"the public. I am under a neceffity of declaring "the truth of both these facts, in a manner "which I am fure no gentleman will contradict. "A difference of opinion, with regard to mea"fures to be taken against Spain, of the highest "importance to the honour of the crown, and "to the most effential national interefts, (and "this, founded on what Spain had already done, "not on what court may further intend to do) <c was the cause of my refigning the feals. Lord "Temple and I fubmitted in writing, and figned "by us, our moft humble fentiments to his Ma"jefty; which being over-ruled by the united "opinion of all the reft of the King's fervants, "I refigned the seals on Monday the 5th of this "month, in order not to remain refponsible for ་་ measures, which I was no longer allowed to "guide. Moft gracious public marks of his Majefty's approbation of my services followed my refignation, they are unmerited and unfollicited, and I fhall ever be proud to have "received them from the beft of fovereigns. ་་ "I will now only add, my dear Sir, that I "have explained these matters only for the ho"nour of truth, not in any view to court return "of confidence from any man, who, with a "credulity as weak as it is injurious, has thought "fit haftily to withdraw his good opinion from "one, who has ferved his country with fidelity "and fuccefs; and who juftly reveres the up"right and candid judgment of it; little follici"tous about the cenfures of the caprici"ous and the ungenerous, accept of my fincereft " acknowledgements for all your kind friend"fhip, and believe me ever, with truth and efteem, My Dear Sir, Your Faithful Friend, &c." The The minifter's conduct was generally condemned, not fo much for the matter contained in the letter (as was before mentioned) as for the manner in which he expreffed himself; and fome conftrued it as a difrefpectful appeal to the public from the crown, after the almost unparallelled obligations he lay under to his Majefty. The wording of the letter, to fay the beft of it, was certainly incautious, and his affailants from the prefs had fo greatly the advantage of him, that a mighty breach was made in his popularity. He was now blamed by fome of his best friends for the conceffions he had made to France in his ne→ gotiation with Buffy; and all that could be urged in the abatement of the charge, was, that he had been forced into thofe conceffions. The reply was ready. If he fuffered himself to be ravifhed in the one cafe, why not in the other? Why was he fo uncomplying with Spain and fo very tame with France? The Earl of E was appointed fecretary of state in his room, and the new ministry gave out, that they were refolved to proceed with the fame, if not greater, firmness, both with regard to France and Spain, as Mr. P--- had done. It foon appeared that the latter had fent very proper inftructions to the Earl of Briftol, his Britannic Majefty's Ambaffador at the Spanish court, and that his Lordfhip had executed them with great abilities and punctuality. He gave Mr. Wall the Spanish minifter, to understand, that the British court entirely rejected the claim of the Spaniards upon part of the Newfoundland fifhery. That the Spanish captures, complained of, must be adjudged by the courts of Admiralty and appeal in England, and that the right of cutting logwood in the bay of Honduras never would R 3 would be given up on the part of Great Britain' Wall disclaimed all intention that the court of Madrid had to offend that of London by the memorial presented by Buffy, but intimated, that the engagements entered into by both courts, and the advantages offered by France to Spain, had cemented their interefts. He refused explicitly to give up any of the claims of Spain, but infinuated that, in the main point of difpute between them, the logwood trade, the interest of England, might be gratified, provided the honour of his Catholic Majefty was confulted by a demolition of the fettlements, which the British had forcibly made in that bay, and complained of the trifling the English had made use of in that important point, during a fix years negotiation upon it. The new British miniftry gave fome ear to his answers. But the interefts of the French court, affifted by a general opinion, that Great Britain was unable longer to carry on the war, prevailed. In the mean while, the war in Germany took an unfavourable turn for England; the Spanish Flota arrived fafe in their ports; and his Catholic Majefty highly resented the indignant manner in which the offer of his medation had been treated by the late British minifter; and then the connections between France and Spain, by the family-compact were openly avowed. The Earl of Briftol's inftructions from the new British miniftry, was to demand, in a difpaffionate but earnest, manner, an immediate and categorical anfwer, whether fuch a treaty, as public fame reported, exifted between Spain and France, and whether Spain would affift France in a war with Great Britain. The Earl of Briftol was fufficiently apprized of the truth, but punctually performed his inftruc tions, and then Mr. Wall, who seems, on this occafion, to have been under fome controul, entirely altered his language and behaviour, and acknowledged, that his Catholic Majefty confidered the fucceffes of England in America as so many preludes to his own ruin, and that he was refolved to be no longer paffive. All the reafonings which the British Ambaffador urged for a further explanation, was in vain, and he received. new inftructions to declare that if the Spaniards did not difavow their intentions to affift France, the court of England would confider such a refufal as a declaration of war. Mr. Wall's language, was, if poffible, more haughty than before. He faid, that war had been declared by the spirit of pride and difcord reigning in the English government, and the attack they had made on his Catholic Majefty's dignity; and that the Earl of Bristol might depart when and in what manner he thought proper. His Lordship accordingly immediately retired from Madrid, December 17, 1761, and the Spanish Ambaffador in like manner took leave of London. Soon after, declarations of war were published by the courts of London and Madrid, and its operations feemed to threaten a general conflagration in the confequences. During the negotiation, both parties thought they would get the better terms of peace, the more vigorously they carried on war; but the French in this refpect had a vaft fuperiority; for though the allies had greatly incommoded and retarded them by burning their magazines, yet the defeat of the Hereditary Prince at Stangerode, their raising the fiege of Caffel, the evacuation of the country of Heffe, the loffes and fatigues they had fuffered, and various other untowardly accidents, having obliged them them to repafs the Dymel, the French, in the mean while, recruited both their magazines and armies. The month of June, however, was far advanced, before Broglio could draw his forces to the field from Caffel and its neighbourhood, when he moved towards the Dymel to join Soubife. General Sporken was pofted fo with a ftrong detachment in the front of the allied army, as to be able to difpute the paffage of the Dymel; but, on the advance of Broglio, he attempted to retire, though with confiderable loss, for besides the killed, 800 were made prifoners, 19 pieces of cannon, 400 horses, and above 170 waggons were taken by the enemy. The allies endeavoured to extenuate this lofs, but it appeared too plain, by the French paffing the Dymel and feizing Warburg, Dringleburg, and Paderborn, and by Prince Ferdinand falling back upon the Lippe and taking poft between Ham and Lipstadt, by which he was in hopes of cutting off Soubife's communication with the Rhine. The allies being thus advantageously posted, Broglio durft not march towards Hanover, but refolved, after he had joined the Prince de Soubife, which he did at Soeft, to attack the allied army. Their difpofitions foon convinced Prince Ferdinand of their intention, and he called in all his parties. His firft care was to fecure the communication between Lipftadt and Ham, and his left wing took poft between the Lippe and the Aaft. The body of the army occupied the height of Wambeln, and the Prince of Anhalt the ground between Illingen and Hohenover. Lord Granby kept this pofition upon the heights of Kirch-Denkern, and Lieutenant General Wulgenau, who was encamped upon the heath of Untrup, marched by his right to approach the village of Kirch-Denkern. The avenues |