me? On my part, I intreat you to affure their High Mighti neffes, that as well from my being authorised by his Ma. jefty, as from my being perfonally difpofed, after a refidence in this country of twenty-feven years, their High Mighti neffes will find in me every readiness to attend to their complaints, and regard for their welfare; and I flatter myself, that in the course of the conference I fhall convince them, that whatever forced and affected turn may have been given to the conduct of my court, it has been founded on the juftice, moderation, and the neceffity of our fituation. In expectation of the decifion of their High Mightineffes on what I have laid before them, I truft that their known equity and friendship towards his Majefty, agreeable to their recent affurances by their envoy, will prove fufficient not to authorife their fubjects to carry naval ftores, under convoy, to France, as being the moft dangerous objects to the fecurity of Great Britain."

Copy of a Memorial prefented by Sir Jofeph Yorke to the States General of the United Provinces of the Low Countries, on the 22d of July, 1779.

"High and Mighty Lords,

"Since France, by the declaration made at London on the 13th of March laft year, fully discovered the vast and dangerous defigns which the family compact had before announced to Europe, this part of the world must bear witness to the wisdom and moderation of the King of Great Britain, who endeavoured to ward off the calamities of war, avoiding, as much as poffible, engaging his neighbours and allies.

"A conduct like this, founded in the most pointed mode. ration, feemed fo much to embolden the court of Versailles, that after perfidiously encouraging of rebel fubjects, under the mask of liberty, commerce, and independence, to plunge a poignard into the heart of their mother country; France, not contented with fo hoftile a proceeding, has, without any national quarrel, drawn Spain into its views, and, without any plaufible reafons to colour the defign, is making every preparation that an imperious difpofition can dictate to invade the British iflands.

"On the news of thefe extraordinary and great preparations, your High Mightineffes cannot but juftify the preffing and reiterated inftances which the King of Great Britain could not but make to you, relative to the naval armament;

and

and the notorious danger of England will, no doubt, convince all the fubjects of thefe provinces, who have hitherto fpoke against it, of the neceffity of this request of my court.

"But those motives, which are only palliatives to prevent an evil, are now out of feafon; the danger is become imminent, and the remedy must be speedy. The ftipulations of a treaty, founded on the interefts of trade only, muft give way to those founded on the deareft interefts of the two nations. The moment is come to decide, whether Great Britain, who has fpilt fo much blood, and expended fo much treasure to fuccour others, and to maintain liberty and religion, is to have no other refources against the malice and envy of her enemies, than her own courage, and her own ftrength; whether fhe is to be abandoned by her moft ancient friends and allies, to the moft ambitious views of the House of Bourbon, which would cruth all, to reign over all; and whether Europe in general, and your High Mightineffes in particular, will with indifference fee a fyftem established, which will evidently destroy that equilibrium which is the only guarantee of your commerce, liberty, and even exiftence itself.

"The King, high and mighty Lords, has too high an opinion of the understanding, the good faith, and the wildom of the Republic, to doubt a moment of the fentiments of your High Mightineffes on this occafion. A nation whose hiftory contains scarce any thing but the detail of the dangers which the ambition of France fucceffively created, whofe beft days began with their union with England. In fhort, a nation accuftomed to exact the literal execution of a hard treaty, has too much generofity not to fulfil thofe which have united the interefts of the two nations upwards of a. century.

"It is in this perfuafion, joined to all that is held most facred among men, that the under-written ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the King of Great Britain, has, by exprefs order, the honour to notify to your High Mightineffes, that the danger which threatens his kingdoms, neceffitates his Majefty to reclaim, without loss of time, the fuccours ftipulated in the treaties of 1678, and others, and of which the cafus fæderis is fo fully explained in the feparate article of 1716. His Majefty expects the fame with confidence from a neighbour, who has never failed in his enagagements; and for the reft confides in the divine benediction on the juftness of his cause, and on the fidelity and valour of his fubjects.

VOL. XVIII.

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"The

"The underwritten waits with the greateft impatience for a juft, speedy, and favourable answer, and is ready to con fer with the deputies of your High Mightineffes on what fteps are farther neceflary to be taken.

JOSEPH YORKE."

Tranflation of a Memorial prefented by Sir Jofeph Yorke, to the States General, the 26th November, 1779.

High and Mighty Lords,

"THE King cannot fee without furprize the filence which has been obferved towards him, upon the memorial, which by order of his Majefty, the under written had the honour to present to your High Mightineffes, more than four months ago, to demand the fuccours ftipulated by trea ties.

His Majefty would not have called for the affiftance of his allies, if he had not been fully authorifed thereto by the threats, the preparations, and even the attacks of his ene mies, and if he had not thought your High Mightineffes as much interested in the fafety of Great Britain as in your own prefervation.

"The fpirit and the letter of the treaties, equally bear teftimony to this truth. Your High Mightineffes are too wife and too juft to elude the obfervance of them, especially after having yourselves folicited the addition of the feparate article of 1716, in which the cafus fæderis is ftipulaed in a clear and inconteftible manner.

