High and Mighty Lords! No fooner had her Imperial majefty been informed of the Britifh ambaffador's fudden departure from the Hague; than, without waiting for any further explanation, guided only by the friendfhip and good-will the bears to the two contending powers, and awakened by the alarming tendency of a meafure fo detrimental to their mutual welfare and tranquillity, The directed her minifter in London to make the most earnest reprefentations to that court, to prevent, if poffible, the matter being carried to any extremity, and to recommend the moft conciliating meafures; offering at the fame time to promote them as far as was in her power. Although her majefty has not yet heard of any anfwer from the faid court,

fhe has fome reafon to think that the overtures made by her have been favourably received. In confequence whereof, her Imperial majefty does not hesitate to give a fresh proof of her good intentions for bringing about a reconciliation between the two powers, whom the equally fupports, and who have lived fo long in that natural and perfect harmony which beft fuits their refpective interefts, by offering them, in form, her fervices and mediation, for the purpofe of putting an end to that difcord and war which has lately broke out

between them.

While Monfieur de Simolin, her Imperial majesty's minifter at the Court of London, is fulfilling her commands on this head; the underwritten has the honour to acquit himself of the fame task here with their High Mightineffes, and to affure them of the zeal and readinefs he wishes to have an oppor. tunity to difplay, in forwarding the defirable work of restoring the faid states to their wonted peace and tranquillity. That difintereftedness, impartiality, and benevolence, which have hitherto ftamped every action of her Imperial majefty, are equally confpicuous in the prefent inftance.

The wifdom and prudence of your High Mightineffes will eafily diftinguifh thofe facred characteriftics, and dictate the answer . which the underwritten fhall tranfmit to his Imperial mistress, as a proof of his having executed her commands.

[Signed]

LE PRINCE DE GALLITZIN,' Hague, March 1, 1781.

Hague, March 7. Their noble and great Mightineffes, the ftates

of

Mightineffes the States General of the United Provinces, to his majefty the King of Sweden, in purfuance of an exprefs order from his mafters, has the honour to propofe to his Swedish Majefty,

That their High Mightineffes having acceded, by their refolution of the 20th of November, 1780, to the treaty of armed neutrality, in conformity to the invitation of the northern powers; and placing the most perfect confidence in the power, magnanimity, and fidelity of their imperial and royal majefties, for the fulfilling of their engagements, and the maintaining of their dignity, by accomplifiring a work fo gloriously undertaken, namely, the liberty of the feas, and freedom of navigation for all neutral nations, were not deterred by the confideration of the confequences, which that acceffion and declaration might be productive of to the Republic, from

the part of the belligerent powers. But their High Mightineffes have declared in favour of this acceffion and declaration, in relying implicitly on the fentiments of their imperial and royal majefties, whom they alfo acquainted in due time, of the measures taken in confequence thereof.

Tha the event has also justified their requifition, in regard to the Britif court: fince the minister of the latter, after his fruitlefs endeavours to thwart the acceffion to the alliance, took the refolution, on the firft notice he had of it, to speak in a strain truly unprecedented, and ill fuited to the mutual regard which the respective fovereigns owe to each other: without fo much as granting to the

a

fider on the matter, according to the political fyftem of the Repub. lic, which his Britannic majesty is fully acquainted with: the Eng lith minifter infifted, nevertheiefs, upon an immediate and speedy fatisfaction, and the punishment of apretended offence, occafioned by e difcovery of a negociation with North America, without receiv ing as an ample fatisfaction, the provifional anfwer, nor the formal difavowal of their High Mightinefles of a negociation, of which (as acknowledged even by his Britannic majeity) they had not the leaft thare, or knowledge; of anegociation relating to a pretended treaty, which, in itself, fufficiently denotes, from its terms, only the sketch of an eventual treaty entered into by private perfons, without being formally, authorised thereto by the body of the magiftrates of Amfterdam, or by the ftates of the province of [U] 4 Holland,

Holland, and much lefs by the States General, whofe members are alone authorised to enter into engagements in the name of the Republic.

