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with me, his Royal Highness has been out nowhere since his arrival.

Yours, my dear lord, very faithfully,

CLANCARTY.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, December 26, 1817. My dear Lord-A fact stated to me by M. de Nagell may perhaps throw some light upon the motives of the Prince's conduct in the late reconciliation. I can have no doubt that both he and his advisers conceived that Goltz would never stand against them, and that, on his removal, the Prince would become entire and unshackled master of the whole military department of this kingdom. Notwithstanding, therefore, that, at the very outset, Goltz had in a detailed letter to the Prince explained the whole of the circumstances of his conduct with reference to the orders issued for the employment of certain officers at Batavia as proceeding from the King, the whole artillery of his Royal Highness's advisers was levelled at M. de Goltz, as if he alone had opposed himself to the Prince's views.

As his Royal Highness joined, or rather led, in this attack, I strongly suspect, from the fact mentioned by M. de Nagell, that the Prince has concealed the real state of things, and most particularly Goltz's letter, from his sage advisers; and, though well aware from the very outset, that the order for the employment of the officers at Batavia proceeded from the King, and the King only, he is now desirous of endeavouring to account to his associates for his resumption of office by pretending now to learn this circumstance for the first time.

The fact stated by M. de Nagell is that the only condition formally insisted upon by the Prince was that the Comte de Goltz should write him a letter, explaining his conduct with reference to the officers, as having proceeded from the orders of his Majesty. In consequence of this, the King sent for

M. de Goltz, and made the proposal to him in Nagell's presence. M. de Goltz stated that, having already, at the very outset, done what was now required, he could not again write a letter of this sort to the Prince as an original piece, without apparently, and contrary to the fact, laying himself open to the charges which such a letter, uncoupled with his former correspondence, would seem to substantiate, of having before failed in duty to the Prince, by concealing from him, his superior, matters of interest relating to his department.

Nevertheless, as the King seemed extremely anxious upon this subject, upon two conditions, he would forego his objections: the first was that his Majesty would permit him to state, in his letter to the Prince, that it was written by the express command of the King; and secondly, that, as in fact would be the case, it should profess to repeat and specifically allude to the former explanation of the motives of his conduct afforded by M. de Goltz at the commencement to his Royal Highness. The King having complied with these, the letter was written, and the Prince has been obliged to appear satisfied with the redaction, although it will scarcely fulfil all his Royal Highness's expectations.

Though the Prince will not be able to show up this letter, as accounting to his Bruxelles' associates for his resumption of office, he will still be able to state his having received a letter from M. de Goltz of the particular date, explanatory of his conduct, and thus endeavour to account for his own and this will afford too great a triumph to those by whom his Royal Highness has had the misfortune of being surrounded.

The King appears in high spirits at the termination of this business. Not so the Prince, who, though necessarily accepting the felicitations offered on the occasion, seems far from being at his ease. At the great dinner at Court, on the Emperor of Russia's birthday, he had the want of tact to leave M. de Goltz totally unnoticed by him, although he addressed every other person in the room.

The reconciliation, such as it is, doubtless has its advantages with reference to the impression made upon the public; but I must own that, besides the apprehension of its not being likely to be sincere and permanent, I should have conceived it much better, both for the future interests of the King and of his Royal Highness, to have left the latter, for the present, unemployed.

Yours, my dear lord, &c.,

CLANCARTY.

1818.

AFFAIRS OF THE NETHERLANDS, OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL -NEGOCIATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-CONGRESS OF AIX-LA-CHAPELLE.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, January 16, 1818.

My dear Lord-I have heard nothing further of the manner in which General Phull [Pfühl] may have executed his instructions vis-à-vis the Prince of Orange, or of the contents of those instructions, beyond the sketch given in my despatch No. 2, of the 13th instant. You are probably by this time better informed upon this subject than I am, inasmuch as M. Verstolk, in his despatch to Nagell, states that copies of the instructions to General Phull were sent by the same conveyance to Count Lieven, to be, under his Excellency's discretion, communicated to you-a discretion which I should conceive his Excellency is not likely to execute by withholding them.

This Court seem perfectly satisfied with the communications. from Russia on this subject. Indeed, they have already been attended with a considerable alteration of conduct in the Princess, who, since her residence here till their arrival, has seen nobody; but now, though with child and sick, she begins to force herself to see people. On Monday next, her birthday, the whole Court dine with the Prince and Princess.

The projected trip to Amsterdam is postponed till after the passing of the Budget; not that, as I learn, there will be any serious opposition to its enactment, but that such information as is constantly called for by the sections of the

Chambers may, previously to its being given, be submitted to the King.

The sections of the second Chamber have not yet reported upon the petition of the banished French refugee journalists; I however learn that some of them (and it is added that this will be the result of their united opinion) have come to the resolution that there appears no foundation whatever for the complaint of the petitioners.

My boys return by this conveyance to Eton, after having passed the vacation with me here.

Adieu, my dear lord, yours ever affectionately,

CLANCARTY.

Sir Henry Wellesley to Lord Castlereagh.

Madrid, January 23, 1818. My dear Lord-Your lordship will see, by my despatch No. 12, the unpleasant turn which the Portuguese question has taken here. The language of M. de Pizarro, whom I happened to meet last night, is extremely hostile. The Duke of Fernan-Nuñez has written to say that Count Palmella has declared to him privately that, unless the Spanish Government gives an answer to the Portuguese Minister on the subject of Olivenza, he will give none respecting the territory occupied by the Portuguese. M. de Pizarro has, in consequence, directed the Spanish Ambassador at Paris never to converse privately with Count Palmella upon the subjects under dis

cussion.

The King is said to be much incensed at the answer given to Count Casa Flores at Rio Janeiro. The only hope which remains of an amicable arrangement is through the interference of the mediating Powers. Should they fail in effecting this desirable object, I trust, at least, that they will not suffer the tranquillity of Europe to be disturbed.

It is confidently reported here that a decree will soon appear, granting an amnesty to those Spaniards who retired with

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