miffion of the Comte de Goertz having, to my great regret, not anfwered the end propofed, I cannot neglect the recall of that minifter any longer. I charged him to affure your high mightineffes again, that I defired nothing more warmly than the repofe and profperity of your republic. And I am, with confideration and friendship, the good friend and neighbour of your high mightineffes. (Signed) FREDERIC WILLIAM. and underneath, FINKENSTEIN HERTSBERG. Berlin, Jan. 27, 1787. The Speech of his Grace Charles Duke of Rutland, Lord Lizutenant of Ireland, to both Honfes of Parliament, Jati. 18, 1787. My Lords and Gentlemen, HAD hoped, that upon the prefent occafion of meeting you again in parliament, it would have been in my power to have announced to you the entire fuppreffion of thofe commotions which in fome parts of the kingdom have disturbed the general tranquillity, Under the prefent circumstances I am perfuaded, by my confidence in the accuftomed proofs of your wisdom and zeal, that I thall receive from you whatever affiftance may be neceffary for the more effectual vindication of the laws, and the protection of fociety. Your uniform regard for the rights of all your fellow-fubjects, and your zealous attachment to the religious and civil conftitutions of your country, will stimulate your attention to their infeparable interefts, and will enfare My Lords, and Gentlemen, An act was passed in the last seffion of the British parliament for the further increafe of fhipping and navigation. You will, I doubt not, take proper measures to confirm to this country a full participation of its advantages. I have the fatisfaction to inform you, by the king's command, that his majesty has concluded a treaty of navigation, and commerce with the Moft Chriftian king. A copy of this treaty will be laid before you, in which you will not fail to obferve the attention which is paid to the interefts of this kingdom; and I truft that your adoption of it here, by fuch laws as may be requifite to give it effect, will be attended with real benefit to the country, by fuccefsfully encouraging the efforts of her induftry and emulation. The trade and manufactures, and particularly the linen manufacture of this kingdom; the proteftant, charter fchools, and other public inftitutions for charitable purposes, will not fail to engage your conftant care and encouragement: and I hope that fome liberal and extensive plan for the general improvement [$] 2 of of education will be matured for an early execution. A longer acquaintance with this country ftrengthens my anxious wishes for its welfare; and I fhall experience the moft fenfible gratification, if in my administration of the king's government, I can, with a fuccefs in any degree correfpondent to those wishes, accomplish his majesty's earnest defire to promote and fecure the happiness and profperity of Ireland. The Speech of the Right Honourable the Speaker of the House of Comwons in Ireland, to his Grace the Lord Lieutenant, on prefenting the Money Bils at the Bar of the Houfe of Lords, March 17, 1787. May it pleafe your Grace, TH HE wifdom of the principle which the commons have eftablished and perfevered in, under your grace's aufpices, of preventing the further accumulation of national debt, is now powerfully felt throughout the kingdom, in its many beneficial confequences-public credit has gradually rifen to a height unknown for many years agriculture has brought in new fupplies of wealth and the merchants and manufacturers are each encouraged to extend their efforts, by the fecurity it has given them, that no new taxes will obftru&t the progress of their works, or impede the fuccefs of their fpeculations. Such is the happy fituation of this kingdom from the fupport which your grace's conftant and zealous care has given to the operation of that principle; and this fituation is peculiarly fortunate at the prefent period, when his majesty's gracious attention to the interests of his people has opened new objects of manufacture, and new channels of commerce to their industry. Happy, however, as our fituation is, we know that all its bleffings will be a vain expectation, if a spirit of outrage and oppofition to law fhall prevent internal industry, and depreciate the national character; we have, therefore, applied ourselves to form fuch laws as muft, under the firmnefs and juftice of your grace's government, effectually and fpeediJy fupprefs that lawless fpirit, His majefty's faithful commons do now cheerfully continue all the prefent taxes; and having conftantly experienced how well founded their confidence has been in your grace's prudent administration of the public treasure, they do with the greater fatisfaction declare, that they give and grant them in the most decided expectation, that by your grace's frugal and juft management of the public revenue, they will be rendered fufficient to anfwer the public expence, without the further accumulation of debt or increase of taxes.... the tranquillity of the country. My ftrenuous exertions fhall not be wanting to carry your falutary provifions into execution, to affert the just dominion of the laws, and to eftablish the fecurity of property, as well as perfonal fafety, to all defcriptions of his majefty's fubjects in this kingdom. The decided tenor of your conduct affures me of your continued and cordial aflistance, and that you will, with your utmost influence, imprefs upon the minds of the people a full conviction what dangerous effects to the general welfare, and to the growing profperity of the nation, arife from the prevalence of even partial or temporary difturbance. Admonith them, that the benevolent but watchful fpirit of the legislature, which induces it to encourage induftry and exertion, will, at the fame time, be awake to the correction of those exceffes, which are the infeparable companions of idleness and licentious diforder. to the national induftry has been opened by the treaty of commerce with France, in which the utmost attention is manifefted to the interefts of Ireland. The claims of this kingdom to an equal participation in treaties between Great Britain and Portugal, have been acknowledged by the court of Lisbon, These are decided teftimonies of his majefty's paternal regard, and fresh confirmations of his gracious refolution to confider the intereft of Great Britain and Ireland as infeparable: a principle which, by uniting the faculties and affections of the empire, gives ftrength and