" His Majefty is fully perfuaded, that the justice and neceffity of the measures he has taken will be acknowledged by all the world. Relying, therefore, on the protection of Divine Providence, and the zealous and affectionate fupport of his people, his Majefty has the firmeft confidence, that, by a vigorous exertion of the spirit and resources of the nation, he fhall be able to maintain the honour of his crown, and the rights and interefts of his people, against all his enemies, and to bring them to liften to equitable terms of peace. G. R." Lord North presented to the House, by his Majefty's command, the following papers : MANIFESTO. GEORGE R. (L. S.) "THROUGH the whole courfe of our reign, our conduct towards the States General of the United Provinces has been that of a fincere friend and faithful ally. Had they adhered to thofe wife principles which used to govern the republic, they must have fhewn themfelves equally folicitous to maintain the friendship which has fo long fubfifted between the two nations, and which is effential to the interests of both but from the prevalence of a faction devoted to France, and following the dictates of that court, a very different policy has prevailed. The return made to our friendship, for fome time paft, has been an open contempt of the inoft folemn engagements, and a repeated violation of public faith. "On the commencement of the defenfive war, in which we found ourselves engaged by the aggreffion of France, we fhewed a tender regard for the interefts of the States General, and a defire of fecuring to their fubjects every advantage of trade, confiftent with the great and juft principle of our own defence. Our ambaffador was inftructed to offer a friendly negociation, to obviate every thing that might lead to difagreeable difcuffion; and to this offer, folemnly made by him to the States General, the fecond of November, 1778, no attention was paid. "After the number of our enemies increased by the aggreffion of Spain, equally unprovoked with that of France, we found it neceffary to call upon the States General for the performance of their engagements. The fifth article of the perpetual defenfive alliance between our crown and the States General, concluded at Weftminfter the 3d of March, 1678, befides the general engagement for fuccours, exprefly ftipulates, That the party of the two allies that is not attacked, 'fhall be obliged to break with the aggreffor in two months Sf 2 • after after the party attacked fhall require it;' yet two years have paffed, without the leaft affiftance given to us, without a fingle fyllable in anfwer to our repeated demands. "So totally regardless have the States been of their treaties with us, that they readily promised our enemies to obferve a neutrality, in direct contradiction to thofe engagements, and whilft they have with-held from us the fuccours they were bound to furnish, every fecret affiftance has been given the enemy; and inland duties have been taken off, for the fole purpose of facilitating the carriage of naval ftores to France. "In direct and open violation of treaty, they fuffered an American pirate to remain feveral weeks in one of their ports; and even permitted a part of his crew to mount guard in a fort in the Texel. "In the Eaft-Indies, the subjects of the States General, in concert with France, have endeavoured to raise up enemies against us. "In the Weft-Indies, particularly at St. Euftatius, every protection and affiftance has been given to our rebellious fubjects. Their privateers are openly received into the Dutch harbours; allowed to refit there; fupplied with arms and ammunition; their crews recruited; their prizes brought in and fold; and all this in direct violation of as clear and folemn ftipulations as can be made. 6 "This conduct, fo inconfiftent with all good faith, fo repugnant to the fenfe of the wifeft part of the Dutch nation, is chiefly to be ascribed to the prevalence of the leading magiftrates of Amfterdam, whofe fecret correfpondence with our rebellious fubjects was fufpected, long before it was made known by the fortunate discovery of a treaty, the first article of which is, 'There fhall be a firm, inviolable and univerfal peace, and fincere friendship, between their High Mightineffes, the eftates of the feven United Provinces of Holland, and the United States of North America, and the fubjects and people of the faid parties; and between the 'countries, iflands, cities and towns, fituated under the jurif<diction of the faid United States of Holland, and the faid Uni⚫ted States of America, and the people and inhabitants thereof, of every degree, without exception of perfons or places." This treaty was figned in September, 1778, by the express order of the penfionary of Amfterdam, and other principal magiftrates of that city. They now not only avow the whole tranfaction, but glory in it, and exprefly fay, even to the States General, that what they did was what their indifpenfable duty required.' "In the mean time, the States General declined to give any anfwer to the memorial prefented by our ambaffador; and this refufal was aggravated by their proceeding upon other bufinefs, náy, upon the confideration of this very fubject to internal purposes; and while they found it impoffible to approve the conduct of their fubjects, they ftill induftriously avoided to give us the fatisfaction fo manifeftly due. "We had every right to expect, that fuch a discovery would have roused them to a juft indignation at the infult offered to us, and to themselves; and that they would have been eager to give us full and ample fatisfaction for the offence, and to inflict the fevereft punishment upon the offenders. The urgency of the bufinefs made an instant answer effential to the honour and fafety of this country. The demand was accordingly preffed by our ambaffador in repeated conferences with the minifters, and in a fecond memorial: it was preffed with all the earneftnefs which could proceed from our ancient friendship, and the fenfe of recent injuries; and the answer now given to a memorial on fuch a fubject, delivered about five weeks ago, is, That the States have taken it ad referendum.' Such an anfwer upon fuch