Briefwisseling en aantekeningen. Deel 1

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LXXXVI.
Willem Bentinck aan de gravin van Portland.

[B.M., Eg. 1713]

Den Haag, 17 April 1744.

......Public affairs at present take up everybody's thoughts and attention. And t'is a miserable thing to see how little those stick together who ought to make the party against France. What I have already writ to you, gives you a superficial notion of things here, which are much worse than I can describe, or dare say. Your newspaper writers have such odd correspondants that you can but little depend on what you find there from hence. Monsieur De la Ville has presented no Memorial since the Declaration of Warr, nor even then. He only communicated the Declaration, and made the rest of his compliment by word of mouth, which consisted in offers of friendship, and assurances from his Court of the most favorable dispositions towards the Republick, adding that His Most Christian Majesty flatter'd himself that this event would make no change or alteration in the friendship that subsisted between Him and the Republick. I am sure of what I say, because I was President that week. I communicated the Declaration of Warr to the Assembly, upon which it was resolved to write a circular letter to the Provinces, but I did not mention a word of all he added to it by word of mouth, nor of what I answered him. The States of Holland are assembled on this occasion, and last Tuesday they gave their vote in the Generality for giving the 20 ships Mr. Trevor asked that same day by Memorial.

I am sorry to see that people are so well inform'd here of the condition things are in, with you; and am persuaded they are sett off by malicious people in the worst light¹⁾. I doubt whether the gentleman lately gone over will mend matters. You know the Principles of his

1) Er heerschte in het Engelsche kabinet groote verdeeldheid en de aanvallen op de oorlogspolitiek van Carteret door de oppositie wekten groot opzien.

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family and those of the town he lives in¹⁾. And what confirms me in this opinion is, that tho' he knows the relations I have with England, he has not ask'd me one single question. And he has had most of his information from old Buis²⁾, whom you know of old. In short till something happens to cement the different materials, and bind the different parts of the building, it will be continually in danger of being thrown down by the first shock, of falling of its self.

1) Boetzelaer woonde in Amsterdam.

2) Mr. Willem Buys, 1661-1749, secretaris van de Staten van Holland van 1726 tot 1749, vóórdien (van 1693 tot 1725) pensionaris van Amsterdam. Hij was een van de plenipotentiarissen ter vredesconferentie van Utrecht geweest en had daarvan een slechte herinnering aan Engeland bewaard: vgl. P Geyl, a.w., blz. 185.