37, expediency of his being freed from the neceffity of fending to court for inftructions, at the rifk of lofing many favourable opportunities; and defires that the old Marshal Bathiani, with the Prince of Lichtenstein, shall be affigned him for his council during the enfuing campaign, and that their refolutions fhall have the fame force as if taken in the cabinet. Jan.1759. Affairs in Germany. erprifal of this city, with that which had alfo formerly been made of Liege, by the French, will naturally and necefI, Erily induce the Pruffians and their al2. lies to make themselves mafters in like to manner of other places, which may poftibly end, on the making of a peace, in fabverting the liberty of the free cities. This has occafioned great speculations in the dict. It is affured, that the magiftrates of Francfort have addressed themto felves, in a very preffing manner, to feveral princes and ftates of Europe, and among the reft to the King of Denmark and the States-General of the United Provinces, defiring them to intercede with his Moft Chriftian Majefty, to withdraw his troops. As the Prince de Sou bife had been reinforced by feveral regiments detached from M. de Contades's army, it was thought he would extend his quarters to Schwinfurth in Francoaia, that he might be at hand to fupport the army of the empire, in cafe it fhould be attacked. Advices from Drefden bear, that Count Finckenftein will be placed at the head of the council, who are, for the future, to direct the affairs of Saxony with the fame full powers that the Czarina has given to the Ruffian governor of Pruffia. The eftates of that electorate had agreed to give his Pruffian Majefty 6,000,000 crowns for the current year. But a letter from Drefden, dated Jan. 13. fays, that, through the interceffion of Pr. Henry, the electorate is only to find provisions for the Pruffian army, and immediately to pay 3,000,000. Vaft preparations are making, on that fide, for the early opening of the campaign; and the fortifications of Pirna and Sonnenftein are repairing with great diligence. An exchange of prifoners has been made; notwithstanding which, a great many Auftrians ftill remain in the hands of the Pruffians, at Berlin, Drefden, and elsewhere. It is affured that his Pruffian Majefty will have 200,000 good troops ready to take the field. There have been some motions on the Lower Rhine, but hitherto they have turned out to be of fmall confequence. Pr. Ferdinand's army is augmented from time to time. The body of Pruffian troops under the command of the Prince of Holftein-Gottorp, employed in the allied army, increafes daily; and will be further reinforced by a regiment actually raifing, which is to be called the voluntiers of Pruffia. The 12,020 Heffians which were in that army the last campaign, are to be augmented to 19,020. The Auftrians eftimate their forces at above 200,000, exclufive of the pandours, Croats, Lycanians, and other militia. M. Daun warmly infifts on the VOL. XXI. The French army on the Lower Rhine has also been confiderably reinforced. But different accounts agree, that the Electors Palatine and of Mentz, with the Duke of Wurtemburg, have declared for a neutrality, and recalled their troops which were in his Most Christian Majefty's fervice. According to late advices, the Prince of Conti was arrived at Crevelt, to take the command of the French inftead of M. de Contades. A letter from the Hague, dated Jan. 23. fays there was advice there from Liege, that the French troops were preparing to make a general movement on the Rhine, in order to join the army of the Prince de Soubife. Her R. Highness Princefs Mary of Hefe has written a most pathetic letter to the States-General, imploring their affiftance, agreeably to their guaranty of the regulations made at Caffel on occafion of her husband the hereditary Prince's change of religion [xvii. 12. 94.]. As by thofe regulations the revenues of the county of Hanau were affigned for the future maintenance of the princes her fons, the poffeffion which the French have taken of that country, and their manifeft intention to ruin it, give her R. Highness a juft claim to the execu F tion tion of the guaranty of their High Mightineffes, whom the endeavours to roufe by a vast number of grievances charged upon the Roman Catholics. This letter was accompanied by a memorial, with fome vouchers annexed, relating to the unparallelled conduct of the French in the landgraviate of Heffe. She has allo fent the like memorials to all the princes of the empire in relation to the fame fubject. Early in January Count Dohna took