Briefwisseling en aantekeningen. Deel 1

[p. 132]

CXVIII.
Willem Bentinck aan de gravin van Portland.

[B.M. Eg., 1713]

Den Haag, 13 Aug. 1745.

......I must ask you that my letters be as little produced as possible, that things may not come round again, which would be the way to hinder people speaking freely to me. Now I pick up à droit et à gauche, and as much as I can sift the truth out of all the lyes I hear, which the Hague is as fruitful of as any place in the world.

......(The sickness of cattle)¹⁾ is a loss to this Republick much greater than people imagine, and a prodigious diminution to the publick revenue, and by that serves as a pretext to people, who certainly would not doe more, tho' they were ten times richer than they are.

Van Hoey writes that the whole affair of the Pretender was a mere fiction, according to the informations he has lately got. And I believe that the bad success of the ships that engaged the Lion will make the project dwindle to nothing²⁾; tho' I am not convinced that it would not have been very serious if it had been neglected......

1) Over de veeziekte heeft Bentinck reeds in vorige brieven gesproken. Vgl. ook Trevor bij P. Geyl, a.w., blz. 139.

2) Karel Eduard was met twee schepen uitgezeild; 20 Juli waren zij slaags geraakt met H.M.S. Lion, en een van de twee keerde zwaar gehavend terug. De Du Teillay met ‘de jonge Pretendent’ aan boord ging evenwel verder.