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on the point of the fifth battalion, which he had dismissed; and that the field marshal and he were extremely eager that this affair should be finished, so that he placed his hope only in me. He begged me, in the name of God, to speak freely to the king. I said that should not be long delayed; and, at the same time, a servant of the king, who had heard of my arrival, was already in search of me. His majesty received me with much affection, embraced me warmly, and after a moment's conversation, inquired for the health of your highness, adding,' Is he still my friend, and does he sometimes remember me?' I told him that your highness would be much more his friend, if his majesty would reflect a little more, and pay a little more attention to the just propositions made him on your part. He said, Can I do more than I do? I make treaties, and yet the emperor breaks his word with me, as well as Holland, every moment. This disgusts me. Besides, it is impossible, without great inconvenience, to give more than three battalions, and he is a wretch who would advise me otherwise.' Being then quite full of the republican air which I had recently breathed in Holland, I told him boldly, that I thought he was a wretch who should advise him not to do it, and that I would prove this by many arguments. He said with much emotion, You speak very boldly, and you may perhaps repent it, if your arguments are not conclusive.' I replied, if he would listen to them, without prejudice or prepossession, he would find them so; and in about half an hour I changed him so entirely, that he sent for the field marshal, and, in my presence, related to him word for word what I had said, ordering him, as an honest man, to give his opinion on what ought to be done. The field marshal in a few words observed, that it was necessary not only to do it, but that if he was master, he would advise him to do still more to oblige the queen, and preserve so true and good a friend as your highness. The king then said, 'Well, it is decided; consult, and see what you think ought to be done. I shall not be the person who will make the most difficulties.' On this the field marshal retired, and I remained half an hour longer with the king, and he told me his views, which are not ill digested. I shall give your highness a detail of them when I have the honour to see you.

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"As I thought tnere was a little bitterness where your highness was concerned I turned him so many ways, that he observed, he would tell me what was the matter. But as he was persuaded that it was false, by all I had told him of your highness, I must not speak a single word of it to you. First,' he said, I have been informed that the queen refused to take my troops entirely into her pay, which would have relieved me much, and that it was no one but my lord duke who prevented her. condly, that you had shown in many instances this campaign, that you did not think it necessary to have much regard for a prince, whom you managed as you pleased, and that you made a good use of his troops, because he understood nothing of the business.' I told him for the second article, nothing was more ridiculous than to imagine such a thing; since even if your highness was capable of a similar thought, you had too much discernment to speak of it to any one. For the first, I thought he who had spread the report would have much difficulty to prove it. At last the

king swore, that if your highness would continue his friend, he would do every thing in the world to give you pleasure. But he ordered me to remind you of every thing he had done, from consideration for the queen, and particularly for your highness, during this war, there being no prince, except the emperor and the two Maritime Powers, who had so many troops in the field as himself, although he had neither crowns nor states to expect like the elector of Hanover, the duke of Savoy, and the elector palatine. But he hoped that your highness would continue in the same sentiments which you had testified to me, namely to promote a close alliance between himself and Great Britain, when attempts should be made to conclude a peace.

"On the morrow we examined the project in the presence of the prince royal, the field marshal, M. d'Ilgen, and Messrs. Krant and Beck. I had much trouble to make them comprehend many things; and to prevent them from introducing into the project a thousand points which would not have been accepted on the part of your highness. The words are changed, but the sense and foundation are the same, except 50 rations more, which they demand for each battalion, during the winter, and without which the officers cannot subsist. When I opposed this article, the prince royal told me he was persuaded your highness would grant that; and when it was considered that we sent all our best and finest troops, and that the king paid the regiment of Mecklenburgh entirely, and added two squadrons more, he was very well assured that your highness would make no difficulty, since the maintenance of 14 squadrons, of which the king received the agio for only 12, cost him, besides the subsidy, three hundred thousand francs. After some other remarks, he continued, with a petulant air, My lord duke may grumble to no purpose. If he lays his hand on his heart, he must own that he does not find among other princes so much facility and so much good faith as with us; and if this new corps is not as fine as that of Count Lottum, let him accuse me, for I am sure he will be satisfied, and I will pledge my word that the troops shall be on the Meuse the 1st of May.'

"Afterwards, the prince insisted much on the article of not putting the infantry in garrison in the maritime places, or those of Flanders, alleging the treaty for the Hanoverians, and showing letters from our officers, who are in garrison at Lille, and who bitterly complain.

"The rest is such as I think your highness will find no difficulty in, and there will be no objection with regard to the 24 per cent., I having told them that it should be abated, with which they are satisfied.

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Lastly, I am in the joy of my heart that this business is finished, and that I have been happy enough to justify the confidence which your highness has reposed in me. And I may assert that the king has never shown me more confidence and friendship than since I have opened his eyes on many things. My Lord Raby could not refrain from showing me how much he is piqued, because your highness did not name him to sign this treaty. He assured me that if he had chosen to exert himself, the court would have solicited your highness for him to have had that satisfaction, which has not happened to him since his residence here; but that he did not wish to insist on it, for fear of displeasing your highness. в в 3

All I can say is, that he has not seen the king since I have been here; and that he has told one of his confidants with a sneer, that I played the minister of the queen so well, he had no occasion to interfere. I must own, that if Madame la Grande Chambellane was as much mistress as she wishes, the thing might have gone as Lord Raby desired. But, happily, it is not so; and the king told me this evening that he was delighted because the business had passed through the hands of General Cadogan.

