admitting a doubt, of troops marching, and of mi¬ litary preparations making in all the ports of Spain, judged that his dignity, as well as his prudence, required him to order his ambaffador at the court of Madrid, by a difpatch, dated the 28th of October, to demand, in terms, the most meafured, however, the moft amicable, a communication of the treaty recently concluded between the courts of Madrid and Verfailles, or, at least, of the articles which might relate to the intereft of Great Britain; And, in order to avoid every thing which could be thought to imply the least flight of the dignity, or even the delicacy, of his Catholic Majefty, the Earl of Briftol was authorifed to content, himself with affurances, in case the Catholic King offered to give any, that the said engagements did not contain any thing that was contrary to the friendship which fubfifted between the two crowns, or that was prejudicial to the interefts of Great Britain, fuppofing that any difficulty was made, of fhewing the treaty. The King could not give a lefs equivocal proof of his dependance on the good faith of the Catholic King, than in fhewing him an unbounded confidence in fo important an affair, and which fo effentially interested his own dignity, the good of his kingdoms, and the happinefs of his people.

How great then was the King's furprise, when inftead of receiving the juft fatisfaction which he had right to expect, he learnt from his ambaffador, that,

having addreffed himfelf to the minifter of Spain, for that purpose, he could only draw from him a refufal, to give a fatisfactory anfwer to his Majefly's juft requifitions, which he had accompanied with terms that breathed nothing but haughtiness, animofity, and menace, and which feemed fo ftrongly to verify the fufpicions of the unamicable difpofition of the court of Spain, that nothing lefs than his Majelly's moderation, and his refolution taken to make all the efforts poffible, to avoid the misfortunes infeparable from a rupture, could determine him to make a laft trial, by giving orders to his amballador, to addrefs himself to the minifter of Spain, to defire him to inform him of the intentions of the court of Madrid, towards that of Great Britain, in this conjuncture, if they had taken engagements, or formed the defign to join the King's enemies in the prefent war, or to depart in any manner from the neutrality they had hitherto obferved; and to make that minifter sensible, that, if they perfifted in refufing all satisfaction, on demands fo juft, fo neceflary, and fo interefting, the King could not but confider fuch a refufal as the most authentic avowal, that Spain had taken her part, and that there only remained for his Majefty, to take the measures, which his royal prudence fhould dictate, for the honour and dignity of his crown, and for the profperity and protection of his people and to recal his ambassador.

Unhappily for the public tranquillity, for the in tereft of the two nations, and for the good of mankind, this laft ftep was as fruitlefs as the preceding ones: the Spanish minifter, keeping no further meafures, anfwered drily, "That it was in that very moment, that the war was declared, and the King's dignity attacked, and that the Earl of Bristol might retire, how, and when, he fhould think proper." And in order to fet in its true light, the declaration, "That, if the refpect due to his Catholic Majefty had been regarded, explanations might have been had without any difficulty; and that the mini, fters of Spain might have faid frankly, as M. de Fuentes, by the King's exprefs order, declares publickly, That the faid treaty is only a convention between the family of Bourbon; wherein there is nothing which has the leaft relation to the prefent war; and that the guaranty, which is therein specified, is not to be understood but of the dominions which fhall remain to France after the war." It is declared, that very far from thinking of being wanting to the refpe&t acknowledged to be due to crowned heads, the inftructions given to the Earl of Bristol have always been, to make the requifitions on thè fubject of the engagements between the courts of Madrid and Verfailles, with all the decency, and all the attention poffible: and the demand of a categorical anfwer was not made, till after repeated and the moft ftinging refusals to give the leaft fatisfaction,

-and

and at the last extremity. Therefore, if the court of Spain ever had the defign to give this so neceffary fatisfaction, they had not the leaft reason that ought to have engaged them to defer it to the moment when it could no longer be of ufe. But, fortunately, the terms in which the declaration is conceived, fpare us the regret of not having received it fooner; for it appears, at first fight, that the anfwer is not at all conformable to the demand. We wanted to be informed, If the court of Spain intended to join the French, our enemies, to make war on Great Bri tain; or to depart from their neutrality? Whereas the answer concerns one treaty only, which is faid to be of the 15th of Auguft; carefully avoiding to fay the leaf word that could explain, in any manner, the intentions of Spain towards Great Britain, or the further engagements they may have contracted in the prefent crifis.

After a deduction as exact as faithful of what has paffed between the two courts, it is left to the im partial public to decide, which of the two has al ways been inclined to peace, and which was deter mined on war.

As to the reft, the Earl of Egremont has the ho nour to acquaint his Excellency the Count de Fuentes, by the King's order, That the neceffary paffports for him thall be expedited; and that they will not fail to procure him all poffible facilities for his paffage to the port which he fhall think moft convenient.

THE

K

THE FOLLOWING ANECDOTE WAS PUBLISHED IN ALL THE PUBLIC PRINTS, ABOUT A YEAR AFTER MR. PITT'S RESIGNATION.

!

"THE King of Pruffia, by means of Lord Chatham, obtained the pardon of George Keith, Lord Marefchal of Scotland, from the late King George, Lord Chatham improved upon this; and as Lord Marefchal was well known to the grandees of Spain, and they believed him to be in their intereft; as at that time he was the Pruffian minifter at that court, they communicated the Family compact to him, and he, as in duty bound to his new Sovereign, commu nicated the fame to Lord Chatham, then Mr. Secretary Pitt. This alludes to Lord Chatham's being. certainly apprized of the fecret. When his Lordfhip propofed the feizing the galleons, he was oppofed in council, and fneered at by Lord Bute, in particular; and being queftioned concerning his information, he with reluctance, fhewed the letters from Lord Marefchal. Upon which the late Lord Hardwicke obferved, that a halter was once round that nobleman's neck, but now more fure; alluding to his returning to Spain, where they would put him to death. Lord Marefchal was then on shipboard at Portsmouth, on his way to Spain; Lord Egremont wrote to him upon which he returned and went, by the way of Holland, to his government at Neuf Chattel, without going to Spain, where he has ever

been