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Letters of William III. and Louis XIV. and Their Ministers
Letters of William III and Louis XIV and Their Ministers Author:William Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: WILLIAM III. TO THE PENSIONARY HEINSIUS. Camp before Brussels, July 11. 1697. I am very glad to learn that the ambassadors of France f aver that they sinc... more »erely desire peace, and that they wish to terminate the negotiations speedily. With respect to the last article, I do not at all believe it; but it is always desirable to seeso clearly that they fear to break off the negotiations, which is the only ground that remains for us to hope they may soon be brought to a conclusion. It is the more necessary for that purpose to press the negotiations. The best means of attaining that object is, to negotiate secretly through the ambassador of the state; for, as for the mediator, we see clearly that he seeks only to delay. It is indeed inconceivable that we should be agreed with France on all essential points, and yet unable to conclude a peace; and that only because each of the two parties suspects the intentions of the other. It seems to me that this is not difficult to be cleared up, and that we might then come to a conclusion in some way or other. The Earl of Portland has informed you of what passed between him and the Marshal BoufSers: I do not expect much from it. It is probable that he will receive only an answer in general terms. Thus every thing will have to be done at the Hague, as I always thought it would. Antony Heinsius, grand pensionary of Holland by successive quinquennial elections, from the year 1689, until his death, which took place on the 3d of August 1720, at the age of seventy-nine, was one of the statesmen who, during this memorable period, exercised the greatest influence on the affairs of Europe. He commenced his public career as councillor-pensionary of the town of Delft. The Prince of Orange honoured him with the most unlimited confidence, and he enjoye...« less