an occafion, could only be dictated by the fixed purpofe of hoftility meditated, and already refolved, by the States, induced by the offenfive council of Amfterdam, thus to countenance the hoftile aggreffion, which the magiftrates of that city have made in the name of the Republic. "There is an end of the faith of all treaties with them, if Amfterdam may ufurp the fovereign power, may violate those treaties with impunity, by pledging the States to engagements directly contrary, and leaguing the Republic with the rebels of a fovereign to whom fhe is bound by the closest An infraction of the law of nations, by the meanest member of any country, gives the injured ftate a right to demand fatisfaction and punishment; how much more fo, when the injury complained of is of a flagrant violation of public faith, committed by leading and predominant members in the ftate! Since then the fatisfaction we have demanded is not given, we muft, though moft reluctantly, do ourselves that juftice which we cannot otherwise obtain: we muft confider the States General as parties in the injury which they will not repair, as fharers in the aggreffion which they refufe to punish, and must act accordingly. We have therefore ordered our ambassador to withdraw from the Hague, and fhall immediately pursue fuch vigorous mea fures fures as the occafion fully juftifies, and our dignity and the effential interefts of our people require. "From a regard to the Dutch nation at large, we wish it were poffible to direct those measures wholly against Amfterdam; but this cannot be, unless the States General will immediately declare, that Amfterdam fhall, upon this occafion, receive no affiftance from them, but be left to abide the confequences of its aggreffion. "Whilft Amfterdam is fuffered to prevail in the general counfels, and is backed by the ftrength of the ftate, it is impoffible to refift the aggreffion of fo confiderable a part, without contending with the whole. But we are too fenfible of the common interefts of both countries not to remember, in the midst of such a conteft, that the only point to be aimed at by us, is to raise a disposition in the councils of the Republic to return to our ancient union, by giving us that fatif. faction for the paft, and fecurity for the future, which we fhall be as ready to receive, as they can be to offer; and to the attainment of which we shall direct all our operations. We mean only to provide for our own fecurity, by defeating the dangerous defigns that have been formed against us. We fhall ever be disposed to return to friendship with the States General, when they fincerely revert to that fyftem which the wisdom of their ancestors formed, and which has now been fubverted by a powerful faction, confpiring with France against the true interefts of the republic, no less than against thefe of Great Britain. St. James's, Dec. 20, 1780. G. R." Copy of the Precis of what Sir Jofeph Yorke faid to the Deputies of the States General, on the 2d of November, 1778. "THEIR High Mightineffes will have received, by the anfwer from Lord Suffolk, one of his Majefty's principal Secretaries of State, to the Count Welderen, dated the 19th of October, the moft convincing proofs of his Majesty's friendship towards then. "After an explicit detail of the hoftile and unprecedented conduct of his Moft Chriftian Majefty, which conduct occafioned the feeming irregularity of the court of Great Britain, in feizing the fhips appertaining to neutral powers bound to the ports of France, the measure hath been fully explained on the principles of neceflity and felf-defence, against an enemy who who hath ever acted covertly and by furprise. The moderation and equity of the King my mafter would not permit him to difregard the complaints of the fubjects of their High Mightineffes, from the moment there appeared a poffibility to renew them. It is for this reafon that his Majefty has declared his intention to release the Dutch veffels, under conditions the most amicable and the least disadvantageous, as far as circumftances will admit. The war, however, ftill continues, and the active endeavours of the enemy to push matters to extremity, obliges his Majefty to guard against the danger. He wishes, nevertheless, to involve his good neighbours and allies as little as poffible, and although France has even threatened to invade his Majefty's dominions and territories, having, for that purpose, affembled numerous armies on their coaft, the King, my mafter, ftill forbears to claim fuch fuccour from their High Mightineffes as they are bound to grant, by the moft explicit and folemn treaties, whenever fuch fuccours may be on his part required, namely, the treaty of 1768, and the separate article of 1916; his Majefty confines himself, for the prefent, folely to lay before their High Might ineffes the ftate of affairs, the motive of his conduct, and the neceffity he finds himself under to take measures for his own defence, and the prefervation of his dominions. "It is only with this view that I am ordered by his Britannic Majefty to propofe to their High Mightineffes a conference, to confider of the moft proper means towards an ami cable regulation of fuch a mode of proceeding in future, refpecting fuch articles as his Majefty, without yielding to his enemies, cannot poffibly fuffer them to be fupplied with. It cannot have efcaped the attention of their High Mightineffes, that Lord Suffolk, in explaining his Majefty's fentiments to Count Welderen, fully demonftrated the King's fincere defire to pay the ftricteft regard to faith of treaties, as far as they do not directly tend to expofe him to imminent danger. It is by no means his intention, nor is it his wifh, to cause the leaft interruption to the commerce of Holland, ufually carried on with France, excepting warlike and naval ftores; and even this reftriction fhall be enjoyed with the utmoft equity, and I am confident, with every poffible degree of generosity.. "I therefore, in obedience to my inftructions, have taken the liberty to request an audience, to know whether, in confequence of the answer delivered to Count Welderen, their High Mightineffes are refolved to open a conference with me? |