fecurity to every part of it; a principle which, with your accustomed wifdom, you have ftill further corroborated by the late arrangement of your laws of navigation. The loyalty and attachment of his faithful people of Ireland are highly grateful to the king; and by his majefty's exprefs command I am to affure you of his moft gracious and affectionate protection. To fulfil my fovereign's pleasure, which conftantly directs me to study the true happiness of this kingdom, is the great and fettled object of my ambition; and upon this bafis I fhall hope to have eftablished a permanent claim to your good opinion, and to the confidence and regard of the people of Ireland. nicate to your high mightineffes the memorial here annexed, which he has the honour of tranfmitting to their noble and grand powers the States of Holland, refpecting the attack made upon the auguft perfon of the fifter of his majefty, and the repeated demand of a proportionate fatisfaction for that infult. His majefty is anxious to give your high and powerful mightineffes this new mark of his confidence and friendship. He gratefully returns his approbation of the conduct which you have adopted and adhered to in the courfe of the whole of this disagreeable event, and the repeated exhortations you have made ufe of to bring about fuch difpofition as his majefty has a right to expect, from the province chiefly interested in rendering fatisfaction to the honour and juft demands of a prince, the friend and neighbour of the republic. His majefty does not in the least doubt that your high mightineffes will perfevere in the fame proceedings, and contribute to effect, without lofs of time, fuch fatisfaction as the king demands. majefty has tranfmitted to the king his mafter the refolution which your noble and grand powers have ordered to be returned, in answer to his memorial of the 10th of July, refpecting the attack made upon the perfon of the auguft fifter of the monarch. The king could not, without extreme furprize, learn, that instead of fulfilling his just expectations of an offer of fatisfaction proportioned to the infult, an answer has been grounded on arguments evafive and infufficient. His majefty will not diffemble to your noble, great, and powerful lords, that the pretended ignorance of the motives which have conducted her royal highness to the Hague, and the apprehenfion of a popular tumult, will never give a colour of excufe to the proceedings of the commiffioners fitting at Woerden. Such a fufpicion, oftentatiously published, is a new infult. The word of the princefs, her folemn declaration that she did not undertake the journey to the Hague, but from motives the moft pure,namely, to quiet all minds, and to point out the means of a general reconciliation in the provinces, were fufficient to give the deputies of your noble and grand mightineffes the most perfect conviction of her intentions. If the people, overflowing with love and gratitude to the illuftrious houfe of the founders of the liberty and independence of the Belgic ftates, fhould have forgot themfelves, and become tumultuous; if the prefence of the auguft confort of the ftadtholder fhould have produced fuch demonftrations of joy as would have affected the public tranquillity, the means of making the refidence of the fove reign fecure from any attack, and unproductive of any danger, which was probably exaggerated in expectation, were left then to the difcretion of your noble and grand mightineffes. The care befides with which her royal highnets had prevented any public teftimony froin being made of improper and ill-timed zeal, by concealing from the publicthe knowledge of her approaching arrival, was a circumftance which gave her a new claim to the acknowledgements of government. of It is at the Hague, noble, grand, and powerful lords, it is in your own refidence, where every citizen ought to enjoy full liberty, as eftablithed by the enlightened wifdom your ancestors, that the refolution was taken, to deny an entrance into the province of Holland to the fifter of a great monarch, to the confort of a prince invested with the firft honours of your ftate. The king will not trouble himself with enquiring into the legality of the right of refufal which the commiflion of Woerden affumed to itself upon this occafion. His majefty will, however, confider more attentively the manner in which it was given and executed. A number of armed perfons furrounding the carriage of her royal highnefs, and the retinue that followed her, was rather becoming a prifoner of ftate than a great princefs, entitled to respect from her illuftrious birth, ber noble and eminent qualifications, her virtues, and her fentiments, which the has conftantly and invariably confecrated to the fervice of the republic. Her royal highness is fcarcely arrived at Schoonhoven, when guards are ita tioned in all the avenues of her house, and an officer even placed in her apartment, with a naked fword in his hand. Proceedings fo outrageous and offenfive have made a deep impreffion upon the mind of the king my mafter. His majefty confiders this injury as offered to himfelf; and it is at the inftance, and in conformity with the exprefs orders of his majefty, that the underfigned again makes a demand from your noble and grand powers, of an immediate and fuitable fatisfaction for the infult which has been offered. His majefty farther enjoins me not to fuffer you to remain ignorant that he will infitt invariably upon this fatisfaction; and that he will not content himself with a difcuflion of detached circumstances, vague excufes, or farther fhifts and evafions. The king is by no means infenfible of the respect due to the republic of the united provinces, and the illuftrious affembly of the ftates general, which reprefent the fovereignty of the ftates with regard to foreign powers. His majefty has been pleafed to approve, with the most grateful acknowledgements, of the declared difavowaland discountenance which their high mightineffes have manifefted to the meafures adopted in Holland, refpecting the point which makes the fubject of the prefent memorial. The teftimonies of friendship which the king and his auguft predeceffors have at all times beeg eager to give to the republic of the united provinces, on many interefing and critical occafions, authorize his majefty to expect from your noble and grand powers a juft return of refpect, and a reparation of the grievance which the undersigned is [8]4 charged |