Part, reciprocally fulfil all the Conditions expreffed in the Conventions between us; and efpecially reftore Livonia and Courland, two Provinces incorporate with the Republick of Poland from antient Times, nor intermeddle, under any Pretence, in the Affair of Courland; which Dutchy, after the Decease of the present Duke without Male Iffue, is, by an undoubted Right, to return to the Body of the Kingdom of Poland and Great Dutchy of Lithuania; provided alfo your Czarish Majefty will withdraw your Troops out of all the Provinces of the Kingdom, efpecially out of Courland; give Satisfaction for the Injuries and Pretenfions, both publick and private, fo often reprefented by our Minifters; pay the many Millions ftipulated by Treaties, but unpaid yet, and restore what has been extorted by your Majefty's Forces from the City of Dantzick, and the Territories of the Republick, contrary to Treaties; forbear exciting Misunderstandings and Differences between us and the States of the Republick, and promote the Liberty and Safety of the Republick, not with smooth Words and fair Promifes, but in reality, as we do, and are defirous to do; nor give Credit to, or diffeminate Rumours, apt to raise inteftine Commotions, as if we ever had had a Mind to establish an Hereditary Succeffion in the Kingdom of Poland, or to do any Thing contrary to the Welfare of the Republick; your Czarish Majefty knowing well enough, by your own Experience, that we always abhorred those Projects, when they were traitorously suggested to us, and will ever abhor them. As we always preferve a thankful Remembrance of the VOL. III: Good M 1719. 1719. Good-will your Czarish Majefty has fhewn to us, fo we can hardly fuppofe the Affection we have on all Occafions expreffed towards you, will ever escape your Czarish Majefty's Memory. As for the feveral Treaties alledged by your Majefty, we are entirely perfuaded we have religiously performed them in every Article, nor ever refufed or neglected to perform all that is expreffed in the faid Treaties; tho' your Majefty was pleafed to conceal from us what you were negotiating and concluding in France, notwithstanding which, you defired us blindfoldly to approve and fubfcribe the Articles of that Treaty without having feen and examined them, which we abfolutely refused. We were alfo unacquainted with the Negotiation in the Inland of Aland, of which we had no other Notice, than that a certain Treaty was negotiating there. Concerning your Czarish Majefty's Pretenfions on the City of Dantzick, we have already given fo many Answers upon that Head, that we must refer to them, adding only, that we do not know that either we, or the Senators then prefent at Dantzick, or our Minifters of State, have given any Confent to the faid City's fitting out the Privateers demanded of them, nor could we enjoin or prohibit the fame to the faid City. To conclude: As we expect your Czarish Majefty will act for the future in a more agreeable Manner in Matters relating to our common Concerns, and forbear whatever may be bitter and grating; fo we wifh nothing more, than that by fo indecent a Treatment, and by Affronts for which no Satisfaction is made, we may not be forced against our Will to employ proper proper Means for our Self-defence, and the Security of the Dominions God has committed to our Care. On the Contrary, if the Conditions mentioned above be obferved, nothing fhall be dearer or more acceptable to us, than a fincere Union, and conftant Friendship with your Czarish Majefty, as you may furely depend on ours; for through the Happiness of the Times, and the Affiftance of our Friends, we have now attained to that Strength, as to be able timely and couragioufly to oppose all Infults, with which ill-minded Perfons may threaten us, &c. Warsaw, the 14th of March, 1719. When M. Ofterman returned to Aland, in the Month of April, it was lefs to negotiate than menace the Swedes; for his Czarish Majesty had ordered him to declare, That unless they accepted, in two Months Time, of the Conditions. propofed, they must expect a Vifit from forty thousand Plenipotentiaries, who would force them to it with Sword in Hand. 1719. the Affairs of But the Death of the King of Sweden, whofe The Alteraambitious Valour had given too much Umbrage tions made in to his Neighbours, had changed the Difpofi- the North by tions of all Europe with regard to that defo- the Death of lated Kingdom: The Proteftant Powers efpe- the King of cially deliberated, whether it could be for their Sweden. Intereft to fuffer the Czar entirely to over-run it, and tear from it its beft Provinces. King of Great-Britain had concluded with France the famous Quadruple Alliance, in which it was ftipulated, that the Enemy of any one of the contracting Powers fhould be deemed fo The 1719. The Lord 1 Carteret's Memorial delivered to the Queen of Swe den. to all the reft; for which Reason France took Pains to reconcile Sweden with the King of Great-Britain, and fucceeded in her Design; and his Britannick Majefty going this Summer to Hanover, nominated the Lord Carteret, in the Month of May, to be his Ambaffador at the Court of Sweden, whither Colonel Baffewitz went before, being charged with the Affairs of that Electorate. On the 6th of May his Czarish Majefty loft his only furviving Son, Prince Peter Petrowitz, who died in the fifth Year of his Age, to the great Grief of his Father. He had been declared Hereditary Prince of Muscovy, immediately upon the folemn Renunciation made by the late Carewitz Alexis. But to return to Sweden: His Excellency the Lord Carteret arrived at Gottenbourg the 18th of June, and in a few Days after at Stockbolm. His firft Care being to remove the Difficulties relating to the Commerce and Navigation of the British Subjects in the Baltick, he prefented the following Memorial to the Queen of Sweden. To the Queen of Sweden, &c. The Memorial of bis Excellency the Lord Carteret, Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of Great-Britain. 66 "T HE under-written Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Majefty the King of Great-Britain, being firmly perfuaded of the Equity of her Majefty the Queen of Sweden, and and of her Good-will towards the Britif Nation, as alfo of her Inclinations to maintain perfect Intelligence with his Majefty the King of Great-Britain, moft humbly reprefents to her faid Majefty, the Queen of Sweden, purfuant to the Orders he has received, the great Loffes which the Subjects of his Britannick Majefty have fuffered for fome Years paft, by the taking and Confifcations of many of their Ships by her Majesty's Subjects, in the Baltick and other Parts, even in the Ports of Sweden, and by the Prohibition of Navigation in Livonia; and intreats her faid Majefty, the Queen of Sweden, with all due Submiffion, to be pleased to give her Orders, that without more Delay, the Loffes of the faid Subjects may be examined, and Satisfaction made them thereupon; and in particular, that the above-mentioned Prohibition of Navigation be taken off, as having been the Occafion of fo great Damages, and exposed the Commerce in the Baltick to fo many Difficulties on all Accounts; which is fo prejudicial to this Kingdom, and to her Subjects, and may afford the Czar, and perhaps alfo other Powers, Pretences not only for oppofing the Freedom of Navigation and Commerce in the Baltick, but even for interrupting it intirely, to the great Prejudice of Sweden. And as the abovefaid Minister Plenipotentiary has great Reason to believe, that her Majefty the Queen of Sweden will be pleased, on this Occafion, to add to the Instances she daily gives of an equitable Mind, a Proof of her Difpofition (by granting what he defires) to re-establish not only the antient Friendship between the two Crowns, but to maintain and M 3 im 1719. |