the town and fort of Damgarten, with Gripfwalde and Grimme, in Swedith Pomerania, where he found good maga. zines. He left Anclam and Demmin behind him; but those two places have fince been reduced. The troops which garrifoned the latter, amounting to a bout 1500, were made prifoners of war; but thofe in the former, being above 1400, are allowed to return home, on condition not to serve against the King of Pruffia or his allies till they be exchanged. There were 60 pieces of cannon found in the two places, with confiderable quantities of ammunition and provifions. Some accounts bear, that the Pruffians were preparing to lay fiege in form to Stralfund, where there was a garrifon of 8 or 10,000 men, and 200 guns mounted on the ramparts. Molt of the foreign papers agree, that there is a treaty concluded between G. Britain and the court of SARDINIA, to which the King of the Two SICILIES has defired to accede. His Sardinian Majefty, 'tis faid, is to head an army of 50,0co men, which is to act against the French, and the Emprefs-Queen's troops in Italy; in confideration of which, befides the Milanefe, which he lays claim to in the event of the King of Spain's death, he is to have a fubfidy from G. Britain. It is likewife faid, that a British fleet will be kept in the Mediterranean, to fecond his Sardinian Majesty's operations. They further add, that the French have marched a body of 18,000 troops into Provence, to prevent any at tack on that quarter. Almoft ever fince the death of the late Queen of SPAIN, the King has remained at Villa Viciofa, in a very bad ftate of health; and according to repeated accounts he is reduced fo low, that the news of his death is daily expected. A fleet is kept ready at Naples, in order to carry his Sicilian Majesty over to take poffeflion of the Spanish throne, when that event happens. The myfterious affair of the attack upon the King of PORTUGAL's life [xx. 544.], is now cleared up. This moft dangerous and wicked confpiracy having been happily difcovered, about the 13th of December 1758 a confiderable number of perfons were arrested by the King's order, of whom the following eleven are the principal, viz. the Duke de Aveiro, the Marquis of Tavora, father and fon, Jofeph Maria fon and Jofeph Maria brother of the Marquis, the Count de Atouguia, Manuel de Tavora, the Marquis de Alloria, Don Manuel de Souza, Nuno and John de Tavora, with all their families. Soon after, a placart was published, notifying the King's providential efcape on the 3d of September laft, and his recovery of the wound he had received in his arm'; and promising certain honours and rewards for the discovery of any of the criminals, with a pardon to any of the accomplices, except the principals. bout the fame time an imbargo was laid on all the fhipping in the different ports of the kingdom, and the King resumed the exercife of the government. the 1ft of January 1759, the Counts de Obidos and de Ribeira-grande were fent to the caftle of St Julian's, and guards placed at the doors of their respective dwelling houfes; but it is generally thought that these two gentlemen were not concerned in the confpiracy, but rather that they may have been too free of speech. On the 4th the Duchess of Aveiro, the Countess of Atouguia, and the Marchioness of Alloria, with their children, were fent to different nunnerics. Eight Jefuits were taken into cuftody on the 11th. A council was ap pointed by the King for the trial of the prifoners, compofed of the three fecretaries of ftate, the perfon acting as chief juftice in the room of the Duke of Alafoens, who was indifpofed, and five o A On ther Jan. 1759. Affairs in Portugal. ther judges, the folicitor for the crown being prefent. The whole procefs was clofed on the 9th, an abstract of which is inferted above [20.]. The Marchionefs of Tavora, who was one of the chief instruments in the confpiracy, was brought, on the 10th, from the convent das Grillas, to the place where the other criminals were confined. The execution being fixed for Saturday Jan. 13. a ftage eighteen feet high was erected on the key of Belem, juft before the King's palace, and oppofite to the houfe where the prifoners were confined, and eight wheels were fixed upon it. On one corner of the fcaffolding was placed Antonio Alvares Ferreira, and on the other corner the effigy of Jofeph Policarpio de Azevedo, who had not been apprehended, thefe being the perfons who fired at the back of the King's equipage. About half an hour after eight o'clock in the morning the execution began, and lafted till three o'clock after noon. The