fach ferious effects, and fo entirely nanimous fentiments which charac oppofite to the falutary views which terize his majesty. determined me to undertake that journey. I expected great obftacles before I fucceeded in my endeavours to reftore peace and tranquillity; ut the only difficulty for which I was unprepared, because it was the leaft probable, was unfortunately that which deprived me of every means of attaining my end, by ftopping my journey by violent means. But if the unheard of proceeding ufed towards me in Holland, a proceeding the impreffion of which has only been modified by my inward knowledge of not having merited it: if this proceeding, I fay, has been difapproved by all the courts, and every man of honour and good breeding, what must be thought of thofe, who compofe the prefent plurality of the ftates of Holland, to fee them mifconftrue and facrifice the interefts of their country to little personal views, and oblige the king to take a fatisfaction they have obftinately refufed to his friendly exhortations. The king, by declaring he confidered the offence as against himfelf, penetrated my heart with gratitude; but after the manner they dared to anfwer him, and the injuice which this pretended majority did not ceafe committing, that declaration would have raifed my greateft fears for that country, which for twenty years I have confidered as my own, and whofe interefts are infeparable from thofe of my houfe, if I had not been made taly by the declaration of the ftates general, that of the principal members of the affembly of the states of Holland, and of the greatest part of the nation, as well as by the mag The king could not give a ftronger proof of thofe fentiments than by charging your highness with the execution of his orders; and the fentiments, Sir, you have defired to fhew towards me, and which your highnef has manifefted in your declaration to the ftates of tiolland, do not permit me to doubt of the wifdom and equity of your intentions; but your highness muft pardon me if I dare to implore your clemency towards that part of the inhabitants who are blinded and led aftray by paffion, and to affure you I fhall confider your behaviour towards them, and the protection you fhew to the wife part of the nation, as fo many favours done to myself. In the mean time I do folemnly declare here, that, perfectly agreeable to the moderate principle fhewn by the prince in his last de claration, I will never profit from any circumftances whatever to procure my family a greater authority than the conftitution and true liberty of the provinces grant it; and that for myfelf I fhall always be ready to employ my good offices for the welfare of this country, and thofe of my houfe, without fear of trouble or difputes. I have no ambition for any influence, and I will only accept that which I owe to the confidence and friendthip I have merited. It is with these fen timents, and the warmest gratitude, I fhall all my life remain, with the highest confideration, Sir, your ferene highness's most devoted fervant and coufin, "WILHELMINA." From covered the eminent qualities which From the Same to the Same; Nov. 3, characterize your highness. The HE ftates of Holland hav remembrance of our obligations to you will always remain deeply engraven in our hearts, and we shall "Ting defired me to request never forget that your highness has the king my brother to permit 3000 or 4000 of his troops to remain fome time in this province, I haften to inform your highness of this refolution of their noble and great mightineffes, a copy of which is annexed, befeeching your highnefs to support this demand with your good offices: the fignal marks of kindness and protection of his majefty make me hope he will not refuse them. "I leave it to your highness's confideration, if, after the arrangement taken to difarm the unconftitutional citizens of Amsterdam, you may not regard the conditions of the fatisfaction required by the king as entirely fulfilled, and withdraw the troops, except the number the ftates of Holland have demanded, which will be both a relief to this country, and to the troops themselves, on account of the bad season. Your highnefs will at the fame time permit me to intercede for the inhabitants of these provinces who are prifoners of war at Wezel: I request your highness to release them, and flatter myself you will not disapprove the flare I take in their unfortunate fituation. When you were on the point of entering Holland at the head of the Pruflian troops, you deigned to receive the inftances I addreffed to you in favour of this nation, whofe welfare and interests in general are the object of my conftant wifhes: accept then at prefent the expreffions of my gratitude, and thofe of this nation, who have daily dif not only gloriously fulfilled the objest of your commiffion, but that the moft