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Show [ p J given or the King's agreeing to thofe Articles ·which give up the whole Sp,cnifb Monarchy in themo!t ample manner, begun with propofing a Partition ; and that Naples and Sicily, with Sardini~t, and the Towns upon the Coa!l: ofTufcany belonging to Spain, !hou'd be granted to one of the Competitors, without naming which: That fince the Dutch wou'd not be fatisfy'd with cautionary Towns in Fland<rs, no other Expedient was left but this; it being very hard to oblige the King to force his Grandfon to quit, and impoffible to perfuade him to it, without a valuable Confideration. Tho nothing cou'd be more examy again!l: the Preliminaries than this Propofal of a Partition, the Allies did not wholly rejea it, nor did the other fide abfolutely in !ill: upon all they at fir!l: ask'd ; which if they had, little had remain'd for them but to go back, it being impoffible to think the Emperor wou'd ever confent to part with Nap_lcs, wliich wou'd give the French fuch footing 10 Jt,.ty, as wou'd foon make them M1fters of th~ whole, and endanger his Hereditary CountrY· The Minifters of France were made fo fenfible of this, as to give up the Point, and fay·, They be!iev'd the King wou'd, for the fake of Peace, be prevail'd with to defi!l: from that part of his De· rnands, towards which they promis'd their good Offices : and fo the fir!l: Conference ended. The Deputies return'd to the Hagut, and the Plenipotentiaries fent an Exprefs to the King, to let him know what had pa!t. Upon the return of the Exprefs, the Pleni\ JOtentiarics fent to the Hagur, to defire ano-ther [ 33 J ther Conference ; which was agreed to and the 2orb the Deputies went a fccond ti~e to confer with them: their part in thefe Interviews having been concerted in the mean time with the Miniil:ers of the Emperor and England at feveral Meetings for that pur•Jofe and .the reil: of the Allies having been ~t ; general Meeting inform'd of what lnd been mov'd in the firil: Conference. And this was the conll:ant way, in which thefe Negotiattons were carry'd on while the Miniil:ers of France continu'd at Gertruydcnbcrg. At the end of a Conference they fent an Exprefs to Court; and upon his Return, perlups the next day, perhaps two .or three days after, when. they had decyph,er'd their lnftructions, and iettled matters between themfelves they notify'd it at the· Hague, and de!ir'd a~other Conference ; which was agreed to. The Deputies ~en~, confer'd, return'd, reported ; upon whtch the Allies meet, con!itlt agree aQd fet.tle what further Steps !hou'd be mad~ on thetr part. The French on t heir fide fend an. Exprefs again to Court, and fo on. In thts manner the Deputies went to a third Coaference the 6th of .April, and to a fourth the 23d. The main Point debated in thefe Conferences, was this Partition. And that no Obll:ruaion to a General Peace on this foot on the part of England might a ri fe from the Add refs of the two Houfes mention 'd in my lall:, care was taken by the D. of M. and the late M-that the Parliament lhou'd not be prorogu'd in the Spring as ufually ; but that .the Seffion !hou'd be continu' d oy fltort Adjournments, till aU Hop~s of Peace F · wer:: |
