Briefwisseling en aantekeningen. Deel 1

CCXLII.
De Hertog van Newcastle aan Willem Bentinck¹⁾.

[B.M., Add. 32810]

1) Kopie.

Newcastle House, 20 Oct. 1747 (O.S.)

(Betuiging van vreugde, waarin de Koning deelt, over Bentincks herstel.)

In the meantime the difficulty in Holland on the point of the declaration of war, the delay in compleating the augmentation of the 30.000 men, the delay even in giving the projected answer to the abbé La Ville's Memorials, and above all, the taking away the Dutch ships from the defence of Zeland to convoy the trade into the ports of

[p. 304]

France, make such an impression here that, except some acts of vigour are immediately shewed by the Republic, and enquiries made into the conduct of those Officers, who are thought to have given up the strongest and most defensible towns, I am very apprehensive of the difficulties, that will attend the continuance of the war, and consequently how far they may incline people here to accept the best peace - - which will probably be but a very bad one - - that can be got, in these circumstances. I cannot avoid mentioning to you that the behaviour of the Jacobites, here, begins to create a good deal of alarm, and apprehension of some attempts being made here, during the winter, from the French troops which are now quartered in towns upon the opposite coast......