TH

HE States General offered the town of Breda. To this offer general Yorke returned an anfwer, importing, That the king his mafier thanked their high mightineffes for the fincere defire they exprefs to put an end to the ravages of war, which carry defolation all over Europe: that he readily accepted of their gracious offer, and would be extremely pleafed, from his high regard and invariable friendship for their high mightineffes, that all the other powers at war would likewise accept it. To the fame offer, the French declaration was in fubftance as follows: That his moft Chriftian majefty was highly fenfible of the offer their high mightineffes had made of the town of Breda for holding the congrefs: that his majefty, to give a freth proof of his fincere defire to increafe the good harmony that fubfifted between him and their high mightineffes, accepted their gracious offer with pleafure; but as he could do nothing without the confent of his high allies, it behoved him to wait for their anfwer, which could not fail to be favourable, if nothing but the place for holding the congrefs remained to be fettled.

King Stanislaus having alfo written a letter to the king of Great Britain, making him an offer of

the city of Nancy to hold the congrefs in, his Britannic majefty returned him an answer to the following effect: I have a due fenfe of your majefty's obliging offer of your city of Nancy, for holding a congrefs, in cafe the powers at war fhould be inclined to put a ftop to the effufion of human blood. I should be extremely glad that the negociations so much to be defired were carried on under your majefty's eye: but as the city of Nancy is not conveniently fituated for all the powers who are interefted in the great work of peace, I can only thank your majefty for the obliging offer of your good offices, and of the city of Nancy for the feat of the negociation.'

To the like offer made to the king of Pruffia, his majesty wrote the following:

Monfieur mon Frere,

All the

"With real pleafure I have received your majefty's letter. Certainly I fhould not refufe the offer you make me of the city of Nancy, if that depended on me. negociations that fhould be carried on there under your aufpices, could not but take a favourable and happy turn; but your majesty, perhaps, knows, by this time, that every body's fentiments are not fo pacific as yours.

The courts of Vienna and Ruffia have refufed, in an unprecedented manner, to come into the measures which the king of England and myself proposed to them; and it is likely that they will draw the king of France into the continuance of the war, the advantages of which they alone expect to reap; but, certainly, they alone will be the caufe of the effufion of human blood confequent on their refufal.

How

B

E it known to all whom it concerns, or may concern, that the burthenfome war wherein his Pruffian majefty is engaged, putting him under the neceflity of making new efforts for his defence, against the great number of enemies by which his dominions are attacked, and being therefore obliged to enter into a new concert with his Britannic majefty, in order to provide reciprocally and jointly with him for their common defence and fafety; and his majefty the king of Great Britain having made known, at the fame time, the defire he had to ftrengthen the bonds of friendship, which fubfift between the two courts, and to come to a new agreement on this occafion, and for this end, by an exprefs convention relating to the fuccours by which he may give to his Pruffian majefty moft expeditious and most efficacious affiftance, their faid majesties have therefore, for this purpose, named and au

thorifed their refpective minifters, to wit, in the name, and on the part of his Britannic majefty, his privy counfellors, Sir Robert Henley, knight, his keeper of the great feal of Great Britain; John, earl Granville, prefident of his council; Thomas Holles, Duke of Newcastle, firft lord commiflioner of his treafury; Robert, earl of Holderneffe, one of his principal fecretaries of ftate; Philip, earl of Hardwicke ; and William. Pitt, another of his principal fecretaries of ftate; and. in the name, and on the part of his Pruffian majefty, the fieurs Dodo Henry, baron of Knyphaufen, his privy councellor of embaffy, and minifter plenipotentiary at the court of his Britannic majefty, and Lewis Michell, his chargé d'affaires, at the faid court, who, after the exchange of their refpective full powers, have agreed upon the following articles.

1. It is agreed that all the preceding treaties which fubfift between the two courts, of whatever date or nature they may be, and particularly that of Weftminster, of the 16th of January, in the year 1756, as well as the convention of the 11th of April of the laft year, and that of the 7th of December of the fame year, fhall be deemed to be renewed and confirmed by the prefent convention in all their points, articles and claufes, and fhall be of the fame force as if they were inferted herein word. for word.

2. His majesty, the king of Great Britain, engages to caufe to be paid in the city of London, into the hands of the perfon or perfons who fhall be authorifed for that purpofe by his majefty the king of Pruffia, the fum of four millions

of

of German crowns, amounting to 670,000l. fterling, which entire fum fhall be paid at once, immediately after the exchange of the ratifications, upon the requifition of his Pruffian majesty.

