Naylor, describe with fulness at greater or less intervals the campaigning and negociating which were carried on down to the year 1711. Under date of May, 1706, are printed two interesting and important letters signed apparently "J. Walpole," describing the raising of the siege of Barcelona by the Earl of Peterborough, just when all hope of saving the town from the united attacks of the French and the Spaniards was abandoned. Between 1711 and 1733 there is but one letter in the collection, from Henry Pelham to Francis Hare, then dean of Worcester, dated in September 1722, offering him, on behalf of Sir Robert Walpole, the vacant ushership of the Exchequer, a post which, Pelham says, if the dean should have a mind to fill by deputy would still leave the holder 800l. or 1,000l. a year to himself. The rest of the letter comments on the proceedings which were being taken by the Government against Lords Orrery and North, and other Jacobites. From the year 1736 down to the period of the Bishop of Chichester's death in 1740, his eldest son Francis, who took the name of Naylor on inheriting Hurstmonceux through his mother, was travelling abroad, and received many letters from his father, descriptive of debates in Parliament, and his views on politics and society generally, at a period still in much need of illustration by contemporary writers. A few letters of Mrs. Hare, the bishop's widow, and of R. Marsham, a Norfolk gentleman, are noticeable for their graphic accounts of travels in England and Scotland. The collection of Mr. James Round, M.P., is miscellaneous in character, and has been much neglected. Mr. J. Horace Round, who prepared the account of it, discovered several of the documents in a loft over the stables, among them being one bearing the autograph signature of "the King-maker,” with an impression of his seal, believed to be unique, and another containing the curious formula of the ward-staff of Ongar, the existence of which had remained unknown. In a lumber room were found, among old newspapers, the voluminous Petkum correspondence, relating to the secret negotiations for peace in 1707-1711. The manuscripts are calendared in five divisions. In the miscellaneous deeds and papers will be found several relating to the neighbouring borough of Colchester and other Essex localities, including a curious receipt from Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, filz et frere des Rois." Among the other items of interest in this division are three deeds concerning the surrender of Revesby Abbey, and a fine plan of Limerick in the 17th century. The second division comprises the papers relating to the great Essex family of De Vere, and to the Baynings, whose heiress married the last earl of Oxford. This is followed by a "Diary of the Siege of Col chester," which, though it needs to be used with caution, contains many details not found elsewhere, especially in the opening fight. This narrative, which was used by Morant when writing his 'History of Colchester" (1747), and also by Mr. Gardiner for his "History of the Civil War," was evidently written by a local man on the loyalist side. It is of the same character as that which was printed in the Commissioners' Report on the Duke of Beaufort's manuscripts. The manuscript from which this narrative is taken is an early 18th century transcript of the original, which is not known now to exist. A fourth division is formed by the correspondence of Mr. Charles Gray, member for Colchester in five Parliaments from 1747. Antiquary, scholar, politician, philanthropist, his correspondence includes letters from the credulous Dr. Stukeley (bearing on the famous Bertram imposture), and an interesting description of New Jersey, and Princeton in its early days, from Governor Belcher. The bulk of them are from the pen of the scholarly Thomas Falconer, "the Mæcenas of Chester," who was related to Gray by marriage. To this correspondence have been added some extracts from Mr. Gray's Parliamentary note-book. The Petkum correspondence has been classed by itself. Comprising not merely the letters received by Petkum, but the drafts of his own, it is of special interest from the close relations in which he stood to Heinsius, the Grand Pensionary of the Netherlands. It is largely in cipher, but the deciphering is interlined. Most of the letters to Petkum are from Torcy, the French foreign minister, but there is an interesting series of news-letters from Paris at the close of 1711, illustrating the feverish desire of the French at the time for peace. O 77960. b THE MANUSCRIPTS OF THE EARL OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. HORATIO WALPOLE to ROBERT TREVOR. 