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lege, near Dublin, such sum or sums, not exceeding five thousand pounds, as he shall from time to time judge necessary to be expended towards finishing the library of the said College.

Ordered-That such members of this House, as are of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council,do attend his Grace the LordLieutenant with the said address, and lay the same before his Grace. Ex. per Bruen Worthington and

Isaac Ambrose, Cl: Parl: Dom: Comms.

Extract of a letter from his Grace the Duke of Bolton, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, to Mr. Secretary Addison.

Dublin Castle, Sept. 23rd, 1717.

I have been this day attended with an address of the House of Commons, on behalf of the College of Dublin, that his Majesty will please to bestow on them a sum not exceeding five thousand pounds, in order to finish the library of the said College; the like sum having been given them by her late Majesty, to begin the same; and the present provost, Dr. Baldwin, (who was lately appointed thereto by his Majesty, upon the removal of Dr. Pratt to the deanery of Downe,) being a person of so good a character, and of known zeal, loyalty, and affection to his Majesty and his government, that from his care and influence the happy conjunction of good scholars and good subjects may be expected for the public service; and I herewith transmit the same to you, to be laid before his Majesty in the usual form; and take the liberty of recommending it, as what will be for his Majesty's service, and a bounty well bestowed.

ADDISON TO THE EARL OF STAIR (IN PARIS). MY LORD,

Whitehall, December 5th, 1717.

I am sorry to find by Mr. Crawford's letter of the 8th instant, that your Excellency has been obliged to undergo another operation; but hope that you are, by this time, in a fair way of recovery.

Your Excellency will certainly have heard the late unfortunate affair in the royal family very much talked of, and perhaps misrepresented. For which reason, I herewith send your Excellency the enclosed paper, containing a more distinct relation of that matter than what you received by the last post in my office circular, the same having been communicated to all the foreign ministers here. I heartily wish it were possible to conceal this disagreeable story; but, as it must be public, it is fit your Excellency should know the

truth of it, both for your own information, and that
may set others right who shall happen to ask about it.
I am, with great respect, my Lord,

Your Excellency's most obedient and
Most humble servant,

you

J. ADDISON.

The paper said to be enclosed has not been found, but it was probably the following letter, which Rapin says was printed in French in the Amsterdam Gazette, as written by the English Secretary of State (Addison).

SIR,

Whitehall, Dec. 14th, 1717.

His Majesty having been informed that several reports, for the most part ill-grounded, are spread abroad concerning what has lately passed in the Royal Family, he has ordered me to send you the enclosed account of it.

As soon as the young Prince was born, the King caused himself to be informed of what was wont to be observed in the like cases in this kingdom, in regard to the ceremony of Baptism; and having found by the records, that, when it was a boy, and the King was godfather, it was the custom for him to nominate, for second godfather, one of the principal lords of his court, who for the most part was the Lord Chamberlain; he named for this function the Duke of Newcastle, who now bears that charge; naming at the same time for godmother the Duchess of St. Albans, first lady of honour to the Princess. Nevertheless, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales conceived such a dislike at this, that on Thursday last, after the solemnity of the Baptism was over, finding himself no longer master of his temper, he drew near to the Duke of Newcastle, and gave him very reproachful words, upon supposition that he had solicited that honour in spite of him. The King was still in the chamber, but not near enough to hear what the Prince said to the Duke. This last, thinking himself obliged to inform the King of it, and the Prince having confessed the matter to the Dukes of Kingston, Kent, and Roxburgh, (whom His Majesty sent to him the next day upon this occasion,) His Majesty ordered him, by a second message, not to go out of his own apartment till further order. On Saturday the Prince wrote a letter to the King, and the next day (Sunday) another: but, His

Majesty not finding them satisfactory, and having besides other reasons of discontent at several steps the Prince had taken, he caused him to be told yesterday in the afternoon, by his vice-chamberlain Mr. Cooke, that he should be gone from the palace of St. James's; and to the Princess, that she might continue in the palace as long as she thought convenient; but that as for the Princesses her daughters, and the young Prince, the King would have them remain with him in the palace, and that the Princess should be permitted to see them as often as she desired it. However, the Princess, being unwilling to leave the Prince her husband, went with him to the House of the Earl of Grantham, her Lord Chamberlain, where their Royal Highnesses lay last night.

SIR,

STANYAN TO JOSIAH BURCHETT, ESQ.

