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man you can leave in Spain, for he has never disobliged King Charles, and I think is of a temper to please him; and I confess I think there is the same reason that the king of Spain and his general should command in Spain as there was for the king of Portugal and his general in Portugal. This is my opinion only to you and her majesty, and if this should be thought reasonable, then Erle will be proper to be left, for I take it for granted that my Lord Galway neither can nor will stay.

"You will see by the letters I send Mr. Secretary Harley that the Saxon troops are desired for the Rhine, and that the emperor would give the command of the army on the Rhine to the elector of Hanover. I believe he will refuse it; so that army will be without any commander for at least one month longer."

From Lord Godolphin.

Windsor, Sunday, June 15–26. One letter of last post from the Hague tells us the Count de Noyelles has written a letter to the States, in which he is pleased to take great liberties with my Lord Galway. We think it pretty hard here, at the same time, that he who has been the visible occasion of our misfortunes in Spain, for two years successively, should have the confidence to lay the blame at the doors of others, who have suffered so much, and at so great an expense. And as most people are forward to think and say that nothing can succeed while Lord Galway is with the king of Spain, so here we shall enter into no expense, with much satisfaction, as long as we find the king continues under the same ill influence against us.

"As yet nothing has gone right for us, nor do I much like Mr. Robin. son's last letter from Leipsic; but whatever uneasiness happens to the court of Vienna, they deserve it richly, who would not, in all this time, send a general to the Rhine, though they have been pressed to do it, to my knowledge, ever since last Christmas.

"I reckon the duchess of Nemours's death engages us to assist the king of Prussia, as far as we can, in his pretensions to Neufchatel; but I am sorry it comes to bear at this time, for fear it may put him upon recalling his troops from Italy to take possession. I hope you will endeavour to prevent this consequence of it."

From Lord Sunderland.

*

"Whitehall, June 10-21. * What you say in relation to Lord Galway is very right, that nothing should be done hastily in a matter of that consequence; but the account that Colonel Wrede has brought sets that matter in quite another light, and I am afraid there is too much partiality in Lieutenant-general Erle to lay much weight upon what he writes to Lord Rivers. As for King Charles, it is plain Lord Galway is very ill with him; but I am afraid that will be the case, in a month's time, of any body else that may be sent, if they do their duty. When I have said this, I don't pretend to say, or judge, what is right or proper to be done with such a court as that of Barcelona."

"Meldert, June 20.

To the Duchess.

-I have had the happiness of your kind letter of the first of this month from St. Alban's. From my soul I wish I were

with you, but every day gives me less prospect of that happiness. Your reasoning for not venturing at this time agrees exactly with that of the Dutch; for my own part, I beseech God Almighty to put into my heart what is right. I am very apprehensive of the consequences on both sides, so that I am resolved not to let slip any favourable occasion, but will not undertake, unless others be of the same opinion.

"I have received a letter from General Erle, by which, and by every thing that comes from that country, I find there is such a contempt and anger against Lord Galway, that it will be impossible for him to continue with any satisfaction to himself, or advantage to the public; but if this be not the opinion of your friends *, I desire what I say may go for nothing. The being too much in the sun this day has made my head ache, so that I must end with assuring you, with the truth of my heart, of being entirely yours."

From Lord Godolphin.

"Friday, June 13--24. - Not having any thing from you since my last, nor likely to have before this post, I shall only trouble you with some farther reflections on the affairs of King Charles.

"I find Lord Halifax, Lord Somers, and their friends are pretty indifferent as to Lord Rivers, and unconcerned whether he is to return or not. But they are very uneasy to think of recalling Lord Galway, though sensible he must be useless; for they carry that matter so much farther as to think all these misunderstandings are industriously fomented by Count de Noyelles, whom they take to be the principal occasion and contriver of Lord Galway's misfortunes; for which reason they seem to think, unless he be called home either before or at the same time, with Lord Galway, it will look as if he had been in the right, in all he had suggested to the king of Spain, and all the reflections which belong to that matter must light upon Lord Galway and England.

"Now I know no remedy so probable for these difficulties as that, if any troops go to Spain from Italy, the emperor might order some proper person to take the command of the whole, and Count Noyelles and Galway be both recalled."

To Lord Godolphin.

"Meldert, June 23. I received yesterday yours of the 1st and 3d by the messenger. What you write of the court of Vienna is certainly right; but by the abstract I sent you by the last post, as well as by other letters, I am convinced they have no intelligence with France. Notwithstanding that, I have writ very plainly to them already, that if, upon any account whatsoever, the project concerted for the entry of France should miscarry, they must expect that all the fatal consequences would, with justice, be laid at their door. However, I shall obey your commands in writing, and at the same time propose to them the sending the greatest part of their detachment of Naples to the relief of King Charles in Catalonia. I hope you have not as yet told the Count de Gallas that the queen would be contented to pay them. If you have not, I beg you will

* The Whigs.

not let him nor Sir Philip Meadows* know any more than that the queen, as a mark of her zeal for the public good, and the particular concern she has for the person of King Charles, would be contented to allow a subsidy, towards the support of such troops as the emperor should send from that detachment of Naples. I am particular as to that detachment, so that they may not pretend to send any of their troops which are to enter France; for when that expedition is over I should be in hopes that we might be able to spare the king from that army the 7000 palatines, which are paid by England and Holland. That expense would not fall upon the queen alone, as I am afraid any other would do. For the Dutch have so much mind to peace, and so just a pretence to poverty, that it was with great difficulty I was able to persuade them to come into one half of the expense of the regiment of Bothmar. That regiment, and the Saxons, make together 5400 men. The money that is saved by the regiments of foot will more than pay the queen's part.'