3. His majefty, the king of Pruffia, engages, on his part, to employ the faid fum in keeping up, and augmenting his forces, which fhall act in the most advantageous manner for the common caufe, and for the end proposed by their aforefaid majefties, of reciprocal defence, and mutual fecurity.

4. The high contracting parties moreover engage, viz. on the one part his Britannic majetty, both as king, and as elector, and on the other part his Pruflian majefty, not to conclude any treaty of peace, truce, or neutrality, or any other convention whatsoever, with the powers who have taken part in the prefent war, but in concert, and by mutual confent, and exprefsly comprehending each other therein.

5. This convention fhall be ratified, and the ratifications thereof thall be exchanged on both fides, within the term of fix weeks, to be reckoned from the date of figning the prefent convention, or fooner, if poflible.

In witnefs whereof we the under-written minifters of his majefty the king of Great Britain, and of his majefty the king of Pruffia, by virtue of our full powers, have figned the prefent convention, and have fet the feals of our arms thereto.

Done at London, the 9th of Noyember, in the year of our Lord 1759. (L. S.)

The miniftry of France, and the captains of ike nagy there, are mutually

difpleafed with one another. The letter which M. Berryer, secretary for the affairs of the navy, wrote to the officers in the river Vilaine, was preceded by feveral others. The firft from that minifter to M. de la Braffe, was dated December 17, 1759, and was as follows:

I

Received, Sir, yours of the

4th inftant, acquainting me with the fituation of the fhips that took fhelter in the Vilaine, and of the difficulty of getting them down the river. I laid your letter before the king at Marly. His majesty could not help faying to me, that he could not conceive why you put into fuch a place; which, all circumflances confidered, he thought a very improper one. He charges you to examine carefully what methods can be employed, to get the fhips out, and carry them to Breft, if not all together, which without doubt would be difficult, at least one at a time, which may be done. His majesty added, that the state of his finances would not fupport the expence of keeping fhips in commiflion in the Vilaine. He would chufe rather to order them to be laid up, and the officers and feamen to be discharged, than to continue fuch a heavy and fruitless expence; referving to himself to take fuch measures, and employ fuch officers, as he might think proper, to bring them out of that place, but he deferred giving me his final order on this head, till you should have answered this letter.

I therefore earnestly defire that you will answer it minutely and with precifion. You-muft be fenfible how nearly it concerns you to get the king's fhips, as foon as poffible, out of this place with fafety;

and

and how mortifying it would be to you to fee others employed in this fervice. The intereft I take in whatever concerns you, makes me with that you would think of the matter seriously, and that you may fucceed in it.

His majefty was much offended, that without asking or waiting for his orders, you took upon you to give fome officers leave to go on hore. He orders me to make out a lift of all who fhall leave their fhips, before he has ordered them to be put out of commiflion, that it may be laid before him; for no officer is to go on fhore while the fhips are detained. I am, &c."

M. de la Broffe did not think it became him to anfwer alone this letter, in which every captain was concerned. The whole body of them, therefore, fent an answer, dated December 17, in the following terms:

"In confequence of the minifter's letter, all the captains met, and after mature confideration of the manifold inconveniencies of getting the fhips out of the Vilaine, we are unanimously of opinion that, notwithstanding the preffing motives for complying with the king's intentions, it is abfolutely impoffible to fulfil them while the enemy continues in thefe feas; and we cannot expect that the bad weather at this season will force them to quit their ftation: for in the bay of Quiberon they can ride as fafe, they acknowledge themselves, as in any harbour in England, efpecially from the wefterly winds, which are moft violent, and which hinder us from getting out; we being obliged to wait till a favourable wind coincide with a high tide, as it happily did the day we

carried the king's fhips out of danger. The favourable winds from north-eaft to fouth-east, which are abfolutely neceffary for their getting out, fuffer the enemy to stand in fhore, and to form a chain at the entrance of the bay, which is . near a league over, and hath only one channel, too narrow for more than two. fhips to pafs a-breatì; and the enemy being without us, the hip that thould have once got through, could not get back, but muft either run a-thore, or be taken. The fame difficulty fubfifts in the cafe of a fingle thip, which, with the advantage of all the most favourable circumftances, fhould attempt to get through, there being always three of the enemy's fhips at anchor, at the distance of two leagues, who make fignals to the reft who are farther out. The very firft motions we make are known to this fquadron, which, according to the reports daily brought to us, hath never confifted of lefs than twenty fhips.

Notwithstanding the perfonal intereft of each captain, not to have his fhip laid up in a place fo diftant from the department to which he belongs, we are concerned only for the good of the fervice. We find that the difficulties above mentioned render it impoflible for us to get out, if the enemy have a mind to hinder it.