happy revolution has likewife refulted from it, which bas restored this country to its liberty and independence, by ftrengthening the conftitution, and re-eftablifhing the prince my confort in his juft rights and privileges. I have the honour to remain, with fentiments of an inviolable attachment, and the moft diftinguished confideration, "MADAM, Yo YOUR royal highness has notified to me the request which the fates of Holland have made, at the fame time defiring to obtain permiffion from the king for a body of 3000 or 4000 men to remain for fome time in this province. Perfuaded as I am of the fincere defire the king has to oblige your royal highness, and to concur towards the welfare of the republic and the province of Holland, I think his majefty will not refufe that request. I will immediately make my most humble report to the king of the contents of your letter of the 3d inft, and I think, by leaving a body of 4000 men in this province, until the arrival of his majefty's orders, orders, I shall only fulfil his defires. As the commiffion fent by his highnefs the prince of Orange to finish entirely the difarming of unconftitutional armed citizens, and the re-establishment of the council of war, accomplished all the objects which remained of the fatisfaction, I think of fucceffively recalling the troops of the king, except those who at the request of the states shall remain, if his majefty confents to it, for fome time longer in this province. What your royal highnefs deigns to mention concerning the inhabitants of this country kept prifoners of war at Wezel, is analogous with the generous fentiments you fhewed at the entrance of the king's troops on the territory of this republic, and I will certainly reprefent to the king the intereft you take in the fate of these unhappy men. I efteem myself too happy in having fatisfied your royal highnefs in a commiffion which fo nearly concerned the happiness of the republic, and which could only fueceed by the concurrence of the major part of the inhabitants, who en deavoured to free themfelves from a yoke which an oppreffive cabal placed on them. A Copy of Mr. Pitt's Letter to the Chairman of the Meeting of Weft India Planters and Merchants, in Answer to their Resolutions* tranfmitted to him, ftating the Neceffity of reducing the Duty upon Rum 5d. per Gallon, in confequence of his Intention to fix the Duty on Brandy at 7s. per Gallon. H " SIR, Downing-ftreet, Feb, 13. AVING been out of town, I did not receive till yesterday the favour of your letter, inclofing the Refolutions of the General Meeting of West India planters and merchants. Though I fhould be very defirous of thewing all the attention in my power to the fentiments and wishes of the meeting, I cannot fec fufficient ground for thinking that a reduction of more than 3d. in the duty on rum would be neceffary in cafe the duty on brandy fhould be fixed at 7s. It will be my duty to propofe a refolution in the committee on the French treaty, that the duty on brandy should not be higher than that fum; at the fame time, it is my intention to propofe a feparate confideration of the duties on imported fpirits in an early period of the feffion, and fome farther reduction of the duties both in brandy and rum, with a view to the prevention of fmuggling; but I do not conceive the reduction ought to take place in fuch a proportion as the meeting appears to have had in view in their fecond refolution. I have entered into thefe particulars, from "CHARLES, G. F." wishing to apprize you as fully as I can of the prefentftateofthisbufinefs, and of my fentiments upon it. Previously to making any more fpecific Deign, Madam, to grant me a continuance of your good opinion, and to believe that nothing can exceed the profoundrefpectwithwhich I am, Madam, your royal highnefs's, &c. (Signed) * See State Papers, in the Annual Register for 1786, page 286. VOL. XXIX. [R] propofals A GENERAL BILL OF ALL THE CHRISTENINGS AND BURIALS, Christened 1 From December 12, 1786, to December 11, 1787. Males 8929 Died under Two Years {Females 9528} 119-Fifty and Sixty 19591 1556 A Hundred and One I 3 I 106 DISEASES. Dropfy A' Bortive and Still-Eyil Abfcefs Aged Ague Purples 2887 Rafh Apoplexy&Sudden188 Fiftula Rheumatism Burnt Choaked 3 Drowned 1 Found Dead 2 Frighted 48 Rifing of the Lights Executed * 24 4 I Burften and Rup-Grief Sore ThroatTM. Sores and Ulcers 2418 Killed by Falls and 27 I feveral other Ac 76 Headmould fhot, horfe- St. Anthony's Fire I ter in the Head 45 mach Cholic, Gripes, twist-Impofthume ing of the Guts 6 Inflammation 1 Itch 62 Surfeit 3 Overlaid Scalded 4co Shot 32 Smothered 7 Vomiting and Loofe-Suffocated Cold 1 nefs Cough 228 Lunatic 38 Worms Diabetes I 2 3 Total 254 There have been 105 executed, of which number (24 only) have been reported to be buried as fuch within the Bills of Mortality. |