criminals were brought out one by one, each under a ftrong guard. The Marchionefs of Tavora was the first that was brought upon the ftage, where her head was Itruck off at one blow. Her body was afterwards placed upon the floor of the fcaffolding, and covered with a liDen cloth, Young Jofeph Maria of Tavora, the young Marquis of Tavora, the Count of Atouguia, and three fervants of the Duke of Aveiro, were firft ftrangled at a ftake, and afterwards their limbs were broken with an iron inftrument. The Marquis of Tavora and the Duke of Aveiro had their limbs bro ken alive. The Duke, for greater ignominy, was brought bareheaded to the place of execution. The body and limbs of each of the criminals, after they were executed, were thrown upon a wheel, and covered with a linen cloth. But when Antonio Alvares Ferreira was brought to the stake, whose sentence was to be burnt alive; the other bodies were expofed to his view; the coinbuftible matter, which had been laid under the fcaffolding, was fet on fire; the whole machine, with the bodies, were confumed to afhes; and the afhes fwept together, and thrown into the fea. 39 The eftates of the confpirators who have been executed are all confifcated to the crown, their dwelling-houfes are razed to the ground, and the name of Tavora is never to be used by any perfon whatever; this family being the principal branch of that name: but the name of Mafcarenhas, which was the Duke of Aveiro's, is fpared, because his family is a younger branch of the families of that name. A reward of 10,000 crowns is offered to whoever shall apprehend the perfon of Jofeph Policarpio de Azevedo. The King and the royal family affifted on the 15th, at a Te Deum fung at the chapel of Noffa Senhora de Livramenta, in thanksgiving for his Majefty's recovery. As this was the first time that the King had appeared abroad, great demonftrations of joy were fhewn by the people; to whom the King was pleafed to give the fatisfaction of waving his handkerchief, first in one hand, then in the other, to fhew that he had the ufe of both. And Te Deum for the King's recovery has also been fung in all the churches and chapels throughout the kingdom. The imbargo was taken off the fhipping on the 16th. Their Majefties and the royal family fet out, on the 19th, for Salvaterra, to take their ufual diversion of fhooting and hawking. It is faid the Duke d'Aveiro was to have been declared King in case the affaffination-plot had taken effect, and that the Portuguese fettlements in the Brazil were fo much in his intereft, as to wait only the news of the King's death to make their fentiments in his favour public. The discovery of the plot, it is faid, was owing to a letter brought from that quarter, and which was carefully concealed among fome goods in a cafk, by which means it paffed unfufpected. A letter from Lisbon, dated Jan. 26. advises, that near 2,000,000 crufades were found at Aveiras, the Duke d' Aveiro's country-feat, which money was to have been employed, as occafion required, for bringing about the intended revolution. It is added, that fome foreign merchants at Lisbon had imported, by the Duke's orders, 3148 3148 muskets with bayonets, which into a contract with a company, who were to have been diftributed among the have undertaken to furnish him with confpirators. Had the project taken 40 men of war, all of them equipped effect, the Duke defigned to have taken and armed, 20 in the month of April, the regal title, and to have married his and the reft within the prefent year, for fon to the Princefs of Brazil, the pre- which the King is to pay 3,500,000 lifumptive heiress of the crown. vres per month for the first four months, and 60,000,000 within the course of the year. They write from Paris, of Jan. 15. that a company of the richest merchants in that capital have engaged to furnish yearly, for three years, 42,000,000 livres for the fervice of the marine and artillery. It is faid the Dutch have feveral of their fhips employed in carrying on the trade of the French to the Eaft Indies, in confequence of which their India company's actions rife confiderably. They alfo fend advice from Paris, that a squadron, commanded by M. de Bompart, failed from Breft the 21st of January. Within a week before the 22d five priefts had been condemned to perpetual banifhment, for refufals of the facraments on the score of the bull Unigenitus. Another letter from Lisbon, dated Jan. 20. fays, the manner in which the King got intelligence of the confpiracy, is fomething romantic, but certainly true, viz. That the Duke d'Aveiro, with the