A.D. 1662. immense magnitude in the royal diadem, does Lord Clarendon's conduct in not enough remember what we have lost by Dunkirk, and shall always do, if it were in an enemy's hands.” This must have been said only to amuse the that affair. public; for, notwithstanding that Lord Clarendon expressed so right a sense of the great advantage of Dunkirk to the crown of England, he soon after advised the king to sell it to the French; and, even in the next month, he sent one Mr. Bellings,* (in whom he put an entire confidence,) to the Count d'Estrades, who had lately been ambassador in England, to open the affair. On the 27th of July following, the count, who was at Calais, in his journey on an embassy This Mr. Bellings had catholic religion. After the to Rome, to solicit a cardinal's hat for Lord Aubigny. Monsieur, Faisant souvent reflection sur quelques particularitez des conferences que nous avons euës ensemble, et trouvant le roi mon maître dans la dispo + Thurloe's State Papers, vol. i. pp. 740, 744. 62 This mission to the pope formed one of the articles of impeachment exhibited by the splenetic Earl of Bristol against Clarendon. to Holland, received a letter * from King Charles, A.D. 1662. and another from Lord Clarendon, inviting him to come over without delay into England. The king told him it was to settle an affair which the chancellor had proposed, and that he had ordered his brother's yacht to attend him. Count d'Estrades immediately came over; and Lord Clarendon, without the consent of the privy council, directly proposed to him the sale of Dunkirk, with all its artillery, ammunition, and dependencies. He informed the count that "the first thought of this treaty came from His negohim; that it proceeded from the necessity of sition de donner toutes sortes de preuves du desir qu'il a d'etreindre le nœud de l'amitié qu'il a avec sa majesté tres chretienne, je fais entreprendre ce voyage à Mons. Bellings, que vous sçavez être dans ma confidence, pour vous communiquer mes sentimens. Je vous prie de lui ajoûter foi, et de croire que je suis tres veritablement, Monsieur, &c. LE COMTE DE CLARENDON. -Lettre de M. le Comte de Clarendon à Mons. le Comte d'Estrades, de Hampton Court, le 29 Juin 1662, p. 279. vôtre majesté, que Mons. Bel- * D'Estrades' Memoirs, pp. Je dois faire remarquer à 280, tiation with d'Estrades. A.D. 1662. affairs in England; and that no one else was of his opinion but the king and the Duke of York." * Lord Clarendon could only mean the necessity of the king's private affairs; for the parliament had liberally and cheerfully given whatever the king could expect for his support and the exigencies of the government. But whether he alluded to the weakness of the state, or of the king, it was a discovery highly unjustifiable for a chancellor and minister to make to a foreign power, and extremely imprudent in carrying on a bargain with that power. When this necessity was urged by Lord Clarendon to Monk, (now Duke of Albemarle,) the Earls of Southampton and Sandwich, as an argument for the council's approving the sale, they wisely answered, that there was +" an expedient 66 d'Estrades a u Roi, de Londres, le 17 Août 1662, p. 286. + Ils avoient offert un expédient pour la conserver et pour soulager le roi de cette dépense, qui étoit de remettre cette place sous l'autorité du parlement, qui en avoit été separée jusqu'à présent, parce 63 But he adds, "Mais qu'elle ne pouvoit l'obliger à faire un méchant marché." to keep the place, and ease the king of the ex- A.D. 1662. pense of maintaining it, which was to put Dunkirk under the authority of parliament; by which the public would always be charged with the expenses of supporting it, and the king, nevertheless, would remain master of it." Lord Clarendon told the count, (in order to raise the terms of the sale,) "that if the parliament, at their meeting, should approve of this expedient, there would be no returning to such a treaty as had been proposed; for which reason there was no other time to do it, but during the recess of parliament.” “ Lord Clarendon acquainted the count, at another conference, that*" necessity only obliged the qu'en ce cas il se chargeroit de toutes ses dépenses, et le roi n'en seroit pas moins le maître que si cela arrivoit et que l'on fût forcé d'accepter cet expédient, il n'y avoit plus de retour pour un traité comme celui qui se proposoit; pour jequel il n'y avoit que l'inter valle à prendre de la separation * Il me redit encore, que la 64 Louis seems to have been very little troubled by any apprehension of such a course being pursued. He tells D'Estrades, that Charles had already seen too much of parliaments to think of making any increase to their power. A.D. 1662. king to part with Dunkirk; that, as from the beginning he had no fear of putting this confidence in him, he would treat with him as a friend of the King of England, and minister of a great prince his ally, whom he would not in the least distrust. That, in one or the other quality, he would own to him, that he had the choice of four expedients in this affair: the first was to treat with Spain, which had already made vast offers for the place; the second was to treat with the Dutch, who would give immense sums for it; the third was to put it in the hands of the parliament, who would charge themselves with the expense, and leave the government of it in the king; and the fourth was to agree with the King of France; which last had appeared to him most parce qu'il traitoit avec moi donneroient des sommes immenses. Le troisième, de la remettre entre les mains du parlement, qui se chargeroit de toutes ses dépenses, et qui laisseroit pourtant au roi la même autorité qu'il y a à present: et le quatrième, d'accommoder vôtre majesté; que ce dernier lui paroissoit plus juste, et plus convenable aux interêts du roi son maître. Lettre du Comte d'Estrades au Roi, de Londres, le 21 Août 1662, p. 302. |
