Pages 248-250
Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 33, 1661-1664. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1932.
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Citation:
June 1663
| June 6. Senato, Secreta. Dispacci, Francia. Venetian Archives. |
328. Alvise Sagredo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. Colbert Taron has arrived at Lisbon. He confirms the report of the succour from London, which left with a fleet of thirteen ships under the earl of Tiviot, otherwise known as Colonel Audesfort, a Scottish soldier of great reputation and distinction, governor of Tanger. They think nothing of the enemy for the present campaign, although he is in superior force. The remittance of 200,000 crowns made by the Spaniards to London was for the purpose of keeping up the divisions in the parliament there, as the lord chancellor, by his authority and credit has the skill to foster and sustain them, so that if he is won over they might succeed in diminishing the succour for Portugal and in moderating the injury which the Catholic is receiving in the West Indies, more especially from the English. It is learned from a ship that left Cadiz on the 5th ult. and has arrived at La Rochelle that after the capture of Sant' Iago in the island of Cuba the English have burned all the Spanish ships in the port of Campegio, to the number of fifteen, and landing on the main land they penetrated for twenty leagues into the interior, laying waste everything, and besides this they have cut down all the trees of most precious drugs which they found. Accordingly people are watching with curiosity, on account of this, the succour to Portugal and the maintenance of the fortress of Tanger, to see if the Spaniards will be able to dissimulate or to put up any longer with the injuries which they receive from this most bellicose nation. Paris, the 6th June, 1663. [Italian.] |
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| June 12. Senato, Secreta. Dispacci, Francia. Venetian Archives. |
329. Alvise Sagredo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. Letters of the 1st inst. from London report that the English would not permit 1,300 French who arrived at Plymouth on the 18th May, to land' threatening to throw them into the sea if they attempted to do so, and they would also sequestrate the ships in that same port. This is because the English frigates are not yet ready which are to convey other troops together with the French, to Portugal, and because they will not run the risk of any injury which those troops might do on shore, as well as to make sure in this manner that they will not run away, by preventing all liberty and intercourse. The king on his return to England consented to convoke parliament every three years. He now wishes that he had not prefixed that term and is making efforts to get rid of it, offering to summon parliament even more frequently, in accordance with the requirements of the country. The Lower Chamber shows itself utterly opposed to this because all their authority depends absolutely upon the meeting of parliament, and as this authority is what the king himself and the Upper Chamber wish to reduce it is likely that great disputes will arise both in parliament and in the whole kingdom in consequence. Two other difficulties are added to this. The first and more important is the question of the disposal of the military forces at the king's pleasure, which his Majesty desires to have when parliament is not sitting. This question is much debated by the Lower House which it is believed will on no account agree to it. The other difficulty consists in reducing the expenditure of the royal household, in which the chancellor Hide and other leading ministers wish to profit at the expense of the people. Besides this the king has obtained a decree of parliament that all those who have served during the past troubles against the monarchy and the royal House shall be excluded from all charges and offices of the kingdom, the intention being that only those shall be admitted who have been faithful to his Majesty and who have professed effectively the Protestant Anglican religion. They are contemplating fresh restrictions against the Roman Catholics, as they wish to destroy utterly every root which they find to be spreading, advancing as a pretext the perils to be feared from new and greater divisions in the country. Lord Mandevil, son of the Great Chamberlain of England, has arrived in Paris to learn the truth about the convalescence of the queen mother. Two other gentlemen have also arrived, sent from London by the queen and the duke of York. They have gone on to Madame d'Orleans. Paris, the 12th June, 1663. [Italian.] |
| June 19. Senato, Secreta. Dispacci, Francia. Venetian Archives. |
330. Alvise Sagredo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. Letters from England of the 12th report the departure of nine royal frigates with many other vessels of the kingdom, upon which are embarked the French troops numbering 1,400, and another 3,000 English soldiers, for Portugal. The king has dismissed the parliament, that is for all July and for three or four months after, all the members dispersing to their homes. A courier has arrived in London from the earl of Ormond, Viceroy of Ireland, with news of a great conspiracy of malcontents against the government, persons who cling to the principles of Cromwell. The king accordingly has dismissed the parliament there also, and has caused many arrests to be made, including certain members of that body. The king there is having made and enlarged his great park of St. James, where he is carrying out divers constructions and making canals, for the reception of a countless number of strange animals, for his amusement; and he is sending to the Most Christian by Saint Ravi, a Huguenot gentleman, who distinguished himself in the armies of England by his sword for 35 years, a very great quantity of deer, Indian ducks, pelicans and other extraordinary animals, to put in the park of Versailles. (fn. 1) Paris, the 19th June, 1663. [Italian.] |