cife all moderation as to my equitable pretenfions. Iam of opinion, that a juft and folid peace cannot be a greed on, but by the congrefs propofed and accepted by all the powers at war.

I place a full confidence in the friendship of your imperial majety, to whom the house of Saxony is bound by facred ties. It is not unknown to your majesty, that Saxony hath been attacked merely on account of its connections with the Ruffian empire; and that the king of Pruffia has taken occafion to charge us with entering into defenfive treaties with that empire againft him. Wetherefore flatter ourselves with the hope, that fo ancient and fo equitable an ally of Saxony will not fuffer our dominions, which are already reduced to the utmost diftrefs, as well by exorbitant contributions, as by the alienation of our revenues, and of the funds which were allotted for the payment of debts, to be completely ruined.

The whole world agrees, that we are intitled to an equitable reftitution and reparation of the damage fuftained. But notwithstanding all thefe confiderations, and thongh all the powers at war fhew themfelves inclined to contribute to the general pacification, yet Saxony remains threatened with irretrievable ruin. We therefore hope that your majefty's philanthropy and magnanimity will prevail with your majefty to take care that, before all things, the electorate of Saxony be fpeedily evacuated, in order thereby to put an end to the calamities which overwhelm it; this being the means of facilitating and accelerating the conclufion of a gene

ral peace.

Speech made to the king by the duke de Nivernois, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the moft Chriftian king, on his prefenting his credentials to his majefty the 24th of Nov. 1762.

SIRE,

JNE reconciliation cordiale entre

deux puiffants monarques qui font faits pour s'aimer; une union de fyfteme durable entre deux grandes cours que leurs interêts bien entendus rapprochent l'une de l'autre ; une liaison fincere & folide entre deux refpectables nations que des malheureux préjugés ont trop fouvent divifées : voilà, Sire, l'époque brillante de premiers momens du regne de votre majefté; & cette époque fera, en même tems, celle du bonheur rétabli dans les quatre parties du monde. C'est à la félicité univerfelle que le nom, la gloire, & les vertus de votre majefté feront unis pour jamais dans les faftes de l'hiftoire ; & la pofterité y lira avec un fentiment de refpect ce traité, qui entre tous les traités portera le caractére diftin&tif d'une bonne foi non équivoque, &d'une folidité durable.

Qu'il me foit permis de me féliciter à vos pieds, Sire, d'avoir été choifi par le roi mon maitre pour fervir, entre votre majefté & lui, d'organe aux nobles fentiments de deux cœurs fi dignes l'un de l'autre, & pour travailler à cet ouvrage facré, qui affure la gloire de votre majefté en faifant le bonheur de l'humanité entiere.

TRANSLATION.

SIR,

A cordial reconciliation between two powerful monarchs, formed to

love

:

love each other; a permanent union of fyftem between two great courts attracted to one another by their interefts rightly understood; and a fincere and lafting conjunction of two refpectable nations, whom unhappy prejudices have too long divided; form the glorious era of the commencement of your majesty's reign and this era will, at the fame time, be that of happinefs reftored to the four quarters of the world. Your majefty's name, your glory, and your virtues, will be infeparably joined in hiftory with univerfal felicity; and pofterity will there read, with fentiments of repect, that treaty which will be diftinguished, above all others, by good faith, without equivocation, and by permanent ftability.

Permit me, Sir, to felicitate my felf at your feet, on being chofen by the king, my mafter, to ferve, between your majefty and him, as the organ of the noble fentiments of two hearts fo worthy of each other, and to be employed in this bleffed work which infures your majefty's glory by giving happiness to the whole world.

The bumble addrefs of the right hon. the lords fpiritual and temporal in parliament affembled, December 9, 1762, on occafion of his majesty's having communicated to them the preliminary articles of peace, concluded at Fontainbleau the 3d of Nov. 1762.

Moft gracious fovereign, WE, your majefty's moft dutiful

and loyal fubjects, the lords fpiritual and temporal in parliament affembled, beg leave to return your majesty our fincereft acknowledg,

ments, for the important communication, which your majesty has been graciously pleased to make to us, of the preliminary articles of peace, concluded the third day of laft month at Fontainbleau, with the crowns of France and Spain:

And to exprefs, in the most dutiful manner to your majesty, the fatisfaction which we have received, at the foundation laid by these articles for a treaty of peace, which will greatly redound to your majefty's honour, and the real benefit of your kingdoms; and our entire reliance, that the fame care and attention will be fhewn for the perfecting of this great work by the definitive treaty.

