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 XXVII. Hague, April 2. S. N. 69. (Book 27)

SIR,

SInce my last I have had a Conference with Monsieur de Witt, upon the Sub∣ject of the last Papers transmitted to me from the East-India Company, the new Project of the Proposition for passing the Forts, and your Letter which came with them, and serv'd much to clear our mean∣ing in both the former.

As to the first, Monsieur de Witt said, he could not judge of the greatest part of those Instances, by being a Stranger to most of the Names, as well as Transacti∣ons in those parts; That of about five or six of them which he had been acquainted with, there was not one which touch'd in any manner this Point of passing the Forts: That for the others he would endeavour to inform himself, being desirous of nothing so much as to know one Instance of a Fort, by which we thought we had right to pass, and had been hinder'd, and desir'd now to have that Right preserved to us by this proposed Article. For all the other In∣stances

whereby we averr'd the Wrongs which had been done us in that Trade, he said, it was the same thing as to rip up the occasions of the late War, wherein each Party still maintain'd they had wrong done them by the other; And so in those Instances which he was acquainted with of these mention'd in the last Paper, they could not yield we had those Wrongs done us which we pretended.

As to the Isle of Ceylon, he said, he knew not the State of it, but if it were as we related it, they should be very unrea∣sonable to exclude us from the Trade of those parts of it where they had no Forts, nor Dominion, and he should be the first to condemn them; And he thought the same of the other case whenever it should happen of their building any Fort to hin∣der our Passage to any place where we had our Traffick already establish'd.

For the Proposition, he presently obser∣ved it was drawn upon that which he had sent in his Letter to Monsieur Van Benning∣hen, and said, He doubted I had sent that into England, which he had only communi∣cated to me before he dispatch'd it to Am∣sterdam. I confest it, and that in the time his Secretary had left it with me to peruse, I had taken a Copy of it, and sent it over to the end our Ministers might see his Thoughts upon it, and at least be satisfied of his good Intentions. He said it was a thing that he could not own further than

having sent it to Monsieur Van Benninghen, that since he and the Directors had return∣ed him their Opinion, that it was impra∣cticable to digest any general Article in this Point, he could not press on any such Proposition, how agreeable soever to his own Thoughts. But for the Draught it self, he observed several material Diffe∣rences from what he had sent to Amsterdam; As first, that those words relating to the ancient constant Practise de longues annees, (which were put in on purpose to salve the Jealousie of the East-India Company here, that we aimed at nothing new, but what had always been used between us till about the Years 62, or 63) were in this Paper wholly left out. That the Words, à cet ••ffet, speaking of Houses, or Forts, to be built for hindring our Passage to Places where our Traffick was already establish'd, were likewise left out; So as whatever Wrongs they should suffer from any Nati∣on, they should be hindred from subduing them, and subjecting them by Forts, ac∣cording to their Custom in those Parts. And Lastly, That to the Words of Forts that should be hereafter Erected, we had added, or already Built, without yet instancing particularly in any such Fort as was alrea∣dy built, to hinder our Passage, and where we desired redress; So that if what we de∣sire be as we seem to mean, only for pre∣vention, we need not add, Already Built; If there be any such, we could not do fairer

than to name them. Upon the whole, he advised I would not communicate this Proposition to the Commissioners: First, Because they would see by it, that his Pro∣position to Monsieur Van Benninghen had been sent into England, which they might believe was with his consent, and think he did not deal fairly to do that without their Communication. And Secondly, Because it would encrease very much the Jealousie of those concerned in the East-India Com∣pany, to see that those Word▪ were left out which confin'd the manner of passing Forts to the ancient and constant practise between▪ the Nations, by which they would conclude, our aim was at some In∣novations, and where that might end as to Pretences and Disputes, none could tell. I gave him Thanks for his Advice, but de∣sired to be excused, for since the Propo∣sition was sent me over to be communicated here, I could not suppress it, but must pro∣pose it to the Commissioners at our next Conference, and know their Sense and Re∣solution upon it, since this, I supposed, was the last they were like to receive from us. He then desired that I would at the time of proposing it, let the Commissioners know how his came to be sent over into England, and that I would give him a Copy of those parts of your Letter, which seem∣ed to clear our meaning in this Matter, the Expressions seeming to him very clear and fair; And he assured me he would make

good use of them: To both these I con∣sented, and so upon it we are to have a Conference, I suppose, within very few Days, at least as soon as the present Busi∣ness in the States of Holland will give their Deputies leisure, which, I doubt not, will be some time this Week.

They have yet given me no account of the Deputies of the East-India Company, ar∣rived last Week from Amsterdam, and I am not forward in calling for it, hearing they have put in a very long Paper to prove the impossibility of framing any ge∣neral Article upon this Matter: Besides, I believe the Intention goes on of dispatching Monsieur Van Benninghen suddenly into England, upon this Point and some others of more general consequence; And that he went last Friday to Amsterdam with Mon∣sieur Valkeneer, to try whether that Town would give him leave to make this Jour∣ney.

Monsieur Boreel is here arrived, and gave the States an Account Yesterday of his Ambassage, to their Satisfaction. He is the most pleased that can be with His Majesty's, and His Ministers Carriage to∣wards him, and their Dispositions towards these States, only I find the Italian Abbot, lately come out of France, will not, out of his little Head, and the Circumstances that cause his Jealousie, are as pleasant as those of Lovers.

The Matter of Judicature which lies be∣tween Holland and Zealand, is like to draw out in length▪ and will end, I doubt, ra∣ther in the Separation, than Re-union of the Provinces upon it. Nothing is yet mention'd between them concerning the Prince of Orange.

They continue much in pain about the King of Spain's Health, and the Disorders of Madrid; Nor does the French Ambassa∣dor satisfie them, in saying, they need not trouble themselves about the Accession of Spain to France; For if the King of Spain should Die too Morrow, 'tis out of all que∣stion Don John would be Crowned the Day after.

I hear nothing further as yet from the Swedish Ministers, nor any thing worth the encrease of your present Trouble from,

SIR,

Your most Faithful Humble Servant, W. Temple.