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"The king dined at noon with the prince royal, and has made him a considerable present. The prince is highly gratified to serve this campaign. He presents a thousand compliments to your highness, for whom he has a hundred bottles of Tokay. He will go from hence the 26th of next month, and will travel post to Brussels."

The king announced this fortunate change himself, in a letter to the duke.

"Berlin, March 9. My cousin; Brigadier Grumbkow has just delivered to me the letter which you wrote to me on the 24th of February, and has at the same time explained to me the conditions on which you were pleased to agree with me, touching the augmentation of my troops in the Low Countries. As the said brigadier praised much the good intention which you have displayed on this occasion for my interests, and as you have very obligingly assured him that you would always continue the same, both with regard to my interests during the war and to those which concern me in peace, I have not only chosen to testify to you by this letter, the obligation I am under to you, but to give also, above the 12 squadrons that you have asked of me, two others, as a more certain proof of the zeal and warmth I feel in giving pleasure to the queen your mistress, and to yourself; and to concur with all my forces in the glorious designs that you have formed for the ensuing campaign. I will tell you at the same time, that except a few necessary explanations, for which I refer you to Grumbkow, I have accepted your offers, and do not doubt that you will be satisfied with the counter project which will be delivered to you, and that you will give full power to General Cadogan to sign it on the footing above mentioned, with Brigadier Grumbkow, when he shall arrive at Brussels, which will be at the end of this month.

"I cannot avoid also stating to you, that as I have deemed it necessary to join to the new corps which I send you, a lieutenant-general, a major-general, and a brigadier, I do not doubt that you will gratify them with such douceurs as may enable them to serve with comfort; and as besides I know perfectly the service which I have received from Brigadier Du Trousel and Grumbkow, I will pay all the consideration you can wish to what you write me in their favour.

"Moreover, my cousin, I am glad of this opportunity to tell you again, that notwithstanding the court of Vienna has not paid me the money for the recruits, which has been owing to me several years, and notwithstanding I see no appearance of touching any part of it for a long time, I have nevertheless given orders that the recruits necessary for the troops I have in Italy should march immediately, hoping from your

equity, that you will be pleased to employ the credit, which her majesty ought so justly to have with the emperor, to induce him at last to give me the requisite satisfaction, as well with regard to these recruits as to many other articles which I have long solicited at the imperial court, with much reason, but without any appearance of success.” *

Marlborough had thus the satisfaction of forming the most advantageous arrangements with the principal members of the Grand Alliance for the ensuing campaign; and he would have proceeded without delay to attend his parliamentary duty in England, had not his presence been required at the Hague, to watch the negotiations for peace which the king of France had recently opened with the Dutch government.

CHAP. LXXVII.—THANKS OF PARLIAMENT. -1708, 1709.

THE Duke of Marlborough did not personally witness the struggle which terminated in the promotion of Somers, being detained at the Hague, by military and political business, till the session was nearly closed. The new parliament, which was the first elected since the Union, met on the 18th of November; and, as the queen was too much afflicted by her recent loss to attend in person, the session was opened by commission. The choice of a speaker having been previously arranged, by a compromise between Godolphin and the Whigs, Sir Richard Onslow, a Whig of moderate principles, was called to the chair. The commissioners having approved the speaker, Lord Chancellor Cowper addressed the two houses in the name of the queen. He dwelt with a mixture of piety and exultation on the past successes of the allied arms, and the near prospect of an honourable and lasting accommodation, adding, "her majesty believes it impossible that the representatives of the British nation can submit to an insecure and dishonourable peace." After demanding adequate supplies for the war, he employed expressions calculated to quiet the minds of those who had carried

* This letter, as well as the preceding ones, are translated from the French originals.

on a clandestine correspondence with the court of St. Germain's, preparatory to a comprehensive act of grace, which was introduced in the course of the session.

The addresses of the two houses were perfectly in unison with the style of the speech, and the sentiments of the ministers. After condolence on the death of the prince, the Lords testified their readiness to give all proper support for the prosecution of the just and necessary war in which the nation was engaged; and in reference to the pending negotiations, concluded with repeating their former declaration, that no peace could be safe or honourable, till the whole monarchy of Spain was restored to the house of Austria. The Commons pledged themselves to grant such supplies as should enable the queen to obtain an honourable and lasting peace; and concluded with an assurance, that they would defend her title to the crown, disappoint the hopes and designs of the Pretender, together with his open and secret abettors, and maintain the Protestant succession, as by law established.

Arrangements were made for the scrutiny of the contested elections, and the partiality manifested in the decisions fully proved the ascendency of the Whigs. Meanwhile both houses entered into the consideration of the means for the prosecution of the war. An augmentation of 10,000 men was voted, and a supply of seven millions assigned for the service of the year.

Notwithstanding the powerful support which the government derived from the Whigs, neither the merits of the great commander, nor the zeal of his friends, could shield him from the attacks of factious opposition. The incidents connected with the action of Wynendale furnished an opportunity of which the Tories did not neglect to profit. The first information of that brilliant exploit, which appears to have been transmitted by some indirect channel, ascribed the principal merit of the achievement to General Cadogan, as the senior officer. This statement being hastily printed in the Gazette, General Webb was deeply offended, and published an explanatory narrative in support of his own fame. Every endea vour was used by government to counteract the consequences of their own mis-statement; the gallant general was honoured with the recommendation of the commander-in-chief, and the

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