"Meldert, June 23. — Believing it might be reasonable for you to show my long letter to some that may have a much better opinion of Lord Rivers than I have, I send you my opinion as to the command in Spain, apart, so that it may be known to none but yourself and her majesty. As I have already told you that it is impracticable for Lord Galway to continue in that service, and as you approve of the reasoning in Montandre's letter, the number of the queen's subjects in Spain will be too few for the command of Lord Rivers; so that the best for the service would be to give the command to General Erle, and leave no other officers with him, but what may be suitable to the number of men. And as the troops of necessity that go from Italy must be all foreigners, I think the chief command should be left to the king and his generals, and that General Erle should have directions to concern himself only with the queen's subjects, and be obedient to whatever the king should command. At the same time I think he should be encouraged by having the commission of general of the foot. The train of artillery might be very much lessened, so that you might be the better able to give subsidies for German troops that shall go thither. I should think that you might in confidence tell Lord Rivers that it is impossible to send from England such supplies as are necessary for the support of King Charles but by the consent and assistance of the parliament; so that if they shall in the winter resolve on such a supply as shall enable the queen she will then desire him to take the command."

Lord Godolphin to the Duke.

"Windsor, June 16-27.—* * I never did once imagine that the emperor had a thought of making separate terms with France; but yet all his behaviour has been so unaccountable, as to put the rest of the allies under the same difficulties as if he had acted by directions from Versailles.

"For what relates to Spain, my own opinion agrees exactly with what you write in your private letter to myself; and in that matter

* British minister at Vienna.

there will be no difficulty with the queen. But, as I have told you in my former letter, some of our friends here will be unwilling to bring home Lord Galway, while Count de Noyelles stays with the king of Spain; so the true way of making all this easy will be, for the emperor to send a good general with the troops from Italy. The very best would be the Count de Thaun*, who went to Naples with the detachment.

66

The queen will be very careful not to let the duke of Newcastle, or any body else, make you uneasy about governments. That of Tinmouth waits your orders; that of New York will be made vacant, whenever you propose a proper man; that of New England is also like to be vacant very soon, there being great clamours depending this time against Colonel Dudley, the present governor."

CHAP. LVIII. RISE OF MRS. MASHAM.—1707.

WHILE Marlborough was employed in superintending the operations of foreign policy, and the details of the camp, the intrigues in the court and cabinet no less seriously engaged his attention, and furnished still greater cause of perplexity.

Notwithstanding the success which attended the perseverance of the Whigs, in procuring the appointment of Sunderland, their victory was not complete. It was of the highest consequence to favour their party, in the disposition of church preferment, not only as the means of increasing their interest in Parliament, but of securing the influence attached to the clerical character in public opinion. On this point, however, the queen was still more tenacious than on questions of state policy. Zealously attached to the doctrines of the high church, she was anxious to fill the ecclesiastical dignities with persons of congenial sentiments, and to exclude those of contrary principles, whom she regarded as little better than infidels. Jealous of the favour which the two ministers had recently shown towards the Whigs, she withdrew from them that confidence which she had

He is more commonly known by the name of Daun; an able officer of Austria, who, it will be seen in Chap. lix. distinguished himself greatly by reducing Capua and Gaeta, and taking possession of the whole kingdom of Naples. He was the father of the celebrated Count Daun, whe commanded against Frederick the Great in the Seven Years' War.- En.

evinced on former occasions, and consulted only her own partialities, or the recommendations of her secret advisers, in the disposition of ecclesiastical preferment.

Two instances of this kind form a prominent feature in the correspondence of the year. The first was her refusal to nominate Dr. Potter to the Regius Professorship of Divinity, in the University of Oxford. Although this learned divine had been warmly recommended by Marlborough himself, yet his attachment to the doctrines of the revolution was a sufficient demerit with the sovereign; and she designated for the appointment Dr. Smalridge, who to equal talents and learning, added the merit of a zealous devotion to the tenets of the high church, and to the Tory maxims of policy.

The second and most prominent instance was in the designation to the two sees of Exeter and Chester, which became vacant at the close of the preceding year. Without waiting the recommendation of the ministers, or rather to prevent their interference, she promised these two dignities to Sir William Dawes and Dr. Blackall, who were no less distinguished for their Tory zeal than for their merit and learning; and to evade the remonstrances of Marlborough, she concealed her intentions until he had taken his departure from England.

Such striking proofs of favour to the opposite party awakened the indignation of the Whigs; and, at their instigation, Marlborough and Godolphin were involved in a new contention with the queen, which lasted during the whole year. The effects even recoiled on the two ministers themselves; for when their remonstrances failed in inducing her to desist from her purpose, the junta relapsed into the same suspicions of their good faith, as they had manifested on former occasions, and recurred, as before, to importunities, complaints, and threats.

This political discordance with the Whigs in general gave rise to a misunderstanding between Halifax and Marlborough in particular. We have already adverted to the increasing importunities of the Whig chief for some post, which he could hold with the situation of auditor of the exchequer. He had indeed been gratified with the appointment of ambassador to the court of Hanover, in the preceding year, and was

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