Spanish River, and there in conjunction with the General he held a Council of War. At this it was resolved unanimously that, since the fleet and forces were victualled for ten weeks only, and could not at that stormy season depend upon New England for supplies, they should return home without any further attempt to achieve their object.

The secret negotiation with France was still continued. Towards the close of April De Torcy sent back Gaultier to London with an offer to treat comprised in six articles. It was by no means clear or explicit in its language. It promised real securities to the English trade in Spain, in the Indies, and in the Mediterranean; a sufficent Barrier and freedom of commerce to the Dutch; and a reasonable satisfaction to the Allies of England and Holland. It cautiously referred to the sovereignty of Spain as no longer in question since King Philip's late successes, but it added that, in consequence of those successes, new expedients might be found to regulate the succession of that monarchy to the contentment of all the parties engaged in the present war.

Vague and unsatisfactory as these terms appear, they were with little delay transmitted by St. John to Lord Raby at the Hague. There went with them an ostensible and also a secret letter. 1 Lord Raby was directed to show the inclosure in the strictest confidence to Pensionary Heinsius and the other Dutch Ministers, and to obtain their opinion upon it. And St. John added, "Though there is an air of complaisance through the whole paper shown to us, and the contrary to those among whom you reside, yet this can have no ill-con

1 Bolingbroke's Correspondence, vol. i. p. 106. VOL. II.

sequence so long as the Queen and States take care to understand each other." St. John's public letter further stated, "The Duke of Marlborough has no communication from hence of this affair; I suppose he will have none from the Hague."

The answer of the Dutch Ministers, Heinsius and Buys, was couched in most general terms; they expressed their wish for peace, but desired more explicit proposals. Their secret object was that these proposals might be made directly to themselves. Pettekum"the peace-broker," as in one of his letters St. John calls him-wrote to France at the suggestion of Heinsius to say, that if the King would renew the negotiations in Holland he would certainly be satisfied with the conduct of the Dutch. This overture was at once declined by Louis in compliance with the wish of the English Ministers. It was to London that he looked henceforward and not to the Hague.

Oxford and St. John on their part were resuming their negotiations with Le Grand Monarque. For the sake of secrecy they resolved to employ no person of rank. They sent over to confer with Torcy their personal friend Matthew Prior, a man of quick talents and not in poetry alone. He had been before the war Secretary of Embassy at Paris, and was well versed in French affairs.

The credentials of Prior were signed by the Queen's own hand, but consisted of no more than a few lines, giving him powers only to state her claims and to bring back the replies. Repairing to Fontainebleau, where the Court then resided, Prior had several secret interviews with Torcy. His first inquiry was whether the King had authority to stipulate for Spain as well as France. Being assured that Philip had sent full powers

for that purpose, he intimated that England no longer insisted on wresting the Spanish Crown from the House of Bourbon provided full securities were taken that it should never in any case be united with the French. Prior next proceeded to bring forward divers demands of his Royal Mistress on her own part or for her Allies; for England, among other things, the cession of Gibraltar, Minorca, and Newfoundland, the demolition of the works at Dunkirk, four towns for trade in South America, and large commercial advantages; the latter to be allowed to the Dutch also, with a Barrier for them of fortified towns in the Low Countries, and for the House of Austria a similar Barrier on the Rhine.

In considering these terms, Louis felt especial difficulty on the point of the commercial advantages, which he feared might prove ruinous to his own subjects as well as to those of Spain. Yet he was unwilling by any direct refusal to estrange his good friends-for so he began to think them-at the Court of St. James's. He therefore took advantage of the fact that the powers of Prior were so strictly limited. He desired, he said, to transfer the seat of the negotiation to London, by sending over at the same time that Prior returned a person in his own confidence, who should have full authority to sign the Preliminary Articles. For this purpose he selected Mesnager, who, though a merchant by profession, had shown himself a skilful negotiator in the Gertruydenberg negotiations.

In England meanwhile the secret was closely kept. Even Swift, familiar as he was with the chief Ministers, was not entrusted with it. So late as the 24th of August there is the following entry in his journal: "Prior has been out of town these two months, nobody

knows where, and is lately returned. People confidently affirm he has been in France, and I half believe it. They say he was sent by the Ministry, and for some overtures toward a peace. The Secretary (St. John) pretends he knows nothing of it."-Even this half knowledge of the public might have been avoided but for an untoward accident. Prior had landed at Deal from a small vessel and under a feigned name, but being taken for a smuggler he was seized by the custom-house officers and obliged to produce his pass, nor was he released until orders from London

came.

Mesnager on his arrival was well received by the English Ministers, but found considerable difficulties in the way of his negotiation. While yielding most of the points demanded he was instructed to insist especially that the Electors of Bavaria and Cologne should be reinstated in their rank and territories, and that to compensate the King of France for the demolition of Dunkirk the cities of Lille and Tournay should be restored to him. After some weeks of contestation and another reference to Louis, it was agreed that these last points should be postponed to the final treaty. Then on the 27th of September, Mesnager on the part of France signed eight Preliminary Articles of peace with England. By these Louis bound himself to acknowledge Anne as Queen of Great Britain, as also the succession to her Crown as by law established. A new treaty of commerce was to be framed. Dunkirk was to be demolished, some fair equivalent being first determined. Gibraltar and Port Mahon were to remain in the hands of the English. Newfoundland also was to be ceded, with some fishing rights reserved. The ASIENTO by which Spanish word signifying

only "compact was meant in fact the slave-trade as the most excellent of all possible treaties-would be granted by Spain to the English instead of the French, some places in America to be assigned " for the refreshment and sale of their negroes."

The Preliminaries being signed, and a peace in some measure secured, several acts of courtesy ensued. Marshal Tallard, who had been detained a prisoner ever since the battle of Blenheim, was permitted to return on his parole to France. Monsieur Mesnager, before he went back, was presented to the Queen at Windsor and graciously received. She said to him: "It is a good work; pray God prosper you in it. I am sure I long for peace: I hate this dreadful work of blood.” 2

But besides the Preliminaries of Peace with England, there was another document signed by Mesnager on the 27th of September. This was a different set of Preliminaries, drawn out in seven articles and designed mainly for communication to the Dutch. Indeed St. John writing to the Queen the same day goes so far as to call this "the paper for Holland." From it were omitted, to give no ground of jealousy, the clauses which especially favored England; and above all the intended cession of Gibraltar and Mahon. On the other hand there were inserted new stipulations which most concerned the other Allies; as the promise of measures to hinder that the crowns of France and Spain should ever be united on the head of the same Prince; a Barrier for the Dutch; and another to be formed for the Empire and the Austrian Family.

Armed with this document, the Earl of Strafford, who

2 Compare the Mémoires de Torcy, vol. iii. p. 87, and a note to Burnet's History, vol. vi. p. 77.