two bravoes, having, after the horrid deed, made off towards Lifbon, they went to the house of one of the ruffians; that his wife having her brother, a glover, with her, immediately thrust him into the clofet of the room where fhe then was; that the Duke and the ruffians having entered that room, the former began to talk of their exploit with the utmost freedom, faying, "that he suspected they had not difpatched the "King quite ;" and being anfwered by the other two, "6 that they were fure he could not escape," he replied, with an oath, "Aye, but we should not have Jeft the place till we had ocular demonftration of his being dead:" that the confpirators having remained there till they thought every thing was hufhed and quiet, they then departed: that the glover thought the difcourfe he had heard was very extraordinary, but did not know what to make of it; but that hearing of the rumour that flew about, of his Majefty's having been affaulted, he put all things together, and went to the secretary of state with the information; and that this evidence being corroborated by advices received from other hands, every thing was regulated accordingly. His Portuguese Majefty, having found the Jefuits to be deeply concerned in the plot, has fent to Rome to beg his Holi nefs will not protect the fociety, but give leave for fuch of them as may be found criminal, to be punished according to their deferts. In the mean time feveral members of the fociety have been taken into cuftody. According to advices from FRANCE, his Moft Chriftian Majefty has entered Mr Yorke, the British minister at the HAGUE, having, agreeably to inftructions, asked that commiffioners might be appointed by the States-General to treat with him about fettling differences in an amicable manner, he had a meeting with them on the 21st of December, and opened the conferences with the following speech. High and Mighty Lords, Had the honour to acquaint you, at the conference I obtained of your High Migbtinelles authorised and inftructed me to enter into negoon the 7th inftant, that the King my master had tiation with fuch perfons as your High Mighti nefes fhould think proper to nominate for that end; but that as the affair required a minute difcuffion, it would be impoffible to terminate it without fome farther explanations. It is with the highest pleasure that I this day open our confe. rences on this important fubject; and I flatter myself, that if your High Mightineffes are as defirous of a reconciliation as his Majesty is, it will foon be happily concluded. which were delivered to me the day following, your By the two refolutions of Sept. 12. and Sept 25. High Mightineffes thought proper to make fome difficulty of receiving the declaration which I had the honour to prefent to you, in the King's name, against the trade carried on by your fubjects to the French colonies in America, for the account of thofe very colonies. If his Majefty, on being in formed Jan.1759. Mr Yorke's fpeech to the deputies of the States-General. 41 formed thereof, commanded me to declare, that he could not depart from his preceding declaration, it was because he thought this claim had no foundation in the treaties fubfifting between him and the republic. Besides, fhould the perfons concerned in this trade even be able to wreft the fenfe of treaties fo as to deceive their friends, and make the obstructing of it by England pafs for a grievance; fill his Majefty is perfuaded, that their High Mightineffes will fee with pleasure, that his Majefty fets afide the difcuffion of that treaty, which is connected with fo many others, and fets himfelf wholly to do the fubjects of his ancient allies all the fervice, and to grant them every fayour, that shall tot notably prejudice the welfare and fafety of his people. It is in this light that his Majelly confiders the trade, directly or indirectly, to the French colonies in America. His Majefty is at war with the Moft Chriftian King: be cannot hope to get out of it with fafery, or obtain a fpeedy and lafting peace, which is his Majefty's fole aim, if the princes who have declared themselves neuter, inftead of contenting themselves with trading as ufual, without any risk, atfume a right of carrying on that trade of the King's enemies, which is not allowed them in time of peace. The injuftice of this proceeding is too apparent to require more to be faid on it: one may venture to appeal to your High Mightinetles own conduct, in the like cafe. A trade of this nature was never fuffered by you; and it hath been oppofed by the falus populi in all countries, in