THE KING TO M. BARILLON.

Versailles, August 24th, 1685.

M. Barillon, your letters of the 13th and 16th of this month, inform me of the resolution the King of England has taken to renew with the States' General the treaties of alliance which they had with the late King his brother, and of all he told you upon this subject. I have been so much the more surprised at the conclusion of this business as it did not appear to me by any letter of yours, that you received any communication thereof; and I have reason not to look upon it as a mere formality as the ministers of the court where you reside endeavour to persuade you. I think on the contrary, that it lays the foundation of a league which may encourage those who cannot endure the repose that Europe now enjoys; that the States' General who intended to remain perfectly neutral, or rather the Prince of Orange and Pensionary Fagel, talk at present of renewing an alliance with the Emperor, with the Kings of Spain and Sweden; that the Elector of Brandenburg is on the point of concluding a treaty with them, and that the disposition which the King of England displays to renew the treaties entered into by the late King his brother, not only with the States' General but also with Spain, causes the Ministers of this Crown to believe that that Prince is already entirely for them. The reports which they spread thereof, are so much the more credited, as it is known that the late King of England had entered upon those engagements only pending the misunderstanding that subsisted between me and him; and that as soon as friendship had been restored by the verbal agreement which you entered upon by my orders, he presently showed that he no longer thought him

self bound by those treaties, and that he was very far from wishing to renew them. Therefore I do not comprehend from what motive the King of England should be in such haste to involve himself in similar embarrassments, especially at a time when he sees that all my designs tend to preserve peace, and that it can only be disturbed by such overtures for a league, which cannot in any manner whatever suit his interests. You may even yet speak thereof in this sense, as there is less inconveniency in showing that I cannot be pleased with that resolution, than in confirming it by a kind of acquiescence on my side; and perhaps when the King of England perceives that thereby he gives me just ground for being discontented, he will either no longer be in a hurry to bring this treaty to a complete ratification, or he will trammel it with so many modifications and qualifications that, in fact, it will be impossible not to look upon it as a bare formality. But if he actually desires to preserve my friendship, he will enter upon no other engagement that may be either directly or indirectly contrary to it,

I am also told that the English Parliament have laid new and heavy duties upon foreign goods and commodities imported into that kingdom. You should not neglect to let me know as soon as possible, if those duties are general, or if they solely concern the goods and provisions which from my kingdom are carried to England, and to what they amount.

Continue to give me as exact information as you can of every thing that occurs in the place where you reside.

I am surprised that you do not mention in your letters the Earl of Sunderland, though there are several reports here of his removal to Ireland as a viceroy. Tell me what is the matter concerning him. Keep your remaining funds

în your hands, without remitting any portion thereof to the bankers until I give you new orders.

THE KING TO M. BARILLON.

Versailles, August 30th, 1685.

M. Barillon, though your letters of the 20th and 23d, of this month do not yet explain to me the negotiation which is going on between the commissioners of the King of England and the Ambassadors of the States' General but as a preparatory disposition to renew the treaty, yet the last letters of M. Avaux of the 24th, assure me that those of the said Ambassadors which had just arrived from England at the Hague, import that they had just concluded the act of renewal of the said treaties; and the declaration which the Earl of Sunderland made to you, that they would be sure not to insert any thing in the treaty which might engage the King of England contrary to the obligations of the late King his brother with you, is of so much less moment as it is well known, that the deceased King had only contracted those obligations at a time when he was not on good terms with me, and that since our friendship was restored, he put only such constructions thereupon as I could desire. Whereas the King of England now reigning spontaneously renewing them, and at a time when nothing, compelled him to it, intends to execute them literally, and will afford means to the Prince of Orange to form thereby a league capable of disturbing the repose of Europe. However, it is no longer time to remonstrate upon this subject, and you ought only do it to prevent the renewal of a treaty with Spain or with any other Prince or State whatever.

Marshal Cregin is now near me, and whatever report may circulate at the Court where you reside about my de

signs, you can assure the King of England that they only tend to strengthen that repose which the last treaties have restored all over Europe.

ABSTRACT OF A LETTER OF THE KING TO M. BARILLON.

Chartres, September 4th, 1685.

However as by one passage of your letter you give me to understand that it will be in my power to renew with that Prince the same connexions I had with the late King his brother, and to render them still more firm and stable, I dispatch this courier to you, in order to give you an early warning that you ought to be sure not to engage in any negotiation on this subject; and that as I sufficiently gave you to understand by all my dispatches and now give you by this, that I have no other design than to maintain the peace which all Europe now enjoys; I have also ground for believing that in the prosperous condition wherein I have put all the concerns of my kingdom, not only the King of England, by the interest he likewise has in the preservation of public tranquillity, but also all the other Princes and states in Europe, will be glad that it is not distubed and that nobody will be daring enough to renew, against my will, a war that would only turn to his damage. Therefore it is not necessary to form for this purpose new connexions with England, which are never concluded but at my expense, nay, by subsidies capable of seriously injuring the affairs of my kingdom; and as often as similar proposals shall be made to you, you ought only to answer that I am sufficiently persuaded of the friendship of the King of England, and that he has reason enough to rely securely upon mine, not to have ossasion for assurances us thereof by any treaty.

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THE KING TO M. BARILLON.

Chamford, September 16th, 1685.

M. Barillon, the account you give me by your letter of the 3d, of the conversation you had with the King of England concerning the treaty he renewed with the States General, does not oblige me to give you any other orders but those you received by my preceding dispatches; that is, not to show any more dissatisfaction at what has occurred, but as skilfully as you can, to profit by the embarrassment under which they have placed you by their having concluded that business with too much precipitation, in order to prevent them from forming any other treaties with Spain, or with any other power.

I am glad to hear that the King of England has discovered the new conspiracy which was forming against him, and it seems to me that it should serve to give him to understand, that new and similar ones might be formed if the apprehension of his connexions with me did not restrain those who without that consideration, would be much more daring to undertake them.

ABSTRACT OF A LETTER OF M. BARILLON TO THE KING.

Windsor, September 10th; 1685.

The King of England read to me from the original, the deposition of Mr. Mathieu equerry to the Duke of Monmouth. It states that he heard from the Duke of Monmouth, that Baron Freize had spoken to him at the Hague on the part of the French Protestants, and communicated to him their project, which was to take up arms in the beginning of this summer, and to revolt in several parts of France, that they offered to receive the Duke of Mon