Briefwisseling en aantekeningen. Deel 1

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CCXXII.
Willem Bentinck aan de gravin van Portland.

[B.M., Eg. 1714]

Den Haag, 21 Juli 1747.

[Zendt verslagen van de slag bij Lafeld.]

The third paper is an act, which M^r. Pallardy has been advised to have drawn, as you will see, for his own justification¹⁾. When he came hither from Sluis, he told his story publickly here, as he had done in Zealand, where it contributed not a little to exasperate people's minds, and, in my opinion, further'd the revolution. The thing being publick here, was writ by General des Brosses to M^r. de Lowendahl and des Brosses deny'd publickly the fact affirmed by M^r. Pallardy. Whereupon Major Forbes²⁾ was sent for by Pallardy's friends from Berg-op-Zoom, and this paper was drawn, and copys are now handed about; of this you need make no secret, and I shall be glad to have it quite publick, to shew what the people were who had the direction of our affairs before the Revolution as well as those in England, who had so long acted in concert with them.

M^r. Pallardy was then prisoner, and in great danger, if ever he return'd, to have a very bad time of it. I have had the good luck of procuring him his liberty, so that he is now out of danger. And I hope to succeed too for Major Forbes.

This Major Forbes armed with this paper went one morning to Baron Phaw's³⁾, and in presence of all the company before which Desbrosses had deny'd the truth of the conversation with Lowendahl, he read this paper,

1) Het stuk ontbreekt. - Pallardy had openlijk beweerd, dat de Fransche generaal Löwendahl na de overgave van Sluis verklaard had dat zijn inval in overleg met ‘vos Messieurs’ gebeurd was. Vgl. P. Geyl, a.w., blz. 213 en 338; Archives, IV, I, blz. 198, 482.

2) Arthur Forbes, kapitein in het regiment van den kolonel Stuart, legde 18 Juli 1747 den eed af als luitenant-kolonel: Ned. Jb., 1747, blz. 536.

3) Misschien Von Pfau of Von Pfaff; de persoon is ons onbekend.

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and told Desbrosses that he had heard there were people impudent ennough to deny this fact, but that the wish'd to know who they were, because he would break their bones. Since that moment Desbrosses speaks no more of it.

The French attack Berg-op-Zoom, and fire with red bullets, so that yesterday the whole town was in a flame. General Cronstrom is sent there by the Prince of Orange, with a commission to command between the Scheld and the Mase. The Duke¹⁾ has detach'd ten bataillons and twelve squadrons which march'd yesterday thro' Venlo, to go and join the body under the Prince of Saxe Hilburgshausen. As soon as General Cronstrom was arrived at Berg-op-Zoom, or rather in the lines between Berg-op-Zoom and Steenbergen, the Prince of Hilburgshausen got the gout, retired to Tolen, and left the command to General Cronstrom. How the Prince of Waldeck will be pleased with the commission given to Cronstrom, I cannot tell.

But obey he must. General Cronstrom gives good hopes of maintaining Berg-op-Zoom, which is attack'd but on one side, and not invested, being free on the Scheld side, the Water-Schans not attack'd, and a strong body of troops being in the lines, and doing service with the garrison. This body augments daily by the troops that draw together by degrees. You will say that this is a very bad situation; but such as it is, it gives me less uneasiness than that which we were in a year ago.

1) De Hertog van Cumberland lag met de hoofdmacht van het verbonden leger bij Maastricht.