1697, between England and France, in respect of the right of the fucceffion of England in the perfon of her majesty the QUEEN of Great Britain, now reigning; and that, for want of having settled in that treaty this indisputable right of her majefty, France refufed to acknowledge her for QUEEN of Great Britain after the death of the late king William the third of glorious memory: her majefty the QUEEN of Great Britain and the lords the Statesgeneral of the United provinces do agree, and engage themselves, likewife not to enter into any negotiation or treaty of peace with France, before the title of her majefty to the crown of Great Britain, as also the right of fucceffion of the most serene house of Hanover to the aforefaid crown, in the manner it is fettled and established by the beforementioned acts of parliament, be fully acknowledged as a preliminary by France; and that France hath promised, at the fame time, to remove, out of its dominions, the person who pretends to be king of Great Britain; and that no negotiation, or formal difcuffion of the articles of the said treaty of peace, fhall be entered into, but jointly, and at the fame time, with the faid QUEEN, or with her ministers. Her British majefty, and the lords the States-general of the United provinces, fhall ratify and confirm all that is contained in the prefent treaty within the space of four weeks, to be reckoned from the day of the figning. In teftimony whereof the underwritten N 4 derwritten ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of her British majesty, and the deputies of the lords the States-general, have figned this prefent treaty, and have affixed their feals thereunto. At the Hague the 29th of October, in the year 1709. (L. S.) Townfbend. (L. S.) 7. B. Van Reede. (L. S.) G. Hoeuft. (L. S.) A. Heinfius. THE SEPARATE ARTICLE. IS in the preliminary articles figned here at the Hague the 28th of May 1709, by the plenipotentiaries of his Imperial majefty, of her majesty the QUEEN of Great Britain, and of the lords the States-general of the United provinces, it is ftipulated, among other things, that the lords the States-general shall have, with entire property and fovereignty, the upper quarter of Guelder, according to the fifty-fecond article of the treaty of Munfter of the year 1648; as alfo, that the garrisons which are, or hereafter shall be, on the part of the lords the States-general, in the town of Huy, the citadel of Liege, and in the town of Bonne, shall remain there, until it shall be otherwise agreed upon with his Imperial majesty and the empire: and as the barrier, which is this day agreed upon, in the princi pal pal treaty for the mutual guarantee, between her Britifh majesty and the lords the States-general, cannot give, to the United provinces, the fafety for which it is eftablished, unless it be well fecured from one end to the other, and that the communication of it be well joined together, for which the upper quarter of Guelder, and the garrifons in the citadel of Liege, Huy, and Bonne are abfolutely necessary (experience having thrice fhewn, that France, having a defign to attack the United provinces, has made ufe of the places abovementioned, in order to come at them, and to penetrate into the faid provinces). And further, as in respect to the equivalent for which the upper quarter of Guelder is to be yielded to the United provinces, according to the fifty· Second article of the treaty of Munster abovementioned, his majesty king Charles III, will be much more gratified and advantaged in other places, than that equivalent can avail. To the end therefore that the lords the States-general may have the upper quarter of Guelder, with entire property and fovereignty; and that the Said upper quarter of Guelder may be yielded, in this manner, to the faid lords the States-general, in the convention, or the treaty that they are to make with his majefty king Charles III, according to the thirteenth article of the treaty concluded this day; as alfo that their garrifons in the citadel of Liege, in that of Huy, and in Bonne, may remain there, until it be otherwise agreed upon with his Imperial majefty and the empire; her majesty the QUEEN of Great Britain engages herfelf, and promifes, by this separate article, which shall have the fame force as if it were inferted in the prin cipal treaty, to make the fame efforts for all this, as The hath engaged herself to make for the obtaining the barrier in the Spanish Low-countries. In teftimony whereof the underwritten ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of her British majefty, and deputies of the lords the States-general, have figned the prefent Separate article, and have affixed their feals thereunto. At the Hague, the 29th of October, 1709. (L. S.) Townshend. (L. S.) J. B. Van Reede. (L. S.) G. Hoeuft. (L. S.) E. V. Ittersum. (L. S.) J. V. Welderen. (L. S.) A. Heinfius. (L. S.) H. Sminia. (L. S.) W. Wichers. THE SECOND SEPARATE ARTICLE. S As the lords the States-general have reprefented, that in Flanders the limits, between Spanish Flanders and that of the States, are fettled in fuch a manner, as that the land, belonging to the States, is extremely narrow there; fo that, in some places, the territory of Spanish Flanders extends itself to the fortifications, and under the cannon, of the places, towns, and forts of the States, which occafions many inconveniencies, as hath been feen, by an example, a little before the beginning of the prefent war, when a fort was defigned to have been built under the cannon of the Sas Van Gand, under pretence that it was upon the terri tory tory of Spain: and as it is necessary, for avoiding these and other forts of inconveniencies, that the land of the States, upon the confines of Flanders, fhould be inlarged, and that the places, towns, and forts should, by that means, be better covered: her British majesty, entering into the just motives of the faid lords the Statesgeneral in this refpect, promifes and engages herfelf, by this feparate article, that, in the convention which the faid lords the States-general are to make with his majefty king Charles III, fhe will affift them, as that it be agreed, that, by the ceffion to the faid lords the States-general of the property of an extent of land necessary to obviate fuch like and other inconveniencies, their limits in Flanders fhall be enlarged more conveniently for their fecurity; and thofe of the Spanish Flanders removed further from their towns, places, and forts, to the end that these may not be fo expofed any more. In teftimony whereof the under-written ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of her British majefty, and deputies of the lords the States general, have figned the present separate article, and have affixed their feals thereunto. may At the Hague, the 29th of October, 1709. |