like circumitances. His Majefty fees with pleasure the trade of his eighbours flourish, and would behold its increase with satisfaction, if its profperity were not repug mant to this primary law. But he likewife perfuades himself, that never, for the fake of fome tranfient profit to individuals, will his ancient alLes be the first to injure England in this effential part. Confidering the thing in this light, I can not doubt but that your High Mighuineffes will give the King the pleasure to hear, that they, for Their fubjects, have honeftly abandoned it, and that this ftumbling block is for ever removed. In settling this point, his Majesty commands me to include in it the change, commonly called overfcheepen, which is made of a French veffel into a Dutch veffel, when the former dares not continue her course; and endeavours to fave her Yelf by carrying neutral colours, in order to avoid feizure at fea by the King's thips. Your High Mightineffes, while you acknowledge the justice of my first demand, cannot refuse the second; tince that would be to declare, that you treat with good faith, whilft, at the fame time, a more dangerous door would be left for fraud. Such a conduct is unworthy of the equity of your High Mightioeffes; especially in the prefent cafe, when the question is the prevention of any fubject of fature dispute, and the restoration of harmony and good neighbourhood between the two powers. The last point of my inftructions, winch relates to the amicable demands made by his Majefly to your High Mightineffes, requires a more VOL. XXI. I minute confideration. I cannot enter upon that fubject yet; but reserve it till afterwards. must, nevertheless, observe to you, that the King has feen, not without pain, yet without giving them any moleftation, a great number of Dutch fhips pafs by his harbours, fince the commencement of the war, laden with all forts of materials for building and repairing the enemy's fleets. His Majefty afks, that certain articles of naval ftores may be comprehended in the class of contraband: but he will fo fettle it with your High Mightineffes, as that the inoffenfive trade of your fubjects to the north of Europe (if I may use that term) fhall not be involved in this article. Your High Mightinesses, who are yourfelves a maritime power, and know how to contend for and defend your prerogatives as such, must always allow, that, in the prefent war against France, it is both the King's intereft, and his duty, not only to hinder the marine of his enemy from becoming too formidable, but also to employ all means to weaken it. Can it be difputed, that naval ftores are not, in this view, as prejudicial as balls and gunpowder? Let France be without thips, and her warlike ftores will never make England uneasy. The importance of this article is fo evident, that the King ventures to refer it to the judgment of your High Mightineffes. Thefe, my Lords, are my instructions with regard to the fatisfaction which the King would think himself intitled to require from the friendship and justice of the republic, if he had no other foundation for his claim. But I have already informed you, that it is his Majefty's fincere defire, to unite his own fafety with the convenience of your High Mightinefles: which makes it unneceflary for me to enlarge on this head. In this reprefentation of the points on which 【 have orders to infist with your High Mightinefles, I have endeavoured to follow the method which you yourfeives have begun to put in practice; that is to fay, firft to ftate the claim, and afterwards propose the expedients. I come now to the articles of your refolutions of the 25th of September last. I. As to the demand contained in the first article, I must observe to your High Mightinefies, that this very treaty, which you so strongly infift on, prefcribes the manner of proceeding in case of seizure or detention; and that you cannot claim the exercite of an extrajudicial power by his Majesty, whofe hands are tied with regard to his own fubjects by the laws, and with regard to foreigners by treaties. If there have been any irregular fentences, either the judge must have been milled by appearances at the hearing of the caufe, or delays were made, of which there was just reafon to complain. The fupreme court established for judging in the laft refort hath always been ready to revile and correct abuses, if at any time any could be difcovered in the fentences of the inferior courts. But your High Mightinctles will give me leave to obferve, that it is very extraordinary, that not one appeal hath yet been G thrown |