"The hoftile declaration made at London, by the Marquis of Noailles, the attack of the ifland of Jersey, the fiege of Gibraltar, and all the other equally notorious enterprizes, are fo many proofs of open and direct aggreffion. Befides your High Mightineffes have feen during the laft fumier, the combined forces of the Houfe of Bourbon, evidently directed to the attack of his Majesty's kingdoms, and although the king's vigorous measures, the zeal and patriotic efforts of the English nation, accompanied by the divine bleffing, have happily averted hitherto thele ambitious defigns; yet the danger ftill exifts, and our enemies continue to announce with the fame parade and confidence, formidable descents and invafions under the protection of their whole naval force.

"The King can never imagine, that the wifdom of your High Mightineffes can fuffer you to be indifferent when fuch

folid interefts, and common to both countries are at stake, and ftill lefs can the King imagine, that you are not convinced of the juftice of the motives which have determined his Majefty to claim the fuccours that are due on fo many accounts. His Majefty inclines to believe, that your High Mightineffes having come to a refolution to augment your navy, had from prudence delayed your answer till you were in a fitter fituation to furnish the fuccours required.

"It is for this reason, that I have orders in renewing the ftrongeft inftances upon this fubject, to demand of your High Mightineffes, in the moft friendly manner, not to defer the concerting the means of fulfilling your engagements in this refpect. The decifion of your High Mighti neffes is fo neceffary and-fo important in its confequences, that the King would think he was want ng to himself, to his fubjects, and to thofe of the Republic, if his Majefty did not feriously recommend this affair to the full, but speedy deliberation of your High Might ineffes. It is of infinite import to the King, that he should be clearly informed upon fo effential an object by a precife and immediate anfwer.

"His Majefty hopes, from the equity of your High Mightineffes, that your anfwer will be conformable to treaties and to the sentiments of friendship, which he has always entertained towards the Republic, and it will be according to the refolution of your High Mightineffes, that his Majefty will take fuch farther measures as he fhall judge to be beft adapted to the circumftances, and moft fitting for the fecurity of his ftate, the welfare of his people, and the dignity of his crown.

Done at the Hague, 26th Nov. 1779. (Signed)

JOSEPH YORKE.

Copy of a Declaration prefented by Sir Jofeph Yorke to the States General, the 10th of November, 1780, and Translation.

"High and Mighty Lords,

"THE King, my Mafter, has, during the whole course of his reign, manifefted the ftrongeft defire of maintaining the union that has fubfifted for above a century between him and this Republic. This union refts on the firm bafis of reciprocal intereft; and, as it ever was known to contribute greatly to the advantage of both nations, their natural enemy has fet to work all the engines of politics to deftroy it, For fome time fuch attempts have met with but too great a fuccefs,

Tt2

fuccefs, being countenanced by a faction that wishes to rule over the whole Republic, and is ever ready to facrifice the public good to its own private views. His Majefty fees, with no less furprize than concern, the little regard that has been hitherto paid to his reiterated claim of the affiftance ftipulated by treaties, and to the remonftrances made by his ambaffador, on the daily infractions of the moft folemn engagements.

"The King's moderation has induced his Majefty to look upon the conduct of your High Mightineffes, as the working of a predominant cabal, and is ftill perfuaded that your wisdom and juftice will direct you to fulfil your engagements towards him, and to fhew by all the tenour of your future conduct, that you are determined to purfue with vigour, the plan fet on foot by the wisdom of your ancestors; the only one that can fecure the fafety and glory of the Republic.

"The anfwer your High Mightineffes will be pleased to return to the following declaration, which the underwritten now presents by exprefs command of his court, will prove the touchstone of your intentions and fentiments towards his Majefty.

For a long time paft his Majefty has had numberless furmifes of the dangerous defigns hatched by an unbridled faction; but the papers of the Sieur Laurens, calling himfelf prefident of the pretended Congress, have led to the difcovery of a plot unprecedented in the annals of the Republic. It appears by the papers alluded to, that the States of Amfterdam have entered into a clandeftine correfpondence with the American rebels, fo early as the month of August, 1778; that inftructions and powers have been given by them, for the purpose of entering into a treaty of indiffoluble friendfhip with the faid rebels, natural fubjects of a fovereign to whom the Republic is joined by the ftricteft ties of friendship. The authors of this plot do not pretend to deny it. They, on the contrary, avow and labour, though in vain, to justify it. In these circumftances, the King, relying on the equity of your High Mightineffes, requires that fo irregular a conduct may be formally difavowed, as it is no lefs contrary to your moft facred engagements, than repugnant to the Dutch conftitution, The King farther infifts on speedy fatisfaction, adequate to the offence, and the exemplary punishment of the penfionary Van Berkel and his accomplices, as difturbers of the public peace, and violators of the rights of nations. His Majefty flatters himself that the answer of your High Mightineffes will be speedy, and to the purpose in every re

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