Letters written by Sir William Temple during his being ambassador at The Hague, to the Earl of Arlington and Sir John Trevor, Secretaries of State to K. Charles II wherein are discovered many secrets hitherto concealed / published from the originals, under Sir William Temple's own hand ; and dedicated to the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Littleton, Speaker of the House of Commons, by D. Jones, Gent.

LETTER XXI. Hague, February 26. S. N. 69. (Book 21)

SIR,

I Am to acknowledge two I have recei∣ved from you since my last of the 5th and 9th current, which came together to my Hands, with one for Monsieur Van Benninghen, which I this Day delivered, and fell into the longest Debate that I have ever had with him upon the Subject of it, but with so little success, that I shall have no Pleasure in repeating it; And yet I ve∣rily believe we do not disagree in our Meaning, tho' we cannot come to agree in ways of expressing it.

They insist still upon some Instance of what we complain of, and are the less sa∣tisfied at every new pursuit I make, without producing what they have from the first demanded: They protest their East-India Company knows not what ours means by saying they might Instance in Iacatra, and think I do not deal sincerely with them, in suppressing the Particulars of the Fact as it past there, which is the only place we have mention'd, as giving occasion for this Ap∣prehension

of ours, and Demand upon it.

Mons. Van Benninghen swears to me in the solemnest manner that can be, and which is not usual with him, that his Heart is more bent upon finding out a way to satis∣fie us in this point, than to satisfie either the Estates, or East-India Company here, and that upon any occasion we shall pro∣duce of Complaint, both he, and all the rest of the States, know they ought to give us all Satisfaction that Reason shall re∣quire, and even beyond reason in things that are not of the last importance to them; As he says, they have shewed in a∣greeing to that Article about defining a Town bloque ou investie, which has raised such a Clamour among those of the East-India Company here, against the Commis∣sioners who treated it with me, That they know no way of satisfying them, but by the absolute Will of the States-General, and representing to them how much they ought to give towards our Satisfaction in this Conjuncture. He says, that all Sir George Downing could find to complain of in the Indies, was the stopping of our Ships by their Fleets that lay before Cochin and Ca∣nanor, which is provided against in that a∣foresaid Article: And if there had been any Innovation in Matter of Passage by one ano∣thers Territories, as we intimate there be∣gan to be, on their side about two Year be∣fore the War, 'tis impossible but they must

have heard of it at a time when all things were ript up. That if we can mention a∣ny such Innovation differing from what has been the antient, constant, and general Practice, in both India, and Africa, by our Nation as well as all other Europaean Nati∣ons that have had any thing to do there, they will be the readiest in the World to redress it: But at the same time he profes∣ses to think it absolutely impossible to make any Draught of an Article concerning pas∣sing of Forts, which may not be made use of Pour bouleverser toutes les Affairs des In∣des; And that as much as he can see into it, may not be of the same consequence as if we should demand of them absolutely to break their East-India Company. The many large and various Instances he used to prove this you will better have from his Hand than mine, and therefore I shall omit the rest of his Discourses, which ended in bewailing our falling so earnestly upon such a Point as this, in which it was so im∣possible for them to agree with us, and not at the same time to lay the Foundation of a certain Breach hereafter, by the Disputes which must arise upon it. That the ill Ef∣fect upon which he made his chiefest Re∣flections, was the Interpretation I told them was made of it in England, to the Disadvantage of their Intentions and Dis∣positions of living well with us in point of Commerce; That on the other side very many here interpreted this Demand as a

Mark of our Resolutions not live well long with them, in point of our Alliances, and so made them think of ballancing still be∣tween us and France, till they could find with whom they were like to meet with the most present Safety, and leave future Times to future Councils▪ That for his part, and all the most foreseeing Heads a∣mong them, they were of another mind, and thought the only bottom they had left was upon our Friendship. But on both sides, the continuance of such Jealousies as were apt to arise from our Disputes upon this Point, could not be without ill Ef∣fect.

And upon all this I concluded it would be necessary for him to make a step over in∣to England, and try whether the King's Ministers there, and he could understand one another better than we had done here, which he seemed to think not unnecessary; And for my part, I think it the only thing left to be done in this Matter.

Since my last, some Commissioners have been with me from the States, to acquaint me with the Letter which goes this Night to His Majesty from them, upon the Busi∣ness of Surinam, wherein you will find they are come off from the Disputes they formerly engaged in, of the English Plant∣ers there having forfeited the Right to the first Articles of Surrender, by which they had liberty to remove, and that the Mat∣ter lies now in this compass here, that such

of the English there as either have now, or shall have hereafter a desire to leave that Plantation, shall not only have Leave, but Assistance from the Dutch Governour, to∣wards their Removal, but that on the o∣ther side His Majesty shall not send any Commands to them to remove, nor Threats in case of their Stay there; as they say has been practised by my Lord Willoughby: So that all which will be left, if this be agreed to, will be only to find out a way of know∣ing what Inhabitants, at their own Motion, have a desire to Stay, and what to Re∣move.

I told them I could not say any thing of the King's Resolution therein, but should signifie what I understood of their Mean∣ing to His Ministers by this Post, which carries their Letter to His Majesty. Ma∣jor Scott, who came lately from England, and is seeking Imployment here, tol•• me, some of them were considering whether they might not deal with the Dutch in the New Netherlands, as we do with the En∣glish at Surinam; But that, I suppose, de∣pends upon the Articles of each Places Surrender. Now I Name Major Scott, tho a Man wholly unknown to me, I can∣not but confess, that having since his com∣ing hither, talk'd a great deal with him, seen his Maps, and a long Preface to the Book of them he intended to set out, I cannot but be sorry, he should have met so much Discouragement in England, as to seek

Service in other Nations: For, I cannot think but the Man must of necessity signifie a good deal of good or ill to us in those Ports as he is made use of by us, or other People.

If His Majesty have the same Thoughts, and that He is worth the retrieving, I should be glad to know it, and shall in the mean time have some Eye upon his Progress here. The Necessity of these Troubles, will, I hope, excuse the length of them from,

SIR,

Your most Obedient, and most Humble Servant, W. Temple.