the British plenipotentiaries hoped the peace near to what each of them would accept, that would be general in ten or twelve days. The Portuguese and Dutch were already prepared, and others were daily coming in, by means of their lordships good offices, who found mons. Mesnager and his colleague very stubborn to the last. Another courier was dispatched to France, upon some disputes about inserting the titles of her majesty and the most christian king; and to bring a general plan for the interests of those allies, who should not be ready against the time prefixed. The French renunciations were now arrived at Utrecht; and it was agreed that those, as well as that of the king of Spain, should be inserted at length in every treaty; by which means the whole confederacy would become guarantees of them.

The courier last sent to France returned to Utrecht on the 27th of March, with the concessions of that court upon every necessary point; so that, all things being ready for putting a period to this great and difficult work, the lord privy-seal and the earl of Strafford gave notice to the ministers of the several allies, "That their lordships had appointed Tuesday the 31st instant, wherein to sign a treaty of peace and a treaty of commerce, between the queen of Great Britain their mistress, and the most christian king; and hoped the said allies would be prepared at the same time to follow their example." Accordingly their lordships employed the three intervening days, in smoothing the few difficulties that re

mained between the French ministers, and those of the several confederate powers.

The importatn day being now come, the lord bishop of Bristol and the earl of Strafford having assumed the character of ambassadors extraordinary, gave a memorial in behalf of the French protestants to the mareschal d'Uxelles and his colleague, who were to transmit it to their court; and these delivered to the British ambassadors a declaration in writing, that the pretender was actually gone out of France.

The conditions of peace to be allowed the emperor and the empire, as adjusted between Britain and France, were now likewise delivered to the count Zinzendorf. These and some other previous matters of smaller consequence being finished, the treaties of peace and commerce between her majesty of Britain and the most christian king, were signed at the lord privy-seal's house, between two and three of the clock in the afternoon. The ministers of the duke of Savoy signed about an hour after. Then the assembly adjourned to the earl of Strafford's, where they all went to dinner; and about nine at night the peace was signed by the ministers of Portugal, by those of Prussia at eleven, and when it was near midnight by the States.

Thus, after all the opposition raised by a strong party in France, and by a virulent faction in Britain; after all the artifices of those who presided at the Hague, who, for their private interest, endeavoured, in conjunction with their friends in England, to prolong the war; after the restless endeavours

endeavours of the imperial court to render the treaty ineffectual; the firm steady conduct of the queen, the wisdom and courage of her ministry, and the abilities of those whom she employed in her negotiations abroad, prevailed to have a peace signed in one day, by every power concerned, except that of the emperor and the empire; for, his imperial majesty liked his situation too well, to think of a peace, while the drudgery and expenses of the war lay upon other shoulders, and the advantages were to redound only to himself.

During this whole negotiation, the king of Spain, who was not acknowledged by any of the confederates, had consequently no minister at Utrecht; but the differences between her majesty and that prince, were easily settled by the lord Lexington at Madrid, and the marquis of Monteleon here: so that, upon the duke d'Ossuna's arrival at the congress, some days after the peace, he was ready to conclude a treaty between the queen and his master. Neither is it probable that the Dutch, or any other ally, except the emperor, will encounter any difficulties of moment, to retard their several treaties with his catholick majesty.

The treaties of peace and commerce between Britain and France were ratified here on the 7th of April; on the 28th the ratifications were exchanged; and on the 5th of May the peace was proclaimed in the usual manner; but with louder acclamations, and more extraordinary rejoicings of the people, than had ever been remembered on the like occasion.

ANECDOTE

ANECDOTE RELATIVE TO THE PEACE

OF UTRECHT.

ONE Dr. Helvetius was sent from Paris, by Torcy, to Devenwordt, at the Hague, with the first proposals for a peace separate with Holland; a year after which, the preliminaries at Gertruydenberg were transacted by the mareschal d'Uxelles and Polignac; and afterwards Mesnager was privately dispatched to the same effect.

My lord Strafford had the first intimation of these separate transactions of France and Holland from the duke of Marlborough (as a thing a good while before in agitation), and afterwards from Devenwordt himself, who told him, "That he sent to Paris for Dr. Helvetius, to cure him of a rheumatism; which opportunity Torcy took to negotiate by him." Helvetius since confirmed the same story to my lord Strafford *, in the year

1720.

*

Lord Strafford governed, for a considerable time, the court of Berlin, and made his own fortune, by being well with madame de Wartenberg, the first king of Prussia's mistress. Chesterfield, Letter ccxvi. This king of Prussia died in February 1713. N.

DR.

DR. SWIFT'S MEMORIAL

TO

THE QUE E N.

APRIL 15, 1714.

THE change of ministry about four years ago, the fall of the duke of Marlborough, and the proceedings since in relation to the peace and treaties, are all capable of being very maliciously represented to posterity, if they should fall under the pen of some writer of the opposite party, as they probably may.

Upon these reasons, it is necessary, for the honour of the queen, and in justice to her servants, that some able hand should be immediately employed to write the history of her majesty's reign; that the truth of things may be transmitted to future ages, and bear down the falsehood of malicious pens.

The Dean of St. Patrick's is ready to undertake this work; humbly desiring her majesty will please to appoint him her Historiographer *, not

* Lord Orrery, in his Remarks, p. 29, gives an unfriendly turn to this request; but, if his lordship had adverted to the date of Dr. Swift's letter to Mr. Pope (June 20, 1721), which occasioned those remarks, or had ever seen the memorial which was presented to the queen, he never could have spoken so slightingly of Dr. Swift, who had been some time in possession of his deanry when this memorial was presented; and to whom the profits of the Historiographer's office must certainly have been an inconsiderable object. N.

VOL. VI.

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