards and protecting the trade of both nations, will not hinder his Majesty from sending some more ships in a reasonable time after, with four Irish battalions on board, under pretence of strengthening our garrisons in those parts, in order to put in execution any attempt on Porto Rico, or any other place of the Spanish dominions there. Such particular expeditions have been several times undertaken in the last war without any communication with our allies, and cannot reasonably be excepted against in case a war should be actually begun with Spain-and this may be done without putting the nation to any greater expense, by finding some pretence to keep back so many of Sir Charles Wager's squadron as may be thought necessary to convey the troops that shall be sent to the West Indies. As to the two thousand men which his Majesty offered to put on board his 31st May, it was in fleet going to the coast of Spain, in my letter of answer to their address of the 1st of June, N. S., wherein they de

11th June,

sired his Majesty's thoughts as to the operations which they should

suggest to the Cardinal for acting jointly against Spain, in case the conduct of that Court should oblige the allies to come to an immediate rupture with them; and as his Majesty thinks it of the greatest consequence to engage France to come to open hostilities with Spain, if the Cardinal likes the proposal of embarking troops on board our fleet, to be sent to the Spanish coast to assist the French in any operations on that side, his Majesty, besides the four Irish battalions designed to execute the scheme in the West Indies, would have two English battalions ordered on board Sir Charles Wager's fleet, which will suffice for that purpose, and may engage the French, according to his Majesty's intentions, to act generally with us in the war against Spain.

1729, August 7th, Thursday.—On a letter from Sir Robert Walpole, desiring me to dine with him this day, and other Lords whom the King principally intrusts with his affairs to advise the Queen during his absence, I went there, and dined with him, Lord Trevor, Duke of Newcastle, and Lord Torrington. After dinner he imparted to us two letters from Lord Townshend, intimating the King's pleasure, that as to the affairs of Spain and the fleet, the orders should be given here immediately, without transmitting them to Hanover, and that the King had given orders to the plenipotentiaries at Paris to receive their orders from hence without expecting them from Hanover. Then he informed us, that Tuesday night, the 5th of August, the Duke of Newcastle had received from Mr Keene the proposals of Spain, delivered by the Marquis del Paz and Mr Patino, which we were desired to consider. These proposals were very plain and express in what Spain desired, but very dark and unintelligible as to what we were to have. Too much was desired on their side, and it did not plainly appear what would be granted by But considering the circumstances of the times, and that it appeared plainly by Spain delivering the effects of the galleons, and promising to deliver the cedulas, and from other facts, that Spain was in a disposition to conclude a treaty with us, though the Ministers of Spain would not speak out plainly what they would do for us, but would rather that it should come from us; therefore we were of opinion that the Queen should write to our Plenipotentiaries at Paris, that the project delivered by the Marquis del Paz to Mr Keene was crude, obscure, and unsatisfactory. But that, however, with proper alterations and amendments, it might be made sufficient for obtaining a general pacification; and therefore to direct the plenipotentiaries to draw up in form such articles as to them should seem proper, and to do it in concert with the French and Dutch. It was likewise thought by us, that until further news from Spain, meaning as to the delivery of the effects of the galleons and the cedulas, the fleet should stay in the place where they now are.

them to us.

It was by a letter from Lord Townshend, dated 19th of August,