THREE THINGS TO BE DEMANDED

Ist. That His Catholic Majesty should use his good ofEces veith the Pope that His Holiness may acknowledge the Prince of Wales as King of England, and grant him the same honours and the same pension as the late king.

2nd. That His Catholic Majesty should order his Minister at Rome to render to the said Prince of Wales the same honours which the Ministers and Spanish ambassadors at Rome rendered to the late Kin^r his father.

3rd. That His Catholic Majesty should be so good as to grant him an annual subsidy to assist him to live with the decency proper to his birth.

COMTE DE SERRANTS

Borne, Fehr. the SO/A, 1766.

I THANK you for your kind letter from Montpellier of the 28th last month. The loss I hâve made of the King, my Father, has indeed been in ail shapes very sensible to me. It is no doubt a great comfort to me iny haveing with me the King, my brother, who showes me ail possible love and confidence, but this is accompanied

' [James, the elder Chevalier, who ruarried " [In French again. — Tr.]

Princess Marie Sobieska, died Jany. 1766.— '' [In English.— Tr.]

Te.]

with an existe ^ of grief in seeing liim receive such liard treatment in the country in tlie woi'ld lie ouglit less to hâve expected it. I am very glad to find he bas pitclied upon a person of your known merit and zeal for to soUicit his affairs in Spain ; and am as certain that if it is possible to succeed you certainly will. I shall be impatient to liear accounts of your arrivai and you may be very well assured that I shall be allways glad of occasions where I can give you proofs of the esteem and friendship I hâve for you.

Au Comte Walsh-Serrant. Henry Cardinal.

Rome, March iUh, 1766.

I HAVE received your letters from Madrid on the 22d and 23d February, and 3d and lOth instant. I cannot but heartily approve of the steps you hâve taken to serve me at that Court. If the success does not correspond to your activity and zeal, it must be ascribed to the unlucky conjuncture of the times. I know, however, that you will leave nothing untried that may be useful to me. But when you find that your stay at Madrid is of no further use, you will no doubt return to France where you may be of more real service to me at the court of Versailles, where I intend to employ you as niy Minister. I shall send to you, when at Paiùs, my powers and instructions for that purpose. It is of the utmost conséquence to me to hâve a Minister of your activity zeal and fidelity at this last court, since it appears that they must begin the dance and that Spain will only copy after them. I expect, indeed, you will be able to settle a correspondence with Don Emanuel de lioda, as well as with Lord Peter, and that you will endeavour to engage either the one or the other, or even both, to solicite my interest at Madrid. For this purpose make them kind compliments in my name : assure them of the confidence I bave in them, how sensible I am of their good hearts towards me, and how much I désire to give them proofs of my esteem and friendship. Hepresent to them, and likewise to M. de Squillace, the nécessitons state to which I am reduced, and

1 [Curiously used in the sensé that there are underlined in the original letter. — Tr.] exists a grief, etc. AU the words in italics ^ j^Jq English.— Te.]

PEINCE CHARLES EDWARD 79

that without some subsidy from the Court of Spain, I sliall hardly be able to procure the necessaries of life, and much less to perform the obligation that lies on me to maintain many of my honest subjects who hâve lost their ail in the service of my family. If any subsidy is given, it was always my intention to give the administration of it to Messrs. Joyes. I will give them a procuration for that etfect, or if it is necessary to be in the Spanish form they may send me a procuration and I shall sign it. You may let them know the particular considération I hâve for them. I cannot but inform you that some nights ago I had a private visit from M. d'Azpuru, the Spanish Minister, hère. He said he had just received positive orders from the King, his master, as well as from the Queen-Mother, to inform me that they had received my letters, that it was a great mortification to them that the présent situation of their affairs prevented their answering them as they wished, but that I might always dépend on their regard and good inclinations towards me. I told the Minister, that from my youth I had received so many marks of their friendship, that I could not doubt of the continuance of it, and left it to himself to make them a compliment in my name, since the sincerity of my attachment to them could not be exaggerated. M. d'Azpuru mentioned to me M. de Roda's attachment, and that he had desired him to assure me of it. I directed him to thank M. de Roda, and to say whatever was proper from me to him. He neither mentioned M. de Squillace nor Grimaldi. I know nothing else to add to you concerning my affairs but what will naturally occur to yourself My disagreable situation at Rome continues the same. In short I am fully persuaded that you wil omit nothing that can properly be done for me at the court of Madrid. Last night I received a letter from Lord Bonaventure, late Grand Prier of England, dated at Madrid the 15th Mardi; he takes no notice of the death of the King, my father. He addresses the letter ' à Monsieur le baron de Douglas d Rome,' and treats me with the appellation of royal highness. He certainly should hâve known long ago the change of my state. Until he writes me properly I cannot think of answering his letter. He writes me that there bas been injustice done him in his preferment, and desires my cousent to abandon Spain, and to corne

