Nederlandse historische bronnen 10

4

Hague, 23th July 1728

My Lord, Ever since I had the honour of your Lordship's letter of the 30th past, nothing has occurr'd worth your notice, and tho' I have at present but little to offer, I would not deferr any longer the acknowledging the favour you have done me in writing to me. The affairs of Oostfrize remain still under sequestration, which has prevailed upon the States to order to reinforce their garrisons in Embden and Lieroord, the States General have desired that that affair may be laid before the Congress and they determin'd therefore to avoid this. The imp. plenipotentiaries have told the cardinal Fleury that the Emperor will give another decree to revoke the sequestration but the Dutch do not seem inclinable to trust to the promises of the imperialists.

The Prince Regent of Nassau Siegen of the Protestant line, has taken the oath in the Council of State of this Republick as colonel of a regiment of foot, in which he has also a company.

On the 21st Inst. brigadier Sutton his Majestie's envoy to Cassel, and Sir Robert Sutton with Lady Sunderland (his Lady) and her sister went to Amsterdam, from whence the first is to proceed to Cassel, and the others to Aix la Chapelle and to Spa, to make use of the waters there⁹.

Lord Glenorchy¹⁰ acquaints me from Sleswig, that the French secretary has told

9 Richard Sutton (1674-1737) had been appointed envoy extraordinary to Hesse-Cassel by George I in April 1727, and was given fresh credentials by George II in 1728. His elder brother, Sir Robert Sutton (c. 1671-1746) was a former ambassador at Constantinople and Paris, who in 1728 was a Member of Parliament and financier. His wife Judith was the widow of Charles Spencer, third Earl of Sunderland. Sedgwick, History of Parliament, II, 456-458.

10 John Campbell, Lord Glenorchy (1696-1782), envoy extraordinary in Copenhagen, 1720-1731.

[p. 138]

the Great Chancelour that he had orders to desire instructions might be given to the Danish plenipotentiaries at Soissons, to enter into measures, for satisfying the Duke of Holstein in order to the better settling the Peace of the North; to which the Chancelour answered that that matter was already at an end - the possession of Sleswig having been guaranteed to the Crown of Denmark by England and France, so that there was no occasion to send any such instructions to their plenipotentiaries¹¹. That as to the affair of the Altena Company¹² his Lordship being but just arrived at Sleswig and the King of Denmark's stay being very short there, no opportunity had offered to talk with the King or his ministers about it.

The Danish minister here has not yet delivered an answer to the representation against that Company, transmitted by him to his Court from His Majesty and the States General. I am with the greatest truth and respect - - -

[P.S.]

I have not time to thank your Lordship, as I intended, with my own hand, for your kind concern for my health, which is now perfectly restored.

11 The Duke of Holstein-Gottorp's claims to Sleswig were supported by Austria and Russia and were a source of international tension. The settlements at the end of the Great Northern War guaranteeing Danish possession of Sleswig had not been accepted by Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp, who, in 1725, married Peter the Great's daughter Anna. Bagger, Ruslands alliencepolitik.

12 A Danish attempt to establish a trading company to the East Indies. This worried the British, as it would compete with the British East India Company.