The British minifter went even fo far as to refufe noticing the refolution, by which the province of Holland (the only one concerned) was required to deliberate, how far the laws of the country might give authority to profecute the perfons accufed, and punish them; a formality, without which no punishment can be inflicted, neither in England nor in this Republic, or any other country. Nay, the faid minifter went fo far as to threaten, that in cafe of a refufal, his fovereign would adopt fuch means, as to procure himself that fatisfaction. It was at the fame time refolved to attack the Republic by furprize, and fo far haften the measures taken to begin hoftilities, that lord Stormont, making ufe of vain pretences, would not fo much as accept from Count Welderen the aforefaid de claration; and answered, under his hand," That he (Stormont) could no longer look upon him as the minifter of a friendly power, after having officially acquainted him of his king's manifefto:" whilft this very manifefto (andthis fhould be noted) was delivered into the hands of Count Welderen, only an hour before the time appointed by Lord Stormont, the preceding day, for giving him audience, That,moreover, although no men tion is made in the manifefto al luded to, of the Republic acceding to the treaty of the armed neutrality (which it was of the utmost importance to pafs over in filence), it nevertheless appears

clearly, to the penetrating eye_of your majefty, as well as to all Europe, if the whole proceedings are attended to, and the time and manner in which the manifefto was published, that the hatred, occafioned by the Republic acceding to the confederation of armed neutrality, is the true motive of his British majefty's refentment, and the only one that could excite him to an open attack against the Republic, by feizing, at once, upon a great number of Dutch mierchantmen, and some ships of war. Befides that the aforefaid mani❤ fefto, known to your majefty, sufficiently difplays the caufe of England's difpleafure; the more fo as amongft the pretences made use of to varnish over the hoftilities against the Republic, it is said, that it had taken a neutral part: without the cabinet. of St. James's deigning to obferve, that fuch an fwer was infulting to the neutral powers who are perfectly acquainted with the treaties now in force between England and the Republic; and that the latter could not be charged with an intention of entering into an alliance with a power not lawfully neuter in the prefent contest, and without obferving that this liberty of negociating had been put beyond all doubt, by England itself; fince, by fufpending, in April, 1780, the effects of the treaty paffed in 1674, the English having manifefted their intent of looking henceforth upon the Republic as a heutral power, no ways privileged by any treaty.

That for the reafons here above mentioned, the animofity of Great Britain appears ftill more confpicuous, from the ill-grounded reproach

proach contained in the faid manifefto against this Republic, that their High Mightineffes had encouraged the exportation of naval ftores for France, by fufpending the ufual duties on thofe commodities, whilft it is known to all the world, that fuch a fufpenfion has never taken place, and that the Republic had a right to export thofe commodities, not only agreeably to the treaty in 1674, but alfo in conformity to the principles laid down by the neutral powers in the convention of armed neutrality, That confequently it would be needless to enter any farther into. the merits of the faid manifefto; as his Swedish majefty has it in his power to appreciate himself its value, and muft, moreover, be fully perfuaded that the line of conduct purfued by their High Mightineffes fince the beginning of the troubles with America, is an evident proof, that they have never favoured or countenanced the revolted colonies; witness the many partial condefcenfions in favour of England, which were merely gratuitous on the part of their High Mightineffes, by circumfcribing the trade within their own colonies; by refufing to grant the protection of their convoys to veffels laden with ship timber; and by recalling the Governor of St. Euftatia on fome ill-grounded complaints of the British miniftry: condefcenfions which have been rewarded by the attack and feizure of the convoy of Count Byland; by a violation of the territories of this Republic, and by the taking by force fome American veffels from under the very batteries of the island of St. Martin.

That their High Mightineffes

having thus faithfully adhered to the fyftem of moderation, it is evident that the refentment of his Britannic najefty arifes merely from their acceffion to the treaty of armed neutrality; and that, confequently, their High Mightineffes are fully authorised to claim the performance of the con◄ ditions ftipulated in the articles VII, VIII. and IX. of the treaty of armed neutrality, which form the bafis of that union and alliance contracted between their imperial and royal majefties and the Republic, That therefore no obftacles can hinder or delay the fulfilling of the engagements contracted by virtue of the faid confedera tion, of which the Republic ought to be confidered as a member from the very moment in which their High Mightineffes acceded to the fame refolution at the Hague; and difpatched their declaration, in conformity to the faid acceffion and convention, to the belligerent powers.

That if their High Mightineffes had to complain only of a fingle act of offence, or an attack committed against them, which was likely to be recreffed by the friendly interpofition of their allies, they would have claimed their intervention rather than have recourfe to arms; but as their High Mightineffes find themfelves actually and fuddenly attacked in an hoftile manner by his Britannic majefty, in confequence of, and from mere resentment of the above mentioned alliance, they find themselves under the neceffity of repelling force by force, and to return hoftilities for hoftilities; being fully perfuaded that the allied powers will not hefitate to make this their common

caufe,