80 A EOYALIST FAMILY AND

and live with me. It seems odd that a son of the faniily of Berwick should be in this situation. I am afraid he must hâve been guilty of some extravagance. But at présent there can be no question of my bringing him hère, since I can hardly maintain the very few gentlemen I hâve about me. I leave it to yourself to make what use you shall judge proper of what I now write. — Your sincère Friend, Comte de Serrant. Charles R.

Rome, Augst. \2th 1766.

I CANNOT but be sensibly touched with my présent disagreeable situation. Can it be supposed that the courts of France and spain will abandon me at this critical conjuncture ? From what I hâve wrote to you of late, I am persuaded that you hâve pressed the Duke de Choiseul on this point. I hope he will keen me no longer in suspense, but come to some resolution, that I may know with certainty what I hâve to dépend on, in order to regulate my affairs accordingly.

I am much surprised that I hâve not heard from Don Gregorio Joyes. I sent him my instructions, May the 28th, of which he has not owned the receipt. I do not suppose that my letter has miscarried. However, I write to him again, and send him a copy of what I formerly wrote. My instructions to him were little more than a répétition of those you had given him. I desired him to advise with Lord Peter and Don Emanuel de Roda of the properest method to lay the situation before his Catholic Majesty. I now désire him to take the advice llkewise of Don Domenica Pasqual y La Fuentes, my brother's agent at Madrid, a person who has much access to and esteemed by the Ministers. I think it would be proper you should inform Joyes of what I now write you in case of any accident befalling my letter to him.

I hâve received your letter in favour of Dr. Mahony. You may easily believe what weight your recommendation would hâve had with me, had it been possible for me to hâve gratified him with the title he asks. I hâve a value for him, and am persuaded of his

1 [In English.— Tr.]

worth. But many of my subjects of superior merit would hâve claimed the same mark of distinction, which the présent situation of my affairs makes me unwilling to grant.

Sensible of your unwearied zeal to serve me, I shall always wisb for opportunities to give you proofs of the particular regard and value I hâve for you. — Your sincère friend, Charles R.

Comte de Serrant.

MONSIEUR LE COMTE DE SERRANT

Rome, Décembre the 9th, 1766.

In hopes of hearing something more satisfactory with regard to my afiairs at the Courts of France and Spain, I hâve hitherto delayed to mention the receipt of your letters to me of the 30th August and 28th October. I hâve read the Duke of Choiseul's letter to you. I cannot indeed allow myself to think that the Court of France will so far mistake its own interest as to abandon me, or, which is the same thing, refuse me those subsidies so indispensably necessary at présent for my support. Your zeal for my service and kuowledge of my wants will no doubt make you still ui-ge this point with that Minister. Were my case properly represented to his most Christian Majesty, I am persuaded he has too good a heart to allow me to remain in this disraal situation. I mentioned to you that, in conséquence of your recommendation, I wrote, May the 28th, to Joyes, and not having a reply, Lumisden wrote to him again by my order, August the 14th ; to neither of thèse letters hâve I received any answer. I am at a loss to conjecture from whence this proceeds, and thei'efore désire you may write to him that I may know the reason of such a disappbintment. My situation hère continues too disagreeable for me to describe. I shall at présent draw a veil over it. Your son's advancement gives me much satisfaction, as I particularly interest myself in whatever relates to you or your family. — Your sincère friend, Charles R.