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the delicacy you have so properly endeavoured to observe towards the Government of the Netherlands, I can no longer wish you to conceal from your colleagues a knowledge of the disappointment with which this system has been observed on the part of your Court, which, if not decisively checked, cannot fail to lead to the consequences against which it has been so much the Prince Regent's object to protect his Netherlands' Majesty.

Believe me, &c.,

CASTLEREAGH.

Sir Charles Stuart to Lord Castlereagh.

Paris, September 29, 1817. My dear Lord-I think it my duty to acquaint your lordship that a circumstance has created much bad blood among the principal members of the royal family. Some days since, the King met the Duke and Duchess of Orleans in a curricle, during his morning drive. In a conversation which took place with the Duchess de Berry in the evening, her Royal Highness observed that she expected much gratification from a similar excursion, as the Duke de Berry had promised to drive her out in a new curricle, which would be ready in the course of a few days. The King expressed his disapprobation of this intention, saying, “Il m'est bien égal que le Duc et la Duchesse d'Orleans se cassent le cou, mais je vous ordonne de ne pas vous aventurer en pareille équipage."

I am sorry to say that the indiscreet repetition of this conversation on the part of the Duchess to her aunt, on the following morning, has renewed the jealousies which had apparently subsided during the last three months.

Believe me, &c.,

CHARLES STUART.

Mr. C. Bagot to Lord Castlereagh.

Washington, October 6, 1817.

My dear Lord-I have nothing material to add to the

public despatch which I send by this mail, upon the subject of

the French Minister's communications to me. Mr. Adams cannot but know that I have been made acquainted with the whole affair, but nothing has yet passed between us upon the subject; and it does not seem necessary that I should seek an opportunity of adverting to it.

I have no doubt that the American Government is a good deal embarrassed. I do not think that they will venture to resort to vigorous measures: but they must be sensible that, if they do not interfere, they will give such cause of complaint to Spain, at least, as, in the present state of their negociations with that country, they will hardly like to do. It is not improbable that they may publish the intercepted papers, in the hope of defeating the undertaking, which, to a certain degree, it would do. They much wished that M. de Neuville would officially require them to take this step; but he was not to be induced to require them to take any precise course of proceeding, in which I must think that he judged very wisely.

It is a curious circumstance, and one which is worth mentioning, that the whole design was nearly being betrayed some months ago by Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely. I believe I omitted to tell your lordship that early in the summer he went mad. Some time after he was known to be so, he gave an order to a hatter in Philadelphia to furnish him with 1,100 hats; and he was proceeding to give orders for other equipments in the same proportion, when he was suddenly put on board a vessel, by Joseph Buonaparte's orders, and imme diately sent at his expense to Antwerp, where, I believe, he

now is.

I must not omit to acquaint your lordship that I have received some information from M. de Neuville, upon another subject, which, if it is correct, may be thought of considerable importance, but which is not fit matter for a despatch. M. de Neuville informs me that two persons, of the names of Rousseau and Archambaud, (the latter a servant of some inferior description) left the island of St. Helena with M. Santini. He says

that they parted with M. Santini at Brussels, and arrived at Philadelphia; that Rousseau passed about a fortnight with Joseph Buonaparte, and that he then went to Long Island, where he has resided ever since, in the house of Cobbet, who, as your lordship probably knows, settled there, after his flight from England.

M. de Neuville assures me that he knows that Cobbet is a principal agent in the plan which is in agitation for effecting the escape of Buonaparte from St. Helena, and that he is the channel of communication for such of the English as are privy to the design. He says that Lord Cochrane and Sir Robert Wilson are both deeply engaged in it, and that a correspondence is carried on upon the subject with some persons in France, through the means of a female relation (he thinks a sister) of Sir Robert Wilson's, who resides at Brussels. He says that Lord Cochrane's intended voyage to South America was connected with this design, and that there was to be a general rendezvous of all the agents of the plot at the island of Fernando de Noronha, which is a small island off the coast of Pernambuco, and which is used by the Portuguese as a place of banishment for criminals.

Your lordship will have the best means of judging how far this information is likely to be well founded. I have no means of investigating it properly in this country. M. de Neuville speaks confidently upon the subject: but he may be deceived; and I know that he has la tête un peu exaltée-but I have nevertheless thought it my duty to communicate his intelligence confidentially to your lordship.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

CHARLES BAgot.

PS. Since my despatches were sealed, I have learnt that Joseph Buonaparte is returned from Niagara, and arrived at Philadelphia on the evening of the 1st instant.

C. B.

Sir Henry Wellesley to Lord Castlereagh.

Madrid, November 10, 1817. My dear Lord-Since sending off my despatches, under date the 8th instant, M. de Pizarro has informed me that he has heard of Count Palmella's note having been received by the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Powers at Paris, and that he expects that Spain will be invited to send a Plenipotentiary to treat with Count Palmella. He said that he could not possibly comply with such an invitation; that the engagement for the restoration of the territory to Spain, whenever the conditions of it were such as could be agreed to by this Court, must be signed by him and by Count Palmella, after which he would be ready to send a Plenipotentiary to treat upon any other points which might require to be arranged between the two Courts.

I think that M. de Pizarro is extremely desirous of settling this business, but he wishes to have the credit of settling it himself. The great difficulty rests upon the time and mode of restoring the territory, upon which this Government is extremely obstinate. I should hope, however, that something might be conceded by both parties upon this point: and I really believe that an amicable arrangement might then be effected.

No intelligence has yet been received of the Russian squadron. The Russian Minister is at Cadiz. I send this letter by a courier which M. de Souza, who has received from M. de Pizarro a copy of the conditions which I transmitted to your lordship on the 8th instant, proposes to forward to-day to Count Palmella.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

H. WELLESLEY.

Lord Castlereagh to Lord Clancarty.

St. James's Square, November 11, 1817.

My dear Clancarty-I have only time to write two lines, to say that you will receive by this mail all we can say or think

on the important subject of reclamations, which you will communicate confidentially to M. de Nagell.

I have talked over with Lord Liverpool and the Duke of Wellington the request transmitted by you of money for the fortifications. The Duke, on his return, will enter upon the details on this subject, and report to us what he thinks will be absolutely wanting for next year. On his report the arrangements here will be made, and you may assure M. de Nagell that the same spirit of accommodation, which is the invariable rule of our policy in our intercourse with the Government of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, will prompt us to do everything we can to meet their wishes on this occasion; and I have every reason to hope we shall be enabled to settle the business to our mutual satisfaction.

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Sir Charles Stuart to Lord Castlereagh.

Paris, November 20, 1817.

My dear Lord-The suggestions in your lordship's letter of the 11th of November were the subject of direct communications on the part of my three colleagues to the Conference, by special couriers sent off in the beginning of this week.

Messieurs Rothschild called here, some days since, for the purpose of ascertaining if his Majesty's Government object to the intervention of their house for the purpose of effecting a settlement of all the claims against France which are brought forward, under the Convention of the 20th November, 1815, by the Powers whose Ministers do not take a part in the deliberations of the Conference. Though they assured me that the propositions they had already received and the good will of the Court of Prussia leave very little doubt in their minds of the practicability of this arrangement, the political consequences which may result from the separation of interests, to be feared in case such a plan should be carried into execution, induced me to recommend those gentlemen to suspend any

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