Whitehall, December 21st, 1717. My Lord Sunderland having received a letter of the 9th instant from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, relating to twelve bales of slop clothes for the use of the seamen under the command of Vice-Admiral Cornwall, which have been carried into the custom-house at Lisbon, upon a pretence of their being liable to the King of Portugal's duties, his Lordship has been pleased to transmit the said letter to Mr. Secretary Addison, that proper instances may be made at Lisbon for discharging the said slop clothes of the said duties and that the same may be done in the most effectual manner, Mr. Secretary desires the commissioners of the navy may give in a proper representation of the fact, and such ticulars relating thereto as may best serve to set the matter in a clear light, together with the proper proofs for supporting the same; whereupon, Mr. Secretary will signify the King's pleasure to his minister at the court of Portugal, to apply for the discharge of the said goods.

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Mr. Secretary being not well enough to write himself to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, has commanded me to give you the trouble of this for their Lordships' perusal. I am, &c. TEMPLE STANYAN.

STANYAN TO THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL.

MY LORD AND SIR,

Whitehall, January 24th, 1717-18.

Mr. Secretary Addison having taken Mr. Richard Tickell as a clerk into his office, I am directed to acquaint you therewith, that

he may have the usual freedom in respect to his letters as the other clerks in the offices of his Majesty's Secretaries of State enjoy.

SIR,

I am, my Lord and sir, your most obedient
and most humble servant,

TEMPLE STANYAN.

ADDISON TO THE ATTORNEY- GENERAL.

Whitehall, February 24th, 1717-18.

The Venetian Secretary having complained to me, that Joseph Galindo, one of his domestics, has been arrested by John Bennett, at the suit of Jacob Heizar, I desire you will make inquiry into this matter, and if you find his case to be within the meaning of the Act of Parliament for preserving the privileges of ambassadors and other public ministers from foreign princes and states, that you will take care that he may enjoy the benefit thereof.

I am, sir, your humble servant,

J. ADDISON.

TICKELL TO MR. CRACHERODE.

SIR,

Whitehall, March 4th, 1717-18.

His Majesty having directed ten commissions to pass under the Great Seal for trying pirates in the Plantations, Mr. Secretary Addison orders me to give you notice, that the warrants lie signed in his office, that you may forthwith take care of passing the said commissions, as he is informed Wm. Nicholas Baker, formerly solicitor to the Treasury, did commissions of the like nature in the year 1700.

I am, sir,

Your most obedient, humble servant,
THOS. TICKELL.

English copy of Mr. Secretary Addison's letter to the king, desiring leave to resign the seals.

SIR, (March 14th, 1717-18.) It is with great concern that I find my health in such a condition as will not permit me to attend the duties of my office with that assiduity and application which it requires. Though I shall hereby lose the honour and pleasure of serving the greatest and best of masters in that high station with which your Majesty has been pleased to honour me, I shall

embrace every opportunity to the last moment of my life to promote your Majesty's service, which is only promoting that of your people, as all who have had the honour to lay business before your Majesty ought in justice to acquaint the world. I think it therefore my duty, both to your Majesty and the public, to resign with the deepest sentiments of gratitude and humility the seals of the Secretary's Office, that they may be disposed of to one who, besides an inviolable zeal and attachment to your Majesty's interests, in which

nobody shall ever go before me,

I shall never be behind any one, has a suitable stock of health to go through the business of so great an employ.1

DEAR SIR,

ADDISON TO DEAN SWIFT.

March 20th, 1717-18.

Multiplicity of business, and a long dangerous fit of sickness, have prevented me from answering the obliging letter you honoured me with some time since; but, God be thanked, I cannot make use of either of these excuses at present, being entirely free both of my office 2 and my asthma. I dare not, however, venture myself abroad yet, but have sent the contents of your last to a friend3 of mine, (for he is very much so, though he is my successor,) who I hope will turn it to the advantage of the gentleman whom you mention. I know you have so much zeal and pleasure in doing kind offices to those you wish well to, that I hope you represent the hardship of the case in the strongest colours that it can possibly bear." However, as I always honoured you for your good nature, which is a very odd quality to celebrate in a man who has talents so much more shining in the eyes of the world, I should be

In what language the original of this letter was written does not appear―probably French.

2 Secretary of State, which post Mr. Addison resigned, 14th of March, 1717-18, and had a pension granted him of £1500 a year.

3 James Craggs, Esq. Oldmixon says of him, "James Craggs, jun. Esq., was appointed one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, in the room of Joseph Addison, Esq., who was pleased to say of his successor to me, "That he was as fit a man for it as any in the kingdom; and that he never knew any man who had a greater genius for business, whether in parliament or out of parliament, than young Mr. Craggs, as will appear by his conduct." Hist. of England, p. 659.

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