1735-6, January 27 [- February 7]. -Enclosing copies of the letters of the Prince of Orange to himself and of the Princess to the Queen, which desire that the King should write to the States of Zealand on the Prince's behalf "relating to the violent and unjust proceedings of that Government against the rights and possessions of his Highness," and stating several points as necessary to be cleared up before his Majesty should do so, and desiring Mr. Trevor to consult the Greffier confidentially on the subject. Enclosed: i. The PRINCE OF ORANGE to HORATIO WALPOLE. Giving 173[5-]6, [December 22-] January 2.-Leewarde. reasons why the King should write in the first instance to the Estates of Zealand. ii. The PRINCESS OF ORANGE to the QUEEN. [1735-6], January 20-31.-Leewarde. Urging the expediency of the King's writing to the Estates of Zealand. "Je me souviens journellement des paroles de Papa Va, cherche fortune,' et ose affirmer que je n'ai rien à me reprocher sur cet article." "Pour chaq'une de mes soeurs et Guillaume, dont vous parlés nullement de la beauté de la harangue de Papa au Parlement.” In French. Copy. The SAME to the SAME. 1735-6, January 30 [- February 10]. London. Your letter of February 3rd relating to your discourse with M. Gansinot, I immediately communicated to the King with the inclosed note. P.S. "I had liked to forget telling you that his Majesty in his discourse with me about the violent proceedings of the Prussians in Gueldre, &c., said that it was the same everywhere, and that he would join with the princes in the neighbourhood in a Convention to obviate for the future such outrages. Enclosed: The said NOTE. "If the Palatine Court can obtain from your Majesty what M. Gansinot proposes, they will never think of an accommodation, and consequently any project which your Majesty may frame relating to Ost Frise to be blended with an accommodation about Bergue and Juliers will not, I am afraid, take place, after the Palatine Court shall have obtained sufficient security that things shall remain in statu quo, till the pretensions be decided by the Aulick Court." At foot in the King's hand :: TREVOR MSS. The SAME to the SAME. 1735-6, March 12 [23]. Referring to the approaching transit through Holland of the Princess Augusta on her way to England to be married to the Prince of Wales under the escort of Lord Delaware "who between you and me seems awkward enough in this affair." The SAME to the PRINCESS OF ORAnge. 1735-6, March 16-27.-Informing her of the manner in which 40,000, the balance of her fortune, should be drawn from the Exchequer, and advising its investment in a new loan of 600,0007. to be borrowed that year, as all the funds were much above par, and even the 3 per cents. were at 2 per cent. premium. Copy. SIR ROBERT WALPOLE to ROBERT TREVOR. 1736, June 25 [-July 6].-Inclosing a statement of Lord Wallingford's claim to the property of Cornet Law, who had died at Maestricht, as against that of Madame St. Baron, and asking him to do Lord Wallingford all the service he can in the matter. Holograph. HORATIO WALPOLE to the SAME. 1736, July 4-15. Hanover.It would be extremely improper to employ Mr. Ginkel "at Berlin, if this King was dead, in anything at all or indeed now in anything, where the States are not concerned; which e was the case of the projected marriages between our two Courts, when I am not clear that he might not have had some hint from Amsterdam perhaps to disappoint them. You might be cautious of Luiscius " he is certainly a R[ogu]e, and he and Borck have without doubt wrote to their Court to the disadvantage of Sir R[obert] W[alpole] and me, for between you and me I have undoubted proofs of the King of Prussia's saying he would have nothing to do with the W[alpo]les, they were not his friends." The SAME to the SAME. 1736, August 8-19. Hanover."The late troubles at London will make a noise abroad, but I find by a very particular account of them from Sir Robert] W[alpole] that they had no manner of relation to the affair in Westminster Hall; but were truly occasioned at first by the English tradesmen being drove out of their work by the Irish that work cheaper. However, if they had been continued, it was apprehended that the disaffected against the Government, and discontented about the GinAct would have improved that opportunity to carry the disorders farther." The SAME to the SAME. 11736, [August 29 - September 9. Hanover." You need be in no pain about the papers you sent Sir R[obert] W [alpole]; altho he does not answer your letters, I find by experience that he is not guilty of a regular correspondence.' |