We think it our indifpenfible duty to lay before your majefty this early teftimony of our warmest gratitude; feeing the great object of the war fo fully anfwered, all proper attention fhewn to yourmajefty's allies, a vaft extent of empire added to the British crown, new fources opened for the trade and manufactures of this nation, and ftability and duration infured, under the bleffing of Providence, tothefe great and national advantages.

We are no lefs fenfible of the prudence and wisdom which has guided your majefty's conduct on this great occafion, than of the humane difpofition and paternal affection to your fubjects, which your majefty has fhewn, in putting a fafe and honourable end to a burthenfome and expenfive war.

We beg leave to affure your majefty, that we shall immediately apply ourselves to improve the bleffings of peace, by promoting the economy which your majefty has wifely recommended, and which is fo neceffary to the dignity of the [2]4

crown,

crown, and the profperity of these your kingdoms.

My lords,

Return you thanks for this very dutiful addrefs.

The fatisfaction which you exprefs, in the point agreed by the preliminary articles towards a final pacification, is very acceptable to me.

In what remains to be done, you may depend upon the utmost care and attention on my part, to jettle every thing, which concerns the interefs of my kingdoms, upon a folid and durable foundation.

The humble address of the house of commons to the king, on the fame occafion.

Moft gracious fovereign,

WE your majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the commons of Great Britain in parliament affembled, beg leave to return your majesty our most humble and hearty thanks for your moft gracious condefcenfion, in ordering to be laid before us the preliminary articles of peace concluded between your majefty on the one part, and their most Christian and Catholic majesties on the other; and to affure your majefty that we have confidered them with our beft attention. And, altho' to make peace and war bejyour majesty's juft and undoubted prerogative, yet knowing how agreeable it must be to your royal mind to be informed of the grateful fenfe your people entertain of the justice and wifdom of your measures, and of your unwearied attention to their welfare, your faithful commons are

and to lay before your majesty the hearty applause of a faithful, affectionate people.

While we admire your majefty's prudence in availing yourself of the fucceffes with which Divine Providence hath bleffed your arms, whereby your majefty hath procured fuch folid, and, in all human probability, fuch permanent advantages for this kingdom, we are no lefs fenfibly affected with that humane difpofition which induced your majesty to put an end to a long, bloody, and expenfive, though glorious and fuccefsful war.

Your faithful commons will take the earliest opportunity to examine into the state of the public revenues, in order to establish the best

œconomy for the future, fo wifely recommended by your majefty, and fo neceffary to maintain the kingdom of Great Britain in that great and refpectable fituation in which your majefty's fortitude and wisdom have now placed us.

We are convinced that posterity, from their own experience, will hereafter agree with us, in efteeming that peace to be no less honourable than profitable, by which there will be ceded to Great Britain fuch an addition of territory, attended with fo great an extenfion of our commerce.

We therefore beg leave humbly to lay before your majefty the ftrongeft fentiments of gratitude, and to affure your majefty, that it fhall be our ftudy to improve that confidence of the people in you, which your majesty hath already fo

very

BE it known to all thofe to whom it fhall, or may, in any manner, belong.

It has pleafed the Moft High to diffuse the spirit of union and concord among the princes, whofe divifions had spread troubles in the four parts of the world, and to infpire them with the inclination to cause the comforts of peace to fucceed to the misfortunes of a long and bloody war, which, having arifen between England and France, during the reign of the moft ferene and moft potent prince, George the fe

cond, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, of glorious memory, continued under the reign of the most ferene and most potent prince, George the third, his fucceffor, and, in its progrefs, communicated itself to Spain and Portugal: confequently, the most ferene and moft potent prince, George the third, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, duke of Brunswick and Lunenbourg, arch-treasurer, and elector, of the Holy Roman Empire; the most ferene and most potent prince, Lewis the fifteenth, by the grace of God, most Christian king; and the moft ferene and moft potent prince, Charles the third, by the grace of God, king of Spain and of the Indies; after having laid the foundation of peace in the preliminaries, figned at Fountainbleau the 3d of November laft; and the moft ferene and most potent prince, Don Joseph the first, by the grace of God, king of Portugal and the Algarves, after having acceded thereto;-determined to compleat, without delay, this great and important work. For this purpose, the high contracting parties have named and appointed their respective ambaffadors extraordinary, and ministers plenipotentiary, viz. his facred majefty, the king of Great Britain, the moft illuftrious and most excellent lord, John, duke and earl of Bedford, marquifs of Tavistock, &c. his minifter of ftate, lieutenant general of his armies, keeper of his privy feal, knight of the moft noble, order of the garter, and his ambaffador extraordinary and minifter plenipoteneiary to his moft Chriftian majefty; his facred majefty the moft Chriftian king.

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